The Global Entrepreneurship Conference (GEC) in Riyadh witnessed, in its second day, agreements and launches with a total value of SR28.9 billion ($7.71 billion), designed to support entrepreneurship in various fields. The conference, organized by the Small and Medium Enterprises General Authority "Monsha'at" in cooperation with the Global Entrepreneurship Network, continued under the slogan "We Reinvent, We Renew", as it witnessed the signing of more than 21 agreements and the launch of many investment initiatives, reported Saudi Press Agency (SPA). Monshaat signed a memorandum of understanding with Amazon to enable local companies to sell their products to millions of customers across the Kingdom on the Amazon Saudi Arabia store. As part of the MoU, Amazon will support small and medium enterprises with the logistical capabilities, tools, and programs that Amazon provides to sellers. The launches included the announcement of the Small and Medium Enterprises Bank, the approved budget for financing the small and medium enterprises sector, which amounted to SR12 billion ($3.2 billion), and Monshaat signed a cooperation agreement with Al Rajhi Bank, worth SR2 billion (more than $533 million), to launch programs and innovative financing products. The Arab National Bank signed several cooperation agreements, including an agreement to launch innovative financing programs and products, with a value of more than SR1 billion (over $293 million), and launching a credit card product for small and medium enterprises with an amount of up to SR50 million ($13 million). The Ministry of Investment also announced a set of investments and licensing for many international companies to enter the Saudi market with investments estimated at SR3.51 billion (more than $936 million). During the conference's second day, a total value of innovative financing banking programs, amounting to more than SR7.3 billion ($2 billion) for the next five years was announced. The Saudi National Bank signed a cooperation agreement for a product of innovative financing programs and products worth SR1 billion (more than $266 million) and another cooperation agreement to support the innovation program worth SR2.7 million ($720 thousand), and Bank Albilad signed an agreement with Monshaat to provide innovative financing programs and products worth nearly SR2 billion ($520 million). Thiqa company signed a joint cooperation agreement with Monsha'at to provide services to small and medium enterprises, while the Saudi Organization for Auditors and Accountants signed an agreement to raise awareness and provide professional guidance in the field of accounting and auditing, and to launch the "Etkal" platform. The second day also witnessed the signing of an MoU between the Ministry of Investment and the Saudi Authority for Data and Artificial Intelligence, with the aim of empowering entrepreneurs and small and medium enterprises. The Saudi Tourism Authority signed an agreement with Monsha'at to cooperate in a number of initiatives that support establishments in the tourism field. The Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz Fund for Development also signed a cooperation agreement with the aim of launching a business accelerator in the Eastern Province, and providing training programs and workshops through the Monshaat Academy. CALEDONIA A Racine man has been accused of assaulting a man and causing two injuries in a hit-and-run. Ricky M. Steil, 35, of the 2600 block of Iris Court, was charged with two felony counts of hit and run causing injury, felony counts of burglary of a building or dwelling, strangulation and suffocation and substantial battery, two misdemeanor counts of bail jumping and a misdemeanor count of disorderly conduct. According to criminal complaints: First incident At 6:30 a.m. on June 8, 2019, officers were sent to the 4400 block of Meadow Drive for a reported assault. Upon arrival, officers observed a man with blood on his head and sweatshirt. He had a laceration on his head that required four staples to close. The laceration was a result of being struck on the head with a tire iron. The man said he lives at the residence with his ex-girlfriend and her parents. During the evening of June 7, his ex-girlfriend was video-calling a man and complaining that he was not paying rent to her dad. The man later sent a message saying that he needed to be out of the home by tomorrow, and he and Steil would come over. At 6:15 a.m. the following day, the man said he was in the living room when another man and Steil entered and began to punch and kick him. Steil put him in a headlock and he struggled to breathe. He was able to break free but was attacked again. Steil put the man in a second headlock as the other man grabbed a tire iron and hit him in the head twice. The two left the residence when a woman came in and shouted What the (expletive) is going on!? A warrant for Steils arrest was issued, but he didnt make his initial appearance until Tuesday. Second incident At 6:20 p.m. on Feb. 19, an officer was sent to the intersection of Highway 31 and Four Mile Road for a two-vehicle accident. Upon arrival, the officer saw two vehicles with substantial damage. One of the drivers said she was having severe chest, arm and back pain from the accident. She said that she was approaching Four Mile Road when a vehicle disregarded her right of way and collided with her. She was transported to the hospital for her injuries. In making contact with the other vehicle, the drivers seat was empty and the passenger had to be extricated from her seat. She said that Steil was the driver and that he ran away because he had outstanding warrants. She was also transported to the hospital for her injuries. Steil was given $3,500 in cash bonds in Racine County Circuit Court on Tuesday. A preliminary hearing is set for April 6 at the Racine County Law Enforcement Center, 717 Wisconsin Ave., online court records show. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 RACINE The local man charged with threatening to kill cops while live on Facebook will do a year in the Racine County Jail. Dajuan M. Jones, 27, was sentenced for making terrorist threats. Racine County Circuit Court Judge Robert Repischak withheld the sentence and gave Jones a three-year term of probation. However, one of the terms of the probation is that he do a year in county. After three months have been served, the defendant may leave the jail temporarily to work or care for his children. Jones described himself as a stay-at-home father. The Department of Corrections recommended probation on the charge, but the judge felt that would unduly depreciate the seriousness of the crime. For Repischak, it wasnt so much what happened as what could have happened to a person running around town threatening cops, holding what looked like a real firearm but was only a pellet gun. Think in 2020 how many cities burned because somebody got shot by the police, something happened, and then people go out and riot and burn down their neighborhoods, Repischak said. He added: I thank God you didnt get stopped by the police when you were out driving around acting like a fool because theres no doubt in my mind that you would have pulled a gun on them, and youd be dead, and Racine would still be burning. Case history The Racine Police Department began an investigation in October 2020 after viewing video from a Facebook live feed in which Jones said: Want to see a cop get killed today? I dont care. Im drunk. According to police, someone had shared a video of Jones holding a gun and stating he had an AK-47. Police, upon reviewing the video, reported that Jones had said: When Im done, a couple cops gonna be hurting. Officers reported they were informed Jones had pointed a gun at someone and was in his car, parked in front of the Racine County Courthouse, 717 Wisconsin Ave., before saying he was going to the Police Department. An officer was also dispatched to an address on the 700 block of Center Street, the same block where the Racine Police Department is located. However, officers said they found Jones at a different location, where he was found sleeping on the couch and had what was believed to be a crack pipe. Jones The defendant has consistently said he does not remember the night in question, as he was intoxicated. In the pre-sentence report, Jones was quoted as saying he was very upset about the death of black people at the hands of the police in 2020. In court, Jones said since he has been out of jail, he has been a stay-at-home dad and has learned quite a bit about his kids and himself. I didnt realize how much my kids looked up to me as their dad, he said. I always thought of myself as a big mess-up. Jones asked for a second chance and apologized for his actions. As part of his probation, Jones was ordered to complete drug and alcohol counseling as well as mental health counselling. Sign up for our Crime & Courts newsletter Get the latest in local public safety news with this weekly email. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. KENOSHA The trial of the Caledonia man accused of firing of a shot into the air during the August 2020 unrest in Downtown Kenosha has been postponed until summer. Jury selection for the trial of Joshua Ziminski was scheduled to start Monday morning but was rescheduled for June 21 because Ziminskis defense attorney, Michael Barth, was reportedly tied up in another case. Ziminiski made a brief appearance in Judge Bruce Schroeders court Monday in an orange jumpsuit. Schroeder presided virtually. Ziminiski, 37, is being held on $14,000 cash bond in Kenosha County Jail. His bond was increased from $1,000 earlier this year by Schroeder after Ziminiski allegedly threatened and intimidated a witness at court as jury selection was first set to begin in January. Ziminski is charged with felony arson and misdemeanors of obstructing an officer and disorderly conduct with a deadly weapon. According to the criminal complaint, Ziminski and his wife, Kelly Ziminski, participated in protests and riots in downtown Kenosha which occurred in response to the shooting of Jacob Blake by a Kenosha Police officer. Ziminski was charged with disorderly conduct after authorities used a previous booking photograph to identify him as the man who fired what he allegedly called a warning shot into the air on Aug. 25, 2020, just before Illinois teenager Kyle Rittenhouse, who was in the same area, shot and killed Joseph Rosenbaum. Rittenhouse was found not guilty in November in that shooting death, along with the shooting death of Anthony Huber and for injuring Gaige Grosskreutz during riots that night in Downtown Kenosha. Rittenhouse said he acted in self-defense. Police investigating the shootings identified Ziminski and observed that he was holding a black handgun, according to reports. At one point, in a video Ziminski was seen pointing the gun to the sky, and the police observed a muzzle flash and heard a gunshot at the same time. The Ziminskis were then seen leaving the area. The felony arson charge was filed after a video on Kelly Ziminskis phone showed Joshua Ziminski tossing a match into a dumpster, then asking the crowd for lighter fluid to help the fire spread, according to the criminal complaint. Joshua Ziminski then pushed the dumpster onto Sheridan Road as police vehicles were moving toward him. His wife was seen on video adding flammable material to the fire, the complaint states. Kelly Ziminski pleaded guilty last April to a misdemeanor count of obstructing and a civil forfeiture charge of failing to comply with an emergency order. The prosecution has subpoenaed her for her husbands case and she was in court Monday morning. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 WATERFORD Voters in the April 5 local elections in the Village of Waterford will become the latest in Racine County to experience electronic poll books in place of the old paper voter registries. The new technology, called Badger Books, aim to allow Waterfords estimated 3,600 voters to move more quickly from check-in at their polling place to casting their ballot. The electronic equipment available at each polling place will save election workers from sifting through pages of records. Badger Books use a voters photo ID to verify their registration electronically. The actual process of voting will not change ballots will still be completed on paper by hand and will still be inserted manually into voter tabulation machines. Just as a voter would sign the paper poll book to get a tally slip in order to get a ballot, the voter will sign the Badger Book, the village said in announcing the change. The only difference is that all of this will be done electronically. Badger Books were developed by the Wisconsin Elections Commission, and they come fully loaded with voter registration rolls compiled through WisVote, the statewide election management system. They do not operate on the internet, so they are not susceptible to online hacking or interference, according to WEC. In addition to checking in voters, the devices can assist in counting absentee ballots, registering new voters and maintaining voter counts. Racine and Caledonia both have used Badger Books at polling places since 2020. Caledonia Village Clerk Joslyn Hoeffert said the new technology has improved efficiency in managing the communitys estimated 24,000 voters, with three Badger Books at each of the six polling places. Theyre sincerely a wonderful tool, Hoeffert said. Caledonia allocated $21,000 to purchase Badger Books from the state in 2020. Racine allocated $80,000 in 2020 and recommended another $80,000 for 2021. The devices are purchased from the state election commission. According to state officials, 90 municipalities in Wisconsin are using Badger Books to manage a combined 735,000 registered voters. Waterford officials said they spent $12,286 to bring the new technology into local polling places this spring. Badger Books will make their debut in Waterford during April 5 elections to decide contested races for village board and school board as well as a $19 million referendum for Waterford High School. Officials said voters likely will not notice much of a difference with Badger Books. The process of voting will still begin with voters showing their photo ID to a poll worker, who then will use a Badger Book rather than a paper registry to verify that the voter is eligible to cast a ballot in Waterford. Rather than signing their names to a paper record, voters will sign an electronic screen. The upgrade should keep the process moving more quickly and should mean less time waiting in line for voters to get their ballots. There also typically is no reason to divide voters into different waiting lines, because the Badger Books all use the same registered voter rolls. They are connected to a server through a router within each polling place that allows the books to talk to each other, the village said. They communicate only with each other. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. KANSASVILLE People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, the pro-veganism animal rights organization, has released a video March 22 of live day-old ducklings being dropped into a macerator and killed at a Kansasville duck hatchery. The practice is legal and is actually encouraged by regulators. But it is among the commonplace actions of which the grocery-shopping public is often unaware. The March 22 report is part of an ongoing series of investigations PETA has undertaken to expose what it alleges constitutes false advertising from companies that claim to humanely treat animals. PETA is accusing the operator of the Kansasville facility, Maple Leaf Farms, of misleading advertising. Maple Leafs promotional materials include phrases like humanely raised and free to roam, but do not mention the routine killing of newborn ducklings; the words macerator and maceration and macerate do not appear on its website. According to a spokesperson from Maple Leaf, the ducks being killed had a health defect. That health defect was not specified. Claim and counterclaim According to PETA: Theres no question that grinding up animals while theyre conscious is painful and cruel. But most state laws specifically exempt what are considered standard agricultural practices. And throwing ducklings and baby chickens into these machines is part and parcel of the poultry industry. These claims are disputed by Maple Leaf Farms and veterinary groups. In a statement issued to The Journal Times, Maple Leaf Farms says it follows the approved methods of humane euthanasia throughout operations including hatcheries from the nonprofit American Veterinary Medical Association. According to AVMA, Physical methods that destroy or render nonfunctional the brain regions responsible for cortical integration e.g., gunshot, captive bolt, cerebral electrocution, blunt force trauma, maceration produce instantaneous unconsciousness. AVMA describes maceration as the a use of a specially designed mechanical apparatus having rotating blades or projections, causes immediate fragmentation and death of poultry up to 72 hours old and embryonated eggs. AVMA says that macerators for euthanasia of chicks, poults (baby turkeys), and pipped eggs indicates that death by maceration in poultry up to 72 hours old occurs immediately with minimal pain and distress. Maple Leaf Farms statement continued: Some birds are sick or unhealthy when they hatch and are unable to survive. Trained staff carefully inspects hatches to identify and humanely euthanize these birds to prevent unnecessary pain and suffering. Maple Leaf Farms operations undergo annual audits by a third-party Professional Animal Auditor Certification Organization auditor each year to ensure we are adhering to approved standards. Our company routinely explores peer-reviewed scientific studies and works with animal scientists and veterinarians to evaluate and implement best practices with animal care and handling, worker safety and sustainability as our focus. Meat industry Indiana-based Maple Leaf Farms is the largest producer of duck meat in the U.S. According to the Department of Agriculture, 27 million ducks are slaughtered annually for meat in the U.S. Maple Leaf Farms reports it produces 15 million ducks for meat a year across North America. Update: The reason the ducks were being euthanized has been clarified since this story was originally published. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. SALEM LAKES Turnout gear and other life-saving equipment from fire departments in Kenosha County and beyond is heading to Ukraine thanks to a drive organized by Salem Lakes firefighter Art Stypula, who was born in Poland. Weve got a ton of stuff that is going to Ukraine to assist with the firefighting efforts over there, Stypula said, adding departments from as far north as Oak Creek and as far south as Chicago provided donations. We have between 40 and 50 sets of turnout gear, weve got helmets, hand tools, pike poles axes, fire suits, and self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA). Many of the jackets are still emblazoned with the names of the firefighters who wore them. They are going to be saving lives in two countries, Stupula said. Thats pretty cool stuff. Much of the gear is beyond its certified life under National Fire Protection Association standards, but can be used elsewhere. Family in Poland Stypula, a Westosha-Central High School graduate who moved to the United States at age 5, said he still has family in Poland. My family is a couple hours from there and my nieces and nephews are helping out in all kinds of ways; helping refugees, he said. I thought to myself, what can I do and then it just kind of dawned on me we have all this equipment we can no longer use. He pitched the idea to Salem Lakes Fire Chief Jim LejCar, who invited Stypula to the area fire chiefs meeting last Thursday. Salem Lakes has always had a spirit of giving back to the community, said Fire Chief Jim LejCar. It just so happens the community is farther away this time. Stypula also connected with Lt. Mark Drew of the East Clifton Fire Department in New Jersey, who has been organizing an equipment drive there. He is the one the one who started all the efforts on the East Coast, so I piggybacked with him, Stypula said. Loaded up Monday The equipment collected locally was loaded Monday into a semi-trailer provided through the Help Heroes of Ukraine organization and will be combined with equipment collected by Drew. It will be shipped to Poland at no cost by Meest international delivery service, where it will be retrieved by volunteers from Ukraine. Our load is going on a 747 freighter Thursday to Warsaw, Poland, and will be distributed right to the firefighters, Stypula said. Fire and rescue departments from Oak Creek, Paris, Bristol, Wind Lake, Wheatland and Kansasville had contributed gear by noon Monday. The Paris Fire and Rescue Department is honored to be able to participate in the donations of fire and rescue equipment to the Ukraine, said Assistant Chief Colin Hennessey, of the town of Paris department. The timing couldnt have been better as we have just received all new SCBA air packs for the department, allowing us to donate around 15 air packs along with face masks and spare bottles. Paris also contributed used helmets, boots, fire coats, fire pants and backboards. This was a rewarding experience for me and my family, Hennessey said. My wife and kids helped me and Capt. Brent Shaufler sort through and pack up the used equipment. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. A veteran board chair facing child porn charges resigned from his post Monday amid repeated calls for his resignation from Democratic Gov. Tony Evers administration and Republican gubernatorial candidate Kevin Nicholson. Prosecutors in Milwaukee charged Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs Board Chair Curtis Schmitt Jr. on Jan. 23 with three felony counts of possession of child pornography. Schmitt, whom Evers appointed in 2019 and the Senate unanimously approved, has pleaded not guilty. According to a criminal complaint, investigators discovered two photos and a video of child pornography had been uploaded to a Dropbox account associated with Schmitts email in December. Schmitt told police that he was addicted to adult pornography and sometimes received and downloaded child pornography. In a letter to Evers on Monday, Schmitt said, It has been an honor to serve on the Board of Veterans Affairs for the past three years. Please let this letter serve as my official resignation, according to a copy Evers spokesperson Britt Cudaback provided to the Wisconsin State Journal. The day after Schmitt was charged in January, an attorney for Evers asked him to do that which is in the best interest of the Board of Veterans Affairs by immediately resigning your unpaid, part-time, citizen-appointment position. He didnt respond, Cudaback said. On Monday morning, Nicholson sent Evers a letter to jump-start the removal process after Schmitt ignored calls to resign. Nicholson laid blame on Evers for not removing Schmitt sooner. Because the Senate confirmed Schmitt, Evers could not simply rescind his appointment. Instead, a taxpayer Nicholson in this instance had to file a complaint to trigger a process through which Evers can remove Schmitt for inefficiency, neglect of duty, official misconduct or malfeasance in office. In his letter sent Monday, Nicholson said Evers dishonored the reputation of the Wisconsin Board of Veterans Affairs and displayed an incomprehensible lack of leadership by refusing to be more proactive in removing Schmitt. After Schmitts resignation, Nicholson said, Schmitt Jr. should have been removed from the Wisconsin Board of Veterans Affairs months ago. Im glad that hes finally resigned, but it should have never come to this. A judge last month bound Schmitt over for trial. Hes due back in court Tuesday for a scheduling conference. The veterans board works with the WDVA secretary to shape benefit programs for Wisconsin veterans by adopting administrative rules. It also approves resolutions and recommendations from state veterans organizations. The nine members serve four-year terms with no pay. Nicholson is facing Republican gubernatorial candidates former Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch and Rep. Timothy Ramthun, R-Campbellsport, in a contest to oust Evers. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 MILWAUKEE Autopsies were expected to be done Monday on the bodies of three men found fatally shot in a Milwaukee apartment building. Police continue to investigate and say no arrests have been made in Sundays homicides. The Milwaukee County Medical Examiners Office has identified the victims as 39-year-old Tyaries McKinney, 52-year-old Clarence Harris and 26-year-old Anthony Thompson. The medical examiners reports say Harris and Thompson lived at the apartment where the three bodies were found. Antonio Tate said the youngest victim was one of his best friends. I know his mom. I know his brothers, Tate told WITI-TV. Im hurt over this, you know? My heart crushed. Tate tried to find the words to express his shock and heartache after his friend and the two others were fatally shot. I lost a granddad to gun violence, said Tate. I lost an uncle to gun violence. I almost lost my life to gun violence, and I just lost one of my best friends to gun violence. It dont ever stop. Violence never stops in Milwaukee. Acting Mayor Cavalier Johnson spoke with grieving family members at the scene Sunday and called on the community to step up and prevent another family from feeling their pain. Theyre crying. Theyre mourning, said Johnson. Theyre hurt because somebody that they cared about it is in that building behind me, and theyre dead and we shouldnt have that in this community. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 At a time the GCC logistics industry is evolving rapidly and is expected to grow by 4.3% between 2020 and 2025, the third edition of the Smart Logistics Challenge series was held at Expo 2020 Dubai. In support of UAE-based startups in the logistics industry, the series was hosted by UPS together with the Dubai Chamber of Commerce and DP World. UPS started with two bicycles and a $100 loan. That entrepreneurial spirit is still alive in UPS today. As a company, we are passionate about small businesses and being a strategic and trusted partner for them. The smart logistics challenge is a great example of this, as it brings together the best logistics technology startups in the country, giving them the opportunity to potentially pilot their solutions with UPS, DP World or Siemens, said Jean-Francois Condamine, UPS President for Indian Subcontinent, Middle East, Africa. Game-changing solutions Seven UAE-based startups presented their game-changing solutions in response to industry challenges, including real-time visibility, reliability and predictability, last-mile efficiency, compliance, and others. Solutions ranged across the logistics value chain and incorporated artificial intelligence, augmented and virtual reality, warehousing, forwarding, and last-mile delivery. AR Engineering was declared the winner of the challenge and will be fast-tracked to a proof-of-concept (POC) discussion with UPS, DP World or Siemens. The UAE-based startup deploys interactive Augmented Reality (AR), Virtual Reality (VR) & Mixed Reality (MR) Technologies to enhance training and operational processes in the logistics industry, among others. Solving complex problems We are very thankful to have been given this opportunity to present our solutions. To have the judges recognise the value and potential of our solutions is an honour. As a team we are passionate about solving complex problems in the logistics industry by combining both Digital Twins & Extended Reality Technologies together. Winning this Smart Logistics Challenge is a proud moment for the entire team. We look forward to further accelerating the growth of our business in the days to come, tapping into the expertise of global leaders such as UPS, DP World and Siemens, said Akram Amir, Founder & CEO - AR Engineering. Natalia Sycheva, Sr Manager of Special Projects and Entrepreneurship at Dubai Chamber of Commerce said the adoption of smart solutions in logistics is key to supporting the sectors growth and development. Innovative solutions She highlighted the important role that startups are playing in bringing innovative solutions to the market and enhancing its competitiveness on a global level, adding that the competition supports the Chambers efforts to engage the startup community across various sectors and encourage their contribution to Dubais economy. Abdulla bin Damithan, CEO & Managing Director of DP World UAE and Jafza commented: Recent supply chain disruptions have led to greater demand from our customers for new solutions to ensure cargo delivery and transparency. Imagination is key to meeting this. The Smart Logistics Challenge is a chance for the brightest logistics technology startups in the UAE to showcase their solutions to the evolving challenges of our industry.-- TradeArabia News Service 1. Yes. Raising the bar for future developments will boost the citys housing market. 2. Yes. It will help in newer areas, but more needs to be done to change Killeens image. 3. No. The new standards will just slow down homebuilding and drive away developers. 4.No. The ordinance will do little more than drive up the price of new homes in the city. 5. Unsure. Its hard to say what the effect will be until they have been in place for a while. Vote View Results Saudi Arabia is presenting itself at the Annual Investment Meeting (AIM) 2022 as a future-forward nation, an investment hub, with a progressive economy making it a perfect landscape for start-ups. This goes in line with Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 that underscores that the socio-economic transformation is vital to the commendable growth across potential areas, offering investors a plethora of new prospects for corporate growth and success. KSA had a dedicated investment stand in the Municipal Sector called 'Furas'. This kiosk reciprocates the attractive incentives that Saudi Arabia offers to stimulate investment with the potential to diversify and increase the kingdom's competitiveness to enable investment. Investment hub Special incentives and assistance is offered to foreign-affiliated enterprises and multinational companies intending to open offices in the kingdom. This only further cements Saudi Arabia's role as an investment hub as it endeavours to encourage convergence, facilitate knowledge transfer, and accelerate the development of the nation's skills and competencies. Saudi's authority for Industrial Cities and Technological Zones also has a separate stand in AIM 2022 being held in Dubai from March 29 to 31. Modon has been involved in the development and monitoring of industrial areas and integrated infrastructure since its inception in 2001. It now manages 36 current and planned industrial cities around the kingdom, as well as private industrial cities and complexes. It has managed to increase the size of developed industrial sites to over 200 million. These towns oversee 6,587 industrial and investment contracts and over 4000 factories, employing 517,242 men and women, including 185,840 Saudi men and 16,825 Saudi women. Well-defined strategy Modon follows a well-defined strategy to make use of all the advantages of public-private partnerships. It effectively recruited prominent worldwide industrial enterprises and foreign investments that bring value to the Saudi industrial sector by offering several incentives in industrial cities. Modon has made significant headway in its internal collaborations, attracting about SR370 billion ($98.6 billion) in funding. Amid the ongoing global industrial transformation, Modon devised several mechanisms to encourage small and medium-sized businesses, entrepreneurs, and significant local corporations to participate in the kingdom's industrial development, thereby assisting in achieving Vision 2030's industry-dependent economic diversification goals.-- TradeArabia News Service KEARNEY - Four Wisconsin residents are in the Buffalo County Jail after being arrested on suspicion of delivering marijuana near Kearney. Around 2:18 p.m. Monday Kearney Police Department officers stopped a 2021 Jeep two miles west of Kearney on Interstate 80 for following too closely. When officers contacted the four adults inside they noticed suspcious activity, and an open container of alcohol, a KPD news release said. Officers established probable cause to search the Jeep, and found several duffle bags containing 64lbs of suspected marijuana and THC products in the Jeep, the release said. All four occupants of the Jeep, Nicolas Esparaza, Rudy Vibbert, Tania Perez and Courtney Svara all from Wisconsin, were arrested on suspicion of felony possession of marijuana with intent to deliver, and no drug tax stamp, said the release. They are currently being held at the Buffalo County Jail awaiting a court hearing. Buffalo County Sheriffs Office also assisted during the investigation. The Grand Island man who was taken hostage over the weekend by Tyler Manka says his captor held a screwdriver to his throat and threatened to kill him. The 60-year-old man, who asked that his name not be used, was held captive in his apartment at 192 Stoeger Drive for 12 hours. Manka, 27, had escaped from Hall County Department of Corrections personnel while being treated at CHI Health St. Francis Medical Center. The resident of the apartment said Manka came to his door at 10:07 p.m. Friday. After arriving, Manka forced the man into his bedroom. During the course of the night, Manka threatened him several times, he said. As the night progressed, Manka calmed down, he said. He even offered him a couple of pills to help with a leg problem. The Grand Island Police Departments tactical response team, negotiators and additional officers gathered outside the house, as did members of the Hall County Sheriffs Department and the Nebraska State Patrol. A news release from GIPD referred to tenuous hours of negotiations. At about 6 a.m. Saturday, tactical operations were turned over to the Nebraska State Patrol SWAT team due to the length of the incident while negotiations continued, the release says. As Manka barricaded the hostage and himself inside the mans bedroom, law enforcement personnel entered the front of the apartment. The State Patrol SWAT team rescued the hostage safely and arrested Manka. The hostage said the standoff ended at 10:39 a.m. Before he was rescued, the man saw an armored vehicle in his backyard. At the same time the rescuers entered the bedroom, six or eight explosive devices detonated, the hostage said. A State Patrol spokesman said those devices are called flashbangs. Earlier Friday, Manka had been the defendant in a jury trial at the Hall County Courthouse. The jury returned with a verdict at about 8 p.m. Friday, Grand Island Police Capt. Jim Duering said. After the verdict, members of the Hall County Department of Corrections staff took Manka to St. Francis to have him treated for a medical incident, Duering said. While at the hospital, Manka escaped from two Hall County corrections officers. Manka ran eastbound from the north side of the hospital, Duering said. He headed for the Regency Retirement Residence at 803 Alpha St. At that point, two heroic citizens stepped in to help, Duering said. One of them was an emergency room doctor who saw a man in a jail uniform running. The other one was a concerned citizen who was driving by and stopped to help. The two citizens tried to trap Manka in a Regency foyer by pinning the door shut, which demonstrated pretty good thinking by both subjects, Duering said. Unfortunately, Manka was able to break the other door and run through the Regency. He exited through the east door and wound up at 192 Stoeger Drive. Manka told the 60-year-old man he chose that address because the man had left the light on. Manka arrived at the apartment bleeding from his arm, the hostage said. As negotiations went on through the night between Manka, Grand Island Police and State Patrol representatives, officers brought Manka and the hostage food from McDonalds. But the food was never eaten, the hostage said. In order to clear space, law enforcement officers threw some of his furniture outside, the hostage said. They also left wires hanging loose from a light fixture in his kitchen. His front door was being repaired Monday, and the apartment still smelled of smoke. On Monday, Hall County Corrections Director Todd Bahensky said the slip-up by the corrections officers was a personnel matter. Im thankful that nobody got seriously hurt, Bahensky said, adding that he appreciated the job law enforcement did. In the news release, Grand Island Police expressed thanks for the cooperation of surrounding agencies, and a peaceful resolution to this incident. It really was a team effort, Duering said. Manka was arrested for burglary, kidnapping, escape, making terroristic threats and use of a weapon to commit a felony. Police were still investigating the incident on Monday, Duering said. OMAHA -- The states Vietnam War veterans are ready to turn the first shovel of dirt on a monument to the thousands of Nebraskans who served there, and the 396 who never came back. Former Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel, who served in Vietnam, will headline a groundbreaking ceremony at 2 p.m. Tuesday in Papillion for the new Nebraska Vietnam Veterans Memorial. Gov. Pete Ricketts is also among the scheduled speakers. The event is taking place on March 29, established by Congress five years ago as National Vietnam Veterans Day. The ceremony is open to the public and will also be livestreamed on the City of Papillions Facebook page. The memorial will occupy 2 acres adjacent to the SumTur Amphitheater south of Nebraska 370 on 108th Street. It will include a restored UH-1 Huey helicopter with a rescue display, 11 obelisks listing historical events from individual years of the Vietnam War, an array of flagpoles, benches and green space. A V-shaped wall of black granite will list the names of the 396 Nebraskans killed in the war. The Nebraska Vietnam Veterans Memorial Foundation also is developing an educational program aimed at elementary, middle and high school students. It will make use of the groups website, NVVMF.org. The memorial is expected to cost $5.65 million about $2 million more than was estimated in 2019, said Lisa Jorgenson, the foundations vice president. Much of the increase is due to delays and supply chain problems caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. About half the money has been raised, she said. Jorgenson said the foundation hopes to complete the park in time for a ribbon-cutting ceremony March 29, 2023, the 50th anniversary of the date the last U.S. combat troops left South Vietnam. The country fell to North Vietnamese and Viet Cong insurgent armies two years later. This memorial was put together, driven and instigated by the Vietnam veterans themselves, said John Hilgert, director of the Nebraska Department of Veterans Affairs. These soldiers that served in Southeast Asia they didnt have that welcome-home event. I hope this provides that welcome. Iowa Western Community College students are restoring a Vietnam-era helicopter that will serve as a key piece of a new memorial in Papillion. The UH-1 Huey, owned by the Nebraska Vietnam Veterans Memorial Foundation, will be placed on permanent display at the planned Nebraska Vietnam Veterans Memorial Park. The park is just south of SumTur Amphitheater and about 3 miles from Omaha National Cemetery. The park will feature a granite wall engraved with the names of the 396 Nebraskans who died in the Vietnam War, as well as the chopper and 11 granite obelisks, said Tom Brown, president of the foundation. Vietnam veteran George Abbott, secretary-treasurer of the foundation, said he was excited about the chopper being restored for use in the park. It is a key piece of this memorial to the 396 Nebraskans who died in this conflict, he said. Part of the memorial was always going to be a helicopter, Brown said. We were just going to keep looking until we found one. Brown was transported on Hueys while serving in the U.S. Marine Corps during the Vietnam War. His unit provided support to ground troops by replenishing food, bandages, ammunition and other supplies. Hueys also served as gunships during the war. Abbott, one of at least 10 veterans who have helped with the restoration project, remembered seeing Hueys from his vantage point as a gunnery officer on a destroyer off the coast of Vietnam. We witnessed these Huey workhorses carrying troops and supplies in and out of strategic battle zones and provided gunfire support to these troops, he said. As it turned out, the helicopter for the memorial had to travel a long way before it could be prepared for its final resting place in Papillion. I had put a request in our veterans magazine (The VVA Veteran) that we were looking for one, Brown said. One of the gentlemen in Vermont happened to read it. They were good enough they donated the chopper to us. The offer from Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 116 in Bennington, Vermont, came with the stipulation that the Nebraska group take responsibility for having the helicopter transported. Chapter 116 held the helicopter for almost two years while the Nebraska organization raised funds for the move. About $5,000 later, the chopper was loaded onto a flatbed truck and transported from Bennington, Vermont, to Bennington, Nebraska. It was after the bird had landed that Iowa Western became involved. I was approached by J.R. Richardson from Bellevue University, said Dylan Driscoll, chair of Iowa Westerns Aviation Maintenance Technology program. They were looking for a place to house the chopper while they worked on it. Were really excited about being part of this and having the veterans come in and talk to the students thats been really big, too, he said. Bellevue University, which has a strong Veterans Affairs program, has facilitated the project by lining up people to fill different roles, Driscoll said. It has a lot of Vietnam history behind it, which makes it that much more interesting, he said. The Huey arrived at Iowa Western on May 15 on a flatbed trailer. Two forklifts were used to unload it. The technical work didnt start until last fall, but a few students hung around as the spring semester wrapped up and helped clean it out. It had been sitting in a field in Vermont, and it was rough, he said. It was dirty and in a bunch of pieces. Inside, the floor was covered with sand and dirt. Aviation student Jacob Jones said he even cleaned birds nests out of it. Driscoll said about a dozen students have helped with the restoration process, which still is underway. A lot of what weve done is remove components we dont need to get rid of the weight, said Josh Wadhams, another student. Part of our job is going to be beautification. The surface of the chopper had spots with rust and corrosion that had to be removed. The group is trying to find a shade of paint to cover the bare spots that will match the weathered look of the original so it looks authentic, he said. Wadhams served in the U.S. Air Force from 2001-07, then worked for the Air Force as a private contractor for 11 years. Aidan Brown, another student, has been grinding off rust and corrosion and removing wires. Most of the engine is out, the transmissions out, most of the hydraulics are out, he said. Theres some cabling left. One of the challenges of the project is finding parts for the 53-year-old aircraft. It was missing a ton of parts that we needed even for static display, Driscoll said. Still needed are rotor blades, linkages and counterweights, as well as a few smaller parts. Another puzzle is how to restore the tail boom, which was sawed off instead of being removed by unscrewing the four bolts that held it in place. Its been kind of a long process and an educational process for all those involved, Brown said. When the Huey is in place, New Century Art Guild of Elk Horn, Iowa, will add several granite figurines to the display, Driscoll said. There are a lot of Hueys around the U.S., but Ive never seen one with statuary like that so, to me, thats going to set it apart a little bit, he said. Construction of the structures in the park is expected to begin in early April, with opening scheduled for March 29, 2023. A public involvement meeting has been scheduled to preview upcoming construction activities along Hwy. 35 between De Soto and Genoa. The meeting will be held Thursday, March 31, from 5 to 6 p.m. at the De Soto Community Center, 53 Crawford St., De Soto. The meeting will provide an overview of construction activities, work schedule and traffic impacts. Area residents, businesses and the general public are invited to attend. Construction is scheduled to begin April 4 to resurface 11.8 miles of Hwy. 35. The project will also replace 21 pipe culverts, one box culvert, and rehabilitate two bridge structures. Completion of the $10.1 million project is expected in August. Hwy. 35 will be closed to through traffic and detoured between Hwy. 82 in De Soto and Hwy. 56 in Genoa. The highway will remain open to local traffic. For more information on this or other WisDOT construction projects: Follow us on Twitter: @WisDOTSouthwest Motorists are reminded that using handheld cell phones in Wisconsin work zones is illegal. Motorists should slow down, be patient and pay attention to their surroundings in all work zones. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 The Board of LeaderEthics-Wisconsin has announced that Jill Billings and Brian Rude are the recipients of the 2022 LeaderEthics Award. Each year, the group recognizes current or former elected officials who exemplify ethical leadership in practice are truthful, transparent with public information, unifiers and committed to serving their entire constituency. Billings has been an exemplary role model for bipartisan effectiveness and the principles of ethical leadership. The following excerpts were taken from her nomination: "In her role as representative for the 95th Assembly District, Jill is honest and truthful, welcoming the media for comments and interviews about proposals, policies, and legislation that affect the welfare of her constituents. She adheres to an open door policy for everyone who comes to the Capitol, regardless of their party or positions. Frequently invited to share her thoughts and experiences at meetings back in her district, Jill also reaches out to connect with her community via newsletters, e-mails, social media, fulfilling open-records requests, and knocking on doors to both gather input and provide information." Billings has served in the Legislature for the past decade as a member of the minority party. She has established a reputation for honesty and integrity, truthfulness and transparency, when meeting with stakeholders and legislators across the political spectrum. As a result, she has been one of few Democratic members to see bills passed every session. Rude was recognized for statesmanship. He is widely respected for fairness and actions in the best interests of the community. The following excerpt is from the nomination: "Brian Rude was a state representative from 1983-85 and state senator from 1985 to 2001. In 1997 he was elected to be the President of the Senate and served in that role until 2001. He established a reputation for being honest and truthful and as a result was reelected to these positions until he retired from elected office in 2001. Additionally, he was consistently transparent in his dealings with colleagues and with the voters of the 32nd State Senate district. His representative style and the reasons he was reelected without substantial opposition reflected in his ability to represent his entire constituency. His district was consistently rated a toss up district and this is reflected in voting pattern of voters in this district voting for both Democrats and Republicans throughout his years in office. His selection by Dairyland Power to be their public relations vice president is an indication of his reputation of being able to work with "the other" political party's representatives, and reflects his reputation for ethical political leadership. He has demonstrated the courage of his convictions in support of policy positions, regardless of his party's stated position on these issues. His record of integrity and support of American democracy is reflected in his widely acknowledged reputation for ethical leadership. He is, arguably, the most widely respected former politician in the La Crosse area." Board Chair Brandon Harris stated that the LeaderEthics-Wisconsin board is proud to acknowledge their contributions. We have two outstanding role models for ethical leadership. Lee Rasch, executive director, points out that although the legislative careers of Billings and Rude did not overlap, they both conveyed a sincere commitment to service throughout their careers, to their constituents and the state. "Our political process will be in a much better position with more people like Jill Billings and Brian Rude," he said. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 During a Jan. 24 traffic stop on Interstate 90, police recovered 11.2 pounds of methamphetamine, the most ever seized during a single drug bust in La Crosse County. The record didnt last long. On Feb. 19, police recovered 15 pounds of methamphetamine after arresting a suspect in the parking lot of a La Crosse hotel. The two record-breaking drug busts didnt surprise La Crosse County Sheriff Jeff Wolf. It didnt catch anyone off guard, Wolf said. It was just a matter of time. The two massive drug busts confirm the changing nature of methamphetamine distribution and addiction. Once produced under extremely hazardous conditions in local makeshift labs, its now a more industrialized process. When we first saw methamphetamine, it was a lot of homemade products that people could make in meth labs, Wolf said. Because we did a good job on the labs and shut them down, it just pushed the issue to a different source ... primarily Mexico, but there are others. Methamphetamine is commonly sold in crystal or powder form. It can be injected, smoked, snorted or taken orally. Unlike heroin, which is a depressant, methamphetamine is a powerful stimulant that triggers heightened emotions, including anxiety, paranoia and aggression. The behaviors pose unique challenges to law enforcement, emergency responders, hospital emergency room personnel and family members. La Crosse Police Department Lt. Linnea Miller said most of the methamphetamine that winds up in La Crosse comes from large labs in Mexico that can produce up to 100 pounds of the drug in eight hours. The industrialized version delivers a more intense and dependable level of intoxication. Police normally encounter a person who does not have the ability to stand still or stop moving, Miller said. Most of the time their speech or thought pattern is erratic, making it difficult to understand them. Users are usually extremely paranoid. La Crosse County Sheriffs Office drug investigator Rob Walensky said its not unusual to trace methamphetamine to child neglect or weapons use. One of the biggest things is just the irrational behavior, Walensky. You see people, in some cases, who havent slept in three days. Wolf said personnel in the La Crosse County Jail must deal with inmates undergoing methamphetamine withdrawal. Its tough when they go through the withdrawal, Wolf said. We have to monitor them and make sure theyre safe. All of these things have an impact on the jail. Health impacts Methamphetamine also takes a toll on the user. Dr. Chris Eberlein, emergency medical physician at Gundersen Health System, said the drug triggers a sharp rise in blood pressure, which has a negative long-term cardiovascular impact. Users also suffer loss of teeth, insomnia and scabs caused by persistent scratching. Eberlein said the cardiovascular effects are difficult to reverse, even if the user manages to stop. It does so much damage to the circulatory system, he said. Eberlein said researchers are less certain about long-term brain damage. The jury is still out about the brains ability to recover and remodel, he said. According to the Wisconsin Department of Health Services, there were 822 methamphetamine overdose deaths in Wisconsin from 2014-2020, compared to 6,005 opioid deaths. However, Eberlein said the methamphetamine numbers dont count premature deaths due to long-term use, such as a stroke or heart attack. Miller said methamphetamine sells in La Crosse for about $600 an ounce, which puts the street value of the recent busts in La Crosse at nearly $300,000. She said most addicts finance their addiction through theft. This most commonly starts by using all their own money before taking advantage of family members, Miller said. Eventually property crimes, including retail thefts, are done to support the drug of choice. Some dealers will trade meth for expensive items. I have even found lists of items drug dealers wanted their buyers to steal for them. Wolf said its more difficult for law enforcement to trace drug deals since fewer of them of involve cash. The mobility of the entire drug world has changed, Wolf said. Its a combination of social media, the internet and cell phones they all have multiple cell phones. Walensky added, You dont have meet up to hand somebody a couple of hundred dollars anymore. There is no medication approved by the Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of methamphetamine use disorder. Eberlein said behavioral therapy is the only treatment available. Ive heard from users that its the most difficult drug to treat, Eberlein said. We have more tools in our toolbox for opioid addiction. Wolf described drug addiction in La Crosse County as a major public health issue and said its one that the public needs to take seriously. Drugs is a public health crisis in the county, he said. We deal with this every day. There needs to be a community focus on what the true problem is, and thats drugs and substance abuse issues. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Sign up for our Crime & Courts newsletter Get the latest in local public safety news with this weekly email. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Republican and West Salem native Ryan Huebsch announced Tuesday his candidacy for Wisconsins 94th Assembly District in the upcoming midterm election. Huebsch, who is a former legislative aide to Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald, R-Juneau, said in his announcement he hopes to bolster the voice of western Wisconsin and was critical of the partisanship that has taken over the Capitol. Wisconsin, like much of the nation, is struggling under the poor decisions of our leaders in both Madison and in Washington, Huebsch said in a statement. He continued, From our unaffordable economy, to our childrens education, from health care for our families to the way our elections are run, partisan arguing has replaced working together. Spending more of our tax money seems to be the only solution offered. We deserve and expect better. I intend to bring fresh energy and common-sense ideas from Western Wisconsin to Madison. The 94th District was formerly represented by Huebschs dad, Mike Huebsch, who served from 1995-2011 with a stint as Speaker of the Assembly from 2007-08. The district has since been held by Rep. Steve Doyle, D-Onalaska. I am proud of my roots, but Ive seen during my time working in the state Capitol how Western Wisconsin communities and our Coulee Region point of view has been forgotten when critical decisions are being made, Huebsch said. We have a rare opportunity to change the direction of our state and nation, he said. I want our people and our voice to be at the forefront of these essential reforms. Huebsch graduated from UW-La Crosse in 2018 and has also worked as a legislative aide to Sen. Eric Wimberger, R-Green Bay. Love 0 Funny 1 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Get Government & Politics updates in your inbox! Stay up-to-date on the latest in local and national government and political topics with our newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Like all effective satire, the Onions headline had a ring of truth: Putin Pleased as Plot to Ruin Russian Economy, Destroy International Standing Goes Exactly to Plan. A month after Russia invaded Ukraine, the satirical publication founded as a weekly newspaper in Madison in 1988 has been willing to Go There, to look for humor in the most searing of stories even as it unfolds. The satirical site has identified Russian President Vladimir Putins college major as aggression, showed a coastal resort in Ukraine with extremely affordable rates right now and said the United Nations is escalating its response to the invasion from warnings to stern warnings. Too soon? Too bad. Finding comedy in the Ukraine situation serves several functions, says Chad Nackers, editor in chief of The Onion. It is a powerful tool for exposing the folly and absurdity and human cruelty, as well as providing some release from a stressful state of affairs and an endless cycle of misery. Laughter, he says, can fill the hole created by a sense of hopelessness. The war hasnt been ignored elsewhere in comedy. Late-night television has used Ukraine for familiar or tangential punch lines Tucker Carlson, Donald Trump or the quality of Papa Johns pizza. Stephen Colbert suggested the United States add a T-shirt cannon to the weapons it sends to the Ukraine. After President Joe Biden called Putin a war criminal, Jimmy Kimmel suggested stupid-head was next. True to the Onions nature as a brand sprung from the Midwest, theres a whiff of gentility to its Ukraine humor. None of its sarcasm touches upon the human victims of the war. Its list of the wars potential outcomes ranged from a lot of really bad speculative historical fiction to the Mets win the World Series. A map of Ukraine identifies the only decent taco place in the whole damn country. A mock slide show on Putins rise to power shows a pregnant woman with the caption, Putins parents decide to try for an evil megalomaniac. Under another picture of a gravestone, the caption reads: Opponent for student council treasurer suffers mysterious organ failure. The Onions decision not to ignore a thorny topic recalls one of its most impactful moments, when its print issue two weeks after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks helped break a comedy barrier, says Sophia McClennen, a Penn State University professor and author of the upcoming book, Trump Was a Joke: How Satire Made Sense of a President Who Didnt. That issues cover pictured President George W. Bush under the headline, U.S. Vows to Defeat Whoever it is Were at War With. Storied history Those were more influential days at the Onion, which stopped printing editions in 2013 and now exists as a website with traffic directed through social media posts. It has a great deal more competition online now and in late-night television comedy, which grew more satirical in the wake of Jon Stewart and The Daily Show, says Robert Thompson, director of the Bleier Center for Television and Popular Culture at Syracuse University. Theres a rich history of satirical publications like Mad magazine and National Lampoon places where the news of the day collides with the potential for laughter that can reduce its heaviness. Spy magazine burned brightly and briefly in the 1980s. Private Eye and Punch were popular English magazines. Notoriously, the French satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo was the target of a terrorist attack in 2015. The Onion sometimes looks to be merely entertaining instead of satirical, says James Caron, author of Satire as the Comic Public Sphere. Its just kind of silly at times, Caron says. Yet it still has the capacity to hit a target squarely. In the wake of several mass shootings in the United States over the past decade, the Onion repeated essentially the same article, changing only a few details, under the headline, No Way to Prevent This, Says Only Nation Where This Regularly Happens. Its just this endless loop of horror, Nackers says. The way the Onion matched the repetitiveness with its stories really struck a nerve with people. It hit it in a way that is respectful. It feels like theres a really strong point being made, but ... it doesnt feel like youre exploiting people. The Onion, now based in Chicago, has a staff of 20 people. It has gone through a handful of corporate overseers. The current owner, Great Hill Partners, purchased the Onion from the communications company Univision in 2019. Nackers started in 1997 as a photographer, earning $10 a photo. He began contributing jokes, became a writer and now runs the place. He watched the satire grow more serious after 9/11, as the worlds insanity kind of caught up with what used to be insane satirical premises. The focus tends to toggle between dark humor and the more frivolous as dictated by the times. Truth-teller One thing that we can kind of do, because we have a lot of editorial freedom, is that we are basically a truth-teller, Nackers says. We kind of get to the core of things and expose the real truth by using satire, making a joke, but showing things how they really are. During the past month, the Onion ran a mock fact check on Ukraine. To the statement that Russia claimed Ukraine is harboring biological weapons, the Onion said fabricating allegations about enemies holding biological weapons is Americas job. CLAIM: Rudy Giuliani is a valued Russian asset acting against Ukraine in service of the Kremlin, the Onion wrote. REALITY: Rudy Giuliani has not been of value to anyone for years. Occasionally, someone will think some of the Onions fake news is actually true, like when a Chinese newspaper reprinted the Onions declaration of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un as the sexiest man of the year adding its own slide show. When those things happen, its a fun day at the office, says Jordan LaFlure, senior managing editor. The story of the Onion is how little weve changed, LaFlure said. We have a voice that endures across changing political climates. Its just a matter of deciding what is the best arrow in our quiver to fire at a particular target. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 FedEx Corporation has announced that its founder, chairman and CEO Frederick W. Smith will be stepping back from the CEO role effective June 1 and it will be taken over by Raj Subramaniam, the President and Chief Operating Officer, at Fedex. Smith, 77, started FedEx in 1973, delivering small parcels and documents more quickly than the post office could, reported CNBC. Over the next half-century, he oversaw the growth of a company that combined air and ground service and became something of an economic bellwether because of its service to other companies. FedEx has changed the world by connecting people and possibilities for the last 50 years, stated the report citing a statement from Smith. Lauding Subramaniams ability to guide the company. Smith said he will focus on global issues including sustainability, innovation, and public policy. Subramaniam, 56 has been with FedEx since 1991, holding assorted senior management and marketing positions across Asia and the US. In 2003, he was appointed Regional President for FedEx Express - the air delivery service and largest business line - in Canada, and subsequently moved to FedEx Services, the support group for the other FedEx companies, as Head of Global Marketing. He then returned to FedEx Express as President and CEO in January 2019, and in March of that same year became President and CEO of FedEx Corporation, the holding company. Subramaniam, who has been named CEO-elect with immediate effect, will move into the new position on June 1, taking over the reins of the package-shipping company from the man who pioneered express delivery almost 50 years ago. Smith said that for the past several years he had recommended to FedEx directors that if he died or became disabled they should name Subramaniam CEO and appoint an independent chairman, stated media reports. On Monday, the board appointed a current director, Brad Martin, as vice chairman and Smiths designated successor as chairman. Subramaniams promotion was long expected, stated the report. Less than a month ago, the company named Smiths son, Richard W Smith, as the next head of its express division. The 77-year-old founder has been saying for at least two years that hes nearing the end of his long tenure, it added. Taylor Swift is being honoured with an honorary doctorate. The I Bet You Think About Me hitmaker will be given her Doctor of Fine Arts when she addresses the graduating classes at the ceremony to mark her many achievements - such as three number one albums in a calendar year - along with historian Jill Lepore and other academics. The 32-year-old songwriting superstar has already left her mark on the Manhattan-based college when journalist Brittany Spanos kicked off her program in January that seeks to to deconstruct both the appeal and aversions to Taylor Swift through close readings of her music and public discourse as it relates to her own growth as an artist and a celebrity. Through readings, lectures and more, the class delves into analyses of the culture and politics of teen girlhood in pop music, fandom, media studies, whiteness and power as it relates to her image and the images of those who have both preceded and succeeded her. Well also consider topics like copyright and ownership, American nationalism and the ongoing impact of social media on the pop music industry. Brittany - who works at music magazine Rolling Stone - labelled herself as a super fan of Taylor. Teaching a course at Clive Davis has been a dream of mine since I attended NYU. I took several of the Topics in Recorded Music courses in the program while an undergrad and they were foundational to my work as a music journalist. Ive been covering Taylor Swift since I began my writing career a decade ago and have been a super fan of hers for even longer. Its such an honor to be able to share my Swiftie expertise with a sharp group of students. The ceremony - which will take place on 18 May - will be the universitys first in-person graduation since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic and are thrilled to be back at Yankee Stadium. Andrew Hamilton, the president of NYU said: I cannot overstate how thrilled I am to be coming together in person with graduates, parents, faculty, and honorees for NYUs Commencement. Since 2019, we have been deprived of Commencements festive, communal joy, and its absence has been keenly felt. Few groups of graduates are more deserving of a celebration than these classes: their pursuit of their studies disrupted, isolated by a daunting pandemic, these classes2022, 2021, and 2020have distinguished themselves with their grit, grace, and forbearance. We reconvene at Yankee Stadium with a renewed sense of appreciation for the act of celebrating together in person, a recognition of our graduates enormous achievements, and a respect for their character and perseverance. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Originally published on celebretainment.com, part of the TownNews Content Exchange. Dubai has a leading position to roll out an autonomous drive system and change the landscape of smart mobility, said experts at the World Government Summit 2022 being held in Dubai. Speakers of the sessions stressed that the future of cities depends on gathering the talents and experts from around the world into one major platform such as WSG to embrace their abilities to have positive results and innovate rapidly and develop ideas to be implanted to ensure a smart future. During a session about The future of movements: policies and innovation, Jeff Bleich, the Chief Legal Officer of Cruise, the majority-owned autonomous vehicle subsidiary of General Motors, said that with Dubai as our first international partner, we can innovate new cities system and the future of smart mobility. Speakers emphasized the importance of policy being agile and clear to meet the safety and security principles of the future. The public-Private partnership will be essential in ensuring that mobility is safe and secure in the coming decade. Innovation key to smart systems Bleich emphasized that rapid digital technology requires proactive practices from governments to enhance the capabilities of their leaders to manage it and adapt to smart technology. Dubais Road and Transport Authority (RTA) announced a partnership with Cruise in April 2021 aims to make fully autonomous taxis available to the public in Dubai by 2023 and 4,000s autonomous vehicles (AVs) in use by 2030. "Development and smart devices will be essential work systems around the world and all governments will have to involve this positive transformation. We as Cruises Origin AV working on solutions for some challenges such as; the lack of a visible steering wheel or brakes feature which does not currently meet RTAs standards in vehicles," remarked Bleich. At the session, teenage German cybersecurity specialist, David Colombo, spilled the beans on how he hacked Tesla. "Everything will be digital in the future, from cars to homes. Cybersecurity is important as well as the transformation to a smart world to protect the rights of companies and save their data." Colombo who shot to fame for hacking 25 Tesla vehicles after successfully cracking a vulnerability in third-party software of the super electric car. "As we embrace digital solutions, we become more vulnerable, AVs will be controlled by digital technology so cybersecurity is going to be a key challenge to create a secure future," he added.-TradeArabia News Service As the people of Rio de Janeiro sheltered at home last year during Brazil's COVID-19 outbreak, a police official found something unusual about a local internet service. The internet was suddenly unavailable across one poor neighborhood. Detective Gabriel Ferrando later found that armed men had chased away a technician from internet service provider TIM SA. A new internet provider had claimed the area. It was a company that officials believe has ties to drug dealers and arms sellers. It also is believed to have links to Brazils criminal organization, the Red Command. Those living in the area could get internet from the new company or do without it. TIM later released a statement asking the countrys law enforcement to protect established internet companies. Ferrando continued to investigate and, in a report after months of work, he asked government lawyers to take action. But, so far, officials have done nothing. Reuters continued the investigation and found that internet service in many neighborhoods in Brazils major cities has been taken over by suspected criminals. They reportedly are not afraid to use threats and violence to control internet service. Now, tens of thousands of Brazilians have poor-quality internet service that makes millions of dollars for suspected criminals. Customers report they sometimes face someone at their door with a demand for the monthly payment. There's "pressure to pay on the day that they choose with no delay," said one customer, who did not want his name used. In 2020, Brazilian households with an internet connection grew by more than 12 percentage points to 83 percent. That is the most recent information available from Cetic.br, an information technology organization. But criminals, also called pirates, are stealing equipment from real providers to create their internet services. Feninfra, an industry group, said robbery and destruction of telecommunications equipment rose 34 percent in 2020 from 2019. That is equal to about $194 million in yearly losses. Brazil has criminal groups that control water and electricity services, but now they are entering the business of technology. This is how they do it. First, they steal or damage equipment belonging to traditional internet service providers. When repair teams arrive, they are chased away by armed men who warn them not to come back. These so-called no-go areas have increased by 300 percent since 2019. Without competition, the criminals can charge a lot of money for poor-quality service. Often, the criminals will get help from a corrupt worker at one of the big internet companies, said Rio de Janeiro state prosecutor Antonio Pessanha. In one recent case, an employee of internet provider Claro, offered to sell company equipment to organized criminals, Pessanha said. His office recorded the criminals telephone discussions by getting a court order. In the Morro da Formiga neighborhood, detective Ferrando said he began receiving information in the first half of 2021. It was from people who said internet services had stopped working. The company that controlled the area, JPConnect, was established in 2019. Reuters examined its public documents. Those records show that until late last year JPConnect was part-owned by Paulo Cesar Souza dos Santos Jr. Officials said he is a member of Red Command. In January, police officers searched JPConnect's headquarters in Morro da Formiga. Ferrando said they found stolen equipment belonging to large technology companies. Marcos Ferrari is the head of the Brazilian telecommunications trade association Conexis. He said the industry in Brazil faces robbery, destruction of property, and threats to employees. Officials must "inhibit this type of criminal action," Ferrari said. In Rio de Janeiro there are several other internet providers under investigation for links to criminals, officials said. The provider Net&Com was raided by police in March 2021. Police have publicly stated that they are investigating the firm. They suspect it is paying criminals with the Red Command to help them take over internet services in poor neighborhoods throughout the Rio de Janeiro area. Pessanha, the state prosecutor, said the investigation continues. "The new gold for the criminal underworld," he said, "is the internet." Im Susan Shand. The Reuters News Agency reported this story. Susan Shand adapted it for Learning English. __________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story technician n. a person whose job relates to the practical use of machines or science in industry, medicine customer n. someone who buys goods or services from a business household n. the people in a family or other group that are living together in one house inhibit v. to keep (someone) from doing what he or she wants to do We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section, and visit our Facebook page. Sweet Home is set to receive more than $30 million in federal funds to bring its aging wastewater treatment plant in line with federal law. The city's current system dates back to the 1940s, and the construction of a new wastewater treatment plant is slated to start soon. The city has been cited by Oregon Department of Environmental Quality a number of times over the years for violating the federal Clean Water Act. U.S. Rep. Peter DeFazio, whose district includes Sweet Home and Linn County, announced on Monday, March 28 that the city of Sweet Home will receive the $30.06 million to help the plant comply with the federal law. "Clean water is a basic, human right," DeFazio said in a statement. "I'm proud to help secure funding to enhance water infrastructure and better health in our community." Sweet Home was cited for various violations of the Clean Water Act on Oct. 13, 1998, based on a state Department of Human Services letter. The city received two administrative orders and multiple extensions to comply with the law, which it finally did on Dec. 2, 2009. Sweet Home was under orders to develop a plan to upsize and improve its wastewater treatment plant. A plan was drawn up in 2015, and the city has spent years finding a contractor and budgeting for the project. Built in the 1940s, the Sweet Home wastewater treatment plant has been upgraded several times in its history. It's needed dozens of renovations to better serve the city of 10,000 people and meet air quality regulations. In 2020, the Sweet Home City Council voted to stop outsourcing and bring overplant operations in-house to save taxpayers some $176,000 per year. The costs of the wastewater plant's major renovations totaled $28.2 million in 2019, millions of which would have come from state grants and city coffers. Quality journalism doesn't happen without your help Support local news coverage and the people who report it by subscribing to the Corvallis Gazette-Times. According to Sweet Home Public Works Director Greg Springman, the plant has struggled with managing excess capacity during rainy seasons. He said the federal funds allow the city to avoid taking out a loan and burdening taxpayers. "It's not just about we're going to fix this. We're going to build this new plant that we've been designing for three years, and it's going be paid for, and the customers don't have to pay for" it, Springman said. Springman said the city plans on breaking ground as soon as late July or early August. Portland-based Murraysmith & Associates Inc. has the contract. The new money comes from the Environmental Protection Agency's Clean Water State Revolving Fund program, a federal-state partnership offering low-cost financing to communities for water projects. Tim Gruver covers the city of Albany and Linn County. He can be contacted at 541-812-6114 or Tim.Gruver@lee.net. Follow him on Twitter via @T_TimeForce. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 LEXINGTON Traffic was diverted away from the Jackson St. overpass briefly during Monday afternoon due to a two car accident took place. At 3:26 p.m., the Lexington Volunteer Fire Department was dispatched to the intersection of Maple St. and Plum Creek Parkway, the south base of the Jackson St. overpass, due to the report of a two car accident. Priority Medical Transport also responded to the scene. On scene, a silver Chevy four door car was facing east with damage to its left front wheel, a red Hyundai Elantra was facing south with light front end damage. The driver of the Hyundai was transported by Priority Medical Transport to the Lexington Regional Health Center for undisclosed injuries. Due to the accident blocking traffic to the overpass, Lexington police officers briefly diverted traffic while the vehicles were moved. Randy and Brians Towing had to tow away the Chevy, while the Hyundai could be driven off scene. The overpass was opened by 3:40 p.m. The LVFD was assisted on scene by the Priority Medical Transport, the Lexington Police Department, and Randy and Brians towing. World governments must act in a spirit of unity and depend on collaboration to solve global problems such as climate change, trade and economic disruption. This is according to Professor Klaus Schwab, Founder and Executive Chairman of World Economic Forum, during a keynote speech on the opening day of the World Government Summit (WGS2022) in Dubai. Speaking in the Dubai Exhibition Centre at the Expo 2020 Dubai site during a session entitled Our World Today, Why Government Must Act Now?, Schwab acknowledged that the government role is important in improving the impact of the world activities on global energy systems such as; food systems and supply chains. A great reset Schwab, who called policymakers for a great reset during the pandemic, and for understanding their responsibility to work in collaborative ways and bring multilateral solutions for immediate challenges to manage and long-term global challenges through this global platform to build our future. Schwab added: The impact of the Fourth Industrial Revolution accelerates global change in a much more comprehensive and faster way than previous industrial revolutions. Despite all the challenges, we have to uphold the responsibility we have towards the next generation through collaborations on a national and a global level. Our futures are intrinsically connected and that requires collaborative responses. Schwab called on governments to adopt new technologies as well as develop the necessary ethical frameworks around those new technologies to ensure embracing human life and the society-oriented systems. WGS 2022 brings together government leaders, ministers, senior officials, decision-, policymakers and specialists across economic, social, technological and financial sectors from around the world between March 29 and 30, 2022 to share experiences, knowledge and ideas that contribute to promoting development and prosperity around the world to forge new models of agile governance.-- TradeArabia News Service One of two suspects accused in the Jan. 8 gunshot death of Ernest Knox has been ordered to remain in the La Crosse County Jail on a $500,000 cash bond. La Crosse County Circuit Court Judge Ramona Gonzalez ordered the bond for Karvel Freeman, 35, Madison, during an initial appearance Monday. Freeman and Nelson D. Brown, 25, Rockford, Illinois, have been charged with first-degree intentional homicide and second-degree recklessly endangering safety. Brown also faces charges of felon in possession of a firearm and felony bail jumping. Prosecutors allege that Freeman gave a signal to Brown to shoot Knox during a party on the 700 block of Rose Street. La Crosse County assistant District Attorney Nick Passe requested the $500,000 bail. The defendant is facing life in prison and has a strong incentive to flee, Passe said. He described Freeman as a danger to the community. He said Knox was murdered over perceived disrespect about one or two small things at a birthday party. Freeman was taken into custody March 9 in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. His attorney, Eric Pangborn, said Freemans arrest in Tennessee wasnt a case of his client fleeing arrest. He said Freeman was a resident of Tennessee prior to moving to Madison and returned to Tennessee with his family only after receiving threats for his alleged involvement in the homicide. Pangborn said Freeman was aware from media reports that he was wanted as a suspect and contacted Pangborn March 7 to schedule a March 14 meeting. Pangborn said $5,000-10,000 is the most Freemans family can raise for his bail. Gonzalez set a preliminary hearing for April 5 and said the issue of bail could be re-argued then. Brown remains at large. He is considered armed and dangerous, and police are warning citizens not to approach or attempt to contact him. Anyone with information is asked to call the La Crosse Police Department at 608-782-7575. Tips can be anonymously provided to La Crosse Area Crime Stoppers at 608-784-TIPS (8477) or online at lacrossecrimestoppers.com. Citizens can also download the Crime Stoppers App P3 to submit a tip via cell phone. Sign up for our Crime & Courts newsletter Get the latest in local public safety news with this weekly email. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. KENOSHA The trial of the Caledonia man accused of firing of a shot into the air during the August 2020 unrest in Downtown Kenosha has been postponed until summer. Jury selection for the trial of Joshua Ziminski was scheduled to start Monday morning but was rescheduled for June 21 because Ziminskis defense attorney, Michael Barth, was reportedly tied up in another case. Ziminiski made a brief appearance in Judge Bruce Schroeders court Monday in an orange jumpsuit. Schroeder presided virtually. Ziminiski, 37, is being held on $14,000 cash bond in Kenosha County Jail. His bond was increased from $1,000 earlier this year by Schroeder after Ziminiski allegedly threatened and intimidated a witness at court as jury selection was first set to begin in January. Ziminski is charged with felony arson and misdemeanors of obstructing an officer and disorderly conduct with a deadly weapon. According to the criminal complaint, Ziminski and his wife, Kelly Ziminski, participated in protests and riots in downtown Kenosha which occurred in response to the shooting of Jacob Blake by a Kenosha Police officer. Ziminski was charged with disorderly conduct after authorities used a previous booking photograph to identify him as the man who fired what he allegedly called a warning shot into the air on Aug. 25, 2020, just before Illinois teenager Kyle Rittenhouse, who was in the same area, shot and killed Joseph Rosenbaum. Rittenhouse was found not guilty in November in that shooting death, along with the shooting death of Anthony Huber and for injuring Gaige Grosskreutz during riots that night in Downtown Kenosha. Rittenhouse said he acted in self-defense. Police investigating the shootings identified Ziminski and observed that he was holding a black handgun, according to reports. At one point, in a video Ziminski was seen pointing the gun to the sky, and the police observed a muzzle flash and heard a gunshot at the same time. The Ziminskis were then seen leaving the area. The felony arson charge was filed after a video on Kelly Ziminskis phone showed Joshua Ziminski tossing a match into a dumpster, then asking the crowd for lighter fluid to help the fire spread, according to the criminal complaint. Joshua Ziminski then pushed the dumpster onto Sheridan Road as police vehicles were moving toward him. His wife was seen on video adding flammable material to the fire, the complaint states. Kelly Ziminski pleaded guilty last April to a misdemeanor count of obstructing and a civil forfeiture charge of failing to comply with an emergency order. The prosecution has subpoenaed her for her husbands case and she was in court Monday morning. A developer is proposing to raze a small church, a former Italian deli, two houses and Buckinghams Bar and Grill a historic building for a 10-story structure with housing, commercial space and parking on the 800 block of Regent Street. CRG Acquisition of Chicago would remove all buildings on a rectangular strip of land immediately south of UW-Madisons 21 North Park Street office building, which opened in 2006, between North Park Street and the East Campus Mall. Concepts for a similar project at the same site were offered almost a year ago, but a new submission to the city has limited information and its unclear who beyond CRG is involved with the current proposal. A CRG representative could not be reached for comment. The early concepts show apartments, commercial space at the corner of Regent and Park streets and other amenities on the first floor, underground parking for 62 vehicles, and bike parking. There would be an additional resident amenity and deck on the ninth floor. The redevelopment site includes Faith Community Bible Church, 826 Regent St., a one-story structure built in 1971 and renovated in 1996; a former location of Frabonis Italian Specialties and Delicatessen, 822 Regent St., which closed after 47 years in 2018 and consolidated with its store in Monona; rental houses at 816 and 818 Regent St.; and Buckinghams, 802 Regent St., a building constructed in 1923 and renovated in 2000. The Buckinghams building, originally the Ben DiSalvo and Sons Grocery Store, is one of the few remaining structures in the historic Greenbush neighborhood connected with its once-bustling Italian population. Many of the surrounding buildings were razed amid national urban renewal efforts in the 1960s. The structure is identified in the Downtown Historic Preservation Plan as a potential landmark. The Plan Commission must approve any demolitions while development plans must go through a committee review process. The proposed project recognizes the need to create a sense of enclosure and urban space in order to strengthen the business corridor along Regent Street as well as acting as an entrance to the campus from the south, a submission to the city says. CRG is scheduled to make an informational presentation to the citys Urban Design Commission at 4:30 p.m. Wednesday. Immigrant heritage The substantial brick building at 802 Regent St. was constructed by Ben and Frances DiSalvo, who lived on the second floor and used the first floor for a grocery and food importing business, according to records. This living arrangement was called living above the shop and had been practiced in Europe for centuries prior to its introduction in America. DiSalvos Imported Foods soon became a Greenbush institution. After DiSalvo retired in 1945 the store continued to be run by his sons until Tom DiSalvo retired in 1984. DiSalvos branched out into related areas as business warranted and the store later added a bakery, a meat market, and a liquor department. They also built a one-story annex next door in the same style as the store that was used for years as DiSalvos Spaghetti House, but the annex burned down in the early 1960s. At one time there were five Italian grocery stores on Regent Street and this is the only one that remains, city preservation planner Heather Bailey said. In the nearly 25 years since the Downtown Preservation Plan was adopted, there has been no move to designate 802 Regent St. as a landmark, she said. Italian immigrant heritage in Madison is another underrepresented story that we need to find ways to commemorate, share, celebrate, and remember, she said. I think that it is a regrettable loss and I hope for public interest in being proactive to tell those stories and reinvest in those spaces well before they are marked for redevelopment. Ald. Julianna Bennett, 8th District, who represents the site, declined comment until neighborhood steering committees are done and the project is before Planning Division staff. The proposal is just the latest in a series of projects in the campus area offering high-density market-rate student housing, said Ald. Mike Verveer, 4th District, which abuts East Campus Mall. I think the location makes a lot of sense, he said. Its just a matter of time before these properties are redeveloped. But the fate of the historic building merits discussion, he said. The developers are going to have to figure out a way to acknowledge the DiSalvo store, he said. Design highlights The proposed design provides a four-story base along Park and Regent streets and East Campus Drive clad in a reddish brick, according to CRGs submission. A series of piers and columns at the ground floor create an anchor for the structure while storefront windows provide active retail spaces along the street and amenities that serve residents. Floors five through eight step back from the base and are clad in three different materials, which help define the entry along Regent Street. Floors nine and ten step back from the middle grouping of floors to create an attic quality, according to the proposal. In initial conversations with the neighborhood and UW-Madison, concerns were raised about the affordability of housing units and traffic, Verveer said. Editor's note: This story has been updated to correct the description of the building just to the north of the proposed development. It is UW-Madisons 21 North Park Street office building. Get Government & Politics updates in your inbox! Stay up-to-date on the latest in local and national government and political topics with our newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Jazeera Airways shareholders have approved the Board of Directors recommendation to distribute 32% in cash dividend, the equivalent of KD7 million ($22.9 million) for the year ended December 31, 2021. The company held its Annual General Meeting (AGM) virtually today (March 27) from its headquarters in Jazeera City, Kuwait. The dividend announcement comes after two years during which dividends were suspended because of the Covid-19 pandemic. Jazeera has returned a total of KD91 million in cash to shareholders since 2013, the equivalent of over four times its paid-up capital. Jazeera Chairman, Marwan Boodai, said: Jazeera Airways has once again showcased the success of its business model in adapting in times of crisis, safeguarding its cash position and shareholders rights. The airline grabbed new opportunities that were presented during the pandemic, enabling it to expand its services, generate revenue from new sources, and return to profitability in record time. Today, Jazeera is a success story for the Kuwaiti private sector as well as the regional and global aviation sector. The airline continues to provide reliable services to its customers, delivered by an experienced team, adds value to its shareholders and contributes to the local economy. Jazeera Airways returned to profitability for the year 2021, a period which continued to be affected by the Covid-19 pandemic and restrictions on travel, reporting a net profit of KD7.1 million for the year, up 126.8% from the previous year. The earnings were supported by an increase of 48.2% in the number of passengers flown, which reached 1.0 million, while load factors increased by 3.9% to 66.8% and yield increased by 28.6% to KD73.9. Operating revenue for 2021 stood at KD80.4 million, up 94.3%, and operating profit increased by 152.2% to KD10.8 million. 2022 outlook and milestones With its return to profitability, Jazeera is headed to continued growth, expanding its network with new routes that offer direct flights from Kuwait to tourist destinations as well as underserved destinations that cater to a latent demand of customers living in the Middle East by connecting them between their country of residence and home country. The network expansion is supported by a new order of 28 aircraft placed with Airbus. Jazeera will be taking delivery of A320neo and A321neo models to serve short and medium-haul routes. The company is also expanding its infrastructure and facilities to offer supporting aviation services. Jazeera has already achieved a new milestone in that direction as an Approved Training Organization certified by Kuwaits Directorate for Civil Aviation, enabling the airline to conduct training programs for pilots and cabin crews from its headquarters in the State of Kuwait. Boodai concluded: We are excited for our future planned developments. We look forward to expanding to new destinations where we see strong and revenue-generating opportunities, while also remaining prudent against the uncertainties of recent geopolitical developments. - TradeArabia News Service A statewide organization that aims to raise awareness about health literacy will host a vaccine community outreach event Monday to help ensure that the public has access to reliable and accurate information about COVID shots. Wisconsin Health Literacy is hosting the free pre-summit affair in-person from 12:30 to 6 p.m. on April 4 at The Edgewater in Downtown Madison. Following that event is the Wisconsin Health Literacy Summit, which is also taking place at the hotel, located on 1001 Wisconsin Place, on April 5-6. Proof of full COVID-19 vaccination is required to attend both events. Attendees, according to an event flyer, must show a printed or digital copy of their shot card at registration. The pre-summit is slated to open with speaker Abdul El-Sayed, who served as the executive director of the Detroit Health Department in Michigan, as well as a health officer for the city of Detroit until he resigned to run for governor. An epidemiologist and host of podcast America Dissected, El-Sayed will reflect on his experiences in his various roles. There will also be a Best and Promising Practices Panel of speakers, as well as training sessions for health, digital and science literacy. Planning for the pre-summit comes after the states Department of Health Services in April 2021 announced $6.2 million in grants that were awarded to organizations across Wisconsin in order to promote equity in the statewide COVID-19 vaccine program. Many of those organizations will meet and network at the Monday event. There are people that have digital, language, and cultural barriers who havent had the same access to information and to making appointments that other residents have, said Margaret Marcou, Vaccine Community Outreach program project manager at Wisconsin Health Literacy, in a statement. Marcou, as well as four Vaccine Community Outreach program regional specialists, are reaching out to all areas of the state to answer peoples questions about the COVID shot. They are working with community-based organizations, tribal governments and other nonprofits to do so. Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. The mother of a West High School junior wants her daughter, who has Down syndrome, to complete her senior year and graduate with her class, while the district is citing policy that says the soon-to-be 19-year-old is too old. Billings School District 2 policy 2050 states that schools don't have to enroll students who have reached age 19 on or before Sept. 10 of the school year in question. Montana House Bill 233 was amended last summer to offer funding allowing school districts to extend high school education for special-needs students up to age 21. But according to SD2 Superintendent Greg Upham, the new law still allows for local school districts to stick to their own policies if they choose. Jana Pennington is the mother of Emily, who has participated on West High's cheer squad and has worked at the family's boutique, The Banyan Tree. Jana Pennington has appealed the district's decision and mounted a social media campaign to persuade the school board to reconsider the ruling. By Friday evening, the campaign had generated more than 150 emails to the board supporting Emily being able to attend her senior year. Upham on Friday spoke cautiously because of confidentiality concerns. He did say the board has not reviewed the matter specifically, although board members are aware of the Pennington family's concerns. In February of this year, Pennington wrote to Upham and the board. My daughter Emily will turn 19 on July 11, 2022, approximately nine weeks before the deadline keeping her from attending her senior year and not completing the high school education she is entitled to, Pennington wrote. Pennington and Randy Russell, the district's K-12 executive director, then corresponded several times over email. Russell told Pennington in November that Superintendent Upham forwarded me an email he received regarding your daughter aging out. Following the meeting with me on or about Oct. 28, I gathered more information regarding the situation from your daughters IEPs [individualized education plan], engaged with staff on this topic, and consulted with legal counsel. Then, citing the district's policy, Russell added that the school district has been firm and consistent in its position. Pennington said Emily was heldback in kindergarten, which she does not regret, even though she knew about the law at the time. At some point in the next 12 years before she graduates, Im sure there will be legislature introduced so Emily will have a remedy to graduate, she said, recalling her thought process at the time. In her letter to the district, Pennington listed several major surgeries that delayed Emilys education, with most of them occurring during her early years of development. We are major advocates of having our daughter be mainstreamed into regular education classes, not only for educational purposes but also for social development reasons, which for Emily is especially critical, she wrote. On Jan. 21, there was another email conversation about the appeal process. Russell informed Pennington that the next step would be to submit a written request to Upham that the board could hear as an agenda item. Policy 1420 outlines the process once a superintendent receives it. Were following what we thought was the policy procedure to get onto the agenda, and we werent getting anywhere, Pennington said. The Gazette only received emails from Pennington, rather than all of the emails that were sent back and forth. (Emily) loves the students, teachers, and faculty that she gets to spend time with each day, Pennington wrote, adding that you will find her at every sporting event cheering on her fellow student body members to victory. In an online document Pennington complied, she outlines how she has researched Montana state law, spoken with program directors at the Office of Public Instruction as well as multiple state legislators, sought legal counsel, made public comments at school board meetings, and met with the principal and district administrators. During the last board meeting, she was surprised to see her concern did not appear on the agenda. She communicated with trustee Zack Terakedis and anticipated the board reviewing the policy. He addressed the matter in an email to other board members Feb. 24. As a parent, planning is a big part of successful families, Terakedis wrote. I would like to know our anticipated plan for this request and when and if we are going to see it on an agenda. Terakedis was unable to be reached as of press time, but Pennington said she didnt hear back from him after that. No matter what one may think about the events of Jan. 6, 2021, efforts now underway to block certain members of Congress from running for reelection are without merit. Several voters have filed a challenge in North Carolina to the candidacy of Republican Rep. Madison Cawthorn, seeking to have him disqualified from the ballot. A similar lawsuit has been filed in Wisconsin against Republican Sen. Ron Johnson of Oshkosh, Rep. Tom Tiffany, R-Minocqua, and Rep. Scott Fitzgerald, R-Juneau, claiming they are no longer qualified to seek reelection under the 14th Amendment because they participated in an insurrection on Jan. 6, including by supporting objections to the certification of certain electoral votes. It is noteworthy that not a single protester arrested for criminal trespass, assaulting police officers and other actions at the Capitol has been charged under 18 U.S.C. 2383, which makes it a crime to engage in any rebellion or insurrection against the authority of the United States. Additionally, no member of Congress has been arrested, charged or indicted for any actions taken on Jan. 6. Yet the challengers are claiming that these members of Congress are disqualified from holding office under Section 3 of the 14th Amendment, which was ratified in 1868. Section 3 was aimed at the former Confederacy and said no one could be a member of Congress or hold any federal office who had previously held such a position if they engaged in insurrection or rebellion. But Section 3 also had a unique provision not found in any other amendment to the Constitution. It gave Congress the power by a vote of two-thirds of each House to remove this disqualification. Congress did exactly that in two amnesty bills: one in 1872 that kept a limited number of disqualifications for certain members of Congress and the military, and a second in 1898 that got rid of those remaining disqualifications. The plain language of these acts permanently removed the insurrection disqualification in Section 3 from the 14th Amendment. Additionally, Article I of the Constitution lists the three qualifications required to be a representative and senator (age, citizenship and residency). In 1995, in U.S. Term Limits, Inc. v. Thornton, the U.S. Supreme Court said that no state can impose any additional qualifications on any candidate running for Congress. That would certainly include candidates being forced to prove their innocence regarding any claims that they were somehow involved in the events of Jan. 6. The Supreme Court also said that a state cannot dress up an additional qualification as a ballot access measure, since that is an indirect attempt to accomplish what the Constitution prohibits [the state] from accomplishing directly. Any attempts by officials or courts to refuse to allow a candidates name to be listed on the ballot because of his or her alleged participation in insurrection clearly fail this test. Finally, attempts to disqualify candidates because they objected to the certification of certain electoral votes in the joint session of Congress on Jan. 6 have no legal merit. The objections and the subsequent votes on the objections were done in full compliance with the process outlined in the Electoral Count Act of 1887. The Electoral Count Act provides that an objection can be filed jointly by a senator and a representative and, on such an objection being made, the joint session for the counting of electoral votes is temporarily suspended while Congress debates and votes on the objection. If the objection is voted down, the counting resumes, which is exactly what happened on Jan. 6, 2021. The effort to have members of Congress barred from having their names on ballots based on claims that they participated in an insurrection on Jan. 6 or objected to electoral votes should fail. Congress permanently eliminated the insurrection disqualification in the 14th Amendment in amnesty acts that are still in force today, and the objections to the electoral votes were filed in accordance with federal law. All of these efforts and threats are a desperate attempt to gain political advantage through unconstitutional actions. They are a waste of time and resources and should be dismissed as such. Hans von Spakovsky is a Senior Legal Fellow at the Heritage Foundation and a former Justice Department lawyer: heritage.org. He is the co-author of Our Broken Election: How the Left Changed the Way You Vote. TWIN FALLS Two teachers at South Hills Middle School were surprised Monday with a grant award to help supply free books to students. Nina Carrieri and Whitney Moses were each awarded a $750 grant by the Idaho CapEd Foundation, a nonprofit run by CapEd Credit Union. The award presentation came at a surprise meeting at the school. Accepting her award, Moses, school librarian, said the grants would contribute to the efforts South Hills has made to engage students in reading. Weve done a great job this year stepping up more time for independent reading, and doing a lot of things in our school to promote a great reading culture, she said. And this is one more step towards that to get kids excited about reading. Principal Sarah Praegitzer accepted the check on behalf of Carrieri, who was not present. The two teachers applied for the grants after Carrieri hatched an idea to bring in a book vending machine, as well as books to stock it with. Students can earn tokens to buy books through the schools positive reinforcement program. The machine should be in place for next school year. Our school already has in place a program for rewarding students for positive behavior, and so we thought this would dovetail nicely with that, Moses said. When they exhibit positive behavior, then they will get a token they can use to redeem books in the vending machine. It will be a very colorful, very visible way to get kids excited about reading. South Hills has a goal of helping students advance one grade level in reading each year. To help make this possible, each day starts with silent reading time. Another way to improve literacy levels, Moses said, was to offer a broad range of reading materials. As a school librarian, one of the things I know is how critical student choice is in getting students excited to read a book, Moses said. The vending machine will be stocked with a broad range of genres. Moses said the most popular thing in the school is graphic novels, but it will also be stocked with fantasy, science fiction and historical fiction. One of the things we want is for students to build their own personal book libraries at home so that they have print-rich environment, that they have access to books at all times, even during the summer, she said. So thats one of the reasons why its so important for us to actually give books to students to just keep. Tyler Harris, from the CapEd Foundation, said the month of March had the largest number of grant applicants they have had this year. Every once in a blue moon well have different teachers at the same school win, Harris said. Our board of directors saw both of these projects and voted highest on those. CapEd Foundation has distributed 12 awards around the state this month. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Idaho Gov. Brad Little on Monday vetoed a bill backed by Senate Republicans that would block most private businesses from requiring COVID-19 vaccines for a year. Little in a veto letter wrote that the legislation significantly expands government overreach into the private sector. I have been consistent in stating my belief that businesses should be left to make decisions about the management of their operations and employees with limited interference from the government, he wrote. The proposal comes after repeated attempts by the Idaho Legislature to prevent businesses from requiring vaccines during the coronavirus pandemic. Top Senate Republicans backed the latest proposal, Senate Bill 1381. Senate President Pro Tem Chuck Winder, R-Boise, who sponsored the bill, said its the most difficult legislation hes sponsored in his six terms. It seeks to thread the needle between employee and employer interests, Winder said during a floor debate earlier this month. The bill prohibits employers from requiring their employees to be vaccinated against the coronavirus. It allows exceptions for health care businesses, including assisted living and nursing home businesses, employers who require travel to foreign countries with COVID-19 vaccine mandates, and businesses required by the federal government to impose the mandate. The bill also establishes that business patrons, including concert attendees, could not be denied entry based on COVID-19 vaccine status. Little lauded his own conservative policies during the pandemic. I kept Idaho open while other states were on lockdown, never issued any mask or vaccine mandates and banned vaccine passports, he wrote. I am committed to working through the rule of law to keep Idaho the strongest state in the nation. The Legislature has constitutional authority to override a veto both chambers recessed for five days last week so they could address a veto, after this years session effectively ended Friday. Two-thirds of lawmakers present in each chamber must vote to override a veto. The Senate would need to secure 24 votes if all members are present. The House would need 47 votes. When the bill passed the Legislature, 24 senators and 45 House members supported it. TWIN FALLS Idaho has seen the second-highest decrease in union workers since 1964, statistics show, surpassed only by Utah. The number of union members in Idaho continues to decline. In 1964, more than 24% of Idahoans were part of unions, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. In 2021, however, that number dropped to 4.7%, according to recently released statistics from the bureau. Nationwide, union members accounted for 10.3% of employed wage and salary workers in 2021. Traditionally, Idaho employers have opposed union activity. Local union organizers want to change long-held stereotypes about the pros and cons of union membership. Education and misinformation are one possible reason for Idahos low numbers, said Dan Green, an organizer for the local International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers. As an organizer, Ive walked into places and had my card thrown to the floor, called all kinds of names. You name it, Green said. It can be a mix, maybe that guy 15 years ago had a bad experience with an organizer, (or) maybe his dad did. In the 1980s, some union leaders used questionable tactics to encourage workers to join, he said. There were also allegations that unions were corrupt or connected to organized crime. The misconceptions that go along with it include that we are lazy, Green said, that we are entitled, we dont work as hard as the next guy, we cant be fired, all these things that people think. Unions work by organizing members of a trade to use their collective power to have a voice in the workplace, he said. Members have access to higher pay, better benefits, pensions, higher quality healthcare and protection from termination. My life took a very positive turn when I joined the union, Green said. It was security, especially in construction where we work ourselves out of work. Although it is difficult to compare earnings between non-union and union workers, its estimated union workers make at least 25% more than their non-union counterparts, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Also, the idea that union members cant be fired is false, he said. Idaho is a work at will state, according to the Idaho Department of Labor, meaning employers can terminate individuals without notice and without cause. Union members can also be terminated but there needs to be a cause. Another significant part of Greens job is explaining what a pension is. A 401(k) retirement plan is funded by employee contributions and sometimes matching payments from employers. With a pension plan, employers fund and guarantee a specific retirement benefit for each employee. If you go to the mall, go downtown, ask people how a pension works, they dont know, he said. And then a fair percentage of the people I explain it to kinda look at me like, Yeah, no. That cant be right. No one is sending me a check till the day I die. Come on man, whats the hook. Another factor that prevents people from joining is the cost of dues. Workers attitudes have changed over the past few decades, said Bonang Seoela, a regional economist with the state Labor Department. People are not willing to pay the dues to become union members but choose to negotiate their salary themselves instead. For the electrical workers union, dues start at $20 a month, plus 1% to 2% of gross wages for utility members. Journeyman wiremen pay $43 a month. Green said he thinks the dues are worth it for the benefits, but he understands there are good non-union jobs with great employers. Full family health care is another benefit, he said. Ive got five kids. With ours, its a $400 deductible per person or $1,200 per family. Thats a big deal. Kids break their arms. They break their legs. We all rode motorcycles the kids raced. All of that stuff. A lot of people are paying anywhere from $50 to $180 a week out of their own paycheck for health insurance that isnt even close to as good. Brendan Van Sickle has been a member of the Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers International Union for seven years. Van Sickle, who works for Amalgamated Sugar Co., told the Times-News the local union has more than 200 members. After working for a little bit and understanding what the union is doing for me and what its been fighting for, I got involved, he said. He hopes unions get bigger and non-union workers continue to push to be unionized. More people involved helps make workers voices stronger. Although dues are a drawback for some people, he thinks there is another answer for low numbers across the state. I think the biggest is a lack of knowledge and a lack of understanding what we are capable of, he said. All we can do is try to educate and get the community involved to understand that if you can strengthen everybody, then its better in the long run. His yearly raise guaranteed by the union is worth paying $36 a month in dues. In fact, his raises over the past seven years have paid for his dues, he said. Not only that, its a brotherhood and a sisterhood. Love 0 Funny 3 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 The body found Feb. 27 on Smith Lake Road has now been identified as that of Ricardo Gonzalez-Rodriguez. Gonzalez-Rodriguez was 53 years old and an undocumented immigrant who had recently come to the Martinsville area, according to a press release from the City of Martinsville. The identity was determined through medical records, DNA and the assistance of the Department of Homeland Security. The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner from the Department of Health in Roanoke has determined the death to be accidental in nature. The body was reported to police by someone walking along Smith Lake Road on that Saturday evening. The police department is trying to contact family members in other states and in Mexico, the release states. Anyone with information about Ricardo Gonzalez-Rodriguez is asked t contact Sgt. Richard Ratcliffe at the Martinsville Police Department, 403-5331. Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Copyright 1995 - . All rights reserved. The content (including but not limited to text, photo, multimedia information, etc) published in this site belongs to China Daily Information Co (CDIC). Without written authorization from CDIC, such content shall not be republished or used in any form. Note: Browsers with 1024*768 or higher resolution are suggested for this site. 0108263 License for publishing multimedia online Registration Number: 130349 Registration Number: 130349 Three more houses have been added to the City of Martinsvilles Rental Inspection Program. The Rental Inspection Program passed in 2019 by City Council allows the city to investigate problem rental properties and is complaint-driven, said City Attorney and Assistant City Manager Eric Monday during the councils March 22 meeting. A number of properties were on its inaugural list. City Council voted to add to the list: 706 Spruce St., which Henry County GIS records list as owned by Dennis Fleet Wilson of Charlottesville; 203 Greyson St., listed by GIS as owned by James Westmoreland of Collinsville; and 818 Starling Ave., owned by William Bennett of Martinsville, according to GIS records. Only the house on Starling Avenue is presently occupied. The list is to protect the public health, welfare and safety of the occupants of each individual dwelling, Monday said, and properties that make the list are both blighted and in the process of deteriorating. Building Official & Zoning Administrator Kris Bridges gave a report on the properties: The house on Greyson Street is vacant without utilities, and repairs are pending receipt of materials. The owner plans to sell the house, Bridges said. Numerous complaints from the neighborhood for an extended period of time were made about the house, which is now condemned, he said. Mayor Kathy Lawson said she had received a call from the owner who was very adamant he had no intentions of ever putting a renter back in this property. It was not a good experience at that location with that particular tenant. Lawson also read a letter from someone who wants to sell a house nearby but is concerned that the horrid condition of 203 Greyson Street will bring down the value of the house she is trying to sell. Monday said city inspectors responded to all of the complaints, and the complainants, and one in particular could have been instrumental in doing something more did not wish to testify in court, and there is a witness as to how far we can go with these if we do not have cooperative witnesses to assist us. The city received a blast of complaints about 706 Spruce St. which was rented through a local agency which was not aware of the situation at the house, including vermin infestation, Bridges said. The rental agency got the property cleaned up, he said. When the City cleans up around bad properties, it charges a $200 administrative fee in addition to a minimum fee for mobilization of public works for a truck and crew, and charges are made by the amount of trash removed. Bills have ranged between $250 and $500, Bridges estimated. Regarding the house on Starling Avenue, The property owner hasnt done himself any favors by painting half of the side wall that is very visible, said Bridges. The upper story still its old green color, and jagged portions of the lower part white. The faded smiley face is still visible on the chimney. The house had a lot of trash which was cleaned up, but the city posted another warning last week because there was more trash, plus broken windows, Bridges said. It goes through a cycle, Bridges said. This is definitely one, along with the last one, that is primarily a tenant-driven problem, not necessarily a landlord-driven problem. Council member Danny Turner mentioned a house on the corner of Starling Avenue and Hairston Street. That house was put on the program in 2019, Monday said, and is condemned and vacated, Lawson and Monday said. During a public hearing portion of the meeting, Gina Ashbrook of Martinsville said her agency looks after the Spruce Street house. She said she does not think the city cleaned that property, because her company paid a lot of money to have it cleaned, and one of her workers was stopped an unidentified city worker in a city truck who would not let her worker enter the property without a HazMat suit. He made note of a particular condition inside the house, and Id love to know when somebody trespassed into the house without having the right to gain entry, she said. The owner of the house is spending a lot of money to get that house ready to sell it, she said. Keith Owens of Martinsville asked about the Rental Re-Inspection Program. Lawson said any property on that list has to be re-inspected before being rented out to any new tenant. Other properties on the Rental Inspection List are: Owned by Bennett Properties Inc: 433 Clearview Drive, last inspected Jan. 7 best its looked in years 912 Barrows Mill Road, last inspected Oct. 22, OK for rental Owned by William and Karen Bennett: 641 Stultz Road, occupied, not current in rent 214 Greyson St., last inspected May 11, OK for rental 216 Greyson St., last inspected April 20, OK for rental 232 Greyson St., occupied, not current in rent 112 Gravely St., last inspection Feb. 25, OK for rent 114 Gravely St., last inspection Sept. 27, OK for rental Owned by William W. Bennett: 120 Crescent St, last inspection Nov. 20, OK for rental 906 Spruce St., last inspected Feb. 10, OK for rental 319 Starling Ave., Condemned, vacant, work in progress; utilities off Feb. 14 1115 Chatham Heights Road, due for inspection April 30 714 Jefferson St., vacant, condemned, boarded 102 Moss St., #1 vacant, #2 services on; posted for trash. 1005 Adele St., posted for trash Owned by Affordable Christian Housing: 104 Massey St., new ownership Thurman G. Gravely Jr. and Naomi Skinner Gravely: 1139 Wray St., new ownership Jill Hairston: 721 W. Fayette St., OK for rental The session on the Rental Inspection Program took the third part of a 3 1/2 hour March 22 City Council meeting which also addressed suggested uses of American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 funding and saw the issuance of several proclamations. Before the meeting ended, Council members and staff took turns to make miscellaneous comments. Reversion The Supreme Court of Virginia has only very recently appointed a three-judge panel for the contested reversion with Henry County, Monday said. None of the judges are from the local area. The City of Martinsville is moving to have consolidated Henry Countys two lawsuits saying the Memorandum of Understanding and Voluntary Settlement Agreement are essentially worthless and cannot be enforced in any way. We are moving to have that case consolidated in front of the three-judge panel, under the position that the three-judge panel has the authority to rule on all matters related to reversion. I would anticipate that there would be some rulings from the three-judge panel coming relatively quickly, he said. Time capsule A time capsule in the old BB&T bank building on East Church Street originally Piedmont Trust Bank, which put the time capsule will be opened at 11 a.m. April 1, following specific instructions on the stone tablet marking the time capsule, Towarnicki said. Well have a little fun with that capsule opening, he said. We would like to reach out to any former Piedmont Trust Bank employees that may have been around at that time and certainly invite them to come and be part of that, he said. Other matters Council Member Chad Martin, who had participated in the meeting remotely, said, I wasnt going to comment on this before, but, um, I feel it necessary. There are certain things that have been said about this Council that is said that we have not been transparent, that we have not been open. It really speaks to the fact that people have not done their research. People have not really realized how much we have done over what this state has asked us to do to be transparent. Meaningful community engagement really speaks to what we do and over and abounds the work that we do to make sure that citizens are being heard. A lot of people dont know what we get paid, and Ill say it over and over again: We only get paid $400 a month to serve. We are only in this for the citizens of Martinsville. Council Member Jennifer Bowles announced Autism Awareness Day, hosted by Michael Venable, from 1-4 p.m. Saturday at Jack Dalton Park. Bowles said she attended the Martin Luther King Jr. Leadership Breakfast with Lawson, where an Entrepreneurship Award was given to Wayne Draper of TAD Space and Right Now. American Legion Homer Dillard Post 78 received a community award. The breakfast was hosted by the local chapter of Omega Phi Psi. Mayor Kathy Lawson, also a member of the Exchange Club, said flags will be displayed today for Veterans Memorial Day. The flags will be taken down at night, and then all 164 flags will be brought to Roselawn Burial Park, where the club, along with CASA and FOCUS will display them throughout April to call attention to child abuse. It is a beautiful sight to see those flags waving in the wind, she said. Hazardous Waste Day is April 23 at the Bassett Warehouse. Neighborhood meetings will resume, Lawson announced, with the first one April 25 in the Southside area. A Memorial Day service will be held at noon May 30 at Roselawn Burial Park with retired army sergeant Shawn Morrison as speaker. One of the questions in a poll about uptown addressed rentable scooters, such as are in use in Roanoke and Danville, Lawson said. Cindy Edgerton had written a letter supporting allowing shared scooters uptown. Monday said he is researching about scooters, including what to be done with them when they are not in use, and how they are registered. Eighty percent of survey respondents favored having scooters uptown, said City Manager Leon Towarnicki. Another question on the survey was whether or not parking uptown should be monitored, Lawson said. She recommended the city paint lines to separate parking areas from the street so parked vehicles stay out of the road. Pearson said uptown employees should not take the spots meant for customers. Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Justice Stevens reads the fine print Before law school, Id never been on a cruise. Though David Foster Wallaces famous journalistic argument against cruising had dampened my interest, first-year civil procedure utterly demolished it thanks to Carnival Cruise Lines vs. Shute, 499 U.S. 585 (1991). First, some legal context. (Along with my usual proviso: though I am a lawyer, I am not your lawyer, and please do not take anything in this piece as legal advice.) Suppose a passenger boards a cruise at a port in the United States. The boat then sails from one destination to another, often among multiple countries, through international waters. This raises two questions: what law applies to the boat and people on it, and where can they bring a legal claim if needed? For the boat itself, there is a long and boring answer pertaining to the maritime law of the country where the ship is flagged. In the same way that businesses often incorporate in Delaware due to its comparatively lenient rules, cruise ships tend to be registered under foreign flags to avoid expensive US laws (e.g., little things like taxation, wage & labor regulations, worker safety, etc.) If youve ever wondered why there arent more cruise ships touring the Hawaiian islandsor why a west-coast US cruise always includes a stop in Mexico or Canadaits because under US federal law, a ship that only visits US ports must itself be flagged in the US. This is so economically impractical that there is only one ship so flagged. But for the passengers, the answer is simple: the ticket is a contract, and these provisions are part of the contract terms. The choice of law provision determines which jurisdictions laws apply; the choice of forum provision determines where cases can be heard. And the two may have nothing to do with one another. For instance, the current Carnival terms adopt the federal maritime law of the United States and specify that all claims must be brought in federal court in MiamiDade County, Florida (where Carnival is headquartered, naturally). Bringing us to Carnival Cruise Lines vs. Shute. Eulala Shute was a resident of Washington state. During her Carnival cruise, she suffered injuries when she slipped on a deck mat while sailing in international waters off the Mexican coast. Contrary to the choice-of-forum provision in her ticketprinted, of course, in tiny type on the backShute filed an injury claim against Carnival in Washington. The court granted summary judgment in favor of Carnival because Shutes ticket contract required her to file her claim in Miami, and she had not. On appeal, the Ninth Circuit reversed. It found that requiring Shute to litigate in Miami was unreasonably inconvenient, so the choice-of-forum provision was invalid. Corporate America squealed in agony. The Ninth Circuit decision wouldve had the precedential effect of forbidding many existing and future choice-of-forum provisions within the Ninth Circuit, which covers about 20% of the US population. Thus the decision was appealed to the US Supreme Court. The Supreme Court reversed again, restoring the judgment in favor of Carnival. The majority opinion gave more weight to the fact that Shute voluntarily agreed to the choice-of-forum provision. Though the provision made litigation less convenient for her, her inconvenience was offset by other foreseeable benefits. For instance, by consolidating litigation in one place, Carnival could handle injury claims at lower cost, thereby allowing it to reduce ticket prices. (Today, Carnival remains famous for its cheap fares and infamous for its ship disasters.) Justice John Paul Stevens, however, was not persuaded. He filed a dissent. What was his leading objection? The typography of the ticket: The [majority opinion] prefaces its legal analysis with a factual statement that implies that a purchaser of a Carnival Cruise Lines passenger ticket is fully and fairly notified about the existence of the choice of forum clause only the most meticulous passenger is likely to become aware of the forum-selection provision. I have therefore appended to this opinion a facsimile of the relevant text, using the type size that actually appears in the ticket itself. And so we arrive at one of the greatest flexes ever by an Article III judge. If you visit a law library, get volume 499 of the United States Reports from the shelf, and open to the last page of the opinion, you will find the reproduction of the Carnival ticketactual size, accurately foldedthat has since been glued into every copy by order of Justice Stevens. Was this necessary to make the point? No. Was it arguably a snippy and expensive gesture for a dissent? Perhaps. Nevertheless, I salute Justice Stevens for his empathetic cri de coeur against the lawyerly abuse of fine print. The Egyptian government has signed an agreement with France for manufacturing and supply of 55 air-conditioned rail carriages for the First Line of Cairo Metro for 776.9 million, the Arab country said in a statement according to Arab Finance. Alstom also per the contract will also ensure the maintenance over eight years, supply of equipment to maintenance workshops. The Egyptian government will contribute 58.4 million to the deal and will pay the loan over 40 years including a 15-year grace period and 25-year payment plan with an interest of 0.0092%. The Cairo Metros sixth line will start from Al-Khosous to New Maadi. It will span over 35 kilometers and include 27 stations. Qatar Fund for Development and The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation have launched a $200-million initiative to help hundreds of African farmers battle climate change, Doha News reports. Dubbed Nanmo, or growing together in Arabic, it was announced during the 20th edition of the Doha Forum in Qatar, where world leaders, diplomats, and activists all gathered under one roof to discuss prominent global issues, with the threats of climate change high on the agenda. The initiative will explore and invest in three main pillars: adaptation, access, and growth. The fund will be used to invest in climate-adaptive agricultural tools and technologies to develop strong food systems and markets to help small-scale producers and their communities across Africa. The initiative will also explore four main key areas to strengthen economies in sub-Saharan Africa, including equity, enterprise, agriculture, and access to technologies, financial tools, and emerging best practices as a driver of productivity, nutrition, and climate adaptation. Faced with growing tensions with President Salva Kiir, his vice president Riek Machar is trying to get help from East African countries gathered in the Igad bloc and in particular from the northern neighbor, Sudan. Khartoum is indeed one of the guarantors of the South Sudanese peace agreement, signed in 2018 after five years of civil war. On Saturday, March 26, in response to the deteriorating security situation, as Mr. Machar put it, he wrote a letter to the president of Sudans Transitional Council, General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan. He called for urgent intervention by the guarantors of the peace agreement. The past week has seen a rise in tensions in South Sudan, with Riek Machars withdrawal from the oversight of the security aspects of the peace agreement, and reported fighting in Upper Nile State. It is a helpless plea for help from Riek Machar to General al-Burhan. In February 2020, Machar reluctantly agreed to return to Juba without his army. A unified force of government and rebel troops was planned. But since then, the unification has not taken place. In his letter, Riek Machar asks that the unified forces finally be created. The vice president also denounced the systematic attacks on his bases by the government army. According to him, these attacks are increasing and are evidence of the deterioration underway, a cause for serious concern today, he wrote. We urgently request, Machar continued, the intervention of Igad and other international partners to convince President Salva Kiir not to plunge this country back into war. The official is calling for the demilitarization of the countrys main cities and a halt to attacks on the cantonment and training sites of opposition soldiers. On Monday, March 28, security forces were deployed near the presidential palace, and Riek Machar, the vice president, denounced the encirclement of his residence during the night from Sunday to Monday. Even though the encirclement was lifted early in the morning, tensions have risen. Riek Machar accuses Salva Kiir of having initiated a series of attacks against the oppositions bases. The president reiterated the need for sustained dialogue. He did not mention the fighting of the past few days, although he did refer to incidents along the way. The president urged the South Sudanese not to panic because, he said, the implementation of the agreement is on the right track. Emphasizing the importance of the work of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, President Salva Kiir affirmed his intention to shed light on the atrocities committed during the civil war. He also ordered the National Security to declassify all information in its possession concerning the genesis of the conflict. It is now possible to enter Ghana freely, without restrictions. The country reopened its land and sea borders on Monday, March 28, which had been closed for two years due to the Covid-19 pandemic. This is a relief for traders, especially those located near the borders with Togo and Cote dIvoire. Sylvestre Salakope, a clothing seller, has just resumed his activities. I buy products in Togo and sell them here in Ghana. For two years, I couldnt cross the border, everything was closed. I estimate that I lost almost 1 million cedis, or 100,000 euros. I hope now that my business and commercial activities will resume and that life will start again as before. But the merchant nuances, things may not be simple. The problem is that the length of the closure has caused customers to change their habits. People who buy in Accra are now turning to suppliers in Dubai and neighboring countries and it will be hard for me and other traders to get them to come back. The other problem is that even though Ghana has opened its borders, Togo is still closed to travelers, says Sylvestre Salakop. The leader of Burkina Fasos former ruling party was released after being arrested in the morning, three days after he criticized the conditions of the house arrest of former President Roch Marc Christian Kabore, who was overthrown last January. Alassane Bala Sakande was finally allowed to return home, without prosecution, after spending the day at the gendarmerie, said the Peoples Movement for Progress (MPP) in a statement. He was arrested at his home early in the morning of Sunday, March 27, by elements of the gendarmerie, said his lawyers Antoinette Ouedraogo and Dieudonne Willy. According to the MPP, he was accused of having organized a press conference that would constitute an overflowing political activism of the party. On March 24, Mr. Sakande, president of the National Assembly at the time of the coup, called for the immediate release of Mr. Kabore, who has been under house arrest since the January 24 putsch, saying it had the appearance of detention. If there are restrictions on the movements and activities of political parties, it would be appropriate for this to be made known to everyone, the MPP said on Monday. Vaccination against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) during pregnancy is not associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes, according to a study published online March 24 in the Journal of the American Medical Association. Maria C. Magnus, Ph.D., from the Norwegian Institute of Public Health in Oslo, and colleagues conducted a registry-based retrospective cohort study involving 157,521 singleton pregnancies ending after 22 gestational weeks in Sweden (from Jan. 1, 2021, until Jan. 12, 2022) and Norway (from Jan. 1, 2021, to Jan. 15, 2022) to examine the risk for adverse pregnancy outcomes after vaccination against SARS-CoV-2. Of the participants, 18 percent were vaccinated against SARS-CoV-2 while pregnant (12.9 percent with BNT162b2, 4.8 percent with mRNA-1273, and 0.3 percent with AZD1222). The researchers found that vaccination occurred during the first, second, and third trimester for 0.7, 8.3, and 9.1 percent of individuals delivering, respectively. There was no significant association for vaccination against SARS-CoV-2 with an increased risk for preterm birth (adjusted hazard ratio, 0.86; 95 percent confidence interval, 0.91 to 1.05), stillbirth (adjusted hazard ratio, 0.86; 95 percent confidence interval, 0.63 to 1.17), small for gestational age (adjusted odds ratio, 0.97; 95 percent confidence interval, 0.90 to 1.04), low Apgar score (adjusted odds ratio, 0.97; 95 percent confidence interval, 0.87 to 1.08), or neonatal care admission (adjusted odds ratio, 0.97; 95 percent confidence interval, 0.86 to 1.10). "Vaccination against SARS-CoV-2 during pregnancy, compared with no SARS-CoV-2 vaccination during pregnancy, was not significantly associated with an increased risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes," the authors write. One author disclosed financial ties to Pfizer. Explore further COVID-19 vaccination safe during pregnancy Copyright 2021 HealthDay. All rights reserved. For adults undergoing fracture fixation, conditionally essential amino acid (CEAA) supplementation is associated with a reduction in postoperative complications, according to a study published online March 14 in the Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery. Nathan R. Hendrickson, M.D., from the University of Iowa in Iowa City, and colleagues conducted a prospective, randomized controlled trial (RCT) to examine the impact of CEAA supplementation on complications and skeletal muscle mass among adults after operative fixation of acute fractures. Four hundred adults were enrolled and randomly assigned to either standard nutrition or CEAA (200 participants to each). The researchers found that overall complications were significantly lower for the CEAA group versus the control group (30.5 versus 43.8 percent; adjusted relative risk, 0.71). At six weeks, fat-free mass (FFM) decreased significantly in control subjects (0.9 kg) and was maintained in CEAA subjects (0.33 kg). At subsequent time points, this difference in FFM was not observed. "Our results suggest that this inexpensive, low-risk intervention has considerable potential to improve outcomes after fracture fixation," the authors write. "This study will serve as the foundation for multicenter RCTs that are designed to assess the impact of CEAA nutrition supplementation in reducing complications and loss of functional muscle mass in high-risk populations." Explore further Can combined exercise and nutritional intervention improve muscle mass and function? More information: Nathan R. Hendrickson et al, Conditionally Essential Amino Acid Supplementation Reduces Postoperative Complications and Muscle Wasting After Fracture Fixation, Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery (2022). Journal information: Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery Nathan R. Hendrickson et al, Conditionally Essential Amino Acid Supplementation Reduces Postoperative Complications and Muscle Wasting After Fracture Fixation,(2022). DOI: 10.2106/JBJS.21.01014 Copyright 2021 HealthDay. All rights reserved. Plot of anxiety survey scores (based on the six-item short form of the state scale of the Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI Y-6), scored ranging from 6 to 24, with higher scores indicating higher anxiety) among participants in the guided observation, independent observation, and control groups. Credit: Supportive Care in Cancer (2022). DOI: 10.1007/s00520-021-06747-z The simple distraction of looking at art and discussing it helped bring calm to a group of patients at the Wilmot Cancer Instituteand also provided moments of Zen for the medical student who led the study. The daughter of an artist and former fashion designer, Emily Gore, a fourth-year student at the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, was looking for a research project that would marry her love of art with medicine. The results of her randomized clinical trial are reported in the journal Supportive Care in Cancer, showing that anxiety was significantly lower among patients who viewed art at the bedside. Gore recognized the isolation of hospitalized cancer patients, having to cope with visitor restrictions due to COVID-19 and the immunosuppression that puts them at great risk for infection. She and her mentor, Susan Dodge-Peters Daiss, M.A., M.Div., senior associate in Health Humanities and Bioethics at the UR Medical Center, who has a background in chaplaincy and museum education, curated dozens of art images online, ranging from landscapes to paintings of flowers, angels, and animals. The images were loaded onto an iPad, which was protected by a plastic sleeve to avoid transmission of germs. Their art therapy library included images from the UR's Memorial Art Gallery, the National Gallery in Washington D.C., the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, and other galleries from around the world. Their study included 73 patients; the objective was to compare anxiety levels between trial participants and a control group that did not view the art. Easing boredom and loneliness Pictures of animals were Melissa Ogletree's favorites. "I joke that I spend half my time on puppy TikTok because it makes me smile," said the 41-year-old Fairport woman. "Seeing the art really brightened my day." Cancer struck Ogletree suddenly and unexpectedly in February of 2021. She had not been feeling well for a few weeks with fever, headaches, exhaustion and ear-ringing. A telehealth doctor initially suspected COVIDbut when her own doctor insisted on blood tests and the results came back, he called Ogletree at 10 p.m. on a Thursday and told her to rush to the Emergency Department. "I'm a single mom of a son who was 13 at the time," she recalled. "I tried not to panic, packed my bag, and called my Dad. It was a long night. I had multiple blood transfusions and was transferred to Wilmot's sixth floor." The diagnosis was acute lymphocytic leukemia, placing her in and out of the hospital during much of the year. "During hospital stays it's very easy to get lonely and bored," Ogletree said. "Being a social person, that was the hardest part. The world outside keeps going and you are in the hospital, isolated. The pictures helped, and provided a distraction." In addition to Gore's art therapy study, Ogletree also participated in a clinical trial evaluating a leukemia medication that's more targeted than chemotherapy. "I'm pro-clinical trial and a big believer in science," Ogletree said, noting that her oncologists and the oncology nurses were "phenomenal" about answering questions and sharing resources. Ogletree is a two-time cancer survivor, having had thyroid cancer seven years ago. Although she is still undergoing out-patient treatment for leukemia, her latest biopsies are clean and she is working on rebuilding her immune system. Making a difference Gore's art project evolved from an existing program offered by chaplaincy services at Strong Memorial Hospital. It has been used in palliative care and on rehabilitation units at the medical center. Gore expanded it and tailored the program for patients who were admitted to Wilmot, some of whom were receiving treatment from Wilmot's Blood & Marrow Transplant and Cellular Therapies specialty unit. Many of them told Gore: "Thank you so much for doing this; I needed it,'" she said. The impromptu discussions with patients while viewing art were Gore's favorite part of the study. One patient allowed the art to transport her to a childhood home in Europe, and to muse about recent vacations. She and Gore discovered a shared affinity for the Finger Lakes. Many of the patients enjoyed landscapes that reminded them of the beauty of upstate New York. The images sparked a variety of emotions. One patient preferred soft-stroke pictures with blues and greens because anything with red was reminiscent of blood draws. Another appreciated the opportunity to ponder the meaning of the art, the study noted. "When I first started this project, I was just a second-year student and still learning how to talk to patients," Gore said. "But I was able to make a difference, and the patients really enjoyed what I offered to them. It was exciting and incredibly meaningful to bring all of my interests together in this wayduring the stress of medical school." More information: Emily Gore et al, The therapeutic potential of bedside art observation in hematologic cancer inpatients: a randomized controlled pilot study, Supportive Care in Cancer (2022). Journal information: Supportive Care in Cancer Emily Gore et al, The therapeutic potential of bedside art observation in hematologic cancer inpatients: a randomized controlled pilot study,(2022). DOI: 10.1007/s00520-021-06747-z Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain Chronic low back pain (CLBP) is associated with reductions in brain volume in areas involved in pain processing, reports a study in Pain, the official publication of the International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP). "These findings suggest that CLBP is related to lower brain volumes of pain-related regions not only in clinical patients with severe pain but also in the general population," according to the report by Mao Shibata, MD, Ph.D., and colleagues of Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan. Brain atrophy in pain-related regions seems specific to CLBP. As part of an ongoing Japanese study of disease risk factors (the Hisayama Study), the researchers analyzed brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans from 1,106 participants aged 65 years or older. On a study questionnaire, 17.1% of participants reported having CLBP, defined as low back pain present for 3 months or longer. The remaining participants reported no chronic pain or chronic pain in areas other than the low back. Older adults with CLBP had lower education levels, higher rates of high blood pressure and depression symptoms, and lower rates of regular exercise. In analyzing the MRI scans, the researchers focused on 10 brain areas with evidence of involvement in pain processing. The presence of CLBP was linked to reduced brain volume (atrophy) in 4 of the 10 areasthe ventrolateral prefrontal cortex, dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, posterior cingulate cortex, and amygdalacompared to participants with no chronic pain. In addition, a "significant cluster" (the left superior frontal gyrus) with reduced brain volume was identified in a relatively large sample size by using the QDEC (the Query, Design, Estimate, Contrast interface) approach, a method that did not prespecify brain region of interest. The patterns remained significant after adjustment for a wide range of sociodemographic, health, and lifestyle factors. For older adults with chronic pain in other areas, regional brain volumes in pain-related areas were no different compared to subjects with no chronic pain. Among participants with CLBP, those with more severe pain had lower brain volumes in pain-related areas, suggesting a "dose-response" effect. Some of the affected areas differed by age groupi.e., participants aged 65 to 74 years versus those aged 75 years or older. Chronic low back pain is a very common problem and the leading cause of years lived with disability. Yet approximately 90% of patients with CLBP cannot identify any clear specific cause or origin of their pain. A growing body of evidence suggests that CLBP is associated with lower brain volumes in pain-related brain areas. The new study adds new evidence of atrophy in pain-related brain areas in a large population-based sample, with varying degrees of CLBP severity or other types of chronic pain. The researchers emphasize that the study participants had not necessarily sought any treatment for CLBP. That's a new finding, as most previous studies have focused on patients receiving care for severe chronic pain. The researchers acknowledge some key limitations of their study: it cannot show any cause-and-effect relationship and cannot account for unmeasured factors, such as pain medication use, that might affect brain volumes. Dr. Shibata and colleagues conclude, "Further investigations are needed to clarify the mechanism underlying the association between CLBP and regional brain atrophy." Explore further Higher TENS dose may ease low back pain in older adults More information: Masako Asada et al, Association between chronic low back pain and regional brain atrophy in a Japanese older population: the Hisayama Study, Pain (2022). Journal information: Pain Masako Asada et al, Association between chronic low back pain and regional brain atrophy in a Japanese older population: the Hisayama Study,(2022). DOI: 10.1097/j.pain.0000000000002612 A graphic of a police officer on the scene of a cardiac arrest. Credit: Jake Dwyer, Michigan Medicine In a cardiac arrest, everything comes down to how quickly you "get on the chest." Every minute CPR is not initiated or an automated external defibrillator, or AED, is not utilized, the chance of survival decreases by 7-10%. A new study finds that survival rates increase when first responders in police and fire departments intervene in out-of-hospital cardiac arrests. However, the paper published in Resuscitation suggests these non-medical first responders are likely underutilized as lifesaving resources. Researchers from Michigan Medicine analyzed more than 25,000 cardiac arrest incidents in the state from 2014 to 2019. They found that police and fire first responders initiated CPR in 31.8% of out-of-hospital cardiac arrests, and police accounted for AED use in 6.1% of incidents. Those interventions were associated with significantly higher chances of survival and hospital discharge with good neurological outcomes. "It is clear that these non-medical first responders play a critical role in time saved to chest compressions," said Mahshid Abir, M.D., M.Sc., senior author of the paper and an emergency physician at University of Michigan Health, Michigan Medicine. "In fact, in communities that were the highest performing in the state as far as survival is concerned, those responders work closely with emergency medical services to cross-train and debrief after incidents. When these agencies see their role as not just preventing crime or stopping fires, but also saving lives, it improves the overall chain of survival for cardiac events." The likelihood of the return of a sustained heart rhythm for out-of-hospital cardiac arrest didn't change significantly when CPR or defibrillation was initiated by an EMS provider versus a non-medical first responder. However, the survival rate for initiation by non-medical first responders was significantly higher. In fact, for patients who had CPR initiated by non-medical first responders, the odds of survival were 1.25 times higher. Similarly, patients who had an AED applied by police were 1.4 times more likely to survive. "Our findings reinforce what we know: whoever can start CPR and utilize an AED first is the best person to do it," said Rama Salhi, M.D., M.H.S., M.Sc., lead author of the paper and national clinical scholar at the U-M Institute for Healthcare Policy and Innovation. "Sometimes, that's bystanders, but for a large percentage who have unwitnessed cardiac arrests, police and fire are on the scene first. Current evidence suggests this may be in upwards of 50% of cardiac arrest calls. In a disease where seconds and minutes matter, this can be lifechanging." Non-medical first responders can treat cardiac arrest similar to overdose, Abir says. When they receive an overdose call, law enforcement officials will often administer naloxone, or Narcan, which can reverse overdose and save lives. "If we make it mission-oriented to begin with, because you want to get buy-in from folks, we can give them the training to optimize giving chest compressions," said Abir, who is also an associate professor of emergency medicine at University of Michigan Medical School. "Some people are just not comfortable doing this, so training them in these applications, including AEDs, and purchasing them for first responder vehicles would save more lives in the most effective way." The research team recognizes that in some communities where there may be fractured or complicated relationships with law enforcement, people might not be comfortable with anything other than an ambulance arriving on scene. "All of these responders can make a huge difference in the survival of a person's loved one, so we need to educate the communities around when and for what to call 9-1-1, and also who shows up and why they need to open the door," Abir said. "If we take this extra step to educate around the emergency response system overall, it will help improve the relationships and outcomes." Michigan Medicine has partnered with first responders in Washtenaw and Livingston counties to create the Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest Learning Community, which works to improve survival rates through awareness and implementation of lifesaving interventions in the region. The learning community has several work groups focused on AED accessibility, community engagement and more. "Ultimately the goal is to think creatively about how to get care to our patients in the least amount of time," said Salhi, an emergency physician at U-M Health. "This means empowering all members of our community to get involved and save someone's life." Explore further If you witness a cardiac arrest, your actions could save a life More information: Rama A. Salhi et al, The association of fire or police first responder initiated interventions with out of hospital cardiac arrest survival, Resuscitation (2022). Rama A. Salhi et al, The association of fire or police first responder initiated interventions with out of hospital cardiac arrest survival,(2022). DOI: 10.1016/j.resuscitation.2022.02.026 Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain EU health ministers on Tuesday said they wanted to better coordinate scattered national policies on giving out fourth doses of the COVID vaccine and asked the Brussels executive to come up with a plan next week. "Today we see states that have opened the fourth dose to over 75-year-olds, others to over 80 years, as is the case of France, while the Netherlands is at over 60 years," said Olivier Veran, the health minister for France which currently hold the bloc's presidency. "Others have not yet started, so it creates legitimate questions," Veran told reporters. Veran said that the ministers asked the European Commission to coordinate with the 27 member states, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) and the European Medicines Agency (EMA) towards a common position. "The COVID 19 pandemic is of course still with us. Vaccination is as important today as it was a few months ago," said EU health commissioner Stella Kyriakides. "Unfortunately, we are seeing vaccinations plateauing, at the same time as restrictions are being lifted and this is understandable" she said. Kyriakides said there are still more than 100 million unvaccinated or only partially vaccinated people in Europe. "Vaccination remains our best tool in combating the pandemic and we must be prepared for the autumn and winter months," she added. Explore further EU warily sees 'stabilization' of COVID wave 2022 AFP A medical staff member prepares a Pfizer vaccine during a COVID-19 vaccination campaign in Pamplona, northern Spain, on March 16, 2021. The European Medicines Agency said it has begun an accelerated review process for an experimental coronavirus vaccine booster made by the Spanish company Hipra. In a statement on Tuesday, the EU medicines regulator said its evaluation is based on preliminary data from laboratory studies and research in adults that compared Hipra's booster shot to the vaccine made by Pfizer-BioNTech. Credit: AP Photo/Alvaro Barrientos, File The European Union's drug regulator said Tuesday it has begun an accelerated review process for an experimental coronavirus vaccine booster made by the Spanish company Hipra. The European Medicines Agency said in a statement that its evaluation is based on preliminary data from laboratory studies and research in adults that compared Hipra's booster shot to the vaccine made by Pfizer-BioNTech. It said early results suggest the immune response achieved with Hipra "may be effective" against COVID-19, including the hugely infectious omicron variant. Hipra is a protein-based vaccine and is made using similar technology as the Novavax COVID-19 vaccine, which was authorized by the EMA and other agencies in December. It contains two versions of the coronavirus' spike protein that were made in a lab, which are intended to prompt an immune response when a person is immunized. Hipra is intended to be a booster shot in people who have been fully vaccinated with a messenger RNA vaccine or a vector-based vaccine, like the ones made by AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson. Until now, Hipra has mainly focused on making vaccines for animals. Scientists believe using different types of vaccines can increase the body's immune response and numerous countries have adopted a "mix-and-match" strategy for COVID-19 vaccination. Hipra has reportedly sold tens of millions of its vaccine to Vietnam and has estimated it could make about 600 million doses this year. Explore further Spain approves human trials of homegrown virus vaccine 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced Tuesday that it has approved a second booster shot of the Pfizer and Moderna coronavirus vaccines for people 50 and older. The agency also authorized a second booster for Americans 12 and older who are immune-compromised, such as those who have undergone solid organ transplants. The additional shot can be given at least four months after a first booster for both groups. "Current evidence suggests some waning of protection over time against serious outcomes from COVID-19 in older and immunocompromised individuals. Based on an analysis of emerging data, a second booster dose of either the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna COVID-19 vaccine could help increase protection levels for these higher-risk individuals," Dr. Peter Marks, director of the FDA's Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, said in an agency news release announcing the approval. "Additionally, the data show that an initial booster dose is critical in helping to protect all adults from the potentially severe outcomes of COVID-19. So, those who have not received their initial booster dose are strongly encouraged to do so," Marks said. Once the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention decides exactly who should get the extra shot, it will become available immediately to those Americans. The CDC is expected to say that people in the age group may get a fourth shot, instead of recommending it, and to highlight vulnerable populations within that age group who should get the shot, the Washington Post reported. Some federal health officials strongly support second boosters, while others are skeptical, but they came to the decision to offer the shots in case infections surge again before the fall, The New York Times reported. Officials also said that people of all ages, including anyone who gets a booster this spring, should get another shot in the fall. If a major wave of COVID-19 surfaces in the next few months, a second booster dose for older Americans could save thousands of lives and prevent tens of thousands of hospitalizations. But if there is no significant surge until the fall, second boosters could waste vaccine doses, increase vaccine fatigue and raise questions about the federal government's strategy, according to the Times. Public health experts said they are finding it harder and harder to advise their patients on whether they should get yet another shot. "I've been getting multiple inquiries from lay friends over the past few days: 'What does this mean, and what should I do?'" John Moore, a professor of microbiology and immunology at Weill Cornell Medicine in New York City, told the Post. "I find it increasingly difficult to tell friends what they should do. It's becoming really problematic." The primary benefit of a fourth shot is thought to be protection against severe illness, and that risk can vary dramatically among people 50 and older. A plethora of factorsunderlying health conditions, age and time since last booster dose or infectionall play a role in what a person should consider when weighing a second booster. Meanwhile, another surge of coronavirus cases in Europe is being driven by the highly contagious Omicron subvariant BA.2. It's now responsible for just over a third of cases in the United States, but federal health officials have said they don't expect it to fuel a large jump in cases. To date, one in 75 Americans aged 65 or older has died of COVID-19, accounting for three-fourths of U.S. deaths from the virus, CDC data show. More than 33 million (over two-thirds) of people in that age group have a first booster and would be eligible for a second, the Times said. Opinions about second boosters for older adults vary in the wider scientific community. "I am not persuaded there is substantial waning of protection against severe disease after the third dose," Dr. Philip Krause, a former senior regulator at the FDA, told the Times. But while healthy younger people with one booster are protected at the moment, older people "should probably start receiving fourth shots now," Dr. Monica Gandhi, an infectious disease doctor and medical professor at the University of California, San Francisco, told the newspaper. The fact that officials approved, but didn't recommend, a second booster could frustrate the public, according to Dr. Judith Aberg, chief of the division of infectious diseases at Mount Sinai Health System in New York City. Approving a second booster without meetings of the FDA and CDC advisory panelsas happened with the first boosters could draw criticism, another expert suggested. "This is a complex decision that involves a pretty deep dive, and I think it would really benefit from public discussion," Dr. Jesse Goodman, a former chief scientist at the FDA, told the Times. "I would not want to see an advisory committee skipped on this." While no advisory panel meetings on second boosters are planned, the FDA has scheduled a meeting of its advisory committee on April 6 to discuss the administration's overall future vaccine strategy. Explore further Biden administration to offer 2nd COVID boosters to those 50 and older More information: Visit the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for more on Visit the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for more on boosters 2022 HealthDay. All rights reserved. Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain Researchers from SafeConsume conducted a study in four European countries (Portugal, France, England, Hungary) interviewing 156 11- to 18-year olds about their food hygiene education, attitudes towards foodborne illness and their existing food safety behaviors. Although students seemed to have good knowledge of personal hygiene rules such as handwashing, they were not clear about risks, causes or consequences relating to foodborne illness. Students in Hungary, England and Portugal even believed foodborne illness was expected, and for some, an acceptable part of life. Many of those who experienced illness associated this with food eaten outside of the home, however, food cooked at home is not intrinsically safer, and anecdotal experiences of becoming ill after eating food from outside the home may not always be accurate as incubation periods from foodborne pathogens vary. Across all countries, family environment had the greatest influence on the skills, knowledge and behavior of the students and was a major factor in whether they followed hygiene practices; one student in England stated: "Yeah, I'd rinse it off [raw chicken] before I chop it . . .because my mum told me to." These findings suggest that poor hygiene behaviors can be perpetuated due to generational transfer of skills. The fact that many students interviewed only had practical experience in their own kitchens at home may contextualize these results, schools in France and Portugal offer kitchen space only in vocational schools, in contrast to schools in England and Hungary. Students in England were also more likely than any other country to take up work experience in a kitchen, which was found to result in strict adherence to food safety behavior, although generally more so at work than at home. The research aimed to make recommendations to help the development of educational resources to address existing issues regarding food hygiene in a format that would be engaging to young people. Results suggest these groups are accessing cooking resources largely online, and resources that bridge the gap between education and domestic and social situations could be beneficial for driving practical development of better food safety behaviors. This should come alongside development of engaging educational resources, although for optimum uptake in educational settings food hygiene should be embedded further into the national curriculum. More information: Rowshonara Syeda et al, Young People's Views on Food Hygiene and Food Safety: A Multicentre Qualitative Study, Education Sciences (2021). Rowshonara Syeda et al, Young People's Views on Food Hygiene and Food Safety: A Multicentre Qualitative Study,(2021). DOI: 10.3390/educsci11060261 Provided by Nofima Oregon will no longer require terminally ill patients to be residents of the state to use its law allowing physician aid in dying. A lawsuit that challenged the residency requirement as unconstitutional was settled Monday, with the Oregon Health Authority and the Oregon Medical Board agreeing to stop enforcing the requirement and to ask the Legislature to remove it from the law that was first enacted in 1997, the Associated Press reported. "This requirement was both discriminatory and profoundly unfair to dying patients at the most critical time of their life," Kevin Diaz, an attorney with Compassion & Choices, the national advocacy group that sued over Oregon's requirement, told the AP. Compassion & Choices sued on behalf of Dr. Nicholas Gideonse, a Portland family practice physician and associate professor of family medicine at Oregon Health and Science University who couldn't write terminal prescriptions for patients who lived just across the Columbia River in Washington state. While Washington has a similar law, it can be hard to find providers who will do it in the southwestern part of the state, where many hospital beds are in religiously affiliated health care systems that prohibit it, according to the AP. "Any restriction on medical aid in dying that doesn't serve a specific medical purpose is difficult," Gideonse told the AP. "In no other way is my practice restricted to Oregon residents, whether that's delivering babies in the past or other care that I provide." A group called National Right to Life opposes physician-assisted death, and spokeswoman Laura Echevarria said that without a residency requirement, Oregon risked becoming the nation's "assisted suicide tourism capital," the AP reported. But that's unlikely, according to Diaz. He pointed out that Oregon's law has a number of safeguards, including a requirement that physicians determine whether patients are mentally capable, and that it's extremely difficult for terminally ill patients to make long trips to another state, and that many people want to die near home with their loved ones by their side, the AP reported. "There's no tourism going on," Diaz said. Over 2,100 people have died after ingesting terminal drugs under the law since it took effect, according to data published last month by the Oregon Health Authority. California, Colorado, Hawaii, Maine, New Jersey, New Mexico, Vermont, Washington state and Washington, D.C., have approved similar laws, all with residency requirements. Montana's Supreme Court has ruled that state law does not prohibit medical aid in dying. Explore further New Jersey court ruling lets assisted suicide go ahead More information: Visit Death With Dignity for more on Visit Death With Dignity for more on medical aid in dying 2022 HealthDay. All rights reserved. Cumulative years of life lost (YLLs) to COVID-19 per 1000 for all ages. Calculated with population and life expectancy data from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019 and COVID-19 mortality data from INED. Credit: Journal of Global Health (2022). https://jogh.org/2022/jogh-12-05007 A comparative study of premature deaths to COVID-19 has shown that of 20 countries, the oldest citizens in England and Wales had the highest rate. The study by University of Manchester epidemiologists, published in the Journal of Global Health reveals 5.78% of the over-90s were lost to the disease. In Sweden the figure was 3.82%, Italy 3.18%, Germany 2.46% and France 2.08%. In the Netherlands, the figure for the over 95s was 3.87%. A substantial increase in deaths in care homes in England and Wales in the first three months of the pandemicestimated by other researchers at 79%is likely to have contributed to the figure, the team argues. Other studies have also shown that fatality in UK care homes was 270300 times worse than Australia, which has a similar health care system, demographics and care home settingsimplying that the different approach to COVID-19 measures, particularly at the start of the pandemic, could be a contributory factor to this high death rate. In terms of overall COVID-19 deaths per 1,000 people, South Korea had the lowest at 0.04, but England and Wales again had the highest at 2.39. The study also showed in some countries, the relatively young had high rates of years of lives lost (YLL)- a measure of premature death. YLL calculations take into account the remaining life expectancy that someone would have been expected to achieve had they not died at that age. In the United States the figure was 9 YLL per 1,000 people in the under 50s, higher than the other 19 countries in the study. Moldova (8.49 per 1,000), Romania (7.2 per 1,000) and the Ukraine (5.72 per 1,000)the only 3 countries in the study classified as low or middle incomehad the next largest YLL in the under 50s. The study was carried out by extracting population statistics and cumulative COVID-19 death data from the National Institute for Demographic Studies' Demography of COVID-19 Deaths database. Greg Williams, who led the study said: "It is widely acknowledged that the risk of mortality from COVID-19 increases with age, with the highest death rates amongst older age groups. "As a novel disease, it is reasonable to suggest that deaths from COVID-19 occur earlier than would otherwise have happened, even for the older populations. "But most mortality measures use an upper endpoint for defining when a death is premature, such as 70 or 75 years of age. "We argue there is a considerable burden of premature mortality within much older age groups who have died as a result of COVID-19 too, particularly in England and Wales when compared against the other countries in our study. "Due to the different ways countries record and collect their data, the figure in the paper looks at the over 90s whereas other countries don't have this age category. However, when we lowered the age category to 75 and 80 years and over, England and Wales still had the highest deaths as a proportion of that population. "For 80 years and over, this was 2.86% of the population, with Italy the next closest with 1.75%, and for 75 years and older, this was 2.09% with Belgium the next highest at 1.94% of the population. "That implies the difference in approaches to lockdown and other measures could have been a contributory factor to the higher death rate in these age groups. "Whatever your age and wherever you live, your life should be valued. The approach of this study values all life equally wherever you are from. It's important for decision makers to compare what is happening locally with other places around the world to ensure they are not inadvertently accepting inequalities felt locally." Professor Arpana Verma, a co-author of the paper, said: "This approach towards understanding COVID-19 mortality provides an alternative narrative to recognize how different countries have coped with the reality of the pandemic. "This compares what actually happened with how they were expected to cope through approaches such as the Global Health Security Index, which found in 2019 that the United States and the United Kingdom were the two most prepared countries for an epidemic or pandemic." More information: Greg Williams et al, Years of life lost to COVID-19 in 20 countries, Journal of Global Health (2022). Greg Williams et al, Years of life lost to COVID-19 in 20 countries,(2022). jogh.org/2022/jogh-12-05007 Credit: CC0 Public Domain Researchers from Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) have found that dysfunction in an important cell subtype in the brain's neuronal network contribute to chronic symptoms in the neurodevelopmental disorder Dravet syndrome. The findings were published today in the journal Cell Reports. Dravet syndrome is a form of genetic epilepsy that is characterized by seizures that begin in the first year of life, along with differences in childhood development and features of autism spectrum disorder. Children with Dravet syndrome are also at an increased chance of early death, making proper diagnosis and treatment of the disorder critical. More than 90% of children with Dravet syndrome have a pathogenic, or disease-causing, variant in the SCN1A gene, which makes the protein Nav1.1, a sodium channel that is important for the activity of seizure-suppressing cells called interneurons and, in particular, a subtype of interneuron called the parvalbumin interneuron. "Dravet syndrome affects 1 in 14,000 children in the world and has a profound impact on children and their families," said Ethan Goldberg, MD, Ph.D., a pediatric neurologist and Director of the Epilepsy Neurogenetics Initiative (ENGIN) at CHOP and lead author of the study. "We can model Dravet syndrome in the laboratory to understand precisely how the loss of SCN1A produces the clinical features characteristic of the disease to drive development of novel therapies, and, one day, a cure." Prior work from the Goldberg lab showed that abnormal electrical activity of these parvalbumin neurons in a preclinical experimental model of Dravet syndrome was only transient, with these neurons recovering normal activity in the chronic phase of the disorder. This created a conundrum for the research community: why do patients with Dravet syndrome continue to have seizures, cognitive impairment, and features of autism spectrum disorder? In this study, the researchers developed a method to assess parvalbumin interneuron function at two different points in time. Early disease severity is caused by abnormalities in parvalbumin interneuron electrical activity, which allows neurons to send a message to neighboring neurons. However, chronic dysfunction was due instead to impaired synaptic transmission; while parvalbumin interneurons recovered the ability to generate electrical activity, this activity did not spread down the nerve or "axon" to the synapse to inhibit of other neurons, which is required for seizure suppression. While more work is needed to translate this research into direct human applications, the researchers note that SCN1A may be a viable therapeutic target for Dravet syndrome patients, particularly if there are ways to increase its expression in the axon to overcome impaired signaling and synaptic transmission. "A prediction of our work is that the success of therapies under development may depend on the ability to increase expression of Nav1.1 at the parvalbumin interneuron axon," Goldberg said. Explore further Research boosts case for new gene therapy to treat severe form of epilepsy More information: Developmentally-regulated impairment of parvalbumin interneuron synaptic transmission in an experimental model of Dravet syndrome, Cell Reports (2022). Journal information: Cell Reports Developmentally-regulated impairment of parvalbumin interneuron synaptic transmission in an experimental model of Dravet syndrome,(2022). Atherosclerosis is a condition affecting the cardiovascular system. If atherosclerosis occurs in the coronary arteries (which supply the heart) the result may be angina pectoris, or in worse cases a heart attack. Credit: Wikipedia/CC BY 3.0 A study published in the journal eBiomedicine identifies new biomarkers that predict the presence of subclinical atherosclerosis. The study was carried out by scientists from the Spanish cardiovascular research network (CIBERCV) working at the CNIC and the Instituto de Investigacion Sanitaria-Fundacion Jimenez Diaz-Universidad Autonoma de Madrid (IIS-FJD-UAM), in partnership with other institutions. "Atherosclerosis is a leading cause of cardiovascular disease, which is one of the major health problems in the world and places an enormous burden on health care systems. It is therefore a major goal to identify the disease in its earliest phases, so that interventions can halt its progression before it reaches an advanced stage," said study coordinator Jesus Vazquez, lead investigator of the CIBERCV and head of the Cardiovascular Proteomics laboratory at the CNIC. Early prevention is the best approach to combatting the cardiovascular disease pandemic. Atherosclerosis has a long preclinical phase and is usually diagnosed only at advanced stages, often after a cardiovascular event. The use of noninvasive imaging techniques to detect atherosclerosis allows a more precise stratification of risk than is possible with conventional methods, and current clinical guidelines recommend the use of imaging techniques to assess individual risk in combination with scales based on traditional risk factors, especially in individuals at low-to-moderate risk according to these scales. Nevertheless, cardiovascular imaging techniques are not universally available, and the extent of atherosclerosis varies substantially between individuals in the same traditional risk category. There is therefore much interest in developing alternative rapid and noninvasive methods to estimate atherosclerosis burden. Plasma biomarkers that track subclinical atherosclerosis, like the ones described in the eBiomedicine study, provide a way to sidestep the limitations of imaging approaches and to improve the prediction of cardiovascular risk. The PESA CNIC-SANTANDER study The new study is part of the PESA CNIC-SANTANDER study (Progression and Early detection of Subclinical Atherosclerosis), a large-scale project run in partnership between the CNIC and Santander Bank. PESA analyzes the development of atherosclerotic plaques in an asymptomatic population of bank employees who were aged between 40 and 54 years when the study began. The PESA results clearly demonstrate that atherosclerosis is prevalent in the general population, firmly establishing the value of early detection. In the new study, the research team analyzed a collection of 880 blood plasma samples obtained from PESA study participants. The samples were examined by proteomic techniques with the aim of identifying circulating biomarkers of atherosclerosis in its early, asymptomatic phase. From an initial panel of candidate biomarkers detected in this analysis, the team selected three proteins for validation in a collection of more than 3000 plasma samples from the ILERVAS cohort. These samples were screened using rapid and widely available techniques through a partnership with Binding Site Ltd. and Hospital Quironsalud Madrid. Summarizing the findings, Jose Luis Martin Ventura, a CIBERCV scientist at the IIS-FJD-UAM and one of the study coordinators, said "the main contribution of this study is the development of a biomarker panel that can identify the presence of atherosclerosis in healthy, asymptomatic people, including individuals with none of the classical cardiovascular risk factors." Study first author and CNIC scientist Estefania Nunez affirmed that "the biomarkers can be measured in blood samples using standard methods that are widely available in hospitals and clinical analysis laboratories." "The CNIC group has broad experience is the use of proteomic techniques for the massive analysis of samples from patients with different cardiovascular conditions, and we have worked for several years with our colleagues at IIS-FJD on the identification and validation of cardiovascular biomarkers," explained Jesus Vazquez. Several studies have shown that the detection of coronary calcification or carotid plaques with noninvasive imaging techniques improves the prediction and reclassification of risk compared with conventional risk factors. However, these imaging techniques have their limitations. "Imaging techniques allow the efficient detection of atherosclerosis, but these methods are costly and require highly trained personnel and specialized apparatus, which are not available in some regions and countries," said Vazquez. "Traditionally, the risk of developing cardiovascular disease has been assessed from a set of factors like smoking, body weight, and high blood pressure. However, many people with none of these risk factors develop atherosclerotic plaques, and this has driven interest in the early detection of the disease. The new discovery offers an alternative method for detecting the presence of atherosclerosis that is both fast and easily available," explained Martin Ventura. This is the largest study to date to explore the association between plasma protein concentrations and subclinical atherosclerosis using high-performance unbiased quantitative proteomics. The study demonstrates the potential of proteomics linked to mass-spectrometry for the discovery of human disease biomarkers. Explore further How bone marrow contributes to the development of atherosclerosis More information: Estefania Nunez et al, Unbiased plasma proteomics discovery of biomarkers for improved detection of subclinical atherosclerosis, eBioMedicine (2022). Journal information: EBioMedicine Estefania Nunez et al, Unbiased plasma proteomics discovery of biomarkers for improved detection of subclinical atherosclerosis,(2022). DOI: 10.1016/j.ebiom.2022.103874 Provided by Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Cardiovasculares Carlos III (F.S.P.) Radiation therapy is one of the pillars of cancer treatment. However, many countries lack the appropriate infrastructure, compromising access to cancer care. Credit: National Cancer Institute/ Unsplash Radiation therapy, or radiotherapy, is one of the pillars of curative oncology and plays a key role in providing better outcomes for patients with some of the most common cancers, like prostate or breast cancers. In high-income countries, over a half of all cancer patients receive radiation therapy to cure or control the disease, and sometimes for palliative care. However, many developing countries still face radiotherapy equipment shortages that compromise access to even basic or standard cancer care. In a study led by Queen's and University of Sao Paulo (Brazil), researchers developed a new tool to help set priorities for radiotherapy infrastructure building: an index that combines information on linear accelerators (LINACs)the primary technology used in radiation therapydistribution, cancer incidence, and the distance patients need to travel to access radiotherapy services. A pilot analysis was conducted using data from the public health system in Brazil. Results, published in The Lancet Oncology show that all Brazilian states have insufficient numbers of LINACs. "There is a national LINAC shortage: Brazil has 121 percent less than the required radiotherapy capacity," highlights Fabio Ynoe de Moraes, oncologist and assistant professor in Queen's Health Sciences, who led the study. Although the situation is worse in Brazil's poorer regions, like Midwest, North, and Northeast, even states with stronger healthcare infrastructure face equipment shortages. Dr. Moraes was surprised to realize that only 30 percent of cancer patients in the Sao Paulo state, the wealthiest in Brazil, are receiving radiation therapy. "Literature suggests that 5060 percent of patients should receive radiotherapy during their cancer journey," he says. Another concerning result is that, because some states have little to no available equipment, patients often must travel long distances to access therapy. For instance, the data show some patients in Amazonas needed to travel an average of 3,841 kilometers to Sao Paulo to receive treatment. The team hopes the analysis can assist in public health planning, prioritizing regions with the most need for radiotherapy infrastructure. "Connecting to decision makers and high-level politicians is our end goal now in Brazil, but we know how challenging it can be. We started by engaging some key stakeholders, like the Brazilian societies supporting oncology and NGOs, and distributing our results via our social media networks," says Dr. Moraes. In addition to advocating for better cancer care in Brazil, Dr. Moraes and his colleagues also plan to use the same index to evaluate radiation therapy infrastructure in other countries, including Canada and the US. "The problems of access and distribution of LINACS are not unique to Brazil," Dr. Moraes states, noting that even higher-income countries face challenges regarding equality in cancer care. Even in these nation access to LINACs, he believes, is usually uneven and tends to benefit wealthier patients. In Canada, we see patients needing to travel hundreds of kilometers to reach a cancer care center, and treatments can be limited by patients' ability to access transportation or financial constraints. "If you consider that a standard radiotherapy treatment encompasses five to 35 visits to a cancer center, it will translate to thousands of kilometers traveled, and also expenses on gas, hotel, food, and parking," warns Dr. Moraes. Accessing appropriate infrastructure, while fundamental for cancer care, is not all, and countries face additional challenges in guaranteeing long-term sustainability of radiation facilities, including training human resources, doing overtime maintenance and, when needed, upgrades. Regulatory, technical, and societal investments are also needed to expand access to radiation therapy, including, for instance, safety regulations, power supply chains, and meeting parking and road needs. Dr. Moraes hopes that the new tool can be used to inform decisions regarding cancer care access worldwide. "We believe that the LS index can have a substantial impact on public health planning and investment not only in Brazil, but globally," he says. Explore further Optimizing balance of treatments in prostate cancer More information: Gustavo A Viani et al, Prioritising locations for radiotherapy equipment in Brazil: a cross-sectional, population-based study and development of a LINAC shortage index, The Lancet Oncology (2022). Journal information: Lancet Oncology Gustavo A Viani et al, Prioritising locations for radiotherapy equipment in Brazil: a cross-sectional, population-based study and development of a LINAC shortage index,(2022). DOI: 10.1016/S1470-2045(22)00123-1 Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain A tool used by GPs to help identify seriously unwell children may not accurately detect or exclude acute illness, according to an evaluation using data from UK general practice. The study, led by Cardiff University, assessed data from more than 6,700 cases and concluded the widely used National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) Traffic Light system "cannot be relied upon" and is "unsuitable" for use as a clinical decision tool. The findings are published in the British Journal of General Practice. Lead author Amy Clark, a final-year medical student at Cardiff University, said: "Our study found the tool on its own cannot identify, with sufficient accuracy, those children who have a serious illness, nor those who can safely be managed at home. An accurate primary care tool is vital to help GPs make the right decision to ensure unwell children receive the care they need, while avoiding unnecessary hospital admissions. "Further research is now needed to update or replace this tool. The need has become even more pressing during the COVID-19 pandemic, especially following the relaxation of restrictions which has led to an increase in respiratory illness among young children and high demand for emergency care, despite many not being seriously ill." Children account for around 40% of the average GP's workload, with under-fives being seen on average six times per year. More than two million children under five attend hospital emergency departments every year. To help GPs assess children, NICE created the Traffic Light tool which groups symptoms into green, amber, or red, corresponding to low (manage at home), intermediate (can be referred to hospital or sent home with advice), or high risk of serious illness (refer urgently to hospital). The tool, used to assess unwell children under-five, has been in use for 15 years. Previous studies have evaluated its use in children already in hospitals, but this is the first study to assess its accuracy using data from children consulting in UK general practice. The researchers linked data from GPs and hospital admissions for 6,703 children in England and Wales to assess whether their traffic light category matched the severity of their illness. The primary outcome of interest was a hospital-diagnosed serious illness within seven days of visiting the GP. They found: Around 32% (2,116) of children were categorized as redbut only 0.5% (10) of these had a serious illness requiring hospitalization; The majority of children were categorized as amberabout 63% (4,204) and only 6% (383) were labeled green; The tool's red category had a sensitivity (the ability of the tool to correctly identify children admitted to hospital with serious illness) of 58.8% and specificity (the ability of the tool to correctly identify children without hospital admission with serious illness) of 68.5%; Combining the red and amber categories improved the sensitivity to 100% (however did reduce specificity to just 5.7%); Overall, the incidence of serious illness in children presenting to general practice is low, at just 0.3%. "Our research suggests that if GPs had followed the NICE Traffic Light tool, they would have referred a third of all children (those categorized as 'red') urgently to hospital, despite most of these children having a mild self-limiting illness," said Ms. Clark. "Using 'red' or 'amber' as the threshold would ensure that no seriously ill children were missed, but at the cost of referring a substantial number of children to hospital." Dr. Kathryn Hughes, co-author on the study and senior clinical lecturer at Cardiff University's School of Medicine, said: "It was really surprising to us that this tool has never been validated in UK general practice, despite being recommended by guidelines since 2007. Accurate assessment in general practice is also vital to ensure secondary care services can function effectively." Ms. Clark added: "We believe our results are important not just for GPs, but also trainees and students who are often taught this assessment system during their training. A new, more accurate, system could help junior healthcare professionals gain confidence assessing unwell children." Explore further New digital tool could help youth experiencing mental health crises receive better hospital care More information: Accuracy of the NICE Traffic Light system for detecting serious illness in acutely unwell children presenting to general practice: a retrospective cohort study British Journal of General Practice. DOI: Journal information: British Journal of General Practice Accuracy of the NICE Traffic Light system for detecting serious illness in acutely unwell children presenting to general practice: a retrospective cohort study. DOI: doi.org/10.3399/BJGP.2021.0633 The next time you feel aches or soreness, you might consider skipping the pain reliever and reaching instead for an old photo. Nostalgia -- that sentimental feeling of longing for the past -- can reduce pain perception, according to new research published in the journal JNeurosci. Researchers at the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Liaoning Normal University asked study participants to rate their level of pain from heat stimulation while looking at pictures that were nostalgic -- depicting old cartoons, childhood games or retro candy -- compared with more modern pictures. During the tasks, an MRI machine also scanned the 34 participants. Researchers found that observing pictures that triggered childhood memories was linked to participants reporting weaker feelings of pain. "By managing their discomfort, rather than eliminating or reducing the (unpleasant) stimuli, people can use nostalgia to reframe their painful experiences," Joe Yazhuo Kong, one of the study authors, said in an email. "Nostalgia is a predominately positive emotion that people easily perceive in their lives," said Kong, a research group leader at the Chinese Academy of Sciences' Lab for Integrative NeuroImaging of Pain. "For instance, people can feel happy and peaceful when browsing their pictures grouped with family or friends." Previous studies have also demonstrated the psychological and emotional benefits of nostalgia. One study published in the journal Frontiers in Psychology showed that nostalgia -- triggered by a writing task -- decreased the perception of pain intensity among people suffering from chronic pain. Further research found that people had an increased pain tolerance following thoughts of nostalgia, according to Cathy Cox, an associate professor of psychology at Texas Christian University. "It's cool to find more and more research bridging the overlap between these psychological and emotional constructs that we're studying, and these biological and behavioral responses," said Cox, a psychologist with a focus on nostalgia. She was not affiliated with the study. Given that it's both rare and expensive to use MRI scans for psychology research, according to Cox, not much was known about the underlying biological mechanisms for those positive effects of nostalgia. "During this process of nostalgia-induced pain relief, the thalamus plays a crucial role," Kong told CNN. The thalamus, often described as the relay station of the brain, is responsible for passing along sensory information and motor signals to the cerebral cortex. The new study showed that the thalamus integrates that "nostalgia information" and triggers a pain response that is more controlled. Viewing nostalgic photos also decreased activity in two pain-related areas of the brain. And it's not just old photos that can lead to positive responses due to nostalgia -- music, movies or certain stories can also trigger these. So can odors, such as perfume, or the taste of certain foods, such as candy from childhood or cookies that remind someone of home. All these nostalgia triggers could prove to be useful in the future for providing cheap, easily accessible pain management tools to people. Cox and Julie Swets, a doctoral candidate at Texas Christian University, are also working on research about how nostalgia can be used as a resource to manage conflict in romantic relationships and increase satisfaction between partners. But Swets cautioned that using nostalgia for pain relief might not be a blanket solution for everyone. Previous studies highlight that nostalgia is a personal emotional experience that varies in terms of frequency and intensity. "What nostalgia is is this feeling of connectedness with other people," Swets said, noting that the cues in many studies are designed to make people think of good times with family and friends. "So, people who are a little more avoidant of intimacy with other people, or more likely to prefer distance over close relationships ... those people don't reap the same benefits of nostalgia." As with other positive psychology interventions, such as practicing mindfulness or gratitude, the impacts can depend on the person. The researchers involved in the new JNeurosci study also have plans to use different age groups in future research and to look into the impacts of more personal nostalgic cues rather than generic nostalgia ones such as old music and movies. "We expect a much stronger pain-relieving effect if participants observe personal scenarios, whatever visual or nonvisual cues," Kong told CNN. The-CNN-Wire & 2022 Cable News Network, Inc., a WarnerMedia Company. All rights reserved. You must be logged in to react. Click any reaction to login. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 The Legislature could do more to support creation and preservation of affordable housing in Montana, three experts told the Interim Local Government Committee earlier this month. The measures they recommended included supporting Tax Increment Financing districts and giving mobile-home residents more opportunity to purchase their properties. Andrea Davis, the chairperson of the Montana Housing Coalition and the executive director of the affordable housing nonprofit Homeword in Missoula, told the committee that state lawmakers need to support legislation that helps those with the lowest incomes. Theres a growing affordability crisis, Davis said. I read about it every day. Its been a growing issue for years and decades in the state and its clearly boiling over. I was shocked to find out that Kalispells median home price has surpassed that of Missoulas. She noted that theres been double digit growth of home prices every year during the pandemic in most parts of Montana. Were kind of on a collision course with a number of issues, Davis said. Theres more people moving here. Theres higher materials prices and labor costs. Every sector of our economy is impacted by this. Davis said that because the town of Lewistown has a Tax Increment Financing district, Homeword was able to work with the city to build 16 permanently affordable homes in a historic building. Those types of projects are difficult without the use of TIF funding, she noted. Two similar projects have been built in Billings, and Homeword has used TIF funding for affordable housing projects in Missoula. Tax Increment Financing is a tool that allows developers to use the property taxes generated by their own new projects, rather than having those taxes go to general taxing jurisdictions. The money can be used for things that benefit the public, such as deconstruction of aging buildings or infrastructure improvements. David Fine, the economic development program manager for the city of Bozeman, said the state needs to allow local governments to utilize TIF as well. Tax Increment Financing allows cities to improve infrastructure to construct workforce housing, he said. It provides a true source of leverage. Fine said Bozeman has utilized TIF to construct 93 affordable housing units recently. Davis also called for legislators to allow community land trusts to be more easily built and financed. Preserving existing mobile homes should also be a big priority, Davis said, as they are the only affordable option for many people with the lowest incomes. She recommended an expansion of the state law that allows capital-gains savings of 100% for owners of mobile home parks who sell the property to the residents. That would create more resident-owned communities, Davis said. She also called for legislation that would force owners of mobile home parks to give the residents an exclusive 45-day period to make a fair-market offer before other buyers could get in on the action. As it stands today, people that live in manufactured-home parks dont have the opportunity to compete with some really pretty heavy outside investors that are eyeing what they call that high asset class, Davis said. Thats why manufactured-home parks continue to be picked up and the prices of those lot rents and utility increases continue to go up and in some cases get doubled. In Missoula this winter, a manufactured trailer village was purchased by an out-of-state buyer who immediately raised lot rents and told some residents they'd have to move. Davis said the term mobile home is a euphemism. They are truly meant to stay where they are, she said. This is an affordable way to preserve homeownership. Davis also called for the state to create workforce housing tax credits. A bill last session, HB 397, did exactly that and passed the Legislature but was vetoed by Gov. Greg Gianforte. Gianforte vetoed the bill for several reasons, one of which was that the Montana credits would be tied directly to the level of available federal housing credits, meaning Gianforte thought there would be an unanticipated risk to the programs fiscal stability. Davis said making the state housing credit a fixed number, rather than tying it to the federal level, is a relatively simple fix. Rep. Dave Fern, a Democrat from Whitefish, said he expects a number of bills to emerge in the coming years to tweak or change Tax Increment Financing law in Montana. "What we can all agree on is it's a great idea," he said. "And I think sometimes there's an expanse of ideas on what is the appropriate way to use TIF." You must be logged in to react. Click any reaction to login. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 3 Angry 0 Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. BOISE, Idaho Idaho Gov. Brad Little has vetoed legislation that would make it illegal for most businesses to require the coronavirus vaccine. "I am vetoing this legislation because I am a lifelong advocate of limited government," Little wrote in his transmittal letter on Monday, saying the bill "significantly expands government overreach into the private sector." Several states have passed laws either requiring vaccines for certain employees or barring government agencies from issuing vaccine mandates. But broader bans against business vaccine requirements are rarer. Last year, Montana became the first state in the nation to ban most businesses from requiring vaccines as a condition of employment. That law, like the one proposed in Idaho, cited "discrimination" as the reason. Montana's law was challenged in federal court, however. Earlier this month, a federal judge ruled that coronavirus vaccine requirements could remain in effect for health care workers whose employers accept Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement, at least as long as a related interim federal rule remains in place. Idaho's bill, dubbed the "Coronavirus Pause Act," would have subjected public and private employers to a misdemeanor charge punishable by a $1,000 fine if they require vaccines as a condition of employment or service. It includes exemptions for situations involving federal law, existing employee-employer contracts, and businesses that receive Medicare and Medicaid funding. "I have been consistent in stating my belief that businesses should be left to make decisions about the management of their operations and employees with limited interference from the government," Little wrote. "For the same reason, I sued to stop President Joe Biden's vaccine mandates three times, successfully challenging his unprecedented government overreach into the lives of American workers and the decisions of free businesses." Late last week the Idaho House and Senate both adjourned until Thursday, giving them time to wait out any vetoes from Little. At the time, Republican Senate President Pro-Tem Chuck Winder cited the Coronavirus Pause Act as one of the bills the lawmakers were watching. "It's difficult to override a veto," Winder said late Friday night. "But we think that's the only way we can do it, if we hang around for five days." The Coronavirus Pause Act passed both chambers with large margins, but not a veto-proof margin in the House. Proponents said it would prevent businesses from discriminating against those who don't want to or cannot be vaccinated. But opponents said the measure allows discrimination against people who are vaccinated and doesn't protect vulnerable people. The bill would have even applied to families that hire in-home workers, but it would have expired in April of 2023 one year after the termination of all state emergency declarations related to coronavirus. Love 1 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 The countys plans to demolish a long-vacant, crumbling building in Uptown Butte have expanded to include two adjacent buildings on East Park Street that have served as the Butte-Rescue Missions thrift store. That will increase the tab to taxpayers, at least in the short-run, but county officials say its the safe, logical way to go. Butte-Silver Bow officials say it would have cost up to $150,000 just to stabilize a shared wall between the now county-owned vacant building at 135 E. Park Street and the thrift store so demolition of the vacant structure could proceed. But a structural engineer also inspected the thrift store buildings and determined they, too, were unstable and unsafe and needed repairs would cost well over $200,000. Under a new plan, the county would pay the Mission $38,572 for the thrift store property and up to $12,000 in relocation expenses, then tear all three buildings down. The tab for demolition hasnt been set but its likely to cost taxpayers tens of thousands of dollars. The countys Urban Revitalization Agency agreed Tuesday to provide the payments to the Mission but the overall plan including the expanded demolition must also get a nod from the Council of Commissioners. The council is likely to consider it next week. Both thrift store buildings were built before 1911 and the Mission has owned them for the past 20 years. The building at 135 E. Park was privately owned but the county deemed it dangerous and acquired it in a settlement in 2020 so it could be torn down. J.P. Gallagher, Butte-Silver Bows chief executive, said the Mission didnt neglect the thrift store buildings but others had in prior years. There are lots of other buildings in Uptown Butte that end up in the governments lap due to neglect, he said. We become the bad guy because we have to do something about it, he said. That makes it tough. No one in government wants to lose more historic Uptown buildings. We want to keep them if at all possible, but that doesnt mean at all costs because sometimes theyre not recoverable. URA board members said the nonprofit Mission provides needed services to the homeless and hungry and does great work. That and safety and cost factors justified the property purchase, they said. I think this has to happen but I dont want to see it as being a precedent for this board, said longtime member Bob Worley. The Mission was in a tough spot, Gallagher said, because they were trying to keep the doors open to the homeless shelter on Platinum Street. The new plan, he said, was the right thing for the community. The URA oversees Buttes Uptown tax-increment district. It captures property taxes from new developments in the district and the board reinvests the revenue in the same area, but the money still comes from property taxpayers. Mission officials said they were grateful for the countys support in the dilemma and are suspending thrift store operations for now. They are looking for alternate locations but said nothing has been decided about any future thrift store. The store provides some monetary support for overall Mission operations but is not a huge source of income, Mission officials said. But it serves other purposes, too, including sales training for those trying to overcome homelessness. We will continue to provide food, shelter and cold-weather clothing, including blankets, for anyone in need at our campus location on Platinum Street, said Mission Executive Director Brayton Erickson. The way we receive donations may change but our mission will remain the same as we care for this community. Silver Bow Properties owned the building at 135 E. Park Street before the county deemed it dangerous several years ago. The roof and second floor had collapsed among other things. After more than 18 months passed, the county reached a settlement agreement with Silver Bow Properties in the fall of 2020. Under the deal, Silver Bow Properties gave ownership of the building to the county and agreed to pay $25,000 toward demolition costs. The costs could run $50,000 to $60,000 but county officials said without the settlement, the matter could drag out months longer and a dangerous building would still be standing. Gallagher said Tuesday that Silver Bow Properties had paid the $25,000. Prep work for demolition began in February 2021 and it offered a closer look at a merged or meshed wall with one of the thrift store buildings. More analysis on it was needed so demolition was halted. Structural engineers with Stahly Engineering ultimately determined the buildings shared a wall and it would cost $150,000 to stabilize it so demolition of 135 E. Park could continue. To determine whether that made sense, the engineers did an analysis of the thrift store buildings. That, according to a summary given to URA board members, showed the buildings were unstable and in need of extensive structural repairs that would well exceed $200,000. The county has been working with the Mission, including Erickson and Mission Board President Bill McGladdery, on how to proceed. When they first came back and said, Well, its going to be $150,000 to build this wall, we just sat there and said, You know, as taxpayers and as individuals, we have a hard time seeing the county expend those types of funds, McGladdery told URA board members Tuesday. The bottom line, officials said, is that shoring up the wall would not fix the serious structural problems in the thrift buildings. URA board Chairman Dale Mahugh said Butte-Silver Bow and Uptown Butte could benefit from the plan in the end if the county finds new uses or developers for the site. It is a desirable area and a situation where there is probably a much higher and better use going forward with new construction, but at the same time, Butte-Silver Bow can actually monitor and control what the face of that new building will look like so its a good fit, he said. The URA spends much of its money on projects that restore buildings, but board member Bob Brown said this was a justified exception. That was in part due to the great work the Mission does, he said. You people deserve a lot of praise for what youve done, he said. Theres not any joy in this but I think its the wisest course. Love 5 Funny 0 Wow 2 Sad 8 Angry 11 Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. An online fundraiser for the family of a Livingston man killed in an apparent bear mauling on March 24 has raised more than $81,000 in two days. Craig Clouatre, 40, was found dead on Friday by Park County Search and Rescue near the Six Mile Creek drainage in Paradise Valley. The searchers were called out on Thursday by Clouatres friend, Hans Friedmann, who reported Clouatre missing when he didnt meet at their vehicle at the agreed time and had not phoned or radioed in. The two were reportedly hunting for shed elk antlers in the Absaroka Mountains when the incident occurred. Clouatre is survived locally by his wife, Jamie, and four children. Jamie wrote a thank you note on the GoFundMe page, saying she didnt have many words really right now but I appreciate every one of the sentiments and memories of the most amazing person I have ever known, my husband. More than 750 people had contributed to the fund to help the family. The contribution goal is $85,000. Authorities have not tried to track down the animal because it does not appear to have been a predatory attack, Morgan Jacobsen, Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks Region 3 communication and education program manager said on Monday. Five members of FWP's staff helped investigate the incident. "We can't confirm if it was a grizzly or a black bear," Jacobsen said. "There was not enough evidence to confirm it without a doubt." It will take several weeks for state wildlife officials to confirm whether a grizzly was responsible through testing of animal hairs found at the site, Jacobsen added. "No bear was seen during any part of the investigation," he said. There's no indication Clouatre used bear spray or a firearm in self-defense, Jacobsen said. The mauling occurred south of the Dome Mountain Wildlife Management Area and southeast of Daily Lake on Forest Service land. A fund has also been set up locally for the family at American Bank in Livingston, established by family friend Bev Dawson. The fund is meant to help defray living and education expenses for the children and to help pay the familys mortgage. In addition to the devastating loss of Craig, the Clouatre family lost their home to fire two years ago, have rebuilt and are recently back in the home with a newly increased mortgage, an email from Joanne Gardner Lowell said. Park County is full of such compassionate and giving people, Dawson said in the email. Were establishing this fund to give people a place to give what they can, which will make a real difference for this wonderful family. Compassionate Neighbors, Craig Clouatre Family is being administered by Dawson and Compassionate Neighbors, a human services support group in Livingston. The fund takes no fee and transfers all donations directly to the family. The IRS allows gifts of up to $16,000 per year with no tax liability. American Bank of Montana is located at 120 N. 2nd, Livingston, MT 59047. Phone 406-222-2265. Checks or cash will be accepted. The fund is not set up to take online donations. Please mark donations Compassionate Neighbors, Craig Clouatre Family. The support in this community is incredible and I know it comes from Craig ... who he was, a joy, a truly kind, good, GOOD man, Jamie wrote. Thank you all for everything! We all lost something and the world is a hell of a lot dimmer. Clouatre is the first victim of a grizzly bear mauling this year in Montana. Last year, two people were killed in grizzly maulings, one a cyclist who was camping in Ovando and the other a West Yellowstone guide fishing along the Madison River. A Massachusetts native, Clouatre reportedly moved to Montana 20 years ago. Bichler wrote on the agencys Facebook page that in speaking to Jamie, she told him that She and the family understand that Craig loved to be in wild places and was well aware of the risks involved with that. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 1 Angry 0 MUSCATINE Volunteer firefighters are an important asset to every city, especially small towns and they need to have the same skills as full-time firefighters. Recently, the Muscatine Fire Department did its part to ensure area volunteers have the skills they need to succeed. Volunteer firefighters from Fruitland, Buffalo, Montpelier and Blue Grass spent the weekend at Muscatines Station 2 in order to complete their Firefighter 1 requirements. The volunteer firefighters learned strategies on handling hazardous materials during potential hazmat emergencies. After a 16-hour training day, volunteers put their knowledge to the test, all while gaining hands-on experience. According to Muscatine Fire Mechanic and Fire Inspector Jason Verschoore, who led the class with Firefighter Craig Chelf, this hazmat course is part of a 160-hour Firefighter 1 curriculum that all firefighters must pass regardless of whether they are full-time or volunteer. Normally, (these firefighters) wouldnt get these hands-on skills without a hazmat team to provide it, so weve been providing it the past two years, Verschoore said. Verschoore believes the volunteers enjoyed themselves during the class and appreciated the opportunity to work with the equipment in-person instead of simply reading about it. They were able to actually get into the hazmat suits and do some of the stuff that probably theyll never see again in their career, he said. It was all stuff that they normally wouldnt do, but the State of Iowa requires that all firefighters are trained to the level of Firefighter 1, which is your entry level firefighter. Because they still have to have that training, this opportunity allows them to get that and be ready to respond to various incidents in their own districts. While skills learned through training is the most important part, the bonding that occurs during the long training days is also valuable. Being able to prepare volunteers for certification exams in April is meaningful to Verschoore. We provide hazmat training to five different counties within eastern Iowa, and thats part of our agreement to provide training to the responders in those areas at the operations level, he said. Its great because it gets everyone out there and kind of builds that comradery and takes away the perspective of career firefighters versus volunteer firefighters. It shows that were all here for the same reason and the same goal of protecting our communities. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. MUSCATINE Marc Hines is the new CEO at Crossroads Inc. When asked about how he was feeling about this latest career opportunity, Hines said that he was feeling lots of things, including excitement and humility. Ive been working with individuals with disabilities for 16 years, and certainly at the start of that career I really didnt have eyes on any sort of executive position, Hines said. As time went on, maybe that dream crystallized a little more, but its still a little bit surreal. That said, theres plenty of real work and real issues that need attention, and this place has a great foundation. Hines previously worked at Systems Unlimited, where he served as a direct support professional, a department manager and a department director. He also spent five years at University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics assisting the intellectual disability-mental illness program as an associate director of community outreach and advocacy. Hines said he didn't intend on a career helping those with disabilities, but realized he gained enjoyment, meaning and fulfillment through this work. The last five years at the hospital was a great learning experience, but I always knew I wanted to be back in the world of providing community support, he said. The timing worked out really nicely (for this job). I thought that I had built up enough experience and that I might be qualified to do this. So I took a shot, and after the first couple rounds of interviews it switched from just wanting to get back into community support to specifically wanting to work for this agency. Prior experience, passion for helping clients achieve their greatest potential, along with strong strategic leadership made the decision to hire (Hines) as the new CEO easy," Crossroads Board President Darren Williams said. "The Crossroads Board is very excited about (Hines) and the future that lies ahead. Hines will work with the Muscatine Welfare Association and the Muscatine Center for Social Action (MCSA) as part of a collaboration with Muscatine Vision 2020. Its been a great start for him and I think our senior team is all very excited about both his experience and our next phase in growth in moving forward, Megan Francis, marketing and communications director for Muscatine Vision 20/20 said. I think the fact that he started on the front lines and moved his way up gives him an understanding of both challenges and opportunities at every level. With the staffing crisis thats happening right now, having that experience and understanding really helps him relate to everyone that makes this organization work. In the short-term, I want to get to know the people that we serve, the staff that we employ and the community that were in, Hines said. Long-term, I want to be the best provider of services in Muscatine, but Id also like to be in the same conversation with the best providers in the state, and that will come with focusing on developing our staff and paying attention to all the little details of what goes into caring for people well. Love 3 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Frontier Iowas most prominent Black citizen. Thats the first mention of Alexander Clark in the book I recommend to any adult serious about studying his life and times. "Bright Radical Star: Black Freedom and White Supremacy on the Hawkeye Frontier," by Robert Dykstra (Harvard University Press 1993). Iowa a bright radical star? Wow. Who said that? General Ulysses Grant, presidential candidate, November 1868. If you dont know the reference, I invite you to learn. I will look closer at the Iowa of 1868 in a future column. As these little columns are expanding out of a one-time effort for Black History Month, I beg readers to notice that I am the farthest thing from an academically trained historian. Local or community historian is a label I reluctantly accept only when I cant avoid it. So please let me insist on amateur status, observing that Ive learned just enough to realize how very little I know. In this regard, discovering Dykstra has been life changing. No exaggeration. His story-telling is a marvel; his grasp of big themes and tiny nuances, the methodology and the rigor and the relevance to social and political landscape today. Wow. If you care about how our settler forebears shaped the demography of present-day Iowa, find Dykstra. March is Womens History Month. We are able to learn so much about the men in the tale but so little of their mothers, wives, sisters, daughters. My study of Dykstra didnt prepare me to wonder, and I confess I gave it little thought during my first years helping Kent Sissel with Alexander Clark projects. The second book I recommend for serious learners is by Leslie Schwalm at the University of Iowa, "Emancipations Diaspora: Race and Reconstruction in the Upper Midwest" (University of North Carolina Press 2009). From the UI website: Professor Schwalm is a historian of gender and race in the nineteenth-century U.S., and her research focuses on slavery, the Civil War, and emancipation. She holds a joint appointment with the Department of Gender, Womens, and Sexuality Studies and with History. I heard her speak at Muscatines Musser Public Library in February 2008. The announced topic: Emancipating Iowa: Lincoln's Proclamation and Black Freedom in the Upper Midwest. I love listening to real historians. I love reading their books and articles. I went in ready to hear our Alexander Clark story lauded and my grasp of it affirmed. Sitting together, Kent and I were keen to learn. As always, we were ready to offer additions and corrections, too. (Its what we dowhat we still do today. Another of those stories for another time.) Perhaps we felt ready for our heros minor role in the lectures broad sweep, but Schwalms female-centered treatment of the topic shut our mouths. What about the women, she asked? We can only conjecture because the historical record tells so little, she said. From Emancipations Diaspora: Born in the early 1820s in western Virginia, a slave of Jacob Ankrom, Catherineor Cade, as she was called by her ownerswas given as a wedding present (along with hogs, sheep, cows, and bedding) to Ankrom's daughter, Rachel. Catherine would have been very young at the time, perhaps three years old, and she appears to have been one of three slaves held by Ankromthe other two, adults, may have been her parents. When her new mistress married Patrick Cheadle, she moved to Morgan County, Ohio, and took the toddler Catherine with her, most likely severing Catherine's own family ties. In Ohio, Catherine's status is not evident from the historical record; the Ohio constitution outlawed slavery in 1803, but the state soon severely circumscribed African Americans with Black laws, and as late as 1830 the federal census still recorded slaves (six in number) in the supposedly free state. The most suggestive piece of information we have about Catherines status is a manumission record that was not legally signed until after Catherine and the Cheadles had left Ohio. Catherine accompanied the couple when they migrated to lowa sometime before 1842, but it was not until 1851 that Patrick Cheadle drafted Catherine's manumission papers, and it would be another six years before Rachel, his wife, would add her signature. By this time, Catherine had married, established her own household, and started a family in Muscatine; she had become politically active, joining with other African Americans in petitioning the state legislature to revoke Iowa's Black codes. The record of Catherine's status is inconclusive, though she clearly sought documentation of her freedomperhaps in the aftermath of her 1848 action to protect a fugitive slave from capture in Muscatineand that documentation was given by her former mistress only reluctantly. We finally meet husband Alexander 10 pages later. They married at Iowa City. She is listed among the founding members of Bethel A.M.E. in 1849. The Clark monument in Greenwood Cemetery bears her name. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Three members of the Muscatine Community College chapter of Business Professionals of America attended the State Leadership Conference in Des Moines, Feb. 20-21. These students joined other Iowa post-secondary students in competitive events, general sessions, and recognition and awards presentations. At the conference, all of the MCC students qualified for participation in the National Leadership Conference to be held in Dallas, Texas this May. The competitive events individual results are as follows: Quyen Do 1st Place Advanced College Accounting 2nd Place Digital Marketing Concepts 3rd Place Personal Financial Management 3rd Place Digital Communication & Design Concepts 3rd Place Management/Marketing/Human Resources 5th Place Project Management Concepts Lindsey Hunter 4th Place Computer Network Technology 5th Place Device Configuration & Troubleshooting Ricardo Pena 1st Place Business Law and Ethics 1st Place Banking and Finance 3rd Place Interview Skills 5th Place Computer Network Technology 6th Place Financial Math & Analysis The BPA chapter from MCC also received a Quality Chapter Award. This recognition is given to chapters that uphold high standards and have incorporated community service, professional development, opportunities to attend BPA conferences, and fundraising (for themselves and others) into their programs. Ricardo Pena, a first-year BPA student, received an Outstanding BPA Member award for his dedication to the MCC BPA. The students attended business meetings, listened to campaign speeches, participated in the campaign rally and caucuses, and voted in a general election. Through many activities, the students discovered new insights into the individual contributions that members make to the overall effectiveness of a team. Students commented that it was a great experience, and they look forward to attending Nationals. Business Professionals of America is a national organization and premier CTSO (Career and Technical Student Organization) for students pursuing careers in business management, office administration, information technology, accounting, and other related career fields. The organizations activities and programs complement classroom instruction and provide preparation of a world-class workforce through the advancement of leadership, citizenship, and academic and technological skills. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 The Mara Phones management buyout team has claimed it has secured an investor that can help save the companys South African factory and the jobs of its employees. Two of the factorys main funders Standard Bank and the Industrial Development Corporation initially put the factory up for auction in early February. That came after the R1.5-billion facility fell short of expectations, with a lack of uptake of Mara smartphones and Covid-19 lockdown regulations putting a damper on operations. The auction was put on hold pending the outcome of a business rescue process that started on 25 February 2022. The business rescue practitioner has promised their plan will be published by no later than 6 May 2022, by which time it will be clear whether the factory will revive operations or be sold off. Sylvester Taku, who previously served as Mara Phones managing director in South Africa, has explained a buyout management team that he now heads has secured an investor that will ensure the business is adequately capitalised. Taku asserts that there is affinity in the market for affordable smart devices in South Africa that can also be exported to other African countries. The fact that we have secured the partnership of a tier-one raw material supplier will significantly improve margins and provide us with the capability of always having a broad range of devices with the latest specifications, Taku explained. We have the support of our channel partners and the support from the government in creating an enabling environment for locally manufactured smart devices. Taku said there were changes in the pipeline for the company, but he would only divulge these if the relaunch under the buyout team gets the go-ahead under the BRP plan and from the lenders. There will be an exciting marketing campaign amongst other activities planned to get the brand out there, he stated, without providing further details. The team will have to confront allegations from factory workers regarding serious labour violations. These include women not being allowed to wear bras, staff only permitted to have lunch in designated areas if the food was vegetarian, failure to pay full salaries, and income tax deductions not being paid to Sars. We believe that compliance with all laws and regulations are bare necessities. We intend to go further and ensure that all employees are content and proud to be part of the organisation, Taku stated. He told MyBroadband he had been struggling with his own finances due to Maras decline because he was not paid his salary for more than a year. It has been a stressful time, with most employees looking at me to save the company and their jobs, Taku said. He feels a sense of responsibility for the companys fate, with many families of the roughly 200 factory workers depending on its continued existence. The support of stakeholders, advisors, friends and family, and having the end goal of ensuring that the original vision of South Africa taking its place as a manufacturer of smart devices in the 4IR era, keeps one committed and motivated, he added. Taku wants to ensure that the legacy of Mara Phones in South Africa is not another failure in the attempt to participate in advanced electronics manufacturing in South Africa. Mirror Trading Internationals liquidators have quietly scheduled a meeting of creditors for 09:00 on Friday, 1 April 2022. No notice of the meeting was posted to the liquidators website or to a public Telegram channel where members of the scheme follow developments in the case. The liquidators only appear to have given notice of the meeting in the Government Gazette. The notice is buried on page 235 of Gazette No. 46022, published on 11 March 2022. According to the notice, the meeting will be held at the Master of the High Courts office in Cape Town with proof of claims on the agenda. It is unclear whether the meeting will be streamed online, as past meetings have been, or whether there will be a recording. Mirror Trading International (MTI) was a bitcoin-based network marketing scam claiming to offer automated trading services initially in forex and later in cryptocurrency derivatives. Chainalysis named MTI the biggest cryptocurrency scam of 2020. MyBroadband exposed the inner workings of MTI in September 2020 thanks to a data leak from a group calling itself Anonymous ZA. The scheme collapsed at the end of 2020 after CEO and founder Johann Steynberg vanished, apparently while travelling in Brazil. Steynberg was arrested in Brazil on 29 December 2021 a year after he disappeared when he allegedly presented fake identification to law enforcement officers. Court documents last estimated that 29,421.03379 bitcoin flowed through MTI nearly R21 billion at current exchange rates. A source with knowledge of the case told MyBroadband that a subsequent analysis revealed that over 46,000 bitcoin (R32.8 billion) passed through the scheme. The liquidators reclaimed 1,281 bitcoin in early 2021 from Belize-based brokerage FXChoice with the help of South Africas Financial Sector Conduct Authority. They immediately liquidated the cryptocurrency upon returning it to South Africa, receiving around R1.1 billion. This is not the first time MTIs liquidators have surprised creditors with an unexpected manoeuvre. In November 2021, the liquidators rejected all claims at the first meeting of creditors. According to the liquidators, this was to avoid wasting time debating bad claims and having creditors foot the legal bills for days of worthless debate. During the second meeting of creditors on 4 February, the liquidators supported the Master of the Courts decision to only recognise one claim that of the sequestrated estate of one of Steynbergs companies. This allowed the liquidators to pass their resolutions, effectively granting themselves a blank cheque, while voting down the proposed resolutions of 50% shareholder Clynton Marks. Marks had proposed that a committee of former members be established to oversee the liquidators decisions. The liquidators said this wouldve been a bad idea, as it would only have served to slow the liquidation down. On 3 March, at a court hearing to have MTI declared an unlawful scheme, the liquidators made a deal with a controversial group called GetaQuid, represented by JC Kriel. Under the terms of the deal, the liquidators agreed to pay victims an initial dividend. While no amount was specified, MyBroadband heard from several people in court that the liquidators would pay an initial amount of 20c in the rand. However, the deal is only valid if the court declares MTI a pyramid scheme. Therefore, those who want to take the deal must withdraw any opposition to the liquidators application. 1.1 billion reasons to be suspicious As a result of these surprise moves, there is mistrust between some creditors and the liquidators. It should be noted that the liquidators are facing a hostile and well-resourced subset of former MTI members who stand to lose money if it is declared a pyramid scheme. However, some creditors are also concerned that the clandestine actions by the liquidators will give them sweeping powers, allowing them to enrich themselves while leaving victims with nothing. MyBroadband contacted MTIs liquidators for comment, but they did not respond by the time of publication. Update (30 March) Feedback from the liquidators In response to MyBroadbands questions, the liquidators said the following legal procedures need to be explained: The referred meeting entails attesting to the legality of claims already in possession of the liquidators. Such a meeting is one of many to follow where claims received by the liquidators will be considered. The liquidators continually receive claims that they must submit to the Master at a special meeting designed for the sole purpose to submit further claims. Due to the volume and nature of the claims submitted, the Master will probably reprocess the claims. The legal process is followed in terms of which the liquidators will, after the meeting has been closed, consider and accept the claims (if the said claim is correct). During the meeting, claims will be considered and nothing else. Since it is the sole purpose of the meeting to consider claims, no other matter will be dealt with during the meeting. If any creditor personally wishes to have his/her claim verified at such meeting, he/she is welcome to do so, but the Master will consider the claim together with all the other claims submitted. The liquidators contend that they did announce this meeting to creditors other than through the Government Gazette. At the second meeting of creditors, it was announced that various further meetings would be held with the sole purpose of validating claims, they said. The sole purpose of the meeting is to present the claims to the Master for consideration no discussion will take place. For this reason, the meeting will not be streamed and there wont be a recording, the liquidators said. Update (1 April) Meeting postponed Master of the High Court Zukile Mabusela was unable to preside over the meeting today on Friday to unforeseen circumstances. The meeting was postponed until 8 April 2022. Now read: Mirror Trading International victims get offered payout Author Robert Louis Stevenson is being honored with a pair of events this week: Stevenson Poetry Night and a hike at RLS State Park. Local guide Ken Stanton will lead a hike to the cabin where Stevenson and his wife, Fanny, spent their honeymoon at RLS State Park at 11 a.m. Friday, April 22. Register at stevensonmuseum.org. Join the Robert Louis Stevenson Museum at the St. Helena Public Library in celebrating the art of the spoken word at Stevenson Poetry Night at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, April 21. Part of Arts Council Napa Valleys Arts in April program, the evening will feature several works by Robert Louis Stevenson and offer the opportunity for other poets to recite favorite works and/or perform original pieces. Attendees will also be treated to a reading by Napa County Poet Laureate Marianne Lyon. All members of the public are invited to listen, perform, and share in this globally appreciated form of art. For those who would like to ensure a performance slot, please sign up online by April 17 at https://stevensonmuseum.org/events/programs/. Light refreshments will be provided. To ensure a safe and fun event, participants and audience members are asked to please comply with all health and safety measures in place. Nimbus Arts is inviting people to paint sunflowers as part of a "Spring Into Hope" public art project supporting relief efforts in Ukraine. Nimbus Arts regularly invites the community to make art at its St. Helena studio. On Tuesday Nimbus Executive Director Jamie Graff welcomed about 20 participants, ranking in age from 2 to 77, to paint sunflowers, the national flower of Ukraine. Soft Brazillian music filled the light, airy studio while participants painted and chatted. Parents and youngsters had a chance to spend two hours making art for a purpose that weighs heavily on their hearts. Bringing people together in a nurturing activity during stressful times is very healing, Graff said. Tuesday's workshop was the first of three chances to participate, followed by Thursday, March 31, from 5 to 7 p.m. and Saturday, April 2, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. The Spring Into Hope" community art activity and installation will create roughly 100 cheerful sunflower paintings that will be exhibited in downtown St. Helena. We invite our community to join us by signing up for one of our free open studio events to paint a sunflower portrait, and to share our wishes of hope for those enduring so much challenge around the world. All ages are welcome, Graff said. Those who are unable to join on the specified days and times may stop by the studio any time to pick up a ready-made painting kit to take home and use at their convenience. Finished paintings are due back at Nimbus on Monday, April 4. The activity will provide a means for the community to come together in support of relief efforts in Ukraine. Patrons, friends, and colleagues interested in making a direct donation may do so through the Voices of Children Foundation (www.voices.ua/en) or People in Need (www.peopleinneed.net). Wednesday, March 23 1849 Report of a suspicious suitcase on the sidewalk near Lyman Park. 2149 Police responded to a second-hand report of a family disturbance on Nemo Court. 2239 Report of a reckless driver near Main/Grayson. Thursday, March 24 0913 An officer cited someone during a traffic stop on Sulphur Springs Avenue. 1255 An officer taught DARE classes to fifth-graders. 1729 A chihuahua was reported missing from the June/Hunt area. 1748 A caller found a dog on Allyn Avenue that looked neglected. 1920 Police responded to a disturbance on Stralla Court. 2027 An officer cited someone during a traffic stop on Highway 29. 2032 Report of a reckless driver swerving, brake-checking, and moving at erratic speeds on Main Street. 2112 During a traffic stop near Main/Mitchell, police arrested a 60-year-old Naperville, Illinois man on suspicion of DUI. 2151 Police helped the sheriffs office respond to a reported burglary in progress on Sunnyside Road in Deer Park. Friday, March 25 0828 An officer cited someone during a traffic stop near Madrona/Oak. 0838 Medical aid for a student possibly having a seizure near Main/Grayson. 1213 A caller said a dog almost bit her 2-year-old daughter at Crane Park. 1319 Medical aid for a possible stroke victim on Hunt Avenue. 1506 An abandoned vehicle was towed from Pine Street. 1521 A caller believed that a sign on the levee trail had been posted illegally. The sign referred to minimum wage, workers rights and human trafficking. The matter was referred to code enforcement. 1721 An officer cited someone during a traffic stop near College/Pope. 1849 A driver reportedly hit a parked car on Main Street and then got out and took off on foot. Officers found the 38-year-old Calistoga man and arrested him on suspicion of hit-and-run, DUI and driving without a license. 1923 While police were responding to the hit-and-run, a vehicle flew past the patrol car above the speed and over double yellows. An officer pulled over the vehicle and cited the driver. 1930 A caller said her father was approached my men who asked for money. He gave them some but they pushed him to give more. In exchange they gave him a gold ring and a gold chain. The caller brought the jewelry to the police out of suspicion that it might be stolen. Police took a report. Saturday, March 26 0909 An officer cited someone during a traffic stop near Main/Alexander. Sunday, March 27 0731 Police took a report on a matter involving a juvenile. 0847 An officer cited someone during a traffic stop on Main Street. 0904 An officer cited someone after conducting a vehicle check on El Bonita Avenue. 1009 Report of a loose manhole cover on the sidewalk in the 1300 block of Main Street. Someone reportedly stepped on the cover and it flipped up, almost causing the person to fall in. Public Works will check on it. 1049 An officer cited someone during a traffic stop on Adams Street. 1135 An officer cited someone during a traffic stop on Main Street. 1206 An officer issued a parking citation on Main Street. 1255 Non-injury lift assist on Olive Avenue. 1944 An officer cited someone during a traffic stop on Main Street. 2006 A vehicle was seen passing multiple vehicles in the center turn lane of Main Street near Grayson Avenue. 2101 A small white dog was found near Highway 29 and Lodi Lane. St. Helena police held it until Animal Control arrived. 2240 Medical aid for a teenager who passed out on Brown Street. Monday, March 28 0524 Report of a solo-vehicle rollover accident near Sanitarium/Deer Park. The CHP was notified. 0751 Someone cut a lock and stole a bike from Spring Street. A different bike was left behind. Police took a report. 0858 Report of an abandoned van and trailer near Adams/Library. 1156 An officer cited someone during a traffic stop at Pope/Peppertree. 1227 Report of a car accident on Silverado Trail, outside the city limits. 1400 Gas had possibly been siphoned from a vehicle on Arrowhead Drive. 1402 Two vehicles near a Main Street tasting room were burglarized in a smash-and-grab. Miscellaneous bags and purses were stolen. Police took a report. 1927 A vehicle with expired tags was towed from McCorkle Avenue. 1944 Report of loud music at the cemetery, possibly coming from a vehicle. An officer contacted the person responsible. Tuesday, March 29 0445 An officer cited someone for speeding on Main Street. California has sent more than 14 million at-home COVID tests to schools this month for use by students and staff, according to a weekend news release from the governor's office. The deployment means there should be enough tests for all of the roughly 7.2 million students in public and private schools. The state said it allocated tests based on the total number of students and staff in each county. Quality journalism doesn't happen without your help. Subscribe today! Support local news coverage and the people who report it by subscribing to the Napa Valley Register. It coincides with many students and faculty recently returning from or heading into their spring break. The effort is a part of Gov. Gavin Newsom's SMARTER plan the state's approach to the current stage of the pandemic to minimize the virus' spread. "California is focused on keeping schools open and students safe, and we're not letting our guard down," Newsom said in a statement. Nearly two years after the first pandemic shutdown, California also lifted the mask mandate in schools March 12 but still strongly recommends masking in the classroom. In addition to the tests, the state also noted it has distributed 40.6 million KN95, N95 and surgical masks to schools since the return from winter break and 1 billion personal protective equipment units such as masks, gloves and hand sanitizer. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. According to a PR published by Naval Group on March 24, 2022, Greece and Naval Group signed the contracts for three defense and intervention frigates, plus one optional, and their in-service support. Two FDI HN (Hellenic Navy) will be delivered in 2025 and the third one in 2026. Follow Navy Recognition on Google News at this link Artist rendering of future FDI HN frigate, in the centre (Picture source: Naval Group) In accordance with the defense agreement signed last October between Greece and France, the Hellenic authorities have signed two contracts with Naval Group for the supply of three Defence and Intervention Frigates (FDI HN), plus one optional, as well as their in-service support. The contracts include as well the supply of MU90 torpedoes and CANTO countermeasures. The contracts were signed in Athens by Vice-Admiral (rtd) Aristeidis Alexopoulos, and Pierre Eric Pommellet, Chairman and CEO of Naval Group, in the presence of the Greek Minister of Defence, Nikolaos Panagiotopoulos, and the French Minister of the Armed Forces, Florence Parly. The FDI HN will quickly and sustainably enhance the capabilities of the Hellenic Navy's surface fleet as they will be delivered in a very short timeframe, starting in 2025 for the first two units and in 2026 for the third one. The FDI HN features high-level capabilities in all warfare domains: anti-ship, anti-air, antisubmarine and special forces projection. Its air and surface defenses are ensured by the most modern sensors, including the Thales Sea Fire, the first all-digital multifunction radar with an active antenna and fixed panels. The FDI HN is equipped with a unique integrated mast that brings together all the airborne sensors, enabling permanent 360 surveillance. As the first frigate on the market to be natively protected against cyber threats, the FDI HN is equipped with two data centers hosting almost all of the ship's applications. She will have a length of 122 m, a beam of 17.7 m, and a displacement of 4,460 tons. The ship will have a crew of 110 people as well as an aircrew detachment of approximately 15 people. She will also have a flight deck and one hangar to accommodate one unmanned VTOL (Vertical Take-Off and Landing) aircraft or one NH-90 naval helicopter. Armenia FM Mirzoyan, US Senator Menendez stress inadmissibility of provoking tension by Azerbaijan Oil rises in price Bishkek reports that Uzbekistan border guards shoot, kill 3 Kyrgyzstan citizens at border Azerbaijani military convoy throws Armenian taxi into gorge in Artsakh (PHOTOS) Armenia FM in US, meets with International Republican Institute Eurasia regional director US Strategic Command chief warns of deterrence crisis against Russia, China Armenia ex-Prosecutor General, Investigative Committee former chief to remain in custody Newspaper: Armenia President reacts to oppositions struggle Mississippi becomes last US state to recognize Armenian Genocide Resistance Movement rally ends: Citizens remain on France Square Erdogan and Macron discuss Turkey-France relations and Ukraine CNBC: Elon Musk to become interim CEO of Twitter Saghatelyan: Tomorrow from 12:00 we will completely paralyze Yerevan from four directions Finland ready to cut off gas supplies from Russia Resistance Movement marchers return to France Square NEWS.am digest: Large scale protests continue in Yerevan, people forcibly arrested Greece accuses Turkey of stoking tensions in Aegean Sea Resistance Movement rally starts in central Yerevan US Embassy in Havana resumes issuing visas to Cubans Bloomberg: UK and Japan will help Asian countries reduce dependence on Russian oil Dollar, euro gain considerable value in Armenia FLYONE ARMENIA cancels Yerevan flights to, from Lyon, Paris until June 10 Annual inflation in Turkey reaches 69.97% in April Armenia population as of January 1 announced Poland builds 50 kilometers of fence on border with Belarus Azerbaijan promises Europe gas in the hope of loyalty to Baku's crimes Australia allocates $1.4 billion to modernize its Navy Peskov says events unrolling in Armenia are countrys internal affair Grigoryan: Discussions on setting up Armenia-Azerbaijan commission may be completed in near future Red Cross: No Azerbaijani detainees in Armenia Armenia official: Peace agreement with Azerbaijan also means solution to Karabakh issue Armen Grigoryan: There is need to get answers to questions in order to organize Armenia, Azerbaijan leaders meeting Security Council chief: Baku's statements on Armenia territories belonging to Azerbaijan do not contribute to peace Armenia official comments on Azerbaijan president's words about 'Zangezur corridor' Armen Grigoryan: Armenia and Azerbaijan could exchange enclaves FT: Erdogan used mediation between Russia and Ukraine Person dies after being hospitalized from one of tents at France Square in Yerevan Armenia to get 22.6M loan from International Bank for Reconstruction and Development Armenia ruling force MP: Oppositions goal is not saving Karabakh but changing of power President says Artsakh continues to maintain its vision for future, toward independence Oppositions uncrowded marches show lack of public support, says Armenia ruling force lawmaker Trade in Armenia increased by about $80 million, PM says Scuffle breaks out during civil disobedience march in Yerevan, police attempt to apprehend opposition MP Pashinyan to Bennett: I am hopeful that Armenian-Israeli relations will flourish in near future Armenia ruling power legislator: This opposition has always run away from truth Civil disobedience motorcade being held in Yerevan EU to ban Russians from buying European real estate US defense industry facing problems due to supply of weapons to Ukraine Armenia FM holds discussion at Atlantic Council, speaks about process of normalization of relations with Turkey Newspaper: Armenia opposition MPs to lose their parliamentary mandates? Newspaper: Artsakh President says we would not have had so many casualties if war had started half year later Civil disobedience march kicks off in downtown Yerevan Civil disobedience actions resume in Yerevan Blinken tests positive for Covid Denmark, Finland support European Commission proposal on Russian oil sanctions Bulgaria to seek exemption from EU proposed Russian oil embargo Biden says he is ready for additional sanctions against Russia Switzerland braces for serious power shortage Uruguay freezes ambassador appointment to Ankara after Cavusoglu's gesture Czech Republic to seek exemption from proposed EU embargo on Russian oil imports Charles Michel on the likelihood of Moldova's EU membership Resistance Movement actions to resume tomorrow early morning Elon Musk is invited to UK Parliament for buying Twitter Disobedience march reaches France Square, rally starts US crude oil shipments to Europe hit highest level in April NEWS.am digest: Large-scale protests being held in Armenia to demand PMs resignation Armenia Defense Minister meets with Georgian PM UK bans imposes sanctions on 63 individuals and organizations in Russia EU plan to completely ban Russian crude oil threatens Hungary's energy security EU interested in expanding energy cooperation with Azerbaijan Germany: Gradual EU ban on Russian oil imports could lead to 'supply disruptions' Opposition demonstration reaches government residences Aliyev insists so-called Zangezur corridor 'is already a reality' Slovakia seeks exemption from EU oil embargo for three years Defense Ministers of Armenia and Georgia sign cooperation program for 2022 Romanian President approves entry of Stryker Brigade and US fighter squadron into country Dollar goes up, euro also rises in Armenia EU studying possibility of providing military assistance to Moldova Public demand for Nikol Pashinyan's resignation Opposition supporters move toward Armenian parliament building EU envoys can not agree on Russian oil Armenia Security Council chief briefs Georgia PM on Karabakh conflict settlement process Armenia deputy police chief says law enforcement has right detain MPs Large-scale opposition rally starts in central Yerevan Many teenagers in New Zealand are illiterate AFP: EU proposes to impose sanctions on Patriarch Kirill Arestovich says Israel could supply Ukraine with weapons Azerbaijan used in Karabakh war Parliament speaker threatens Armenian opposition, clergy Armenia opposition MP: Ex-President Serzh Sargsyan will not hold office in new government Beijing closes over 60 subway stations due to COVID-19 outbreak Bayramov, Roquefeuil discuss Azerbaijan-Armenia relations normalization process Armenia FM meets with US National Democratic Institute president Armenia ruling force MP: Opposition will not achieve its goal Armenia 2nd president Robert Kocharyans son blocking road with citizens in Yerevan Oklahoma bans almost all abortions Number of children in Japan falls to record low Karabakh President meets with of Free Homeland-UCA parliamentary faction members Armenian judge waves Artsakh flag at Ironman Triathlon (PHOTOS) There is still lot to do in 'October 27' case, says Armenia Prosecutor General Ambassador Wiktorin to finance minister: EU ready to continue providing assistance to Armenia government By Zhu Wei and Liang Huiwen A visitor takes a photo of the exhibition area of China Shipbuilding Trading Co., Ltd. at the DSA 2022 on March 28. (Photo by Zhu Wei/Xinhua) KUALA LUMPUR, March 29 -- The 17th edition of Defense Service Asia Exhibition and Conference (DSA 2022) kicked off in Kuala Lumpur on March 28. Aerospace Long March International Trading Co., Ltd., China Shipbuilding Trading Co., Ltd., CETC International Trading Co., Ltd., Poly Technology Co., Ltd. and other Chinese enterprises participated in the four-day-long exhibition. The theme this year is "Advancing into a New Era of Defense and Security". Malaysian Defense Minister Hishammuddin Hussein said at the opening ceremony that the ASEAN region is now facing more diverse threats which require closer cooperation among countries in the region. Holding this defense exhibition is conductive to promoting the implementation of relevant policies and action plans, he added. Started in 1988, the DSA has become one of the important defense exhibitions in the region and the world. It is normally held every two years, and this year's defense exhibition is held four years later after the cancelation due to the pandemic in 2020. So far it has attracted 1,170 enterprises from more than 50 countries and regions. Malaysia will also hold a series of security and defense forums and exchange activities during the exhibition. Visitors exchange ideas at the booth of CETC International Trading Co., Ltd, DSA 2022, on March 28. (Photo by Zhu Wei/Xinhua) A visitor tries a weapon at the DSA 2022 on March 28. (Photo by Chong Voon Chung/Xinhua) Malaysian Defense Minister Hishammuddin Hussein (2nd, left) and Minister of Home Affairs Hamzah Zainudin (2nd, right) attend the opening ceremony at the DSA 2022 on March 28. (Photo by Zhu Wei/Xinhua) YEREVAN. A delegation led by president Alen Simonyan of the Republic of Armenia National Assembly (RA NA) on Tuesday took part in the meetingin Almaty, Kazakhstandedicated to the 30th anniversary of the Interparliamentary Assembly of Member Nations of the Commonwealth of Independent States (IPA CIS), the NA informed. The speakers of parliaments of the CIS member countries read the messages of the heads of their states. The RA NA President presented the congratulatory message by RA Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan. The message particularly reads: During the past years the Inter-Parliamentary Assembly has become a functioning platform of cooperation of the legislative bodies of the participant states. I am sure that we can jointly solve the items on the agenda of the Inter-Parliamentary Assembly, relying on the best traditions of the parliamentarism, to find effective solutions of such important problems, as the protection of the citizens constitutional rights and freedoms, the statehood, the cooperation between the wings of the power and the formation of the civil society. The Republic of Armenia gives special importance to the persistent development of the inter-parliamentary cooperation. We are sure that the enrichment of the considerable experience of the multi-lateral cooperation within the framework of the IPA CIS from now on will also promote the effective activity of the legislative bodies of our countries, as well as the development of cooperation, in general, between our states. YEREVAN. At the solemn eventin Almaty, Kazakhstandedicated to the 30th anniversary of the Interparliamentary Assembly of Member Nations of the Commonwealth of Independent States (IPA CIS), president Alen Simonyan of the Republic of Armenia National Assembly (RA NA) congratulated the CIS delegates on the occasion of the jubilee year, the NA informed Armenian News-NEWS.am. In his address at the event, NA President mainly touched upon the CIS inter-parliamentary cooperation functioning in the inter-state and multi-national format. He noted that the CIS promoted the maintenance and strengthening of the political, social-economic, humanitarian relations, had contribution to the further development of the statehood building of our countries on the post-Soviet area. Alen Simonyan has underlined that due to joint efforts of the CIS Inter-Parliamentary Assembly for three decades, model law-making activity base has been created which regulates different spheres. He has assured that Armenia always acted in favor of raising the role of the IPA CIS on the international arena, strengthening the cooperation of the structure with the international, regional organizations and counterparts. Speaking about the role of the parliamentary diplomacy and opportunities, the Speaker of Parliament highlighted it especially in the issues of peace and security. Drawing the attendees attention to the current situation of the Nagorno-Karabakh (NK), Alen Simonyan particularly referred to the invasion of the Azerbaijani armed forces on March 24 to Parukh village of the NK Askeran region being in the responsibility zone of the Russian peacekeeping military group, by that grossly violating the 9 November 2020 trilateral statement. The Head of parliament noted that the use of the weapon and the unmanned aviation once again resulted in human losses, and there are wounded. We expect that the peacekeeping military group of the Russian Federation in Nagorno-Karabakh will undertake practical steps for the settlement of the situation and preventing new victims and military actions, and return the Azerbaijani forces to the positions of March 23, he noted. According to the Head of Parliament, the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh is very tense. He stressed that such actions together with the sharp escalation of the security situation in the world could lead to a new escalation in the region. Alen Simonyan has noted that Armenia highly appreciates the targeted statement of the RF Ministry of Defense, which, however, was opposed by the Azerbaijan side. The NA President informed the counterparts that the post-war humanitarian and other issues has not been resolved yet, emphasizing the issue of Armenian prisoners of war and hostages, the number of which, according to the data confirmed by Azerbaijan, is 38. Alen Simonyan stated that the issues of the preservation of the Armenian historical, cultural and spiritual heritage in the territories under the control of the Azerbaijani armed forces are crucial. The guarantee of the rights and freedoms of the Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh and the issue of the status of the Nagorno-Karabakh are fundamental and major. We have stated many times that the conflict is not a matter of territory, but of the right. In this context, we consider important the full implementation of the trilateral statement adopted by the Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia and the Presidents of the Russian Federation and the Republic of Azerbaijan on 9 November 2020, as well as the trilateral statement adopted in Sochi on 26 November 2021. As before, Armenia attaches importance to normal relations with neighboring countries. We are ready for a dialogue, which should lead to the establishment of lasting peace in the region and therefore, reaffirming the previously formulated position, we offer Azerbaijan to immediately start negotiations on signing a peace treaty, the RA NA President said in the final part of his speech. The Armenian pianist Nareh Arghamanyan has been creating headlines in the music world ever since her early childhood, being hailed as a prodigy from a young age, and winning more than 18 international awards and prizes, including First Prizes at the 1997 Chopin piano competition, the 2005 Josef Dichler Piano Competition in Vienna and the 2007 Piano Campus International Competition in France. Making history at the age of 15 by becoming the youngest-ever student to enrol in the University of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna, Arghamanyan cemented herself in the minds of the general public when she walked away with the First Prize, as well as all the Special Prizes at the Montreal International Musical Competition in 2008 at the age of 18, thus marking her as the youngest winner in the competitions history. Since then, Arghamanyan has moved from strength to strength, winning over audiences in renowned concert halls all around the world, including the Musikverein Vienna, Lincoln Center, Wigmore Hall, Philharmonie Berlin, Konzerthaus Vienna, Philadelphia Kimmel Center, Petronas Hall Kuala Lumpur, Osaka Concert Hall, to name a few. Over the course of her career, Arghamanyan has collaborated with some of the most distinguished orchestras and ensembles in the music world, such as the Vienna Symphony Orchestra, Radio-Symphony Orchestra Frankfurt, Berlin Radio-Symphony Orchestra, Orchestre Philharmonique de Strasbourg and Monte-Carlo, Toho Orchestra Japan, and the Bern Symphony Orchestra, amongst many others. Recent highlights have included her debut with the Montreal Symphony Orchestra, Santa Rosa symphony Orchestra, and the Orchestre symphonique de la Monnaie, as well as a USA tour with the Helsingborg Symphony Orchestra, and a European tour with the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra. Since 2016 Nareh has been selected as the artist-in-residence in Queen Elisabeth Music Chapel under the supervision of Louis Lortie and Avedis Kouyoumdjian. She is currently a professor at the Wiener Musikakademie in the keyboard department. We met up with Arghamanyan to look back on her storied career, her experience as an Armenian pianist abroad, and the upcoming events that she has on her horizon. These past couple of years have been particularly challenging for people all over the world due to the coronavirus pandemic, and the music industry has been no exception. How have you managed to rise up to the challenges which Covid-19 has thrown at us, and do you think there is anything that the industry can learn from this experience? Well theyve been a very different two years, certainly! Like everyone else really, lots of things have been disrupted and changed, many of them at the last minute, which has made it very difficult to plan anything. As musicians it is in the nature of our work to travel around a lot and for a while Covid made that completely impossible which was a big blow, and even when things started opening up again you never knew for certain if a festival or concert would go ahead until you were actually doing it because there were so many last-minute cancellations and rescheduling of dates due to different restrictions in different countries. I myself have been quite lucky to be honest, because although things slowed down, I managed to keep myself busy with one or two events every month, and I actually didnt mind having some more free time to spend at home and with my family at first because Ive been running from concert to festival to competition all my life, so a bit of free time was nice! For many other musicians though, especially those who were just starting out in their careers, I know its been very bad in some cases and I feel that we need to make sure as an industry to create as many opportunities as possible for them to help them get their plans and their goals back on track as quickly as possible. With regard to the music world, perhaps the biggest lesson we can learn is to be a bit more flexible. This world is one which plans in terms of years, with everything being planned a long time in advance and not much room for flexibility. Covid has forced us to change in that sense because things sometimes need to be amended months or even weeks in advance which used to be unthought of. Its not an ideal situation of course, but perhaps retaining a bit more flexibility than before wouldnt be a bad idea either. You have, as you said, been deeply involved in the music world all your life, from a very young age. Has that forced you to miss out on certain things as you grew up or did you always manage to reach a level of compromise? Compromise is always key, definitely. Music has been my life for as long as I can remember, and of course that means I had perhaps a different upbringing to other people just like any professional in any other industry really. And it was never something which was forced upon me which is the most important thing. I may have had less free time than others for instance, because I needed to practice, but I always enjoyed playing, it was never a punishment or something I had to be ordered to do. And while some things are different, music also opened up possibilities and opportunities that many people would dream to have to travel, to meet new, interesting people from all over the world it broadens your mind and helps you grow in a very different way. So yes, its a question of compromise and balance which is crucial especially in those early years when youre trying to have as normal a life as possible while still pursuing music religiously, but at the same time I feel that for everything you may miss out on, so to speak, music will give you back tenfold at the end of the day. As a former child prodigy yourself, who has managed to transform your early potential into a professional career, what advice would you give young aspiring musicians today? I think the most important thing is to be certain that this something that you want to pursue professionally because sometimes when youre very talented at something it seems like the obvious choice but you have to love it as well, enough to keep on doing it for years and to be aware of the sacrifices and they hard work and effort you will need to put in, although as I said I think its ultimately all worth it. Music is a wonderful career, but it is not always an easy one, especially when one is still starting out and working to become established. Another thing which I see a lot, even with my own students, is that some young musicians find themselves obsessing too much about competitions as if they are an end in themselves. I myself am a laureate of over 20 international piano competitions, and theyre very important of course winning the Montreal International Musical Competition when I was 18 was crucial for my career and really helped to get me where I am but they are not the be all and end all. Even if you win a competition this is just the beginning, and you need to have an eye on what comes next, which can be almost as tough because you have to depart from the established framework of the competition and start trying to forge your own path and career. Speaking of your career, youve performed at some of the most celebrated concert halls in the world with renowned orchestras and conductors from all around the globe. If you were to look back at some of the highlights of the past years, which moments would spring to mind? I feel very honoured because as you said there have been many truly beautiful moments over the years. Winning the Montreal Competition will always be high in my list of happy memories, and I will never forget making my debuts in places like the Musikverein or the Lincoln Center, for instance. Some of the most treasured events though, are those where Ive had the chance to spread the music and culture of my native Armenia abroad. I always try to perform music by Armenian composers and collaborate with Armenian musicians whenever I get the chance, to help show the world the talent that Armenia has to offer, and these moments are extra special because Im not just performing beautiful music but Im broadcasting my countrys culture. In 2018 for example, I was approached by Konstantin Ishkhanov, the President of the European Foundation for Support of Culture (EUFSC), who invited me to take part in a festival which he was organising in Malta completely dedicated to Armenian culture. I got to perform with other Armenian musicians and present works by Tigran Mansurian and Aram Khachaturian and others, and there were exhibitions and screenings by Armenian filmmakers as well; it was really beautiful to see my countrys culture celebrated in such a way in a different land. Of course Ive done many concerts in Armenia itself as well which are also special to me. One of the most recent ones was at the Armenia International Music Festival, which is also organised by Konstantin Ishkhanov, along with the ASSO, which was also very nice to do. So there have been many wonderful events, but I think the ones where I get to express my own heritage tend to stand out very sharply. As a professional performer whos also a professor at the Wiener Musikakademie in Vienna, how difficult, if at all, do you find it to balance out the two worlds? Do they intrude on each other at times, and is there one which you prefer over the other? In terms of preference, I wouldnt think so no. They both offer wonderful things in different ways. In many ways actually I find that they complement each other very well because the things I do and learn sometimes when Im performing, I can then tell my students about which works well. I find that having both these facets in my life helps keep things interesting because teaching can be extremely rewarding but at the same time I feel its important for me to keep in touch with my performing roots and theres a special incomparable feeling you get when you go on stage. Doing both also allows me to look at things with a dual perspective which is very beneficial I think, especially when Im judging piano competitions. These can be tricky thing sometimes; I remember back in 2019 before Covid came I was invited by Konstantin Ishkhanov and collaborated with the EUFSC to organise the Classic on Danube International Music Festival and Piano Competition in Vienna, and it was so important for me to be able to look at it as both performer and educator. I was the head of the jury board for the competition we held there, which was a preliminary round for the 14 Ways to Dubai series so it was quite an important one, and being able to assess the participants from both perspectives was a very good thing I felt. Im going to be heading back to that competition this year actually, for the 2022 edition in April, and Im really looking forward to seeing what this years group of participants have to offer. One last question, looking to the future, is there anything on the horizon that youre particularly looking forward to? Weve all learnt to be cautious about being too excited about things during Covid unfortunately because they have a habit of changing very quickly so you never know, but if as I truly hope, everything remains on track I have an upcoming tour with the Bergisch Symphony Orchestra in Germany this April which Im very much looking forward to because its been a while since I toured. Theres other stuff planned throughout the year of course, but thats the closest and biggest one for now. Indo-Pacific Illustration: Liu Rui/GT Indo-Pacific Illustration: Liu Rui/GT The US and the Philippines kicked off their 12-day "shoulder-to-shoulder" joint exercises across the Luzon island on Monday, involving nearly 9,000 troops. This year's exercise is "one of the largest-ever iterations," the US Embassy in the Philippines said in a news release. In this regard, the US side is particularly excited. Maj. Gen. Jay Bargeron, 3rd Marine Division Commanding General, said the drills will "strengthen our response capabilities and readiness for real-world challenges." Western media said the exercises will "show off the two countries' strong defense ties in the face of growing Chinese assertiveness." But it was also noted that the Philippine side only emphasized the bilateral security relationship with the US before the exercise started. It is in stark contrast to the US' high-profile manner. This joint military exercise, which was announced long ago by the US and dubbed the "largest-ever" in history, has greater political significance than a military one. Before the pandemic, about 8,000 soldiers participated in the exercise in 2018. The figure was 7,500 in 2019. The number this year, 9,000, is thus not a breakthrough. It is however the first time in many years that the number of US military personnel (5,100) exceeds that of the Philippines (3,800). This mirrors US eagerness to stage a "big show" to make itself look good. The reason behind it is easy to understand. The US attempts to realize what Kurt Campbell, the US National Security Council's coordinator for Indo-Pacific affairs said: The US will keep its focus on the Indo-Pacific despite the Ukraine crisis. Yet as the situation in Ukraine has been stuck in a stalemate and the energy of the US is inevitably distracted by it, Washington can realize its so-called "focus" on the Indo-Pacific region through provoking controversial topics and launching joint military exercises, moves that are provocative at relative low cost. Washington is so good at such moves to fan the flame. From the "Asia-Pacific rebalancing strategy" under the Obama administration, to the "Indo-Pacific strategy" under the Trump and Biden administrations, Southeast Asia has been seen as a strategic pivot for the US to play geopolitics. But Washington simply does not understand the logic of development here. ASEAN countries have a larger population than the EU, but most of them have a weak economic base and face urgent development tasks, while some of them have not yet escaped from the turmoil. Their thirst for peace and development is overwhelming, which is highly compatible with China's attitude, but the opposite of the path the US takes. On the same day that the US-Philippine military exercises began, China announced that at the invitation of Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi, the foreign ministers of the Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand and Myanmar will each visit China between March 31 and April 3. Meanwhile, the US-ASEAN special summit, scheduled for March 28 in Washington, has been postponed indefinitely, with the White House unilaterally announcing the date and then changing the date proposed by ASEAN leaders again and again. It is not difficult to see who respects ASEAN countries, and who is using Southeast Asian countries as pawns. Since Ukraine crisis broke out, there are some voices of reflection in the Philippines. They argue that the country needs to avoid the fate of Ukraine, reject Washington's warmongering, and avoid at all costs becoming a "proxy" or a pawn of any major power to encircle another one. The recent situation in Ukraine is a warning to the rest of the world that the security of one country cannot be guaranteed at the expense of undermining security of others, and that regional security cannot be guaranteed by strengthening or even expanding military blocs. Asian countries are not willing to repeat the troubles Washington made in Europe. Peace and stability in Asia are hard-earned and cannot be sabotaged by extraterritorial countries. Washington wants to forcefully peddle its old security concept in Asia, dumping "Cold War garbage" into the Pacific Ocean, even trying to create an "Indo-Pacific version of NATO." In the end, its dream will be crushed by the hard rocks of the Pacific Ocean. YEREVAN. Tuesdays Yerevan court hearing on the criminal case against second President Robert Kocharyan and former deputy prime minister Armen Gevorgyanwho is now an MP of the opposition Armenia Faction in the National Assembly of Armeniawas pushed back for two week. Defense lawyer Hovhannes Khudoyan told the court that his client, ex-president Robert Kocharyan, could not come to court today due to illness. Subsequently, Khudoyan submitted a respective statement and a notification, stating that if the court deems it necessary to publicize its text, it should do so behind closed doors. The court, however, did not insist that the content be made public. As per Khudoyan, according to preliminary information, the second president will need respective medical treatment for about 10 days. Presiding Judge Anna Danibekyan, in turn, informed that she will attend training courses next week, and therefore she set the next court session for April 12. The Human Rights Defender (Ombudsperson) of Armenia, Kristinne Grigoryan, on Tuesday hosted a delegation headed by Director-General Kathryne Bomberger of the International Commission on Missing Persons (ICMP), the Human Rights Defender's Office informed Armenian News-NEWS.am. Welcoming the representatives of the ICMP, Grigoryan presented the constitutional mandate of the Human Rights Defender of Armenia and the directions of the activities of the institution. Kristinne Grigoryan presented to the ICMP representatives the direction of the work conducted by the institution of the Defender with the families of the missing persons. The Defender underlined that the protection of the rights of both missing persons and the relatives of prisoners of war and civilian captives is in the center of his daily attention both in Armenia and in Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh). In her turn, Bomberger presented the work experience of 25 years of the ICMP, which is aimed at assisting states to study the cases of missing persons in the post-war period, providing legal assistance to their families, as well as to establishing appropriate investigative mechanisms and institutional structures. Armenias ombudsperson specifically underlined the importance of the need to develop comprehensive legislation regulating the issues of missing persons, as well as the need to create a capable and robust institution system. During the meeting, the interlocutors stressed the importance of involving the relatives of the missing personsin both the development of legislation and mechanisms. Concluding the meeting, the participants agreed on specific areas of further cooperation. By Liu Heran and Zuo Shang Some western countries have joined the scramble in the Asia Pacific as the region becomes a hotspot in global economy and geopolitical competition, with the UK and France, two countries far out in Europe, making constant moves in the region and issuing their Indo-Pacific Strategy successively. From February to March, the two countries, both representatives of the West, took turns in hosting the Asia Pacific Cooperation Forum and the high-level consultation on the Indo-Pacific, but as both are keen to secure interests for themselves, competition is unavoidable, and in more than one area. Competition for geopolitical dividends. As the only EU member that has territory in Asia Pacific, France is more pragmatic when handling geopolitical rivalry. It carefully avoids picking sides between major powers and hopes to secure and cement other EU members recognition of its leading position in the union. The UK, which has a special relationship with the US, is happily staying under its umbrella of containment strategy, willingly becoming a part of the military alliance forged by the US, Japan and Australia, and pursuing its geopolitical goals onboard Americas bandwagon. The structural divergences between Britain and Frances Asian-Pacific geo-strategy will inevitably lead to their contention in the geopolitical game, explicit or implicit. Competition for partners. According to the documents they released, both Britain and France are trying to lure India to be their partner for its important geographical location connecting the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean. Given the Indian governments opportunistic tradition, it is bound to strike a balance between the two European countries, which will then compete to provide public goods more to New Delhis taste. In the meantime, Australias betrayal of the arms deal and alliance also prompted France to strengthen the relation with Indonesia, whose encounter with Australia, stemming from wrong self-positioning and security dilemma also gave a nudge to the UK-France contention. Competition for arms market. The greed for economic gains motivates western countries to engage in Asian-Pacific affairs, and selling weapons and equipment and operating logistics systems are obviously more lucrative than working on digital governance and green energies. Roy-Chaudhury, an expert from the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), a British institute, said point-blank that a comprehensive strategic partnership would be impossible between India and the UK but for defense cooperation. At the same time, France, with independent national defense industry, has long lined its pocket in this market. The growing collisions and clashes in the already complicated landscape of Asia Pacific will propel its countries to pour money into national defense and security, and neither London nor Paris will pull punches when trying to seize a share of this huge market. Yet, whether they intend to take a free ride or lead the pack, their rosy plans for the Asia Pacific region will be hard to come through. On the one hand, the US is the most important reason why Britain and Frances Asian Pacific policies may prove ineffective. The US, leveraging its position of strength, has been weaving an Indo-Pacific security net that essentially aims at preventing any military conflict and keeping the current confrontation from escalating, while the regional allies can eat into its competitors pockets and consequently maximize Americas interests. There is really not much room for London and Paris to maneuver as they have to follow Washingtons lead at every move. On the other hand, the menu provided by Britain and France isnt necessarily that tempting. Security aside, the two countries also hope to cooperate with Asian Pacific countries in economic, social and environmental sectors, but the standards and systems they promote are far ahead of local realities and make cooperation less feasible. Take the France-proposed personal data security for example. Many island states on the Pacific Ocean havent even established a sound communications system yet, how are they supposed to build a database to cope with external challenges? As a result, their cooperation with France would only lead to the transfer of digital sovereignty. Besides, how western countries approach regional infrastructure construction with donation plus high-interest financing or donation plus sovereign cession will also likely repel the locals. (The authors are from Academy of China Open Economy Studies, University of International Business and Economics) STEPANAKERT. Speaker Artur Tovmasyan of the Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) National Assembly (NA) on Tuesday convened an extended working consultation, the Artsakh NA informed Armenian News-NEWS.am. At the meeting the head of the NA presented the agenda points of the 5th session of the NA of the 7th convocation and the regular sitting of the NA. The package of the draft laws: "On Amending the Constitution of the Artsakh Republic", "On Making Amendments to the Law On State Awards and Honorary Titles of the Artsakh Republic", "On Making Amendments to the Law On National Security Bodies", On Making Amendments and Addenda to the Law On Compulsory Enforcement", On Making Amendments and Addenda to the Law On State Pensions and Amendments to the Law On Military Service and Status of Servicemen were put on the agenda. He MPs statements are also included in the agenda. At the end of the consultation, Artur Tovmasyan announced that the next regular sitting of the Artsakh National Assembly will be convened on Wednesday. Iranian Energy Minister Ali-Akbar Mehrabian and Armenian Prime Ministers adviser Artashes Tumanyan held a meeting in Tehran on Monday to stress the necessity of expanding cooperation between the two countries in the field of energy, Mehr reported. During the meeting, Mehrabian described the bilateral ties between Tehran and Yerevan as privileged" and said that those ties need to further expand. The Iranian energy minister also stressed the need to prepare the condition for the meeting between the president of Iran and the prime minister of Armenia. He further pointed to the vast capabilities of Iranian companies active in the field of technical and engineering services and the scope of activities of these companies around the world, as well as construction and repair of power plants, construction of hydropower plants and other areas, and suggested bilateral meetings to introduce capabilities and cooperation capacities of the two countries with the participation of the economic agents from both sides. Both sides in the meeting also stressed the need to coordinate the holding of the 17th Iran-Armenia Cooperation Summit hosted by the Armenian side on May 10 and 13, and described the summit as important for the development of relations between the two countries in the area of energy. The adviser to the prime minister of Armenia, for his part, mentioned the important issues of bilateral cooperation, and discussed constructive decisions for the development of trade and economic cooperation, as well as cooperation in the field of energy with the Iranian chief of the joint cooperation commission. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) of Azerbaijan has responded to the proposal of the Security Council of Armenia to immediately start peace talks. When it comes to the negotiations on a comprehensive peace agreement between the two countries, we would like to recall that first of all, the Azerbaijani side has proposed to sign a peace agreement with Armenia at the highest level a year ago, and a month ago voiced specific principles on which the agreement should be based. If the Armenian side considers the agreement issue as a serious step, not as another public awareness campaign, then it is time to take concrete steps. We would like to repeat that Azerbaijan is ready for this from its side," the Azerbaijani MFA noted, in particular, in its respective commentary, APA reported. Written proposals from Ukraine imply a rejection of the desire to return Crimea and Sevastopol by military means, Russian presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky said, RIA Novosti reported. "In order to implement the non-bloc, non-nuclear status, a list of guarantor states guaranteeing Ukraine's security is given next. Security guarantees do not apply to the territory of Crimea and Sevastopol, that is, Ukraine renounces the desire to return Crimea, Sevastopol by military means and declares that it is possible only through negotiations. Of course, this does not correspond to our position in any way, but Ukraine has formulated its approach," Medinsky said. He noted that security guarantees for Ukraine do not apply to the part of Ukraine that it calls separate areas of Donetsk and Luhansk. "Ukraine refuses to join military alliances, the placement of foreign military bases, contingents, military exercises on the territory of Ukraine without the consent of guarantor states, including Russia," he said, adding that Kiev's proposals include a list of future countries - guarantors of Ukraine's security. According to him, Kiev's proposals involve declaring Ukraine a permanently neutral state under international legal guarantees. "For its part, Russia does not object to Ukraine's aspirations to join the European Union," Medinsky said. Ukraine asks that the final decision on the treaty with Russia be formalized at a meeting of heads of state, he said. Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan, who is in Tbilisi on a working visit, met with Georgian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Davit Zalkaliani, the Foreign Ministry's press service reported. The sides noted with satisfaction that this year is the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Armenia and Georgia, and discussed in detail issues related to the wide agenda of Armenian-Georgian friendly interaction, expressing readiness to make efforts for consistent development of cooperation at bilateral and multilateral levels, strengthening political dialogue between Armenia and Georgia. The Ministers touched upon the intensification of economic relations, the opportunities for increasing trade turnover between the two countries and the prospects for cooperation in the sphere of transport communications. A range of issues related to regional and international security were discussed. Ararat Mirzoyan touched upon the invasion of Azerbaijani armed forces units in the village of Parukh in Nagorno-Karabakh, the consistent psychological pressure on the peaceful population of Artsakh and the actions aimed at creating a humanitarian crisis. The necessity of returning the Azerbaijani units to their initial positions as of 23 March and full compliance with the ceasefire adopted by the trilateral statement of 9 November 2020 was highlighted. Ararat Mirzoyan also presented the Armenian side's position on starting negotiations on a peace treaty between Armenia and Azerbaijan, highlighting in this context the mediating role of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs. The sides attached importance to the efforts undertaken toward the de-escalation of the situation and the establishment of stability in the region. The Armenian Minister of Foreign Affairs presented his counterpart the normalization process without preconditions between Armenia and Turkey. Moscow will actively promote the conclusion of a peace treaty between Yerevan and Baku, said Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova. Moscow's position in connection with the recent events in the zone of responsibility of Russian peacekeepers in Karabakh is reflected in the statement of the Foreign Ministry dated March 26. We urged the parties to ensure strict adherence to the top-level tripartite agreements of November 9, 2020 on a complete ceasefire in the Karabakh conflict zone. The Ministry of Defense of Russia and the command of the Russian peacekeeping contingent are taking vigorous actions to de-escalate the situation, while the peacekeepers act strictly in accordance with the provisions of the above-mentioned statement of the leaders of the three countries. Through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia, we are in constant contact with representatives of Yerevan and Baku, and up-to-date information on the operational situation on the ground is published daily in the bulletins of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation. We continue to make efforts to normalize relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan based on the existing agreements of the leaders of the three countries, including on the delimitation and demarcation of the Armenian-Azerbaijani border and unblocking economic and transport ties in the region. We will actively contribute to the conclusion of a peace treaty between Yerevan and Baku, she said. Japan will ban the supply of precious metals to Russia, especially gold, the Finance Ministry said, Reuters reports. The ban on the import of precious metals into Russia reflects the determination of Prime Minister Fumio Kishida to impose additional sanctions against the country, promised last week at a meeting of leaders of the G7 (G7). From April 5, Japan will ban the export of precious metals such as gold, as well as other items including luxury cars, jewelry, cosmetics and liquor. Japan's action came after the United States and the UK took steps to reduce gold transactions in Russia. Gold exports to Russia will require prior approval from Japan's finance minister as the new rule comes into effect April 5, government officials said. The latest ban comes in addition to restricting the export of high-tech goods to Russia, including semiconductors, censors and communications equipment. Japan has also frozen the assets of more than 100 Russian individuals and entities and is considering extending financial regulation to Japanese cryptocurrency exchanges. Armenian News - NEWS.am presents the daily digest of top news as of 29.03.22: Ukrainian and Russian negotiators met on Tuesday in Istanbul, for their first face-to-face talks in two weeks. Air-raid sirens sounded across Ukraine before dawn on Tuesday as Ukrainian and Russian negotiators prepared to meet in Turkey for face-to-face talks, with Kyiv seeking a ceasefire without compromising on territory or sovereignty. Meanwhile, Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich who has Ukrainian roots had a conversation with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogano ahead of Russian-Ukrainian talks in Istanbul. It is noted that Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu was also present. Amid the talks between the delegations, Russias foreign minister also says direct talks between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and President Vladimir Putin, something the Ukrainian leader has regularly demanded, would be counterproductive for now. The situation in Ukraine remains highly tense. The United Nations human rights office said 1,119 civilians had been killed and 1,790 wounded since war started. Nearly 5,000 people, including about 210 children, have been killed in besieged Mariupol, a spokesman for its mayor said. As Russian president Vladimir Putin announced last week that Russia will demand unfriendly countries pay for natural gas only in Russian currency from now on, he instructed the countrys central bank to work out a procedure for natural gas buyers to acquire rubles in Russia. However, the Group of Seven major economies have agreed to reject Moscows demand to pay for Russian natural gas exports in rubles, the German energy minister said Monday. Robert Habeck said that payment in ruble is not acceptable and we will urge the companies affected not to follow Putins demand. Economists said Putins demand came to try to support the ruble, which has collapsed against other currencies as Western countries responded with far-reaching sanctions on Moscow. But some analysts expressed doubt that it would work. The Russian central bank, the government and Gazprom , which accounts for 40 percent of European gas imports, should present their proposals for rouble gas payments to President Vladimir Putin by March 31. However. Azerbaijani troops continue to remain at the same bases on Karaglukh hill, adjacent to Parukh village. The armed forces of Artsakh continue to take additional measures to strengthen their defensive positions and restrain the adversary. Work is ongoing with the Russian peacekeeping command staff to prevent possible provocations by Azerbaijan and to withdraw the Azerbaijani armed forces to their initial positions. The Russian MFA has already redirected to Baku issue of removal of Azerbaijan troops in Artsakh. On March 26, the Russian defense ministry had announced that Azerbaijani troops had entered the area of responsibility of the Russian peacekeeping contingent in Nagorno-Karabakh. On Sunday evening, however, the Russian defense ministry had announced that Azerbaijan had withdrawn its troops from Parukh village in Artsakh. But later, the Azerbaijani defense ministry had announced that its armed forces did not withdraw from the settlement. In the meantime, the Security Council of Armenia discussed the security situation around Nagorno-Karabakh and invited Baku to immediately begin talks on a comprehensive peace agreement. The Russian side does not rule out that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan may raise the issue of aggravation of the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh during the meeting of the Russian and Ukrainian delegations, which have arrived in Istanbul for talks, a Russian source told TASS. The source noted that Erdogan may try to discuss this issue with the Russian side. However, he added: Frankly, I do not think there will be enough time for that during the talks. A government watchdog earlier reported documenting over $164,000,000 in U.S. military aid to Azerbaijan flat-lines U.S. aid to Armenia at just over $24 million and fails to include any specific dollar amount for U.S. assistance to Artsakh. Similar to his budget request for FY2022, the Presidents FY2023 budget includes $23,405,000 in foreign aid and $600,000 in military assistance to Armenia. Azerbaijan has disrupted the supply of natural gas from Armenia for the second time in two weeks, leaving the people of Artsakh without heating in subzero temperatures. The pipeline was first damaged on March 8, depriving nearly 120,000 residents of heating and hot water and forcing schools and medical centers to close. While residents have been left without heating, Artsakh has been submerged in subzero temperatures and unusually heavy snowfall. Parts of Artsakh have been blanketed in up to three feet of snow, resulting in road closures. Artsakhs MFA has accused Azerbaijan of committing humanitarian terrorism. The Armenian MFA also condemned the Azerbaijani leadership and its outrageous policy of systemic violence against the Armenians of Artsakh. It accused Azerbaijan of also preventing the entry of international humanitarian organizations into Artsakh, creating a humanitarian crisis Will Smith has issued an apology to Chris Rock, the Academy and viewers after slapping the comedian on stage at the 94th Academy Awards. The Oscars took a tense turn after the slap. But Smith later won the best actor Oscar for his role in King Richard. The fallout from Sundays show continued on Monday as the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences condemned Smiths onstage assault and said it would launch an inquiry. On Monday, he issued a stronger apology and account of his actions, writing on Instagram that he reacted emotionally to Rocks joke about his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, who has been open about her alopecia-related hair loss. The energy ministers of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, key members of OPEC+, have said the organization should not get involved in politics, Reuters reports. Asked if OPEC+ has a moral responsibility for kicking out Russia, Saudi Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman said politics is left at the door during OPEC meetings. "If we don't do that we would not have dealt with so many countries at different times. It could have been with Iraq at one point, it could have been with Iran at one point." OPEC+ is under increasing pressure to increase oil production after Russia, the largest producer in the OPEC+ group, launched a special operation into Ukraine on February 24, and Western countries responded with sanctions that limited Russian oil exports. Both Prince Abdulaziz and UAE energy minister Suhail al-Mazrouei said the focus was on balancing crude oil markets and satisfying consumers. "We have one mission and only one mission which is stabilizing the market. So we cannot be politicizing, or bringing politics to the organization having that debate ... our aim is to calm the market," said Mazrouei. "If we are asking anyone to leave, then we are raising the prices, then we are doing something that is against what consumers want." Prince Abdulaziz said that Russia produces about 10% of the oil consumed in the world. OPEC+ is likely to stick to plans for a modest increase in oil production in May, several sources said. If the security of oil supplies is threatened, the global economy will suffer. That security is now a priority, and some countries are forgetting the availability of energy, Mazrouei said, adding that while the United States is a "very important partner for all of us," the group needed to be pragmatic. "We need their understanding that what were doing is to the benefit of the consumers, to the benefit of the United States and to the benefit of the consumers worldwide." Unfortunately, our website is currently unavailable in your country. We are engaged on the issue and committed to looking at options that support our full range of digital offerings to your market. We continue to identify technical compliance solutions that will provide all readers with our award-winning journalism. Our Coastal Infrastructure Resilience Research summer program will offer cutting-edge research opportunities to talented and motivated undergraduates, with a focus on recruiting students from historically underrepresented groups, said Ali Ghahremaninezhad, Ph.D., associate professor in the Department of Civil and Architectural Engineering (CAE). Miami is at the epicenter of global issues like sea level rise and hurricane preparedness, so this is a prime location for students to witness the importance of science and engineering on coastal communities' infrastructure, added Ghahremaninezhad, who is the principal investigator for the three-year $431,333 awardthe College of Engineerings first NSF Research Experiences for Undergraduates grant. Co-principal investigator, James Giancaspro, Ph.D., CAE associate professor and graduate program director, said the first cohort of 10 or more undergraduates will begin in summer 2023. Applications will be accepted later this year from college students in South Florida, Puerto Rico, and beyond. Our primary goal is to expand the pipeline of STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) professionals, he said. We hope the students will eventually matriculate into graduate programs and ultimately contribute to breakthroughs in coastal science and engineering. Giancaspro said the collaborative multidisciplinary program will be open to undergraduates with interests in engineering, chemistry, biochemistry, biology, and the natural and marine sciences. Faculty members from the Universitys College of Arts & Sciences, College of Architecture, Miller School of Medicine, Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science, as well as the College of Engineering will be involved in the program. The Coastal Infrastructure Resilience Research program will include laboratory experiences, such as examining the roles of self-healing concrete and composite materials in enhancing coastal resiliency, Ghahremaninezhad said. Students will also learn about the regions artificial coral reefs, flooding risk, smart sensing, beach environmental biosafety and other issues facing our coastal communities. Students will also take part in a variety of field experiences, such as meeting local government officials and visits to the Rosenstiel Schools marine campus. We will have guest speakers, professional development seminars, and hands-on workshops, with little time spent in a traditional classroom, Giancaspro said. Instead, they will be out in the coastal communities networking with professionals and learning firsthand about climate-related challenges and resiliency initiatives already underway in our region. Ghahremaninezhad emphasized and acknowledged the critical role of the following faculty members with a complementary range of expertise, who will be involved in and contribute to the success of this exciting grant: Prannoy Suraneni, Esber Andiroglu, Marc Knecht, Luis Ruiz Pestana, Helena Solo-Gabriele, Antonio Nanni, Landolf Rhode-Barbarigos, Sakhrat Khizroev, Qingda Yang, Ramin Moghaddass, Brian Haus, and Diego Lirman. Scarcity of labor, shifting consumer priorities, corporate social responsibility, and preparing for scalable growth are just a few of the top concerns facing society on a global scale. The short answer for all of them uncovered in this years University of Miami Real Estate Impact Conference was simple - the time has come to stop relying on decades-old solutions and start building the real estate industry of the future. For this, the 10th annual event, participants and attendees gathered on campus at the Donna E. Shalala Student Center on Friday, February 25th, hosted by the School of Architecture and Miami Herbert Business School and the School of Law. Presenters included several of the worlds top thought leaders in real estate development, construction, technology, hospitality, government, and finance, who discussed Miami Momentum: Building the Global, Entrepreneurial, Tech-Friendly City, and the dramatic shift currently underway as Miami enters the next chapter in its evolution to a major world capital. While the city itself has been experiencing many years of steady growth, rapid changes have been taking place lately, pushed in part by the pandemic, but also through new perspectives in terms of tech business, hospitality, culture, and an environment ripe for strategic real estate investment and development. This years speakers offered perceptive observations into all of these situations, what the future may yet hold, and what the professionals of today and tomorrow must do to capitalize on the opportunities ahead. As an institution of higher learning, our foremost directive is to serve as a conduit for knowledge, and to inspire our students, faculty, alumni, and greater community to apply those skills and insights in meaningful ways, said Lynn Hackney, Principal for Community Three as she helped kick off the event. Her remarks were echoed by Charles C. Bohl, PhD, Professor and Director for the School of Architectures Master of Real Estate Development + Urbanism Program. The University of Miami has become an interdisciplinary powerhouse offering programs in every field connected to the real estate industry under one roof, he said. We operate as partners, not silos, in providing rich, interdisciplinary experiences for our students that mirror the real world relationships between disciplines and professions. Our students and alumni are the problem solvers and industry leaders who will play pivotal roles in shaping resilient, livable and affordable communities for decades to come The distinguished panelists each took that sentiment further, adding the perspectives gained over dozens of years of hands-on work in their respective fields. Meaningful Place Making Entrepreneurship, and its growing connection to diversity, culture, and community building were highlighted as important movements impacting all industries by Sheila Johnson, the dynamic founder and CEO of Salamander Hotels and Resorts, and co-founder of BET, and Laurie Silvers, Co-CEO, Hollywood.com, Chair, UM Board of Trustees. Johnson explained that the brands that are succeeding today, including her own, are doing so as a result of being inclusive and authentic to the people and stories of a place. As examples, she cited her numerous successes in Middleburg, VA - a quaint horse-country town that Johnson has transformed into a must-see cultural destination by founding the Middleburg Film Festival, and the Family Reunion Food & Wine Festival, in addition to an equestrian-themed Salamander Resort & Spa. The film festival has become one of the most influential film events for up-and-coming filmmakers and future Academy Award winners. Family Reunion is an annual celebration of the Black and Brown culinary traditions that are ingrained into the local culture. Together, the two events serve to carve out a path for Middleburgs growth while also preserving and honoring its past, a balance Johnson said is vital in developing destinations with significance. She then shared how this same concept of inclusiveness and authenticity drew her to her latest project, a Salamander Resorts partnership with The Aspen Institute in Aspen, CO. As one of the worlds key thought leaders in how the world can create a fair and just society for all, The Aspen Institutes mission aligns perfectly with what Johnson has seen as the emerging trend in forward-thinking hospitality development. As people continue to look for experiences that enrich and benefit their lives, the old paradigm of rigidly controlling the brand narrative, she said, was fading. We have to start recognizing what I call the double-bottom-line. If you help your community, it comes back to you. Thats how we need to move forward. For Miami, where rich cultural diversity has long been a key component of the citys dynamic, Johnsons words serve as valuable guideposts for future development of the resort and hospitality economy. Rising to Meet Development Demand Adding another dimension to the conversation regarding the evolution that must take place if cities like Miami are to achieve their global destinies, Jason Ballard, Co-Founder & CEO of Icon; Eric Feder, President of LENx; ; Amit Haller, CEO of Veev; and Kenneth A. Smuts, President of Renco, USA delved into the rapidly emerging field of alternative building technologies. From 3-D printed full-scale livable homes, to composite materials that assemble on site in days, to completely integrated smart walls that bring plug-and-play simplicity to plumbing and electrical construction, the panel not only revealed a world of exciting possibilities for real estate, but also underscored the critical need for the industry to adopt these new technologies and others like them. In a world where materials like lumber are skyrocketing, and labor costs keep accelerating, the same old story just doesnt cut it, shared Smuts. The panelists agreed that while nearly every other industry in modern society has evolved to incorporate technologies, real estate construction has lagged far behind. In a global economy that is making things faster and more affordable every single day, buildings are taking longer, costing more, and providing less quality to end users, Haller observed. It shouldnt be that way, and it doesnt have to be. The panel then detailed the difference between what is happening in real estate today vs. what could happen as soon as tomorrow. Ballard showed video of Icons revolutionary construction-scale 3-D printing robot. ICONs technology has already been successful in building 100 Bjark-Ingels-designed homes in 60 days in Austin, TX - making them not only some of the most high-profile properties in the area, but also some of the most affordable within their market. The dramatic reduction in labor costs is also a key benefit offered by Renco, whose plug-and-play molded composite blocks were used to build 100 market-rate apartments in West Palm Beach and 200 multi-story structures in the Middle East in a matter of a couple of weeks, without cranes or heavy equipment, and with only a handful of workers, none of whom were specialized construction trades. Veevs innovative wall systems are pre-manufactured with electrical and plumbing already integrated. On-site, the wall panels assemble to each other with simple connections, again eliminating the need for typical construction trades. Across all three technologies, the materials are mold-free, waterproof, termite-proof, and are made from renewable and even recycled sources. Developers with an eye towards value and profitability will need to look outside the box. Ballard stated. This has to change. We all need to demand it, architects, builders, designers, and even homeowners. Miami saw growth of 2.1% in just one year, making it one the #6 fastest-growing regions in the entire country. To continue that pace, faster, smarter, and more resilient development options must be embraced. Miami as the New Global Epicenter The global real estate panel brought together three panelists who shared their direct knowledge of diverse international markets and the rapid innovation and adaptations they are seeing in response to the opportunities and trends accelerated by the pandemic around the world. Bernardo Fort-Brescia, Principal of Arquitectonica, Sonny Kalsi, Co-CEO of BentallGreenOak, and Marcelo Kingston, Managing Partner of Multiplan spoke about Miamis contemporary emergence as a global destination that resonates with post-pandemic live-work lifestyle preferences, particularly for tech and venture capital businesses and workers. The three all agreed that many countries and cities havent faced such rapid widespread change to the patterns of how and where we live, work and shop since WWII. Wherever there is an imbalance in the market between industrial, residential, and commercial development, cities are feeling those gaps very acutely, offered Kalsi. Kingston also highlighted that political stability continues to figure strongly in where companies and people decide to go. As for Miami, Fort-Brescia noted the evolutionary waves the city has experienced over the past four decades and the persistence of skeptics who have doubted the citys advancement. He noted that the building blocks of a global city have been nurtured over many years and set the stage for the dramatic transformation of Miami through the pandemic including: favorable taxes and a business-friendly regulatory context; an international atmosphere made possible by a diverse culture, and; a flourishing tropical urbanism of cities and neighborhoods that have been created by sophisticated developers and architects and appeal to tech, venture capital and entrepreneurial companies and workers. Fort-Brescia proudly stated, Nothing compares, no place Ive described, is as amazing as whats happening in Miami.The future here is bright! Maintaining Momentum The closing keynote conversation took up the topic of how to sustain and build on Miamis forward progress as a global, entrepreneurial, tech-friendly city. The discussion began with a question posed by Arnaud Karsenti, Managing Principal of 13th Floor Investments of just how far can Miami really grow? Sandeep Mathrani, CEO of WeWork, and Francis X. Suarez, Mayor of the City of Miami, answered by examining current facts, and interpreting what those figures mean for future projections. The City of Miami is enjoying low unemployment at 1.4%. Were the #1 city in Florida for pandemic recovery, and in the top three in the nation, said Suarez. Miami has also been ranked #1 in happiest and healthiest residents. These are solid platforms from which to pursue monumental global-scale expansion. Suarez, who is a Miami native, recalled how quickly Miami went from the unofficial capital of Latin America to what people now call The Capital of Capital because of the large number of start-ups, companies looking to level-up, venture capital firms, and investors who come to Miami. Growth is the ultimate goal of every person in charge, or, at least it should be, said Mathrani. Supply and demand are never stagnant, but they have to remain sensibly balanced to attract growth, otherwise people and companies will go elsewhere. Suarez then shared that the city is seeing an influx of investment at unprecedented levels, and city leaderships primary goal right now is to make sure that growth can continue. Miami has the ability to grow 10 times over if we do this smart and we do it scalable. In saying yes to new opportunities, we must also be sure were saying yes to the greater good of the people of Miami, not just now but for generations to come. The UM Real Estate Impact Conference 2022 was made possible through the support of more than 100 sponsors, including presenting sponsors, Douglas Elliman Real Estate, the Kislak Family Foundation, and Witkoff. See photo album. Called the "Mother of the Everglades," Marjory Stoneman Douglas's legacy of protecting the watery region still lives on today. An environmentalist, activist, and feminest, Douglas is perhaps best known for her best-selling book, "The Everglades: River of Grass," which was first published in 1947. Seventy-five years later, the University of Miami is honoring the tireless and groundbreaking efforts her book made to enlighten the public of the importance of preserving the fragile ecosystem. "The book helped galvanize support for the park and appreciation of the Everglades, introducing readers to its unique history and ecosystem," said Robin Bachin, assistant provost for civic and community engagement. "The book also has served as a reminder of the constant need to support Everglades' conservation asindustry and development continued to encroach upon its lands," she added, noting that Douglas's book as published one month before the dedication of Everglades National Park. In celebration of the 75th anniversary of the books publication, the Office of Civic and Community Engagement at the University of Miami is inviting the University community to celebrate this milestone during National Everglades Day on the Rock Plaza on April 7, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. In an effort to honor her activism as well, the office is teaming up with the Center for the Humanities for a panel discussion highlighting Stonemans accomplishments on April 19 in the Kislak Center at Richter Library. Douglas was a pioneer in many areas, not just in Everglades conservation but also in promoting womens suffrage, racial justice, and social equity, pointed out Bachin, who will participate in the discussion. She was a tireless advocate for the causes she believed in and worked to promote them well into her later years, founding Friends of the Everglades, for example, when she was 79 years old. Among the events being featured during the Universitys Earth Month, the Office of Sustainability, along with the Student Government Environment and Conservation Organization (ECO) Agency , invite students, staff and faculty members, alumni, and community members for an exciting series of events that will explore our role in accelerating solutions to combat our greatest threatclimate changeand to encourage everyone to do their part. This is the first time we will do a series of programming the entire month of April to introduce students to different perspectives, said Gustavo Eduardo Tovar, chair of the ECO Agency. Our hope is that Earth Month will give students an opportunity to feel connected to sustainability and all its efforts in a non-discouraging way. Teddy Lhoutellier, director of sustainability, wants everyone to know that there is something for everyone among the programs that are being offered. There are a lot of different events including conferences, plantings, concerts, service days, community outreach happenings, sporting events, and even award ceremonies, listed Lhoutellier. On April 22, the community is invited to the traditional Hug the Lake event from 11:20 to 11:45 a.m. that will be followed by the presentation of the Roberta Bosey Fulbright Foote Award, which recognizes a member of the University community who has made a meaningful and lasting contribution to the beauty, humanity, and future of the campus. For alumni, family, and friends of the U who also want to participate in Earth Month events, the annual Canes Day of Service will be held on April 23 at Virginia Key Outdoor Center, where volunteers can participate in the shoreline or coastal cleanup and invasive plant removal. They can then attend an interactive lunch and learn, hosted by the Miami Canes Community, where the impactful efforts of coral reef restoration will be addressed by researchers from the Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science. As Earth Month celebrations begin, the University is proud to tout the fact that it has earned a STARS Gold certification rating for the second year in a row in recognition of its sustainability achievements from the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE). STARS, the Sustainability Tracking, Assessment and Rating System, measures and encourages sustainability in all aspects of higher education. Participants report achievements in five overall areas: academics, engagement, operations, planning and administration, and innovation and leadership. The institution is very proud to have achieved a STARS rating for our sustainability accomplishments once again, said Jessica Brumley, vice president for facilities operations and planning. We are working hard to ensure our sustainability efforts grow so our ranking may continue to improve through the STARS program. Natalia Jimenez Sierra, vice-chair external of ECO Agency, hopes everyone will participate in the exciting events being held during April. To me, Earth Month is a unique opportunity to explore, learn, and experience the intersectionality of environmentalism, including waste diversion, social justice, sustainable purchasing, and more, she explained. We are all connected by the fact that we live on Earth. By participating in Earth Month, you join the effort to protect the environment as we become educated consumers who learn how to make an impact on the world around us. Get more information on the Universitys Earth Month and view a full list of events. The Lowe Art Museum is taking the community back to the 1980sa decade defined as an incubator for a new wave of Cuban American art. The latest exhibition, Radical Conventions: Cuban American Art from the 1980s, on view until June 12, explores the impact that Cuban American art made during this period when Cuban exiles settled all over the United States, and specifically in Miami. This exhibition looks at a particular historical momentthe 1980sand sets the work of several generations of Cuban-born artists living and working in the U.S. against the social and political landscape that defined that period, explained Elizabeth Cerejido, Esperanza Bravo de Varona Chair of the Cuban Heritage Collection. She added that the exhibit showcases the work from artists, expressing in their own way, the wide-ranging issues of this pivotal decade, which included HIV/AIDS, identity politics, culture wars, postmodernism, the Mariel boat lift, and Reagan-era conservatism. What you will experience is a real plurality of voices exploring issues, both personal and political, and responding to these broader socio-economic, political, and cultural trends, said Jill Deupi, director of the Lowe Art Museum. Its fascinating to see how a diverse group of artists respond in very different ways to some of the most urgent topics of the time. One of the significant aspects of this exhibition is that this is the first major collaboration between the Lowe Art Museum and the Cuban Heritage Collection. This collaboration gives us the opportunity to tell a different story and to showcase the work of artists who have not received their due attention, explained Cerejido. The exhibition challenges assumptions not only about what Cuban American art is, but who should represent it. The work chosen by the curator, Cerejido, reflect the variety of identities that these artists personified. A majority of the artists in this exhibition identify or identified as gay. Many died from AIDS-related complications, drew inspiration from Afro-Cuban religious practices, and were politically and socially liberalchallenging the notion of Cuban Americans being largely conservative, Catholic, and straight, Cerejido said. Most of the artists were born in Cuba, came [to the U.S.] as young adults, and were educated and trained as artists in the U.S. Others came through the Mariel boat lift, and a select few were trained in Cuba. The exhibition was inspired by a larger program that the Cuban Heritage Collection organized in 2020, titled El efecto Mariel: Before, During, and After, to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the boat lift. The idea was not to focus solely on Mariel artists, but rather Mariel would provide the opportunity, the entry point, from which to widen our focus and examine the artistic production of Cuban artists living and working in the U.S. during that pivotal decade, said Cerejido. Deupi said that she believes that the exhibit offers something for everyone. It's a really engaging exhibition with a variety of mediums. The range of stories that are being told on these museum walls is truly incredible, she said. Radical Conventions: Cuban American Art from the 1980s is presented in collaboration with the Cuban Heritage Collection of the University of Miami Libraries. The exhibition is made possible because of generous support by the Knight Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts, the Jorge M. Perez Family Foundation, Funding Arts Network, American Alliance of Museums, Florida Department of State Division of Arts & Culture, Miami-Dade County, the City of Coral Gables, The Cowles Charitable Trust, and The Arnold and August Newman Foundation. It is one of the remaining challenges for weather and climate modelers: understanding how variations in cloud spatial patterns affect weather patterns over time. Now, a University of Miami atmospheric scientist is part of a multiyear NASA-led field campaign that is using synchronized aircraft flights to unravel some of the mysteries surrounding the evolution of clouds during cold-air outbreaksfrom thick, overcast to fluffy, cotton ball-like cumulus clouds. Sampling during cold-air outbreaks is one of the key elements of this project. Were examining how low-altitude clouds change in form as cold air advects offshore, said Paquita Zuidema, a professor at the Universitys Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science, who is an investigator on the Aerosol Cloud meTeorology Interactions oVer the western ATlantic Experiment, or ACTIVATE. Models often underrepresent the streets of shallow clouds and the often-dramatic change from more overcast to more broken clouds, she explained. A critical uncertainty comes about because even in below-freezing temperatures, most of the composition of a cloud is typically liquid, Zuidema added. If, how, and when, the liquid becomes ice, and what that does to the cloud field organization remains a leading research question. We see similar cloud evolutions in fully liquid clouds at warmer temperatures, but have less of an idea of what to expect when ice can also be present. Knowing how much of a cloud is made up of liquid and how much is made up of snow and ice is a driving question for both weather and climate modeling. For the past two years, ACTIVATE researchers have deployed aboard two aircraft out of NASAs Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia, flying over the western North Atlantic Ocean to collect critical data on the atmospheric structure, aerosol, and cloud physics not available through any other means. The two, small planes are both relatively slow-flying, allowing them to increase their sampling time and remain coordinated with each other, Zuidema said. The aircraft fly in synchronized fashion. While one plane flies through the clouds to take atmospheric readings, the second cruises directly above, gathering remote-sensing measurements and releasing probes that record crucial vertical structure readings. The western North Atlantic is an ideal location for the study because of its proximity to cloud transitions. Of further interest is that the continental air advects with a wide range of aerosol loadings, primarily from the industrial pollution of the East Coast. This can then mix in with much cleaner air coming from aloft and with the sea spray aerosols off of the ocean. So, there is a range of complexities to consider, Zuidema said. Data collected by the two NASA aircraft is downloaded to a web server, giving Zuidema and Rosenstiel School assistant scientist Seethala Chellappan the opportunity to analyze how cloud microphysical characteristics relate to the larger environment. We published an initial paper that looked at how effective reanalysis datathat is, data provided by models after they have assimilated satellite measurementscaptured changes in the atmospheric temperature, humidity, and wind vertical profiles as air moved over the Gulf Stream, Zuidema revealed. In that study, published in the September 8, 2021, online issue of AGUGeophysical Research Letters, Zuidema and her team found that reanalysis data are adequate for the purpose of initializing higher-resolution modeling of cold-air outbreak clouds. The project, she said, has the potential to provide atmospheric scientists with decades worth of important information on the processes that dictate the life cycle of clouds, from their formation and maintenance to their eventual dissipation. ACTIVATE research flights will continue through September, augmenting data from previous missions. The University of Arizona is the lead academic institution on the project, which is one of five NASA Earth Venture Suborbital campaigns investigating little-understood aspects of our planets system processes. The study is yet another example of Zuidemas continued work in the exploration of clouds. Her research focuses on the relationship of warm, shallow clouds to the large-scale environment, with an emphasis on the connection to radiation. She served as principal investigator of the five-year NASA-funded ORACLES (ObseRvations of Aerosols above CLouds and their intEractionS) project, studying how biomass burning aerosol particles produced by fires in Southern Africa impact climate. Born in the Netherlands, Zuidema grew up speaking Dutch. She was just 4 when her father, a cultural anthropologist, moved her family to Peru for an academic teaching position. She earned a Bachelor of Science in physics from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and later, a Ph.D. in atmospheric and ocean sciences from the University of Colorado-Boulder. She became fascinated with clouds as a graduate student, writing a thesis on a satellite characterization project that involved low, shallow clouds. I absolutely love looking at clouds, she said, and wondering why they are. According to the BSF's South Bengal Frontier, around 10.15 am on Monday, the alert troopers of the Border Out Post Tilasan, apprehended a person who had crossed the international boundary into Indian territory. The apprehended Bangladeshi national was identified as Mohammad Mukdesh, 65, of Shyampur village under Bangabari Police Station of Gumstapur district of Bangladesh, the officials said. "During interrogation of the apprehended Bangladeshi national, it was found that the Bangladeshi national had inadvertently entered India... Therefore, that person has been handed over to the BGB on humanitarian grounds due to the mutual cooperation and goodwill of the border guarding forces of both the countries," the South Bengal Frontier said. Commanding Officer of the BSF's 44 Battalion H.S. Bedi said that their personnel are keeping a close watch on illegal infiltration along the International Border as well as people crossing the border. The apprehended Bangladeshi national had no prior criminal history or any record of crossing the border illegally and hence was handed back to BGB on humanitarian grounds, he added. --IANS ams/vd ( 217 Words) 2022-03-29-20:40:04 (IANS) New Delhi [India], March 29 (ANI/PR Newswire): The Israel Embassy in India in association with designer Sahil Kochhar, the European Union and Khushii curated a very special show to celebrate women coming together for social change supported by Radisson Blu. It was truly a night to remember and a befitting tribute to the ongoing celebration of 30 years of India and Israel friendship. "Amidi" - boundless, beautiful and majestic, was the most apt way to describe these women who walked the ramp today and complimenting their beauty was a gorgeous capsule collection created by celebrated fashion designer, Sahil Kochhar. Also, present on the occasion was the Minister of External Affairs and Culture for India Meenakshi Lekhi to encourage and support the initiative. Speaking on the occasion, H.E. Ambassador Naor Gilon said, "Women and their power to drive social change needs to be celebrated across the different strata of society that they come from. Empowering a woman is equal to empowering a family. With this beautiful fashion showcase and this incredible group of powerful women coming from different fabrics of society, Amidi has been able to stitch together a beautiful narrative for social change through fashion." Ambassador of the European Union to India, Ugo Astuto said, "Women and girls are key agents of development and change. Achieving gender equality and empowering women and girls is vital to building fair, inclusive, prosperous, and peaceful societies everywhere. Investing in women's economic empowerment is not only the right thing to do as a matter of justice and fairness, but it is also the smart economic choice to make." But this was not a standard showcase; the ramp was transformed to serve as a platform to bring together women from very different walks of life and allow some incredibly talented women from Khushii to be able to tell their inspiring stories. Taking centre stage were nine women who with the help of local NGO Khushii, despite their personal setbacks and challenges, have shown a unique determination to become successful and independent. These women are now helping others in their community to become successful and independent as well. Together with them were diplomats from embassies as well as members of the European Union Delegation, walking alongside and applauding their spirit and strength. Working together on the show has given the young women a great sense of empowerment and the funds raised will further help in empowering and skill-building of more girls from across communities. Talking about the collection, designer Sahil Kochhar said, "I am very happy to come together with the Embassy of Israel for this very special initiative. This collection is personal and unique to me. It is a tribute to womanhood in all its forms coming together to celebrate these very special girls. I hope these young girls feel their very best while walking down the ramp as the stars that they really are." The Ambassador of the Kingdom of Belgium kindly hosted the event at his residence designed by celebrated Indian artist Satish Gujral, the perfect backdrop for this event. Riya Kumari is one of three siblings and is from Azadpur, Delhi. Currently, she is completing her second year from IGNOU. She aspires to be an independent woman who takes care of her family. She is studying towards becoming a nurse. Hailing from Mukund, Bihar, 23-year-old Ruchi is highly passionate about stitching her own clothes or even suits for others and has trained herself in the art for the last 6 years. Through the constant love and support of her family, Ruchi imparts her knowledge to three students under her wing and hopes to pursue more opportunities in the stitching industry. Laadli is altruistic in nature. Determined to be able to help others as much as she can while thinking about herself the least, Laadli is a hard-working, sincere child. She has completed a GDA course and is interested in improving her skills in the field of design. Babita, a 29-year-old woman, first discovered the Khushii NGO while working in an anganwadi. After her marriage, she encountered several problems. She was encouraged to pursue a GDA course. After completing it, she is now interested in working in either the field of nursing or any other field where she can help others. She says she will always want to stay associated with Khushii. Nisha is interested in the field of tailoring and stitching. She completed a course for the same at Khushii and is looking to gain experience in this industry so that she can explore her interests as well as guide others. Poonam is curious about everything new that she comes across and is eager to learn more about it. She also took a tailoring course at Khushii to learn more about it. Manu is currently pursuing an MA from IGNOU. She has also completed a GDA course and is interested in being an independent, working woman so that she can support her mother, the way she supported her. Kritika has just completed the twelfth grade and has taken an interest in stitching. She is a quick learner and aspires to be an independent working woman. The Embassy of Israel in India is dedicated to promoting bilateral relations between the two countries in all areas based on the shared values, interests and challenges Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1775547/VIPs.jpg Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1775546/Amidi.jpg This story is provided by PRNewswire. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of this article. (ANI/PR Newswire) They have not only shattered the glass ceiling but brought about innovation through their path-breaking ideas creating a positive change in the business ecosystem of India. BW Businessworld WESA endeavours to acknowledge and appreciate women leaders who are paving the path not only for themselves, but others as well. The summit and awards ceremony will be conducted phygitally on March 29, 2022 at The Hyatt Regency, Bhikaji Cama Place, New Delhi from 2:00-7:00 PM with Keynote Address by Suchitra Ella, Co-founder & Jt. MD, Bharat Biotech International. A full day virtual summit will follow on March 30, 2022. WESA will showcase aspirational stories & life lessons of the participants. The platform serves as a melting pot for marquee industry veterans, founders, and investors alike. In addition, it is an insightful initiative for upcoming women entrepreneurs, PR agencies, incubators, and accelerators, among others. This year the categories included Real Estate and Proptech, Education and Education Tech Emerging Women Entrepreneur Award, Woman Entrepreneur of the Year, Social Woman Entrepreneur Award, Fintech Women Entrepreneur Award, Food Tech Woman Entrepreneur, Technology Women Entrepreneur Award, Ecommerce Tech Women Entrepreneur Award, Fashion and Lifestyle Women Entrepreneur Award, Startup Women Entrepreneur Award, Young Women Entrepreneur Award, Creative Woman Entrepreneur Award, Arts And Culture Women Entrepreneur Award, Health, Wellness and Healthtech Women Entrepreneur Award. This year saw multiple applications, and after careful examination by a jury comprising of eminent industry leaders: Jury Chair - Meena Ganesh, Co-founder, MD & Chairperson, Portea Medical. Jury Members included Padmaja Ruparel, Co-founder & President of Indian Angel Network (IAN), Dr. Ananta Singh Raghuvanshi, Founder President-Elect, Naredco Mahi, Dr. Dhruv Nath Director - Lead Angels Network, Earlier Senior Vice President, NIIT, and Professor, MDI, Gurgaon, Co-author, "Funding Your Start-up: And Other Nightmares", Paulomi Dhawan, Strategic Advisor on perception image management, media, marketing, brand communications, Sukirti Gupta, Founder, Sipping Thoughts LIV, Atul Hegde co-founded Rainmaker Ventures. After many rounds of discussion and deliberation we were able to narrow down to 16 names who will be celebrated during the Awards Ceremony. To attend, register here: bwevents.co.in/bw/wea-2022/registration.html. This story is provided by NewsVoir. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of this article. (ANI/NewsVoir) New Delhi [India], March 29 (ANI/NewsVoir): From transformative digital technologies such as Fintech, SaaS, IoT, AI, machine learning, virtual reality, and blockchain to gaming, Indian startups are critical to India's growth story. Celebrating India's entrepreneurial spirit and the country's burgeoning startup ecosystem, the 29th Convergence India and the 7th Smart Cities India Expo 2022 - India's largest technology and infrastructure events - concluded Day 3 on a high note. The Hon'ble Minister, Information Technology, Govt. of Bihar, Jibesh Kumar said, "Bihar will be a leading state in the field of IT in the country in the next 10 years. He said that Bihar is giving emphasis on making investor friendly policy. Our policy is designed keeping in mind the convenience of the investors." At the Startup Pavilion, the three-day event brought together founders and startup enthusiasts from across the country. The event - which was curated for creators and innovators to share their projects, knowledge, passions, and insights - served as an excellent networking opportunity and a gathering place for aspiring entrepreneurs developing cutting-edge technologies for the future. The three-day event was a resounding success, with an overwhelming response from guests and visitors to the exhibit of the Department of Information Technology, Government of Bihar. The Government of Bihar's Department of Information Technology participated in the event as a state partner. The participation was motivated by the Department's twin objectives: a) To facilitate departmental IT enablement and online delivery of services, benefits, and subsidies; and b) To stimulate investment and employment in the state's information technology sector. The Department of Information Technology, Bihar's stall at the 29th Convergence India Expo received an overwhelming response from visiting dignitaries including Shri A. Navaneethakrishnan, Chairman, Committee on Government Assurances, Rajya Sabha (RS), Kunal Kumar IAS, Joint Secretary and Mission Director, Government of India's Smart Cities Mission, Amit Kumar IAS, Chief Executive Officer, Ranchi Smart City Corporation Limited, and Athar Aamir Khan IAS, Commissioner of Srinagar Municipal Corporation & CEO, Srinagar Smart City Ltd. Anshul Gupta IAS, CEO Ujjain Smart City, President, CISCO India, Daisy Chittilapilly, to name a few. The distinguished guests lauded and congratulated the Department of Information Technology, Bihar, for their commitment and dedication to establishing Bihar as the East India's next investment destination. Stall 4.73, which was assigned to the Department of Information Technology, Government of Bihar, received a positive response and compliments not only from visitors but also from co-participants for being one of the best stalls, putting on an excellent show, and showcasing the state of Bihar's IT revolution. The IT Department stall visually demonstrated Bihar's vision of Good Governance and how e-Governance has also created new opportunities for investors to come and invest in Bihar's IT sector, as Bihar is emerging as an investment destination in the east. Additionally, it demonstrated how Bihar's 2017 Startup Policy and Industrial Investment Promotion Policy will pave the way for investors and entrepreneurs to establish profitable and sustainable businesses in the state. Day 3 of 29th Convergence India Expo was marked by presence of esteemed delegates from the Government of India and the Hon'ble Minister of Information Technology, Govt. of Bihar also visited the IT Bihar's stall. In a press conference with the media he expressed his optimism & confidence that the state of Bihar will prove to be a fruitful Investment Destination for IT giants. On the third day of the exhibition, the Hon'ble Minister for the Department of Information Technology, Government of Bihar, Shri Jibesh Kumar, graced the event as a Chief Guest. He discussed Bihar's vision of e-Governance and good governance in his valedictory address at the closing ceremony, as well as how e-Governance has created new opportunities for investors to invest in Bihar's IT sector. Concerning startups and ideas, Jibesh Kumar stated that Bihar will be the first state to implement the Vidya Udyami Yojana, which will reward individuals who bring innovative business ideas. Students and individuals working on their idea prior to startup will be supported in all aspects of the scheme, including financial assistance from the government. He asserted that Bihar has experienced a sea change in terms of law and order, electricity, water, and infrastructure. This is why investors are beginning to recognise Bihar's potential. The state is receiving massive investment proposals. Bihar received a proposal for an investment of more than 30 thousand crore rupees last year. When people talk about Smart Cities today, our Hon'ble Chief Minister Nitish Kumar is working on Smart Villages. Today, work is being done in every village of the state to improve roads, water, electricity, and other basic needs. "Bihar embarks to a new journey of technological revolution and has shown tremendous growth on IT Front & Good Governance. The initiatives of e-governance and creation of investment opportunities in the state has been phenomenal even during the Corona Pandemic," said Shri Jibesh Kumar, Hon'ble Minister for the Department of Information Technology, Govt. of Bihar. This year's edition also featured a 'Startup Pitch' competition, supported by Incubation Centre, IIT Patna, across various sectors including Internet of Things (IoT), Automation, Mechatronics, Robotics, Medical Electronics, Industry 4.0, Smart Cities and other related ESDM. Troncart Solutions Pvt. Ltd. emerged as the winner in the unique Startup Pitch competition who was awarded a cash prize of 1 Lakh. The two runners up were Riod logic Pvt. Ltd. and Thinkraw Pvt. Ltd. The Smart City India (SCI) Awards concluded the 29th Convergence India and the 7th Smart Cities India Expo 2022. The award ceremony was graced by Chief Guest Shri Jibesh Kumar, Hon'ble Minister for the Department of Information Technology and the Department of Labour Resources, Government of Bihar. Jibesh Kumar cognates the organiser for successfully organised the event and he said, "India's information technology and information technology-enabled services (IT-ITES) industry has the potential to be a driving force in harnessing new technologies, affecting all sectors including agriculture, health, education, manufacturing, and others, and thus creating significant employment and entrepreneurial opportunities in the country. India has emerged as the world's digital capabilities hub, with approximately 75% of global digital talent residing in the country." This story is provided by NewsVoir. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of this article. (ANI/NewsVoir) Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], March 29 (ANI/NewsVoir): IDFC FIRST Bank today announced scholarships for meritorious students of Mumbai's leading institution, NMIMS' School of Mathematics, Applied Statistics & Analytics (SOMASA). The scholarship is open to first-year data science and analytics students at SVKM's NMIMS (SOMASA). The grant will cover students' annual fees in the first year of their respective program. The awardees will also get an opportunity to intern at IDFC FIRST Bank. They will be paid a stipend, with the possibility of a pre-placement employment offer to work with the Bank's Data Science & Analytics team, based on their performance during the internship. The internship will be for two months and may be extended for an additional four months. B Madhivanan, Chief Operating Officer, IDFC FIRST Bank, said, "We are committed to building and supporting talent in data science and analytics, a dynamic and high-demand field. The scholarship program also ties in well with two of the three pillars of our Bank's business philosophy i.e. being digital and a force for social-good. The announcement of the scholarship at NMIMS, one of India's leading universities, is just the beginning. Going forward, we hope to expand this initiative and enable more students to blaze new trails in their academic and professional pursuits." Dr Ramesh Bhat, Vice-chancellor, SVKM's NMIMS, said, "I thank and congratulate IDFC FIRST Bank for initiating this scholarship program for the meritorious students of NMIMS School of Mathematics, Applied Statistics & Analytics. The scholarship program is one of the excellent initiatives that will benefit students pursuing their education in data analytics at NMIMS. The partnership with IDFC comes at a very appropriate time, which will help us train students for preparing project work, internships, and the final placements. We have recently undergone a restructuring of our school and departments, which has led to the creation of the School of Mathematics, Applied Statistics & Analytics. The new school will be under the leadership of Dr Sushil Kulkarni, who has recently joined us as the Dean, and we are sure that he would take the school to the new heights." The selection of students for the IDFC FIRST Bank Meritorious Student Scholarship will be based on their first-semester examination results, followed by personal interviews. Equal weightage will be given to academic excellence and the Bank's internal evaluation in the selection process. IDFC FIRST Bank has awarded 1028 scholarships to students enrolled in B-schools with a family income of less than Rs. 6 lakh per annum. With a legacy of 41 years, SVKM's NMIMS has grown to be not only one of the top-10 B-schools in India but also emerged as a multi-disciplinary, multi-campus University at Mumbai, Navi Mumbai, Indore, Shirpur, Dhule, Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Chandigarh and seventeen constituent schools that include Management, Family Business, Engineering, Pharmacy, Architecture, Commerce, Economics, Law, Science, Liberal Arts, Design, Performing Arts, Mathematical Science, Agricultural Science, Hospitality Management, Branding & Advertising and Distance Learning. NMIMS has eleven Centres of Excellence as well at the University. The consistent academic quality, research focus, faculty from top national and global institutes and strong industry linkages at NMIMS have placed it amongst the nation's prime centres of educational excellence and research today. It has taken major initiatives in terms of programs, curriculum development, international linkages, placements and students' development. Today, the University is a globalized centre of learning, providing its students a balanced exposure to the industry's research, academics, and practical aspects. IDFC FIRST Bank's vision is to build a world class bank in India, guided by ethics, powered by technology, and to be a force for social good. Though the Bank is a recent entrant to the banking system in India, IDFC FIRST Bank was the first universal bank to introduce monthly interest credits to customers on savings accounts, low dynamic APR and lifetime free credit cards, intuitive and personalized mobile app, digital savings and lending solutions, contemporary wealth management, digital cash management solutions, unique multi-purpose fleet card and Fastag solutions, a cutting- edge corporate banking portal and other such unique industry-first features. The Bank has a balance sheet of Rs. 1,74,232 crore, and has provided over 30 million loans in its history. It serves customers in over 60,000 villages, cities and towns across the length and breadth of the country. In a short time, the Bank has expanded to 599 branches, 201 asset service centres, 727 ATMs and 620 rural business correspondent centres across the country, and is incrementally growing digitally. The Bank enjoys the trust of millions of customers and its deposits have grown at a CAGR of 84 per cent during the three years since merger. For more information, please visit: : www.idfcfirstbank.com Established in 1981, NMIMS is today recognized as a globally reputed university with strong industry linkages. It offers multiple disciplines across 8 campuses that consist of 17 specialized schools, more than 17000-plus full-time students, and about 800-plus full-time faculty members, 10 faculty members with Fulbright Scholarship and Humboldt International Scholarship for post-doctoral researchers. It is known for its consistent academic quality and research-focused approach towards holistic education. SVKM's NMIMS has been granted Category-I Deemed University status by Graded Autonomy Regulation 2018 by MHRD/UGC and NMIMS Mumbai Campus is NAAC accredited with a CGPA of 3.59. For more information, please visit: nmims.edu. This story is provided by NewsVoir. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of this article. (ANI/NewsVoir) Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], March 29 (ANI/NewsVoir): HDFC ERGO General Insurance Company, a leading private general insurer and a digital-first company leads the way in customer loyalty with the launch of the VAULT program, an industry-first digital customer engagement and rewards program. HDFC ERGO is committed towards enhancing customer experience and making them feel valued. Staying true to this commitment, the Company has taken advantage of the Regulatory Sandbox by IRDAI, in the form of VAULT, an experiment to test a new idea. Under this program, the insurer will incentivize its Optima Restore health insurance customers by way of reward points for performing certain activities like staying insured under the policy for more than two years, holding two active HDFC ERGO retail policies, interacting digitally, using the cashless network of healthcare providers, etc. These reward points, equivalent to cash, can be redeemed against a wide range of wellness offers like pharmacy vouchers, doctor consultations, etc; or can be used for social causes or buying insurance products. Speaking about the launch of VAULT, Ravi Vishwanath, President - Accident & Health Business, HDFC ERGO General Insurance said, "Innovation is the key to all that we do at HDFC ERGO. The Regulatory Sandbox gives us the impetus we need to innovate and introduce new and unique offerings for our customers. We believe that with VAULT, the relationship with our policyholders will go beyond the traditional transactional mode and help us provide more value to them. While it will pave the way to deeper engagement, it will facilitate reaching out to many new such customers who are keen to associate with an insurer who nurtures and values its customers' loyalty." HDFC ERGO General Insurance Company is a joint venture between HDFC Ltd. and ERGO International AG; the primary insurance entity of the Munich RE Group of Germany. HDFC ERGO is one of India's largest non-life insurance company in the private sector. A digital-first company, transforming into an AI-first company, HDFC ERGO is a leader in implementing technology to offer consumers the best-in-class service experience. The company has created a stream of innovative & new products as well as services using technologies like Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning (ML), Natural Processing Language (NLP), Robotics and IBM Watson. HDFC ERGO offers a range of general insurance products and has a completely digital sales process with ~93% of retail policies issued digitally. The self-help tech platform developed by HDFC ERGO has empowered the customers to avail 58% of the services virtually in a self-help mode on a 24x7 basis with ~40% of the customer requested services digitally. The Company offers a complete range of General Insurance products including Health, Motor, Home, Agriculture, Travel, Credit, Cyber and Personal Accident in the retail space along with Property, Marine, Engineering, Marine Cargo, Group Health and Liability Insurance in the corporate space. Be it unique insurance products, integrated customer service models, top-in-class claim processes or a host of technologically innovative solutions, HDFC ERGO has been able to delight its customers at every touch-point and milestone to ensure consumers are serviced in real-time. Please log on to www.hdfcergo.com for more information on HDFC ERGO and the products and services offered by the company. This story is provided by NewsVoir. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of this article. (ANI/NewsVoir) Surat (Gujarat) [India], March 29 (ANI/PNN): The Uka Tarsadia University invited Viral Desai, popularly known as 'Greenman' as the chief guest at the 9th Convocation for conferring degrees on the students of Commerce and Management faculties. Desai gave an encouraging address to a large crowd of commerce and management students at the Uka Tarsadia University's auditorium, emphasizing the importance of a degree and education, as well as the spirit of environmental protection, in shaping India's future. Desai challenged the graduates to make significant contributions to environmental conservation and become 'Paryavaran Senani'. Talking with the media, Desai said, 'Education is not just a degree of the paper, but it is also a process that expands a person's capabilities and expertise that goes through the procedure.' The one thing that I am pleased about the Uka Tarsadia University is that it leads in imparting Degrees, but it is also at the forefront in teaching Values and Concerns to its students. This university education has given fresh hope when the country requires professionals and environmentally conscious individuals.' The 9th convocation of the Uka Tarsadia University was attended by Dr NC Shah, Dr Dinesh Shah, and Dr Krunal Patel. This story is provided by PNN. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of this article. (ANI/PNN) Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], March 29 (ANI/Bloomingdale): SKOODLE, the flagship brand of Stone Sapphire India Limited and a leading stationery and art material manufacturer in India has recently been honoured as the Prestigious Rising Brands of Asia 2021-22 at the Global Business Symposium 2022. Organized by Herald Global and ERTC Media at Goa Marriott Resort & Spa on March 27, SKOODLE reigned the nominations in the Stationery and Toys Category as the young and promising brand to look out for. The event witnessed massive participation from significant dignitaries like Saimik Sen, Editor-in-Chief, Herald Global, Pramod Sawant, Chief Minister of Goa, Shripad Yesso Naik, Honorable Minister of State for Tourism & Ports, India and eminent leaders like Namrata Ulman, Deepali Naik, Churchill Alemao and Sagun Velip, who are all achievers in their respective industries. Prestigious Brands of Asia 2021-22 is a listing of remarkable brands who have redefined the benchmarks in their respective fields through their legacy and sustainability in the market. The list involves the most renowned as well as fastest-growing brands that have authenticated their objectives to create the future by embracing a combination of their advanced products or services and have contributed to transforming the economy. SKOODLE, a notably young Indian brand, with a remarkable penetration in art craft and recently toys, was acknowledged for its diligent efforts dedicated into indigenous manufacturing and development of wide product range despite the pandemic, supporting India's intrinsic growth story against global tide. Its iconic product, 100 per cent recycled paper pencils, and BIS-certified toys from classic board games to playing dough and clay has struck a strong connect with the Indian Parents. Recognised also in past for its sustainable school supplies, Skoodle has maintained its promise to source ethically, be respectful to our planet, and most importantly commit Fun quotient to their little partners, children. The brand was appreciated for having steadily placed the consumer at the centre of all their thoughts, through its initiatives. Sandeep Saxena, Vice President Business Development received the Marketing Meister Award for playing a significant role in shaping the brand through his industry insights and meaningful marketing leadership. Honourees who graced the event with their industry expertise along with SKOODLE include stellar dignitaries like Avon Cycles, MyFitness, EaseMyTrip, Engine Brand Mustard Oil, Infinity Learn by Sri Chaitanya, Stahl, AMO Electric Bikes and AKV Wall Putty, amongst many other renowned names. Representing SKOODLE, Sandeep Saxena says "Being told you are appreciated is the most encouraging things one can hear having put endless & tireless work by all teams. This achievement is a noteworthy milestone for Skoodle as it firmly endorses the faith shown by our channel partners and consumers alike. SKOODLE has always strived to stay ahead of the curve. Being awarded as the Prestigious Rising Brands of Asia 2021-22 and being recognized as a Marketing Meister, strongly reinforces our belief that we are on the right path and the race has just begun." Adnan Chara, Head Trade Marketing added "Skoodle is all about kids. Skoodle kick-started its relationship with kids with we launching our stationery portfolio just 4 years back and I am proud to state that we are the fastest growing brand in this market. Skoodle started talking to kids in one more colourful language (including licensed products from Disney, Marvel, Peppa, Paw Patrol, Barbie etc) as we launched toys 2 years back. The hallmark of true professionalism of the teams backing up the brand is that today no toy shop can consider itself complete till it has Skoodle toys on its shelves. What is an incredible feat is that a business that started as a 100 per cent import-based business model, based on Mr. Modi's vision is today a 100 per cent Make In India business! What we fully comprehend is that we have the world's largest kid's population for us to serve and as long as this remains true, and we keep doing honest and innovative work, we will remain in business." This story is provided by Bloomingdale. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of this article. (ANI/Bloomingdale) New Delhi [India], March 29 (ANI/ATK): Over 85 per cent of all packaged foods in India include artificial additives, which are chemicals intended to improve and enhance the taste, appearance, and shelf life of the foods. These chemicals hidden behind unpronounceable names and cryptic numbers are linked to cancer, diabetes, heart disease, obesity, and even ADHD. Utilizing this opportunity, many brands have popped up with the motto of promoting and delivering natural and healthy food. However, there was a major drawback with many of these firms failing to deliver palatable foods; thereby causing traction from gaining mass acceptance. People really wanted to stock up on healthy food and snacks but didn't find them appealing to their taste buds. And for a period, "healthy snack" became synonymous with bad taste. If you are willing to buy sugar free, or a natural snack, you better be ready to encounter its bland taste. This scenario, therefore, calls for a competent firm capable enough to bridge the demand for natural and healthy foods while meeting the needs of the taste buds. With a deep understanding of food science and a customer-centric approach, McGill Foods' Eatopia is one brand that fills this void with absolute competency and ease. According to the CEO & Director of McGill Foods - Jacob George, "Eatopia has prioritized consumer's insights and has taken care to fit products into a consumer's day-to-day lifestyle. Understanding food science, leveraging the market, deep level penetration of food science & technology, exploring opportunities within food science, connecting with the consumers, trying to be a part of their lifestyle has helped Eatopia stay on par with the standards set by the industry." Since its inception, Eatopia has strived to deliver healthy products that are developed using ingredients from natural sources. "Eatopia has been established with an aim to be a superhub for all health needs. The brand aims to become an integral part of a consumer's healthy lifestyle. Eatopia's objective is to positively impact lives through clean-green food made with all-natural ingredients with zero chemical additives.," mentions Sachin Eapen, Co-Director, McGill foods. This story is provided by ATK. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of this article. (ANI/ATK) Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh) [India], March 29 (ANI/NewsVoir): Jagran Lakecity University today announced the dates for the next round of entrance exam for admissions to undergraduate and postgraduate programmes for academic year 2022-2023. Jagran Lakecity University Entrance Tests (JLUET) attracts thousands of students from around the country who appear for the aptitude test and personal interviews for various disciplines. Jagran Lakecity University Entrance Test or JLUET 2022 is a qualifier exam for admissions to many UG and PG programmes offered by award winning central India's global university JLU. The upcoming round of JLUET for admission to undergraduate & postgraduate programmes is scheduled for March 31st, 2022. JLU along with JLUET also accepts all national entrance examination scores like CLAT, CAT, MAT, and other national level entrance exams. JLU seeks to assemble an extraordinary and diverse class of undergraduate and postgraduate students by conducting a global entrance tests in rolling mode before the start of a new academic year. JLUET process values academic excellence, but never reduces applicants to any one factor, such as grades or test scores. Decisions to admit an applicant are made by diverse admissions panels across JLU Faculty & disciplines based on knowledge, aptitude and an expansive view of excellence. The entrance test is completed in two phases. The initial online exam assesses the aptitude level and subject knowledge, followed by a Group Discussion or Personal Interaction to evaluate the student's communication skills and overall purpose and ability. Students can register for JLUET to get admission for 50+ UGC approved degree programs at www.jlu.edu.in/jluet JLUET 2022 is a multiple-choice, 90-minute exam that covers the syllabus of the qualifying examination like Class XII for UG and graduation for PG, in addition to aptitude tests including Logical Reasoning, General Awareness, General English, along with a few program-specific questions. Entrance for all Design programmes like UX/UI, Visual Communication, PI & portfolio presentations are also advised. JLU also allows students to take a career assessment test powered by Mindler, Career Launcher and various student support organisations along with its career counselling services to help them choose the right career path in life. There has been a steady increase in applicants across all disciplines and programmes. Since 2019, the share of the JLU admitted programmes that is pan India & international has grown significantly. Prof Sandeep Shastri, Vice-Chancellor Jagran, Lakecity University said, "Jagran Lakecity University is an equal opportunity higher education Institution. We look at each applicant as an individual, and hold each applicant's unique background and experiences, alongside grades and test scores, to find applicants of exceptional ability and character, who can help create a campus community that is diverse on multiple dimensions, including on academic and extracurricular interests and life experiences. We encourage existing students and fresh applicants take advantage of all that JLU offers and contribute to the learning and social environment for their classmates, university and the city. Factors such as life experiences, overcoming adversity, or specific talents are particularly important in deciding who will be offered admission." Scholarships at JLU Jagran Lakecity University, offers Rs. 2.5 Cr. towards Freeships and Scholarship under the various categories like Shri Hari Mohan Gupta Freeships, JLU Excellence Scholarship for Academics, JLU Excellence Scholarship for Sports, Shri Gurudev Gupta Media Scholarship and JLU Defence Service Scholarship. More details on scholarships are available on university's website www.jlu.edu.in. Students qualified after the entrance exam are eligible for admission to more than 56-plus specialized degree programmes and can also avail up to 100 per cent scholarships based on their scores in the exam. Career Development Centre at Jagran Lakecity University A professionally run Career Development Centre (CDC) team at JLU supports the students in their quest for an exciting professional career after graduation. The CDC collaborates with multiple stakeholders - Students, Corporates, and Groups within JLU to facilitate students to evolve in their careers with introspection and self-discovery. The CDC office offers a wide range of activities including but not limited to Career Counselling, Corporate Connect sessions for networking opportunities, Employability Training through Centre for Professional Studies which is enhanced through the usage. Over Jagran Lakecity University has an inspiring and commendable placement record over the years. Students have been successfully placed across various industrial verticals including the top MNCs and Financial Institutions. The placement record is achieved through a dedicated placements team which strives hard to bring the best companies and offers on campus. Apart from being offered lucrative and strong packages, the students are also giving challenging profiles within these well-known and sought after companies of the platform "X-Billion". The admission & scholarship journey at JLU is a simple 5 step process which is available in a user friendly online platform, from registration, entrance exam, expert counselling, GD/PI, and enrolment. JLU Admission team handholds students in making a well-informed choice to pursue their career dreams at the world-class central India's global university. This story is provided by NewsVoir. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of this article. (ANI/NewsVoir) New Delhi [India], March 29 (ANI/NewsVoir): Underscoring the significance of engaging with grassroots communities to effectively tackle the impacts of climate change, government representatives and experts taking part in the inception workshop for the GEF Seventh Operational Phase of Small Grants Programme in India (SGP - OP7) in New Delhi on Tuesday, emphasised the need to 'think globally and act locally' to ring in transformative change. The SGP - OP7 that aims to bring together stakeholders from non-governmental, community-based and civil society organisations is being implemented by The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) under the guidance of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). It proposes to enable communities and organizations to take collective action for socio-ecological resilience and sustainable livelihoods in three key landscapes of India. Delivering the keynote address Neelesh Kumar Sah, Joint Secretary, MoEF&CC said, "To make effective changes on the ground it is important to get the State governments on board." Mr. Sah pointed out that the small grants programme can play a vital role in realising the goal of 'thinking globally and acting locally' and that projects under it must be designed to impact livelihoods positively. Placing the small grants programme in perspective, Dr Vibha Dhawan, Director General, TERI, said it is an effective way to involve stakeholders on the ground. "Small programmes bring organisations with diversity on board and show us what is needed at the grassroots. Their participation is essential to address the global problems of climate change and resource depletion," she said. Ashish Chaturvedi, Head, Environment and Energy, UNDP, India, too emphasised the significance of this project in tackling climate change and bringing about transformative changes. "Small steps and community-led action are equally important if not more, when it comes to transformative change, as compared to large flagship initiatives," Chaturvedi added. Highlighting the long legacy of the small grants programme in India, he said over 400 of them have been implemented across the country so far. The SGP-OP7 aims to provide financial and technical support to local communities, community-based and civil society organizations, mostly in poor and often remote areas, for initiatives that conserve and restore the environment while enhancing people's livelihoods and wellbeing. Highlighting the challenges faced by local communities in the event of climate change, Anusha Sharma, Project Officer, NRM and Biodiversity, UNDP India, emphasised the need for strategies for local action. "Local communities are at the heart of climate action. They need technical capacity, financial support and, on occasions, support from the government," Sharma noted. Explaining the framework of the SGP-OP7, Manish Kumar Pandey, SGP National Coordinator, said the project will focus on the thematic areas of biodiversity, land degradation, and climate change adaptation and mitigation. It will be implemented in the highlands of the Northeast, the central semi-arid region of India and the Indian coastal regions. "The target is to restore 10,000 hectares of land by the end of five years of the project period. The project aims to work towards improved practices for the benefit of biodiversity in the marine habitat - 600 hectares at the end of five years." The inception workshop is aimed at building awareness on the project objectives, thematic areas, selected landscapes, and information regarding the grant disbursal procedure. Giving a broad framework of the governance structure of the OP-7 of the Small Grants Programme, Ms. Tabinda Bashir, Project Associate, Climate Change and Resilience, UNDP India said, "This is a unique programme that keeps the civil society at the centre and all grants will be approved by the national steering committee that upholds utmost transparency." Aprajita Mukherjee, Gender Focal Point, UNDP CO, underlined the special gender action plan which will be part of the SGP-OP7. "In a fast-paced project there is a possibility of gender slipping through the cracks. The gender action plan is the standard to be mindful of the gender angle. It reminds us that we need to be aware of the differential impacts of climate change on gender," Ms. Mukherjee added. Making a suggestion to include the third gender into the special gender action plan, Sonamani Haobam, Deputy Secretary, MoEF&CC, underscored the significance of small steps to achieve the larger sustainability goals. "It is important to go back to the stage where humans engaged with nature for sustainable consumption and production. We had begun to manipulate nature and we are now at its mercy," Mr Haobam said. The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) is an independent, multi-dimensional research organization, with capabilities in policy research, technology development, and implementation. Headquartered in New Delhi, TERI has regional centres and campuses in Gurugram, Bengaluru, Guwahati, Mumbai, Panaji, and Nainital, supported by a multi-disciplinary team of scientists, sociologists, economists, engineers, administrative professional and state-of-the-art infrastructure. On the ground in about 170 countries and territories, UNDP works to eradicate poverty while protecting the planet. We help countries develop strong policies, skills, partnerships and institutions so they can sustain their progress. UNDP has worked in India since 1951 in almost all areas of human development, from systems and institutional strengthening to inclusive growth and sustainable livelihoods, as well as sustainable energy, environment and resilience. UNDP's programmes continue to fully integrate a global vision for catalytic change with India's national priorities. With over 30 projects on the ground in almost every state, today UNDP India works to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals by transforming traditional models to do development differently. This story is provided by NewsVoir. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of this article. (ANI/NewsVoir) New Delhi [India], March 29 (ANI/India PR Distribution): India Internet Engineering Society (IIESoc) & Industry Network Technology Council (INTC) will be organizing the 5th iteration of Connections as a joint India-US fully online event on April 2-8, 2022. The first Connections event was held in Bangalore in 2017 with a subsequent one also in Bangalore in 2018. The third Connections event was held in Kolkata in 2019 before we went fully online in 2020 because of the pandemic. This iteration will also be fully online, free, and generously sponsored by the Internet Society, APNIC Foundation, Juniper Networks & Cisco Systems. Connections is an annual event to get protocol developers, enterprises, academicians, and network operators together on the same platform to discuss the latest problems facing the internet and the solutions relevant to them. The event includes discussions on network deployments, operations, and the design of networks and protocols. The aim is also to educate and prepare new members for Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) involvement from underserved geographies and constituencies. This aligns well with the IIESoc's mission which is focused on bridging the gap between India and the internet standards whereas the INTC's mission is focused on the impact of internet standards and technologies in the traditional "Brick-n-Mortar" Enterprise networks. We have a great line of speakers such as Bob Hinden (co-inventor of IPv6), Dr Paul Vixie (Internet Hall of Fame inductee), Adrian Farrel (GMPLS and PCE pioneer), Geoff Huston (Chief Scientist), etc. The aim of the event is also to bring in diverse voices from all stakeholders in the Internet Community. The event focuses on technology trends in IPv6 Extension headers, IoT, DNS, the latest trends in networking as well as problems that might be keeping our speakers up at night! This time we are also focusing beyond IETF and discussing other standards developing organizations (SDOs) with a focus on private 5G networks, performance testing for Wi-Fi, and Broadband Forum User Services Platform (USP). The esteemed speakers include service providers such as Satish Jamadagni (Reliance Jio) and Barbara Stark (ex-AT&T). From the network equipment vendor side we have Ron Bonica (Juniper), Dr Pascal Thubert (Cisco), and Dr Dirk Trossen (Huawei). We have a panel on IoT with special representations from Indian startups founders such as Ravishankar G Shiroor (Stellapps), Rahul Jadhav (Accuknox), and Sundar Ramakrishnan (Pinaka Aerospace). From the academic side, Georgios Z. Papadopoulos (IMT Atlantique), Carsten Bormann (TZI), and Lincoln Lavoie (University of New Hampshire) will bring in their expertise! Not to miss out on Martin Thomson (Mozilla), Jason Walls (QA Cafe), Nalini Elkins (Inside Products), Shwetha Bhandari (ThoughtSpot), etc who will be bringing their unique perspective and expertise. There is also a pre-Event focused on learning about IETF and listening directly from the long-term IETFers on Saturday April 2. Find all the details and register at our website - https://www.connections.iiesoc.in/ Dhruv Dhody, President IIESoc Nalini Elkins, President INTC The India Internet Engineering Society (IIESoc) is a non-profit that brings together different stakeholders from the computer networking community across industry, academia, service providers, and government. IIESoc exists to further the adoption of IETF standards and increase awareness and participation in the IETF process from the subcontinent. IIESoc has been organizing an annual pre-IETF event in India called Connections and regular meetups called RFCsWeLove. INTC is a nonprofit membership organization that brings enterprises, academia, and government organizations together to promote education and collaboration on current and evolving Internet Standards in a vendor-neutral environment. INTC hosts webinars on technical topics which are free to all. This story is provided by India PR Distribution. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of this article. (ANI/India PR Distribution) The Association of National Exchanges Members of India (ANMI) on Tuesday urged the government to extend the timeline for seeding Permanent Account Number (PAN) with Aadhaar, which ends on March 31, by another six months. In a letter to the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI), ANMI requested the market regulator not to suspend accounts of those investors whose PAN is not linked with Aadhaar. As per the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) notification dated September 17, 2021, if the PAN is not linked to Aadhaar by March 31, 2022, the PAN of such persons shall become inoperative immediately after the said date. In a letter addressed to SEBI's whole-time member Ananta Barua, ANMI noted that as per the Exchange and Depository circulars on Aadhar seeding with PAN, in case the PAN is not seeded with Aadhaar before the date specified by the Government, it will not be considered as a valid PAN. Accordingly, with effect from the said date in case PAN and Aadhar are not linked, new as well as existing clients of intermediaries will not be able to place fresh trade or square off existing positions, and also their Demat accounts will have to be suspended. "Please note that the PAN-Aadhaar linking is an ongoing activity and the intermediaries have kept the clients informed on the necessity and importance to complete the linking. However, you would understand that this is a client-dependent activity and the client is required to independently complete the linking on the Income Tax website," ANMI said. (ANI) He was charged with disorderly conduct and harassment following an incident in a karaoke bar in Honolulu, Hawaii. As per police, Miller "became agitated while patrons at the bar began singing karaoke." Miller then reportedly "began yelling obscenities and at one point grabbed the microphone from a 23-year-old woman singing karaoke." Later, he was let out on bail, Deadline reported. Also, Hawaii Police Department issued a statement on social media regarding the incident. The police stated that Miller's bail was set at USD 500. Miller has not commented on the issue yet. (ANI) Taking to Twitter, Heder thanked people for showering her and her film 'CODA' with love. "I'm stunned. Woke up this morning and realized this wasn't all a dream. Love to @TheAcademy and everyone who watched CODA and felt moved and told their friends to watch it and made this moment happen for us. I'm so grateful and happy. #CODAfilm @AppleTVPlus," she tweeted. Adapted from the 2014 French-language film 'La Famille Belier', 'CODA' follows the Rossis, a blue-collar fishing family in Gloucester, Massachusetts, as their hearing daughter (played by Emilia Jones), who also acts as the family interpreter, is considering college. 'CODA' is an acronym for 'children of deaf adults'. It's the first Oscar for Heder, who also directed the Apple TV Plus film. (ANI) Bollywood actor Vaani Kapoor, who portrayed the role of a transgender woman in 'Chandigarh Kare Aashiqui', said that the movie helped in breaking the notion that she is fit to play only glamorous roles. Stating that 'Chandigarh Kare Aashiqui' has helped her career immensely, Vaani said that the film gave her a perfect platform to showcase the actor she's capable of being. "I want to do everything and I'm ready to take any risk on-screen to constantly prove to myself and others that I choose not to be limited as an artist," Vaani added. She said that since the release of 'Chandigarh Kare Aashiqui', she has been getting diverse offers and that's hugely gratifying for her. The actor said, "I think pre 'Chandigarh Kare Aashiqui' people only thought that I could play a certain kind of role but post the film's release; the offers at hand are extremely diverse. I needed a film like CKA to become my calling card and I'm delighted with the response." "This is really encouraging for an actor like me because I don't want to do the same type of roles on screen. I want to explore and excel and be remembered for being an actor who could do anything on screen. I hope I get more offers that test me as a performer. I'm ready for it," continued Vaani. Directed by Abhishek Kapoor, 'Chandigarh Kare Aashiqui' revolves around a cross-functional athlete (Ayushmann Khurrana), who falls in love with a Zumba trainer (Vaani) at his gym. Their love story takes a turn when he realises that she's a transgender woman. The movie, which came out on December 10, was produced by Bhushan Kumar's T-Series in collaboration with Pragya Kapoor's Guy In the Sky Pictures. Meanwhile, Vaani will next be seen opposite Ranbir Kapoor in the action drama 'Shamshera'. Directed by Karan Malhotra of 'Agneepath' fame, the film is set to release in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu on July 22, 2022, worldwide. (ANI) According to The Hollywood Reporter, Lincoln Center Theater has revealed details for a new production inspired by the world of Lerner and Loewe's 'Camelot' and under the tutelage of artistic director Andre Bishop, writer Sorkin and director Bartlett Sher. With previews set to begin at Lincoln Center's Vivian Beaumont Theater on November 3, the opening night has been slated for December 8. The casting and design team are expected to be announced at a later date. In announcing the project today, Lincoln Center Theater described the musical as "a new version of the classic tale" and said it will be "reimagined for the 21st century." Sorkin has written a book based on the original work by Alan Jay Lerner, who adapted the musical from 'The Once and Future King' by T.H. White. This creative change might mean that Lancelot and Queen Guinevere will be doing a lot more walking and talking than they did in the original 1960 production or the 1967 film version. As per The Hollywood Reporter, this upcoming musical marks a reunion for 'To Kill a Mockingbird' duo Sorkin and Sher, who last teamed to make that 2018 production a smashing success. (ANI) The Supreme Court on Monday sought response from the Director General of Health Services (DGHS) on petitions filed by various groups of doctors seeking participation in mop-up round of NEET-PG 2021-22 counselling. Senior advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan, representing some petitioners, submitted before a bench headed by Justice D.Y. Chandrachud that after the second round of counselling, his clients were allotted the seats and later, the DGHS issued two notices to bring into the pool some seats which were not available to them. He said that hundreds of seats were added to the pool and as a result, people not on merit, were given seats, which were not available to his clients. A counsel, representing another set of students, pointed at the trend of blocking of seats, due to which there were over 6,000 seats in mop-up round. Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati, representing the DGHS, however, said that the court should not allow any fresh registration in the stray round and added that only 150 new seats were added. She said there were only two options available that either the seats be allowed to remain vacant or added in the mop-up round. The bench, also comprising Justice Surya Kant, asked Bhati to file a reply on the petitions filed by the doctors. Bhati contended that this is for the first time the authorities have added new seats in the mop-up round, and emphasised on the need for doctors amid Covid. Senior advocate Sanjay Hegde, representing another set of petitioners, submitted that people who were much lower in rank than his clients will get a better disciplines. The bench noted that staying the process of counselling will be a very extreme step. "If we cancel the seats, then we will have to cancel all the admissions, which would further delay the whole process...". A group of petitioners contended that after round one of the counselling, they joined a discipline, but were not allowed to upgrade in round two. They sought permission to appear in the mop-up round. --IANS ss/vd ( 356 Words) 2022-03-28-22:42:05 (IANS) Andhra Pradesh's opposition Telugu Desam Party (TDP) on Monday demanded financial emergency in the state in the wake of the Comptroller and Auditor General of India's observation of a Rs 48,000 crore financial irregularity. TDP politburo member and former Finance Minister Y. Ramakrishnudu said that no other state in India is facing the kind of financial crisis Andhra Pradesh is facing and demanded that the Centre should act before the crisis deepens further. Blaming the corruption by YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) government for the current crisis, he claimed that CAG has made this clear in its report. He also sought a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) into the corruption and irregularities indulged in by Jagan Mohan Reddy-led government during last three years. A day after Finance Minister Buggana Rajendranath rubbished the corruption charges made by the TDP, Ramakrishnudu said he had not made any baseless allegations as he had referred to the points raised by the CAG in its report. The TDP leader said the Finance Minister criticised him as the government stood exposed. He asked why the minister failed to respond to the CAG's observation. Ramakrishnudu said the counter-attack by the minister was to divert attention from bypassing Comprehensive Financial Management System (CFMS), treasury code violations, improper ratifications in the name of special bills, and GO 80 issued to pass illegal bills. He wondered how the government could allow backend transactions while bypassing CFMS, and said releasing Rs 48,284.32 crore in the name of special bills is nothing but treasury code violations Rajendranath had claimed in a statement on Sunday that as the CFMS was not institutionalised properly, book adjustment transactions were shown as special bills. He also stated that the total sum was not real expenditure and only a book adjustment transaction by the end of last fiscal.In the CFMS, there are bill payment heads pertaining to various departments, but there is no special bills head. To identify the book adjustment transactions in the CFMS, 'special bills' term is mentioned. He blamed the chaotic and erratic creation of the CFMS during the previous TDP regime for the confusion. The Finance Minister said that as the Treasury Department officials have no access to make book adjustment transactions in the CFMS at present, the Finance Department had authorised the CFMS CEO to exercise the power. He claimed that the entire process is held as per the guidelines of Finance and Treasury departments. The minister also revealed that the Finance Secretary wrote a detailed letter in response to queries raised by the CAG explaining the same. Prior to the CFMS, treasury officials used to do book adjustment transactions manually at the end of the financial year. However, after rolling out the CFMS, the same power was given to the CFMS CEO and the same was conveyed to CAG by the Finance Secretary in writing, he clarified. When no cash transactions took place in the whole process, where was the scope for corruption, he asked. --IANS ms/vd ( 508 Words) 2022-03-28-21:22:04 (IANS) Five people got injured after a fire broke out at Patel Building near Mumbadevi temple on Monday evening, said Mumbai Fire Brigade. The injured have been admitted to the hospital, added the fire brigade. (ANI) Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai has ordered Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) to probe the incident and submit the report in the next 24 hours. Earlier on Monday afternoon, about six fire tenders rushed to the spot to douse out the fire. (ANI) He has been credited with over 40 innovations that assist small and marginal farmers across India. "I am a common farmer but the Indian government has honored me with the Padma Shri award for the research I have done on the machines used in agriculture in the last 35 years," said Padma Shri awardee Abdul Khader Nadakattin. "I want to dedicate this to all the farmers in the country," he added. (ANI) He was responding to questions from mediapersons soon after attending the new government's first Cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Pramod Sawant. "Because of the rising international crude oil (prices), they are bound to rise. Are you not aware that Russia and Ukraine are at war," Godinho, a former Transport Minister, said when asked to comment on fuel prices, which saw the price of petrol cross the Rs 100 barrier on Monday. "Is it the local government that has increased the prices? The whole world is bearing the brunt of price rise," Godinho said --IANS maya/arm ( 131 Words) 2022-03-28-22:52:01 (IANS) The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) has taken cognisance of the speech by Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal regarding the proposed plan for street children who are being rescued by it, and has requested the Delhi government to provide information about the kids who are rescued from the streets and put at the child care institutions. Kejriwal had posted a video message regarding the proposed plan for street kids and their rehabilitation. The NCPCR said that it conducted four meetings with the Delhi government, but it didn't inform the commission about this. "In the said speech, it has been stated that the children who are living on the streets are not being dealt with in a humanitarian way, and are rescued from streets and being placed in child care institutions (CCI). The children who are placed in the child care institutions are then running away from there due to lack of adequate facilities," read the letter written by NCRPC to the Delhi government. The NCPCR said that keeping in view the serious issue of street children, which is also being monitored by the Supreme Court, it is concerned about the issues being highlighted for children staying on the streets and the child care institutions in Delhi. "We have conducted four monthly meetings with all the states in the past five months and the Department of Women and Child Development, Delhi government, did not informed about this problem in CCIs in any of the meetings. "The NCPCR would like your good offices to provide reasons for not informing about this serious issue of children running away from CCIs in Delhi in the monthly review meetings that are being taken by NCPCR with all the states," it said. The NCPCR has sought information pertaining to the status of street children in Delhi at the earliest. --IANS atk/arm ( 325 Words) 2022-03-28-23:18:04 (IANS) The decision by the administration of Arunachal Pradesh's Namsai district to undertake data update of the population of Chakma and Hajong tribals residing in the Chongkham circle has led to widespread protests from the Arunachal Pradesh Chakma Students' Union (APCSU). The tribal communities on Monday announced to boycott the proposed population data updating process. Namsai's Extra Assistant Commissioner (EAC) Rani Perme, in an order, a copy of which is available with IANS, has asked all "Gaonburas" (village head) to assemble all Chakmas and Hajongs under their respective jurisdictions to facilitate the updating of their population data. However, the APCSU, in a statement, condemned the illegal census of only the Chakmas and Hajongs tribals in Namsai from Monday in pursuant to a circular of March 24, saying that this is the EAC's second attempt to conduct the illegal census of only the Chakmas and Hajongs, which, according to them, amounts to "racial profiling". Last month, the EAC first directed the "Gaonburas" of the Chakma villages under the Chongkham Circle to conduct the census, they said. "When the effort failed, the EAC summoned Gaonbura Sushil Chakma and 10 other Chakma individuals for a survey of Chakmas and Hajongs tribals residing under Chongkam circle on February 23. In the meeting, the Chakma participants were allegedly intimidated and asked to cooperate with the survey without fail," the statement said. The APCSU said that the EAC circular violates the order of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) issued on January 24. APCSU President Rup Singh Chakma said that the NHRC had called for action taken reports from the Union Home Secretary and the Arunachal Pradesh Chief Secretary. The NHRC also directed to ensure that human rights of the Chakmas and Hajongs are protected. "As citizens of India, the Chakmas and Hajongs of Arunachal Pradesh will not participate in any such illegal census of only the Chakmas and Hajongs," he added There are about 65,000 Chakma and Hajong people in the state, out of which about 4,500 are migrants from between 1964 to 1969, while the rest are the descendants and citizens by birth under the Citizenship Act of 1955. --IANS sc/vd ( 368 Words) 2022-03-28-23:28:02 (IANS) Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu on Monday said that historians should be committed to truth and called for an 'objective re-evaluation of Indian history through fact-based research, said a press release by Vice President's Secretariat. Stressing the need for greater academic rigour in historical research, he cautioned against "selective or incomplete accounts of Indian history," said a press release. He said that retelling historical facts through an ideological viewpoint will provide a distorted view, as was done under colonial rule. Instead, he urged historians to strengthen 'scientific writing of history with the help of specialized bodies like the Indian Council of Historical Research (ICHR). The Vice President was participating in the valedictory function of the Golden Jubilee year of the Indian Council of Historical Research (ICHR), organized by the Ministry of Culture. He also inaugurated an exhibition on 'Freedom Struggle of India' by ICHR on the occasion. Naidu also called for greater research on unsung Indian heroes of the freedom struggle, many of whom were 'limited to mere footnotes in history books'. As part of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav, he said, their individual stories must be documented to reveal their 'pain, struggle and the great pride with which they fought for the motherland. 'Untold history must be told', he said. Even on popular heroes, Shri Naidu suggested that historical research must delve deeper into different aspects of their personalities in a more comprehensive manner. He stressed the need for studying tribal and peasant revolts in various parts of the country in greater detail to understand the 'unflinching courage of the ordinary masses who fought the British without any organizational backing'. Naidu observed that there are many people who fought in different parts of the country against the British, and that all of them are 'national heroes' 'It is our duty--our highest patriotic mission to remember the supreme sacrifices made by our freedom fighters and their noble struggle to wrest independence from colonial rulers', Shri Naidu observed. Naidu called upon state governments to organize regular visits to important historical places for children. He suggested that school textbooks must cover stories of freedom fighters' lives in an interesting and engaging way. 'It is my conviction that the lives of our historical figures must be a source of inspiration for the next generations', he said. The Vice President complimented ICHR for completing 50 years in historical research and for "persevering to fill important gaps in Indian history". He appealed to people, particularly youngsters, to visit the exhibitions being put up by ICHR in various parts of the country to better understand the great struggle to attain Swaraj for India. He also called upon Parliamentarians to visit the exhibition and know the contributions of freedom fighters and appreciate the efforts of ICHR. Dharmendra Pradhan, Union Minister of Education & Minister of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, Raghuvendra Tanwar, Chairman, ICHR, Arvind P. Jamkhedkar former Chairman, ICHR, Kumar Ratnam, Member Secretary, ICHR and other dignitaries were present during the event. (ANI) Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Roopa Ganguly on Monday alleged that the Trinamool Congress-led West Bengal State government is not ready for discussions on Birbhum violence in the state assembly. She claimed that the BJP MLA Manoj Tigga had been severely injured following a clash between MLAs of the BJP and Trinamool Congress Party. Earlier on Monday, West Bengal Assembly witnessed a ruckus after the MLAs of the ruling Trinamool Congress and BJP came to blows over the Birbhum violence case. Five Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLAs including the Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari were suspended from the West Bengal Assembly on Monday following a clash with TMC MLAs on the floor of the House over Birbhum violence. The other BJP MLAs who have been suspended include Manoj Tigga, Shankar Ghosh, Narahari Mahato and Dipak Barman. The MLAs were suspended until further notice. The BJP MLAs further held a protest march outside the Assembly. "The same situation of the Rampurhat incident created by Anarul Hussain was seen inside by TMC MLAs and their police. We will march against this at 2 pm today. I will write my complaint to the Speaker demanding action as per the rules. We need the Centre's intervention," Suvendu Adhikari had told ANI. "The Opposition demanded discussion over law and order on the last day at least but the government declined. They brought Kolkata police personnel in civil dress to clash with 8-10 of our MLAs," he had added. As many as eight people were killed in the Rampurhat area of West Bengal's Birbhum on Tuesday after a mob allegedly set houses on fire following the killing of TMC leader Bhadu Sheikh. The case is now being probed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). (ANI) Mehta was shot on Monday by criminals in Danapur. The criminals fired five bullets at Mehta including one bullet in the chest and another on the head. Mehta was currently serving as Vice-President of Nagar Parishad Danapur. Mehta was close to JDU vice president Upendra Kushwaha. Following the murder, Kushwaha immediately rushed to the victim's house. "it's is a very unfortunate incident and the government will take action against whoever is responsible for this incident," told the mediapersons in Patna. Deepak Mehta contested the 2020 assembly elections from Danapur on a Rashtriya Lok Samta Party (RLSP) ticket, which later merged with JDU. (ANI) The farmers informed the forest department officials about the incident and tried to reconcile the leopard cup with its mother. "We safely reunited a 10-day old leopard cub with its mother. We found the leopard cub in a sugarcane field. The farmers working in the field informed us about the matter and they themselves tried to reunite them," Umesh Waware, Deputy Conservator of Forests told ANI. After getting the information, Dindori Forest Reserve officials installed CCTV cameras with the help of the Eco-Echo Foundation to capture the reunion of the mother and her child. Further, Umesh Waware said, "We installed trap cameras with the help of the Eco-Echo Foundation and the cub was reunited successfully. The footage showed the moment mother carrying her leopard cup in the morning." (ANI) Police informed that the event took place to welcome the chairman of Congress' Minority Department Imran Pratapgarhi. "A case registered against Maharashtra ministers Aslam Shaikh and Varsha Gaikwad at Bandra Police Station in Mumbai after they were seen brandishing swords at a public event to welcome the chairman of Congress' Minority Department Imran Pratapgarhi," police said. A case was registered against the ministers under Arms Act. (ANI) Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Monday said that the Muslim community is in majority in the state and cannot be considered a minority in the northeastern state anymore, adding that Hindus are in minority in several districts. "When Hindu is not a majority in the state you can declare them as a minority. But I would like to request that when the Hindu community is not a majority in the district, in that district, Hindus should also be declared a minority. There are many districts in Assam where Hindus are hopelessly in minority. Some of them even have less than 5,000 Hindus," the Chief Minister told mediapersons here. "Muslim community is the majority and is the largest community in Assam. This is not just my opinion. It is the statistics. Statistically, Muslims are the largest community in Assam," added Sarma. Earlier Assam Chief Minister called for a review of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) and said a fresh exercise should be done in this regard. "We had said earlier also that the old NRC should be reviewed and done afresh. Our discussion with the All Assam Students' Union (AASU) is going on. We want the NRC to be done again in the state," he siad. The updated list of NRC was published in August 2019 and over 19.06 lakh people out of 3.3 crore applicants were left out of the list. (ANI) Delhi Police Special Cell has arrested two members of an alleged international narcotic drugs cartel and recovered ten kilograms of heroin worth over Rs 40 crore. According to Jasmeet Singh, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Delhi Police Special Cell, the recovered heroin was smuggled into India from Myanmar via Manipur. "A car having a secret cavity to conceal and transport drugs has also been recovered," he said. The two accused have been identified as Nazir alias Nazim and Dinesh Singh. "A case under the appropriate sections of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act was registered at PS Special Cell," said Singh. According to Singh, on March 24, 2022, specific information was received by Special Cell that two members of this cartel, both residents of Uttar Pradesh, had collected a big consignment of heroin from Jharkhand, and would come at T point Delhi Meerut Expressway near ISBT Sarai Kale Khan to deliver the supply of contraband to one of their contacts. As per the police, during interrogation, the arrested drug suppliers have revealed that they are members of a big international narcotic drug cartel. "Both have disclosed to have been indulging in drug supplying in Delhi NCR and parts of UP for last five years. They have further stated that they had procured recovered heroin from a person of district Chattra, Jharkhand and they had to deliver six kgs heroin to a person in Delhi and the remaining four kgs to a person in Gazipur, Uttar Pradesh," they said. They further revealed that their supplier of heroin has links in Myanmar and Manipur. "Most of the heroin brought in Manipur from Myanmar is sent to adjoining states of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh and contraband is further transported in other parts of the country including Delhi," Singh said. "During the investigation of this case, it has been revealed that heroin is also manufactured from illicitly cultivated opium in naxalite affected areas of Jharkhand and militancy affected areas of Manipur. Arrested drug traffickers have further disclosed that they also used to procure heroin from Jharkhand-based drug manufacturers cum suppliers," Singh added. (ANI) A new study led by the University of Cambridge has found that girls and boys might be more vulnerable to the negative effects of social media use at different times during their adolescence. The study was published in the journal, 'Nature Communications'. Scientists found that girls have experienced a negative link between social media use and life satisfaction when they are 11-13 years old and boys when they are 14-15 years old. Increased social media use again predicted lower life satisfaction at the age of 19 years. At other times the link was not statistically significant. In just over a decade, social media has fundamentally changed how we spend our time, share information about ourselves, and talk to others. This has led to widespread concern about its potential negative impact, both on individuals and on the wider society. Yet, even after years of research, there is still considerable uncertainty about how social media use relates to wellbeing. A team of scientists including psychologists, neuroscientists and modellers analysed two UK datasets comprising some 84,000 individuals between the ages of 10 and 80 years old. These included longitudinal data - that is, data that tracks individuals over a period of time - on 17,400 young people aged 10-21 years old. The researchers are from the University of Cambridge, the University of Oxford, and the Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour. The team looked for a connection between estimated social media use and reported life satisfaction and found key periods of adolescence where social media use was associated with a decrease in life satisfaction 12 months later. In the opposite direction, the researchers also found that teens who have lower than average life satisfaction use more social media one year later. In girls, social media use between the ages of 11 and 13 years was associated with a decrease in life satisfaction one year later, whereas in boys this occurred between the ages of 14 and 15 years. The differences suggest that sensitivity to social media use might be linked to developmental changes, possible changes in the structure of the brain, or to puberty, which occurs later in boys than in girls. This requires further research. In both females and males, social media use at the age of 19 years was again associated with a decrease in life satisfaction a year later. At this age, say the researchers, it is possible that social changes - such as leaving home or starting work - may make us particularly vulnerable. At other times, the link between social media use and life satisfaction one year later was not statistically significant. Decreases in life satisfaction also predicted increases in social media use one year later; however, this does not change across age and or differences between the sexes. Dr Amy Orben a group leader at the MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge, who led the study, said, "The link between social media use and mental wellbeing is clearly very complex. Changes within our bodies, such as brain development and puberty, and in our social circumstances appear to make us vulnerable at particular times of our lives." Professor Sarah-Jayne Blakemore, Professor of Psychology and Cognitive Neuroscience at Cambridge and a co-author of the study, said, "It's not possible to pinpoint the precise processes that underlie this vulnerability. Adolescence is a time of cognitive, biological and social change, all of which are intertwined, making it difficult to disentangle one factor from another. For example, it is not yet clear what might be due to developmental changes in hormones or the brain and what might be down to how an individual interacts with their peers." Dr Orben added, "With our findings, rather than debating whether or not the link exists, we can now focus on the periods of our adolescence where we now know we might be most at risk and use this as a springboard to explore some of the really interesting questions." Further complicating the relationship is the fact - previously reported and confirmed by today's findings - that not only can social media use negatively impact wellbeing, but that the reverse is also true and lower life satisfaction can drive increased social media use. The researchers were keen to point out that, while their findings have shown that population-level is a link between social media use and poorer wellbeing, it is not yet possible to predict which individuals are most at risk. Professor Rogier Kievit, Professor of Developmental Neuroscience at the Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition, and Behaviour, said, "Our statistical modelling examines averages. This means not every young person is going to experience a negative impact on their well-being from social media use. For some, it will often have a positive impact. Some might use social media to connect with friends or cope with a certain problem or because they don't have anyone to talk to about a particular problem or how they feel - for these individuals, social media can provide valuable support." Professor Andrew Przybylski, Director of Research at the Oxford Internet Institute at the University of Oxford said, "To pinpoint which individuals might be influenced by social media, more research is needed that combines objective behavioural data with biological and cognitive measurements of development. We, therefore, call on social media companies and other online platforms to do more to share their data with independent scientists, and, if they are unwilling, for governments to show they are serious about tackling online harm by introducing legislation to compel these companies to be more open." (ANI) Ahead of the byelections for the Asansol Lok Sabha seat, a video of the ruling Trinamool Congress MLA Narendra Nath Chakraborty has gone viral in which he is seen openly threatening the supporters of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). In the viral video, the TMC MLA from Pandaveshwar is purportedly seen openly threatening the BJP supporters. During a meeting with the party workers in Pandeshwar's Haripur, Chakraborty is asking the TMC workers to intimidate the BJP supporters. In the video, he is seen instructing the TMC workers to intimidate the BJP supporters so that they do not go to the polling booths. Meanwhile, the BJP slammed the TMC MLA for his attempts to threaten the BJP workers. Former Mayor of Asansol and the BJP leader Jitendra Tiwari said that Chakraborty has understood that the defeat of the TMC is certain in the Lok Sabha bypoll if free and fair elections are held. "He (Chakraborty) is a disciple of Anubrata Mandal who may go to jail after a few days. The way he is issuing threats to the BJP supporters, it seems he will accompany Mondal soon in the jail." added Tiwari. Asansol is all set to witness a high-octane electoral battle with actor-turned-politician Shatrughan Sinha taking on the BJP's Agnimitra Paul in the ensuing Lok Sabha bypolls. The Asansol Lok Sabha seat fell vacant after Babul Supriyo, a two-time BJP MP, quit the party in October last year to join the TMC. The voting will be held on April 12 while the results will be declared on April 16. (ANI) The Sri Lankan Navy has apprehended four Rameswaram-based fishermen in Ramanathapuram district and their one boat on Tuesday early in the morning. 523 mechanised boats went out to the sea while fishing near Delft Island on Monday. "The Sri Lankan navy arrived in the area at night and captured the fishermen and their one boat, from where they were taken to Mylatty harbour for further interrogations with the Sri Lankan Navy," said Q branch police. The fishermen arrested have been identified as R.Harikrishnan (49), S.Vignesh (26), P. Chinnamunian (55) and V. Murugan (31), and the captured boat was owned by Vinod. The arrest of the fishermen took place when the Indian External Affairs Minister, Dr S. Jaishankar visited Sri Lanka IOC, the local subsidiary of India's oil major, Indian Oil Corporation to take stock of the island nation's fuel supply situation amid India's support during its severe economic crisis. (ANI) The 48-hour 'Bharat Bandh' called by different trade unions to protest against government policies continued for the second day in several states on Tuesday. A joint forum of central trade unions had given a call for a nationwide strike on March 28 and March 29. The demands of the trade unions include scrapping of the labour codes, rollback of privatisation in any form, scrapping of the National Monetisation Pipeline (NMP), increased allocation of wages under MNREGA (Mahatma Gandhi Rural Employment Guarantee Act), and regularisation of contract workers among others. This is the first such strike after the BJP won the Assembly elections in four of five states. In Tamil Nadu, various trade unions, including the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK)-led trade union Labour Progressive Federation (LPF), participated in the nationwide strike. In Kerala, shops remained closed in Thiruvananthapuram. The government of Kerala yesterday said that following Kerala High Court's orders disciplinary proceedings will be initiated against those employees who abstain from work by participating in the strike. The court had observed that it is illegal that state government employees are participating in the strike. In Karnataka's Kalaburagi, the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) and other Left organisations held protests against the government policies. The strike has also triggered a political slugfest. Slamming the BJP-led Centre, Rajasthan Minister Pratap Singh Khachariyawas in Jaipur called the "party a follower of Ravana and not Ram". "After polls, the BJP increased petrol and diesel prices. They're 'Ravan Bhakts' not 'Ram Bhakts'. They should distribute coupons for petrol, diesel on the lines of their ministers distributing movie tickets for 'The Kashmir Files'," he said. Speaking to ANI yesterday, Baidya said that the government has not done anything since 2014 except privatisation. "Air India to Airports, everything is being privatised. What is the meaning of Parliament, MPs, and Ministers when the government will not do anything for the public?... The trade union strike was very necessary for common people. We are supporting the strike. As long as BJP will keep pushing its own free will, we will keep protesting," Baidya said. Parliament proceedings are also being affected by the Opposition protests due to the fuel price hike. Congress MP Shaktisinh Gohil today gave a suspension of business notice under Rule 267 in Rajya Sabha to discuss the two-day nationwide strike. Likewise, Congress chief whip Kodikunnil Suresh gave an adjournment motion in Lok Sabha to discuss 'the all-India strike called by the joint council of various trade unions. Yesterday, Rajya Sabha MPs from the Left and Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) parties staged a protest inside the Parliament premises against the government in support of the Bandh. The MPs held the protest at the Gandhi statue when the Rajya Sabha was adjourned till noon due to disruption in proceedings by the opposition parties over rising prices of petroleum products and trade union protests. The MPs also marched towards the Vijay Chowk from the Gandhi statue to protest against government policies. The central trade unions that are part of this joint forum are the Indian National Trade Union Congress (INTUC), All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC), Hind Mazdoor Sabha (HMS), Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU), All India United Trade Union Centre (AIUTUC), Trade Union Coordination Centre (TUCC), Self Employed Women's Association (SEWA), All India Central Council of Trade Unions (AICCTU), Labour Progressive Federation (LPF), and United Trade Union Congress (UTUC). However, the Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS) has kept its distance from the strike. (ANI) The interrogation is underway at Aluva Police Club in the presence of ADG, Crime Branch S Sreejith. On Monday, the interrogation went on for seven hours. Earlier, the Kerala High Court directed the probe team to conclude the investigation into the case by April 15. Actor Dileep is the eighth accused in the 2017 actress assault case. The case pertains that an actress who worked in Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu films was allegedly abducted and molested inside her car by a group of men who had forced their way into the vehicle on the night of February 17, 2017. (ANI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said that poverty is eliminated with the empowerment of the people while aligning their strength with good governance. The Prime Minister virtually addressed the 'Grih Pravesham' of about 5.21 lakh beneficiaries of Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana-Gramin in Madhya Pradesh on Tuesday. "When a hardworking government and the aspirations of the common man join hands, then growth and progress always remain limitless. Poverty is eliminated when poor people get empowered while their strength is aligned with good governance," said PM Modi. He also said that today almost 5.21 lakh families of Madhya Pradesh have got the 'pucca houses' which will "primarily empower the women of the state" and also "unlock a world of opportunities for the poor". "This scheme is a step toward the empowerment of the poor and gives them hope for a bright future filled with possibilities. The 5.21 lakh homes also signify empowerment of women in Madhya Pradesh," PM Modi said. Further, the Prime Minister said that the campaign to give a pucca house to the poor is not just a government scheme. "It is a commitment to give hope to the poor," said PM Modi. "It is the first step to give courage to the poor to come out of poverty. When poor people have a roof over their head, they can focus on educating their children," he said adding that despite the COVID pandemic, the government has ensured that the construction of 'pucca houses' continues without any hindrance. Highlighting the key features of the houses given under the Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana-Gramin scheme, PM Modi said, "These houses are special because they include amenities like gas connection under Ujjwala Yojna, LED bulb connection under Ujala Yojna, toilets under Swachh Bharat Abhiyan and water supply under the Har Ghar Jal Yojna." The function also witnessed traditional celebrations with conch, lamp, flowers and rangoli organised in the new houses built under the scheme in Madhya Pradesh. (ANI) The administration took punitive action saying that a "non-Hindu" cannot perform inside the Koodalmanikyam temple premises. Speaking to ANI, Shashi Tharoor said, "I understand some restrictions in some temples about access to sanctum santorum. But this is a dance performance with other dancers inside the temple premises. Shocked that the temple is not allowing this." "I believe that it serves our society ill and also damages the perception of our religion in the eyes of others," the Congress leader added. (ANI) The Sri Lankan Navy has apprehended four Rameswaram-based fishermen in Ramanathapuram district and impounded their boat. The action on the part of the Sri Lankan Navy came in the wake of 523 mechanised boats going to the sea for fishing near Delft Island on Monday. "The Sri Lankan Navy arrived in the area at night and captured the fishermen and their one boat, from where they were taken to Mylatty harbour for further interrogations," said Q branch police, one of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) wings of Tamil Nadu Police. The fishermen arrested have been identified as R.Harikrishnan (49), S.Vignesh (26), P. Chinnamunian (55) and V. Murugan (31), and the captured boat was owned by Vinod. As per the Q branch police, earlier on Thursday (24 March 2022) Sri Lankan Navy had apprehended 16 fishermen and impounded their two boats from Rameswaram and Mandapam in Tamil Nadu. On February 12 as well, the Sri Lankan Navy had apprehended 12 Rameswaram-based fishermen and impounded their two fishing boats after they had gone fishing across the border in Palk Bay. Earlier Minister of State in the Ministry of External Affairs V Muraleedharan, in a written reply in Lok Sabha on February 4, 2022, said Indian fishermen are arrested from time to time by the Sri Lankan authorities for allegedly crossing the International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL) and fishing in Sri Lankan waters. "As per the available information, 74 and 159 Indian fishermen were arrested by the Sri Lankan Navy in 2020 and 2021 respectively," he stated. Muraleedharan further informed that following the 2+2 initiative in November 2016, when the Foreign and Fisheries Ministers of the two countries met in New Delhi, a bilateral Joint Working Group (JWG) mechanism and meeting of the Ministers for Fisheries of the two countries was institutionalized to address the fishermen issues with Sri Lanka. (ANI) Single Bench of Justice N Nagaresh dismissed the pleas which argued that the notification regarding land acquisition is not legal. The court accepted the state government's contention that the Central Government's notification was not required for land acquisition as SilverLine was not a special project of the Railways. The pleas also sought direction to stop the survey procedures and stone layings for land acquisition. The 529-km SilverLine railway project will link Thiruvananthapuram in the south to Kasaragod in north Kerala, covering 11 districts through 11 stations. The journey between two stations is expected to take four hours, whereas it currently takes 12 hours. The project is also being opposed by Congress-led UDF, which has been alleging that the project is "unscientific and impractical" and will put a huge financial burden on the state. (ANI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday reiterated the Bharatiya Janata Party's commitment to empowering women and said that under the PM Awas Yojana, women also have ownership rights to two crore houses. During a virtual address at the 'Grih Pravesham' of about 5.21 lakh beneficiaries of Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana-Gramin in Madhya Pradesh, PM Modi said, "Women too have the ownership rights of around two crore houses built under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana." "This right has strengthened the participation of women in making other financial decisions in the household. This is a matter of case study in big universities across the world," he added. The Prime Minister also said that to solve the problems faced by women, the Centre has taken the initiative to provide water to every household. "Be it the BJP government in the Centre, or BJP government in the states, walking with the mantra of 'Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas' all of them are working to empower the poor," PM Modi said. Talking of Centre's 'Har Ghar Jal Yojna', PM Modi said that over six crore families across India have been supplied clean drinking water. "We are very close to supplying water through a pipeline to 50 lakh rural families in Madhya Pradesh in comparison to 13 lakh families before," he added. Taking a sweep at Congress, PM Modi said that some political parties raised a lot of slogans to eliminate poverty but did not do enough to empower the poor. "I believe when the poor get empowered, it gives them the courage to fight poverty. When efforts of an honest government come together with that of an empowered poor, poverty loses," he said. (ANI) A Delhi Sessions Court has ordered the release of a person who was sent to judicial custody by a Mahila court for non-payment of maintenance to his estranged wife under the Domestic Violence Act. The Sessions Court observed, 'while passing the orders, courts cannot forget or ignore the purpose of "adjudication". The order fails to meet the test of 'Adjudication' and is not a speaking order. The same deserves to be set aside. Additional Session Judge Ravinder Bedi at Karkardooma Court observed, "Having gone through the impugned order, I am satisfied that there is no indication on the application of mind by the learned metropolitan magistrate (MM). Though no detailed reasons are required at the interim stage, there must be sufficient indication on the application of mind by the Magistrate to the facts constituting elements while deciding ad-interim relief of maintenance." The Sessions Court set aside the Mahila court order and remanded back the matter for disposal of the application seeking maintenance. The counsel for the husband submitted to deposit Rs 1 lakh in the Bank Account of the respondent. The Sessions Court said, "On such deposition in the account of the wife, the appellant be released instantaneously from custody. He shall file an undertaking or an indemnity bond of Rs. 25000 before the court of Metropolitan Magistrate concerned for his regular appearance in trial court proceedings." The court has directed to decide on the application preferably within a period of one month. Both parties are directed to appear before the trial court on April 7, 2022. The appellant had challenged the order of the Mahila court of 11 March 2022. Advocate Amit Kumar, counsel for the appellant, had argued that the appellant has been put in general prison instead of civil detention and the mandatory procedural requirements under the provision of the Civil Procedure Code (CPC) for civil detention were not looked upon by the trial court. He had also submitted that the impugned order is not passed on the application of the complainant seeking such arrest. It is not clear as to which of the order of the learned trial court was violated by the appellant. The interim application seeking maintenance on behalf of the complainant is still pending disposal and instead of disposing of the same, the learned Magistrate chose to pass an ad interim order. On the other hand Advocate Sidhant, Counsel for the respondent, had submitted that the appellant was not making any payment to his client. Two execution petitions are filed for recovery of pending arrears, which are to the tune of approx. Rs 2.5 Lakhs. He, however, admitted that the application seeking interim relief on behalf of the wife is still pending adjudication before the trial court and only an ad-interim order has been passed. (ANI) Uttar Pradesh Government told the Supreme Court that the state has taken all efforts to protect the witnesses and families of victims of the Lakhimpur Kheri incident. Uttar Pradesh government said that all the witnesses are also regularly contacted by the police for appraisal of their security conditions. The submission of the Uttar Pradesh government came in an affidavit as a reply to the petition seeking to cancel the bail of Ashish Mishra, the son of Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Ajay Mishra Teni. The state government told the Supreme Court that it had opposed the bail plea of Ashish Mishra in the Allahabad High Court and the submission of the petition that the state did not effectively oppose the bail application of the accused Ashish Mishra is completely untrue. "That at the very outset, the Answering Respondent (Uttar Pradesh) takes exception to the averments in the SLP to the effect that State did not effectively oppose the Bail Application of the Accused Respondent No 1 (Ashish Mishra). The same is completely untrue, as is also borne out from a perusal of the Impugned Order itself...." read the affidavit. The affidavit also stated that the same clearly demonstrates that Ashish Mishra's bail application was vehemently opposed by the State in the Allahabad High Court and any averments to the contrary in the special leave petition (SLP) are completely false and merits to be rejected. Uttar Pradesh Government further said that as per the Allahabad High Court's order of February 10, 2022, the limitation period against the same is still running, and the decision to file SLP against the same is pending consideration before the relevant authorities. The government also said that the investigation revealed that the altercation between a witness and the opposite party took place over the throwing of Gulal. Earlier, it was alleged that one witness was attacked by some miscreants. The alleged attackers threatened the witness that Mishra is out on bail and the ruling party had also won the election and they would see to him. According to the affidavit, all the witnesses are also regularly contacted by the police for appraisal of their security conditions. "The witnesses were interviewed telephonically most recently on March 20 2022 and expressed satisfaction with the security provided to them and were informed that if they required any help in relation to their security, they should immediately contact the Superintendent of Police of their respective districts and would receive prompt assistance," UP government assured in the affidavit. Earlier, the Supreme Court had issued notice to Uttar Pradesh Govt and others on plea seeking to cancel bail to Ashish Mishra. On the last hearing advocate Prashant Bhushan, appearing for the petitioner, said that one of the prime protected witnesses was brutally attacked, a few days after bail was granted to Ashish Mishra. Family members of the victims of the Lakhimpur Kheri incident have moved Supreme Court challenging the Allahabad High Court order, which granted bail to Ashish Mishra. In the Special Leave Petition, family members of the deceased have challenged the Allahabad High Court order dated February 10 2022, wherein Ashish Mishra was granted regular bail. The petitioner said that Allahabad HC's order is unsustainable in law. They also said that they have approached the apex court as the State of Uttar Pradesh has failed to prefer any appeal against the impugned order. Ashish Mishra was released from jail in February followed by Allahabad High Court granting him bail. Eight people, including four farmers, had died in violence on October 3, 2020, in Lakhimpur Kheri. (ANI) Assam and Meghalaya governments on Tuesday signed a historic agreement here in the national capital to resolve their 50-year-old pending boundary difference. The agreement was signed by the Chief Ministers of Assam and Meghalaya in the presence of Union Home Minister Amit Shah at the office of the Ministry of Home Affairs. Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and his Meghalaya counterpart Conrad K Sangma signed the agreement in the presence of the chief secretaries of both the states as well as other officials of these states and the officials of MHA. The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between Assam and Meghalaya two months after a draft resolution was submitted by the Chief Ministers of both states to Shah on January 31 for examination and consideration by the MHA. The governments of Assam and Meghalaya had come up with a draft resolution to resolve their border disputes in six of the 12 "areas of difference" along the 884-km boundary. According to the proposed recommendations for the 36.79 square km of land, Assam will keep 18.51 square km and give the remaining 18.28 square km to Meghalaya. The agreement between Assam and Meghalaya is significant as the boundary dispute between the two states has been pending for a very long time. The long-standing land dispute was sparked in 1972 when Meghalaya was carved out of Assam. The border issues came as a result of different readings of the demarcation of boundaries in the initial agreement for the new state's creation. (ANI) Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Tuesday called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the national capital and apprised him of the various development projects and welfare schemes being implemented in Assam. "Called on Adarniya Pradhan Mantri Narendra Modi in New Delhi and apprised him of the various development projects and welfare schemes being implemented in Assam. Also sought his blessings and guidance for further accelerating the pace of growth in our State," Sarma said in a tweet. Assam Chief Minister is in Delhi to sign an agreement with the Meghalaya government to resolve their 50-year-old pending boundary differences. Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and his Meghalaya counterpart Conrad K Sangma would sign the agreement in the presence of chief secretaries of both the states as well as other officials of these states and the officials of MHA. Officials in the Ministry of Home Affairs told ANI that the agreement will be signed by the Chief Ministers of Assam and Meghalaya in the presence of Union Home Minister Amit Shah at around 3.30 pm in the office of the MHA. The long-standing land dispute was sparked in 1972 when Meghalaya was carved out of Assam. The border issues came about as a result of different readings of the demarcation of boundaries in the initial agreement for the new state's creation. (ANI) The people who live near the Ghazipur landfill, which is has been burning since Monday noon, are facing difficulty in breathing as smoke has engulfed the entire area. "At around 1:00 am on Monday we saw dense smoke coming out of the dump yard. I live nearby, we are facing difficulty in breathing as the entire area has been engulfed in dense smoke since yesterday," said Vasudev. Vasudev also said that many fire engines can be seen at the landfill, but there is no relief yet in terms of smoke in the area. Fazia Ahmed, a mechanic working in the area, said that yesterday when the fire broke out it was almost impossible for them to breathe. "The situation has improved a bit but yet toxic smoke is still making breathing difficult," said Ahmed. Meanwhile, Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai on Monday ordered an inquiry into the fire. "Disaster Management team is working on the spot to douse the fire. This type of incident has happened earlier too. The reason is negligence. However, a detailed report on the current incident has been asked from Delhi Pollution Control Committee," said Rai. The government on Monday ordered the agency to probe the fire and submit the report within 24 hours. A First Information Report has also been registered under the Indian Penal Code's Sections 278 (making atmosphere noxious to health), 285 (negligent conduct with respect to fire or combustible matter), and 336 (act endangering life or personal safety of others) against unknown people. A fire broke out at a dumping yard in East Delhi's Ghazipur landfill on Monday afternoon. (ANI) The board won the award under the 'Institution/RWA/Religious Organisation category.' The board chief of the shrine thanked the members of the shine and showed his gratitude for receiving the award. "Honoured to receive the award from Hon'ble President, Appreciable hard work done by Shrine Board employees and grateful for guidance from Honourable LG," tweeted Ramesh Kumar, CEO Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board. President, Ram Nath Kovind felicitated the winners of the 3rd National Water Awards at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi where he also launched the Jal Shakti Abhiyan: Catch the Rain campaign 2022 during the event. States Of Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Tamil Nadu secured the first, second and third prizes respectively in the 'Best State Category'. The first National Water Award was launched by the Jal Shakti Ministry in 2018. National Water Awards have provided a good opportunity to start-ups as well as leading organizations to engage and deliberate with senior policymakers on how to adopt the best water resources management practices in India.(ANI) In a major capability boost for the indigenous LCA Tejas combat aircraft, the Indian Air Force is equipping them with American Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) kits which would help them target enemy positions with pinpoint accuracy. The Indian Air Force had recently signed a contract for the JDAM kits which help air to ground bombs to attack their targets with precision at distances of over 80 kms, government sources told ANI here. The first fleet to be equipped with these JDAMs would be that of the Light Combat Aircraft Tejas which is going to be one of the mainstays of the force in the future, the sources said. The capability would give a further edge to the homegrown aircraft over the adversary aircraft as they would be able to destroy targets from standoff distances, they said. The Indian Air Force had recently equipped the Tejas with the French-origin Hammer air to ground stand-off missile along with the indigenous Astra indigenous air to air missiles. Indian armed forces have extensively utilised the delegated financial powers granted to them in different phases by the government to equip themselves with the necessary weaponry to handle any conflict or aggression by enemies on both sides. The Indian Air Force is strongly supporting the indigenous LCA Tejas fighter aircraft programme by adding more and more capabilities to the aircraft. The IAF has already operationalised two of its squadrons in the initial operational clearance and final operational clearance versions while a contract has been signed for the 83 Mark1As set to be delivered a couple of years from now. The IAF has also its eyes set on the LCA Mark 2 and the AMCA being developed by the DRDO for it. (ANI) New Delhi [India], March 29 (ANI) Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangma on Tuesday said Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah gave the necessary push to resolve the long-pending border dispute between Assam and Meghalaya. "There has been a lot of push from Prime Minister and Home Minister that they would like to see that these differences (Assam-Meghalaya border issue) are resolved because if India and Bangladesh can resolve the border issues then why can't the states also. This is the stand they took," said Sangma. The Meghalaya CM further said that the process to resolve the dispute has been going on for several years. "It is a process and the process has been going on for a long time. Everybody has done their part, contributed in their own way. The push was given in last few years by the Centre and both state governments," he said. Assam and Meghalaya governments on Tuesday signed a historic agreement here in the national capital to resolve their 50-year-old pending boundary differences. Terming the agreement a result of teamwork, Sangma said, "I am thankful to Amit Shah and Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma because they went the extra mile. It's only because of overall teamwork that was there, we were able to resolve or at least come to some kind of a resolution in the first 6 areas of differences out of the 12." CM said that everyone wants border disputes to be resolved and this agreement will bring much-needed peace to the area. "Issue of border dispute/differences has been there for the last 50 yrs. We're celebrating the Golden Jubilee of our state this year and even after 50 years, this issue has remained. So, there's a large section of society that wants a resolution to this, including the leadership," said Sangma "I think it is a very important resolution and it will lead to a lot of peace in the border areas," he added. The agreement was signed by the Chief Ministers of Assam and Meghalaya in the presence of Union Home Minister Amit Shah at the office of the Ministry of Home Affairs. The governments of Assam and Meghalaya had come up with a draft resolution to resolve their border disputes in six of the 12 "areas of difference" along the 884-km boundary. According to the proposed recommendations for the 36.79 square km of land, Assam will keep 18.51 square km and give the remaining 18.28 square km to Meghalaya. The long-standing land dispute was sparked in 1972 when Meghalaya was carved out of Assam. The border issues came as a result of different readings of the demarcation of boundaries in the initial agreement for the new state's creation. (ANI) She cleared her stance on students and the facilities provided to the young minds under her leadership. "Over 20 thousand students of West Bengal have been provided credit cards for their educational expenses upto Rs 10 lakh, we are in the process of adding more students to the list gradually," said the West Bengal CM. While stating about the increment in daily wages of the tea labourers in Darjeeling, she said "Chaa Sundari Scheme' has been launched in the state, under which 3,80,000 families will be provided homes. Tea labourers used to get Rs 67 as daily wage before TMC came to power, now they are paid Rs 202 daily wage".(ANI) The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MPs from West Bengal were to meet PM Modi over breakfast on Wednesday morning, as per the earlier schedule at the 7 Lok Kalyan Marg, the official residence of the PM. The MPs will now meet PM Modi on Thursday, which is March 31. PM Modi often meets MPs of different states during the Parliament session. PM Modi talks more on non-political issues in these meetings, mostly about motivating MPs to do more.Recently, PM Modi interacted with MPs of Bihar and Jharkhand. (ANI) A massive fire broke out in the forest area of Sariska Tiger Reserve in Rajasthan's Alwar district, said a forest official on Tuesday. Indian Air Force (IAF) choppers have been deployed to douse the blaze. The IAF said that it has deployed two Mi 17 V5 helicopters to undertake Bambi Bucket operations and the fire fighting operations are underway since early morning today. "At the behest of Alwar District administration to help control spread of fire over large areas of Sariska Tiger Reserve, IAF has deployed two Mi 17 V5 helicopters to undertake Bambi Bucket operations. Fire Fighting Operations are underway since early morning today," said the IAF. Sudarshan Sharma, Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) of Alwar said that nine square km of area is up in the flames as of now. "We were informed about the fire two days ago. We took the help of locals to control the fire. 9 square km of area is up in the flames as of now. We are trying to restrict the fire so that it doesn't engulf the valley. Damage will be ascertained once the fire is doused," said Sharma. "As the fire was massive, efforts of locals weren't enough. So we intimated the fire department in Jaipur. They deployed 2 choppers from Delhi to douse the fire. Areas having high tiger and rural people's population are our priority," said Sunita Pankaj, Additional District Magistrate (ADM) of Alwar. Further details are awaited. (ANI) Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Tuesday said after signing the agreement on the boundary dispute that he will work towards making the Northeast region a growth engine in the country. "It is a historic day for all of us. When I first became the Chief Minister, the Home Minister said to resolve all the differences with regard to the border and Prime Minister Narendra Modi wants the northeast should become the growth engine of the country. Home Minister advised me that you are the Chief Minister of Assam and it is your responsibility to find a solution for the issue. As per his advice, we started talking and we succeeded in finding a solution to the issue," said the Assam Chief Minister. He further said that in the next six-seven months, we aim to resolve the issue of the remaining disputed sites. "After this MoU, in the next six-seven months, we aim to resolve the issue of the remaining disputed sites. We will work towards making the Northeast region a growth engine in the country," Sarma said. Sarma said that the initial discussions have started with the Chief Ministers of Mizoram and Nagaland to solve the border disputes with them. "Union Home Minister also requested to resolve the border disputes between Assam and Arunachal Pradesh. I had a meeting with AP CM where we formed a road map to settle 122 disputed points. Initial discussions have started with the CMs of Mizoram and Nagaland," he added. "In 1970s, Meghalaya was carved out from Assam, but in the State Reorganisation Bill, Congress could have resolved this... Both states kept fighting internally resulting in casualties. We're working on Peace, Heritage & Development (PHD) model for Northeast's development," said the Assam CM The initiation of resolution of 50 years old border dispute between Assam and Meghalaya has been done today. This historic milestone could only be achieved because of the continuous effort of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and HM Amit Shah, said Himanta Biswa Sarma. Assam and Meghalaya governments on Tuesday signed a historic agreement here in the national capital to resolve their 50-year-old pending boundary differences. The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between Assam and Meghalaya two months after a draft resolution was submitted by the Chief Ministers of both states to Shah on January 31 for examination and consideration by the MHA. The governments of Assam and Meghalaya had come up with a draft resolution to resolve their border disputes in six of the 12 "areas of difference" along the 884-km boundary. (ANI) Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangma on Tuesday said several issues including insurgency in the area have been taken into consideration while coming to an agreement with Assam to resolve the border dispute. "Political issues including insurgency and other issues related to North-East have been given due importance (while coming to an agreement with Assam over border dispute areas)," said Sangma. Sangma said that even the opinion of the general public was taken into consideration before coming to an agreement with Assam. "Earlier we only used to focus on historical facts and maps but this time even the opinion of the public has been taken into consideration. We asked the people in the area what they want and then on their feedback we went ahead with the talks," he said. The CM further informed that the final demarcation of borders will be done after a survey is conducted in the area by the central authority Survey of India. "Out of 12 areas of difference, we have come to an agreement with Assam on six areas. Further, a survey will be done by Survey of India with both states' involvement, and when that's done, actual demarcation will take place," said Sangma. Assam and Meghalaya governments on Tuesday signed a historic agreement here in the national capital to resolve their 50-year-old pending boundary differences. The agreement was signed by the Chief Ministers of Assam and Meghalaya in the presence of Union Home Minister Amit Shah at the office of the Ministry of Home Affairs. The governments of Assam and Meghalaya had come up with a draft resolution to resolve their border disputes in six of the 12 "areas of difference" along the 884-km boundary. According to the proposed recommendations for the 36.79 square km of land, Assam will keep 18.51 square km and give the remaining 18.28 square km to Meghalaya. The long-standing land dispute was sparked in 1972 when Meghalaya was carved out of Assam. The border issues came as a result of different readings of the demarcation of boundaries in the initial agreement for the new state's creation. (ANI) Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Tuesday denied receiving any letter from West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who wrote to all Opposition leaders and chief ministers calling for a united fight against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-ruled Centre. He said that his party's priority is the development and welfare of Odisha. "I haven't received a letter let. We stand for the development and welfare of our state. That's what our party stands for," said Patnaik when asked about Banerjee's letter to Opposition leaders and CMs of non-BJP ruled states for an anti-BJP Opposition front. Earlier in the day, Banerjee wrote to all Opposition leaders and chief ministers calling for a united fight against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-ruled Centre. She alleged that the BJP repeatedly attacked the federal structure of the country. "I am writing to you to express deep concern over direct attacks on this country's institutional democracy by the ruling BJP. Central agencies such as the ED, CBI, Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) and the Income Tax Department are being used to target, harass and corner political opponents across the country for vendetta. During the recently concluded Winter Session, Parliament bulldozed through the Delhi Special Police (Amendment) Bill 2021 as well as the CVC (Amendment) Bill 2021, in the midst of an opposition walkout. These laws enable the Centre to extend the tenure of the directors of ED and CBI up to five years in blatant violation of a previous Supreme Court judgment," Banerjee stated in her letter. The Odisha Chief Minister had visited the Parliament earlier today to meet the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) MPs and several other leaders. Patnaik is on a three-day tour of the national capital. Speaking to media persons in the Parliament, the five-time Odisha Chief Minister said, "So far there has been no proposal or discussion on a Presidential candidate for the upcoming presidential polls." Asked if the Opposition will put up a consensus candidate, he said, "I have neither thought anything about it nor do I have any proposal so far." The BJD has nine MPs in Rajya Sabha and 11 MPs in the Lok Sabha. The regional party carries a lot of political significance when it comes to the passage of crucial bills and also the elections for key Constitutional posts. The BJD is often seen as a fence player and extended its support to the BJP-led NDA government. (ANI) At the same time, the Crime Branch continued its interrogation of actor Dileep, who is accused in the case. The Kerala High Court directed the probe team to conclude the investigation into the case by April 15. Earlier in November, Balachandra Kumar has levelled a series of allegations against Dileep in connection to the case. He had shared audio recordings which led to new conspiracies in the case against actor Dileep. Further, Dileep was accused of conspiring with others to murder police officials who have been investigating the actor assault case. The actress, who has worked in Tamil and Telugu films, was allegedly abducted and molested inside her car by a group of men, who had forced their way into the vehicle on the night of February 17, 2017. (ANI) The event organised by 'All JK Youth Society' was held in a government girl's school in Srinagar, where over 500 girls attended the program. The girls were made aware of how drugs enter the Kashmir valley and then reach the youth through a chain. They were also told about the disadvantages and harmful effects of drugs. The program also threw light on the impact of drugs on the abusers. All JK Youth Society's vice president Yana Mir addressed the gathering and guided the youth about measures to be taken in order to save the valley from losing its entire generation to drug abuse and subsequent other vices like militancy or crime. The girls responded very positively and looked keen to make a difference. The event was attended by Sanjay Saraf, National General Secretary RLGP, Shoaib Dar of Apni Party, Agha Syed Abbas Rizvi President JK People's Justice Front, Activists Sahil Bashir Bhat, Aijaz Kashani and Javid Beigh, Principal GGHS and Area Corporator Shaheena Bhat. (ANI) Chief Ministers of Assam and Meghalaya on Tuesday signed a historic agreement for the settlement of inter-state border dispute in presence of Union Home Minister Amit Shah. The Home Minister said it is "a historic day" for a dispute-free northeast and noted that in a short span of time, 6 out of 12 issues have been settled between Assam and Meghalaya and about 70 per cent of the border between the two states has become dispute-free. He said during the last three years, the union government has signed several agreements for ending extremism and for lasting peace in the northeastern states. The Home Minister said PM Modi has made several efforts for the peace process, development, prosperity and promotion of the cultural heritage of the northeast, which "we all have witnessed, since 2014, when he became the Prime Minister". Looking at the journey from 2019 to 2022, there have seen many big achievements in establishing peace in the North East - NLFT agreement in August 2019, the Bru-Reang agreement on January 16, 2020, the Bodo agreement on January 27, 2020, the Karbi-Anglong agreement on September 4, 2021, and today's Assam-Meghalaya border agreement. Assam Chief Minister Hemant Biswa Sarma and his Meghalaya counterpart Conrad Sangma expressed gratitude to PM Modi and Amit Shah for solving this decades-long problem. Noting that development of the Northeast is not possible unless disputes between states are resolved and armed groups surrender, the Home Minister said that efforts should be made in the year of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav to realize Prime Minister Narendra Modi's dream of a peaceful and prosperous northeast. PM Modi has described the northeast as "Ashtalakshmi". The Home Minister said that with the efforts of the government, the North East Region (NER) will not only be a part of the national mainstream but will also be the driving force in national development. He said the Modi government has taken several initiatives including a narcotics-free, flood-free and infiltration-free North East and both the Centre and northeastern states are progressing in a time-bound manner on all these fronts. Noting that another 50-year-old dispute is going to be resolved with today's agreement, he said that from 2019 to 2022, more than 6,900 armed cadres have surrendered and more than 4,800 weapons have been surrendered to the administration. The Home Minister said NLFT (SD) agreement was signed in August, 2019 to bring the extremists in the mainstream of society in Tripura which contributed greatly in making Tripura a peaceful state. A landmark agreement was signed on January 16, 2020, to solve the 23-year-old Bru-Reang refugee crisis forever. Under this, more than 37,000 tribals who were leading a difficult life, are now living a life of dignity today. Amit Shah said that the Bodo Accord signed on January 27, 2020 resolved the 50-year-old Bodo issue while maintaining the original form of Assam. The Assam Government and the Government of India have fulfilled 95 per cent of the terms of this agreement and today Bodoland is known as a peaceful region and is on the path of development. The Karbi-Anglong Agreement was signed on September 4, 2021 to resolve the long-standing dispute in the Karbi regions of Assam. Under this, more than 1,000 armed cadres surrendered and joined the mainstream. He thanked the Chief Ministers and officials of both the states on behalf of PM Modi and the central government. Amit Shah said he is confident that the strong political will shown by the Chief Ministers of Assam and Meghalaya, "we will make the North East dispute-free through discussions with all the states". A Home Ministry release said it has been the consistent approach of the central government that inter-state boundary issues can be resolved only with the cooperation of the state governments concerned. It said the central government acts as a facilitator for amicable settlement of the boundary issue in the spirit of mutual cooperation and understanding. The release said that the agreement will benefit people living in the area and ensure long-lasting peace and boost development. "This agreement exemplifies cooperative federalism and will provide a roadmap for resolution of other boundary disputes between states," the release said. (ANI) The Army Chief is scheduled to review the deployment of Indian Army formations in Western and Northern borders while they are transitioning from winter to summer posturing. Senior Army, Navy and Air force officers will be attending a series of discussions focused on reviewing the current international and regional environment with a view to progressively increase their own capabilities through force level optimisation, technology adoption, induction of Force Multipliers while modernising and improving infrastructure. Operational readiness of troops and equipment to match strategy and tactics will also be reviewed to respond to the emerging threats and challenges. (ANI) The Bharatiya Janata Party on Tuesday filed a complaint against Trinamool Congress MLA Narendra Nath Chakraborty for allegedly threatening supporters of the BJP ahead of the Asansol Lok Sabha bypoll. A video has gone viral where Chakraborty is asking the TMC workers to intimidate the BJP supporters to not come out of their houses on the day of polls, as it would be assumed that they are voting for the BJP. "TMC's Narendra Nath Chakraborty (in a viral video) openly said that he will not take responsibility for anyone's life if people go to vote for LS bypolls in Asansol and that he'll assume that such people voted for BJP. Election Commission assured us to action against him," said West Bengal BJP chief Sukanta Majumdar. BJP in its letter to Election Commission has claimed that it is a direct open threat by Pandabeswar MLA Chakraborty. Pandabeswar assembly falls under the Asansol Lok Sabha constituency. BJP in its letter to Election Commission also mentioned the criminal record of Chakraborty and the proximity of Haripur (Where the alleged threat was made) to Rampurhat (where recently violence took place). "The present threat was made in Haripur which is a mere 90 km away from Rampurhat in District Birbhum which has been the epicentre of attention across the nation after nine women and children were burnt alive inside their homes on March 21, 2022," reads the letter. The BJP through its letter has sought an FIR against TMC MLA under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and Representation of the People Act. The BJP has also demanded that Chakraborty should be arrested immediately and sent out of the Asansol Lok Sabha constituency till the polls take place. Asansol is all set to witness a high-octane electoral battle with actor-turned-politician Shatrughan Sinha taking on the BJP's Agnimitra Paul. The Asansol Lok Sabha seat fell vacant after Babul Supriyo, a two-time BJP MP, quit the party in October last year to join the TMC. The voting will be held on April 12 while the results will be declared on April 16. (ANI) After the video of Trinamool Congress MLA Narendra Nath Chakraborty went viral in which he is seen openly threatening supporters of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), BJP national vice president Dilip Ghosh on Tuesday said that Mamata Banerjee has been surrounded on all sides, her leaders are mired in corruption, and violence is rife in Bengal. "Mamta Banerjee is surrounded on all sides, her leaders are engulfed in corruption and violence is rife in Bengal. Such incidents do not happen in a civilized society. After this, if people go to the court and the court orders a CBI inquiry, then whose fault is it? Your people will loot and kill. No one will get justice. Your police do not even register FIR and that is why people go to court under compulsion," Ghosh told ANI. Naturally, the court does not trust the Mamta government. If such incidents happen, the case is handed over to the CBI for investigation. Where is the conspiracy in this? What is the fault of the BJP?" Ghosh said. The BJP leader alleged that there has been no development in the state and the Mamata Banerjee government has no money. "You shed blood in the state. People have given you the majority. The government did not last even one year and they have no money. There is no development in the state. Mamta Banerjee has failed in all ways and to distract people she is doing all this," he said. He said that in the 2019 elections, Banerjee had given a call in Bengal, "Modi Hatao Desh Bachao" but this has benefited the BJP in other states and people chose Prime Minister Narendra Modi. "Even in the recently concluded elections, Mamata Banerjee went to protest but nothing happened. Today, no one is ready to stand with Mamata Banerjee, but she is helpless. That's why she raises the same issue again and again and opposes BJP," said Ghosh. Talking about the viral video, Ghosh said that they will go to Election Commission for a peaceful and fair election. "In a place where election has been announced, the entire administration is in the hands of the Election Commission. If there is an MLA, a leader makes such a statement, then how far will the fair elections be held? Keeping all these things in mind, we will place all the facts before the Election Commission. Will also present the video to the commission," he said. "Today we will request that elections should be fair and peaceful. Legal action should be taken against such people otherwise elections will never be fair in Bengal," said the BJP leader. Ghosh said that Naren Chakraborty and TMC leaders like him constantly give statements like this to create an atmosphere of fear and win elections. "There is a by-election in Asansol and their MLAs is trying to win by spreading fear. Their only job is to forcibly win elections and remain in power," he added. Ahead of the byelections for the Asansol Lok Sabha seat, a video of the ruling TMC MLA Narendra Nath Chakraborty has gone viral in which he is seen openly threatening the supporters of the BJP. In the viral video, the TMC MLA from Pandaveshwar is purportedly seen openly threatening the BJP supporters. (ANI) The TDP chief lauded the Telugu diaspora for taking an active part in Janmabhoomi's rural development works for the construction of the motherland. Naidu said that in its long journey, the TDP had weathered and overcame many obstacles. "NTR sowed a strong foundation for the party's pro-poor welfare agenda. He ushered in bold reforms by cancelling the Patel-Patwari system to remove suppression and introduced mandalika system for reaching out to people. The Rs 2 kg rice scheme stood as an ideal model for food security for the whole country," said Naidu. Naidu also asserted that in the united Andhra Pradesh, the TDP laid the foundation for a vibrant knowledge economy by developing infrastructure projects in IT and other sectors. Earlier, in a tweet, Naidu asserted that the TDP would always stand for development, welfare and equal distribution of power among all sections. The TDP would go down in history as the only political party that had passed on the benefits of reforms to the village level. (ANI) Karnataka Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Minister KS Eshwarappa on Tuesday quashed the allegations by a contractor that he demanded 40 per cent commission and said that he has filed a defamation case against him. "I am appalled at the reaction of Congress MPs over a baseless allegation made by Santosh K Patil claiming 40 per cent commission for a Rs 4 crore work undertaken by him in Hindalga Belgaum District," he said in a press statement. Eshwarappa said that Santosh Patil himself has said he has not received any official order from the department. "Trusting his unfounded allegation about the amount paid by him is unfortunate. A member of Parliament reacts to it with not even a shred of evidence to justify the same," he added. The Karnataka Minister said that the Congress which has vast experience in governance is aware of the procedure followed to undertake the work. Eshwarappa said that the Additional Chief Secretary of Rural Development and Panchayat Raj has issued a clarification stating that no work order is issued as the work has not been sanctioned and the question of making payment for the alleged work doesn't arise. "The desperation of the Congress party to make wild allegations over fabricated and motivated charges is clearly exposed. It is to my utter dismay Congress party is in its zeal to accuse BJP government in Karnataka is resting on a motivated charge by a person who himself has confessed to having indulged its questionable activities," he added. He further said that he had filed a defamation case against Santosh K Patil over his attempt to defame him."I have on 10/03/2022 filed a defamation case against Santosh K Patil over his attempt to defame me. I have also attested to the clarification letter issued by Principal Secretary to this effect which is self-explanatory and dispels all the baseless allegations made. I hope good sense will prevail upon Congress leaders and would focus more on energising their party which is in a moribund state," he said. Patil had written a letter to the Union Minister alleging that Eshwarappa was demanding a commission for releasing his payment of Rs 4 crores for completed road work even after a year of completion of the work. (ANI) Union Minister G Kishan Reddy on Tuesday slammed Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for his statement which accused the BJP and Telangana government of politicizing the issue of paddy procurement in the state. "Rahul Gandhi knows nothing about rice (paddy) procurement. He should first understand the issue, the respective role of centre and state in rice procurement," said Reddy. Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday tweeted that the "Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government at the Centre and Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) in the state are playing politics over the hard work of farmers, ignoring their moral duty to procure paddy." "Both the governments should stop creating problems for farmers through their anti-farmer policies and procure every grain grown by farmers," tweeted Gandhi. The Congress party will continue to fight till the last grain of paddy in Telangana is procured by the government, he said. Targeting Gandhi, Reddy said the Centre has increased the procurement from Telangana manifold since 2014. "Centre spent Rs 26,600 cr in paddy procurement this year and is ready to spend even Rs 30,000 crores. The centre will procure as much as paddy Telangana wants to sell under the ambit of the already signed agreement," said Reddy. The Chief Minister of Telangana K Chandrashekar Rao had demanded that the Centre should buy the entire Yasangi crop produced in the state on the lines of procurement in Punjab and Haryana. He had said that a protest will be held in Delhi on April 2 against the Central government over the issue. Last year, a delegation of Ministers from the State had even met union Ministers to make a clear announcement on paddy procurement, including the quantity. However, there has been no amicable solution obtained to the problem yet. (ANI) According to GSM Arena, reports suggest that users in Finland have received the coveted update to the latest version of Google's mobile operating system. Labelled V2.300, the new build seems to be rolling out over the air already in some parts of Europe at least. Upon installation, the Nokia XR20 will run Android 12 with the March 2022 security patch level, which is still current for a few more days. GSM Arena suggests that this might be a staged rollout, so it could take days (or even weeks) for the notification to pop up on all Nokia XR20 units out there in the wild. (ANI) Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday said that the signing of the inter-state agreement between Assam and Meghalaya to resolve the pending border dispute is a "historic day for the northeast" and congratulated the two chief ministers. "Today is a historic day for the northeast. Since 2014, PM Modi has made numerous efforts for the development and promotion of the cultural heritage of the northeast region. Today, I congratulate Assam CM and Meghalaya CM and their teams on the signing of the agreement to resolve their boundary dispute," the Home Minister said. The Home Minister said that he is assured that in the coming days GDP of the northeastern states will increase and there will be peace, prosperity and development. He said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has continuously worked for the welfare of the people of the northeast. Amit Shah said that looking at the journey from 2019 to 2022, there have been many big achievements in establishing peace in the northeast. "First of all, in 2019, there was an NLFT agreement. The Bru Reang Agreement was signed on January 16, which benefited more than 34,000 people. Then on January 27, 2020, the historic Bodo Accord was signed. We ended the 50-year-old problem by creating the original form of the state without disturbing the Assam model," he said. The Home Minister said that the Karbi Amlang agreement was signed in 2021 and an agreement had been reached today. Amit Shah said that he had gone to Meghalaya in July last year and met all the chief ministers of the northeast region. "We are continuously moving forward on the path of resolving the border dispute. Today, a 50-year-old pending boundary dispute between Assam and Meghalaya has been resolved. Six out of 12 points of the dispute have been resolved, which comprises nearly 70 per cent of the boundary. The remaining six points will be resolved at the earliest," the minister said. Assam and Meghalaya governments on Tuesday signed a historic agreement here in the national capital to resolve their 50-year-old pending border dispute. The agreement was signed between Assam and Meghalaya two months after a draft resolution was submitted by the chief ministers of the two states to Amit Shah on January 31 for examination and consideration by the MHA. The governments of Assam and Meghalaya had come up with a draft resolution to resolve their border disputes in six of the 12 "areas of difference" along the boundary. (ANI) Crime Branch of Kerala Police interrogated Malayalam actor Dileep for nine and a half hours on Tuesday in the 2017 actress assault case. Dileep, who is the eighth accused, was interrogated for seven hours on Monday. The Crime Branch also interrogated Malayalam film director Balachandra Kumar, who is the witness in this case on Tuesday. Crime Branch Additional Director General of Police (ADGP) S Sreejith confirmed that they interrogated Dileep and Balachandra Kumar together on Tuesday. The Crime Branch ADGP said, "The interrogation of Dileep is over now. He will be called later if further clarification is required. Important people will not be questioned tomorrow. Dileep will be questioned again if necessary." Balachandra Kumar, film director and witness said, "I can not disclose the facts that are part of the investigation. They said they would call me again. I think things will go to the steps of questioning Dileep and me together. The police have various evidence that people are unaware of. I believe the investigation can be completed on time." Earlier in November, Balachandra Kumar had leveled a series of allegations against Dileep in connection to the case. He had shared audio recordings which led to new conspiracies in the case against actor Dileep. Further, Dileep was accused of conspiring with others to murder police officials who have been investigating the actor assault case. The actress, who worked in Tamil and Telugu films, was allegedly abducted and molested inside her car by a group of men, who had forced their way into the vehicle on the night of February 17, 2017. (ANI) "I guarantee to make Punjabi University free from debt so as to regain its pristine glory as a seat of higher learning in northern India," said Mann. He said providing a world-class education to students of the state was Punjab government's priority. With an aim to provide ample opportunities for the youth in the state, Mann said, "All pending issues of school and college teachers would be resolved soon. Our youth will get enough opportunities to exhibit their capacities and capabilities in the state so that they could become ideal citizens of society." The Chief Minister was addressing an event at Punjabi University on Tuesday. The students and the staff members lauded the CM's declarations. (ANI) Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Tuesday said that the state government is committed to make Uttarakhand the number one state in the country by 2025. An official statement from the Chief Minister's Office (CMO) stated that for the financial year 2022-23, there will be a need for withdrawal of funds from the Consolidated Fund of the state, under this, according to the provisions mentioned in Article 206 of the Constitution, a four-month vote on account has been presented in the House mainly for the withdrawal of committed items. He said that the state government is committed to fulfilling the promises and resolutions made to the people of the state along with the resolutions of the Governor's address. Dhami said, "The decision has been taken by the state cabinet regarding uniform civil code in the state. We have promised to provide three gas cylinders free of cost to the poor mothers and sisters of the state, besides fulfilling all the promises we have made to the public regarding employment generation, etc. They will be fulfilled with a choiceless resolution." "In the near future, we will come up with a full budget, in which according to the hopes and aspirations of the people, and the suggestions of the people will also get their due. It will be our endeavor to fulfill the trust that the people of the state have placed on us," he added. The Chief Minister said that the Prime Minister has given a target to make Uttarakhand the number one state of the country by 2025, when Uttarakhand will turn 25, for this guidance and cooperation of all is needed. He also expected everyone to be cooperative in building a prosperous and self-reliant Uttarakhand. Dhami also expressed his gratitude to PM Narendra Modi and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh for the approval of the Sainik School in Bhauwala, Dehradun. The CM added that "Sainya Dham Uttarakhand" has made an unprecedented contribution to the security of the nation. (ANI) The Supreme Court on Tuesday told the project proponent to not continue with construction activities in connection with Rs 2,000 crore extension of the commercial Karwar port in Karnataka. After hearing arguments in the matter on the plea filed by a fishermen association, a bench headed by Chief Justice N.V. Ramana issued notice to the Karnataka government and others.e Senior advocate Devadatt Kamat and advocate Amit Pai, representing the petitioner, questioned the validity of the high court judgment passed on July 29, 2021, declining to entertain the association's plea against the project. Senior advocate Maninder Singh, representing DVP Infra Projects Private Ltd, contended before the top court that halting the construction activity would escalate the costs. However, the bench replied that beaches and environment can't be destroyed, and also made an oral observation against carrying out further construction activities. The plea contended that Karwar is an ecologically sensitive area, therefore, the environmental clearance given to the 2nd stage expansion of the commercial Karwar port by the state level authority is bad in law. "For the said expansion, only the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change could have given prior environmental clearance upon the recommendation of the Expert Advisor Committee (EAC)," added the plea. It further contended that it is also a Critically Vulnerable Coastal Area (CVCA). Counsel representing the petitioner insisted that there should be status quo on the project and pointed out that construction commenced based on environmental clearance (EC) granted from state-level authorities on January 23, 2019. The plea contended that this EC was in contravention of the Environment Impact Assessment notification of September 14, 2006. The plea claimed the high court did not pay heed to the livelihood of the fisherfolk, which would be adversely impacted by the project and added that Karwar is notified as a "ecologically sensitive areas" as per 2011 and 2019 notifications. The plea contended that the project of the 2nd Stage Expansion of the Karwar Commercial Port has the impact of directly and adversely impacting the right of the people to enjoy the beach. --IANS ss/vd A ( 362 Words) 2022-03-29-19:02:02 (IANS) Assam and Meghalaya on Tuesday signed an accord to resolve the 50-year-old boundary dispute when Chief Ministers Himanta Biswa Sarma and Conrad Sangma signed an agreement in the presence of Union Home Minister Amit Shah, the chief secretaries of the two states and other officials of the Home Ministry. Describing as the historic day for the northeast, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said that this will usher in a new era of peace, harmony and progress in both the states. This accord paved the way for resolving the interstate boundary disputes at six places out of 12 which comprise 70 per cent of the boundary, he added. "In 2019, there was an agreement between the armed groups in Tripura. The Bru Reang Agreement, signed on January 16, 2020, which benefited over 34,000 people. The historic Bodo Accord was signed on January 27, 2020, ending the 50-year-old problem without disturbing Assam's geographical entity format and without disturbing its original character. Then, the Karbi Anglong agreement was reached in September, 2021 and today this agreement and about 70 per cent of the border between the two States has become dispute-free," Shah further said. He said the development of the northeast is not possible unless disputes between states are resolved and armed groups do not surrender. He thanked the Chief Ministers and officials of both the states on behalf of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Central Government. Speaking about the pact, Meghalaya CM Conrad Sangma said: "Of the 12 areas of difference, we have come to an agreement with Assam on six areas. Further, a survey will be done by the Survey of India with both states' involvement, and when that's done, the actual demarcation will take place." The Assam and Meghalaya governments had come up with a draft resolution to resolve the border disputes in six of 12 regions along their state boundaries. Assam and Meghalaya share 885 km long border. The agreement aims to resolve differences in six "areas of differences", that comprise nearly 70 per cent of the total boundary. --IANS ams/skp/ ( 355 Words) 2022-03-29-19:34:03 (IANS) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday held a meeting with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MPs from Gujarat to discuss the party's strategy for the year-end assembly polls. All Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha MPs from Gujarat attended the meeting held at the Prime Minister's official residence in the national capital. BJP chief JP Nadda, Home Minister and Lok Sabha member from Gujarat Amit Shah, BJP national general secretary (organisation) BL Santhosh and Union Minister Pralhad Joshi were also present in the meeting. Sources said the Prime Minister asked the MPs to reach out to the people with the government development and welfare measures. "PM Modi told all the MPs present in the meeting to tell people about the public welfare schemes of the Central government to each and every village of Gujarat. The party has decided to contest the election on a development agenda," sources said. It was learnt that MPs were told to use social media to explain to the people about the government's work. "We are asked to make a short video and share it with each voter through WhatsApp group. The video will tell about the work of the Union and the state government. The MPs will also be asked to highlight their own work for their parliamentary constituency," a BJP MP said. This was the second meeting of the BJP MPs from Gujarat with Prime Minister Modi in a week. On March 24, Modi had met BJP MPs from Gujarat. In the last meeting, the Prime Minister asked the BJP MPs about their work in the parliamentary constituency and discussed issues related to the state. "PM Modi asked about the work we are doing in our area and advised us to work for the people," an MP from Gujarat had said after the meeting held last week. --IANS ssb/pgh ( 319 Words) 2022-03-29-19:50:02 (IANS) Yusuf Khan, a resident of Pir Gali in Indore, said he was inspired by the Prime Minister and had his photo in the house. Yusuf Khan said he was being pressurised to vacate the house by his landlords Yakub Mansoori, Sultan Mansoori, Sharif Mansoori. "I respect the Prime Minister a lot and follow his speeches. His picture is in my house. They (the landlords) asked me to remove it and threatened they will beat me and force me to vacate the house," he said. Khan said he is aligned with "Sangh's ideology" and reads relevant articles. Referring to the complaint, Additional DCP Manisha Pathak Soni said that every citizen has the right to freedom of expression and no one can prevent Yusuf Khan from placing pictures of his choice in the house. She said directions have been passed to the Sadar Bazar police station for action in the matter. (ANI) Both the terrorists were involved in several recent terror crimes including civilian killings, said Inspector General of Police Kashmir. Incriminating materials including arms and ammunition have been recovered, added the police. Further details shall follow. (ANI) TNA and TPA are political alliances that represent the country's Sri Lankan Tamil minority. In multiple tweets, Jaishankar informed that he discussed the realization of the aspirations of the Tamils of Sri Lanka for "equality, justice, peace and dignity." "Interacted with TPA delegation of Mano Ganeshan, Thigambaram, V Radhakrishnan, Uday Kumar. Discussed the socio-economic issues of the Indian origin Tamil community. India stands committed to its development partnership with IOTs," he said in a subsequent tweet. Mano Ganeshan, who is Sri Lanka's former Minister of National Integration, sought India's support from Jaishankar for the Indian Tamil Sri Lankan community's aspirations. "TPA delegation had a progressive discussion with Indian EAM Jaishankar. Indian support was sought for the TPA led Indian Tamil Srilankan community's aspirations, towards mainstreaming as full citizens of Sri Lanka. TPA compiled an aspirational memorandum that was explained," Mano Ganesan said in a tweet. Jaishankar arrived for his three-day visit on Sunday. He met Sri Lankan Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa and President Gotabaya Rajapaksa today. Jaishankar and President Rajapaksa reviewed various dimensions of India-Sri Lanka's neighbourly relationship. He assured Gotabaya Rajapaksa of India's continued cooperation and understanding. Sri Lankan President thanked Jaishankar for assistance in form of a USD 1 billion credit line. "Met with Indian Foreign Minister @DrSJaishankar today, and I expressed my gratitude to the Government of #India for the invaluable assistance provided recently via the line of credit, on behalf of the people of #lka," wrote the official Twitter account of The President of Sri Lanka. With Sri Lankan PM, the Minister virtually inaugurated the Jaffna Cultural Centre, constructed with an Indian grant. Both Ministers witnessed the signing of an agreement on supporting Buddhist culture and heritage. Later on Sunday, Jaishankar also met his Thai counterpart Don Pramudwinai on the margins of the BIMSTEC Ministerial. He discussed global and regional issues as well as taking BIMSTEC forward. Jaishankar will tomorrow attend the BIMSTEC (Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation) meeting. (ANI) The European Union on Monday condemned the Taliban's decision to ban girls from receiving secondary education and believes that this lowers the movement's chances to gain the "desired" legitimacy, Sputnik reported. Earlier, on Wednesday, the Taliban regime issued a decree banning female students above grade six from participating in their classes. The girls were further told to stay home until the Islamic Emirate announces its next decision. "The European Union and its member states, together with international partners, have condemned the decision of the Taliban to deny until further notice secondary level education for over one million Afghan girls. This is a blatant violation of the fundamental right to education for all children, enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and several international human rights instruments, of which Afghanistan is a state party," Sputnik quoted the EU Council statement. The decision by the Islamic Emirate has drawn severe backlash across the world with the Foreign Ministers of Canada, France, Italy, Norway, the United Kingdom, the United States of America, and the High Representative of the European Union issuing a joint statement on Friday to condemn the Taliban's decision to deny so many Afghan girls the opportunity to finally go back to school. (ANI) Eyewitnesses said that representatives of the Ministry of Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan stopped the staff members of the Ministry of Finance at the gate because they were beardless, reported The Khaama Press. The employees were allowed to enter the ministry only after they wear the hats as recommended by the Taliban representatives. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice denied government employees having been stopped at the gate, reported The Khaama Press. Spokesperson of the Ministry Muhammad Sadiq Akif said, the staff members of the Finance Ministry were stopped for instruction and recommendation by the representatives of the Ministry of Virtue and vice. "All government bodies were instructed not to allow women without hijab and male employees of government administrations to fit their appearance in accordance with Sharia law," said Akif. The decision is condemned even by pro-Taliban figures reasoning Islam has never forced people to grow beards. The Taliban after taking over Afghanistan last August has put many restrictions on Afghans and particularly women. The Taliban's Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice earlier issued posters around the capital Kabul ordering Afghan women to cover up. Meanwhile, the Taliban's return to power in Afghanistan is a nightmare for Afghan women. They have imposed many repressive rules on women including banning education, work, and long travel. After Afghanistan fell to the Taliban, the incidents of threatening women are becoming a 'new normal'. The Taliban have also banned hairdressers in Afghanistan from shaving or trimming beards. The group is re-imposing repressive laws and retrograde policies. They are imposing laws that defined its 1996-2001 rule when they enforced their version of Islamic Sharia law. (ANI) The United States on Tuesday (local time) expressed concern over the latest series of restrictions imposed on Afghan media by the Taliban and urged the group to cease infringements, including education and human rights of Afghan people. The US State Department Spokesperson Ned Price said in a statement said that the US is committed to supporting the right of freedom of expression the world over, especially for journalists and human rights defenders, to operate freely without fear of violence against them. On Sunday, the Taliban banned British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) and Voice of America (VOA) broadcast services in Afghanistan. The ban is the latest in a series of restrictions the Islamist group has imposed on Afghan media to stifle freedom of expression since taking control of the country last August. "The United States is committed to supporting the right of freedom of expression the world over, especially for journalists and human rights defenders, to operate freely without fear of violence against them," added Price. "In addition to this restrictive new media policy, the Taliban continue to move Afghanistan in the wrong direction by failing to uphold commitments they have made, including their March 23 decision to prevent girls from attending secondary school. Each of these actions alone is alarming, but combined, they make clear the Taliban are not living up to the essential commitments they made to the Afghan people and the international community," he said. The US statement further said that the United States and the international community are paying close attention to the Taliban's actions inside Afghanistan, and "it is with alarm and deep concern we learned of the Taliban's decision to stifle the Afghan people's access to independent, objective, international media sources." Education and freedom of expression are human rights held by every person in Afghanistan, the US statement said. "These are not Western values or concessions to the international community; they are human rights and essential to a peaceful and prosperous Afghan society, which is something the Taliban claim to desire. We urge the Taliban to cease these infringements on the rights of Afghans, and we continue to stand with the Afghan people," it added. (ANI) Chinese President Xi Jinping recently (March 5) called for investments in coal technologies to fight the energy crisis, breaking the promises he had made for climate goals. President Xi's declaration about coal output enhancement would pose a threat to the global community as well as a threat to the climate. There are major reasons why the Chinese government's prejudice toward coal could be a crisis for the country and globally, reported The HK Post. Xi stated that the country could not simply introduce bars on coal production as electricity demand has grown exponentially in China over the years. To sustain the demand, Beijing increased coal production. China accounted for 33 per cent of CO2 emissions globally in the year 2021. Between the years 2019 and 2021, C02 emissions increased by 750 million tonnes. Coal remains the main reason for increasing CO2 emissions. Moreover, the Chinese government has developed coal as their main energy source. Around 50 per cent of energy consumption in the country is utilized from coal, reported The HK Post. Also, China poured a significant amount of money into other countries for developing coal power infrastructures. Burning coal comes at a greater cost for the environment. Too much dependence on coal for construction and allied activities has also become a cause of concern in the country. Consequently, Beijing witnessed a rise in pollution due to burning of the fossil fuel. It is pointed out that one of the main factors attributed to air pollution is coal combustion. Around this time schools were closed in the city and outdoor activities were restricted. The fact remains that coal production was substantially increased at that time after a decline in supply chains owing to the energy crisis and emission cuts, reported The HK Post. The Paris Climate agreement intends to contain global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius. But the Chinese government's objective to run the coal plants at full capacity is not to be seen as a positive note for the climate goal. When countries have restricted their coal capacity by 8.1 gigawatts in 2018 - 19, China accumulated 43GW to their capacity. In the UN Assembly last year President Xi Jinping suggested zero carbon emissions by the year 2060. But researchers suggest China needs to decarbonize faster than their predicted timelines because by 2060 China could significantly raise carbon emissions and damage the climate around the world. (ANI) "Happy to receive H.E. Dr Sheikh Abdullah bin Ahmed Al Khalifa, Undersecretary for Political Affairs, MoFA, Bahrain. Discussed various aspects of bilateral relations and the welfare of the Indian community. Thanked Bahrain for taking care of the Indian community," tweeted Muraleedharan. He also received Bahrain's Instrument of Ratification of International Solar Alliance (ISA) from Dr Sheikh Abdullah. MOS thanked the Leadership and Government of Bahrain for taking excellent care of the Indian community, including during the COVID-19 pandemic. "Glad to receive an instrument of ratification from Bahrain for joining the International Solar Alliance. 86 countries including Bahrain have signed and ratified the ISA Framework Agreement so far," tweeted Muraleedharan. India and Bahrain celebrated the Golden Jubilee of the establishment of diplomatic relations in October 2021. Both sides are looking forward to an early visit of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and Prime Minister of Bahrain to India. Dr Sheikh Abdullah arrived in New Delhi on March 27 and is scheduled to depart today. He came to attend the fifth India - Bahrain Foreign Office Consultations (FOC). During the FOC, both delegations discussed all areas of bilateral cooperation and reviewed the progress made since the 3rd High Joint Commission meeting co-chaired by EAM and FM of Bahrain in April 2021 in New Delhi, read the Ministry of Foreign Affairs press release. (ANI) Chinese citizens are blindfolded in the Russia-Ukraine war as they lack access to impartial news and information. Many pro-Russian remarks appeared on China's social media platforms within hours of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, characterizing the conflict as a comedy or an opportunity to "chigua" (a slang term for rubbernecking or watching a disaster from afar), reported The HK Post. Such remarks have once again led the world to assume that the Chinese people are inextricably linked to their government. However, they lack access to impartial news as China's official coverage of the situation has been tilted toward Russia since Russia's invasion of Ukraine on February 24, reported The HK Post. The predominance of official narratives in China's media environment, along with the pervasiveness of nationalism, shapes Chinese perceptions of the world. The Chinese government has avoided using the word "invasion" to characterize Russia's activities, and Chinese state media have frequently claimed that Russian President Vladimir Putin's decision to invade Ukraine was motivated by US pressure and NATO expansion, reported The HK Post. The Chinese and international media have a tendency to report on the crisis with quite different narratives and stories. Chinese students trapped in Ukraine who requested assistance on Weibo (China's version of Twitter) have had their tweets deleted. At the same time, the Chinese government has announced that it is chartering flights to assist Chinese students and citizens in returning to China. Most Chinese people's perceptions of the war are largely shaped by what the Chinese government wants them to perceive, reported The HK Post. Social media commentary in China is strictly regulated. Unfavourable comments on the government are kept secret from the general public. Nationalism and violent, "wolf warrior" motifs abound in the remaining entries. The Chinese government has a large "water army" that tries to influence the populace. They are active not just on domestic social media platforms, but also on major international ones. In truth, Chinese citizens' viewpoints are not as polarised as the Chinese government's. Public opinion on the situation in Ukraine is split between those who enthusiastically support the government's position and others who believe Putin is a Hitler-like figure whom they refer to as "Putler." The second group of Chinese feels that the conflict is unquestionably a tragedy and that in the contemporary world, it is a terrible thing for a sovereign state to violate another sovereign state, reported The HK Post. (ANI) The US has proposed forging a semiconductor industry alliance between the United States, Taiwan, South Korea, and Japan in a move to prevent China from gaining dominance over the strategic sector. However, South Korea is not fully on board with the idea proposed by America, Taiwan News reported citing Business Korea. "Cooperation with the United States is the top priority of course, and yet the biggest market (China) is also of paramount importance," Taiwan reported citing Business Korea's sources. The South Korean government is reluctant to jeopardize the operations of South Korean chipmakers like Samsung who have a core manufacturing infrastructure in China. The western Chinese city of Xi'an is home to Samsung's only overseas memory chip plant. The fab accounts for roughly 40 per cent of the Korean conglomerate's total NAND flash production. Meanwhile, China is waging economic warfare to acquire Taiwan's semiconductor industries, home to the world-leading semiconductor industry, second only after the US. The Taiwanese government has accused China of waging economic warfare against Taiwan's tech sector by stealing technology and inveigling away skilled engineers, reported The HK Post. Taiwanese Executive Minister Lo Ping Cheng charged that Beijing was enticing Taiwan's advanced-tech personnel and engaging in theft of national critical technologies, circumventing regulations, illegally investing and operating in Taiwan causing the nation a huge loss in IT security and industry competitiveness. Semiconductors or 'chips' are the essential building blocks in technological innovation and economic development. These chips are ubiquitous in all electrical devices including smartphones, electronic vehicles, hypersonic armaments, airships, pacemakers etc. In the past few years, the government of Taiwan has reported many charges concerning the theft of chip trade secrets by Chinese organizations. While China manufactures the majority of the world's computers and smartphones, it imports almost all the semiconductors needed to run these gadgets. To remove its technological dependence, China regularly engages in industrial espionage and other activities in an effort to develop its own semiconductor industry. This was also one of the main reasons why China was trying hard to get Taiwan back under its hold. Investigation Bureau of Taiwan under the administration of the Ministry of Justice rounded up 60 Chinese nationals on the allegation of stealing trade secrets and poaching tech employees from Taiwan, reported The HK Post. The list of companies investigated includes Vimicro, GLC Semiconductor, Analogix Semiconductor, Beijing Yinxing Technology among others. (ANI) Taking stalk of the crisis, Jaishankar who is on a three-day visit to Sri Lanka tweeted, "Disturbed to see this news. Am asking High Commissioner Baglay to contact and discuss how India can help." The information regarding the shortage of medicines was shared by the Sri Lankan Twitter handle Ayubovan. "Scheduled surgeries at the Peradeniya Hospital were suspended due to a shortage of medicines. Only emergency surgeries are taking place," tweeted Ayubovan. While in Sri Lanka, EAM will also participate in the BIMSTEC Ministerial Meeting on March 29 in Colombo. Both Maldives and Sri Lanka are India's key maritime neighbours in the Indian Ocean Region and occupy a special place in the Prime Minister's vision of 'SAGAR' and Neighbourhood First. India's Neighbourhood First policy, accords primacy to nations in the periphery with a focus on encouraging trade, connectivity and people-to-people contact. The EAM's visit is testimony to the importance that India attaches to its close and friendly relations with the Maldives and Sri Lanka. (ANI) This will be the first visit of Marcelo Ebrard Casaubon to India in his capacity as Foreign Minister, a Ministry of External Affairs said on Tuesday. Mexican Foreign Minister will also visit Mumbai. Both Jaishankar and Casaubon will undertake a comprehensive review of bilateral relations and will also discuss international issues of mutual interest. The visit of the Mexican Foreign Minister follows Jaishankar's visit to Mexico City in September last year. This exchange of visits will consolidate and further strengthen the privileged partnership between India and Mexico. At present, Mexico is India's second-largest trade partner in Latin America and is a member of UNSC alongside India for the period 2021-22. (ANI) "Participated at the 18th BIMSTEC Ministerial Meeting in Colombo today. Thank FM Prof. G.L. Peiris for his hospitality. Emphasized our commitment to intensify and expand areas of cooperation, especially connectivity, energy and maritime cooperation," EAM Jaishankar tweeted. External Affairs Minister arrived in Colombo for a bilateral visit on Sunday. The 'Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC)' is a regional multilateral organisation. Its members lie in the littoral and adjacent areas of the Bay of Bengal, constituting a contiguous regional unity. The members include Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Myanmar and Thailand. During the Ministerial Meeting Jaishankar said that India will encourage active business collaboration and common projects. He also stressed on collectively combating terrorism, violent extremism, transnational crime, cyberattacks and narco-trafficking. "...will encourage active business collaboration and common projects to this end. Cooperation on port facilities, ferry services, coastal shipping, grid connectivity and motor vehicles movement is key," Jaishankar said. "Must also collectively combat terrorism, violent extremism, transnational crime, cyber-attacks and narco-trafficking. Look forward to the adoption of our Charter and Master Plan at the Summit tomorrow," he added in another tweet. On Monday, Jaishankar met Sri Lankan Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa and held a discussion over the economic situation in the island nation as well as India's supportive response. The ministers, Gamini Lokuge, Minister of Energy, Johnston Fernando, Minister of Highways, Prasanna Ranatunga, Ministry of Tourism and, D V Chanaka, State Minister of Aviation and Export Zones Development, had received Jaishankar at the airport. Jaishankar will be in Sri Lanka from March 28 to 30. (ANI) Lima [Peru], March 29 (ANI/Sputnik): The Peruvian Congress did not get the required number of votes to impeach President Pedro Castillo accused of giving false information to the prosecutor's office and appointing incompetent officials, Congress President Maricarmen Alva said. "For - 55 congressmen, against - 54, 19 abstained. The resolution was not adopted," Alva announced the voting results on Monday. According to local media, before the vote in the country's parliament, the Peruvian police searched houses of businessmen allegedly linked to Castillo and his nephews as part of the corruption case. Earlier in March, the Peruvian government launched the impeachment procedure against Castillo due to his "moral incompetence," accusing him of giving false information to the country's prosecutor's office and appointing incompetent people or people with priors to the council of ministers. Congress also used the "moral incompetence" reason to impeach the previous Peruvian leader, Martin Vizcarra, suspected of bribery during his tenure as the governor of the Moquegua region from 2011 to 2014. This was not the first time the parliament considered the resignation of Castillo. In 2021, he was accused of the improper use of public resources during the election campaign. However, at that time, congressmen voted against the beginning of the impeachment process. (ANI/Sputnik) The Taliban's District Governor of Takhar province in Afghanistan who was arrested by the group on charges of cooperation with the Islamic State (Deash) has escaped, local media reported citing sources. The Governor, Abdul Qadir was arrested on Saturday in the Khaja Ghar district and local sources confirmed his escape on Sunday. "Abdul Qadir, the #Taliban district governor for Dasht-e-Qala of Takhar province was arrested by the group on Saturday on charges of cooperation with the Deash from Khaja Ghar district of the province has been escaped on Sunday, local sources confirmed today," tweeted local media. After the Taliban took over Afghanistan last August, the group has been facing a stiff challenge from the Islamic State. The Islamic State-Khorasan (ISIS-K), an off-shoot of Daesh, continues to grow unabated in Afghanistan with the reigning Taliban regime finding it difficult to counter the threat. The Islamic State is a Sunni Muslim terrorist group. It considers Shias heretics and has previously claimed several attacks in Afghanistan and neighbouring Pakistan. The Islamic State Khorasan (ISIS-K) took responsibility for a devastating attack at the Shia mosque of Koocha Risaldar in Peshawar on March 4 which left more than 60 people dead. The Taliban claims that ISIS-K is not a threat and that once economic and administrative issues in Iraq are resolved, they will simply 'disappear'. However, in reality, the Taliban do not appear to be handling this threat so well, as ISIS-K carry out almost daily attacks against them, Alex Szokalski said writing in Policy Forum, Asia and the Pacific's platform for public policy debate, analysis, views, and discussion. Notably, former members of the Afghan intelligence services and special forces who were trained by the United States and then forced out of work following the Taliban takeover are reportedly quick to join ISIS-K, providing the group with specialised capabilities they once lacked, Policy Forum further reported. If ISIS-K continues to develop support in the Khorasan region whilst degrading Taliban control of Afghanistan, it is not inconceivable that they will have the capacity to begin rebuilding or even rebranding. They could once again pose a sizeable threat to national, regional, and international security, added Szokalski. (ANI) Amid growing resentment over the stringent measures towards the zero-COVID policy by the authorities, the Chinese public have been taking to social media platforms to express their frustration and discontentment. Netizens have been complaining that excessive measures such as the imposition of complete lockdown and frequent and expansive tests have been causing widespread suffering, including financial/economic loss, reported local media. Chinese netizens have criticized a circular issued by local authorities denying social insurance, schooling and employment, imposing fines ranging from RMB 200-1000 and provisions of arrest for 5-10 days for breaking coronavirus rules. The sentiment on social media is that the Government should relax the strict measures as the economic cost of such complete lockdowns is ultimately borne by the common people. The COVID-19 pandemic situation in China continues to heat up as more than 20 provinces and cities have imposed travel bans and lockdowns. The pandemic situation in Jilin and Shanghai has deteriorated, and the situation of closed management and control has frequently been imposed to contain the virus, reported local media. Meanwhile, Shanghai has overtaken Jilin as a hotspot and is currently being locked down for testing in two phases (East and West of Huangpu River). The central Government's harsh punishments of officials who fail to prevent the outbreak have led to excessive stringent measures, thereby, creating chaos for the Chinese citizens. China has clung to a zero-tolerance approach to the virus that relies on stringent lockdowns, mass testing and quarantine in government facilities. Earlier, Chinese President Xi Jinping has said that Beijing will stick to its "zero Covid-19" policy, days after National Health Commission (NHC) released new guidelines easing its control measures. NHC had uploaded a new document on its website. Titled the Novel Coronavirus Diagnosis And Treatment Plan, it was the ninth revision to a document setting out the COVID-19 policy for the country of 1.4 billion.China's zero-COVID policy is pushing cash-strapped local governments to the brink amid rising health care costs and efforts to control debt. Analysts said that the local governments in China are facing a growing financial burden to meet Beijing's hardline zero-COVID strategy, according to a think tank, Policy Research Group (POREG). China is battling its biggest virus surge in two years and numerous cities have imposed travel bans and lockdowns, including tech hub Shenzhen, which have shaken economic stability and global supply chains. (ANI) Taliban's acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi has been removed from the Doha Assembly's list of speakers, local media reported. "Sources confirm that the name of Taliban Foreign Minister Mawlawi Amir Khan Muttaqi was on the Doha Assembly's list of speakers until this morning, but was removed an hour ago," a local media organisation posted on Twitter. The Taliban's political office in Doha, Qatar is serving as a link between the Islamic Emirate and the international community as the office is in contact with nearly 16 countries around the world. The removal of Muttaqi from the Doha Assembly's list of speakers is a major embarrassment for the Taliban. Suhail Shaheen is the chief of the Doha office. After the Taliban took control of Afghanistan, the United States and some European and Western countries moved their political representatives and diplomatic missions to Qatar. The political office of the Taliban in Qatar was the Islamic Emirate's channel of communication with the United States during the previous government as well, reported Tolo News. The political office of the Taliban in Qatar began its activities in 2013 with the flag and title of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan and with the financial support of the Qatari government. Questions are raised about the role this office has played in building relations so far, since the takeover, as no country has recognized the Islamic Emirate. "The Islamic Emirate has made great use of this office to gain power, but since it took power, its efforts to gain legitimacy for the Islamic Emirate and its relations with the world have been hampered, and the lobbying of the Taliban's political office in Qatar has not yet been successful," said Javed Javed, an international relations expert. "Many countries are pursuing political and security policies toward Afghanistan through their embassies in Doha, Qatar, and the Taliban wants to interact with them in this way," said Fahim Kohdamani, a former diplomat. (ANI) Both the leaders discussed cooperation in connectivity, energy, fertilizers, health and power and agreed to focus on taking forward the Ramayan circuit. "Good to meet FM Narayan Khadka of Nepal on the sidelines of the BIMSTEC Ministerial. Discussed our cooperation in connectivity, energy, fertilizers, health and power. Agreed to focus on taking forward the Ramayan circuit," Jashankar tweeted. Jaishankar participated in the 18th BIMSTEC Ministerial Meeting in Colombo today and emphasized the grouping's commitment to intensify and expand areas of cooperation especially connectivity, energy and maritime ties among the member countries. "Participated at the 18th BIMSTEC Ministerial Meeting in Colombo today. Thank FM Prof. G.L. Peiris for his hospitality. Emphasized our commitment to intensify and expand areas of cooperation, especially connectivity, energy and maritime cooperation," EAM Jaishankar tweeted. External Affairs Minister arrived in Colombo for a bilateral visit on Sunday. The ministers, Gamini Lokuge, Minister of Energy, Johnston Fernando, Minister of Highways, Prasanna Ranatunga, Ministry of Tourism and, D V Chanaka, State Minister of Aviation and Export Zones Development, had received Jaishankar at the airport. Jaishankar will be in Sri Lanka from March 28 to 30. The 'Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC)' is a regional multilateral organisation. Its members lie in the littoral and adjacent areas of the Bay of Bengal, constituting a contiguous regional unity. The members include Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Myanmar and Thailand. (ANI) Despite the passage of 50 years since the '1971 Genocide' Pakistan has shown no intention to apologise. And, why does Bangladesh pardon Pakistan, which along with its collaborators killed 30 lakh unarmed innocent people under the "Operation Searchlight" launched on March 25. It is a clear case of "Genocide". Afrasiab Mehdi Hashmi, former High Commissioner of Pakistan to Bangladesh clearly says that Pakistan should not apologise to Bangladesh in 1971 as Pakistan considers the issue settled and fully resolved, with the conclusion of the Bangladesh-India- Pakistan Agreement of April 9, 1974. However, media and lawyers of Pakistan have accepted that in 1971, a "Genocide" was carried out by the Pakistan army. There are several reasons why Bangladesh should not pardon Pakistan. Firstly, Pakistan has a role in the assassination of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. Secondly, after joining in the active politics, many attempts were made to assassinate PM Sheikh Hasina (during the regime of BNP/JEI). Sources reveal that Pakistan's spy agency the ISI was behind all the attacks. Thirdly, though Pakistan is pretending to improve the bi-lateral relations with Bangladesh, it will not miss a single opportunity to destabilize the country. The recent attack on the minorities during Durga Puja is an example of that. Investigators found the involvement of Pakistan. Fourthly, Pakistan is responsible for the rise of militancy in Bangladesh. Militant cadres recruited by Jamaat were sent to Pakistan for training. Two Pakistani diplomats posted in Dhaka were sent back for terror financing. "In coming days, Pakistan will use the militants to create problems in the country, even to assassinate Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina," said a source. Fifthly, Pakistan is still maintaining close ties with Jamaat-e- Islam of Bangladesh. Though top leaders of the party were executed, the party is still active and capable of causing harm any moment. Now the new addition is Hefazet-e- Islam. Pakistan is using these two organizations against the current regime. "Under no circumstances, Bangladesh should pardon Pakistan. If it does, then it will be an insult to all the victims, freedom fighters and even Bangabandhu", said a source in Bangladesh. (ANI) Amid heavy fighting between Russia and Ukraine, the Director-General of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Rafael Mariano Grossi travelled to Ukraine to start delivery of urgent technical assistance to ensure the safety and security of the country's nuclear facilities and help avert the risk of an accident that could endanger people and the environment. The aim of the Director General's visit is to initiate prompt safety and security support to Ukraine's nuclear facilities. It will include sending IAEA experts to prioritized facilities and the shipment of vital safety and security supplies including monitoring and emergency equipment, read the IAEA press release. "The military conflict is putting Ukraine's nuclear power plants and other facilities with radioactive material in unprecedented danger. We must take urgent action to make sure that they can continue to operate safely and securely and reduce the risk of a nuclear accident that could have severe health and environmental impact both in Ukraine and beyond," Director General Grossi said. During this week's visit, the Director-General will travel to one of Ukraine's nuclear power plants. The IAEA has drawn up concrete and detailed plans for safety and security assistance to Ukraine's nuclear sites, which include fifteen nuclear power reactors at four plants as well as the Chernobyl NPP, where radioactive waste management facilities are located following the 1986 accident. Ukraine informed the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) that there has not been any rotation of technical staff at the Chernobyl nuclear plant since March 21, the UN nuclear watchdog said on Friday (Local Time). In an IAEA statement, Director-General Rafael Mariano Grossi said, Ukraine also did not know when the next rotation might take place. The IAEA's technical assistance will also facilitate conditions for the IAEA to continue carrying out its safeguards activities in Ukraine in line with its non-proliferation mandate, added the release. "Ukraine has requested our assistance for safety and security. We will now start delivering it. Ukraine has one of Europe's largest nuclear power programmes. The IAEA's presence, which was needed to ensure safety and security, is of paramount importance. We are ready to provide the necessary support now," he said. Since the start of the conflict, Director-General Grossi has expressed his grave concern about the deteriorating safety and security situation for Ukraine's nuclear facilities. He has stressed the IAEA's commitment and readiness to help ensure that the seven indispensable pillars for ensuring safety and security are adhered to. In recent weeks, several of them - including the physical integrity of facilities, the ability of operational staff to work without undue pressure, and the access to off-site power - have been seriously compromised. "There have already been several close calls. We can't afford to lose any more time. This conflict is already causing unimaginable human suffering and destruction. The IAEA's expertise and capabilities are needed to prevent it from also leading to a nuclear accident," he said. The Director-General is expected to hold a press conference upon his return to Vienna later this week. (ANI) Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Tuesday said that the BIMSTEC member states must collectively combat terrorism and violent extremism as he emphasized India's commitment to intensify, expand areas of cooperation, especially connectivity, energy and maritime. "Participated at the 18th BIMSTEC Ministerial Meeting in Colombo today. Thank FM Prof. GL Peiris for his hospitality. Emphasized our commitment to intensify and expand areas of cooperation, especially connectivity, energy and maritime cooperation," EAM Jaishankar tweeted. Speaking at the 18th BIMSTEC Ministerial Meeting in Colombo, Jaishankar said that much of what grouping can achieve in our national development efforts is, of course, predicated on a peaceful, secure and stable environment. "We cannot ignore the challenges that terrorism and violent extremism, as also transnational crime and narco-trafficking or indeed new challenges such as cyber-attacks, pose to all of us," EAM said in a statement. "All of these affect our economic development efforts. We need to put in place the remaining elements of the legal architecture that will enable our law enforcement agencies to collaborate more closely and more effectively," he added. The Bay of Bengal achieving Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 14 targets and ensuring a "good order at sea" in keeping with international maritime law, particularly UNCLOS is a priority. He also said that a practical way to proceed is to have discussions using existing dialogue mechanisms, even while we put in place a plan of action in the maritime domain which is consistent with our national priorities. Asserting that the international system is going through a very challenging phase, perhaps one of the most difficult in recent memory. "The challenges of COVID-19 pandemic have not yet fully abated. But recent developments in Ukraine have added to international disquiet," he said in the statement. Addressing the gathering including fellow Foreign Ministers, he emphasised the acceleration of the efforts to boost intra BIMSTEC trade and economic ties. He said: "tomorrow our leaders will adopt the BIMSTEC Charter. This is a land mark achievement in our effort to develop the institutional architecture for BIMSTEC. But we must not rest on this achievement and instead move on to 'next steps' that can be taken to further strengthen BIMSTEC. I am confident that we will identify priority institution building tasks & areas of cooperation, and task our senior officials to work with the Secretary General for their realization." EAM noted that on Wednesday, the group leaders will also adopt a BIMSTEC Master Plan for Transport Connectivity which provides a framework that can help the grouping better align thier national transportation and connectivity networks. "It must be fully backed by energetic business collaboration. We must also accelerate efforts on ongoing initiatives such as the establishment of a coastal shipping eco system, of port facilities, of ferry services in the Bay of Bengal, as also power grid interconnectivity and a regional motor vehicles agreement," he said. Welcoming Don Pramudwinai, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Thailand as the incoming BIMSTEC Chair. "India looks forward to working with you Sir and your country, during the course of your Chairmanship to take the BIMSTEC agenda forward," he said further. In concluding the speech, EAM Jaishankar said that India will bring to bear all relevant policies and approaches - one, as Neighbourhood First, give it the utmost priority; two, in consonance with our SAGAR outlook, realize its full maritime potential; and three, as a first responder, be it on HADR situations, COVID-19 or economic recovery, be there at critical times for all of us. (ANI) Sirajuddin Haqqani, the acting head of Taliban's Interior Ministry, who is on the UN sanctions list as well as FBI wanted terrorist, is training militia who cover their faces to hide their identities. "It's a big concern because Former Afghan gov officials said there are foreign militants in the Haqqani network," tweeted Abdulhaq Omeri, a journalist. He informed that under the leadership of Sirajuddin Haqqani, the Taliban's Interior Minister, those people who graduated from military training covered their faces. The Taliban is facing global flak over making Haqqani the minister in its interim cabinet of the Islamic Emirate. Sirajuddin Haqqani is wanted for questioning in connection with the January 2008 attack on a hotel in Kabul, Afghanistan, that killed six people, including an American citizen. He is believed to have coordinated and participated in cross-border attacks against the United States and coalition forces in Afghanistan. Haqqani also allegedly was involved in the planning of the assassination attempt on Afghan President Hamid Karzai in 2008, reported the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Sirajuddin is strongly associated with the Taliban, which provides him funding for his operations. He also receives funding from various other groups and individuals, including drug lords. He is a key conduit for terrorist operations in Afghanistan and supporting activities in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan, as per the UN. He is actively involved in the planning and execution of attacks targeting International Security Assistance Forces (ISAF), Afghan officials and civilians, mainly in the eastern and southern regions of Afghanistan. He also regularly recruits and sends fighters into the Khost, Paktia and Paktika Provinces in Afghanistan, as per the UN. (ANI) Pakistan Interior Minister Sheikh Rasheed Ahmad on Tuesday announced that the discussion on the no-trust motion against Prime Minister Imran Khan will start in the National Assembly on March 31 and voting on it will be held on April 3. The Minister gave the information while addressing a press conference in Islamabad. Rasheed reiterated his support with the Prime Minister and at the same time refuted any reports about any tussle in the PML-Q for its support to the ruling PTI government on the no-trust motion, reported The News International. Rasheed praised PML-Q stance and said that he hoped MQM-P will also support the government. Sheikh Rasheed said that the security forces arrested four terrorists harbouring nefarious designs. He maintained that the arrested terrorists will be tried in anti-terrorism courts. The Interior Minister said that after the peaceful public gathering, now the containers which were put for security have been removed and roads are cleared for traffic. He added that the massive crowd that gathered at the PM rally suggests that the entire country stands by the PM, reported the news portal. After the no-confidence motion against Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan was tabled in the National Assembly with a total of 161 votes in favour, the proceedings were adjourned till March 31. The no-confidence motion was submitted by the Opposition parties on March 8. The Opposition has been confident that its motion would be carried as many PTI lawmakers have come out in the open against PM Imran Khan. (ANI) Beijing had stepped up its efforts to influence international perceptions about China through the means of expanding Chinese media networks in international markets, new research by the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) reveals. This was revealed in IFJ's new report titled "The China Network: Inside China's Global Media Mission in Asia, Africa and Latin America". This report seeks to measure China's global media outreach based on the findings of an international survey conducted by the IFJ with journalists in Kenya, Peru, and the Philippines - three countries where China has had a strong presence with investment and infrastructure projects in recent years. "Media engagement and influence is not a new strategy. It remains a popular tool deployed by many major powers globally. But compared to its international peers, China's approach is idiosyncratic and subject to unpredictable pivots. For journalists and media workers, this fast-changing approach by China presents critical professional challenges," the report said. Some 90 per cent and 83 per cent of survey respondents in Kenya and the Philippines, respectively, agreed that China has a "visible presence" in their media, while only half of the Peruvian journalists polled perceived a visible media presence of China in their country. Despite the high visibility, 88 per cent of Philippine journalists viewed China's presence in their country's media as negative, which is significantly higher than those from Peru (54 per cent) and Kenya (16 per cent), according to IFJ. Approximately 16 per cent of Kenyan respondents said their own media organisations were supported or funded by Chinese capital, according to the report. In the Philippines and Peru, roughly 5 per cent and 2 per cent, respectively, of journalists reported Chinese interests in the operations of their media organisations. "Chinese ownership and financial support to the media sector is a growing area of Chinese influence in Kenya, Peru, and the Philippines," the report noted. The survey data on which the report was based reveals this support took many different forms, including monetary support, training programs, equipment and technical support, and content sharing partnerships. "A small portion of journalists noticed changes in the coverage of China from journalists who have participated in trips sponsored by Chinese partners," the report added. The report follows the IFJ's previous research released in March 2021 which found that China successfully activated existing media infrastructure networks to disseminate positive narratives globally amid the Covid-19 pandemic. "As China has adopted new measures to approach journalists and media organisations in Kenya, Peru, and the Philippines, it is important that journalists in these three countries are supported to identify and mitigate risks intended to influence or pervert professional and ethical journalism," the IFJ said. (ANI) As the threat of a no-trust vote continues to loom on Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan, ally MQM-P in a bid to put pressure on the ruling party has asked the government to fulfil three demands: ensure the safe recovery of over 100 of its missing workers, reopen their sealed offices and remove false and baseless cases against the party leaders and workers. Moreover, MQM-P leader Waseem Akhtar on Tuesday said that if the slot of Punjab Chief Minister can be offered to a party (PML-Q) with just five seats in the National Assembly, then MQM-P has seven members, reported the News International. This comes at a time when the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) on Monday announced Leader of Pakistan Muslim League (PML-Q) Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi as its candidate for Punjab chief minister after Usman Buzdar resigned from the top post. Earlier, PTI in a bid to woo its ally MQM-P ahead of the no-trust motion decided to offer the Ministry of Ports and Shipping to the party. However, Waseem Akhtar confirmed that the government, during the negotiation, offered them the ministry of Ports and Shipping but the party did not give attention to the offer. The naming of PML-Q leader Parvez Elahi as the candidate for Punjab CM has sparked anger in MQM-P. Leader Waseem Akhtar said that PML-Q had asked that the two parties will make decisions jointly and with mutual consensus in the prevailing situation but the decision was unilateral, reported the news portal. After the no-confidence motion against Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan was tabled in the National Assembly with a total of 161 votes in favour, the proceedings were adjourned till March 31. The no-confidence motion was submitted by the Opposition parties on March 8. The Opposition has been confident that its motion would be carried as many PTI lawmakers have come out in the open against PM Imran Khan. (ANI) Business has become brisker in the narrow alley-like shop of Naresh Kumar Chaudhary in Kathmandu as the periodic five-year local election arrives at the doorsteps. Naresh Chaudhary is busy making party flags that are going off the shelves and would be in high demand in the coming weeks. "There's still time for the election, flags are flying off the shelves for the political programs which are being held these days which has made my schedules tight. I get into work from 6-7 am and work till 7 pm on daily basis. Soon after the filing of the candidacy, we won't get time to reply to anyone's questions and will work round the clock. Currently, there are four of us who are working. From mid of next month, additional forces of 6 people would be added to meet the demands," Chaudhary told ANI. Having been in the business of flag making, screen printing and designing for nearly two decades, Chaudhary in the earlier election of 2017 claims to have made about 3.5 million Nepali rupees by selling flags, t-shirts and other promotional items. Cadres from various political parties have been thronging shops like that of Chaudhary making their business brisker than before and increasing the political temperature ahead of the election. "We usually use the party flags in each and every program. Flags which earlier were installed at various local party offices now have been rugged and with elections approaching a new flag with a party election symbol would further facilitate voters to vote for the party identifying the election symbol in the ballot paper. This also has been the main intent," Susan Sapkota, one of the party cadres who purchased a new flag ahead of the election told ANI. Flags that are used during the political campaigning are supplied to other parts of the nation from Kathmandu where the party places an order at shops like that of Chaudhary and sends it later. The local level elections, which will be held on May 13 this year, has forced parties to work to secure more seats as it would reflect the seats that would be secured later on in federal polls. One of the biggest parties in the ruling alliance, the Nepali Congress under the presidentship of Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba is debating whether to go ahead with forging an alliance or compete alone. The opposition CPN-UML however has been claiming to secure a comfortable majority and rule for the next half a decade and won't repeat the mistake which was made in the earlier election. Other parties such as Maoist Center, CPN-Unified Socialist and Madhesh-based parties also are working to forge alliances or increase the stronghold as competition flares on. The local election which is being held in a gap of five years has an eligible population of 17,733,723 to exercise their franchise. As per the final list of voters published by the Nepal Election Commission on 27 March, 8,992,010 men, 8,741,530 women and 183 others have qualified to vote. The EC has made the new provision making voters eligible if they turn 18 years on May 12 this year. Also, 10,756 voting stations and 21,955 voting centres have been set for the local level polls. Watching out for the election schedule, Chaudhary is now bracing himself up for the fray which would bring a lot of orders for him and turnover in the business increasing the sales of printed fabrics in the days to come. "Demand already has started pouring in for us. I have been trying to make some extra flags so that I can fulfil orders on time but am not able to do so. Orders for a maximum of 2000 pieces are being fulfilled as of now which does not let any of my prints to be there in the stocks." (ANI) The special envoys of Russia, the US, Pakistan and China to Kabul are scheduled to hold a meeting in Beijing this week in the 'extended troika' format, on the sidelines of the Third ministerial conference on Afghanistan, the Chinese Foreign Ministry informed. The 'troika plus' group or the extended troika is a multilateral grouping on Afghanistan consisting of the US, Pakistan, Russia and China. "By agreement of all parties, within the framework of the third meeting of foreign ministers of countries neighbouring Afghanistan, which will be held on March 30-31 in the Tunxi region (Huangshan city) of Anhui province, a meeting of the consultation mechanism of the expanded 'troika' on Afghanistan will be held," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said at a briefing on Tuesday, reported Sputnik News Agency. According to Wang, the special envoys of Russia, the United States and Pakistan in Afghanistan will take part in the consultations, which will be chaired by the special envoy of the Chinese Foreign Ministry for Afghanistan Yue Xiaoyong. Notably, in November last year, Islamabad had hosted a meeting of the extended Troika. China is hosting the third regional meeting between the Foreign Ministers of the neighbouring countries of Afghanistan at the end of this month in Beijing. The meeting will also witness the presence of the acting Foreign Minister of the Taliban regime, Amir Khan Muttaqi. The meeting was discussed during Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi's visit to Kabul where Wang met with the acting Taliban Foreign Minister. Earlier this month, the Taliban regime had confirmed its participation in the meeting after a meeting between Muttaqi and China's ambassador to Afghanistan Wang Yu. The first and second rounds of the meeting were hosted by Islamabad and Tehran respectively. The meeting in Islamabad was held in a virtual format. (ANI) At the invitation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Nepal's PM Sher Bahadur Deuba is set to embark on a three-day official visit to India from April 1 to 3, on his first official trip since his appointment as Prime Minister in July last year. Both the PMs had previously met in Glasgow in November on the sidelines of the UN climate conference. Since Deuba came to power in July, there have been several rounds of interactions between the two sides. In early October, a special delegation of the ruling Nepali Congress led by its deputy general secretary and former foreign minister Prakash Sharan Mahat arrived in New Delhi and held meetings with External Affairs Minister Jaishankar and BJP president JP Nadda. The talks mainly focused on ways to strengthen bilateral ties. The visit came in the backdrop of the visit of Vijay Chauthaiwale, who heads the foreign affairs department of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), to Kathmandu in August at the invitation of NC as part of Nepal's efforts to enhance bilateral ties. In September, on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly, Jaishankar met his new Nepalese counterpart Dr Narayan Khadka in New York and both agreed to work together closely to take the special relationship between the two countries forward. Under the previous regime of PM Oli, Nepal-India relations had become very strained due to increased Chinese influence in Nepal's internal affairs. Such influences were sometimes used against India. For example, other than intra-party disputes in the NCP, there were news reports claiming that Chinese influenced some top Nepali leaders of the NCP and put pressure on PM Oli to issue a new map of Nepal including three areas of Lipulekh, Limpiyadra, and Kalapani. Earlier, NCP leaders like Bamdev Gautam, Jhalanath Khanal and Pushpa Kamal Dahal (alias Prachanda) had discussed the Kalapani issue with the northern neighbour, with whom they are ideologically close. Rapprochement efforts were made starting with Indian foreign intelligence chief Samant Goel's visit to Kathmandu, which was followed by the visit of Foreign Minister Pradeep Gyawali to Delhi. External Affairs Minister of India S Jaishankar also visited Kathmandu in August 2019 to take part in the fifth Nepal-India Joint Commission meeting. In November 2020, Indian Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla also arrived in Kathmandu as an introductory visit. Despite the low in bilaterals during Oli's regime, India gifted one million domestically manufactured Covishield vaccines to Nepal in January 2021 as it struggled to contain the spread of the coronavirus pandemic. India also provided grant assistance of NRs 30.66 crore (INR 19.21 cr) to Nepal as part of its commitment towards the reconstruction of educational institutions damaged during the devastating 2015 earthquake, which claimed nearly 9,000 lives and wounded nearly 22,000. With this, India reimbursed NRs 81.98 crore (INR 51.37 cr) to Nepal towards educational sector reconstruction projects. But a political crisis was triggered by infighting in the then ruling Nepal Communist Party (NCP) led by Oli, who unsuccessfully dissolved Parliament twice and was ultimately ousted from the government in July 2021 and Deuba returned to power with the backing of all anti-Oli forces. Deuba has shared a cordial relation with India during his previous stints. When Nepal was framing a new Constitution in 2015, according to a report in The Kathmandu Post, India is said to have urged for a broad-based consensus among stakeholders and Deuba had spoken openly about India's non-interference and its support. He is also known to have said that India urging for maximum consensus was to ensure that stakeholders do not oppose the Constitution in the future. Last year Nepal Army chief General Prabhu Ram Sharma embarked on a four-day visit to India to step up defence ties between the two neighbouring nations. During his visit to New Delhi on the invitation of his Indian counterpart General Manoj Mukund Naravane, Sharma was conferred with the title of honorary 'General of Indian Army' by President Ram Nath Kovid. The year 2021 ended with a positive note with Jaishankar in December announcing that the reconstruction of 50,000 houses, destroyed in the 2015 Nepal earthquake, in Gorkha and Nuwakot districts under Indian assistance has been completed. Addressing the virtual International Conference on Nepal's Reconstruction, Jaishankar underscored that India will always unhesitatingly step up to support the people of Nepal whenever called to do so. Some irritants continue to remain which Deuba and Modi are likely to discuss during their one-on-one meeting. All outstanding issues between Nepal and India will be discussed during Deuba's visit. Agreements between Nepal and India, including on cross-border railway, are on the table. The Kurtha-Jayanagar railway is on a dry run since the second week of February for the lack of a law to guide the operations. The government has for the meantime reissued the railway ordinance for the operation of the cross-border shuttle. India has also built a road via Lipulekh to Mansorvar in Tibet, to which Nepal has taken exception as it is a tri-junction between the three countries. (ANI) Amid the heavy bombardments and shelling ongoing in Ukraine, the latest round of peace talks between the Ukrainian and Russian delegations kicked off at the Dolmabahce Palace in Istanbul on Tuesday (Local Time). Alexander Fomin, Russia's deputy defence minister is leading the Russian delegation. The Russian delegation also includes negotiator Vladimir Medinsky. On the other hand, the Ukrainian Delegation is headed by David Arakhamia, reported CNN News. Meanwhile, Ukrainian Embassy in Turkey also confirmed that the talks between the delegations has started. Among the members who are attending the meeting in an unofficial capacity is Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich, said Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov on Tuesday. "In order to hold contact between the two parties, it is necessary to obtain approval from both parties. In the case of Abramovich, he has approval [of his participation] from both sides," he added, reported the news channel. In a phone call on Sunday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin agreed to hold the next round of negotiations in Istanbul. Erdogan reiterated that Turkey would continue to contribute in every possible way during this process. Notably, Ukrainian and Russian delegations have held three rounds of in-person negotiations so far. On February 24, Russia launched a military operation in Ukraine after the breakaway republics of Donetsk and Luhansk appealed for help in defending themselves against Ukrainian provocations. In response to Russia's operation, Western countries have rolled out a comprehensive sanctions campaign against Moscow. (ANI) During the meeting, Jaishankar invited Momen to visit India at an early date. "Nice to catch up with FM A.K.Abdul Momen of Bangladesh. Invited him to visit India at an early date," Jaishankar tweeted. The minister today also met his Nepali counterpart Narayan Khadka on the sidelines of the BIMSTEC. Both the leaders discussed a range of issues including cooperation in connectivity, energy, health and power. "Good to meet FM Narayan Khadka of Nepal on the sidelines of the BIMSTEC Ministerial. Discussed our cooperation in connectivity, energy, fertilizers, health and power. Agreed to focus on taking forward the Ramayan circuit," Jashankar said in a tweet. The 'Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC)' is a regional multilateral organisation. Its members lie in the littoral and adjacent areas of the Bay of Bengal, constituting a contiguous regional unity. Jaishankar today participated in the BIMSTEC meeting and emphasized the grouping's commitment to intensify and expand areas of cooperation especially connectivity, energy and maritime ties among the member countries. "Participated at the 18th BIMSTEC Ministerial Meeting in Colombo today. Thank FM Prof. G.L. Peiris for his hospitality. Emphasized our commitment to intensify and expand areas of cooperation, especially connectivity, energy and maritime cooperation," EAM tweeted. During the meeting, Jaishankar said that India will encourage active business collaboration and common projects. He also stressed on collectively combating terrorism, violent extremism, transnational crime, cyberattacks and narco-trafficking. The External Affairs Minister arrived in Colombo for a bilateral visit on Sunday and concluded his visit on Tuesday. (ANI) Sri Lanka's central bank has warned the money exchanges that sell foreign currencies at higher exchange rates that their licenses would be suspended or revoked if they go beyond the exchange rates stipulated to them by licensed banks, local media reported Tuesday. In a statement released to local media, the Central Bank of Sri Lanka asked the public to inform the Department of Foreign Exchange of any instances that a money changer offers higher exchange rates for any transaction. The Sri Lankan Rupee (SLR) hit the 298.99 mark against the US dollar on Monday. However, several money exchangers in the country were recorded to be selling the U.S. dollar at a higher rate, leading to increasing public complaints. Sri Lanka's currency has been devalued by almost SLR 90 against the US dollar since March 8, as the country's central bank attempts to stabilise the economy. Sri Lanka's economy has been in a free fall since the COVID-19 pandemic due to the crash of the tourism sector. Sri Lanka is presently facing a foreign exchange shortage which has led to a fuel, power and gas shortage and has sought the assistance of friendly countries for economic assistance. India provided more than USD 500 million in foreign currency swaps to strengthen Sri Lanka's foreign reserves, taking the total up to USD 900 million. India also extended the repayment time frame for the USD 500 million debt of Sri Lanka under the Asian Clearance Arbitration. More recently on March 17, Sri Lanka signed a USD 1 billion credit line deal with India for the procurement of food, medicines and other essential items during Sri Lankan Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksha's two-day visit to India. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) on Friday recommended a number of measures, including tax hikes for macroeconomic stability in Sri Lanka and also to mitigate adverse impacts on the vulnerable and the poor. The report recommended implementing a credible and coherent strategy to restore macroeconomic stability and debt sustainability while protecting vulnerable groups and reducing poverty through strengthened, well-targeted social safety nets. Sri Lanka's Finance Minister Basil Rajapakse is scheduled to travel to Washington in April in order to seek IMF assistance to deal with the country's economic crisis. (ANI) Cheng Lei, a prominent journalist for China's state-run international network CGTN, was initially detained and later formally arrested on suspicion of supplying state secrets overseas. Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne in a statement posted online informed about her trial reported VOA News. "We expect basic standards of justice, procedural fairness and humane treatment to be met, in accordance with international norms," the statement said. According to the statement by Payne, the government officials last visited her on March 21 and asked to be allowed to attend the trial. Calling for her release, the National Press Clubs of the United States and Australia as well as the journalist's former CGTN colleagues and friends wrote open letters last year. "Cheng Lei's yearlong detention is an assault on journalism and on human rights," a U.S. National Press Club statement said. Cheng was born in China and graduated from the University of Queensland. Before becoming a journalist, she worked as an accountant and financial analyst in Australia for Cadbury Schweppes and ExxonMobil from 1995 to 2000, according to her CGTN profile. She moved to China in 2001 and joined state broadcaster CCTV the following year. Then she was the China correspondent for CNBC Asia for nine years before returning to CCTV in 2012. She was the anchor of a business program on CGTN, the state broadcaster's international arm, reported to the news portal. (ANI) After the first day of a delegation-level meeting between Russia-Ukraine in Istanbul, the Russian delegation announced steps for a "drastic reduction in military activity in the Kyiv and Chernihiv directions" and the possibility of meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. This comes as part of two steps that the Russian delegation announced to de-escalate the conflict in Ukraine reported CNN citing news agency RIA-Novosti. The head of the Russian delegation, presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky, called the negotiations "constructive". Moreover, Russia is beginning to withdraw some forces, including Russian Battalion Tactical Groups (BTGs) leaving the surrounding areas around the Ukrainian capital city of Kyiv. Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak said that enough progress was made during the talks in Istanbul to allow Putin and Zelensky to meet. "We have documents prepared now which allow the presidents to meet on a bilateral basis," he said. "The Russian delegation is constructive and aware. This doesn't mean that negotiations are easy. They are very difficult. But the Russian side is paying attention to the Russian proposals, to the Ukrainian proposals," he added. Amid the heavy bombardments and shelling ongoing in Ukraine, the latest round of peace talks between the Ukrainian and Russian delegations kicked off at the Dolmabahce Palace in Istanbul on Tuesday. In a phone call on Sunday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin agreed to hold the next round of negotiations in Istanbul. Erdogan reiterated that Turkey would continue to contribute in every possible way during this process. Notably, Ukrainian and Russian delegations have held three rounds of in-person negotiations so far. On February 24, Russia launched a military operation in Ukraine after the breakaway republics of Donetsk and Luhansk appealed for help in defending themselves against Ukrainian provocations. In response to Russia's operation, Western countries have rolled out a comprehensive sanctions campaign against Moscow. (ANI) Chinese President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang will participate in a summit with European Council President Charles Michel, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, and European Union (EU) foreign policy chief Josep Borrell on Friday (April 1) to discuss the Ukraine crisis. "President of the European Council, Charles Michel, and President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, accompanied by High Representative Josep Borrell, representing the EU, will meet Chinese Prime Minister Li Keqiang in the morning and Chinese President Xi Jinping in the afternoon," the EU Council said in a statement. According to the statement, the parties will discuss Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the humanitarian situation in the country, as well as bilateral relations between China and the EU. "The leaders will also discuss the state of bilateral relations and areas of shared interest such as climate change, biodiversity and health, as well as ways to ensure a more balanced and reciprocal trade relationship," the statement said. The talks are expected to exclude the human rights dialogue - a sideline component of the annual summit for the third year in a row. The previous EU-China summit was held in June 2020. The session of 2021 was called off after Brussels' accusations of human rights abuses in Xinjiang set off a flurry of sanctions between the European Union and China. The present talks are also expected to revive the negotiations on the bilateral trade deal, the Comprehensive Agreement on Investment (CAI). The talks come amid reports of China advising its companies to adopt a "cautious" approach towards deals with Russia as the country appears to be succumbing to the Western powers who have imposed severe sanctions on Russia. Recently, Sinopec, Asia's largest oil refiner moved to stop major investments in a gas chemical plant and a venture to market Russian gas in China in the wake of unexpectedly heavy Western-led sanctions against Moscow, The Standard Hong Kong reported. Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine last month after recognising the Ukrainian breakaway regions of Donetsk and Luhansk as "independent republics." Russia has since continued to maintain that the aim of its operations has been to "demilitarize" and "de-nazify" the country. The Russian actions were immediately condemned by almost all the western countries, who rolled out severe sets of sanctions targetting the Russian economy, and key individuals. A number of countries, including the US, UK, France, Italy, Finland and several others, also banned Russian aircraft over their airspaces. (ANI) Much like the rest of South Asia, the landlocked Himalayan nation Nepal is confronted with a lack of infrastructure. Challenges on regional connectivity, restrictive trade policies and inefficient procedures have been some of the obstacles hindering trade in the region. In order to overcome these challenges, India and Nepal have inked treaties and trade agreements that address concerns for infrastructural development and envisage the establishment of a regional cooperation mechanism. As many as 98 per cent of Nepal's transit trade takes place through India and 65 per cent of Nepal's total trade is with India. India continues to lend sustained support to Nepal in building infrastructure, particularly to facilitate air traffic routes for cargo, as also faster and cheaper waterways and railways for transporting goods across borders. With Indian assistance, many infrastructural projects are either being undertaken, are nearing completion or have been concluded in Nepal, with the primary objective of bolstering trade by way of improved connectivity. India has operationalized many such projects in Nepal which include big and small highways, bridges, for road construction in the Terai region. Approximately INR 5,253 crore worth of road projects are being (or have been) implemented, which would benefit India and Nepal. A category of projects that deserves special mention is road connectivity between the two countries. The projects include a 144 km road from Rupaidiha to Barabanki (INR 1,338 crore), a 184 km road from Sonauli to Gorakhpur (approximately INR 570 crore), the Fobesganj-Jogbani road as well as a road linking Piprakodi to Raxaul (INR 429 crore) and 10 other roads costing around INR 500 crore. India has helped lay a cross-border petroleum pipeline to ensure a smooth supply of petroleum products to Nepal. Motihari Amalekhgunj petroleum pipeline is the first of its kind in South Asia. The 69-km pipeline will reduce the cost of transportation of fuel from India to Nepal and prove to be a game-changing project in Nepal. To build a robust rail network between the two countries, work is ongoing on at least six railway projects. These projects are: Jaynagar (India)-Janakpur (Nepal) to Bardibas in Nepal, Jogbani in India to Biratnagar in Nepal, Nautanwa in India to Bhairahawa in Nepal, Rupaidiha in India to Nepalgunj in Nepal, and New Jalpaiguri in India to Kakarbhitta in Nepal, and Kathmandu-Raxual. India has developed a waterway on the Ganges River which connects Varanasi and the seaport of Haldia, Kolkata. To provide linkages through waterways, it is working on inland waterways network to allow Nepal to use three inland waterways, thus expanding its transit options. Nepal can operate its own vessels on the river Ganga. India has given consent to access the Kolkata-Kalughat, Raxaul; Kolkata-Sahebgunj, Biratnagar and Kolkata-Varanasi-Raxaul routes for waterways. Additionally, India has built integrated check posts (ICP) in Biratnagar. The ICP boasts of some of the most modern facilities such as electronic weighbridges, fire safety, warehousing facilities including refrigerated cargo, 24x7 monitoring through CCTV and public announcement systems. The post also has the capability of handling around 500 trucks per day. Also, India handed over the Integrated Check Post (ICP) Birgunj to Nepal. India is also constructing two more such ICPs at Saunali (India)- Bhairahawa(Nepal) and Nepalgunj Road(India)-Nepalgunj(Nepal). Besides, India inaugurated two projects in Nepal which were built with India's grant assistance of Nepali Rupees 89.2 million. Of these, the Rapti Cold Storage Building in Lamahi Bazar of Lamahi was inaugurated in April 2021. The connectivity has assumed greater significance with the formation of regional and sub-regional groupings like BBIN and BIMSTEC. The physical infrastructure being built with Indian assistance will help Nepal boost her trade in the region. (ANI) Chinese state-owned oil major Sinopec has hit the brakes on its investment plans in Russia as firms assess the impact of the severe Western sanctions on their investments, a media report said. Sinopec which is Asia's biggest oil refiner moved to stop major investments in a gas chemical plant and a venture to market Russian gas in China in the wake of unexpectedly heavy Western-led sanctions against Moscow, The Standard Hong Kong reported. Since Russia invaded Ukraine more than a month ago, China's three state energy giants - Sinopec, PetroChina and CNOOC - have been assessing the impact of the sanctions on their multi-billion dollar investments in Russia, the report said. "Companies will rigidly follow Beijing's foreign policy in this crisis," said an executive at a state oil company, adding, "There's no room whatsoever for companies to take any initiatives in terms of new investment (in Russia)." The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China is said to have summoned officials from the three energy companies this month to tell them to review their business ties with Russian partners. There was a caution from the ministry that the firms should avoid "rash moves" in buying Russian assets. The report comes after Sinopec's net profit last year more than doubled in 2020 to 71.2 billion yuan (HKD 87.6 billion), the most in a decade. The restraint diktat issued by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is expected to impact the long-term profitability of the oil major. China has in recent weeks coldly buried its friendship with Russia deep in the tundra with its Foreign Minister Wang Yi telling his Spanish counterpart, "China is not a party to the (Ukraine) crisis, and does not want the sanctions to affect China." Meanwhile, the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine continues to deteriorate even as the conflict that began on February 24 with the Russian announcement of "special military operations" has entered its second month. The ongoing conflict has resulted in about 10 million people getting displaced within the country or ending up as refugees abroad till now according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). More than 3.5 million refugees have fled to the neighbouring western countries, including Poland, Romania, Moldova and Hungary, with European Union President Ursula von der Leyen on Wednesday announcing an economic package of EUR 3.4 billion to support EU countries hosting those fleeing the war. (ANI) Belgium has decided to expel 21 Russian diplomats from the country, Sputnik News Agency reported citing RTBF broadcaster on Tuesday. Belgium said that diplomats are being expelled over espionage and security threats, the broadcaster reportedly said. The expulsion of 17 diplomats from the Netherlands was announced by Dutch Foreign Minister Wopke Hoekstra. "The Netherlands is expelling 17 Russian intelligence agents working in Russian missions in the Netherlands under diplomatic cover," Hoekstra informed in a tweet, further saying that the diplomats being expelled "pose a security threat." The development comes days after Poland expelled 45 Russian diplomats over charges of espionage. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov had warned that Russia will retaliate against the Polish actions. Earlier, the US had expelled 12 Russian diplomats from the Russian Permanent Mission to the UN in New York, as well as a Russian employee of the UN Secretariat In response to the move, the Russian Foreign Ministry announced on March 23 that it too will expel US diplomats from Moscow. The ongoing conflict has resulted in about 10 million people getting displaced within the country or ending up as refugees abroad till now according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). Russia launched its invasion last month after recognising the Ukrainian breakaway regions of Donetsk and Luhansk as "independent republics." Russia has since continued to maintain that the aim of its operations has been to "demilitarize" and "de-nazify" the country. The Russian actions were immediately condemned by almost all the western countries, who rolled out severe sets of sanctions targetting the Russian economy, and key individuals. A number of countries, including the US, UK, France, Italy, Finland and several others, also banned Russian aircraft over their airspaces. (ANI) New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has expressed concern about the possible militarization of the Pacific after the Solomon Islands government signed a security partnership with China. China has signed the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Solomon Islands on "security cooperation" which allows Beijing to send law enforcement forces to the Islands. The MoU on security cooperation between China and Solomon Islands was signed on March 18. It will allow China to send police, Armed Police, military personnel and other law enforcement forces to the Solomon Islands, on request, to assist in maintaining social order and accomplish other tasks agreed upon by both countries, said the report. Under the provisions of the MoU, Chinese naval vessels can carry out logistical replenishments and Chinese armed forces can be moved to protect the safety of Chinese personnel and major projects in the Solomon Islands. "We see such acts as the potential militarisation of the region and also see very little reason in terms of the Pacific security for such a need and such a presence," Ardern was quoted as saying by Radio NZ. During the recent unrest in the Solomon Islands, both Australia and New Zealand had personnel, vessels and a presence there to support the country's stability, said Ardern. She added that demonstrated there was no need to reach beyond this region for such support. The Solomon Islands had switched diplomatic recognition to Beijing from Taiwan in 2019, signalling China's growing influence in the Pacific. Amid the reports about China's increasing military in the Solomon Islands, Beijing last week said both countries have developed conventional security cooperation that is in line with international law and international practice. "China and the Solomon Islands, as two sovereign and independent states, develop conventional cooperation in the field of law and order, as well as security, on the basis of equal treatment and mutual benefit, which is in accordance with the international law and practice," Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said on Friday. Wang added that the appropriate cooperation contributes to maintaining public order in the Solomon Islands, promotes peace and stability in the region, as well as the common interests of China and other countries in the region. (ANI) This comes as China continues to claim most of the South China Sea, which is also contested by Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam. Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) on Sunday said the incident took place on March 2 during Philippine maritime patrol operations around the Scarborough Shoal, locally known as Bajo de Masinloc. "Coast Guard personnel have monitored a China Coast Guard (CCG) vessel with bow number 3305 that conducted a close distance manoeuvring of approximately 21 yards towards BRP Malabrigo (MRRV-4402) while the said PCG vessel was sailing at the vicinity waters off Bajo de Masinloc," the PCG said in a press release. "This constrained the manoeuvring space of BRP Malabrigo (MRRV-4402) -- a clear violation of the 1972 International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea (COLREGS)," it added. PCG Commandant, CG Admiral Artemio M Abu, the said occurrence was the fourth reported close distance manoeuvring incident involving Chinese vessels in Bajo de Masinloc. Last May, a PCG-manned vessel, reported the first incident of close distance manoeuvring involving a CCG vessel. The second and third incidents involved two CCG vessels that conducted close distance manoeuvring with BRP Capones and BRP Sindangan (MRRV-4407) during the PCG's maritime capability enhancement exercises in Bajo de Masinloc in June last year. "The behaviour of the involved CCG vessels increased the risk of collision with four of our capital ships. Hence, we immediately coordinated with the National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea (NTF-WPS) and the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) to address this issue through rules-based and peaceful approaches," the Coast Guard Commandant said. CG Admiral Abu said that the Philippines is fully aware of dangerous situations at sea, but these will not stop the country's deployment of assets and personnel in the country's exclusive economic zones (EEZ). (ANI) He said terrorism is a threat to the whole world and does not have any place in the civilized world. Gantz told Rajnath Singh that his proposed visit to India on March 30, 31 has been postponed "due to some unavoidable reasons" and new dates will be worked out through diplomatic channels. Rajnath Singh said he looked forward to the visit and it would further strengthen defence cooperation between India and Israel. "Had a telephonic conversation with the Defence Minister of Israel, Mr Benjamin Gantz. Shared my condolences on the loss of innocent lives due to terror attacks in Israel. Terrorism is a global menace which has no place in today's civilised world," he said in a tweet. "Both the countries look forward to further strengthening the bilateral relations as India-Israel complete 30 years of full diplomatic relations. Defence cooperation is the founding pillar of our strategic partnership. Military and industry cooperation has been on an upward swing," he added. The call was initiated from Tel Aviv. Two people were killed two people and six were injured in a shooting attack by ISIS operatives on Sunday in the Israeli city of Hadera, some 31 miles north of Tel Aviv, Israeli officials said. (ANI) A meeting of the North Atlantic Council (NAC) at the level of Ministers of Foreign Affairs will take place at the NATO Headquarters on April 6-7. The meeting will be in person and will be chaired by the NATO Secretary-General, Jens Stoltenberg, added the statement. Some of the Ministers may attend via video link, as per the statement. Since Russia's war on Ukraine started, this is the second time that a NATO meeting is convened by the FMs of 30 NATO countries. An 'extraordinary summit' of the alliance was convened on March 24 over the situation in Ukraine. On February 24, Russia launched a military operation in Ukraine after the breakaway republics of Donetsk and Luhansk appealed for help in defending themselves against Ukrainian provocations. In response to Russia's operation, Western countries have rolled out a comprehensive sanctions campaign against Moscow. (ANI) External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will meet their counterparts Secretary of State Antony Blinken and US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin. Jaishankar and Rajnath Singh will also have other meetings scheduled on the sidelines. The last 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue between the two countries was held in October 2020 in New Delhi. India and the United States held a bilateral 2+2 inter-sessional meeting in September last year in Washington and exchanged assessments on developments in South Asia, the Indo-Pacific region and the Western Indian Ocean. Both sides took stock of the progress and developments in the bilateral agenda under the India-US strategic partnership, including defence, global public health, economic and commercial cooperation, science and technology, clean energy and climate finance, and people-to-people ties. (ANI) A Norwegian delegation consisting of the Consul-General of the country's Consulate in Mumbai visited the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority (JNPA) on Monday, to boost mutual cooperation in the maritime sector and the development of the port. "Today, Mr Arne Jan Flolo, Consul General, Norwegian Consulate, Mumbai and other delegates from Norway visited Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority (JNPA), India's premier container port, to boost the cooperation between India and Norway. The representatives received a warm ceremonial welcome from Shri Unmesh Sharad Wagh, IRS, Dy. Chairman, JNPA, on their arrival at JNPA," the press release by the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT) said. "The projects going on at JNPA are very impressive and with futuristic goals, especially in terms of sustainable development and green initiatives. Norway and JNPA will look forward to coming up with novel solutions and technology through cooperation to combat the climate crisis," Arne Jan Flolo, Consul General, Norwegian Consulate, Mumbai said. "Both the countries share a mutual vision of bolstering countries' economic development through the port and maritime sector. Norway is an ally of JNPA; the novel developments, technological innovations, and initiatives for sustainable growth in both countries will help each other take Exim trade to new heights," Unmesh Sharad Wagh, the Deputy Chairman of JNPA said on the occasion. A film presentation was also screened for the Norwegian delegates to highlight developmental projects like JNPA SEZ, Vadhvan Port, Additional Liquid Cargo Jetty, Fourth Container Terminal, 3rd line rail connectivity from Jasai to JNPA, etc. at JNPA. These projects signify that JNPA is multifaceted and provides 'ease of operation' in the Exim trade, making JNPA the only port to offer such vast amenities to its customers and stakeholders, the JNPT press release said. The JNPT at Navi Mumbai is one of the premier container handling ports in India. The port was commissioned on May 26 1989. Over the years, JNPT transformed from a bulk-cargo terminal to one of the important container ports in the country. Currently, JNPT operates five container terminals: The Jawaharlal Nehru Port Container Terminal (JNPCT), the Nhava Sheva International Container Terminal (NSICT), the Gateway Terminals India Pvt. Ltd. (GTIPL), Nhava Sheva International Gateway Terminal (NSIGT) and the newly commissioned Bharat Mumbai Container Terminals Private Limited (BMCTPL). The Port also has a Shallow Water Berth for general cargo and another Liquid Cargo Terminal which is managed by the BPCL-IOCL consortium and a newly constructed coastal berth. (ANI) After Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan alleged that some people are trying to topple his government with the help of foreign funds, federal minister Asad Umar claimed that the PM is ready to show a letter to Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Umar Ata Bandial to back his claims. While addressing a press conference in Islamabad, alongside Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry, Minister for Planning and Development Umar said he had seen the letter himself, reported Dawn. "Obviously, it is the highest office of justice in Pakistan, it is a huge position that has respect in this country. Personally too, the chief justice has a very good reputation. The prime minister said that [...], if necessary, and for the people's satisfaction, he is ready to present the letter to the chief justice of the Supreme Court," he added. However, at the same time, the information Minister said that the letter is not sent to the judge with the aim to get the letter reviewed. The letter would not be shared with him in the capacity of a judge of the SC, but as someone who held a high and respectable position in the country, he added. Umar further said the letter stated that if Imran Khan remained the prime minister, it would lead to "horrific consequences". Moreover, the minister said, the contents of the letter termed the ouster of PM Imran a "good result". He added that the "threat" PM Imran spoke about in relevance to the letter during his March 27 address "is directly linked to the no-confidence motion". PM Imran had said during his rally, "Attempts are being made through foreign money to change the government in Pakistan. Our people are being used. Mostly inadvertently, but some people are using money against us. We know from what places attempts are being to pressure us. We have been threatened in writing but we will not compromise on national interest." After the no-confidence motion against Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan was tabled in the National Assembly with a total of 161 votes in favour, the proceedings were adjourned till March 31. The no-confidence motion was submitted by the Opposition parties on March 8. The Opposition has been confident that its motion would be carried as many PTI lawmakers have come out in the open against PM Imran Khan. (ANI) Three months after Reporters Without Borders (RSF) had revealed in a survey last December the Taliban takeover's impact on Afghanistan's media has been dramatic, the situation has only exacerbated. A survey by RSF and the Afghan Independent Journalists Association (AIJA) had shown a radical change in the Afghan media landscape since the Taliban took power. A total of 231 media outlets were reported closed and more than 6,400 journalists had lost their jobs since 15 August. Women journalists have been hit hardest, with four out of five no longer working. More than four out of every ten media outlets have disappeared and 60 per cent of journalists and media employees are no longer able to work. Following recent incidents of censorship in Afghanistan, the United States on Tuesday expressed concern over the latest series of restrictions imposed on Afghan media by the Taliban and urged the group to cease infringements, including the education and human rights of the Afghan people. State Department spokesperson Ned Price said that the US is committed to supporting the right of freedom of expression the world over, especially for journalists and human rights defenders, to operate freely without fear of violence against them. On Sunday, the Taliban banned British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) and Voice of America (VOA) broadcast services in Afghanistan. The ban is the latest in a series of restrictions the Islamist group has imposed on Afghan media to stifle freedom of expression since taking control of the country last August. "The United States is committed to supporting the right of freedom of expression the world over, especially for journalists and human rights defenders, to operate freely without fear of violence against them," added Price. The US statement further said the international community are paying close attention to the Taliban's actions inside Afghanistan, and "it is with alarm and deep concern we learned of the Taliban's decision to stifle the Afghan people's access to independent, objective, international media sources." (ANI) According to a statement from the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan on Tuesday, the two sides discussed humanitarian and development assistance during their meeting held in the Afghan capital of Kabul, reported Xinhua. Deborah Lyons, the UN special envoy for Afghanistan and head of the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), was among the UN officials participating in the meeting. The UN officials, quoted in the statement, said the situation in Afghanistan has changed and the United Nations wants to know what Afghans expect from the world body, as per the news agency. On March 17, the UN Security Council adopted a resolution to extend the mandate of the UNAMA for one year till March 17, 2023. The majority of countries have refused to formally recognize the Taliban amid worries over human rights issues. Earlier, the Taliban regime issued a decree banning female students above grade six from participating in their classes. The girls were further told to stay home until the Islamic Emirate announces its next decision. Dozens of female students in Afghanistan's capital city of Kabul took to the streets demanding the Taliban regime to withdraw its decision to ban girls from attending school above the sixth grade. Many countries have condemned the Taliban's U-turn on girls' education. Taliban, since it took control of Kabul last August, have been facing flak from many countries for human rights abuse. (ANI) About 90 per cent of Afghanistan's population has been projected to be below the poverty line by the end of the year according to the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), a visiting official said in Kabul. Achim Steiner, Director General of UNDP, who recently came to Afghanistan, in a meeting in Kabul on Tuesday said it is necessary to maintain the international community's interest in Afghanistan in order to provide humanitarian assistance to the country, reported Tolo News. Steiner said investment in Afghanistan's economy is necessary to stabilize the economic freefall, otherwise, based on UNDP's earlier reporting, about 90 per cent of Afghanistan's population will live below the poverty line by the end of the year. "The answer to these challenges is also to invest in the recovery of Afghanistan's economy. That means recognizing that the people of this country need urgent support to also be able to earn their own livelihoods, to have the income to be able to buy food, to send children to school, to pay medical bills," he said as quoted by Tolo News. Steiner also said that several factors have contributed to the economic freefall of the country which includes not only "the political turmoil, but also Covid-19 and a drought (that) has created an economic reality in Afghanistan today that is essentially turning more and more people into poor people." During his visit to Afghanistan, the UNDP Director-General met with women entrepreneurs, media officials and private sector figures. He said women entrepreneurs should be supported because they not only feed their own families but also provide jobs for other women. Officials from the private sector said they discussed ways of addressing economic challenges with Steiner. "We hope that the mistakes of the past are not be repeated after this. We do not need short-term projects and support, we need sustainable development," Shirbaz Kaminzada, head of the Chamber of Industries and Mines was quoted as saying. "We discussed the restrictions on media and media outlets' economic problems. They (Steiner) announced their support to media in Afghanistan and to the freedom of speech in total," Hujatuallah Mujaddedi, head of Afghanistan Independent Journalists Association said. Talking about the recent ban on girls attending school over grade 6, Steiner said that the decision can have a negative impact on the international community's engagement in Afghanistan, stressing that sometimes a single issue can define everything. He said the authorities in Afghanistan should know that the world can easily turn its attention to other crises and set new priorities, adding that if the world's attention is drawn away, a crisis will emerge which will affect future generations. The humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan has continued to worsen since the Taliban's takeover last year. Humanitarian and financial aid has dried up due to the US sanctions on the Taliban regime, with the UN agencies estimating that more than 50 per cent of the population is in the need of urgent humanitarian assistance. (ANI) The Summit Meeting, which is being held in virtual mode, will be hosted by Sri Lanka, the current BIMSTEC chair. To prepare for the Summit, meetings of BIMSTEC Senior Officials (SOM) took place on March 28 followed by meetings of the BIMSTEC Foreign Ministers (BMM) on March 29. "The Covid pandemic related challenges, and the uncertainties within the international system that all BIMSTEC members are facing, imparts greater urgency to the goal of taking BIMSTEC technical and economic cooperation to the next level. This is expected to be the main subject of deliberations by Leaders at the Summit," the Ministry of External (MEA) said in a press release. The leaders are also expected to discuss the establishment of basic institutional structures and mechanisms of the group. External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar today concluded a "productive and congenial" BIMSTEC Ministerial Meeting. "Thank you FM Prof G. L. Peiris for the excellent arrangements," Jaishankar tweeted. Jaishankar participated in the 18th BIMSTEC Ministerial Meeting in Colombo and emphasized the grouping's commitment to intensify and expand areas of cooperation especially connectivity, energy and maritime ties among the member countries. The 'Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC)' is a regional multilateral organisation. Its members lie in the littoral and adjacent areas of the Bay of Bengal, constituting a contiguous regional unity. The members include Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Myanmar and Thailand. (ANI) In the first public appearance since her return to China in September last year after 3 years of detention, Huawei's Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Meng Wanzhou said the company is still evaluating its response to Western sanctions on Russia. Looking calm and cheerful, Meng reprised her role of presenting the financial report at the start of the meeting, saying it was her first time in four years. She made a glancing allusion to her detention and court battle in Canada, The Washington Post reported. "The past four years, there have been tremendous changes in the world and in China," she said. "In the few months that I've been back, I've been trying to catch up. I hope I will catch up," she was quoted as saying. Meng's detention in Canada at the request of U.S. officials in December 2018 sparked a hostage standoff in which China detained two Canadian nationals, Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor, and charged them with espionage. Meng was indicted in the United States on fraud charges related to her representation of Huawei's relationship with an affiliate company operating in Iran, and she pleaded not guilty. But in a deal with the U.S. Justice Department in September 2021, she acknowledged helping to conceal the company's direct dealings in Iran, which violated U.S. sanctions. That month, Meng returned to China, and the "Two Michaels" returned to Canada. Huawei has been in crisis since 2018, with US sanctions against it threatening to cripple its business, and Meng, the daughter of Huawei's founder, battling extradition to the United States while under house arrest in Canada. The war in Ukraine brings more uncertainty for the company after it had increased investment in Russia over the past few years, the report said. "Huawei is deeply concerned about this war and the suffering it has caused to the people," rotating chairman Guo Ping said on Monday in Shenzhen, in response to a reporter's question. "As for the (sanctions) you mentioned, we have also noticed that some countries and regions have introduced some policies. These policies and measures are complex and constantly changing, and Huawei is still in the process of careful evaluation." Guo's statement was largely in line with Beijing's stance of refraining from joining Western sanctions against Russia while trying to avoid overt aid to Russia that could trigger secondary sanctions on Chinese companies. China, in recent times, has advised its companies to adopt a "cautious" approach towards deals with Russia as the country appears to be succumbing to the Western powers who have imposed severe sanctions on Russia. Recently, Sinopec, Asia's largest oil refiner moved to stop major investments in a gas chemical plant and a venture to market Russian gas in China in the wake of unexpectedly heavy Western-led sanctions against Moscow, The Standard Hong Kong reported. (ANI) "Special Envoy Lenderking will prioritize his engagements in the region on mobilizing additional life-saving humanitarian assistance for Yemen," the statement read. Although the US has provided an additional $585 million to Yemen, the country's humanitarian response remains just 30% funded, it added. In addition, the Middle Eastern nation is facing a lack of wheat supplies caused by the crisis in Ukraine. The latter has accounted for over 30% of Yemen's wheat imports, the statement noted. While in Saudi Arabia, Lenderking will participate in intra-Yemeni dialogue facilitated by the Gulf Cooperation Council. "The United States welcomes opportunities for Yemenis to come together, to represent their diverse experiences and perspectives, and to identify solutions and reforms that can improve the lives of citizens," the statement said. Yemen has been gripped by an internal conflict between the government forces and the Houthi movement. Since 2015, the Saudi-led coalition fighting on the Yemeni government's side has been conducting air, land and sea operations against the rebels. The Houthis often retaliate by firing projectiles and drones toward Saudi territory. (ANI/Sputnik) Harjot Singh, an Indian student who was discharged from a Delhi hospital after being treated for multiple bullet injuries that he suffered in crisis-ridden Ukraine, is worried about repaying loans that he took for his studies abroad and has urged the government for financial help and "compensation". Speaking with ANI over the phone, Harjot Singh said he will be almost bed-ridden for the next about one-and-a-half years and has to return the money which he borrowed from a bank and some of his relatives and friends. Noting that he will not be his financial condition "is not good," he also urged the government to help him in his further medical treatment. "I urge the government to help me financially because I will be almost bed-ridden for the next one and half years. The government should provide compensation. I have to pay my EMIs. I took a loan of Rs 4 lakh from a bank for my studies in Ukraine. Apart from that, I have also borrowed some amount of money from my relatives and friends. I have to return that also. So far I have paid seven EMIs of the loan but still many are unpaid," he said. Harjot Singh was discharged from the Army Base Hospital in Delhi Cantonment on Monday where he was undergoing treatment. "My health is better as I am here with my family. I was discharged yesterday. The doctor said that treatment for my hands and feet will continue for about one-and-a-half years," he said. "My financial condition is not good, my father has retired. I want the government to help me with further treatment. I have been told that I will have to take up the expenses of the therapy from now on," he added. The Indian student, who was pursuing his studies in Information Technology in Ukraine's capital Kyiv, was flown back to India on an Indian Air Force C-17 aircraft as part of the "Operation Ganga" evacuation programme. Speaking from his hospital bed in Kyiv earlier this month, Harjot Singh had told ANI that he sustained multiple injuries due to bullets fired at the car in which he was travelling. "This is February 27 incident. We were three people in a cab on our way to the third checkpoint where we were told to return due to security reasons. While coming back, multiple bullets were fired at our car due to which I sustained multiple bullet injuries," Harjot Singh had said. Harjot Singh had said he regained consciousness at 10 pm on March 2 night.(ANI) China is attempting to achieve its goals of food and energy security by securing favourable deals with Russia, as the country deals with severe Western sanctions over its war in Ukraine. Due to the high energy prices and following its "dual circulation" strategy, China is mulling over investing in energy as well as commodities companies in Russia. Russia has become an attractive cheaper option as it has been slapped with hefty economic sanctions by US and European countries following its 'invasion' into Ukraine, the International Forum for Rights and Security (IFFRAS) report said. The "dual circulation" strategy involves a two-step process, of promoting "internal circulation" by boosting domestic production, and "external circulation" by boosting external demand through heavy investments like the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), the report said. China's supply chains, of both food and other products, have been severely impacted by the rift with the US. Being alienated from the Western world, China is focusing on developing its own technologies for agriculture. China's energy production is largely dependent on coal, which it imports from Russia and Indonesia. In 2020, China imposed a ban on imports of coking coal from Australia after the latter supported calls for an investigation into the handling of the coronavirus by China. Coking coal is now imported from Mongolia but it is of a much lesser quality than Australia's. At the same time, the Covid-19 pandemic has escalated energy prices which in turn has impacted the production of chemical fertilizers, deepening food security concerns. A number of chemical fertilizer plants have shut down across China. Russia has the second-largest coal reserves, after the US, in the world. Talks are on between state-owned Chinese energy companies, such as China Petrochemical, Aluminium Corporation of China, China Minmetals Corporation and China National Petroleum. Sources say that any deals between China and Russia would be aimed at ensuring food security. However, Washington has already warned China against extending any support to Russia either military or otherwise, or even helping Russia recover from its losses amidst reports that Russia is seeking military equipment from China. This has fuelled fears that Beijing may face US sanctions which could adversely impact Chinese companies and investors in the already ongoing trade war. China, in recent times, has advised its companies to adopt a "cautious" approach towards deals with Russia as the country appears to be succumbing to the Western powers who have imposed severe sanctions on Russia. Recently, Sinopec, Asia's largest oil refiner moved to stop major investments in a gas chemical plant and a venture to market Russian gas in China in the wake of unexpectedly heavy Western-led sanctions against Moscow, The Standard Hong Kong reported. (ANI) The move comes after US President Joe Biden extended Trump-era tariffs on solar cells with some exemptions, The Hill reported. California company Auxin Solar alleged the panels in question, assembled in Malaysia, Cambodia, Vietnam and Thailand, were intended to evade US regulations blocking Chinese imports. The US Commerce Department said that it will respond to a petition from Auxin Solar. According to the petition, the technology assembled in these countries involves parts manufactured by Chinese companies, and their manufacture violates US antidumping and countervailing tariffs on Chinese imports. "This misstep will have a devastating impact on the U.S. solar market at a time when solar prices are climbing, and project delays and cancellations are adding up," Solar Energy Industry Association President Abigail Ross Hopper said in a statement. "The solar industry is still reeling from a similar tariff petition that surfaced last year. The mere threat of tariffs altered the industry's growth trajectory and is one of the reasons why we're now expecting a 19% decline in near-term solar forecasts. Taking up this case will have a chilling effect on the solar industry." Auxin CEO Mamun Rashid told The Hill, "For years, Chinese solar producers have refused to fairly price their products in the U.S. and have gone to significant lengths to continue undercutting American manufacturers and workers by establishing circumventing operations in countries not covered by those duties. "We are grateful Commerce officials recognized the need to investigate this pervasive backdoor dumping and how it continues to injure American solar producers. Fair trade and enforcement of our trade laws are essential to rebuilding the American solar supply chain and making Solar in America again," Rashid said in a statement. (ANI) Kinshasa [DRC], March 30 (ANI/Sputnik): The United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) said on Tuesday that it had lost contact with one of its helicopters in the east of the country. "MONUSCO lost contact with one of its helicopters on a reconnaissance mission in the Tshanzu area this afternoon," the mission said on Twitter, adding that the reasons for the disappearance are not yet known and a search is underway. Stephane Dujarric, the spokesman for UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, said in a statement that eight people were on board the helicopter, including six crew members from the Pakistani military, one Russian and one Serbian soldier. The spokesman noted that a search and rescue operation is underway. Dujarric also said that "there have been clashes there between the M23 armed group and Congolese forces in recent days" in the Tshanzu area. Later on Tuesday, the local Politico, citing Gen. Sylvan Ekenge of the armed forces of the DRC (FARDC), reported that the helicopter was shot down by M23 rebels. MONUSCO is a UN peacekeeping operation which lists protection of civilians, humanitarian personnel and human rights defenders under imminent threat of physical violence, and support of the government of the DRC in its efforts to stabilize the country, among its goals. The DRC government is facing opposition from rebel groups in the eastern part of the country. (ANI/Sputnik) Increasing Efforts to Foster Humanitarian Aid, the National Council of Catholic Women Implements a Ukraine War Humanitarian Aid Campaign (NCCW) March 29, 2022 WASHINGTON, March 29, 2022 / With the onset of the Ukraine invasion by Russian forces, the need for assistance for the many families escaping the devastation became the focus of the National Council of Catholic Women, and a Ukraine War Humanitarian Aid Campaign was created. This global outreach has reached over $25,000 in under two weeks, with donations ongoing. These funds will be distributed via long-standing partner Catholic Relief Services. The National Council of Catholic Women has partnered with Catholic Relief Services since 1946 and continues to support CRS annually through two campaigns, "The Madonna Plan" and "Water for Life." Further information regarding these two campaigns can be found at NCCW's mission is to act through its members to support, empower and educate all Catholic women in spirituality, leadership, and service. Its programs respond with Gospel values to the needs of the Church and society in the modern world. For further information please contact Andrea Cecilli at SOURCE National Council of Catholic Women CONTACT: Andrea Cecilli, Share Tweet NEWS PROVIDED BY National Council of Catholic Women (NCCW)March 29, 2022WASHINGTON, March 29, 2022 / Christian Newswire / -- In 2021, the National Council of Catholic Women began to enhance its efforts to foster humanitarian aid throughout the United States, working on projects from relief for families impacted by the Surfside (Miami, FL) condominium collapse in June to the tornadoes that hit Kentucky in December. These two campaigns raised over $23,000 and all funds were distributed via the local Catholic Charities.With the onset of the Ukraine invasion by Russian forces, the need for assistance for the many families escaping the devastation became the focus of the National Council of Catholic Women, and a Ukraine War Humanitarian Aid Campaign was created. This global outreach has reached over $25,000 in under two weeks, with donations ongoing. These funds will be distributed via long-standing partner Catholic Relief Services. The National Council of Catholic Women has partnered with Catholic Relief Services since 1946 and continues to support CRS annually through two campaigns, "The Madonna Plan" and "Water for Life." Further information regarding these two campaigns can be found at www.crs.org/stories/catholic-relief-services-and-national-council-catholic-women NCCW's mission is to act through its members to support, empower and educate all Catholic women in spirituality, leadership, and service. Its programs respond with Gospel values to the needs of the Church and society in the modern world. For further information please contact Andrea Cecilli at acecilli@nccw.org or refer to www.nccw.org SOURCE National Council of Catholic WomenCONTACT: Andrea Cecilli, acecilli@nccw.org "Had a phone conversation with Pak Prime Minister @ImranKhanPTI. Spoke about our struggle against Russian aggression. The people of Ukraine seek peace. This is our unconditional priority," Zelenskyy tweeted. Meanwhile, Khan "expressed deep regret that the military conflict" between Moscow and Kyiv was continuing, according to Geo News. On Tuesday, the latest round of peace talks between the Ukrainian and Russian delegations kicked off at the Dolmabahce Palace in Istanbul. After the delegation-level meeting between Russia-Ukraine in Istanbul, the Russian delegation announced steps for a "drastic reduction in military activity in the Kyiv and Chernihiv directions" and the possibility of a meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and the Ukrainian President. The head of the Russian delegation, presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky, called the negotiations "constructive". Moreover, Russia is beginning to withdraw some forces, including Russian Battalion Tactical Groups (BTGs) leaving the surrounding areas around the Ukrainian capital city of Kyiv. On February 24, Russia launched a military operation in Ukraine after the breakaway republics of Donetsk and Luhansk appealed for help in defending themselves against Ukrainian provocations. In response to Russia's operation, Western countries have rolled out a comprehensive sanctions campaign against Moscow. (ANI) "The Pakistan Army and Khyber Pakhtunkhawa Police have gunned down four terrorists in Lakki Marwat's general area of Sheri Khel," Geo News reported citing the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) statement on Tuesday. The incident took place on the night between March 28-29, when the army and police conducted a joint intelligence-based operation, ISPR said. During the intense exchange of fire, four terrorists were killed and one terrorist was apprehended, the Pakistani newspaper reported. The ISPR said a large number of weapons and ammunition was also recovered from the terrorists, who remained actively involved in kidnapping and terrorist activities against innocent civilians and security forces, Geo News reported. (ANI) India on Tuesday (local time) reiterated its call for unimpeded humanitarian access to areas of armed conflict in Ukraine. "India remains deeply concerned at the ongoing situation, which continues to deteriorate since the beginning of the hostilities. We reiterate our call for unimpeded humanitarian access to areas of armed conflict in Ukraine," India's Permanent Representative to the United Nations TS Tirumurti said at the UNSC briefing on the humanitarian situation in Ukraine. Tirumurti said that there is an urgent need to address the humanitarian needs of the affected population in Ukraine. He continued saying that "in this regard, the initiatives of UN, and its agencies like OCHA and WFP have reinforced ongoing efforts. We also note the decision by the EU countries who have agreed to a permit-free transit of humanitarian carriers to Ukraine." "We hope the international community will continue to respond positively to the humanitarian needs of the people of Ukraine, including through extending generous support to the Secretary General's Flash Appeal and the Regional Refugee Response Plan on Ukraine," he said. Keeping in view the dire humanitarian situation unfolding in Ukraine, India has already sent over 90 tonnes of humanitarian supplies to Ukraine and its neighbours. These supplies have included medicines and other essential relief material for refugees. We are providing more humanitarian assistance in the coming days, especially through supply of essential medicines, Tirumurti highlighted. He further said that it is important that humanitarian action is always guided by the principles of humanitarian assistance. i.e., humanity. neutrality, impartiality, and independence - embedded as they are at the heart of UN Guiding Principles of Humanitarian Assistance. "These measures should not be politicized," he added. Tirumurti said that the conflict is already having an impact on the global economy, especially on many developing countries, including through disruption of supply chains. Its adverse impact on energy and commodity prices is evident. "We reiterate our call for immediate cessation of hostilities across Ukraine. Our Prime Minister (Narendra Modi), on several occasions, has reiterated this and emphasized that there is no other option but the path of dialogue and diplomacy," he said. "We continue to emphasize that the global order is anchored in international law, the UN Charter and respect for the territorial integrity and sovereignty of states." Tirumurti further said, "We call for purposeful engagement by both sides in the ongoing talks. We hope that an understanding could be reached soon. It is clearly in our collective interest to find a solution that can provide for immediate de-escalation of tensions aimed at securing long-term peace and stability in the region and beyond." (ANI) Highlighting India's stance on the Russia-Ukraine conflict, Union Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal on Tuesday said he believes the countries across the world recognize and understand and appreciate India's balanced approach. Speaking at the World Government Summit in Dubai, Goyal said, "We believe there should be a cessation of hostilities that both should discuss and resolve their issues and we should have peace in the region." "In our own approaches, we do not see the gains or losses of war, we always believe there will always be a loss. But at the same time, it has not affected us directly in any significant way because our trade with these two countries was relatively a very small portion of our overall internationalism," Goyal said when asked about the Russia-Ukraine conflict impact on India. He also said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been in regular contact with all the world leaders over the Russia-Ukraine situation. "Prime Minister Modi has been in regular contact with all the world leaders. He has, of course, been requesting and appealing for peace in the region consistently. I believe our friendly countries across the world recognize and understand and appreciate India's balanced approach," the minister said. He continued by saying that "I think everybody will have to take a call whether everybody is willing to stop all engagements, stop all dependency on petroleum products or energy requirements before they can point fingers at each other." Goyal also said that the world "recognizes India is clearly on the right and India is clearly looking for peace in the region at the earliest." When asked about the currency transaction mode for purchasing oil from Russia, Goyal said, "I don't think it is very material, what kind of price discounted or otherwise, I still believe that it's more important the war comes to an end." "I believe we would all like to pay a fair price for all products, petroleum or otherwise..., It's important that we all work towards peace in the region. I don't see any gain or anybody coming out of such a conflict," he added. (ANI) A portion of State Route 203 was blocked in Duvall following a collision that left one person dead and two others injured Monday evening. Around 7:30 p.m., a Toyota Corolla crossed the center line of SR 203 at 288th Street and then hit a landscaping truck head-on, according to Washington State Patrol Trooper Rick Johnson. The driver of the Corolla was pronounced dead at the scene and the vehicles passenger was airlifted to Harborview Medical Center. The driver of the landscaping truck was also transported to a hospital. SR-203 was closed between Woodinville-Duvall Road and 203rd Street Southeast. Traffic was rerouted to Snoqualmie Valley Road while troopers investigated the collision. #Breaking. SR 203 is blocked at 288th due to a two vehicle fatal collision. One deceased at scene and one airlifted. More information to come. Trooper Rick Johnson (@wspd2pio) March 29, 2022 More news from KIRO 7 DOWNLOAD OUR FREE NEWS APP The Daily Beast Getty ImagesAmber Heard sobbed uncontrollably on the stand Thursday as she recounted a wild fight with her then-husband Johnny Depp in Australia in which he allegedly penetrated her vagina repeatedly with a liquor bottle, leaving her retching and bloodied.The March 2015 trip for the filming of Pirates of the Caribbean 5 was tumultuous from the start, Heard said during her second day of testimony in the trial over Johnny Depps $50 million defamation lawsuit. One day, after he had been drinking, Daniel Mead is shown being arrested the afternoon of June 24, 2020. STAUNTON Moments after 28-year-old Bradley A. Maurice was stabbed the afternoon of June 24, 2020, Ciara Jones called 911 from the Springhill Village Apartments in Staunton. Hes bleeding out, Jones said to a dispatcher on a recording played for the jury Tuesday in Staunton Circuit Court. Later, she added, Hes breathing, but barely. Maurice, stabbed in the heart, would later die. His friend, Daniel D. Mead, 35, was eventually charged with first-degree murder in his death. Jones was one of several witnesses called to the stand during the second day of Meads murder trial. During a confrontation outside the apartment complex, Jones testified she saw the two men very, very close to one another. After being stabbed, she said Maurice held out his arms like, oh my god, whats going on? Jones said Maurice took off his T-shirt and paced in a circle for maybe a minute, if that before collapsing to his knees. When officers from the Staunton Police Department arrived on the scene, Maurice was on the ground and not moving. He was pronounced dead a short time later. Previous evidence showed Mead had invited Maurice, his partner and their three young children to temporarily stay at his apartment after Maurice was kicked out of the Valley Mission, a local homeless shelter, for failing a breathalyzer test. The two had been friends for several years, Mead's attorney said. However, the two men became embroiled in an argument that same day and Mead asked Maurice to leave. Minutes later, as the two men were outside of the apartment complex, Maurice was stabbed with a butterfly knife. During opening arguments on Monday, Mead's attorney, William Little II, said he acted in self-defense. On Tuesday, as Jones was still testifying, fireworks erupted when Little brought up a statement shed reportedly made to police about Maurice appearing to be on drugs. His comment incensed Staunton Commonwealths Attorney Jeff Gaines, who immediately objected to Littles question. Story continues He made that statement just to prejudice these fine people, an agitated Gaines said as Judge Anne Reed immediately sent the jury back to the jury room. He knows there were no drugs in the mans blood, Gaines added, still seething. Thats what she said, your honor, Little responded. Reed upheld the objection and informed the jury, once it returned, to disregard Littles last question to Jones. An autopsy showed Maurice did not have drugs in his system but he did have a blood-alcohol content of .197, more than twice Virginias legal limit to drive. When her testimony resumed, Jones was asked by Little to describe Maurices behavior. He was definitely mad that hed gotten stabbed, she said. Mead, she said, remained calm as a small group of people gathered near the stabbing. Mead, who took the bloody knife back to his apartment, told police where to find the weapon, according to testimony. During opening arguments Monday, Chief Deputy Commonwealths Attorney Joseph Perry said Mead stabbed Maurice with such force the blade of the knife went through a rib, into the right ventricle and to the back wall of his heart. On Tuesday, the doctor who performed the autopsy said the depth of the fatal wound was slightly deeper than the length of the 3 -inch blade of the knife used in the slaying. The prosecution rested its case late Tuesday afternoon. The jury is expected to get the case on Wednesday. More: Women make demands. A psychic makes predictions. And a Virginia city holds its breath. More: Staunton Mall continues being torn down. Here's what it looks like now. To subscribe, visit www.newsleader.com and click "subscribe" at top of page. Brad Zinn is the cops, courts and breaking news reporter at The News Leader. Have a news tip? Or something that needs investigating? You can email reporter Brad Zinn (he/him) at bzinn@newsleader.com. You can also follow him on Twitter. This article originally appeared on Staunton News Leader: Staunton jury could begin deliberations Wednesday in murder case Andrew Giuliani, son of former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, speaking to reporters on April 28, 2021, in New York. The gubernatorial hopeful reportedly made anti-trans statements over the weekend that included comments about his baby daughter's genitals. (Photo: AP Photo/Mary Altaffer) Andrew Giuliani, the son of former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani who is running to be governor of New York, reportedly brought up his baby daughters genitals while making anti-trans remarks at an event over the weekend. I have changed the diapers, Giuliani said at a rally hosted by a far-right group in Long Island, The Daily Beast first reported Tuesday. I have looked under the hood. Shes a woman. Im gonna be the last guy in a long time that looks under the hood right there. But guess what? She was born a woman and shes gonna stay a woman. Its that simple. Giuliani also said his 4-month-old daughter made a promise to me on the first day: She shook my hand and I said, Im the only boyfriend till youre 25 years old, shake hands, he told the crowd. A spokesperson for Giuliani told The Daily Beast that while Andrew does not claim to be a biologist, he can tell the difference between a male and a female. The statement seemingly referred to Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson saying she was not a biologist when asked during her confirmation hearing to define what a woman is which has become a culture-war complaint for Republicans. Giuliani did not immediately respond to HuffPosts request for comment. Read the full story at The Daily Beast. This article originally appeared on HuffPost and has been updated. Related... Chay Bowskill (L) kidnapped his then girlfriend, Angel Lynn. (Reach) The man who kidnapped Angel Lynn, leaving her paralysed after she fell from a van travelling at 60mph, has been revealed to be a member of a gang that stole 1.1m worth of luxury cars. Chay Bowskill, 20, of Leicestershire, was convicted by a jury in January of kidnapping his then 19-year-old girlfriend, with his sentence later increased to 12 years. Lynn, of Loughborough, suffered severe brain damage in a fall from the van Bowskill had abducted her in on the A6 near Mountsorrel in September 2020. It has now emerged Bowskill and others broke into sleeping victims' homes to steal the keys to their prestige cars. Read more: Father jailed for murder 21 years after he smothered two-year-old son with pillow Josh Healy (l), Barry Kew Moss (tr) and Travis Hindmarsh (br) were also part of the gang. (Reach) The six men and teenagers burgled 41 homes in Loughborough, Leicester and towns and villages across the county and wider region. The 51 vehicles they stole - including upmarket SUVs, an 80,000 Audi SQ7, a 75,000 Mercedes C63s, and BMWs, a Range Rover and VWs - were worth a total of 1,153,500. Bowskill and the others pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit burglaries, which were carried out between June and October 2019. A number of the cars, collectively worth an estimated 373,000, are still missing, Leicester Crown Court heard. Others involved in the conspiracy were Barry Kew Moss, 22, Travis Hindmarsh,19, Oliver Thomas Read, 25, Aurel Sadiki, 24, all of no fixed address, and 18-year-old Josh Healy, of Laurel Close, Mountsorrel. Christopher Jeyes, prosecuting, said: "The burglaries were of occupied homes, some with elderly residents and some with children. Many of the occupants woke up to find doors and windows had been entered and vehicles were missing from outside." Sentencing, Recorder Michael Auty QC added: "Each of you was part of an organised cabal whose purpose was to break into the homes of 41 separate families with the sole intention of stealing keys to valuable cars. Recorder Auty said he took into account that Healy was 15-years-old at the time of the conspiracy, Hindmarsh was then aged 16 and Bowskill had been 18. Story continues Kew Moss was aged 20 at the time and is currently serving a three year and nine-month sentence for some of the burglaries that formed part of the same conspiracy. Read more: Baby, 18 days, killed after uninsured hit-and-run driver smashed into his pram The gang were jailed at Leicester Crown Court. (Getty) Bowskill was also convicted of "coercive and controlling behaviour" toward Angel - who now needs round-the-clock care - and perverting the course of justice. He was jailed for a total of seven-and-a-half years. However, the sentence was referred to London's High Court for an "unduly lenient" review and increased to 12 years. Now, he is expected to serve two thirds, or eight years, of that term. At Leicester Crown Court two days later, he was given an additional four years for the burglary conspiracy. He was told this would add two more years to his term and he now faces serving at least 10 years before being eligible for release on licence. Robin Howat, mitigating for Bowskill said his client had an "unguided childhood" and went "badly off the rails." He added: "He's already had a crushing blow [from the Appeal Court] and a concurrent sentence wouldn't make him lose hope." Auburn police are looking for the suspect in a road rage incident that left a victims car shot several times, according to the Auburn Police Department. At around 10 a.m. on March 22, a red 2015-2022 Ford Mustang and a Jeep Wrangler were involved in a road rage incident. According to police, the Mustang was driving behind the Wrangler as they exited Highway 18 onto Auburn Way South. After driving a short distance, the driver of the Mustang grabbed a pistol and shot multiple times into the Wrangler. The driver of the Wrangler was transported to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. If you have information related to this incident, contact the Auburn Police Department at 253-288-7403. My daughter had in-utero surgery at 26 weeks' gestation. Courtesy of Tianna Borst Tianna Borst, 27, found out after a routine ultrasound that her baby had spina bifida. At 26 weeks pregnant, Borst underwent surgery to repair the spine of her unborn daughter, Savera. This is Tianna's story, as told to Kelly Burch. When I walked into my 20-week ultrasound, there was one question on my mind: boy or girl? But as I lay on the table, I noticed that the ultrasound tech looked uneasy. I didn't have the courage to ask if anything was wrong. The next day I got a call from my doctor. She told me, "I believe your baby has spina bifida." Spina bifida is a neural-tube defect in which the spinal tube doesn't close entirely. Through further testing, I learned that my baby who I would soon find out was a girl had myelomeningocele, the most common and severe form of spina bifida. At that moment I thought I was going to lose my baby. With the help of my mom, we found a team of doctors ready to perform an in-utero surgery that made walking possible for my now-toddler daughter. Grandma came to the rescue As soon as we received a definitive diagnosis, my mom flew from her home in Connecticut to Michigan, where I live. She's not a medical researcher, but you wouldn't know that from watching her in those days. My mom discovered that some fetuses with myelomeningocele can have surgery to repair their spine before they're even born. She reached out to the Yale New Haven Children's Hospital Fetal Care Center. Unbeknownst to us, a team at the hospital had been training to do exactly this surgery for two years. They were looking for the right candidate, and there I was. Soon I was on the phone with Dr. Mert Ozan Bahtiyar, director of the center. He was honest with me, talking about the good and bad that could happen with surgery. He told me I had to act quickly. The surgery needed to be done before 26 weeks, and I was already more than 24 weeks along. I didn't hesitate. I knew from the moment I heard about this surgery that it was something I needed to do for my child. I pictured my daughter and the beautiful life I wanted for her. Within a week, I was in Connecticut. Story continues The spina bifida surgery was a first-time success That was in March of 2020, when COVID shut down all nonessential surgeries. Bahtiyar went to bat for me, arguing before the hospital board that this was an essential surgery. Because of him, we were able to move ahead. I don't remember much from the actual surgery, other than "Eye of the Tiger" playing as the medical staff administered my anesthesia. For the next few hours, my daughter and I were in the operating room with 22 other people all there to help this baby have the life she deserved. When I woke up, Bahtiyar had good news. "Everything was a success," he told me. For the first time in Connecticut, a fetal spina-bifida repair had been completed. My daughter was born via C-section For the next 10 weeks, I stayed in Connecticut living in a hotel near the hospital. I had weekly ultrasounds, which was a small silver lining. Not many people get to see their child grow week by week. At 36 weeks, my daughter, Savera, was born by scheduled C-section. She was immediately taken to the neonatal intensive care unit. I didn't get to hold or touch her for the first 24 hours, but I knew she was in good hands. Today, Savera is a happy and healthy toddler. She still lives with spina bifida. She can't feel below her knees, and she wears braces when she walks. I'll never know what Savera's life would have been like without the surgery. What I do know is that I would make this decision again and again for her. She's a beautiful, determined little girl. She's been strong since day one, and I've never been prouder. Read the original article on Insider MILAN (Reuters) - The Bank of Italy said on Tuesday it had banned the local unit of online German bank N26 from taking on new customers after checks late last year flagged money laundering risks. Italy's central bank said N26 was also prohibited from offering new products and services, such as cryptoassets, to existing clients. "The Bank of Italy adopted such measures following inspections, conducted between Oct. 25 and Dec. 17 2021, which highlighted significant shortcomings in complying with anti-money laundering regulation," it said. "N26 took measures to remedy such shortcoming," the central bank added in a note. "The Bank of Italy reserves the right to assess the anomalies have been fully overcome, before considering revising the current decision." (Reporting by Valentina Za; Editing by Chris Reese and Jonathan Oatis) MADRID (Reuters) - Spanish banks must carefully monitor risks and a potential rise in bad loans on state-backed lending granted in the pandemic as repayment freezes are lifted and indirect impacts from the Ukraine war show up in credit portfolios, the Bank of Spain's deputy governor said on Tuesday. "There are still many uncertainties around the economy, now fuelled by the Ukraine crisis and therefore we must be vigilant about the evolution of the loans, even more so now that the grace periods of the loans guaranteed by the ICO will begin to be lifted", Deputy Governor Margarita Delgado said. In 2020, the government approved up to 140 billion euros ($155.39 billion) in so-called ICO liquidity lines, where Spain guaranteed up to 80% of the loans that were channelled through banks to small and mid-sized companies and the self-employed. On Tuesday, the government approved a new line of 10 billion euros in soft loans, with a 12 month-freeze on repayments, or so-called grace periods, where companies are required to pay only interest and not the principal on a loan. On existing COVID-19 loans, the government has extended on a general basis maturities by between eight to 10 years and automatically prolonged grace periods by six months. Delgado said on Tuesday that she expected companies to start experiencing the financial burden of repaying loans in the second quarter. Regarding bad loans, Delgado said that during 2021 the volume of non-performing assets followed the downward trend of recent years, "although at a much slower pace from what had been occurring before the pandemic." As of January, non-performing loans at Spanish banks stood at 4.32%, still far from its 13.6% peak in December of 2013. Delgado said however that growth of loans subject to special surveillance, or considered subject to heightened credit risk, had been moderate in the last half of last year, "although it is still growing at double-digit rates." ($1 = 0.9010 euros) (Reporting by Jesus Aguado; editing by John O'Donnell and William Maclean) WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) The Mayor of Barcelona has announced that the next contest for sailings Americas Cup is set to be held in the Spanish city in 2024. In a video posted Monday on social media, Mayor Ada Colau said Barcelona had been chosen as the host city for the 37th Cup regatta. While recent reports had pointed to Barcelona as a likely host, Colaus statement came ahead of any official announcement by America's Cup-holder Team New Zealand. After defending the Cup off Auckland in 2021, Team New Zealand indicated it was unlikely that the next regatta also would take place in New Zealand because of funding difficulties. Team New Zealand effectively put the Cup hosting rights up for tender and invited cities around the world to bid. Barcelona emerged as the most likely venue when the Irish city of Cork withdrew its bid earlier Monday. Cork was responding to advice from the Irish government and other agencies which suggested Cork harbour could not be made ready for the regatta in the time available. An event of the caliber of the Americas Cup brings with it an expectation of excellent delivery, Ireland's Department of Tourism and Sport said in a statement. The tight time frame available prior to the 37th edition of the Cup brought with it a large risk of under-delivery. Corks withdrawal left the field open to Barcelona. Today Barcelona celebrates another great piece of good news, Colau said. And it is that our city will host the Americas Cup of sailing in 2024, the oldest international competition in the world and one of the most important with a great economic and media impact. It is a competition where, beyond the days of the event, the participating teams make large investments in innovation and, therefore, has a sustained economic impact during the two years prior to the regatta. Team New Zealand has been threatened with legal action if it decides to defend the Cup outside New Zealand. Sir Edmund Thomas, a retired judge of New Zealands Supreme Court, has warned Team New Zealand he will sue if it attempts to take the Cup defense overseas. Story continues I believe that the defense of the Cup should take place in New Zealand. The public interest is involved and I would wish to promote the public interest, Thomas said in a letter to Hayden Porter, chief executive of the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron. As the Americas Cup is a contest between sailing clubs, the squadron formally is the Cup holder. In 1985, Thomas obtained an injunction which prevented a tour to South Africa by New Zealands national rugby team from going ahead because of South Africas apartheid system. Team New Zealand has received substantial financial support from New Zealand taxpayers and Auckland ratepayers to help fund its operations and provide infrastructure for its previous Cup defense in New Zealand. A decision to defend the trophy overseas is expected to be poorly received in New Zealand where the event has a high profile. ___ More AP Asia sports: https://apnews.com/hub/sports-asia and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports WASHINGTON President Joe Biden welcomed Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong to the White House for bilateral meetings Tuesday to discuss Russias invasion of Ukraine, maintaining peace in the Indo-Pacific region, climate change and supply chain issues. "This is a critical moment for I think for both our countries and the region that you so heavily represent," said Biden during brief remarks to the press, seated next to Lee. Biden added, the partnership between the two countries "is as important as it's ever been, as a matter of fact I think it's growing." Lee thanked Biden for receiving him at this "critical moment in world affairs" and noted Singapore as a major security partner of the U.S. "Im sure you are completely seized with whats happening in Europe right now, but we doubly appreciate the time you are giving to the relationship with Singapore and the southeast Asian countries generally," said Lee. A senior Biden administration official told reporters Monday in a preview of the visit the two leaders will be meeting at a "very critical time, one in which the rules-based international order faces unprecedented challenges." The official added, "I think its obviously shaped by Russias unprovoked and unjustifiable war against Ukraine, which poses an urgent threat not only for Europe, but also for the Indo-Pacific." Singapore has implemented sanctions and export controls against Russia in an effort to support Ukraine, in what the official described as a "very significant development." After the two leaders meet Tuesday morning, they are expected to deliver a statement to the press from the White House. Singapores leader will then meet with Vice President Kamala Harris. The meetings are an opportunity for the two countries to deepen their cooperation, the official said, including expanding engagement on trade in the region, as well as strengthen security ties a key issue as China expands its military posture in the South China Sea. The leaders will also discuss climate change, space and cyberthreats, and fighting the Covid-19 pandemic. The official said the Biden administration believes the U.S. partnership with Singapore has "important benefits for the American people." Biden last met with Lee at the G-20 summit in Rome in October. Drew Angerer It is a moment of consternation for many of Americas ultra-rich. A tax on the super wealthy, once a fringe left-wing fantasy, is again swirling in Washingtonand this time the plan originated in the White House. Its dead on arrival, its not constitutional, and it doesnt make any sense, fumed billionaire Leon Cooperman in an interview with The Daily Beast. Why dont they eliminate the fucking loopholes in the tax code? The Biden administration was set to unveil the proposal on Monday as part of its budget plan for 2023. It would affect a small percentage of the populationhouseholds worth $100 million or morewho would face a minimum annual tax rate of 20 percent of their income, including the appreciation of certain investments. Billionaires Blast Wealth Tax: One-Way Ticket to Venezuela Under the current system, many billionaires are able to avoid paying meaningful taxes for years or even decades by holding on to liquid assets that are only taxed once sold. Average investors can defer taxes in the same way, but the ultra-rich can fund their lifestyles by borrowing huge sums of money and using their shares as collateral, preventing them from incurring significant tax liabilities. Many ultra-wealthy investors also utilize loopholes or charitable deductions to further write down their obligations once they come due. Last year, a ProPublica investigation found that several billionaires, including Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk, and Carl Icahn, had avoided paying federal income taxes in some years. The report outlined each billionaires true tax rate, a controversial metric that measured the taxes they had paid between 2014 and 2018 as a percentage of their wealth. Musks rate was a relatively high 3.27 percent, while Bezos stood at just 0.98 percent. Democrats have assailed the ultra-rich for years, claiming they havent paid their fair share. The new minimum tax proposal is an attempt to address thator at least create noise to rally the partys base. Story continues Some billionaires arent happy to be caught in the crosshairs. I think its stupid to punish the people that create the jobs and make the money, said the grocery billionaire John Catsimatidis. I create jobs. I dont make most of my money in hedge funds. I dont make most of my money in the stock market. Im different. Its going to lead to very unnatural actions in the economy, added Cooperman, who said he supports a progressive tax system but favors doing so by closing other loopholes instead. According to a chart shared on Twitter by the economist Gabriel Zucman, Bidens proposal could theoretically create a $50 billion tax bill for Elon Musk, the largest of anyone in the country, followed by a $35 billion obligation for Jeff Bezos. In total, the chart estimated, the top 10 billionaires would owe $215 billion between them. Last fall a similar proposal garnered some support in Congress before it was ultimately scuttled. At that time, Catsimatidis told The Daily Beast that proponents of the plan were just nuts and trying to change our way of life. If they dont like the United States the way it is, Im buying them a one-way ticket to Venezuela, he said. This time, the grocery billionaire said he is taking a back seat. Many members of the Forbes 400 are both Democrats and richer than him, he said, and will owe far more money if the policy somehow becomes law. Let them fight it out, he said. Let the hedge fund guys kill each other. Read more at The Daily Beast. Get the Daily Beast's biggest scoops and scandals delivered right to your inbox. Sign up now. Stay informed and gain unlimited access to the Daily Beast's unmatched reporting. Subscribe now. Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) and Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) arrive for a vote for a short-term continuing resolution to fund the government until Feb 18 on Thursday, December 2, 2021. A bipartisan group of senators requested specifics from the Biden administration on the defense aid that the United States has provided to Ukraine since Russia began its invasion into the neighboring country last month. The letter, led by Sens. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), asked White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan for a list of lethal and nonlethal aid provided to Ukraine to date and the status of deliveries. The senators also requested an analysis of equipment from allied nations that could be provided to Ukraine and later backfilled with NATO equipment, among other inquiries. "America's commitments to Ukraine and to our NATO allies demand we expedite the delivery of weapons and capabilities to our allies and partners; Ukraine can win this fight if we help them win this fight," the senators said. "Above all else, our commitment to our allies and partners keeps Americans prosperous and keeps our families safe." The senators also noted that the U.S.'s strategy for Ukraine needed to do more than provide adequate means for protecting the country against Russian forces. They said that "the strategy must deliver Ukraine necessary weapons to defend itself, counter the Russian forces' advance, and give the Ukrainian people a chance to win the war." In addition to Ernst and Gillibrand, the other signatories were Sens. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), Susan Collins (R-Maine), John Cornyn (R-Texas), Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), John Boozman (R-Ark.), John Hoeven (R-N.D.), Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Angus King (I-Maine), Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), Bill Cassidy (R-La.), James Lankford (R-Okla.), Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), Steve Daines (R-Mont.), Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), Ben Sasse (R-Neb.), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.), Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), Rick Scott (R-Fla.), Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) and Roger Marshall (R-Kan.). Story continues "Deliveries of our security assistance are occurring daily, and we are expediting shipments as quickly as possible to get the Ukrainians even more of the weapons they are using so effectively to defend their country such as anti-aircraft and anti-tank system," a White House National Security Council spokesperson told The Hill regarding the timing of deliveries. "The United States has delivered roughly $350 million of security assistance to Ukraine over the past three weeks. We are also facilitating deliveries of additional assistance from our allies and partners - at least 30 countries have provided security assistance to Ukraine since the invasion began," the spokesperson added. Earlier this month, the president announced $800 million in added security assistance to Ukraine. A White House fact sheet said that the latest package included 800 Stinger anti-aircraft systems, 100 Tactical Unmanned Aerial Systems and 2,000 Javelins, among other weapons. The development comes as the Russian invasion extends into its second month, with Moscow remaining unsuccessful in seizing Ukrainian capital Kyiv. Brexit: More than 1 million people work in the financial services sector in the UK. Photo: Yann Tessier/Reuters More than 7,000 finance jobs have moved from London to the European Union because of Brexit, according to accountancy firm EY. The group's Brexit Tracker has revised its projections for the number of Brexit-related staff relocations to the EU, from 7,400 in December 2021 to just over 7,000, and is significantly down from the peak of 12,500 announced in 2016. Most firms made their decision on how to restructure their workforce ahead of the end of the Brexit transition period in December 2020. Further relocations could result from European Central Bank checks on whether Brexit hubs in the EU opened by banks which used London as their European base have sufficient staff to justify their new licences, EY said. Dublin is the most popular destination for staff relocations and new hubs, followed by Luxembourg, Frankfurt and Paris. EY said Paris scored highest in terms of attracting jobs from London, totalling 2,800, followed by Frankfurt at around 1,800, and Dublin with 1,200. Read more: P&O Ferries tells UK government it will not reverse sacking decision Omar Ali, EMEIA Financial Services Leader at EY, said: "The high number of potential job relocations reported in 2016 aligned with the uncertainty which surrounded the Citys ongoing relationship with Europe at the time. "As firms gained greater clarity on what the post-Brexit landscape would look like, plans were consolidated and, in some cases, firms revised down the number of people they would need to relocate." EY said that new local hires linked to Brexit total 2,900 across Europe, and 2,500 in Britain, where just over a million people work in the financial services sector. The transfer of the management of assets to EU jurisdictions is also down. Since 2016, 24 firms have publicly declared that they will transfer just over 1.3tn ($1.7tn) of UK assets to the EU. PwC warned that 100,000 financial jobs could be lost if Britain voted Leave. Watch: 10 ways to Brexit proof your finances Ashley plays the eldest Sharma sister in the new season of Bridgerton (Getty Images) Bridgerton actor Simone Ashley has shared that she gave herself a tattoo during lockdown after watching a tutorial from a prison inmate. In an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live on Monday 28 March, Ashley revealed a tattoo of a sphynx cat on her ankle. Ashley made her Bridgerton debut in the second season of the popular Regency era-inspired drama, which was released on Friday 25 March. She portrays Kate Sharma, the elder sister of the Sharma family who have newly arrived in London from India. Speaking of her tattoo skills on Monday, Ashley told Kimmel she has given tattoos both to herself and people she has worked with after purchasing a kit during lockdown. I was in Los Angeles over lockdown in 2020 and I did all the regular stuff, like making banana bread, tie-dying, all of that kind of stuff, she said. I thought it would be a good idea to get my own tattoo pen with the needle, its called a rotary pen. When asked by Kimmel whether the buying process had been easy, Ashley said she didnt even need ID and had purchased it online. The actor said she had sought out tutorials on YouTube, before stumbling across a video which used unconventional methods. I found this video and it was like, Oh, I can use this deodorant stick, like as a chemical reaction on the transfer paper and all of the stuff, she explained. And then it started getting a bit deep and I was like, Oh, this guys using some really interesting stuff. And then I looked at the username and it was called prisontattoo.com. I looked at his videos and was like, wow, there is an inmate making videos in prison. This is a fab idea and then I did it, I followed his instructions. Kimmel asked to see her ankle, before declaring that he thought her design looked like a dog. Well keep practicing I guess really, he joked. Also, during the appearance, Ashley reflected on attending the Vanity FairOscars party on Sunday evening for the first time. It was wonderful, and it was really glamourous, she said, before sharing one aspect of the evening which is little talked about. Story continues What was really funny...is these Uber airports at these big events, so if you dont have a chauffeur or a car waiting for you, you just get an Uber, she said. She went on to explain that on one side of the road there is a line of celebrities waiting for their taxis, and the other is lined with fans. When asked by Kimmel who she had seen in line, she named Billy Porter, Joe Jonas and Sophie Turner. I was standing there thinking this is kind of cool, and theres these fans on the other side of the road who had hit the jackpot. Authorities are investigating the deaths of a California lobbyist and her boyfriend in connection with an hours-long standoff at the lobbyists Loomis home in which Placer County sheriffs deputies shot an armed suspect. The Golden State Bail Agents Association said it was shocked and saddened to learn of the deaths of its lobbyist Kathryn Lynch and her boyfriend, Jerry Upholt. On behalf of GSBAA, I wish to express our sorrow and sympathy over the tragic murder of our lobbyist Kathryn Lynch and her boyfriend Jerry Upholt, Albert Ramirez, the bail agents groups president, said in a news release Tuesday. Our hearts and deepest condolences go out to their family and friends. Kathy was a brilliant lobbyist and her devotion to her profession and the institution of government was second to none. We are greatly honored to have worked with her and have her as part of our family. A man, reportedly carrying a handgun, was shot by deputies after he ran out of a Lake Forest Drive home in Loomis, according to the Placer County Sheriffs Office. The man shot by deputies was hospitalized and expected to survive, sheriffs spokeswoman Angela Mussallam confirmed. Public records show Lynchs home address was located in the 5100 block of Lake Forest Drive, just northwest of Folsom Lake. Mussallam confirmed there were two bodies found at that Lake Forest Drive home, but she could not confirm the identities of two people found dead. About 10 a.m. Monday, deputies were called to the Lake Forest Drive home after receiving a report of suspicious circumstances, according to the Sheriffs Office. After several hours of investigation, deputies encountered a male who ran from the home with a handgun, sheriffs officials wrote in a statement posted to Facebook Monday night. Deputies contacted the suspect and one or more deputies shot him, according to the Sheriffs Office. No deputies were injured. The South Placer Fire District in a Facebook post said it assisted the Sheriffs Office during a standoff with a barricaded suspect. The Sheriffs Office on Tuesday afternoon had not released any further details about the shooting or the death investigation at the Loomis home. Lynch ran a Sacramento-based lobbyist firm, Lynch & Associates, which was started in 1985 to provide government and consulting services in California. The firms clients included hunting organizations such as the Outdoor Sportsmens Coalition of California and California Sportsmans Lobby Inc., as well as the American Forest and Paper Association, California Alliance for Arts Education and the California Language Teachers Association. Jon Stewart speaks at a press conference on Tuesday along with veteran advocates and lawmakers (CSPAN) TV host Jon Stewart has told lawmakers they cant say they are American first when you put veterans last as he called on the US Senate to pass a comprehensive bill that will grant access to healthcare to veterans who are sick and dying from burn pits. The veterans advocate said at a press conference in Washington DC on Tuesday afternoon that it is unconscionable to delay the legislation any longer as he questioned how senators would respond if there was a burn pit right there on Capitol Hill. You want to do it here? Lets dig a giant f***ing pit 10 acres long and burn everything in Washington with jet fuel and then let me know how long they want to wait before they think its causing some health problems, said Mr Stewart. Heres the bottom line: you cannot be American first when you put veterans last. His comments came ahead of a Senate hearing later on Tuesday with Veteran Affairs Secretary Denis McDonough about the newly-renamed burn pits bill now heading to a Senate vote. The Honoring Our PACT Act has been renamed the SFC Heath Robinson PACT Act, in honour of the late Sgt First Class Heath Robinson the US veteran whose story was told in Joe Bidens State of the Union address. Sgt Robinson died in May 2020 aged 39 from a rare form of cancer caused by toxic exposure to burn pits while serving in Iraq in the Ohio National Guard in 2006 and 2007. Before his death, he and his wife Danielle Robinson fought for other veterans who are sick and dying from burn pits exposure to get access to much-needed healthcare and benefits when they return home from serving their country overseas. Ms Robinson told The Independent on Tuesday morning that it is bittersweet to see her husband being honoured with the renaming of the bill. Theres lots of different emotions playing a part in it, she said. Its an honour to him and his memory is going to live on through it but at the same time Id rather have him alive with us. She added: I cant help but think of all the other widows who are deserving of having their loved ones named on the PACT Act. Story continues Its not just about our story but all of the other widows out there fighting the battle and losing their loved ones because of toxic exposure to burn pits and its about all the current veterans trying to fight for the healthcare they deserve. Ms Robinson joined Mr Stewart, fellow veteran advocate John Feal, New York Democratic Senators Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand and other lawmakers and members of the veteran community in pushing for the PACT Act to be passed into law in Tuesdays press conference. She thanked them for changing the name in honour of her husband as she spoke about his heartbreaking dying moments at the age of 39. Heath Robinson pictured. He died from a rare form of cancer caused by burn pits (Danielle Robinson) When I had to call hospice in to our house to start the process of helping my husband die he said I dont know who to give up. I dont know how to take my last breath, she said. I need all of you senators to understand what it is like to lay on the floor underneath your dying husband for seven hours helping him die. If you pass this Honoring Our PACT Act you are going to help so many veterans who are in the same situation on hospice right now, for those who may have to come, and hopefully take care of those who have cancers that are curable. I ask you to do your duty and pass this. The bill passed the House earlier this month, with all Democrats and 34 Republicans voting in favour of its passage, sending it to the Senate. If it passes, the law will presumptively link 23 cancers, respiratory illnesses and other conditions to a veterans exposure to burn pits while on deployment overseas. This will then give these veterans automatic access to the VA healthcare and benefits that they need as they battle the illnesses they developed as a result of serving their country. During Americas post-September 11 wars, huge open-air pits were used to burn mountains of trash including food packaging, human waste and military equipment on bases in Iraq and Afghanistan. Thousands of US service members returned home from deployment and developed health conditions including rare cancers, lung conditions, respiratory illnesses and toxic brain injuries caused by breathing in the toxic fumes from the pits. A staggering 3.5m servicemembers and veterans have been exposed to burn pits and airborne toxins while serving the US overseas, according to estimates from the Veterans Affairs. But, at present, the burden of proof is on veterans to prove their condition is directly caused by this toxic exposure and so only around one in five claims for disability benefits where burn pits are cited are approved by the VA. Veterans sick and dying from exposure to burn pits have been fighting for years to get access to the healthcare and benefits they need for their war-related illnesses. Danielle Robinson during the SOTU address (Independent) Senate Majority Leader Schumer said at Tuesdays press conference that the nation is at a turning point on the issue and vowed that the Senate will vote on the bill during this Congress. Everyone will have to show where they stand and whose side they are on, he said. Mr Schumer said: Today were at a turning point, a very important turning point. Over the last two decades of war in Iraq and Afghanistan and beyond, America has always claimed no expense is too great, no treasure too precious for us to pay to defend our freedom and our American way of life. Hundreds of thousands of men and women answered that call leaving behind their families and putting their lives on the line but until now we have refused to face up to one of the biggest costs of those wars and that is the healthcare needs of veterans who fought and sacrificed on our behalf. Mr Stewart, who together with 9/11 survivor John Feal lobbied the government to pass a bill giving healthcare access to emergency responders at the September 11 terrorist attacks before the pair rallied in support of veterans, said it will only take 10 Republicans to join all Senate Democrats to get the bill passed into law. You see the entire veteran community standing together united as one to get this done and its going to come down to what it always come down to here we need 10 Republicans thats it, he said. After 20 years of fighting, thats what its going to come down to. Ten Republicans and the veterans finally get the healthcare and the benefits that they fought so hard for, that they earned, that they are sick and dying for. He said there will be a lot of nonsense during the afternoons Senate hearing, with people saying they want to support veterans but also want to be responsible. He hit out at these claims, saying that they had their chance to be responsible and they blew it. You know what would have been nice? If they had been responsible 20 years ago and hadnt spent trillions of dollars on overseas adventures, if they had been responsible and not spent billions of dollars on defence contractors that poisoned our troops, he said. If they had been responsible and understood that 20 years of war would create an overflow of sick veterans paying for the consequences of that war. Chuck Schumer says the bill will go to a vote in the Senate (CSPAN) Ms Robinson told The Independent that any lawmakers not familiar with the issue of burn pits should educate themselves by watching the Delay, Deny, Hope you Die movie and reading Joseph Hickmans The Burn Pits: The Poisoning of Americas Soldiers. Maybe then they will get a glimpse of the reality and of what it is like living in our shoes and the frustration and anger and hurt experienced when our veterans come home, she said. For any senators sitting on the fence about the issue or who say budget is an issue, the widow said that veterans have put their lives on the line for their country and so deserve to be taken care of when they suffer war-related illnesses on their return home. Bottom line is you have the money to send them off to war, you need to take care of them when they come home with war-related illnesses and are fighting for their lives and living the last days of their lives, she said. They sign up and put their lives on the line and sacrifice so much so for us [so] to sacrifice a little bit by taking care of them when they come home is not a lot to ask for. Ms Robinson was invited to the State of the Union address by First Lady Jill Biden, where the president dedicated part of his speech to telling her husbands story and to speaking about the issue of burn pits. He was born a soldier. Army National Guard. Combat medic in Kosovo and Iraq, Mr Biden said. Stationed near Baghdad, just yards from burn pits the size of football fields. Danielle is here with us tonight. They loved going to Ohio State football games. And he loved building Legos with their daughter. But cancer from prolonged exposure to burn pits ravaged Heaths lungs and body. Danielle says Heath was a fighter to the very end. He didnt know how to stop fighting, and neither did she. Through her pain, she found purpose to demand that we do better. Tonight, Danielle, we are going to do better. Mr Biden has said that he believes his own son Beau Biden may have died as a result of his exposure to burn pits on deployment overseas. Since the president dedicated part of his State of the Union address to the topic of burn pits, Ms Robinson said she has noticed a shift in public awareness of the issue. People have come up to her saying they had never even heard about the issue impacting thousands of American servicemembers until that moment, she said. I fully believe that people are more on board with this and that the civilian world is starting to learn what they did to our soldiers and what they were exposed to, she said. Lots of people have come up to me and said they were very shocked to hear about it and that they had no idea what burn pits were before, she said. I feel like its still a battle and we need to get the bill passed but its laying more of the foundation for what veterans need and bringing more light onto the issue. Musician Cardi B and her sister didnt defame a group of Trump supporters by calling them racist, a New York judge ruled on Friday. Instead, Suffolk County judge William Condon wrote in his ruling: The words uttered to plaintiffs do not arise to defamatory language , as they were merely general insults. The Grammy Award-winning artist, her sister Hennessy Carolina, and Ms Carolinas girlfriend Michelle Diaz were sued for defamation in September 2020, after Cardi B posted a video on social media showing an altercation between the couple and a group of Trump supporters on a beach in the Hamptons. In the suit, Peter Caliendo, Pauline Caliendo, and Manuel Alarcon, said Ms Carolina and her girlfriend threatened the group and called them racist amid an argument about parking on the sand. The legal action also claimed Ms Carolina had assaulted the group because she sprayed her copious spittle upon said plaintiffs as she raged, and that she allegedly threatened to have people beat your f******g a** for real, and called the group racist. The beachgoers were seen in video of the incident with a Trump Make America Great Again hat, and the original lawsuit also mentions them flying a Trump flag. Though Cardi B wasnt present during the Labour Day blowup on the beach, she posted video of the incident on her social media, as well as an audio recording of Hennessy Carolina describing her version of events, repeating the accusation the group was racist. My sister cant go to the beach in the Hamptons wit [sic] out trump supporters harassing cause they were by themselves & Santa Claus was harassing my sis GF all because they are a Afro/Hispanic gay couple, she wrote on Twitter. Hennessy Carolina elaborated in an audio recording shared in another Cardi B post. We moved out of respect, she says. Then you came, two men, to us, and yelled get out of here, go your f***ing country because you saw us parking here, and were speaking Spanish, and were mixed, and were a f***king mixed couple, and were lesbian, and you guys just ganged up and put the MAGA hat and the flag up. The lawsuit claimed the clips had been selectively edited to make the trio look racist. Cathay Pacific is soon to operate the worlds longest flight (AFP/Getty Images) A new contender for the worlds longest flight has hit the skies but purely out of necessity. In a bid to avoid Russian airspace, Cathay Pacifics New York-Hong Kong service will overfly the Atlantic Ocean, UK, southern Europe and central Asia, totalling 16,618km and making it the longest commercial flight measured by distance. The new flight path will take around 17 hours and beats the current longest flight Singapore Airlines Singapore-New York route (15,349km) by 1,269km. Operated using an Airbus A350-1000, the flight would usually traverse Arctic and Russian airspace, but Cathay, like many international airlines, is avoiding overflying Russia due to the countrys invasion of Ukraine. We are always running contingency routings for potential events or scenarios, an airline spokesperson told Bloomberg of the potential new flight path. The Transatlantic option relies on the facilitation of strong seasonal tailwinds at this time of the year in order for the flight time to be between 16 and 17 hours, thereby making it more favourable than the Transpacific route. The carrier is currently seeking permissions to overfly the airspaces of the nations involved in order to operate the new route from JFK airport to Hong Kong. Its previous iteration of the route involved a stopover in LA, California this new version would fly between the destinations nonstop. It follows Air New Zealands announcement that it will launch one of the worlds longest flights in September 2022: a direct route from Auckland to New York City. Covering 14,200km, it will become the fourth longest commercial flight in existence. Qantas long-awaited Project Sunrise flights direct services between Sydney and London and New York were set to take the top spots, but plans have been pushed back due to the pandemic. The Heathrow-Kingsford-Smith airport in Sydney hop would come in at 16,983km more than 1,500km longer than the world's current longest commercial route between Singapore and New York. New York-Sydney, meanwhile, comes in just under, at 16,200km. LONDON (Reuters) - A ceasefire agreement between Russia and Ukraine would not be enough to trigger the lifting of British sanctions, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson told a meeting of his senior ministers on Tuesday. "The prime minister said a ceasefire alone would not be cause for UK sanctions to be removed on Russia," Johnson's spokesman told reporters, giving his account of the cabinet meeting. "He said the pressure on (Russian President Vladimir) Putin must be increased both through further economic measures and providing military aid to ensure Russia changes course completely." (Reporting by Alistair Smout, writing by William James, Editing by Kylie MacLellan) Celonis, the process mapping startup, has been on a nice run the last several years, forging significant partnerships with IBM and ServiceNow, while announcing a $1 billion Series D last June on a massive $11 billion valuation. With that kind of capitalization, the company decided to expand its reach today when it announced the acquisition of Process Analytics Factory (PAF) for $100 million. Celonis gets an eight-year-old German company with expertise in process mapping the Microsoft ecosystem, which should help Celonis move into that space. Celonis CEO and co-founder Alexander Rinke said that his company has carved out a big role in the automated workflow ecosystem, figuring out how work moves in an automated fashion to help point out inefficiencies and look for ways to make work flow more smoothly through the organization. He says that includes automation, collaboration and virtual platforms. "Obviously, a big part of that is Microsoft with Microsoft Teams and Microsoft Office. So we acquired PAF to enable that and bring the unique insights and targeted actions we provide to Microsoft users," Rinke said. PAF founder and CEO Tobias Rother gave the familiar argument that the two companies will be better together. "This combination leverages the strength of Celonis market leadership with the foundation that PAF has created in the Microsoft Power Platform. This allows our companies to build the bridge between the Microsoft Power Platform and the Celonis Execution Management System, he said in a statement. PAF launched in 2014 with the goal of embedding process mining insights into the Microsoft platform. "They have a huge head start in this space, and we thought if we can bring this functionality into the Celonis world, there will be a huge benefit for their customers, our customers and prospects. And for everybody who uses Microsoft," Rinke said. As he points out, that's just about everybody in his target market. In fact, 97% of the Fortune 500 use Microsoft Office. Story continues The company has been on a roll in recent years, forging relationships with much larger companies like IBM, SAP and ServiceNow, while also building a large presence with consulting firms like Deloitte, Accenture and WiPro, among many others. All of this is driving sales and the massive valuation. It has also made several strategic acquisitions like today's. PAF represents the fourth acquisition for the company. Rinke said the deal closed at the end of last year, and they are in the process of building the PAF functionality into the broader Celonis platform. The plan is to roll that out in May. The deal included 30 employees coming over to Celonis. The company should hit 3,000 employees some time later this year. Celonis launched in 2011 and raised $1.4 billion, according to Crunchbase data. While the company has ambitions to go public at some point, Rinke was not ready to commit to any timeline. Major pay raises could be coming to Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools staff members if the county approves the school districts budget. The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education voted unanimously Tuesday night to approve its $2.1 billion operating budget for 2022-2023. The CMS board is asking the county for $578 million, which is a $40 million increase from last year. CMS is proposing a 10% pay increase on the supplement for teachers and certified staff. Teacher assistants would receive a minimum pay of $16.50 an hour. ALSO READ: CMS Board cites serious mishaps for its decision to fire Superintendent Earnest Winston For too long, governing bodies have argued about budgets as if they are only numbers on a page, but a thoughtful budget is more than that, Board Chair Elyse Dashew said in a news release. Each number in the budget represents our assessment of the needs of our students and how best to meet those needs. It is our responsibility to ensure the children of Mecklenburg County have access to a sound basic education. This is only possible with adequate funding, strategically aligned and thoughtfully deployed, as laid out in the budget we voted on tonight. Hugh Hattabaugh had his first meeting as the interim superintendent of CMS on Monday. Former Superintendent Ernest Winston previously proposed the budget that could make CMS teachers pay the highest in the state by increasing the local supplement. Hattabaugh is rejoining the district at a time when academic performance and low test scores are a big concern from school officials, something he focused on when he last acted as interim superintendent in 2011. Last year, the county tried to withhold $56 million from CMS and asked the district to produce a plan on how to close achievement gaps for minority students. Now the budget is finalized, it will head to county commissioners for approval. Channel 9s John Paul investigated to see if CMS would really make the most in the state. Story continues Currently, first-year certified teachers for CMS make $41,736 over ten months. Compare that to Wake County, where they make a few dollars more - $41,892. PAST COVERAGE: Advocates ask CMS to do more to improve third-grade performance in school If CMS teachers get a 2.7% raise, they will make about $42,863, jumping above Wake County teachers by about $1,000. That assumes Wake and other counties dont give their teachers raises. Those counties still have to work out their budget, which will likely include a raise as well. Actually, they should do better. You couldnt have your job without a teacher. Teachers is where it all begins, resident Latoya Lewis-Jones said. Last year, CMS schools had a battle with the county over funding. County commissioners withheld $56 million from the district until it offered a plan to improve school and student success. PAST COVERAGE: Meck County, CMS strike deal over $56 million in withheld funding The county and CMS eventually came to an agreement. (WATCH BELOW: CMS pauses rollout of clear backpacks due to warning tags) BEIJING/WASHINGTON (Reuters) -A top U.S. diplomat will meet this week in China to discuss issues in Afghanistan with his Chinese, Russian and Pakistani counterparts, the Chinese foreign ministry and the State Department said on Tuesday. The United States understands that China has invited Taliban representatives to the talks in Tunxi, a State Department spokesperson said. Chinese special envoy for Afghanistan Yue Xiaoyong will host the meeting, said Wang Wenbin, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesman. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has arrived in Tunxi for the talks, Interfax news agency cited a ministry spokeswoman as saying late on Tuesday. Lavrov has largely stayed in Russia since last month's invasion of Ukraine but did travel to Turkey for talks with his counterpart from Kyiv. Tom West, the U.S. special representative for Afghanistan, will attend the talks of the so-called Extended Troika: the three world powers plus Pakistan, the State Department spokesperson said. The talks come against the backdrop of Russia's invasion of Ukraine and as Afghanistan suffers an economic and humanitarian crisis worsened by a financial aid cutoff following the Taliban takeover as U.S.-led troops departed in August. They also come amid widespread condemnation of the Taliban's U-turn last week on allowing girls to attend public high schools, which has sparked consternation among funders ahead of a key aid donors conference, a U.N. official said on Tuesday. The retention of the ban prompted U.S. officials to cancel talks in Doha with the Taliban and a State Department warning that Washington saw the decision as "a potential turning point in our engagement" with the militants. The United States believes that it shares with other Extended Troika members an interest in the Taliban making good on commitments to form an inclusive government, cooperate on counterterrorism and rebuild the Afghan economy, the State Department spokesperson said. Story continues The meeting takes place while foreign ministers from Afghanistan's neighbors meet on Wednesday and Thursday in the eastern Chinese province of Anhui, Wang said. That meeting will be chaired by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and attended by Afghan acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi, and diplomats from Pakistan, Iran, Russia, Tajikstan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Indonesia and Qatar. (Reporting by Yew Lun Tian in Beijing, Jonathan Landay in Washington and David Ljunggren; Editing by Alex Richardson and Ed Osmond) Residents in the Hill District will soon have access to another community health clinic. The UPMC Matilda Health Center was temporarily operating in the South Side. Soon, it will move back to the Hill District. Access is a key issue its one of the reasons why we chose this site. People can walk here from the community, its right on a bus route and theres parking thats available for free, Director of Family Medicine for UPMC Dr. Tracey Conti said. The new center has seven brand-new exam rooms, new equipment and a pharmacy on site. The clinic opens on Friday and will provide holistic personalized care, including behavioral health services, access to a nutritionist and social worker, essential checkups, screenings and vaccinations. TRENDING NOW: Deadly mistake: Former nurse found guilty in patients death Elderly woman killed in Robinson Township house fire identified Taking sides: Celebrities react to Will Smith slap VIDEO: RAW: Small plane slides off runway at Arnold Palmer Regional Airport DOWNLOAD the Channel 11 News app for breaking news alerts U.S. Rep. C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger has never represented Carroll County. The veteran Democrat is based in Baltimore County, and his congressional district currently also includes pieces of Anne Arundel, Howard and Harford counties. But under the Maryland General Assembly Democrats newly unveiled redistricting map, created in response to a state judges decision throwing out the old map, the worlds of Ruppersberger and other U.S. House members or at least their districts are changing practically overnight. The plan, which still requires approval of state lawmakers and the judge, reconfigures Ruppersbergers territory to include much of Carroll County and Baltimore County, but none of Anne Arundel, Howard or Harford. The district also would continue to represent a sliver of Baltimore City. The changes are among many, large and small, crafted by Democrats in response to the judges order scrapping an initial Democratic plan approved last year because it was too gerrymandered. The new map could aid Republicans marginally, according to an analysis on the fivethirtyeight.com website. Democrats currently hold seven of the states congressional seats, and Republicans one. Republicans have long complained that Democrats packed too many Republicans into the 1st Congressional District seat of Republican Rep. Andy Harris, leaving too few GOP voters elsewhere in the state. Under the new map, Harris would maintain an advantage and Democrats would be favored to hold six other seats, according to the analysis. But it said the sprawling 6th Congressional District in the central and western parts of the state would become highly competitive and lean Republican. That seat is currently held by Rep. David Trone, a Democrat and the co-founder of the Total Wine & More alcohol retailer, who is in his second term. Trone could not be reached Tuesday through his spokeswoman. Analysts say the new map has a cleaner look than either the rejected plan which the judge said was too partisan or the current configuration approved a decade ago. Story continues Gone is an appendage, added by Democrats in December, that would have extended Harris Eastern Shore district across the Bay Bridge and into an area of Anne Arundel County with more Democratic voters. Also redrawn is the elongated 3rd Congressional District, whose irregular shape almost defies description. The district, held by Democrat John Sarbanes, would now be contained in Howard County and parts of Anne Arundel and Carroll counties. It currently touches four counties: Baltimore, Howard, Anne Arundel and Montgomery. The wildest thing about this map is that the 3rd District is no longer wild, said political strategist Sophia Silbergeld of Adeo Advocacy in Baltimore. Now it looks like a straight-up, normal congressional district. She noted that Sarbanes, like some other incumbents, would no longer live in his home district if he wins reelection. That can be awkward politically, but not a disqualifier. He lives in Baltimore County. Here are some other features of the new map, according to information provided by Senate President Bill Ferguson and others: Baltimore City, which previously had three congressional districts, would now have two. Frederick County would be located entirely within a single congressional district. Montgomery County, previously divided among four congressional districts, would be represented by three. Harford County would be entirely within the 1st Congressional District. Anne Arundel County would have fewer congressional districts, with two. The 7th Congressional District seat held by Baltimore Democrat Kweisi Mfume would no longer include some of Howard County. The 8th Congressional District seat held by Democrat Jamie Raskin of Montgomery County would no longer include Carroll County. Judge Lynne A. Battaglia issued her ruling Friday in a pair of Anne Arundel Circuit Court cases brought by GOP lawmakers and voters. In ordering the legislature to swiftly redraw the statewide map, the judge agreed with expert witness testimony that Republicans would have been substantially adversely impacted by the one passed in December by the Democratic legislature. Democratic leaders in the General Assembly made the replacement map public Monday night, and members of Congress and their staffs as well as election challengers immediately began poring over the new boundary lines. The state Senate approved it Tuesday and a House vote was expected Wednesday. Battaglia also must approve the map. If she does, the court would set a timetable for implementing it. It was unclear Tuesday if the state would appeal her original ruling, as had been seemingly suggested Monday. Ferguson and other Democrats said during a Tuesday morning meeting of the Senates redistricting committee that the map achieved the objectives stated by Battaglia. Those included making sure districts were made as compact as possible rather than irregularly shaped and that they respected natural boundaries and the borders of political subdivisions like counties and cities. They are significantly more compact, Ferguson said Tuesday of the new districts. This map was drawn first and foremost with the obligation of trying to meet the court order within five days. Del. Haven Shoemaker of Carroll County, the GOPs minority whip, said in an interview that this most recent map is a heck of a lot better than the one we passed in special session in December. It would almost have to be. Its not a very high bar. Republicans again pushed Monday for the General Assembly to instead use a map drawn last year by an independent commission organized by Gov. Larry Hogan. The Republican governor had appointed the panel of Republicans, Democrats and independents to draw an alternate set of proposed electoral maps, which the governor submitted to the legislature. The legislature rejected that map last year, and it was not resurrected by Democrats following Battaglias ruling. Yahoo Life is committed to finding you the best products at the best prices. Some of the products written about here are offered in affiliation with Yahoo. We may receive a share from purchases made via links on this page. Pricing and availability are subject to change. Filter out the fluff so you can find the emails you actually want. (Photo: Getty) I didnt see your email. How many times have you said that about a message that went to your personal account? You overlook a rare note from a friend or family member or worse, your kids teacher because its sandwiched between the latest Bed Bath & Beyond sale and a fake computer virus alert. Scrolling your email quickly, its easy to see how youd miss the e-vite to a birthday party or teacher request for extra classroom supplies. According to data from Statista, spam accounts for more than 45% of email traffic worldwide, so most peoples inboxes are quite literally full of junk. If you have a lot of unwanted messages, clutter is actually the least of your trouble. Spam is a major way that devices become infected with malwaresoftware that hackers use to steal data and damage your computer, says Chris Hughes, an adjunct professor at University of Marylands School of Cybersecurity & Information Technology. For that reason, you shouldnt just ignore spam emails, even though thats what most people do. Instead, use a third-party spam filter (like Norton Security Online) and follow these five strategies to streamline your inbox while keeping your personal info safe and still getting those nice discount codes every once in a while. Try Norton Security Online free* for 30 days Use one email address for important correspondence and one for shopping and deals. (Photo: Getty) 1. Make a second email account You wont get twice the junk, we promise! Use one email for your vital correspondence like auto insurance, credit card reminders, school updates and another for online shopping, suggests Rob DOvidio, Ph.D., associate professor in the department of Criminology & Justice Studies at Drexel University in Philadelphia. With this approach, spam wont be clogging up your ability to manage your life, he says. Story continues 2. Click unsubscribe Chances are you dont frequent many of the same stores you did five years ago, so a lot of the email offers in your inbox are irrelevant. (I mean do you really need to be seeing emails from that baby gear chain when your kids are in high school?) Set aside an hour one day to unsubscribe to emails from places where you no longer shop. Not only will you stop getting junk from them, youll reduce the chances of receiving email from other companies that have bought their subscriber lists. Mark unwanted messages as spam and you'll be less likely to see one from the spammer again. (Photo: Getty) 3. Mark messages as spam While its tempting to keep scrolling past spam emails, report the message as spam instead. In most email programs, you simply click on a button that says, Spam or Mark as Spam. In Yahoo Mail, for example, its an option above the email message toward the right side of the screen. If you want to go the extra mile, you can also report the email to the Federal Trade Commission at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. The tools behind the scenes will share your report with centralized network resources so you and others will be less likely to see an email from that scammer again, says DOvidio. Although its extremely tempting to respond to a scam email yourself, Remove me from your list! doing so its actually counterproductive. Says DOvidio: It lets the cybercriminal know that a person is seeing their email and makes your address even more valuable. And whatever you do, dont open an attachment or click on a link in one of these spam emails. 4. Use this trick if you need to post your email online Every now and again, you may need to list your email address on social media or the web. Perhaps your Girl Scout is taking cookie orders or you're coordinating a meal train for a friend. In those cases, do whats called address munging, says DOvidio. In a nutshell, its disguising your address so computer software that scans for emails wont recognize it. For instance, instead of posting notme@example.com, write out notme at example dot com. 5. Add another layer of protection Most email providers do a decent job at filtering out spam emails, but theyre far from perfect, says Hughes. You can cut down on spam emails by using a third-party spam filter (such as Norton Security Online). That way, the email will have to go through two security filters before it reaches your inbox. Try Norton Security Online free* for 30 days Seminole County deputies on Tuesday released the name of the man who was killed at a Sanford-area mosque last week. Deputies said Mahmood Al Taee, 59, of Longwood, died after he was attacked at the Husseini Islamic Center near Sanford early Friday. Investigators said Ahmed Raslan, 38, scaled a barbed-wire fence, broke a window and killed Al Taee, who worked as a maintenance man at the mosque. Deputies said the attack appeared to be random. READ: Deputies: Maintenance workers murder at local mosque appears to be random Stay tuned to Channel 9 Eyewitness News for updates. READ: Sheriff: Man who beat mosque worker to death with shovel thought he was Julius Caesars descendent Click here to download the free WFTV news and weather apps, click here to download the WFTV Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live. trumzz / Getty Images/iStockphoto The World Gold Council (WGC) and London Bullion Market Association (LBMA) have announced an economic collaboration aimed at digitizing the global gold supply chain instilling more confidence in the products provenance while removing fraudulent bars, all thanks to blockchain technology. Gas Stimulus: Live Blog Updates Find: Can Gold and Bitcoin Coexist in a High-Inflation Environment? Why You Should Hold Both Investments As such, the newly minted Gold Bar Integrity Program will support greater industry alignment to ensure the future growth of the international gold market. The program would ostensibly provide an international system of gold bar integrity focused on chain of custody and provenance, the organizations said. Over time, the program may help consumers, investors, and market participants to trust that their gold is genuine as well as having been responsibly and sustainably sourced. David Tait, CEO of World Gold Council, told GOBankingRates that the Gold Bar Integrity Program is about developing and implementing a global, transparent ledger and database of gold bars. Blockchain is the technology that the gold industry needs to turn our ambitions into reality, Tait said. Tait explained that for investors, this new database will mean fraudulent and misrepresented bars are gradually removed from the system giving buyers (and sellers) confidence that their gold is genuine. It will go further than that, helping all market participants to know where their gold has come from and that it has been responsibly sourced. Ultimately, I believe this will help tackle barriers to investment and improve participation in the gold market, he added. This initial phase will see two distributed ledger companies aXedras and Peer Ledger demonstrate how blockchain can best deliver a global ecosystem that will create an immutable record of a gold bars place of origin and chain of custody. This blockchain-backed ledger will register and track bars, capturing the provenance and full transaction history. Story continues For over a year, weve been working in partnership with the LBMA to unite the supply chain and weve had an overwhelmingly positive response from the global gold industry, Tait said, adding that for the pilot phase of this program, we have major players raising their hands to participate. Tait added that said players include miners from the WGC membership such as Barrick Gold Corporation, Newcrest Mining Limited and Newmont Corporation. We have prominent participants from across the global value chain such as Brinks, Rand Refinery, CME Group, The Perth Mint, and Pro Aurum taking part. Once the pilot phase is complete, I am confident we will see more and more organizations sign up to the program, he said. The WGC hopes to complete the pilot phase this year, and will then formally appoint one of the two distributed ledger companies taking part in the pilot to expand the database to the whole supply chain, he said. According to Tait, the Gold Bar Integrity Program will address a number of challenges in the industry perhaps most importantly, provenance and transparency. But for me, the key problem we will solve is trust, he said. I believe that improving trust amongst the investor community is paramount to unlocking demand for gold. And we wont stop there. He added that this is where Gold 24/7 comes in a project concerned with the WGCs three main ambitions to improve accessibility, fungibility and transparency / integrity in the gold market. The launch of the integrity program is the critical, foundational work that needs to be embedded in the industry so to move the asset class forward, Tait said. Learn: 7 Best Blockchain Stocks To Buy Right Now Explore: 7 Ways To Invest in Gold: A Guide for Investors The industry is now working together on integrity which opens the door to the future, where we will create more fungible markets that are accessible and relevant to a broader investment audience, he concluded. More From GOBankingRates This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: How Would Digitizing Global Supply Chain of Gold Bars Affect Investors? A sick fiend on a bicycle sexually assaulted a woman on a downtown Manhattan jogging path, choking her before forcing her to perform a sex act, cops said Monday. The 39-year-old victim was jogging near Pier 40 by Clarkson and West Sts. about 6:10 a.m. Sunday when the cyclist attacked, police said. The assailant shoved the woman to the ground as she jogged north, then sexually assaulted her and stole her cell phone, police said. He then got back on his bike and fled. Medics took the woman to a nearby hospital. Shortly before the attack, the attacker was caught on video masturbating on his bicycle about six blocks away on West St. and Charles Lane, cops said. Police released the video of him Monday, along with several photos of him. Hes described as between 20 and 30 years old, about 5-foot-9 and 180 pounds, with a dark complexion and a beard, and was wearing dark clothing. Cops ask anyone with information to call Crime Stoppers at (800) 577-TIPS. A former senior Ecuadorean official who was convicted in his home country of extorting millions from Brazilian engineering firm Odebrecht S.A. was arrested in Miami on Monday in a related federal money-laundering case. Carlos Polit Faggioni, who lives in a condo high-rise along the Miami River, was Ecuadors longtime comptroller. Polits position, which was created to combat the fraudulent use of government funds, required him to sign off on public budgets that authorities say enabled him to demand $8 million in bribery payments from Odebrecht. The giant engineering firm is at the center of public corruption scandals extending from South America to the United States. Polit, 72, was charged in a money-laundering conspiracy indictment during his first appearance in Miami federal court on Tuesday. Polit is being held at the Federal Detention Center and has a pretrial bond hearing on Friday. Prosecutors Michael Berger and Alexander Kramer said they would seek to detain Polit behind bars before his trial, but indicated they might be open to a possible bond allowing his release. His defense attorney, Fernando Tamayo, told Magistrate Judge Jacqueline Becerra that were working on a bond package that is acceptable to the government. Polits arraignment is pending. He also faces an extradition request by Ecuador, where he was tried and convicted in absentia because he had left for Miami before the 2018 trial in his native country. According to the indictment, Polit is accused of conspiring with a relative, an Odebrecht executive and an Ecuadorean businessman in transferring ill-gotten bribery payments from the engineering firm through a series of shell companies and bank accounts in South Florida between 2010 and 2017. The indictment says Polit solicited and received bribe payments from the Odebrecht senior manager in exchange for using his official position and influence as comptroller of Ecuador to prevent the imposition of large fines on Odebrecht by the comptrollers office relating to Odebrechts construction projects in Ecuador. Story continues Polit was paid $8 million by the unidentified executive to influence official actions by the Ecuador comptrollers office in order to benefit Odebrecht and its business in Ecuador, according to the indictment. Polit told the Odebrecht executive that he used another co-conspirator, an unnamed relative, to make the cash disappear, the indictment says. The case, probed by Homeland Security Investigations, is built upon an electronic trail of financial records and cooperating witnesses. Three years ago, McClatchy-Miami Herald and other news media collaborated on an investigative project that zeroed in on Odebrechts parallel off-books accounting system. Leaked documents showed links between Polits Miami-based son, John Christopher Polit, and a U.S. shell company, Ventures Overseas LLC, which became a pass-through for the alleged bribery payments by Odebrecht. John Polit, a former securities broker in Miami, was also convicted in Ecuador of being an accomplice in connection with his fathers case. But his conviction in Ecuador was overturned in 2020, and he has not been charged in his fathers federal case in Miami. The Polits were the focus of a McClatchy-Miami Herald investigation in 2019 that showed the son had taken on mortgages on several pricey properties in the Miami area, including a luxurious home in Cocoplum, that had earlier been purchased outright. Venture Overseas was at the end of a chain of financial transfers between anonymous shell companies that began with one controlled by Odebrecht S.A. called Kleinfeld Services. Company officials have admitted Kleinfeld was one of several used in an off-books accounting system called Drousys that was used to pay bribes in exchange for public works contracts.. The Polits were convicted in Ecuador in 2018 on extortion charges that involved receiving bribe money from Kleinfeld. They insisted they were the targets of political persecution. Alopecia is an autoimmune disorder that affects millions of people around the world. But to many women and to Black women, in particular it is much more. Its about beauty and race, about culture and about the uncertainty that the disorder creates around peoples perception of themselves. So during the 94th Academy Awards ceremony on Sunday night, when comedian Chris Rock threw a pointed joke at Jada Pinkett Smith about her hair loss that some felt was insensitive, the event exposed many layers of feeling for those who wrestle with the disorder. It also threw a spotlight on the disorder, which is little discussed but fairly common and affects a wide range of people, including children. Actor Will Smith, who stunned millions when he walked onstage and slapped Rock over the joke about Pinkett Smith, has since apologized to the comedian, the academy and viewers. Here are some of the things about alopecia that are reverberating: ___ WHATS IT LIKE TO HAVE ALOPECIA? Rocks joke was tough to hear for New York interior designer Sheila Bridges. She spoke to Rock for his 2009 documentary Good Hair about the importance of hair in Black culture. She talked about the shame and humiliation of losing hers to the disease, how her hairstyle is intertwined with her racial identity and how the loss of her hair affected her sense of femininity and social currency. The Oscars slap left Bridges with conflicting emotions: She condemned Smiths assault on Rock, sympathized with Pinkett Smith and was deeply disappointed in Rock. It is not easy as a woman to navigate life without any hair and a society that is obsessed with hair, Bridges said. She doesnt wear wigs because she doesnt want to, and also hopes to normalize and de-stigmatize the appearance of bald women. But even a decade after she decided to go bald in public, Bridges said it's still difficult for some to accept: "I rarely make it through the week without someone saying something thats very, very insensitive. Story continues While it's unclear if Rock was aware of Pinkett Smith's diagnosis, hair in general can already be a fraught landscape for Black women, who have been expected for generations to alter their natural hair texture to fit a white standard of beauty. Even wealthy and famous Black actresses have said it can be tough to find Hollywood stylists who know how to do their hair. Black women are 80% more likely to change their natural hair to meet social norms at work, according to a 2019 study by the Dove personal care division of the Unilever USA company. Black students are also far more likely than other students to be suspended for dress code or hair violations, according to the research that helped convince the U.S. House to vote to prohibit discrimination based on natural hairstyles earlier this month. The only good thing that can come out of all this is that alopecia is front and center, Bridges said about the Oscars slap. ___ WHY HAS HAIR BEEN IMPORTANT TO BLACK REPRESENTATION? For many Black Americans, grooming and styling choices are intertwined with a desire to buck what is considered normal or acceptable by wider society. From Afros and cornrows to wigs and hair extensions, Black hair can be more than just style statements. Black women and girls watching the Supreme Court nomination and confirmation hearings for Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson said in interviews with AP that they were moved to see someone who wears her hair in sisterlocks" ascend to such a prominent position. Its a style that uses natural hair woven into micro locs and is known for its versatility. Seeing someone like Jackson embrace her natural hair, instead of conforming to societal beauty standards, served as a reminder to those women and girls to not shrink themselves in order to succeed, they said. For Black women in the public eye, losing the pride and representation symbolized by their hairstyles can add another layer to the professional and self-esteem challenges of hair loss. ___ WHAT CAUSES ALOPECIA? Alopecia areata, the autoimmune disorder Pinkett Smith has, can make hair fall out of the scalp in patches. It can also affect other parts of the body, like eyebrows and nose hair. Alopecia can come on quickly, is unpredictable and can be incredibly tough to deal with mentally, said Brett King, a hair loss expert at Yale Medicine. Imagine if you woke up today missing half of an eyebrow, he said. That unpredictability is one of the things thats so mentally treacherous and awful because you have no control of it ... its a disease that strips people of their identity. While seldom discussed, its actually fairly common: the second biggest cause of hair loss, after male or female pattern balding. About 2% of people have it. It's not physically painful, in some cases it spontaneously goes away and it can be treated. ___ HOW DOES IT AFFECT WOMEN? WHAT ABOUT KIDS? Hair is a large part of anyones appearance, and for women its bound up with cultural concepts about what makes them look feminine. Most women are expected to have good hair, said William Yates, a Black Chicago-based certified hair loss surgeon. Theyre well aware that men lose their hair and bald gracefully,' so to speak, but a female losing their hair is devastating. The condition also tends to hit people when they are relatively young. Most are diagnosed before age 40, and about half of them are children when the disorder first appears, said Christopher English, a board-certified dermatologist for Intermountain Healthcare in Salt Lake City. Having the condition is especially tough for teenagers, for whom appearance anxiety and peer pressure are often already at an all-time high, said Gary Sherwood, communications director at the National Alopecia Areata Foundation. In Elkhart, Indiana, a 12-year-old girl with the disorder took her own life this month after she was bullied at school, her family has said. Some studies have also pointed to the disease being more prevalent among Black and Latino people, Sherwood and Yates said. The National Institutes of Health states it affects all racial and ethnic groups, men and women. Rock's joke was "not unusual, Sherwood said. This has been around as long as there have been humans on Earth ... for centuries people would not talk about it. Hes hoping one good outcome of the Oscars slap will be more education, awareness and empathy. ___ AP Race and Ethnicity writers Annie Ma in Charlotte, North Carolina, and Aaron Morrison in New York contributed to this story. Whitehurst reported from Salt Lake City. (This March 30 story corrects final paragraph to remove reference to oil products) FRANKFURT (Reuters) - Germany has activated the first stage of an emergency plan to manage gas supplies in Europe's largest economy in preparation for a possible disruption or halt in natural gas supplies from Russia. Russia accounted for 55% of Germany's gas imports in 2021 and 40% in the first quarter of 2022. Economy Minister Robert Habeck has said Germany will not achieve full independence from Russian supplies before mid-2024. WHAT'S THE PROBLEM? Moscow said last week it would draw up a mechanism by March 31 under which so-called "unfriendly" countries - those behind sanctions imposed over Russia's invasion of Ukraine - would pay for gas in roubles. That includes Germany, Europe's industrial powerhouse, and other European allies. Most now pay in euros or dollars. Habeck, who is the minister responsible for Germany's energy security, has rejected Russia's demand, saying contracts would be honoured under current terms. Russia's biggest German customers are Uniper, RWE and EnBW's VNG, which all have long-term gas supply contracts. They have not commented on individual preparations for any disruption. WHAT IS GERMANY'S GAS PLAN? Berlin's "Emergency Plan Gas" has three crisis levels. The first level, which the government has triggered, is the early warning, when there are signs a supply emergency could develop. The second is alarm, when a disruption to supply or extraordinarily high demand upsets the usual balance but can still be corrected without intervention. The third level is emergency, when market-based measures have failed to remedy shortages. At this stage, Germany's network regulator, the Bundesnetzagentur, must decide how to distribute any remaining gas supplies across the country. WHO IS AFFECTED FIRST? If Germany does not secure enough gas, industry, which accounts for a quarter of German gas demand, will be hit first. Story continues "This means that industrial production gets lost, that supply chains get lost," Leonhard Birnbaum, chief executive of German energy group E.ON, told public broadcaster ARD. "We are certainly talking about very heavy damages." Private households will have priority over industry, while hospitals, care facilities and other public sector institutions with special needs would be last to be affected by a disruption. Electricity utilities that accounted for 13% of gas consumption last year could in theory switch to coal burning plants within their portfolios. However, an ongoing coal exit programme might have to be changed under the emergency laws to ensure enough capacity is ready. Apart from energy providers, the industries most worried about losing gas, include chemicals, where gas is used for making everything from plastics and fertiliser to fibres and solvents. In turn, carmakers depend on chemical products for products such as batteries and laquer. Union IG BCE has said BASF's Ludwigshafen site could come under review for reducing operations should gas supplies more than halve. Refineries can use natural gas as a fuel source and to make hydrogen. (Reporting by Vera Eckert, Christoph Steitz and Tom Kaeckenhoff; Editing by Nina Chestney, Edmund Blair and Barbara Lewis) Dr. Anthony Fauci, the face of the federal response to the coronavirus pandemic, will deliver the keynote address at Roger Williams Universitys commencement ceremony, the Rhode Island school announced Monday. Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and President Joe Bidens chief medical adviser, will also receive an honorary degree at the May 20 exercise, the school said. The ability to synthesize vast amounts of information and to make decisions that consider health, science, cultural, legal and political implications, is the type of education we strive to offer our students, school President Ioannis N. Miaoulis said in a statement. Dr. Faucis experience throughout his career, but especially over the last two years, has modeled how to do this exceptionally well and provides a real-world example to our students as they enter a complex world. Public health is one of the universys fastest growing undergraduate majors, the school said. Fauci has advised seven Presidents on a variety of domestic and global health issues from HIV/AIDS to the coronavirus, and has been director of the NIAID since 1984. Roger Williams, a private school with about 6,500 students, has campuses in Bristol and Providence. Rowdy spring break crowds have forced curfews and led some establishments to close their doors from Miami Beach to Floridas Panhandle. Law enforcement officials in Bay County, Florida, said Sunday that they wont tolerate the bad behavior from spring breakers after a 21-year-old from Alabama was shot in the foot Sunday during a shooting in Panama City Beach. The crowd that has been here this weekend, there are no words that can describe the way they have behaved themselves, conducted themselves and the amount of laws they have broken, Panama City Beach police Chief J.R. Talamantez said Sunday after the shooting. We are doing the best to manage this situation. Police received word that the large crowd was out of control just before the shooting happened on Sunday afternoon. Six people were detained and officials said they could be charged with attempted murder related to that shooting. Law enforcement confiscated 75 guns, which they spread out on a table during a news conference on Monday in Panama City Beach. Bay County Sheriff Tommy Ford said 161 people were booked into the county jail during a difficult, trying and dangerous weekend. He noted that 78 of those arrested were from Alabama. Each one of these 75 illegal firearms represents a violent armed encounter with law enforcement, Ford said. This weekend could have very well resulted in tragedy of a law enforcement loss of life, a citizens loss of life and even a bad guys loss of life. Some local nightclubs volunteered to close their doors on Sunday night, Panama City police Chief Mark Smith said. Officials noted that most of those arrested were not typical spring breakers. These are criminals that came to our city and brought the guns with the intent to commit some type of act, Smith said. In South Florida, raucous crowds, public drinking and growing violence associated with the citys world-famous South Beach neighborhood led officials to impose a midnight curfew over the weekend. The action followed shootings that injured five people on South Beach last week. Story continues The 10-block stretch of Ocean Drive known for art deco hotels, restaurants and bars lies between areas that cater to more affluent tourists, as well as locals. Many longtime residents have learned to treat spring break like a hurricane: Stay inside and hunker down until its over. When asked about a possible curfew in Panama City Beach, Talamantez said nothing is off the table. He said officials are evaluating the situation. Officials plan to meet again on Friday to address the issue. I know the citizens are frustrated. Trust me, we are frustrated too, Talamantez said. The harsh reality is we cannot control who comes to town. But what we can control is what happens to you if you commit a crime in this town. We will hold you accountable. Gloria Williams enters the courtroom for a sentencing hearing ,Thursday, May 3, 2018, at the Duval County Courthouse in Jacksonville, Florida. (Photo: via Associated Press) A 23-year-old woman is asking a Florida judge to reduce the prison sentence of the woman who kidnapped her as a newborn and raised her under a false identity. Kamiyah Mobley wrote a letter to Duval County Judge Marianne Aho asking for Gloria Williams sentence to be reduced from 18 years to nine years, with nine years probation, according to News4Jax. At the beginning of the letter, Mobley stated that Williams is my mother. I had a well-rounded life; and I am an independent, college-educated, and deeply spiritual person, because of all my mom gave me, Mobley wrote. I am fully aware of how our lives came to be, what they are, and how my mom came to be my mom. Williams kidnapped Mobley from University Medical Center, now University of Florida Health Jacksonville, in 1998 when Mobley was only a few hours old. Williams then raised Mobley under the alias Alexis Manigo. In 2017, Mobley submitted a DNA test to the Jacksonville Sheriffs Office, which confirmed that she was the same girl who had been abducted in 1998. Tips from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children also aided in the process of finding Mobley. Williams pleaded guilty in 2018 and was sentenced to 18 years in prison for kidnapping and five years for custodial interference, according to ABC News. This composite image made available by the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office shows a photo of Kamiyah Mobley, an infant baby girl who was kidnapped by a woman, seen in separate sketches first provided by police in 1998 during the initial search. (Photo: via Associated Press) Mobley met her birth parents in 2017. She said in her letter to the judge that none of this modifies the truth of the past, nor does it justify my moms actions in any way. She asked for the courts grace and mercy, as she needs her mother home. Williams also wrote a letter to the judge, highlighting her growth as a model inmate and the various community and faith-based programs shes participated in. I have received no disciplinary reports whatsoever, and I have maintained an above satisfactory rating by both security and in my work assignment performance issued once a month by the Department of Corrections, Williams wrote. While Mobleys letter was postdated for Sept. 30, 2021, both Mobleys and Williams letters were submitted in December 2021 and filed together recently as part of Williams sentence reduction paperwork. No decision has been made yet by Judge Aho. This article originally appeared on HuffPost and has been updated. STORY: Florida Governor Ron DeSantis on Monday signed a Republican-backed bill that bans classroom instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity for many young students. This has drawn swift criticism from companies, Democrats and advocacy groups. The legislation, referred to by its opponents as the "don't say gay" bill, has stirred national controversy and got attention during Sunday's Oscars telecast amid an increasingly partisan debate over what schools should teach children about race and gender. Formally called the "Parental Rights in Education" bill, the Florida measure bars classroom instruction on sexual orientation or gender identity for children in kindergarten through third grade, or from about ages 5-9, in public schools. It also prohibits such teaching that "is not age appropriate or developmentally appropriate" for students in other grades. Under the law, which takes effect on July 1, parents will be allowed to sue school districts they believe to be in violation. "We will continue to recognize that in the state of Florida, parents have a fundamental role in the education, healthcare and well-being of their children," DeSantis told reporters on Monday. "I don't care what big corporations say, here I stand. I'm not backing down." DeSantis, who is seeking re-election this year and is widely considered to be running for president in 2024, has joined other Republicans nationwide in calling for parents to have more control of what young children learn in school. The Republican governor signed the bill into law at a charter school in Spring Hill, north of Tampa, surrounded by young school children and parents who shared personal stories that they said showed that the new law is needed. Students across Florida have protested the measure, and President Joe Biden previously called it "hateful." The hosts of the Oscars ceremony referenced the bill, while best actress winner Jessica Chastain in her acceptance speech denounced "discriminatory and bigoted" legislation sweeping the country. Story continues After DeSantis signed the bill on Monday, a Walt Disney Co spokesperson said the legislation "should never have passed and should never have been signed into law. Our goal as a company is for this law to be repealed by the legislature or struck down in the courts." Disneys Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida, is the companys largest theme park. Its sprawling businesses also include movie studios, broadcast and cable television networks, streaming services, cruise lines and retail products. LGBTQ and civil rights advocates as well as Democratic politicians have said that such policies will harm the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer community. "DeSantis has damaged our state's reputation as a welcoming and inclusive place for all families, he has made us a laughing stock and target of national derision," Equality Florida said in a Twitter statement. "Worse, he has made schools less safe for children." The legislation has been criticized for the vagueness and complexity of some of its language. For example, it says that even discussion of gender identity and sexual orientation is prohibited "in certain grade levels or in a specified manner." Sergio Martinez, then of the Oxnard Fire Department, poses in 2013 after being named as battalion chief and assigned to the fire marshal position. Five women have accused Oxnard's former fire marshal of sexual harassment in a lawsuit filed in Ventura County Superior Court. The suit, filed Feb. 1 by local attorney Ron Bamieh, names the city and former Oxnard Fire Department Battalion Chief Sergio Martinez, who also served as the city's fire marshal. The unnamed women are current and former fire department employees. They claim they were subject to "unwelcome, pervasive sexual advances" by Martinez. The alleged behavior included defamation, stalking and physical assaults. The lawsuit also claims the city knew Martinez had "a history, habit and pattern of open, obvious, pervasive harassment" of women in the department yet failed to take meaningful action. City officials "ignored Martinez's misconduct, accepted his inappropriate behavior as normal and at times even made light of it," the suit alleges. Oxnard City Attorney Stephen Fischer said Monday that "the city takes allegations of this type seriously." Fischer pointed out that Martinez is no longer employed by the city. He declined further comment until City Council members could be briefed in closed session at their meeting Tuesday evening. Martinez was reportedly put on medical leave around Feb. 6, 2020, according to the suit, and took a medical retirement shortly thereafter. The Star has not been able to confirm the medical retirement. Martinez is alleged to have sexually harassed the plaintiffs from the beginning of their employment until his departure in early 2020. The complaint says he created a hostile work environment with acts of sexual harassment, assault and battery, including lewd questions about the women's personal sex lives and explicit descriptions of his sexual escapades. He reportedly touched and groped the employees and made explicit comments about their physical attributes. The suit also claims he cornered the women in tight spaces or in vehicles where he could prevent them from leaving. Story continues Human resources and leadership personnel ignored the women's complaints, the lawsuit alleges. One defendant was reportedly instructed "to talk to and commiserate with" two other employees because "Martinez had also harassed them," the document claims. Bamieh said in an email that following Martinez's retirement, the city shut down an investigation that had been launched in the wake of the complaints. The women reportedly suffered retaliation after reporting the harassment and were denied promotions and proper job titles, the suit says. As battalion chief and fire marshal, Martinez supervised all five plaintiffs and had authority to hire, promote and discipline them, according to the document. The women, identified only by their initials, are suing Martinez and the city for unspecified damages and attorney's fees. The County of Ventura recently went through a shakeup after its top executive, Mike Powers, retired suddenly on March 10 in the wake of sexual harassment accusations by a county employee. On March 15, a veteran dispatcher with the Santa Paula Police Department filed a sexual harassment lawsuit against the city's chief of police, Travis Walker. Victoria Talbot is a courts and breaking news reporter with The Star. Reach her at victoria.talbot@vcstar.com or 805-437-0258. This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Former Oxnard fire marshal accused of sexual harassment NeoGenomics is searching for a new CEO. In a news release Monday, the Fort Myers-based cancer-focused testing and research lab, announced Mark Mallon has stepped down as its chief executive and as a member of its board "effective immediately." The company described the parting of the ways as mutual, stating that it wasn't due to "any disagreements about strategy with management or the board, inappropriate action by (the) CEO, or any violation of company policy or any accounting irregularity." The board has hired Russell Reynolds, a leading executive search and leadership advisory firm, to help find Mallon's replacement. Previously: NeoGenomics sees tough third quarter amid COVID-19 Delta variant More from our archives: NeoGenomics announces another multimillion-dollar acquisition Mallon had been on the job less than a year. He previously served as the CEO of Ironwood Pharmaceuticals, another public company, based in Massachusetts, specializing in gastrointestinal ailments. With the news of a shakeup in leadership, NeoGenomics also signaled a rough first quarter. The company announced its revenues will likely come in at the low end of its previous guidance to the financial market while its losses will come in higher than it anticipated. The larger losses estimated at $12 million to $15 million before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization are blamed primarily on higher costs for the goods sold in its clinical services division. The company stated that it "intends to take immediate action to address performance and costs, while continuing to invest prudently" in one of its newest innovative, personalized tests, known as RaDaR. Still, it demonstrated uncertainty about the year ahead, withdrawing its annual financial guidance for 2022, issued Feb. 23. NeoGenomics stock shares plunge by more than 22 percent Company shares plunged by more than 22% on the disappointing news in after-market trading Monday. After the steep drop, several shareholder rights firms announced investigations into any potential securities claims. Story continues Mallon joined NeoGenomics as a CEO and board member on April 19 of last year, replacing Douglas VanOort. VanOort spent more than a decade serving as the company's chairman and CEO before deciding to retire. NeoGenomics described VanOort's departure as part of "a deliberate succession planning process." Under his leadership, the company grew by leaps and bounds. Douglas VanOort, former chairman and CEO of NeoGenomics in Fort Myers. VanOort remained on the company's board until late last year, continuing to serve as board chairman, while helping out with the transition to a new CEO. When Mallon was announced as his replacement, VanOort described him as a leader with sharp intellect, an engaging personality, a drive for excellence and an extensive track record of delivering on demanding growth and operating goals. On top of that, VanOort said Mallon, with an array of strengths, was in a position to "chart a clear course that adds value to NeoGenomics." With Mallon's departure, the board has appointed Lynn Tetrault as its executive chairwoman. A board member since June 2015, she has been serving as its non-executive chairwoman since October. Previously, Tetrault held a variety of executive roles at AstraZeneca PLC from 1993 to 2014. To "provide seamless leadership continuity and operational management" during the search for its new leader, NeoGenomics' board has established an interim office of the CEO, led by the company's chief financial officer William Bonello, chief strategy and corporate development officer Douglas Brown, and chief culture officer Jennifer Balliet. The trio of executives will continue to serve in their current positions, while carrying out additional responsibilities. Lynn Tetrault In a statement, Tetrault thanked Mallon for his contributions to the company and wished him the best in the future. "We are taking immediate steps to improve our business performance. We remain committed to our strategy and the creation of long-term value for our shareholders. We're fortunate to have an experienced and highly capable senior management team to continue leading the company. I look forward to working closely with them as we recruit a new chief executive officer," she said. The company will report its first-quarter results April 27. NeoGenomics has more than 2,100 employees at multiple locations in the United States and abroad, including its local headquarters. The company moved into a new multimillion state-of-the-art headquarters last year. Its expansive, high-profile building is located just west of Interstate 75 and about half a mile north of Alico Road. NeoGenomics works with pathologists, oncologists, academic centers, hospital systems, pharmaceutical firms, integrated service delivery networks, and managed care organizations throughout the U.S., and pharmaceutical firms in Europe and Asia. This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: NeoGenomics in Fort Myers seeks new CEO after disappointing quarter Several European countries announced Tuesday that they would expel dozens of Russian diplomats suspected of spying. The announcements - made by Belgium, the Netherlands, Ireland and the Czech Republic - come after the Biden administration in late February said it was beginning the process of expelling 12 Russian "intelligence operatives" who allegedly carried out espionage activities harmful to national security. The move to expel the Russian envoys also comes on the backdrop of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, which entered its second month last week. The Netherlands said it was expelling 17 Russians who were in the country "under diplomatic cover," according to a tweet from Dutch Foreign Minister Wopke Hoekstra. "This step was taken in coordination with other like-minded countries," Hoekstra said in a separate tweet. "This is a measure taken in the context of national security." In Belgium, 21 individuals working at the Russian Embassy and Russian Consulate were expelled, according to a tweet from Belgian Foreign Affairs Minister Sophie Wilmes. Irish Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Coveney announced in a statement posted to Twitter that senior Russian officials have been asked to leave his country as well. "This afternoon, the Department of Foreign Affairs summoned the Russian Ambassador to Iveagh House to advise him that four senior officials have been asked to leave the State," Coveney wrote. "This is because their activities have not been in accordance with international standards of diplomatic behaviour. This action is being taken under Article 9 of the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations," he added. The foreign affairs minister noted, however, that the government still believes "that diplomatic channels between Ireland and the Russian Federation should remain open." "This is in the interest of our citizens as well as to ensure that we can continue to have a diplomatic channel of communication between Ireland and the Russian Federation in the future," he added. Story continues In the Czech Republic, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs revealed on Twitter that it informed the Russian Embassy in Prague that a member of its diplomatic staff was "declared persona non grata and was requested to leave Czechia within 72 hours." "Together with our Allies, we are reducing the Russian intelligence presence in the EU," the ministry added. The expulsions come as Russia is continuing its invasion of Ukraine. While Moscow's attack has continued for more than a month, its efforts have stalled in some areas because of staunch opposition from Ukrainian forces. State Department spokesperson Ned Price applauded the European countries for expelling alleged Russian intelligence officers, writing that the U.S. stands "unified with our partners in protecting their national security from the Russian Federation's intelligence threats and against threats to democracy." "As our partners have outlined, these actions are in response to these individuals' activities, which are in contravention of their diplomatic status, and the Russian Federation's aggression in Ukraine," Price wrote. "We continue our united support of Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity," he added. Coveney, in his statement on Tuesday, said Ireland's channel of communication with the Russian Federation "has been important in the context of conveying our strong views on the Russian Federation's war against Ukraine, which we regard as a serious breach of international law." PARIS (Reuters) - A probe has been launched into recent violent unrest in the Paris suburb of Sevran, said French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin on Tuesday, during which police came under attack from youths. The trouble in Sevran comes with the French presidential election less than two weeks away, in which fears over violent crime, racial tensions and terrorism will feature high among voters' concerns. "An inquiry is underway concerning the intervention of police last Saturday afternoon in Sevran. Following violence and acts of vandalism, 16 arrests were made during the weekend and police apprehended 13 people yesterday evening," said Darmanin on his Twitter account. Stephane Blanchet, who is the mayor for Sevran which lies to the north-east of Paris, wrote on his Twitter account that trouble had first broken out during the weekend after a local man, aged 33, died after being shot by police. French media reports said the police had opened fire on him after chasing him on suspicion of having stolen a vehicle. Images posted on social media showed youths clashing with police during the weekend and into the start of this week. France's 'banlieues' - high-rise housing estates on the outskirts of major cities - have long been flashpoints of anger over social and economic grievances. In 2005, unrest lasted three weeks after two youths died fleeing police in another northern Paris suburb. (Reporting by Sudip Kar-Gupta; Editing by Benoit Van Overstraeten) PARIS (Reuters) - French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday told his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, that it was not possible for Western gas clients to pay their bills in roubles, a French presidential official told journalists on Tuesday. "France is against paying in roubles," the official said. In his phone call with Putin, Macron also reiterated his preparedness to carry out a humanitarian rescue mission in the Ukrainian city of Mariupol, the official said, but added that the conditions for such a step were not yet in place. Russia promised on Tuesday to scale down military operations around Kyiv and northern Ukraine as a confidence-building step, in the most tangible sign yet of progress towards negotiating an end to the war. (Reporting by John Irish, writing by Tassilo Hummel, editing by Domonique Vidalon) The GM logo is seen on the facade of the General Motors headquarters in Detroit. REUTERS/Rebecca Cook/File Photo/File Photo/File Photo Shanghai locked down parts of the city this week to battle a rise in COVID-19 cases. General Motors is asking workers to sleep on its factory floors in Shanghai, Reuters reported. City authorities told companies to place workers in bubbles so they can keep working, Reuters said. General Motors is asking workers to sleep on the floors of its Shanghai factories to keep production going during the city's new COVID-19 lockdown, Reuters reported, citing two people familiar with the matter. China, which has pursued a zero-COVID strategy throughout the pandemic, is battling several new outbreaks of COVID-19. The city of Shanghai said Sunday it was locking down half of the city from Monday to Friday while it launched a mass COVID-19 testing drive. The other half of the city is to be locked down for the same period starting April 1. While the lockdowns last, China has told companies based in the zone to enforce a "closed-loop" arrangements, whereby workers live and work in a bubble away from the public, Reuters said. To accommodate this, GM asked workers to sleep on the factory floor and secured "passes" for its truck drivers, the agency said. GM did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Insider. The GM factories are run in partnership with China's SAIC Motor Corp and produce Buick, Chevrolet, and Cadillac vehicles. While GM is aiming to keep up production, Tesla suspended production for the lockdown as it couldn't meet the "closed-loop" requirements, Reuters previously reported. On Sunday, Shanghai recorded 3,450 cases of COVID-19 around 70% of the nationwide total, The Guardian reported, citing city authorities. They are China's highest daily COVID-19 case numbers since the early days of the pandemic in Wuhan in February 2020. Read the original article on Business Insider By Andreas Rinke and Ludwig Burger BERLIN (Reuters) -European health ministers urged the bloc's executive on Tuesday to back a fourth COVID-19 shot for people over the age of 60 to boost immunity in the absence of vaccines that specifically protect against the Omicron variant. Pointing to data from Israel, minister Karl Lauterbach said a recommendation was "urgently necessary" to reduce the risk of death from an infection. He raised the issue at a meeting of health ministers in Brussels on Tuesday and said most of them supported the idea of harmonising European vaccination strategies. "I urge a common position of EU countries, agencies and the European Commission on the fourth dose," said Italy's health minister Roberto Speranza. Now the EU Commission will draw up a recommendation on the fourth vaccination within a very short time on the basis of scientific expertise," Lauterbach told Reuters. "Current data from Israel show: those over 60 years of age or suffering from pre-existing conditions should be vaccinated a fourth time," he added. EU regulator the European Medicines Agency (EMA) said on March 17 that there was not yet enough data to support a recommendation on the need for a second booster shot in the general population, while acknowledging that some member states had started such a campaign targeting the elderly. EMA added at the time that it was hoping for more data to guide a review later in the spring. A study from Israel showed on Sunday that senior citizens who received a second booster of the PfizerBioNTech COVID-19 vaccination had a 78% lower mortality rate from the disease than those who had only one. Earlier public health studies from Israeli had guided a decision by Germany in February to give a fourth shot to people aged 70 and older and to those at risk of severe disease. Lauterbach said the booster strategy was urgent because he did not expect a vaccine adapted for new variants to become available before the autumn. Story continues September is the month set for the launch of a shot that targets the dominant Omicron lineage, he said on Tuesday, but action was needed before then. EMA's leading vaccine expert said on March 17 he expected to receive trial data on COVID-19 vaccines tailored for the Omicron variant between April and the start of July. (Additional reporting by Francesco Guarascio in Brussels, Miranda Murray in FrankfurtEditing by Madeline Chambers, Bernadette Baum, Alexandra Hudson) BERLIN (Reuters) - Germany will build up its military quicker than planned by bringing a division to combat-readiness two years ahead of schedule, Defence Minister Christine Lambrecht said on Tuesday, detailing Berlin's response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. "Germany will reach NATO's planning targets faster than promised," she said, according to the draft text of a speech she was due to deliver at the Atlantic Council think tank in Washington. "We will have the planned division of the army combat-ready in 2025, two years ahead of time." While Germany does not have a single combat-ready army division at the moment, it had 12 such divisions in the 1980s during the Cold War. According to its original schedule, Berlin was aiming for one combat-ready division in 2027 and a total of three combat-ready divisions in 2032. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, in a major policy shift for the country after decades of attrition, pledged to inject 100 billion euros ($111.15 billion) into the Bundeswehr after the start of the war in Ukraine. The money is earmarked for ramping up the German military's readiness, mainly by buying weapons and equipment that troops have so far lacked. Since Scholz's landmark speech on Feb. 27, three days after the invasion, Berlin has announced the purchase of F-35 fighter jets from the United States and said it is aiming to buy a missile defence system. Scholz also said Germany would sharply raise defence spending to more than 2% of its economic output. ($1 = 0.8997 euros) (Reporting by Sabine Siebold, Editing by Miranda Murray, William Maclean) Ginni Thomas. Illustrated | Getty Images, iStock Transport a conservative intellectual forward through time from 1982 to 2022 and one of the first things he'd notice is that his present-day counterparts talk an awful lot about class. Specifically, conservatives today are fond of claiming Democrats are the party of over-educated professionals who constitute the American ruling class, while Republicans are arrayed on the side of the working class with politics functioning as a form of class warfare between the two groups. Few conservatives thought that way 40 years ago, though there were precursors to it. Republicans in the era of Reagan liked to place the GOP on the side of "average Americans," whom they portrayed as possessing basic decency and common sense lacking among the liberals who'd been running the show in Washington since the New Deal and been corrupted more recently by the moral decadence the 1960s counterculture. That politically potent (if ideologically mild) form of populism has been intensified by demographic developments over the intervening decades and their interaction with the electoral coalitions of both parties. The GOP is increasingly the party of people living outside the biggest metropolitan areas and lacking a college degree, whereas the Democrats are increasingly dominated by highly educated urban professionals. This change has encouraged Republicans to portray electoral politics in America as a contest between top and bottom, haves and have-nots, influencers and underdogs, arrogant snobs and disrespected masses with the GOP consistently fighting on the side of the latter. Is this true? The recently revealed words and deeds of Virginia "Ginni" Thomas, the wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, suggest rather clearly that the answer is no. Ginni Thomas is a lawyer and a conservative Republican who has worked in high-level jobs in Washington for decades including at the U.S. Department of Labor. She's also founded lobbying groups to push for conservative policies. A passionate supporter of former President Donald Trump, she became outraged by news of his loss to Joe Biden in the 2020 election and expressed her anger and anxiety in a series of texts to then-White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows. Story continues In those texts, the contents of which were disclosed last week in a story for The Washington Post, Thomas encouraged Meadows to do everything he could to ensure Trump remained president, and indulged in numerous election-related conspiracies, including some derived from QAnon an offshoot of evangelical Protestantism that's been cross-pollinated with Glenn-Beck-style hyper-rationalism to produce an unfalsifiable belief system about hidden networks of pedophiles and behind-the-scenes efforts to thwart them led by prominent Republicans, including Trump. QAnon, which polls show is affirmed by nearly one-fifth of the American population and especially widespread among members of the Republican base, is a quintessential down-market faith. Yet there was Ginni Thomas, a well-educated, very well-connected woman someone married to a Supreme Court justice and deeply ensconced in the interpersonal and institutional ecosystem of the nation's capital dashing off texts to the president's chief of staff, who took time out of his jam-packed days to respond respectfully to her missives. If Ginni Thomas isn't a member of the American elite, then no one is. Yet she is a member of the American elite who genuinely affirms the beliefs of those very far from the commanding heights of the country's political, economic, and cultural institutions. That tension points toward the complicated intellectual and organizational history of the American right. Back in the 1970s, conservatives set about challenging the power and influence of institutions dominated by ideological liberalism, above all, the media, the courts, and the universities. Taking on this liberal establishment required the creation of a counter-establishment of think tanks, institutes, academic programs within universities, media companies, and other ventures. Over the following decades, these efforts began to bear fruit, with the right's counter-establishment challenging the hegemony of liberalism on multiple fronts. But of course, any establishment, no matter its ideological makeup or practical intent, will be led by elites by people possessing the education, practical experience, specialized knowledge, and distinctive skills necessary for success. The leading institutions of the modern right Fox News, the late Rush Limbaugh's radio show, The Federalist Society, The Heritage Foundation, the editorial page of The Wall Street Journal have invariably been led by just such people. They are the country's counter-elite and Ginny Thomas is undeniably a member in good standing. What does her embrace of the Republican base's most demotic superstitions tell us about the character of the contemporary right and the character of contemporary American politics more generally? It tells us, among other things, that the real political fault line today isn't between a progressive-liberal elite establishment and those over whom it rules, who are increasingly willing and eager to challenge and deny its legitimacy. The real political fault line is between competing establishments and elites one on the left, the other on the right. Tucker Carlson might spend his evenings leading what sounds like class warfare against an entrenched progressive establishment of left-wingers, but he's a television star watched by millions who makes a small fortune in his job. He's as much a member of America's cultural and political elite as anyone. The same goes for the Republican leadership in Congress and Supreme Court justices appointed by Republican presidents and also for their spouses, especially when they take part in politics on the highest levels, as Ginni Thomas has chosen to do. It might make political sense for Republican politicians to pretend they're engaging in class warfare on behalf of the downtrodden. But in reality, they're one set of elites waging a battle against another set of elites by LARPing as class warriors. It's a shtick. That doesn't mean Thomas is faking her belief in QAnon-adjacent conspiracies about the 2020 election. But it does mean that affirming those beliefs does nothing to demonstrate she's doing battle against the establishment. She is the establishment. Or at least one of them. You may also like Howard Stern says Will Smith and Donald Trump 'are the same guy' after Oscars slap Former Ukrainian President Yushchenko says Biden's Putin comment was 'absolutely correct' Restaurant cancels Capitol rioter's pre-prison party Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, left and his wife Virginia Thomas, right, leave the funeral services of the late Supreme Court Associate Justice Antonin Scalia, on Feb. 20, 2016. Ginni Thomas's text messages to former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows leading up to the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the Capitol have sparked questions over the extent of her activism within the GOP. It's also left Republican lawmakers grappling with how to respond to Thomas and her husband, Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas. Thomas sent a total of 21 text messages to Meadows urging him to find a way to keep former President Trump in office. Her efforts may have gone beyond her messages to Meadows. NBC News reported that Thomas also reached out to an aide with the Republican Study Committee, the largest conservative caucus in the House, asking for its members to go "out in the streets." A Republican Study Committee aide disputed that characterization, but in doing so acknowledged the existence of an exchange with Thomas: "It's a misleading description of a single departed staffer's recounting of an email exchange from 15 months ago," the aide said. Thomas has been a regular presence in conservative activism circles for years. But her activities were not widely questioned until recently, when a New Yorker profile and the subsequent release of the text messages highlighted her involvement with "Stop the Steal" groups and suggestions of avenues to try to overturn the election. Her contact with Republicans in support of Trump is also placing scrutiny on her husband, who is facing growing calls from Democrats to recuse himself from cases related to the Capitol riot. Many Republicans see the Supreme Court as their best chance for blocking the House investigation into the attack, underlining his importance. It also seems increasingly possible that Ginni Thomas could be called to testify before the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol. "Based on the evidence we have in our possession, I feel very confident with inviting her to the committee, and if she refuses, issuing a subpoena," Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.), the chairman of the select committee, told CBS this week. Story continues Thomas's texts included shoutouts to Reps. Louie Gohmert (Texas) and Paul Gosar (Ariz.), two of the conservative Republicans identified by Stop the Steal organizer Ali Alexander as being central to the effort, as well as mentions of well-known conservative Reps. Jim Jordan (Ohio) and Chip Roy (Texas). In one text message to Meadows on Nov. 6, 2020, Thomas expressed frustration that members of Congress were not doing more to support Trump: "House and Senate guys are pathetic too... only 4 GOP House members seen out in street rallies with grassroots... Gohmert, Jordan, Gosar, and Roy." Many Republican members of Congress are familiar with Thomas, but they did not elaborate on whether she sent them the same kinds of messages about overturning the election that she did to Meadows in the period between the 2020 election and Jan. 6 insurrection. Rep. Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.), who was chair of the House Freedom Caucus at the time, told reporters that he could not remember if he had text messaged or emailed with Thomas, saying that their relationship was not very close. "I may have talked to her one time, not anything specific," said Gohmert. The Washington Post reported that Thomas forwarded material to Meadows that she said she got from Gohmert's chief of staff. Roy called Thomas a "dear friend," but he ultimately took a far different attitude toward the Stop the Steal efforts than she did by objecting to seating House members from states with election disputes. It was a statement on Roy's part to criticize a plan by his colleagues to object to certifying the Electoral College results. "I'm not going to characterize whatever private conversations I've had with Ginni," Roy said. He added that Thomas "has engaged in defense of her country for years," criticizing calls for her husband to be impeached. While some on the Jan. 6 committee refused to comment on Thomas, others have been open about a need to hear from her. "We've interviewed more than 750 people, and we want to hear from everybody who has something to say. And she obviously interacted frequently with the president's chief of staff and was actively involved with the effort to overturn the election. So speaking as one member, I think it's important that we hear from her," Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) told reporters Monday. Raskin pushed back on Republican arguments minimizing her activism. "Well, you know, look, she has as much First Amendment right as anybody else in the country to advance her political views, but she has no more right than anybody else in the country to engage in coups and insurrections, so I'm interested in exactly what she was doing," he said. In Clarence Thomas's three decades on the bench, he has never stepped aside from a case due to a real or perceived conflict of interest resulting from his wife's political activities. He declined to recuse himself from numerous pro-Trump legal challenges that contested the 2020 results. And earlier this year, he cast the lone dissenting vote from a Supreme Court ruling that cleared the way for the Jan. 6 panel to obtain Trump White House records. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) was the latest lawmaker Tuesday morning to call for his impeachment, while another 22 progressive lawmakers issued a letter calling for him to recuse himself from any Jan. 6 cases. But Republicans have argued that the Thomases' work can be separate. "We were told, despite Ruth Bader Ginsburg's husband - his activities, that it was absolutely wrong to presume the feelings of a spouse on to a justice," Gohmert told The Hill. "And so, I think what we're seeing is absolute hypocrisy from those who are calling for his impeachment. I think it will do tremendous damage to the advances of women. Because it's saying if you're a conservative woman, you got to be back in the kitchen barefoot." Biggs likewise called her "an independent person." "She's living her life. She has her opinions," he said. "They don't necessarily coincide in his opinions. There's no indication that they have any influence on Justice Thomas at all." Photo illustration of blue-toned Mike Gibbons and Josh Mandel on a rose-colored, textured background Republican frustrations are growing as multiple GOP Senate primaries have descended into infighting, threatening the party's chances of retaking the upper chamber in November. In recent weeks, Senate primaries in Missouri and Ohio have turned volatile. In Missouri, the ex-wife of Senate candidate Eric Greitens (R) has accused him of abusing her and their children during the marriage. Multiple GOP candidates running in that race have since called on Greitens, the state's former governor, to drop out. Meanwhile, in Ohio, a candidate forum nearly came to blows when former state Treasurer Josh Mandel and businessman Mike Gibbons got into each other's faces over work experience. Other states like Pennsylvania are also experiencing rocky primaries. The turbulence has raised concerns that the winners of these primaries could come out bruised, giving Democrats an advantage in the general election. "Who knows what the shitshow this week will be," said one Ohio-based Republican strategist, referring to the state's Senate primary. The fallout in that race comes after Gibbons accused Mandel of "never having worked in the private sector." That led Mandel to walk over to a standing Gibbons and shout in his face: "Two tours in Iraq, don't tell me I haven't worked!" Over the weekend, Mandel released an ad featuring a Gold Star mother, whose son was killed in Iraq, criticizing Gibbons. Meanwhile, former Ohio GOP Chair Jane Timken has accused Gibbons of sexism, citing comments in which he said she had "barely worked" before she became chair of the Stark County Republican Party. Timken's campaign has sought to paint her as the adult in the room. In a press call last week, her campaign's senior adviser Kellyanne Conway referred to the men in the race as "arrogant, temperamental men behaving badly" while describing Timken as "restrained and graceful." On the same call, Timken warned that the primary's infighting would give Democrats ammo for the general election. Story continues "Friday and Monday night's antics, the only person who really won was Tim Ryan," Timken told reporters, referring to the Democratic congressman running for Senate. "What happens if Mike Gibbons is the nominee? The Democrats will gladly pour 50 million dollars into the race to defeat him and he has given them much fodder." The Gibbons campaign hit back in a statement to The Hill, suggesting that Gibbons was being attacked because of his lead in the polls. "It's sad to see Republicans take on the talking points of the left when it's convenient for their campaign," said Gibbons's senior adviser Samantha Cotten. "These are desperate attempts by losing campaigns to win over voters through a false victim narrative. Mike Gibbons has the momentum in this race because his message is resonating with voters. Our opponents will continue to smear Mike, as he is a clear contender in this race." However, Ohio Republicans say the infighting will ultimately not be that damaging in a year where the national GOP has the wind at its back. "Just the generic ballot alone tells me if you have an R by your name in Ohio, you're going to be at an advantage in this race," the Ohio-based GOP strategist said. "Ultimately, Ohio Republican voters will circle the wagon around the Republican nominee." Republicans also argue that the races in states like Ohio and Pennsylvania cannot be compared to the race in Missouri, given the seriousness of the allegations against Greitens. "When you're talking about allegations of abuse against a spouse and children, it calls more into question than your political capabilities and your viability as a candidate. It calls into question who you are as a man," said one Republican strategist. While Greitens has denied the allegations against him, his front-runner status in the race is now in jeopardy, with high-profile Republicans in and out of Missouri distancing themselves from him. Retiring Sen. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.), whom Greitens is running to succeed in the Senate, said last week that the former governor should drop out. Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), who has endorsed Rep. Vicky Hartzler (R-Mo.) in the race, also called for Greitens to exit the race. Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.), who chairs the National Republican Senatorial Committee, did not call on Greitens to drop out but called the allegations "pretty disturbing." Hartzler, the only woman running in the primary, called on Greitens to drop out and seek "immediate professional help" in a statement last week. She has already gone on the offensive against Greitens, with her first ad of the race including a reference to 2018 allegations that he had an affair with his hairdresser. Depending on whether Greitens drops out, the allegations stand to have ramifications not only in Missouri but across the country. "It's not just a Missouri problem, it's a national problem because if Greitens were to win, the nominee in Ohio, the nominee in Arizona, the nominee in Pennsylvania for Republicans is going to have answer a lot of questions about him," the GOP strategist said. "That's the real danger." Regardless, Democrats say the contentious primaries are playing into their hands, providing a contrasting image going into the general election. "What we have is Democratic candidates and incumbents who are talking to voters about lowering costs, about the issues that voters care about, while the Republican side is having this slug fest," one Democratic strategist told The Hill. "The longer this infighting happens, the more bruised their candidates will be on the other side." Greece's independent authority for transparency said Tuesday that after an in-depth investigation it has found no basis for reports that Greek authorities have illegally turned back asylum-seekers entering the country from Turkey. The National Transparency Authority said in a statement that the allegations by the Lighthouse Reports non-profit organization last year concerning informal obligatory returns of asylum-seekers by masked men were not confirmed. Upon completion of the examination process and the laboratory examination of the relevant material, no supporting evidence emerged, the statement said. Greece is a major entry point for people from the Middle East, Asia and Africa seeking a better life in the European Union. A record of about 1 million people arrived through neighboring Turkey in 2015, but in recent years the numbers have dropped drastically following tougher border management. Greece has repeatedly been accused by human rights groups and Turkey its historic regional rival from which thousands of migrants try to enter every year of illegally sending back asylum-seekers who have reached Greek shores and dumping them at sea. Similar claims have been made concerning asylum-seekers who cross the land border with Turkey and are allegedly clandestinely sent back. Athens strongly denies the practice, known as pushbacks. The NTA statement said its more than four-month investigation into the Lighthouse Reports' allegations included visits to the eastern Aegean Sea islands where migrant boats from Turkey arrive and to the northeastern land border, and interviews with Greek security services, local residents and asylum-seekers. It said it also examined video and photos connected with the allegations, with the assistance of the Greek police. Last October, Netherlands-based Lighthouse Reports said a joint investigation with European media organizations collected and analyzed 635 videos of alleged pushbacks in the Aegean Sea, at least 15 of them showing masked men in action. Story continues It said current and former senior officers in the Greek coast guard reviewed the videos and were able to identify the masked men as members of elite Greek coast guard units. Greek officials at the time denied the allegations. ___ Follow APs global migration coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/migration Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma could soon bid farewell to its E-3 Sentry airborne target tracking jets that have been a fixture there for 45 years. Under the Air Forces fiscal 2023 budget request, released Monday, the Airborne Warning and Control System would phase out over the next few years to make way for Boeings E-7 Wedgetail as its likely replacement. The E-3 AWACS is a modified 1970s-era airliner that uses a distinctive rotating radar dome to track air war movements up to 250 miles away and to direct planes in combat, such as telling fighter jets to intercept a hostile target. They have been active over Europe to monitor the regions airspace during Russias ongoing invasion of neighboring Ukraine. Air exercise with tight turnaround, no sleeping pills prompts investigation at Tinker Fifteen of Tinkers planes would head into retirement in 2023, about half of the overall fleet at the 552nd Air Control Wing, the Air Force said. The United States owns 31 E-3s, split between 27 tails at Tinker and four that operate out of Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, and Kadena Air Base in Japan. NATO, the United Kingdom, France, Saudi Arabia and Japan operate the Sentry as well. The remaining U.S. airframes will stay for several years until something better comes along, Maj. Gen. James Peccia, the Air Forces deputy assistant budget secretary, told reporters March 25. Officials worry that the legacy fixed-wing command-and-control and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance platforms are too costly to maintain and would be vulnerable against modern and future surface-to-air missiles. The Air Force acknowledges that ditching more than a dozen E-3s will leave a gap in its ability to monitor the skies, but argues it doesnt pose an insurmountable problem. The proposal follows years of debate over what may come next in airspace surveillance technology. The Wedgetail or another aircraft that succeeds the E-3 could bridge the gap between the former jet and the future Advanced Battle Management System (ABMS) concept, which would connect sensors across various Air Force platforms to form a picture of the battlespace around them. Story continues Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall told reporters March 25 the service would make its decision on a replacement within the next several months. Air Force eyes contract for AWACS replacement in 2023 The leading candidate, quite obviously, is the E-7, but we want to do our due diligence before we make a final decision, he said. Airmen at Tinker spoke to Air Force Times in July 2021 about low morale that has long plagued their AWACS units and is exacerbated by the stressors of an old, sometimes unpredictable aircraft. When asked what could be done to improve the culture there, multiple people said getting rid of the E-3 would be ideal. The Sentries are frequently down for maintenance as they approach 50 years old, and airmen say the jets are prone to breaking in ways they havent seen before. That issue was at the forefront of a disagreement between a now-fired operations group commander and his airmen over whether they should be required to train on short notice and atypical sleep. They are being presented with difficult risk management decisions regularly because of the older airframe, said one officer in the community who requested anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the press. It is likely a lot less cut-and-dry on risk management than some communities, where theyre working with a platform that is more reliable for them. The Florida Department of Health in Orange County is notifying residents near Lake Sue of a blue-green algae bloom. Officials learned of the bloom after water samples showed evidence of the possible contamination March 21. update: Health ALERT issued for Lake SUE b/c of the presence of blue-green algae. Site visit & sample taken on March 21 by FDEP. Exercise caution in & around Lake SUE Residents & pets should not drink, swim, wade, use personal watercraft @OrangeCoFL @citybeautiful @WinterParkFla GOHealthyOrange (@DohOrange) March 28, 2022 Read: Shut this whole thing down: Tyre Sampsons family calls for FreeFalls demolition, statue be built Because blooms have the potential to produce toxins, health officials advise people to take the following precautions: - Do not drink, swim, wade, or boat in waters where there is a visible bloom. - Avoid getting water in your eyes, nose, or mouth. - Keep pets and livestock away from waters where there is a bloom. Read: Deadly hit-and-run crash closes Colonial Drive near downtown Orlando See map of location below: Read: Brightline: Orlando high-speed rail extension will be fully American-made Blue-green algae is a common occurrence in freshwater environments throughout Florida and can appear year-round. More information about Floridas water quality status and public health notifications can be found here. To report an algae bloom, contact FDEP at 855-305-3903 or online. Click here to download the free WFTV news and weather apps, and click here to watch the latest news on your Smart TV. "CODA," which earned a historic win for Best Picture at the Academy Awards on Sunday night, has several ties to Rhode Island. The film tells the story of Ruby Rossi (Emilia Jones) an aspiring singer who is the only hearing member of her deaf family, hence the titular acronyms meaning, children of deaf adults. Set in Gloucester, Massachusetts, the movie explores Rossis struggle between pursuing her passion for music and her obligations to family and their fishing business. 'CODA' made history amid Oscar chaos: Here's what its win means for the Deaf community Rhode Island College alumna Marilyn Busch played Nina, a fishermans wife who works with Rossis mother, played by Marlee Matlin, an Oscar winner and deaf activist. Rebecca Gibel Rebecca Gibel, who has acted at Trinity Repertory Company, played Joanne Biles, an at-sea monitor who the federal government insists having on the Rossis' boat to observe. Central Falls' Gary Berdugo and Providence College graduate Bryan Sabbag also made an appearance in the film. 22 in 2022: Rhode Island artists, athletes, scientists, activists, and more to watch this year For each, an Oscar win for a film in which theyd acted was a first. Bryan Sabbag: 'Walking on air' I feel like Im walking on air," Sabbag said. "It was a surprise to see how much recognition the movie finally got. Gibel, who was traveling in Portugal, went to sleep Sunday night hoping that Troy Kotsur, who plays Rossis father, would win best supporting actor. And then woke up and there were 60 texts on my phone, and I was like, Oh my gosh! It mustve happened, Gibel said. Sundance 2021: 'CODA' star Marlee Matlin talks inclusion, calls on Hollywood to 'hire more deaf actors' Kotsur made history as the first deaf man to receive an acting Oscar. Until then, Matlin had been the only deaf person to win the honor. Busch reflected on what the win meant to the deaf community, which is now seeing more representation in film. Story continues Marilyn Busch: 'This film, these actors and this director created a piece of art' Marilyn Busch Until this film, I do not believe that many actors have been given the opportunity to portray deaf culture and family life realistically on screen by actual deaf performers it truly was a milestone for deaf representation, Busch said in an email. This film, these actors and this director created a piece of art that allowed hearing audiences a glimpse into what being deaf is like on a daily basis, Busch added. Truly one of the things that elevates this film from just being a heartwarming family story to groundbreaking is its accurate representation of deaf culture and family life. 'We are not costumes': Why Marlee Matlin put her foot down, insisting 'CODA' cast deaf actors Rebecca Gibel: 'It shows audiences are hungry for smart storytelling' Gibel echoed the significance of such representation, also acknowledging the films best picture Oscar as a win for small budget films. I feel like this is a story that is world-changing in terms of the industry for so many reasons, so my first thought was I hope this really solidifies the opening of doors for representation in film, Gibel said. Also I hope it really shows that small independent films are viable [commercially], that it shows audiences are hungry for smart storytelling." Marilyn Busch: RI actress has role in Sundance prize-winner 'CODA' 'The Prom': How two actors with Rhode Island ties got invited to perform in Broadway hit Upcoming movies to watch for include 'Salem's Lot,' and a Trinity Rep play Gibel also appeared in the black comedy Dont Look Up, which received an Oscar nomination. She is now about to enter rehearsals for Fairview, a Pulitzer-winning play at Trinity Rep. Additionally, Gibel will appear in a second season of dramedy series Bridge and Tunnel, and Salvation, a movie inspired by a Pentecostal pastors attempted murder of his wife in Alabama. Gibel stars as the wife. She and Busch are also awaiting the opening of Salems Lot, a film in which both have roles. It hits theaters in September. 22 in 2022: Rhode Island artists, athletes, scientists, activists, and more to watch including Rebecca Gibel Spoilers! Five craziest moments in 'Don't Look Up' Busch will also appear in two Netflix movies, The Mothership and The Noel Diary. She is also working on a lead role in Everything I Had Known About You, an indie film. It is set to appear at festivals next year. "CODA," which was released in theaters and on Apple+, was the first film from a streaming service to win best picture. In addition to Kotsur's best supporting actor award, the movie also won the Oscar for best adapted screenplay. This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: 'CODA' RI actors had roles in Oscar-winning film deaf community Will Smith and Donald Trump. Evan Vucci/AP/Pablo Cuadra / WireImage Howard Stern compared Will Smith to Donald Trump. Following Smith's slap at the Oscars, Stern said the two men "are the same guy." "At a time when the world is at war bad timing, man," Stern added while discussing Smith's slap. Howard Stern compared Will Smith to former US President Donald Trump while discussing the moment the actor slapped the comedian Chris Rock onstage at the Oscars on Sunday. "He open-hand, with a lot of force, smacks him right in the mouth on TV," Stern said on his long-running SiriusXM radio show. "Now, the first thing I said to myself was, 'What the fuck is going on, is this a bit?' Because where is security? This is a live television event. "Not one person came out, because he's Will Smith. This is how Trump gets away with shit. Will Smith and Trump are the same guy. He decided he's going to take matters into his own hands," Stern continued, before linking Smith and Rock's altercation to geopolitical events. "At a time when the world is at war bad timing, man," Stern said. "Calm your fucking ass down." Smith hits Chris Rock onstage at the Oscars on Sunday. Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP Stern isn't the first celebrity to offer an opinion about Smith's slap in response to Rock's joke about Smith's wife, Jada Pinkett Smith. During an episode of "The View" this week, Whoopi Goldberg, who has hosted the Oscars four times and won best supporting actress in 1990, said she thought Smith "overreacted." "He had one of those moments where it was like ... just stop," Goldberg said, adding: "I get it. Not everybody acts the way we would like them to under pressure. Some people just snap. He snapped." In response to calls for the academy to take back the best-actor Oscar that Smith won for his performance in "King Richard," Goldberg said: "We're not going to take that Oscar from him. There will be consequences I'm sure, but I don't think that's what they're going to do, particularly because Chris said, 'Listen, I'm not pressing any charges.'" Story continues Smith slapped Rock onstage after the comedian made a joke about Pinkett Smith's bald head. Pinkett Smith has alopecia, a hair-loss condition. "Jada, I love you. 'G.I. Jane 2,' can't wait to see it," Rock said. In the 1997 movie "G.I. Jane," Demi Moore shaves her head. On Monday, Smith posted an apology on Instagram. "Violence in all of its forms is poisonous and destructive. My behavior at last night's Academy Awards was unacceptable and inexcusable," Smith said. "Jokes at my expense are a part of the job, but a joke about Jada's medical condition was too much for me to bear and I reacted emotionally. I would like to publicly apologize to you, Chris." The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences said on Monday that it was opening a formal investigation into the altercation and would "explore further action and consequences in accordance with our Bylaws, Standards of Conduct, and California law." Read the original article on Insider By Stephanie Nebehay GENEVA (Reuters) -The International Committee of the Red Cross urged Ukraine and Russia on Tuesday to agree on safe evacuation of civilians from the besieged Ukrainian city of Mariupol and other frontline areas, where vitals are running out, and on delivery of aid. Asked about Ukrainian accusations of forced deportation of Mariupol residents to Russia, ICRC director-general Robert Mardini told Reuters his agency had no direct information and would not participate in such as it violated the rules of war. "People are caught and trapped in the line of fire. And it is happening unfortunately in many places today in Ukraine, not only in Mariupol," Mardini said at ICRC headquarters in Geneva five weeks after Russia launched its invasion. "What we expect and what is needed for civilians is that there is a clear and explicit agreement by the two sides on safe evacuations of civilians." With Russia causing global shock for shelling residential areas, the ICRC issued a statement on Tuesday reminding the warring sides of international obligations to protect civilians and target only military objectives. Russia calls its mission a "special operation" to disarm and "denazify" Ukraine. PRISONERS OF WAR Mardini said that there was an "outrageous" disinformation campaign against the ICRC on social media and politicization of humanitarian work that was raising risks for aid workers. The Ukrainian Red Cross had said its branch in Kropyvnytskyi was attacked, he added. An ICRC spokesperson later said that an angry person had confronted Red Cross workers and physically attacked that office, causing some damage but no injuries. The ICRC was in talks to open an operational base in Rostov-on-Don in Russia as part of its regional scale up, but it should not be misconstrued as being linked to deportations, Mardini said. Mardini also urged Ukraine and Russia to let the ICRC visit prisoners of war, as it does worldwide in line with the Geneva Conventions, and return remains of the dead. "It's always sensitive but I think there is also a humanitarian imperative for detainees, for families, to have news of their loved ones," he said. (Reporting by Stephanie Nebehay; Editing by Catherine Evans, Andrew Cawthorne and Bernadette Baum) JERUSALEM (AP) A gunman on a motorcycle opened fire in a city in central Israel late Tuesday, methodically gunning down victims as he killed at least five people in the third such street attack in a week. The shooter was killed by police. Israeli media said the attacker was a Palestinian from the West Bank, the third Arab assailant to launch an attack ahead of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. The previous two attacks, carried out by Arab citizens of Israel inspired by the Islamic State extremist group, have raised concerns of further violence. Israel stands before a wave of murderous Arab terrorism, declared Prime Minister Naftali Bennett. He pledged to combat it with perseverance, stubbornness and an iron fist. He held an emergency meeting of top security officials and planned a meeting of his Security Cabinet on Wednesday. Israeli authorities have not yet determined whether the attacks were organized or whether the attackers acted individually. The Israeli military announced it would be deploying additional troops to the West Bank, and the police chief raised the national readiness level to its highest. Amateur video footage aired on Israeli television appeared to show the gunman in a black shirt armed with an assault rifle stopping a moving vehicle and shooting the driver. Another showed him chasing a cyclist, with the gun appearing to jam as he tried to fire. Tuesday's shootings occurred at two locations in Bnei Brak, an ultra-Orthodox city just east of Tel Aviv. Police said a preliminary investigation found the gunman was armed with an assault rifle and opened fire on passersby before he was shot by officers at the scene. The Magen David Adom paramedic service confirmed that five people were killed. Police said one of the victims was a police officer who arrived at the scene and engaged the shooter. Israel Defense Minister Benny Gantz wrote on Twitter that the security forces will work with all means to return security to Israeli streets and the feeling of security to civilians. Story continues Israeli media reported that the suspected gunman was a 27-year-old Palestinian man from the northern West Bank town of Yabad. Police did not immediately provide information about the suspect. In the Israeli-occupied West Bank, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas condemned the attack, saying the killing of Israeli or Palestinian civilians only leads to further deterioration of the situation and instability, which we all strive to achieve, especially as we are approaching the holy month of Ramadan and Christian and Jewish holidays. He said the violence confirms that permanent, comprehensive and just peace is the shortest way to provide security and stability for the Palestinian and Israeli peoples. No Palestinian groups immediately claimed responsibility for the attack. The Islamist militant group Hamas praised the heroic operation, but stopped short of claiming responsibility. Israel in recent weeks has been taking steps aimed at calming tensions and avoiding a repeat of last year, when clashes between Israeli police and Palestinian demonstrators in Jerusalem boiled over into an 11-day war between Israel and Hamas. But the new wave of violence is greatly complicating those efforts. On Sunday, a pair of gunmen killed two young police officers during a shooting in the central city of Hadera, and last week, a lone assailant killed four people in a car ramming and stabbing attack in the southern city of Beersheba. Earlier on Tuesday, Israeli security services raided the homes of at least 12 Arab citizens and arrested two suspected of having ties to the Islamic State group in a crackdown sparked by recent deadly attacks. Hours before the raid, Bennett said the recent assaults inside Israel marked a new situation that required stepped-up security measures. Law enforcement officials said 31 homes and sites were searched overnight in northern Israel, an area that was home to the gunmen who carried out the Hadera attack. The Islamic State group has claimed responsibility for the two previous attacks. All of the attacks have come just ahead of Ramadan, which begins later this week and as Israel hosted a high-profile meeting this week between the foreign ministers of four Arab nations and the United States. All four Arab nations Egypt, Morocco, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates along with the United States, condemned the killings. Ramadan is expected to begin Saturday. Deadly attacks by IS inside Israel, and attacks by Arab citizens of Israel, are rare. The group operates mainly in Iraq and Syria, where it has recently stepped up attacks against security forces. It no longer controls any territory but operates through sleeper cells. IS has claimed attacks against Israeli troops in the past and has branches in Afghanistan and other countries. By Suleiman Al-Khalidi and Jeffrey Heller AMMAN, JERUSALEM (Reuters) -President Isaac Herzog will make the first official visit by an Israeli head of state to Jordan on Wednesday, officials said, in the latest thaw in ties between two countries formally at peace for nearly three decades. The Israeli-Palestinian conflict, including Israel's nearly 55-year-old occupation of the West Bank and East Jerusalem, has long weighed on relations between Israel and Jordan, many of whose 10 million citizens are of Palestinian origin. The planned meeting between Herzog and King Abdullah follows talks the Jordanian monarch held with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in the West Bank on Monday in an apparent attempt to lower tensions before the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. Last year, clashes erupted between Israeli police and Palestinians around Jerusalem's Al Aqsa mosque at the height of the Ramadan fasting month, violence that helped ignite an 11-day war in May between Gaza militants and Israel. In a statement, a spokesman for Herzog said issues to be raised at the royal palace include "deepening Israeli-Jordanian relations, maintaining regional stability, with an emphasis on the upcoming holiday period, (and) strengthening peace and normalisation". King Hussein, Abdullah's late father, signed a peace treaty with Israel in 1994, after years of covert contacts. Although his post is largely ceremonial, Herzog has been a pointman in efforts to mend long-strained relations between Israel and Turkey, visiting Ankara earlier this month for talks with President Tayyip Erdogan. Earlier this year, he also visited the United Arab Emirates, which along with Bahrain and Morocco normalised relations with Israel in 2020 in a sign of shared concern over Iran. Palestinians said such Arab engagement with Israel betrayed their cause. The foreign ministers of the UAE, Bahrain, Morocco and Egypt, joined by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, held a summit in Israel on Sunday and Monday. Jordan did not attend. Story continues ISRAELI DEFENCE CHIEF VISITS AMMAN But in the latest flurry of public and secret talks in recent months by top Israeli and Jordanian officials, Israeli Defence Minister Benny Gantz met King Abdullah in Amman on Tuesday. Gantz discussed "the measures that Israel is planning to take in order to enable freedom of prayer" in Jerusalem and the West Bank, an Israeli statement said, without elaborating. Citing security concerns, Israel has imposed age limits on Muslim worshippers at Al-Aqsa during periods of tension and restricted Palestinian travel to Jerusalem from the West Bank, territory that it captured, along with the eastern part of the holy city, in a 1967 war. Relations between Israel and Jordan had become more frosty during right-winger Benjamin Netanyahu's 12-year run as Israeli prime minister, which ended last June. Israeli settlement building and then-U.S. President Donald Trump's recognition of Jerusalem, a city at the heart of the Israeli-Palestinian dispute, as Israel's capital in 2017 raised Jordanian concerns. Jerusalem is a particularly sensitive issue for Jordan's royal Hashemite family, which has custodianship of Muslim and Christian holy sites in the eastern part of the city, an area controlled by Jordanian forces from 1949 to 1967. (Reporting by Jeffrey Heller, Suleiman Al-Khalidi and Nayera AbdallahEditing by Jon Boyle, Gareth Jones, William Maclean) A newly released police report reveals a pregnant Jacksonville woman was Baker Acted and treated for paranoid schizophrenia days before officers said she murdered her younger sister. Action News Jax reported last week when Angielly Dominguez was charged with first-degree murder. An affidavit stated that she got in an argument with her sister, Omelly, before shots were fired at her New Jersey home. RELATED: Tragedy that couldve been avoided, says pregnant Jacksonville murder suspects fiance The police report said she is being treated as a paranoid schizophrenic, was off her medication and was getting increasingly aggressive towards family over the last six months. In the report, the officer stated that Dominguez began telling me something. However, the words and sentence structure did not make sense. He goes on to say Dominguez had trouble providing the current day of the week but insisted she was correct and everyone else was against her. STORY: Georgia health departments offering free STD screenings in April Dominguez was involuntarily committed to a mental hospital Friday, Mar. 18. Her fiance, Tony Miranda, said she was release 24 hours later. All of this information would have been available to police when Miranda reported to the Jacksonville Sheriffs Office that she took his car and guns Monday, Mar. 21, and started driving north. The officer on the case took down the report as a civil matter instead of criminal and didnt look into it further. A JSO representative explained to Action News Jaxs Robert Grant last week that because the couple was engaged, she had not stolen the vehicle and guns and therefore, had done nothing wrong. Its a tragedy that could have been avoided, Miranda said. Allow this unfortunate mishap of mine to allow these rules to be changed all over. STORY: Tragic ending to 24-hour search for a child leaves Putnam County family devastated Action News Jaxs law and safety expert Dale Carson said that under state law, when you are married, your belongings are split 50/50. There is no law, however, for those who are engaged. Story continues Is there a crime? I believe there is, he said. The best form of policing is to prevent crime from happening in the first place. A JSO representative confirmed Monday that the officers actions are being investigated. STAY UPDATED: Download the Action News Jax app for live updates on breaking stories Jeremy Kyle's TV comeback on talkTV has been confirmed. (ITV) Jeremy Kyle is set to make his television comeback on the new channel talkTV, it has been confirmed. The Jeremy Kyle Show was cancelled by ITV in May 2019 after guest Steve Dymond died a week after failing a lie detector test filmed for the reality show, and Kyle has not been seen on screens since. But News UK has now confirmed the 56-year-old talkRADIO presenter will join a line-up of presenters including Piers Morgan, Julia Hartley-Brewer, and Mike Graham on its new channel, which launches on Monday 25 April. A statement for the channel revealed: talkTVs primetime schedule will also be simulcast on talkRadio. And talkRadios roster of daytime talent, including Julia Hartley-Brewer, Mike Graham, Ian Collins and Jeremy Kyle, will be broadcast on talkTV. Read more: Jeremy Kyle speaks out on documentary which showed him mocking guests Jeremy Kyle's radio show is currently broadcast on talkRADIO TV. (talkRADIO) TalkRadio has seen fast growth in recent years across all platforms and has been broadcasting successfully on talkRadio TV since last year. Kyle currently presents the Drivetime slot on talkRadio. He recently spoke out after Channel 4 aired new documentary Jeremy Kyle Show: Death on Daytime, featuring ex-production staff claiming guests were lied to, baited and manipulated in order to provoke them into fighting on the show. Kyle, 56, said on his radio show: "I have said that I will not comment on the tragic death of Steve Dymond until the legal process has finished and that is the position that I will maintain. Watch: Jeremy Kyle addressed the C4 documentary on his radio show And when, and trust me there will be a time after the inquest, when it is right and proper for me to have my say. Because of course, there are two sides to every single story." At a preliminary hearing of the inquest into the death of Dymond, the coroner named Kyle as an "interested person" who, "may have caused or contributed to the death of Stephen Dymond. Dymond, 63, is believed to have taken his own life but a full inquest into his death has yet to take place. Story continues Steve Dymond was found dead in his home in Portsmouth days after filming an episode of The Jeremy Kyle Show in 2019. (Steve/Dymond/Facebook) The inquest was recently postponed due to a further family bereavement. In 2019 Kyle declined to appear before an inquiry by the Committee for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS). Death On Daytime featured behind the scenes footage of Kyle telling production staff, "'I don't understand, they're terrible f***ing guests, you've done it again, they're as thick as s***." Channel 4 said: Jeremy Kyle was approached for a response to the series. He did not provide a statement for broadcast. We will reflect his position in the film. An ITV statement said: "ITV does not accept the central allegation of this programme of a 'bad culture' within the production team. The Jeremy Kyle Show was accused of 'baiting and maipulating' guests. (ITV) Read more: Piers Morgan vows to cancel 'cancel culture' as he launches new TV show Uncensored "We note that the programme includes anonymous former production members claiming wrongdoing by themselves and others, without supporting evidence. ITV would never condone any of its production staff misleading or lying to guests." After Dymond's death from a drug overdose, Ofcom said programmes such as The Jeremy Kyle Show and Love Island need to make sure that they look after their contributors following concerns about mental health. For confidential emotional support at times of distress, contact The Samaritans at any time by calling 116 123 or emailing jo@samaritans.org. Joseph Hutchinson, in gray circle, is allegedly shown fighting with officers outside the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, in an image from a federal arrest affidavit. Joshua Doolin is identified inside the green circle. A federal judge allowed Joseph Hutchinson III, a defendant in the U.S. Capitol riot, to travel to Lakeland this week to celebrate his 26th birthday. Hutchinson, formerly of Lakeland, now lives in Albany, Georgia. He is charged with assaulting, resisting or impeding law-enforcement officers, violent entry and disorderly conduct on the U.S. Capitol grounds and other crimes. He is being prosecuted jointly with four associates, three of them Polk County residents. Hutchinsons pretrial release order placed him under a high intensity supervision program in the Middle District of Georgia. The order restricts him to home detention and allows travel only for employment, religious services and certain other activities. Separate trial?: Prosecution opposes separate trial for Jan. 6 suspect 'It's a political move': Relatives defend Lakeland siblings accused in U.S. Capitol riot Travel allowed: Judge refuses to jail Lakeland Capitol riot suspect ahead of his wedding celebration Hutchinson filed a motion in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia seeking permission to travel to Lakeland on Wednesday and return to Georgia on Friday. Federal prosecutors objected to the request, citing the possibility that Hutchinson would meet with his co-defendants in Lakeland. In approving the request, Judge Carl Nichols wrote that Hutchinsons pretrial release order does not forbid him from meeting with his co-defendants. Nichols wrote that prosecutors must file a motion if they want to change Hutchinsons pretrial release conditions. Hutchinsons co-defendants include Olivia Pollock and Jonathan Pollock of Lakeland, Joshua Doolin of Polk City and Michael Perkins of Plant City. Jonathan Pollock remains a fugitive. This article originally appeared on The Ledger: Judge approves Jan. 6 defendant's travel to Lakeland for birthday Mar. 28A judge has granted a motion from Eliot Cutler's defense attorney to bar public access to court documents filed in Hancock County. Cutler, a former two-time candidate for Maine governor, was arrested Friday in Brooklin on four felony charges of possessing photographs and/or videos of child sexual abuse, or child pornography, involving a child under the age of 12. The arrest came two days after Maine State Police executed search warrants at Cutler's homes in Portland and Brooklin. The 75-year-old was released from Hancock County Jail in Ellsworth on Saturday after paying $50,000 cash bail. Cutler is a multi-millionaire who became wealthy as an attorney with expertise in environmental law. On Friday, Justice Robert Murray approved a motion by Cutler's defense attorney, Walter McKee, to seal the search warrant, the affidavit and the list of items seized by police when the search warrant was executed. Police have 10 days after executing a search warrant to file it in court, and they did not file it until Monday morning. By that time, Murray already granted McKee's motion to seal the file. This is an administrative week for court clerks' offices across the state, with the clerks' offices closed to the public from 8 a.m. to noon on weekdays. Hancock County District Attorney Matthew Foster issued a warrant for Cutler's arrest on Friday, two days after police searched Cutler's home on Naskeag Point Road. When police showed up at the house, officers witnessed Cutler inform his wife, Melanie, that he had child pornography and gave them access to at least one electronic device, Foster has said. Each count is a Class C felony that, with a conviction, is punishable by up to 5 years in prison. Whether anything was seized March 23 from Cutler's home on Pine St. in Portland, and when he might face similar charges in Cumberland County, was not clear on Monday. Cumberland County District Attorney Jonathan Sahrbeck said Monday morning the case was still under investigation. He declined to provide any further information about the investigation, including the legal justification for the warrant on Cutler's home, citing an ongoing case. He said he didn't know for sure when his office would finish investigating Cutler. Story continues The investigation into Cutler began with a tip in December, police said. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children informed Maine State Police that someone in Maine had either downloaded or uploaded a single illegal image. Bangor Daily News writer David Marino Jr. contributed to this story. More articles from the BDN Washington A federal judge in California on Monday ordered conservative attorney John Eastman to turn over a tranche of emails to the House select committee investigating the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, and found that former President Donald Trump "more likely than not" illegally tried to impede official congressional proceedings on the day of the attack. In his 44-page decision involving the documents from Eastman, a former law professor at Chapman University who played a key role in Trump's efforts to reverse the outcome of the 2020 presidential election, U.S. District Judge David Carter wrote that based on the evidence, he finds it is "more likely than not that President Trump corruptly attempted to obstruct the Joint Session of Congress on January 6, 2021." "Dr. Eastman and President Trump launched a campaign to overturn a democratic election, an action unprecedented in American history," he wrote. "Their campaign was not confined to the ivory tower it was a coup in search of a legal theory. The plan spurred violent attacks on the seat of our nation's government, led to the deaths of several law enforcement officers, and deepened public distrust in our political process." Eastman's legal fight with the House select committee came in response to a subpoena it issued to Chapman University in January for records, including emails, related to the 2020 presidential election or the January 6 assault. Eastman used his Chapman email account to communicate about efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election results and sought to withhold the documents from investigators, arguing they included information that would be protected under attorney-client privilege and attorney work-product privileges. He asked a federal district court to block the committee from enforcing its subpoena and stop Chapman from complying with the demand. John Eastman speaks at a news conference in Boulder, Colorado, on Thursday, April 29, 2021. / Credit: Andy Cross/MediaNews Group/The Denver Post via Getty Images Specifically at issue were emails exchanged between January 4, 2021, and January 7, 2021, some of which Eastman attempted to claim privilege over, assertions that were rejected by the committee. Story continues Of the 111 emails from those dates that Eastman said should be shielded from disclosure, Carter found just 10 contained privileged information and therefore should be withheld. The remaining 101 must be disclosed to the House select committee, he said. "At most, this case is a warning about the dangers of 'legal theories' gone wrong, the powerful abusing public platforms, and desperation to win at all costs," he wrote. "If Dr. Eastman and President Trump's plan had worked, it would have permanently ended the peaceful transition of power, undermining American democracy and the Constitution. If the country does not commit to investigating and pursuing accountability for those responsible, the Court fears January 6 will repeat itself." While Carter determined it is "more likely than not" that Trump attempted to obstruct the joint session on January 6 and conspired with Eastman to do so, any decision on whether to charge the former president will ultimately be made by the Justice Department and Attorney General Merrick Garland. Garland vowed in January that the department is "committed to holding all January 6th perpetrators, at any level, accountable under law whether they were present that day or were otherwise criminally responsible for the assault on our democracy." Charles Burnham, an attorney representing Eastman, said in a statement he intends to comply with the court's order. "Dr. Eastman has an unblemished record as an attorney and respectfully disagrees with the judge's findings," Burnham said in a statement. "Dr. Eastman asks all persons interested in this case to join him in calling upon the January 6th committee to release all the evidence so the courts and the public can reach accurate conclusions about the matters involved." Eastman was a driving force behind the legal strategy to justify efforts to stop the transfer of power, which centered on a plan for Vice President Mike Pence, who presided over the January 6 joint session, to reject electoral votes in key battleground states won by President Biden. Pence rebuffed the plan to reject state electoral votes, arguing he did not have the authority to carry it out. "The illegality of the plan was obvious," Carter wrote. "Our nation was founded on the peaceful transition of power, epitomized by George Washington laying down his sword to make way for democratic elections. Ignoring this history, President Trump vigorously campaigned for the vice president to single-handedly determine the results of the 2020 election. ... Every American and certainly the President of the United States knows that in a democracy, leaders are elected, not installed. With a plan this 'BOLD,' President Trump knowingly tried to subvert this fundamental principle." In his decision, Carter identified tranches of Eastman's emails to be released that involved the plan for Pence to reject or delay the counting of state electoral votes; alleged voter fraud at the state level; documents prepared for members of Congress; third-party communications; and news or press releases. Of the documents for Congress, seven emails name specific senators as the intended recipients, which were "created to persuade federal legislators to take action," Carter said. Also among the documents to be disclosed to the committee is an email chain to Eastman forwarding a draft memo written for Rudy Giuliani, Trump's attorney, that recommended Pence reject electors from battleground states on January 6. "This may have been the first time members of President Trump's team transformed a legal interpretation of the Electoral Count Act into a day-by-day plan of action," Carter wrote. "The draft memo pushed a strategy that knowingly violated the Electoral Count Act, and Dr. Eastman's later memos closely track its analysis and proposal. The memo is both intimately related to and clearly advanced the plan to obstruct the Joint Session of Congress." Of the 10 documents that will not be handed over to committee, Carter said none are "pivotal" to its investigation. Nine include "opinions and discussions about trial strategy in ongoing lawsuits," and the 10th is an email that includes Eastman's thoughts on the evening of January 6 about potential future actions since Pence refused to set aside electoral votes. The panel had told the court in an earlier filing as part of the dispute with Eastman that it had evidence that Trump and his allies engaged in a "criminal conspiracy" by attempting to stop Congress from certifying the results of the 2020 election. Eastman was among those who advised Trump in the wake of the presidential election and was summoned by the House select committee to testify about the events leading up to the January 6 riots. He declined to turn over documents and, during his deposition, asserted his Fifth Amendment right 146 times. After he declined to answer questions from House investigators, the committee issued a subpoena to Chapman for Eastman's communications. Ukraine war through the eyes of a photojournalist Walmart ending cigarette sales in some stores Dollywood closes ride after deadly Florida accident Editors note: This article contains mentions of sexual assault. The complainants name has been withheld to protect her identity. A former Pocono Mountain Regional Police officer who had sex with a woman after he arrested her for drunk driving on Oct. 16, 2019, was found not guilty on all counts related to sexual assault. The womans blood alcohol content was nearly twice the legal limit by the time corporal Steven Mertz pulled her over for an expired registration. She gripped the frame of her Mitsubishi to stay upright and failed three consecutive field sobriety tests, Mertz said. The corporal handcuffed her and helped her into the back of his patrol car shortly before 3 a.m. She was pretty, he testified later. And she cried a lot. As they drove from the site of her arrest to the Pennsylvania State Police barracks, Mertz began to reassure her: "Well figure this out." One hour later, Mertz had sex with the 26-year-old woman against his patrol car in an empty cul-de-sac near her home. Detectives found Mertzs DNA on a vaginal swab taken by the woman, as well as traces of her saliva on the crotch of his uniform pants. The prosecutor said Mertz compelled the young woman to have sex with him in exchange for not filing the DUI charge against her. I just took it," the woman said in a text to her best friend after Mertz returned her home. "He told me he would make this go away. Twelve jurors, split into six men and six women, returned the unanimous "not guilty" verdict on nine of 11 charges against Mertz after deliberating for just over twohours Monday. He was found guilty of bribery, a third-degree felony, and obstruction of justice, a second-degree misdemeanor. Assistant district attorney Michael Mancuso shook his head once the decision was read. The verdict concluded a weeklong trial that blended emotional testimony with line-by-line narration of messages shared between Mertz and his accuser. Youre a thousand percent sure Im not getting the DUI from last night? the woman asked in one. Yes, Mertz texted back. Im sure. Positive. The report would get lost among all his other reports, he said. It was their secret. Story continues Mertz testified later that he was lying to the woman. He said he planned to file the DUI charge but was "stringing her along" because he wanted to keep having sex with her. Mertz, who was 53 at the time of the incident, argued that his role as her arresting officer did not constitute as an imbalance of power, nor did her impairment preclude her from being able to consent. Brett Riegel, Mertzs attorney, called the on-duty sex unforgivable from a job perspective, but insisted that no crime had been committed. After all, he argued, it had been the woman who asked Mertz if he wanted her to perform oral sex. The offer was born out of fear, the woman testified. She said Mertz drove her home after processing her blood alcohol content at the PSP barracks but didn't let her out of the car. He suggested they go somewhere private, she said, then drove to the cul-de-sac a street away. She said the expectation felt clear. When Mertz parked and blocked her exit from the patrol car again, she asked if he wanted oral sex. According to her, he responded: "That will help." Mertz, a third-generation law enforcement officer, denied ever making the comment. He was put on paid administrative leave on Oct. 17, 2019, but resigned on Oct. 21 when a detective with the DA's office filed official criminal charges against him. He will be formally sentenced for the bribery and obstruction charge at 9 a.m. on June 28. Hannah Phillips is the public safety reporter at Pocono Record. Reach her at hphillips@gannett.com. This article originally appeared on Pocono Record: Ex-cop accused of raping Poconos woman on duty found not guilty WASHINGTON (AP) The Supreme Court on Tuesday cast doubt on Texas' claim that it can't be sued by a former state trooper who says he was forced out of his job when he returned from Army service in Iraq. The justices heard arguments in a dispute over a federal law that was enacted in 1994 in the wake of the Persian Gulf war to strengthen job protections for returning service members. Over 90 minutes, the justices discussed the Vietnam War, Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Alexander Hamilton and even Hamilton, the musical, as they tried to sort through whether states are shielded from lawsuits filed by veterans who complain that their jobs were not protected, in violation of the federal law. At the heart of the case is Congress' power to wage war and states' acknowledgments that they lacked similar authority, both laid out in the Constitution. We don't know what's going to be happening in the next 50 years. We don't know what's going to be happening in the next 50 days in terms of national security and personnel, Justice Brett Kavanaugh said. The court is weighing an appeal by Le Roy Torres, who spent a year in Iraq and was discharged as a captain after nearly 19 years in the U.S. Army Reserve. Torres says he suffered lung damage from exposure to open burn pits on his base in Iraq. The state and Torres dispute what happened when he returned to Texas, unable to resume his job as a state trooper because of the damage to his lungs. He eventually resigned and later filed his lawsuit. A state appellate court dismissed it, and the justices stepped in. The Biden administration is backing Torres' right to sue the state. The federal government, which also has the right to sue states under the law, has only sued 109 times since 2004 and just twice since 2015, Justice Department lawyer Christopher Michel acknowledged in response to a question from Justice Samuel Alito. But the numbers are much larger when you look at how many soldiers claims have been successfully resolved without going to court, Michel said. Story continues Fifteen other Republican-led states are calling on the court to side with Texas and rule out private lawsuits like Torres'. Congress first allowed returning service members to sue states to keep their jobs in 1974, recognizing discrimination because of opposition to the Vietnam War. The Vietnam War is what made the statute necessary, Justice Sonia Sotomayor said. And opposition to a future war could result in a similar situation, Justice Amy Coney Barrett said. Let's say we get involved in Ukraine and states say we shouldn't be, Barrett said. The discussion briefly turned to the theater when Justice Stephen Breyer invoked Hamilton's You'll Be Back to illustrate that George Washington's frustration with the states' reluctance to pay the Continental Army led to the establishment of a national defense. George III says, Theyll be back. Wait and see. They'll come crawling back to me,' Breyer said, capturing the sentiment, but not the lyrics to the song. Just last week, the court allowed the Navy to take account of sailors' vaccination status in deciding on deployments, narrowing a lower court order. Three justices, Samuel Alito, Neil Gorsuch and Clarence Thomas, dissented from the high court's order. Gorsuch and Thomas seemed the most amenable to Texas' arguments Tuesday. I'm perhaps not as enamored of Hamilton as some are, Thomas said. Thomas again took part remotely Tuesday, following a nearly week-long hospital stay for what the court described as an infection. The court has not elaborated on the nature of the infection and there was no explanation of why Thomas was not in the courtroom. A man allegedly trespassing on private property in Trimble County was shot by police and sent to the hospital last week, according to Kentucky State Police. State police said the shooting happened at roughly 8:30 p.m. on March 22 after they got a call from an individual in Madison, In., saying someone was trespassing on property they owned on Moffett Road. State police and the Trimble County Sheriffs office showed up at the property. Responding officers found a man with a gun, according to police. A trooper identified himself and gave multiple demands for the man to drop his weapon, but the man didnt comply. State police said the man pointed his pistol at the trooper, and the officer responded by firing at the man. Troopers gave medical aid to the man until emergency medical services arrived, police said. The man was taken to the University of Louisville Hospital by helicopter, according to state police. No other citizens were hurt. State police didnt identify the man who was shot or any law enforcement officers involved. The Kewanee Police Department conducted an investigation March 22 that led to the arrest of Kathy Chanton-Khemphomma, 30, of Davenport, Iowa, for drug-related offenses. A KPD press release said it was determined that the suspect had previously sold prescription pills to a teenage juvenile earlier that day. The father of the teenage juvenile later contacted law enforcement after finding the identity of the person that sold drugs to his child. The father arranged to meet with the suspect to purchase more pills. After the suspect arrived at the location, the father contacted law enforcement to confront the suspect. Kewanee police officers arrived on scene and conducted an investigation. Officers took statements from the father and suspect, and also examined text messages and phone call logs. "It was determined that there was probable cause that Chanton-Khemphomma had illegally sold prescription pills to the juvenile and was attempting to sell more pills," the release said. Chanton-Khemphomma was arrested and transported to the Kewanee Police Department. She was eventually transported to the Henry County Jail on the preliminary charges of delivery of a controlled substance (Class 3 Felony) and contributing to the delinquency of a minor (Class 4 Felony). The Class 3 Felony carries a potential sentence of 2-5 years in the Illinois Department of Corrections. Her bond was initially set at $100,000. A preliminary hearing was held March 28 where probable cause was found and a pre-trial conference set. This article originally appeared on Star Courier: Kewanee police arrest woman for selling prescription drugs to juvenile A wanted suspect out of Jessamine County may have been involved in a single-vehicle accident in Lexington on Monday, according to law enforcement. The accident happened around 10 a.m. on Tates Creek Road, according to Lexington police. The vehicle flipped on its side and the driver had to be removed before being sent to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, police said. The Jessamine County Sheriffs office believes the man involved in the accident may be Justin Waldrop, a wanted suspect out of Jessamine County with three active warrants for his arrest. Sgt. Cecil Upton III with the Jessamine County Sheriffs office said they hadnt confirmed if the driver in the Monday morning crash was Waldrop, but the sheriffs office was working to figure that out. When the collision occurred, obviously the primary initiative was patient care, Upton said. Lexington police said the driver gave false identification information on scene and was not at the hospital when officers followed up to speak with him. The vehicle involved was reported stolen from the Mt. Hebron area in Garrard County earlier Monday morning, according to the Garrard County Sheriffs office. Waldrop is a suspect in the theft of the vehicle. Waldrop has been the subject of a large search since Sunday, according to Upton. Sunday afternoon, deputies were dispatched to the area of Bailey Way in Nicholasville for a report of an unwanted subject, which was later determined to be Waldrop, Upton said. Waldrop allegedly left the scene in a different stolen vehicle before deputies arrived, according to Upton. Witnesses described the vehicle to deputies, who later found it and Waldrop on West Brown Street in Nicholasville. Deputies tried to apprehend Waldrop but he resisted, Upton said. They tried to taser him but it was unsuccessful. After gaining control of the vehicle, Waldrop put it in reverse, struck a deputy with the open passenger side door and fled the scene. Story continues Upton said all officers involved are okay. The stolen vehicle has since been recovered by Lexington police, according to Upton. Waldrop now has a new warrant out for his arrest on charges of first degree wanton endangerment of a police officer, third degree assault on a police officer, fleeing or evading police and receiving stolen property worth $10,000 or more. Anyone with information on Waldrops location is encouraged to contact the Jessamine County Sheriffs office at 859-885-4139. Anonymous tips can be submitted to tips@jessaminesheriff.org. In New York City and across the U.S., David Shalleck-Klein believes child welfare agencies routinely violate the Constitution by carrying out unlawful searches and family separations with disastrous consequences for the low-income Black and Hispanic families they disproportionately investigate. Having worked for five years as an attorney at Bronx Defenders, he would repeatedly see the Administration for Childrens Services, NYCs child welfare agency, blatantly violating familys rights, he said. Sign up here for The 74s daily newsletter. Donate here to support The 74's independent journalism. They would intimidate families to gain entry into their homes, he said, conduct intrusive searches, including asking children to take off their clothes to look for bruises and, in the most dire cases, separate youth from their parents without judicial approval by acting under whats known as emergency removal powers. Yet in hundreds of instances each year, according to city data, judges would then deem the agencys use of those emergency powers unlawful. The attorney last week launched what he says is the nations first civil rights organization dedicated to fighting back against such violations: the Family Justice Law Center. Theres a long tradition of groups such as the American Civil Liberties Union or the NAACP Legal Defense Fund bringing lawsuits against alleged government wrongdoing, but theres no comparison to the child welfare system for when families rights are violated, said Shalleck-Klein. This is the first organization in the country that is going to be dedicated to going on the offense and suing government agencies when they violate families rights, he told The 74. Were filling a gaping hole in advocacy for parents. The Center will bring cases against ACS including alleged Fourth Amendment violations for illegal searches and seizures, he said. It will seek financial penalties to compensate families for their damages and will request injunctions against ACS practices it says are illegal. Story continues Theyre not going to just get a slap on the wrist. Theyre very literally going to have to pay for their mistakes, said Shalleck-Klein. These types of lawsuits are hard, he admits, but said hes confident that were going to be able to have not just success for individual clients, but also transformative systems change success. As many as 73,000 NYC children are the subject of ACS investigations each year, 87% of whom are Black or Hispanic. Although 23% of youth in the city are Black, they make up 56% of children removed from their families and placed in foster care. In 2019, out of more than 1,750 emergency family separations, over a quarter were immediately rejected by a Family Court judge and still more were thrown out in the days and weeks to come meaning hundreds of children were unnecessarily put through the trauma of family separation, which studies show is associated with elevated risks of mental health challenges, incarceration and even early death. David Shalleck-Klein (Bronx Defenders) When ACS removes a child from a parent without a court order, if they did not have legal justification for that [removal], that is a constitutional violation, said Shalleck-Klein. We know that it is happening routinely. ACS follows federal, state and city laws, and respects the constitutional rights of parents and children, an ACS spokesperson said in an email to The 74, adding that the agency is committed to being responsive to the needs of children and families. ACS is required by law to investigate all reports it receives, the spokesperson said, noting that the total number of children entering foster care since 2017 has dropped by more than a third. Fewer than 2% of ACS investigations in 2021 resulted in child separation, the agency said. It is deeply concerning to us, the spokesperson added, that, year after year, there are dramatic racial and ethnic disparities in the reports ACS receives from the state. The agency is working to provide child care professionals with implicit bias trainings and education on ways to support families without calling the states child abuse hotline, it said. Across the country, Black youth are more likely than not to experience a child welfare investigation, with 53% of all Black Americans undergoing the experience before they turn 18. Even if the investigations find no evidence of abuse or neglect, charges can remain on parents records for years, jeopardizing job prospects in fields like education and child care. Meanwhile, many white families hardly feel the presence of child protective services at all. A former ACS caseworker spoke with Mother Jones in 2020, relaying that, once, when she was looking for an elusive parent, she saw a white woman nearby and asked if she knew the parents whereabouts. The neighbor had never even heard of the caseworkers agency. I never met one single Black family that asked me, Whats ACS? the caseworker reflected. Theres one group of people walking around not knowing that ACS exists, and theres another group of people walking around living in fear of ACS. Related: NYC Schools Reported Over 9,600 Students to Child Protective Services Since Aug. 2020. Is It the Wrong Tool for Families Traumatized by COVID? In fall 2020, Harlem community advocate Joyce McMillan interviewed New York City residents in majority-Black, Hispanic and Asian-American neighborhoods about their experiences with the agency and turned their responses into posters that now hang throughout the city. They tore my family apart, one parent said. I felt like the police had come to my house once ACS came because they investigated my household like the police, said another. JMacForFamilies Out of the 500 residents to whom McMillan spoke, all but two or three, she said, knew about the agency. Youth and parents alike were haunted by their experiences, she said. For children, ACS is like the boogeyman. They run and hide when ACS knocks on the door. They think theyre going to be taken away from their parents, explained McMillan, who is executive director of JMacForFamilies. Her organization seeks to abolish what it calls the family regulation system and calls for the government to support rather than punish families living in poverty. She now sits on the Family Justice Law Centers community advisory board. Joyce McMillan at a June 2020 march in Brooklyn to defund ACS. (Erik McGregor/Getty Images) The new legal organization, she told The 74, will be a game-changer for families, finally giving them the opportunity to fight back when they believe their rights are violated. Families will have resources to deal with the harm, she said. ACS, we call them the family police for a reason. Until the cameras started rolling, people didnt believe that Black people got shot in the back and werent actually carrying a gun. And its the same thing with ACS. So I hope that this work thats being done will bring out the truth. Attorney David Bloomfield, who represented NYC as an assistant corporation counsel, said on a case-by-case basis, I think there are winnable situations of improper separation, but system injunctions against ACS might be a heavier lift. Still, the Brooklyn College and CUNY Graduate Center law professor said it can have a chilling effect on improper conduct if theres able counsel for the families. The Family Justice Law Center has been selected for in-kind funding and guidance from the Urban Justice Centers Social Justice Accelerator program. Legal scholars from Stanford, Harvard, New York University and other institutions sit on its academic advisory board. ACS obtains court permission to enter homes in under 1% of all investigations. In most other searches, parents give the caseworker verbal permission to enter their space. But if a caseworker bangs on the door saying that they will return with the police if the family doesnt let them in, and if the parents dont know their legal rights, Was that really a voluntary entry into the home? asks Shalleck-Klein. [Child protective services] may seek the assistance of the police if CPS determine that immediate protective measures are necessary, the agency said. Similarly, 27% of emergency child removals get immediately struck down by a Family Court judge. While the emergency removal power is vital when youth are in imminent danger, said the attorney, its abuse can represent an unconstitutional seizure. ACS knows theres no consequence for them doing something illegal, he said. If they violate families rights, what happens is that the child is returned home. But theres nothing in the moment stopping them or giving them any pause from conducting an emergency removal when theres not just cause. We hope that the [Family Justice Law Center] will inject more accountability into the process, he continued, because they are now put on notice that they cant act with impunity and their illegal actions will be challenged in court. Shalleck-Klein hopes the Centers work will lead to fewer children in the foster care system and shorter durations for those who are, while not worsening, or even decreasing, the rates of child maltreatment. In other words, keeping as many children home safely with their parents as we can, he said. The goal parallels the impacts of other changes in the Family Court system. When the legal team representing defendant parents includes social work staff and parent advocates, foster stays were significantly reduced with no change in child safety outcomes, a 2019 NYU study found. And similarly, pilot programs that boosted legal defense for families led to major savings for municipalities by avoiding costly foster care when poverty-induced issues might otherwise have been mistaken for parental neglect, a 2020 evaluation from Casey Family Programs revealed. McMillan hopes the plan succeeds, not just for the children who might avoid unneeded family separation, but also for those who indeed are suffering from abuse at home. If ACS spends less time mistaking poverty-related issues for abusive parenting, then maybe they will focus on children who actually need help, said the advocate. Related: Sign up for The 74s newsletter Marijuana is classified as a Schedule 1 substance, which puts it in the same category as deadly, highly addictive drugs like crack and heroin, said Lt. Gov. John Fetterman. Fetterman tells Channel 11 the Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement Act is a game-changer. He says the bill would change marijuanas drug classification, impose a federal tax on marijuana sales and eliminate criminal penalties. The legislation would also give marijuana stores access to banks with the change in classification. I dont believe it goes far enough. I think it should be legalized and let each respective state create their own marketplace, much like states like Colorado, and any number of states have already done so, said Fetterman. Some Pittsburghers agree. I feel like its something that they shouldve done a long time ago. Im standing in front of a liquor store. its not worse than that as far as Im concerned, said Matt Banks. If they legalize it, that should be the first thing they should do, release anybody who was locked up on a cannabis or marijuana charge, and definitely expunge everybodys record that has anything to do with, thats for sure, said Steven Tarrant. Fetterman tells Channel 11 getting rid of the stigma on the federal level is important, and will help states like Pennsylvania with more tax dollars. TRENDING NOW: Deadly mistake: Former nurse found guilty in patients death Elderly woman killed in Robinson Township house fire identified Taking sides: Celebrities react to Will Smith slap VIDEO: RAW: Small plane slides off runway at Arnold Palmer Regional Airport DOWNLOAD the Channel 11 News app for breaking news alerts A Lincoln High School student was arrested Tuesday and charged with having a handgun-style pellet gun on school property, according to the Leon County Sheriff's Office. This is at least the 10th incident of a student bringing some kind of weapon to campus in the 2021-2022 school year. Guns in Tallahassee schools: How many weapon incidents have there been in Leon County schools in the 2021-22 school year? Student killed in shooting: 'Loved by so many': Fundraiser set after Rickards student, 17, killed in weekend shooting Governor mentions Leon schools: Gov. DeSantis calls out Leon County as he signs what opponents call 'Don't Say Gay' bill The 16-year-old student was seen with the pellet gun at Tom Brown Park at 11:30 a.m. at lunch time. When he returned to school campus, a school resource deputy took the pellet gun from the student's car, according to a press release. Lincoln was not put on lockdown, and the pellet gun was confiscated. The student was arrested and charged with possession of a weapon on school property and sent to the Juvenile Assessment Center. Leon County Schools has open lunch on its high school campuses, and students are allowed to leave and come back to school, said Chris Petley, a spokesperson for the district. Contact Ana Goni-Lessan at AGoniLessan@tallahassee.com and follow her on Twitter @goni_lessan. Want more news coverage? If you're already a subscriber, thank you! If not, please subscribe using the link at the top of the page and help keep the news you care about coming. This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Leon County student arrested, charged with bringing gun to high school Lindsay Lohan Celebrates Engagement lindsaylohan/Instagram Lindsay Lohan is getting ready to say "I do." On Monday, the 35-year-old actress and fiance Bader Shammas celebrated their engagement with a sweet treat in Kuwait. In a sweet photo the star shared on Instagram, the pair smile as they stand behind a lavish cake that reads, "He asked ... She said yes," with a silhouette of a couple kissing front and center. An elaborate icing design of an opened jewelry box with a ring sits atop the cake, which is complete with two large sparklers. "My forever ," Lohan captioned the loving photo. The Mean Girls alum announced her engagement in November, sharing a gallery of photos smiling with Shammas. RELATED: Lindsay Lohan Surprises TikTok with Pronunciation of Her Last Name in New Video Showing off her ring, Lohan wrote in the caption, "My love. My life. My family. My future," and included the hashtag "#love" and a diamond ring emoji. Last month, she said she has started planning her big day. While on Extra, host Rachel Lindsay asked Lohan "What kind of bride do you think you'll be? Are you going to be low-key? Are you going to be all-in? I'm not going to call you a bridezilla, I'm not going to do that!" RELATED: Paris Hilton Congratulates Lindsay Lohan on Her Engagement: 'I Am Genuinely Very Happy for Her' "I'm definitely not like that," said Lohan. "I'm more low-key. Even on my birthday, I want to make sure everyone else is good and then I can be okay. So I'll be more like that." "I'm looking at destinations," Lohan continued. "I've already started talking to a friend of mine about the dress. But I want to do things right and I want to pace everything. But it's an exciting time. I'm very girly, so...." RELATED VIDEO: Lindsay Lohan Announces Engagement to Fiance Bader Shammas: 'My Future' Never miss a story sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. The Bachelorette alum then asked Lohan, "Dress or dresses? Are we doing multiple?" to which Lohan teased, "Take a guess dresses!" Lohan said outfit changes are "the best part." Shammas works in finance as the Assistant Vice President at Credit Suisse in Dubai, where Lohan has called home for the last seven years. They have been dating for more than three years. Mar. 29A new Maine-based toothpaste brand is working to take out more than plaque buildup and bad breath. It's coming for cancer, too. Believe Oral Care, founded by Harpswell resident Adam Hewison, is a nonprofit toothpaste company formed with the sole purpose of raising money for cancer charities, hospitals and research. The oral care company will donate 100 percent of its profits to charities including Maine Cancer Foundation, the American Cancer Society and St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Hewison said. It's a personal matter for Hewison, who was diagnosed with stage 4 metastatic prostate cancer in 2017. The news was "all the kinds of things you don't want to hear," he said. But it didn't take long for the naturally optimistic Hewison's outlook to shift from "pity party" to opportunity, he said. "I believe this is something given to me for a reason," said Hewison, a retired floor trader and financial expert. "The reason, I believe, was to help other people." The toothpaste side of the equation didn't happen immediately. Hewison is the first to admit that he has no experience with toothpaste other than its role as the minty goo he uses to brush his teeth. It was on an anniversary trip to Maui with his wife, with the idea of helping people percolating in the back of his mind, that inspiration struck. They were watching the sunset. Everyone around them was happy and smiling. Seeing so many sets of pearly whites on display triggered something in his brain, Hewison said, and he thought, "Maybe that's it. Maybe it's a toothpaste." So he went from there. Hewison teamed up with Pamela Hurley-Moser, founder of Hurley Travel Experts in Portland, and Reed Allen, co-founder of R.E.D.D., a Maine-made energy bar brand. "It's important if you go on this cancer journey to believe you're going to get better," Hewison said. Thus, Believe Oral Care was born. Story continues The products a mint toothpaste, a children's vanilla toothpaste and a mouthwash are advertised as all-natural and contain black seed oil as an anti-inflammatory for gums. Each costs just under $10. Like some other natural toothpastes on the market, Believe products don't contain fluoride, the cavity-fighting ingredient in most oral care brands. Believe Oral Care is unique in that it's not a one-time fundraiser from an established brand, said Ray Ruby, director of development at the Maine Cancer Foundation. Instead, it's an ongoing effort from a new brand with fundraising at its core. Ruby said the foundation has not yet received any funds from Believe. The toothpaste and mouthwash are both good products, he said, adding that he's cheering for Hewison. "I hope it's successful and supports the work of other organizations like ours," he said. "That would be wonderful." Believe Oral Care is currently sold at Morning Glory Natural Foods in Brunswick, Royal River Natural Foods in Freeport and Bath Natural Market. Hewison hopes to see the toothpaste and mouthwash on shelves in Hannaford and other chains by the end of the year. His goals for Believe go beyond just seeing the product on store shelves. Hewison wants to see his company dominate the toothpaste industry. It's a David and Goliath situation, he said, and the odds are stacked against them. Believe isn't exactly a budget toothpaste. Online, both toothpaste flavors and the mouthwash retail for $9.89 apiece. But with enough momentum, Hewison believes the company can make it happen. "I hope it's in my lifetime, but it may not be," he said. Hewison said his long-term goal is for the company to also generate enough revenue to fund its own independent research. At some point, the company's charitable efforts may extend beyond just cancer research, he said, and could include anything from homelessness to food insecurity. Toothpaste is just the latest venture for Hewison, who has seemingly dabbled in a little bit of everything in his 76 years. In England, he trained under famed hairdresser Vidal Sassoon in the 1960s and later helped get the New York City salon up and running. He also spent several years as a floor trader in Chicago, then Switzerland. Hewison started an advisory service for banks in Maryland, and launched INO.com, an online market analysis and trading tool. He briefly owned a wine shop and restaurant. There, he got the idea for a self-aerating wine bottle that he hopes will hit the market soon. The list goes on. Like everything else he's done, Hewison said, he started by "winging it" and holding onto the firm belief that it will all work out. He declined to provide any sales data, and the three local markets that carry the product have only had it for a few days or weeks. Despite this, Tracee Pushard, owner of Royal River Natural Foods, said it's already selling well. "Most people want to do good; they just oftentimes don't know how to do that," she said. "This is a very easy way to do that." Black seed oil is also very popular right now, Pushard noted, which she expects will make the toothpaste even more attractive to customers. She's happy to support Hewison's cause. "We were very touched by the story and what he wants to do," she said. "How can you say no to someone who wants to work on fighting cancer and is donating 100 percent of proceeds to cancer research? We were all totally on board." A man is dead after gunfire rang out in South Memphis Monday evening, according to the Memphis Police Department. MPD said the shooting happened around 6:11 p.m. on South Orleans St. That man was rushed to Regional One Hospital in critical condition but died from his gunshot wounds less than two hours later, police said. The gunman sped away from the scene of the shooting in a silver Nissan Altima with drive-out tags, according to police. Memphis Police urge anyone with information about the shooter to call Crime Stoppers at 901-528-CASH. Any information that leads to an arrest, in this case, could be worth up to $2,000. Download the FOX13 Memphis app to receive alerts from breaking news in your neighborhood. CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD Trending stories: When Rumbidzai Mangwende decided to apply for the Elijah Cummings Youth Program she didnt know what to expect. But much to the now 20-year-olds surprise, she gained lifelong friends, mentors and invaluable experience that prepared her for life. There were so many milestones the program provided me with that I wouldnt have had access to because of my social or economical background, Mangwende said. This program gave me the empowerment that people do want to hear my voice. Nearly 25 years ago, the late Rep. Elijah Cummings worked with the Baltimore Jewish Council to create the Elijah Cummings Youth Program, a two-year fellowship program offered to rising juniors in high school who live or go to school in Marylands 7th congressional district, which encompasses just over half of Baltimore City and parts of Baltimore and Howard counties. The fellowship aims to help the teens become leaders and promote greater religious and ethnic understanding. Every spring, about 60 kids apply for about a dozen openings, said Kathleen St. Villier Hill, the programs executive director. The application process is rigorous, requiring letters of recommendation and an interview with the board of directors. Before Cummings died in 2019, he met every interviewee, Hill said, and if they were accepted into the program, he also wrote each student a letter of recommendation for college. Rep. Kweisi Mfume, who succeeded Cummings in the 7th District in 2020, has since stepped into the role. Once accepted, students attend twice a week meetings where they learn skills such as storytelling, to help them land jobs, and how to podcast. They also give back to the community by doing neighborhood clean-up events or preparing for their 3 1/2-week trip to Israel where students get to meet with another group of youths from that country. And although the program is supported by the Baltimore Jewish Council, Villier Hill said most youths who apply do not come from a Jewish background. Story continues We are trying to build bridges between different communities, Villier Hill said. The whole idea is how can you build relationships with people who are different from yourself? Prior to joining the Baltimore Jewish Council as the fellowships executive director five years ago, Villier Hill spent nine years at For Love of Children in Washington D.C. While there, she managed a college access and success program for 200 students and helped enhance program offerings for middle school, high school and postsecondary students. Villier Hill, originally from Montgomery County, had moved to Howard County and was looking for a shorter commute than her trek to DC every day. When she found the job posting for the Elijah Cummings Youth Program, she knew it was perfect. I believe strongly in the power of using out-of-school time spaces, like ECYP, to enrich and empower the lives of young people, she said. And at ECYP, I get to work alongside the kids. I dont just work with or for them. Mangwende, who is now a junior at Cornell University, said she still remembers her interview for the program. The Randallstown native said her stomach was in knots, knowing that Cummings was sitting at the other end of the table. But she said that interview was the start of her understanding the importance of cultivating her story and being able to use her voice to tell it. Now studying finance, Mangwende said the fellowship thanks to trips to Congress, the Annapolis State House and Baltimore city hall gave her the ability to be confident in unfamiliar situations. She also absorbed the importance of not being afraid to ask questions or lean on others for support. I learned so much about how to work with people who are different from you, she said. I was taught how to take a problem and try to solve it but also be open to other solutions. In addition to the life skills Mangwende learned during her participation in the program from 2017 to 2019, she also gained lifelong friends. One fellow from her class recently asked her to be a godmother. Another she talks with on an almost daily basis. And then theres a group of them who are talking about taking another trip abroad together. She even refers to Villier Hill as auntie. These are people I hope to see at my wedding and that I want at big life events, she said. They have actually become family over time. This article is part of our Newsmaker series, which profiles notable people in the Baltimore region who are having an impact in our diverse communities. If youd like to suggest someone who should be profiled, please send their name and a short description of what they are doing to make a difference to: Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Editor Kamau High at khigh@baltsun.com. The next round in the fight over outdoor dining in Bostons North End played out inside Bostons City Hall on Tuesday. Thats where Mayor Michelle Wu held a news conference to address this years program for outdoor dining in Bostons North End. Mayor Wu now says the city is open to giving waivers to certain North End restaurants who might not be able to afford a $7,500 city fee to set up for outside dining. The North End is the only section of city where the fee is being applied. The mayor says its a quality of life issue for North End residents and unique to that neighborhood. Equity does not mean equality, said Mayor Wu about the North End only fee. I know, we all want the same thing. We all want each neighborhood to be safe and thriving. Businesses granted hardship waivers could see the fee dropped to $3,500 to $5,000. The city said it is also open to allowing businesses to take part in the outdoor dining program for fewer months, and pay $1,500 a month, and not a lump sum for the entire season. The City will determine whether an establishment qualifies for a discount based on their location, the size of their patio space, and if the establishment does not have a liquor license. Mayor Wu was joined by State Representative Aaron Michlewitz, State Senator and City Councilor Lydia Edwards, and two North End restaurant owners inside the Eagle Room near the mayors office, supporting the updated plan. Outside the Eagle Room, other North End business owners were protesting the fee. They were prevented from entering the Eagle Room by several Boston Police officers. North End business owners being denied entry into citys 2p news conference about outdoor dining program. Business owners gathered outside Eagle Room where Mayor Wu set to speak momentarily #Boston25 pic.twitter.com/uk5piC0O7y Drew Karedes (@DrewKaredes) March 29, 2022 The contentious issue has been playing out for several weeks, since the mayor announced plans to allow for the return of outdoor dining across the city, except for the North End. Story continues Mayor Wu announces the return of outdoor dining to the city of Boston The City of Boston then announced North End restaurants were eligible to take part in the program, if they agreed to a $7,500 fee and to a later opening for outdoor patios in that area. A city spokesperson told Boston 25 that the changes were made after feedback from the North End community. North End restaurants facing $7,500 fee for outdoor dining Some restaurant owners then threatened the city with a lawsuit. In the city of Boston there are 1100 restaurants, our mayor is targeting 100, said George Mendoza, owner of Vinoteca di Monica. North End restaurants united against outdoor dining fee, threatening lawsuit Mayor Wu responded last week by threatening to rescind the offer altogether for the North End. Many North End residents have called for the ending of outdoor dining altogether in the neighborhood, Mayor Wu wrote. If a critical mass of restaurant owners also believe this program is unworkable as proposed, then I am prepared to rescind North End outdoor dining. She better roll up her sleeves because were ready, said Jorge Mendoza, owner of Monicas. Shes going to hear from our attorney in the form of a letter first and then we are going to sue the city of Boston for the unjust treatment of Italian businesses here in the North End. Mayor Wu prepared to rescind outdoor dining in the North End The deadline to apply for this years outdoor dining program pilot is April 10th. Boston 25 News will be at the mayors news conference. Watch for live updates on Boston 25. This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available. Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW News Vietnam Vietnams GDP up 5.03 percent in first quarter Mar. 29An Ohio U.S. Senate Republican primary debate will be happening soon on the Miami University campus in Oxford. The debate is free and open to the public. Participants who will be there include five candidates for the Republican nomination: Matt Dolan, Mike Gibbons, Josh Mandel, Jane Timken and J.D. Vance. The event is 7-8 p.m. Tues., April 5 in the Armstrong Student Center's Wilks Theatre. People who wish to attend will need to get tickets by today. The moderator will be reporter Sheree Paolello of WLWT News 5. "This is the third and final debate between the candidates and the only one in southwest Ohio," states a news release from Miami University. The event is a collaboration between Miami University's Menard Family Center for Democracy and WLWT News 5. "This year, Ohio is a key battleground for control of the U.S. Senate, and this debate will help voters throughout the region to learn more about both the candidates who are vying to represent us in Washington and the issues that will define American politics in the years ahead," said John Forren, associate professor and chair of the Department of Justice and Community Studies, and executive director of the Menard Family Center for Democracy. The university's role in this forum is strictly non-partisan, Forren said. "The Menard Family Center regularly hosts candidate debates and discussions involving both Democratic and Republican party candidates and is aimed at promoting civic and political engagement in general rather than any particular partisan or ideological agenda," the news release states. "Much of the Center's work aims to promote civic dialogue across ideological and political lines, and events like this provide community members regardless of their political affiliation a valuable opportunity to learn more about politics and civic affairs," he said. Event rules Large bags, signs, campaign materials, noisemakers, water bottles and video recording are not permitted. Doors open at 5:30 p.m., and close promptly at 6:30 p.m. to prepare for the live broadcast; no exceptions. Ticketholders should anticipate a security screen and plan accordingly. Seats not filled at 6:30 p.m. will be forfeited. No one will be allowed in the auditorium after 6:30 p.m. No re-entry after 6:30 p.m. By Hyonhee Shin SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has called for a propaganda campaign to increase popular support for the country's ideology of self-reliance amid "the worst difficulties," state media KCNA said on Tuesday. Kim sent a letter to ruling Workers' Party officials attending a workshop on Monday that aimed to boost motivation for socialism and advance innovation in the party's ideological work, KCNA said. In the dispatch, Kim said the party has been "advancing in the face of the worst difficulties" and stressed the need to spread its vision for "juche", or self-reliance. "We should regard the ideological and moral strength of the popular masses as the foremost weapon as ever and stir it up in every way," he said, according to KCNA. The juche theory means that "nothing (is) impossible to do when the people are motivated ideologically," he said. North Korea faces mounting economic woes amid sanctions over its weapons programmes, natural disasters and COVID-19 lockdowns that sharply cut trade with China, its major ally and economic lifeline. The United States is pushing for tightening international sanctions over Pyongyang's first full test of an intercontinental ballistic missile last week, despite opposition from China and Russia. North Korea has not confirmed any COVID-19 cases, but closed borders and imposed strict travel bans and other restrictions. Kim said the ideological campaign should focus on dispelling "evil spirits of anti-socialism" and non-socialist elements that have "gnawed away at our revolutionary position," KCNA said. Pyongyang has cracked down on the influx of South Korean music and entertainment via the Chinese border to curb what it says are non-socialist and anti-socialist influences. Kim also called for beefing up visual content and stressed film as "an ideological education means of the greatest influence." (Reporting by Hyonhee Shin; Editing by Cynthia Osterman) Police identified the man killed in shooting in the Edgehill neighborhood on Monday morning as Ralos Jones Jr., 29. Officers responded to reports of shots fired at 1400 block of 11th Avenue South around 10:30 a.m. where they discovered Jones, Metro Nashville Police Department Brooke Reese said. He was taken to Vanderbilt University Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead. Nashville police were on the scene after a fatal shooting on 11th Avenue South in the Edgehill neighborhood. Second shooting Monday: Man killed in Underwood Street shooting, suspect at large, police say Police arrested Roderick Orr, 37, late Monday night and charged him with criminal homicide in the shooting. Police believe the shooting was drug-related. Two guns and nearly 200 methamphetamine pills were recovered when Orr was arrested in South Nashville, MNPD said. He also faces drug and weapon charges, records show. Reese said police do not believe the shooting was connected to a separate fatal shooting in North Nashville, which happened less than 10 minutes earlier Monday mor. Orr is set to appear in court Wednesday, records show. Natalie Alund contributed to this story. Reach reporter Molly Davis at mdavis2@gannett.com or on Twitter @mollym_davis. This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Nashville police ID victim, arrest man in fatal Edgehill shooting Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y. Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images More than 2 dozen Democrats are calling on Justice Thomas to recuse himself from cases related to Jan. 6. This comes after public revelations about his wife's efforts to persuade the Trump White House to overturn the election. At least five Democrats have called on Thomas to resign or be impeached. A growing number of Democratic lawmakers are demanding that Justice Clarence Thomas resign from the Supreme Court or at the very least recuse himself from cases related to the January 6 insurrection following news that his wife pushed the Trump White House to challenge the 2020 presidential election results. A few progressives have raised the prospect of impeachment. "Clarence Thomas should resign," Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez tweeted on Tuesday. The New York Democrat said that if Thomas refuses to step down, lawmakers should investigate the conservative justice's potential conflicts of interest, which she said "could serve as grounds for impeachment." A Supreme Court justice can only be removed through a congressional impeachment. "Congress must understand that a failure to hold Clarence Thomas accountable sends a loud, dangerous signal to the full Court - Kavanaugh, Barrett, & the rest - that his acts are fair game," she added. "This is a tipping point. Inaction is a decision to erode and further delegitimize SCOTUS." Reps. Nydia Velazquez of New York, Veronica Escobar of Texas, and Hank Johnson of Georgia have also recently called on Thomas to resign. But more than two dozen Democratic lawmakers have not gone as far, only calling on Thomas to recuse himself from future cases concerning the January 6 insurrection. Rep. Ilhan Omar, a Democrat of Minnesota, went farther and said last week that Thomas should be impeached. Federal judicial impeachments are rare and a Supreme Court justice hasn't been impeached since 1804. A majority of House lawmakers would need to vote for impeachment and a two-thirds majority of Senate lawmakers would need to vote to convict. Story continues Ginni Thomas' text messages prompt an outcry The momentum comes after the Washington Post and CBS News reported Thursday that Thomas' wife, Virginia "Ginni" Thomas, exchanged more than two dozen text messages with former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, in late 2020 and early 2021 urging him to pursue efforts to overturn the presidential election. The 29 texts sent from November 2020 to January 2021 are part of the thousands of messages that Meadows handed over to the House select committee investigating the January 6 Capitol riot. In the wake of the text revelations, Thomas has come under scrutiny for a potential conflict of interest in his Supreme Court work. Specifically, Democrats have criticized him for not recusing himself from a Supreme Court ruling handed down two months ago, when the majority of justices rejected former President Donald Trump's request to withhold White House records from the January 6 committee. Thomas was the only justice to dissent. The longest-serving member on the bench, Thomas did not provide an explanation for his dissent a standard omission for such emergency motions that come before the court. Democrats are largely calling on Thomas to provide an explanation for his dissent in that case and for his recusal in future cases related to the January 6 Capitol riot and the congressional committee's investigation, given his wife's texts. But Democratic Rep. Steve Cohen of Tennessee said Thomas "should be censured for having voted in cases related to the election," Politico reported. In a letter sent to Thomas and Chief Justice John Roberts on Monday, 24 Democratic lawmakers raised concerns about "the urgent need for significant ethics reform at the Supreme Court." "In particular, given the serious conflict-of-interest issues presented by Ms. Thomas's leadership in the efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election, we call upon Justice Thomas to immediately issue a written explanation for his failure to recuse himself in prior Supreme Court cases involving efforts to overturn the 2020 election or the January 6th attack on the Capitol and promptly recuse himself from any future Supreme Court cases involving efforts to overturn the 2020 election or the January 6th attack on the Capitol," the letter said. The letter's signatories include Sens. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut, Cory Booker of New Jersey, Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, and Ron Wyden of Oregon, along with Progressive Caucus Chair Rep. Pramila Jayapal and Rep. Jerry Nadler of New York. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer on Tuesday said Thomas should recuse himself from January 6-related cases and said the Court should adopt "some kind of code of ethics" for Justices. He added there are "serious questions about how close Justice Thomas and his wife were to the planning and execution of the insurrection." Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin also told reporters on Capitol Hill this week that Thomas "should recuse himself from those cases." Some prominent Democrats, including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, have not taken as strong of a stance, instead saying it's up to Thomas himself to decide whether to recuse himself from cases. "It's up to an individual justice to decide to recuse himself if his wife is participating in a coup," Pelosi said during a caucus meeting on Tuesday, according to Punchbowl News' Heather Caygle. Republicans, for their part, have taken a similar position. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy said Friday that Thomas can make his own decisions "like he's made them every other time." "It's his decision based upon law," McCarthy said. The January 6 panel is expected to request an interview with Ginni Thomas following the public revelation of the text messages. In one message sent on November 6, 2020, Ginni told Meadows that Trump should not concede the election. "Do not concede. It takes time for the army who is gathering for his back," she wrote to Meadows, per The Post. In another message sent on November 10, 2020, days after the major news networks declared then-Democratic nominee Joe Biden the winner, Ginni wrote to Meadows: "Help This Great President stand firm, Mark!!!" "You are the leader, with him, who is standing for America's constitutional governance at the precipice. The majority knows Biden and the Left is attempting the greatest Heist of our History," the text continued, per The Post. Read the original article on Business Insider Mar. 29Oxford police are asking for help in finding a missing 26-year-old man who is autistic. Nathaniel Coffin was last seen Tuesday night wearing sweat pants, a black zip-up fleece jacket, moccasins and carrying a duffle bag with clothes, according to police. He may also be wearing welding-type goggles, but he has no phone, ID or cash. Lt. Lara Fening said Coffin was reported missing by his mother on Wednesday, when he could not be found to leave for a family trip. Fening said Coffin likes to be outside walking trails near water in the wooded areas, so he is likely not in area cities. Coffin avoids talking to people. If you see him, call the local police where you are. If you have information regarding his whereabouts, call OPD at 513-523-4321. Israeli security forces gather at the scene of a shooting attack on March 29, 2022 in Bnei Brak. Photo by JACK GUEZ/AFP via Getty Images A Palestinian gunman killed at least 5 people in a terror shooting outside Tel Aviv on Tuesday. Tuesday's victims join six other Israelis who were killed in terror attacks in the last week. Authorities shot and killed the suspected gunman on Tuesday, according to police. A Palestinian gunman is dead after he opened fire and killed at least five people in an Orthodox neighborhood outside Tel Aviv, Israel on Tuesday night, according to multiple reports. The shooting marks the fifth attack in less than a week as tensions increase ahead of Ramadan, Passover, and Easter all in the coming month, The New York Times reported. Israeli paramedics said at least five people were killed in the Tuesday attack, The Guardian reported. Witnesses told Israeli public broadcaster Kan that the gunman arrived in the eastern Tel Aviv suburb of Bnei Brak by motorcycle or scooter before he began firing at pedestrians with what appeared to be an automatic weapon. According to The Times, the shooter then drove to a second location nearby where he was shot and killed by police. Video broadcast on Israeli television stations shows a man dressed in all black walking down the streets of Bnei Brak pointing a weapon at people. The suspected gunman is a 26-year-old Palestinian from the West Bank, according to Kan. The outlet reported that he was jailed for half a year in 2013 for trafficking arms and holding membership in a terrorist group. Eleven Israelis have been killed in terror attacks in the last week, according to The Times of Israel. In addition to the five dead on Tuesday, two others were killed in a shooting in Hadera on Sunday and four people were killed in a terror attack in Beersheba last Tuesday. More Israelis were killed in terror attacks this past week than in all of 2020 and 2021 combined, the outlet reported. Read the original article on Insider Pentagon press secretary John Kirby The Pentagon said Tuesday that Russia's claim that it will reduce its military campaign in two Ukrainian cities is really Moscow "repositioning" troops. "We ought not be fooling - and nobody should be fooling ourselves by the Kremlin's now recent claim that it will suddenly reduce military attacks near Kyiv or any reports that it's going to withdraw all of its forces," Pentagon press secretary John Kirby said. "We believe this is a repositioning, not a real withdrawal, and that we all should be prepared to watch for a major offensive against other areas of Ukraine. It does not mean the threat to Kyiv is over," he added. Moscow claimed earlier on Tuesday that it would "drastically reduce military activity" near the cities of Kyiv and Chernihiv near the Belarus border. The announcement came as negations picked up between Russia and Ukraine in Turkey this week. President Biden expressed skepticism when asked about the development on Tuesday alongside Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. "We'll see," the president said. "I don't read anything into it until I see what their actions are." Russia's invasion of Ukraine has entered its second month, and Kirby said that Moscow has failed to capture Kyiv and take over Ukraine. However, it "can still inflict massive brutality on the country, including on Kyiv," he added. LIMA, Peru (AP) Pedro Castillo, Perus embattled president, avoided joining the South American nations list of impeached leaders as opposition lawmakers Monday night failed to get enough votes to remove him from office eight months into his term. Castillo, a political neophyte who shook the country when he defeated the political elite to become president, survived his second impeachment attempt. He characterized the accusations against him as speculation and argued that none could be substantiated. The votes of at least 87 of the 130 lawmakers were needed to remove the president. Fifty-five voted in favor, 54 against and 19 abstained. I salute that common sense, responsibility and democracy prevailed, Castillo tweeted after the vote. I recognize the lawmakers who voted against the vacancy, and I respect the decision of those who did. I call everyone to turn this page and work together for the great challenges of the country. The lawmakers seeking to remove Castillo had noted he is the subject of three preliminary investigations into possible corruption, which under Peruvian law cannot proceed until he is out of office. There is also a separate accusation from a would-be collaborator who alleged he is part of a criminal group that receives money in exchange for public works. The lawmakers accused Castillo of permanent moral incapacity, a term incorporated into Peruvian constitutional laws that experts say lacks an objective definition and that Congress has used six times since 2017 to try to remove presidents. We only found comments without any corroboration, speculation, imaginary links, Castillo said of the accusations while reading a speech before lawmakers hours before the vote. While Castillo remains in office, the latest move against him will add to Perus political turmoil and weaken the president, who won office with just 44,000 more votes than his opponent in a runoff election. He was an underdog when he entered the race last year and initially campaigned on promises to nationalize Perus crucial mining industry and rewrite the constitution. Story continues From the start, Castillo, a rural schoolteacher in a poor Andean district, has been handicapped by his Cabinet choices, a number of whom have been accused of wrongdoing. So has his former private secretary, whose corruption investigation led the prosecutors office to find $20,000 in a bathroom of the presidential palace. Recent developments have confirmed Perus dysfunctionality, regardless of who is in power, said Claudia Navas, an analyst with the global firm Control Risks. These events will certainly exacerbate Peruvians frustration towards the political system, which represents a risk because they will be willing to support an authoritarian leader as a desperate measure to overcome protracted political instability. The debate in Congress lasted several hours. Perus unicameral Congress is deeply fragmented among 10 political parties and rarely can come to any consensus on passing legislation. Castillos party is the biggest faction, but it has only 37 seats, and opposition members lead key committees. The government invited three officials from the Organization of American States to witness the debate. Lawmakers allowed them to watch it from a nearby building. Castillo succeeded Francisco Sagasti, who was appointed president by Congress in November 2020 as the country cycled through three heads of state in one week amid confrontations that left two people dead and more than 200 injured. Vacating presidents has become a sport, said centrist lawmaker Wilmar Elera, who recalled that President Martin Vizcarra was dismissed by Congress in 2020 for permanent moral incapacity but has not faced any charges since. Congress and Castillo are both unpopular in Peru, although the disapproval of legislators is greater. A survey by the Institute of Peruvian Studies published in March by the newspaper La Republica said Congress disapproval rate was 79%, while 68% had negative views of Castillo. The debate over Castillos future came just as the country awaited the release from prison of former President Alberto Fujijmori, who was ordered freed earlier this month in a controversial decision by Perus highest court. He was serving a 25-year sentence for his role in more than 20 murders during his administration between 1990 and 2000. Peru has also been seeing demonstrations across the country in recent days to protest prices for food, fuel and fertilizer. Navas said Castillo is now likely to try to show any results his administration has achieved in an effort to win support for his administration, but that likely will not affect public opinion. She said the country is in need of a comprehensive political reform that promotes public participation and strengthens the rules for political parties internal consultations to elect their candidates. Measures to ensure the suitability of those holding political power are also required, Navas said. A reform is also needed to introduce clear criteria for Congress to impeach a president on the grounds of moral incapacity. ___ Associated Press writer Franklin Briceno reported this story in Lima and AP writer Regina Garcia Cano reported from Mexico City. Police arrested a Chesapeake man in connection with a weekend shooting outside a Virginia Beach bar that injured four people and resulted in two Virginia Beach police officers being placed on temporary administrative assignment. Earl Thomas Royster Jr., 39, is charged with three counts of malicious assault and three firearms charges following the March 26 shooting in front of West Beach Tavern. Virginia Beach police were monitoring the establishment due to recent violent incidents when, shortly after midnight, officers saw multiple people near the front of the business in an argument. The argument escalated and several people took out guns and started shooting. Two officers exited their car to intervene and both shot at one of the armed individuals, police said. That person, who police do not believe was struck by the officers gunfire, fled the scene. Virginia Beach police identified Royster as a suspect Monday. He is being held at the Virginia Beach Correctional Center without bond. A second shooter has not been identified. Altogether, four people were injured and sustained injuries not considered life-threatening. They include a 17-year-old girl from Newport News who was shot in her lower leg and a 21-year-old Newport News man whose shooting is being investigated as potentially self-inflicted, according to a release. Two other victims, a 37-year-old Chesapeake man and a 27-year-old Norfolk man, took themselves to a hospital. The incident is being investigated by the departments homicide unit. It will turn its findings over to the Virginia Beach Commonwealths Attorneys Office, which also responded to the scene and will conduct an independent investigation into the police shootings. When both criminal investigations are complete, the Virginia Beach Police Departments Internal Affairs Bureau will conduct an administrative investigation. Anyone with information regarding the shooting is asked to contact the Crime Solvers line at 1-888-LOCK-U-UP. Caitlyn Burchett, caitlyn.burchett@virginiamedia.com Mar. 29TUPELO At least two northeast Mississippi police departments are seeing an increase in fake or replica guns, as well as real guns. During March, the Tupelo Police Department has had four reported incidents of juveniles possessing and/or shooting realistic paintball or "splat guns." "There have been several (TikTok) challenges reported to TPD that encourage juveniles to ambush unsuspecting citizens, such as joggers or people in stores," said Major Chuck McDougald. "This is an incredibly dangerous prank. An officer or citizen could easily mistake these replicas as real firearms and defend themselves." It was just that reason that led West Point Police Department detective Ramirez Ivy to reach out to the public Monday. His department has seen a rise in juveniles taking toy guns that start off orange to show they are toys and painting them black. "A citizen or an officer could mistake it for a real gun," Ivy said. "When I first saw it, I thought it one of the guns involved in a recent shootings." McDougald said there are currently three juveniles charged through Lee County Youth Court where a West Main Walmart shopper was shot with a paintball gun March 15. In a separate incident, a realistic looking paintball gun was seized from two juveniles at the corner of Ida Street and Lawndale Drive. In addition to the replica and toy guns, both departments are seeing an increase in real guns being used. On Monday, West Point police showed off a 9mm pistol fitted with a high-capacity magazine and a shoulder stock, as well as an AR-15-style rifle. Both weapons were taken from juveniles who are not allowed by law to purchase or possess firearms. Tupelo police are also working four separate shots fired incidents that all happened within a one week span. On March 21, a guest at the Super 8 motel on McCullough Boulevard shot a hole through the room door. That guest was subsequently arrested for discharging a weapon inside the city limits. Story continues A fight among juveniles where a gun was fired was reported at Theron Nichols Park on Mitchell Road on March 24. While several witnesses have been interviewed, there are no suspects or victims so far. Shell casings were recovered March 25 after shots were fired at 418 South Gloster around 9 p.m. Police responded but no victims or suspects were located. It was the same story the next day at the intersection of Ida and Lawndale. There was a report of gunfire. Spent casings were found, but there were no victims or suspects found. Police are concerned that juveniles with access to firearms will escalate altercations and lead to fatal results. "The common element in the overwhelming majority of these incidents is that juveniles are gathering to fight or cause damage with real or realistic weapons," McDougald said. "TPD continues to ask all who have influence over our children to help stop this behavior before another senseless tragedy occurs." Ivy agreed that more oversight is needed from parents. "We tell parents to be mindful of the children. Speak with your children, even if they are 18 or 19," Ivy said. "Please don't let your child paint (a toy gun) black and make it look real. Let's practice safety all the way down to the toys." william.moore@djournal.com Ocala police say theyve arrested a teenager for his role in the shooting death of 23-year-old Jacorie McCullough outside the 7 Days Food Store Friday, but theyre still looking for the person who actually fired the gun. >>> STREAM CHANNEL 9 EYEWITNESS NEWS LIVE <<< Officers were called to the store on NW 1st Ave. just after 1:30 p.m. Friday for reports of two men fighting in the parking lot. READ: ICON Park calls for FreeFall, SlingShot rides to suspend operations following teens death By the time they arrived on scene, police say McCullough had been shot and the suspects were gone. McCullough was treated on the scene until emergency crews arrived and took him to the hospital where he later died. READ: 9 Investigates: Floridas foster care failures Teen Arrested For Murder TEEN ARRESTED FOR MURDER! #Ocala #Police Detective Kern arrested Cedrick Bowie, 14, for the murder of Jacorie McCullough, 23. On March 25, McCollough was gunned down in front of the 7 Days Food Store on 2002 NW 1st Ave. after fighting someone in the parking lot. Though Bowie did not shoot McCullough, he was an accomplice in the killing and he is charged with murder. Bowie is just one suspect involved in this homicide; other suspects are still at large. Our detectives are still actively investigating this murder. We're asking for our community's help. If you have any information about the murder of Jacorie McCullough, please call Det. Kern at 352-369-7000 or dial **TIPS. Posted by Ocala Police Department on Monday, March 28, 2022 On Monday, The Ocala Police Department announced the arrest of 14-year-old Cedrick Bowie, charging him as an accomplice to McCulloughs murder. Police say Bowie didnt shoot McCullough but havent explained exactly what his role was in the murder or how they developed him as a suspect. They say Bowie is one of multiple other suspects theyre still trying to find, including the actual shooter. READ: Merritt Island woman charged with sisters murder Story continues Theyre asking anyone with information that could help lead to an arrest in the case to call the police department at (352) 369-7000, or simply dial **TIPS (8477). Click here to download the free WFTV news and weather apps, click here to download the WFTV Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live. A memorial for the late Duke of Edinburgh has taken place at Westminster Abbey from 10.30am today, Tuesday 29 March. The Service of Thanksgiving was held at Westminster Abbey and saw a 1,800-strong congregation gather to honour Prince Philips life. The Queen arrived at the service accompanied by the Duke of York, who also walked her down the aisle in the abbey to her seat. He then took his own seat in the front row of the congregation. The service came after the 95-year-old head of state pulled out of the Commonwealth Day service earlier this month due to mobility issues, and has previously spoken about her struggle to move. Earlier reports said the Queen was determined to be at the service. The Palace said she was actively involved in plans for the service, with many elements reflecting her wishes. Follow our liveblog to get the latest updates on Philips memorial today. Key Points Queen arrives at Prince Philips memorial with Prince Andrew Dean of Windsor pays tribute to remarkable Prince Philip Prince Andrew makes first public appearance since sex case settlement Prince George and Princess Charlotte make rare public appearance Queen leaves Westminster Abbey 12:40 , Kate Ng The Queen has now left Westminster Abbey. She was pictured being helped into her car by the Duke of York, whom she arrived at the memorial with. Queen Elizabeth II is helped into her car by her son Prince Andrew, right, after attending a Service of Thanksgiving for the life of Prince Philip (AP) Royal fans feel for the Queen as she appears emotional during rendition of God Save The Queen' 12:36 , Kate Ng Viewers who tuned into BBC Ones coverage of Prince Philips memorial were touched when the Queen appeared to become emotional when the national anthem was sung. Some people said they noticed tears in her eyes, while others said that watching Her Majesty during the service made them emotional too. Oh no. I dont think Ive ever seen The Queen look so emotional as she did just then during God Save the Queen. She had tears in her eyes. Im far from a royalist, but that was clearly a widow having a moment of grief #PrincePhilip Lesser Spotted Jaz (@JazHicks) March 29, 2022 Watching our Queen has just broke my heart. She is so frail but still so dignified. I really hope this isn't the last time we see the Queen in public. #PrincePhilip #GodSaveTheQueen Claire Hooton BSc, PGDip (@ColdJustice_) March 29, 2022 The sweet meaning behind the flowers chosen for Prince Philips memorial Story continues 12:30 , Kate Ng Westminster Abbey has given us a bit of background on the flower arrangements chosen to honour the Duke of Edinburgh today. The abbeys official Twitter account posted photographs of the flowers, which include roses, carnations, eryngium (sea holly) and dendrobium orchids. The colours of each floral arrangement included shades of red, white and blue. But there is a hidden meaning in the flowers that were chosen. According to Westminster Abbey, orchids featured in The Queens wedding bouquet, whilst sea holly echoes The Dukes career in the Navy and affection for the sea. Flowers at the service will be arranged in shades of red, white and blue and will include roses, carnations, eryngium (sea holly) and dendrobium orchids. Orchids featured in The Queens wedding bouquet and sea holly echoes The Dukes career in the Navy and affection for the sea. pic.twitter.com/nAX1BQJ6d3 Westminster Abbey (@wabbey) March 29, 2022 Prince George and Princess Charlotte make rare public appearance 12:29 , Kate Ng The Duke and Duchess of Cambridges two elder children, Prince George and Princess Charlotte, have made a rare public appearance at Prince Philips memorial. However, the couples youngest child, Prince Louis, was not in attendance. Laura Hampson reports: Prince George and Princess Charlotte make rare public appearance at Philips memorial 12:22 , Kate Ng The service has now finished, with the congregation singing the rousing Guide Me, O Thou Redeemer, followed by the national anthem, to wrap it up. It was the Duke of Edinburghs wish that the hymn be sung at his funeral. Princess Charlotte praised for her confidence at memorial 12:20 , Kate Ng Princess Charlotte, the second child of Prince William and Kate Middletons, has been praised for her confidence as she greeted people inside Westminster Abbey. The six-year-old arrived with her parents and her older brother, Prince George, for the memorial of her great-grandfather. Princess Charlotte greeting the welcoming party inside Westminster abbey like a PRO! pic.twitter.com/hVciclslaD Belle (@RoyallyBelle_) March 29, 2022 Princess Charlotte is so cute glad shes not overwhelmed by the amount of cameras around and just having fun with it #DukeandDuchessofCambridge pic.twitter.com/SS5g3SMeeX Mae (@lomlkge) March 29, 2022 What a beautiful young lady Princess Charlotte is becoming Maria (@MariaRMGBNews) March 29, 2022 Dean of Windsor pays tribute to remarkable Prince Philip 12:05 , Kate Ng The Duke of Edinburghs intellect, work ethic, sense of humour and devotion to his family were celebrated in an address by the Dean of Windsor. Addressing the congregation in Westminster Abbey, The Right Reverend David Conner said: He was practical, wanting to put flesh upon his dreams, and (acknowledging the limitations of living in this so-called real world) he devoted his astonishing intellectual and physical energy, his enormous capacity for sheer hard work, to a host of down-to-earth enterprises. These included the equipping of young people to face tomorrows challenges, the encouragement of respect and care for the natural order, and his pioneering work in facilitating conversation between representatives of the different world faiths. Through his passionate commitment, he drew others to himself in admiration and respect and, in the case of those who lived and worked most closely to him, genuine love. Mr Conner added: He would hate to think that I should paint a picture of him as a plaster saint; someone without the usual human foibles and failings. He was far too self-aware ever to be taken in by flattery. Of course, it must be said that his life bore the marks of sacrifice and service. Certainly, he could show great sympathy and kindness. There is no doubt that he had a delightfully engaging, and often self-deprecating, sense of humour. It is quite clear that his mind held together both speculation and common sense. Moreover, nobody would ever doubt his loyalty and deep devotion to our Queen and to their family. Yet, there were times when he could be abrupt; maybe, in robust conversation, forgetting just how intimidating he could be. A kind of natural reserve sometimes made him seem a little distant. He could be somewhat sharp in pricking what he thought to be bubbles of pomposity or sycophancy. On the other hand, we should not forget that he himself was sometimes wounded by being unfairly criticised or misunderstood. Concluding his address, the dean said: As we give thanks for the life of a remarkable man, perhaps our greatest tribute to him, most especially in these far too troubled times, will be for us to accept the challenge, implicit in his life, to rekindle in our hearts something of that call, and to pray (as I think he did) for the inspiration and the guidance to play our part, however small, in working for a kinder future. PA The Duke of Edinburghs best quotes 12:00 , Kate Ng As we remember Prince Philips life, we remember some of the best things hes ever said throughout his 99 years of life: Prince Philips best quotes from 1921-2021 11:51 , Kate Ng Senior members of the royal family sit in the front row of the congregation at the memorial for the Duke of Edinburgh. The Queen, as well as the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall are wearing emerald green, while many others in the congregation have donned royal blue for the event. (Front row left to right) Queen Elizabeth II, the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall, the Princess Royal, Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence, the Duke of York, The Earl of Wessex, the Countess of Wessex, Lady Louise Mountbatten-Windsor and Viscount Severn. (second row left to right) The Duke of Cambridge, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, the Duchess of Cambridge, Peter Phillips, Isla Phillips, Savannah Phillips, Mia Tindall, Zara Tindall and Mike Tindall during a Service of Thanksgiving for the life of the Duke of Edinburgh, at Westminster Abbey in London (PA) 11:48 , Kate Ng And here are photographs of other members of the royal family as they arrived ahead of the service: Prince William, Duke of Cambridge (L), Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge (R) and their children Prince George of Cambridge (L) and and Princess Charlotte of Cambridge arrive to attend a Service of Thanksgiving (AFP via Getty Images) Princess Beatrice of York (L) and her husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi arrive (AFP via Getty Images) Princess Royal arriving for a Service of Thanksgiving for the life of the Duke of Edinburgh (PA) Prince Charles, Prince of Wales attends the memorial service for the Duke Of Edinburgh (Getty Images) Zara, Mia and Mike Tindall arriving for a Service of Thanksgiving for the life of the Duke of Edinburgh (PA) Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex, his wife Sophie, Countess of Wessex, and their children Lady Louise Mountbatten-Windsor, and James, Viscount Severn (REUTERS) 11:41 , Kate Ng Heres a glimpse at Her Majesty arriving at Westminster Abbey. Prince Andrew can be seen sitting beside her inside the vehicle: (REUTERS) Prince Andrew makes first public appearance since sex case settlement 11:38 , Kate Ng The Duke of York has walked the Queen down the aisle to her seat in Westminster Abbey, before taking a seat himself in the front row of the congregation. This marks his first public appearance since he came to a settlement with Virginia Giuffre over a high-profile sex abuse case. Olivia Petter reports: Prince Andrew arrives at memorial for Prince Philip in rare public appearance Queen arrives at Prince Philips memorial with Prince Andrew 11:34 , Kate Ng The Queen has arrived at the service in Westminster Abbey, accompanied by the Duke of York. Olivia Petter has the breaking story: Queen attends Prince Philips memorial service in spite of recent health issues 11:33 , Kate Ng Fanfare has begun to mark the arrival of Queen Elizabeth II. Once inside Westminster Abbey, guests were escorted to their seats, with Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie and their husbands smiling at members of the Abbeys chapter, or governing body, standing by the great West Door, as they walked in. The Earl and Countess of Wessex and their children also smiled warmly at the welcoming clergy. 11:25 , Kate Ng The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have arrived at Westminster Abbey with their children Prince George and Princess Charlotte. 11:23 , Kate Ng The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall have arrived at Westminster Abbey, the first senior members of the royal family to make an appearance at the memorial. Princess Anne has also arrived. Earlier, Princess Annes daughter, Zara Tindall, and husband Mike Tindall arrived at the abbey. How did the Queen and Prince Philip meet? 11:10 , Kate Ng As Her Majesty honours and remembers her husband of 73 years, Prince Philip , our Relationship Correspondent Olivia Petter reminds us how the royal couple met, and the journey their love story took them: How Prince Philip and the Queen met: The story of a royal relationship Boris Johnson, Rishi Sunak, Keir Starmer and other MPs arrive 11:08 , Kate Ng MPs have begun arriving at Westminster Abbey for the Duke of Edinburghs memorial. Prime minister Boris Johnson, Chancellor Rishi Sunak and home secretary Priti Patel all arrived separately at the abbey. Prime Minister Boris Johnson arrives to attend a Service of Thanksgiving for the life of Prince Philip (AP) Chancellor Rishi Sunak arrives to attend a Service of Thanksgiving for the life of Prince Philip (AP) Home Secretary Priti Patel attends the memorial service for the Duke Of Edinburgh (Getty Images) Labour leader Keir Starmer is also in attendance, as well as Scotlands first minister Nicola Sturgeon. Labour Party leader Keir Starmer arrives to attend a Service of Thanksgiving for Prince Philip (AFP via Getty Images) First Minister of Scotland Nicola Sturgeon arrives to attend a Service of Thanksgiving for the life of Prince Philip (AP) Watch our livestream of Prince Philips memorial 10:58 , Kate Ng Prince Philip: A life in pictures 10:50 , Kate Ng As we wait for the Duke of Edinburghs memorial to get underway, Joanna Whitehead takes us on a photographic trip down memory lane: Prince Philip: A life in pictures from 1921-2021 The Queen is on her way to Westminster Abbey 10:41 , Kate Ng The Queen has begun her journey from Windsor to central London for the Duke of Edinburghs memorial, accompanied by the Duke of York. Prince Andrew has a front row seat at the Service of Thanksgiving, close to his other siblings, the PA news agency has reported. On Andrews left will be his brother the Earl of Wessex and Edwards family the Countess of Wessex and their children Lady Louise Windsor and James, Viscount Severn. Across an aisle on his right will the Princess Royal, Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence, the Duchess of Cornwall, Prince of Wales and the Queen. Prince George and Princess Charlotte will also attend with the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, and be sat behind the Queen.Behind Andrew and Edwards family will be Peter Phillips, and Zara and Mike Tindall and their daughters. This will be the Dukes first public appearance since he reached a settlement with Virginia Giuffre in the sex abuse case leveled against him. Andrew has consistently denied ever meeting Giuffre, but came to a multi-million pound agreement to stop the case from proceeding to trial. 10:38 , Kate Ng Guests have begun to arrive at Westminster Abbey to attend the memorial of the Duke of Edinburgh. So far, Englands chief medical officer Chris Whitty and former Formula One driver Jackie Stewart have been pictured walking up the steps into the abbey. According to the PA news agency, the Queen is on her way from Windsor, accompanied by Prince Andrew. What is the order of service for Prince Philips memorial? 10:12 , Kate Ng Curious about what will happen at Prince Philips memorial? Joanna Whitehead has all the details: In full: The order of service for Prince Philips memorial service Royal fans gather outside Westminster Abbey ahead of service 10:00 , Kate Ng A small crowd of royal enthusiasts have gathered outside Westminster Abbey ahead of the Duke of Edinburghs memorial. Around 50 people have congregated beside barriers near the entrance to the abbey, hoping to catch a glimpse of members of the royal family as they enter the service. Here are some of the scenes outside Westminster Abbey right now: Royal fan John Loughrey waits for the arrivals for a Service of Thanksgiving for the life of the Duke of Edinburgh, at Westminster Abbey (PA) A royal enthusiast, dressed in a Union Jack flag suit, holds a bag with Queen Elizabeth's portrait before the service of thanksgiving for late Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (REUTERS) Royal fans including Joseph Afrane (right) wait for the arrivals for a Service of Thanksgiving for the life of the Duke of Edinburgh (PA) Prince Philips memorial will go ahead 09:50 , Kate Ng The Duke of Edinburgh will be remembered today in a Service of Thanksgiving at Westminster Abbey, which will be attended by 1,800-strong congregation. Read our report on what will take place during the memorial: Prince Philips memorial to go ahead as Buckingham Palace confirms Queen will attend Which members of the royal family will attend Prince Philips memorial? 09:37 , Kate Ng The royal family is marking the anniversary of the Duke of Edinburghs death today in a Service of Thanksgiving - but which senior members are attending and which arent? Our deputy lifestyle editor Laura Hampson has all the details: All the royal family members attending Prince Philips memorial When and where will Prince Philips memorial take place? 09:24 , Kate Ng Heres everything you need to know about the Duke of Edinburghs memorial, and how you can watch it today: Where and when will Prince Philips memorial take place? Queen to attend Prince Philips memorial 09:20 , Kate Ng Buckingham Palace has confirmed that the Queen will be present at Prince Philips memorial today. Her Majesty is currently intending to go to the Service of Thanksgiving for the life of the Duke of Edinburgh, it said. It comes after speculation that the 95-year-old monarch may not have been able to go due to mobility issues. Our Lifestyle Reporter Saman Javed has the story: Queen will attend Prince Philips memorial service in London today 09:07 , Kate Ng Good morning, and welcome to The Independents liveblog following the latest updates on Prince Philips memorial. The felony intimidation charge pending against Delaware Auditor Kathy McGuiness was updated Monday with prosecutors claiming she had employees answer "confidentiality" when asked what her office motto is. A New Castle County grand jury issued a re-indictment on Monday in McGuiness' case containing the same charges, but including new information claiming that since her initial indictment in October, McGuiness and her top aides have "castigated" employees they deemed "disloyal" employees the indictment indicates could be witnesses in her criminal case. Last year, McGuiness became the first statewide elected official in Delaware history to be indicted when prosecutors accused her of theft and official misconduct for hiring her daughter to a job in the Auditor's Office, structuring a state consulting contract to avoid regulatory scrutiny and felony intimidation for allegedly taking steps to surveil and discriminate against employees positioned to question her potential misconduct. Delaware state Auditor Kathy McGuiness, left, leaves the New Castle County Courthouse with her attorney Steve Wood in October. The intimidation felony charge is the most serious one she faces in terms of potential punishment if found guilty. After this story published, McGuiness noted in a written statement that the reindictment comes about a week before a judge will hear pending motions aimed at compelling evidence from prosecutors and her effort to have the court throw out the intimidation charge. She stated the new indictment is an "attempt to remedy significant deficiencies in the (original) indictment." "Despite the changes in the new indictment, those deficiencies in the charges remain. We look forward to the April 7 hearing on our pending motions," McGuiness wrote. The Delaware Department of Justice, which is prosecuting McGuiness, declined to comment for this story. The new information in the re-indictment appears to center on reports from employees in the office. It states that on Feb. 11, there was a staff meeting in the Auditor's Office in which prosecutors claim McGuiness was "displeased that, in her belief, information was leaking" from her office. Story continues Days before, McGuiness was subjected to pointed questioning by state lawmakers on Delaware's Joint Finance Committee regarding her office's spending decisions as well as a contract she awarded to a woman who would later become a staffer in the office. At the staff meeting that followed that committee questioning, McGuiness told staffers that she used to have staff "yell out loud, 'confidentiality'" and that "confidentiality" means "what happens in this office, stays in this office." Near the end of the meeting, she warned employees "we are gonna have zero tolerance for negativity," Monday's updated indictment states. THE LATEST: In defense of her criminal charges, auditor claims nepotism widespread in state government Six days after that meeting, an employee, whom the indictment describes as a witness, received a formal reprimand from McGuiness' office. The reprimand was partially for the employee "implying or directly stating" that someone in the office was involved in "illegal conduct," as well as for asking another employee if they were leaving the office because of the pending charges against McGuiness and stating that the "front office was shady and everything done in the front office is a cover-up" centered on McGuiness' pending trial. The employee was told, by a person the indictment does not identify, that their statements were "dangerous to morale" and that they were "hereby notified that it is inappropriate to discuss certain topics," including individuals' court cases and their opinions on the legality of "an individual's employment," in the Auditor's Office, according to the updated indictment. The indictment also states there was an office meeting called earlier this month in which McGuiness chastised staff for watching a recording of the Joint Finance Committee meeting during which she was needled by legislators. The indictment states McGuiness and her senior staff started the meeting by having employees respond "confidentiality" when asked what the office's motto is. The indictment states that the episodes made employees "feel uncomfortable" and believe they were "warnings not to continue to report wrongdoing." The new allegations pertaining to the intimidation charge come on top of prosecutors claiming in her original indictment, that McGuiness used the state's technology office to monitor employee emails as well as correspondence by a former staffer in the Auditor's Office who at the time was working in a different branch of state government. It also claims she discriminated against employees who questioned her conduct. Attorney General Kathy Jennings speaks at a press conference on Monday, Oct. 11, in front of the Leonard L. Williams Justice Center. The updated indictment also includes more specific allegations pertaining to how McGuiness ordered the payment of a consulting contract. Payments for that contract are at the center of the misdemeanor violation. While not adding new charges, the updated indictment provides more insight into what prosecutors will try to prove to a jury if the case makes it to a trial, which is scheduled for May. The updated indictment also comes as a judge is considering a request by McGuiness' attorney to toss out the intimidation charge as well as ongoing efforts by her attorney to build a defense against the charges by claiming nepotism is common in state government. Wood has asked the court to toss the intimidation charge, arguing the indictment fails to include legally required specifics about the crime, particularly that McGuiness knew she was under investigation and knew she was taking action against potential witnesses of an investigation. Prosecutors, writing in an opposing brief to the court, argued that Wood has misconstrued the law and that it does not require McGuiness to know of any current investigation into her, only that she knew the effect of the actions she took. Oral arguments on the pending motions will be held in front of Judge William C. Carpenter Jr. on April 7. Contact Xerxes Wilson at (302) 324-2787 or xwilson@delawareonline.com. Follow @Ber_Xerxes on Twitter. MCguiness Reindictment by Xerxes Wilson on Scribd This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Prosecutors: McGuinness 'castigated' employees after she was indicted Russian President Vladimir Putin watches a naval exercise from the Marshal Ustinov missile cruiser in the Black Sea on January 9, 2020. Alexei Druzhinin/Getty Images Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told PBS "no one is thinking about using" nukes in Ukraine. Peskov previously refused to rule out the use of nuclear weapons. There have been growing concerns Putin would turn to nukes with the war going poorly for Russia. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov in an interview with PBS on Monday threw cold water on the notion that Russia was planning on using nuclear weapons against Ukraine, after previously refusing to rule it out. "No one is thinking about using...a nuclear weapon," Peskov said. Peskov said Russia has a "security concept that very clearly states that only when there is a threat for existence of the state in our country, we can use and we will actually use nuclear weapons to eliminate the threat or the existence of our country." "Let's keep these two things separate...existence of the state and special military operation in Ukraine. They have nothing to do with each other," Peskov went on to say, adding, "At the same time, if you remember the statement of the president when he ordered the operation on the 24th of February, there was a part of his statement warning different states not to interfere in the affairs between Ukraine and Russia during this operation." The war in Ukraine has not gone well for Russia after nearly five weeks, with Ukrainian forces putting up a much tougher fight than Moscow had planned for. NATO last week estimated that the Russian military had already seen 40,000 battlefield casualties in roughly a month of war. Russian generals have also been killed at an astonishing rate. In this context, there have been growing fears that Russian President Vladimir Putin could use a weapon of mass destruction as he increasingly feels frustrated. Shortly after launching the so-called "special military operation" in Ukraine, Putin ordered his country's nuclear deterrent forces on high alert. The use of nuclear weapons by Putin in Ukraine would likely pull NATO and the US into the war, which would mean a direct conflict between multiple nuclear powers. Story continues Russian military doctrine calls for a so-called "escalate to de-escalate" strategy where Russia uses a nuke to end a conventional war that's gone against them. As peace talks between Ukrainian and Russian negotiators showed glimmers of progress on Tuesday, Russia also announced it was reducing military activities near Kyiv. But the US has expressed skepticism about the significance of this, warning that Russia could simply be regrouping and shifting troops to other areas. "We believe that this is a repositioning, not a real withdrawal, and that we all should be prepared to watch for a major offensive against other areas of Ukraine. It does not mean the threat to Kyiv is over," Pentagon press secretary John Kirby said Friday. Read the original article on Business Insider CAIRO (AP) Qatar will invest $5 billion in Egypt, officials said Tuesday, signaling increasing improvement in ties between the two nations. The announcement came as Qatar Foreign Minister Mohammad bin Abdulrahman Al Thani wrapped up a visit to the Egyptian capital of Cairo, where he met with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi and other government officials. An Egyptian statement said the $5 billion package is meant to strengthen economic and investment cooperation between the two brotherly countries. The statement didnt provide further details, including a timeframe for the investments. Qatar's state-run news agency also reported the development. Egypts economy is under pressure amid an inflationary wave triggered by the coronavirus pandemic and Russias war in Ukraine, which hiked oil prices to record highs. The war has also impacted the vital tourism sector, as most foreign visitors to the countrys Red Sea resorts have come from Russia and Ukraine. Egypt is also the world's largest importer of wheat, most of it coming from Russia and Ukraine. Al Thani, who is also Qatar's deputy prime minister, arrived in Egypt on Monday in his second visit since Egypt and three Gulf nations ended a diplomatic dispute with the energy-rich country last year. He was accompanied by Finance Minister Ali bin Ahmed Al Kuwari. El-Sissi, who met with the Qatari ministers Tuesday, hailed the tangible progress in the course of Egyptian-Qatari relations, according to the Egyptian leaders office. The Qatari officials also met Tuesday with Prime Minister Mustafa Madbouly and Finance Minister Mohammed Moait. The prime minister's office announced the investment agreement. Qatars previous investment in Egypt has focused on the real state and oil sectors, including the building of a $1.3 billion luxury hotel on Cairos Nile Corniche. Qatar Petroleum held a major stake in a $4.4 billion refining firm, according to the state-run Al-Ahram daily. Story continues In a joint news conference Monday with Foreign Minister Sameh Shukry, Al Thani said Qatars ties with Egypt were improving after we overcame the previous period, which was marred by some tensions. A declaration in January 2021 ended a diplomatic crisis that began in 2017 with a rift between Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain on one side and Qatar on the other. The four countries had jointly boycotted Qatar and hoped an embargo and media blitz would pressure it to end its close relations with Turkey and Iran. Since the dispute ended, ties between the five countries have improved and top officials have exchanged visits. Al Thani visited Cairo in May and met with el-Sissi. The Egyptian leader also met twice with Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani once in November on the sidelines of the climate change summit in Glasgow and most recently in February when they attended the opening of the Olympic winter games in Beijing. Stephanie Hart, owner of Brown Sugar Bakery, stands with cakes she's storing in a freezer at the former Cupid Candies factory, which she also owns, on Western Avenue in Chicago, March 29, 2022. (Terrence Antonio James / Chicago Tribune) A South Side community has rallied behind Brown Sugar Bakery, a beloved fixture of East 75th Street in the Park Manor neighborhood, after a car crashed into the bakery early Sunday. Community members quickly helped owner Stephanie Hart board up the store and cart away debris and within hours the bakery was open for business. By Tuesday, Harts team was back to baking. Advertisement What we thought was going to be really terrible gave us a really warm feeling, Hart said. Brown Sugar Bakery, at 328 E. 75th St. in Chicago, seen here on March 29, 2022, was damaged in a hit-and-run crash Sunday. (Terrence Antonio James / Chicago Tribune) A car crashed into the front of the building around 6 a.m. Sunday before the driver fled, Chicago police said in a statement. No injuries were reported, no one was in custody and police were investigating. Advertisement Hart said a bakery employee discovered the damage when she got to work at the bakery, at 328 E. 75th St., around 6 a.m. The worker usually starts her shift around 3 a.m., but started late on Sunday because she worked on her usual day off the day before. She wouldve been working less than 4 feet from where the car hit the building. Hart is glad she wasnt. After she got to work Sunday, Hart said, strangers driving down 75th Street started offering their help. A man stopped by and called his cousin, who arrived with boards to help close up the bakery. Another man who stopped by in a truck helped clear up the debris left in the street. I didnt even know these people, she said. That was the beauty of it. The man in the truck wouldnt take any money for his help, Hart said. She sent him away with cake and candy. The crash damaged a walk-in freezer used to freeze cakes for shipping, which Hart was only able to secure last December because of supply chain issues. The freezer itself is worth about $20,000, but Hart said she has insurance. And shes seeing the silver linings. Had this happened in the beginning of December, that car wouldve landed smack dab in the middle of my business and probably caused immeasurable damage, she said. More than anything, Hart said, shes thankful no one was in the bakery at the time of the crash. I wouldve been angry in March of 2019, Hart said. After March of 2020, I dont have that kind of emotion for something that can be fixed. Advertisement So many restaurants have been forced to close during the pandemic, Hart added. Im still here. Hart founded Brown Sugar Bakery in the early 2000s, and has been at the 75th Street location since 2007. Last August, Hart purchased the building. She opened up a location at Navy Pier in 2016. The bakery found itself in the national spotlight last year, when Vice President Kamala Harris visited while on a trip promoting COVID-19 vaccinations in Chicago. Her staff ordered her a slice of German chocolate cake. Earlier in the year, Hart made an appearance on Good Morning America, where she won a surprise $10,000 grant from Verizon and the Local Initiatives Support Corporation. Vice President Kamala Harris visits Brown Sugar Bakery, April 6, 2021, in Chicago. (Jacquelyn Martin / AP) An installation from the Art Institute, representing the museums Egypt exhibit, was also damaged in the crash, right at the point of impact. The Art Institute has reached out, Hart said, and theyre prepping the wall to put the exhibit back up. The bakery lost some product in the crash, Hart said. For now, shes storing cakes for delivery in the Cupid Candies factory on 76th Street and Western Avenue, which she bought in 2020. With an Easter rush approaching, shes looking at ways to keep her production up to speed. One of her suppliers has offered extra freezer space, she said. Hart said she also received messages of support from the city of Chicago and the governor. The other businesses on 75th Street reached out, too. Friends drove up on Sunday just to hug her. Advertisement Hart said shes praying for whomever was in the car that hit her bakery. I hope theyre OK, she said. I really, really do. I think that it shows an evolution of humanity, Hart said of the support the bakery has received over the last couple of days. I think that people are just hyperaware, more aware especially because of COVID, that people, businesses are fragile, and we shouldnt take any part of our ecosystem for granted. Im honored, Hart said. I really am. The United Kingdom's Queen Elizabeth II joined her family members for a memorial service on Tuesday honoring her late husband, Prince Philip. The queen was joined by her son, Prince Charles, grandson Prince William and his wife, Kate, along with their children at the service at Westminster Abbey in London, according to multiple reports. Prince Andrew, who recently settled a lawsuit over allegations that he sexually assaulted a teenage girl, also attended the event, the BBC noted. However, Prince Harry, who moved to the U.S. last year, wasn't able to attend, the network added. Some 1,800 people reportedly attended the event, including representatives from charities and politicians such as British Prime Minister Boris Johnson. It was Queen Elizabeth's first public appearance in months after experiencing several health issues. The 95-year-old monarch spent a night at the hospital last October due to an unspecified ailment, with her medical team ordering her to rest. She also tested positive for COVID-19 in February, experiencing mild cold-like symptoms. After spending a week in isolation, the monarch conducted a meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau last month. Philip died last April at the age of 99, two months shy of his centennial birthday. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, only 30 mourners were allowed to attend his funeral. Predominantly Black community members say a developers plan to turn a historic Norfolk church into high-end apartments is contributing to gentrification of the Park Place neighborhood a concern as rising rents make housing less affordable. Beverly McDonald, one of the dozen community members who spoke in opposition to the plan at a Norfolk City Council meeting last week, said the redevelopment of Park Place United Methodist Church creates an imbalance in the community. These are market rate apartments. The average rent is $1,500-$2,000 for one- and two-bedroom apartments, McDonald said. That is not rent that the community can afford. To me, this is a form of gentrification. Monument Properties plans to renovate the sprawling 5,500-square-foot church building at 504 W. 34th Street. But the councils 7-1 vote last week to rezone the property from institutional to multi-family greenlights the redevelopment. Monument is undertaking a $14 million plan to transform the building into 60 apartments. The councils vote comes as the city is engaged in broader redevelopment planning in the adjacent Midtown neighborhood. The church has been a landmark on the corner of Colonial Avenue and W. 34th Street since 1917. But by 2016, the congregation dwindled to about a dozen elderly members, and the church closed its doors after a century of service. When the church disbanded, the deed went to the Elizabeth River District of the United Methodist Church Mission Board, which placed the property on the market in 2018, according to a representative from the mission board who spoke during the council meeting. The Elizabeth River District received six offers all of which fell through before Monument Properties proposed to redevelop the building. The building hasnt sat vacant, however. Since closing, the mission board has allowed community groups to host meetings, and a number of start-up churches and service organizations have also rented space, said Tom Mercer Sr., vice chair of the mission board. The groups have organized events such as a free clothing closet, food pantry and a weekly community supper. Story continues We have been delighted to be able to have these wonderful ministries continue in this building, Mercer said. But the upkeep of the building is beyond the means of the Board of Ministry. Monument Properties made a proposal that while it is not a congregation is probably the best use of this property considering the rehabilitation that is needed for it. According to Chris Johnson, co-founder of Monument Properties, 10% of the units have been set aside for affordable housing. This was required by the city as part of the rezoning, Johnson said. The Park Place church development project comes at a time that rental prices are soaring across the country. A recent study by Zumper, a rental property finder website, found the median rent prices for one- and two-bedroom apartments in Norfolk are $1,130 and $1,340 respectively. The study noted the price of a two-bedroom apartment in Norfolk is up 22.9% since this time last year. Lateef Rasheed told the council during the March 22 meeting that he did two tours of duty in Vietnam and returned to Norfolk just in time to see Ghent being gentrified. They told us they were going to build these affordable houses in Ghent. And they were affordable for the rich, but not for us, Rasheed said. When asked to address residents concerns, a Norfolk government spokesperson highlighted the citys recent efforts to create more affordable housing opportunities for residents. The Department of Planning implemented multi-family design guidelines that require that all developments include inclusionary units, which the developer is doing, said Kelly Straub, Norfolk spokesperson. Straub also said Norfolk established the Department of Housing and Community Development in July to champion housing preservation, revitalization and neighborhood transformation. The city plans to participate in a new online auction of city-owned vacant residential property next month. The auction, Straub said, was designed to be accessible and align with the citys priorities around affordable housing and neighborhood strategic plans. Residents were also concerned the redevelopment means they would lose access to a location that has hosted community meetings and services. Among the speakers in opposition of rezoning the property was James Washington, who has used the property to offer community outreach services to the areas homeless population and high-risk youth. To do this is a spit in our face and a spit on our community, Washington said. Krysta Franks said a community pastor has been offering free ministry services to neighborhood children at the church. Every time I turn around there is something going on in the church and in the parking lot for the community. And that parking lot is packed because so many people depend on that, Franks said. Dale White, who was married in the church, said the approval of the multi-family zoning is an abomination that will displace vital ministry services that help cut down on violent crimes. Turning a 100-year old place of worship in a needy community into high-end apartments and townhomes Monument Properties can do better than that. The mission board can do better than that, White said. Councilmember Mamie Johnson, who represents Ward 3, asked the council to consider assisting community outreach programs who provided services at the church with finding a new location. The church decided to sell to whomever they chose to sell to. The city does not have control over that, said Johnson, who voted in favor of the rezoning. I am proposing that the governing body find the resources needed for the groups who were providing services to the people in Park Place so that their ministry can continue. City officials did not specify whether the city will help to relocate affected organizations in accordance with Johnsons proposal. The site was also rezoned as a historical landmark in the same vote. As a result, Monument Properties will have to obtain approval for changes throughout the church from the citys Architectural Review Board. Monument Properties is the company behind the redevelopment of Linde Lofts and the Peanut Factory Flats, both located in the Railroad District at Park Place. While the shell of the properties remain in accordance with historical landmark zoning laws, the interior was redone to accommodate apartments. The base price for a 650-square-foot apartment is around $1,300 per month, according to the properties websites. Caitlyn Burchett, caitlyn.burchett@virginiamedia.com via TikTok A Georgia cop probably thought no one was watching when he took his squad car to a scrubby area off a quiet road in a small Georgia town, walked around the back, and started having sex with someone while in uniform. But someone high up in a nearby telecommunications tower started filming and uploaded the videos to TikTok last week where they quickly racked up more than 15 million views. Police caught on cam!!! one video was captioned, along with hashtags of #towerclimbers and #dirtydeeds. Now the officer, identified by local news channel WRDW as Millen Police Officer Larry Benjamin Thompson, has quit and a record of past misconduct has come to light. Satellite maps from White Oak Road in Millen, a town of about 3,500 people about an hour south of Augusta, show the same tower, nearby cemetery, and patches of dirt and bushes that can be seen in the TikTok videos. The map also shows a school across the street. Millen Police Chief Dwayne Herrington told WRDW he was planning to meet with Thompson on Monday about a video but Thompson quit beforehand. Georgia state records show Thompson had worked on-and-off for the department since 2015. According to Millen City Council meeting minutes, Thompson was involved in a car crash while at work in November 2019. WRDW reported that he killed a 76-year-old driver, identified in a local obituary as Lewis Jenkins, when he t-boned Jenkins car while racing to a call at 86 miles per hour. The network also obtained investigation documents showing that, while working for the Millen fire department in 2017, Thompson accidentally discharged his gun, shooting a colleague in the arm. He claimed the gun malfunctioned while he was cleaning it but an internal probe found the weapon had no malfunctions. This is not an excuse to be accepted; only a reflection after the fact, the criminal investigative division wrote in its report. Though it is referred to as an accidental discharge, essentially it is a negligent discharge. Story continues Then in 2020, a woman whod been in a relationship with Thompson contacted Millen Police to accuse him of harassing her. Thompson admitted to running her tags to find her new address, claiming he was trying to return some old items to her, according to a case summary. He was suspended for two days. The Millen Police Department did not immediately respond to The Daily Beasts request for comment Tuesday. Read more at The Daily Beast. Get the Daily Beast's biggest scoops and scandals delivered right to your inbox. Sign up now. Stay informed and gain unlimited access to the Daily Beast's unmatched reporting. Subscribe now. (Reuters) -Russia's communications regulator on Tuesday said it had drawn up two administrative cases against Alphabet Inc's Google for failing to remove banned information from its YouTube video-sharing platform, accusing it of blatantly promoting false content. Roskomnadzor said Google could be fined up to 8 million roubles ($91,533), or as much as 20% of the company's annual revenue in Russia for repeat offences. It said YouTube had become one of the key platforms in the "information war" against Russia. Google did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment. Russia has restricted access to Twitter and Meta Platforms' flagship Facebook and Instagram services since sending troops into Ukraine on Feb. 24, as a simmering dispute with U.S. technology giants has escalated into a battle to control information flows. YouTube, which has blocked Russian state-funded media globally, is under heavy pressure from Moscow, which earlier this month accused it of spreading what it called threats against Russian citizens. "The American platform openly enables the spread of false content, containing inaccurate publicly significant information about the course of the special military operation in Ukraine, discrediting the armed forces of the Russian Federation, as well as information of an extremist nature with calls for violence against Russian servicemen," Roskomnadzor said. Russia last week said Meta was guilty of "extremist activity", something the company's lawyer denied in a Moscow court. Russia launched what it calls a special operation in Ukraine to degrade its neighbour's military capabilities and root out people it called dangerous nationalists. Ukrainian forces have mounted stiff resistance and the West has imposed sweeping sanctions on Russia in response. ($1 = 87.4000 roubles) (Reporting by ReutersEditing by Tomasz Janowski) LONDON (Reuters) - Russia's Foreign Ministry called in the ambassadors of the three Baltic nations on Tuesday to announce the expulsion of some of their diplomats in a tit-for-tat response, the TASS and RIA news agencies cited a source as saying. Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania expelled a total of 10 Russian diplomats in a coordinated move earlier this month. (Reporting by Reuters) HMS Prince of Wales in the Arctic as part of Exercise Cold Response, a major demonstration of Nato's strength in the region - @HMSPWLS Russia has significantly increased its military presence in the Arctic since its invasion of Ukraine, Ben Wallace has warned as UK troops take part in the largest Nato exercise in Norway in 30 years. The Defence Secretary on Monday night said Britain and its allies must strengthen their "unity and purpose as a defensive alliance". Troops from across Nato countries have been taking part in Exercise Cold Response, a major demonstration of the alliance's strength in the Arctic region. "The High North and Arctic are vital areas for the Nato Alliance to demonstrate our shared defences and support for wider European security," said Mr Wallace. "Russia's invasion of Ukraine has also been coupled with a significant increase in Russian military activity in the region. "Exercises like Cold Response underline our unity and purpose as a defensive alliance as we train together with forces from across Europe and North America." The exercise has included a reconnaissance mission by British commandos, who launched from a Royal Navy submarine in a Norwegian fjord. The Surveillance and Reconnaissance Squadron exercises at Lyngan Fjord, Norway - LPhot Johnson/Royal Navy Surveillance and Reconnaissance Squadron (SRS) teams launched from a "hunter-killer" submarine for "subsurface insertion" missions, which required them to surveil rocky shores in Lyngenfjord, within the Arctic Circle, while "enemy" troops searched for them. The SRS is drawn from a Plymouth-based division of the Royal Marines and performs reconnaissance ahead of the arrival of other units of Marines, who can deploy from skis, snowmobiles, boats, helicopters or by parachute. Their team leader in Norway said: "Being able to move sub-surface gives us a discreet means of moving our specialist teams to any coastline in the world. "Not only can we conduct operations in isolation, but by accessing and reconnoitring these complex coastlines by small craft we can also set the conditions for larger, more lethal follow on forces." Story continues His deputy added: "Working alongside the submarine was a great opportunity for us. In addition to the submarine work, we also took the opportunity to operate alongside our Norwegian colleagues. "We used one of their larger, faster craft to access areas out of range of our small craft, an excellent example of working together to achieve a common aim." Crew members clear the decks of HMS Prince of Wales as Arctic conditions strike - @HMSPWLS Exercise Cold Response is running across March and April in Norway and the surrounding seas and involves around 30,000 troops from 27 countries in Europe and North America. The exercise is held biannually, but takes place this year against the backdrop of the threat of conflict between Nato and Russia following the invasion of Ukraine. Mr Wallace's warning about Russian military presence in the region comes after more than a decade of increasing numbers of troops in the region. Dmitri Medvedev, then the Russian head of state, launched an Arctic strategy to "ensure military security" there in 2008. Since then, it has been a flashpoint between Russia and the Nato alliance. Last year, the United States accused Russia of "militarising" the region, while Russia said Western forces were provoking their troops by responding in kind. (Reuters) - Russian tech developers are building an alternative to Alphabet Inc's Google Play store and plan to launch it on May 9, a national holiday in Russia that celebrates victory in World War Two, the organisation behind the initiative said on Tuesday. YouTube and Google Play this month suspended all payment-based services in Russia, including subscriptions, as Western sanctions over Russia's actions in Ukraine started to pose banking challenges in the country. "Unfortunately, Russians can no longer normally use Google Play to buy apps and developers have lost their source of income," said Vladimir Zykov, director of projects at Digital Platforms, an organisation focused on digital development. "This is why we have created a Russian app shop, NashStore," Zykov said in a statement. NashStore, which translates into English as "OurStore", will serve Android mobile devices and should ultimately be compatible with Russian Mir bank cards, the statement said. Russia traditionally holds a patriotic display of raw military power on May 9 with a parade that passes through Moscow's Red Square commemorating the anniversary of the Soviet Union's victory over Nazi Germany in World War Two. (Reporting by Reuters, editing by Ed Osmond) As the strike by two dozen WTTW technicians enters its third week, negotiations are at a stalemate over a new labor contract, and the pressure is mounting on both sides. On Monday, the Chicago public TV station notified the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 1220, which represents the striking workers, that it will terminate group health insurance coverage for the technicians as of April 1. The workers will have the option to continue coverage at their own expense through the federal COBRA program. Advertisement One of the guys on the picket line actively has cancer, and a couple of guys have had cancer in the past, said John Rizzo, business manager for Downers Grove-based IBEW Local 1220. Removing that coverage and putting the cost burden back on these people with no paychecks to help support it, its quite frankly an evil move on their part. John Rizzo, business manager with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 1220, joins other union members as he speaks at a strike rally outside the WTTW studios in Chicago March 21, 2022. WTTW union broadcast technicians went on strike March 16 after more than a year of negotiations failed to produce a labor agreement. The technicians are responsible for a number of productions at the local public TV station, including the nightly news show "Chicago Tonight." (Jose M. Osorio / Chicago Tribune) In an email, WTTW said when the workers went on strike March 16, they moved to inactive employment status with health insurance covered through the month of March. The station told the striking employees last week they automatically qualify to continue coverage under the COBRA health insurance program. Advertisement Health insurance coverage is reliant on employment status on the first day of each month, Julia Maish, a WTTW spokeswoman, said in an email Tuesday. The company presumes that the IBEW addressed health insurance coverage optionality with its striking members before their strike action. The striking IBEW workers include camera operators, graphic artists and floor crew responsible for various productions at WTTW, including the stations signature nightly news program, Chicago Tonight. The employees went on strike after a year of negotiations failed to produce an agreement on a new labor contract with WTTW-Ch. 11. It is the first such strike in the 67-year history of the station. WTTW has continued to produce a down-sized version of Chicago Tonight during the strike, with executive producer Jay Smith and other management personnel handling the technical aspects of the 7 p.m. live broadcast. The show has been reduced from an hour to less than 30 minutes on most nights, and the guest list has been winnowed by a growing list of politicians who refuse to cross the picket line. Last week, Mayor Lori Lightfoot appeared at a union rally in front of the stations North Side studios, while Gov. J.B. Pritzker issued a statement Thursday, setting a top-down tone for dealing with WTTW during the strike. Until WTTW-Channel 11 can come to an agreement on a fair contract, I stand in solidarity with the men and women of IBEW Local 1220 and will honor their strike, Pritzker said. The Democratic Party of Illinois sent a letter last week to Sandra Cordova Micek, president and CEO of Window to the World Communications, parent of WTTW-Ch. 11, saying it also stood in solidarity with the striking workers, and had notified political candidates that appearing on the station would be considered crossing a picket line. While some politicians have declined invitations for interviews, Chicago Tonight remains committed to providing news reporting, context and analysis to our viewers about the news of the day, Maish said. The technicians had been working without a labor contract since July, when a one-year extension of the previous four-year agreement expired. The issues are job protection and work jurisdiction, according to the union, which alleges WTTW is trying to farm out their long-standing technical duties to news producers and nonunion personnel. Advertisement WTTW said it offered the union a no-layoff guarantee and a bargaining unit minimum of 25 full-time employees for the term of the new contract, but the IBEW rejected it. The station stands ready to return to good faith negotiations as soon as possible, Maish said. Cameramen and editors start at $20 an hour, with a top pay of $48.41 after seven years, according to the IBEW. Floor crew start at $18.19 per hour with a top pay of $38.22, while graphic artists start at $19.39 and max out at $29.89 per hour after seven years. The station said the average pay rate across the unit is $47.75 per hour, and that 91% of technicians make more than $40 an hour. Currently, no one is paid at the minimum rate. Rizzo said while seasoned veterans can make a good living, the starting pay is so low that its hard to attract new technicians to work at WTTW. Advertisement This is not the way that public television should be run. It should be run with people in mind, not corporate profits, Rizzo said. The top scale is a nice living wage and the bottom scale, they cant get people in on. You cant feed a family at that rate. rchannick@chicagotribune.com Mikhail Fridman. Mikhail Svetlov/Getty Images The Russian oligarch Mikhail Fridman told El Pais he can't go anywhere because of sanctions. The London-based billionaire said he has to apply to the UK government to spend money. He said he wasn't sure the allowance would be enough "to live a normal life without excesses." The Russian oligarch Mikhail Fridman told the Spanish newspaper El Pais this week that he was living "practically under house arrest" because of sanctions levied against him. Fridman, who lives in London, and many other Russian oligarchs and officials were sanctioned by the UK and the European Union after Russia's invasion of Ukraine. He cannot access his fortune, as his bank accounts, credit cards, and ATM cards have been blocked. "Authorities in Great Britain have to assign me a certain amount so I can take taxis and buy food, but it will be a very limited amount if you look at the cost of living in London," he told El Pais. Fridman, who founded the largest private bank in Russia, is one of the richest people in Russia, with an estimated net worth of $10.4 billion, according to Bloomberg's Billionaires Index. Earlier this month, he told Bloomberg that he had to apply to the UK government to spend any money in the country and that he could be receiving about 2,500 British pounds, or about $3,275, a month if the application were approved. But in the El Pais interview, he said he wasn't sure an allowance would be "enough to live a normal life without excesses." "I can't even take anyone out to a restaurant. I have to eat at home and I am practically under house arrest," he said. He bought Athlone House, a five-acre Victorian-era estate, for 65 million pounds in 2016. Fridman told El Pais he didn't know whether he'd be able to keep the mansion. "It's unclear whether I'll be able to keep living in London or whether I'll be forced to go, which I cannot do right now and don't want to for many reasons," he said. Story continues The tycoon also expressed dismay at the treatment he'd received since the war in Ukraine began. "I have been in London for eight years, I have invested billions of dollars in Great Britain and other European countries, and the response to this is that they seize everything from me and throw me out," Fridman told El Pais. Fridman has described the sanctions targeting businesspeople as unfair and ineffective. He told El Pais that "sanctions against private entrepreneurs make no sense, because the majority of them have built their business through talent, effort and personal qualifications." He told the Spanish newspaper it's "idiotic" to believe that oligarchs could compel Russian President Vladimir Putin to end the Ukraine war which El Pais noted he avoided calling a war but described as a "disaster" or "what is happening." "Things won't go any better for the West if it forces many brilliant and interesting entrepreneurs to go to Russia, instead of integrating them more and trying to get them to take a stand, even if it is obvious that private business has zero influence over Putin," he told El Pais. Read the original article on Business Insider Thungela mining (Image Philip Mostert) Investors have been warned to watch out for fraudsters trying to sell fake shares in a London-listed miner. Scammers are attempting to sell shares in coal mining firm Thungela Resources as part of a fraudulent fundraising scheme, the company said today. The South African business, which is listed on the London Stock Exchange, said it had become aware of a third-party attempting to coax investors into a supposed fundraising involving redeemable preference shares. Thungela denied it was involved in any such scheme. The company, which was recently sold by mining giant Anglo American, warned investors not to engage and report any possible contact with the scammers to regulators. The purported offer amounts to share fraud and has been reported by the Company to the Johannesburg Stock Exchange, the South African Financial Sector Conduct Authority and to the United Kingdom Financial Conduct Authority for investigation, the company said. Thungela said shareholders and investors could visit its website for legitimate documents the firm has issued and find information about share fraud and other investment scams. The UKs FCA recently said it was taking assertive action to tackle fraud aimed at retail investors. Between April and September last year, it received 16,400 enquiries about possible scams up nearly a third on the same period in 2020. An unexpected lockdown forced a Chinese woman to have the stitches of her eyelid surgery removed at the gate of her residential complex. The woman, whose name was withheld in media reports, underwent double eyelid surgery at a cosmetic medical institute in the middle of March. Last week, she was finally ready to have her sutures removed after days of waiting. Unfortunately, however, local health authorities had just decided to place her residential block under a COVID-19 lockdown in a bid to stop the spread of the virus in the city. On Sunday, Shanghais municipal health authority reported 50 new coronavirus patients and 3,450 asymptomatic cases. There are currently a total of 14,376 local asymptomatic cases still under medical observation in the city. Her concerns grew two days later after the officials informed the residents that the lockdown in their complex could stay longer than expected. She then asked her doctor, surnamed Zhou, if it was possible to postpone the removal of her sutures. I am not allowed to leave my residential block. Do you think I can postpone the time to remove the sutures? I feel they have been embedded in my flesh, she was quoted as asking. Zhou told the patient that the sutures must be removed immediately. He suggested that he send over a surgical blade and tweezers so she could ask someone in her complex to remove the stitches for her. Non-absorbable sutures used in surgeries must be removed as soon as the wound is healed, which usually takes about a week. Once the stitches are removed, the wound can continue healing. Having the sutures embedded in the skin longer than necessary can cause unsightly scars. The doctor eventually decided to visit his patient at her residential complex and do it himself after she failed to find someone who could help her. Since he was not allowed to enter the complex, he was forced to remove the sutures at the community gate. According to Zhou, the procedure became complicated since they were both standing with a gate between them. The doctor placed the patients chin on top of the barrier to keep her face from any sudden movement while he removed the sutures. Following COVID-19 health protocols, the doctor wore a mask and brought along alcohol disinfection pads, tweezers and a surgical blade during his visit. Story continues Enjoy this content? Read more from NextShark! Cassey Ho Posts Support for Black Fitness Coach Who Received Racist Messages Sneaky Cat Stays Quiet in Classroom After Student Sneaks Him Into School Elderly Laundromat Owners Model the Clothes Left Behind by Customers Taiwanese Club Hosts Event for People With Autism and Their Families The contrasts between the cries of emotion and a balloon-bearing dancing heart did not overshadow the message repeated again and again by family, friends and supporters of Tyre Sampson: Icon Park should tear down Orlando FreeFall God, we pray that you shut this whole thing down, a minister preached, raising her palms to the sky as the red metallic tower loomed behind her. Thursday night, Sampson, a 14-year-old football player from Missouri, slipped from his seat an fell dozens of feet from the ride and died after the rides nearly 340-foot drop. PHOTOS: ICON Park vigil for Tyre Sampson People including family gathered at a vigil outside Orlando FreeFall Monday to honor 14-year-old Tyre Sampson, who fell from the ride and died last week. People including family gathered at a vigil outside Orlando FreeFall Monday to honor 14-year-old Tyre Sampson, who fell from the ride and died last week. People including family gathered at a vigil outside Orlando FreeFall Monday to honor 14-year-old Tyre Sampson, who fell from the ride and died last week. People including family gathered at a vigil outside Orlando FreeFall Monday to honor 14-year-old Tyre Sampson, who fell from the ride and died last week. People including family gathered at a vigil outside Orlando FreeFall Monday to honor 14-year-old Tyre Sampson, who fell from the ride and died last week. People including family gathered at a vigil outside Orlando FreeFall Monday to honor 14-year-old Tyre Sampson, who fell from the ride and died last week. People including family gathered at a vigil outside Orlando FreeFall Monday to honor 14-year-old Tyre Sampson, who fell from the ride and died last week. An accident report released Monday showed the ride was in good working order, but Sampson was around 60 pounds heavier than the maximum weight recommended by the manufacturer. Additionally, the manufacturers guidelines warned passengers who didnt fit in the seat or harness should not ride the attraction. READ: ICON Park calls for FreeFall, SlingShot rides to suspend operations following teens death Sampsons cousin, Shay Johnson, said attendants at other rides in the park had turned him away that night. You told him he couldnt get on the swing. You told me he couldnt get on the slingshot, she said. So, why did you allow him to get on this if he was overweight? She and other family members want the ride replaced by a statue of Sampson wearing his football uniform, or the uniform of the Miami Dolphins, his favorite team. READ: Dollywood closes drop ride after deadly incident on similar attraction at Orlandos ICON Park Then, they invited strangers like Ricky Martinez, an Orange County resident, to share their thoughts. Its been open for three, four months only, and this has happened already, so they couldve prevented this, he said. I hope they get everything thats coming toward them. READ: Family of teen killed during free fall ride at ICON Park retains high-profile attorneys Click here to download the free WFTV news and weather apps, click here to download the WFTV Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live. Signs of hope for an end to the Russia-Ukraine war emerged on Tuesday morning when a Russian official said Moscow would "reduce military action" in the north of Ukraine near Kyiv and Chernihiv, according to multiple reports. Negotiations between the two sides are taking place in Turkey a little more than a month into a conflict that has killed thousands on both sides, devastated much of Ukraine and led to stiff sanctions on Moscow from the west. Talks in Turkey between Russia and Ukraine have wrapped for the day but are expected to continue. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan ahead of the talks had argued that an immediate cease-fire was in each party's interest, according to a report by Bloomberg. The New York Times, reporting on the talks, said Moscow was prepared to push up the timing of a meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. It reported that Russia's chief negotiator said such a meeting was possible if a draft peace agreement between Ukraine and Russia could be forged. Russia's advances in Ukraine have stalled in recent days amid a counteroffensive by Ukrainian forces near Kyiv. Russia has made advances in Ukraine's south and east, and it has been suspected that a goal of Putin's was to connect the Ukrainian territory of Crimea, seized in a separate 2014 invasion, with separatist regions bordering Russia in eastern Ukraine. The conflict took another turn over the weekend when President Biden, speaking in Warsaw after meetings with NATO leaders, said that Putin should not remain as Russia's president at the end of his prepared speech. The unscripted remark was quickly walked back by the White House. On Monday, Biden said he was not making a statement reflecting a change in U.S. policy but was expressing his own moral outrage and that of the world toward Russia's and Putin's actions in Ukraine. He also insisted his new comments did not represent a walk-back of the earlier remarks. Story continues Russia's invasion of Ukraine has generally unified the United States and Western Europe, which have responded with stiff sanctions and the supply of weapons to Ukraine. But it has also raised serious fears of a larger conflict that could engulf other countries or lead to a nuclear war. The U.S. has also repeatedly warned of the possibility that chemical weapons or even small nuclear weapons could be used by Russia in Ukraine. Developing An insurance company that many of you use is being forced to pay a $5 million fine -- the largest in the agencys history. The Georgia Insurance Commission said Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield violated state law. The insurance commissioner told Channel 2s Dave Huddleston that hes been looking into the companys practices for more than a year. We will hold insurance companies accountable when their actions are unfairly impacting Georgians, Georgia Insurance and Fire Safety Commissioner John King said. The state agency said the insurance company failed to comply to consumer complaints in a timely manner, improper claims settlements and violation of the prompt pay act. We did find a number of violations, 78,000 just in the focus areas that we looked, King said. TRENDING STORIES: King said Blue Cross Blue Shield could be hit with even more fines if they fail to fix the problems in a certain amount of time. He said the insurer also failed to keep its list of network doctors up to date for patients. That employee had to choose whether to pay out of network costs or go and select another doctor. So, it was incredibly frustrating. It was keeping people from access from the health (coverage) they deserve in our state, King said. Huddleston contacted Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield for a comment on this story. They sent him a statement, saying in part: We have since migrated to a new platform with the goal of improving accuracy and transparency. We are dedicated to those we serve and partner with, and we believe the recent enhancements we have made will create an improved overall care provider experience. King said the insurance company has a new president and he hopes things will run smoother from now on. IN OTHER NEWS: Seven Chicago restaurants were given first-time Bib Gourmand designation by the Michelin Guide Tuesday. The Bib Gourmand is meant to signal restaurants that offer quality food at more affordable prices than the fine-dining establishments typically awarded the much rarer Michelin stars. The restaurants announced Tuesday will not be awarded stars, but the global taste maker still deems them worth visiting. Advertisement The announcement precedes Michelins April 5 announcement of Chicago restaurants earning stars in 2022. The full list of Chicago restaurants with a Bib Gourmand recommendation 55 in all will also be released that day. [ Chicagos 2021 Michelin star and Bib Gourmand restaurants, mapped ] Restaurants given Bib Gourmand distinction offer a full menu of a starter, main course and dessert, making it possible to order two courses and a glass of wine or dessert for around $40 or less, not counting tax and gratuity, Michelin said in a news release. Advertisement Restaurants given first-time Bib Gourmand distinction, with edited comment from the Michelin Guide, are: Apolonia (South Loop; contemporary cuisine): The Michelin guide applauded this cool and chic restaurant for straightforward, exemplary cook that is poised for sharing. Read Tribune critic Nick Kindelspergers review here. Bloom Plant Based Kitchen (Wicker Park; vegan cuisine): A menu full of flavor and textural complexity. Dear Margaret (Lakeview; contemporary cuisine): Michelin officials lauded Dear Margarets French-Canadian menu that goes beyond poutine and cheese curds. Comfort and decadence are at the heart of such shareable plates as an heirloom tomato salad starring fromage blanc, pickled shallots and dressed with black garlic-ice wine vinegar. Read Tribune critic Louisa Chus review here. Eat. Watch. Do. Weekly What to eat. What to watch. What you need to live your best life ... now. > Lardon (Logan Square; deli cuisine): Specializing in whole-hog, snout-to-tail butchery, this all-day salumeria offers a dazzling selection of charcuterie arranged on wooden boards or layered on soft bread, the Michelin guide said. Read our review here. Sochi Saigonese Kitchen (Lakeview; Vietnamese cuisine): Dishes display immense depth, so come hungry. Superkhana International (Logan Square; Indian cuisine): The Michelin Guide found Superkhana to be flexible and fun, which is also how wed describe the cooking. Indian flavors are mixed and mashed in traditional and unconventional ways. Read our review here. Tortello Pastificio (Wicker Park; Italian cuisine): A world where pasta is king. This team is not out to revolutionize Italian food; instead, they are trying to correct some of its misinterpretations. And the results, while simple, are always delicious. Advertisement Three Chicago restaurants were first-time recipients of Michelin stars in 2021. Alinea remained Chicagos only restaurant with a three-star rating from the Michelin Guide and Smyth, Oriole and Acadia (which has since closed) all maintained two stars. Seventeen restaurants kept one-star ratings from 2020. jbnoel@chicagotribune.com Big screen or home stream, takeout or dine-in, Tribune writers are here to steer you toward your next great experience. Sign up for your free weekly Eat. Watch. Do. newsletter here. STURGEON BAY - The trial of a man charged with murder in a 46-year-old cold case will begin in Door County court April 19 after jury selection took place last week. Richard G. Pierce was arrested in 2018 for the disappearance of his wife, Carol Jean Pierce, in September 1975. At the time, Richard Pierce was stationed with the U.S. Coast Guard in Sturgeon Bay and living with Carol Jean in a trailer in the city. He was due to retire and move with his trailer to Michigan about two weeks after Carol Jean disappeared. Pierce, who will turn 86 years old the day before the trial begins, is charged with first-degree murder and disinterment of a body and could face life in prison if convicted. The trial is scheduled to run for 16 days in front of Judge David Weber, Tuesdays through Fridays from April 19 to May 13. RELATED: Jury trial for man accused of murdering wife in Sturgeon Bay in 1975 postponed to 2022 Pierce was arrested Oct. 11, 2018 more than 43 years after his wife's disappearance by Sturgeon Bay Police Department officers and Wisconsin Department of Justice agents at his home in Cheboygan, Michigan, and eventually extradited to Door County. RELATED: Former Sturgeon Bay Coast Guardsman accused of murdering wife to return to Door County Jail According to the criminal complaint against Pierce, he told officers he last saw Carol Jean the morning of Sept. 8, 1975. She hasn't been seen since, nor has her body been found. In an Advocate story following Pierce's arrest, Sturgeon Bay assistant chief of police Dan Brinkman said Pierce always was a suspect in his wife's disappearance and they believed he killed her on or about Sept. 5, 1975. But attempts in 1987 and 2004 to have a grand jury indict Pierce fell through because of insufficient evidence. However, Sturgeon Bay police continued their investigation and had their case reviewed in 2018 by the Wisconsin Cold Case Review Team of the Wisconsin Association of Homicide Investigators. The team determined Pierce was the last person to see her alive and would benefit from her death by gaining sole possession of his pension, as well as his home and land in Michigan. Story continues The trial originally was scheduled for August of 2020 but was postponed when attorneys debated whether evidence from cadaver dogs, which are trained to detect human remains through scent, should be admissible in court. A search of Pierce's property following his arrest saw a cadaver dog detect six places where it picked up such a scent. Pierce's defense team argued in a July 2020 hearing that the science behind the dogs' abilities isn't yet reliable enough and dogs can only determine if they smell a dead body, not specifically who it was or how long ago the body may have been there. Weber ruled in October 2020 to allow the evidence. The start of the trial was further postponed by health concerns during the COVID-19 pandemic. Contact Christopher Clough at 920-741-7952, 920-562-8900 or cclough@doorcountyadvocate.com. FOR MORE DOOR COUNTY NEWS: Check out our homepage This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: 46-year-old cold case of murder in Sturgeon Bay goes to trial April 19 The Tennessee House on Monday passed a bill that lets school boards deem books obscene and threatens to withhold education funding and slap school librarians with criminal penalties if orders to remove them arent followed. The Houses 63-24 vote shifts action in the Republican-supermajority Legislature to the Senate, where the bills fate is less certain after multiple delays in a committee. The bill would amend an exception under state law that does not put people with a scientific, educational, governmental or other similar justification at risk of criminal charges for knowingly distributing obscene material to a minor. The bill would only remove the exception for public K-12 schools, their workers and their contractors. If someone disobeys the school boards directive to remove a book, they could face a class A misdemeanor, or a class E felony if someone repeatedly doesnt comply. The bills sponsor, Republican Rep. Scott Cepicky, contended that the bill aims to protect our librarians and prevent the arbitrary removal of a book from a school library by spelling out one process to remove books. The bill lets parents of students report to school officials about material in a school library they consider obscene or harmful to minors, both as defined in state law. The leader of that school must then remove that material from the library for at least 30 days to allow the school board to review. Afterward, the school board would then decide to remove the material permanently or return it to school libraries. If school officials dont comply with the process, then the Tennessee education commissioner can temporarily withhold state funding. Download the FOX13 Memphis app to receive alerts from breaking news in your neighborhood. CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD Trending stories: Story continues Book challenges and bans are on the rise in Tennessee and the U.S. as advocates call for more scrutiny over what ideas and concepts are taught to students, particularly around racism, sexuality and gender. Republicans have brought multiple bills on the topic. Earlier this month, lawmakers and parents hurled insults against librarians in discussion of one proposal. Many who testified before the legislative panel repeated unfounded claims that librarians who defended certain controversial literary works were helping groom children to become desensitized to sexual abuse and pornography. Librarians and other education advocates deny such claims, countering that policies are already in place to let parents review library materials. A handful of Republican lawmakers conceded the arguments recently used to condemn teachers and libraries had crossed a line. On Monday, Rep. Eddie Mannis, Tennessees only openly gay Republican state lawmaker, opposed the bill, echoing concerns voiced by many Democrats. He noted existing shortages of teachers and said he doesnt want to pass laws that tell them we dont trust you. Im just concerned that this legislation could be used to subjectively eliminate education materials that people misjudge to be harmful or offensive strictly due to their own personal prejudice or bias, the Knoxville lawmaker said. Senate Speaker Randy McNally was among the Republicans who said they are not comfortable with the comparisons of teachers and librarians. McNally has pointed to action already take on legislation backed by Republican Gov. Bill Lee, which would require school libraries to post their contents online and regularly review their policies to make sure the materials are age-appropriate and suitable for the children accessing them. Lawmakers have already passed and Lee has already signed that bill. Tennessee recently attracted international attention when a rural school board in McMinn County voted unanimously to remove Maus, a Pulitzer Prize-winning graphic novel about the Holocaust, from the districts curriculum. Around the same time, the affluent Williamson County school board members agreed to remove Walk Two Moons a book that depicts an American Indian girls search for her mother after receiving complaints from parents. WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE to see todays piping-hot, fresh-outta-the-oven episode of THE RUSH with Matt Harmon! Well let you know everything you didnt know you needed to know about sports. Other stuff too. But mostly sports. Its Tuesday, March 29, 2022, and heres what Matt is cookin up: No. 2 UConn grabbed a thrilling 91-87 double overtime victory over No. 1 NC State to seal a 14th straight trip to the Final Four, where theyll face No. 1 Stanford No. 1 Louisville used stifling 4th quarter defense and Hailey Van Liths 22 points to beat No. 3 Michigan for their chance at No. 1 South Carolina in the Final Four The Buffalo Bills are getting a brand new stadium thatll cost $1.4 billion, BUT taxpayers are paying $850 millionfor a facility that wont even have a roof A Thibodaux High student faces felony charges after police said they found just over a pound of marijuana and ammunition in his car while it was parked on campus Monday. The 18-year-old is charged with possession with intent to distribute marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia and violation of a drug-free zone, the Lafourche Parish Sheriffs Office said. Members of the Sheriffs Office and Thibodaux Police Department conducted a routine search Monday at the high school at 1355 Tiger Drive when a drug-sniffing dog alerted to the presence of narcotics inside a vehicle, authorities said. More: Police arrest Houma man suspected of dealing drugs, including heroin, meth and fentanyl After the student unlocked his car for school administrators, authorities found two backpacks containing over a pound of suspected marijuana combined, the Sheriffs Office said. Deputies also found items associated with selling drugs. The student was found to be in possession of 1.15 pounds of marijuana, $350 in cash and ammunition for a 9mm firearm, including a drum-style magazine, authorities said. Items authorities say they seized from the drug bust. The student was booked into the Lafourche Parish jail, where he was later released Monday after posting $6,100 bail. Also: 'It's terrible out there': Drug overdose deaths increase in Terrebonne and Lafourche Lafourche public schools Superintendent Jarod Martin said officials will continue working with police to keep drugs out of schools. The Lafourche Parish School Districts partnership with our local law enforcement allows us to identify and remove anyone that violates the law while on campus, Martin said. We will continue to actively investigate and discipline anyone found to be in violation of the law or our standards of conduct. We are committed to ensuring that our schools always remain places where all students feel safe and welcome. The incident remains under investigation. Staff Writer Dan Copp can be reached at 448-7639 or at dan.copp@houmatoday.com. Follow him on Twitter @DanVCopp. This article originally appeared on The Courier: Student accused of bringing ammo and a pound of marijuana to school Rep. Tim Ryan's (D) Ohio Senate campaign launched a $3.3 million ad buy, marking his first of the campaign cycle. The ad buy, which was launched on Monday, includes spots that start airing this week through May 17, which is two weeks after the state's scheduled Democratic primary. The congressman's first ad, titled "One Word," is focused solely on China. "It is us versus China, and instead of taking them on, Washington is wasting our time on stupid fights," Ryan says in the 30-second spot. Ryan goes on to lament how China is "out-manufacturing us left and right" and how "America can never be dependent on communist China." The language used in the ad appears to be aimed at manufacturing workers in Ohio, many of whom have been negatively impacted by jobs being outsourced to China, as well as the U.S. heavily relying on Chinese manufacturing. Republicans, including former President Trump, have used similar phrasing in the past to hit back against what many say is an over-reliance on Chinese manufacturing. The GOP has made gains in the Buckeye State, with the messaging going back to Trump's election in 2016. But Ryan, who is widely seen as the front-runner in the state's Democratic primary, appears to be going full-steam ahead in the Senate race, which The Cook Political Report rates as "lean Republican." Democrats Morgan Harper, Traci Johnson and LaShondra Tinsley are also running in the contest. Last week, Ryan's Senate campaign announced it will invest more than $3 million to support down-ballot Ohio Democrats this year. Westminster Abbey in London (Getty Images/iStockphoto) Staff at Westminster Abbey have revealed the hidden meaning behind the flowers selected for Prince Philips memorial service, which took place today, Tuesday 29 March in London. Flowers arranged around the gothic cathedral came in shades of red, white and blue, and included roses, carnations, eryngium (sea holly) and dendrobium orchids. In a Twitter post, staff at Westminster Abbey explained the significance of these particular flowers, writing: Orchids featured in the Queens wedding bouquet and sea holly echoes the Dukes career in the Navy and affection for the sea. Flowers at the service will be arranged in shades of red, white and blue and will include roses, carnations, eryngium (sea holly) and dendrobium orchids. Orchids featured in The Queens wedding bouquet and sea holly echoes The Dukes career in the Navy and affection for the sea. pic.twitter.com/nAX1BQJ6d3 Westminster Abbey (@wabbey) March 29, 2022 The flowers werent the only point of symbolism during the service. The Queen, the Duchess of Cornwall, the Princess Royal and other members of the congregation were dressed in dark green, a subtle tribute to the Duke of Edinburgh, whose livery colour was Edinburgh Green The Service of Thanksgiving was attended by most senior members of the royal family, including the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall, the Duke of York, the Princess Royal, the Earl and Countess of Wessex, and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. The Queen arrived on the arm of Prince Andrew, just hours after Buckingham Palace confirmed Her Majesty would be in attendance. It marks the first time that the Duke of York has made a public appearance since settling his sexual assault case in the US. In February, Andrew paid more than 10m in damages to Virginia Giuffre, who accused him of sexual abuse - allegations he has vehemently denied - in an out-of-court settlement. Story continues He also made a donation to a charity in support of victims rights to prevent the case proceeding to a civil trial. Prince Andrew stepped down from royal duties in 2019 following allegations involving his friendship with the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. And in January, the Queen stripped her son of his honorary military titles and royal patronages, and he stopped using his HRH style. After recovering from a bout of Covid and struggling with mobility issues, there was some doubt as to whether Her Majesty would be fit enough to attend todays memorial. The 95-year-old head of state pulled out of the Commonwealth Day service earlier this month due to mobility issues, and has previously spoken about her struggle to move. Buckingham Palace said she has been actively involved in plans for the service, with many elements reflecting her wishes, however.. Prince Philip, the Queens husband of 73 years, died on 9 April 2021. Philips funeral at St Georges Chapel in Windsor last year took place during Covid restrictions and was limited to just 30 people. The Queen sat alone during the farewell ceremony due to social distancing measures, and singing was banned at the time. Hamilton County Prosecutor Joe Deters and Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost are backing a constitutional amendment to require courts to consider protecting public safety when determining monetary bail amounts. Bail reform advocates call the proposal a step in the wrong direction. Unhappy with a recent ruling from the Ohio Supreme Court, Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost, Hamilton County Prosecutor Joe Deters and other tough-on-crime Republicans want to change the state constitution to make it easier to keep people behind bars until trial or plea deals. The proposed constitutional amendment, which could be placed on the November ballot, says that when setting bail amounts, courts must consider public safety, a person's criminal record, the likelihood the defendant will show up for court and the seriousness of the offense. "The whole goal here is to make Ohio more safe. That's the bottom line," said Deters in a press conference Tuesday. "Victims deserve to know they're going to be safe from the criminals who have abused them," said state Sen. Theresa Gavarone, R-Bowling Green. A bedrock of both the U.S. Constitution and Ohio Constitution is that people are innocent until proven guilty. Both constitutions prohibit excessive bail. Still, Yost and Deters scoffed at the idea that large numbers of innocent people are unfairly held behind bars. Yost said the number of innocent people facing criminal charges is "vanishingly small" and Deters called it a "pervasive myth" that innocent people are sitting in jail, awaiting their day in court. Ballot measure prompted by Ohio Supreme Court case The push to change the Ohio Constitution comes after a 4-3 ruling from the Ohio Supreme Court in January on whether a $1.5 million bail in a Hamilton County murder case was excessive. Justin DuBose was charged in the July 18, 2020 shooting death of Shawn Green in Colerain Township. At a hearing in November 2020, DuBose's attorney asked for reasonable bail, citing DuBose's community ties, limited financial resources and lack of a criminal record. A Hamilton County judge set it at $1.5 million. DuBose later asked for a lower bond and Hamilton County Common Pleas Judge Wende Cross set it at $500,000. Then the next day, after hearing from Green's family members about the reduced bond, Cross restored it to $1.5 million. DuBose appealed and won. Story continues The Ohio Supreme Court upheld the 1st District Court of Appeals decision, citing a state law that says a judge shall release a defendant on the least restrictive conditions that will reasonably assure the defendants appearance in court. The high court said that the Green family's safety concerns could be addressed by imposing nonfinancial conditions, such as restrictions on travel as well as no-contact orders. More: Ohio Supreme Court upholds $1 million bond reduction in Colerain murder case Public safety, although of the utmost importance, is not a factor relevant to the calculation of the bail amount, the opinion says. A court may not impose excessive bail for the purpose of keeping an accused in jail. Yost and Deters called the decision misguided and dangerous and said the DuBose decision removes judges' ability to consider protecting public safety when setting money bail. Judges may still deny bail for defendants if it's found they pose a substantial risk and that no release conditions can reasonably assure the public's safety, according to Justice Michael Donnelly's concurring opinion. "The Ohio Supreme Court did not eliminate public safety but only clarified long standing law and requires courts to take real steps to ensure public safety through oversight and monitoring and not simply substitute a false monetary amount as if that makes the public safe," said Ohio Public Defender Tim Young. Bail proposal draws opposition across political spectrum The proposal marks a dramatic shift against efforts to change how the bail system works in Ohio. Reforms on the left and right of the political divide have pushed to make obtaining bail contingent on risk factors, not the size of the accused person's bank account. The ACLU of Ohio and the Buckeye Institute, a conservative think tank, both expressed concerns about proposed constitutional amendment. Buckeye Institute President Robert Alt called it a step in the wrong direction. "Ability to pay does not equate to public safety. If an individual is a threat to society, we should be giving judges the authority and the discretion to detain them pre-trial. We shouldn't simply be increasing the price that they have to pay," Alt said. ACLU of Ohio lobbyist Gary Daniels said lawmakers should pass two other bail reform bills that would allow courts to make decisions based on flight risks or potential danger to the community, instead of how much money the accused has. "These bills give judges and prosecutors the tools they need to protect public safety while honoring the presumption of innocence guaranteed to all of us," he said. Cincinnati Enquirer reporter Kevin Grasha contributed to this report. Laura Bischoff is a reporter for the USA TODAY Network Ohio Bureau, which serves the Columbus Dispatch, Cincinnati Enquirer, Akron Beacon Journal and 18 other affiliated news organizations across Ohio. Get more political analysis by listening to the Ohio Politics Explained podcast This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Joe Deters, Dave Yost push Ohio constitutional amendment on bail rules Illustrator Manal Mirza and book Shirin Shamsi hold up their book, "Zahras Blessing: A Ramadan Story," outside Shirin's home in Darien on March 28, 2022. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune) In the 1990s, when her kids were young and her dream of being a childrens author was still just that a dream Shirin Shamsi wrote a picture book about a teddy bear who got lost during the holy month of Ramadan. A publisher rejected the manuscript, but the story didnt end there. Advertisement Shamsi, a suburban mom who wanted Muslim kids to have culturally relevant books, kept plugging away: taking classes, attending conferences, honing her craft. And 25 years later, all that hard work has paid off. Advertisement Shamsis teddy bear book, rewritten with the bear in a supporting role and titled Zahras Blessing: A Ramadan Story, is being published by Barefoot Books. Kirkus Reviews called it engaging and sweet. Another childrens book by Shamsi, The Moon From Dehradun: A Story of Partition, will be published by Simon & Schuster in August. I feel like Im doing the best thing in the world writing for children, said Shamsi, who lives in the southwest suburbs of Chicago. Its the only thing I want to do. Shamsi, whose parents immigrated to the United Kingdom from Pakistan in the 1950s, grew up in England. She was an avid reader and enthusiastic writer. At age 7 or 8, she recalled, she would fill up her diary page for the week and then tape in extra paper so she could write more. Later, when she was raising her own children in the Chicago suburbs, she saw an ad in a magazine with the tagline, Do you want to be a childrens writer? You know what? Shamsi said to her husband, Talha, a physical therapist. This is my dream. He told her to go for it. It was such a simple thing, but it changed the trajectory of my life, she said. At first, her audience was her own three children, who are now in their 30s. She wanted them to see stories that represented their cultural heritage and faith tradition, she said. Advertisement The teddy bear story, her first Ramadan tale, was part of that. In school, there were Christmas stories and Hanukkah stories, she said, and she felt her kids needed a holiday book of their own. In the initial version of the story, the brave bear ended up at a thrift store during Ramadan and overcame numerous obstacles on his way to being reunited with Zahra. A publisher rejected the book in 2002, but Shamsi continued to read it to her kids, and she brought it with her when she volunteered to read her works laminated but still unpublished to grade school classes. When her youngest child started college, she became a community bookseller for Barefoot Books, which has a catalog of inclusive childrens literature she greatly admired. She returned to the teddy bear manuscript in about 2016 and decided the book would be more relatable if the main character was a child. She wanted to tell a layered story, Shamsi said. She wanted to contain the narrative within the month of Ramadan. News stories of refugees had made a strong impression on her around that time as well, and she wanted to include a refugee in the story. In 2019, she decided to participate in a Twitter pitch party, in which authors pitch summaries of their stories to publishers, and Barefoot Books expressed interest. The publisher helped with edits designed to give the refugee character a bigger voice in the story. In the final version, a girl named Zahra hopes that Ramadan will bring her a much longed-for little sister. Zahra loses her teddy bear in the course of helping her mother donate clothing, and makes friends with a little girl named Haleema, who has made it to the U.S. without her parents and is living at a refugee center. Advertisement The good news kept coming for Shamsi when her publisher found an illustrator for the book: Manal Mirza of Chicagos North Shore. Unbeknownst to the publisher, the two women had met when Mirza was about 7. Her teacher at a North Shore private school, Dawne Salier, was a friend of Shamsis, and Shamsi used to volunteer to read her books in Saliers classes. Mirza, who loved drawing and coloring as a child, remembered Shamsi well. I felt like that was the first time it clicked for me: Oh, someone actually draws and writes these books. Thats when the connection was made, said Mirza, an illustrator and a user interface designer for an app. Shamsi also remembered Mirza, and she was touched to discover the little girl she had read to as a child had become an artist. We think that we have things in our hands. We hope for the best, but everything has a ripple effect, she said. You go out there and you read to a child, but you dont realize the power of stories. Advertisement nschoenberg@chicagotribune.com (Reuters) Five years and eight months after he asked Russia to release damaging information on former secretary of state Hillary Clinton, Donald Trump still hopes Russia is listening. In an interview with right-wing publication Just the News, Mr Trump said Russian president Vladimir Putin should release information about a Russian widows investment into a company Republicans claim is connected to Hunter Biden, President Joe Bidens younger and sole surviving son. Mr Trump has long claimed Hunter Biden received a $3.5 million payment from Elena Baturina, the widow of late Moscow mayor Yuri Luzhkov, and has suggested without evidence that such a payment was intended to curry favour with the elder Mr Biden for corrupt purposes. Mr Trump told Just the News Mr Putin should release information the matter, which he also tried raising at his first debate with Joe Biden. She gave him $3.5 million so now I would think Putin would know the answer to that. I think he should release it, he said. I think we should know that answer. A report prepared by Senate Republicans to aid Mr Trumps re-election campaign alleged Hunter Biden received the $3.5 million pursuant to a consultancy agreement through a firm called Rosemont Seneca Thorton. While Hunter Biden was a co-founder and CEO of an investment firm called Rosemont Seneca Advisors, his attorney, George Mesires, has said Mr Biden has no connection to Rosemont Seneca Thorton, and its not known what, if any, connection exists between the two companies. Mr Trump has frequently sought foreign assistance to damage his perceived political enemies. In July 2016, he infamously called on Russias government to release emails he claimed Ms Clinton was withholding to prevent discovery of damaging information about her. Speaking at a press conference at his Doral, Florida golf resort, he said: "Russia, if youre listening, I hope youre able to find the 30,000 emails that are missing. I think you will probably be rewarded mightily by our press. Lets see if that happens. Story continues Nearly three years later, he tried blackmailing Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky into announcing a sham investigation into Hunter Bidens work as a board member for Ukrainian energy company Burisma. At the time, Mr Zelenskys armed forces were battling against Russian-backed separatists in Eastern Ukraine, and the newly-elected Ukrainian president asked Mr Trump to sell Ukraine more Javelin anti-tank missiles to stop Russian tanks. Mr Trump responded: I would like you to do us a favour though, and went on to tell Mr Zelensky to speak with then-attorney general Bill Barr about a conspiracy theory which posited that Joe Biden corruptly withheld US and EU-backed loan guarantees so Mr Zelenskys predecessor would fire then-prosecutor-general Viktor Shokin because he was allegedly investigating Hunter Biden. In reality, then-Vice President Biden was carrying out the wishes of the Obama administration as well as the EU and IMF in pushing for the firing of Mr Shokin, who was widely regarded as corrupt. Mr Trumps attempt at blackmail was later reported to Congress by a whistle-blower, leading to the first of his two impeachment trials. Mr Trump also told Just the News he would still like to have more information about Hunter Bidens work with Burisma. The information he seeks may not exist, but he complained that none would be forthcoming because Mr Zelensky is unlikely to take any action to damage Joe Biden while the US is assisting Ukraine fight off the unprovoked invasion Mr Putin launched last month. Now, you won't get the answer from Ukraine, he said. The Tulia Police Department released information about a deadly shooting early Sunday, and two arrests later made during the investigation. According to a Facebook post, at about 1:30 a.m., Tulia Communications dispatched officers to the 100 block of North El Paso for a report of shots fired. Upon arrival, officers located a man who had been shot once in the chest. Officers on the scene provided medical attention until EMS arrived, and the male victim was taken to Swisher Memorial Hospital, where he later died from his injuries, according to police. His identity has not yet been released. Seth Michael Davis and Jessie Wayn Samarripa, both of Plainview, were arrested in connection to a fatal shooting in Tulia earlier this week. Two suspects were later located by Hale County sheriff's deputies and were detained. During the investigation, the Texas Rangers obtained a murder warrant for Seth Michael Davis from Plainview, as well as a separate warrant for Jessie Wayn Samarripa, also from Plainview, for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and tampering with physical evidence. Both were arrested and are being held at the Swisher County Jail. This is an ongoing and active investigation involving the Texas Rangers and the Tulia Police Department. This article originally appeared on Amarillo Globe-News: Tulia police say 2 Plainview men arrested in deadly shooting incident WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States and its allies are discussing another possible round of assistance for Ukraine that could reach a collective $500 million, a source familiar with the situation told Reuters on Tuesday. A U.S. official declined to confirm the figure but said the United States was "actively working on how best to continue our support for the Ukrainian government through security, humanitarian and financial assistance." (Reporting by Steve Holland; writing by Susan Heavey, Editing by Franklin Paul) London U.K. police said Tuesday that they were recommending 20 fines for breaches of coronavirus lockdown regulations at Prime Minister Boris Johnson's own residence and offices. The London Metropolitan Police has been investigating 12 parties and gatherings, some of which were attended by Johnson himself, that took place during the height of the country's COVID lockdown in 2020. The police said they would not identify which gathering the notices were being issued over, as that could enable the identification of the individuals involved. The fine for attending any event with over 15 people during the lockdown was set at approximately $1,050. "We are making every effort to progress this investigation at speed and have completed a number of assessments," the police said in a statement, adding that "due to the significant amount of investigative material that remains to be assessed," further referrals for fines could come later. The "Partygate" scandal sparked national outrage and calls for Johnson's resignation earlier this year as Britons learned that the people making the rules to control COVID-19 appeared to have been having parties, with alcohol and snacks, in the seat of the U.K.'s top executive power while the rest of the country was forbidden from visiting dying relatives in hospitals or attending funerals. In January, a long-awaited internal government report into the parties found that "at least some of the gatherings in question represent a serious failure to observe not just the high standards expected of those working at the heart of Government but also of the standards expected of the entire British population at the time." The civil servant who put together that report, Sue Gray, said she had to constrain what she made public as 12 of the gatherings were being investigated by the police. Despite the limitations, she condemned the behavior of some of those at Johnson's official residence, Number 10 Downing Street, criticizing the "excessive consumption of alcohol" in the workplace. Story continues "There were failures of leadership and judgment by different parts of No. 10 and the Cabinet Office at different times. Some of the events should not have been allowed to take place. Other events should not have been allowed to develop as they did," Gray said. Will Smith apologies to Chris Rock for Oscars slap: CBS News Flash March 29, 2022 January 6 panel votes to recommend holding Dan Scavino, Peter Navarro in contempt of Congress How the Russia's invasion on Ukraine is impacting Poland By Phil Stewart and Idrees Ali WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Pentagon on Tuesday clarified that U.S. troops in Poland were "liaising" with Ukrainian forces as they hand over weapons to them, but were not training "in the classic sense" following remarks from President Joe Biden on the matter. On Monday, Biden told reporters that while in Poland last week, he had been talking to U.S. troops who were helping "train" Ukrainian forces in Poland. Pentagon spokesman John Kirby told reporters that U.S. troops in Poland were "liaising" with Ukrainian forces when weapons are handed over to the forces fighting back against Russia's invasion. "It's not training in the classic sense that many people think of training. I would just say it's liaising," Kirby said. He did not provide details on what exactly the interactions entail or how long they usually lasted. It was not immediately clear whether the distinction between liaising and training had greater significance, as the United States tries to limit any direct military involvement in the war. The United States and countries from around Europe have largely limited their military support to intelligence sharing and heavy supplies of weaponry to Ukrainian forces, including anti-aircraft and anti-tank systems. The United States withdrew its military trainers of Ukrainian forces from western Ukraine before Russia's invasion, and the training site where they had previously operated near the Ukrainian city of Lviv was subsequently bombed by Russian air-launched cruise missiles earlier this month. Kirby added that additional aircraft, including 10 F-18 jets, and more than 200 personnel would be headed to eastern Europe, including Lithuania. This marks the latest tranche of additional U.S. troops that have been deployed to the region after Russia's invasion of Ukraine more than a month ago. There are currently more than 100,000 U.S. troops in Europe, up from the roughly 80,000 before Russian troops moved into Ukraine. Story continues Moscow promised on Tuesday to scale back its military operations near the Ukrainian cities of Kyiv and Chernihiv and Ukraine proposed a neutral status with international security guarantees while maintaining its territory. The Russian pledge was met by widespread skepticism in the West. "Has there been some movement by some Russian units away from Kyiv in the last day or so? Yes, we think so. Small numbers," Kirby said. He said that it did not mean that the threat to Kyiv was over and the troops moving away from Kyiv would likely be used in other parts of Ukraine. "Russia has failed in its objective of capturing Kyiv. It has failed in its objective of subjugating Ukraine," he added. (Reporting by Phil Stewart and Idrees Ali; Editing by Chris Reese and Cynthia Osterman) By Nandita Bose WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Joe Biden's deputy national security adviser for economics, Daleep Singh, will travel to New Delhi and meet government officials to discuss Russia's war against Ukraine and develop an economic framework for the Indo-Pacific, the White House said on Tuesday. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov is also planning to visit India, one of the biggest buyers of Russian commodities. New Delhi has called for an immediate ceasefire in Ukraine but has refused to explicitly condemn Moscow's actions. India has also abstained from voting on multiple U.N. resolutions on the war. "Singh will consult closely with counterparts on the consequences of Russia's unjustified war against Ukraine and mitigating its impact on the global economy," the White House said in a statement. Last week, Biden said only India among the Quad group of countries was "somewhat shaky" in acting against Russia over its invasion of Ukraine. The South Asian nation has tried to balance its ties with Russia and the West but unlike other members of the Quad countries - United States, Japan, Australia - it has not imposed sanctions on Russia. "In response to his aggression, we have presented a united front throughout the NATO and in the Pacific," Biden told a business forum last week, referring to Russian President Vladimir Putin. "The Quad - with the possible exception of India being somewhat shaky on some of these - but Japan has been extremely strong, so is Australia in terms of dealing with Putin's aggression," he said. Russia promised on Tuesday to scale down military operations around Ukraine's capital and north, while Kyiv proposed adopting neutral status, in confidence-building steps that were the first signs of progress toward negotiating peace. (Reporting by Nandita Bose in Washington; Editing by David Gregorio) (Reuters) - Russia poses significant threat to Kyiv through their strike capability even though Ukrainian forces continue localised counter attacks to the north west of the city, British military intelligence said on Tuesday. Russian forces have maintained their offensive on Mariupol with continuous heavy shelling of the city, the Ministry of Defence said in a statement. "However the centre of the city remains under Ukrainian control." Elsewhere, Russian forces are maintaining blocking positions while attempting to reorganise and reset their forces, it added. (Reporting by Maria Ponnezhath in Bengaluru; Editing by Christopher Cushing) Maria Pavlovych mourns her son, Roman, who was killed near Mariupol - AP Good morning. Another round of talks aimed at stopping the war in Ukraine is scheduled for today as the fighting continues on the ground, with the two sides trading control of a town in the east and a suburb of the capital. Ukrainian forces retook Irpin, north-west of Kyiv, from Russian troops, who were regrouping to take the area back, President Volodymyr Zelensky said late on Monday as he sought to rally the country. Here's what happened overnight and you can follow the latest updates in our liveblog. 1. Dont push us into a corner, Kremlin tells Nato The Kremlin on Monday night warned Nato not to push us into a corner and said Russia felt it was amongst war with the West due to severe sanctions. Referencing Russias tension with Nato, Dmitry Peskov, a spokesman for the Kremlin, told the US broadcaster PBS: For a couple of decades, we were telling the collective West that we are afraid of your Natos moving eastwards. We too are afraid of Nato getting closer to our borders with its military infrastructure. Please take care of that. Dont push us into the corner. No. 2. Abramovich poison claims very concerning The Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office has described the claims that Chelsea Football Club owner Roman Abramovich suffered suspected poisoning during attempts to aid peace talks in Ukraine as "very concerning". The office said the UK would "continue to assist" by imposing tough sanctions on Russia, as well as providing defensive and humanitarian support so Ukraine can be "in the strongest possible negotiating position". British defence intelligence analysts have warned more than 1,000 Russian mercenaries are expected to deploy to eastern Ukraine to undertake combat operations. 3. Zelensky demands urgent sanctions Volodymyr Zelensky has urged Western nations to toughen sanctions quickly against Russia, including an oil embargo, to stop Moscow having a free hand to escalate its measures against his country. Story continues In his nightly video address to Ukrainians, a clearly irritated Mr Zelensky said the West had miscalculated last year in delaying sanctions and the invasion had followed. "A full-scale war has begun. Now there are many hints and warnings that supposedly tougher sanctions, such as an embargo on Russian oil supplies to Europe, will be put in place if Russia uses chemical weapons," Ukraine's president said, occasionally banging his hands on a table. "There are simply no words... We, people who are alive, have to wait. Doesn't everything the Russia military has done to date warrant an oil embargo? Don't phosphorous bombs warrant it? A shelled chemical production facility or a shelled nuclear power plant doesn't warrant it?" 4. Amnesty accuses Russia of war crimes Amnesty International has accused Russia of committing war crimes in the Ukrainian port city of Mariupol. The human rights organisation will soon release an in-depth report on the devastation caused by Russia's assault on the city on the Sea of Azov, Amnesty's Secretary-General Agnes Callamard said in a press conference in Johannesburg. "The siege of Mariupol, the denial of humanitarian evacuation and humanitarian escape for the population, and the targeting of civilians, according to Amnesty International's investigation, amounts to war crimes," said Ms Callamard. "That is the reality of Ukraine right now." Ms Callamard said "the crisis in Ukraine right now, the invasion... is not just any kind of violation of international law. It is an aggression. It is a violation of the UN charter of the kind that we saw when the US invaded Iraq." 5. Biden defends calling for Putins removal Joe Biden said he made "no apologies" for calling for Vladimir Putin's removal, but claimed he was expressing his "personal feelings" not a new US policy as he defended his off-the-cuff remark. White House officials scrambled into damage control mode after Mr Biden sparked an international backlash by stating that Mr Putin cannot remain in power during a major speech in Europe on Saturday. The US president defended the remarks during a terse press conference at the White House on Monday. "I'm not walking anything back. I was expressing the moral outrage I felt to the way Putin is dealing, and the actions of this man, just the brutality of it, he said. Listen to the latest episode of our daily Ukraine podcast Three homemade explosive devices allegedly found in a backpack belonging to Xavier Pelkey, 18, of Waterville, Maine, who is accused by federal prosecutors of threatening to blow up Chicago-area mosques. (U.S. District Court records) Federal agents in Chicago raided the home of a teenage boy last month as part of an ongoing probe into an alleged ISIS-inspired plot to attack a Shiite mosque during spring break and kill as many people as possible, newly unsealed court records show. The raid was connected to the case against Xavier Pelkey, 18, who was charged in February in U.S. District Court in Maine with possessing several shrapnel-packed homemade explosives. Prosecutors there said Pelkey had been plotting online to travel to Chicago and commit mass murder at area places of worship, the Tribune has previously reported. Advertisement On Feb. 5, a week before Pelkeys arrest in Waterville, Maine, agents in Chicago executed a search warrant at the home of a 15-year-old boy who had been communicating online with Pelkey, according to a declaration by FBI Special Agent Garrett Drew unsealed Friday. Drew said the boy, identified only as Juvenile #1, and Pelkey, who used the name Abdullah on Instagram, were conspiring with a 17-year-old boy from Kentucky to attack an identified Shia Muslim mosque in the Chicago area in late March, coinciding with spring break. Advertisement Juvenile #1 further explained that they would enter the Shia mosque and separate the adults from the children, then murder the adults, Drew stated. If they had not encountered law enforcement at that point, they would continue on to another Shia mosque or Jewish synagogue and execute the same plan. The teen told investigators they did not have a plan to escape but rather their plan ended with them being shot by law enforcement. According to Drew, Juvenile #1 told investigators that Pelkey had told him hed already built an explosive device to get more people, and that hed be responsible for acquiring more firearms and ammunition. Pelkey and the Kentucky teen, identified as Juvenile #2, intended to travel to Chicago by bus or train, according to the declaration. Agents seized multiple firearms during the raid on Juvenile #1s home, including a Remington pump shotgun, as well as swords, knives, a bow and arrows, multiple homemade ISIS flags and multiple electronic devices, according to the declaration. A week later, FBI agents in Kentucky executed a search warrant at the residence of Juvenile #2. That boy told investigators hed also been communicating with Pelkey, who talked about gathering materials to make fireworks to attack someone, according to Drews declaration. Juvenile #2 also said that Abdullah told him that he wanted Allah to grant him to be a shaheed (martyr) and die while fighting in the cause of Allah, Drew wrote. Devotees of Islamic extremist groups such as ISIS have historically targeted other Islamic sects such as Shiites in terrorist attacks, according to the declaration. Advertisement No public charges have been announced against either of the juveniles. Pelkeys attorney did not respond Tuesday to a request for comment. A spokesman for the U.S. attorneys office in Chicago declined to comment. Pelkey, of Waterville, Maine, was arrested Feb. 11 at the home he shares with his mother, according to a federal criminal complaint unsealed in the U.S. District Court in Bangor. Inside a backpack in his bedroom, FBI agents found three homemade explosive devices that had been fashioned with fireworks and taped together with staples, pins and thumbtacks to increase the amount of shrapnel propelled by an explosion if the devices were detonated, the complaint said. Drews unsealed declaration contained a photo taken of Pelkeys bedroom wall, where investigators observed a hand-painted version of the ISIS flag. Pelkey, who was charged with unlawful possession of a destructive device, first told agents hed taped the fireworks together because he wanted to make a bigger boom, according to the complaint. When asked why the metal items were in the devices, Pelkey didnt respond. Advertisement At a bond hearing last month prosecutors told U.S. Magistrate Judge John Nivison that the devices were intended to be used in a calculated act of violence that was designed to take many lives. In asking the judge to order Pelkey to be held pending trial, Assistant U.S. Attorney Craig Wolff said the teens plot amounted to mass murder and that Pelkey clearly was a danger to the community. Obviously he is a young man, but we also know that it appears that he has an ideology that hes developed where he has aligned himself with radical thinking under which he is willing to commit acts of violence ... that would culminate with him martyring himself, Wolff said, according to the transcript. Pelkeys attorney, Christopher Maclean, asked the judge for release on electronic monitoring or home confinement, saying his client was a bright young man who has a loving, supportive family. Pelkey lives with his mother, grandparents and a 16-year-old autistic brother in an apartment in downtown Waterville, a town of 15,000 about 50 miles west of Bangor, according to Maclean and public records. Though hes spent some time in juvenile detention, there was nothing in Pelkeys background that would suggest that hes ineligible for release under these circumstances, Maclean said, according to the transcript. Advertisement Maclean also called the governments accusations of a terrorist plot in Chicago posturing to some degree, and that once all the facts come out it will be clear this is a much more mundane situation than whats been alleged. He certainly disavowed any of the desires or intentions that the government has suggested during this detention hearing and is fully committed to adhering to whatever strict conditions the court sets here, Maclean said. But Nivison denied bond, siding with prosecutors in declaring Pelkey a danger to the community and a potential flight risk. Prosecutors in that case have since been granted an extension until April 15 to bring an indictment against Pelkey, records show. jmeisner@chicagotribune.com Representatives from Ukraine and Russia held their first face-to-face talks in two weeks on Tuesday concerning the conflict between both countries, possibly signaling progress toward ending the war. Negotiators from both sides met in Istanbul, Turkey, to discuss a possible cease-fire as well as Ukraine security guarantees, according to The Associated Press. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan reportedly told attendees that they had a "historic responsibility" to bring an end to the fighting. "We believe that there will be no losers in a just peace," he said, according to the AP. "Prolonging the conflict is not in anyone's interest." Delegations from each country were seated on opposite sides of a long table during the talks, the news service noted. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba shared what he hoped to gain from the talks, saying, "We are not trading people, land or sovereignty," Reuters reported. "The minimum program will be humanitarian questions, and the maximum program is reaching an agreement on a cease-fire," he reportedly added in an address on national television. Russia and Ukraine previously held talks in Belarus and via video, but failed to make substantial progress, the AP noted. Russian troops invaded Ukraine more than a month ago in what Moscow is calling a "special operation" to "denazify" Ukraine. Ukraine is willing to remain neutral and give up any ambition to join Nato in exchange for security guarantees and the creation of an eight-nation council that would come to its aid if it were ever attacked again, a top negotiator announced Tuesday, at the conclusion of the first day of Istanbul talks to end the devastating month-long Russian war against Ukraine. Ukrainian negotiators said the the eight members of the board could include the United States, United Kingdom, Turkey, Poland, Canada, and Israel, and that talks had already begun to seek their cooperation. International security guarantees need to be really activated, negotiator Mikhail Podolyak said in a speech after the negotiations inside the Dolmabahce palace compound in Istanbul. This is the system upon which wed like to build the future of Ukraine. Russia has yet to respond to the proposal. A Russian member of ,the negotiating team said Moscow has decided to cut back military activity in the direction of Kyiv where it has become bogged down in a war of attrition and has lost ground to a Ukrainian counteroffensive. It remained unclear if the talks, originally aimed to last two days, would continue Wednesday or whether both delegations would return to their capitals for consultations. The negotiations, held inside a high-security presidential office complex adjacent to Istanbuls ornate Dolmabahce Palace compound along the Strait of Bosphorus, are the latest in several rounds of discussions aimed at ending Russian president Vladimir Putins onslaught against its western neighbour. The war has quickly become the most destructive and disruptive in Europe since the 1990s. Ahead of the talks, Ukraines leader Volodymyr Zelensky said his country is ready to declare neutrality and offer security guarantees to Russia, including keeping the country nuclear-free if Moscow withdraws its troops. Ukrainian foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba said he was hoping for a resolution to the countrys humanitarian disaster at the very least, and a ceasefire at best. "We are not trading people, land or sovereignty, he said. Story continues The biggest sticking point in the talks is the status of Ukrainian territories in the east and southeast seized by Russia. Moscow wants Kyiv to recognise the land grabs in the Donbass region and the Crimean Peninsula, something which Ukraine refuses to do. The Ukrainian negotiators say they have proposed a 15-year period of discussions over the status of the two regions involving Russia and Ukraine as well as international interlocutors. By hosting the talks, Turkey hopes to boost its own diplomatic status, but also end a conflict which has driven up global energy and food prices and damaged the Turkish tourism industry. Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak (L) reacts as he speaks to the press after first Russia and Ukraine face-to-face talks in weeks at Dolmabahce palace in Istanbul (AFP via Getty Images) The war has also created Black Sea security threats. Twice naval forces have encountered unexploded mines that had apparently drifted from the conflict zone into Turkish waters. One made its way into the crucial Bosphorus Strait, where hundreds of passenger ferries and dozens of tankers filled with fuels pass daily. We believe that a just peace will have no losers, and a prolonged conflict is not in anyones interest, Turkeys president Recep Tayyip Erdogan told negotiators ahead of the talks, according to the official Anadolu news agency. Davyd Arakhamia, a Georgian-born Ukrainian businessman and parliamentarian, led Kyivs delegation while Vladimir Medinsky, a former Russian minister of culture, headed Moscows team. Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich was pictured at the talks despite reports that he suffered symptoms from a poisoning attempt at an earlier round of negotiations. Late on Monday, the Wall Street Journal and investigative news outlet Bellingcat cited unnamed sources claiming that Mr Abramovich and two Ukrainian peace negotiators had been poisoned and suffered from red eyes and peeling skin on their faces and hands earlier this month after a meeting in Kyiv. Roman Abramovich is seen in Turkish TV footage of the start of peace talks in Istanbul between Russian and Ukrainian delegations (Screengrab/Twitter) The Kremlin and Ukrainian officials have dismissed the reports about the suspected poisoning as untrue. Mr Kuleba - Ukraines foreign minister - said before the talks - wryly - that he advised anyone going for negotiations with Russia not to eat or drink anything, (and) preferably avoid touching surfaces". Ukraine, a former Soviet republic long under the dominion of Russian empires, has been drifting more and more into orbit of the EU and Nato. Russia launched the war with the apparent aim of taking control of Ukraine, a nation of more than 40 million, and turning it into a satellite state. But the war went badly from the start. Russian troops met fierce Ukrainian military and political resistance. Western nations unified to impose crippling sanctions that have pummelled the rouble. Few analysts have given the talks much chance of success. During the ongoing decade-long war in Syria, Russia and its allies frequently use peace talks and ceasefires in what critics described as distractions aimed at giving themselves diplomatic cover and time to regroup and reset military strategy. This map shows the extent of the Russian invasion of Ukraine (Press Association Images) Samuel Ramani, a Russia specialist at the Royal United Services Institute - a thinktank - said Kremlin voices in recent days have not publicly signalled any concessions. A Russian defence ministry spokesman said the ringleaders of the Kyiv government must be tracked down and properly punished while Mr Peskov said Russia still aimed to de-Nazify Ukraine, an apparent reference to obliterating any Ukrainian national sentiment. My conclusion is that Russia is using these talks to show its acting in good faith, Mr Ramani told The Independent. They are trying to buy some time on the military front while theyre still telling their own audience they're firmly committed to regime change. Still, recent signals suggest that the Russian offensive may be recalibrating its military aims to focus on Ukraines southeast, which abuts the Black Sea, raising the possibility that it is seeking an exit strategy from the war. Turkey, hosting the talks, maintains good relations with both Moscow and Kyiv. It has supplied Ukraine with combat drones that have proven effective against Russian armour while refusing to agree to sanctions on the Kremlin, even welcoming oligarchs such as Mr Abramovich. A Ukrainian border-guard member told off a Russian warship has been released from captivity. Ukraine's military announced on Tuesday that Roman Hrybov returned to his native Cherkasy region. Ukrainian border guards who defied orders to surrender became a symbol of national resistance. The Ukrainian border-guard member whose profane response to a Russian warship's order to surrender went viral in February has been released from Russian captivity, Ukraine's military said Tuesday. "Roman Hrybov, the author of the famous "Russian Warship, Go F*** Yourself" phrase, returned from Russian captivity to his native Cherkasy region," Ukraine's defense ministry tweeted on Tuesday. "Glory to the Hero!" Thirteen Ukrainian State Border Guard Service members were stationed on the tiny Zmiinyi Island in the Black Sea, known in English as Snake Island, on February 24 when Russia invaded Ukraine. Aa apparent audio exchange quickly spread online of a Russian warship near Snake Island ordering the men to surrender via radio. One of the island's defenders, now identified as Hrybov, could be heard responding, "Russian warship, go fuck yourself." All of the border guards were originally thought to have then been killed by Russian forces. Ukraine's navy later announced that the troops were actually "alive and well," and had been captured by Russian forces. Hrybov was given an award for his services to the Cherkasy region, according to a government video of the interaction posted to YouTube on Tuesday. The video shows Cherkasy governor Ihor Taburets greet Hrybov and present him with a medal. The two could then be seen chatting at a table and gave short interviews to the camera. "I think that Ukraine really needs to know its heroes, and the Cherkasy region needs to know its heroes," Taburets said to the camera. Taburets added: "Everything that Roman said is really about Ukraine and the resilience of the spirit of our fighters, who in spite of everything the tortures he endured, the treatment, the moral pressure endured and will be an example for our Ukrainians and for the Cherkasy region, an example of firmness and strength of the Ukrainian, Cossack spirit for us to win." Story continues Hrybov responded, in the video: "I want to say a huge thank you to the Ukrainian people for such support. We feel this support very much, it inspires us. The strength, the justice are on our side." The defiant phrase used by the border guards became a national symbol of Ukrainian resistance against Russian President Vladimir Putin's forces, which have remained largely stalled across multiple fronts amid the ongoing month-long war. Ukraine's postal service even said it would release a stamp that says "Russian warship, go f#ck yourself" to commemorate the border guards of Snake Island. Translations by Oleksandr Vynogradov. Read the original article on Business Insider STORY: "Yes, it's bad, it's scary. But we're not giving up, everything will be good," the 47-year-old said, adding "Our people will start to rebuild everything... We will continue to rise." Zaremenna is among the few going that direction, as central European nations are bracing for a renewed influx of refugees from Ukraine that could test their capacity to house, school and find work for the rising numbers of mainly women and children escaping the war. Poland, which shares a 500-km (310-mile) border with Ukraine, has integrated children into schools and set up a grassroots network to provide housing. It has also allowed Ukrainians to register for government IDs and benefits. More than half of the refugees arriving in the European Union have come via Poland, home the to region's largest Ukrainian community of around 1.5 million people before the war. Others have come through Romania, Slovakia and Hungary. Russian soldiers drove armoured vehicles without radiation protection through Chernobyls highly toxic red forest, kicking up clouds of radioactive dust, workers at the site have said. A Chernobyl employee said the act was suicidal for the soldiers, who had seized the site of the nuclear disaster, because the radioactive dust they inhaled was likely to cause internal radiation in their bodies. Radiation levels at Chernobyl had increased due to heavy military vehicles disturbing the soil, Ukraines state nuclear inspectorate said on 25 February. But until now, details of exactly what happened had not emerged. The two Ukrainian workers were on duty when Russian tanks entered Chernobyl on 24 February and took control of the site, where staff are still responsible for the safe storage of spent nuclear fuel and supervising the concrete-encased remains of the reactor that blew up in 1986. Both said they had seen Russian tanks and other armoured vehicles moving through the red forest, which is the most radioactively contaminated part of the zone around the power station, about 100km north of Kyiv. The regular soldiers a worker had spoken to when they worked alongside them in the facility had not heard about the explosion, he said. Russias military said radiation was within normal levels after capturing the plant, and their actions prevented possible nuclear provocations by Ukrainian nationalists. Russia has previously denied that its forces have put nuclear facilities inside Ukraine at risk. Russias defence ministry did not respond to the accounts from Chernobyl staff. The red forest, so called because dozens of square kilometres of pine trees turned red after absorbing radiation from the explosion, is considered so highly contaminated that even the nuclear plant workers are not allowed to go there. Nobody goes there ... for Gods sake. There is no one there, said Valery Seida, acting general director of the Chernobyl plant, who was not there at the time of the Russian invasion. Story continues But the Russian military convoy went through the zone, the two employees said. One of them said it used an abandoned road. A big convoy of military vehicles drove along a road right behind our facility, and this road goes past the red forest, said one of the sources. The convoy kicked up a big column of dust. Many radiation safety sensors showed exceeded levels, he said. After the Russian troops arrived, the two plant employees worked for almost a month along with colleagues until they were allowed to go home last week when Russian commanders allowed replacements for some staff to be sent in. Reuters could not independently verify their accounts, which were given by phone on Friday and on condition of anonymity because they feared for their safety. The next day, Russian forces seized the town Slavutych near Chernobyl, where most plant workers live. Seida and the mayor of Slavutych said on Monday that Russian forces had now left the town. Reuters was not able to independently establish the radiation levels for people in the immediate proximity of the Russian convoy that entered the red forest. On Sunday, Ukraines deputy prime minister warned about the risk of radiation at Chernobyl as she criticised Russian forces for militarising the exclusion zone. Iryna Vereshchuk demanded that the UN Security Council take immediate steps to demilitarise the zone and dispatch a special mission to eliminate the risk of an accident at the site of the worlds worst civil nuclear disaster. Burnt trees are seen in the Chernobyl zone close to the Ukraine-Belarus border crossing on 13 February, days before Russias invasion (Getty Images) The State Agency of Ukraine on Exclusion Zone Management said on 27 February that the last record it had on a sensor near nuclear waste storage facilities before it lost control over the monitoring system showed that the absorbed dose of radiation was seven times higher than normal. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said on 25 February that radiation levels at the Chernobyl site reached 9.46 microsieverts per hour but remained within an operating range recorded in the exclusion zone from the moment of its creation and posed no threat to the general population. The safe levels, by IAEA standards listed on the agencys website, are up to 1 millisievert a year for the general population and 20 millisieverts a year for those who deal with radiation professionally, where 1 millisievert is equal to 1,000 microsieverts. The IAEA said it stopped receiving monitoring data from the Chernobyl site on 9 March. The Chernobyl exclusion zone is still considered by Ukrainian authorities to be dangerous. Entering the disaster site without permission is a crime under Ukrainian law. Additional reporting by Reuters A top White House national security official will travel this week to India, a major outlier in the effort to pressure Russia over its invasion of Ukraine. Daleep Singh, the Biden administration's deputy national security adviser for international economics, will travel to New Delhi on Wednesday and Thursday to meet with Indian officials, the White House said. Singh will discuss the economic relationship between the two countries, as well as the Russian invasion. "Singh will consult closely with counterparts on the consequences of Russia's unjustified war against Ukraine and mitigating its impact on the global economy," National Security Council spokesperson Emily Horne said in a statement. "Singh will also discuss priorities of the Biden Administration, including the promotion of high-quality infrastructure through Build Back Better World and the development of an Indo-Pacific Economic Framework." India is the world's largest democracy based on population, but it has not joined the U.S. and its European allies thus far in the coordinated effort to sanction Russia over its invasion of Ukraine, which began more than one month ago. India has relied for generations on Moscow's delivery of military assistance and views Russia as its key ally against China's attempts at further dominating the region. India's state-run oil company purchased 3 million barrels of Russian crude oil earlier this month even as the U.S. and other countries moved to ban or limit imports of Russian oil in an effort to cripple Moscow's economic leverage. White House press secretary Jen Psaki has said previously that Indian purchases of Russian oil would not run afoul of U.S. sanctions, but that Indian leaders should "think about where [they] want to stand when history books are written." WASHINGTON The U.S. Navy wants to buy one last San Antonio-class amphibious ship and then end the production line, the service announced in its fiscal 2023 budget request. The LPD-17 class got off to a rough start in its construction, but transformed into a model acquisition program and a workhorse of the fleet. These ships, built at Ingalls Shipbuilding in Mississippi, haul Marines and their gear as part of amphibious ready group/Marine expeditionary unit (ARG/MEU) formations. The vessels are used in battle, for humanitarian assistance missions and to recover space capsules. The Navy bought 13 Flight I LPDs and had planned to buy another 13 to replace the aging Whidbey Island-class dock landing ships. Under the Navys proposal, it would buy just three of the 13 Flight IIs and then end the program, shrinking the amphibious fleet dramatically as the Whidbey Island-class dock landing ships hit the end of their service lives and are decommissioned. The Navy and Marine Corps are conducting an amphibious warship requirements study expected to wrap up very shortly. Lt. Gen. Karsten Heckl, the deputy commandant of the Marine Corps for combat development and integration, said in January he worried the studys final result would be based on budget limitations rather than actual need. Timely global response and day-to-day peer competition requires ... no less or threshold, in requirements speak than 31 amphibious ships, he said. The fleet has 32 amphibious ships today, in line with what Heckl said the Marines need. Marine Corps leadership has said dropping to 28 could mean delays in arrival times in a crisis. The decision to stop the LPD production line could drop the service to 24, at the very low end of an estimate released by the Biden administration last spring. Its unclear if a number that low would add risk to arrival times or force a more fundamental rethinking of the ARG/MEU construct in place today. The amphibious dock landing ship Pearl Harbor, right, conducts a vertical replenishment while transiting the Persian Gulf with the amphibious transport dock ship Portland, left, on Sept. 18, 2021. (MC2 Wesley Richardson/U.S. Navy) Ingalls currently has three LPDs in construction: hull 28, which will deliver this year; hull 29, which launched in January; and hull 30, the first of the Flight II ships. Story continues The shipyard started buying material for LPD-31 and hoped to receive full funding for LPD-32 in FY23, for which the yard already got some advanced procurement funding from Congress. Under the Navys plan, the service would spend $1.7 billion to buy LPD-32 and then end the San Antonio-class production line. This could leave Ingalls in a pinch. Another of the four ship classes it builds the Coast Guards National Security Cutter is coming to an end as well. That leaves just the America-class LHA, which is also being assessed in the amphibious requirements study, and the Arleigh Burke-class destroyer that both Ingalls and General Dynamics Bath Iron Works build. Rear Adm. John Gumbleton, the deputy assistant secretary of the Navy for budget, told reporters March 28 that the Navy would seek a five-year destroyer contract that includes nine ships and an option for a 10th short of the 15 ships in the current multiyear procurement contract. Having nine or 10 ships across the next five years would barely keep Ingalls and Bath viable as the Navy tries to move from the Flight III Arleigh Burkes into the next-generation DDG(X) program. Congress will almost certainly weigh in to support of both the DDG multiyear contract and the LPD program truncation. Lawmakers on the House and Senate Armed Services committees in particular are highly supportive of both programs. The Senate Armed Services Committee had tried to push the Navy to sign a first-of-its-kind multiyear contract for three LPDs and one LHA in FY21, but the Navy did not act, saying the service was unprepared to commit to buying more amphibious ships until it completed the requirements study. WASHINGTON (AP) A U.S. government agency said Tuesday that China has granted visas for federal investigators to travel there and aid in the investigation of the deadly China Eastern Airlines crash. The National Transportation Safety Board said China also granted visas to technical advisers from Boeing, which made the plane, engine manufacturer CFM and the Federal Aviation Administration. All would take part in the investigation, under longstanding international agreements. The safety board said the U.S. officials and industry representatives hope to leave for China this week. A safety board spokesman said the independent agency will send a small group including senior air-safety investigator Sathya Silva to China. Their travel was held up for several days to meet Chinese visa and COVID-19 regulations, and the NTSB appealed to the State Department to intervene. A China Eastern Boeing 737-800 jet crashed in a remote mountainous area in southern China on March 21, killing all 123 passengers and nine crew members on board. The plane was cruising at about 29,000 feet (8,800 meters) about one hour into its flight from Kunming in southeastern China to Guangzhou, an export manufacturing hub near Hong Kong, when it went into a steep descent. Over the weekend, searchers found the plane's flight data recorder, following earlier recovery of the cockpit voice recorder, which investigators hope will provide important clues about the cause of the crash. China Eastern, one of four major Chinese airlines, and its subsidiaries have grounded all their Boeing 737-800s, more than 200 planes. The airline said the grounding was a precaution, not a sign of any problem with the planes. SPRINGFIELD For the second time in a week, state Senate Democrats turned their back on a nominee of Gov. J.B. Pritzkers to the Illinois Prisoner Review Board, but the governor on Tuesday reserved his ire for Republicans who are trying to paint him as soft on crime heading into this years election. The 15-seat board that considers early release for convicted criminals is down to just six members, and advocacy groups have expressed concern about its ability to function. Pritzker accused Senate Republicans who have rejected his choices for the board of trying tear apart this agency of government. Advertisement Its easy to do what the Republicans do, Pritzker said at an unrelated event in Springfield. They take the original crime that took place, often decades and decades ago, and they just talk about the headline of that crime and dont talk about everything else thats occurred. The governor failed to note that 14 Democratic senators, most of them representing suburban districts, joined 17 Republicans Monday to turn down his nomination of Eleanor Wilson to the board. The final vote Monday was 31-15, with 12 Democrats failing to vote. Advertisement Gov. J.B. Pritzker at Navy Pier in Chicago on Feb. 28, 2022. (Jose M. Osorio / Chicago Tribune) The board has become a proxy for the larger political battle heading into this years elections over the crime issue, and Mondays vote showed a split between progressive Democrats and their moderate colleagues who are loath to provide any fuel to the Republican argument that their party is too willing to give bad guys a pass. Those Democrats joined Republicans in rejecting Wilsons nomination despite personal outreach from Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton, who lobbied lawmakers on behalf of the governors office. Three Democratic senators Suzy Glowiak Hilton of Western Springs, Bill Cunningham of Chicago, and Meg Loughran Cappel of Shorewood cited Wilsons votes to grant early release to two men, each convicted of killing a police officer, as their reason for voting against her nomination. By releasing these convicted criminals early from prison, our state is setting a dangerous precedent concerning the integrity of the criminal justice system, Glowiak Hilton said in a statement. Conscientious individuals must serve on the Illinois Prisoner Review Board, and I urge the governor to choose accredited, diligent appointees. Sen. Michael Hastings, a Democrat from Frankfort who voted against Wilsons appointment, said in an interview Tuesday that certain crimes, such as the murder of a police officer, should require prisoners to serve a full sentence. I know Ms. Wilson. Shes a nice person. She really is a nice person. But I cant stand for that, Hastings said. Hastings said the Pritzker administration and the Senate have to work together so we dont have the problems that we had yesterday. As for Republicans using the review issue to paint Democrats as being weak on crime, Hastings said, they see their polling data and theyre thinking, how am I going to have a chance of winning? Advertisement The depleted board had taken a hit even before Mondays vote on Wilson when another Pritzker selection, Oreal James, withdrew from consideration hours before his nomination was to be considered. The Senates Executive Appointments Committee previously declined to recommend either Wilson or James. Earlier this month, the Senate failed to confirm another of the governors nominees, Jeffrey Mears. In that case only one Democrat joined Republicans in voting against Mears, but enough Democrats sat out the vote to seal his fate. Board members nominated by the governor take their seat while awaiting confirmation by the Senate, allowing for them to build a record prior to coming before the chamber for a vote. Records provided by Senate Republicans show that James and Wilson voted to release prisoners on parole in about 45% of all cases that came before them. On the Senate floor Monday night, Sen. Terri Bryant, a Republican from Murphysboro, cited Wilsons votes in favor of the release of various convicted cop killers as a reason to reject her appointment. Several senators from both parties have raised concerns about the boards decision last year to approve parole for Joseph Hurst and Johnny Veal, two men accused of killing Chicago police officers more than 50 years ago. Allowing these men to be free sends a troubling message to the families of these officers that their sacrifice and the lives of their loved ones are somehow insignificant, Bryant said. Advertisement But Sen. Mattie Hunter, a Chicago Democrat who voted in favor of Wilson Monday night, said shes known Wilson for decades and spoke highly of her credentials in working with youths and ex-offenders. Hunter also indicated Wilsons decisions on the board were thoughtful and that she didnt rubber stamp parole cases. How do you think my community feels when police officers kill people in my community? They feel the same way that the police officers families feel. All the families have feelings when they lose loved ones, Hunter said. Hunter said she was a distant cousin of Laquan McDonald, a teenager shot 16 times and killed by Chicago police Officer Jason Van Dyke in 2014, and has lost two nephews to violent crime. Reached by the Tribune Monday night, Wilson said she plans on sending a letter to the Senate expressing her displeasure at its members for second-guessing her decisions when she feels she was put on the board to vote her conscience. She said people she voted to release had been in prison for decades and were no longer a threat to anyone either due to their old age or poor health. I believed that they were rehabilitated or too old to do anything, said Wilson, who is the godmother of former President Barack Obamas children. If I had to do it again they would be the same votes. ... Im not going to back off that. Advertisement James could not be reached for comment. The rejections of Wilson and Mears make attracting people to the already incredibly thankless job even more challenging, said Pritzker, who at one point referred to Republicans as the GQP, a jab at politicians who believe in QAnon conspiracy theories. Its very easy just to say this person committed an awful crime some many years ago, and to say were gonna throw away the key and leave them all in prison, Pritzker said. Thats what youre gonna end up with. Mears, a union painter whos worked at the downstate Shawnee Correctional Center as a hostage negotiator, was nominated to the board by Pritzker in March 2021. Pritzker subsequently nominated James, a certified mediator and an advocate for restorative justice programs, and Wilson, who for decades has done work with social justice organizations. The departures of Wilson, James and Mears leave just six members on a review board with nine vacancies. Of the six, three are Pritzker appointees who have yet to be confirmed by the Senate. Advertisement The Pritzker administration has warned that a minimum of nine members are required for the board to hear so-called final revocation hearings for parolees arrested on an accusation that they violated their terms of parole, or of ex-prisoners who allegedly violated conditions of their supervised release. If such a hearing is not held within 90 days of the law enforcement accusation, then the individual is automatically released from custody. In 2021, the governors office said, there were nearly 4,600 revocation hearings. During a news conference in Springfield on Monday, Jennifer Soble, executive director of the Illinois Prison Project, an advocacy group for prisoners rights, slammed lawmakers for politicizing the board with their baseless, election-year posturing and fearmongering. The group also raised concerns about whether the review board would function properly if it has too few members. Instead of evaluating the overall effectiveness of the board, which set supervised release conditions for more than 12,000 people and held more than 1,000 clemency hearings last year, Soble said senators are judging the board on two or three votes alone, taken wildly out of context. Thats what I mean by the politicization of this moment, Soble said. The Senate is not taking a thoughtful look at the body of work that these really incredibly diligent members, even the ones I dont agree with, have conducted over the past three years, four years, more than that, going back, for some, more than 10 years. The American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois called for state leaders to fill the boards 15 seats. Advertisement Illinois must take the action needed to prevent the suspension of the meaningful work that the (review board) does to foster justice and equity in case outcomes and right size our states prison population, Ben Ruddell, director of the ACLU of Illinois criminal justice project, said in a statement. Doing harm to individuals across Illinois in a vain attempt to look tough on crime has failed for years. It must end. A notice on the review boards website says that, due to unforeseen circumstances, clemency hearings scheduled from April 12 to April 15 have been postponed. Our agency is working to finalize a future date and location, and additional notifications will be forthcoming to those affected by the change, the notice reads. Spaulding reported from Chicago. jgorner@chicagotribune.com cspaulding@chicagotribune.com Verizon is aware of a spam campaign that is targeting its customers with their own phone numbers. As first reported by The Verge, some of the carriers subscribers have complained in recent days of receiving text messages that offer a little gift for paying off their monthly phone bill, with a link that leads to a Russian website. What has made the campaign unsettling for some is that the perpetrators are spoofing the numbers of their targets. Our team is actively working to block these messages, and we have engaged with US law enforcement to identify and stop the source of this fraudulent activity, a Verizon spokesperson told Engadget. Verizon continues to work on behalf of our customers to prevent spam texts and related activity. When reports of the campaign first started to appear online, some Verizon customers speculated it was the result of an internal breach, a claim the carrier denies. We believe this activity is being generated from external bad actors with no direct tie to our company, the company told The Verge. Verizon also said it has no evidence that suggests the texts are coming from Russia. The texts come as US officials, including President Biden, have warned of potential Russian cyberattacks in response to the sanctions imposed on Russia following its invasion of Ukraine. Like with most spam and phishing attempts, the best thing you can do to protect yourself is to not open the link that accompanies the text. During the White House press briefing on Tuesday, communications director Kate Bedingfield said the Biden administration was in communication with the Ukrainian government, but wouldnt provide details on the countrys negotiations with Russia about ending the war in Ukraine. Video Transcript - I want to ask about the Turks that are having-- talks that are happening under way in Turkey at the moment between the Russians and the Ukrainians. What is the White House's visibility into those discussions? KATE BEDINGFIELD: So we are in close contact with the Ukrainians and are supportive of their efforts to engage in diplomacy and to try to reach a cease fire. We are prepared to be helpful however we can and are focused on putting Ukraine in the strongest possible position, both on the battlefield, and at the negotiating table. We obviously continue to provide security assistance to provide weapons to ensure that they are able to push back on Russian aggression. And we continue to increase pressure on Putin and on Russia by imposing severe costs in partnership with our allies and partners. So we defer to the Ukrainians to discuss the specifics of the negotiations. But we are, of course, committed to a Ukraine that is sovereign, independent, and secure. And we are in constant conversation with the Ukrainian government, and our allies, and partners. But as always, we keep those conversations private. Memphis police are searching for a woman they say shot another woman Monday night. The shooting happened in the 2500 block of West Hillview around 8:45 p.m. The woman was taken to Regional One in critical condition, police said. Police said they are looking for a Black female who fled the scene. At 8:42 pm, MPD responded to a shooting at 2529 West Hillview with a female shot. The victim was xported to ROH critical. Responsible is a black female that fled the scene. The investigation is ongoing. Please call 901-528-CASH w/tips. Memphis Police Dept (@MEM_PoliceDept) March 29, 2022 The investigation is ongoing. If you have information bout this shooting, please call CrimeStoppers at 901-528-CASH. Download the FOX13 Memphis app to receive alerts from breaking news in your neighborhood. CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD Trending stories: Baltimore County Police said one Woodlawn High School student was arrested Tuesday after assaulting another person. County police said just after 11 a.m. they responded to the high school to help a school resource officer with an assault. The victim was transported to an area hospital and is in stable condition, police said. The department did not specify if the victim was also a student. The student who allegedly caused the incident was arrested, police said. Mar. 29LISBON New York state police have released the names of both suspects arrested in Pakistan following the investigation into Shylynn M. Dixon's suicide. Muhammed Arslan Saeed and Kamal Anwar, Pakistan, were arrested following an investigation by New York State Police Troop B in conjunction with the FBI. Ms. Dixon died by suicide in March 2021 from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. The subsequent investigation found that Ms. Dixon had shared nude photographs online with someone who then attempted to blackmail her and threaten to post the photos on social media. State police on March 25 had originally identified the wrong suspect. According to an article in Saturday's Times, the FBI Washington Field Office last Thursday had warned parents of an increase in sextortion of kids and teens, specifically by adults posing as young girls to manipulate boys through social media. For resources and ways to report sextortion, visit wdt.me/sextortion. By Lucy Craymer WELLINGTON (Reuters) - New Zealand and Fiji signed a partnership statement on Tuesday that will see the two countries work more closely together in areas such as security, protecting shared interests and economic resilience. The announcement between the two countries came days after the Solomon Islands government confirmed it was "diversifying" its security relationships beyond Australia, which prompted alarm in Australia, New Zealand and the United States. "Aotearoa New Zealand is committed to working alongside Fiji and supporting common goals both in Fiji and in the Pacific region," New Zealand's Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta said in a statement after the agreement was signed. The partnership statement outlines a broad range of priorities such as pursuing greater understanding and coordination on foreign policy priorities; building economic resilience; supporting capability to uphold sovereign authority, according to a New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade statement. "This strategic cooperation is timely, as our region paves its way forward to progressive socio-economic recovery," said Fiji Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama. (Reporting by Lucy Craymer. Editing by Gerry Doyle) Money gone in seconds. Thats whats happening to millions of customers who rely on the popular money-transferring app Zelle. Consumer advisers say thieves using the app to target money is on the rise. Channel 2s Ashli Lincoln found nearly 18 million Americans were scammed involving these money transfer apps. Consumer advisors warn people not to fall for this scam, because once your money is gone, chances are high that you wont get it back. [DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] Janet Hass is one of dozens of metro Atlanta bank customers who said they were duped by scammers using the Zelle app. We found out that we were hacked through Zelle, she said. Almost upwards of $40,000. Hass said the bank account she shares with her 20-year-old son was targeted by scammers. Hed been saving up for college about a year and a half, and to get a car. All of his life savings are messed up and he doesnt have access to it, she said. She reached out to Channel 2 Action News after seeing our story last week about a Peachtree City woman who said thieves took $2,000. I would like my money back, that woman said. Channel 2 has reported scammers are using the Zelle app to trick consumers into authorizing money to thieves. From there, the card was actually turned off at the time, this person who hacked us turned it back on, turned it back off, three to four times, Hass said. In her case, Hass said they received an alert saying a stranger added themselves to their Zelle account. It said Jasmine Wild added herself as a Zelle recipient, she said. Right now, most banks like Wells Fargo, Chase and some credit unions are not offering customers fraud protection or refunds to their accounts if theyve been scammed with the Zelle app. Its terrible, Hass said. TRENDING STORIES: Story continues Lincoln spoke with a Zelle representative, who said these scams are concerning and theyre working to inform customers as these cases continue to rise. The company said because Zelle is a third-party money-transferring service and not responsible for holding account funds, they dont have to offer any fraud protections or refunds thats up to an individuals bank. The company said they have been working with cybercrime support networks to spread awareness to consumers about these scams, launching an information campaign on how to spot financial scams and flooding social media pages with tips. Consumer adviser Clark Howard said if you simply must use the Zelle app, dont link it to your primary checking account. Zelle is married at the hip to your bank account, and if a criminal is able to tap into money in your account through Zelle, the money is gone forever Howard said. Howard said to create a separate account just for Zelle transfers, so if scammers do get into your app, youre protected. [SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter] Within three days, his account was empty, Hass said. We would just like Wells Fargo to acknowledge, to see our proof and refund it. Some banks are saying they are not liable for these funds because they are authorized transfers. Theyre saying its not their fault that if someone was scammed and authorized a fraudulent transfer, as it is a practice that is approved by federal law. IN OTHER NEWS: The memorial at Yates and Corning Roads in Beecher for the Schmidt family following the 2017 crash. A Will County jury has been deliberating for 12 hours in the case of Sean Woulfe, but jurors had yet to reach a verdict Tuesday afternoon. (Nancy Stone / Chicago Tribune) Will County Judge Daniel Rippy denied defense motions for a mistrial Tuesday afternoon in the case against Sean Woulfe, and told a jury to return Wednesday for a third day of deliberations even though the foreman said they were stuck 11-1 in favor of a conviction. The attorney for Woulfe, George Lenard, requested a mistrial three times Tuesday over the deadlocked vote count and a request from the foreman he didnt agree with. Advertisement Rippy read a note to the courtroom midafternoon saying 11 jurors supported a guilty verdict and one juror supported a not-guilty verdict. He said the jury should not be giving exact vote totals but it is what it is. Lenard requested a motion for a mistrial given his concerns the jury will try to sway the lone juror. Advertisement Itll be a pleading case on that one juror, Lenard said. Assistant States Attorney Adam Capelli said other cases of this magnitude have gone through similar situations. The fact we know what the numbers are dont mean anything, Capelli said. Rippy dismissed the jurors at 5:45 p.m. Tuesday after denying Lenards third request for a mistrial. Jurors deliberated about eight hours Tuesday after seven hours of discussion Monday. Im off the mind to bring them back one more day, Rippy told Lenard. Woulfe, 30, of Orland Park, is charged with reckless homicide in the July 24, 2017 crash at Corning Road and Yates Avenue in Beecher; he was indicted on 16 counts in 2017 and the indictment was upheld two years later. Lindsey Schmidt and her three sons died from injuries after a driver of a 2002 Chevrolet S10 pickup truck drove through a stop sign July 24, 2017, at the intersection of Corning Road and Yates Avenue in unincorporated Washington Township and struck their 2014 Subaru Outback, according to the Will County sheriffs office. (Broderick Photography ) Lindsey Schmidt, who was pregnant at the time, and her 19-month-old son, Kaleb, were pronounced dead at the scene. Four-year-old Weston and 6-year-old Owen died at Comers Children Hospital in Chicago days later. Edward Schmidt, the husband and father, settled a civil suit against Woulfe in 2018, for $300,000. Advertisement Daily Southtown Twice-weekly News updates from the south suburbs delivered every Monday and Wednesday > A spokesperson for the Will County states attorneys office said, if convicted, Woulfe could receive probation or between two and 10 years in prison, depending on the jurys findings. Rippy earlier Tuesday denied a mistrial Lenard sought based on concerns the jury foreman requested to talk to Rippy. A court officer told the foreman that was not possible, Rippy said. The judge said he did not speak with the juror. Shortly after 2 p.m. Tuesday Rippy had told lawyers weve had movement with the jury but no verdict. Attorneys in the case gave closing arguments Monday morning, with county prosecutors arguing Woulfes driving that day was reckless. Woulfes attorney argued the case against his client had built-in reasonable doubt. Eyewitness Norberto Navarro said the crash sounded like an explosion. Evidence presented revealed Woulfe was driving as fast as 84 mph in the seconds leading up to the collision. Schmidt was driving 62 mph just before being struck. Woulfe was not using his cellphone at the time of the crash nor were drugs or alcohol detected in his body. Advertisement raguerrero@tribpub.com Our world never runs short of images and stories that reflect the cruelty and misery that humans are capable of inflicting upon one other. According to the United Nations, 84 million world citizens have been forcibly displaced from their homes and are suffering from the desperation of life as refugees. In Afghanistan a million children under the age of 5 could die of starvation by the end of the year. China has forced 2 million people into concentration camps, has subdued Hong Kong and threatens to invade Taiwan. Around 25,000 people die of hunger every day. Child labor, slavery, forced marriages and honor killings are common in parts of the world. In many places, homosexuality is a crime with severe penalties. Tribalism and autocracy are on the rise. In short, despite humanitys significant advances, our world resides on an unstable, semi-civilized crust that is in constant danger of cracking beneath us and exposing what Tennyson called the natural world, red in tooth and claw. And this is what were seeing in Ukraine: A democratic country is being attacked by a brutal dictator who is completely unrestrained by scruples over atrocities against civilians. The war is testing Ukraines capacity to absorb the heartbreaking brutality of modern warfare. Old people, children, even pregnant women, are being indiscriminately targeted by Russian rockets and artillery. But if one follows the war in Ukraine closely, everything begins to reflect through its lens. Heres an example: On March 12, Saudi Arabia staged a mass execution. The details are sketchy, but its very likely that the 81 victims were beheaded, possibly in a public event. Saudi Arabia does not decapitate with the comparatively humane guillotine of the French Revolution. Instead, victims are beheaded with a sword if theyre lucky or with a knife. Its a brutal, grisly, painful process. Critics of this mass decapitation argue that many of its 81 victims were executed for political offenses rather than for violent crimes. Allegedly some were tortured and tried in secret. A disproportionate number were Shiites, suggesting a sectarian bias among the Sunni executioners. Due process was undoubtedly in short supply. But despite these judicial failures, its the image of the grisly decapitation of 81 human beings that should stun us. This is the sort of violence that reminds us that our culture, whatever its flaws, is better than the autocracies of Saudi Arabia, Russia or China. Since the end of World War II, the United States has been the essential champion of a liberal world order (with a small l) that aspires to advance the most civilized values that humanity has developed so far: democracy, individual rights, free elections, equality before the law, inclusion, tolerance, maybe even compassion. The war in Ukraine and the mass execution in Saudi Arabia remind us of how fragile these values are. Russias attack is a belligerent expression of the philosophical conflict between the liberal world order and the brutality that lies just beneath the surface. So why are we still executing people in our country? Considerable evidence indicates that capital punishment has no deterrent effect, weve never figured out how to apply it without regard to race or economic class and undoubtedly we sometimes execute innocent people. But in a larger framework, it should concern us that we are the last country in the West that carries out state-sanctioned killings, traveling in the dubious company of autocracies such as Saudi Arabia, Iran and China. Certainly, we dont commit such savageries as beheadings, but several states still use the electric chair and four states permit execution by firing squad. In some states, hanging is still legal. The war in Ukraine represents a clash between savagery and a superior liberal world order. The United States is on the right side of this conflict, and its a distinction between two world views that is worth fighting for. But democracy and its values require constant recommitment and renewal. We could begin by refusing to allow the state to put people to death on our behalf. Lewis Central Community School District taxpayers will see a slight dip in their property tax levy, if the school districts proposed budget is approved. Under the proposal, the districts levy would decline from $10.42846 to $10.23615 per $1,000 of taxable valuation, or about 19 cents, according to information presented by Andrea Raes, business manager and board secretary, during a public hearing during the Board of Education meeting on March 21. The preliminary budget includes $38 million in expenditures on anticipated revenues of $38,446,964, according to Raes. Revenues would include $16,150,121 in State Foundation Aid (based on a state per-pupil formula), $11,960,763 from property taxes, $1,490,554 from the Instructional Support Levy, $645,526 in at risk/dropout prevention funds and $8.2 million in miscellaneous income. Miscellaneous income includes money the state transportation reimbursement, student fees, facility rentals, open enrollment tuition, interest income and federal, state and local grants. The district will have total spending authority of $39,102,709, including $765,000 of unused spending authority from last year. Spending more than the districts total spending authority is a violation of statutory authority. Raes pointed out that the school districts property tax levy per $1,000 has declined steadily from its peak of $14.22 in 2005, except for a brief uptick from $13.14 to $13.22 in 2013. Meanwhile, annual growth in state funding fell from a high of 4% in FY10 to zero in FY12, worked its way back up to 4% in FY15, slid to 1% in FY19 and has partially rebounded to 2.5% for FY23. The board is expected to take action on the budget at its next meeting on April 4. Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. WILLIAMSBURG (AP) Authorities have identified a man who was found dead last week in an eastern Iowa grain bin. Robert Wade Chittick, 63, of Williamsburg, was found buried under 10 feet (3.05 meters) of corn after emergency responders were called around 7:30 a.m. Friday to the grain bin near Williamsburg, the Iowa County Sheriffs Office said in a news release. Arriving crews worked for an hour before finding Chittick inside the bin. He was declared dead at the scene. The sheriffs office said the 20,000-bushel capacity grain bin is owned by Kinze Manufacturing and is leased to Circle J Grain of Williamsburg. Williamsburg is located about 83 miles (133.6 kilometers) east of Des Moines. How to fix bottle lawOnce again, several bad bottle bills are making their way thru the Iowa Legislature, threatening to undo decades of progress in helping to keep our landscape from becoming a trash dump. The Iowa bottle-deposit law is a long-standing piece of extraordinarily successful and popular legislation that needs to be strengthened by: Increasing the deposit to 10 cents Increasing the fee to redeemers to 2 cents. Including items such as juice containers and water bottles that dont currently require a deposit. Maintaining convenience for consumers by not increasing the distance/time from store to redemption center. Adding penalties for non-compliance. Polls show its popularity, and its success (although the numbers are readily available by a simple google search) can be gauged just by personal experience. As I hike or fish in our state, I often carry a trash bag to pick up litter, and the overwhelming majority of containers I find do not have the Iowa deposit stamp. The success of this law rests on two legs, the incentive to return (the deposit) and the convenience to do so (after all the deposit is quite small). Yet bills now in process, each in their own way intend, to weaken or eliminate this law to the advantage of a few wealthy corporations and the detriment of all Iowans. Thomas Reardon Council Bluffs Girls and mental healthAs we near the end of Womens History Month, one of the many topics of concern to all of us should be youth and mental health, especially a hurtle for young girls. Middle and high school female students report higher incidents of psychological and emotional issues than male students, which can definitely interfere with their academic achievements. Major depressive events among 12-to-17-year-olds increased by more than 50% since 2005. Suicides among girls ages 10 to 14 tripled between 1999 to 2014, and suicides among girls 15to 19 doubled from 2007 to 2015. More than 9% of female high school students attempted suicide in the last year as compared to 5.1% of males. In addition, more than 63%of lesbian, bisexual, gay, and transgender girls indicated having feelings of sadness or hopelessness in the last year, and 23% attempted suicide. Attempted suicides were higher among female students (9.3%) than male students (5.1%); higher among White female (7.3%), Black female (12.5%),and Hispanic female students (10.5%) than White male (4.6%), Black male (6.7%), and Hispanic male (5.8) students. Some of this can be attributed to school performance anxiety, social interactions including social media, body image issues, and harassment. Schools are attempting to focus more on the social and emotional needs of students, and they recognize that mental and physical health correlate to the ability to learn. What can the public do? A new public health facility is scheduled to be built in Council Bluffs. We can urge city and county government officials to dedicate significant space in the new facility for mental health and substance abuse, with special emphasis on children and adolescents. In President Bidens State of the Union address, he gave special emphasis to addressing the mental health needs of children, whose lives and education have been turned upside down during the pandemic. The plan includes several suggestions to curtail social medias harmful effects on our youth, such as calling on Congress to ban excessive data collection from children and advertising that targets them. It also proposes the expansion of early childhood and in-school services to prevent young childrens mental health problems from growing worse. Dr. Tami Benton, the president-elect of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, stated, Prevention is the most effective and most cost-effective way to prevent the onset of mental illness. This is NOT a partisan issue! Contact your members of Congress and urge their support. Geri Frederiksen AAUW Loess Hills branch Council Bluffs Support girls in STEMWe reflect back to womens historical struggles and successes to celebrate Womens History in March, but also we extend a forward look of hope that todays young women will be successful. A STEM career, encompassing one of the fields of science, technology, engineering or math, might be the right fit for the future because we will rely upon many to help solve expanding global, environmental and health issues. Yet history has not looked favorably upon women in the science field. In the 1850s, Eunice Newton Foote, little known scientist, experimented with greenhouse gasses in glass cylinders, then heated by the Sun. As she observed that the one filled with carbon dioxide was warm, she noted that our lower atmosphere and Earth itself would warm, early evidence of global warming. With little recognition in her era, she put her simple science tools away and moved on to supporting womens suffrage, a most relevant cause in her era. Today, however, we need her findings and more to solve the effect of carbons impact on Earth. Educating women as leaders in the STEM fields should be near the top of the list. One such respected present day climate scientist is Katherine Hayhoe from Texas Tech. She alerts us that as climate adjusts to hotter summer temperatures and more unusual winters, women of poverty and their children are likely to suffer the most, again leaving them behind, and the hope that their children might lead better lives diminishes. For a better future, support the girls in your life today who may be interested in STEM fields for they will play critical roles in solving the climate crisis and many other problems. As a parent, send them positive messages by encouraging them to gain the skills and confidence needed to succeed. As a community, seek improvement in STEM education, K-12. Encourage girls to become STEM majors in college and beyond. Work for improvement in job hiring by retaining female leaders and providing opportunities for promotion. Pay women on par with males doing the same work, being inclusive of all cultures. As March closes, please recognize that education of our girls, climate change, and the betterment of all lives are concerns that exist in all months of the year, and we must advocate year round. Mary Anne Kuhr Crescent Reynolds a strong leader for IowaWhen we say the past is an indicator of the future it means that we can anticipate how the days (or years) ahead of us will turn out. Undoubtedly, Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds has set that precedent in Iowa for a stable and prosperous future. Because of her strong leadership, I could not be more certain in supporting her decision to run for re-election. Gov. Reynolds has kept our state on target throughout the pandemic while many other states were struggling. As governor, she placed her confidence in the people of Iowa, supporting individual rights by fighting against mask mandates, vaccination requirements, getting our kids back in schools and cutting taxes. All while keeping Iowa strong and productive. It is unquestionable that Gov. Reynolds is a leader for the people of Iowa. She has taken strong stands when others wouldnt. Her past work is a STRONG indicator of our future. This is the bold and confident leadership that Iowa needs and Gov. Reynolds has my full support. Thomas Kmezich Council Bluffs Gas pricesThis should make Americans ask the fundamental question: What is the difference between what a public nonprofit utility company provides and what a private for-profit oil company provides? After all they both sell energy to all United States citizens. The difference is that natural gas and electricity are sold in the form of a public good whereas oil is sold in the form of a private good. Accordingly, on the grounds of promoting national security, the United States Congress should convert all oil companies to utility companies. This would eliminate the windfall profits and force the oil industry to earn just enough income to cover operating expenses just as natural gas and electric utility companies are required to do. The resulting drop in gasoline prices would further stimulate the economy and lighten the energy stranglehold upon the United States by the Middle East. It would also eliminate the influence of the oil lobby. In this case, desperate times call for deliberate measures. But as pathetic as the energy policy is in the United States, the effort to develop alternative sources of energy wont really be accelerated until the oil dries up and the Saudis place solar cells all across their desert and then sell us the electricity. Joe Bialek Cleveland We have used your information to see if you have a subscription with us, but did not find one. Please use the button below to verify an existing account or to purchase a new subscription. Morocco and the United Kingdom have a shared determination to deepen their cooperation in the areas of defense and security and to expand it, in particular, to the defense industry and cybersecurity. Means to bolster this cooperation were discussed during meetings that the visiting UK Defense Senior Advisor to the Middle East and North Africa, Air Marshal Martin Elliot Sampson, held Monday in Rabat with Minister Delegate to the Head of Government, in charge of National Defense Administration and with Lieutenant General, Inspector General of the Royal Armed Forces (FAR) and Commander of the Southern Zone, a statement issued by the FAR General Staff said. The two sides welcomed the historic and excellent relations binding the two Kingdoms in several areas and reaffirmed the need to deepen and expand bilateral cooperation in the areas of defense and security to include, in particular, the defense industry and cybersecurity. They also reviewed the results of military cooperation between the Armed Forces of the two countries and the opportunities to strengthen and deepen this cooperation. During the meetings, the UK Defense Senior Advisor commended Morocco as a crucial player in regional stability and hailed the multidimensional reforms launched by the North African Kingdom in various sectors, under the leadership of King Mohammed VI, the statement added. He also commended the convening of joint military commissions which meet regularly in Rabat and London in order to make the most of the opportunities offered by cooperation, in particular the development of the interoperability of forces and the exchange of experience and expertise between the two Armed Forces. Martin Elliot Sampsons visit to Rabat is part of the consolidation of Moroccan-British military cooperation, which is governed by a Framework Agreement for Military and Technical Cooperation and an Agreement on the Status of Forces, the statement pointed out. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Morocco on Monday for a working visit. During the visit, to last until March 30, Blinken will meet with several senior Moroccan officials, including the Head of Government Aziz Akhannouch, and Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita to discuss means to further boost bilateral relations at all levels and exchange views on regional political issues. The Secretary will also engage with Moroccan civil society leaders and participate in a media engagement, the US State Department said in a statement released few hours before Blinkens arrival in Rabat. The strategic bilateral partnership between the United States and Morocco is rooted in shared interests in regional peace, security, and prosperity, the statement said, welcoming Moroccos role in promoting regional stability, prosperity, and the historic normalization of relations with Israel. The United States recognizes the role played by Morocco in maintaining regional security and stability as well as its contribution to peace and prosperity in the Middle East, the State Department pointed out. It also underlined the two countries commitment to continuing cooperation on issues of common interest, such as regional peace and prosperity and regional security. The United States and Morocco expressed their intent during the strategic dialogue to continue strong counterterrorism cooperation, including against AQIM and ISIS. We appreciate Morocco as a stable security-exporting partner, for its leadership of the Global Counterterrorism Forum and for its sustaining role in the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS, including by co-chairing the Africa Focus Group of the Coalition and hosting the upcoming Ministerial Meeting of the Coalition in May, the statement added. AS to bilateral relationship, it includes close collaboration on a range of issues, including the Sahel, Libya, and Ukraine. We reaffirm the importance of respecting the territorial integrity, sovereignty, and national unity of all the Member States of the United Nations. Regarding Moroccos efforts to support the UN political process in Libya, the statement said the United States welcomes these efforts to support the UNs work and hosting the intra-Libyan dialogue. We are united in our strong commitment to the sovereignty, independence, territorial integrity, and national unity of Libya and the priority for organizing national elections in the near term. The State Department also reiterated that the United States continues to view Moroccos Autonomy Plan as serious, credible, and realistic, and one potential approach to meet the aspirations of the people of Western Sahara. The United States supports United Nations Secretary Generals Personal Envoy Staffan de Mistura in leading the political process for Western Sahara, under the auspices of the United Nations, it added. The statement also ranged over economic and military cooperation between the two countries, mentioning the $460 million compact administered by the US Millennium Challenge Corporation destined to expand education and employment opportunities for young people across the Kingdom, as well as land productivity and land rights for women in rural areas. It also mentioned the African Lion, the largest military exercise in Africa and a critical component for the U.S.-Morocco security partnership, recalling that the 2021 exercise, which took place in June across the Kingdom, was the largest since the annual training event started in 2004. Australia to receive Vietnamese migrant workers in agricultural sector Australia has agreed to receive Vietnamese migrant workers operating in the agricultural sector under a memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed by the two countries on March 28. Representatives from Vietnam's Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs and the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade at the signing ceremony (Photo: VNA) This is the first agreement that Australia has reached with other countries since it first announced its Agriculture Visa Program in 2021. The MoU was signed online by Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade Marise Payne and Vietnamese Minister of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs Dao Ngoc Dung. In a statement released after the signing ceremony, Minister Payne described the MoU as a solid foundation in which to recruit Vietnamese labourers to work for agricultural enterprises in Australia. Vietnams early participation in the Australian Agriculture Visa Program has helped to strengthen people-to-people links between both countries and demonstrate the Morrison Governments commitment to deepening cooperation under the Australia-Vietnam Strategic Partnership, she emphasized. For decades, Vietnamese workers, students, businesspeople, and tourists have made extensive contributions to Australia, she said, adding that the Australian Government looks forward to the scheme continuing. Vietnamese Ambassador to Australia Nguyen Tat Thanh expressed his hope that the MoU will mark the start of a sustainable co-operation process between both sides, including in the industrial and service sectors. He noted that both the Vietnamese and Australian economies are highly complementary, particularly as both countries share intertwined interests. The diplomat added that flourishing co-operation in education, training, and vocational training over the years will provide a basis for mutually-beneficial and comprehensive co-operation between the two countries, particularly in the labour field in the future. Australia had decided to seal its border from March 2020, in an effort to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, leading to a shortage of workers, especially in the agricultural sector. First launched in March 2020, the Australian Agriculture Visa Program is intended to provide a sustainable, long-term contribution to Australias labour supply that supports the Australian agricultural and primary industry sectors. It serves to supplement the Pacific Australia Labour Mobility (PALM) scheme, which remains the mainstay for meeting agricultural workforce shortages in primary industries and represents a solution for future harvests. Under the terms of the Australian Agriculture Visa Program, employees will be recruited to work across a range of agriculture sectors, including horticulture, dairy, wool, grains, fisheries and forestry, including support services and primary processing. The Park Ridge Public Library Board will review its collection management guidelines after an email sent by some residents questioned books in the teen section about sexuality and containing LGBT characters. A personal discussion after the meeting between one of the objectors and a local young person identifying as LGBT, however, may have somewhat brooked the divide. Advertisement The March 15 Board meeting stemmed from an email sent to some residents from a local group calling itself Freedom Park Ridge. The email took issue with the library promoting book talks for titles in the teen section that discuss sexuality and/or have LGBTQ characters. Advertisement A March 13 email from Freedom Park Ridge led by Park Ridge resident Sal Galati encouraged citizens to email library director Joanna Bertucci, alleging that the library was not reviewing the content and thus not doing their job, or are reviewing the content and lack judgment which disqualifies them for these roles. The email included a photo of a flyer for the librarys scheduled book discussions and highlighted The Girl from the Sea: A Graphic Novel, a book by Molly Knox Ostertag about family, romance and first love that features a 15-year-old girl who is navigating her sexuality during adolescence. The photo also showed High School: Felix Ever After and Middle School: Ana on the Edge, which both explore gender identity in adolescence. With Park Ridge Mayor Marty Maloney in attendance, Galati, as well as about 15 residents who voiced disagreement with the email, took turns speaking during the meetings heated public comment section. One speaker, Ginger Pennington, decided to attend the meeting after seeing the email on Facebook. I dont want our community to become associated with or identified as close-minded, bigoted and not inclusive because I think there is a vast majority of us in town who very much support inclusion and respect people, regardless of their background, identity or sexual orientation, Pennington said. Galati argued that his intentions were twisted in social media posts about the email, and that his concerns were not stemming from a place of hate to the LGBTQ community. The board allowed him to speak again and clarify his aims after he was explicitly mentioned several times in one speakers comments. Theres been misrepresentations, but one of them is Im not afraid of my child becoming gay by reading these books, Galati said. Thats not the issue. Thats not a fear of mine, Im not concerned about that. Im trying to open up a dialogue, and I hope that was conveyed, that you guys can look at the procedures. Im looking to add books to the circulation. I dont know how to, about freedom and concepts of the Constitution and history of the nation. Galati said he was concerned about children unhealthily thinking about sex and added that he did not think the LGBTQ-focused titles should be banned from the library, although the email from Freedom Park Ridge called the book discussions a reckless use of public resources and said the board should reevaluate their procurement process of materials. Advertisement It also argued for books regarding heterosexual relationships to be removed from the teen and childrens section, although no specific books in the sections were brought up. Pennington said she believes the email from Freedom Park Ridge is a local example of a broader push to influence decisions on school and library boards around the country. She noted that Freedom Park Ridge had previously sent emails criticizing District 64s COVID-19 quarantine and close contact protocols in February. At the end of the March 13 email, Freedom Park Ridge hinted at more possible action regarding District 64 in the future. We have similar issues coming up at our local school boards as well, so stay tuned, it concluded. Galati says he is not on social media, but Freedom Park Ridge appeared as of last week to be active on Facebook and Instagram. A private Instagram page describes the group as an advocate for freedom, individual liberty, parents rights and medical freedom. According to Galati, the organization is a diverse group of citizens, and its main goal is to make sure the community is engaged and their voices are heard by their elected officials locally. Advertisement Pennington and some of the other speakers didnt see it that way. This whole issue of trying to ban books and anything social justice themed or related from our school districts and so forth is clearly part of a larger agenda, Pennington said. Whether he even realizes hes being influenced by a larger political current or not, it is. What bothers me so much about it is the impact it has on our young people. In this photo from 2018, the south side of the Park Ridge Public Library's second floor includes new carpeting, shelving and furniture following remodeling work that began over the summer. (Jennifer Johnson/Pioneer Press) The email warned recipients that it might anger some community members and attract negative attention on social media. The usual voices will confuse the situation and malign us on Social Media, the email said. We are about Freedom. People have the right to write, read, and live however they desire. I did not see any books discussing heterosexual relationships in the teen section of the pamphlet, but I am requesting to have those removed as well from the teen and childrens circulation. This is a place of learning, those books belong at the bookstore. Discussions about sex belong at home with parents, not in isolation in the teen loft. When the meetings public comment session wrapped up, Park Ridge Library Board president Lauren Rapisand motioned to move the presidents report to the next item in the meeting agenda. The board voted unanimously to do so, and Rapisand said the board has been working extensively since October to review collection management guidelines to ensure that the library is operating in a manner that is reflective of our times. Having the honor of serving on the Park Ridge Public Library board is one that none of our trustees take for granted, Rapisand said. We know the tremendous responsibility that we have to make sure all members of the Park Ridge community are seen, heard and valued. We want to thank all the individuals that came to our meeting this evening, wrote emails or visited the library in person over the last few days, as it shows that we have a community that cares. I also personally want to take this moment to thank the staff of the Park Ridge Public Library who do their jobs with the utmost professionalism and care in what they present, making sure materials are peer-reviewed and age appropriate. Advertisement While some of the policies have stayed consistent, we have also updated some that have not been reviewed in years, Rapisand said. In light of the recent feedback weve received, we have decided to accelerate the review of our collection management guidelines to happen in April. While all the feedback weve received is appreciated, please know we do have a process that reviews materials based on several factors. The Park Ridge Public Library is for everyone. Our collection contains materials that expand perspective with experiences beyond our own, and we aim to have a broad collection of viewpoints. Near the end of his public comment, Galati invited attendees to speak with him after the meeting. Another commenter, Kim Schaefer, took him up on the offer. The pair spoke for several hours, Schaefer said, and later sent an email with Coming Together in the subject line. In the message, Galati and Schaefer thanked the board for its evaluation of the procurement process, and also clearly laying out goals and boundaries for content in the teen and childrens sections. Schaefer declined to comment on the specifics of the conversation, but agreed with Galati on the content of their joint email. Schaefers comments before the board centered on the struggle of growing up in Park Ridge as part of the LGBTQ community, and the role that library books played in embracing identities outside of heterosexual norms. Advertisement As a teen, the library was a refuge for me, Schaefer said. Having those books showed me that I was not alone, that I was not a freak, that there were other people like that. From a very personal perspective, removing books like that would be detrimental to the mental health of other LGBT youth, but beyond that, all teens in my opinion benefit from being able to read about experiences that are not their own because it builds empathy. Galati called the dialogue with Schaefer productive and said he is awaiting the results of the librarys review of its collection management guidelines. Both Schaefer and Pennington said they left the meeting feeling inspired by the comments from a couple of Maine South High School students who described their own positive experiences at the library, while also sharing examples of discrimination they faced from peers at school. It certainly, as a member of the LGBT community, is a heartening experience to see so many people come out in support of continuing to keep LGBT books for children and teens in the library, Schaefer said, as well as having some of Park Ridges own LGBT youth come out and speak. One of the points that really resonated with me was talking about the bias, jeers and abuse they take sometimes in the hallways (of school) from their peers, Pennington said. Clearly, its also in some cases coming from adults in our community. These are people that are already at a vulnerable age, and their identity makes them more vulnerable to abuse, discrimination and bullying. Egyptian President Fattah al-Sisi hosted on Sunday Khalifa Haftar and House of Representatives (HoR) Speaker, Aqila Saleh in Cairo, as part of Egypts support for the political process that led to forming Fathi Bashaghas government, Libya Observer reports, citing unnamed sources. The sources indicated that the visit came in a time of tension as Bashaghas government failed to enter Tripoli and assume power from PM Abdulhamid Dbiebah who rejected, and still does, handing over authorities to Bashagha, saying he would hand over power to an elected government only. The HoR hand picked Bashagha last month to become the countrys Premier arguing that Dbiebahs term came to an end on 24 December after the UN-backed elections failed to take place. Dbeibah rejected the move and refused to leave office. He also vowed to hand over power once an elected authority is installed. Egypt and Saudi Arabia have backed the HoRs February move. The UK has imposed harsh economic and financial sanctions on Russia following the war with Ukraine. And as the British government is preparing to cut energy ties with Russia, Morocco can help UK avoid energy crisis thanks to its abundant resources, according to Daily Express. In a bid to ditch Russian energy, Britain has pledged to phase out oil imports by the end of the year. It is also eyeing up sanctions on Russian gas, which make up around 5 pc of the UKs total supplies. PM Boris Johnson is poised to announce a new energy strategy in the coming weeks as the country is seeking to wean itself off Russian hydrocarbons. According to experts, the new UK energy strategy will be based on renewable technologies. Morocco is among the top five most cost-efficient renewable energy producers. Ali Seddiki, a senior official at Moroccan Investment and Development Agency, told Daily Express that his country could have a big role to play in ensuring a safe split from Russia. It comes as Morocco is poised to strike a win-win deal with the UK as the country looks to strengthen trading ties with Britain after Brexit, added the daily stressing the importance of the 16 billion Xlinks Morocco-UK power project. As a giant renewable energy country, Morocco has huge potential which enables it to supply its renewable resources to the UK, added Mr. Seddiki, noting that the North African Kingdom has abundant resources available and is currently using renewables to power its economy and industry 37 pc of Morocco energy mix comes from renewable energy and its target is to reach 52 pc by 2030. We will keep on investing so that will definitely translate into opportunities for players in the UK who are interested, said Mr. Seddiki. The partnership between Morocco and UK on renewable resources started years ago and the two countries are looking forward to developing this partnership further. Moroccos Phosphates (OCP) will help Cote dIvoire enhance agricultural competitiveness and strengthen the impact of local development policies on rural populations. To this end, the two sides signed Monday in Abidjan a framework agreement relating to the development of a strategic partnership between them. this strategic partnership agreement, covering an initial period of two years, provides for the implementation on the ground of three specific agreements, including the rice project in the north of the country, the creation of 30 new generation agricultural service centres and the digital mapping of soil fertility. Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Adjoumani Kouassi, said during the signing ceremony that the structural transformation of Ivorian farming will lead to an increase in agricultural productivity and farm incomes from 60% to 80% by 2030. This will also increase the value added and contribute to the creation of a significant number of jobs for the countrys youth and women. Director General of OCP Africa, an OCP Group subsidiary, Mohamed Anouar Jamali, announced that two other specific agreements will follow, to spread good practices within womens cooperatives and to establish a mechanism to accompany and support Ivorian start-ups investing in agribusiness. OCP Africa is working on the training of excellence of young people in agribusiness and agri-tech through the establishment of a digital farmer school backed by an experimental farm. This school which will be the first core of the Mohammed VI Polytechnic University in Cote dIvoire will be the subject of a sixth specific agreement, Jamali said. The signing ceremony was chaired by Ivorian PM Patrick Achi. Morocco is hosting this March 29-30 the 34th meeting of the Steering Committee of the member countries of the 5+5 Defense Initiative that will assess the situation on the projects initiated within the framework of the Initiative, update the Action Plan for the year 2022, and draw up the draft Action Plan for the year 2023, which will be chaired by Portugal, a press release from the General Staff of the Royal Armed Forces said. The heads of participating delegations expressed, in their respective addresses, their attachment to this initiative and their commitment to ensure the success of the activities planned under the 2022 Action Plan. They also expressed their satisfaction with the level of cooperation between the member countries of the initiative, underlining its important role for security in the region and the need to maintain channels of communication and dialogue to address common security challenges. The steering committee of the 5+5 Defense Initiative is in charge of developing and monitoring the execution of the annual Action Plan, presenting the progress report on its execution and proposing to the Defense Ministers of member countries the priority activities for the following year. The 5+5 Defense Initiative is a regular framework for rapprochement and cooperation dedicated to defense and security issues. It seeks to promote the exchange and sharing of knowledge, facilitate the interoperability of armed forces, and develop ties of trust and mutual understanding. The meeting made it possible to analyze the latest developments in cooperation in areas of common interest, namely maritime surveillance, air security, the contribution of the armed forces to the protection of the civilian population in the advent of a natural disaster, training and academic research. The 5+5 Defense Initiative gathers France, Italy, Malta, Spain and Portugal for the Northern shore of the Mediterranean; and Mauritania, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia and Libya for the South. US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said his country lauds the ambitious reforms launched in Morocco under the leadership of King Mohammed VI and looks forward to fostering ties with the Kingdom. Speaking at a press conference with Moroccan foreign minister Nasser Bouirta, in Rabat, Blinken said Morocco and the US cooperate in favor of regional peace and security, citing Libya and the Sahel as an example. He emphasized Moroccos role in countering terrorism and the Kingdoms role in the global alliance against ISIS. The US reiterated its support for the autonomy plan as serious, credible and realistic as well as backing for the efforts led by UN envoy de Mistura. The visit came after a summit in Israel with Bourita and foreign ministers of the UAE, Israel and Bahrain which focused on countering threats emanating from Iran and its proxies in the wider region. Unfunded mandates on Nebraskas local governments a sore subject for three decades and more would be restrained under a state constitutional amendment the Legislature advanced Monday. But several lawmakers worried that Legislative Resolution 263CA, which won 34-5 first-round approval, isnt specific enough to be workable or avoid legal challenges. Five of western Nebraskas six state senators voted to advance LR 263CA, which would go on the Nov. 8 general election ballot if it wins two more floor votes. It says the Legislature shall not impose responsibility for a new program or an increased level of service after 2022 unless the affected local government is fully reimbursed by the state for its cost. Reimbursement would either have to be a specific appropriation or an increase in state aid under LR 263CAs language. Senators would have to pass an enabling law later should voters approve the amendment. LR 263CA was introduced by state Sen. Carol Blood, a Democratic candidate for governor and former Bellevue city councilwoman. She said Monday that cities, counties, school districts and other local governments across Nebraska have complained since at least the 1990s about how unfunded mandates drive up property tax burdens. If theres a question about a local governments power or authority, then the local government does not receive the benefit of the doubt, Blood said in her opening speech on LR 263CA. So when we place an unfunded or underfunded mandate on our political subdivisions, they really have few options when it comes to paying for those mandates outside of property taxes. Studies and Unicameral proposals to address the impact of unfunded mandates date to former Gov. Ben Nelsons 1991-99 administration, Blood said. But the state takes little responsibility when it comes to the role it plays in property taxes being so high across Nebraska, she said. First-round debate on LR 263CA took more than two hours, with several senators saying they like Bloods concept but fear its too ambiguous to avoid unintended consequences. I certainly agree that the state should not be putting these unfunded mandates on local governments. I dont think thats appropriate, said Speaker Mike Hilgers of Lincoln, a Republican candidate for attorney general. The term unfunded mandate is nowhere in the lines of LR 263CA, added Hilgers, who later voted to advance it. Where there is uncertainty in how this would apply, in more cases than not, we will be in litigation. Blood said her measure shouldnt take much tweaking to address such concerns. She then referred to the lobbyists outside the chamber for groups of local governments. I know for a fact that our friends in the (State Capitol) rotunda ... are willing to work on the language, because a lot of our counties, especially our smaller counties, are at a breaking point, she said. Sen. Steve Erdman of Bayard cited his frustration with unfunded mandates during his 12 years as a Morrill County commissioner. When he started, I didnt realize the taxpayers were paying that much of the burden, he said. LR 263CA changes the focus from those who collect and spend the taxes to those who pay the taxes. Though hes a Republican and Blood a Democrat, Erdman added, when someone brings a bill that makes sense, irregardless of who they are, I vote for it. Sen. Mike Flood suggested that LR 263CA gives the Legislature the chance to rethink whether the state should perform and pay for many tasks it long has assigned to counties. If the state pays for it, we will control it. Thats the hundred-year history of this Legislature, said Flood, a former Unicameral speaker and current GOP candidate for Congress. Erdman and Sens. Mike Jacobson of North Platte, Tom Brewer of Gordon, John Stinner of Gering and Matt Williams of Gothenburg voted to advance LR 263CA to second-round debate. The western Nebraska delegations lone no vote came from Venango Sen. Dan Hughes. I am good with the idea (but) just have too many questions about (the) mechanics of implementing it, he texted after the vote. Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. A 36-year-old North Platte man received a term of four to eight years in state prison on Monday for stealing more than $900 from a North Platte business last September. Lucas A. Partain was sentenced in Lincoln County District Court for the burglary along with three additional separate cases. Partain, who has a criminal record that dates back to 2005 in California, also received one-year terms for: Cutting a lock from a casino machine at Big Red Liquor on Sept. 18 and taking the money inside it on Sept. 18. Being in possession of methamphetamine on Nov. 19 For shoplifting at Another Avenue Vape Shop on Nov. 19. The terms in all four cases run at the same time, and he was credited between 130 to 158 days served in each of them, According to court records, Partain was seen on surveillance video entering The Barn Store in North Platte at 3 a.m. on Sept. 15 through the back door and stealing a bank bag that store personnel said contained $950 in cash. In an interview with an investigator with a North Platte Police investigator, Partain confessed to the theft. Partain said he was in the store earlier in the day and had observed where the cashier placed the bank bag. He admitted he went back later to steal the bag. In other cases Monday (defendants are from North Platte unless otherwise noted): Christopher D. Bornschein, 32, pleaded no contest to possession of xanax, possession of morphine and possession of adderall. The charges all stem from a Dec. 17 incident. A count of possession of methamphetamine was dismissed in the plea agreement, as well as charges in a separate case. Bornschein received 240 days in jail and received 100 days credit on each charge. The terms run at the same time. Michael T. Wiegand, 25, pleaded not guilty to five counts of possession of child pornography. The charges stem from images that were found on his phone during an Aug. 25 investigation. A May 23 status hearing was scheduled. Dustin E. Smith, 42, was sentenced to 180 days in jail for possession of methamphetamine on Aug. 23. He was credited with 163 days served. Smith also admitted to a violation of the conditions for the problem-solving court program in a separate case. He was sentenced to 160 days in jail on an initial charge of possession of Xanax with no time served. The terms in the two cases will run at the same time. Paige J. Beauvais, 29, pleaded no contest to an amended charge of attempted possession of methamphetamine. Beauvais was sentenced to 90 days in jail with no time served. Janelle Moorhous, 43, pleaded no contest to an amended count of attempted child abuse with no injury. Moorhous received a 24-month probation term. Kristopher Smith, 23, pleaded no contest to a count of assault by strangulation or suffocation. A charge of first-degree assault was dismissed in the plea agreement. Smith was sentenced to 90 days in jail and also received a 24-month probation term. Misty L. Letellier, 44, admitted to a violation of the conditions for the problem-solving court program. Letellier was sentenced to 180 days in jail for the initial charge of possession of methamphetamine. Letellier was credited with 185 days served. Sheena M. Irish, 40, pleaded no contest to a count of first-degree forgery for the use of a counterfeit $100 bill on Oct. 18, 2020. Irish received an 18-month probation term. Tianna R. Estrada, 22, admitted to a violation of the conditions for the problem-solving court program. Estrada is scheduled to be sentenced on May 23 on an amended charge of making terroristic threats. Niccole J. Reilly, 33, of Hastings, admitted to a violation of the conditions for the problem-solving court program. Reilly is scheduled to be sentenced on May 23 on two initial counts of possession of methamphetamine. Stacee R. Hasenauer, 41, of Wallace, pleaded no contest to an amended charge of attempted tampering with a witness and intentional child abuse with no injury. Both charges stem from a July 30 incident. Hasenauer received an 18-month probation term. Austin Golter, 23, pleaded no contest to two counts of cocaine possession with intent to distribute. Two additional possession/distribution counts were dismissed under the plea agreement. Golter is scheduled to be sentenced on June 6. Justin L. Jacobsen, 25, pleaded not guilty to a felony count of intentional child abuse/with injury. A June 27 status hearing was scheduled. Anthony W. Cox, 31, pleaded not guilty to possession of methamphetamine and possession of adderall that stem from a Sept. 17 incident. A May 23 status hearing was scheduled. Dylan J. Shaw, 20, pleaded not guilty to a pair of first-degree forgery charges that stem from the use of a counterfeit $100 bill on March 4. A May 9 status hearing was scheduled for the case as well as two additional separate ones. Marcus D. Dandridge, 45, pleaded not guilty to possession of methamphetamine on May 31, 2021. He also pleaded not guilty to possession of amphetamine in a separate case that stems from a Dec. 22 incident. A status hearing for both case was scheduled for April 25. The solution to a problem brings the best of both worlds as the historic Sutherland State Aid Bridge over the North Platte River will be preserved, while a new functional bridge will be built. The long-planned project has been moved to the countys one-year road plan at the cost of $3 million. The new bridge will cross the North Platte River on North Prairie Trace Road with a new concrete structure. The current narrow bridge, located just over four miles north of Sutherland, was one of 17 multiple-span concrete arch bridges built under Nebraskas state-aid program in the 1910s and 1920s. Brian Glos, road construction foreman, presented the one- and six-year plans to the Lincoln County Board of Commissioners at Mondays meeting during a public hearing. The commissioners were told about the rising costs of asphalt that could alter the plan significantly. Prairie Trace Road was at the top of the one-year plan. The project is for a 2-inch maintenance overlay for 17 miles north of Sutherland village limits to the north county line. This project was partially finished in 2021. The remaining portion is from Sutherland village limits to the North Platte River Bridge. Weve toyed with the idea of maybe doing some trading, Glos said, because were running into astronomical pricing in asphalt. Glos said conversations are ongoing with Paulsens Inc. to use the tons of asphalt they have left in places where they are needed more urgently. The last contract I saw last year, (asphalt) was at $89 a ton, Glos said. It was recommended to me this year to use $180 a ton to estimate projects and Ive heard numbers as high as $300 a ton. Several overlay projects are on the one-year plan, but Glos said price may factor into whether they are completed this year. Former commissioner Bill Henry spoke and recommended the county consider using armor coating rather than asphalt should prices remain high. This could possibly be the year (to consider armor coating), Henry said, even though gravel is higher, it didnt do what oil-based products have done. Chairman Chris Bruns agreed that is an option. Ive had these conversations with people in the roads department and the roads committee, Bruns said. Armor coating is absolutely a viable and valuable tool, but the road underneath has to be in good condition. Following the public hearing, Commissioner Joe Hewgley said he considered the plan a work in progress. This one- and six-year program that were approving, Hewgley said, in my mind, I dont think that were going to be in good faith doing what we are saying on this, because I dont think we can meet this. Hewgley said he would vote to approve, but that the cost of material might not allow the county to complete all of the projects. I echo what youve said, Bruns said. This is a guide; its a plan. Mike Cook, who lives on Eugene Avenue, came before the board during the public hearing to again encourage the county to address issues on Eugene Avenue. This is my eighth time addressing the commission concerning the status of Eugene Avenue and the need for improvements to the road, Cook said. Eugene Avenue was originally designed as a county road providing access to the 15 homes from the North Platte city limits to its dead end. He said the road was built with a subgrade to accommodate the approximately 50 vehicles a day that utilized the road. The number and type of vehicles has changed due to the extension of Buffalo Bill. Eugene became an arterial extension providing access from the western areas of North Platte to Highway 83, Cook said. There was a failure, Cook said, to recognize the impact there would be including large trucks and increased traffic with approximately 500 vehicles per day. The county has the road placed on its six-year plan, but the board said there are a number of issues that make resolution complicated. But discussions will continue. Region 51 Emergency Management Director Brandon Myers gave an update on the Votaw Road fire. It was pretty big when it first got going, Myers said. The amount of land that it was contained to was phenomenal. He said the fire burned about 900 acres. The problem we had with being able to call it earlier as contained, Myers said, was the fact that there was no natural barrier they could use, and because of the canyons, there was no way to get heavy equipment in to create that barrier. Myers said 63 agencies participated in battling the fire, including four airplanes, two Blackhawk helicopters and one Chinook helicopter. He thanked Gov. Pete Ricketts for acting quickly in declaring it a state emergency that helped direct state funds to fighting the fire. In other action, the commissioners: Approved an application by Zachary and Shayla Paulman for a subdivision located at the intersection of South King Road and West Correction Line Road in an A-1 agricultural district. Approved the donation of a temporary easement and a purchase of real property from Brent and Kara Reeder for the Sutherland North Bridge project. Recognized Todd Herndon, noxious weed superintendent, as the employee of the month. Herndon has been with the county for 10 years. Authorized Bruns to sign the right of way application submitted by Mortensen Farm and Ranch. Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. If Nebraska wants to reduce chronic prison overcrowding, well-behaved prisoners should have a chance at earlier parole as a 2011 law intended, says an expert who helped the Legislature craft policies to reduce overcrowding. This provision is beneficial if youre intending to reduce the (prison) population, said Len Engel, director of policy and campaigns for the Crime and Justice Institute. The provision in question is a piece of Nebraska good time law passed in 2011 after a year behind bars, prisoners could earn three days off their sentence for each month of good behavior. Thats in addition to the day-for-day credit prisoners already earn that effectively cuts sentences in half. The bill sponsor, then-Sen. Brenda Council, and Bob Houston, director of corrections at the time, agree that the intent of the bill was to let prisoners earn time toward their parole eligibility date. But the Nebraska Department of Correctional Services argues that state law as written doesnt allow for that. The current interpretation of the law, correct or not, quietly contributes to the states ongoing struggle with overcrowded prisons, keeping the thousands of parole-eligible prisoners sentenced since 2011 from earning up to 36 days per year toward their parole eligibility date. The result: They end up having their time before the parole board delayed by days, weeks or months, potentially keeping them in prison longer than the laws authors intended. How prison leaders calculate good time and parole eligibility is being challenged by Nebraska prisoner Robert Heist II. The case awaits a decision from the Nebraska Supreme Court. It comes as the state continues to grapple with one of the most crowded prison systems in the country, reaching 152% of the systems design capacity in December. Solving the overcrowding crisis has been a focus of the current legislative session. But state leaders are split in their approaches. Some favor sentencing reform and want to build a path that would get current prisoners out and into community supervision quicker; others want to build a new prison. Nebraskas incarceration rate increased 17% since 2011, according to the report issued by the Crime and Justice Institute and a state working group in January. Thats in marked contrast to the national incarceration rate, which has steadily decreased in the same period. The report included 21 policy options aimed at reducing crime and recidivism. Of the 21 proposals, members of the state working group agreed on 17 and disagreed on four. The current legislative bill, sponsored by Sen. Steve Lathrop, includes all 21. Gov. Pete Ricketts has said he supports pieces of Lathrops bill, largely to do with reducing recidivism. He agrees the state should establish more transitional housing options, improve access to mental health support and reduce the number of jam outs when prisoners are released with no supervision in the community. But the policy options he opposes revolve around sentencing and parole: establishing geriatric parole for elderly prisoners, changing drug possession penalties and discouraging mandatory minimums and consecutive sentences. In a news conference Monday, Ricketts called Lathrops proposed changes soft-on-crime bills that would undermine public safety. He has urged the Legislature to fund a new prison to replace the aging State Penitentiary in Lincoln in part because it would provide space for the programming needed to prepare inmates for life after time served and reduce recidivism rates, Alex Reuss, Ricketts spokesman, said in an email. Even with a new building, the prison system is projected to stay over capacity. Laura Ebke, a former state senator who chaired the Judiciary Committee, said when the state opened the Tecumseh State Correctional Institution in 2001, it was supposed to solve overcrowding for years. Instead, it filled quickly. Im not sure that Nebraskans want to just keep building prisons, said Ebke, a senior fellow at the Platte Institute, a think tank advocating for reducing taxes and government spending. (The Platte Institute is a supporter of the Flatwater Free Press open government efforts). Nebraskas prisons are at least slightly more overcrowded because of the current interpretation of the 2011 good time law, which has potentially affected thousands of prisoners who could have had at least a little time shaved off their sentences. But the most egregious cases are prisoners who end up being released before even becoming parole-eligible. When prison leaders credit three days toward a prisoners final release date but never move their parole eligibility date, those dates sometimes flip, creating a group of guaranteed jam outs. Thats insane, said Joe Nigro, the Lancaster County public defender. Parole is generally regarded as a better way to reacclimate prisoners to society. Parolees have required check-ins with their parole officer and must line up a job and a place to live. Working toward a parole-eligibility date also is an incentive for good behavior, the very thing the additional good time days were meant to encourage. Having those dates flipped is not what anybody with any common sense would support, Nigro said. Aaron Hanson, legislative liaison for the Omaha Police Officers Association, called the states current good time laws clunky at best, and arguably sloppy and haphazard. We need to focus more on achieving better long-term outcomes and less on simply finding new ways to release offenders earlier, said Hanson, who is running for Douglas County sheriff. We want the ultimate goal to be a better outcome, not simply ending supervision or a sentence as early as we can to save money. What comes next for the disputed good time days will depend on the courts opinion, several experts said. Should the court rule that the department is interpreting the law correctly, the Legislature should step in to ensure the written law reflects that laws intent, Engel said. Sentences in Nebraska are largely defined by the time served on the minimum, he said. I think thats where its got to be applied to the parole date. That makes the most sense. Lathrop agreed, but said its too late in the current legislative session to propose a new bill. Its also the senators final session. Lathrop announced in February that he wouldnt seek reelection. That would be on the list of things to do I would hand to somebody on my way out, because Im done, Lathrop said. The next-best chance to fix that language would be to drop a bill in the next session, and I wont be around for that. The Flatwater Free Press is Nebraskas first independent, nonprofit newsroom focused on investigations and feature stories that matter. The Flatwater Free Press is Nebraskas first independent, nonprofit newsroom focused on investigations and feature stories that matter. Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, Sen. Jen Day said, Nebraska was experiencing a mental health crisis among young people. The Omaha senator introduced a bill (LB852) in an effort to mitigate the crisis. The bill would require school districts to establish behavioral health points of contact, which can refer students or parents to local "community behavior providers" in their area. LB852 passed the first round of debate Monday 27-0. It still has two more rounds of debate before it can become law. According to America's School Mental Health Report Card, Nebraska ranked 37th in the U.S. in 2022 in youth mental health. In 2015, the state was 15th. "There's a lot of room for Nebraska to improve in this area," Day said. Sen. Lynne Walz of Fremont, who designated LB852 as her priority bill, said the effort has been a long time coming. She said there is evidence that the method is successful at helping students because several state school districts already have established similar positions. "Now is the time to get this bill across the finish line," Walz said. An amendment by Sen. Adam Morfeld of Lincoln also would establish a voluntary mental health training program for school staff. The training would be administered through the State Department of Education. LB852 did not draw strong opposition Monday, although some senators questioned how the state would pay for the training program. Morfeld said the funding mechanism likely would be decided next year, but the amendment also mentions the intent to use lottery funds. 1. State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi will chair the third Meeting of Foreign Ministers of the Neighboring Countries of Afghanistan in Tunxi, Anhui on March 30 and 31. Foreign Ministers or representatives of Pakistan, Iran, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan will attend the meeting. Subsequently, State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi will chair the Neighboring Countries of Afghanistan Plus Afghanistan Foreign Ministers Dialogue. Acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi of the Afghan interim government will attend the Dialogue upon invitation, and the foreign ministers of Indonesia and Qatar will be invited as guests. 2. At the invitation of State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi, Minister for Foreign Affairs Retno L. P. Marsudi of Indonesia, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Don Pramudwinai of Thailand, Secretary of Foreign Affairs Teodoro L. Locsin Jr. of the Philippines and Union Minister for Foreign Affairs U Wunna Maung Lwin of Myanmar will visit China respectively from March 31 to April 3. Minister of Foreign Affairs Erika Mouynes of Panama will visit China on April 4. Xinhua News Agency:What is Chinas expectation of the third Foreign Ministers Meeting among the Neighboring Countries of Afghanistan under the current circumstances? Wang Wenbin: The Afghan situation is now in a critical transition from chaos to order, with the Afghan people still facing multiple challenges from within and outside that need to be addressed with more support and help from others. By hosting the third Foreign Ministers Meeting among the Neighboring Countries of Afghanistan, China looks forward to pooling more consensus on the Afghan issue from neighboring countries, discussing ways to jointly stabilize the Afghan situation and support and help the Afghan people, and share our voice with the rest of the international community as neighbors of Afghanistan. By hosting the Neighboring Countries of Afghanistan Plus Afghanistan Foreign Ministers Dialogue, we hope to further understand the Afghan peoples difficulties and needs, convey neighboring countries concerns on the Afghan issue, and work on the Afghan side to build an open and inclusive political structure, follow moderate and prudent domestic and foreign policies and earnestly combat terrorism. In the meantime, we also expect the international community to give greater support to Afghanistan and call on the US to shoulder the primary responsibility for Afghanistans economic reconstruction in real earnest. The Paper: What is Chinas consideration behind its inviting of the four ASEAN countries foreign ministers for a visit? Does China have any expectation for this visit? Wang Wenbin: Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines and Myanmar are important ASEAN members and Chinas friendly neighbors and important partners for high-quality Belt and Road cooperation. Since COVID-19 broke out, China has maintained regular exchanges and communication with ASEAN countries in a flexible manner, continuously deepened cooperation on COVID-19 and economic recovery, stood together to overcome difficulties and seek common development. The upcoming visit of the four foreign ministers again demonstrates the close and friendly relations between China and its ASEAN neighbors and the high importance all sides attach to advancing China-ASEAN cooperation. This year marks the starting year of the China-ASEAN comprehensive strategic partnership. Through this visit, China hopes to work with all parties to ensure the sound implementation of the outcomes and consensus of the ASEAN-China Special Summit to Commemorate the 30th Anniversary of ASEAN-China Dialogue Relations last year, promote the materialization of the Global Development Initiative in neighboring countries first, and jointly build a peaceful, tranquil, prosperous, beautiful and friendly homeland. China will also have in-depth exchanges of views with all parties on the current regional and international situation and contribute more positive energy to regional peace and stability and global prosperity and development. Reuters: On Sunday, US President Joe Biden clarified that the United States does not have a policy of regime change in Russia after its declaration that Russian President Vladimir Putin cannot remain in power. Does the foreign ministry have any comment? Wang Wenbin: We noted relevant reports. I want to stress that dialogue and negotiation is the only right path to resolving the Ukraine issue. Its a pressing task for all parties to ease the situation, promote peace talks and stop the fighting, rather than escalate tensions. On major issues concerning peace and stability in Europe and the world at large, all parties should speak and act responsibly and play a constructive role. CCTV: An ad hoc flight carrying Chinese citizens evacuated from Ukraine landed safely in Fuzhou this morning. This one from Bucharest, Romanias capital, is the 20th flight that has taken Chinese citizens home from Ukraine. Can you share more information? Wang Wenbin: The CPC Central Committee and the State Council deeply care about the safety of every Chinese citizen in Ukraine ever since the situation there deteriorated. General Secretary Xi Jinping gave personal attention to and repeatedly inquired about the issue, demanding that the safety of our citizens must be ensured with all-out efforts. In his phone conversation with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi stressed the hope that the Ukrainian side will take all necessary measures to protect Chinese citizens safety and provide guarantee and convenience for their evacuation. Committed to serving the people with real actions, the Chinese Foreign Ministry, the Chinese Embassy in Ukraine and the Chinese Consulate General in Odessa immediately activated the emergency mechanism for consular protection, contacted Chinese compatriots in Ukraine and went to great lengths to mobilize resources with a view to protecting the safety of Chinese citizens and helping them evacuate in an orderly and safe manner in various ways. The Chinese embassies in Ukraines neighboring countries including Moldova, Romania, Hungary, Slovakia, Poland and Belarus worked closely with the embassy and consulate in Ukraine to facilitate the customs clearance and temporary settlement of Chinese citizens and the operation of relevant ad hoc flights. Over 5,200 Chinese citizens have been safely evacuated to Ukraines neighboring countries. Except for one individual who got injured while trying to drive away from the country and has now been cured, all Chinese compatriots who wanted to leave are safe and sound. During this evacuation process amid the fighting, not a single Chinese citizen was killed and no mass injury incidents happened. The Chinese government has sent a total of 20 ad hoc flights to bring back more than 4,600 Chinese citizens who had earlier been relocated to Ukraines neighboring countries. In the meantime, all Chinese compatriots in Ukraine and neighboring countries have stood together to overcome the difficulties with mutual support. Organizations of Chinese students and associations of overseas Chinese in Ukraine have pitched in to help with the evacuations. They have carried forward the Chinese nations best tradition of helping those in distress and aiding those in peril and demonstrated the Chinese peoples fine character of solidarity and mutual assistance. As we worked on the safety and evacuation of Chinese nationals, the government and various sectors of society in Ukraine showed goodwill and provided facilitation. Countries including Russia, Moldova, Romania, Poland, Hungary, Slovakia and Belarus also provided invaluable support. We would like to express our sincere gratitude to governments and peoples of those countries. Now, the evacuation work has basically come to an end, but protecting the safety and legitimate rights and interests of Chinese nationals overseas is always an abiding commitment. Looking forward, the Foreign Ministry and Chinese diplomatic missions abroad will continue to actively improve the consular protection mechanism and build a system for the protection of Chinese nationals and interests overseas. With everything we do, we will show every one of our compatriots overseas that we stand with you at all times, wherever you may be, and your motherland will always have your back. AFP: The Philippine Coast Guard said that a China Coast Guard ship steered meters from one of its patrol vessels on March 2 in the South China Sea. And the Philippines and the US are set to stage war games. Whats your response to this? Wang Wenbin: Huangyan Dao is Chinas inherent territory. China has sovereignty over Huangyan Dao and its adjacent waters as well as sovereign rights and jurisdiction over relevant waters. We hope that the Philippine ships will earnestly respect Chinas sovereignty and rights and interests, abide by Chinas domestic law and international law, and avoid interfering with the patrol and law enforcement of the China Coast Guard in the above-mentioned waters. Kyodo News: With regard to the Meeting of Foreign Ministers of the Neighboring Countries of Afghanistan, does State Councilor Wang Yi have any plan to hold a bilateral meeting with the Russian foreign minister? Will they talk about the Ukraine issue? Wang Wenbin: I announced the relevant information just now and have nothing more to add. CNR: According to reports, the IAEA said at an online news conference on March 25 that its technical working group visited Japan from March 21 to 25 and had meetings with Japans Nuclear Regulation Authority to review whether the monitoring activities over the discharge plan of Fukushima nuclear-contaminated water conform to IAEAs safety standards. The assessment report of this visit is expected to be released in two months. What is Chinas comment? Wang Wenbin: China has been following the developments of the disposal of Fukushima nuclear-contaminated water. A comprehensive, science-based and rigorous monitoring plan is conducive to the safe disposal of Fukushima nuclear-contaminated water. In this regard, the Japanese side should closely cooperate with the IAEA working group. It is hoped that the IAEA can inform the international community, especially stakeholders, of the assessment on a timely basis. It is true that monitoring the disposal plan of the nuclear-contaminated water is important, but the crux of the issue is choosing the right plan to dispose of the nuclear-contaminated water. We hope the discussion of relevant monitoring arrangement can make Japan actively respond to the concerns of all parties and make the decision after fully assessing the advantages and disadvantages of all disposal plans, instead of sticking to the ocean discharge plan. I also want to stress again that Chinas support for the work of the technical working group does not mean we endorse Japans decision to release the nuclear-contaminated water into the sea. MASTV: In response to the security cooperation agreement signed by China and Solomon Islands, some officials of the US and Australia have expressed their concerns, saying they dont believe Chinas police forces need to be exported and claiming that it may undermine the current security cooperation mechanism in the Pacific region and may do no good to the island nations. What is Chinas comment on this? Wang Wenbin: I stated Chinas position on this issue last week. Normal law enforcement and security cooperation between China and Solomon Islands, two sovereign and independent countries, is consistent with international law and customary international practice. It is beyond reproach as it is beneficial to social stability and lasting security of Solomon Islands and the common interest of regional countries. I also noted that the government of Solomon Islands issued a statement which elaborated on the countrys security strategy and cooperation with other countries, expressed gratitude to the support and assistance of all development partners, and emphasized the countrys need for expanding diverse cooperation. Relevant countries should earnestly respect Solomon Islands sovereignty and its independent decisions instead of deciding what others should and should not do self-importantly and condescendingly from a privileged position. Why are some individuals concerned about China-Solomon Islands cooperation when the government and the people of Solomon Islands genuinely welcome it? Who has been sending military aircraft and vessels right to others doorsteps and flex muscles for years that severely threaten relevant countries sovereignty and security? Who has been forming military circles that bring nuclear proliferation risks to the Pacific Ocean? And who has been deliberately hyping up tension and stoking bloc confrontation that cast a pall on regional peace and stability? The international community can make a fair judgement, and the people of Solomon Islands and other Pacific island countries can see this clearly. Any attempt to disrupt and undermine mutually beneficial cooperation between China and Pacific island countries is doomed to fail. Bloomberg: Over the weekend, the Australian foreign ministry said that it had been notified by Chinese authorities that Cheng Lei will face trial on March 31. Does the foreign ministry have any more information on this trial? The second question, Bloomberg has reported that Chinese diplomats in Washington have been in contact with US counterparts asking for details on US sanctions on Russia. This has encouraged the US officials according to people familiar with the situation, though they remain wary that China may be looking for loopholes to help Russia according to the people. Does the foreign ministry have any comment? Wang Wenbin: On your first question, we have repeatedly stated our position on the individual case involving the Australian citizen. Chinas judiciary handles cases in accordance with law and fully protects the lawful rights of the person involved. As for the specifics you mentioned, I have nothing to offer you at present. Now coming to your second question, China always holds that sanctions are not fundamentally effective ways to solve problems. China stands firmly against unilateral sanctions and long-arm jurisdiction with no basis in international law and no mandate of the UN Security Council. This is Chinas consistent position in both open and closed-door meetings. History has proven once and again that instead of solving problems, sanctions create new problems. It is the ordinary people that suffer from comprehensive and indiscriminate sanctions. If ratcheted up, sanctions can also trigger serious crisis on a global scale in such fields as economy, trade, finance, energy, food, industrial and supply chains. This will make the already struggling world economy even worse and cause irreparable losses. Among the 190-plus UN member states, more than 140 did not take part in sanctions on Russia. This fact shows that the overwhelming majority of countries are handling issues related to sanctions in a prudent and responsible manner. As pointed out by State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi, most countries, including China and many fellow developing countries, share the view that war and sanction are not the only two choices when handling international and regional hotspot issues. It is not incumbent on the people to pay the price for geographic conflicts and major-power rivalry. The more complex the situation is, the greater the need to remain cool-headed and deliberate the consequences of actions. It is hoped that all sides can calm down to focus on promoting peace talks, rather than escalate sanctions and aggravate disputes. I have also taken note of some US media calling the US the only sanctions superpower in the world. According to the 2021 Sanctions Review published by the US Treasury, by fiscal year 2021, the US has over 9,400 effective sanction designations, which is almost 10 times the number 20 years ago. However, although the US imposes sanctions repeatedly, such moves did not help to solve problems, but only aggravate disasters and chaos. It is estimated that following the US withdrawal from Afghanistan, the economic sanctions on the country could take the lives of more civilians than 20 years of war in Afghanistan. I would like to stress that the problem now is not about who wants to help Russia circumvent the sanctions, but about the fact that the normal trade and economic exchanges between countries, China included, and Russia have already been unnecessarily hurt. We urge the US to take Chinas concerns seriously when handling the Ukraine issue and its relations with Russia and avoid undermining Chinas legitimate rights and interests in any way. China will take all necessary measures to firmly uphold the legitimate and lawful rights and interests of Chinese companies and individuals. Shenzhen TV: When meeting with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on March 27, Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas stressed that the Biden administration needs to fulfill its commitment to Palestine, including its commitment to a two-state solution on the Palestine-Israel issue. On the current events in Europe, the US has shown blatant double standards, and the international community should not be silent about whats happening in Palestine. Do you have any comment? Wang Wenbin: The Palestinian question should not be marginalized or forgotten, and the injustice lasting for over 50 years should not continue. Guided by the four-point proposal on the Palestinian question put forward by President Xi Jinping, State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi came up with three specific approaches for implementing the two-state solution. China will continue to stand firmly with the Palestinian people. I want to stress that the international community should not adopt double standard on the Palestinian question and other international and regional hotspot issues. It is unacceptable double standard to sympathize with refugees in Ukraine while turning a blind eye to refugees from countries in the Middle East, Africa and Latin America. It is unacceptable double standard to call acts harming civilians in Ukraine war crimes, while allowing harm done to civilians in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria to go unpunished. It is unacceptable double standard to say the attacks on Ukraine undermine the principle of respect for sovereignty, while claiming the attacks on the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria are legitimate and lawful. It is unacceptable double standard to stress that sovereignty is inviolable on the Ukraine issue while claiming that human rights precede sovereignty when it comes to issues related to the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and Iraq. The sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries should be respected. The purposes and principles of the UN Charter should be observed. The legitimate security concerns of all countries should be taken seriously. Only when double standard is discarded can regional hotspot issues be addressed in a just manner and the enduring peace achieved in Europe and other places of the world. Reuters: Australias foreign minister on Saturday said that she hoped that Australian officials would be allowed to attend the hearing of arrested Australian journalist Cheng Lei in line with a consular agreement between the two nations. Can the foreign ministry confirm that this will be the case? Wang Wenbin: I have answered a relevant question already. AFP: On the Afghan neighboring countries meeting this week, can you confirm whether Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will be attending? Wang Wenbin: I have released the relevant information just now. Foreign Ministers or representatives of Pakistan, Iran, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan will attend the third Meeting of Foreign Ministers of the Neighboring Countries of Afghanistan in Tunxi, Anhui on March 30 and 31. Foreign Minister Lavrov will attend the meeting upon invitation. Global Times: US Indo-Pacific Command Admiral John C. Aquilino reportedly said in an interview that the Ukraine issue has underscored the serious threat that China poses to Taiwan, and that Asian allies must take seriously the possibility. What is your comment on this? Wang Wenbin: We have stated on multiple occasions that the Taiwan question is essentially different from the Ukraine issue. The two are uncomparable. Some people in the US repeatedly link up the two unrelated things with the real agenda to smear and attack China. Such an act is ill-intentioned. As a Chinese proverb puts it, it takes more than one cold day for the river to freeze three feet deep. The current Ukraine issue is an outbreak of tension that has built up for years with Europes security as the root cause. NATOs unchecked eastward expansion warrants reflection. Facing the current situation in Ukraine, the US did nothing to reflect on the responsibility it should assume, or make efforts to cool down the situation and promote talks for peace. Instead, it has been adding fuel to the flame. When European countries are paying the price for refugees and economic volatility due to the conflict, US arms dealers and oil and gas industry have made a fortune. Taiwan is an inalienable part of the Chinese territory. This makes it fundamentally different from a sovereign country like Ukraine. Those in the US who deliberately compare the Taiwan question with the Ukraine issue harbor a vile intention rather than lack common sense. Their real agenda is to create a new crisis across the Taiwan Strait to serve US geopolitical and economic interests at the expense of the wellbeing of people across the Strait and regional peace and stability. But Taiwan is not Ukraine. The Chinese peoples resolve and determination to uphold national sovereignty and territorial integrity is invincible. Those who play with and fan up the fire on the Taiwan question will only wind up burning themselves. Reuters: Regarding the investigation of the MU5735 plane that tragically crashed, US Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said on Wednesday that he was very encouraged by the fact that Chinese authorities had invited the US National Transportation Safety Board to take part in the investigation of the crash. However, the National Transportation Safety Board later said that it had not yet determined if the American investigators would travel to China due to visa and quarantine requirements. Does the foreign ministry have any updates on the visa situation and the visit of these US investigators? Wang Wenbin: I would like to refer you to competent authorities for the specifics you asked. What I can tell you is that China will provide necessary facilitation to foreign personnel who are approved by the Chinese side to travel to China to assist in the investigation. Bloomberg: I just wanted to check if representatives from India will participate in the Afghan neighbors forum later in March? Wang Wenbin: I have just released the relevant information. You are clearly a super-user of NUVO.net. Thats a good thing. It means you depend on independent and local news sources to keep you informed. You are a smart person. Coincidentally, independent and local news sources depend on you too. Youve read 25 articles this month and now, wed like you to be join our mission and become a NUVO Supporter. For as little as $4 a month, you can keep us alive and fighting -- and can have unlimited access to the independent news that cant be found anywhere else. Photo-Illustration: Eddie Guy; Photo: Joe Raedle/Getty Images For more from Jonathan Chait, sign up for his newsletter &c., a weekly-ish collection of musings from the center-left. In late February, as daily deaths from COVID-19 tallied in the thousands across the country, Florida governor Ron DeSantis announced his latest effort to dismantle his states response to the coronavirus pandemic. Private businesses, he insisted, should stop requiring their employees to wear masks at work. Here was a perfectly selected message to build the brand he has established: Ron DeSantis, scourge of public-health bureaucrats, enemy of woke corporations, and friend of the little guy. Both the form and content of the message reflected careful planning. As DeSantis spoke, he looked like a man who had been mimicking Donald Trumps speeches in front of the mirror. He performed a series of hand thrusts, in which he drew his thumbs together until they were almost touching, then jerked them apart in quick horizontal motions, as if he were playing an invisible accordion. After five such accordion pulls, he swung his right hand, thumb pointing up, in a semi-circular motion back inward to the center. DeSantis tweeted out the clip, and any MAGA fan watching, even without the sound on, would have grasped the gist just through the eerie physical impersonation. Republicans have collectively recognized that however much Trump may exasperate them, their president-in-exile will not be purged, nor will the changes he brought to their party be rolled back. He might, however, be co-opted. And if this is to happen, they have settled with remarkable unanimity on DeSantis as the person to do it. People who do not ingest large amounts of conservative media may have difficulty comprehending the extent of the adulation both the Trumpist and the Trump-skeptical wings of the party have lavished on DeSantis. On a daily basis, the right-wing press churns out stories with headlines like The Promise of Ron DeSantis, Could Gov. Ron DeSantis Be the Favorite GOP Frontrunner for 2024?, A Ron DeSantis Master Class in Rope-a-Dope, Media Keep Trying and Failing to Take Down Floridas Ron DeSantis, Karol Markowicz on What Gov. Ron DeSantis Is Really Like: So Real and Down to Earth, and on and on. The Florida governor has reportedly provoked Trump by refusing to preemptively endorse his likely candidacy for a second term, and DeSantis is putting himself in a position to challenge the former president for the 2024 nomination. An annoyed Trump has privately told associates that hes not worried about DeSantis because he has no personal charisma and has a dull personality, according to Axios. But Trump has cause for concern: DeSantis has blitzed the national Republican donor circuit and turned most of the conservative media into his personal messaging apparatus. You should be my governor, cooed Sean Hannity in one interview. We see him as the future of the party, a Fox News producer wrote to DeSantiss office in an email obtained by the Tampa Bay Times. This work has already yielded fruit: DeSantiss polling has crept up steadily, while every other Republican who had once been whispered about as a potential nominee Tom Cotton, Nikki Haley, Mike Pence, Josh Hawley has barely registered. There are other, more troubling signs for Trump that his stranglehold over the party may be loosening. In December, during an interview in Dallas with disgraced former Fox News host Bill OReilly, Trump was booed by members of the crowd when he confirmed that he had received a COVID booster shot. Since he left office, the Republican Party has by and large turned against the measures designed to ameliorate the impact of the pandemic, giving upstarts like DeSantis a chance to outflank him on what has become the central battleground of the culture wars. What weve done is historic, a confused Trump told his skeptical supporters in Dallas, claiming credit for the production of lifesaving vaccines. Dont let them take it away. Dont take it away from ourselves. Trump is right that DeSantis cant compete as a performer with him or even with past Republicans who have built national brands. DeSantis has the anti-tax zealotry of Paul Ryan without the winsome affect and sculpted torso. He has the social conservatism of George W. Bush with none of the folksiness. He has the partisan fire of Newt Gingrich without the mesmerizing hair. He speaks in a nasal tone nobody has described as pleasant on the ears and has yet to utter an eloquent or memorable turn of phrase. Reporters have noted his puzzling lack of interest in human relationships outside his family, which has resulted in heavy staff churn. You will be in the car with Ron DeSantis and hell say nothing to you for an hour, one associate told Politico. He would prefer it that way. But in some respects, DeSantiss distant middle-management energy is the point, especially when compared to Trumps garish star power. It is crucial to understand that the critique of Trump that prevails among Republican officials is far narrower than the one proffered by Democrats or Never Trumpers. They dont object to Trumps racism, corruption, lying, or contempt for democratic norms, except to the extent that these qualities hurt the partys brand. What irritates, instead, is Trumps constant disregard for basic political self-preservation. DeSantis offers them the prospect of a party leader who can harness all the right-wing populist energy generated by Trump without the latters childlike inability to focus on what his advisers tell him. One DeSantis ally, confiding to the New York Times, summed up his appeal as competent Trumpism. His proto-candidacy reflects a handful of working assumptions. First, that any former Republican voter who opposed Trump on moral rather than aesthetic grounds is gone and not worth trying to bring back. Second, that the right-wing groups Trump brought into the Republican fold or whose creation he inspired are either political assets or simply too important to be culled. And third, that Trumps attempt to secure an unelected second term was a failure of tactics, not a disqualifying ambition that merited rebuke and ostracism. The DeSantis pitch is to wrest the MAGA movement from the grifters who built it and place it in the hands of a trusted professional politician. This project raises two questions: Can it succeed in prying the nomination from Trumps grip? And what would it mean if it did? Just imagine what a Trumpified party no longer led by an erratic, deeply unpopular cable-news binge-watcher would be capable of. One of the reasons political analysts dismissed the possibility Trump could win the Republican nomination when he first ran is that such an outcome violated what was taken as virtually a scientific truth. A 2008 book written by a quartet of political scientists, The Party Decides, argued that presidential nominations only appeared to be controlled by the voters of Iowa, New Hampshire, and so on but were actually determined by party insiders. The elites, coordinating with one another, made their preferences known through the media, and the primary voters would absorb those messages and act accordingly. This thesis perfectly described the next contested primary that happened. The 2012 Republican nominating contest featured a succession of flamboyant right-wing populists Rick Santorum, Herman Cain, Gingrich who would enthrall the base and shoot up in the polls only to collapse as if pulled down by some gravitational force detectable solely by political science. But Trumps 2016 nomination, in the face of near-total opposition from the Republican elite, obviously shows the party does not always decide. The voters might pick a nominee their partys elites oppose if that candidate offers them something unique. Many Republicans have tried to discern the source of Trumps appeal and replicate it. As early as 2016, Ted Cruz was tacking to Trumps right on abortion and guns, and Marco Rubio briefly tried to match Trumps schoolyard insults, at one point making fun of the size of his hands. But Trumps secret sauce with the base turned out to be his unwavering pugilism. Having spent more time than perhaps any other Republican candidate consuming conservative media, Trump had absorbed its message that conservative America is under assault by sinister liberal elites. He built a political style designed for the world depicted on Fox News, in which the Republican Party is always losing because its leaders are too weak to fight back. Conservatives sum up his appeal with the phrase But he fights. As the but implies, they often acknowledge Trumps flaws before praising his overriding instinct to attack their enemies. Even his errors can turn to his benefit. The more Trump draws howls of outrage from liberals and the media, the more he proves his tribal bona fides. DeSantis has undertaken an almost clinical effort to manufacture and bottle this aspect of Trumps style. He has repeated the Trumpian narrative that the partys leaders have failed to take the fight to the enemy. We cannot, we will not, go back to the days of the failed Republican Establishment of yesteryear, he promised in 2021. DeSantiss brand is, like Trumps, a Republican who never compromises, never apologizes, and always fights whether the issue is education, the pandemic, or even Trumps misconduct. At the CPAC conference in his home state in February, he claimed that Democrats want us to be second-class citizens and assailed the corrupt and dishonest legacy media. Photo: David A. Grogan/CNBC/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images (top left); Joe Raedle/Getty Images (top right); Federic J Brown/AFP via Getty Images (middle left); Joe Raedle/Getty Images (middle right); CNN/Youtube (bottom left); Storms Media for Delray Beach Market/MediaPunch/Shutterstock (bottom right). The Republican elites rallying to DeSantis are calculating that his synthetic version of Trumpism will serve as an adequate substitute. The party is trying to regain its control of the process by offering the voters a more attractive product than, say, Jeb Bush. If you loved Trump, you will like DeSantis. And if you liked Trump, or maybe just tolerated him through gritted teeth, you will love DeSantis. One irony of DeSantiss attempt to become the new Trump is that his trajectory was almost precisely the opposite of the latters. Trump grew up wealthy but was an indifferent student who allegedly cheated his way into college and retained a working-class affect when he inherited his fathers real-estate empire. DeSantis grew up middle class in Dunedin, Florida (his mother was a nurse and his father installed Nielsen boxes on televisions), before attending Yale and then Harvard Law School. At Harvard, he joined the Navy as a JAG officer, later putting his legal skills to use during stints in Iraq and at Guantanamo Bay. After active duty in the Navy, DeSantis ran for a House seat in 2012 in the Sixth Congressional District in the middle of a two-decade stretch when the state was trending from purple to red. DeSantis prevailed in a crowded primary in part by winning endorsements from national tea-party groups. The way Republicans established their right-wing credentials at the time was by adopting radical libertarian stances on fiscal policy, and DeSantis duly proposed to abolish the graduated income tax and phase in cuts to entitlement programs i.e., Medicare and Social Security. In Congress, he helped found the Freedom Caucus, a right-wing faction, though he didnt participate in the destructive displays of rebelliousness, such as forcing government shutdowns to stage impossible demands, that made other caucus members intolerable to the party leadership. After Trumps election, DeSantis could see that the energy on the right was flowing through different channels. When he ran for governor in 2018, he overcame a better-known Republican rival by positioning himself as Trumps staunchest defender. In Congress, he proposed to defund the Mueller investigation. He attacked his primary opponent for having failed to attend a Trump rally in 2016 and cut a cheeky ad showing himself reading Trumps The Art of the Deal to his young son and instructing his daughter to build the wall with her toy blocks. He made frequent appearances on Fox News, where he caught Trumps attention and won his blessing. Ron is strong on Borders, tough on Crime & big on Cutting Taxes Loves our Military & our Vets, Trump tweeted. He will be a Great Governor & has my full Endorsement! A common assumption of mainstream-media analysis of DeSantis is that he is merely pandering to Trump and his supporters and, as a graduate of Yale and Harvard, is too smart to actually believe what he is saying. This is a failure of imagination. DeSantis developed reactionary suspicions of democracy before Trump ever came along, which positioned him perfectly to straddle the elite-base divide within his party. In fact, DeSantis once wrote a book warning of the dangers of a megalomaniacal president who threatened to destroy the foundations of the republic. That presidents name was Barack Obama. DeSantis published Dreams From Our Founding Fathers in 2011, when he was running for Congress. It is out of print and has received barely any attention in the media. DeSantis joked recently that the book was read by about a dozen people. But it provides deep insight into the worldview that has propelled him to this point. Published at the height of the tea-party movement, Dreams From Our Founding Fathers made the case that Obama and his agenda were inimical to the Constitution and this countrys founding ideals. It is sprinkled with passages DeSantis would never have written after Trump took office. He notes accurately that the Founders worried about the emergence of popular leaders who utilized demagoguery to obtain public support in service of their personal ambitions. He flays Obama for alienating traditional allies, meeting with foreign dictators, and impugning American innocence with statements like We sometimes make mistakes, a far more measured assessment than Trumps There are a lot of killers. You got a lot of killers. Well, you think our country is so innocent? He devotes an entire chapter to the importance of the president being personally humble, depicting Obamas alleged excessive self-confidence as a disqualifying trait. DeSantiss obsession with media bias, which has since become a motif of his political style, clearly developed before he ran for office. He laces the book with bitter complaints that the media failed to vet Obama or expose his allegedly radical influences, while extensively citing criticisms of Obama that appeared in the mainstream press, oblivious to the contradiction. DeSantis is an exceedingly unreliable narrator, wrenching heavily abridged quotations out of context to distort their meaning. For example, he plucks the phrase At a certain point youve made enough money to characterize Obama as a radical socialist who wants to confiscate all income above some level, neglecting to note that Obamas follow-up was: But, you know, part of the American way is that you can just keep on making it if youre providing a good product or youre providing a good service. Still, Dreams From Our Founding Fathers is much more interesting than a typical partisan screed. Its author, who majored in history and spent a year teaching the subject at a tony boarding school, has clearly given a great deal of thought to the books thesis: that Obamas agenda of raising taxes on the rich and spending more money on the non-rich is an attack on the Constitution. As legend has it, Benjamin Franklin once said that when the people find they can vote themselves money, that will herald the end of the republic, he writes. While acknowledging that the quote is apocryphal it was probably concocted by reactionaries many decades later and attributed to various Founding-era statesmen he proceeds to try to prove this was the real view of the Founders and the Constitution. The Constitution, he argues, was designed to prevent the redistribution of wealth through the political process. The danger is that, as his fake Franklin quote suggests, people will support programs funded by taxing the rich that benefit themselves. Popular pressure to redistribute wealth or otherwise undermine the rights of property, he laments, will ever be present. The Constitutions role, as DeSantis sees it, is to prevent popular majorities from enacting the economic policies they want. DeSantis does not believe the Constitution merely establishes a set of ground rules for how policy should be written. He thinks the Constitution requires that conservative Republican policy prevail forever. This is not an original belief. It was the dominant right-wing position from the late-19th century through the middle of the New Deal, and conservative courts routinely struck down all sorts of progressive legislation on the grounds that the Constitution prohibits active government intervention in the economy. DeSantis treats any further expansion of government as a mortal threat to the Constitution. Sentences like Obamanomics represents a dramatic departure from the nations founding principles and Obamas quest to fundamentally transform the United States of America represents the type of political program that the Constitution was designed to prevent are found in nearly every chapter. The word redistribution and its variants appear more than 150 times. DeSantiss core conviction is that an outcome in which Democrats win majorities through free and fair elections and vote to expand social spending by taxing the rich is fundamentally illegitimate. He is far from the only Republican to hold this view. The American right has never fully accepted the legitimacy of democratically elected majorities setting economic policy. This principle helps explain why even most Republicans who get queasy over Trumps authoritarianism ultimately support him anyway. The prospect of Democrats winning elections poses a graver threat to the Constitution than Republicans stealing them. For those Republicans who always considered Trump no worse than the lesser evil, who feared more that he was squandering his power than that he was abusing it, DeSantis is not just an acceptable vehicle. He is one of them. What has brought DeSantis near the pinnacle of Republican politics barely a decade into his career is not only his deep commitment to the principles of the conservative movement but also a keen understanding of the power centers within the party. As those centers have changed throughout his career, DeSantis has adjusted nimbly from tea-partyer to Trumpista. The identity he recognized in the spring of 2020, and embraced with deepening militancy, is founded on opposition to social-distancing policies during the coronavirus pandemic. DeSantiss skepticism of public-health authorities paid economic and political dividends, at least for a while. During the 202021 academic year, when most states stuck with remote learning, Florida opened its schools, a position even Democrats belatedly recognized as correct. He has used COVID as a stage to pick successful fights with the media, which has sometimes overreached in its criticism of his pandemic policy. Last year, a 60 Minutes segment accused him of corruption for steering vaccine distribution to the Publix chain of pharmacies, which had donated to his PAC, though many acknowledged the popular outlet was a logical partner for the program. DeSantis deftly used the episode to thrill conservatives with sharp counterpunches against the media. The whole thing is a big lie, he fumed, using a PowerPoint presentation to make his case. But DeSantiss aggressive COVID politics have also seen him take increasingly extreme positions. Over the past year, DeSantiss defense of what he calls freedom over Faucism which, in addition to keeping schools open, has involved blocking towns from mandating masks and businesses from requiring vaccines and at one point scolding high-school students for wearing masks at a photo op has drawn him into the arms of the anti-vaccine movement. He has appeared at a press conference with an anti-vaxxer, suspended a state health official for encouraging his staff to increase their vaccine uptake, and appointed vaccine skeptic Joseph Ladapo to serve as the states top health official. (People are being forced to put something in their bodies that we dont know all there is to know about yet, Ladapo claimed. No matter what people on TV tell you, its not true. Were going to learn more about the safety of these vaccines.) After confirming he received his first shot last year off-camera, DeSantis has refused to say whether he got a booster. One result of DeSantiss support for the anti-vaccine movement is that, as of February, his state ranked 46th nationally in its share of elderly citizens who have received a booster shot. During the COVID wave last winter, Floridas death rate significantly outstripped Californias. At his February 2021 CPAC speech, DeSantis boasted that his state had a (slightly) below-average COVID death rate. His COVID riff at this years CPAC made no mention of mortality statistics. DeSantiss oppositional approach to politics borrows heavily from Trumps style but with noticeable adjustments. Compared with the original, DeSantiss version of Trumpism is much more methodical, which robs it of its organic spontaneity yet also eliminates the frequent blowback. He has followed Trumps practice of using Twitter to launch unhinged attacks on the media and liberals, with the important revision of outsourcing the job to his spokespeople, most notably press secretary Christina Pushaw. This allows DeSantis to get much of the benefit of Trumps fire hose of abuse, exciting conservative activists and flustering reporters with wild accusations, all while his underlings absorb the reputational damage. DeSantis has undertaken an almost clinical effort to manufacture and bottle Trumps style. Trumps genuine ignorance and limited vocabulary allowed him to effortlessly channel the Republican bases contempt for the educated elite. DeSantis has to work at it. Last fall, he mockingly cited a Wall Street Journal article on the declining number of men attending college. I guess there was a decline in the number of men, the percentage of men going to college or whatever, he told his audience. And they acted like this was a bad thing. And honestly, like, you know, to me, I think that is probably a good sign. This is not, of course, advice that the double-Ivy DeSantis took himself. DeSantiss culture-war appeals usually steer clear of Trumps overt racism. (The one exception was during the 2018 general election, when he warned voters not to monkey this up by electing his Black Democratic opponent, a phrase that might have been a deliberate racist appeal but could also have been an unfortunate slip of the tongue.) He often attempts to formulate positions that could drive a wedge between the left and the center. Most important, while Trumps culture-war gestures often produced nothing but ephemeral content for conservative media, DeSantis has placed real state power behind the right-wing social agenda. DeSantis on Monday signed a bill into law that would restrict classroom instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity, preventing teachers from explaining things like why some children have two fathers or two mothers. (Democrats offered an amendment to ensure the law would be limited to discussions of sex. Republicans voted it down.) The laws deepest potential for harm lies in its details. It bans such discussions either before the fourth grade or in a manner that is not age-appropriate or developmentally appropriate. Not only is the standard of appropriateness inherently subjective, but its enforcement mechanism enables parents who dont like the instruction their child gets on gender to sue. You dont need to be a social liberal to see the potential for havoc. The law will open a lawsuit factory for culture war organizations to go after schools, the libertarian magazine Reason notes, forcing schools to shell out money to defend themselves and giving the most conservative parents the ability to veto school discussions that other parents are perfectly fine with. DeSantis has appeared undaunted, tearing into a reporter who quoted Democrats who called it the Dont Say Gay bill before it was signed. This allowed him to highlight, once again, his martyrdom at the hands of the media without having to address the more serious objections to the bill. Pushaw went on Twitter to reframe the law as an Anti-Grooming Bill, writing, If youre against the anti-Grooming bill, you are probably a groomer or at least you dont denounce the grooming of 4- to 8-year-old children. It was a perfectly orchestrated DeSantis culture-war set piece. DeSantis is also preparing to sign what he calls the Stop W.O.K.E. Act, a measure preventing uncomfortable racial discussions at any public school or college in the state that is so broad it would ban teachers or professors from defending affirmative action. The Foundation for Individual Rights in Education, a free-speech group that has frequently denounced left-wing indoctrination and censorship on campus, describes the bill as flatly unconstitutional. This spring, DeSantis staked out a position to the right of his own party by promising to veto a congressional map designed by Republicans. DeSantis insisted instead on a more aggressive map that would eliminate two of the states five Black-held seats. DeSantis believes this maneuver can both increase his partys strength in Congress and provoke a legal fight that would lead to the Supreme Courts striking down the remaining provisions of the Voting Rights Act that protect minority representation in legislative redistricting. In meetings, he would just demand, Pass my maps! My maps! My maps! Hes just bizarrely obsessed with this, a Republican told NBC. A measure that received less attention than either, but has enormous significance, is one DeSantis signed with little fanfare. In 2018, nearly two-thirds of Florida voters approved a ballot initiative to allow former felons to vote. Felon disenfranchisement is a relic of the post-Reconstruction era, when white southern states used it, in combination with laws heavily targeting Black men, as a tool to limit voting. The referendum granted eligibility to more than a million Floridians. DeSantis, who was elected governor at the same time the initiative passed, acted quickly to nullify it once in office. Republicans pushed through a law requiring former felons to pay off any outstanding fines or court debt before they could vote. At least three-quarters of eligible voters owe court debt, and of those, the vast majority cant pay it back. The point of the bill was not to compel payments. Indeed, because the state has no central database listing all fines, many voters who had the money, and an intense enough desire to vote, to pay for the privilege could not do so. The bills purpose was to disenfranchise those voters. Republicans have been implementing voting-rights restrictions across the country since about 2011, but no state has enacted a measure as sweeping and draconian as Floridas. DeSantis is the only governor since the Jim Crow era to institute a literal poll tax. After signing the law, DeSantis proclaimed on his official Twitter account, Voting is a privilege that should not be taken lightly. He conveyed his beliefs with chilling accuracy: Voting is a privilege, not, as many Americans believe, a right. Trump and DeSantis have been circling each other since the 2020 election, and their budding rivalry has so far been shaped by the GOPs two great preoccupations of the immediate post-Trump era: the pandemic and Trumps attempts to steal the election. The incipient contest broke into public view in December. It began when DeSantis appeared on Fox News with Maria Bartiromo, who asked if he had gotten a booster shot. DeSantis evaded the question and changed the subject to his fight against vaccine requirements. A couple of weeks later, Pushaw announced that DeSantis was refusing to disclose his status as a matter of medical privacy. The next week, Trump appeared on One America News and, without naming him, ridiculed DeSantis for being afraid to come clean. I watched a couple of politicians be interviewed and one of the questions was Did you get the booster? Trump said. Because they had the vaccine, and theyre answering like in other words, the answer is Yes, but they dont want to say it because theyre gutless. You gotta say it, whether you had it or not. Say it. Quickly afterward, DeSantis hit back. The lobbyist Josh Holmes, an ally of Mitch McConnells, asked DeSantis on his podcast if he had any regrets about his term in office. DeSantis replied that he wished he had spoken out more forcefully against Trumps early, intermittent endorsements of social distancing when the coronavirus pandemic began, which he described as locking down the country. In other words, DeSantis considers his biggest mistake in office failing to push back against something Donald Trump did. The most revealing aspect of the episode was how the conservative media covered it. If you listened to the Trump-critical outlets on the right the ones aligned with the GOP Establishments belief that Trumps personality is a liability for the party the first shots had been fired in DeSantiss uprising. National Review, which has become the premier intellectual organ of the anti-anti-Trump right while pining for his replacement, ran columns with headlines like Could DeSantis Beat Trump? and The DeSantis-Trump Tensions Will Lead to a Test of Strength. Meanwhile, the most loyal Trumpist corners of the conservative media denied the entire premise that DeSantis and Trump were in conflict. American Greatness, an online magazine invented in response to the Trump campaign and premised on turning his slogans into a political program, insisted that the New York Times story on the Trump-DeSantis feud is kayfabe (a staged conflict). In a column headlined Why the Medias Attempt to Split DeSantis and Trump Isnt Working, the Federalists Mollie Hemingway argued that the corporate media is trying to pit Trump and DeSantis against each other because theyre a threat to the Establishment. If youre a Republican who wants Trump gone, DeSantis is the man with the guts to take him on. If youre a Republican who adores Trump, DeSantis remains his loyal ally. Both wings of the party are jostling for DeSantiss approval and broadcasting DeSantis-friendly messages to their audiences. The same dynamic can be seen in DeSantiss courtship of the anti-vaccine movement. Pro-vaccine conservatives maintain the pretense that DeSantis only opposes vaccine mandates, calling him a vocal proponent of the COVID vaccines and insisting that the claim he is encouraging doubt about the safety or efficacy of the vaccines is a lie. Meanwhile, anti-vaccine activists have hailed DeSantis as their champion. Vaccine skeptic Robert Malone, appearing on Steve Bannons podcast, gushed, Ron DeSantis and surgeon general Joe Ladapo are giving hope to the rest of the world. They are listening to the key messages we are putting forth. If you completely dismiss the possibility that DeSantis could pry the Republican base away from a president to whom it has formed a cultlike attachment, you may not be considering the potential effect of two more years of DeSantis being given the sort of coverage in the right-wing media that Pravda devoted to Joseph Stalin. What a DeSantis-led Republican Party would look like is perhaps best captured in his response to the claims that the 2020 election was stolen. DeSantis began by playing the familiar role of Trump defender, complaining the day after the election about Fox News decision to call Arizona for Joe Biden. (The network, he speculated, had some type of motive, whether it was ratings, whether it was something else.) He went on Hannitys show to warn of vote dumps, a Republican term designed to cast suspicion on the results coming out of Democratic counties: I tell you, what Im seeing in Wisconsin and Pennsylvania is troubling, Sean. Later that day, DeSantis went on Fox News again and floated the possibility that Republican-controlled legislatures in battleground states won by Biden could override the election results and appoint Trump electors. On the day of the insurrection, DeSantis issued a perfunctory rebuke (Violence or rioting of any kind is unacceptable) before pivoting back to his comfortable posture of offense. In the past year, he has assailed Liz Cheney for cooperating with the investigation of the attack (We want people that are going to fight the left), refused to say whether Biden legitimately won the election, and similarly declined to clarify whether Pence was correct to certify the Electoral College results. By the time the anniversary of the insurrection arrived, DeSantis was floating the right-wing rumor that the violence on January 6 had actually been ginned up by undercover FBI agents. But mostly he resented the media for covering the issue at all. This is their Christmas: January 6, he complained. They are going to take this and milk this for anything they could to be able to smear anyone who ever supported Donald Trump. DeSantis also marked the anniversary by wooing right-wing social-media personalities with an invitation to his office, dinner at the governors mansion, and rooftop drinks. One of the less visible aspects of DeSantiss political operation has been its appeals to conservative activists who have gained clout and influence during the Trump era and who have legitimized vaccine skepticism, support for Vladimir Putin, and dismissing or even participating in the January 6 insurrection. Pushaw attended an event to promote the anti-gay education bill held by Brandon Straka, who was recorded at the Capitol on January 6 urging the crowd to seize a police officers shield and yelling Go, go, go! Esther Byrd, whom DeSantis appointed to the states board of education, has reportedly defended the January 6 rioters, QAnon, and the Proud Boys. DeSantiss unembarrassed courtship of right-wing extremists has broadened his array of media advocates. Perhaps most important, his no-enemies-to-the-right strategy has sent a message about his brand: Unlike the weak Republican Establishment, DeSantis will stand with conservatives. In January, a small band of white supremacists converged in Orlando, where they chanted White power! and roughed up a Jewish student. Pushaw suggested on Twitter that the white supremacists were actually Democrats pretending to be Nazis to make DeSantis look bad, a charge that was quickly debunked. When DeSantis was asked about the episode at a press conference, he could have confined himself to a rote denunciation of the racist hoodlums, as several of his fellow Florida Republicans did. Instead, he launched an extended diatribe against Democrats who are trying to use this as some type of political issue to try to smear me. He then wound his way through such talking points as Ilhan Omar, the BDS movement, Louis Farrakhan, inflation, illegal immigration, crime, and the supposed failures of the Biden administration which the press was allegedly trying to obscure by bringing up the Orlando attack. Rubio, standing behind DeSantis, shuffled his feet uncomfortably as DeSantiss rant went on. Were not playing their game, he insisted, falling back on his occasional habit of narrating his own political strategy. Their game, in this case, meant accepting the terms of debate as defined by what he has called the corrupt media. In a high-profile editorial denouncing Trump six years ago a cover story with the glittering tagline Against Trump National Review asked, If Trump were to become the president, the Republican nominee, or even a failed candidate with strong conservative support, what would that say about conservatives? More recently, National Reviews editor, Rich Lowry, made the case for DeSantis on the grounds that he is the closest possible thing to Trump. The challenge to Trump, he reasoned, will have to come from the Trump wing at this point, more like the Trump fuselage, wing and landing gear of the party. The paradigmatic DeSantis constituent within the Republican elite would be William Barr. The former attorney general, who released a memoir in March describing his clashes with Trump over the 2020 election, has called Trump delusional and says he wants to nominate young candidates who will fight for principle but dont have the sort of obnoxious personal characteristics that alienate a lot of voters. But Barr eagerly supported many of Trumps efforts to weaponize the Justice Department and has conceded that he will vote for Trump again should he be nominated. Its worth noting that the one major difference between Barr and DeSantis is that the former drew the line at Trumps attempt to overturn the results of the last election. With DeSantis, theres no telling where that line might be. Sign Up for Jonathan Chaits Newsletter, &c. Irregular musings from the center-left. Email This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Vox Media, LLC Terms and Privacy Notice By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Notice and to receive email correspondence from us. Bone Therapeutics SA REGULATED INFORMATION Strategic focus revised and fully focused on achieving topline results of the ALLOB Phase IIb study in tibial fractures. Discussions for ALLOB global partnership still ongoing. Board of Directors and Management exploring all strategic options to protect shareholder value. Miguel Forte (CEO), Tony Ting (CSO), Stefanos Theoharis (CBO) and Lieve Creten (CFO) will transition to leave the company over the coming months. Mont-Saint-Guibert, Belgium, 29 March 2022, 7am CEST BONE THERAPEUTICS (Euronext Brussels and Paris: BOTHE), the cell therapy company addressing unmet medical needs in orthopedics and other diseases, today announces it is redefining its strategic priorities to concentrate specifically on the development of its most advanced clinical asset, the allogeneic cell therapy platform, ALLOB. ALLOB is currently being evaluated in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled Phase IIb study in patients with high-risk tibial fractures. Based on the positive results of the previous clinical studies of ALLOB undertaken by Bone Therapeutics and the extensive preclinical data set, Bone Therapeutics firmly believes that ALLOB has the highest potential of near-term value creation. Topline results of the Phase IIb trial are still anticipated in Q1 2023. However, a delay cannot be excluded. In order to deliver the results from the Phase IIb clinical study, Bone Therapeutics has implemented a number of actions to reduce its cost base to enable completion of its Phase IIb study. As a result, Bone Therapeutics will focus its R&D activities to support the clinical development of ALLOB and all activities related to the development of the pre-clinical iMSCg platform as well as all other non ALLOB related activities, will be stopped. In this context, some members of Bone Therapeutics' management team will transition to depart Bone Therapeutics in the coming months in alignment with the focus in activity. This includes Miguel Forte (CEO), Tony Ting (CSO), Stefanos Theoharis (CBO) and Lieve Creten (CFO). The CEO, Miguel Forte, will remain in function for the transition. In addition, all non-executive members of the Board of Directors have decided to suspend their compensation for the first quarter of 2022 and until further notice. Story continues The ongoing completion of ALLOB Phase IIb study will be supervised by Anne Leselbaum, MD (Chief Medical Officer) and Anne-Sophie Lebrun, PhD (Chief Operation Officer). The negotiations for ALLOB, with one of the current Bone Therapeutics Chinese partners, for the global rights agreement are still ongoing but are taking longer than anticipated. The potential completion of a final binding agreement has been delayed beyond the end of Q1 2022. Subsequent to some preliminary contacts, the board of directors of Bone Therapeutics is currently examining various opportunities to combine certain activities within Bone Therapeutics, taking into account the interests of its shareholders and other stakeholders. Further announcements will be made in due course, if and when circumstances so allow or require. About ALLOB ALLOB is Bone Therapeutics off-the-shelf allogeneic cell therapy platform consisting of human allogeneic bone-forming cells derived from cultured bone marrow mesenchymal stromal cells (MSC) from healthy adult donors. To address critical factors for the development and commercialization of cell therapy products, Bone Therapeutics has established a proprietary, optimized production process that improves consistency, scalability, cost effectiveness and ease of use of ALLOB. This optimized production process significantly increases the production yield, generating thousands of doses per bone marrow donation. Additionally, the final ALLOB product is cryopreserved, enabling easy shipment and the capability to be stored at the point of care for easy clinical use. The process will therefore substantially improve product quality, reduce overall production costs, simplify supply chain logistics, increase patient accessibility and facilitate global commercialization. The Company has implemented the optimized production process to produce clinical batches for the ongoing Phase IIb clinical trial in patients with difficult-to-heal tibial fractures. About Bone Therapeutics Bone Therapeutics is a leading biotech company focused on the development of innovative products to address high unmet needs in orthopedics and other diseases. Currently Bone Therapeutics is concentrating specifically on the development of its most advanced clinical asset, the allogeneic cell therapy platform, ALLOB. Bone Therapeutics core technology is based on its cutting-edge allogeneic cell and gene therapy platform with differentiated bone marrow sourced Mesenchymal Stromal Cells (MSCs) which can be stored at the point of use in the hospital. Its leading investigational medicinal product, ALLOB, represents a unique, proprietary approach to bone regeneration, which turns undifferentiated stromal cells from healthy donors into bone-forming cells. These cells are produced via the Bone Therapeutics scalable manufacturing process. Following the CTA approval by regulatory authorities in Europe, the Company has initiated patient recruitment for the Phase IIb clinical trial with ALLOB in patients with difficult tibial fractures, using its optimized production process. ALLOB continues to be evaluated for other orthopedic indications including spinal fusion, osteotomy, maxillofacial and dental. Bone Therapeutics cell therapy products are manufactured to the highest GMP (Good Manufacturing Practices) standards and are protected by a broad IP (Intellectual Property) portfolio covering ten patent families as well as knowhow. The Company is based in the Louvain-la-Neuve Science Park in Mont-Saint-Guibert, Belgium. Further information is available at www.bonetherapeutics.com. For further information, please contact: Bone Therapeutics SA Miguel Forte, MD, PhD, Chief Executive Officer Lieve Creten, Chief Financial Officer ad interim Tel: +32 (0)71 12 10 00 investorrelations@bonetherapeutics.com For Belgian Media and Investor Enquiries: Bepublic Bert Bouserie Tel: +32 (0)488 40 44 77 bert.bouserie@bepublicgroup.be International Media Enquiries: Image Box Communications Neil Hunter / Michelle Boxall Tel: +44 (0)20 8943 4685 neil.hunter@ibcomms.agency / michelle@ibcomms.agency For French Media and Investor Enquiries: NewCap Investor Relations & Financial Communications Pierre Laurent, Louis-Victor Delouvrier and Arthur Rouille Tel: +33 (0)1 44 71 94 94 bone@newcap.eu Certain statements, beliefs and opinions in this press release are forward-looking, which reflect the Company or, as appropriate, the Company directors current expectations and projections about future events. By their nature, forward-looking statements involve a number of risks, uncertainties and assumptions that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. These risks, uncertainties and assumptions could adversely affect the outcome and financial effects of the plans and events described herein. A multitude of factors including, but not limited to, changes in demand, competition and technology, can cause actual events, performance or results to differ significantly from any anticipated development. Forward looking statements contained in this press release regarding past trends or activities should not be taken as a representation that such trends or activities will continue in the future. As a result, the Company expressly disclaims any obligation or undertaking to release any update or revisions to any forward-looking statements in this press release as a result of any change in expectations or any change in events, conditions, assumptions or circumstances on which these forward-looking statements are based. Neither the Company nor its advisers or representatives nor any of its subsidiary undertakings or any such persons officers or employees guarantees that the assumptions underlying such forward-looking statements are free from errors nor does either accept any responsibility for the future accuracy of the forward-looking statements contained in this press release or the actual occurrence of the forecasted developments. You should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this press release. Those sanctioned Russian assets are piling up. Oligarch yachts, estates, planes, and other items in the West may sit out of their owners' hands but they are not yet necessarily in the control of Western governments. The rules vary across Europe where most of the seizures have taken place following Russia's invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24. The White House recently offered examples of assets that have been taken off the table and noted some had been seized while others were impounded. Under U.S. law, any sanctioned assets would be in a state of legal limbo and put aside, but could eventually be returned to their owners. Now policymakers in the U.S. both on Capitol Hill and perhaps in the administration are pushing to change the uncertain status of those assets around the world. Some want to not just take possession of the assets of Kremlin-connected billionaires, but also sell them and give the proceeds to Ukraine. As Senator Rob Portman (R OH) recently put it on the Senate floor, we should be expanding sanctions and seizing, not just freezing, assets from Kremlin supporters alongside other measures. An Italian Finance police car is parked in front of the yacht "Lady M", linked to Russian oligarch Alexei Mordashov, at Imperia's harbor in Northern Italy on March 5. (ANDREA BERNARDI/AFP via Getty Images) Portman and Sen. Michael Bennet (D-CO) have introduced a bill, the RELIEF for Ukraine Act, which directs any funds from seized Russian assets towards Ukrainian refugees, reconstruction, and other efforts. We have far further to go to fully address this threat President Joe Biden pledged to seize the "ill-begotten gains" of Russian oligarchs during his State of the Union Address on March 1. During a speech Tuesday in London, Deputy Treasury Secretary Wally Adeyemo outlined how the U.S. government and its allies may go further in sanctioning Russian individuals. Adeyemo, who's in Europe to shore up alliances, touted the work to share information and intelligence and to facilitate the enforcement of our sanctions, namely to freeze and seize assets of sanctioned individuals. We have far further to go to fully address this threat and restore justice for the people of Ukraine, Adeymo added, without saying where the assets could go. Story continues Deputy Treasury Secretary Wally Adeyemo in Brussels on March 29. (Dursun Aydemir/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images) Adeyemo also noted that the West may sanction those who help Russian oligarchs hide their assets. Our bill makes Putin and Russian oligarchs pay the price The intentions of the bill from Portman and Bennet are clear: If enacted, it would create a new Ukraine Relief Fund administered by the Department of State. Our bill makes Putin and Russian oligarchs pay the price by ensuring that funds from their seized assets go directly to the Ukrainian people to support them through many difficult years ahead of resettlement, reconstruction, and recovery, Bennet said in a statement. Sens. Michael Bennet (D-CO) and Rob Portman (R-OH) at the U.S. Capitol in 2014. (Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call) To be sure, Ukraine could use the extra money. Ukraines economy minister, Yulia Svyrydenko, recently said the war in Ukraine has cost her country $564.9 billion by damaging infrastructure and hindering economic growth. However, the oligarchs may be able to easily compensate for those losses. An oft-cited 2017 paper from the National Bureau of Economic Research estimated Russian oligarch wealth and came to the startling conclusion that rich Russians held around $800 billion in assets outside of Russia, as of 2015. Or to put it more starkly: There is as much financial wealth held by rich Russians abroad in the United Kingdom, Switzerland, Cyprus, and similar offshore centers than held by the entire Russian population in Russia itself, Filip Novokmet, Thomas Piketty, and Gabriel Zucman wrote. In the end, any action would likely take place under the umbrella of a recently formed multinational task force that includes the U.S. That would allow Western governments to work together to track and allocate the assets, which so far have been found largely in Europe. Ben Werschkul is a writer and producer for Yahoo Finance in Washington, DC. Read the latest financial and business news from Yahoo Finance Follow Yahoo Finance on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Flipboard, LinkedIn, YouTube, and reddit. Auburn University students making their way to class Monday were unprepared for the images they were about to see. The Center for Bio-Ethical Reform, partnering with Students for Life on Auburn Universitys campus, had set up a pro-life gallery on Haley Concourse featuring graphic images of aborted fetuses on billboard-like signs. It was titled The Genocide Awareness Project. Theres all the blood and gore, said Perri Troup, a freshman in chemical engineering. According to its website, the Center for Bio-Ethical Reform has been conducting this project on college campuses throughout the U.S. and Canada since 1998. Were trying to speak out against our society as a whole and our tolerance of decapitating and dismembering tiny human beings, said Lincoln Brandenburg, director of staff development for the organizations southeast region. Many students questioned the effectiveness of this approach. Youre here to shock people; this is not educational, said one student. You are not spreading anything except hate, said another. Sam Hass, secretary of Students for Life, said the Center for Bio-Ethical Reform reached out to his group and asked to share their views on Auburns campus. We were aware of it, Hass said of the organizations use of graphic images. ...The exact layout of it, we werent privy to at the time. The message centered around comparing abortion to genocide. Abortion kills 1.2 million humans every year in the U.S., stated one pamphlet being distributed at the site. If not genocide, what else would we call it? Some markers were placed on the walkway leading up to the display, warning of genocide photos ahead. Our point here with this and using the graphic pictures is to show the humanity of the victims of abortions and the inhumanity of the act of abortion, Brandenburg said. Students debated organization members on the issue as well as their approach. This is not how you do it, one student said. Im not hearing what youre saying, Im just angry. All youre doing is antagonizing people. Some of the signs also included the organizations views on how abortion suppresses the Black vote and compared abortion doctors to death camp exterminators. One sign questioned transgendered athletes being allowed to compete. Hass, the Students for Life member, also questioned the effectiveness of the centers approach. I tend to think that a softer, more loving approach can be more effective in winning people over to the pro-life cause because it is a message of love at heart, Hass said. Some students were reaching out to Student Activities on Monday afternoon to share their concerns. I honestly think it was very inappropriate. I think its honestly unacceptable, said Jada Neal, a sophomore chemical engineering student. There are other places for this and our campus was not one of those. The project was on display from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., and the organization plans to set it up again on Tuesday. AUBix, a new data center facility in Auburn, will help make high-speed internet available to more people in the state of Alabama, provide cyber security, enable advanced research and data mining and attract businesses to the area. The City of Auburn held a ribbon cutting on Monday to celebrate the grand opening of the new data center that will bring more reliable fiber services all across the state and become a place where, in the words of Gov. Kay Ivey, broadband access meets cyber security. So often we talk about the need for broadband to increase access in Alabama, said Ivey, who attended the event and toured the facility. Now we are doing that. The $120 million, 40,000 square foot facility is located on West Samford Avenue about half a block from Auburn University and is officially operational. Its days like today, folks, that prove Alabama is leading the way in innovation, Ivey said. And I certainly know I look forward to the progress that this will make along the way. Auburn University President Jay Gogue said hes also looking forward to the partnership with AUBix and working with the company that will be able to provide internet to rural parts of the state. At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic when the university went from in-person instruction to remote instruction only, many students who lived in rural areas struggled with finding internet, Gogue said. For them to be able to take remote courses through Zoom or whatever became a real challenge, Gogue said. They had to drive long distances to be able to even get internet. They tell us stories that they went to local public libraries and sat in the parking lot late at night to be able to get the internet. Andrew Albrecht, founder and CEO of AUBix, said he and the other co-founders started the business plan about two years ago with an idea to build a world-class data center that addresses the increased requirements for high-speed computing. A data center is a place where data is housed, where data lives, Albrecht said. Youd be amazed if you went on your phone and looked at one of your apps, the amount of data coming out of Atlanta, Dallas, New York, Chicago where now it can come out of Auburn. The data center will also provide state of the art infrastructure and services for cyber security clients and serve multiple industries including healthcare, finance, financial services, manufacturing, power companies, academia and state and local government. AUBix will be a great asset to our existing businesses, Auburn Mayor Ron Anders. It will also allow us to attract additional operations that would benefit from such a fine data center. Businesses including hospitals, banks, service providers and technology providers are coming to AUBix, according to Albrecht. We enable service providers and enterprise organizations to co-locate their equipment inside these walls in a secure facility that is connected to multiple national and global networks, Albrecht said. AUBix will provide massive quantities of data and cyber security analysis for academia, like Auburn University, to test and theorize and will be able to catch a whole lot of bad actors on the internet from individual criminals to hostile countries, Albrecht said. United States Congressman Mike Rogers, a ranking member of the House Armed Services Committee, spoke about the importance of cyber security. He said the United States has an arsenal of offensive cyber weapons to respond to cyber threats against the critical infrastructure of the country, but for the rest of the countrys infrastructure, like commercial industries, he said there are vulnerabilities. Rogers called Auburn University a cutting-edge leader in cyber security technology for our country and the world, and he said that the AUBix facility will strengthen this fight against cyber threats. Im certain that Auburn University and AUBix will help play a role in helping us fill that gap as we work to make sure thats not a threat, he said. On March 24, Douyin E-Commerce, the online shopping arm of the Chinese mainland version of TikTok, issued updated regulations on cross-border e-commerce business, prohibiting merchants that do not have a franchise in Hainan from selling offshore duty-free products. Douyin's new rules clarifying illegal operation in cross-border and Hainan duty-free business were released to better regulate Hainan offshore duty-free business. In recent years, China has been cracking down on unofficial sales channels for duty-free goods from Hainan, including "daigou" cross-border personal shoppers who buy duty-free merchandises and then resell them. In July 2020, regulations issued by the regulatory authorities stated that any person who purchases duty-free goods for others or resells them in the mainland market with the purpose of making profits shall be prohibited from purchasing duty-free merchandise for three years and be included in the relevant credit records under the law. Hainan offshore duty-free products have been widely welcomed by consumers. According to statistics, in the first two months of this year, the total sales of Hainan's 10 duty-free malls reached almost 13 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 33%. To date, a total of 10 companies in China have been granted a government license for duty-free trade, including China Duty Free Group (CDFG), Sunrise Duty Free, and Hainan Duty-free Co. Ltd. CDFG, as China's largest operator of duty-free business and the world's number one travel retailer by sales, is playing a leading role in combating daigou activities in Hainan. It is working with regulatory authorities to strictly prevent daigou and guiding consumers to abide by the regulations. Decrease Font Size Font Size Increase Font Size Notice body Interior Design students in the College of Human Sciences scored a first for the program when they said, Aloha, and headed to Oahu, Hawaii, for their capstone project. Students enrolled in the Advanced Design Project studio course, led by professors Lindsay Tan and Taneshia Albert, were challenged to redesign a downtown hotel into a multistory, multipurpose community building. Each student worked individually to incorporate their choice of residential, office, retail, hospitality, healthcare and educational spaces based on their area of interest and identified community needs. To read the full story click here. I saw Turning Red, so I'm obsessed with your icon and hear her voice! Reply Parent Thread Link Priya is low-energy bae lol! Reply Parent Thread Expand Link woah, pauly looks like he has an aging filter on him. he went from 20 to 45 real quick. Edited at 2022-03-29 12:27 pm (UTC) Reply Parent Thread Link Endless tanning, smoking, and drinking is gonna do that to ya lol. Reply Parent Thread Link He's 41 -shrug- Reply Parent Thread Link Joe Rogan taught ha! Reply Parent Thread Link i don't know what is up with them, what has prompted these unhinged public displays. all i know is that i ever see them in public i am turning around and walking the other way. Reply Thread Link If they are barefoot you better RUN! Reply Parent Thread Link Whenever I get sad about my ballet feet not being so pretty I just think about this heaux's hooves and I feel a lot better about myself. Reply Parent Thread Expand Link Yikes. I hope theyre willing to get help. They seem like theyve had a lot of issues with anger. Reply Thread Link this seems like cuhcaine behavior allegedly tho Reply Thread Link if you say "my cocaine" it kinda sounds like you're saying his name in his accent, fun fact Reply Parent Thread Expand Link that's the vibe i got in the fan choking video too Reply Parent Thread Link Put him in jail and cut his toenailsss!!! Reply Thread Link Can we not misgender people even if theyre trash, please? Like come on lmao, I dont want to be in here defending that mess of a human. Reply Parent Thread Link are they NB? Reply Parent Thread Link it's not that hard to respect pronouns even if the person is garbage Reply Parent Thread Link No fucking chill. So damn dark wtf. Tragic Reply Thread Link Too many assholes like (them (?) is that how you do it?) have been involved with the Fantastic Beasts series for me to enjoy them. Turned off the 2nd one half way through and just seeing the face in the trailer of the 3rd had me go NOPE Edited at 2022-03-29 05:56 am (UTC) Reply Thread Link You nailed it! Reply Parent Thread Link Gross behavior. But thats to be expected from them. Reply Thread Link They are dark sided. Reply Thread Link Just ahead of the Fantastic Beasts #3 premiere lmao. The franchise is doomed. Between JKR being a POS, Depp's fuckery, and general Ezra messiness lmao... what an amazing promo. Reply Thread Link [ Spoiler (click to open) ] Zoe Kravitz [ Spoiler (click to open) ] her Spoiler cut added in case anybody actually plans torrenting this shit I guess Edited at 2022-03-29 01:01 pm (UTC) Betfeels like they dida favor now Spoiler cut added in case anybody actually plans torrenting this shit I guess Reply Parent Thread Link And the guy who actually went to jail for rape! What even is in the craft services over there Reply Parent Thread Link last time i talked shit on ezra miller people kept saying the girl they hit before was "in on it" (like it was planned/staged) when it clearly wasn't. do they and johnny depp have the same fans? Reply Thread Link This is absolutely still the narrative on Twitter/Reddit (cesspools, I know, but still) Reply Parent Thread Link The "Amber Heard is the devil" conversation comes up so often on Reddit in the most inane and random places, too. I feel like it is fair to say she also exhibited toxic and destructive behaviors, but beyond that...there's an entire majority of people who fully believe Amber ruined Johnny's career and life and made up every single accusation out of thin air. Reply Parent Thread Expand Link Or there's crossover with DCEU/Snyder stans, and we know how intense they are. Reply Parent Thread Link jfc Reply Parent Thread Link why do they keep getting passes for their consistently awful behavior? who out here is demanding more lackluster dc films/nonsense jkr cash grabs?? Reply Thread Link I hate both those franchises but you know damn well who. Reply Parent Thread Link They and Shia are always getting away with shit. I'll never get it. They look like they smell really bad. :( Reply Parent Thread Link Their mugshot at the source is seriously creeping me out... Reply Thread Link I went to take a look after reading your comment and youre not wrong! Theres something very unnerving about it Reply Parent Thread Link He looks like leprechaun it's really unnerving. Reply Parent Thread Link Same. He looks like he's a serial killer Reply Parent Thread Link Their mugshots always look smug Reply Parent Thread Link "After the video went viral the Southern Poverty Law Center, a civil rights organization that monitors hate groups, said that it hasn't tracked any Klan activity in Beulaville in recent years." i didnt realize there was follow up to their weird message to KKK members. so it was just completely random and no incident occurred? i mean... the message was still right but just really random. Reply Thread Link The message was unhinged, not right. He threatened to kill them. Locking up KKK is something that police are good for. Reply Parent Thread Link No they are not and if you really believe that I have a bridge to sell you Reply Parent Thread Link are the police going to arrest themselves? Reply Parent Thread Expand Link Despite the U.S.-led ban on importing Russian oil that some of Washingtons allies will also implement, Russian oil in significant volumes will continue to flow into various leading oil-importing countries, so adding to the overall global supply and affecting oil prices. In oil trading terms, then, it is erroneous to assume that all circa-11 million barrels per day (bpd) of Russian oil supply has somehow been removed from the global supply/demand matrix and that this will tighten that oil pricing matrix in favor of further gains. This was highlighted last week by Russian Deputy Prime Minister, and former Energy Minister, Alexander Novak, and supported by the current top global oil importer, China, and the country set to take over this mantle, India. In comments reported by several Russian news agencies, Novak acknowledged that the new U.S.-led sanctions on Russian oil provide: New challenges linked to supply chain disruptions, the insurance of ships that transport our products, and with issues of financing and payment. However, he added that: These issues are being resolved at the momentand customers are happy to buy it [Russian crude oil]. It is apposite to note in this context that even with the US$30+ pb discount currently being applied to Russias benchmark Urals crude oil grade compared to Brent, Russia is still making more per barrel than it was before it invaded Ukraine. Indeed, it is a lot more, if as can reasonably be posited the war premium in oil pricing did not begin when Russian troops went in to Ukraine on 24 February 2022 when Brent stood at around US$95 pb. Rather, the real war premium may well have begun when the very smart money funds started to buy on the expectation of such an eventuality. This dates back to September 2021 when U.S. intelligence officers started to notice unusual Russian military movements on the Ukraine border after the conclusion of the joint Russia-Belarus military exercises that had taken place. At that point, Brent was trading at around US$65 pb. Therefore, it could well be argued that the real war premium for Russias invasion of Ukraine has been at least US$55 pb and not the US$25 pb that many still believe. Three other factors are also apposite to note in terms of explaining Novaks upbeat take on the prospects for Russias oil sector, each of them analyzed in full in my new book on the global oil markets. First, Russia has long been able to make very good profits on all of its oil at US$40 per barrel of Brent. This is a key reason why it was happy to allow Saudi Arabia to launch yet another doomed oil price war against the U.S. shale sector in 2020 by overproducing to drive prices down, as it could survive and prosper if oil averaged at least US$40 pb of Brent over the conflict period, and second, it could cheerily stand by and watch as one of its crude oil competitors, Saudi Arabia, destroyed its own economy (with a breakeven pb of Brent price of US$84 at that point), and caused disruption in another of its oil market competitors (and perennial geopolitical nemesis), the U.S. The second reason is that despite the US dollar-centric sanctions on Russia, the country pays all of its domestic expenses in roubles, so the availability of US dollars or the US dollar-Russia rouble exchange rate is of no consequence in this regard. That said, it is a very clever move to make importers of Russian gas from unfriendly countries pay for Russian gas in roubles, as it does lend support to the Russian currency, which has a positive psychological effect on those receiving money in that currency. And third, Russia will not be devoid of US dollars anyhow, or other hard currencies, given that it can certainly count on continued massive oil and gas and other trade with China and India. Related: Sanctions Are Forcing Russian Companies To Consider Moving To Kazakhstan China for one has a wide range of ways and means of getting around sanctions of any sort, with a basic factor working in its favor being the lack of exposure of Chinas firms to the U.S. financial infrastructure, particularly to the U.S. dollar. An adjunct advantage to this is the ease with which Chinese companies can set up new special purpose vehicles to handle ring-fenced areas of their businesses to allow for special situations, such as sanctions. China made no secret at the time of the pre-2016 sanctions against Iran or the post-2018 sanctions against it that it was going to use its Bank of Kunlun as the main funding and clearing vehicle for its dealings with Iran. The Bank of Kunlun has considerable operational experience in this regard, as it was used to settle tens of billions of dollars worth of oil imports during the U.N. sanctions against Tehran between 2012 and 2015. Most of the banks settlements during that time were in Euros and Chinese renminbi and in 2012 it was sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury for conducting business with Iran. China skill and proven methodology at working around sanctions allowed Irans Foreign Minister, Mohammad Zarif, to state back in December 2018 at the Doha Forum, that: If there is an art that we have perfected in Iran, [that] we can teach to others for a price, it is the art of evading sanctions. In the case of Russian oil and gas exports, though, there is no need for China to go through all the trouble it took to circumvent the sanctions on Iran. As also analysed in-depth in my new book on the global oil markets, China has long seen increased internationalisation of its renminbi currency as a fitting reflection of its growing status in the world and the chief executive officer of Russias Novatek, Leonid Mikhelson, said in September 2018 that Russia had been discussing switching way from US$-centric trading with its largest trading partners such as India and China, and that even Arab countries were thinking about it. If they [the U.S.] do create difficulties for our Russian banks then all we have to do is replace dollars, he added. At around the same time, China launched its now extremely successful Shanghai Futures Exchange with oil contracts denominated in yuan (the trading unit of the renminbi currency). Such a strategy was tested initially at scale in 2014 when Gazpromneft tried trading cargoes of crude oil in Chinese yuan and roubles with China and Europe. Additionally, the infrastructural development for oil and gas trading between China and Russia has also been extensive in recent years, as examined several times in depth by OilPrice.com. The most recent examples of this was, in the oil sector, Rosneft signing a US$80 billion 10-year deal to supply the China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) with 100 million metric tonnes of oil over the period (slightly over 200,000 barrels per day). In the gas sector, at almost exactly the same time, Gazprom signed a 10 billion cubic meters per year (bcm/y) deal to supply gas to CNPC, adding to another supply contract between the two companies signed in 2014 a 30-year deal for 38 bcm/y to go from Russia to China. This, in turn, is part of, and augments, the Power of Siberia pipeline project managed on the Russian side by Gazprom and on the China side by CNPC that was launched in December 2019. For the U.S., India had been envisioned at the time of the relationship normalization deals drive in the Middle East as the global replacement buyer for oil and gas instead of China. There was every reason for optimism, as not only had India recently shown a new political resolve to combat Chinas influence in the Asia Pacific but the International Energy Agency (IEA) had also released a report showing that India will make up the biggest share of energy demand growth at 25 percent over the next two decades, as it overtakes the European Union as the worlds third-biggest energy consumer by 2030. These U.S. hopes were dashed, however, when Putin behind-the-scenes negotiated a huge, wide-ranging deal with India. This deal did not just include enormous oil and gas deals between the two countries but also the intention to strengthen defense cooperation, including the joint development of production of military equipment. Specifically, according to further official statements from one or both sides, India will produce at least 600,000 Kalashnikov assault rifles the weapon of choice for terrorists and militias across the Middle East and elsewhere and, even more disturbing for the U.S., Indias Foreign Secretary, Harsh Vardhan Shringla, said that a 2018 contract for Russias S-400 air defense missile systems is now being implemented. By Simon Watkins for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: In 2020, the EUs relied on net imports for nearly 97% of the crude oil and petroleum products it consumed - highlighting why Russian oil is so important. While the U.S. and the UK have both announced bans on Russian oil imports, the EU has not been able to agree on any such boycott. One of the hottest topics in the media in the past month has been the possibility of an oil embargo on Russia in response to its invasion of Ukraine. Oil prices have climbed higher on the constant speculation of a broader oil ban, but that speculation appears to be unjustified. The UK banned Russian oil and fuel imports earlier this month, and so did the United States. For both of these countries, Russian oil and fuels are a small portion of total oil imports. Yet the bans had a pronounced negative effect on retail fuel prices in both, even though in the UK, the ban was to take place gradually, by the end of this year. Is it any wonder, then, that the EU, after undoubtedly intense negotiations last week, failed to agree on banning Russian oil and fuel imports? Russia provides 29 percent of the crude oil that Europe consumes, as well as 51 percent of the oil products that the continent consumes. And Europe consumes a lot of oil and oil products despite its eager energy shift. But that's not all. Two years ago, the European Union received almost 97 percent of the oil and oil products it consumed from external sources, according to Eurostat. In other words, the EU is more import-dependent than India when it comes to oil. Obviously, with such a degree of dependence, an oil embargo on the union's biggest supplier would be a disaster for the continent. This means that the discussions held last week and reported on in abundance by the media were likely nothing more than an exercise in political posturing. It was obvious from day one such an embargo was not happening anytime soon. An immediate oil embargo on Russian imports "from one day to the next would mean plunging our country and the whole of Europe into a recession," Germany's Chancellor Olaf Sholz said last week, as quoted by Reuters' John Kemp. On the other hand, "Why should Europe give Putin more time to earn more money from oil and gas? More time to use European ports? More time to use unsanctioned Russian banks in Europe? Time to pull the plug," the foreign minister of Lithuania, Gabrielius Landsbergis said. Lithuania buys almost all of the oil it consumes from Russia. What we seem to have here is, once again, politics versus pragmatism, a situation very much similar to the energy transition narrative and plans. In this case, it seems that common sense is winning. "The question of an oil embargo is not a question of whether we want or don't want (it), but a question of how much we depend on oil," Germany's foreign minister, Annalena Berbock, said last week. "Germany is importing a lot (of Russian oil), but there are also other member states who can't stop the oil imports from one day to the other." Related: Russia Threatens G7 Nations As Ministers Reject Gas-For-Rubles Scheme What these officials seem to tell us is that the EU, just like India or China - or the rest of Europe, really - has an oil addiction, and kicking it is much easier said than done, despite all the work done by EU governments to stimulate less oil consumption at least in the form of car fuels by encouraging the electrification of transport. No wonder, then, that besides the International Energy Agency's 10-point plan for cutting oil demand, alternative oil supplies are being considered as a remedy for the current situation. The president of Ukraine, who has become perhaps the most public personality over the past few weeks, recently urged Middle Eastern oil producers to boost their output to help Europe reduce its dependency on Russia. "They can do much to restore justice. The future of Europe depends on your effort. I ask you to increase the output of energy to ensure that everyone in Russia understands that no country can use energy as a weapon and blackmail the world," Volodymyr Zelensky said at the Doha Forum last week, as quoted by Reuters. So far, the Gulf oil states have demonstrated a clear unwillingness to boost production or condemn Russia's actions in Ukraine. In fact, the UAE is forging stronger ties with Russia, and Saudi Arabia has reaffirmed its commitment to the OPEC+ agreement with Russia and the Central Asian republics. Unless it gets the security support it wants from the U.S. and Europe, OPEC's top producer is unlikely to budge on that. Even with the guarantees, the Middle East is quite unlikely to agree to take Russia's place in Europe. Reuters' kemp put it eloquently: "Breaking long-term contracts and giving up Asia's lucrative growth markets to supply refiners in declining Europe, possibly only for a few months or years, would make little strategic sense." Europe, then, is overwhelmingly dependent on foreign oil and gas, and more specifically, Russian oil and gas. Despite its efforts to first diversify and then wean itself off fossil fuels, oil and gas will remain essential for European economies. A 10-point plan will hardly help change that in any meaningful way, and neither would pleas to Middle Eastern producers - what sort of oil exporter wants a market eager to reduce its consumption of oil? By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: Private equity investment in oil and gas has been on the wane in the past few years amid the drive toward more ESG-oriented investments and pressure on the industry from the federal government, which has prioritized a shift to renewable energy. This is changing, however. With oil prices lingering in the three-digit territory and the U.S. and other large consumer countries scrambling for more oil and gas, the industry once again looks attractive. The Wall Street Journal reported this week that oil and gas investment funds in the United States are seeing renewed interest from investors in the industry. One of these, Post Oil Energy Capital, told the WSJs Luis Garcia that We see investors more interested in investing in our new funds going forward than weve seen in the last 18 to 24 months. The firm also said it had plans to set up a new investment fund to take advantage of newly opened investment opportunities in the oil and gas space. A sector player named Lime Rock Management, for its part, told the WSJs Garcia that it had recently raised more than $500 million to spend on oil and gas fields. It appears that, unlike the persistent constraints in the industry itself, which are preventing U.S. producers from boosting output as quickly as many would like them to, energy investors cannot resist prices of above $100. And these are likely to remain there for a while yet. Related: Unsold Oil Forces Russian Operator To Cap Pipeline Flows EIU expects oil prices to remain elevated above US$115/barrel for most of the year. The risk of further spikes in prices has increased as well, said the chief economist of the Economist Intelligence Unit, Matt Sherwood, this week. Sherwood cited falling Russian oil production because of the sanctions and the fact that spare production capacity among OPEC+ members was concentrated in Saudi Arabia and the UAE, and it was only about 3 million bpd, besides the apparent unwillingness of the two countries to deploy it. What this price outlook means for the industry is continued investor interest, it seems. The longer prices remain elevated, the longer investor appetite will last, and this is very welcome news for independent drillers. These have been hailed as the big winners of the latest price rally as they were not subject to shareholder pressure with regard to capital discipline. Yet, as one CEO of an energy independent told Oilprice, the small drillers club is not trouble-free. Banks and private equity firms have been shunning oil and gas investments, Margaret P. Graham said last week, following the agenda of the federal government for a shift to renewables. The independents are seen as a big driver of any U.S. production increase this year and nextand this increase is expected to be substantial, according to the Energy Information Administration. Renewed interest in oil and gas investment, therefore, is even better news for future U.S. oil and gas production trends. It will, however, take time. Last year, the WSJs Garcia reported, private equity funds raised $2.48 billion across seven oil and gas funds. This compared with $15.66 billion raised across 21 funds in 2020. Yet, with prices set to remain high, fund managers appear to be cautiously optimistic. We are still not seeing a lot of that activity with endowments and foundations that made it a policy not to invest in fossil fuels anymore, Jeff Eaton, managing director of fund placement gent Eaton Partners, told the WSJ. Were seeing it from some of the groups that either dont have those policies in place or are willing to look past them a little bit because theyre starting to see a potentially attractive investment opportunity. It appears that the tables are turning as the worlds energy demand grows while supply stagnates, offering new opportunities to energy investors and new sources of much-needed funding for energy companies. By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: I truly believe it can turn this climate problem into a solution what if miners were incentivized to remove carbon from the atmosphere? Activists and crypto enthusiasts are teaming up to advocate for a new code for Bitcoin. A group of environmentalists, including Greenpeace, Environmental Working Group, and other activist organizations, has launched a campaign calling for a change in the code of bitcoin in order to reduce its environmental footprint. The Wall Street Journal reported the campaign, which involved ads in the New York Times, Politico, and the WSJ itself, was partially funded by the co-founder of Ripple, Chris Larsen. It is also being advised by the Sierra Club. Former Sierra Club director Michael Brune told the WSJ that the campaign was not anti-bitcoin. It focused on drawing attention to the argument that climate change has reached a critical point, and bitcoin has a substantial contribution to it. "It's important for anyone in a position to act, to act," Brune told the WSJ. "You can't ignore that we are in a climate emergency." "We are in this campaign for the long haul, but we are hoping - particularly since Bitcoin is now being financed by entities and individuals who care about climate change - that we can compel leadership to agree that this is a problem that needs to be addressed," Brune also said as quoted by Bloomberg. "Goldman Sachs, BlackRock, PayPal, Venmo, Fidelity - there are lots of companies we anticipate will be helpful to this effort." Earlier this year, data from Digiconomist's Bitcoin Energy Consumption Index suggested the world's most valuable cryptocurrency has an environmental footprint was equal to that of New Zealand, at some 37 megatons of carbon dioxide annually. The reason for this is the energy intensity of bitcoin mining, which has already been put into the focus of public attention by environmental organizations. Bloomberg notes that Ethereum, perhaps bitcoin's biggest rival, was already working on a software update that would reduce its carbon footprint. The update should be completed in several months, making Ethereum more environmentally friendly. By Charles Kennedy for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: Oil prices could spike to $150 per barrel, especially if the situation with Russian oil supply worsens amid sanctions from the West and self-sanctioning from buyers, Joseph McMonigle, Secretary-General of the International Energy Forum (IEF), told Bloomberg on Tuesday. Current IEF projections point to an impact of around 1.5 million barrels per day (bpd) on Russian oil supply after Putin invaded Ukraine, according to McMonigle. Yet, it will probably take another two weeks to see hard data on the actual impact of how much Russian barrels have come off the market, he added. Were in store for a lot of volatility and higher prices over the next several months. I think you could see big fluctuations and $150 a barrel is possible. McMonigle told the program Bloomberg Daybreak: Middle East. $150 oil may not be sustainable, but all will depend on what happens to Russian oil supplies, he added. The IEF has not seen hard evidence that the skyrocketing oil prices have already led to demand destruction globally, according to McMonigle. He estimates that global oil demand is back up to 98 percent of pre-pandemic levels, but supply is back up to only 95 percent of pre-COVID levels. While most people would think that the gap in supply is attributable to OPEC+ and some of its members not being able to pump to their quotas, half of the supply gap is actually from the United States. Capital discipline and supply chain constraints prevent American oil producers from pumping as much as they did just before COVID hit two years ago, the IEFs McMonigle told Bloomberg. Analysts and investment banks are not ruling out major disruptions to Russian supply, and are not ruling out $150 a barrel oil this year, either. If disruption to Russian volumes lasts throughout the year, Brent oil prices could exit the year at $185 bbl, likely leading to a significant 3 mbd drop in the global oil demand. Even if shale production responds to the price signal, it cannot grow by more than 1.4 mbd this year given labor and infrastructure constraints, J.P. Morgan Global Research said earlier this month. By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: Oil prices dipped by more than 5% early on Tuesday, with the U.S. benchmark WTI slumping to just below $100 a barrel after signs emerged that the resumption of the Russia-Ukraine peace talks after two weeks may have been constructive. As of 9:34 a.m. ET, WTI Crude was down 5.71% at $99.91, and Brent Crude was down 5.64% at $106.10. Oil extended the losses from Monday, when prices tumbled after China, the worlds largest oil importer, imposed a lockdown in Shanghai due to the high number of COVID infections, rekindling concern about the loss of oil demand in the top crude importing market. The Monday drop in oil prices was another huge day-to-day swing in Brent crude prices, which plunged by nearly $11 a barrel on the day, or around 9 percent, Javier Blas, energy and commodities columnist at Bloomberg, noted on Monday. In absolute dollar terms, Mondays oil price slide was the third-largest one-day fall, but in percentage terms, it was only the 27th largest one-day drop, Blas added. Following a volatile start to trade early in the day on Tuesday, oil prices tumbled in the a.m. ET after signs emerged about a potentially positive outcome of the peace talks between Russia and Ukraine, the first such talks in more than two weeks. During the talks in Istanbul on Tuesday, Russia promised to scale back significantly its military operations and activity around Ukraines capital city of Kyiv and in the northern city of Chernihiv. Ukraine, for its part, proposed it would keep a neutral status and would not join alliances or host troops of other countries on its territory. Ukraine, however, wants international security guarantees to keep it from attacks. According to Reuters, the leading Russian negotiator Vladimir Medinsky said he would review Ukraines proposals and report on them to Russian President Vladimir Putin. Hopes of peace sent oil prices plummeting early on Tuesday, although its unclear whether sanctions against Russia could be removed anytime soon. By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: U.S. and German government officials are meeting this week to discuss the supply of liquefied natural gas and hydrogen to Europe's largest economy, which is the most dependent on Russian oil and gas imports. Reuters reported that a roundtable had been scheduled for the two governments and industry executives. The meeting will be led by the U.S. Commerce Department. The round table follows a deal sealed by the White House and the European Commission for the delivery of an additional 15 billion cubic meters of American liquefied natural gas this year, with deliveries set to grow further over next year and in the future. Already 70 percent of U.S. LNG exports are going to Europe as the energy-thirsty continent continues to struggle with an energy crunch that just might get even worse as Russia has demanded payment in rubles for the gas it exports to the EU. Russia exports more than 100 billion cubic meters annually to Europe, including Turkey. To Germany alone, it exported some 59 billion cubic meters, which was a record high. Critics of the U.S.-EU deal have pointed out that the U.S. president was making promises without first consulting the energy industry. Industry veteran David Blackmon, for instance, last week wrote that the deal had apparently taken the LNG industry off guard, given the current attitude of the administration to oil and gas. Blackmon also wondered how the administration would reconcile its differences with the industry as the environmentalist lobby sprang into action soon after the deal's announcement, protesting more LNG production. Commenting on the planned roundtable for Germany, one U.S. official told Reuters that "Industry moves at a different speed than government, so we'll see. At least we'll start the talks." Meanwhile, a source from the LNG industry said the details of the deal with the EU were currently being hammered out. By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: The opening ceremony of the first HICOOL Business School Accelerated Incubation Camp was recently held. The entrepreneur-centered program aims to help startups find experts, funds, and orders and match them with policies. In the first class, titled "The Power of Technology Enterprises to Change the World," Kaifu Lee, honorary dean of HICOOL Business College and chairman and CEO of venture capital firm Sinovation Ventures, gave an in-depth lecture on his forecast for the opportunities in technology entrepreneurship over the next two decades. Based on his own experience and insights in technology startup incubation and investment, Lee analyzed the relationship between technology startup team composition and business models. According to Lee, Beijing boasts a world-leading entrepreneurial environment in terms of talents, technologies, and entrepreneurial atmosphere, which makes the future of entrepreneurship bright in the city. Chen Yubo, mentor at the first HICOOL Business School Accelerated Incubation Camp and head of the Center for Internet Development and Governance of Tsinghua University, encouraged returnees from overseas who have mastered cutting-edge science and technology to aim high and work to solve social problems. He hoped the program would cultivate entrepreneurs who have a deep understanding of China's political and economic environment and lead industrial development. The HICOOL Business School Accelerated Incubation Camp was initialed by the Beijing Overseas Talents Center and hosted by the HICOOL Business College. After officially launching in January this year, it has been committed to becoming a top platform serving returnee science and technology enterprises. Nebraska continued its two-month downward trend in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations last week. Exactly how many cases the state recorded last week, however, isnt entirely certain. The state reported a negative number of cases for the week to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. State health officials said the negative number is a result of efforts to clean up 2021 data and remove duplicate tests. A recent review uncovered 181 duplicate cases out of a total of 477,083. But health officials confirmed that the state has recorded eight consecutive weeks of decline. The states data dashboard indicated 330 cases for the week ending Sunday. That would be down from the 354 cases the state reported the week before. The Douglas, Lincoln-Lancaster and Sarpy/Cass Health Departments, which cover the states three most-populous counties, all recorded slight decreases in cases last week from the week before. The average number of Nebraskans hospitalized with COVID last week was down 21% to 109 from the previous week. On Thursday, 93 Nebraskans were hospitalized with the virus, according to CDC, the first time the number had dropped below 100 since July 22. By Sunday, the number had dipped to 91. The state reported six confirmed and probable deaths, the lowest in many weeks, bringing the pandemic total to 4,053. Nationally, reports of new coronavirus cases also continued to decline, although the decline recently has slowed. Several states in the Northeast and South have seen cases increase over the past two weeks as the BA.2 subvariant has emerged. For the nation as a whole, the subvariant made up an estimated 35% of samples genomically sequenced during the week ending March 19. However, the proportions of BA.2 varied from an estimated 55% in New England to 19% in the four-state region that includes Nebraska, Iowa, Kansas and Missouri. The subvariant is believed to be 30% to 50% more transmissible than omicron. It is not, however, thought to cause more severe illness. Locally, the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services on Monday launched two new tools to track COVID-19 and its variants as well as other viruses that may arise in the future, using genomic surveillance and wastewater testing. Scientists with a number of the laboratories already have been sequencing the genetic code of select positive test samples, which helps researchers better understand how the virus is evolving and assess threats to the public. Now, the weekly page updating the number of variants detected in the state will be replaced by a new genomics and wastewater surveillance page. According to preliminary data on the page, BA.2 made up 7% of samples analyzed for the week ending March 19 in Nebraska. Thats up from about 1% from the preceding two weeks. The data will be updated every other week. State health officials also are working with researchers at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and UNMCs public health college as well as wastewater utilities across the state to monitor the virus in wastewater. People infected with COVID-19 shed the virus in their feces. Researchers can measure virus concentrations in samples of wastewater collected from wastewater treatment plants before treatment. Because it doesnt rely on people recognizing symptoms and going to get tested, wastewater surveillance data could serve as an early warning system for increases or decreases in COVID-19 cases in a community. In other parts of the country, such data has been used by public health officials to send resources such as extra testing to areas where concentrations are rising. The CDC has established a National Wastewater Surveillance System to collect reports from across the country. Nebraska data did not appear on the CDC site Monday. But the states report included wastewater-sampling data from two wastewater treatment plants each in Douglas and Lancaster Counties and from plants in Grand Island, Columbus, Fremont, Wayne, Kearney, Hastings, Scottsbluff, Chadron and Atkinson. Health officials, meanwhile, have urged vaccination and boosters as the best way to protect against another surge in cases. Federal health officials are discussing a second booster shot, likely for those over age 50. People with compromised immune systems already are being urged to get a fourth shot. But boosters overall have lagged. Just over half of Nebraska adults have received even a first booster. Of Nebraskans 18 and older, 62.9% received their initial vaccinations. Of those, 53% have received boosters. That means only 39.4% of Nebraska adults have received all of their authorized shots. Thats slightly above the U.S. average of 36.3% and ranks 21st among states. <&rule> Omaha World-Herald: Live Well News, advice, a calendar of fitness/race events from Live Well Nebraska and occasional offers will keep you in shape and informed. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Julie Anderson Julie Anderson is a medical reporter for The World-Herald. She covers health care and health care trends and developments, including hospitals, research and treatments. Follow her on Twitter @JulieAnderson41. Phone: 402-444-1066. Follow Julie Anderson Close Get email notifications on {{subject}} daily! Your notification has been saved. There was a problem saving your notification. {{description}} Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. Save Manage followed notifications Close Followed notifications Please log in to use this feature Log In Don't have an account? Sign Up Today ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) Twenty-one states with Republican attorneys general, including Nebraska, sued Tuesday to halt the federal governments requirement that people wear masks on planes, trains, ferries and other public transportation amid the coronavirus pandemic. The lawsuit, announced by Floridas Gov. Ron DeSantis and Attorney General Ashley Moody and filed in federal court in Tampa, Florida, contends that the mask mandate exceeds the authority of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The mandate in its current form may be in effect only a few weeks more. The CDC recently extended it until April 18 while also indicating it is weighing scaling back the rules for a more targeted approach. Still, the states are pressing on with the lawsuit, which comes amid a partisan divide over the response to the COVID-19 pandemic and issues of government control versus individual rights. It is well past time to get rid of this unnecessary mandate and get back to normal life, said DeSantis, a Republican who has persistently challenged federal mask mandates including those involving cruise lines, schools, private businesses and other entities. The CDC rule, effective Feb. 1, 2021, requires the wearing of masks by people on public transportation conveyances or on the premises of transportation hubs, according to the agency website. The rule has been relaxed somewhat, to end requirements for certain buses, but was recently extended until at least April 18 for domestic and international travel in general. Moody, a Republican and former Tampa judge, said in a press release that the travel mask mandates are frustrating travelers and causing chaos on public transportation. That appeared to be a reference to a spate of well-publicized confrontations between flight attendants and passengers over the mask requirement on commercial aircraft. Its not clear if these incidents are isolated or widespread, and if masks are the only issue. Some are alcohol-related or a mental health problem. Also, perhaps underscoring the partisan divide on masks, both DeSantis and Moody mentioned Democratic President Joe Biden several times in their statements against the travel mandate. The Atlanta-based CDC did not immediately respond to a phone call and email requesting comment on the lawsuit. The lawsuit seeks to immediately halt the CDC travel mask rule and asks for costs and attorneys fees. There have been similar lawsuits filed in individual states before this latest one. Besides Nebraska and Florida, the states filing the new travel mask lawsuit as of Tuesday were Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Utah, Virginia and West Virginia. LINCOLN Nebraska lawmakers advanced a bill Monday that would expand tax exemptions for some disabled veterans. Legislative Bill 853 passed its first of three rounds of debate in a 39-0 vote Monday night. The bill would expand Nebraskas homestead exemption program based on veterans disability levels. Homestead exemptions are property tax relief for veterans who are 100% disabled, or whose home was contributed by the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs, as well as Nebraskans over 65 and some disabled residents. These exemptions are typically calculated by the residents yearly income. LB 853 would expand exemptions to include veterans who are 50-99% disabled. According to state documents, as of 2017 there were more than 17,000 veterans in Nebraska who were at least 50% disabled. These injuries can include PTSD and even some arm amputations. State Sen. Jen Day of Omaha, who introduced the bill, said many disabled veterans experience a level of physical and psychological loss that is hard for nonveterans to understand. This is their daily reality, Day said. A veterans disability percentage is determined through an assessment by the VA. Sen. Tom Brewer of Gordon said the process is more complicated than simply counting a veterans injuries. When Brewer retired from the Army after 37 years, his assessment noted several injuries, including a traumatic brain injury and an incident where he got his thumb blown off and reattached. Combined, Brewers injuries added up to no more than 70% disability, he said. Under LB 853, a veteran who is 70% disabled would have 70% applied to the exemption they would receive based on their income. If that same veteran earned $35,000 a year, which would qualify them for a 60% exemption if they were single and 100% disabled, the 60% would be multiplied by their disability percentage, 70% in this case, giving them an actual exemption of 42%. LB 853 saw broad support from lawmakers during Monday nights brief debate. Day said the bill has seen support from both Democrats and Republicans in the officially nonpartisan Legislature. Theres never really enough that we can do for our veterans, said Sen. Mike Jacobson of North Platte. Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. A former Bellevue elementary school principal has pleaded no contest to drunken driving in connection with a crash that injured a motorcyclist. Andrew C. Miller, 47, of Omaha, was arrested Sept. 17 after a crash near 141st and Pacific Streets. Motorcyclist Bruce Blaydes, 58, of Omaha, was taken to Creighton University Medical Center-Bergan Mercy. It was the second misdemeanor drunken driving conviction for Miller. He also pleaded guilty Monday to reckless driving, another misdemeanor. At the time of the crash, Miller was principal at LeMay Elementary School, 2726 Kennedy Blvd. He resigned on Sept. 22, according to a spokeswoman for the Bellevue Public Schools. Investigators determined that Miller and Blaydes both were westbound on Pacific Street about 7:15 p.m. that day when Millers pickup truck rear-ended the motorcycle driven by Blaydes. An arrest affidavit said officers noticed that Miller had bloodshot, watery eyes and slurred speech. Miller said he had been drinking multiple alcoholic beverages, but he refused a preliminary breath test, according to the affidavit. He was arrested after a blood test completed at the Nebraska Medical Center found Miller to have a blood-alcohol level of .08. Douglas County court records show Miller was charged with misdemeanor first-offense drunken driving after an arrest on Aug. 29, 2009. He pleaded guilty and was sentenced to six months probation and a $400 fine. Miller had been with the Bellevue Public Schools for 17 years and was principal at LeMay for nine of those years, the district spokeswoman said. Sign up for our Crime & Courts newsletter Get the latest in local public safety news with this weekly email. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. A 21-year-old woman whose speeding car struck and killed a pedestrian near 26th and Lake Streets had a blood-alcohol content of .146, authorities said Monday. Sarah M. Faya of Omaha has been charged with motor vehicle homicide DUI, a charge that carries up to 20 years in prison. A judge on Monday ordered Faya held on $250,000 bail, meaning she would need to pay $25,000, or 10%, to get out of jail. Ashley Dotson, 37, was struck by Fayas 2005 Toyota Corolla as it rolled after exiting U.S. Highway 75 just before 10:25 p.m. Thursday. Dotson, of Omaha, died at the Nebraska Medical Center. Omaha police said Faya was driving north on Highway 75 when she exited at Lake Street and attempted to turn left to head west. The Corolla spun past the left shoulder and sidewalk, where Dotson was standing, police said. The car eventually rolled. Faya later told an investigator that she was driving 65 to 75 mph on the exit ramp. She also said she had been drinking hard lemonade and vodka before the crash. An Omaha police officer noticed her bloodshot, watery eyes and odor of alcohol. According to an affidavit, a preliminary breath test showed she had a blood-alcohol level of .146 nearly double the legal limit. Faya waived her preliminary hearing and will stand trial on the charge. Sign up for our Crime & Courts newsletter Get the latest in local public safety news with this weekly email. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Shanghai authorities have promised some passenger and cargo services will continue operating as normal amid a new round of COVID-19 mass testing, with the city locked down in two phases starting on Monday. "Although we have strict control measures, our airports, railways and international passenger and cargo services are operating normally," Wu Jinglei, director of the Shanghai Health Commission, said at a news briefing on Monday. Under the testing strategy announced on Sunday, districts east of the Huangpu River will be locked down from 5 am Monday till 5 am Friday for the first phase of COVID-19 testing. The second phase will cover districts west of the river and run from 3 am Friday to 3 am April 5. Businesses in locked down areas must enforce closed-loop management and allow employees to work from home. Buses, subways, ferries, taxis and online car-hailing services will be suspended during the lockdown. The restrictions will only apply to the half of the city under lockdown. On Sunday, the city reported 3,500 new locally transmitted infections. Fifty have been confirmed as COVID-19 cases, with the rest asymptomatic. Two areas earlier designated as medium risk-9 Jumenhou Road, Dapuqiao subdistrict in Huangpu district; and 760 Loutang Road, Jiading Industrial Zone, Jiading district-were downgraded to low risk on Monday. "The grid screening the city has carried out over the past two weeks has revealed that the virus has spread in clusters across the city and there is a risk of further outbreaks. It's necessary to implement stricter measures now," said Wu Fan, a member of the team leading the city's COVID-19 prevention and control efforts, at the briefing. "The new round of testing aims to reduce social mobility, identify infections, and eliminate the transmission of the virus in neighborhoods in order to protect people's lives and achieve zero spread outside virus transmission chains as soon as possible," she added. To ensure a stable supply of daily necessities including food during the temporary lockdowns, the city will help local suppliers expand procurement channels, said Gu Jun, director of the Municipal Commission of Commerce. "The city will issue certificates for enterprises dedicated to providing daily necessities, and guarantee their smooth operation," Gu said. "Vehicles from those enterprises and with authorized permits issued by local government are allowed to operate across the city, including in areas that are under lockdown," he added. The enterprises' employees will be allowed to enter and exit locked-down districts and their home neighborhoods as long as they hold relevant work and other permits, have a negative virus test within 48 hours of their activities, and a green health code clearance. "We have also set up COVID-19 testing green lanes for employees of those companies," Gu said. "The city has an adequate supply of daily necessities, and measures have been taken to stabilize prices. We will try our best to meet residents' demands." Wu Jinglei, director of the health commission, said that emergency departments, clinics that treat fevers, intensive care units, and maternity services at hospitals should remain operational. All hospitals are required to set up special lanes and quarantine wards for critically ill patients and make sure they receive timely treatment. Residents who are not in critical condition but require regular medical treatment will be transferred to designated medical institutions through closed-loop transportation provided by their neighborhood committees. The 10 central quarantine sites-hospitals, exhibition halls, apartments and indoor stadiums-have been put into operation and medical personnel have been dispatched to these facilities, Wu said. Shanghai tested more than 8.26 million residents in a new round of nucleic acid testing on Monday, a municipal health official told a press conference on Tuesday. The campaign was launched in areas including those lying to the east of the Huangpu River, which are under temporary closed-off management, said Wu Qianyu, an official with the Shanghai Municipal Health Commission. Around 17,000 testing personnel from Shanghai and the surrounding provinces of Jiangsu and Zhejiang had set up 6,300 test sites in these areas, Wu said. Shanghai reported 96 confirmed locally transmitted COVID-19 cases and 4,381 asymptomatic carriers on Monday. The Cass County Sheriffs Office is donating dozens of expired bulletproof vests to Ukraine. The agency is among Nebraska law enforcement agencies that have supported the Ukrainian government after Russia invaded the country in late February. Normally, the Cass County Sheriffs Office disposes of the vests through a vendor, which charges the county to collect the equipment. The worst thing is we dont want them in the wrong hands. They are still effective, said Cass County Sheriffs Lt. Larry Burke. This was a way of cleaning out our storage and (they) are hopefully going to a good cause. Burke estimated that his department donated 30 to 40 vests, which typically cost about $400 apiece. Each vest is at least five years old, which means it no longer is in compliance with law enforcement standards. The vests are capable of stopping the bullets of the service weapons the Sheriffs Office employs, Burke said. The statewide collection was coordinated by multiple Nebraska entities, including the Department of Transportation, the Nebraska State Patrol, the National Guard and the Governors Office. LINCOLN Disputes over tax cuts and criminal justice reform simmered in the background Monday as lawmakers gave second-round approval to a plan for using the states $1.04 billion of federal pandemic recovery funds. Legislative Bill 1014 advanced on a 33-7 vote, after senators approved a filibuster-ending cloture motion on a 34-4 vote. The measure allocates money coming to the state through the American Rescue Plan Act. Earlier Monday, the bills fate appeared unclear as frustrated backers of a tax cut package sought to tie the measures together. State Sen. Tom Briese of Albion vowed not to support the pandemic funding bill or to pass the budget bills until he could be assured of enough votes to pass the tax cut proposal. He said there were enough senators willing to torch the pandemic funding bill as debate began on Monday. But others, including Speaker of the Legislature Mike Hilgers of Lincoln, urged those senators to hold their fire. Sen. Mike Flood of Norfolk called for colleagues to allow the pandemic funding bill to advance, while waiting to see what comes of talks among various parties. The package of income tax cuts and property tax relief hit an unexpected roadblock Friday, when backers fell two votes short of ending a filibuster against the measure. Based on legislative practice, the bill will not return this year. Earlier in the week, opponents had blocked an attempt to attach the package to a different bill. Sen. Lou Ann Linehan of Elkhorn, the Revenue Committee chairwoman, warned Friday that the state budget bills could be in jeopardy if lawmakers continue to stand in the way of the tax cuts. Lawmakers are slated to vote on passing the budget bills Tuesday. On Monday, Sen. John Stinner of Gering, the Appropriations Committee chairman, said he doesnt believe the budget bills are in jeopardy. He said lawmakers have a chance to leave Nebraska a much better place by passing four critical pieces of legislation. We have four major things to do, he said. Lets get with it. One is the state budget, which boosts support for state employees in critical areas and to providers caring for the states most vulnerable residents, along with undertaking nearly $500 million worth of building and infrastructure projects. Another is the ARPA funding bill, which allocates money to some 40 projects and initiatives. Among them: replacing aging rural ambulances, boosting health and human services provider payment rates, repairing wastewater systems in state parks, and funding nonprofit construction projects that were interrupted by the pandemic. Others include: developing rural and urban low-income housing, updating a climate change study, building a rural health complex at the University of Nebraska at Kearney, and repairing an irrigation canal that runs from Fort Laramie, Wyoming, to Gering. Amendments adopted Monday squeezed in funding for grants to start or expand child care centers and for a program providing education and preventative medication to people at high risk of getting HIV. Stinner cited the tax package as the third major piece of legislation. The package would ratchet down the states top corporate and individual income tax rates and expand income tax credits offered to property taxpayers. It also would phase out income taxes on Social Security benefits. He said the fourth key proposal is LB 920, which would make changes in sentencing and parole to bring down the states prison population. Stinner said the bill would make Nebraska safer which helping control state spending on corrections. The bill has yet to be debated by the full Legislature. However, Sen. Steve Lathrop of Omaha, who introduced the bill, spent several hours of budget debate talking about the issues involved. He spent much of the day Monday negotiating with Sen. Suzanne Geist of Lincoln and others who oppose measures that could lead to inmates getting out of prison earlier. <&rule> Get Government & Politics updates in your inbox! Stay up-to-date on the latest in local and national government and political topics with our newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. LINCOLN Nebraska lawmakers advanced a bill Monday that would expand tax exemptions for some disabled veterans. Legislative Bill 853 passed its first of three rounds of debate in a 39-0 vote Monday night. The bill would expand Nebraskas homestead exemption program based on veterans disability levels. Homestead exemptions are property tax relief for veterans who are 100% disabled, or whose home was contributed by the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs, as well as Nebraskans over 65 and some disabled residents. These exemptions are typically calculated by the residents yearly income. LB 853 would expand exemptions to include veterans who are 50-99% disabled. According to state documents, as of 2017 there were more than 17,000 veterans in Nebraska who were at least 50% disabled. These injuries can include PTSD and even some arm amputations. State Sen. Jen Day of Omaha, who introduced the bill, said many disabled veterans experience a level of physical and psychological loss that is hard for nonveterans to understand. This is their daily reality, Day said. A veterans disability percentage is determined through an assessment by the VA. Sen. Tom Brewer of Gordon said the process is more complicated than simply counting a veterans injuries. When Brewer retired from the Army after 37 years, his assessment noted several injuries, including a traumatic brain injury and an incident where he got his thumb blown off and reattached. Combined, Brewers injuries added up to no more than 70% disability, he said. Under LB 853, a veteran who is 70% disabled would have 70% applied to the exemption they would receive based on their income. If that same veteran earned $35,000 a year, which would qualify them for a 60% exemption if they were single and 100% disabled, the 60% would be multiplied by their disability percentage, 70% in this case, giving them an actual exemption of 42%. LB 853 saw broad support from lawmakers during Monday nights brief debate. Day said the bill has seen support from both Democrats and Republicans in the officially nonpartisan Legislature. Theres never really enough that we can do for our veterans, said Sen. Mike Jacobson of North Platte. Get Government & Politics updates in your inbox! Stay up-to-date on the latest in local and national government and political topics with our newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. SIOUX CITY, Iowa With an acute shortage of substitute teachers in the region, the Northwest Area Education Agency is making it easier for individuals in other career fields to become certified to temporarily lead classes. The Northwest AEA provides school improvement services for students, teachers and administrators in the region. It has been offering virtual substitute authorization courses for years, but, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, those with paraeducator certificates can now take the substitute teacher course. Megan Swanberg, a teaching associate at Le Mars High School, decided to take the Northwest AEA course in February. She sees being able to substitute as a way to work with kids and have an impact, without needing a teaching degree. Before the pandemic, the substitute authorization course was limited to those 21 years old with a bachelors degree, associates degree or 60 college credit hours. Sue Chartier and Carla Lee have been leading the courses in Sioux City. In a five-day course, the participants learn about ethics, diversity, learning strategies and behavior management. We want to make sure they get all of that, she said. The last few months of courses have been at capacity, with 32 each month. People ranging from 21 to 70 years old with a variety of different career backgrounds have enrolled. Chartier said area school districts, especially smaller ones with severe substitute shortages, have helped interested candidates sign up for the course. Even though everyone has been in a school before, people who take the course learn how substituting has changed, Chartier said. (People think) all the kids are just sitting in the desks really quiet and the sub just comes in and babysits, and thats not it at all, Chartier said. Going through these four modules and really arming them with different strategies they can use ... they can keep learning going forward. Lee said people cannot be experts in every education area, so when they go into a class where they dont know what to do, the course provides strategies to keep the education moving forward. Chartier said kids cannot lose a day of learning anymore. After five, three-hour courses and some homework the participants can move ahead with substituting. Sioux City school board member Perla Alarcon-Flory, who took the course in January, said it was exciting and informative. She said the homework allowed self-reflection to help participants determine if they are fit to substitute. The course is eye-opening to the needs and diversity of the students, Alarcon-Flory said. She said her section of the course included an aerospace engineer, nurses, a psychologist, students, educators and a retired attorney. The variety of life experiences were so priceless, she said. The conversations were really enriching. For students, Alarcon-Flory said all of these different people becoming substitutes offers unique opportunities for students to learn from a variety of professionals for example, having a nurse teach a science class or an aerospace engineer talk about physics. Because the course costs $125, Alarcon-Flory is offering to sponsor two people to take it. One individual must be an education or future education student, or an alumnus or employee of the Sioux City schools. The other opening is for a person of color. Those interested can email alarcop@live.siouxcityschools.com. BLOOMINGTON The Youth Engaged in Philanthropy program is seeking high school students in McLean, DeWitt, Livingston and Logan counties to participate during the 2022-2023 school year. An initiative of the Illinois Prairie Community Foundation, the program allows high school students to learn about philanthropy by allocating grant funds to local nonprofits. The program funds local youth-run or youth-oriented programs. Members will be responsible for developing grant guidelines and awarding a total of $10,000 to selected youth-focused programs. This will be the 10th year for the program, which will be limited to 20-25 participants. The online application can be found at bit.ly/YEP2223 and the deadline is April 9. Individuals who are selected will be notified in May. Email amandal.cole@yahoo.com or call 309-662-4477 for more information. Contact Olivia Jacobs at (309)-820-3352. Reach out with questions. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Want to see more like this? Get our local education coverage delivered directly to your inbox. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. NORMAL Members of a union representing more than 300 employees at Illinois State University approved a vote giving their bargaining team the ability to call for a strike if they feel it is necessary. American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Local 1110 members voted on the strike authorization on Friday. Officials announced the result at a press conference outside ISUs administration building Monday afternoon. "I can report that an overwhelming, almost unanimous, 96% voted yes to authorize the strike," Local 1110 President Chuck Carver said. AFSCME Council 31 representative Anders Lindall said that 80% of union members voted. Unions do not always release specifics of vote participation or results. The local represents various grounds, janitorial and dining employees at the university. It is part of AFSCME Council 31, which represents workers in Illinois. "If we strike, we will shut the university down," Carver said. The university updated its negotiation updates website with a statement after the press conference. "While the University remains committed to negotiating in good faith and optimistic that the parties will reach agreement without the need for a strike, the University has initiated contingency planning activities to ensure its ability to minimize disruption to University operations should a strike occur," the statement said in part. The vote does not mean a strike is happening soon or certain to happen. Unions at educational institutions in Illinois need to provide at least 10 days' notice of intent to strike. Even if intent to strike is filed, agreement on a contract could avoid a strike happening after the 10 days have ended. "We didn't want or ever expect to have to consider going on strike," Local 1110 Secretary Tia Reece said. Negotiators for the university and the union have met repeatedly in recent weeks, including three times last week, according to the universitys website. The statement calls the strike authorization vote a normal part of the negotiation process. The parties have also agreed to mediation, the union and university have said. Meetings with a mediator could begin as early as this week or next, Lindall said. The meetings are scheduled for Wednesday and Friday. Under wage rates listed on the university website as effective Jan. 1, Local 1110 bargaining unit members make between $12.30 an hour for some intern positions up to $25.32 an hour for grounds equipment mechanics, nursery workers and tree surgeons. Carver said that someone coming in new to his division would be making $13.70 an hour and that with ten years of experience, he was making just a bit over $20 an hour. Negotiations have been going since October. The unions last contract expired in June 2021. The union and university agreed in April 2021 to postpone negotiations until the fall of that year, the universitys website said. Part of the unions former contract, which took effect in September 2019, includes language extending the contract during the negotiation period until a new contract is approved. However, it also allows the No Strike No Lockout article to be revoked if there is failure to reach agreement on any of the items up for negotiation. Last year, ISU was also involved in another negotiation in which a strike authorization vote was passed. The Graduate Workers Unions first contract was approved in October, after the union held a vote to either ratify the proposed contract or strike. Members of the GWU were in attendance, along with representatives from other labor organizations in the area. Trish Gudeman spoke on behalf of AFSCME Local 3236, which represents clerical and healthcare workers. Adam Heenan, president of the Bloomington-Normal Trades and Labor Assembly, also spoke. At every decision, unions should consider if the step builds their power, makes the union stronger and promotes unity, he said. "It is very clear that a credible threat of a strike does those things," he said. Contact Connor Wood at (309)820-3240. Follow Connor on Twitter: @connorkwood Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Want to see more like this? Get our local education coverage delivered directly to your inbox. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. BLOOMINGTON Five candidates for the McLean County Board face removal from the primary ballot, as five constituents have objected to their petitions being filed without pagination. Two constituents each filed an objection to two of the same candidates, totaling seven objections. The McLean County Officers Electoral Board heard six of seven cases Monday afternoon at the courthouse and it anticipates hearing the remaining case Friday, when it expects to deliver rulings in each case. McLean County Board Chairman John McIntyre, R-District 5, and board member Catherine Metsker, R-District 1, are the lone incumbents who face objections. Petitions for candidates in McLean County Board Districts 5, 8 and 9 also had objections; they are Republicans Hannah Blumenshine, Vicki Schultz and Annette Fellows, respectively. Fellows was not present Monday and her case is expected to be heard Friday. The candidates facing objections largely expressed the failing to number their petition pages as a mistake and not purposeful. The number of pages in question for each petition range from four to six. Gregory Moredock, an attorney representing the five constituents who filed objections, said candidates who file petitions for an election without numbering the pages violate the Illinois Election Code. In this particular case, the completely ignoring of (section 5/3-4 of Illinois Election Code) renders the nomination paper ballots and warrants striking the name from the ballot, regardless of whether or not theres actual evidence of fraud, Moredock said. I believe its clear that these petitions, they have a space for page numbers, (but) they are not numbered. McLean County Republican Party Chairwoman Connie Beard told The Pantagraph that if the electoral board decides to remove the five candidates from the ballot, the countys Republican Party will do everything we can to place them back on the ballot. The party could either appoint candidates to the ballot, or the candidates could file as write-in candidates. We certainly will be exploring all options because all five of the candidates have expressed determination that they want to honor the voters that have put their hand up and said, 'We want you on the ballot,' Beard said, while noting it as a last option because were still rather confident that the electoral board will rule in the candidates favor. Jim Ginzkey, an attorney who spoke for McIntyre, noted that petitions are time-stamped with the date on which they were filed. McIntyre, who has served on the McLean County Board twice totaling 20 years, said he simply overlooked numbering the petitions. It definitely was an error a critical error on my fault. Metsker also said it was not intentional. It doesnt make me a bad person. It doesnt make me an insufficient candidate. I failed to number three pages. Schultz said she was not aware of the requirement to number petition pages. Blumenshine and Metsker also criticized the objections as partisan motivated, pointing to two Democratic McLean County Board candidates who also did not number the pages in their petitions. Democratic McLean County Board candidates in Districts 1 and 9, Marcia Beaman and Julie Hahn, also have unnumbered petitions, county clerk records show. Objections were not filed against Beaman and Hahn's petitions. To be placed on the ballot, county board members must collect at least 24 signatures within a certain timeframe from residents in their district who align with the same political party. Petition filings were open between March 7 and 14. The McLean County Officers Electoral Board contains McLean County Clerk Kathy Michael, Circuit Clerk Don Everhart and State's Attorney Don Knapp, who was represented Monday by Assistant State's Attorney Mary Koll. The primary election is June 28 and the general election is Nov. 8. All 20 McLean County Board seats will be on the ballot. Contact Kade Heather at 309-820-3256. Follow him on Twitter: @kadeheather Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Get Government & Politics updates in your inbox! Stay up-to-date on the latest in local and national government and political topics with our newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. BLOOMINGTON Two multimillion-dollar projects the city hopes will breathe new life into the community revamping O'Neil Park and Pool and expanding the library are moving forward. Both projects have been in the works for years and are expected to ramp up this summer. Here's what to know about the upcoming construction. O'Neil Park Bloomington demolished the former 45-year-old aluminum pool in O'Neil Park in fall 2020. The aging structure had long outlived its 25-year lifespan, and the planned renovations are intended to provide a larger facility with more amenities, including a zero-depth entrance, slides, a lazy river, lap pool, splash pad, bathhouse and concessions stand as well as a new parking lot and skate park. "It's been a long time coming for the west side," Mayor Mboka Mwilambwe said. "We made a commitment and I am glad we are going to keep it although the price has gone up a little bit, but that was something to be expected given what's been happening with COVID." Mwilambwe's comments came as the Bloomington City Council on Monday approved a $13.8 million contract with P.J. Hoerr Inc. for the project. While costs came in higher than previous estimates of $11.7 million, council members said it is an important investment in the city's west side. "I look forward to people having an opportunity to mingle with one another in this particular area, because it's going to be attractive and will have people from all areas in the community coming together to swim, to have a good time and to skate," Mwilambwe said. Ward 3 Alderwoman Sheila Montney and Ward 5 Alderman Nick Becker were the only council members to vote against the contract, citing concerns with increasing project costs. Library expansion The long-planned expansion and renovation of Bloomington Public Library, 205 E. Olive St., also is moving forward, with construction set to begin next month. The city council on Monday approved an intergovernmental agreement with the library that would allow the city to issue $14.2 million in general obligation bonds for the effort, which has a total estimated cost of $25.3 million. While the city will issue the bonds, the library will use its property tax revenue to pay the related debt service, estimated at $990,000, officials said. The library's board earlier this month approved a $21.2 million contract with the lowest bidder, Bloomington-based Felmley-Dickerson Co. An additional $4 million in costs is expected to come from needed furniture, fixtures, equipment and services. Executive Director Jeanne Hamilton told council the library had already raised $620,000 in donations and pledges and had recently launched a new capital campaign. Plans include adding 21,339 square feet to the librarys current footprint and renovating 57,394 square feet of existing library space. Parking will be increased by 90 spaces through the addition of an elevated level of parking on the far south edge of the property, according to the library's plan. Highlights of the project include a drive-up window, three large meeting spaces, two large children's programming rooms, nine group study rooms, computer and innovation labs, two recording studios, more accessible shelving and a sensory-friendly room. The work, planned in two phases, is expected to be complete in September 2023. "A hundred years ago, just signing your name and being able to read counted as literacy," Alderman Tom Crumpler said Monday night. "Now its 2022, and what counts as literacy is much more complex, multi-modal, requires critical thinking at levels we are just beginning to imagine. "This library is going to be a part of that story, and I can hardly wait to see it break ground." Ward boundaries In other business, Bloomington will begin the process of redrawing its ward boundaries to adjust for population changes based on 2020 Census data. Illinois state law requires each ward to be as balanced and equal as possible. Based on the city's population of 78,678, each of the city's nine wards should have as close as possible to 8,742 people with no more than a 10% imbalance. Two wards showed more than a 10% imbalance: Ward 7 with 7,711 people (-11.79%), and Ward 8 with 10,973 people (+25.5%). Bloomington must adjust its ward boundaries to account for the population changes. The city still will draft two to three new ward map options for redistricting, which are expected to be discussed during the committee of the whole meeting on June 20. A vote to adopt the new maps is tentatively scheduled for July 11. Bloomington residents may also propose their own maps based on precinct population data, which is published to the city's website. Resident-proposed maps must be submitted in writing to the city clerk before June 1. Contact Sierra Henry at 309-820-3234. Follow her on Twitter: @pg_sierrahenry. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Get Government & Politics updates in your inbox! Stay up-to-date on the latest in local and national government and political topics with our newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. BLOOMINGTON The Twin Cities will honor local fallen military service members with memorial banners along Main Street through a new partnership with America's Gold Star Families. Fallen and missing in action local military service members will be featured on the 30-by-60 inch double-sided banners. Each banner will have the photo, name, rank, branch of service, service dates, and war conflict. "As a veteran, I understand the courage, character, and sacrifice of military members and their families," Normal Mayor Chris Koos said in a statement. "Those called to serve our nation deserve support. I encourage local families who suffered the loss of a loved one to take advantage of this opportunity to honor their memory as heroes." America's Gold Star Families is a nonprofit organization seeking to honor the memory of fallen service members across all branches of the United States Armed Forces and their families. The organization first started its "Hometown Heroes" banner program in Peoria several years ago. Family members or those who know of someone who died in service can apply to have the fallen service member honored on a banner at bit.ly/BNheroes. The application, a quality military photo with a 300 dpi resolution, and an official military discharge DD-214 form must be emailed to info@americasgoldstarfamilies.org. "Our involvement in this great program is the least the City could do given the sacrifices these brave men and women have made," Bloomington City Manager Tim Gleason said. "It's been many years in the making and we're proud to see it come to fruition." America's Gold Star Families will sponsor the purchase of the banners for applications submitted before April 20. Those submitting applications after the deadline can contact Project Chair Frances Maddox at 309-825-5121 or by email at info@americasgoldstarfamilies.com. Banners will be displayed starting before Memorial Day this May and lasting through Veterans Day on an annual basis for a minimum of three years. A Hero Banner Program dedication will be held at 10 a.m. May 30 at the Miller Park Stage during the annual Memorial Day program. Contact Sierra Henry at 309-820-3234. Follow her on Twitter: @pg_sierrahenry. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Say you have two job offers to consider, one from your familys business. All things being equal, what are the pros and cons of working for the family? Three astronauts stationed in China's Tiangong space station are preparing for their return trip in the middle of April, packing up personal items, experimental products and other materials, putting equipment into place and exercising to prepare their bodies for Earth's gravity. The astronauts, Zhai Zhigang, Wang Yaping and Ye Guangfu, have to tidy up a large number of materials, including goods on the Tianzhou 3 cargo spacecraft, said Zhong Weiwei, an associate researcher at the China Astronaut Research and Training Center. Living in space about six months, a record in China's history, they have completed more than 20 scientific tasks and will bring back samples with them, according to Zhong. He said the astronauts have to put all equipment in place since there will be a gap of more than one month before the astronauts of Shenzhou XIV enter the space station. The physical conditions and psychological states of the three astronauts are better than expected, meeting the requirements for a return trip, said the associate researcher from the center's aerospace medical engineering office. Based on their in-orbit physical examinations and data, experts have adjusted exercise plans for them to keep fitness in order to ensure a safe landing, Zhong said. The Shenzhou XIII mission was launched on Oct 16 by a Long March 2F carrier rocket that blasted off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwestern China's Gobi Desert, with the crew soon entering the Tiangong station. Besides their tasks, they have also delivered two live lectures from the space station, showing the students their living and working areas at the Tianhe core module and several scientific experiments under zero-gravity conditions and answering real-time questions from students. DECATUR Police say a Decatur woman is jailed on charges she kidnapped a flooring company owner after luring him to an abandoned house, pepper-spraying him and then holding him at gunpoint before trying to ransom him back to his family for $400,000. The man was abducted Thursday morning and escaped hours later after having been restrained with plastic ties with a cloth bag placed over his head. A sworn affidavit from Decatur police said he eventually managed to free himself from the back of a minivan after earlier being moved around several times in the trunk of a car. He then fled on foot before walking into a business on North Monroe Street to raise the alarm. Police had already been alerted and were hunting for the man after being called in by his frightened wife. The kidnappers had allowed him to phone her at 12:35 p.m. to say he was being held for ransom. She received a phone call stating that he had been kidnapped, was tied to a chair in a basement, and that the kidnappers wanted $400,000 for him to be released, said the affidavit, signed by Detective James Weddle. (She) advised she later received a subsequent call from (her husband) stating that he had actually been kidnapped and was not joking. The victim had met the woman before as a customer of his business. His description and police investigative work led to her being identified as Ademeko M. Maclin-Carney. The 23-year-old woman was arrested Monday evening after police intercepted her driving her vehicle.The male accomplice, who was armed, was still being sought as of Tuesday night. Questioned by police about his ordeal, the victim said he had been lured to a house in the 1200 block of East William Street at 10:15 a.m. Thursday after receiving a call from Maclin-Carney who said she needed some work done. Weddle said the victim had just been explaining that the house was in too rough a shape to lay flooring when Maclin-Carney blasted him in the face with pepper spray. (He) advised a male then came out of a side room and pointed a small pistol at him, said Weddle. He advised the male told him to to get on the ground, to which he compiled. When he got on the ground, the male Zip-tied his hands and placed a cream colored linen bag over his head to prevent him from seeing. He was later bundled in the trunk of a car and driven to another unknown address where he was held in the basement. Then he was forced back in the trunk again before being driven to another house and then shoved in the back of the minivan, from which he would eventually escape. Weddle said he had told his kidnappers before his escape that he nor his wife would be able to obtain this amount of money. Police also noted that the house on East William Street where he had been lured was badly damaged by fire Thursday evening; the fire was later determined to be suspected arson by the Decatur Fire Department. Maclin-Carney was booked on a preliminary charge of aggravated kidnapping. She also faces additional charges of aggravated battery, mob action and criminal damage in a separate incident after police say she used a BB gun to shoot out the windows and glass door of a home in the 1300 block of North Walnut Grove on the night of March 20. She was also accused of joining in on an assault of the homeowner with three other suspects who punched and kicked him to the ground, leaving him with multiple lacerations and other wounds. All preliminary charges are subject to review by the state's attorneys office. Contact Tony Reid at (217) 421-7977. Follow him on Twitter: @TonyJReid Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 SPRINGFIELD With adjournment looming, Illinois lawmakers on Tuesday introduced legislation aimed at addressing a recent spike in organized retail crime. The proposal, a collaboration between the Illinois Retail Merchants Association and Attorney General Kwame Raoul, creates and defines a violation of organized retail crime something not currently spelled out in state statute with the intent of deterring the activity and reducing the ability of offenders to evade custody. To accomplish this, the proposal provides jurisdiction to any states attorney in a county where any element of the organized retail crime took place so that he or she can prosecute the whole crime. This means that if a ring of smash-and-grab thefts stretches across different counties, prosecutors could consolidate charges into one county for all the incidents. The measure would also give the attorney generals office the ability to use a statewide grand jury to bring about organized retail theft charges. The attorney general would also be given the ability to pursue RICO charges, which gives broader authority to charge people involved in a criminal enterprise. Existing retail theft laws leave loopholes criminals can exploit, said IRMA President Rob Karr at a press conference Tuesday. The bill addresses those loopholes, he said, without reversing recent criminal justice reform advances. The new charge targets only individuals whose specific intent is to resell stolen items, said State Sen. Suzy Glowiak Hilton, D-Western Springs. Its not the intent to prosecute two high school girls who go into a drugstore and steal a lipstick, she said. Hilton called November and January smash-and-grab crimes in her district brazen and said shes seen nothing like them before. I don't want my constituents or those in Illinois to feel like they can't go to Oakbrook Mall that I represent to do their shopping, she said. It's the peace of mind when you figure you're going to go Christmas shopping, you certainly don't want to be in the midst of a smash-and-grab. In McLean County, one out-of-county resident a Springfield man was sentenced this month to two and a half years in prison after pleading guilty to two counts of retail theft. The charges stemmed from stolen fragrances in two incidents at a Bloomington mall last year. The two thefts totaled nearly $14,000 in retail value, court documents said. McLean County State's Attorney Don Knapp said his office supports the bill because "it is a real thing happening here in Bloomington-Normal and our law enforcement officers track it," and because it would allow more resources and discretion in prosecuting such crimes. "We like this bill," Knapp said. "We believe it will give my office another tool, but I say that with a caveat because while we want to hold people accountable for this type of activity, I hope that this is a measure that the General Assembly is looking to give prosecutors like myself another tool and not hand off work that truly might be better done by the attorney general's office because it crosses county lines." Knapp acknowledged that the bill does not prohibit the attorney general from handling multi-county crimes. He also supports the bill because it would consolidate the prosecutions of crimes committed in multiple counties to one county, but he said it would be important to ensure the prosecution is in the proper jurisdiction. "The fear, of course, that we have is then that the taxpayers in one county are paying for prosecutions that may be better suited in other counties," Knapp said. The proposal would require state funds to allow state prosecutors to investigate and prosecute retail criminal rings, but those funds have to be allocated separately in the states fiscal year 2023 budget. Karr said IRMAs estimate for necessary funding is around $5 million dollars. It would also require online third-party marketplaces like Amazon and eBay to verify the seller and the goods offered for sale and the seller to provide contact information. State Sen. Doris Turner, D-Springfield, said organized retail crime is not just a concern in Chicago. When people are nervous to go to work, scared to go shopping or visit a mall or our small boutique shops in places like downtown Springfield, action needs to be taken to address our community concerns, Turner said. Turner offered no specific examples of downstate organized retail crimes, but one Central Illinois business owner said she fears smash-and-grab thefts could become a problem if lawmakers dont act soon. I have caught individuals coming into my store and grabbing and taking and going to another store and trying to sell, said Monica Zanetti, owner of Wild Rose Boutique in downtown Springfield. Zanetti, who runs her shop alone, said the bill would make her and many of her other fellow retailers feel safer in their stores. Gov. J.B. Pritzker, at a separate press conference just a couple floors up in the Capitol, told reporters that he had yet to see the proposals details. I look forward to reviewing it, Pritzker said. I know that the attorney general has worked very hard on it and so I'm looking forward to making some judgments about it. The legislation has at least one bipartisan sponsor in State Sen. John Curran, R-Downers Grove, and Karr says he expects more bipartisan support in the House. Hilton said the legislation is a part of a broader package of bills addressing crime that Democrats in both chambers are discussing. House Speaker Chris Welch told Lee Enterprises in January that Democrats intended to introduce a public safety package this session that would target carjackings and organized retail theft. Karr said the IRMA has also been in conversation with Welch and other House members on various public safety bills. Democrats, who hold supermajorities in the state legislature, have been under fire for supporting criminal justice reform measures over the past couple of years that Republicans and some in law enforcement have deemed soft on crime and emboldening criminal activity. In 2021, the legislature on a party-line vote approved and Pritzker signed the SAFE-T Act, which among other things made Illinois the first state to abolish cash bail while mandating body cameras on all police officers by 2025. The vast majority of the laws provisions have yet to take effect but nevertheless have been used to harangue Democrats on the crime issue, especially in the Chicago suburbs and downstate. Several major cities in Illinois, including downstate cities like Decatur, experienced major spikes in crime over the past couple of years. Looting after peaceful protests in Chicago and cities across the state dominated the headlines during the summer months in 2020. Republicans have sought to weaponize the issue of crime to make gains in the state legislature this fall. Democrats, on the other hand, have sought to address the issue without significantly rolling back reforms passed last year. The bill could receive a vote in the Senate this week. If it passes, it will be sent back to the House for concurrence before the General Assembly adjourns on April 8. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Get Government & Politics updates in your inbox! Stay up-to-date on the latest in local and national government and political topics with our newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. SPRINGFIELD From his ceremonial office at the Capitol Tuesday, Gov. J.B. Pritzker proclaimed the 12-month period beginning April 1 as the Illinois State Police centennial year, ordering the ISP flag to fly atop the Capitol dome for the month of April. The news conference in Pritzkers office followed an appearance on the Capitols east lawn, where a fleet of new black-and-white squad cars and ISP officers lined up in front of the Abraham Lincoln statue. Pritzker, at a news conference in his office, told a story of an ISP that formed in 1922 to maintain order and safety on its massive number of newly paved roads. ISP Director Brendan Kelly said the first class of ISP troopers consisted of eight individuals driving motorcycles that were left over from the First World War. It's safe to say the Illinois State Police has changed an awful lot since then, as threats have evolved over the decades. As our understanding of public safety has expanded, so too have the duties of the Illinois State Police, Pritzker said. Pritzker said ISP duties now include forensic testing, crime scene services, investigations, intelligence, cybersecurity, disaster response and a spectrum of support for all local law enforcement throughout the state. The makeup of the ranks of our state troopers has changed too. Women and people of color weren't allowed to serve 100 years ago. Today they are among ISPs highest ranks, he said. The centennial event came amid a political backdrop in which crime and the states response to it is top of mind in the early stages of the 2022 campaign season in which every seat in the General Assembly and all constitutional offices are up for grabs, including the governorship. That much has been evident in the campaign materials from Pritzkers Republican challengers who are aiming to peg Democrats as soft on crime. And it was evident Monday night when a Pritzker appointee to the Illinois Prisoner Review Board received just half of the votes needed for approval in a Senate dominated by Democrats. It was also evident in the question-and-answer session following the governors news conference, during which Pritzker fielded questions about rising crime, officer-involved shootings and the political fight for the PRB. I believe that our police are out there trying to protect our communities as best they can, sometimes in extraordinary and difficult circumstances, Pritzker said. So we ought to stand up for our police, whether they're state police, local police. Obviously, where there are police who aren't doing the job, people who are mishandling their duties, they need to be held accountable for their actions. Pritzker acknowledged crime is up across the state and nation, attributing the trends partially to a pandemic recession. And so we've got to make sure that we're bringing order back, that we're putting away the people who actually committed crimes. And that means supporting the ISP, it means supporting law enforcement. And I'm going to continue to do that with the work that we do, not only to build up the ISP and local law enforcement, but also to make sure that the laws are adhered to. Pritzkers budget proposal included an $18.6 million increase to the ISP budget to allow for three classes of Illinois State Police cadets. Previously passed infrastructure budgets include crime lab funding as well. But as Pritzker and Kelly headed out to the Capitol grounds to shake hands with rank-and-file ISP troopers, Richard Irvin, a Republican challenger for governor, issued a news release criticizing the governors 2021 signature on a criminal justice reform bill known as the SAFE-T Act. The Irvin release also called attention to the votes of Pritzker Prisoner Review Board appointees who voted to free two individuals who were charged with the 1976 murder of ISP trooper Layton Davis. One of those individuals, Aaron Hyche, 71, was released on medical parole and suffers from cancer, Parkinsons disease and dementia. Four PRB members with controversial voting histories have exited the board in recent days, one by resignation, one whose appointment was pulled by Pritzker and two who were rejected by the Senate. Pritzker said the PRB members are charged with examining the original crime, whether the offender is rehabilitated, whether they caused problems while incarcerated and whether they would be a danger to the public. It's very easy just to say, this person committed an awful crime so many years ago, and to say, we're gonna throw away the key, leave them all in prison, Pritzker said. That's what you're gonna end up with. If that's what people want, well, let's hear that. But I don't think that's what people wanted when we created the Prisoner Review Board. Republicans have seized on Pritzkers signature on the SAFE-T Act which eliminates cash bail beginning next year in favor of a system prioritizing the offenders threat level over ability to pay. Its to be defined in the courts. The bill also requires body cameras be implemented by 2025, a measure which Pritzker said would increase accountability and trust. The original SAFE-T Act also changed use-of-force guidelines for law enforcement, created a new police certification system and expanded detainee rights. The GOP has publicized the SAFE-T Act as detrimental to officer morale, blaming it for resignations in sheriffs offices and police departments across the state and for making recruitment of new officers difficult. When asked about recruiting officers, Pritzker pointed to a nationwide labor shortage and emphasized the brotherhood of ISP and strong wages as a recruiting hook. Kelly said law enforcement is a challenging and difficult job, but its also a calling and hes optimistic recruits will continue to materialize. Throughout history, the way the public feels and interacts with law enforcement, that sentiment, it ebbs and flows, Kelly said. And I believe we're at a point where the respect for law enforcement and the desire to make sure that the role of law enforcement is strong, and that it is within the expectations of the public, is moving in a positive direction. Pritzkers proposed budget also includes $4.5 million to fund body cameras for ISP in accordance with a criminal justice reform bill passed one year ago, as well as providing the Illinois Law Enforcement Training and Standards Board with $10 million for distributing grants to local law enforcement for body cameras. Pritzker has also touted $240 million in proposed funding as part of a two-year, $250 million commitment to the Reimagine Public Safety Act, which aims at investing violence prevention resources in some of the states most dangerous areas. Of that, $235 million is funded through the federal American Rescue Plan Act. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Hollard Ghana with subsidiaries Hollard Insurance and Hollard Life Assurance has signed an agreement with the Ghana Institute of Journalism (GIJ) to commence its Hollard X Academia initiative with the university to empower students for the future. GIJ is the second public university to be enlisted onto the Hollard X Academia initiative after the University of Energy and Natural Resources. The comprehensive programme provides a platform to enablea better futurefor students through Hollards Streetwise Financeinitiative, mentoring, engagement, corporate experience, and resource sharing programmes for three years subject to renewal. Commenting at the brief signing ceremony at the GIJsDzorwulu campus, Group Chief Executive Officer of Hollard Ghana, Patience Akyianu, described the partnership as the groups contribution to nation-building and economic development. It brings me joy to see this partnership with the Ghana Institute of Journalism come to fruition. As we embark on our partnership journey, we are certain this initiative will bridge the gap between academia and the world of work. Being an unconventional insurer working with a socially-minded purpose, our partnerships form an integral part of our business in this regard, were fostering a triple win for the university, the students and Hollard. With our business purpose to enable more people to create and secure better futures, we have carefully created five modules that will provide students with a competitive advantage for the job market. The first module seeks to honour a valedictorian with a cash amount, a citation, and a laptop. The second module will also award onethird year and one final year student with tuition grants. The third module includes the Streetwise Finance leadership and entrepreneurship mentoring seminar. Modules four and five cover corporate experience and thought-leadership events. All these power-packed modules form part of our social impact efforts to give back to the communities within which we operate, she added. The Rector, Professor Kwamena Kwansah-Aidoo, commended the Insurance group for their thoughtfulness. He said We at GIJ are happy about this partnership with Hollard Ghana. Apart from resource sharing between our two institutions, our students will benefit substantiallythrough mentoring programmes which will come in handy in the world of work. Management is grateful for this gesture, and we assure Hollard Ghana of our utmost commitment. About Hollard Ghana The countrys favourite insurance group is Hollard Ghana, with subsidiaries Hollard Insurance and Hollard Life Assurance. The group combines its deep local knowledge of the market having previously operated in Ghana for 25 years as Metropolitan Insurance with the world-class expertise of an international insurance brand in 18 countries across the world. With feet firmly planted on Ghanaian soil but headquartered in South Africa, Hollard delivers innovative insurance solutions customized to the unique risks Ghanaians face. Hollard offers various life and general insurance products including funeral, personal accident, motor, business, travel, home, and more; and can be reached via the following means: 0501603967 (Hollard Insurance) and 0501533698 (Hollard Life). Beyond various nationwide office branches and Hollard 2U franchise shops, Ghanaians can find Hollard at Shell Fuel Station Welcome Shops, Melcom stores and online at www.hollard.com.gh and www.jumia.com.gh for all their insurance needs. Source: Peacefmonline.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Dr Peter Quarshie, senior research fellow and deputy director in charge of research at the West African Centre for Cell Biology of Infectious Pathogens (WACCBIP) has advised Ghanaians to continue to wear face masks when in crowded areas, despite loosening the pandemic measures. He said that although Ghana has low levels of COVID-19 infections, the country should not drop its guard in containing the virus. Speaking to Beatrice Adu on The Big Bulletin on Monday (28 March 2022), Dr Quarshie said, even though theres nothing to support enforcing mandatory face masks, Ill still recommend that in large crowds; in public where theres a lot of people, you wear your facemask because you dont know what might happen. We talk about omicron, but right now, omicron is about three variants, in the US, they had a mild variant which has now become a serious variant and we dont know what is going to happen. We havent had that serious variant in Ghana yet so, thats why we still have to keep monitoring and we still have to keep the surveillance going. Ill recommend that its a personal decision [to wear face mask], theres no public health risk right now. Wearing face masks no longer mandatory In his address to the nation on Sunday 27 March 2022, President Akufo-Addo said the wearing of nose mask is not mandatory anymore. According to him, the low levels of infections coupled with the significant numbers of people who have been vaccinated informed his decision to revise the COVID-19 restrictions. He said: With countries in the ECOWAS Community, especially in our neighbouring countries, presently, like us, recording very low levels of infections, and having significant numbers of our people vaccinated, and on the advice of the national COVID-19 Taskforce and the health experts, I have taken the decision to revise the COVID-19 Restrictions, enacted under E.I. 64. He further added that so, from Monday 28 March, the wearing of facemasks is no longer mandatory. I encourage all of you, though, to continue to maintain enhanced hand hygiene practices, and avoid overcrowded gatherings. Fellow Ghanaians, get vaccinated To my Fellow Ghanaians who have not received the jab, I urge you to take it. To those listening to the propaganda by the conspiracy theorists and those who are still sceptical about the efficacy of the vaccine, it has been a year since my wife and I got vaccinated; it has not disrupted our physical wellbeing, nor has it caused us to be sick. We are, touch wood, hale and hearty, like the other 13.1 million Ghanaians who have been vaccinated, he said. Source: asaaseradio.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Technology has predominantly been a male-dominated sector; the lack of equal representation has made certain tech spaces become a breeding ground for gender biases and discrimination and the cryptocurrency industry is not left out. Although crypto was made to promote freedom from repression, there is an evident gender gap. Of the 378 venture-backed crypto and blockchain companies founded globally between 2012 and 2018, only one had an all-female founding team, and only 31 (8.2%) had a combination of male and female founders. Outside of leadership, women are grossly under-represented in the workforce, with 95% of people in the blockchain industry being men, according to the Global Crypto User Index. Project Syndicate also posits that the overall female labour-force participation rate in sub-Saharan Africa has reached 61%, yet women constitute only 30% of professionals in the tech industry. The worlds leading blockchain ecosystem and cryptocurrency infrastructure provider, Binance, understands the importance of gender inclusivity in the blockchain world and has continued to create opportunities and initiatives tailored to meet these demands. For International Womens Month, Binance Africa rolled out an 8-week Bootcamp to equip women with the necessary tools and skills for a career in blockchain. The participants in this training session will work on hands-on projects and build important critical thinking skills with real-world problems and solutions. Furthermore, Binance Charity, the philanthropic arm of Binance, launched the MamaToTheRescue project to strengthen the Kenyan economy and empower women with new and sustainable technical skills. Binance Charity sourced and donated sewing machines, creating job opportunities for local women. Beyond its women-empowerment initiatives, Binance has also fostered a company culture that is not afraid to innovate and break the status quo. The company is one of the few tech companies with a sizeable number of women holding senior positions across many of its departments including, He Yi, Co-founder, and Chief Marketing Officer of Binance; Helen Hai, Head of Binance Charity and Binance NFT; Damilola Odufuwa, Head of Product Communications; Carine Dikambi, Francophone Africa Lead; Laura Li, Country Manager for Africa and Zane Wong, Director of KYC Compliance. The Francophone Africa Lead, Carine Dikambi, believes blockchain technology is a transformative technology that improves lives and delivers financial freedom and inclusion for millions. On the power of crypto and womens rights, Damilola Odufuwa, Head of Product Communications, says, Ive always been passionate about financial inclusion for women. I was sold as soon as I realized the impact crypto and blockchain technology could have on womens rights. I was determined to use my experience in media and communications to aid the conversation on how tech & crypto can work hand-in-hand with tech & womens rights to democratize the microphone that has traditionally been reserved to those in power. Of course, I was also drawn to the industrys influence, use cases, transparency, and rapidly evolving nature. For Binance, the goal is to build a more inclusive ecosystem, while continuously innovating and creating freedom of money for people all over the world. The exchange platform urges all other centralized exchanges to work towards building a more balanced ecosystem to break the bias and create freedom of repression for all. Source: Peacefmonline.com/Ghana Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video The Ghana Journalists Association (GJA), National Media Commission (NMC) and the Right to Information Commission (RITC) have committed to redeveloping the International Press Centre into an ultra-modern edifice to accommodate all media-related entities and umbrella bodies in the country. The commitment was made during the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) at the premises of the Ministry of Information on Monday, March 28, 2022. The landmark project, originally meant to be the new home of the GJA, when completed, will host media-related organizations in the country and serve other functions as a multipurpose complex. It will also contain broadcasting studios, press rooms, an interactive library, conference rooms, office spaces, lettable spaces such as general retail outlets and retail banking outlets. Present at the signing of the MoU was the Minister for Information, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, President of GJA, Roland Affail Monney, Lead Consultant Harry Sintim-Aboagye, Executive Secretary of the RTIC, Yaw Sarpong Boateng, reps from the NMC and other supporting staff of the Ministry of Information. Mr. Oppong Nkrumah in his remarks expressed delight at the new project emphasizing that when completed, the project will become the new social, economic, and cultural destination for the media in Ghana and Africa at large. He said the redevelopment of the press center will avoid duplication of efforts and resources by media entities and will allow them to better coordinate their activities. Mr. Monney on his part emphasized the need to work together as media umbrella bodies stressing that the redevelopment of the International Press Centre will allow them to work in close collaboration in an efficient manner. Source: Peacefmonline.com/Ghana Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Madam Abla Dzifa Gomashie, the Member of Parliament (MP) for Ketu South in the Volta Region, says the opening of the countrys land borders would ease the hardship of traders and many others. The reopening of the countrys borders will definitely alleviate the suffering women and youth, in particular, have endured for the last two years, she said. The lawmaker, who last year joined demonstrators to demand that government opens the borders, explained that many relied on trading activities along the borders to fend for themselves and the opening of the frontiers would bring a lot of hope for progress to them. Speaking in an interview with the Ghana News Agency, Madam Gomashie said the development would enable the local Assemblies at the frontiers to collect the needed Internally Generated Funds (IGF) for the development of local communities. The former Deputy Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts, also noted that the opening of the borders would enable hotels and other hospitality players to operate at full capacity, especially during the Easter season. This would contribute to revenue generation to support national development and enhance the living condition of people in the border communities, who were affected negatively during the two-year closure. Madam Gomashie urged the government to find a solution to the porous nature of Ghanas entry points to preserve the territorial integrity of the country and the protection of citizens and foreigners, who patronized those crossings. She also called for a congenial atmosphere for people in those localities to interact with and provide timely information to the security agencies to aid their work. The MP stated the need for cross-border collaboration between Ghana and its neighbours - Togo, Cote dIvoire and Burkina Faso- to ensure that there were no repercussions from the opening of the frontiers. The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) last December urged members who had closed their land borders due to the COVID-19 pandemic to have them opened from January 1, 2022. The ruling military government in Burkina Faso opened its land borders with Ghana, but that of Togo and Cote dIvoire are shut. Madam Gomashie encouraged people to continue to observe the various safety protocols despite the lifting of restrictions, saying, We are not completely out of the woods yet even though I admit we are in a better place than before. President Akufo-Addo Sunday night lifted all COVID-19 restrictions and reopened the countrys land and sea borders to enable Ghanas economy to recover from the ravages of the pandemic. Source: GNA Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video The DCE for Ayensuano District Hon. Josephine Ansah Awuku Nkoom, has advised the MP for the Ayensuano constituency Hon. Nana Yaw Teddy to be fair and honest and deliver on his mandate given to him as the MP and help build the District than to go about inviting and taking glory for nothing. Speaking at a press conference called by the Assembly on the theme, "Setting The Records Straight", the DCE Hon. Josephine Ansah Awuku Nkoom said, the MP for the area has never attended Any Assembly meeting to take decision with excuses anytime invitations are extended to him. Besides, he has never contributed to any decisions at the Assembly ie Socio-economic activities or any developmental projects. So they are surprised to see the MP on social media and other media networks taking glory that he has contributed to the reshaping of some of their roads and also the Proposed District Hospital under Agenda 111. It's through his efforts for such projects to come on. Therefore, so far as the Assembly is concerned, they are surprised at what the MP is doing since he has no idea about how the Assembly begun the reshaping of the feeder roads in the district, the source of funding and the Contractor or the roads the Assembly has pen down to reshape. Hon. Josephine Ansah Awuku Nkoom added that the reshaping of their feeder roads in the District was a collective decision taken by the Assembly and the 27 Assembly members who agreed to that from their IGF and DACF Documents available Which the Assembly Members would testify to that. Roads like Kwaboanta to Adaiso, Krabokese, coalter, to Dorkorchewa Therefore, the MP should come out and point out the road that by his initiative or efforts has been reshaped in the district. Also on the proposed and Approved Districts Hospital, the Assembly led by her the district chief executive says, the MP has no idea, no contribution, nothing. The Land for that hospital project was secured and documented before he became an MP over two years ago. Therefore they are asking the MP to calm down and be on the grounds, collaborate with the Assembly to help develop the district than to go about praising himself or taking undue glory. The chiefs and good people of Ayensuano District deserve better than MP trending on social media. The Assembly therefore assured the good people in the district of unity, peace, and above all development as they have plans for the District especially for their District Capital road to see bitumen. Also the Assembly is on course addressing issues of Illegal sandwining as well. Source: Michael Akrofi Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Police in the Central region have arrested three members of one family, including a 70-year-old man, for allegedly burying a two-year-old boy alive on the shores of Dutch-Komenda in Komenda-Edina-Eguafo-Abirem (KEEA) Municipality. However, the timely intervention of the Police, the youth of the area and Mr. Cosmos Bassaw, the Assembly Member of Dutch -Komenda Electoral area, saved the victim, considered to be a spirit, from dying. Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Mrs Irene Serwaah Oppong, Regional Public Relations Officer (PRO) who confirmed the incident to the Ghana News Agency on Monday, said, the boys mother 29, father, 37 and the 70-year-old grandfather of the victim were the perpetrators of the crime. DSP Oppong, said about 23:45 hours on Saturday, March 26, the Elmina District Police Command received information that a male toddler with special needs had been buried alive. She said on receipt of the report, the Police proceeded to the crime scene and met the Assemblymember for the area and some youth who have rescued the boy, whilst preliminary investigations revealed that due to the impairment of the boy, his parents consulted a spiritualist at Dutch-Komenda who might have advised them to get rid of the child. She said the suspects are in Police custody assisting in investigations while the victim was sent to the clinic and had been treated and discharged. DSP Oppongsaid frantic efforts were underway to apprehend Kweku Bar, the spiritualist who is currently on the run. Source: GNA Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video The government has been urged to pump more resources into the provision of water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) facilities for its people, particularly in the health and educational sectors. While commending the government for some of the achievements in the sectors, a Consultant with the Ministry of Sanitation and Water Resources, Dr Bernard Abeiku Arthur, believed that there was still room for improvement, particularly meeting, the sanitation needs of the girl child and the vulnerable in the educational and health sectors. As a country, we are doing well but we should put in more resources, he said. GKMA Dr Arthur made the call at a two-day training workshop for the media on the Greater Kumasi Metropolitan Area Sanitation and Water Project (GKAM-SWP), which is being sponsored by the World Bank. The project was sequel to the Greater Accra Metropolitan Area project (GAMA) and is expected to build at least 30,000 toilet facilities for households within the eight districts in the GKMA by the year 2024. The objective of the project is to increase access to improved sanitation and water supply in the GKMA with emphasis on low income communities. He said the project was doing well in providing decent toilet facilities to households within the beneficiary communities and we need more resources pumped into it because the gap between the improved and non-improved (toilet facilities) is quite wide. Open defecation has not ended, it is still there and the girl child challenge on sanitation in schools and hospitals is also a major issue, he said. Implementation So far, a total of 1,049 household toilet facilities have been built for the project. The Ejisu Municipality leads the chart with 388 biodigester lavatories, with Oforikrom Municipal Assembly following with 135, while Kwadaso followed third with 131. Suame has benefitted from 113 subsidised household toilets, Kumasi Metro, 88; Old Tafo, 87; Asokore-Mampong 61 with Asokwa having the least, 46. Last year, a total of 260 of these toilets were constructed with the majority of the facilities targeted to be constructed this year. Source: graphiconline.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video A French family obsessed with conspiracy theories since the Covid pandemic jumped one after the other to their death from their seventh-floor apartment in the Swiss town of Montreux, police said on Tuesday March 29. Eric David, 40, his 41-year-old wife Nasrine Feraoun, her twin sister Narjisse, and the couple's eight-year-old daughter were found dead at the bottom of a seven-story building on last Thursday. The couple's 15-year-old son survived the fall and was seriously injured. He is currently in a coma in a stable condition in hospital. The Vaud regional police said on Tuesday they are working on a theory of 'collective suicide' and their findings suggest 'all the victims jumped from the balcony one after the other'. The five family members all jumped more than 65 feet from the apartment, where they all lived 'withdrawn from society', just moments after police officers tried to execute an arrest warrant in connection with the home-schooling of a child, police said. Police said the incident occurred after two officers arrived at the apartment at 6.15am to execute a warrant for the father in connection with the home-schooling of one of the couple's children on Thursday. The officers knocked on the door and heard a voice ask who they were. But when they answered, the apartment went quiet. After failing to make contact, the officers left. Shortly before 7am, all five family members jumped from the balcony within the space of five minutes. Police detected no trace of a struggle, seemingly confirming that they jumped off their own accord. A step ladder was found on the balcony. 'Before or during the events, no witnesses, including the two police officers present on the spot from 6:15 am and the passers-by at the foot of the building, heard the slightest noise or cry coming from the apartment or the balcony,' police said. 'Technical investigations show no warning signs of such an act,' they added, noting however that 'since the start of the pandemic, the family was very interested in conspiracy and survivalist theories'. Police said the family lived in virtual self-sufficiency having amassed a well-organised stockpile of various food, taking up much of their living space but enabling them to see out a major crisis. Only the mother's twin sister worked outside the home, while neither the mother nor the eight-year-old girl, who did not attend school, were registered with the local authorities. 'All these elements suggest... fear of the authorities interfering in their lives,' the police statement said. Neighbours said the family was quiet and kept to themselves. 'We heard nothing from their home, the father never said hello in the hallway and ordered many packages almost daily,' neighbour Claude Rouiller told Swiss newspaper Le Temps. Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video A Russian soldier has handed himself and his tank over to Ukrainian troops for a reward of $10,000 (7,500) and a chance at Ukrainian citizenship. Misha, one of alleged war criminal Vladimir Putin's invading soldiers, surrendered in a T-72B3 main battle tank after his two other crewmates escaped home and his commanding officer threatened to shoot him. Ukrainian Minister of Internal Affairs Victor Andrusiv said Misha had contacted Ukraine's national police by phone and arranged a place to meet.'On these phones, we regularly send SMS about how to surrender and hand over the equipment. 'A few days ago, Misha called us. 'We handed over the information about him to the GUR MO [Ukrainian military intelligence]. 'He didn't see the point of war. Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video The rubicon has finally been crossed with the passage of the controversial Electronic Levy (E-Levy) bill, despite a spirited attempt by the Minority caucus in Parliament to shoot it down, including the obvious staging of a walkout. According to the Minority, the Majority pulled a surprise one on them because E-levy was not listed in Parliaments business statement for this week. According to the Minority leader, Haruna Iddrisu: We have time and again warned and cautioned that we never want to be taken by surprise on a major economic policy bill of government and we will not accept that culture." So when you (Majority Caucus) did not have the numbers, you were hesitant, you wont come before the House, now that you think that you have some reasonable numbers then you say go to the business of item 27. However, by a voice vote by the Majority caucus after the Speaker of Parliament suspended sitting for 30 minutes, the second reading of the bill was approved. Third reading Subsequently, the Finance Minister moved the motion for the bill to be considered the third time and it was subsequently seconded. The question was put by the Speaker and was approved through a voice vote. "The electronic bill duly read the third time and passed," the Speaker said. This means the controversial levy which has generated a lot of discussions in the country has been passed awaiting presidential assent. Meanwhile, the bill has been reduced from 1.75 percent to 1.5 percent. Source: Peacefmonline.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Samuel Ofosu-Ampofo, Chairman of the National Democratic Congress, NDC, has stated that the party he leads remains committed to the democratic ideal of the country. According to him, as the vehicle through which the current 1992 Constitution was birthed, the NDC was not interested in taking power unconstitutionally. The 1992 constitution was conceived and birthed by us. Today, those who are running to the Supreme Court to defend the Constitution, ran away from the Constituent Assembly which actually promulgated the 1992 Constitution. "We birthed that constitution, for that matter, we will be the last to do anything to undermine that constitutional order, he said. Chairman Ofosu-Ampofo was speaking with the Executives of the USA Chapter of the NDC in Boston over the weekend. He was part of the entourage of the party's 2020 presidential flagbearer, John Dramani Mahama, who was undertaking a series of events in the States. Ofosu-Ampofo reiterated that the NDC's sole interest in seeking the mandate to govern was doing so through the thumb of the electorate and the ballot box. So, we are not interested in coup detat, we are interested in using the democratic process of using the thumb of the people to remove Nana Akufo-Addo and incompetent Bawumia from office and form the new government, he stressed. Coup comments have become topical in recent months. #FixTheCountry activist Oliver Barker-Vormawor was arrested and remanded for five weeks over a threat to stage a coup over the Electronic Transaction Levy (E-Levy) Bill currently before Parliament. Prof Raymond Atuguba, dean of the University of Ghanas School of Law, also in a lecture drew a link between economic downturn and coups and warned the government to tackle fiscal challenges with urgency because such tensions have often triggered coups. Source: ghanaweb.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video The 2020 Campaign Manager for the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Professor Joshua Alabi, has said he is very confident former President John Dramani Mahama will lead the party into the 2024 general elections. The former Greater Accra Regional Minister made this statement when he was speaking on behalf of the former President Mahama at the 46th edition of the Gonjaland Youth Association Congress at Daboya in the Savannah Region. Prof Alabi expressed how dear the event was to former President Mahama. He said President Mahama, had wished to be present in person but for the change in date by the organizers which coincided with an earlier scheduled international engagement. Prof. Alabi, stated that the former President is a proud son of Gonjaland, therefore his achievements should inspire the youths to harness their potentials for not just the good of Gonjaland but Ghana as a whole. On behalf of the former President, Prof Alabi, thanked the Association and the people of Gonja, for massively supporting and voting for President Mahama during the 2020 presidential elections. He said it was a demonstration of their love for him. He urged the people to give him more votes than they did previously in 2024. He said the warrior spirit of the Gonja people inspired by the founder of Gonjaland, King Jakpa, is what keeps former President Mahama moving on forward. President Mahama, according to Prof. Alabi, was pained that Ghana is currently experiencing needless challenges and will require very active, focused and productive youths for resuscitation. He, therefore, challenged the youth to take their education seriously in order to be prepared for the task ahead. He also urged them not to downplay the dangers of the COVID pandemic and should observe the protocols. Prof. Alabi said President Mahama, desires that the Association members will be tolerant of divergence political views and must not allow party politics to create unnecessary tension among them. Prof Alabi, was accompanied by the Savannah Regional Chairman of the NDC, Members of Parliament from the region, NDC former ministers of state regional and constituency executives of the NDC. Source: XYZ Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video A leading member of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP), Gabby Asare Otchere-Darko, has reacted to comments made by former President John Dramani Mahama against the Judiciary, describing them as politicized. Addressing the US Chapter of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) at Bentley University over the weekend, John Mahama said governance institutions including the judiciary have been politicised and must therefore undergo reforms. We do have problems with the Judiciary, I must say. I think that it is necessary for some internal reforms to take place there. It is necessary for the Chief Justice or whoever is responsible to make some reforms. Most of the governance institutions have been politicised. I give the example of the Judiciary. It is only in Ghana that a Supreme Court will make a decision that a birth certificate is not proof of citizenship, he said. But reacting to the comments of the former president in a tweet, Mr. Otchere-Darko said, President Akufo-Addo together with other NPP members who took the 2012 elections to court refrained from such pronouncements even though the verdict went against them. We recall, when Ghanas Supreme Court delivered a 5-4 majority decision in favour of President John Mahama in the 2012 presidential election petition, none of the petitioners (Akufo-Addo, Obetsebi-Lamptey or Bawumia) called for judicial reforms or accused the bench as politicised, he tweeted. John Mahama, who filed a petition at the Supreme Court challenging the 2020 election results lost unanimously. Felix Kwakye Ofosu, an aide to John Mahama, has in recent times also opined that the Judiciary has borne hostility towards the NDC. Source: ghanaweb.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video The New Patriotic Party, NPP, has responded to a recent harsh critique of the Judiciary by former President John Dramani Mahama. The NPP's response came via the head of its Legal Committee, Frank Davies, who described Mahama's statements, made in the United States, as 'unfortunate and embarrassing,' and a show of intellectual hypocrisy. In an interview on Joy FM's news programme, Top Story, that aired on Monday, March 28, Davis explained that the former president's allegations lacked any basis in logic. Its not only unfortunate, but its rather embarrassing that a former President of this Republic, Mr. John Mahama who speak about the Judiciary in such terms. I am really baffled. This is the former President who has presided over affairs of state, he stated. He also accused Mahama of being intellectually dishonest in his assessment of the Judiciary especially as he cited claims against the Judiciary as made by Prof. Raymond Atuguba, a former Executive Secretary under his presidency, to back his point. Is John Mahama trying to tell the whole world that at the time that he was President and the Supreme Court judges were working in this country, their judgments were skewed in his favour? "I really cant understand why he does this to himself. So is it right to say that the election petition of 2013 when he won by a majority of five to four in that election petition, the judges skewed it in his favour? That is the logic Mr. Mahama is portraying? then it is sad, he stressed. What Mahama said During his recent tour of the United States, John Mahama delivered a stern critique of state institutions taking particular aim at what he said was a politicized judiciary. In an address to the US Chapter of the NDC at the Bentley University over the weekend, Mahama affirmed that the party had a problem with the Judiciary. We do have problems with the Judiciary, I must say. I think that it is necessary for some internal reforms to take place there. It is necessary for the Chief Justice or whoever is responsible to make some reforms. "Most of the governance institutions have been politicised. I give the example of the Judiciary. It is only in Ghana that a Supreme Court will make a decision that a birth certificate is not proof of citizenship, he said. He continued, there are many such funny judgements that have been given. I remember at one time, our colleague Professor Raymond Atuguba said that from research he had done, judges turn to give their judgements in favour of the political party or leader that appointed them. "He was subjected to such a whirlwind of indignation by the Judiciary, but if you bring it down to what is happening today, and you look at it and see who appointed who, you will find that there was some truth in the research. "The thing is, our constitution gives the security of tenure to judges. Once you have been appointed, you cannot be removed. That is why we give security of tenure so that you will have the courage no matter who appointed you to give judgement according to your conscience. That is what our judges should do. They must rise to the occasion. Source: ghanaweb.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video The sound of an ambulance, may not be an unusual one, within the precincts of Parliament especially when a lively activity is on-going. What perhaps shocked most people on Tuesday morning, was not only the identity of the occupant of that medically-equipped vehicle, but also the fact that the emergency vehicle was not being driven out of Parliament, but was rather wheeled to the Chamber as MPs prepared to vote on the controversial E-Levy Bill. It fueled suspicions that a gravelly ill MP has been ferried to the House to vote. Lack of Numbers In spite of government's engagement and education on E-levy, the bill has not been passed for months because they (MPs on the Majority side) lack the numbers to push it through. To counter that -a split Parliament of 137 MPs each on the Minority and Majority side with one independent MP opting to do business with the Majority side always leaves the Majority at a disadvantage - the bed-ridden MP had to be present at all cost, since NPP MP for Dome-Kwabenya, Adwoa Safo appeared a lost cause. Stretchered off an ambulance? He was supposed to drive in by himself but due to ill health, the ambulance became his best option. This was how the Majority Caucus conveyed Member of Parliament for Ahanta West constituency who doubles as the Minister for Religious and Chieftaincy Affairs, Hon. Alexander Kojo Kum to the House to shore up its numbers. Ofori-Atta Returns To Parliament Though Peacefmonline.com can not authoritatively confirm his precise ailment, reports indicate that he has been bed-ridden for quite some time now. And with the second reading of the E-levy bill on the order paper, the Majority Chief Whip had to ensure all MPs available are present in the House. This was because both sides of the House had rallied their numbers to ensure that they push forward their interests; and Hon. Alexander Kojo Kum was no exception, particularly so since Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta had returned to Parliament to push for the passage of the Electronic Transactions (E-Levy) Bill. Already Recovered, Nothing Wrong In a related development, Sekondi MP Andrew Egyapa Mercer believes there is nothing wrong with having his Ahanta West colleague in the House to conduct parliamentary business. ....it is not the first time that has happened," adding that the MP has already been discharged and that in itself demonstrates some recovery on his part. Meanwhile, NDC MP, Assin North Constituency, James Gyakye Quayson was not present as he was attending a hearing in court. Source: Isaac Kwame Owusu/Peacefmonline/[email protected] Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video The Minority in Parliament has served notice of intent to challenge the passage of the Electronic Transfer (E-Levy) bill by Parliament at the Supreme Court after they (the Minority Caucus) had staged a walked out earlier in the day. Addressing the press, Minority Leader, Hon. Haruna Iddrisu said Parliament did not have a decision making quorum of 138 members in the chamber when the bill was passed, hence the passage of the bill was illegal and unconstitutional. This is a charade, he said at a press conference in Parliament, adding that there is no E-levy. The majority of less than 137 conducting businesses only proceeded on illegal and unconstitutional business. Parliament did not have the numbers to take any decision that should binding Parliament and Ghanaians. I think they have to come again on E-levy because as of today, I dont think they had the numbers to say that the E-levy has been passed. We will question this decision in [the Supreme] court on the basis of the earlier ruling and on the basis of the fact that they said we cant take a decision with 137 [members], but they can take with 137, he said. Parliament, on Tuesday, passed the Electronic Transfer Levy in the absence of the Minority MPs, who had walked out before the Bill was considered at the second reading stage. The Minority had complained that it had been taken by surprise by the unexpected consideration of the levy. The E-levy was not listed in Parliaments business statement for this week. Source: Emmanuel Akorli/Peace Fm Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Flash The Russian and Ukrainian delegations have arrived in Turkey's largest city Istanbul on Monday for a fresh round of face-to-face peace talks, aiming to achieve substantial progress to end the crisis. The Russian delegation has settled in the Ciragan Palace Kempinski hotel while the Ukrainian delegation has checked in the Shangri-La Bosphorus, both very close to each other in the Besiktas district. Media reports said the arrival of the Ukrainian delegation had been postponed to evening hours due to the closure of Ukrainian airspace and some logistical problems. According to the NTV broadcaster, the Ukrainian delegates had to go to a neighboring country by road to fly to Istanbul. Tuesday's negotiations will begin at 10:30 a.m. local time (0730 GMT) at the Dolmabahce Presidential Working Office in Besiktas. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is expected to address the delegations at the opening of the meeting. "We will have a short meeting with the delegations tomorrow morning," Erdogan said at a press conference after a cabinet meeting in the Turkish capital Ankara on Monday. So far, Russia and Ukraine have held three rounds of in-person talks in Belarus, and their fourth session was in a video conference format. Turkey, meanwhile, has increasingly accelerated its diplomatic efforts on the international arena, reiterating its policy that it is ready to play a mediator role for lasting peace in the region. In a phone call on Sunday, Erdogan told his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, that a ceasefire and peace between Moscow and Kiev must be achieved as soon as possible, and the humanitarian situation in the region should be improved. Erdogan repeated that Turkey would continue to contribute in every possible way during this process. The "phone traffic" that he has been conducting with Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is progressing in a positive direction, Erdogan said on Monday. Turkey has been exerting significant efforts to resolve the crisis through agreement and dialogue, he said. Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. To celebrate the Thai New Year and welcome international travelers back to Thailand, the Governors Mansion in Phuket the largest icon of Sino-Portuguese baroque architecture will be listed on Airbnb for the ultimate designer stay. Renowned for its magnificent beaches and rich cultural heritage, Phuket has long been an incredible draw for millions of travelers from around the world. The lush tropical island is now leading the way for Thailands long-anticipated travel rebound. As the country gears up for its biggest cultural festival, Songkran, one group of four lucky guests will get to soak up the vibrant festivities with an island getaway of a lifetime, only on Airbnb. The majestic Governors Mansion will be bookable on airbnb.com/governorsmansion for US$50* (approx. 1,700THB) for a two night stay from 15-17 April 2022, welcoming overnight guests for the first time in more than 50 years. Bookings open at 8AM ICT on April 5, 2022. Travelers from Thailand or any of the countries that currently allow international travel to and from Thailand can apply.** Guests will be hosted by popular Phuket-born model-actress Patricia Tanchanok Good who rose to fame in one of Netflixs most popular Thai dramas last year, Girl From Nowhere 2, and national ambassador for royal Thai cuisine and Blue Elephant founder, master chef Nooror Somany Steppe. Programming for this special stay is supported by the Tourism Authority of Thailand. Built at the end of King Rama Vs era by successful local businessman Pra Pitak Chinpracha, the 119-year-old Governors Mansion welcomed many out-of-town dignitaries and remains one of several neoclassical heritage mansions on Phuket today. The sprawling white and mustard heritage home is located in the historic heart of Old Phuket Town, and has been exquisitely restored to preserve its original fixtures, including richly patterned tiles and teakwood floors. Its first floor is now home to the Blue Elephant Restaurant a Michelin Plate awardee and long-running stalwart of Thailands culinary industry. On the second floor, renowned Thai designer Saran Yen Panya has created a memorable, visually stunning space that pays homage to Thailands rich heritage and buzzing contemporary design scene. The stay features statement pieces by Yothaka widely revered as Thailands master of design in addition to bespoke handcrafted items by up-and-coming designers Kitt Ta Khon, Masaya, Sumphat Gallery, Thaniya and Mo Jirachaisakul, paired with Phuketian antiques from some of the islands most distinguished homes and museums. Guests will be immersed in a quintessentially Phuketian experience, including: A personal welcome at check-in by Thai superstar Patricia Good Tanchanok, who will share her favourite hidden gems in Phuket and tips for exploring the island Exclusive access to a two-bedroom suite on the Mansions expansive second floor, including a private reception lounge and living room A bespoke, multi-course Songkran tasting menu prepared and hosted by master Chef Nooror Somany Steppe A scuba diving and snorkeling adventure around the sparkling reefs and islands that dot the Andaman Sea A gibbon rehabilitation social impact experience in Phukets last rainforest, Khao Pra Taew Wildlife Sanctuary Songkran is a special moment for all Thais, as we give thanks and celebrate the dawn of a new year. As Thailand reopens, we are incredibly thrilled to partner with Airbnb to warmly welcome the world back to our country. We invite travellers from around the world to experience the Amazing New Chapters of Thailand under Visit Thailand Year 2022, with this iconic stay that shines a light on some of our finest Thai designers; as well as Phukets natural wonders, unique heritage and architecture, and delicious local cuisine, shared Yuthasak Supasorn, Governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand. Thailand is an extraordinary country with unparalleled warmth and hospitality, and some of the most beautiful destinations. As more of us begin to travel further from home and for longer durations, we are working with our Host community to welcome the world back to Thailand safely. We are delighted to add the majestic Governors Mansion to our collection of unique stays throughout the Kingdom, said Amanpreet Bajaj, Airbnb General Manager for Southeast Asia, India, Hong Kong and Taiwan. *Plus taxes and fees. This two-night stay is not a contest. Airbnb is closely monitoring Thailand infection rates and government policies and will offer booking guests a USD1,000 Airbnb credit if it becomes necessary to cancel the stay. **This press release encourages safe and responsible travel. Travelers looking to book should note that this stays rules require strict adherence with local COVID-19 guidelines. Guests must follow applicable local and state guidelines as well as Airbnbs COVID-19 Safety Practices, which include wearing a mask and practicing social distancing when required by local laws or guidelines. Guests are responsible for their own travel to and from Phuket and must have a registered account with Airbnb. Other Terms and Conditions will apply, please see airbnb.com/governorsmansion. Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain The way we speak today isn't the way that people talked thousandsor even hundredsof years ago. William Shakespeare's line, "to thine own self be true," is today's "be yourself." New speakers, ideas, and technologies all seem to play a role in shifting the ways we communicate with each other, but linguists don't always agree on how and why languages change. Now, a new study of American Sign Language adds support to one potential reason: Sometimes, we just want to make our lives a little easier. Deaf studies scholar Naomi Caselli and a team of researchers found that American Sign Language (ASL) signs that are challenging to perceivethose that are rare or have uncommon handshapesare made closer to the signer's face, where people often look during sign perception. By contrast, common ones, and those with more routine handshapes, are made further away from the face, in the perceiver's peripheral vision. Caselli, a Boston University (BU) Wheelock College of Education & Human Development assistant professor, says the findings suggest that ASL has evolved to be easier for people to recognize signs. The results were published in Cognition. The American Sign Language sign for children," which uses a common handshape and is produced further from the face. Credit: ASL-LEX.org "Every time we use a word, it changes just a little bit," says Caselli, who's also codirector of the BU Rafik B. Hariri Institute for Computing and Computational Science & Engineering's AI and Education Initiative. "Over long periods of time, words with uncommon handshapes have evolved to be produced closer to the face, and therefore, are easier for the perceiver to see and recognize." The American Sign Language sign for light, which uses an uncommon handshapesigns rarely use the middle fingerand is produced closer to the face. Credit: ASL-LEX.org Although studying the evolution of language is complex, says Caselli, "you can make predictions about how languages might change over time, and test those predictions with a current snapshot of the language." With researchers from Syracuse University and Rochester Institute of Technology, she looked at the evolution of ASL with help from an artificial intelligence (AI) tool that analyzed videos of more than 2,500 signs from ASL-LEX, the world's largest interactive ASL database. Caselli says they began by using the AI algorithm to estimate the position of the signer's body and limbs. "We feed the video into a machine learning algorithm that uses computer vision to figure out where key points on the body are," says Caselli. "We can then figure out where the hands are relative to the face in each sign." The researchers then match that with data from ASL-LEXwhich was created with help from the Hariri Institute's Software & Application Innovation Lababout how often the signs and handshapes are used. They found, for example, that many signs that use common handshapes, such as the sign for childrenwhich uses a flat, open handare produced further from the face than signs that use rare handshapes, like the one for light. This project is part of a new and growing body of work connecting computing and sign language at BU. "The team behind these projects is dynamic, with signing researchers working in collaboration with computer vision scientists," says Lauren Berger, a Deaf scientist and postdoctoral fellow at BU who works on computational approaches to sign language research. "Our varying perspectives, anchored by the oversight of researchers who are sensitive to Deaf culture, helps prevent cultural and language exploitation just for the sake of pushing forward the cutting edge of technology and science." Understanding how sign languages work can help improve Deaf education, says Caselli, who hopes the latest findings also bring attention to the diversity in human languages and the extraordinary capabilities of the human mind. "If all we study is spoken languages, it is hard to tease apart the things that are about language in general from the things that are particular to the auditory-oral modality. Sign languages offer a neat opportunity to learn about how all languages work," she says. "Now with AI, we can manipulate large quantities of sign language videos and actually test these questions empirically." Explore further Sign language glossary aims to widen tech access More information: Naomi Caselli et al, Perceptual optimization of language: Evidence from American Sign Language, Cognition (2022). Naomi Caselli et al, Perceptual optimization of language: Evidence from American Sign Language,(2022). DOI: 10.1016/j.cognition.2022.105040 The report requested a large telescope to study exoplanets, similar to one NASA has developed that would use a shade to block light from a distant star to facilitate the study of planets around that star. Credit: NASA/JPL It takes expensive tools to learn about the universe, but projects like the Very Large Array for radio astronomy in New Mexico and the Chandra X-ray Observatory, which orbits Earth, have pushed scientific knowledge forward in ways that would not have been possible without these instruments. Every 10 years, astronomers and astrophysicists outline priorities for the hardware they need in the decadal survey on astronomy and astrophysics. The newest version of the survey was published by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine in late 2021, and debates about funding are in full swing for the next fiscal year. I'm a professor of astronomy whose research has depended on facilities and equipment built after a recommendation in one of these decadal surveys, and I was involved in the previous survey, published in 2010. The most recent wish list is full of fascinating projects, and it will be exciting to see which get funded and what research will come from them. A meeting of the minds Every 10 years since the 1960s, U.S. astronomers and astrophysicists have gathered to create a priority list for new facilities and instruments. The decadal survey of astronomers is influential because it forces everyone to be on the same page and make hard choices. It has to temper ambition with realism, but when astronomers and astrophysicists from the many subfields all work together, they come up with ideas that advance the whole field. The most recent report is titled "Pathways to Discovery in Astronomy and Astrophysics for the 2020s." It's directed at Congress and the three federal agencies that fund most astronomical research: NASA, the National Science Foundation and the Department of Energy. Billions of dollars are at stake. Producing the reports is a massive undertaking, involving 20 people on the main committee and over 1,000 contributing to the final report. The committee reviewed 573 white papers all arguing for specific projects and astronomical capabilities. The finished report runs 615 pages, and it's not light reading. This approach works. Some of NASA's most ambitious and fruitful scientific missionslike the Hubble and James Webb space telescopeswere proposed in and funded through decadal surveys. Big science The committee identified 24 key science questions for the next generation of astronomy. These fall into three major themes that are science at the biggest scale, and the facilities on the wish list are designed to address these themes. First is the study of Earth-like worlds. Thanks to explosive growth in the discovery of exoplanets, the number of known planets outside the solar system has been doubling roughly every two years. Among the more than 5,000 known exoplanets are several hundred that are similar to Earth and could potentially support life. A major goal for the next decade is to build new large telescopes on the ground and in space with instruments that can "sniff" the atmospheres of Earth-like planets to try to detect gases like oxygen that are created by microbes. Second is to advance multimessenger astronomya relatively new field of astrophysics that takes information about gravitational waves, elementary particles and electromagnetic radiation and combines it all to gain deeper insights into the underlying astrophysics of the universe. In this case, the need is not so much for new scientific tools but for more grants to enable researchers to collaborate and share data. The science goal is to learn more about cosmic explosions and mergers of compact objects like neutron stars and black holes. The final theme is the study of cosmic ecosystems, especially the origin and evolution of galaxies and the massive black holes at their centers. By looking at extremely distant galaxies, astronomers can look into the past, since light takes time to reach Earth. So to understand these massive, complicated systems, scientists will need giant optical telescopes to find galaxies far away in the young universe, as well as radio telescopes to peer into their dusty hearts and reveal the black holes. Astronomy's wish list Here are a few particularly exciting highlights from the hundreds of items on the wish list. First, the report recommends spending US$1 billion on developing technology with which to build the next generation of "great observatories" in space. The flagship of these missionsto be launched in the 2040s with an eye-popping price tag of $11 billionwould be an optical telescope with a massive 20-foot (6-meter) mirror. This mirror would be eight times bigger than Hubble's and would be designed to study Earth-like planets in other solar systemsand potentially detect life. The report also recommends building two smaller space telescopes to work at infrared and X-ray wavelengths, each at a cost of $3 billion to $5 billion. But orbital efforts are not the only aims of the report. The report also asks for funds to build a giant optical telescope on Earth with a diameter of 80 to 100 feet (25 to 30 meters). That's five to seven times the light-collecting area of today's largest telescope. Two proposals are competing to build this telescope, which would cost close to $2 billion. The report also calls for the National Science Foundation to spend $3 billion on a new array of 263 radio telescopes that would span the entire U.S. This telescope array could produce radio images with 10 times the sensitivity and 20 times the sharpness of any previous facility, allowing scientists to see deeper into the universe and discover previously undetectable objects. Another item on the wish list is a $650 million pair of microwave telescopes in Chile and Antarctica that would map the afterglow of the Big Bang. This kind of money is needed to achieve scientific goals of this scope. State of the profession Science is more than just the pursuit of knowledge. As part of recent decadal surveys, astronomers and astrophysicists have taken the opportunity to gaze inward and judge the state of the profession. This includes looking at diversity and inclusion, workplace climates and the contributions of astronomers to education and outreach. These fields are overwhelmingly white, with people from minority backgrounds making up only 4% of faculty and students. In an appendix to the report, teams suggested a number of remedies for the lack of diversity and equity. These included ideas such as better mentoring to reduce the high attrition rate for minority students, along with funding for bridge programs to help minorities get established early in their careers and to treat harassment and discrimination as forms of scientific misconduct. If even a small part of the wish list becomes reality, it will not only increase our understanding of the universe, but alsojust as importantlylead to a more diverse and compassionate astronomy and astrophysics community. Explore further Search for life on other worlds tops astronomy to-do list This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. Ben Campbell, a graduate resident assistant and masters student in aerospace systems engineering, works on the Bubbling Liquid Experiment Navigating Driven Extreme Rotation, or BLENDER, device at UAHs Johnson Research Center. Credit: Michael Mercier | UAH A cutting-edge nuclear thermal propulsion (NTP) rocket engine using what's called centrifugal liquid fuel bubble-through could one day be a ticket for NASA to go directly into deep space. Under an NTP research contract for the Space Nuclear Propulsion Project Office at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC), The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH), a part of the University of Alabama System, is leading a collaboration of universities across the nation including the University of Rhode Island (URI), Drexel University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Pennsylvania State University and the University of Michigan (U-M) to research the concept. NASA has made substantial advances toward a solid fuel NTP design. The bubble-through concept under study by the university collaborators is one of three proposed hydrogen-based designs for a next generation liquid fuel NTP rocket. Either in person or virtually, all of NASA's NTP academic partners will gather on March 11 at a workshop hosted by UAH for NASA to discuss their progress and issues. The bubble-through centrifugal NTP concept heats hydrogen gas propellant to super-hot temperatures, but there is no combustion. Hydrogen is literally bubbled through a rotating liquid uranium core in the engine via a porous cylinder wall, causing the gas to rapidly expand. As it exits the nozzle, the expanding hydrogen provides thrust for the spacecraft. The design's advantages include significantly higher performance over conventional liquid fuel rocket engines that combust hydrogen and oxygen, says Dr. Dale Thomas, the project's principal investigator and an eminent scholar in systems engineering at UAH. "In conventional liquid fuel engine combustion, the resulting propellant moleculesH 2 O in the case of hydrogen and oxygenare much heavier due to those relatively heavy oxygen atoms, and they will not exit the nozzle as fast, providing more thrust but less impulse," Dr. Thomas says. Thrust is the force supplied by the engine, for example to lift a spacecraft away from Earth's gravity. Impulse is the change in momentum per unit of fuel, and that matters when it comes to getting a spacecraft where it's going in space. "Think of your car," Dr. Thomas says. "Think of thrust as torque and impulse as miles per gallon (mpg). Both matter, just like both torque and mpg matter in your car." A simplified diagram showing the bubble-through nuclear thermal propulsion engine concept. Credit: Propulsion Research Center Hotter, relatively lightweight hydrogen atoms will make the ship go farther. "If we get the propellant hotter, it has more energy and will exit the nozzle faster, which provides more impulse," Dr. Thomas says. "Since this is a higher performing engine, it has the potential to power spacecraft on trajectories other than the minimum energy trajectories, providing options for higher energy trajectories that will shorten the trip time to and from Mars and other destinations throughout the solar system." Conceptually intriguing, the bubble-through engine presents a number of technical challenges, not the least of which is developing a material for its porous cylinder wall that can withstand direct contact with the molten uranium fuel. "We're in the very early stages on this," Dr. Thomas says. "This bubble-through concept has been around since the '60s," he says. "The physics are well understood, but the engineering challenges have precluded getting this concept off the drawing board in the past. We're attempting to see whether today's technologies will let us develop a viable liquid fuel NTP engine prototype." The UAH work focuses in three areas, he says. "The first part is liquid uranium and gaseous hydrogen thermodynamic heat transfer modeling and analysis. Second, we'll be doing modeling and analysis of geometry and trajectory of gaseous hydrogen bubbles in a liquid uranium medium, and third, we'll perform experimentation to confirm the analytical predictions of dynamic and thermodynamic models." Besides Dr. Thomas, who is in charge of modeling missions, faculty involved in the research from UAH are Dr. Keith Hollingsworth, professor and department chair of mechanical and aerospace engineering, in charge of thermodynamics; Dr. Robert Frederick, professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering and director of the Propulsion Research Center, overseeing experimentation; and Dr. Jason Cassibry, associate professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering, in charge of bubble dynamics. Aerospace systems graduate research assistants involved are Mitchell Schroll, a doctoral candidate; Pongkrit Darakorn na Ayuthy (a.k.a. Boom), a doctoral candidate; Ben Campbell, a master's student; Jacob Keese, a master's student; and Will Ziehm, a master's student. Mitchell Schroll, a graduate resident assistant and doctoral student in aerospace systems engineering, watches as air bubbles rise in a water column inside the Ant Farm static test apparatus at UAHs Johnson Research Center. Credit: Michael Mercier / UAH At MSFC, the researchers are working with Dr. Michael Houts, nuclear research manager. Partner URI is doing senior design projects on the drive systems for the engine's centrifugal fuel elements, including how to spin them up to operating speed, keep them at the desired rotational speed and spin them down. Drexel is developing the material properties of the cylinder wall and MIT is studying bubble dynamics. At U-M, researchers will look experimentally into the physics of the reactor itself, which is called neutronics. Penn State is researching neutronics and heating. At Johnson Research Center, UAH's scientists are building experimental apparatus to confirm their analytical predictions of heat transfer and bubble dynamics. Two exist so far, called the Ant Farm and the Bubbling Liquid Experiment Navigating Driven Extreme Rotation, or BLENDER. The devices use air bubbles in water to simulate the bubbling of hydrogen through the engine's core. The centrifugal NTP engine research fits well with other UAH research that Dr. Thomas leads for NASA to develop a spacecraft designed for use with solid fuel NTP engines. "We are conducting mission studies, looking at what all can you do with a solid fuel NTP propulsion system other than a crewed mission to Mars," he says. "Our work so far indicates that it will enable direct trajectories for un-crewed scientific missions to the outer planets in the solar system, and perhaps even sample returns from the Jovian moons." In a direct trajectory, a spacecraft flies directly to a destination. Current chemical propulsion systems must rely on proper planetary alignments to take advantage of gravity assists when flying by planets. "Those planetary alignments only come around once every few years," Dr. Thomas says. "With this liquid fuel NTP, you can perhaps even get to the Kuiper Belt on a direct trajectory." That would be quite a ride. The Kuiper Belt starts 4,400,000,000 km from the sun. Survey provides greater specificity on types, context of harassment, discrimination. Credit: AIP Statistics The existence of harassment and discrimination in academia has been well documented across a variety of fields of study. A report from the American Institute of Physics goes beyond the numbers to examine types of harassment experienced by members of the astronomy community over the span of a decade, highlighting the pervasiveness of the issue. The AIP Longitudinal Survey of Astronomy Graduate Students was initiated by the American Astronomical Society (AAS) in 2006 to better understand the forms and long-term impacts of harassment in the field of astronomy. The study polled astronomy graduate students during the 2006-07 school year and followed up with those same people in 2012-13 and in 2015-16 after they entered the workplace. Across the study, 33% of the respondents reported experiencing harassment and discrimination at school or work. Those respondents were then asked to describe the circumstance of their harassment or discrimination. Four types of harassment and discrimination were prevalent in the answers: Biased assumptions that were communicated to the respondents regarding their status, career, and personal life Verbal put-downs in the form of jokes, criticisms, and undermining comments Demographic-based inequitable treatment that limited their social support and professional development Unwanted sexual attention, ranging from inappropriate comments to more serious behaviors such as threats, stalking, and assault "Our examination of the context reveals the depth and variety of forms of harassment and discrimination," said AIP's Rachel Ivie, co-author of the resulting report, Exploring Harassment and Discrimination Experiences in Astronomy. "Because harassment and discrimination are so pervasive, they seem to be part of the climate and structure of astronomical educational and work settings, occurring in many different situations and across career stages." The study respondents described incidents of harassment in locations ranging from classroom/seminar settings to academic conferences and social events to workplaces. Many of the incidents were based on gender, but some were based on other statuses like race or socioeconomic position. Some targets who reported the incidentseither through official or unofficial channelsdid not receive support, and in one case, the person was blamed for the reported behavior. "Strengthening efforts to eliminate all forms of harassment and discriminating behavior, and providing support to those who need it, are essential actions to create a safe and inclusive scientific community for all," said Michael Moloney, CEO of AIP. "This study illustrates that the astronomy community is right to continue to examine and question its cultureand other disciplines can surely draw lessons from this report." Since the AIP study was undertaken, AAS has implemented several measures aimed at reducing harassment in the astronomy community. The society adopted a clear code of ethics and an anti-harassment policy that governs behavior at AAS-sponsored meetings, publications, and other activities, backed by a complaint process and an ethics committee. It also implemented a site visit program, in which an astronomy department or institute can request an external committee, sent by AAS, to visit, conduct interviews, and assess the climate of the department. "A poll of recent graduate students is now needed to test our progress," said AAS president Paula Szkody. "Awareness is one critical aspect. Studies like the AIP Longitudinal Survey of Astronomy Graduate Students provide valuable insight into the realities and forms of harassment and discrimination in the field, better positioning us to continue to tackle such behavior as a community." "Harassment and discrimination can reinforce or realign power differentials in academic work and educational settings," said Ivie. "It is important to question and restructure the organizational settings that enable these behaviors." Explore further Hospitals lag in sexual harassment policies More information: Please click on the link to read the AIP Please click on the link to read the AIP Longitudinal Survey of Astronomy Graduate Students Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain The movement of high-growth firms that directly contribute to the regional economy may be more complex than previously thought, new research suggests. A case study in Franklin County, Ohiohome to Columbusfound that when growing firms moved within the county, almost equal numbers of them moved downtown or to the suburbs. Most likely was that they moved somewhere near their original location. That means the three prevailing theories that predict where growing firms will move are all correct: outward in search of cheaper prices, inward in search of better urban amenities, and nearby to minimize relocation costs. "These three patterns almost equally exist within urban areas. That means that there is not a single pattern that is dominating the growth of the region," said Yasuyuki Motoyama, author of the study and assistant professor of city and regional planning at The Ohio State University. The study was published recently in GeoJournal. Motoyama, who has been investigating small, high-growth firms for over a decade, said that Columbus makes a good case study because it has been a bustling economic center for just over 30 years, but now is an especially vibrant area for growing businesses. Using the business database InfoGroup, (now Data Axle) Motoyama was able to identify companies in the Columbus area that met the definition of small, high-growth firms in the study period of 2016 to 2019. These were firms that had 100% sales growth over the three-year period and had revenue of $1 million or higher in 2019. Motoyama identified 586 high-growth firms that met these criteria, which made up 2.1% of all businesses in Franklin County. The study tracked the 87 companies (14.8%) that moved between 2016 and 2019. These high-growth firms ended up tripling their share of the county's employment rates by 2019, and their share of the county's sales increased more than seven times, up to 10.6%. That suggests that these businesses will continue to grow and expand, and these fast-growing companies could end up becoming a huge factor in Ohio's economic development, Motoyama said. Results showed that 19.5% of firms in the study moved inward toward downtown, 17.2% moved outward from the center city and the highest percentage25.3%moved to nearby locations. The remainder moved out of the county. The study also found that contrary to popular belief, many of these high-growth firms that help drive the local economy aren't conventionally located in medical, pharmaceutical or IT fields. Instead, they cover a diverse array of disciplines and specialties. "High-growth companies exist in virtually every sector, including retail, restaurants, transportation companies, and other manufacturing companies," Motoyama said. Previous research into the movement of companies mainly focused on how the relocation of large manufacturing firms affected local communities. Typically, these kinds of firms can displace or add a great number of local jobs, but it's still unclear whether such displacement brings about a net positive in the workforce, since a gain in one city is considered a loss in another, Motoyama said. But locally developed high-growth firms contribute an enormous amount to the economy by directly adding both employment and wealth locally and nationally, he said. Motoyama's research also has implications for government policy. He says that the study suggests that one-size-fits-all incentive packages to attract and keep businesses for cheaper prices won't work, and a variety of options are needed to help local businesses thrive. "The government should be thinking about different kinds of support packages for different kinds of companies," he said. Motoyama hopes to continue his research into other communities in Ohio, including Cleveland or Cincinnati. "I think it would be important to conduct similar research in other metropolitan areas in Ohio," he said. "I'd like to investigate further what's happening in those areas that are experiencing different growth patterns: what kind of high-growth companies exist, and where they are moving." Explore further COVID-19 pandemic likely to cause sales tax loss for Ohio municipalities More information: Yasuyuki Motoyama, Where do high-growth firms go?, GeoJournal (2022). Yasuyuki Motoyama, Where do high-growth firms go?,(2022). DOI: 10.1007/s10708-022-10603-w Earthworms are considered essential ecosystem engineers underground. Researchers from iDiv and Leipzig University have now shown that they also play a major role in shaping aboveground communities. Credit: V. Gutekunst Earthworms introduced into northern North America have a negative impact on the insect fauna above ground. Soil ecologists, led by the German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) and Leipzig University describe this observation in the journal Biology Letters. The researchers found this impact for abundance as well as for biomass and species richness of insects. Their results indicate that changes in insect communities can have causes that have previously received little attention. These should be given greater consideration in nature conservation. At least since the last ice age, about 10,000 years ago, there have been almost no earthworms in the northern part of North America. However, over the last few centuries, they have been introduced, probably through soil and plant transport from Europe. Since then, they have been dispersed and changed the soil significantly, with far-reaching consequences for the soil ecosystem. What impact these invaders have on the world above ground has, up to now, rarely been investigated. The study was performed in a forest near Calgary in Canada, which has areas that are either inhabited or uninhabited by earthworms. Here, the researchers used insect vacuum samplers to capture aboveground insects and compared the catches. They discovered that the abundance, biomass, and species richness of insects in areas with invasive earthworms and in areas without them differed significantly. Where earthworm biomass was highest, the number of insect individuals was reduced by 61%, insect biomass by 27% and species richness by 18%. Typical poplar forest in the research area near Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Credit: M. Jochum Insects above ground affected by invasive earthworms underground "We had expected that earthworms would have an impact on aboveground insects," says lead author Dr. Malte Jochum from iDiv and Leipzig University. "Even so, I was surprised at how pronounced the effects were, and that not only the abundance but also biomass and species richness were affected." The mechanisms by which the earthworms affect the insects are, however, still not clear. "It's possible that the earthworms eat the food and reduce the habitat of those aboveground insects, such as beetles and fly larvae, which break down dead plant material," says Jochum. Since the majority of insects are herbivores, it could also be hypothesized that the observed decline in insects is due to changes in the vegetation caused by altered soil conditions. In this case, however, the researchers were unable to detect any significant alteration in the number of plant species or plant coverage. "Still, this doesn't rule out the influence of the plants," says Jochum. However, the data on species composition and other functional characteristics of the plant communities have yet to be evaluated. The increase in predatory insect species and spiders was also striking. These seem to be benefitting from the changes. Underestimated causes for biodiversity loss to be considered in conservation "Up to now, only a few causes have been used to explain global changes in insect populations; mostly alterations in habitats above the ground," says senior author Prof Nico Eisenhauer from iDiv and Leipzig University. "These new results show that biodiversity loss can also have other causes which have, so far, received little attention and that these should be taken into consideration when developing management and conservation strategies for biodiversity." Malte Jochum, first author of the study, collecting samples with the insect vacuum sampler. Credit: R. Zeiss Introduced earthworm species are not only found in North America but on almost every continent. However, since there had been very few earthworms in northern North America for a very long time, the effect of these invaders is particularly pronounced. "For regions like Europe, where natural communities have always co-developed with earthworms, comparable negative effects due to new earthworm species are very unlikely," says Jochum. "Quite the opposite. Here they are important ecosystem engineers, which many important ecosystem functions depend on." Explore further Cattle manure biochar could offset earthworm greenhouse gas emissions in forest soil More information: Aboveground impacts of a belowground invader: how invasive earthworms alter aboveground arthropod communities in a northern North American forest, Biology Letters (2022). royalsocietypublishing.org/doi .1098/rsbl.2021.0636 Aboveground impacts of a belowground invader: how invasive earthworms alter aboveground arthropod communities in a northern North American forest,(2022). DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2021.0636 Provided by German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research Volcanic lightning split the sky above Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai during a particularly violent eruption January 15, 2022. Credit: Tonga Geological Services On January 15, the volcano Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai devastated the nation of Tonga. The eruption triggered tsunamis as far afield as the Caribbean and generated atmospheric waves that traveled around the globe several times. Meanwhile, the volcano's plume shot gas and ash through the stratosphere into the lower mesosphere. Just two months after the eruption, geologists have put together a preliminary account of how it unfolded. UC Santa Barbara's Melissa Scruggs and emeritus Professor Frank Spera were part of an international team of researchers that published the first holistic account of the event in the journal Earthquake Research Advances. The authors think that an eruption the day before may have primed the volcano for the violent explosion by sinking its main vent below the ocean's surface. This enabled molten rock to vaporize a large volume of seawater, intensifying the volcanic eruption the very next day. "This is definitely, without a doubt, the largest eruption since Mt. Pinatubo in 1991," said corresponding author Scruggs, who studies magma mixing and eruption triggering mechanisms, and recently completed her doctorate at UC Santa Barbara. She compared January's event to the 1883 eruption of Krakatoa, which was heard 3,000 miles away. Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai (HTHH) is a stratovolcano: a large, cone-shaped mountain that is prone to periodic violent eruptions, but which usually experiences milder activity. It's one of many along the Tofua Volcanic Arc, a line of volcanoes fed by magma from the Pacific Plate diving beneath the Indo-Australian Plate. Heat and pressure cook the rocks of the descending plate, driving out water and other volatiles. That same water decreases the melting temperature of the rock above, leading to a chain of volcanoes about 100 kilometers from the plate boundary. A submerged danger The islands of Hunga Tonga and Hunga Ha'apaiafter which the volcano is namedare merely the two highest points along the rim of the caldera, or central crater. Or they were, until the eruption blew most of the islands sky high. Scruggs first heard about the eruption as she scrolled through her Twitter feed while getting ready for bed. "I saw a GIF of the satellite eruption, and my heart just stopped," she said, pausing to find her words. She immediately knew that the event would cause massive devastation. "The scariest part was that the entire country was cut off, and we didn't know what had happened." She was already messaging other volcanologists as the events unfolded, trying to understand the images that satellites had so clearly captured. "We really just set out to try to understand what happened," Scruggs said. "So, we gathered all the information that we could, anything that was available within the first few weeks." The authors drew on whatever resources they could find to quickly characterize this eruption, including publicly available data, videos and even tweets. Using a variety of data sets, the team calculated that the January 15 event began at 5:02 p.m. local time (0402 1 UTC). The U.S. Geological Survey recorded a seismic event around 13 minutes later at the vent location. The first two hours of the eruption were particularly violent, with activity fading after about 12 hours. Top: Hunga Tonga and Hunga Haapai were separate islands that grew together over the course of seven years. Bottom: The eruption on Jan. 14, 2022 sunk the main vent below sea level, enabling the eruption the following day to all but obliterate the islands. Dates: Nov. 16, 2021; Jan. 7, 2022; Jan. 15, 2022; and Jan. 18, 2022. Credit: PLANET LABS PBC But eruption activity had actually started all the way back on December 20, 2021. And before that, the volcano had erupted in 2009 and again in 2014 and 2015. Scruggs believes these earlier episodes are key to understanding the violence behind HTHH's recent eruption, perhaps related to changes in the magma plumbing system at depth or the chemistry of the magma over time. Hunga Tonga and Hunga Ha'apai had been separate islands until they were united by eruptions from the volcano's main vent, which created a land bridge. "This island was just born in 2015," said Scruggs. "And now it's gone. Were it not for the satellite era, we would not have even known it ever existed." On January 14, 2022 an explosion from the main vent razed this connection, sinking the vent beneath the ocean's surface. "Had that land bridge not been taken out, the January 15 eruption might have behaved just like the day before because it would not have had that excess seawater," Scruggs remarked. A staggering explosion Same volcano, one day's difference: On Friday the vent was above the water, and by Saturday it was below. "That made all of the difference in the world," Scruggs said. The team believes that the seawater played a large part in the violence and force behind the Jan. 15 eruption. Much like a bottle rocket, an eruption of this scale takes the right ratio of water and gas to provide the force to send it skyward. And it took off like a rocket, too. "It went halfway to space," Scruggs exclaimed. The ash plume shot 58 kilometers into the atmosphere, past the stratosphere and into the lower mesosphere. This is more than twice the height reached by the plume from Mt. Saint Helens in 1980. It was the tallest volcanic plume ever recorded. A truly staggering amount of lightning also accompanied the eruption. The authors suspect that vaporizing seawater caused the lava to fragment into microscopic ash particles, which were joined by tiny ice crystals once the steam froze in the upper atmosphere. The motion, temperature change and size of the particles generated incredible amounts of static charge separation that flashed above the eruption. For the first two hours of the eruption, about 80% of all lightning strikes on Earth split the sky above Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai. The authors estimate around 1.9 km3 of material, weighing 2,900 teragrams, erupted from HTHH on Jan. 15. "But the volume of the eruption was not the big deal," said Spera, a co-author on the paper and Scruggs' doctoral advisor. "What was special is how the energy of the eruption coupled to the atmosphere and oceans: A lot of the energy went into moving air and water on a global scale." The shockwave from Hunga Tonga-Hunga Haapai traveled around the world. Credit: Tim Schmit, NOAA/NESDIS/ASPB The shockwave traveling through the ocean triggered tsunamis throughout the Pacific, and beyond. What's more, the wave arrived faster than tsunami warning models predicted because the models aren't calibrated for volcanic eruptionsthey're based on equations that describe tsunamis generated by earthquakes. A second tsunami followed the atmospheric pressure wave. This shockwave even triggered a meteo-tsunami in the Caribbean, which has no direct connection to the South Pacific. Scruggs called it unprecedented: "Basically the whole ocean just kind of sloshed around for five days after the eruption," she added. Plenty of work to do Scientists are still piecing together what happened at the volcano, so they have yet to develop a complete understanding of the tsunami wave. However, it's an important task needed to update tsunami travel forecast systems so they account for this type of mechanism. Otherwise, warnings could be incorrect the next time a volcano like HTHH erupts, potentially costing more lives. Indeed, the event highlights the danger posed by unmonitored submarine volcanoes. Despite the devastation, the people of Tonga were relatively well prepared for the Jan. 15 eruption. The government had issued warnings based on the previous day's activity, and the nation had plans in place for eruptions and tsunamis. HTHH has experienced similarly violent eruptions in the past. A recent paper by researchers at the University of Otago, New Zealand revealed that a large eruption destroyed the caldera at the summit of the undersea volcano about 1,000 years ago. And similar volcanoes could well erupt in the same manner. Consider Kick 'em Jenny, another submarine volcano whose main vent is a mere 150 meters underwater. It's located just 8 km north of the island of Grenada. "Imagine if something like the Tonga eruption happened in the Caribbean," Scruggs said. The researchers worked quickly with only publicly available data. They plan to revisit all their findings as more information and samples become available and as more researchers publish their own findings on this groundbreaking eruption. Their primary goal was to provide a point of departure for future work on the topic. Scruggs is particularly keen on learning about the ash collected from this eruption. Volcanic rock provides a wealth of information to a trained geologist. Examining the material could shed light on the type of magma that erupted, how much of it there was and perhaps even how much seawater was involved in the eruption. "There's so many questions that have been raised," said Scruggs. "Things we didn't even think were possible have now been recorded." The UC Santa Barbara researchers will lead a special invited session on the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai eruption at the Geological Society of America's 2022 annual meeting in Denver this October. "It will be exciting to see what scores of other earth scientists can discover about this unique volcano," Spera said. "We are just at the beginning." More information: David A. Yuen et al, Under the Surface: Pressure-Induced Planetary-Scale Waves, Volcanic Lightning, and Gaseous Clouds Caused by the Submarine Eruption of Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai Volcano Provide an Excellent Research Opportunity, Earthquake Research Advances (2022). David A. Yuen et al, Under the Surface: Pressure-Induced Planetary-Scale Waves, Volcanic Lightning, and Gaseous Clouds Caused by the Submarine Eruption of Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai Volcano Provide an Excellent Research Opportunity,(2022). DOI: 10.1016/j.eqrea.2022.100134 Student climate protest in Melbourne. Credit: Shutterstock The urgency of tackling climate change is even greater for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, and other First Nation peoples across the globe. First Nations people will be disproportionately affected and are already experiencing existential threats from climate change. The unfolding disaster in the Northern Rivers regions of New South Wales is no exception, with Aboriginal communities completely inundated or cut off from essential supplies. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have protected Country for millennia and have survived dramatic climatic shifts. We are intimately connected to Country, and our knowledge and cultural practices hold solutions to the climate crisis. Despite this, we continue to be excluded from leadership roles in climate solution discussions, such as the recent Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report. This continued exclusion is why investigation of the impacts of climate change on First Nations people is needed. In October last year, the Lowitja Institute, in partnership with the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander National Health Leadership Forum and the Climate and Health Alliance, brought together researchers, community members, young people and advocates from across the country at a round-table discussion. Together, they put together the findings for the Discussion Paper Climate change and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health. How climate change impacts Indigenous peoples As the paper tells us, climate change threatens our social and cultural determinants of health, including access to Country, traditional foods, safe water, appropriate housing and health services. Aboriginal health services are already struggling to operate in extreme weather, with increasing demands and a reduced workforce. All these forces combine to exacerbate already unacceptable levels of ill-health within Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander populations and compound the historical and contemporary injustices of colonization. During the round table, we heard powerful and moving stories from communities on the front line of climate change. Norman Frank Jupurrurla, a community leader from Tennant Creek, spoke of sacred waterholes drying up, ancient shade trees dying, temperatures rising, inadequate housing, power going out and spoiled essential food and medicines. Vanessa Napaltjarri Davis, a Warlpiri/Northern Arrente woman and Senior Researcher at Tangentyere Council in Mparntwe/Alice Springs, spoke of changes to the availability of bush foods and medicinesessential to our health and well-beingdue to changing temperatures and seasons. For example, as Norman Frank Jupurrurla wrote: "now the country is burning, getting destroyed, because of climate change. Already, I cannot see sand goannas any more." Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples hold a deep and painful knowledge of the role dominant culture, racism and colonial power dynamics play within climate change. Although there have been many suggested solutions to climate change, access to these solutions is not equally or equitably available across Australia. Norman Frank Jupurrurla demonstrated this when he shared the almost impossibly drawn-out process he has completed to become the first person to install solar panels on public housing in Tennant Creek, Northern Territory. Listening to Aboriginal communities experiencing the profound health impacts of climate change is essential to guiding government responses Aboriginal leaders tell @CroakeyVoice @LowitjaInstitut roundtable on #IndigenousClimateJustice21 https://t.co/Od4m7EiXIc #HealthyCOP26 CroakeyVoices (@CroakeyVoices) November 17, 2021 Indigenous peoples' voices excluded from climate change conversations Colonization has ignored Indigenous ways of knowing, doing and being, right down to the weather. Colonizers insisted we live according to just four seasons, instead of the many seasons our people knew and respected. This experience of marginalization continues today where we have not been sufficiently included in national and international conversations about climate change, including being pushed to the sidelines at COP26. The IPCC acknowledged this globally in its report last year. The report states that data and most reporting on climate change do not include Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander or local knowledge in the assessment findings. The IPCC's most recent report looks to recognize this omission and focuses specifically on the importance of our role and knowledge in addressing the climate crisis and the need for climate justice. The calls from our work are clear. We must elevate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander voices within climate change action and center Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as leaders in protecting Country. In the words of Seed Mob, "We cannot have climate justice without First Nations justice." In seeking solutions, we must consider how colonial ideologies and practices around climate change can impact on our peoples. As Rhys Jones wrote, "It is not possible to understand and address climate-related health impacts for Indigenous peoples without examining this broader context of colonial oppression, marginalization and dispossession." The Uluru Statement from the Heart, a gift to the Australian People, provides the road map for action: We must correct power asymmetries and establish co-governance arrangements and become strong advocates of, not only our interests, but our capabilities to tackle climate change. We must restore access to basic rights that will lay the groundwork for action that includes appropriate community participation/decision-making and incorporates cultural, environmental and sustainable design. We must weave our knowledges and strengthen partnerships to ensure that our collective wisdom and knowledge as Australia's First Nations is integrated into climate adaptation and mitigation planning, directly benefitting the whole nation. Indigenous people know about this continent; we've looked after it for millennia. The Uluru Statement from the Heart gives the opportunity to restore that ancient powerfor the benefit of us all and the survival of the planet. Explore further IPCC reports still exclude Indigenous voices. Join us at our sacred fires to find answers to climate change This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. Flash Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly said on Monday that Egypt counts on "its strategic relations with France" to secure some supplies of basic commodities like wheat, in case the Ukrainian crisis continues for a long time. Madbouly's remarks came during his meeting with visiting French Economy and Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire in Cairo, according to a government statement. "Egypt and France share the same visions and concerns about the repercussions of the Russian-Ukrainian crisis," said the Egyptian prime minister, noting the longer the crisis continues, the more dire consequences it will have on the global economy. For his part, Le Maire affirmed his country's full support for Egypt during the economic crisis the world is facing, especially with regard to the global commodity market. He said France produces about 35 million tonnes of wheat annually and exports about half of them, highlighting France's readiness to cooperate with Egypt in this field. Earlier in the day, Le Maire held talks with Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi, discussing means of furthering economic cooperation between the two countries. During the meeting, the Egyptian president highlighted "the strategic relations between Egypt and France," according to the Egyptian presidency. Credit: CC0 Public Domain A new analysis of the prosecutions of refugees and asylum-seekers in the UK suggests that there are three main reasons why they do not fare well. Work published in the International Journal of Migration and Border Studies, suggests that there is only a "patchwork" of protections to safeguard refugees and asylum-seekers from unwarranted prosecution. There is also a major problem in that state and legal institutions operate in policy silos and fail to communicate with each other. Finally, there is a significant indifference among legal institutions to the plight of desperate people and moreover, they are deeply hostile towards them. John R. Campbell of the Department of Anthropology & Sociology at SOAS (School of Oriental and African Studies), University of London, UK, explains that the UK government has consistently prosecuted and convicted asylum-seekers. This he suggests is in contravention of the government's obligations under the 1951 Refugee Convention. The underlying terms of the pertinent Article of the convention say that people "coming directly" from a country of persecution cannot be punished by the receiving state on the basis of their entry or presence in that state as being deemed "illegal" by the host government. Indeed, it says that "as far as possible states should facilitate the assimilation and naturalization of refugees." There is a caveat in that those who have gained nominally illegal entry to a country under these circumstances should present themselves to the authorities in a timely manner. The UK is not the only country to flout the convention, Campbell adds, but in so doing repeatedly, the UK has also then felt at liberty to adopt numerous measures and pass laws that are, he suggests, aimed explicitly at criminalizing and demonizing refugees and asylum-seekers. The legislation also sanctions 'carriers' the airlines and shipping companies, for instance. The UK now enforces passport and visa obligations on refugees and asylum-seekers that allow prosecutions to take place in order to reduce the number entering the country. The penalties have been maintained over years and have been buttressed by additional restrictive laws. Campbell suggests that the UK not only fails in the context of the 1951 Refugee Convention but its legal actions can be seen as an attempt to end the right of asylum. He writes that the British government needs to revise existing legislation so that refugees and asylum-seekers are given immunity from prosecution and it must rein in the tendency of the Home Office to undermine international law. In addition, it must reject the proposed Nationality and Borders Bill 2021, which criminalizes asylum-seeking. Explore further Paper critically examines the politics of asylum accommodation in the UK More information: John R. Campbell, Legal silo's and indifference: the wrongful prosecution of refugees and asylum-seekers in the UK, International Journal of Migration and Border Studies (2022). John R. Campbell, Legal silo's and indifference: the wrongful prosecution of refugees and asylum-seekers in the UK,(2022). DOI: 10.1504/IJMBS.2022.121728 Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain A new study finds that temporary nature-based carbon removal can lower global peak warming levels but only if complemented by ambitious fossil fuel emission reductions. Nature-based climate solutions aim to preserve and enhance carbon storage in terrestrial or aquatic ecosystems and could be a potential contributor to Canada's climate change mitigation strategy. "However, the risk is that carbon stored in ecosystems could be lost back to the atmosphere as a result of wildfires, insect outbreaks, deforestation or other human activities," says Kirsten Zickfeld, a distinguished professor of climate science in Simon Fraser University's Department of Geography who is on the research team. The researchers used a global climate model to simulate temperature change through two scenarios ranging from weak to ambitious greenhouse gas emissions reductions. In the relatively weak emissions reduction scenario, carbon emissions continue through 2100. In the ambitious scenario carbon emissions reach net-zero by 2050. In order to meet the Paris Agreement's climate goals, the world will need to reach net-zero CO 2 emissions around or before mid-century, according to the United Nations' Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. In both scenarios, it is assumed that carbon storage through nature-based climate solutions is temporary as forests are vulnerable to both natural and human disturbances. Therefore, nature-based climate solutions are anticipated to withdraw carbon from the atmosphere over the next 30 years then slowly release the carbon during the second half of the century. The team found that in a scenario with carbon emissions decreasing rapidly to net-zero, temporary nature-based carbon storage can decrease the level of peak warming. However, in a scenario with continued carbon emissions temporary nature-based carbon storage would serve only to delay the temperature increase. "Our study shows that nature-based carbon storage, even if temporary, can have tangible climate benefits, but only if implemented alongside a rapid transition to zero fossil-fuel emissions," says Zickfeld. The findings are published in Communications Earth & Environment. Zickfeld is also the lead author of the recent United Nations' Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Working Group I contribution to the Sixth Assessment Report released in summer 2021, and the IPCC's 2018 special report on the global warming of 1.5 degrees. The researchers also note that investing in protecting and restoring nature offers social and environmental benefits for local and Indigenous communities beyond storing carbon to mitigate climate change. They add that biodiversity, water and air quality are inherently valuable and that efforts to enhance these can also help to build community resilience to climate change. Explore further Asymmetry in carbon dioxide emissions and removals could skew climate targets: research More information: H. Damon Matthews et al, Temporary nature-based carbon removal can lower peak warming in a well-below 2 C scenario, Communications Earth & Environment (2022). Journal information: Communications Earth & Environment H. Damon Matthews et al, Temporary nature-based carbon removal can lower peak warming in a well-below 2 C scenario,(2022). DOI: 10.1038/s43247-022-00391-z Azimuthal anisotropy (black dashed lines showing the fast direction of wave speeds) in the mantle at 200 km depth plotted on top of vertically polarized shear wave speed perturbations (dVsv) after 20 iterations based on global azimuthally anisotropic adjoint tomography. The maximum peak-to-peak anisotropy is 2.3%. Red and blue colors denote the slow and fast shear wave speeds with respect to the mean model which are generally associated with hot and cold materials, respectively. Credit: Ebru Bozdag, Colorado School of Mines Earthquakes do more than buckle streets and topple buildings. Seismic waves generated by earthquakes pass through the Earth, acting like a giant MRI machine and providing clues to what lies inside the planet. Seismologists have developed methods to take wave signals from the networks of seismometers at the Earth's surface and reverse engineer features and characteristics of the medium they pass through, a process known as seismic tomography. For decades, seismic tomography was based on ray theory, and seismic waves were treated like light rays. This served as a pretty good approximation and led to major discoveries about the Earth's interior. But to improve the resolution of current seismic tomographic models, seismologists need to take into account the full complexity of wave propagation using numerical simulations, known as full-waveform inversion, says Ebru Bozdag, assistant professor in the Geophysics Department at the Colorado School of Mines. "We are at a stage where we need to avoid approximations and corrections in our imaging techniques to construct these models of the Earth's interior," she said. Bozdag was the lead author of the first full-waveform inversion model, GLAD-M15 in 2016, based on full 3D wave simulations and 3D data sensitivities at the global scale. The model used the open-source 3D global wave propagation solver SPECFEM3D_GLOBE and was created in collaboration with researchers from Princeton University, University of Marseille, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) and Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). The work was lauded in the press. Its successor, GLAD-M25 (Lei et al. 2020), came out in 2020 and brought prominent features like subduction zones, mantle plumes, and hotspots into view for further discussions on mantle dynamics. "We showed the feasibility of using full 3D wave simulations and data sensitivities to seismic parameters at the global scale in our 2016 and 2020 papers. Now, it's time to use better parameterization to describe the physics of the Earth's interior in the inverse problem," she said. At the American Geophysical Union Fall meeting in December 2021, Bozdag, post-doctoral researcher Ridvan Orsvuran, Ph.D. student Armando Espindola-Carmona and computational seismologist Daniel Peter from KAUST, and collaborators presented the results of their efforts to perform global full waveform inversion to model attenuationa measure of the loss of energy as seismic waves propagate within the Earthand azimuthal anisotropyincluding the way wave speeds vary as a function of propagation direction azimuthally in addition to radial anisotropy taken into account in the first-generation GLAD models. They used data from 300 earthquakes to construct the new global full wave inversion models. "We update these Earth models such that the difference from observation and simulated data is minimized iteratively," she said. "And we seek to understand how our model parameters, elastic and anelastic, trade-off with each other, which is a challenging task." The research is supported by a National Science Foundation (NSF) CAREER award, and enabled by the Frontera supercomputer at the Texas Advanced Computing Centerthe fastest as any university and the 13th fastest overall in the worldas well as the Marconi100 system at Cineca, the largest Italian computing center. "With access to Frontera, publicly available data from all around the world, and the power of our modeling tools, we've started approaching the continental-scale resolution in our global full wave inversion models," she said. Bozdag hopes to provide better constraints on the origin of mantle plumes and the water content of the upper mantle. Furthermore, "to accurately locate earthquakes and other seismic sources, determine earthquake mechanisms and correlate them to plate tectonics better, you need to have high-resolution crustal and mantle models," she said. From the deepest oceans to outer space MarsquakeCerberus Fossae event (Mw 3.1). The visualization shows the velocity of the seismic waves (vertical component). Researchers used Frontera to simulate the event, in collaboration with the NASA InSight mission. Credit: Daniel Peter, KAUST Bozdag's work isn't only relevant on Earth. She also shares her expertise in numerical simulations with the NASA's InSight mission as part of the science team to model the interior of Mars. Preliminary details of the Martian crust, constrained by seismic data for the first time, were published in Science in September 2021. Bozdag, together with the InSight team, is continuing to analyze the marsquake data and resolve details of the planet's interior from the crust to the core with the help of 3D wave simulations performed on Frontera. The Mars work put in perspective the dearth of data in some parts of the Earth, specifically beneath oceans. "We now have data from other planets, but it is still challenging to have high-resolution images beneath the oceans due to lack of instruments," Bozdag said. To address that, she is working on integrating data from emerging instruments into her models as part of her NSF CAREER award, such as those from floating acoustic robots known as MERMAIDs (Mobile Earthquake Recording in Marine Areas by Independent Divers). These autonomous submarines can capture seismic activity within the ocean and rise to the surface to deliver that data to scientists. Seismic community access In September 2021, Bozdag was part of a team awarded a $3.2 million NSF award to create a computational platform for the seismology community, known as SCOPED (Seismic COmputational Platform for Empowering Discovery), in collaboration with Carl Tape (University of Alaska-Fairbanks), Marine Denolle (University of Washington), Felix Waldhauser (Columbia University), and Ian Wang (TACC). "The SCOPED project will establish a computing platform, supported by Frontera, that delivers data, computation, and services to the seismological community to promote education, innovation, and discovery," said Wang, TACC research associate and co-principal investigator on the project. "TACC will be focusing on developing the core cyberinfrastructure that serves both compute- and data-intensive research, including seismic imaging, waveform modeling, ambient noise seismology, and precision seismic monitoring." Another community-oriented project from Bozdag's group is Ph.D. student Caio Ciardelli's recently released SphGLLTools: a visualization toolbox for large seismic model files. The toolbox based facilitates easy plotting and sharing of global adjoint tomography models with the community. The team described the toolbox in Computers & Geosciences in February 2022. "We provide a full set of computational tools to visualize our global adjoint models," Bozdag said. "Someone can take our models based on HPC simulations and convert them into a format to make it possible to visualize them on personal computers and use collaborative notebooks to understand each step." Robin Reichlin, Director of the Geophysics Program at NSF says that "with new, improved full-waveform models; tools to lower the bar for community data access and analysis; and a supercomputing-powered platform to enable seismologists to discover the mysteries of the Earth's and other planetary deep interior, Bozdag is pushing the field into more precise, and open, territory." Explore further A seismic mapping milestone More information: Caio Ciardelli et al, SphGLLTools: A toolbox for visualization of large seismic model files based on 3D spectral-element meshes, Computers & Geosciences (2021). Caio Ciardelli et al, SphGLLTools: A toolbox for visualization of large seismic model files based on 3D spectral-element meshes,(2021). DOI: 10.1016/j.cageo.2021.105007 Brigitte Knapmeyer-Endrun et al, Thickness and structure of the martian crust from InSight seismic data, Science (2021). DOI: 10.1126/science.abf8966 SphGLLTools: github.com/caiociardelli/sphglltools Journal information: Science A map using satellite imagery and data from Google Earth showing the approximate start and end points of a 40-mile long Russian military convoy en route to Kyiv, Ukraine on March 1, 2022. Credit: Google Earth/Maxar Technologies Since Russia invaded Ukraine, we keep hearing that this war is like no other; because Ukrainians have cellphones and access to social media platforms, the traditional control of information and propaganda cannot work and people are able to see through the fog of war. As communications scholars and historians, it is important to add nuance to such claims. The question is not so much what is "new" in this war, but rather to understand its specific media dynamics. One important facet of this war is the interplay between old and new mediathe many loops that go from Twitter to television to TikTok, and back and forth. We have moved away from a relatively static communication model, where journalists report on the news within predetermined constraints and formats, to intense fragmentation and even participation. Information about the war becomes content, and users contribute to its circulation by sharing and commenting online. Modern warfare and media Modern warfare and media technologies have a long and complex history. During the First World War, airplanes served both as weapons and media by taking aerial photographs and drop propaganda pamphlets over enemy lines. Soldiers commonly used their personal cameras in the first months of the war before their political and military leaders prohibited such practices and put them in the hands of specialists. During the Second World War, each division of the German army had its own team of cinematographers filming the war. In 1943, when the army lacked resources, thousands of soldiers participated in the filming of Kolberg, a 1945 propaganda movie meant to boost German morale. The Vietnam War is often presented as the first "uncensored" war, as media scholar Daniel Hallin put it. During the Gulf War in 1991, the 24-hour coverage by cable news channels conveyed a different impression of war. Confronted by the neat videos images furnished by the military, journalists soon referred to it as the "Nintendo War." Since then, the implication of media in war has increased in speed and fragmentation. The development of cyberwar Cyberwar is a key component of the current war. It refers to all operations taking place on the internet, and to the physical infrastructure that supports it. This includes network disruptions, website jamming, and so on. Cyberwar occurs alongside classic media censorship, and includes the accelerated distribution of information. It comprises complex communication events between people and machines, and can be intentional, coordinated and deliberateor not. Cyberwar in Ukraine occurs at different scales. Drones can capture enormous data sets for analysis by artificial intelligence, and use that for precision targeting. This includes pinpointing the location of soldiers or civilians by heat maps, digital signals or social media posts. Many historical propaganda techniques extend into cyberspace, but an emerging new extension is the means to target and personalize disinformation. Aggressive military propaganda techniques combine with tools for online marketing. The ability to identify soldiers and their family members means that actual or fake threats can be made to persuade people to surrender. This strategy also includes circulating an insidious deepfake video of the Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky asking the Ukrainian people to surrender to the Russians. True or False, a segment on France 24, examined a deepfake video of President Zelensky that had been broadcast on a hacked Ukrainian news website. Censorship in Russia All official TV channels in Russia (TV1, Russia, Zvezda) have only been broadcasting their version of events: there is no war led by Russia, only a special operation. The Russian government focused on an unprecedented disinformation campaign targeting its own population, and muzzling independent media that had been already persecuted as so-called "foreign agents." A few days after the beginning of the invasion, the Kremlin passed the War Censorship Law to "prohibit the dissemination of fake news about the special operation" as well as use of words such as "war" (voina) and "invasion" (vtorzhenie)offenses are punishable by up to 15 years in prison. Official Russian television is broadcasting images of the Russian military as "liberating" Ukraine from "neo-Nazis and drug addicts." Russian television misleads the audience by extensively using fakes and triggering panic by referencing nuclear contamination. The audience is told that Ukrainians are causing all damage to themselves. Staged scenes are used to create a desirable image of Russian "liberators." One of them shows a welcoming crowd of Ukrainians in Kherson, happy to meet Russian troops and receive generous humanitarian aid. However, as a friend in Ukraine wrote to one of us on Telegram, after filming, the Russian army took this aid from the citizens and moved on. Finally, Russian television uses "denazification" in an attempt to justify their special operation in Ukraine to Russian audiences. This is intended to evoke a regressive nostalgia for the victory over Nazi Germany, and has been part of Putin's historical distortions for several years now. The international state propaganda channel RT (formerly Russia Today) is now banned in Europe and Canada. Battle for truth On March 9, a maternity hospital in the Ukrainian port of Mariupol was heavily shelled. The hospital's infrastructure was destroyed, and at least three people were killed and 17 injured. President Zelensky condemned the attack, referring to it as "ultimate evidence that genocide of Ukrainians is happening." Official Russian television claimed that the hospital was empty weeks before, and that the devastating photos of the destroyed site contained many inconsistencies. One of the photos of the hospital bombing showed a pregnant and injured young woman who was recognized as a local Instagram model. Hundreds of internet trolls immediately accused her of being a paid model to create fake news about the bombed hospital. Accusations of fakery, propaganda and censorship have always been part of war, but cyberwar includes additional complexities. The intensive and fast dissemination of both fake and real information, the amounts and types of data collected, and the extensive and real-time documentation of events reveal the integration of information and communication into all aspects of war. Explore further Fighting propaganda with censorship: A study of the Ukrainian ban on Russian social media This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. Antarctic photographer Frank Hurley captured the Endurance stuck in the Weddell Sea. Credit: Frank Hurley/ Wikimedia Commons Tonight's federal budget will include more than A$800 million over ten years to provide a "clear marker" of Australia's "scientific leadership" in Antarctica. The funds will go towards drones and helicopters amid mounting (although somewhat exaggerated) concerns over Chinese activity in the region. But political assets in the polar region include more than expensive state of the art toys. Earlier this month, one of the most famous shipwrecks in history, Sir Ernest Shackleton's Endurance, was discovered in the Weddell Seaa part of Antarctica claimed by multiple nations. The Endurance There is enormous excitement around the discovery of the Endurance. The wreck provides a physical connection to a great tale of human survival, as it was the vessel used during the British explorer's 19141916 Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition. It became stuck in the ice and eventually sunk. Remarkably, none of the men died during the ordeal, despite having to camp on the ice for months during an austral winter. But now the Endurance has been found, who owns it and who should look after it? The Antarctic Treaty Antarctica is governed differently from other parts of the world. The Antarctic Treaty was signed in 1959, with its first provision stating "Antarctica shall be used for peaceful purposes only." It also provides for free and cooperative scientific investigation on and around the frozen continent. At the time of signing, seven countriesArgentina, Australia, Chile, France, New Zealand, Norway and the United Kingdomhad territorial claims in the region. But under the treaty, no country can assert (or deny) a claim to territorial sovereignty in Antarctica. Despite this strong legal foundation, cultural heritage provides an opportunity for nationsin this case Britainto assert their past, as well as their intended future, presence in the region. Historic sites in Antarctica The Antarctic is governed via annual meetings, attended by signatories to the treaty. At these meetings, countries can designate historic remains as official historic sites or monuments. At the 2019 meeting, the UK successfully proposed the Endurance wreck as an official historic site, despite not knowing its location or state at the time. After learning of plans by NGOs to search for the wreck, the UK said it wanted to "confirm the protection status of the vessel in the event that it is located." The "historic site" status protects "all artifacts contained within or formerly contained within the ship, which may be lying on the seabed in or near the wreck within a 150-meter radius." Who is responsible for the sunken ship? The Endurance22 expedition, backed by the Falklands Maritime Heritage Trust, located the wreck in remarkable condition just over three weeks ago. This expedition had set itself the task of searching for and surveying the shipwreck. Since 2019, the UK has effectively designated itself as manager of the sitewhich includes the personal possessions within and all artifacts lying on the seabed nearby. The UK has also stated the wreck should not be not moved or disturbed and only photographed according to strict heritage guidelines. This is also in line with comments from Shackleton's granddaughter Alexandra Shackleton, who says there should be no "rummaging" and "whatever there is will stay there." These preemptive steps are somewhat controversial because the seabed on which the Endurance rests is an area contested between the UK and Argentina. Although, by definition, a seabed is not within claimed territory, it rests below waters belonging to claimed territorymeaning the wreck could be interpreted by the wider international community as lying outside of the UK's jurisdiction. Also worth noting is that the very heritage trust in charge of the expedition originates from hotly contested territory between the two countriesthe Falkland Islands/Islas Malvinas. Other complications Another challenge is posed by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. This sets out that archaeological and historical objects found at sea should be protected. The ship used to search for the wreck was provided by South Africa, while funding was provided primarily by UK private and commercial sources. South Africa has signed the convention, while the UK has agreed to abide by its rules, but is not a signatory. This has created a feeling of unease among the expert community, who understand that even though the wreck is not currently easy to access (for one, it is more than 3 kilometers below the surface), with technological developments, this situation may change. What happens now? Ultimately, the management of the site will set a precedent for the treatment of underwater cultural heritage in the region more widely. The big question policymakers and diplomats now face is whether a line will be drawn when it comes to having not-yet-found shipwrecks internationally recognized as heritage sites. Two more sites will likely test this question: the San Telmo and the SS Hampson. Spain proposed the San Telmoa Spanish naval ship that sunk in the Drake Passage in 1819 supposedly carrying the first "humans to live and die" in Antarcticaas an official historic site at the 2021 meeting. The SS Hampson is expected to be the large unidentified wooden sailing boat wrecked at Hampson Cove, Elephant Island. The UK is again the manager of the site, given it established the cove's official heritage status back in 1998. Like the recent discoveries of other wrecks, the Erebus and Terror in the high Arctic, these sunken ships represent more than just deteriorating artifacts. They provide a way for countries to demonstrate their historical occupation of a region where traditional displays of territorial sovereignty are banned. Explore further Shackleton's lost shipwreck discovered off Antarctica This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. Kepler-186f was the first rocky planet to be found within the habitable zone, the region around a host star where the temperature is right for liquid water. Credit: NASA A refinement to a space weather model developed by a center director at the University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) could help scientists check out which planets outside our solar system are likely to have someone home. Exoplanets are what planets are called when they orbit stars outside our own solar system, and the effort to winnow out those that could harbor life has been intensifying. Now at the Center for Space Plasma and Aeronomic Research (CSPAR) at UAH, a part of the University of Alabama System, research by Dr. Junxiang Hu along with collaborators has developed a model for tracking stellar energetic particles that can influence the creation of life on exoplanets. These stellar energetic particles are too far away to be directly measured, so they need to be modeled from remote sensing inputs. "The energetic particles associated with superflares from young solar-like stars will impact the atmospheric chemistry of their close-in exoplanets, possibly generating prebiotic chemicals that could trigger life," says Dr. Hu. "The characterization of these impacts may be important in assessing chemical signatures of the habitability of exoplanets." Prior modeling used empirical approaches, but the new research applies physics to the endeavor. It doesn't directly identify habitable exoplanets, says Dr. Hu, but it can inform that search. "This work lays the groundwork for a series of future multi-disciplinary research projects dedicated to understanding the origin of life," he says. Dr. Hu refined the Particle Acceleration and Transport in the Heliosphere (PATH) model originally created in 2001 by Dr. Gary Zank, who since 2008 has been CSPAR director. That earlier model was focused on getting the correct physics mechanisms in place to model particle acceleration and transport, and then Dr. Zank's work was further extended over the years by Dr. Gang Li and other researchers at UAH. "Large solar flares are usually associated with coronal mass ejections (CMEs)," says Dr. Hu. "PATH is a tested model that works rather well for solar energetic particle events, and in this work, we extend it to stellar events with some extremely fast CMEs." The new work, called the improved Particle Acceleration and Transport in the Heliosphere (iPATH) model, uses a physics-based approach to assess the energy spectra of energetic particles being emitted in stellar superflares. Dr. Hu began on the model in 2015 as his doctoral dissertation. Dr. Zank says the research is well-timed. "This work is all about space weather in the vicinity of exoplanets, a very hot topic, and we have the most important models in the world for this, all developed in the context of studying so-called gradual solar energetic particle events in the context of space weather," Dr. Zank says. "So, it's an interesting migration of space physics and space weather work to understanding habitability in the context of exoplanets and their space weather." While developing the new model, Dr. Hu teamed with Dr. Li and Dr. Zank. He collaborated with Dr. Vladimir Airapetian from the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center's Sellers Exoplanet Environments Collaboration (SEEC) and Dr. Meng Jin from the SETI Institute. The iPATH modeling shows that earlier empirical results could be severely underestimating particle flows impacting exoplanets at very high energies, Dr. Hu says, so extreme superflares from other stars may have a much stronger influence on exoplanets than previously thought. "Our model's output energetic particle fluence and flux can provide valuable input for the subsequent atmospheric modeling of exoplanets in future work," Dr. Hu says. The new research serves as proof of concept that the model can work in other star-planet systems beyond the solar system, so the scientists didn't choose specific exoplanets to model for this endeavor. "In future work, we will choose close-in rocky exoplanets around magnetically active G, K and M dwarfs. In other words, we will select exoplanets that resemble early Earth for case studies," Dr. Hu says. "We are now working closely with NASA to bring the operational model into public use, under the support of NASA's Community Coordinated Modeling Center and NASA's Space Radiation Analysis Group." Explore further Superflares are less harmful to exoplanets than previously thought More information: Junxiang Hu et al, Extreme energetic particle events by superflare-asssociated CMEs from solar-like stars, Science Advances (2022). Junxiang Hu et al, Extreme energetic particle events by superflare-asssociated CMEs from solar-like stars,(2022). DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abi9743 Credit: Allen & Unwin Publishers Duane Hamacher's "The First Astronomers" explores the deep and living star knowledge of First Nations people from around the worldand challenges the notion that Indigenous knowledge is not scientific. This magnificent book is the latest in a growing body of work showcasing Indigenous knowledge of the natural world. It follows other popular texts, including Bill Gammage's The Biggest Estate on Earth (2011), Bruce Pascoe's widely debated and important Dark Emu (2014), Australia's First Naturalists (2019) by Penny Olsen and Lynette Russell, and the First Knowledges series edited by Margo Neale. Astrophysicist Hamacher has been guided by Elders and Knowledge Holders Ghillar Michael Anderson, Segar Passi, John Barsa, David Bosun, Ron Day and Alo Tapim. This book developed from a collaboration with Torres Strait Islander scholar Professor Martin Nakata, a leading authority on the intersection of Indigenous and Western ways of knowing. It's stunning in scope, impressive in detail and accessible in style. For readers with no background in astronomy (like me), terms are clearly explained. Importantly, Hamacher reflects on what he is learning throughout, demonstrating his willingness to listen and learn. His example reminded me to reflect on my own assumptions about different ways of knowing. Challenging Western scientific knowledge First Nations people have been observing the skies for millennia. This book recognizes that Indigenous and Western ways of knowing can work together. Indigenous astronomy has often challenged Western scientific knowledge, motivating further scientific inquiry. For example, auroras have long been witnessed by First Nations people, both in high latitudes near the Arctic and low latitudes in Aoteoroa/New Zealand and Australia. First Nations people have reported auroras sounding like "rustling grass, or a person walking through snow." Samithe indigenous people of the northernmost parts of Sweden, Finland and Norwayrefer to auroras as guovssahas, meaning "the light you can hear." The Western scientific community was dismissive of these "auroral sounds." But in 2016 a group of Finnish scientists, guided by Sami and Inuit traditions, confirmed that they exist. The movement of the planets and the twinkling of the stars Another concept that First Nations people understood early was the relative motion of the planets, including retrograde motion, when a planet appears to move backwards in the sky owing to its relative position to Earth. Winifred Buck, an Ininew Elder from Manitoba, Canada, explains that retrograde motion is referred to as mooswa acak or "moose spirit," because a moose is inclined to circle back when startled, in the same way that Mars appears to be circling back during retrograde motion. In the most intriguing chapter, Hamacher describes how the twinkling (scintillation) of starsa source of frustration in Western astrophysicshas been harnessed by First Nations people to understand atmospheric conditions. For example, for the people of Mabuyag in the Torres Strait, stellar twinkling indicates heavy wind, temperature change and approaching rain. The Wardaman of the Northern Territory use this twinkling to predict the approach of the wet season. Interpreting the colonial archive Variable starsstars that change in brightness through timewere not formally defined as a phenomenon by Western astronomers until 1836. Yet, as Hamacher reveals, First Nations people already knew about them. 65,000 yearsthe great history of Australian Aboriginal Astronomy. Credit: Kirsten Banks, TEDxYouth@Sydney. The Irish anthropologist Daisy Bates spent nearly two decades in Kokatha Country at Ooldea Mission in the Great Victoria Desert, where she recorded local oral traditions, including star stories, which were published throughout the 1920s. Bates recorded the story of Nyeeruna (Orion), a man in the stars, who pursued the young Yugarilya sisters. She struggled to explain the stars that brightened and faded in the story, wrongly attributing them to "emissions from nebulae." Unbeknown to Bates, she was recording traditional knowledge of the variable nature of Betelgeuse and Aldebaran. This raises an important point. Where specialist knowledge of First Nations people has been recorded by Western observers like Bates, early ethnographies need to be revisited and reassessed by those with relevant knowledge. This is a point that has been raised before, in books such as Dark Emu. Similarly, traditional knowledge also recognized novas, supernovas and supernova imposters. In 1847, William Stanbridge recorded Boorong observations of what (according to Hamacher) must have been the Great Eruption of Eta Carinae, which was incorporated into pre-existing oral traditions as a female crow. The strength of oral traditions In many examples throughout the book, Hamacher shows how oral traditions have captured and transmitted Indigenous knowledge. First Nations people possessed a complex understanding of positional astronomy, which was used to navigate the land and sea. They understood how cardinal points can be discerned from the stars. In the Torres Strait, the gills of the shark constellation known as Beizam (the Big Dipper in the northern hemisphere) are used to orient north. Long-distance travel routes are also mapped via the stars, with waypoints on land committed to memory. Travelers "sing the land," instilling a memory of the journey. Hamacher reveals that many paths and roads imposed by European colonists overlay existing Songlines and pathways: for example, the Great Western Highway through the Blue Mountains. In his final chapter, "The Falling Stars," Hamacher explores the cultural significance and memories associated with shooting stars and meteorite impacts. For many First Nations people, shooting stars are thought to mark the departure of a soul. The incredible intergenerational memory associated with the formation of what are today known in Arrernte language as Tatyeye Kepmwere (the Henbury Craters, on the boundary of Arrernte and Luritja lands in the Northern Territory) is also detailed. Aboriginal people had long known that the 15 craters were created by meteorite impact. In 1921, prospector James Mitchell asked a local Aboriginal man to accompany him to the site and the man refused, explaining in Luritja language that was where "a fiery devil ran down from the Sun and made his home in the Earth." In 1931, a geologist established the craters as a meteorite impact site. Radiometric dating has since confirmed that the craters are 4,200 years old. Recognizing Indigenous knowledge Hamacher closes his book by acknowledging the expanding cohort of Indigenous people currently working in astronomy. One is Dr. Stacy Mader, a Gidja Man who works for the CSIRO at Parkes Observatory in New South Wales. Another is Kirsten Banks, a Wiradjuri woman, Ph.D. Candidate in astrophysics at UNSW, and TEDx speaker. Karlie Noon and Krystal Di Napoli, Gomeroi women pursuing and holding qualifications in astrophysics, have co-authored Sky Country (2022), a book in the First Knowledges series. As an outcome of a 2016 working group, over a hundred star names from Indigenous languages were assigned to visible stars by the International Astronomical Union (IAU). In 2017, the organization formally approved the Wardaman name, Ginan, to the fifth-brightest star in the Southern Cross (Epsilon Crucis). Hamacher also recognizes the importance of incorporating Indigenous ways of knowing into school curricula, such as Professor Marcia Langton's education modules for secondary schools in the areas of fire, water and astronomy. The First Astronomers contains three key messages. Firstly, many so-called Western scientific "discoveries" have long been known by First Nations people, a point which echoes the message of other popular texts. Secondly, early ethnographies which include First Nations specialist knowledge, need to be interpreted by those with relevant knowledge of the subject material. Finally, the complex, scientific and long-established knowledge of the sky held by First People is retained through the strength of oral traditions. And as Hamacher states, "there is a great deal more we can learn if we simply listen." This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain "We know there has been a lot of drought on the prairies, and people's livelihoods are on the line," said Ariana Forand, a Master's student in the College of Agriculture and Bioresources at the University of Saskatchewan (USask). "It would be amazing to find modifications that would allow plants to resist multiple stresses." Forand recently led a project that explored how calcium and boron play a beneficial role in strengthening plant cell walls, helping reduce the dehydration that comes with freezing and drought and increasing resistance to pathogens. As it turned out, the perfect plant to test the theory on was onions. The team analyzed onion samples and collected data at the Advanced Photon Source (APS) in Illinois, thanks to the facility's partnership with the Canadian Light Source (CLS) at the University of Saskatchewan. "This project really builds on the work of a previous USask master's student, Jun Liu, who did freezing stress work," said Forand, "and we know that in both drought and cold, plants lose water in similar ways." Onions are good plants to use "because you can easily peel away a single layer of cells and see the changes in the cell wall," a plant structure key to protecting against stresses of various kinds. A unique feature of this research, the results of which were published in the journal Plants, was that it looked at multiple stresses at oncedehydration in Welsh onions and cooking onions, and pathogen resistance in Arabidopsis, a small flowering weed native to Africa. After adding calcium mixed with water to the greenhouse-grown onions, Forand used synchrotron X-ray microscopy to confirm not only that the plants had taken up the calcium but that it localized in the cell wall. Further testing with dry conditions showed a reduction in water loss in the treated plants. Similarly, boron is known to bind with pectin in the cell walls of Arabidopsis, strengthening its resistance to introduced disease. "We were looking at ways to structurally reinforce cell walls," said Forand. Confirming that calcium and boron reduce the impact of moisture loss and disease opens the door to looking for a similar effect in other plants. Dr. Karen Tanino, USask professor of plant sciences and Forand's supervisor, said that in any given year, "one stress could be more prevalent than anotheryou just can't really predict what it will be. This research presents a chance to protect plants against stress variations from year to year." Both Forand and Tanino believe expanding on their research presents opportunities to strengthen resistance to moisture loss and disease in both field crops and in the horticulture industry. Tanino, the first USask plant science researcher to make use of synchrotron techniques at the CLS in a project that examined freezing resistance incoincidentallyonions, said that while shoring up plant cell walls against various stresses is not a silver bullet, "it is a first line of defense." Explore further Cell wall research reveals possibility of simple and sustainable method to protect crops More information: Ariana D. Forand et al, With a Little Help from My Cell Wall: Structural Modifications in Pectin May Play a Role to Overcome Both Dehydration Stress and Fungal Pathogens, Plants (2022). Ariana D. Forand et al, With a Little Help from My Cell Wall: Structural Modifications in Pectin May Play a Role to Overcome Both Dehydration Stress and Fungal Pathogens,(2022). DOI: 10.3390/plants11030385 Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain The hunting and trade of wild animals for meat is a threat to global sustainability that should be managed on the same scale as deforestation, say researchers. Academics from 45 institutions across 16 countries have published 16 papers in a special edition of the African Journal of Ecology to draw attention to the impact of wild meat on biodiversity, and to call for effective monitoring and intervention strategies at a local and global scale. Professor of Tropical Ecology at the University of Stirling, Kate Abernethy, who is Editor-in-Chief of the African Journal of Ecology, said: "If people hunt faster than their prey can reproduce, then we are pushing declines in those species and others in the food chain. This impacts the ecosystems that support people's livelihoods. It also increases vulnerability in the tropical forests we need to save, to help us fight climate change. "These papers show how widespread subsistence still is in the tropics and how integral it is to people's rural livelihoods. They also show that subsistence hunting is having a large impact on biodiversity conservation in Africa, reducing populations of key endangered species and changing wildlife community structures." Monitoring and intervention Dr. Lauren Coad, a senior researcher with the Center for International Forestry Research and World Agroforestry (CIFOR-ICRAF), who helped co-ordinate the special issue, added: "While much attention is paid to deforestation and fisheries management in global biodiversity strategies, wild meat hunting and trade is largely flying under the radar. Not only do we need to effectively monitor it, but we also need holistic approach to tackling it." The papers explore illegal wildmeat in the urban restaurant trade in the Republic of Congo and the Democratic Republic of the Congo; the online trade of mammals and reptiles in Algeria; the decline of large mammals in Benin; the historical importance of pangolins in Mali; and the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on pangolin trade in Cameroon. Zoonotic diseases have been associated with the wildlife trade, indeed pangolins were initially linked to the COVID-19 outbreak, though that has largely been disproven. The paper found that the bushmeat and pangolin trade continued in a major market in Cameroon during the pandemic despite national bans. Other papers examine conflicting laws in the Republic of Congo, how national park regulation affects hunting in Togo, and the impact of infrastructure changes on hunting and trade in the Republic of the Congo. Several others explore in depth how effective different interventions have been, such as local people monitoring hunting in Gabon, and a voucher system to monitor transport of animals in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The papers are published in the special issue"Contemporary wild meat hunting, consumption and trade in Africa"of the African Journal of Ecology. Explore further Using conservation criminology to understand restaurants' role in urban wild meat trade DALLAS A group dedicated to finishing the work of World War IIs Monuments Men is betting on a deck of playing cards and reward money to help find missing works of art taken by the Nazis. Inspired by the U.S. militarys history of creating playing cards related to missions, the Dallas-based Monuments Men Foundation for the Preservation of Art recently announced the creation of the deck focusing on works including paintings, sculptures and reliquaries they believe still exist. What is needed is to raise awareness about what is missing, said Anna Bottinelli, the foundations president. Because you might know of a friend who has a beautiful painting on the wall and you dont even question that that painting belongs to someone else. The group, which is offering rewards of up to $25,000 for information leading to the recovery of each cultural object featured in the deck, will highlight a few of the cards each week on social media. Bottinelli said the foundation worked with museums, law enforcement and owners of lost art as they narrowed down which works to feature, which include those by Vincent van Gogh, Caravaggio and Claude Monet. One, a pastel by Edgar Degas titled Portrait of Mlle. Gabrielle Diot that was taken by the Nazis from a home in France in 1940, is known to have been sold in the mid-1970s to an unknown Swiss collector. Many of these have resurfaced in the recent past even as late as 2008 in auctions, Bottinelli said. The deck, being sold through the foundation and the National WWII Museum in New Orleans, is a nod to a U.S. military tradition that includes a deck featuring the most-wanted fugitives from the Iraq War and one from WWII designed to help soldiers identify aircraft, Bottinelli said. FBI Special Agent Christopher McKeogh, a New York-based member of the agencys Art Crime Team, said he thinks theres a misconception that because its been nearly 80 years since the end of the war, that most of the missing art has been found. Theres still a lot of artwork to still be on the lookout for, McKeogh said, noting that the Nazi looting was on a scale that is really hard to comprehend. McKeogh said that in some cases, people havent realized an artworks past until taking it to a gallery or an auction house. In those cases, well take steps to seize it and hopefully repatriate the artwork, McKeogh said, adding that once such a history is uncovered, owners are usually very willing to have it returned. We can never undo the atrocities of the war, but any little thing that we can do to reunite one of these works with the heirs, its an important thing, McKeogh said. Robert Edsel, founder and chairman of the Monuments Men foundation, said that for those who do realize they own looted art, this is a chance for people to do the right thing, to come forward, to address the problem. Edsel started the foundation in 2007 to honor the Monuments Men, the group of men and women from Allied countries, many with art expertise, who served during WWII to protect cultural treasures as battles waged, and after the war helped return artwork plundered by the Nazis to the rightful owners. He has written several books on the Monuments Men, including one that the movie The Monuments Men starring and directed by George Clooney was based on. The foundation gets frequent calls from people wondering about objects from the war, and has over the years helped return more than 30, including a 16th century tapestry taken by a U.S. officer from Adolf Hitlers Eagles Nest retreat near the end of the war. The officers family gave the tapestry to a German museum in 2016. In addition to the 52 works of art in the deck, two cards the jokers each feature a set of Nazi photo albums of artwork which have missing volumes. Theres reason to hope someone might come across one: The foundation has already found five that had been brought home by U.S. soldiers after the war as souvenirs. It has always been a joy for us to see how much gratitude there was on both parties: The party that was returning something and the party that was receiving, Bottinelli said. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Feature: Chinese-built port, highway in Cameroon boost economy, regional trade Xinhua) 08:05, March 29, 2022 Photo taken on March 15, 2022 shows a boat docking at Kribi Deep Seaport, Kribi, Cameroon. (Photo by Kepseu/Xinhua) YAOUNDE, March 28 (Xinhua) -- When the Chinese arrived in Cameroon in 2011 to begin building the first phase of Kribi Deep Seaport, the Central African nation was hopeful of having a new transport corridor that would link its vast southwestern coastal area and neighboring nations. The main existing port in the commercial hub of Douala, some 150 km to the north of Kribi was virtually worn out by congestion. To increase transport capacity, the China Harbour Engineering Company Ltd (CHEC) set out to construct the Kribi port, and in three years works were completed. The new port has stimulated the country's economy and provided relief for the harbor at Douala port, the country's most populous city, while also providing dock space for larger ships, said Alain Patrick Mpila Ayissi, Manager of Land development and Environment department of Port Authority of Kribi. "Since the construction works ended in 2014 and the start of port operations in 2018, there has been notable increase in economic growth. The first indicator is the hikes in the custom revenues as a result of the port. We left from 750 million XAF (about 1.26 million USD) to practically 150 billion XAF per annum," said Ayissi. As a cheap logistics mode, the port is a fundamental foundation of Cameroon's industrialization process, said Xu Huajiang, general manager of China Harbour Central Africa Division of CHEC who oversaw the construction of the first phase of the port. "So far, after Kribi (port) was founded, it has attracted a lot of external investment. For example, there is already a cocoa factory invested by Cote d'Ivoire. There are two cement plants under construction. Many logistics enterprises have settled in to build their own yards and warehouses. There are also some Chinese enterprises coming to discuss investment with them in this area," Xu said. Kribi port is located on the Atlantic coast some 285 km from the capital Yaounde. It is strategically positioned in the center of the Gulf of Guinea and is surrounded by the 262 square km Kribi Industrial Area, destined to host new industrial and logistical developments. With Cameroon being a growing market, Kribi is expected to become a regional hub for the African Atlantic coast. Ship-owners will no longer run the risk of offloading part of their cargo elsewhere before docking in Cameroon, said Ayissi. "With the coming of the Kribi port, Cameroon has once again placed herself as the port entry to the sub-region. This (the port) has added more value to certain industrial projects in Chad, Central African Republic and Congo," he added. As part of the project, CHEC also constructed the Kribi-Lolabe highway that will cater to the requirements of the port transportation and logistics and make a contribution to local prosperity. The highway which includes the construction of 20 bridges, the total length of which is 2 km will serve as an important traffic artery in the Kribi region. Currently, CHEC is busy constructing the Kribi Deep Sea Port Phase II. After the completion of the project, it is expected to become a large container transit port and comprehensive hub port in Central and West Africa. Xu revealed that during the process of port and highway construction, over 1,000 jobs had been provided. Cameroonian workers employed by CHEC, including Eric Defo Fotso, Larissa Ekale Koule and Fran Mbofris told Xinhua that building their country's largest port is an opportunity to update their own skills and contribute to the country's industrialization. "We have project coordinators with a lot of experience be it in administrative affairs, project management and I got to live the Chinese culture. We get to see different things from what we heard since childhood. Just working with them is like you travelled to China to learn about this (skills)," said Fotso, 32, who coordinates projects at the site. "Every nation, like Cameroon aspires to emerge. So it's an honor for us to have China and her expertise and who willingly accepted to share it with us," added 26-year-old Koule whose main assignment is to ensure that all onsite workers are in good health and that there are no job-related illnesses. "They (CHEC) have given us a great opportunity. Our livelihoods have improved significantly," said Mbofris who spent seven years in China teaching the English language and now works as an interpreter with CHEC. Ayissi said the Kribi port project is a glaring example of Cameroon's participation in the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative, adding that the country is committed to unlocking the potential of interlinked production networks and value chains. Photo taken on March 15, 2022 shows cranes unloading containers at Kribi Deep Seaport, Kribi, Cameroon. (Photo by Kepseu/Xinhua) Photo taken on March 15, 2022 shows the construction site of the breakwater at Kribi Deep Seaport, Kribi, Cameroon. (Photo by Kepseu/Xinhua) Alain Patrick Mpila Ayissi, manager of Land development and Environment department of Port Authority of Kribi, talks during an interview with Xinhua in Kribi, Cameroon, March 14, 2022. (Photo by Kepseu/Xinhua) Photo taken on March 15, 2022 shows a boat docking at Kribi Deep Seaport, Kribi, Cameroon. (Photo by Kepseu/Xinhua) Photo taken on March 15, 2022 shows the construction site of the breakwater at Kribi Deep Seaport, Kribi, Cameroon. (Photo by Kepseu/Xinhua) Photo taken on March 15, 2022 shows a view of the highway built by the China Harbour Engineering Company Ltd (CHEC) for the transport of goods from Kribi Deep Seaport in Kribi, Cameroon. (Photo by Kepseu/Xinhua) Photo taken on March 15, 2022 shows the construction site of the breakwater at Kribi Deep Seaport, Kribi, Cameroon. (Photo by Kepseu/Xinhua) Photo taken on March 15, 2022 shows Eric Defo Fotso, engineer of the China Harbour Engineering Company Ltd (CHEC), working in his office in Kribi, Cameroon. (Photo by Kepseu/Xinhua) Photo taken on March 15, 2022 shows trucks transporting containers at Kribi Deep Seaport, Kribi, Cameroon. (Photo by Kepseu/Xinhua) Photo taken on March 15, 2022 shows cargo containers stored at Kribi Deep Seaport, Kribi, Cameroon. (Photo by Kepseu/Xinhua) (Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun) Flash UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday launched an initiative for a humanitarian cease-fire in Ukraine. "Today I am announcing that in the exercise of my good offices, I have asked Martin Griffiths, the coordinator of our humanitarian work worldwide, immediately to explore with the parties involved the possible agreements and arrangements for a humanitarian cease-fire in Ukraine," he told reporters. The one-month-old conflict between Ukraine and Russia has led to the senseless loss of thousands of lives, the displacement of 10 million people, the systematic destruction of essential infrastructure, and skyrocketing food and energy prices worldwide. This must stop, said Guterres. He stressed that there must be a political solution. "The solution to this humanitarian tragedy is not humanitarian. It is political. I am, therefore, appealing for an immediate humanitarian cease-fire to allow for progress in serious political negotiations, aimed at reaching a peace agreement based on the principles of the United Nations Charter," he said. A cessation of hostilities will allow essential humanitarian aid to be delivered and enable civilians to move around safely. It will save lives, prevent suffering, and protect civilians, he said. "I hope a cease-fire will also help to address the global consequences of this war, which risk compounding the deep hunger crisis in many developing countries that already lack fiscal space to invest in their recovery from the pandemic, and now face soaring food and energy costs." Guterres made a strong appeal to the parties to the conflict and the international community as a whole to work with the United Nations for peace in Ukraine. UN humanitarian agencies and partners have reached nearly 900,000 people, mainly in eastern Ukraine, with food, shelter, blankets, medicine, bottled water, and hygiene supplies in the past month, he said. ALBANY Fort Edward Police Chief Justin Derway and Sgt. Dean Watkins both pleaded not guilty to felony counts of offering a false instrument for filing in Albany City Criminal Court on Monday. Both officers, who are currently on leave from the department, appeared before Judge John Reilly to be arraigned on the 11 felony counts each is charged with. Watkins attorney waived the right for a formal reading of the charges Monday morning, after agreeing the counts were understood by the state Attorney Generals Office and Watkins representation. Outside the courthouse, Watkins attorney Thomas Capezza offered a statement to the news media. The only thing I will say is this: He has spent a very long time in public service dedicated to public safety. He deserves more than a rush to judgment. Give him the benefit of the doubt, Capezza told reporters on Monday. Derway and Watkins were released on their own recognizance, but were required to report to the state police offices inside the Empire State Plaza to complete the booking process following the court proceeding. A virtual conference scheduled for defendants attorneys was set for April 18. The charges stem from a complaint filed by the Attorney Generals Office that claims Derway and Watkins falsified police training records in October 2019. The felony complaint was brought to Albany City Court by Attorney Generals Office Detective Supervisor Samuel Scotellaro III, claiming both officers signed final evaluation field training documents that were submitted to the New York State Department of Criminal Justice Services. The DCJS is a state agency tasked with setting the standards for police training across New York state and is responsible for certifying police officers and police training officers. The documents state that Watkins and Derway signed evaluations verifying police trainees completed the requisite requirements for the police training program, when defendants did not directly observe completion of various training performance areas. New police recruits are required to complete field training hours as a continuation of the job screening process and are required to complete police duties under the supervision of an appointed field training officer for a minimum of 160 hours. The training officer and the recruit are required to fill out and sign daily observation reports to account for the training hours and submit the documents along with the final evaluations to the DCJS to grant the recruit certification. The Attorney Generals Office complaint claims 15 police recruits were approved for a Basic Course for Police Officers directed by Watkins, which is required within one year of appointment to law enforcement, to be completed between Oct. 20, 2018, and Oct. 20, 2019. Eleven of the recruits were employed by the Fort Edward Police Department. At the time of the course, Derway and Watkins were the only certified field training officers in the department. Watkins signed off on the training of seven officers and Derway signed off on four, according to the complaint. The Attorney Generals Office stated that discrepancies were discovered after the DCJS requested the daily observation reports associated with the 11 trainees. Specifically, they observed that Watkins and Derway worked an astronomical number of hours as an FTO (field training officer). Watkins was listed as working for 71 out of 78 calendar days for a total of 892.5 hours; he reportedly worked several shifts exceeding 24 consecutive hours and often had three or more recruits assigned to him simultaneously, the complaint reads. As for Derway, the complaint also states he was assigned multiple recruits during the same shift and worked 51 out of 67 calendar days as an FTO for a total of 510 hours. These numbers prompted the state Division of Criminal Justice Services to request the attendance records of Watkins and Derway. It was then discovered that Watkins signed off on 668.5 hours of field supervisor he did not work and Derway signed off on 228 hours he did not actually work, according to the complaint. Jana DeCamilla is a staff writer who covers Moreau, Queensbury, and Lake George. She can be reached at 518-742-3272 or jdecamilla@poststar.com. Sign up for our Crime & Courts newsletter Get the latest in local public safety news with this weekly email. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. GLENS FALLS Glens Falls police conducted a citywide manhunt in Glens Falls on Monday in search of the man who robbed the Glens Falls National Bank on Broad Street that morning. The man entered the bank about 10:25 a.m., clad in a camouflage bandana, a gray hoodie and dark sunglasses, and he slipped a bank teller a note demanding an undisclosed amount of money, police said. The suspect received the money, exited the building and fled by foot on Mission Street heading north, police said in a news release on Monday. Cameras inside the bank revealed the suspect to be a white man, between 5 feet and 5 feet, 4 inches tall, wearing a tan-colored jacket and green pants with a white logo imprinted on the left leg. Police said the suspect did not have a weapon and there were no injuries. All schools in the Glens Falls City School District went into lockout mode as an extra safety precaution Monday morning while the robber was at large. Our school resource officer is in constant communication with the police department, Sky Heritage, the district spokesperson, said Monday afternoon. This frequent communication allowed for schools to respond immediately. As of 10:40 a.m., the schools were closed off to the outside world while classes continued as usual. Dismissal for all the schools happened at the usual time with extra security and school resource officers who escorted students from the buildings. School officials said their lockout procedures are followed in response to an actual or potential threat from outside the building. Glens Falls National Bank closed its Broad Street branch for the rest of the day after the incident occurred. The bank issued a statement on Monday saying: We are thankful that our staff are safe and that our security protocols helped to ensure the safety of all involved. In the beginning of the search, Mission Street was closed off for a short period of time. Helicopters were deployed by the New York State Aviation Unit. Along with the aviation unit, New York State Police, Warren County Sheriffs Office and the Washington County Sheriffs Office K-9 Unit assisted the Glens Falls Police Department in the investigation. This is the third robbery to happen this month in the area. Two local men were arrested Saturday in connection with a bank robbery in Fulton County. Gary Morehouse, 33, of Queensbury, and Jared Ellis, 31, of South Glens Falls, were charged with felonies in connection with the robbery of the NBT Bank in Northville. They fled the scene in a vehicle, and after a short pursuit that ended in the town of Providence, were caught. On March 13, an armed robbery took place at the McDonalds in South Glens Falls. The suspect left the scene with an undisclosed amount of money in a bag. The suspect was completely covered and therefore was not able to be identified. However, authorities believe he is 5 feet, 6 inches tall. Drew Wardle is a reporter for The Post-Star. You can contact him at 518-681-7343 or email him at dwardle@poststar.com. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 3 Sad 2 Angry 8 Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. GLENS FALLS The Glens Falls Police Department is looking for the man who robbed a local bank on Monday morning. Police are searching for the man who robbed Glens Falls National Bank on Broad Street in Glens Falls about 10:30 a.m. Police say the suspect is a white man, between 5 feet and 5 feet, 4 inches tall, who was wearing a tan jacket, gray sweatshirt with a hood, and green pants with a white logo on the left leg. Video footage from the bank shows that he was also wearing sunglasses and a camouflage bandana. According to police, the man entered the bank around 10:25 a.m. and handed a note to a bank teller demanding money. After he took an undisclosed amount of money, he left the bank by foot and headed northbound on Mission Street, police said. There were no injuries and the suspect did not have a weapon, police said. The search started immediately after the incident, forcing some roads in the vicinity to close for a time. Helicopters were deployed and were seen over Glens Falls. Glens Falls Police Department received assistance from New York State Police, New York State Police Aviation Unit, Warren County Sheriffs Office and the Washington County Sheriffs Office K-9 Unit. As of 10:40 a.m. Monday, all the schools in the Glens Falls City School District went into lockout while police searched for the suspect. Skye Heritage, a spokesperson for the district, said that dismissal time would not change, but students would be supervised by extra security. In a message posted on the Glens Falls City School District website, officials said: "All schools students and staff members are safe, accounted for, and continuing their day inside the building with all doors and windows secure. The lockouts will be lifted when we are notified by police that their activity has ended." School officials said their lockout procedures are followed in response to "an actual or potential threat from outside the building." The lockout forces all students and staff to remain inside the building, while all exterior doors are locked, and classes continue as usual inside the school. School officials said they will update families and the community when the situation is resolved. Check back with poststar.com for more on this story. Drew Wardle is a reporter for The Post-Star. You can contact him at 518-681-7343 or email him at dwardle@poststar.com. Love 1 Funny 4 Wow 3 Sad 0 Angry 3 Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Though Im often in search of unique and outside-the-box sandwiches, I also like to include a wide variety of classics in this column to make sure all bases are covered. Cheesesteaks, Italian subs and things of that nature have all been covered in On a Roll and will continue to be. A few weeks back I featured a BLT that I had high hopes for, but it ended up missing the mark. Someone asked me where I would suggest they go instead for a great BLT, and I was embarrassed to say that I didnt have a go-to spot ready to recommend. That needed to be changed immediately, so I put my thinking cap on for a minute and asked myself what is the key to a really great BLT? Well, really great bacon, obviously. So I headed down to the one place I know on at the Jersey Shore that smokes their own bacon on site Gaiss Market in Villas. Gaiss is a charming, old-school butcher shop, market and deli that stocks a checklist of amazing culinary items in an incredibly small space. Everything from fresh sausages and various smoked meats to bacon on a stick and a full lineup of house-branded seasonings, spices and sauces are there for the taking. Its the kind of place where I always have trouble walking out without at least 10 more items than I originally came in for. I ordered up their BLT and hoped it would clear the good name of this sandwich once and for all. Heres what I thought of it: The Bread: The BLT at Gaiss comes on a long, soft torpedo roll, which flips the script from the get-go, as most spots traditionally serve this sandwich on some form of basic white bread. The roll was sturdy, but on the softer side, and that was a good thing, as an overly crusty or hard roll wouldnt pair well with a BLT. This one was just doughy enough and had some great flavor, too. The Meat: As mentioned, Gaiss Market actually produces their own bacon, alongside many other meats such as pork roll, hot dogs and some of the most furiously delicious sausages you will find anywhere including their bacon and cheddar brats that are hands down the best in South Jersey. Not everything they sell is smoked on site, though, so when ordering your BLT, be sure to ask for the house-made bacon if you want the good stuff. I was so happy to take my first bite into the sandwich and find such wonderfully crisp and tasty bacon. It performed a perfect balancing act between salty and smoky, with neither element being too overpowering. While I could have used one or two more slices of it, I enjoyed what was on there immensely. The Veggies: The L was shredded and crisp, and the T cool and refreshing. Each was a lovely counter to the bacons savory porkiness. And I can only imagine that when Jersey tomatoes are in season, this sandwich could be out-of-control good. Ill be back in July to confirm that. The Cheese: I know cheese is not listed in the abbreviated ingredients B, L or T, but outside of the fact that BLTC is a less catchy name, I have never really understood why my good buddy Mr. Cheese was not allowed in the clubhouse when it came to this sandwich. Im never one to support this kind of culinary blackballing, so I added a bit of white American to my sub, and I didnt regret it one bit. Fight the power. The Condiment: Mayo, of course. They used Hellmans, which is the standard and tasted fine, but for a place that makes so many of their own sauces, mustards, dressings and condiments, a nice homemade mayo that you cant get at every local supermarket would have taken things up a notch. The Bottom Line: The BLT at Gaiss market was excellent and more than exceeded in its job re-instating my faith in this archetypal sandwich. And the store itself is an absolute treasure. But I must say that Gaiss sandwich menu needs a serious overhaul. This place puts out some of the best smoked meats anywhere in the area, yet the menu is fairly basic and doesnt play to their strengths like it should. How is there a case full of fresh brats, kielbasa and Italian sausages 5 feet away, but no sausage sandwich of any kind on the menu?? That should be their flagship sub. Why are the house-made pork roll and bacon not the stars of their own incredible breakfast sandwiches? With a few tweaks, the deli counter and grill at Gaiss could have a line around the block if they wanted to. The Score: 8.8 Gaiss Market is located at 1215 Bayshore Road in Villas. Go to GaissMarket.com. CAPE MAY COURT HOUSE A $3 million gift will mean a new name for the revamped emergency department at Cape Regional Medical Center, and a big head start to a $12 million fundraising campaign by the Cape Regional Foundation. The donation, recently announced by hospital officials, will mean the department will be renamed the Larry L. Luing Emergency Department. Luing was a longtime summer resident in Stone Harbor who died in 2016. The project, which will also include an updated and expanded radiology department, follows the opening of the 19,000-square-foot Claire C. Brodesser Surgery Center last May and will be the latest big investment in Cape May Countys only hospital. The total cost of the upcoming work is estimated at $19.9 million. Work will include adding dedicated radiology equipment to the emergency department. Moving surgery to the new center has freed up space to update and expand the emergency department and the radiology department. The radiology department expansion includes a new interventional radiology suite, CT scan, special procedures suite and fluoroscopy suite, according to hospital officials. The emergency department will increase to 42 beds from 33, said Joanne Carrocino, president and CEO of Cape Regional Health System. Big expansion, new partnerships for Cape Regional CAPE MAY COURT HOUSE With a multimillion-dollar expansion underway for a new out-patient s Were very excited about our new construction, she said. Plans still need the approval of the state Department of Health and the Department of Community Affairs, hospital officials said. We are hopeful we will get all those approvals within 90 days, and we hope to start work this summer, said Tom Piratzky, executive director of the Cape Regional Foundation, which raises funds to support Cape Regional Medical Center. He said the work on the radiology department will take about seven months, and then the work on the emergency department can begin. That work is estimated to take an additional seven months. With the surgery center moved to the new building, the emergency department can continue in its current location until the work is completed. Cape May County only has about 92,000 residents year-round, but on summer weekends, that number can climb to more than a million. The hospital must be ready to deal with the annual influx, Carrocino said, which includes adding staff each summer. The expanded emergency department is needed, she said. We will absolutely fill these bays, Carrocino said. Piratzky added the year-round population has grown and some previous summer residents now stay in Cape communities for more of the year as remote work becomes more practical and accepted. Big expansion, new partnerships for Cape Regional CAPE MAY COURT HOUSE With a multimillion-dollar expansion underway for a new outpatient su The existing emergency department needs more clinical space and dedicated radiology technology and equipment, Carrocino said. That will allow staff to treat a variety of conditions, ranging from life-threatening illnesses and injuries to minor medical problems. This very exciting project will continue to enhance our mission to provide the highest quality health care to the residents and visitors of Cape May County, she said. The plans incorporate lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic, Carrocino said, including a negative-pressure room that can be used in cases of highly transmissible airborne illnesses. Luings sons Kevin, Randy, Timothy and Brian notified Cape Regional of their plans to donate the funds through a family foundation Luing established in 1998. Through the Larry L. Luing Family Foundation, we look to honor our father and recognize his love for Cape May County with this gift to establish the Larry L. Luing Emergency Department at Cape Regional Medical Center, Luings sons said in a statement. The recent COVID19 pandemic has highlighted the need for more space at the medical center. Larry Luing first came to Stone Harbor for the weekend in 1966. The next year, he rented a vacation house with his family, and then in 1971, he bought the Keystone Court Apartments at 94th Street and Second Avenue. His family spent summers in one of the six apartments where they helped clean and maintain units between guests, according to family members. He purchased other houses in the resort, and other apartments and businesses, including The Leeward Condominium, which opened in 1985. Luing was the president of Berkeley College, with campuses in New York and New Jersey. During his time there, he helped transform it into a four-year school. He worked at the school for 46 years, according to information from the family. He was also a Korean War veteran. Family members said he always considered Stone Harbor home. We are proud to associate our fathers name with Cape Regional Medical Center and hope that our gift will inspire others to step forward, reads the statement from the Luing family. Contact Bill Barlow: 609-272-7290 bbarlow@pressofac.com Twitter @jerseynews_bill Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. HAMILTON TOWNSHIP Evidence in the death of township teen Tiffany Valiante tested by a forensic lab was mishandled by the New Jersey Transit Police Department, according to a report released Tuesday by a forensic specialist hired by her family. We have extensive experience over decades performing analysis on evidence with degraded DNA; however, in this instance, we were able to obtain very little DNA for comparison due to the manner in which the evidence was collected and maintained," Dr. Julie A. Heinig, laboratory director of Forensics and DNA Technical Leader with the DNA Diagnostic Center, said in a statement Tuesday. Heinig cited problems with how evidence was packaged by the New Jersey Transit Police Department, saying some of the evidence tested was stored in plastic bags over paper ones. This caused "moisture-inducing bacterial contamination," she said. A judge previously ordered the police department to hand over evidence for testing, some of which included a headband, t-shirt and shoes. In her report, Heinig cited problems with how evidence was packaged by the New Jersey Transit Police Department, saying some of the evidence tested was stored in plastic bags over paper ones. This caused "moisture-inducing bacterial contamination," she said, adding that not handling evidence properly can make it difficult to preserve any DNA. Heinig also said other pieces of evidence were improperly logged, saying they were not labeled with initials of those who handled the them to maintain a chain of custody. She said doing is is industry standard. Tiffany's blood from her blood card could only be identified using paternity testing because it was improperly preserved, she added. The police department declined to comment on the matter Tuesday. Valiante, who was 18 at the time of her death, died in 2015 when she was struck by a New Jersey Transit train a few miles from her home. The state Medical Examiner's Office ruled her death a suicide within 48 hours after her death. Her family, however, continues its assertion that the teen bound for Mercy College, in Dobbs Ferry, New York, showed no signs of being suicidal, believing she was a murder victim. "We know her killer or killers are still free and must be held accountable for Tiffanys death," Valiante's parents, Stephen and Dianne Valiante, said in a statement Tuesday, adding that they'll be appealing to the state Attorney General's Office to continue investigating her suspicious death. The state Attorney General's Office did not immediately respond to a request for comment Tuesday. Since Tiffany's death, the Valiantes have fought for permission to independently test the evidence from the scene, releasing it from the New Jersey Transit Police Department's custody. This report by DDC reinforces our view that there was a gross rush to judgment by investigators, who hastily determined Tiffanys death was a suicide; they never treated the scene like a crime scene and, clearly, mishandled key evidence that we now conclusively learn was useless when finally subjected to DNA testing," Paul D'Amato, the family's attorney, who is handling the case pro bono, said in a statement Tuesday. This is a developing story. Check back for updates. Contact Eric Conklin: 609-272-7261 econklin@pressofac.com Twitter @ACPressConklin Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. GALLOWAY TOWNSHIP Retired Rear Adm. Kevin Sweeney, a former chief of staff to U.S. Defense Secretary James Mattis, will discuss Russias war against Ukraine and the U.S. response in a one-hour presentation April 6. A Conversation with Rear Admiral Kevin Sweeney, is sponsored by the William J. Hughes Center for Public Policy at Stockton University and The Press of Atlantic City. The event will be held over Zoom at 4:30 p.m. April 6. Other panelists include John Froonjian, executive director of the Hughes Center, William Hughes Jr., a principal in the law firm of Porzio, Bromberg & Newman, and Buzz Keough, executive editor of The Press of Atlantic City. Sweeney is a highly respected national security expert with decades of leadership experience both in and out of government. He was the primary adviser to Mattis across the full spectrum of national security issues, from great power competition to counterterrorism missions. He oversaw the Department of Defenses strategic initiatives and daily operations around the world. Sweeney served more than 32 years as a surface warfare officer before retiring from the U.S. Navy in 2014. He also is founder and principal of KSweeney Consulting LLC, a national security consulting firm, and a senior adviser at McKinsey & Company and The Roosevelt Group. Sweeney serves on the Board of Directors for Airbus U.S. Space & Defense and Fincantieri Marinette Marine, among service with other boards and organizations. There will be no live audience. To participate in the event, register at stockton.edu/hughes-center. The discussion also will be streamed via YouTube Live on both the Hughes Center website and The Press of Atlantic City website. The program will be archived by the Hughes Center for future viewing. The public is invited to suggest topics or pose questions for Sweeney. Questions should be sent to wkeough@pressofac.com prior to the live event. Contact Eric Conklin: 609-272-7261 econklin@pressofac.com Twitter @ACPressConklin Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. SEA ISLE CITY Like all wars, the war in Vietnam was brutal, Richard Lomax told a crowd gathered Tuesday afternoon at the war memorial on Landis Avenue for the citys observance of National Vietnam War Veterans Day. Lomax served as a Navy corpsman during the war, one of the combat medics accompanying Marines. Today, he is a trustee of VFW Post 1963 in Sea Isle. He said he graduated from high school in 1966. Our generation, the young generation of Americans, were the last draftees in our country, he said. We were asked by our country to fight the war to save Southeast Asia from Communism. We were young, probably naive, but we grew up fast. Lomax cited a quote from the 18th century Scottish poet Robert Burns, who described war as mans inhumanity to man. He said he could not agree more. Lomax and other speakers said veterans who served in Vietnam faced unbelievable hardships, and many then felt unwelcome at home. Organization seeks to help Lower Township veteran LOWER TOWNSHIP In the kitchen of his ranch house close to the border of West Cape May, Edg In the face of persistent anti-war protest, they felt alienated and unappreciated, said Ruth Brown, treasurer of the VFW Post Auxiliary. We can never, and we will never let that happen again. More than 60 people gathered at the event, which included the unveiling of a brass plaque at the memorial honoring American POWs and members of the military who are missing in action. The event took place in brilliant sunshine but chilly temperatures, made worse by a steady wind. Mayor Leonard Desiderio said people should prepare to go right from March to June this year. Im going to see you on the beach Thursday. Its going to be 76 degrees, Desiderio said. While the forecast is for warmer days after a freezing start to the week, the mayors outlook may be overly optimistic. Desiderio described Vietnam veterans as Americas forgotten heroes, saying that has been the case for far too many years. We all know that the Vietnam War occurred during a turbulent chapter in our nations history. Nonetheless, countless men and women stepped up to serve our country with honor during the Vietnam War, and for many, they are just now receiving the thanks that they deserve, he said. Desiderio said the event Tuesday was especially meaningful because it could not be held for the past two years because of COVID-19. Cape May County Clerk Rita Rothberg, the guest speaker at the event, said National Vietnam War Veterans Day was created when President Barack Obama signed it into law in 2012 and was first celebrated five years ago by President Donald Trump. And it was a long time coming, she said. In my experience, Vietnam vets are humble individuals. She said the veterans took that humility to their communities. Cape May County lost 16 people in the war, she said, including one of her family members who died in 1966. She said she will never forget what that meant to her family. It is time that they are recognized for their service, she said. The Rev. Perry Cherubini, pastor of St. Josephs Roman Catholic Church, offered the invocation and benediction. Celebrated Tuskegee Airman Charles McGee dies at 102 Charles McGee, a Tuskegee Airman who flew 409 fighter combat missions over three wars and la Lomax and Joe Harris, commander of Disabled American Veterans Chapter 44 in Cape May County, presented a wreath at the event. Desiderio requested all veterans gather to sing God Bless America. Several members of City Council were also at the event, along with an honor guard from the VFW post, Sea Isle City firefighters and EMTs and county Sheriff Robert Nolan. Sea Isle police officers stood in a line at the back of the crowd, with several officers shaking the hands of veterans after the formal ceremony ended. The new brass plaque is set over an empty chair on the memorial, it too placed in honor of prisoners of war and those missing in action. It reads You are not forgotten in large letters. Underneath, it states that 81,000 U.S. service members are unaccounted for since World War II. Contact Bill Barlow: 609-272-7290 bbarlow@pressofac.com Twitter @jerseynews_bill Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. LOWER TOWNSHIP For decades, the Sunset Beach Sportsmens Club overlooking the Delaware Bay went all but unnoticed, a tiny building tucked behind a gift shop. Now, the state Division of Fish and Wildlife wants the club gone. A letter sent to club President Ed Clavan from the divisions David Golden states the club has until May 1 to get off the land. Club members held a virtual meeting with state officials last week, Clavan said, the latest of several attempts to work something out. So how did that go? Not good, he said, leaning against a pool table in the small building next to a gravel parking lot, joined by several other club members. The club owns the building, he said, and members thought it owned the land underneath as well. The club has been paying property taxes on the land to Lower Township for years, and put in a fresh water well some time ago, which he said could not have happened if the club did not have title to the property. But when members went through the deeds recorded by the county, they could find no indication that the club had title to the land. The building went up in a different time, the members said, when a handshake was often enough to settle things, at least in that remote spot. Higbee Beach plans called an improvement for people and wildlife LOWER TOWNSHIP New life could be coming to a swath of marsh near Sunset Beach, under a pro A handshake agreement from more than 70 years ago is clearly not enough for the state. A spokesperson for the state Department of Environmental Protection, under which the Division of Fish and Wildlife falls, said the matter was in active litigation and therefore he could not comment. But the letter from Golden cites a 1982 lease agreement with the former owners of a magnesite plant that once stood nearby. In 1999, the state acquired the by-then-long-vacant plant and made it part of the adjacent Higbee Beach Wildlife Management Area. According to Goldens letter, that lease could be terminated with 90 days notice. It also indicated the state is getting pressure on the issue from the U.S. Department of the Interior, which suggests the presence of the club on land bought with a federal grant could jeopardize millions of dollars in future federal funding. Based on the information you provided and our grant records, the Clubs occupancy and use of the grant-acquired property violates the federal statute governing the Coastal Grant Program currently and at the time of the federal grant award, reads a July 2021 letter to Golden from Colleen Sculley, chief of the Division of Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration under the federal Fish and Wildlife Service. Part of the issue appears to be the clubs liquor license, allowing the sale of alcohol to club members but not to members of the public. According to Mayor Frank Sippel, last year the DEP sent a letter to the township asking that the license not be renewed. We had a public hearing last year. No one from the DEP showed up, but a lot of people came out in support of the club, he said. They give a lot back to the community. NJ Coastal Heritage Trail eligible for federal funding for first time since 2011 For the first time since 2011, the New Jersey Coastal Heritage Trail will be under the purvi He suggested the DEP tried to use Township Council as the bad guy to get the club out. Theyve been there forever. They never bothered anybody, Sippel said. Its a shame. Nobody on council was happy about it. At the clubhouse on an overcast spring day, members said the Sunset Beach Sportsmens Club got its start in the 1940s, with fishermen from the Philadelphia area who bought a house and moved it from Cape May Point in the 1950s. With a few additions and modifications over the decades, that same building continues to serve as the clubhouse. Skip Hoffman told the story. He and Joe Seitz have been members for about 57 years. Seitz said his father was one of the original members. The same goes for Mary McMenamin, who said she was the first female member of the club. My father was a founding member, she said. I fought to get in. Now, she said, there are several women in the club. Late season monarchs put on show at Cape May Point CAPE MAY POINT So many monarch butterflies are still migrating through the southern tip of New Jersey, the Monarch Monitoring Project will continue its count into November for the first time in its 26-year history. Clavan pulled down a framed document from behind the bar, the clubs certificate of incorporation from March 6, 1949. He and others said the club is involved with multiple fundraisers and community activities. Members say the club has been good for the community. He said there are 160 members. The letter from Golden says the club does not have permission to be on the property, citing the alcohol license as one of the concerns. The clubs use of the premises is inconsistent with the Division of Fish and Wildlifes mission to preserve, conserve and protect the land as habitat for game, nongame and threatened and endangered species of wildlife and for wildlife related recreational activities, the letter reads. Members said the state offered to buy the building some years ago. They said it was a low offer, and that they would rather demolish the building. The club has an attorney and plans to fight the eviction. Burgess Butch Hamer, the club vice president, said many of the members are veterans, and the club has allowed veterans groups to use the building. Unearthed Sunset Beach railroad tracks reveal area's industrial past LOWER TOWNSHIP The past is never far below the surface in this part of southern New Jersey Wed like to get the DEP off our back, Clavan said. Either work something out or let us buy this property. The state has plans of its own for the area, including for construction of a new education and interpretive center on the site of the former magnesite plant. That would be part of the final phase of an extensive project expected to include expanded public access to the wildlife area and new trails. The Sunset Beach Sportsmens Club is not part of those plans, Clavan said. You know how the state operates. Everythings theirs and they can do whatever they want, he said. Contact Bill Barlow: 609-272-7290 bbarlow@pressofac.com Twitter @jerseynews_bill Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Rock Island-Milan School District officials broke ground Tuesday on the districts new $7.6 million Central Administration Facility. The ceremony was at 11 a.m. at 20th Street and 7th Avenue, near the current administration building and the former Lincoln School. Were just excited and were thankful and we cant wait to get the work started, Superintendent Reginald Lawrence said at the ceremony. So hopefully youll enjoy it as you ride back and forth down the street, seeing this building go from ground to being up. At the ceremony, Lawrence said the new facility wont just support the district and its students but Rock Island as a whole. This is for our community, Lawrence said. The facility will have 15,000 square feet of space for the districts administration offices, another 15,000 for a warehouse, and 5,000 square feet for a kitchen, according to a district news release. The existing administration building is old, Lawrence said, and is inefficient when it comes to utilities. When it needs to store things now, the district uses a floor of the old Lincoln School, Lawrence said. That makes it more difficult to move them to the schools. The new warehouse will serve the whole district, Lawrence said. Lawrence said the kitchen would serve students throughout the district, supporting existing kitchens at different buildings. In the release, the district credited the Rock Island County 1% Sales Tax for helping raise the funds needed for this and other projects as well as funds for planning future building upgrades. Lawrence said the project also was being funded by bonds and was scheduled for completion in December. The project was developed and will be carried out with the help of Legat Architects and Bush Construction, the district said. What will happen to the old administration building and Lincoln School is still being considered, he said, but options include demolition or sale. Rock Island Mayor Mike Thoms attended the groundbreaking. The school district keeps thinking ahead and working on these projects and the citys behind them all the way, Thoms said. Rock Island loves to see new buildings come up, Thoms said. You know the skylines changing a little bit here in Rock Island, Thoms said. He cited plans for a new YWCA building and federal courthouse. And now a new school district administration building, Thoms said. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Want to see more like this? Get our local education coverage delivered directly to your inbox. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Flash China will host the third meeting of the foreign ministers of Afghanistan's neighboring countries in Tunxi, east China's Anhui province, on Wednesday and Thursday, the Chinese Foreign Ministry announced on Monday. Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi will chair the meeting with the foreign ministers of Pakistan, Iran, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan or their representatives, Wang Wenbin, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson, told a regular press briefing in Beijing. The meeting will help build consensus among the neighbors on the issue of Afghanistan, discuss how to promote stability in the country and support its people, said the spokesperson. The spokesperson added that, on the sidelines of the meeting, the Chinese foreign minister will also host a dialogue between the foreign ministers and the acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi of the Afghan interim government, with the foreign ministers of Indonesia and Qatar invited to participate. The dialogue is expected to promote the Afghan side to build an open and inclusive political structure, pursue a moderate and stable domestic and foreign policy, and effectively fight terrorism, said the spokesperson. "At the same time, we also expect the international community to provide greater support to Afghanistan and call on the United States to effectively assume the primary responsibility for economic reconstruction in Afghanistan," he said. Wang Yi paid a visit to Afghanistan on March 24, the first visit by the Chinese foreign minister since the change of government in Afghanistan in August 2021. During talks with Muttaqi, Wang said China has never interfered in Afghanistan's internal affairs or sought self-interest and spheres of influence in Afghanistan. He pledged that China will continue to be a partner and friend of the Afghan people and help Afghanistan achieve true independence and independent development, and take its future into its own hands. Pakistan chaired the first meeting of the foreign ministers of Afghanistan's neighboring countries on September 8, 2021, one day after the Afghan Taliban announced the formation of an interim government in Kabul. The second meeting was held in Tehran, the capital of Iran, on October 27, 2021. A Rock Island church has asked the city to vacate a portion of an adjacent alley so the church can use it to install solar panels. Good Shepherd Presbyterian Church, 2312 18th Ave., said it needed a 44-foot-by-16-foot segment of the alley so it could install two ground-mounted solar arrays. The request means the alley would be turned into a dead end. Council members voted to approve the request contingent on the project going forward. If the church does not install solar panels in the alleyway, the land would be returned to the city. Dave Stockdale, who is on the church committee working on the solar panel project, told council members there were a few things keeping the church from moving forward. "If the alley is vacated for us, then the chances are very, very good that we'll go ahead with the project in that area," Stockdale said. "There is a slight chance that the solar panels would still go in a different area or not be done at all." The comment prompted Alderman Mark Poulos, Ward 6, to ask whether the city's decision to vacate the alley would be reversed should the church place the solar panels elsewhere or abandon the project. City Attorney Dave Morrison recommended that council members amend the agreement to be contingent on the church placing solar panels in the alleyway. "I think you should make it contingent before the vacation because it would be my opinion that if you transfer that property and attempt to take it (back) it could be considered taking without compensation," Morrison said. Council members first tabled the matter during the Feb. 28 meeting until further discussion could be held with MidAmerican Energy. The city's economic development department initially recommended that the request be denied because it would create a dead-end alley that could make travel more challenging in the neighborhood. Furthermore, an easement would be required to access overhead electric lines along the alley. After a discussion between the church and MidAmerican Energy, Rock Island Community and Economic Development Director Miles Brainard said the company stated that closing a portion of the alley would not prohibit them from accessing power lines in the area. "If MidAmerican is fine with it, then staff is fine with it," Brainard said. "If for some reason things didn't work out, if the church wanted to dedicate that same segment back to the city, that would also be something we could work out." Church officials declined to answer a reporter's questions about the proposed solar panel project after the meeting. Love 1 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Get Government & Politics updates in your inbox! Stay up-to-date on the latest in local and national government and political topics with our newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Lawmakers anticipate Nebraska casinos will reduce future gambling revenues Higher than projected gambling revenue will make it possible for the Legislature to bump up the Rebuild Iowa Infrastructure Fund, or RIIF, by $87 million in the coming year. The House Transportation, Infrastructure and Capital Appropriations subcommittee on Monday voted 7-2 to send a $289,687,568 proposed RIIF budget to the full committee. It likely will be considered Tuesday. Some of the additional funding proposed in fiscal 2023 is due to concerns that Iowa gambling revenue may dip or nose dive as Nebraska casinos come online, said Rep. Jacob Bossman, R-Sioux City. Some projects are being accelerated, and others are being paid for sooner than previously scheduled. The Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission has received studies projecting Iowa gaming revenue could fall somewhere between $183 million and $256 million a year. One study said Council Bluffs casinos indicated that as much as 80 percent their revenue is from Nebraska residents. CHANGE OF ADDRESS: Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate announced Monday that the annual National Change of Address process to update and maintain Iowas voter registration records is underway. Notices have been sent to 123,634 registered Iowa voters who have filed a change of address with the U.S. Postal Service. Its part of the annual National Change of Address process to update and maintain Iowas voter registration record. Pate encourages voters who receive the notices to indicate if the new address is incorrect and quickly return the card to the county auditors office. The mailing is being conducted to ensure full compliance with the National Voter Registration Act, which requires periodic contact with voters to ensure the most accurate information is on file. Data indicates 59,718 registered voters moved within their county during the past year and 63,916 moved outside their county, but still within Iowa. For additional information, contact your county auditors office. PARK REMAINS CLOSED: Red Haw State Park remains closed to visitors because of damage from a March 5 tornado. The campground, which is the most heavily damaged area of the park, is anticipated to be closed until Labor Day. Cleanup continues, with progress dependent on the weather. Visitors will not be allowed into the park for safety reasons and are asked to stay away at this time. Volunteer days to help with cleanup will be announced at a later date once major hazards are removed and the ground has dried out. For future updates, visit the DNRs Alerts and Closure page. WILDLIFE SURVEY: The Department of Natural Resources is conducting its annual nighttime spring spotlight surveys across the state, collecting information on Iowas deer and furbearer populations. Conducted from mid-March to mid-April in each county, the survey begins an hour after sunset, preferably on nights with low wind, good visibility and high humidity. The routes cover different habitats from river bottoms, to farm fields, prairies, woodlots, pastures and timber stands. The 50-mile routes two per county are driven below 20 mph with staff shining spotlights out of both sides of the vehicle, recording the number of deer and furbearers seen along with the habitat type, at different points along the way. Staff are careful to avoid shining homes and livestock while on the survey and contact the county sheriff ahead of time in case they receive any calls. This survey produces really valuable information on our deer and furbearer populations, both locally and at the state level, allowing us to see population trends over time, said Jace Elliott, DNR deer research specialist. The survey began in the late 1970s as a way to collect information on the raccoon population, but was expanded to include deer and other furbearers. The survey report will be posted later this summer at https://www.iowadnr.gov/Hunting/Population-Harvest-Trends. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 As the number of COVID-19 cases dwindles, so too has county-wide reporting and state-sponsored testing. The availability of COVID-19 statistics that have been reported by local health departments and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has dried up as the number of cases, hospitalizations and deaths have fallen across the Quad-Cities and most of the entire country. According to the Rock Island County Health Department's most recent report from Friday, virus transmission across the county remains at a moderate level, per the CDC. "Cases and the positivity rate ticked up from last week but overall remain low in Rock Island County," according to the health department. Rock Island Health Department officials reported 42 new COVID-19 positive tests during the seven-day period ending March 18, an increase of 33 from the prior seven-day period that ended March 14. The positivity rate in Rock Island County rose slightly to 2.01% from 1.76% last week. Rock Island Health Department officials cautioned that the metric no longer captures the prevalence of disease in the community as the results of home tests are not reflected in the rate. The number of people hospitalized in the county during the seven-day span ending March 18 dropped to five from seven the prior week. No new-case numbers or current positivity rates were reported by the CDC for Rock Island and Scott counties. At the same time, the Illinois Department of Public Health announced its 10 community-based testing sites will cease operations on March 31. IDPH officials said the decision was made in response to a sharp drop in demand for COVID-19 testing services and the anticipated end of federal funding. According to state officials, the 10 sites currently handle less than 1% of COVID-19 tests being conducted statewide. "The number of daily tests conducted at these sites is on track to be the lowest on record with each site seeing fewer than 50 individuals per day, according to IDPH data," state officials said in a news release announcing the closures. "Given the availability of free at-home COVID-19 tests from the federal government, the statewide network of federally qualified health centers and the extensive number of SHIELD saliva testing sites throughout Illinois, there are ample, convenient opportunities for Illinois residents to obtain access to a test if needed." IDPH added that the department had more than 1.5 million rapid tests on hand, "with a half a million more on the way in the coming weeks." State health officials have also counseled hospitals, schools and local health departments to consider current testing capacity and make all necessary preparations, according to the news release. IDPH officials said staff also had spoken with pharmacies and health care providers about increasing their inventory of the various FDA-approved oral treatments in case of another surge. "Over the last year, the states testing and vaccination infrastructure at pharmacies, health clinics and other locations has increased substantially, thus providing capacity to ramp up capabilities if it becomes necessary," according to a statement from the IDPH. To order free at-home COVID-19 tests from the federal government, go to https://www.covidtests.gov. Additional information and COVID-19 data can be found at https://dph.illinois.gov/covid19.html. To find a COVID-19 vaccination location near you, go to www.vaccines.gov. Concerned about COVID-19? Sign up now to get the most recent coronavirus headlines and other important local and national news sent to your email inbox daily. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. CAMBRIDGE A Galva man on Tuesday entered a partially negotiated plea in Henry County Circuit Court to two Class X felony counts of predatory criminal sexual assault of a child. Adam J. Day, 34, will have a cap of 35 years on each of the two counts with time to be served consecutively. The charges normally carry a possible penalty of six to 60 years in prison. Truth-in-sentencing applies to the charges, meaning he will have to serve 85% of the time. He will also have mandatory supervised release afterward of three years to life, and he will have to register as a sex offender. He also faces fines of up to $25,000 on each count. The two charges stated Day sexually assaulted the minor between March 1, 2020, and March 30, 2021. According to a factual basis for the charges given by Henry County State's Attorney Catherine Runty, Kewanee police were made aware of allegations of sexual assault on behalf of a nearly 10-year-old minor on March 31, 2021. In an interview at Braveheart Child Advocacy Center on April 1, 2021, the child indicated the defendant sexually assaulted her when she was 8 or 9. Charges were filed April 1, 2021. Judge James Cosby accepted Day's guilty plea. Sentencing was set for June 10, and a pre-sentence investigation was ordered. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 A Rock Island church has asked the city to vacate a portion of an adjacent alley so the church can use it to install solar panels. Good Shepherd Presbyterian Church, 2312 18th Ave., said it needed a 44-foot-by-16-foot segment of the alley so it could install two ground-mounted solar arrays. The request means the alley would be turned into a dead end. Council members voted to approve the request contingent on the project going forward. If the church does not install solar panels in the alleyway, the land would be returned to the city. Dave Stockdale, who is on the church committee working on the solar panel project, told council members there were a few things keeping the church from moving forward. "If the alley is vacated for us, then the chances are very, very good that we'll go ahead with the project in that area," Stockdale said. "There is a slight chance that the solar panels would still go in a different area or not be done at all." The comment prompted Alderman Mark Poulos, Ward 6, to ask whether the city's decision to vacate the alley would be reversed should the church place the solar panels elsewhere or abandon the project. City Attorney Dave Morrison recommended that council members amend the agreement to be contingent on the church placing solar panels in the alleyway. "I think you should make it contingent before the vacation because it would be my opinion that if you transfer that property and attempt to take it (back) it could be considered taking without compensation," Morrison said. Council members first tabled the matter during the Feb. 28 meeting until further discussion could be held with MidAmerican Energy. The city's economic development department initially recommended that the request be denied because it would create a dead-end alley that could make travel more challenging in the neighborhood. Furthermore, an easement would be required to access overhead electric lines along the alley. After a discussion between the church and MidAmerican Energy, Rock Island Community and Economic Development Director Miles Brainard said the company stated that closing a portion of the alley would not prohibit them from accessing power lines in the area. "If MidAmerican is fine with it, then staff is fine with it," Brainard said. "If for some reason things didn't work out, if the church wanted to dedicate that same segment back to the city, that would also be something we could work out." Church officials declined to answer a reporter's questions about the proposed solar panel project after the meeting. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 1 Get Government & Politics updates in your inbox! Stay up-to-date on the latest in local and national government and political topics with our newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. The Rock Island County Forest Preserve District has been awarded a $200,000 grant from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources to support enhancements to the existing Mississippi River Trail/Great River Trail within Illiniwek Forest Preserve. Set among the bluffs of northern Rock Island County, the bike path that runs through Illiniwek Forest Preserve will get a new bike lane and bike repair service station. The main road through the campground will be expanded for increased safety and accessibility, and the bathroom will be renovated. The project will be bid out this year with the work expected to be done by the summer of 2023. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 DES MOINES Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller and U.S. Senate hopeful Abby Finkenauer both Democrats will be on the ballot when Iowans cast votes later this year after both survived challenges Tuesday to their candidate filing paperwork. Barely. Miller, the state attorney general seeking re-election in November, and Finkenauer, a challenger in a June 7 primary for an Iowa U.S. Senate seat, both wound up with just enough qualifying signatures on their candidate filing forms after review by the three-member State Objection Panel. Miller, the state attorney general seeking re-election, and Finkenauer, a challenger in a primary for an Iowa U.S. Senate seat, both wound up with just enough qualifying signatures on their candidate filing forms after review by the three-member State Objection Panel. Challenges to Millers and Finkenauers signatures, brought by registered Republican voters in Iowa, dealt mostly with incomplete addresses and incomplete, incorrect or difficult to read dates. Candidates for public office in Iowa must obtain a required number of signatures from the public to get on the ballot. That number varies depending on the office sought. As a candidate for re-election as state attorney general, Miller was required to obtain at least 77 signatures in at least 18 counties. After the panel reviewed his campaigns signatures, Miller squeaked by the minimum requirements: He finished with 18 qualifying counties, one of which had 78 signatures. Admittedly, it was pretty close, Miller said. Had the panel disqualified Miller, the Democratic Party could have, and likely would have, voted to reinstate him to the ballot. If a party does not have a candidate in any race after the early filing period, it can nominate a candidate at the partys convention. The same safety net was not in place for Finkenauer, since two other Democratic candidates have qualified for the ballot in the primary for the U.S. Senate currently held by Chuck Grassley. As a Senate candidate, Finkenauer needed to acquire at least 100 signatures from 19 counties. After the panels review, she finished with 19 qualifying counties, including one with exactly 100 signatures and two more with 101. An objection to Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Mike Frankens paperwork was dropped late Monday. The third candidate in that primary is Glenn Hurst. The State Objection Panel is comprised of the states secretary of state, attorney general and auditor. So for most of Tuesdays deliberations, the panel was comprised of Miller, Republican Secretary of State Paul Pate and Democratic Auditor Rob Sand. For Millers challenge, however, he was replaced on the panel by Republican Lt. Gov. Adam Gregg. With that difference in political makeup, the panel voted two different ways on the same sets of issues. The Democrats, Sand and Miller, voted to forgive signatures that had minor clerical errors, noting the panel historically has erred on the side of ballot access. The Republicans, Pate and Gregg, voted to reject those signatures, arguing they did not meet the letter of the law. While the panel unanimously rejected the challenge to Millers forms, it voted 2-1 to reject Finkenauers, with Pate voting to accept the challenge and take Finkenauer off the ballot. Alan Ostergren, a conservative lawyer who argued on behalf of many of the challenges, said some of the petitioners now may contest some of the panels rulings in court. We had a different standard applied this morning than was applied this afternoon. Thats not right, Ostergren said. The panel also unanimously rejected challenges to candidate filing forms for four Republicans state Sens. Jack Whitver and Ken Rozenboom, state Senate candidate Anthony LaBruna and state Rep. Jeff Shipley, keeping them all on the ballot. The challenges to Whitvers and Rozenbooms forms centered on their residency as they prepare to run in new Iowa Senate districts. State law says a candidate needs to live in the district by 60 days before the general election, which this year is Nov. 8. Whitver, the Senate majority leader, currently lives in Ankeny but plans to move into a new Senate district in rural, northern Polk County to run for re-election. The panel upheld only one challenge, to the nominating forms of Kyle Kuehl, a Republican candidate for U.S. House in Eastern Iowas new 1st District. But Kuehl late Monday notified the Secretary of States office of his intention to withdraw from the race, and not contest the challenges to his filing paperwork. That leaves incumbent U.S. Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks as the only Republican running in that race. Miller-Meeks issued a statement Tuesday saying, "Kyle and I share a deep love for our state; together we can help our party achieve victories up and down the ballot. My team and I also wish him the absolute best and look forward to what comes next for Kyle. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Community members and leaders gathered outside of the Oyate Health Center Monday to heal from recent violence, racism and similar incidents over the past few years. Brandon Ecoffey, director of public relations and communication for the Great Plains Tribal Leaders Health Board, said Tuesday that the incidents with the Grand Gateway Hotel brought violence in the community to a head. He said the organization wanted to provide support for families and allow them a space to heal. "We recognize that racism in the community also bears a weight on the mental health of our stakeholders," Ecoffey said. "We want to make them aware of the services we offer and provide them with the support they need during these times." A March 19 shooting that left one man with serious, life-threatening injuries at the Grand Gateway Hotel resulted in a 19-year-old charged with aggravated assault. One of the owners of the hotel and parent company of the hotel, 76-year-old Connie Uhre, made comments on Facebook stating after the shooting, the hotel would ban Native Americans from the property. Spiritual leaders attended and led Monday's ceremony. Ecoffey said they relied on the Native American community's traditional healing practices to facilitate the healing. He said participation from city and county officials shows there's some agreement that racism is wrong in the city and all have a part to play in pushing it down and combating it. Rapid City Council President Lance Lehmann attended Monday's ceremony, along with Councilors Jason Salamun, Ron Weifenbach, Ritchie Nordstrom and Darla Drew. Mayor Steve Allender shared comments and sentiments at the event. Following Monday's event, Lehmann said the council agrees that there is no room for racism in the community and violent crime is a problem affecting all of Rapid City. "It is no secret our crime is going up, especially in the north Rapid sector," he said. "There were two pointless acts committed over the past week, one being a very violent crime that'll change the lives of many forever; the other being a racist comment that brought divisiveness to our community that is already struggling with so much." Lehmann said there's little city government can actually do regarding racism within the community, "except to call it what it is: abhorrent." "Regarding crime our council has put forth a better budget to hire more officers and do community outreach to address our violent crime as holistically as possible," he said. "It is not an unnoticed problem that we need to continue to address with all players in our community." Ecoffey said the Native American community has continued to bear the weight of racism for generations and the incident at the Grand Gateway puts emphasis on Native allies to lead the fight. Contact Siandhara Bonnet at siandhara.bonnet@rapidcityjournal.com You must be logged in to react. Click any reaction to login. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 1 Angry 0 Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Military officials are preparing to put on an air show at Ellsworth Air Force Base for the first time in seven years. The Rapid City Journal reported Friday that the Ellsworth Air & Space Show is set for May 14 and May 15. The show will celebrate the 80th anniversary of the base north of Rapid City as well as the 80th anniversary of the Doolittle Raid and the 75th birthday of the Air Force. The show will feature a science booth and flyovers by the U.S. Navy's Blue Angels aerial acrobatics team. COVID-19 forced officials to scuttle plans for the 2020 and 2021 shows. Flash Maltese Prime Minister Robert Abela on Monday pledged to continue with the removal of restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic, leaving it up to people to choose how to safeguard their own wellbeing. In an address to the nation, just hours after taking his oath of office following his massive victory at the polls over the weekend, Abela also promised to work to regain the trust of those who opted not to vote in Saturday's general election which saw the lowest voter turnout since the island's independence in the 1960s. Abela's Labour Party won the general election with a comfortable advantage over the Nationalist Party (PN) in opposition, obtaining a generous 55.1 percent of the vote against PN's 41.7 percent. The election was characterised by a record low turnout since independence, at 85.5 percent. This is Abela's first mandate as party leader and prime minister after he took over from Joseph Muscat who resigned in early 2020. In his televised address, Abela said he will continue to seek expert advice but the path the country had embarked on towards the total removal of COVID-19 restrictions will continue as planned because the pandemic had brought about too many hardships on people. Turning to plans he had for the legislature, Abela pledged to continue working towards better economic growth based on sustainability and to continue investing in education, job creation, quality careers and a special emphasis on the environment. News Government-Aimed Office 365 Service Coming This Year Microsoft's new software-as-a-service offering for U.S. federal agencies and their partners, Office 365 Government Secret, will arrive by mid-2022, the company announced on Monday. Microsoft is planning a rollout of the service to the "US Federal Civilian, Department of Defense (DoD), Intelligence Community (IC), and US government partners" working with Secret-classified information. Currently, the service is undergoing accreditation review by the U.S. government, Microsoft indicated. Office 365 Government Secret is being designed to support Impact Level 6 (IL6) work, which means that "Secret" information will get stored and processed. IL6 also signifies that the data can "only be processed in a DoD private/community or Federal government community cloud," according to Microsoft's IL6 overview document. With IL6, dedicated datacenter infrastructure is used for the data storage and processing, which is deemed to be closed and "self-contained" according to Microsoft's IL6 document description. These IL6 workloads are physically separated from non-DoD tenancies. Government entities have options to use the Microsoft ExpressRoute service with it, which offers private Internet connections for high-bandwidth data. The dedicated infrastructure IL6 approach differs from the more common service model that's used by commercial customers, where workloads get run on shared infrastructure, which is known as a "multitenant" environment. In addition to the coming Office 365 Government Secret service, Microsoft already offers Azure Government Secret and Top Secret cloud services. They reached the "general availability" production-use level back in August. At the time, Microsoft had explained that it received "Authorization to Operate" for those Azure services by meeting Intelligence Community Directives 503 and 705. Proposed uses for Azure Government Secret and Top Secret services include human and signals intelligence, with artificial intelligence processing for language detection, text translation, computer vision, metadata and text extraction, optical character reading and key phrase detection, according to Microsoft's August announcement. Mrs. Yoders Kitchen Richmonds family-run, fresh doughnut food truck is shutting down its operations until further notice, according to a statement the company left on Facebook. Current owners Lucas Miller and brother-in-law Samuel Amaya are in the process of acquiring a new operator as the two devote themselves to another cause. Mrs. Yoders Kitchen has been a staple in the community since 2011 as the Mennonite family started to pop up with handmade confections at local farmers markets. The family ran the business for nearly 10 years until Miller and Amaya took the reins between 2016 and 2017 after the family moved to Pennsylvania to take care of an ailing family member. Under their leadership, their desserts claimed the states top doughnut award in 2021 by Food and Wine magazine. The two inherited the food truck after returning from a mission trip in Nicaragua, the owners wrote on Facebook. Now, Miller and Amaya have decided to go on another mission trip. Miller and his family plan to be the administrators for a pastors discipleship center in the outskirts of the capital, Managua, and are leaving in June. Amaya and his family plan to be the administrators of a clinic in the northern part of Nicaragua and are leaving this year. As their plans move forward, they decided it was best to find someone else to take over the Yoder familys namesake business. Their search for a new owner and operator began in October and has been a lengthy process, the companys statement read. As the process continues, Miller and Amaya have decided to halt all operations and are asking their loyal patrons for patience. Updates will be posted in the near future. For the first time on Monday morning, Marguerite Christian Elementary students saw the finished project of a mural that reflects their schools diversity. Located in the main lobby, the mural by Richmond artist Hamilton Glass features school colors, a lion and outstretched hands. We were so excited to share it with our community and our students, said Marguerite Christian principal Rovez Ingram. Our mural represents our collaboration as a staff as well as our diversity as it pertains to our students and staff populations. Marguerite Christian is a majority-minority school in Chesterfield County. According to state education data from the fall of 2020, 47.6% of students were Black, 29.7% were white, 14.3% were Hispanic, 5.9% were of multiple races, 2.2% were Asian and 0.3% were American Indian. Glass, whose work can be seen on buildings across Richmond, designed the mural to reflect the schools diversity, according to the school division. The elementary school is home of the Lions, and Ingram said, a group of lions is considered a pride and theres power in pride. Our pride is made up of our teachers, of our students, of our community [and] of all of our stakeholders. Mondays unveiling represented the end of two years of work, Ingram said. In February, The New York Times featured Glass public art project, Mending Walls RVA, as a reason to visit Richmond during Black History Month. Mending Walls brings artists from different backgrounds and cultures together to create murals around the city. To pay for the Marguerite Christian mural, donations were collected from families, staff members, businesses and community groups. Also on Monday, a refurbished portrait of the schools namesake and longtime educator, Marguerite F. Christian, was unveiled, and a ribbon cutting was held for a new book vending machine. Dominion Energy and two dozen other large companies are pledging to invest $4.7 billion over the next five years to boost minority-owned businesses and organizations in a region that stretches from Richmond to Washington and Baltimore. The 10-figure pledge by members of the Greater Washington Partnership, first reported on Tuesday by the Washington Business Journal, will be formally unveiled on Wednesday by Vice President Kamala Harris at Washingtons Howard University, where she earned an undergraduate degree. Dominion CEO and President Robert Blue, a member of the partnership board of directors, said Tuesday that the Richmond-based energy giant is pledging to boost spending on minority-owned contractors and suppliers from 15% to 20% of contract spending nationwide over the next five years as its part of the initiative. Currently, the company estimates it spends about $1 billion on supplier diversity. We need to make sure we are casting as broad a net as possible, Blue said in an interview. Blue succeeded former Dominion CEO Tom Farrell, a founding member of the partnership who died from cancer last April a day after stepping down as the companys leader, and he shares his predecessors vision for the regional organization. This organization is founded on the principle that if we work together, from Richmond on up to Baltimore, that we can be incredibly successful as a region economically, he said. This demonstrates the commitment to the success of the region at all levels of the economy. That means growth that we all want to be inclusive of everyone, not just the high-flyers, Blue said. The effort to boost minority business ownership over the next five years comes from 25 major players across the region, including JPMorgan Chase, Howard University, Amazon, CapitalOne, and Exelon. The scope of this investment in this region is unparalleled and shows the deep commitment of our business community to create a more fair and inclusive economy, said Peter L. Scher, vice chairman at JPMorgan Chase & Co. and board chair of the Greater Washington Partnership. Getting to know: Brandi Lambert with Bank of America Title: First mortgage and home equity process design consultant at Bank of America The companies have committed: $2.6 billion toward supplier diversity procurement spending, with a priority to spend with Black- and Latinx-owned businesses; $1.5 billion in racial equity efforts to boost wealth-building opportunities in underrepresented communities, such as direct corporate investments in affordable housing and in community organizations that are leading equity initiatives; $619 million in access to capital through direct investment in local community development financial Institutions and minority depository institutions. The partnership said in a release that it projects the supplier diversity component to generate about $3.5 billion in revenue for small and medium-sized businesses over five years and create about 4,000 jobs annually. Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., welcomed the commitments by members of the partnership, but he said it doesnt substitute for a more comprehensive national initiative that he hopes President Joe Biden will undertake. Warner said it also doesnt absolve companies that pledged support for minority-owned businesses in the racial reckoning after the murder of George Floyd by police in Minneapolis 22 months ago but never acted on those commitments. We need to both celebrate the companies for making these commitments and for those that promised but didnt deliver, ask why not, he said in an interview at his Senate office on Tuesday. Warner was the principal author of a $12 billion commitment in a COVID-19 relief package in late 2020 to provide grants and equity for minority-owned businesses through community development financial institutions including 16 in Virginia and minority depository institutions. Its still a huge problem, he said, calling for a much, much larger national initiative to deal with the racial wealth gap and access to capital. This is one of those initiatives where I really want the administration to take a much bigger role, Warner said. U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina M. Raimondo, and Isabella C. Guzman, administrator of the Small Business Administration also are expected to attend Wednesdays event at Howard. Under the racial equity component, the partnership said that since January 2021 the Amazon Housing Equity Fund has committed nearly $800 million in low-rate loans and grants in its headquarters region to create and preserve more than 4,400 affordable homes. By building on whats already working and supporting Black and Latinx-owned businesses in this region through supplier diversity efforts and strategic capital investments, we have a tremendous opportunity to build an economy that is more equitable, resilient, and prosperous for all, said Francesca Ioffreda, the partnerships vice president for Inclusive Growth & Talent Initiatives. WASHINGTON The Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Tuesday voted 21-1 to advance a bill sponsored by Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., that would prohibit any president from removing the United States from NATO without congressional approval. Kaine said Russias invasion of Ukraine has underscored the importance and unity of NATO, making his proposal a very timely bill. In an interview at his Senate office on Tuesday, Kaine said the vote sent a message to Russian President Vladimir Putin and European allies alike. Its really designed to send the message of bipartisan, bicameral congressional support for NATO, he said. In 2018 Kaine first introduced bipartisan legislation to clarify that no president could withdraw the U.S. from NATO without the advice and consent of the Senate or an act of Congress. Kaine originally introduced the legislation with three other senators, including Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., the month before he died. The measure was in response to threats by then-President Donald Trump to withdraw the U.S. from the North Atlantic Treaty signed in 1949. The legislation advanced in committee on a voice vote in 2019, but never advanced to the Senate floor. With the Russian invasion of Ukraine, he said, Now we see the value of NATO. Kaine said the legislation might be first of its kind in seeking to curb presidential authority to withdraw from a specific treaty, despite a history of bipartisan concern about a presidents ability to unilaterally withdraw the U.S. from treaties that the Senate had approved by a two-thirds vote, as required by the U.S. Constitution. The Constitution says nothing about getting out of a treaty, Kaine said. The authority was tested in 1979, when the U.S. Supreme Court rejected a lawsuit members of Congress filed against then-President Jimmy Carter about his decision to withdraw from a treaty for the defense of Taiwan. Trump and other presidents have acted unilaterally to withdraw the U.S. from other treaties over congressional dissent. People griped about it, but there was no action taken, Kaine said. Kaine said the legislation is consistent with his larger position on the War Powers Act and the requirement of congressional approval to declare war. Part of what Ive tried to do is reassert Congress into matters of war, peace and diplomacy. He said he has applied the same principle regardless of party, helping to force then-President Barack Obama a close political ally to submit the Iran nuclear deal to Congress for approval. He blames a lack of congressional backbone more than presidential overreach. Executives all tend to overreach, he said. Thats just like the law of physics. Kaine reintroduced the NATO measure in 2021 with more than a dozen co-sponsors in both parties. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., is the chief co-sponsor. John Bolton Trumps former national security adviser recently told The Washington Post that Trump considered removing the U.S. from NATO in 2018. Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, told CNN Plus this week that if Trump were again elected president in 2024, NATO nations will have to rethink their own national security and whether they can count on the U.S. to lead the alliance. mmartz@timesdispatch.com (804) 649-6964 Staff writer Andrew Cain contributed to this report. A coalition that includes the states largest teachers union, the Virginia chapter of the NAACP and the Legal Aid Justice Center criticized efforts by the Youngkin administration to extricate divisive concepts from schools. During a news conference at the Capitol grounds on Tuesday, the group lambasted a recent report by Youngkin education officials that criticized ongoing efforts to address racial and socioeconomic disparities in education as discriminatory. The report sought to downplay the role of systemic racism in fostering those disparities and defended the decision by state education officials to scrap resources for teachers and administrators on diversity and equity. We will not stand idly by while he and his administration attempt to roll back the recent progress weve made in teaching honest and culturally competent lessons in Virginia public schools for blatant political gain, said James Fedderman, the president of the Virginia Education Association, which represents 40,000 teachers in the state. Fedderman said Youngkins efforts are an attempt to exploit the fear of a small group of parents in order to advance his politically motivated agenda. He also criticized a tip line the administration set up to field tips of divisive concepts, calling it a ridiculous and insulting educator snitch line. If ever there was a time to draw a line in the sand, now is that moment. Youngkin administration scraps education policy materials it deemed 'divisive' Gov. Glenn Youngkins new education department has scrapped dozens of resources for schools Fedderman was joined by leaders with the State Conference of Virginia NAACP; Equality Virginia, an advocacy group representing LGBTQ+ Virginians; the Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy, which represents churches and religious organizations; the Legal Aid Justice Center, a civil rights group; and Virginia Excels, an education reform group. We stand against any efforts to dismantle the progress thats been made toward an inclusive society by those claiming we must only teach a sanitized version of history, said the Rev. Elisha Burke, a board member of the Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy, and a leader within the Baptist General Convention of Virginia. We must not condone any efforts to set us back. Attempts by the administration to end lessons on divisive concepts through the legislature and the budget have so far been unsuccessful. Its unclear if the issue will resurface during a special session of the General Assembly that begins Monday, or through the veto session later in April. Earlier this month, the administration also fielded criticism from the Virginia Association of School Superintendents, which in a letter criticized the administrations efforts and decried being excluded from the process by which the administration decided to scrap the diversity materials. The letter purported to be on behalf of all 133 state school superintendents. The organization later said the groups board crafted the letter and that it wasnt reviewed by all school superintendents, rather, was approved through an internal process by regional leaders drawing criticism from the Youngkin administration and its supporters. Still, no local superintendent publicly spoke out against the letters overall message, according to The Washington Post. Richmond City Council fails to pass initial funding for Wythe Plans for a new George Wythe High School are once again in limbo after the Richmond City Council failed Monday to pass a $7.3 million funding Youngkin spokesperson Macaulay Porter said in a statement: The politically driven VEA teacher union has failed teachers, parents, and students. Their initiatives of the past didnt do enough to raise academic achievement, their enormous political donations to the democrats didnt do enough to improve academic excellence, and now their baseless opinions will have no impact on the future academic success of Virginias next generation. Governor Youngkin is focused on bolstering education opportunities for all Virginians and remains undeterred by partisan stakeholders that continue to fail Virginias students and parents. Youngkin, who campaigned heavily on reforming the way schools teach students about race, directed his new education leaders to audit the states resources for divisive concepts in the first executive order he signed on Jan. 15, the day he was inaugurated. The resulting memo describes affirmative action policies in schools as discriminatory, suggests that historic discrimination in education might not be to blame for disparate outcomes among students of color, and rejects the idea that white people may unwittingly benefit from systemic racism and discrimination. The report made the case that schools have unduly emphasized equitable outcomes over equal opportunity. The memo defended the scrapping of EdEquityVA, a state initiative that promoted equity and diversity through resources for school districts. That included an entire website dedicated to increasing cultural competency among Virginia teachers, and a suggested readings list that includes historian and MacArthur Fellow Ibram X. Kendi. In mid-April, Balow is scheduled to release a final report on divisive concepts, per Youngkins executive order. Youngkin's attempt to ban CRT through the budget fails Gov. Glenn Youngkins efforts to restrict how schools teach students about race appear to be On Tuesday, the VEA announced it would host many of the equity and diversity materials scrapped from the Virginia Department of Education website on its own servers, making them available in perpetuity to teachers, school leaders and the public. The materials can be found at www.veanea.org/edequity . By Vihaan Mathur and Odessa Zhang On the day he was sworn into office, Gov. Glenn Youngkin declared he would pull Virginia out of the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, a multistate effort to cap carbon emissions from power plants. The question is: Does anybody care? Why has Youngkin faced so little resistance, especially from young people like us, who will live to see the worst impacts of the changing climate? The answer has to do with what kids are taught or not taught in school. First, we must recognize Virginia is not spared from the impacts of climate change. In the commonwealth, temperatures are expected to rise 4 to 13 degrees Fahrenheit in the next century. Increasing temperatures raise concerns for sea level rise in coastal areas, such as the Chesapeake Bay. This impacts watersheds and water systems that are essential to Virginias economy and well-being. The bay is one of the most vulnerable regions of the United States and it already has suffered the effects of pollution, rising water temperatures and overfishing. If we have all this data on climate change, why do people still question its validity? The key is education. We must educate kids about climate change so they can protect Virginia against the greatest crisis of our generation. But our state is failing at this important task. According to Making the Grade? a 2020 study conducted by the National Center for Science Education Virginia was one of six states that received an F grade for its public school curricula on climate change. This is not just a matter of sharing high-level statistics with children. Environmental science is a complicated topic that requires a continuing progression of learning, just like any other subject at school. This must start at the elementary school level, where students can learn about environmental stewardship and basic Earth science. Essential topics like environmental racism should be taught later in a students education. As students in Fairfax County, we remember learning about the water cycle and the need to recycle. But it wasnt until freshman year of high school when the words climate change even were mentioned in school. The concepts we learned were vague and we were fed a shallow, incomplete explanation of climate issues. We were not taught about the impact of our actions and how we are facing urgent threats to human health, the economy and our future well-being. Most importantly, we never learned what we can do to make a difference. The good news is we dont need to start from scratch. Virginia can look to schools in New Jersey, California or New York for inspiration and encouragement to up our game on climate education. We can advocate for House Bill 362, which would require climate change instruction in Virginia public schools. We can adopt the Next Generation Science Standards, a nationwide climate change effort sponsored by 26 states. Most importantly, we have to teach our children to care about the issue. By having climate education integrated into schools, we can guarantee our future leaders are held accountable to take action against a changing climate. A brush fire west of Salem spread over about 5 acres in the Havens Wildlife Management Area Tuesday. The afternoon fire, readily visible from nearby Interstate 81 and elsewhere in the Roanoke Valley, occurred near the 2500 block of Wildwood Road. Roanoke County Fire and Rescue were summoned at about 2 p.m. by reports of smoke near the power lines on Fort Lewis Mountains lower slope. The first crews to arrive found a brush fire under the power lines that spread over about 2 acres. By 5 p.m. the fire had reached 5 acres and was about 10% contained, a Roanoke County Fire and Rescue statement said. No one was injured, and no structures were immediately threatened by the blaze. The fire is described as slow moving and has died down since the initial report, the statement said. The Virginia Department of Forestry is on scene with personnel and two bulldozers to help cut containment lines around the fire. Allison Newton, 33, said she could see the fires smoke as she drove through Salem at about 3 p.m. I was driving back home with my family down Main Street, Newton said, and noticed the smoke when we reached the Wildwood Road and Main Street intersection. We live very close to I-81 off of Texas Hollow Road, and as we got closer to home, we could see the smoke coming from the mountain behind our house. Newton said only smoke and no flames could be seen from town. She photographed the scene from her backyard. It looks as if its moving east and maybe slightly south, but its hard to tell exactly, Newton said. The mother of two said she was glad crews were quick to respond, but she and her family were keeping a close eye on it to be safe. Crews were expected to remain on scene through Tuesday night and Wednesday morning. Units will also be conducting back-fire operations, the Roanoke County Fire and Rescue statement said. Back-fire operations consist of setting, controlled fires to burn up fuel ahead of the fire. Along with 23 units and 50 personnel from across Roanoke County, the Roanoke County Fire Marshals Office was on scene Tuesday to investigate the fires cause. Early reports indicated that the power lines were not the source of the flames. The public has been asked to avoid the 2500 block of Wildwood Road to allow crews to continue to control the scene. Recent dry and breezy weather conditions have made conditions favorable for brush fires. About three weeks ago, China's top political leaders met in Beijing and announced the country's new GDP goal for 2022: around 5.5%, the lowest target in decades. That appears perfectly excusable; after all, after two years of grappling with the coronavirus pandemic, Beijing is also dealing with rising debt, turmoil in real estate markets, and bankruptcies of large developers, as well as continuing trade tensions with the United States. But China's economy could be in even more trouble thanks to the Ukraine crisis--and Beijing's coziness to Moscow. According to the Institute of International Finance, investors have been pulling money out of China on a huge scale even as flows to other emerging markets have been holding up. Indeed, a report by the Institute of International Finance (IIF) says global investors have been withdrawing money out of China on an "unprecedented" scale since Russia invaded Ukraine in late February, with the yuan likely to face more pressure in the coming months. This is to be expected, considering that China's trade ties with Russia and Ukraine are valued at $147 billion and $19 billion, respectively. Capital flight Data by China Central Depository & Clearing, a depository for government bonds, reveals that overseas investors' holdings of Chinese onshore bonds fell by 67 billion yuan (US$10.5 billion) in the month of February, with Macquarie Capital projecting that March outflows will be even bigger. The first 21 days of March has seen China record net outflows of 59 billion yuan through the northbound Stock Connect programme with Hong Kong, putting it on a nearly 90 billion yuan monthly run rate and significantly higher than the 70 billion yuan of fund outflows recorded in March 2020. Based on data from the Taiwan Stock Exchange, South China Morning Post (SCMP) estimates that foreign investors have sold NT$450.2 billion (US$15.7 billion) worth of stocks in the four weeks since the start of the war on February 20, almost equal to the total equity sales by foreign investors for the entire 2021. Credit demand has also been weakening, with lending in February falling to 1.23 trillion yuan (US$193.2 billion), down sharply from a record 3.98 trillion yuan in January. So, why is the world fleeing from China? First off, the war has renewed fears in Taiwan of increasing risks of military aggression from the Chinese mainland, which views the East Asian island as a breakaway province to be reunitedby force if necessary. Second, China has lately been deepening ties with Russia, which could jeopardize its own economy if it acts as a buffer against sanctions by the U.S. and the West. China-Russia relations have historically been marked by mutual wariness, including a border conflict in the 1960s that reportedly pushed the two countries to the brink of nuclear war. But the two have been cozying up ever since Western sanctions on Russia over its annexation of Crimea in 2014. And third, a hawkish Fed has been weighing on multiple stock markets across the globe, and Taiwan's has not been an exception. The Ukraine crisis--and China's apparent condoning of Putin's actions--may end up galvanizing the U.S. political establishment and the United States' allies in a way that foreign policy debate ends up impacting China negatively. Hopefully, China will be able to retain its position as the pre-eminent EM economy. After all, Beijing's relatively strong currency allows it to handle near-term volatility that would affect trade. Beijing has allowed the yuan to remain strong (currently around 6.3 to the U.S. dollar), but if necessary, it could pump a lot of cash into the economy and supercharge exports by pushing the yuan lower. Beijing has also shifted its rhetoric over the past few weeks, from embracing Putin and a friendship without limits to advocating for "respecting and safeguarding the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries." Thank you for reading! Please log in, or sign up for a new account and purchase a subscription to continue reading. FLORENCE, S.C. The Nursing program at Florence-Darlington Technical College recently received a $25,000 grant from Duke Energy. The grant that was presented to the FDTC Educational Foundation will help fund scholarships as well as purchase classroom supplies. Duke Energy has been a long-time partner of the college and has contributed to its growth and success. The grant funding will help Tech combat the national nursing shortage as it places more graduates into the workforce. I cannot thank Duke Energy enough for their continued support and this generous donation, said Dr. Jermaine Ford, Tech president. The funding will aid our nursing students as they pursue their dreams in the health care field. Student success is our primary goal, and partners like Duke Energy play a significant role. Tech currently has an associate degree nursing program as well as a practical nursing program. You might not immediately think of Duke Energy when you think of nursing, but its a profession critical to our success, said Mindy Taylor, government and community relations manager for Duke Energy. At nuclear plants like Robinson, its imperative to have full-time nurses to complete the medical exams required by our regulator. Ensuring a quality pipeline of nurses in our community not only powers our community, but helps keep the power on, too. Graduates of the program at Tech are prepared to work in a variety of settings including hospitals, clinics and outpatient centers. Upon completion of the program, students are eligible for an associate degree in applied science and may apply to take the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nursing Practice. The nursing program is worth 68 credits, and it is five semesters long. The practical nursing program graduates at Tech are also prepared to work in a variety of settings, and upon completion of the program, the students are eligible to apply to take the licensure boards for Licensed Practical Nursing Practice. The practical nursing program is three semesters long, and students will attain 48 credits. Next parent up in college admission scandal sentencing also gets four months in federal prison | Main | SCOTUSblog online symposium previews "Bridgegate" political corruption case September 26, 2019 Senators Durbin and Grassley introduce "Prohibiting Punishment of Acquitted Conduct Act of 2019" I am so very pleased to be able to blog about a new effort to prohibit the ugly practice of using "acquitted conduct" in the federal sentencing system. Specifically, as detailed in this press release, "U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) and Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), the lead sponsors of the landmark First Step Act, today introduced the bipartisan Prohibiting Punishment of Acquitted Conduct Act of 2019, which would end the unjust practice of judges increasing sentences based on conduct for which a defendant has been acquitted by a jury." Here is more from the release: Along with Durbin and Grassley, the legislation is also cosponsored by Senators Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Thom Tillis (R-NC), Cory Booker (D-NJ), and Mike Lee (R-UT). Our criminal justice system rests on the Fifth and Sixth Amendment guarantees of due process and the right to a jury trial for the criminally accused. These principles require the government to prove a defendants guilt beyond a reasonable doubt to a jury. Under the Constitution, defendants may be convicted only for conduct proven beyond a reasonable doubt. However, at sentencing, courts may enhance sentences if they find, by a preponderance of the evidence, that a defendant committed other crimes. The difference in those standards of proof means that a sentencing court can effectively nullify a jurys verdict by considering acquitted conduct. One prominent example of this unjust practice is the 2005 case of Antwuan Ball, who, along with his co-defendants, was convicted of distributing a few grams of crack cocaine, but acquitted of conspiring to distribute drugs. Despite this, the sentencing judge held Mr. Ball responsible for the conspiracy, nearly quadrupling his sentence to 19 years. Mr. Ball asked the Supreme Court to consider his case, but the Court denied the petition for the writ of certiorari. Justice Scalia wrote a blistering dissent, joined by Justices Ginsburg and Thomas, noting that not only did no jury convict these defendants of the offense the sentencing judge thought them guilty of, but a jury acquitted them of that offense. Scalia decried the practice, writing that, this has gone on long enough. The Prohibiting Punishment of Acquitted Conduct Act would end this practice by: Amending 18 U.S.C. 3661 to preclude a court of the United States from considering, except for purposes of mitigating a sentence, acquitted conduct at sentencing, and Defining acquitted conduct to include acts for which a person was criminally charged and adjudicated not guilty after trial in a Federal, State, Tribal, or Juvenile court, or acts underlying a criminal charge or juvenile information dismissed upon a motion for acquittal. Long-time readers know I have been a long-time opponent of federal courts' use of acquitted conduct at sentencing (e.g., here is a post from 11 years ago on the issue, which itself links to more than a half-dozen prior posts on the topic). I have also been involved in preparing briefs assailing the use of acquitted conduct in a number of circuit courts, and I was especially proud of this amicus brief that I prepared in support of certiorari in the Antwaun Ball case reference above. So, I am fully supportive of legislative efforts to preclude the use of acquitted conduct at federal sentencing. Thankfully, lots of other folks are also supportive of legislative efforts to preclude the use of acquitted conduct at federal sentencing, as revealed by these new policy group postings: From Americans for Tax Reform, "ATR Joins Coalition Supporting the Prohibition of Punishing Acquitted Conduct" From the Cato Institute, "Addressing the Gross Injustice of Acquitted Conduct Sentencing" From FreedomWorks, "Support the Prohibiting Punishment of Acquitted Conduct Act, S. 2566" From the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, "Nations Criminal Defense Bar Lauds Newly Introduced 'Prohibiting Punishment of Acquitted Conduct Act of 2019'" September 26, 2019 at 11:32 PM | Permalink Comments I am a defense attorney with a court-appointed client who has sought a subsequent 2255 petition to the First Circuit to have the sentencing court's use of his state acquittal of murder and weapons charges in raising his federal base offense level for a federal drug conspiracy to life in prison through the murder cross-reference int he federal sentencing guidelines. The request for leave to file the subsequent 2255 petition was based on new law creating one sovereign for all double jeopardy purposes in Puerto Rico after the Sanchez Valle case in 2016. The appeals court adamantly refused to allow the petition and closed all doors (en banc and certiorari), based on use of acq. cond. Posted by: Frank Inserni | Oct 15, 2019 1:25:34 PM This bill wouldn't address the (far?) more common practice of unconstitutionally compelling a sentence based on uncharged conduct, through circuit case law on substantive reasonableness. Posted by: Poirot | Mar 8, 2021 8:41:09 AM Post a comment Very different looks on criminal justice reform for governors in Oklahoma and New York | Main | Notable Wall Street Journal commentaries decry injustices highlighted by college admission scandal prosecutions November 6, 2019 "Acquitted Conduct Should Not Be Considered At Sentencing" The title of this post is the title of this notable recent Law360 commentary authored by Robert Ehrlich, the former governor of Maryland. I recommend the full piece, and here are excerpts: John Adams famously declared, Representative government and trial by jury are the heart and lungs of liberty." Indeed, given the role the jury trial plays in our modern criminal justice system. The jury trial was designed as an indispensable structural check on government. A safeguard the framers of the Constitution considered so paramount to a free people that it was enshrined in the Sixth Amendment. Trial by jury is essential to preserving liberty because it protects individuals from arbitrary use of government power by allowing the people to act independently of the state. Accordingly, upholding the peoples role in the administration of justice is foundational to upholding the purpose of this procedural guarantee. Against this background, U.S. Sens. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., and Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, recently introduced the Prohibiting Punishment of Acquitted Conduct Act of 2019. The bill seeks to address the insidious practice known as acquitted conduct sentencing, wherein a judge enhances a sentence based on conduct underlying charges for which a defendant has been acquitted by a jury. You read that correctly. Under current law, federal judges are permitted to sentence individuals based on charges for which a jury found them not guilty.... Lower standards of proof at sentencing in conjunction with 18 U.S.C. Section 3661, legal precedent and application of the guidelines means that federal judges may consider a wide array of relevant conduct in determining a defendants sentence, including conduct for which underlying charges have been acquitted by a jury. While the Supreme Court determined acquitted-conduct sentencing did not violate the double jeopardy clause in Watts, the court has never addressed whether the Sixth Amendment right to a trial jury prohibits the practice.... The bottom line: Acquitted-conduct sentencing effectively divests individuals of their Sixth Amendment right to trial-by-jury by divesting citizens of their historical and constitutional role in the administration of criminal justice. While a defendant remains not guilty on paper, the sentencing judges veto of the jurys verdict renders the acquittal meaningless for all practical purposes. Consideration of acquitted conduct at sentencing effectively eliminates the democratic role of the jury in the criminal justice system, inverting the power structure to allow government to limit the people rather than people to limit the government. Acquitted-conduct sentencing is an affront to individual liberty, and judicial or legislative action would be welcome responses to the unconstitutional practice. The Prohibiting Punishment of Acquitted Conduct Act would amend 18 U.S.C. Section 3661 to explicitly preclude federal courts from considering acquitted conduct at sentencing, except as a mitigating factor. Congress should advance this simple reform to restore the Constitutions basic guarantees of due process and the right to trial by jury. A few of many recent and prior related posts on the acquitted conduct: November 6, 2019 at 09:12 AM | Permalink Comments I'm very sympathetic with this, but I wonder if barring consideration of acquitted conduct is far enough. That would just incentivize the prosecution from not charging and instead just arguing conduct at sentencing. It seems to me that acquitted conduct and uncharged conduct are the same as far as omitting the jury. Posted by: Erik M | Nov 6, 2019 9:26:51 AM So long as the verdict remains one of saying the prosecution reached the beyond reasonable doubt threshold and not I really don't see the problem. There is a wide gap between beyond reasonable doubt and preponderance of the evidence. Perhaps we really do need a third possible verdict, one that actually is a finding of innocence. And if we added such a choice then I would have no problem saying conduct related to such a verdict cannot be considered at sentence (at least as an inculpatory factor). Posted by: Soronel Haetir | Nov 8, 2019 11:37:17 AM I mostly agree with Soronel -- if there's an acquittal, the jury could be asked a follow-up question as to whether the acquitted conduct was established by a preponderance. Posted by: Jason | Nov 10, 2019 8:14:40 PM Post a comment In lengthy split opinion (with interesting splits), Supreme Court holds Sixth Amendment applies to states to require unanimous verdict to convict of serious offense | Main | "A Tale of Two Countries: Racially Targeted Arrests in the Era of Marijuana Reform" April 20, 2020 A reminder of why "acquitted conduct" sentencing enhancements should be seen as a constitutional abomination I am only through the first part of the Supreme Court's first opinion in Ramos v. Louisiana, No. 185924 (S. Ct. April 20, 2020) (available here), which finally declares that the Sixth Amendment jury trial right, as incorporated against the states, requires unanimous juries for conviction. I was drawn back to blogging because a passage early in Justice Gorsuch's opinion for the Court reminder me why "acquitted conduct" sentencing enhancements still make me crazy. Here are the passages from the Ramos opinion slip op. at 3-4) to set the table (emphasis in original): The Sixth Amendment promises that [i]n all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the State and district wherein the crime shall have been committed, which district shall have been previously ascertained by law. The Amendment goes on to preserve other rights for criminal defendants but says nothing else about what a trial by an impartial jury entails. Still, the promise of a jury trial surely meant something otherwise, there would have been no reason to write it down. Nor would it have made any sense to spell out the places from which jurors should be drawn if their powers as jurors could be freely abridged by statute. Imagine a constitution that allowed a jury trial to mean nothing but a single person rubberstamping convictions without hearing any evidence but simultaneously insisting that the lone juror come from a specific judicial district previously ascertained by law. And if thats not enough, imagine a constitution that included the same hollow guarantee twice not only in the Sixth Amendment, but also in Article III. No: The text and structure of the Constitution clearly suggest that the term trial by an impartial jury carried with it some meaning about the content and requirements of a jury trial. Here is how the second paragraph could and should be modified if (and I hope when) the Supreme Court finally sees it needs to give the jury trial right real meaning by limiting sentencing enhancements based on acquitted conduct: Still, the promise of a jury trial surely meant something otherwise, there would have been no reason to write it down. Nor would it have made any sense to spell out the places from which jurors should be drawn if their powers as jurors could be freely overridden by judges at sentencing. Imagine a constitution that allowed a jury trial to mean nothing but a single judge rotely enhancing sentences without regarding any acquittals but simultaneously insisting that jurors not be told that acquitted conduct will be used to make guideline calculations previously ascertained by law. And if thats not enough, imagine a constitution that included the same hollow guarantee twice not only in the Sixth Amendment, but also in Article III. No: The text and structure of the Constitution clearly suggest that the term trial by an impartial jury carried with it some meaning about the content and requirements of a judge's sentencing acquittals by a jury trial. See generally Blakely v. Washington, 542 U. S. 296 (2004). I obviously added the citation to Blakely, in part because I continue to by aghast that the Justices have work so hard to avoid confronting the this issue for now 16 years since it handed down the opinion that should have helped bring the ugliness of acquitted conduct enhancement to an end. April 20, 2020 at 12:48 PM | Permalink Comments Doug: For the reasons that you have stated, I agree with your criticisms of using acquitted conduct to enhance Federal criminal sentences. I much prefer the method used in Kentucky's state Courts, where the jury in felony cases makes a sentencing recommendation to the Judge (after being instructed about the possible applicable sentencing mins and maxes, and when the defendant might first be considered for parole), who is then constrained to sentence at or below the Jury's recommendation. I also want to mention a related and deep concern that I developed while working on the cases of fellow inmates during my 8 years in Federal prison law libraries. That is the fact that the Confrontation clause does not apply to sentencing testimony (frequently from co-defendants who took plea deals and did not go to trial). It seems fundamentally unfair to me that defendants do not Constitutionally have the right to confront and cross examine witnesses who provide evidence against them that affects the length of their sentence for the crime they were convicted by the jury. I have long wanted to see Congress pass a statute that effectively would reverse the horrible Supreme Court precedents in this area, so that defense counsel gets to confront and cross examine witnesses who are providing evidence that will affect the duration of the sentence, sometimes at the Sentencing Hearing itself. Posted by: James Gormley | Apr 20, 2020 4:17:10 PM Post a comment "Natural Punishment" | Main | "Taking Restorative Justice Seriously" Back in 2019, I was pleased to be able to blog here about a legialative effort to prohibit judicial reliance on "acquitted conduct" in the federal sentencing system. I am now pleased to now be able to again highlight that Senators Dick Durbin and Chuck Grassley are again the bipartisan sponsors of the latest version of the "Prohibiting Punishment of Acquitted Conduct Act." This March 4 press release from Senator Durbin's office provides these details: U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, the lead sponsors of the landmark First Step Act, [on March 4] introduced the bipartisan, bicameral Prohibiting Punishment of Acquitted Conduct Act of 2021. This legislation would end the unjust practice of judges increasing sentences based on conduct for which a defendant has been acquitted by a jury. U.S. Representatives Steve Cohen (D-TN-09) and Kelly Armstrong (R-ND) plan to introduce House companion legislation next week. Under our Constitution, defendants can only be convicted of a crime if a jury of their peers finds they are guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. However, federal law inexplicably allows judges to override a jury verdict of not guilty by sentencing defendants for acquitted conduct. This practice is inconsistent with the Constitutions guarantees of due process and the right to a jury trial, Durbin said. Our bipartisan, bicameral bill would make it clear that this unjust practice is prohibited under federal law. If any American was acquitted of past charges by a jury of their peers, then some sentencing judge down the line shouldnt be able to find them guilty anyway and add to their punishment. A bedrock principle of our criminal justice system is that defendants are innocent until proven guilty. The use of acquitted conduct in sentencing punishes people for what they havent been convicted of. Thats not acceptable and its not American. Back in 2014, Justices Scalia, Thomas and Ginsburg all agreed, but werent able to hear the case and stop the practice. Our bill will finally prohibit under federal law what many already find patently unconstitutional, Grassley said.... Our criminal justice system rests on the Fifth and Sixth Amendment guarantees of due process and the right to a jury trial for the criminally accused. These principles require the government to prove a defendants guilt beyond a reasonable doubt to a jury. Under the Constitution, defendants may be convicted only for conduct proven beyond a reasonable doubt. However, at sentencing, courts may enhance sentences if they find, by a preponderance of the evidence, that a defendant committed other crimes. The difference in those standards of proof means that a sentencing court can effectively nullify a jurys verdict by considering acquitted conduct.... The Prohibiting Punishment of Acquitted Conduct Act would end this practice by: Amending 18 U.S.C. 3661 to preclude a court of the United States from considering, except for purposes of mitigating a sentence, acquitted conduct at sentencing, and Defining acquitted conduct to include acts for which a person was criminally charged and adjudicated not guilty after trial in a Federal, State, Tribal, or Juvenile court, or acts underlying a criminal charge or juvenile information dismissed upon a motion for acquittal. Along with Durbin and Grassley, the legislation is also cosponsored by Senators Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Mike Lee (R-UT), Cory Booker (D-NJ), and Thom Tillis (R-NC). The Prohibiting Punishment of Acquitted Conduct Act is endorsed by the following organizations: National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, Due Process Institute, ALEC Action, American Civil Liberties Union, Americans for Prosperity, Americans for Tax Reform, Black Public Defenders Association, Digital Liberty, Dream Corps JUSTICE, Drug Policy Alliance, Fair Trials, Faith and Freedom Coalition, FAMM, Federal Public and Community Defenders, FreedomWorks, The Innocence Project, Justice Action Network, The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, National Legal Aid & Defender Association, Prison Fellowship, R Street Institute, Right on Crime, The Sentencing Project, Texas Public Policy Foundation, and Tzedek Association. Bill text is available here. GOP Gov and former DEA chief calls for Congress to "finally and fully end the disparity between crack and cocaine offenses" | Main | A different assessment of "Americas Dangerous Obsession" with innocence on death row June 9, 2021 "Acquitted. Then Sentenced." The title of this post is the terrifically economical title of this new commentary authored by Shana OToole is the founder and president of the Due Process Institute. As regular readers surely realize, the commentary focuses on a remarkable sentencing reality that has long troubled me and it discusses the possibility that a legislative fix may be in the works. Here are excerpts from a piece I recommend (including a footnote that I consider especially important): Imagine being accused of robbery and murder, but ultimately being found not guilty by a jury of your peers. Now imagine that just two years later, you are indicted again for a wholly unrelated and less serious criminal offense. You voluntarily plead guilty, expecting to receive a fair sentence. The prosecutors, the probation office, and your defense lawyer all agree that current law sets an appropriate prison sentence ranging between 2.5 years to 3.5 years. Your case is then assigned to the same judge who presided over your first case. She sentences you to eight years in prison more than double the highest end of the range that anyone else involved in the criminal legal system would have told you to expect. And when she does so, she explains that when she went back over her old notes from your first trial, she determined there is a 51% chance that you should have been found guilty of those crimes, so shes ignoring the jurys earlier verdicts and now basing your sentence for this crime on those past unproven crimes. If you think this describes what happens in a bad movie or under some authoritarian regime, you're wrong. This describes a real case, and the practice is known as acquitted conduct sentencing. Earlier this year, a bipartisan group of senators introduced legislation that will provide much-needed reform. Tomorrow, this bill, the Prohibiting Punishment of Acquitted Conduct Act, will face its first major hurdle: a Senate Judiciary Committee markup. The bill is a first step to addressing the many injustices caused by acquitted conduct sentencing. It will prohibit federal judges from increasing a persons prison sentence for one offense on the basis of another offense for which a jury had found the person not guilty. Perhaps the most apparent problem with acquitted conduct sentencing is that it erodes our systems presumption of innocence and the fundamental principles of fairness and justice. Many lawyers and activists argue that it undermines the Sixth Amendment right to a jury trial a pillar of the American criminal legal system, which requires that juries, not judges, determine the facts essential to a prison sentence. Yet acquitted conduct sentencing remains permissible in every federal court and a majority of state courts. While the actual number of impacted persons has yet to be quantified,[FN1] based on the number of federal appeals we know that the practice is widespread. At my organization, the Due Process Institute, our office mailbag is full of letters from those trapped behind prison walls who are serving sentences well past what their actual convictions should have brought them. [FN1] It is almost impossible to say how many people have been directly impacted by the practice since no entity in our federal legal system currently tracks that data. No judge in any of our 94 distinct federal judicial districts is required to document when he or she relies on acquitted conduct in their sentencing decision. And there is often inadequate documentation of acquitted conduct sentencing placed on the public trial record.... Some members of the Supreme Court have raised concerns.... The view that acquitted conduct sentencing is unconstitutional has also won support from lower court judges across the political spectrum. But the majority of the Supreme Court appears to remain unconvinced. Without Supreme Court action, we must look to Congress for a remedy. Thankfully, the legislative fix for this problem is relatively easy. Congress need only amend the law to explicitly exempt the use of acquitted conduct as a basis for increasing a persons sentence. The congressional history of 18 U.S. Code 3661 the part of the law dealing with the use of information for sentencing indicates that the law was enacted to provide broad discretion to federal judges when considering information during sentencing. But it does not appear that the statute was explicitly enacted to permit the specific practice of acquitted conduct sentencing. The political case for abolishing the use of acquitted conduct at sentencing should appeal to sensibilities on both sides of the political aisle. Thats why the Senate bill and a similar one in the House of Representatives have each received support from Democrats and Republicans. In an era in which such bipartisan agreement is increasingly rare, this is an opportunity for Congress to pass meaningful legislation that will make our justice system more fair and effective. Its time to put an end to acquitted conduct sentencing, and the Senates legislation is a good start. Tomorrow, the Judiciary Committee should vote to move this legislation forward unamended and allow it to come to the Senate floor for a vote. June 9, 2021 at 03:51 PM | Permalink Comments A question: How often is the acquitted conduct for which a greater sentence is applied completely unrelated to offenses where a conviction is actually obtained? While I don't necessarily have problems with what I understand to be the usual case where the acquitted and convicted conduct are tied together I admit to being troubled where the two are wholly unrelated. Posted by: Soronel Haetir | Jun 9, 2021 4:19:57 PM I guess the real question is should you be able to impose a long sentence on Al Capone for tax evasion. If you think that character is relevant (and certainly defense counsels regularly introduce evidence of good character unrelated to the offense behavior as mitigating evidence at sentencing hearings), then uncharged and acquitted conduct is just as significant in assessing character as attending church regularly. While it is hard to look back through a modern lens at the understanding of the framers (particularly as the framers "normal" sentences were much harsher than our current sentences reducing the potential impact of prior bad acts on sentencing), the traditional understanding of sentencing procedure is that everything is fair game for the sentencer. I know that defense attorneys, as part of open plea deals, regularly argue that judges should not consider the dismissed charges. But if you make that a rule, there could be unintended consequences. Prosecutors are regularly willing to drop charges because they believe that the sentence to be imposed on the remaining charges will be sufficient. But part of the analysis that makes the remaining counts sufficient is the ability of the courts to consider the total picture. You get rid of that potential, then you might not get the reduced charges with the result that sentences go higher. Posted by: tmm | Jun 9, 2021 5:20:53 PM "acquitted conduct is just as significant in assessing character as attending church regularly" Depends on why there was an acquittal. If the acquittal is a result of there being serious doubt that the crime occurred, actually going to church or something can be a better way to assess character. "Prosecutors are regularly willing to drop charges because they believe that the sentence to be imposed on the remaining charges will be sufficient." I'm not sure how much is covered by the legislation here, but this seems to be different from the "acquitted conduct" concern. The charges were dropped. There wasn't an acquittal as a result (example given) of a whole process and jury decision. It isn't acquitted conduct from the past. It is basically a plea -- "we will drop this if you plea to that" -- regarding current prosecutions. It isn't "two years later" after acquittal. The "everything usually is factored in" comment is noted. The current rule can benefit a defendant in various instances. But, this seems to talk past a basic concern of the piece. Posted by: Joe | Jun 9, 2021 6:18:28 PM The case the post is referring to is United States v. Asaro, where the defendant was allegedly a capo in the mafia. He was acquitted on RICO charges relating to 40 years of mob activity (including the Lufthansa heist and a murder where his son pleaded guilty to moving the body). He pleaded guilty to having some mob associates torch a guy's car after the guy cut him off in traffic. The sentencing judge viewed the acquitted conduct for the other case as being relevant to the "the history and characteristics of the defendant," 18 U.S.C. s. 3553(a), because he was in a position to order mob associates to torch the guy's car because he was high up in mob. So, while I certainly agree the use of acquitted conduct at sentencing is problematic, I'm not sure it's accurate to say the acquitted and convicted conduct were unrelated in this case. Posted by: Tre | Jun 10, 2021 11:28:50 AM Post a comment (Getty) Its been nearly one year since Prince Philip died, and the royal family are marking the anniversary of the Duke of Edinburghs death with a memorial today, Tuesday 29 March. The Duke died on 9 April last year, aged 99. Due to Covid restrictions at the time, his funeral services were altered which resulted in the Queen sitting by herself at her husband of seven decades funeral. In February this year, Buckingham Palace announced a Service of Thanksgiving will be held at Westminster Abbey to celebrate the life of Prince Philip. Yet, with the Queen previously having Covid and only taking on light duties, which members of the royal family will be in attendance? Will the Queen attend Prince Philips memorial? The Queen is expected to attend Prince Philips memorial service today, although this has not been confirmed. In February, Her Majesty tested positive for Covid and experienced light symptoms, Buckingham Palace said at the time. Since then, the 95-year-old has taken on light, mostly virtual, duties. Due to social distancing rules, the Queen was forced to sit by herself at Prince Philips funeral last year (Getty) Will Prince Andrew attend Prince Philips memorial? Prince Andrew is set to attend his fathers memorial in his first public outing since settling his sexual assault case. In February, the Duke of York reached an out-of-court agreement with Virginia Giuffre who accused him of sexual abuse. The settlement was said to be 12m. Earlier this week, PA reported that the Duke is determined to honour his father despite scrutiny he may face. Will Prince Harry attend Prince Philips memorial? While Prince Harry flew back from the US in 2021 to attend his grandfathers funeral, he wont be returning for the memorial. Earlier this month his spokesperson confirmed that neither Harry, nor the Duchess of Sussex, will return for the memorial. Harry began a legal challenge against the Home Office earlier this year after being told he would not receive the same level of security when returning from the US, despite offering to pay for it himself. A legal representative for Harry has previously said that he would like to bring his children, Archie and Lilibet, to the UK but feared it could be too dangerous. Story continues His spokesperson added that he hopes to visit the Queen soon. Which other royal family members will attend Prince Philips memorial? Most senior members of the royal family are expected to attend the memorial, including Princess Anne, Prince Charles and Prince Edward. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have returned from their controversial trip to the Caribbean on 26 March and are also expected to attend the service. Other royal family members expected to attend will be Philips grandchildren, Princess Beatrice, Princess Eugenie, Zara Tindall, Peter Phillips, Lady Louise Windsor, and James, Viscount Severn. Some European royals are also expected to attend the memorial, including King Felipe and Queen Letizia of Spain, Queen Margrethe of Denmark, Princess Beatrix, King Willem-Alexander, and Queen Maxima of the Netherlands, and King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia of Sweden, among others. Crew-34177 59 10 3 2023 Art Basel M+ 1550 9.6% Pondi Bell & Ross BR 05 Skeleton Green 738 Panerai Submersible S BRABUS Blue Shadow EditionBrabus 11% 3 431 10 10% 1947 SOUTH SIOUX CITY For a third straight year and tenth time overall, metro Sioux City has earned the top spot in Site Selection magazine's annual rankings of small-size cities with the most economic development projects. Siouxland had 19 qualifying projects in 2021, one more than second-place Bowling Green, Kentucky, the magazine's category of metro areas with populations less than 200,000. Site Selection counts business investments of at least $1 million, at least 20,000 of new square feet of space and at least 20 new jobs. "The spike of projects (in metro Sioux City) is really tremendous." Adam Bruns, the publication's managing editor, said at a press conference on March 1 at the Marriott Riverfront. Among the projects the magazine cited was Ag Processing Inc.'s proposed $71.5 million expansion of its soybean crushing plant at its Port Neal plant near Sergeant Bluff. AGP CEO Chris Schaffer and other company executives attended the event, hosted by The Siouxland Initiative, a not-for-profit economic development organization which has historically focused on increasing and enhancing employment opportunities in the tri-state area. Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts also was present to make the announcement. Nebraska is no stranger to national recognition for strong economic development. Its part of what makes our state the best place to live, work, and raise a family. Im proud of northeast Nebraskas significant contributions to the tri-state regions exceptional economic development," Ricketts said. Wells Enterprises CEO Mike Wells, who is serving his second year as the chair of the TSI board, noted that "despite the ongoing challenges presented by COVID, as well as the labor force issues created by historically low unemployment, our Siouxland economy continues to perform at a remarkably high level." "I know that I speak for our entire community when I express my genuine gratitude for the many companies who could locate and expand anywhere in the nation but consistently choose to do so in Siouxland, Wells said. Sioux City metro has ranked first in the nation for development in its population category (under 200,000) in 2007, 2008, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2019 and 2020. "This award is collective recognition of the collaboration and cooperation that our Siouxland tri-state area and The Siouxland Initiative have promoted for nearly three decades," Siouxland Initiative President Chris McGowan said. Jared McNett is an online editor and reporter for the Sioux City Journal. You can reach him at 712-293-4234 and follow him on Twitter @TwoHeadedBoy98. Love 0 Funny 1 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 The business news you need Get the latest local business news delivered FREE to your inbox weekly. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. DES MOINES -- Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller and U.S. Senate hopeful Abby Finkenauer both Democrats will be on the ballot when Iowans cast votes later this year after both survived challenges Tuesday to their candidate filing paperwork. Barely. Miller, the state attorney general seeking re-election in November, and Finkenauer, a challenger in a June 7 primary for an Iowa U.S. Senate seat, both wound up with just enough qualifying signatures on their candidate filing forms after review by the three-member State Objection Panel. Challenges to Millers and Finkenauers signatures, brought by registered Republican voters in Iowa, dealt mostly with incomplete addresses and incomplete, incorrect or difficult to read dates. Candidates for public office in Iowa must obtain a required number of signatures from the public to get on the ballot. That number varies depending on the office sought. As a candidate for re-election as state attorney general, Miller was required to obtain at least 77 signatures in at least 18 counties. After the panel reviewed his campaigns signatures, Miller squeaked by the minimum requirements: He finished with 18 qualifying counties, one of which had 78 signatures. Admittedly, it was pretty close, Miller said. Had the panel disqualified Miller, the Democratic Party could have, and likely would have, voted to reinstate him to the ballot. If a party does not have a candidate in any race after the early filing period, it can nominate a candidate at the partys convention. The same safety net was not in place for Finkenauer, since two other Democratic candidates have qualified for the ballot in the primary for the U.S. Senate currently held by Chuck Grassley. As a Senate candidate, Finkenauer needed to acquire at least 100 signatures from 19 counties. After the panels review, she finished with 19 qualifying counties, including one with exactly 100 signatures and two more with 101. An objection to Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Mike Frankens paperwork was dropped late Monday. The third candidate in that primary is Glenn Hurst. The State Objection Panel is comprised of the states secretary of state, attorney general and auditor. So for most of Tuesdays deliberations, the panel was comprised of Miller, Republican Secretary of State Paul Pate and Democratic Auditor Rob Sand. For Millers challenge, however, he was replaced on the panel by Republican Lt. Gov. Adam Gregg. With that difference in political makeup, the panel voted two different ways on the same sets of issues. The Democrats, Sand and Miller, voted to forgive signatures that had minor clerical errors, noting the panel historically has erred on the side of ballot access. The Republicans, Pate and Gregg, voted to reject those signatures, arguing they did not meet the letter of the law. While the panel unanimously rejected the challenge to Millers forms, it voted 2-1 to reject Finkenauers, with Pate voting to accept the challenge and take Finkenauer off the ballot. Alan Ostergren, a conservative lawyer who argued on behalf of many of the challenges, said some of the petitioners now may contest some of the panels rulings in court. We had a different standard applied this morning than was applied this afternoon. Thats not right, Ostergren said. The panel also unanimously rejected challenges to candidate filing forms for four Republicans state Sens. Jack Whitver and Ken Rozenboom, state Senate candidate Anthony LaBruna and state Rep. Jeff Shipley, keeping them all on the ballot. The challenges to Whitvers and Rozenbooms forms centered on their residency as they prepare to run in new Iowa Senate districts. State law says a candidate needs to live in the district by 60 days before the general election, which this year is Nov. 8. Whitver, the Senate majority leader, currently lives in Ankeny but plans to move into a new Senate district in rural, northern Polk County to run for re-election. The panel upheld only one challenge, to the nominating forms of Kyle Kuehl, a Republican candidate for U.S. House in Eastern Iowas new 1st District. But Kuehl late Monday notified the Secretary of States office of his intention to withdraw from the race, and not contest the challenges to his filing paperwork. That leaves incumbent U.S. Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks as the only Republican running in that race. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Do you have a cold, the flu, or COVID? Here's how to tell The illnesses all share similar symptoms, sometimes making it hard to distinguish which is putting you under the weather. Covid-19 cases are continuing to spread as the United States moves into the time of year where allergies are on the rise. As much of the country opens back up and people gather in close proximity, it can be important to know if you are feeling unwell because of seasonal sniffles or Covid-19 -- which is why experts have urged vaccinations to reduce risk and protect against infection. Read more on how to tell the difference here: Walmart to end cigarette sales in some stores Walmart will no longer sell cigarettes in some of its stores though tobacco sales can be a significant revenue generator. Wall Street Journal was the first to report the development Monday. It noted some stores in California, Florida, Arkansas and New Mexico were on the list, citing anonymous sources and store visits. Walmart is not the first national retail chain to cut off cigarette sales even on a trial basis, but it is the largest. Read why here: What's the 411 on the new 988 hotline? Beginning July 16, 2022, people struggling with mental health crises can call 988, a new number focused on providing lifesaving suicide prevention and crisis services. But 988 is not just a shorter, easier-to-remember replacement for the current suicide hotline. Congress and the Federal Communications Commission also established the 988 Lifeline to address longstanding concerns in mental health care. The Conversation asked Derek Lee, a PhD student at Ohio State University in Counselor Education and Supervision and a therapist, to explain the new service and how it is different from the old hotline. Lees academic and research focus is on suicide, including training, intervention and prevention. Read more about the hotline here: Nostalgia can reduce perception of pain The next time you feel aches or soreness, you might consider skipping the pain reliever and reaching instead for an old photo. Nostalgia -- that sentimental feeling of longing for the past -- can reduce pain perception, according to new research published in the journal JNeurosci. Researchers at the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Liaoning Normal University asked study participants to rate their level of pain from heat stimulation while looking at pictures that were nostalgic -- depicting old cartoons, childhood games or retro candy -- compared with more modern pictures. Read more about the study here: *** Read more about this past week's health news here: Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Naomi Judd died Saturday at age 76. Here are some of the entertainers, leaders, athletes and other notable people we've lost so far this year. SIOUX CITY -- Sioux City police are looking for a man who is suspected of shooting a teenager multiple times Tuesday morning on the city's near north side. Police said in a statement that the suspect is described as a 6-foot-tall black male with dreadlocks who was last seen wearing a gray hooded sweatshirt. He is considered armed and dangerous. "Detectives are investigating a motive at this time, as this appears to be an unprovoked attack," the statement said. The 16-year-old male victim was walking in the 700 block of 18th Street when he was confronted by an unknown male party who started a physical altercation with him. During the altercation, the man produced a handgun and shot the teenager, who then ran from the scene of the shooting, according to the statement. At 9:52 a.m., officers responded to a report of shots fired in the 700 block of 18th Street. They found the victim, who was suffering from multiple gunshot wounds, at the corner of 16th and Jackson streets. He was taken to MercyOne Siouxland Medical Center with life-threatening injuries. Anyone with information on the identity of the suspect is asked to call the Sioux City Police Department or Crime Stoppers at 712-258-8477. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 1 Sign up for our Crime & Courts newsletter Get the latest in local public safety news with this weekly email. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. STORM LAKE, Iowa -- A Storm Lake man is in custody on charges that he had sexual contact with a girl under age 14 at least four times in the past three years. The Storm Lake Police Department launched an investigation after it was notified on March 14 of a possible sexual assault of a minor. After investigating the allegations, police said that Carlos Sican Alvarado, 49, had sexual contact with the girl from January 2019 until this March at four locations in Storm Lake. According to court documents, Sican Alvarado touched the girl underneath her clothing, at one point threatening her if she told anyone about the incidents, which took place in three Storm Lake homes and in a vehicle while Sican Alvarado was driving. Police arrested Sican Alvarado Monday at a Storm Lake residence. He was booked into the Buena Vista County Jail on two counts of lascivious acts with a child, two counts of indecent contact with a child and one count of third-degree harassment. His bond was set at $24,300. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Sign up for our Crime & Courts newsletter Get the latest in local public safety news with this weekly email. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. SIOUX CITY -- The Sioux City Community School District will appoint an interim superintendent to allow time for community and district feedback during the search for a successor for Superintendent Paul Gausman. The school board also has decided to contract with the Omaha firm of GR Recruiting, which specializes in recruiting for educational leadership roles, to help with the search for a new superintendent. Gausman was selected last month as the new superintendent of the Lincoln Public Schools. His last day in Sioux City is June 30. The board on Monday night approved a draft contract for $15,000 to hire GR and unanimously decided to appoint an interim superintendent at a later date. The main reason the board members gave for waiting to hire a new superintendent was to give the community and staff time to provide input on the candidates. "If we're to do our due diligence I think we need to take our time and ensure we do this process correctly," Board Member Bob Michaelson said. Board President Dan Greenwell said the two options were to undergo a superintendent search now and appoint a new superintendent by the beginning of next year, or appoint an interim superintendent and provide more time for the search. At this time an interim has not been chosen. Gausman, who'd been Sioux City's superintendent for 14 years, landed his "dream job" in his home state of Nebraska following the retirement of Lincoln superintendent Steve Joel, who announced in September that he would step down after 37 years. Gausman said he has grown to love Siouxland and the people in the community. I pledge to this community that I intend to finish well here, he said. Weve got a lot of things in the works right now and I intend to keep working forward on those things and to not be distracted as I do that work. This community, these students, deserves no less. Love 1 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 1 Want to see more like this? Get our local education coverage delivered directly to your inbox. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. SOUTH SIOUX, NEB. -- This spring, South Sioux City is giving away 100 trees for residents to plant in city-owned rights-of-way. According to a press release from South Sioux City Parks Director Gene Maffit, residents can enter to receive a tree by sending or emailing their name, address, email and phone number to "SSCgrants@southsiouxcity.org" or to Gene Maffit, Parks Director, 1615 First Ave., South Sioux City, Neb., 68776. Those who do get a tree are responsible for planting and watering it themselves, the release explained. The release notes that the campaign is being supported by the Arbor Day Foundation's Community Tree Recovery program, as well as the Peter Kiewit Foundation, and is meant to provide people with neighborhoods that are shady, scenic and conserve energy. Jared McNett is an online editor and reporter for the Sioux City Journal. You can reach him at 712-293-4234 and follow him on Twitter @TwoHeadedBoy98. Love 2 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Iowa Department of Natural Resources Director Kayla Lyon, cited by her department earlier this month for fishing without a license, said it was an honest mistake to let her license expire before a fishing excursion on the Mississippi River. Lyon was out with Iowa DNR staff doing a combination of touring and paddlefishing March 18 near Bellevue in Jackson County when she was informed she didnt have a valid license, she said in an email Monday. I caught and released two paddlefish; one of which was 22 pounds, she said. I truly enjoyed the experience to snag such a unique, prehistoric species of fish. On March 21, when Lyon was back in Des Moines, she asked the agencys law enforcement chief to cite her for fishing without a license, she said. The ticket costs $135.50, including a fine, court costs and surcharge, according to Iowa Courts Online. It was an honest mistake but the laws apply to me just like anyone else, Lyon said. I have since gone online and renewed my combination license. Bleeding Heartland first reported this story Friday. Lyon, 37, of Ames, leads the state agency that manages fish and wildlife programs, ensures the health of Iowas forests and prairies and provides recreational opportunities in Iowas state parks, the Iowa DNRs website states. The agency also provides permits and compliance checks for animal feeding operations, among other roles. Gov. Kim Reynolds appointed Lyon to the role in 2019. Lyon has said she encourages other hunters or anglers to routinely check their accounts to make sure their licenses dont expire. Anglers can purchase or renew their licenses on the Iowa DNR website at iowadnr.gov. The outdoor combo annual resident hunting/fishing/habitat license costs $55. This also can be done on the Go Iowa Outdoors smartphone app. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 The first time volunteers at the Netherlands American Cemetery and Memorial displayed photos of the U.S. service members buried there, thousands attended. They could finally start putting faces to the names on the white marble crosses that had stood there for more than 70 years. It was for us incredible to see, said Sebastiaan Vonk, who launched the effort in 2015. People would leave the walking paths at the cemetery to actually walk in between the graves to look at the photos. But there was nothing to see next to the marker at Plot M, Row 9, Grave 13. Dorral Bundy Elliott had joined the Army in Lincoln in 1942 and was killed in Germany three years later. The 29-year-old tech corporal was among 102 Nebraskans buried or memorialized at the cemetery near Margraten. And since the photo collection effort started, volunteers on both sides of the ocean had found photos of 101 of them all but Elliotts. They didnt yet know it was hidden in a briefcase in Scotts Bluff County. Nobody did, until Elliotts nephew uncovered it recently beneath dozens of other family photos. But theyd looked for it. Scott Rayl, a Virginia-based volunteer who has found hundreds of photos for Margarten and other U.S. cemeteries overseas, spent hours on the internet, trying to reconstruct Elliotts family tree but largely hitting dead ends. He learned Elliott was born in Des Moines, Iowa, and raised in northeastern Colorado. That Elliott had married Mary Courtney there in 1939 and theyd had a son in 1942 the same year he joined the Army while living in Lincoln. Rayl recently contacted the Journal Star with a list of Elliotts relatives living in the Lincoln area. The newspaper contacted one of the soldiers nieces, who alerted her cousin, the family historian. Bruce Courtney had heard of Dorral Elliott, the first of his Aunt Marys four husbands. But he didnt know much about the man, and he didnt have a photo. This is all ancient history, he said. All this happened way before I was ever born. Still, hes a persistent researcher, and hes writing a book about his family, so he started calling around, reconnecting with relatives hed lost contact with. And that led him to the Nebraska Panhandle, where Elliotts only grandchild lives. I told her there were people looking for a photograph of him. She said, well, she had a briefcase full of stuff her father had given her, but she didnt know what was in there. She doesnt see well, so Courtney made the 200-mile trip from his home in Wray, Colorado, to Mitchell last week. He opened the briefcase and started leafing through the photos. He found a photo of Elliotts father first, a framed portrait likely taken at the turn of the last century. And then, about 30 photos deep, he found a picture of a young, slender man in what appears to be a military uniform, hands on his hips, a smile forming on his face. He turned it over. Dorral B. Elliott, born Oct. 26 - 1915, killed in Germany April 11 - 1945. I almost started shaking, Courtney said. I just couldnt believe I had finally found it. He was also grateful someone had the foresight to write on the back, to identify Elliott. Because otherwise, he wouldnt have known. Courtney sent a scan of Elliotts photo to Rayl, the Virginia volunteer helping the Faces of Margraten project document the cemeterys 10,023 U.S. service members the 8,301 buried beneath the crosses, the 1,722 names inscribed on the Walls of the Missing. As of earlier this month, they were missing only about 1,540 photos. But time isnt on their side. Memories are fading. So Rayl was grateful for the help finding Elliotts photo. It is unlikely this man's legacy would have survived another generation, he wrote Courtney last week. Now, those that entered the service in Nebraska are all accounted for in the Netherlands American Cemetery. And preserving their memories is important, said Bud Pettigrew of Valentine, who was appointed to the American Battle Monument Commission last fall by President Joe Biden. The 11-member commission administers and operates the cemetery in the Netherlands, and 25 others in foreign countries. But it also relies on the efforts of others to help honor the service members buried in them. Time does not dim the glory of their deeds, he said. Anytime we can put more meat on the bones of these men and women, with a photo or biography, thats pretty awesome. Reach the writer at 402-473-7254 or psalter@journalstar.com. On Twitter @LJSPeterSalter Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Whoopi Goldberg doesn't expect Will Smith to be stripped of his Oscar. The 66-year-old star - who is an Academy Governor serving on the group's Actors branch - has addressed the potential fallout after Smith struck Chris Rock for making a joke about his wife Jada Pinkett Smith, who suffers with alopecia. Appearing on 'The View' this week, she said: "We're not going to take that Oscar from him. "There will be consequences I'm sure, but I don't think that's what they're going to do, particularly because Chris said 'Listen, I'm not pressing any charges.' " Whoopi insisted while Will - who was later honored with the best actor prize during Sunday night's (03.27.22) ceremony - "overreacted", people can reach "a point when you behave badly". She added: "I think it was a lot of stuff probably built up. I think he overreacted... "I think he had one of those moments where it was like [God damn] it, just stop. I get it, not everybody acts the way we would like them to act under pressure. "And he snapped... Sometimes you get to a point when you behave badly. I myself have behaved badly on occasion." Although Whoopi doesn't expect to see the actor stripped of his best actor prize, the Academy has confirmed it has "started a formal review" of the incident. In a statement, they said: "The Academy condemns the actions of Mr. Smith at last night's show. We have officially started a formal review around the incident and will explore further action and consequences in accordance with our Bylaws, Standards of Conduct and California law." In a previous statement, the Los Angeles Police Department revealed Chris has not yet filed a report against Will, who has since apologized to the comedian on social media. He wrote: "I would like to publicly apologize to you, Chris. I was out of line and I was wrong. I am embarrassed and my actions were not indicative of the man I want to be. There is no place for violence in a world of love and kindness. (sic) Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Originally published on celebretainment.com, part of the TownNews Content Exchange. Rita Ora admits moving to Australia is "definitely not off the table". The 31-year-old pop star met her boyfriend Taika Waititi in Australia, and Rita has refused to rule out making a full-time switch Down Under. Asked if she would ever relocate, Rita replied: "Who knows? Coming back to Australia is not out of the question. "I've really enjoyed having my life here, and I've created a couple of great friends. Never say never. It's definitely not off the table." Rita has spent lots of time in Sydney filming 'The Voice' and she already feels as though she's got a "close connection" to the country. The 'Hot Right Now' hitmaker - who was born in Kosovo but grew up in London - told Harper's Bazaar Australia: "Its very peaceful for me to be able to go to the beach and sit there and read. Its really lovely to find that sense of grounding in a place where Im not from. "I love the people because theyre just so lovely and I just feel very accepted here, and I just feel very sort of free. Ive got a definite close connection with Australia." Rita and Taika have set up home in Los Angeles over recent months. And a source previously suggested that the 46-year-old director could soon pop the question. The insider explained: "Rita and Taika are head over heels. "From what she says, hes the one for her. None of her mates would be surprised if he popped the question soon. Some people might see that as quite quick but theyve barely spent a day apart since they got together." Rita's pals also think Taika has had a positive influence on the pop star. The source added: "She always throws herself in head first, but this feels like a healthy, adult relationship. Taikas mature and understands the fame game. "Hes a grounding presence but still lots of fun so he can keep up with her." Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Originally published on celebretainment.com, part of the TownNews Content Exchange. BLENCOE, Iowa Barges carrying fertilizers head up, and grains head down that stretch of the upper Missouri River after the Port of Blencoe opened last June. Western Iowa farmers now have access to a lower-cost option to access fertilizer and export grains at the new gateway to the world market. NEW Cooperative constructed a $11 million port along the Missouri River, near the small Monona County town of Blencoe. The port is the northernmost port on the nearly 760-mile span of the Missouri from St. Louis to Sioux City. The port can load and unload six to nine barges at a time. In the first year the port had 40 barges come in up the river, and around 38 barges go back down, said NEW Cooperative communications director Gary Moritz. Each barge has the capacity to haul 50,000 bushels of grain. The port gives the co-op direct access to export markets and provides a third option for transporting grain, beyond the current rail and trucks. Because water navigation is more cost-effective than truck or rail, the barge terminal allows the co-op to reduce its freight expenses, Dix said. The Monona County Board of Supervisors received a state RISE grant of over $1 million to pave a gravel road from Blencoe, pop. 224, to the port, which is west of Interstate 29. Moritz said the road construction is expected to begin this spring. Two other future projects include a scale and office facility, and a new commodity building. Proponents say barges are good for the environment and vehicular traffic safety because it takes more trucks off crowded highways like Interstate 80, reducing accidents and harmful emissions. With a few exceptions, barges have not traveled as far north as Blencoe in over 15 years. The once-thriving barge industry in Sioux City disappeared in the early 2000s after a combination of the degradation of the river bed, drought, economic recession, low commodity prices and political infighting over management of the river led shippers to turn to rail and trucks. NEW Cooperative, which has over 5,500 members and 40 locations throughout western and northwestern Iowa, started planning its rural Monona County port over three years ago. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which manages the Missouri, has assured the co-op it will maintain a 9-foot-deep, 300-foot-wide channel. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. SIOUX CITY -- After a tumultuous start to the project, construction continues on the new Woodbury County Law Enforcement Center, with walls for the complex starting to emerge from the ground. Grading at the 38-acre site in the vicinity of 28th Street started last year, with a groundbreaking ceremony held in September. The $66 million project is anticipated for completion in March 2023. "Things are moving along as best as we possibly can," Law Enforcement Center Authority Chair Ron Wieck said. The 110,000-square-foot jail will hold up to 448 inmates; nearly double the roughly 234 inmate-capacity for the current aging jail, located across the street from the county courthouse. The new Law Enforcement Center also will have separate offices for the county sheriff and attorney, plus five courtrooms. For years, county officials faced various deficiencies, compliance issues, operations costs and lack of space in the current jail, built in 1987. Most recently, experts recommended at least $22 million in critical repairs. At the time of the studies, county officials warned critical systems could fail at any time, which would force the evacuation of the jail and require taxpayers to pay millions of dollars to transport and house inmates in other jails scattered around the state on top of the repair costs. In 2019, the county board of supervisors moved to place a bond issue for a new jail in March 2020. A joint three-member city-county panel, called the Woodbury County Law Enforcement Center Authority, was formed. Taking advantage of a provision in state law, the Authority only needed a simple majority for the bond issue, rather than the 60-percent supermajority needed for most local government projects funded by property taxes. The authority is led by Wieck and its members also include Sioux City Mayor Pro-Tem Dan Moore and county supervisor Rocky De Witt. In March 2020, county voters approved a $50.3 million bond with a 57 percent voter approval. With interest, the 20-year bonds could cost in the range from $64 million to $68 million. Construction on the project was originally set to begin in early 2021, but was delayed by the rising costs of building materials, triggered by a disruption in supply chains due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The price of building materials essential to jail construction -- steel, concrete, PVC, copper -- had jumped by as much as 70 percent in some cases. Lumber prices in particular had gone through the roof. In June, the LEC Authority approved a $58.4 million contract to Lincoln-based Hausmann Construction, which submitted the low bid for the general contractor phase of the project. The original estimate for the main phase was $43 million. The low bid represents a 36 percent increase in cost, said Kenny Schmitz, the county building services director in June 2021. Counting $59.9 million in construction costs and $6.2 million in other items such as land cost, design fees and project management, the price for the project ballooned to $66 million. To bridge the gap between actual costs and the voter approved bond, the board of supervisors has allocated $10 million of the American Rescue Plan Act COVID-19 relief funding to the project. A number of citizens, including local contractors and union leaders, had urged the Authority to reject the two general contractor bids and put the project on hold in hopes the costs would fall by the time it was rebid. People also spoke out against the use of COVID-19 relief funding on the project. Wieck said he spoke individually with many of those who were initially against the project, and once there was an opportunity to explain the project, some changed their minds. "Once this facility is completed they will see that it was worth the process," he said. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. How does the construction of a new building change who lives in the neighborhood? That question is at the heart of urban politics in America today, where everyone knows we need to build more homes, but nobody wants them in their backyard. The opposition is motivated by many fears about change, but none is more vexing than the idea that new housing might actually be causing the very problems its supposed to solve: Making rents go up, and forcing people out of the neighborhood. Advertisement To some urbanites, this idea is intuitive: The new apartment building is the symbol of gentrification. It brings wealthy occupants who support new amenities, prompting a cycle of investment that ends in the forced departure of longtime residents and businesses. And while housing researchers agree that only new construction can bring down rents in expensive regions, the local effect of new supply is more contested. Some research shows new construction increases rents nearby; other research shows it decreases rents nearby. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement That question is also at the heart of a gigantic study published this month by researchers with the Urban Displacement Project, which focuses on the Bay Area, where the addition of three new jobs for every one new house has, in recent years, given the region some of the highest home prices in the country. Comparing two decades of new apartments against the most detailed displacement data ever assembled, researchers led by Karen Chapple and Jackelyn Hwang conclude that new buildings are associated with more people moving in and out of neighborhoods. Advertisement Advertisement That phenomenon, which housing researchers call churn, is a natural feature of urban life, and not necessarily a bad one. New parents may need a bigger place and empty nesters a smaller one; workers need to move closer to jobs and students to school; couples move in together, or move out. Most of the time, churn means people are making choices about how to better meet their own needs. After neighborhoods experienced new construction, the study found, churn increased at almost all income levels, with more people moving in and out, except for the highest-income residents, who became less likely to leave. Thats not so surprisingmost of the new buildings studied are targeted at higher-income residents, after all. Advertisement Advertisement Whats surprising is that after new buildings were built, residents of lower income levels also continued to move into the neighborhood in great numbers. Even residents with very low or moderate incomes were more likely to move in than move out in the four years after a new building went up. While high-income residents fare the best, new construction appears to let more people into the neighborhood up and down the income spectrum. Those trends flip only for extremely low income residents, who are slightly more likely to move out than in after new apartments get built. But even for them, in-migration increased slightly, and migration out rose by just 1 or 2 percentage points. If, in a normal year, 10 percent of low-income households move out, that number rose to 12 percent after new buildings showed up in the neighborhood. Displacement after new construction is real, researchers conclude, but it is very, very small. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The research reminds us of a few things about how cities work. First, even in the context of impossibly tight Bay Area housing markets, lots and lots of people move into and out of neighborhoods every yeareven people who dont make a lot of money. When we talk about gentrification or displacement, we are talking about movements that occur on the margin of all that churn that marks the baseline of city life. Advertisement Advertisement Second, while this data will not convince anyone to say yes to more housing, it does offer some guidelines for how politicians can react. If all it takes to stem the tide of displacement in a growing neighborhood is helping a handful of families each year stay put, displacement is, in the authors words, readily mitigable through interventions like just-cause eviction laws, rent stabilization, or direct project-based subsidy. Those policies, the researchers found, help people stay put. Building that new housing is important, even if it is aimed at high-income tenants. Not just because it keeps those wealthier urbanites out of the older buildings where they would displace existing residents, or because it seems to increase residential mobility across the board. If we build enough of it, and keep building it, those new buildings will go out of fashion, take on wear and tear around the edges, and become the affordable housing stock of tomorrow, without anyone lifting a finger. Given how much the headlines have been fixating on the incident that occurred during Sunday nights Academy Awards ceremony, you might have missed that CODA just made history. The indie film about the only hearing daughter (Emilia Jones) in a Deaf fishing family first premiered at Sundance more than a year ago and found a home on Apple TV+. Despite being nominated for just three Oscars, CODA gained steam over the course of awards season and on Sunday won in all of its categories: Best Supporting Actor for Troy Kotsur, Adapted Screenplay for writer-director Sian Heder, and, yes, Best Picture. As it was the first movie with a predominantly deaf cast to be up for the big award, we were watching. Advertisement While Kotsurs Best Supporting Actor win was just about as universally celebrated within the Deaf community as a thing can be these days, CODA itself has been met with more mixed reactions. Its a film made by hearing people and centering a hearing character, and because of this, it relies on stereotypes in its overarching characterization of the deaf experience. The fact that the Rossi parents (Kotsur and Marlee Matlin) expect their teen daughter to interpret for them in situations where the Americans With Disabilities Act legally entitles them to a real interpreterlike in a doctors office or in courtis a choice made to get laughs or create false stakes. The notion that deaf people dont understand the concept of music and would be automatically dismissive that their hearing child likes to sing, as Matlins character is, is deeply silly. (Prior to Kotsurs win, Matlin was the only deaf performer ever to win an Oscar, in 1987.) Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement [Read: CODAs Oscar-Winning Performance Is Even Better When You Understand ASL] And yet. This is also a movie that is 40 percent in American Sign Language. Its buoyed by the talent of a predominantly deaf cast. The older brother of the family, Leo (Daniel Durant), actively pushes back against his parents reliance on his sister Ruby as family interpreter, and ultimately its his advocacy, not Rubys, that sets the family on a better path. For me, CODAs shortcomings are less an indictment of the film itself and more a reminder of how desperately we need more deaf representation on-screen and especially behind the scenes. Its unfortunate that CODA, which at its heart is an intimate story about a single family, is expected to bear the weight of fully representing millions of people. I laughed a lot at Kotsurs performance as Frank Rossi, a poet of filth, and I appreciated that the Rossis were sexual beings rather than chaste or infantilized, as is often the case for disabled characters. Even when its depiction of deafness didnt ring true or was a little too saccharine for my general taste, I was fully invested in CODA, the same way I watched Sound of Metal to root for the deaf actors or devoured the hot, soapy mess that was Netflixs reality series Deaf U. Deaf people deserve hot, soapy messes too! I like seeing deaf people, and my language, on the screen, and I want more of it. Advertisement Advertisement CODA has undeniably pushed the industry in the right direction, first and foremost by casting actual deaf people in deaf roles. The decision to screen the film in theaters with open captionscaptions that are on-screen for all, rather than requiring an additional step to view themwas also unique. These may seem like little things to a hearing viewer, but to me, having sat through a lot of films where cripped-up hearing people sign badly, or having arrived at the movie theater only to be told that someone forgot to charge the caption goggles so I have to come back some other time, they are achievements. Advertisement Advertisement As for the Oscars themselves, for a show that didnt even have a wheelchair ramp until last year, the ceremony was a big leap forward. I screamed at my television when Amy Schumer called CODA her favorite movie in ASL. I came running back into the room when I saw deaf people on-screen during a Snapchat commercial. And ASL interpretation for the entire broadcast was offered live on the Oscars YouTube channel , which was a historic first. Actually seeing an interpreter onstage during the Adapted Screenplay and Best Picture speeches was even better. That the camera operators actually stayed focused on Kotsur for the entirety of his acceptance speechinstead of cutting away, as the show has done in the past when Matlin has been onstagewas also a big production win. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement [Read: What Sets CODA Apart From the French Movie It Remakes] But the ASL interpretation on the Oscars on YouTube was spotty; many deaf people didnt even know it existed, and because it was just an interpreter feed, and not an interpreter embedded atop the regular broadcast, it required two devices to actually watch the show. A phantom hand sometimes floated into the frame, obscuring and distracting from the interpretation. Sometimes the feed was ahead, sometimes it fell behind, depending on commercials and ones internet speed for running various devices simultaneously. For a while, it cut out completely. While I appreciate this as a first attempt and found the interpreters themselves to be great, these failings of accessibility are again the result of a hearing-centered understanding of what access actually means, and ultimately of the production and network being unwilling to go the full mile when it comes to inclusion. Requiring the deaf person to run multiple devices and feedsif they even have the bandwidth and equipmentis not equity, but a reminder that most would rather not see reminders of us at all. Advertisement Advertisement If the interpreter had been integrated into the television broadcast using decades-old picture-in-picture technology, we could have watched alongside our hearing peers in sync, and I doubt hearing viewers experience would have suffered much missing out on an inch or two of empty stage in the corner of their screens. (Also, they wouldve gotten a sweet ASL interpretation of Dos Oruguitas, as opposed to the captions just reading singing foreign language for three minutes, and a priceless expression on the interpreters face as the feed of the Smith-Rock Debacle cut in and out.) For me, Hollywoods real commitment to inclusion will only be measurable next yearwill the show have an ASL interpreter for viewers even if there are no deaf nominees? Advertisement If the film world seeks to be truly inclusive, there will be more deaf nominees; there must be. Only a multitude of deaf stories can diminish both the pressures and expectations of representation, as well as the dangers misrepresentation can pose. And allowing space for stories created by and centering deaf people is the only way to approach authentic depictions of a multifaceted and truly diverse community. Its easy to be frustrated at an industry that time and again has spoken over us, excluded us, and appropriated our language and culture. But I dont want the past to obscure the real progress being made, or the possibility of an inclusive future. For today, I choose joy; activism without it just isnt sustainable. I hope that we are at the very beginning of an explosion of deaf-centric stories, stories that showcase the intersectionality of the deaf experience, as well as films featuring deaf actors and characters that have nothing to do with deafness at all. Im hopeful that seeing Troy Kotsur being awarded the highest honor in his fieldand accepting that award in ASL with the entire audience hand-waving in applausewill do more to emphasize deaf peoples talent and worth than whatever viewers might assume about an entire community from the fictional character he played. I am so thrilled for and proud of the deaf people who made CODA as successful as it was. May the doors hang wide-open in their wake. And may we not have to wait another 35 years. On Monday, a federal court in California ordered attorney John Eastman to turn over 101 emails that he claims were covered by attorney-client privilege to the House select committee investigating Jan. 6, 2021. The court ruled that Eastman, the lawyer who authored two memos that were the legal blueprint for Trumps bloodless coup, likely violated the law, meaning his emails would be discoverable under the crime-fraud exception to attorney-client privilege. Notably, the court also found that Eastmans client, Trump, likely committed federal crimes in his effort to overturn the 2020 election. Advertisement Judge David O. Carters 44-page opinion concludes that Trump and Eastman more likely than not corruptly attempted to obstruct the Joint Session of Congress on January 6, 2021, and with deceitful intent conspired to defraud the United States. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Subscribe to the Slatest Newsletter A daily email update of the stories you need to read right now. We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try again. Please enable javascript to use form. Email address: Send me updates about Slate special offers. By signing up, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms Sign Up Thanks for signing up! You can manage your newsletter subscriptions at any time. Those are the two crimes, 18 USC 1512(c)(2) and 371, most commonly mentioned as a basis for indicting Trump over his soft coup attempt. Of course, prosecutors carry a heavier burden than proving it more likely than not that a crime was committed. But that conclusion coming from a federal court should be viewed as rocket fuel to launch an aggressive investigation of the former president, the signs of which have continued to be lacking from Attorney General Merrick Garland. The courts conclusions will fortify those inside the Justice Department arguing for a change of the current apparent course. Advertisement Advertisement As Carter noted, it seems quite apparent that Trump and Eastman knew that what they were trying to make happen was wrong. As Carter writes: President Trumps repeated pleas for Georgia Secretary of State [Brad] Raffensperger clearly demonstrate that his justification was not to investigate fraud, but to win the election: So what are we going to do here, folks? I only need 11,000 votes. Fellas, I need 11,000 votes. Give me a break. Taken together, this evidence demonstrates that President Trump likely knew the electoral count plan had no factual justification. Eastman likely had a similar corrupt intent, the judge concluded, citing the testimony of former Vice President Mike Pences attorney Greg Jacob. [Dr. Eastman] acknowledged that he didnt think Kamala Harris should have that authority in 2024; he didnt think Al Gore should have had it in 2000; and he acknowledged that no small government conservative should think that that was the case, Jacob testified. Advertisement Advertisement Carter further wrote that Jacob testified that Eastman acknowledged just how corrupt his plan would be, as [y]ou would just have the same party win continuously if [the] Vice President had the authority to just declare the winner of every State. As the judge concluded, Eastmans plan was driven not by preserving the Constitution, but by winning the 2020 election. Again, this all just further builds the case for criminal prosecutions. Advertisement Advertisement Indeed, earlier this month, a D.C. jury convicted insurrectionist Guy Reffitt of violating 1512(c)(2), the same statute Carter cites. That verdict followed the guilty pleas to the same offense or conspiracy to commit it by two other far-right militants who participated in the insurrection: Proud Boy Matthew Greene on Dec. 8 and Oath Keeper Joshua James on March 2. Advertisement Advertisement While both men were direct participants in the violence, Garland previously pledged to follow the facts wherever they lead and to hold all Jan. 6th perpetrators, at any level, accountable under lawwhether they were present that day or were otherwise criminally responsible for the assault on our democracy. As positive a development as Mondays federal court ruling is, no one should hold their breath in anticipation of seeing Eastmans emails anytime soon. Eastman will seek a stay in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit pending his appeal of the order, and if unsuccessful there, he will go to the Supreme Court. Advertisement Advertisement If that happens, watch for whether Justice Clarence Thomas recuses himself. It was just last week that we learned that the select committee already has 29 text messages between his wife, right-wing operative Ginni Thomas, and Mark Meadows, Trumps former chief of staff, in which she encourages Meadows to help overturn the election. Advertisement During these exchanges, Ginni Thomas referred cryptically to being boosted by a conversation with my best friend just now. Whether or not Thomas is that best friend, Ginni Thomas is clearly implicated by all of these emails and by her attendance at the Jan. 6 rally, and the justice clearly has a duty to recuse himself from the Eastman litigation and any other Jan. 6 lawsuits that might implicate his wife. Notably, Eastman was once a law clerk for Thomas. On Jan. 4, two days before the insurrection, Eastman told Jacob that he believed Thomas and one other justice would support his plan if Pence decided to delay the certification and send the issue of certification back to the states. (Eastman backed off that assertion when Jacob challenged him.) Mondays decision is significant for its flashing-red-light conclusion: this case is a warning about the dangers of legal theories gone wrong, the powerful abusing public platforms, and desperation to win at all costs. If Dr. Eastman and President Trumps plan had worked, it would have permanently ended the peaceful transition of power, undermining American democracy and the Constitution. Carter captures the whole misadventure in one elegant line: Trumps and Eastmans unprecedented campaign to overturn the election was a coup in search of a legal theory. On a recent episode of Amicus, Dahlia Lithwick reflected on last weeks Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson confirmation hearings by talking with Stanford Law professor Nate Persily about how the hearings intersected with the bigger misinformation ecosystem. They spoke about how a debunked lie that Jackson was soft on child predators morphed from fringe theory to the Republican party line in under a week, and what that says about the pervasive distrust of the institutions of democracy. A portion of their conversation, which has been condensed and edited for clarity, has been transcribed below. Advertisement Dahlia Lithwick: Lets talk, if we may, about misinformation. Listen, I dont work in your lane and I dont understand these information ecosystems the way you do. But what I saw play out within the span of less than a week was a really dumb trial balloon floated by Sen. Josh Hawley in some tweets last Thursday. And by the end of Wednesday, six days later, it was the party line. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As it was being debunked in real time, by the way, in every mainstream media source, including the National Review online, it was expanding and growing and growing and expanding. The more we talked about it, the more it grew. It just really became clear to meand, Nate, please tell me Im wrongthat it doesnt matter because Sens. Ted Cruz and Josh Hawley are narrow-casting to their people, to One American Network and to their Twitter mentions, and that you and I are operating in an ecosystem that is utterly immaterial to what they were trying to do. In that sense, I guess, they did what they were trying to do. Advertisement Advertisement Nate Persily: Well, look, it matters in no small measure because it took up an enormous amount of time. Thats why I think the speech by Sen. Cory Booker to at least refocus us on the joy of this hearing was so important, as well as Sen. Alex Padillas comments that really led Judge Jackson eventually to show that side of her, to show the struggle and also how much these hearing had worn on her. Lets be clear, if it werent these questions, it wouldve been something else. So its not about anything that she did in these cases or some particular decision. Think about the other trial balloons. This could have been all about critical race theory. It could have been about the abortion decisions or her briefs. That could have been the dominant point. But the thing about child pornography is its not just the third rail, say, in these hearings. When you talk about the internet ecosystem, it has a privileged role. This is the worst thing, the worst topic you can bring up. So if you can cleave some personality, some nominee to that topic, you have succeeded. We know this, of course, from the famous Pizzagate controversy with Hillary Clinton, which led to real violence as a result of misinformation. You see it in the QAnon echo chambers as well. So this is part of a strategy to try to adjoin her to that most incendiary topic. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I was really struck on Wednesday when they brought in an expert, whos supposed to be the child sex offender expert, whos supposed to shore up all of these completely debunked conspiracy theories, and the expert herself declines to talk about Judge Jackson, admits shes never read her opinions or her law review article. In my mind, when I think about this as a disinformation or misinformation problem, Im like, well, boom, even your expert didnt corroborate what you were saying and, in fact, said something actually supporting Judge Jackson had been saying about how the internet has changed the ways we think about porn. Im clearly naive, right? It doesnt matter that the expert that they bring in from Operation Underground Railroad did nothing to help them. The mere fact that there was an expert there is enough. Advertisement Advertisement Remember that very few people are watching all of the hearings. The hearings are opportunities for sound bites. So the question is: Will there be something that happens in the hearing that then will reverberate or be in the information ecosystem or on cable news? Having expert advice is only relevant in so far as it shores up the narrative in a significant way so that then it can be amplified by the other thought leaders. Advertisement Advertisement How easy is it really to debunk any of this stuff when its not really drawing on evidence, its appealing to emotion and psychological anxiety? So you could have all the expert testimony that you want, and its not going to replace the yelling that was coming from the podium. Its just about trying to give more air to that issue as opposed to others. Advertisement That leads me to one other question that I was very aware of. I was very struck by this locution of Do your own research. People are asking. Josh Hawley starts by saying, People just really are asking about these two soft sentences in some child porn cases. Theres a way in which it encourages folks to do their own research, right? Its saying, If you wont release these confidential presentencing reports, youre part of the conspiracy to hide child porn enablers. It makes everybody who isnt a party to this do-your-own-research game part of the conspiracy. This is how anti-vaxxers spread misinformation. Its how Stop the Steal happens. Advertisement So I want you to tell me how unique this is to the internet age and how unique it is to this QAnon zeitgeist of Everyones lying to you. Everyones in on it. If we can find a scintilla of something, it doesnt matter whats there. What matters is we have now persuaded people that they are the experts and that their research is dispositive. So is this how conspiracies always spread, or is this some part of this larger mistrust of institutions and truth? Advertisement Advertisement I want to start with the last phrase, because thats the fertile ground into which these seeds are planted, which is that were living in an age of pervasive distrust. Theres a chicken and egg problem here of whether the internet has caused it. My view is that the loss of trust in institutions generallygovernment in particular but institutions generally, so the medical establishment, universities, corporations, bankstheres been a long-term erosion in that trust. Why that is is complicated. Its not unique to the United States. Were seeing this around the world. So start with that as the baseline. Then the question is: What strategies then undercut even further legitimate sources of authority and credibility? Right now, part of the problem is theres no institution or single person who has credibility across the political spectrum. Were very far away from the days when Walter Cronkite could end every broadcast with Thats just the way it is, because right now no one trusts anyone to say what it is at this point. Advertisement Theres this loss of authority. To some extent, that is an internet story. Its also a cable news story, of course. Theres a feedback loop here where the internet sometimes sets the agenda for cable news. Cable news then sometimes sets the agenda for that internet, which is to say social media and more grassroots-y commentary. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Kate Starbird of the University of Washington has talked about participatory disinformation, and thats really what were seeing here as well. You need to only look at the slogan for Russia Today, which is, Question more. Whether its in the anti-vax context, whether its with respect to the QAnon conspiracy theory, election fraud, or any number of other areas where youre trying to get some source of authority, some elite opinion on this to then make its way into the mass public, the answer is, Look, do your own research, because these people have a hidden agenda. It is extremely difficult to counteract that. Advertisement Subscribe to the Slatest Newsletter A daily email update of the stories you need to read right now. We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try again. Please enable javascript to use form. Email address: Send me updates about Slate special offers. By signing up, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms Sign Up Thanks for signing up! You can manage your newsletter subscriptions at any time. So you know where this is going, which is: What do we do? I always end up quoting my younger son, when the Nazis were marching in Charlottesville, who, at the age of 12, posited, You ignore them, you lose. You engage with them, you lose. Its so clear to me that this hearing was a matter of you pick your way through one of two really terrible outcomes: You either engage, debunk, and in some ways give credibility to a bunch of debunked garbage, or you ignore it and let it flourish in fertile ground. Now youre going to explain to me why that is way too simplistic and there is a way to prevail over this hellish double bind. Advertisement Advertisement What you say is true. That doesnt mean all hope is lost. There are strategies and ways to try to take the wind out of those sails. So Claire Wardle of First Draft media has advice to journalists, which is to create what she calls a truth sandwich, which is that you start by saying, This is going to be a lie. Heres what the lie is, and heres why its wrong. As opposed to saying, Well, this event happened. People on this side said this. People on that side said that. Isnt it terrible how much conflict there is? Look, lets talk more about the conflict, which is like saying, Ignore that elephant in the room. Advertisement Advertisement There are lots of different strategies like this. There are strategies for the media. There are strategies for those of us who are talking about this, which is to shift attention toward the more positive aspects. I thought that thats in part what Cory Booker was doing. When he says, Were not going to let them steal our joy, he means even to focus on those accusations is going to distract from the historic appointment here. So you dilute the bad with the good. You try to flood the zone with better information or more positive assessments in this case. Advertisement Advertisement What are the implications of how misinformation played out this week at these hearings going forward for how we think about wins and losses and what weve learned? Advertisement One thing that concerns me is that while we have celebrated the fact that Ketanji Brown Jackson is a district court judge, this shows you why they dont get appointed all that often. If you have 500 opinions, youre going to have some in criminal cases with pretty unattractive defendants. If you take sentencing seriously, as she does and as most judges do, then anyone is going to be able to take a particular case and then blow it out of proportion. Weve seen that here. I worry about two things. I worry about our inability to appoint qualified district court judges like this to higher judicial office. Then second, I worry about the signal its now sending to judges around the country. We were lurching toward some consensus on criminal justice issues over the last few years. Bipartisan consensus on rationality and sentencing and the way that we should be thinking about criminal justice issues, with respect to racial, disparate impact, as well as other things. I worry that these hearings are blowing that apart and that were turning back the clock to the 1980s. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Im interested in what checks bad impulses. I guess I really thought that when the National Review Online debunked the most outlandish chargeseven on Fox News, we had some debunkingthe Republican Party answered to that. It turned out they just blew past that. It was immaterial, and it raises questions for me about what still has a checking function. If theres nobody to pump the brakes or the brakes being pumped is immaterial, then it raises the question of what happens next time. I dont think that any publication is going to chill the ambitions of politicians that want to play to a particular constituency that is frothing at the mouth on these issues. Look, in some ways, thats the lesson in the last five years, which is that there is no elite institutionand Ill throw National Review in there as an elite institutionthat will be able to stop the tide going over the banks here once its been unleashed. What elites are learning is that they can unleash the tide with relative ease if they have a concentrated moment where the cameras are on and they can create these kind of events that then can reverberate around the information ecosystem. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I guess this is a good segue to the revelations that came out late Thursday about the text messages between Clarence Thomass wife, Ginni Thomas, and White House chief of staff Mark Meadows. Again, the reason this feels like its in your wheelhouse, Nate, is that I think the shocker in reading some of those texts is that stuff is not high-minded Federalist Society This is just straight-up watermarked ballots, Sidney Powell, release the kraken. This feels like its really very dangerous crackpottery, for lack of a better word, and its coming from inside the house. Advertisement This is stuff that we thought was fringe, and its infiltrated the discourse at the highest levels. My question for you is: Is it in any way material to you that Ginni Thomas is embracing the idea that the Biden familys going on trial for war crimes and Guantanamo? Advertisement Well, I do think this is a perfect example of the feedback loop with disinformation. Were talking about participatory disinformation. Its not as if its just random people in QAnon echo chambers who are then talking to themselves with no consequence, either for public policy or for elite discourse. It goes into elite discourse because elites are paying attention to this, and all the more so when you have a president that has an active Twitter feed, right? So then it goes up, it goes out, and then it goes back on and goes onto the cable news networks and the like. Whats important to understand is that no matter how often you debunk a particular claim, whether its about Italian satellites having an impact on the election, Dominion Voting Systems, dead people voting, noncitizens, Sharpies in Arizona, whatever, its this was a multiheaded beast. The claims of fraud were so heterogeneous that there was really no way to defeat the argument because there were many different types of arguments. And its not just the fringe groups that believe this. It is now orthodox, so that then it has an effect on people in positions of power and decision-making. To hear the rest of their discussion, as well as Dahlia Lithwicks conversation with Angela Onwuachi-Willig about how Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson rose above the melee of her confirmation hearings, listen below, or subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Play, or wherever you get your podcasts. Every so often, Republican leader Kevin McCarthy saysmeaningfullythat he will have a stern chat with one of his fellow Republican House members. What kind of offenses prompt such a visit to the principals office? Since last year, the subjects have included: Jewish space lasers, violent anime videos that were tweeted, appearances at white nationalist political conferences, comparisons of COVID rules to the Holocaust, and jokes about Muslim members of Congress being potential suicide bombers. This week, McCarthy has a fresh case to add to his chat docket: Allegations from freshman North Carolina Rep. Madison Cawthorn that certain unnamed members of Congress are doing coke and going to orgies. The remarks, which Cawthorn made on a podcast last week, have stirred up the QAnon wing of the party yet again, and Cawthorns fellow Republicans are peeved that theyre getting bugged about it. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Staffers inside the Beltway will often say that the real D.C. is more Veep, the HBO satire of Washington incompetence, than House of Cards, the Netflix soap opera about a calculating House leader turned president. (Id say the show that best captures the atmosphere, overall, is C-SPANs Book TV.) But Cawthorn, appearing on the Warrior Poet Society (?) podcast, said House of Cards depiction of D.C. as a hotbed of sleaze, sex, and drugs is totally accurate. The sexual perversion that goes on in Washington, I meanbeing kind of a young guy in Washington, where the average age is probably 60 or 70, Cawthorn said, and I look at all of these people, a lot of them Ive looked up to through my life then all of a sudden you get invited to, Oh, hey, were going to have kind of a sexual get-together at one of our homes, you should come! And Im like, What did you just ask me to come to? And then you realize theyre asking you to come to an orgy. Advertisement Advertisement Or, he continued, the fact that, you know, theres some of the people that are leading on the movement to try and remove addiction in our country, and then you watch them do a key bump of cocaine in front of you. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement My first thought upon hearing this was that someone needs to alert the Grand Falcon himself; you cant just reveal the secrets of the Twelve like this to anyone on a podcuh, I mean my first thought was whats he even talking about? This could have passed as a dumb thing a spiraling member of the House said on a podcast that was forgotten a day later. Happens all the time. But the allegation has spread enough that members, including GOP members, are getting asked about it by their constituents. Thats when it becomes a problem. Sign Up for the Surge Keep up with whats going on in Washington with Slates weekly political ranking, written by Jim Newell. We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try again. Please enable javascript to use form. Email address: Send me updates about Slate special offers. By signing up, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms Sign Up Thanks for signing up! You can manage your newsletter subscriptions at any time. During House Republicans weekly conference meeting Tuesday morning, multiple members stood up to air their anger and frustration over Cawthorn portraying his own colleagues as bacchanalian and sexual deviants, Politico reports. Among them was Arkansas Rep. Steve Womack, who complained that hes getting questions about who exactly is doing keys of cocaine and participating in orgies. Congressman Womack felt strongly about addressing the comment, a spokesperson for Womack told me. Members further suggested that if its true, Cawthorn should name names. I agree. In the meantime, McCarthy will settle it with a chat. In a televised meeting with Russian cultural leaders on Friday, Vladimir Putin held up J.K. Rowling as a victim of the Wests irrational cancel culture for her refusal to satisfy the demands of gender rights. In some ways, Putins anti-trans statement was just the latest in a long line of aggressive assaults on LGBTQ rights in his country. At the same time, though, his adoption of one of the major recent cultural grievances of the American righteven parroting their precise languageappeared to be a transparent effort to align himself with conservatives from Europe and the United States during a time when he has lost credibility with this group following the launch of his catastrophic war against Ukraine. As Republicans, in particular, become more and more open with their desire to roll back hard-won rights for LGBTQ people in the United States, they have found themselves again emulating tactics of demagoguery and hate that have been a mainstay of the Russian leader for more than a decade. In this approach, members of the GOPsuch as Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who on Monday signed the states Dont Say Gay bill into law by declaring he would not be cowed by big corporations and Hollywood elites who oppose the hateful measureand Putin are political kin. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The creation of ungodly monsters from within is an effective distraction from complex social problems that demand nuanced and politically imperfect solutions. Putin entered his third term in office in 2012 with declining popularity and growing nationwide protests. For the next decade, Putin tightened his grip on the Russian people in large part through the enforcement of exclusionary and divisive traditional values. By 2013, Russia passed the federal anti-gay propaganda law criminalizing the distribution of materials aimed at creating nontraditional sexual attitudes or equating the social value of traditional and nontraditional sexual relations. These nationalist, value-based policies silenced and criminalized Russias already marginalized LGBTQ community often by appealing to sacred text. This rhetoric has made it impossible for LGBTQ people to be good Russians. Instead, they are conspirators with Western foreign agents working to destroy Russia from within. Putin stated this view more plainly in a recent speech in which he described cultural foes of his authoritarian rule in Russia as gnats that needed to be purified from Russian society and not so subtly targeted LGBTQ people. I dont condemn those who have villas in Miami or the French Riviera, those who cant live without foie gras, oysters or so-called gender freedoms, Putin said. Its not a problem. The problem is that many of those people are mentally there (in the West) and not here with our people, with Russia. They dont remember or just dont understand that they are just expendables used for the purpose of inflicting the maximum damage on our people. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Putins equation of those who cant live without gender freedoms with being part of a fifth column has long been part of his approach to politics. Russias 2013 federal law was modeled on a string of regional bans passed in the early 2000s. While the scope of the 2013 federal law was dangerously vague, the proponents of these state-level laws did not mince words. Local leaders explicitly tied homosexuality to pedophilia. A court denying the creation of an LGBTQ Pride House in Sochi declared that propaganda of nontraditional sexual orientation directly threatens Russian society, and that efforts to combat homophobia were inherently extremist. The court concluded that these extremist efforts inevitably incite social and religious hatred and posed direct threats to Russias sovereignty and territorial integrity. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While amassing troops on the border of Ukraine in 2021, Putin intensified his rhetoric characterizing LGBTQ equality as evidence of strategic Western aggression against Russia. Speaking directly against Western gender ideology that recognizes the existence and health needs of transgender people, Putin told a reporter that it is a simply monstrous moment when children are pushed to believe from early on that a boy can easily become a girl, and vice versa. They are pushed to believe they have a choice, imposed while parents are swept aside. Calling a spade a spade, this is close to a crime against humanity dressed up in the name and under the flag of progress. Advertisement Advertisement Compare all of this to the approach of Republican politicians elected to statewide office. We saw in last weeks Supreme Court confirmation hearings for Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson how Sen. Ted Cruz grabbed the spotlight to demonize trans people, while a raft of anti-trans bill have been passing state legislatures all across the country. The backers of Floridas Dont Say Gay bill, signed into law on Monday, explicitly and implicitly link the law to homophobic tropes that LGBTQ people were seeking to subject children to their predations. Meanwhile, the laws drafters have made the language so vague as to criminalize the most innocuous possible speech, while also giving lawmakers deniability that this is not what they were doing. Advertisement Advertisement Indeed, there is little daylight between Putins anti-LGBTQ policies and erasing messaging and that of the American right. Hardline Christian Right and conservative groups like Alliance Defending Freedom and the Heritage Foundation offer a chillingly similar message arguing that LGBTQ-inclusive school policies and nondiscrimination laws are dangerous, radical gender ideology. These groups engage in well-funded, strategic campaigns against recognition of transgender people and broader LGBTQ equality, relying on a range of unfounded scare tactics. Just last month, the Heritage Foundation published a report decrying the Biden administrations National Strategy for Gender Equity and Equality as a plan to make gender ideology a central theme in the American experiment. The report concludes that trans-inclusive healthcare and nondiscrimination policies are a frontal assault on the freedom to act in accordance with the need to defend marriage as the union of one man and one woman, and defend the immutability of biological sex. This messaging isnt new, but it has reached a renewed fever pitch in the last few years in American politics. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As American conservative leaders struggle to keep up with the fragmentation of a pluralistic and diversifying society, political pressure and power diffusion foster the creation of artificial enemies in the name of national pride. Supported by powerful conservative interest groups American leaders are promoting doomsday warnings against the recognition of LGBTQ identity, the enforcement of civil rights laws, and the provision of gender-affirming care. During floor debates last year on the Equality Act, legislation that would incorporate protections for LGBTQ people in existing civil rights statutes, Florida Rep. Greg Steube read from the Bible and stated that When men or women claim to be able to choose their own sexual identity, theyre making a statement that God did not know what he was doing when he created them. He then offered his fellow members of Congress a grave warning: The gender confusion that exists in our culture today is a clear rejection of Gods good design. Whenever a nations laws no longer reflect the standards of God, that nation is in rebellion against him and will inevitably bear the consequences. Advertisement Dire warnings against LGBTQ-induced devolution of civil society are not reserved to the elected branches. The trope of the destabilizing impact of equality and queer existence is engrained in the political ether. During the Supreme Court oral arguments for Bostock v. Clayton County and Stevens v. Harris Funeral Homes in 2019, Justice Neil Gorsuch suggested that recognition of Title VII protections from discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity would result in massive social upheaval. (Gorsuch ultimately voted to outlaw anti-LGBTQ workplace discrimination along with the majority of the court, but that likely had more to do with his particularly quirky brand of maximalist textualist jurisprudence.) Advertisement Advertisement Its worth noting that the strategic incorporation of divisive, alienating rhetoric for political gain is a classic tool of an autocrat. The fact that across all branches of government a growing number of American leaders are relying on it should scare, but not surprise us. Politically insecure leaders rely on religiously based divisive messaging because it works. The theology of autocracy, meanwhile, uses the mantel of the church to promote nationalistic conformity while also channeling fear and anger toward communities that cant or wont conform. With little political risk or accountability, American politicians have embraced the well-worn Putin narrative that transforms the lives of individual LGBTQ people into coordinated political acts of defiance and national threats. On Tuesday, Bob Woodward and Robert Costa reported in the Washington Post that the House select committee investigating Jan. 6 has the White House presidential phone log, and it shows a seven-hour gap in the record of his communications that fateful day. The gaps importance is difficult to exaggerate. The evidence of former President Donald Trumps criminal intent with regard to his efforts to overturn the 2020 election is building, day by day, so relentlessly that at this point, a failure to prosecute becomes tantamount to a negation of the rule of laws first principlethat no person stand[s] above the law. Advertisement Why is the gap so significant? If, as some analysts have hypothesized, Trump is so detached from the factual world that he actually believed his own Big Lie that the 2020 election was marred by fraud, that would make conviction for trying to steal the election difficult. Under this analysis, he would not have thought he was acting wrongfully, a necessary element for conviction on the charges to which he is most vulnerable. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Subscribe to the Slatest Newsletter A daily email update of the stories you need to read right now. We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try again. Please enable javascript to use form. Email address: Send me updates about Slate special offers. By signing up, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms Sign Up Thanks for signing up! You can manage your newsletter subscriptions at any time. Hiding ones calls and conduct on Jan. 6, 2021, as it appears Trump did, rebuts his potential defense that he thought he was acting righteously. People who believe that their behavior is law-abiding do not cover it up in this way. Lets look at the facts and the law the way any Justice Department prosecutorincluding Attorney General Merrick Garlandordinarily would. Advertisement Advertisement The seven-hour gap ran from 11:17 a.m. to 6:54 p.m. During the gap period, we know from reporting about a call that the then-president mistakenly made to Sen. Mike Leetrying to reach Sen. Tommy Tuberville. Lee handed his phone to Tuberville, with whom Trump spoke for five to 10 minutes. During that call, Capitol police instructed them to evacuate the Senate chambers because insurrectionists had breached the Capitol. We also know of a phone conversation he had with House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy and of another with Vice President Mike Pence during the gap period. Pence continued to rebuff Trumps pressure not to allow the certification of Joe Bidens Electoral College victory. Advertisement None of these calls appears on the logs. In addition, Rudy Giuliani, John Eastman, and Steve Bannon were reportedly huddled on Jan. 6 in a de facto command center at the five-star Willard Hotel in D.C. Trump spoke to them before the log gap, and it strains credulity to believe he did not talk with them again during the many hours when calls were not recorded. Any prosecutor would subpoena the phone company records listing those individuals calls that day and the numbers to and from which those calls were made. Advertisement Now lets look at the law. Im a former federal prosecutor, and one of my favorite jury instructions, when the evidence against a white-collar criminal supported it, covered consciousness of guilt: If you believe that [the defendant sought to conceal evidence], then you may consider this conduct, along with all the other evidence, in deciding whether [he/she] thought [he/she] was guilty of the crime charged and was trying to avoid punishment. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Using alternate means of communication over five or six hours, including others phones or potentially burner phones, to avoid calls being logged would justify such an instruction. Importantly, such a subterfuge would also circumvent a legal obligation, adding to the evidence of corrupt intent. Under the Presidential Record Act, the president has a duty to take all such steps as may be necessary to assure that the activities, deliberations, decisions, and policies that reflect the performance of the Presidents official or ceremonial duties are adequately documented. On Jan. 6, Trump did not. In apparent response to the Washington Post story, Trump has denied using a burner phone of the kind that his allies bought with untraceable cash and used that day. Tellingly, however, there is no report that Trump denied using others phones. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On CNN on Tuesday, Bob Woodward told John King that he got to know Trump very well during his many hours interviewing him during the 2020 campaign, and that Trump is a phone addict. Woodward said that the notion Trump stopped using the phone during the multi-hour gap period was as unlikely as the sun not rising tomorrow. The Posts report about the length of the gap in White House records adds significantly to the already overwhelming evidence of Trumps criminal intent. Indeed, just on Monday, in a 44-page opinion, a federal court found it more likely than not that Trump and John Eastman corruptly attempted to obstruct the Joint Session of Congress on January 6, 2021, and with deceitful intent conspired to defraud the United States. Advertisement For his part, Judge David O. Carter explicitly addressed the matter of Trumps likely knowledge of wrongdoing, writing this evidence demonstrates that President Trump likely knew the electoral count plan had no factual justification. Advertisement Pointedly, Carter concluded, If Dr. Eastman and President Trumps plan had worked, it would have permanently ended the peaceful transition of power, undermining American democracy and the Constitution. In 1973, Richard Nixons investigators learned of an 18.5-minute gap in White House tape recordings during the Watergate cover-up. Trumps gap in his phone logs is more than 400 minutes. The numerical comparison, however, is the least of it. Nixon was covering up a third-rate burglary of Democratic Party headquarters at D.C.s Watergate complex. Trump looks to have been covering up an attempted coup detat. To be sure, what took Nixon down was actual White House tapes. If Garland is waiting for that kind of smoking gun, he is sending an unmistakable signal that Trump, even in apparently conspiring to end American democracy, is above the law. A self-described gaffe machine, President Joe Biden has long had a reputation for straying off script. Sometimes its charming, like when he was caught on a hot mic calling Obamacare a big fucking deal. Sometimes its much less so (see: you aint Black). This weekend, however, he may have set a new personal milestone by letting loose a gaffe with potentially serious geopolitical consequences. It came at the end of an otherwise stirring speech in Warsaw, Poland, the capper to an otherwise successful series of meetings across Europe. During the address, he spoke about the war in Ukraine, the worldwide conflict between freedom and autocracy, and the particular challenges posed to freedom by Russian President Vladimir Putin. Then, he added an improvised flourish: For Gods sake, this man cannot remain in power! Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Subscribe to the Slatest Newsletter A daily email update of the stories you need to read right now. We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try again. Please enable javascript to use form. Email address: Send me updates about Slate special offers. By signing up, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms Sign Up Thanks for signing up! You can manage your newsletter subscriptions at any time. Minutes later, the White House offered a clarification, saying Biden was not talking about regime change within Russia, but rather that Putin cannot be allowed to exercise power over his neighbors or the region. This was so unconvincing it would have been better to let the original remark stand. Then on Monday, Biden waved away the attempt to refine or backpedal his comment. I was expressing the moral outrage I felt toward this man, he told reporters. Nobody believes I was talking about taking down Putin. I was expressing my outrage that he shouldnt remain in power, just like you know that bad people shouldnt continue to do bad things. Years ago, the great columnist and Slate founder Michael Kinsley defined a gaffe as when a politician tells the truthor more precisely, when he or she accidentally reveals something truthful about what is going on in his or her head. By that standard, Bidens off-the-cuff line was a classic of the genre. Advertisement Advertisement He was certainly sharing some unvarnished truth, not just about his own thoughts, but what many foreign policy specialists believe. The dreadful turn in world affairs this past monthnot just the brutal invasion of Ukraine, but also the subsequent economic crises, and the utter collapse of U.S.-Russian relations at a time when so many problems require global solutionscannot be turned back as long as Putin is in charge at the Kremlin. Ive said as much, as have other columnists and politicians who share one attribute in common: They are not the leader of the free world. Advertisement And therein lies the main point. Its one thing when a columnist or even a U.S. senator says Putin must go; its quite another when the president says it, and with such passion. If Bidens words are to be taken seriously, it would be reasonable for someone to believe that Russian regime change is U.S. strategy. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The question is whether his words are to be taken seriously. Biden says he was speaking his mind and his heart. That may well be true. The problem is that, because he is president, many people around the word listen more carefully than he sometimes speaks, and cant be entirely sure whether he is merely emoting or actually letting slip his administrations real policy. As a result, certain allied leaders have criticized Biden for his remarkmost prominently, French President Emmanuel Macron, who warned the American president it would be unwise to escalate the war either in words or actions. Its a bit rich to scold Biden for escalating the war given his painstaking efforts not to trigger a direct conflict with Russiaeven while Putin bombs and shells Ukrainian cities from Kharkiv to Lviv and in between. Still, Macron does have a a point. If Putin ever feels compelled to seek a negotiated settlement to the war, he may restrain that impulsehe may be slower to act on itif he thinks the war is about his own hold on power and that, if he stops fighting, his foes will move rapidly to chop off his head. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Putin may feel this way regardless of Bidens remark. According to Michael McFaul, the former ambassador to Moscow, Putin has believed that the U.S. has been plotting to oust him from power ever since he took over the Kremlin. Even so, Putin can now cite Bidens words in Warsaw as another bullet point in his propaganda campaign to convince Russiansand neutral parties elsewherethat the war was mounted by American imperialists who seek to defeat Russia. Putin may ultimately be uninterested in a negotiated solution. His emissaries positions at the peace talks so far dont reflect a serious desire for a cease-fire. Still, world leaderswhether its the president of the United States, Ukraine, France, Poland, or any other country involved even peripherally in this warmust act as if a negotiated peace is possible. (At one point in his speech, Biden said, Putin can and must end this warwhich wouldnt be possible if he were out of power.) They must do this, not just out of decorum but because they expressly dont want to engage in a total war. They dont want to see Ukraine pushed into abject surrender, for the obvious reasons; and they dont want to see Russia pushed into abject surrender either, because Putin, faced with that prospect, might try to regain some leverage by firing off a few nuclear weapons. ThisPutins nuclear optionis the only reason Biden and the other NATO leaders arent intervening in this war directly. Advertisement Advertisement This war can go one of two ways: the endless slog of stalemate, or a negotiated settlement. And that being the case, the president of the United States should not publicly call for Putins ouster from poweri.e., shouldnt sway Putin into believing, even one iota more than he might already, that he has no options other than to keep fighting, forever if necessary. Until that last remark, Biden was having a very good European trip. His meetings with NATO, the G-7, and the European Council, as well as his one-on-one with Polish President Andrzej Duda, shored up the allies unity and bolstered Americas leadership role. His informal lunch with the troops of the 82nd Airborne Division in Rzeszow, Poland, near the Ukrainian border, polished his image as commander-in-chief. His speech later that day, to a packed crowd outside Warsaws Royal Castle, eloquently spelled out the stakes of the war and the shape of the new post-postCold War world in eloquent terms. Then came that last, improvised line. It probably wasnt a big mistake. But it was a mistake. And in this war, and this world, of such savage horror and such delicate diplomacy, mistakes of all sorts should be avoided. Slate has relationships with various online retailers. If you buy something through our links, Slate may earn an affiliate commission. We update links when possible, but note that deals can expire and all prices are subject to change. All prices were up to date at the time of publication. This essay is excerpted from The Unseen Body: A Doctors Journey Through the Hidden Wonders of Human Anatomy by Jonathan Reisman. Copyright 2021 by Jonathan Reisman. Reprinted with permission from Flatiron Books. All rights reserved. Mucus holds a special place among bodily fluids. This fact became apparent to me quickly in medical school. Health care workers, who deal with bodily fluids of every sort, seemed to have a particular distaste for mucus above all the others. Ive heard countless doctors declare their disgust for sputums chunky, gelatinous, sticky texture. Many nurses have told me they would prefer cleaning up a patients bloody stool, even C. diff, to disposing of mucous secretions any day. When friends and family members wonder about my work as a physician, they often ask if blood grosses me outI explain that blood is not the bodily fluid that typically grosses out health care workers. Mucus is. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Mucuss most fundamental quality is its consistencythis is what differentiates it from plain water. While water flows and drips easily and fluently, mucus oozes. While water droplets grab on to each other, easily melding edges to form larger drops, viscous mucus holds on to itself cohesively and resists all disturbances. With a tenacity that water lacks, mucus clings to surfaces, including the linings of our air passages, and it puts up a fight when we try to clear it out. The difference between water and mucus is the same as the difference between fruit juice and jelly, between simple salt water and bone broth, between gumbo before okra is added and aftermucus has body to it. In our own bodies, it appears in many forms beyond just lung phlegm, including snot, saliva, and vaginal discharge, with less noticeable amounts in stool and sometimes urine. But whatever we call its various manifestations, all are simply variations on the same theme of mucus. Advertisement Advertisement Dr. John McGinniss is a pulmonologist at the University of Pennsylvania whom I met in medical school, and he describes being a pulmonologist the following way: I do mucus all day, every day. Though he chose a career focused on this bodily fluid, he admits that it evokes a unique visceral reaction in many people because of its consistency, its distinctive thick bubbly sound, and sometimes its smell. When you sit next to someone on the bus or plane, he said, and you see them coughing and hear wet, rattling mucus, you think to yourself, Oh geez, what disease am I going to get now? More than any other product of the human body, he said, people associate mucus in particular with illness. And theres an emotion attached to it. Advertisement Advertisement My own perception as a medical student quickly moved from one of disgust to one of wonder and appreciation. I realized that mucus is made by the human body for the same reason it coats the bodies of many animals, plants, and fungi throughout the natural worldfor protection. A mucous covering safeguards snails and slugs, those creatures bathed in a slimy layer that leaves a silver sheen as they trudge across leaves and sidewalks. Their mucous coatings prevent them from drying out, and also fight off microbes like a shield. Rays, sharks, and tamarind seeds are bathed in a similar layer of lubricating and defensive mucus, as are several species of mushroom. Advertisement Advertisement But unlike these other creatures, the human body is not coated from head to toe in mucus; instead it appears only in specific areas where an opening disrupts the bodys otherwise continuous outer veneer of tough, dry skin. There are several of these disruptions, where skin folds in on itself to form a pocket, and all of them are clustered in the bodys face, groin, and backside. Some of them, like the sinuses, have blind ends, but most, like the mouth, nose, vagina, and rectum, are passageways leading deeper into the bodys anatomical cavities and tracts. Even the branching air passages that fill our lungs are just another of the bodys pockets, though one that is more complex and manifold than most. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement What all our bodily openings have in common is mucus. Unlike the desiccated crust of regular skin, the linings of these areas remain perpetually moist thanks to the steady production of mucus. Our various invaginations are like the human bodys wetlandswhile most of the surface is dry land, every once in a while, you come across a soggy patch. And unlike skins varying colors and shades, everybodys soggy patches are lined by a universally deep-pink, blood-rich layer called mucous membrane, a layer named after its primary product and the thing we all have in common. Our bodies require these perforations to serve as entrances and exits, as transition zones between the bodys dry outside and its forever moist innards. But at the same time, theyre constantly in danger: Besides enticing people to put objects into them, which often leads to an ER visit when they cannot get them back out again, the primary threat is microbial invasion. Advertisement While intact skin provides a layer of keratinized armor to fend off bacteria and other invading microbes, each disruption in skins continuity is a vulnerable chink in the armor and a potential avenue for them to breach the body. Infectious microorganisms love nothing more than to bask in our dank openings, thriving and multiplying to their hearts content in the humid darkness offered by the human bodys pink pockets. Advertisement Every microbe that attacks us has its predilections for certain spots. Yeast bloom in the vagina (and sometimes the mouth), while influenza and coronavirus prefer the nose, throat, or deeper into the lungs for their moistened revelry. Gonorrhea is the least picky of them allit will take whatever mucus-lined pocket it can get into and regularly invades the urethra, rectum, and vagina. Sometimes gonorrhea climbs farther into both male and female genitals tracts, reaching all the way to the ovaries and testicles. Ive even seen it infect my patients eyes and throat. Advertisement Precisely because the bodys many fenestrations are not easily guarded, mucus is essential. As a universal defense weapon and survival strategy, mucus flows outward from all of them in a steady, unending tide to keep microbes outtheyd have to swim upstream against a viscous current to get in. Keeping our membranes perpetually moist is also essential for maintaining their health and integrity, and mucus accomplishes this as lubrication with a staying power that plain water could never muster. Though mucus is often annoying and repulsive, it shouldnt be hatedinstead, in the right balance, it is the key to how we stay healthy against an onslaught of invaders. And in healthy times, we make only enough to coat our surfaces with a thin veneer, the minimum needed to carry out its protective mission unnoticed. Last week, the family of the man who invented the GIF, Stephen Wilhite, announced that he had passed away at the age of 74 due to complications from COVID-19. While he claimed to have never got 1 cent for creating the GIF technology, his invention transformed the internet ecosystem and the ways in which people communicate online. Although GIFs are popularly known as the short looping animations (or reality TV footage) that spice up internet posts and group chats, the format was originally intended for still images. While working at the bygone online service provider CompuServe in the 1980s, Wilhite was tasked with developing a file format that would allow users to efficiently transmit and display high-quality images. At the time, modem connections were still extremely slow In 1987, CompuServe released the GIF as a tool to transmit image data via webpages that was interoperable between different brands of hardware; at the time, manufacturers like Apple and IBM all had their own proprietary formats. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Another aspect that made GIFs essential is that they didnt take up a lot of memory. The technology employed the Lempel-Ziv-Welch algorithm, which found repeating patterns in the images and simplified them. GIFs could also hold multiple images because the algorithm removed redundant data. Think of these early GIFs as sometimes being a slideshow of still images. CompuServe hoped that GIFs would make it easier for its customers to share stock charts, weather maps, and photos. As Wired reports, some of the first uses of still GIFs were logos, charts, and line art. The technology was better for simpler images that didnt have a lot of detail and would be too affected by small amounts of distortion. Advertisement In 1989, CompuServe released an updated version of the GIF known as 89a. One of the new features in this update was an option for users to specify the length of time that each image in a GIF should be displayed, allowing them to create animations. However, the animations still couldnt loop. It wasnt until Netscape Navigator browser incorporated GIFs in 1995 that the animations began looping. The animated GIFs that first gained popularity and exposed the wider public to the technology included the Under Construction signs on early websites and moving clip art. Advertisement If it hadnt been for this animation feature, GIFs may have become an obscure artifact of internet history. File formats like the JPEG would eventually be more effective at storing and transmitting still images. In 1999, there was even movement to Burn All GIFs after a company called Unisys tried to exert its patent rights over the Lempel-Ziv-Welch algorithm, the code that allowed GIFs to compress images. When Unisys announced that they wanted to start charging a small fee for software that employed the GIF algorithm, developers began swearing off of GIFs and migrating to new file formats, like PNGs. Yet, GIFs persevered, as nothing would replicate the distinctive looping animation style. In 2013, Wilhite won a Webby Lifetime Achievement Award for his role in creating the GIF and changing internet culture forever. Instead of giving an acceptance speech at the ceremony, he played a GIF. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Future Tense is a partnership of Slate, New America, and Arizona State University that examines emerging technologies, public policy, and society. ARCHIVED - 20-cent discount on fuel in Spain officially approved The Spanish government has given the green light to emergency measures to reduce the cost of living with immediate effect Spains government has given its official approval to the series of measures aimed at reducing the cost of fuel, gas and electricity in the country immediately. These measures include reducing the price of petrol and diesel by 20 cents per litre for all citizens, plus other concessions aimed mainly at the truck drivers who have been striking for the last three weeks, as part of the so-called Response Plan to the impact of the war in Ukraine The unjustified aggression in Ukraine has caused a war on the doorstep of the European Union, which is already having economic and social effects through the flow of refugees, the rise in energy prices and the disruptions in the supply chain, all of which is causing an economic shock that will affect all European countries, said Minister for Economic Affairs and Digital Transformation, Nadia Calvino, at the presentation of this plan. This plan includes a temporary minimum subsidy of 20 cents per litre of fuel (or per kilo, depending on the type of fuel), of which the State will pay for 15 cents and the oil companies a minimum of 5 cents. This emergency subsidy will only be in place until June 30. In addition, rental increases for the next three months will be limited to 2% and to help the most vulnerable families, the amount of the Minimum Vital Income benefits to ensure living standards will be increased by 15%. Objective dismissals from work will once again be prohibited and the government will make it easier for struggling companies to apply ERTE furlough schemes. Finally, the government has put a cap on the price that customers pay for their electricity. New contracts or those being renewed may not quote a price of more than 67 euros per Megawatt hour, though this will not apply to existing energy contracts. What have the truckers got at the end of their strike? With regard to the measures the government has agreed with these hauliers, in addition to the same discount on fuel until June 30, including diesel, petrol, gas and adBlue, they will also receive a direct aid package of 1 billion euros. This direct aid will amount to 1,250 euros per lorry, 950 euros per bus, 500 euros per van and 300 euros per light vehicle, which includes taxis, VTC and ambulances. Image: Archive Font size: A - | A + Comments disabled Im half Russian. My mother is originally from Nizhny Novgorod. I went there for summer holidays all my childhood until I was 15. After that, as an adult citizen of a foreign country, I no longer had access to the city (then Gorky), which was closed to foreigners. Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement Since then, I have only been able to meet my grandmother in Moscow. In our family, the Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia in the summer of 1968 were never called an occupation, nor was it called brotherly help. Instead, the event had been forgotten (read blocked out). Russians have the ability to ignore unpleasant truths, especially when every family or friendly get-together begins with a glass of vodka. My grandfather Leonid Jerlygin fought in World War II. He later received the Order of the Red Star for bravery. To this day Russians are proud of the Red Armys victory. As a little boy, I imagined dying heroically in World War II by diving bravely in front of a bullet directed at a girl I had a crush on at the time. The young Russian boys romantic ideas were amply supported not only by Soviet cinematography but the music scene as well. Only later did images of women raped by Russian soldiers and the brutality of the war begin to appear in movies. Russians feel that they saved Europe from fascism and that Europe has not thanked them enough for it. They consider themselves a nation of winners. If they see the defacing of monuments such as a Russian tank in Prague or Slavin in Bratislava, they see fascism. They do not understand why someone would do that and are convinced that fascist tendencies are really growing in Europe. The biggest paradox though is that it is precisely extremists and fascists who see Putin as an alternative to a democratic society. Marian Kotleba does not understand that if the Russians regained control over this part of Europe, his party would be first in line, no matter what the lower floors of the Putinade tell him today. Russian anti-fascism is authentic, and it is exactly this narrative that Vladimir Putin is using. He describes the Ukrainians as Nazis, fascists and nationalists. The Russian media are repeating the same propaganda, because today theyre not allowed to say otherwise, and many journalists even believe that its true. Russian in Slovakia: It is hard for people to admit Putin acts like Hitler Read more I would like to offer some insight in the form of a few scenes which show how we have reached the point of an imperial war in Ukraine, which shocked all Russians not yet convinced by the propaganda and disinformation campaign that Russia has waged (and continues to do so) for years, while at the same time believing that the refugee crisis will further undermine democracy in Central and Eastern Europe. Odesa, July 1988 The Soviet Union My future wife and I are standing in front of a restaurant in a long queue in todays Ukrainian, then Soviet, Odesa. After half an hour of waiting, they sit us at a table with six other people and pour us shots of vodka without asking, somehow automatically, even though there is a prohibition. We are served food on plates not like the day before at the eatery, when we got chicken and potatoes on a paper tray. My future wife says she will never come to the USSR again and she keeps that promise. Beer is drunk from street vending machines, where you just wash out and share the same cup, there are long queues for everything, the economy is in shambles and Gorbachev is implementing perestroika, which we all applaud. The Soviet Union makes trips into space, but really, its a backward country. Moscow, 1991 The August Coup Pavel Juracek my colleague from Smena newspaper and I are in Moscow, watching an attempted military coup and removal of the first and soon last USSR President Mikhail Gorbachev, who was interned in Crimea. We are right next to the Russian Parliament, which has been surrounded by soldiers. Shooting is taking place in the streets of Moscow, tens of thousands of people are defending the parliament and Boris Yeltsin, Russias President, who has refused to submit to the putschists as they are then called. If they attack, well probably die, the Russians will not lose time over some journalists, I say. In the end, the coup fails due to the resistance of the civilian population and tens of thousands of Muscovites say goodbye to the victims of the coup in the Vagankovsky cemetery. For a while, the democratisation process seems to have begun in Russia and while the Soviet Union crumbles, long-standing national wrongs between the Soviet nations spring to the surface. Russia is not mentally ready for the collapse of the Soviet Union. Soon, local wars, in which I myself participated as a journalist, start breaking out. It is then that our hero Gorbachev becomes the anti-hero for Russians, despite the fact that the treaty on the demise of the Soviet Union is mainly initiated by Boris Yeltsin. The disintegration of the Soviet empire is perceived by the Russians as their defeat and victory of the West. The West. Those are the weird people who accept homosexuality, womens rights and minorities. In Russia, minority opinion is pushed to the margins of society. For example, homosexuality wasnt decriminalised in Russia until 1993. Bendery, Moldova, 1992 War in Transnistria Open the truck and show them the one without the head. The truck is full of dead people. This is the Transnistria conflict. Similar sights will be seen in all other Russian actions in territories of disobedient states, where a compact Russian minority or a minority that pledges allegiance to Russia lives. The Russians will take advantage of the civil conflict between the local Russians and the rest of the population. With the support of the Russian army (without direct military involvement it is enough to send a threat) local governments dependent on Moscow will emerge and declare independence. This is how an independent Abkhazia, Transnistria and South Ossetia come to be, the latter already with direct involvement by the Russian army. Vladimir Putin is already ruling in tandem with Dmitry Medvedev. And its Angela Merkel who must stop them so that the Russian army does not reach Tbilisi. Ordinary Russians applaud Putin, who makes it clear that he will protect Russian citizens wherever they are and that he has a problem with the former Soviet Union countries even considering joining NATO. In essence, the policy of denying the right of the states of the former Soviet Union to freely decide where they belonged has begun. Russia wants to decide their direction in the name of its own defence doctrine. Back in 2014, when there is already peace in Transnistria and I am heading for the preliminary round of the Champions League match where Tiraspol are playing, Slovan, the Russian taxi driver, tells me that he would like the Soviet Union to be restored. I ask why. Because it was our home no one there shamed us for speaking Russian, no one humiliated us. Gagra, Abkhazia, October 1992 Another war My colleague Ivan Drabek and I are sleeping on the same floor as the Chechen fighters, who just returned from their victorious campaign against Georgian troops. They are fighting on the side of the Russian-backed separatist Abkhazia. We are interviewing Shamil Basayev, the leader of Chechen troops. The Russians let them cross the mountain border into Georgia without any problems. During the interview, Basayev lies in bed, his machine gun and assault rifles leaning on the footboard. He says he will protect Muslims anywhere in the world. We are told the same thing a little later by the Cossack ataman, except about Orthodox Christians. These are paradoxes that are difficult to understand. Basayev, who fought on the side of the Russians in Abkhazia from 1992 to 1993, will stage terrorist attacks on the Budyonnovsk hospital, the Dubrovka theater and also the Beslan school in the years to come. Each of these dramas resulted in hundreds of civilian casualties. The war in Chechnya is in full swing, I am no longer there as a journalist. Russias Federal Security Service wont kill Basayev until 2006. Lviv, 2001 The two parts of Ukraine Already as the director of the SME daily, we are negotiating with our partners the purchase of a printer in Lviv. In a restaurant, I want to order in Russian, but the waiter replies in Ukrainian. I have to explain to him that I am not Russian but Slovak and I do not understand Ukrainian well. Only then does he start speaking to me in Russian. Ukraine has two parts: mostly Russian-speaking in the southeast and purely non-Russian in western Ukraine. Then there is a number of mixed territories. Moscow, 1990s We are sitting on the terrace of a luxury restaurant on Arbat Street in Moscow. An elderly lady passing by shouts at us that we are fascist pigs since we can afford to go to such expensive restaurants. A few years later, the Russians praise Putin for raising their standard of living, Russia is experiencing continuous growth and a reduction of public debt. All this mainly due to rising oil and gas prices. As my colleague says, the Russians need a strong army to protect their mineral resources they live off it. They dont need anything else. Just high oil and gas prices. McDonalds first branch in Moscow in 1990 (Source: McDonalds) Russia, the new millennium The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and its eternal flame at the Kremlin wall. A newlywed couple wants to take pictures right by the eternal flame. The groom steps over the chain, but the bride hesitates. Dont worry, come with me, he says to her. The honour guard warns him to return behind the chain, the groom refuses and disobeys, telling them that he is also a hero, he served in Chechnya. Two more soldiers run out of a nearby booth, kick the young man and arrest him. The woman cries, but everyone around understands that the monument to the unknown soldier cannot be dishonoured by a photograph of newlyweds. Moscow, 2007 Hockey championship A burly guy comes to the VIP lounge, where we stand in line after the first third of the match to get our entry bracelet checked. The man walks right past the whole line. The security guard at the door does not want to let him in, so he headbutts the door, enters and says: If you stop me one more time, Ill kill you. He probably means it. We both domestic and foreign guests are all shocked, but we remain silent. Shell suits are still worn in Moscow. In Slovakia, mobsters had stopped wearing them by then. Cemeteries in Russian cities are full of young mens graves with tombstones boasting engraved figures of the deceased leaning on their BMW or Mercedes. The Russian music group Dymovaja zavesa (Smoke Screen) released the album Etazi a year before, in which they sing praise to mobsters in one song. According to many Russians, Putin gradually pacified the mafia. But basically, it was replaced by the state apparatus. Putins people controlled both the prosecutors office and the courts and, of course, the secret services. Division of power, a characteristic of democratic countries, ceased to exist. Putin gave economic power to his oligarchs, made his people rich. In return, he demanded total loyalty. He distributes roles among the oligarchs publicly during news programmes broadcast from Ostankino Tower to make ever so clear who is the ruler of the country. Insurgents like Khodorkovsky and Berezovsky ended up in bad places. The former served ten years in prison, the latters life ended in a mysterious suicide in exile in the UK. Those who expected Putin to be as weak a president as Yeltsin were wrong. I am becoming increasingly aware that Russia basically never ceased to be a country of force/power. 2008 Presidential election Vladimir Putin doesnt want to hand over power and exchanges positions with Medvedev so that he can return and rule again. The Parliament then extends the presidency term from four to six years, so Putin has secured the possibility of being in power until 2024. Civilized countries understand how addictive power is, especially in a presidential system, and therefore limit the length of one-man rule. Russians though dont seem to mind. They are not bothered by gradually losing independent media, nor are they upset that they have lost Anna Politkovskaya from Nova Gazeta (granted though, her murder did not provoke such massive public opposition as when a similar event happened in Slovakia). A rumour went around Russia that her death was Chechen President Ramzan Kadyrovs birthday present to Putin. Putin announced that the aim of the murder on his birthday was to provoke a wave of anti-Russian sentiment in the world. A similar narrative appeared in the Russian media again after the assassination of the opposition politician Boris Nemtsov seven years later. According to General Markin from the Russian Prosecutors Office, it could have been a provocation aimed to destabilise the country. Two years earlier, former FBS officer Alexander Litvinenko was murdered in London. Later, lawyer Sergei Magnitsky died in custody. Then there were the attempts to assassinate Sergei Skripal and Alexei Navalny. The regime began brazenly killing its opponents, and we should have understood it then. Many indeed did understand, yet Russians again said to themselves that treason must be paid for, sometimes with the highest price. Meanwhile, Vladimir Putin, smiling at the camera, wriggled out of every charge. But in the background works the machinery, which transforms public opinion in his favour, opposing voices in discussions are howled out and, above it all, the variety show is king. Pop singers such as Masha Rasputin, Valery Leontiev and Filip Kirkorov pour artistic kitsch into every household. A country, whose people do not stand up for free media, will eventually lose them altogether. Sochi, 2014 Olympic games and big sporting events Im travelling to the Olympics. Foreign guests say that Russia organised the Winter Olympics excellently. Putin built a magnificent Olympic complex on the shores of the Black Sea in Sochi. The Russians do not understand why foreign media inform their readers that the Olympics have organisational shortcomings. The constantly negative PR (often, of course, justified) led the Russians, under the pressure of state media campaigns, to stop trusting foreign sources and stop perceiving criticism as relevant. Russias friendly face is shown again by the 2018 World Cup organisers through the young volunteers; Diego Maradona comes to Nizhny Novgorod for the match between Argentina and Croatia, and the Russian team even makes it to the quarterfinals. Many journalists point out that in this way Putin is strengthening his public position and building a cult of personality, while manifesting to Russians that the world accepts them as a great power. In 2021, Putins city, St. Petersburg, is one of the cities where EURO 2020 is played. It is my last trip to Russia. Russian President Vladimir Putin poses with all Russian medalists after the Sochi Games. Six of them have lost their medals to doping so far. (Source: SITA/AP) Crimea, 2014 Annexation shortly after the Olympics The Russians always felt that the Crimean Peninsula was theirs, vacationing in Yalta, getting intoxicated by the view from the Swallows Nest. It was clear that the occupation of Crimea was a violation of international law. But we somehow unofficially tolerated the idea that Crimea might as well belong to Russia in some way, and if a referendum were held, the Russians, a majority in Crimea, would certainly vote in favour of joining the Russian Federation even without the presence of troops. If Ukraine ever wants to return the territory, it will most likely be met with resistance from the local population, although the shock that Putin caused by attacking the whole of Ukraine has also changed many peoples leniency towards the annexation of Crimea. Russia, 2016 The third sector under pressure In 2016, Russian television channels launch a campaign against MDIF (today, MDIF is a minority shareholder of the daily SME through the Pluralis investment facility). Unlike former prime minister Robert Fico, they dont mention the organisation in connection with George Soros. Instead, they claim that MDIF supports opposition media with the aim of disrupting the Russian constitutional system. The news report contains false information that MDIF gives subsidies to Russian media in US dollars, even though all transfers to Russian media were in reality only loans that Russian publishers had to repay. No one from MDIF gets a word in the report to present their side. The report also claims that opposition journalists get trained all around the world, including Bratislava. Immediately after, the Russian Attorney General declares MDIF as an undesirable foreign organisation and bans it because it is a threat to state security. MDIF is withdrawing its activities from the country, as well as its Russian management. The organisation advises members of its Board not to travel to Russia due to possible legal conflicts. The fight against another pillar of a democratic society, the non-profit sector, has begun. A few years later, Maros Zilinka, the Slovak Prosecutor General, goes to celebrate the 300th anniversary of the Russian Prosecutor Generals Office and signs a cooperation agreement. Lets just say he doesnt have very good judgement to put it mildly. Ukraine, 2022 Putin shocks Europe The attack on Ukraine is an absolute shock to me. Ive come to understand that Putin was heading toward this the whole time we just did not realise it because he considered the West to be weak, unable to fight, without a unifying idea. Putin gave Russians pride, improved their standard of living, organised the Olympics, football championships, fought terrorists from Chechnya, appropriated Crimea all of which strengthened his position. Russians finally felt that they had a leader who was not as senile as Brezhnev, weak as Gorbachev, or an alcoholic like Yeltsin. Putin wants to go down in history, he wants to return to the Russians what they think is their former Soviet Union. Putins motivation is purely materialistic. He has everything a worldly man can have wealth, power, the admiration of most Russians, a young mistress (actually, she is his partner now), although my mother claims that he is divorced only because he has a lot of work and that he is only being slandered by his enemies. And now he wants to restore Greater Russia ideally within the borders of the Soviet Union. It is a crazy idea from the last century, as if he did not understand that todays world is conquered by modern technology and economic success, that market competition is what is supposed to replace hundred-year-old ideas. Putin has the raw materials and the army he doesnt need a competitive environment. But he forgot how the Soviet Union turned out with this equipment. It will take a long time for the Russians to understand where this leader has taken them. To the last century. Russia, 2022 Public opinion I asked my mum what she thinks about Putin, and she, an 86-year-old widow who has a Russian TV station on constantly, told me that he did well because the Ukrainians were killing our people and bombing us. That is a pure lie, I say to her. I write to my relatives in Russia and explain to them that Russian television is deceiving them, that Russia is waging an aggressive war and that Ukraine is defending itself, and that they do not welcome Russian soldiers as liberators and they will suffer many casualties. Out of politeness, they reply to me, Hey, Alex, how are you? How is your mum?. And then they add that the information is ambiguous and there is truth on both sides. They are afraid and at the same time they are influenced by the huge propaganda machinery of Russian television and media. Sanctions wont convince Russians either they are ready to live in poverty, because they have always pretty much lived that way. When I brought a few cans of German beer for lunch to my Russian family in the 1990s, they had a holiday because apparently they never drank such good beer. The Russians accept the caste system of government and curse it, but essentially they are loyal to it. If someone in the family makes it to verchushka (office), they are happy, they dont need competition, they dont need Western democracy. They ignore it. Every additional sanction just confirms to them that the world has united against them. Like with the Olympics; when Russian athletes could not compete under the Russian flag, hardly anyone believed it is because they doped. Such is the combination of frustration and a great nation that has often been the subject of jokes and criticism since 1991. It will not be easy to get out of this situation, because Putins internal opposition will not grow quickly and the few heroes who protest in the squares are immediately arrested and pacified. Its hard to explain but Russia felt humiliated and is now proud. It is proud because it is finally taken seriously. In the end though, a lie is always a lie, and I believe that todays system will eventually begin to fall apart. The question remains though what will replace it. Because Europe doesnt need Russia as an enemy but as a cooperating partner. Putins attack on Crimea was even noticed at a carnival in Dusseldorf, Germany. (Source: SITA/AP) Slovakia, 2022 Media and lies I turned on Russian television again for two days. Its a massacre. According to the state-owned RT, Ukrainians are shelling their own civilians, and someone from the Russian-speaking population readily confirms this. Ukrainians have blown up a bridge to prevent civilians from leaving the city. Ukrainians use civilians as human shields and deploy combat equipment in civilian houses and the army is positioned on the roofs of apartment buildings where civilians live. But where should they be when they are fighting in the city? The captured Russian army commander is actually a Croatian actor. Images of burning cities are allegedly from seven years ago. The propaganda machinery is running at full throttle, Europe rejected the Sputnik vaccine, which could have saved millions of lives simply because it is Russian. The exclusion of Russians from all major sporting events exacerbates the guilt of the great nation and a feeling that the world has united against them. Putin announces compensation for wounded and fallen soldiers. He even stands up for a few seconds to pay tribute to them. It seems cynical. He keeps repeating the nonsense about denazification of Ukraine. The commentator emphasises that the special operation of the Russian army is not directed against Ukrainian people, but against the descendants of the Banderas (the Ukrainian insurgent army, which fought against the Red Army for Ukraines independence during World War II). Why Russia is winning the information war in Slovakia Read more Perhaps it reminds you of something. Its actually the same recipe but a milder version used by Slovakias former prime minister Robert Fico. Im not writing this because I want to mention him at all costs but to explain how dangerous it is. A pure lie invoking non-existent dangers almost always results in nationalism. National conflicts referring to some part of history, be it even a thousand years before, destroy peoples lives. A lie politicians spread consciously. Robert Fico is intelligent enough to know that our newspaper is not owned by Soros and that I am not a Soros servant, as he once called me at one of his press conferences. Over half a century, I have heard many characteristics of me. Once I am a Russian agent, aggressor, occupier. Ive been called a Hungarian agent by Slovak nationalists even though I dont speak Hungarian. Most recently, Im said to be an American or Jewish lackey. The principle is the same pointing out that a man does not have decisions in his own hands but is controlled by someone else a force with dishonest intention. It is a dangerous tool for suppressing societys instinct for truth. Nevertheless, Fico justifies attacks on the media by saying for example that journalists are prostitutes. Well, they are not. On the contrary, they are one of the barriers to what is happening in Russia. Most of the theses you hear from Robert Fico were created by opinion polls. Fico does not form a policy for the future in a true sense; rather, he preserves a state of frustration and suspicion. Vladimir Putin has done and keeps on doing the same. We are all shocked that it is possible to make it this far and that people are suddenly dying in a war that is based on pure lies. Volodymyr Zelenskiyy did not make any of the mistakes made by Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili in 2008. Zelensky communicated calmly and did not give the Russians any pretext for the invasion. And yet, there they are. This will be an extremely black chapter in Russian history and an expensive levy on contemporary Russian political representation. A levy for the nations failed political intuition. If Putin has achieved anything, it is the unification of Europe in a huge solidarity gesture and realisation that democracy and peace are very far away from being granted. Sme Translated by MDIF. For now, the Willing company is required to service the Russian MiG-19 jets until 2023. Font size: A - | A + Comments disabled Even though Smer has not been part of the countrys government for two years already, it seems that a company formerly owned by an oligarch described as a close friend of Smer chair Robert Fico is still successful in doing business with the state. Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement During the Smer-led governments, the Willing company, owned at the time by Miroslav Vyboh who faces corruption-related charges, kept receiving orders worth millions of euros. Since the year 2020, when the government changed and the Defence Ministry was given to the senior coalition party Ordinary People and Independent Personalities (OLaNO), the department has signed five contracts worth more than 0.5 million with the firm. It secures the supplies of spare parts and the repairs of MiG-29 jets. I'm sure that if we were not NATO member country, the aggressor would look directly at us, Nad says. Font size: A - | A + Comments disabled Currently, it can be seen that for Slovakia joining NATO was for one of the most important events in the modern history of the country. This is the claim of Foreign Affairs Minister Ivan Korcok (SaS nominee) on the occasion of the 18th anniversary of Slovakia joining NATO. Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement Korcok added that Slovakia shows that it is a responsible and solidary ally that contributes to the collective defence of all society. Joining NATO was our own, sovereign and free decision, with which we clearly expressed our allegiance to the West and the values of democracy, freedom and rule of law, and with which we gained the highest security guarantees, Korcok said as quoted by the SITA newswire. The security and stability brought to Slovakia thanks to NATO became the main pillars of the economic, social and democratic development of Slovakia, he added. If not NATO, aggressor would look at Slovakia 1. Who is entitled to the benefit? 2. What conditions should be fulfilled by a Ukrainian I will accommodate so I'm entitled to the benefit? 3. Who will pay the money? 4. What documents do I need to receive the contribution? 5. What if I accommodate a refugee who did not ask for temporary protection? 6. When will I receive the money? 7. What sum will be paid? 8. Are hotels and guesthouses entitled to a contribution? Mayor of Melitopol pays visit to Bratislava. The Education Ministry launches register of schools ready to enrol Ukrainian schoolkids. Font size: A - | A + Comments disabled Good evening. The Tuesday, March 29 edition of Today in Slovakia is ready with the main news of the day in less than five minutes. Slovakia marks 18th anniversary of joining NATO Defence Minister Jaroslav Nad (left) and Foreign Affairs Minister Ivan Korcok (right) (Source: TASR) Slovakia joined the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) on March 29, 2004. In light of the war in Ukraine, it turns out that joining NATO was one of the most important events in the modern history of Slovakia, Foreign Minister Ivan Korcok (SaS nominee) stated. Slovakia has shown over the years that it is a responsible and sound ally that contributes to the collective security of the entire Alliance, he added. "Joining NATO was our own, sovereign and free decision, by which we clearly expressed that we belong to the West and to the values of democracy, freedom and the rule of law, and by which we obtained the highest possible security guarantees," Korcok said. The minister added that the security and stability that NATO membership has brought to Slovakia have become the basic pillars of Slovakia's economic, social and democratic development. Slovakia's accession to NATO was one of the most important decisions in Slovakia's history, according to Defence Minister Jaroslav Nad. "The alliance, which is based on the principle of one for all, all for one, is Slovakia's greatest possible guarantee of security and defence of the Slovak Republic," Nad said. "It is our duty to be a strong and stable link in the chain, so that no one will dare to break it," said Nad. He is certain that if Slovakia were not a member of NATO, the Russian aggressor would be looking directly our way. State relies on armament company with ties to Russia MiG-29 (Source: TASR) Even though Smer has not been part of the countrys government for two years already, it seems that a company formerly owned by an oligarch described as a close friend of Smer chair Robert Fico is still successfully doing business with the state. During the Smer-led governments, the Willing company, owned at the time by Miroslav Vyboh, who is facing corruption-related charges, kept receiving orders worth millions of euros. Since the year 2020, when the government changed and the Defence Ministry was given to the senior coalition party Ordinary People and Independent Personalities (OLaNO), the department has signed five contracts worth more than 500,000 with the firm. It secures the supplies of spare parts and the repairs of MiG-29 jets. Willing has been benefiting from the dependence of the Slovak army on Russian state companies that have become a direct security threat for Slovakia since the war in Ukraine. Even though the state pays dozens of millions of euros to the Russian state company RSK MiG to service the Russian jets, Willing is making money on repairs, too, as it is a representative of the Russian firm in Slovakia. Refugees from Ukraine The Education Ministry launched a register of schools in Slovakia ready to accept Ukrainian schoolkids, also with capacity on how many they can enrol. The register is available in both Ukrainian and Slovak. also with capacity on how many they can enrol. The register is available in both Ukrainian and Slovak. 55,881 Ukrainians have asked for temporary protection in Slovakia. in Slovakia. The state will provide a financial contribution to those people who accommodated Ukrainian refugees . Learn here who is entitled and how to receive funding. . Learn here who is entitled and how to receive funding. Speaker of Parliament Boris Kollar (Sme Rodina) met Ukrainian Ambassador Yurii Mushka, mayor of Melitopol Ivan Fedorov and members of Verkhovna Rada, Maria Mezentseva and Olena Khomenko. Kollar thanked Ukraine that the country is also fighting for us and said that it is our moral duty to help Ukraine with humanitarian and military aid. President Zuzana Caputova and PM Eduard Heger met with Ukrainian politicians as well. "Today, the entire civilised world should behave like Slovakia is behaving," said Fedorov. (Source: TASR) If you like what we are doing and want to support good journalism, buy our online subscription. Thank you. Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement Photo of the day Environmentalists and volunteers are busy these days helping with the migration of frogs and toads. The volunteers in the photos helped almost 2,000 toads, which would otherwise have been hit by a car as they migrated from the forests between Skalka nad Vahom and Zamarovce (Trencin Region) to the Vah River to mate. Feature story for today As a little boy, I imagined dying heroically in World War II by diving bravely in front of a bullet directed at a girl I had a crush on at the time. The young Russian boys romantic ideas were amply supported not only by Soviet cinema but the music scene as well. Only later did images of women raped by Russian soldiers and the brutality of the war begin to appear in movies. Russians feel that they saved Europe from fascism and that Europe has not thanked them enough for it. After years of humiliation, Russia feels pride once again. She is finally being taken seriously Read more In other news The head of Slovak diplomacy, Ivan Korcok (SaS nominee), received on Tuesday the Governor of the US State of Indiana, Eric Holcomb, who is paying an official visit to Slovakia . The aim of the visit was, among other things, to examine Slovakia's needs regarding the Russian invasion of Ukraine, including humanitarian aspects and defence cooperation. "I very much appreciate the visit by Governor Holcomb at such a crucial geopolitical time, when many red lines of international norms are being crossed by the Russians," Korcok said. . The aim of the visit was, among other things, to examine Slovakia's needs regarding the Russian invasion of Ukraine, including humanitarian aspects and defence cooperation. "I very much appreciate the visit by Governor Holcomb at such a crucial geopolitical time, when many red lines of international norms are being crossed by the Russians," Korcok said. 6,557 people were newly diagnosed as Covid positive out of 15,288 PCR tests performed on Monday. The number of people in hospitals is 2,205. 19 more deaths were reported on Monday. The vaccination rate is at 51.27 percent, 2,819,721 people having received the first dose of the vaccine. More stats on Covid-19 in Slovakia here. out of 15,288 PCR tests performed on Monday. The number of people in hospitals is 2,205. 19 more deaths were reported on Monday. The vaccination rate is at 51.27 percent, 2,819,721 people having received the first dose of the vaccine. More stats on Covid-19 in Slovakia here. Former head of the Penta investment group, Jaroslav Hascak, is asking the state either to apologise or for compensation between 13 and 16 million for damage and non-pecuniary damage caused by illegal prosecution and detention. He is ready to give up on money if the Justice and Interior Ministries along with the General Prosecutors Office apologise to him. for damage and non-pecuniary damage caused by illegal prosecution and detention. He is ready to give up on money if the Justice and Interior Ministries along with the General Prosecutors Office apologise to him. The death rate in Slovakia decreased in February but the number of people who died from Covid increased . Almost 4,900 people died and 539 of these died of Covid, the third most frequent reason of death in Slovakia. The most common causes of death in February were circulatory disorders (45 percent) and tumors (19 percent). . Almost 4,900 people died and 539 of these died of Covid, the third most frequent reason of death in Slovakia. The most common causes of death in February were circulatory disorders (45 percent) and tumors (19 percent). Bratislava Airport is launching two new flights as of today . Ryanair will relaunch a flight to Dalaman in Turkey and introduce flights between Bratislava and Sofia in Bulgaria. . Ryanair will relaunch a flight to Dalaman in Turkey and introduce flights between Bratislava and Sofia in Bulgaria. Streaming service Disney+ will be available in Slovakia as of June 14, 2022 , The Walt Disney Company confirmed. , The Walt Disney Company confirmed. The bus connection between Bratislava and Hainburg should be renewed . Its financing should be provided by the Bratislava self-governing region and Lower Austria, and probably also the Bratislava municipality, but councillors have to decide about it first. . Its financing should be provided by the Bratislava self-governing region and Lower Austria, and probably also the Bratislava municipality, but councillors have to decide about it first. The InoBat Auto company will build a production plant for 400 workers in Voderady near Trnava, in addition to a development and testing centre for e-car batteries. InoBat also promised a bigger production company in eastern Slovakia. Do not miss on Spectator.sk today Skiers break a record after they ski down a hill Read more The Nobel Prize for Slovak scientists? Most people consider it possible Read more If you have suggestions on how this news overview can be improved, you can reach us at editorial@spectator.sk. Commentary: Serf-turned masters living testimony to Tibet's leapfrog development Xinhua) 08:10, March 29, 2022 Photo taken on Jan. 25, 2022 shows the scenery of the Yamzbog Yumco Lake in Shannan, southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region. (Xinhua/Shen Hongbing) LHASA, March 28 (Xinhua) -- Tibet Autonomous Region in southwest China on Monday celebrated Serfs' Emancipation Day. This public holiday marks the date in 1959 when people in Tibet launched a democratic reform that ended the region's feudal serfdom and freed a million serfs, or more than 90 percent of its population at the time. Although morally bankrupt Western powers like the United States have been repeatedly hyping up "human rights" issues in Tibet, Tibetan people know the truth about the human rights they enjoy today, since history is a great teacher. Over the past 63 years, Tibet has progressed from darkness to light, from poverty to prosperity, and from autocracy to democracy. Tibet today has come to epitomize China's leapfrog development and served as a vivid example of progress in democracy and human rights. Comparing Tibet before and after 1959, it is easy to see the region's amazing progress in the field of human rights, provided one doesn't allow ideological bias to obscure reality. For centuries Tibet was ruled by a feudal serf system. Serfs were subjected to cruel exploitation and oppression before 1959. The laws of old Tibet allowed the estate-holders to deny all human rights of their serfs, who could be bought and sold, thrown in jail, or even killed at will. There was a saying among serfs in old Tibet: "Serfs can only take their shadows away with them and leave only their footprints behind. It is safe to say that old Tibet's serf system represented one of the worst systematic abuses of human rights in human history. And the 1959 democratic reform pulled serfs out of their misery and ushered Tibet into a brand new world. Under the systems of the people's congresses and regional ethnic autonomy that were put in place after the reform, Tibetan people have not only become masters of themselves, but also of the country and society. People in Tibet enjoy full and equal rights in the political, economic, social and other realms. Through the reform, women have been empowered with political rights. They took part in political affairs by participating in elections of the people's congresses, becoming civil servants, and establishing women's organizations. By the end of 2020, female civil servants working in governments at all levels accounted for 34.24 percent of Tibet's total, according to the latest official data. These great changes, as noted in the late American journalist Israel Epstein's 1983 book Tibet Transformed, "were profoundly emancipatory, physically and mentally, for the overwhelming majority of Tibetans." The 1959 reform has brought about a historic transformation in economic and social development as well as people's livelihoods in Tibet. In 2021, Tibet's regional GDP topped 200 billion yuan (about 31.4 billion U.S. dollars) for the first time, representing a giant leap from the 1959 figure of a mere 174 million yuan. With the rise of a middle-income group, Tibet has built a vibrant and sustainable regional economy. Medical insurance has covered the whole population in Tibet. The average life expectancy in Tibet soared from 35.5 years before 1959 to 72.19 years in 2021. Tibet's permanent population has grown from 1.23 million in 1959 to 3.65 million in 2020. Tibet is the first provincial-level region in China to provide 15 years of free education. Facts speak louder than words. While the Western powers preach their so-called human rights, they overlook their horrific human rights records, like mass shootings and racial discrimination. Thanks in no small part to the serfs' emancipation, the Tibetan people have bid farewell to the miserable past, and welcomed a brighter future. (Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun) Malta's Prime Minister Robert Abela (L) waves to supporters in Valletta, Malta, March 28, 2022. Abela took the oath of office on Monday after his Labour Party won Saturday's general election. He was sworn in during a ceremony at the Palace in Valletta presided over by Malta's President George Vella. The Labour Party won the general election with 55.1 percent of the vote, against the Nationalist Party's (PN) 41.7 percent. This is the Labour Party's third consecutive general election win since 2013. (Photo by Jonathan Borg/Xinhua) VALLETTA, March 28 (Xinhua) -- Malta's Prime Minister Robert Abela took the oath of office on Monday after his Labour Party won Saturday's general election. He was sworn in during a ceremony at the Palace in Valletta presided over by Malta's President George Vella. The Labour Party won the general election with 55.1 percent of the vote, against the Nationalist Party's (PN) 41.7 percent. This is the Labour Party's third consecutive general election win since 2013. The election was characterized by a record low turnout since independence, at 85.5 percent. The official result, which includes the entire list of the 65 elected members of Parliament, was announced by the Electoral Commission on Monday. Malta's Prime Minister Robert Abela (C) attends his swearing-in ceremony presided over by Malta's President George Vella (1st R) in Valletta, Malta, March 28, 2022. Abela took the oath of office on Monday after his Labour Party won Saturday's general election. He was sworn in during a ceremony at the Palace in Valletta presided over by Malta's President George Vella. The Labour Party won the general election with 55.1 percent of the vote, against the Nationalist Party's (PN) 41.7 percent. This is the Labour Party's third consecutive general election win since 2013. (Photo by Jonathan Borg/Xinhua) After posting a win and a second-place finish in his assignments in the preliminary legs of the Wilsons Tack Claiming Series at The Raceway at Western Fair District, True Horizon used her rallying skills to take home all the marbles in Mondays $14,000 final. Colin Kelly got away fourth with True Horizon, who watched race favourite Taydertotzz and Godiva Mackiavelyc battle to the quarter pole in :28.3 before Taydertotzz brushed to the top. She went on to post a half-mile clocking of :58.4 before coming under attack from True Horizon, who rallied first over and showed a short lead while racing parked past the three-quarter marker in 1:28.2. A :30.4 closing quarter is all that True Horizon needed to win by a length over Godiva Mackiavelyc in 1:59.1. Siboney rounded out the Trifecta ticket in the affair for distaffers. Trainer Jake Roberts co-owns the seven-year-old daughter of Vertical Horizon-The Three Of Us with Steve Adams of Toronto, ON. The 17-time winner now owns a 3-1-0 record from seven trips to the track this season. The $7,000 payday bumped her lifetime bankroll to $106,623 with the win. To view results for Monday's card of harness racing, click the following link: Monday Results The Raceway at Western Fair District. Linedrive Hanover has been on a roll since returning to the races for his 2022 campaign, going seven-for-seven at Woodbine Mohawk Park. The four-year-old gelding, who made just one start prior as a two-year-old, is currently trained by Anthony Beaton and has been driven by James MacDonald for his seven victories this year. Linedrive Hanover is owned by West Wins Stable, McKinlay & Fielding, and Mac T. Nichol. He was bred by Daniel J. Altmeyer, Richard B. Kelson, and Heather Wilder. He is reminding me a lot of his sire, Betting Line, right now, said Beaton, who was part of the stallion's training team at the Casie Coleman stable. Betting Line was very great-gaited and I find he is similar that way. Linedrive Hanover's most recent victory came on March 26 when he won in 1:53 following his lifetime best two starts back on March 5, when he won in 1:52.2. He has a great desire, will and determination, said Beaton. We hope we can just keep the momentum going. Linedrive Hanovers largest victory was by 8-1/4 lengths when he dominated the Snowshoe Pacing Series final in early February in 1:53.3. Linedrive Hanover and Betting Line are very similar in stature, said Beaton. We went to Winbak Farm of Canada and visited Betting Line when our own foal was born at the farm. It was the first time I had seen Betting Line when he was three and I find the two look very similar, and their size is comparable. Linedrive Hanovers sire, Betting Line, stands his first year in Canada in 2022. He previously stood in Pennsylvania. (With files from Winbak of Canada) SANAA, March 29 (Xinhua) -- Yemen's Houthi militia said they shot down a spy drone of the Saudi-led coalition forces in Yemen's central province of Marib on Tuesday. "Our defense force downed a U.S.-made spy drone of the enemy in the al-Wadi district of Marib Province," Houthi-run al-Masirah TV quoted a statement from the militia's military spokesman Yehya Sarea as saying. The statement came on the third day of a three-day unilateral cease-fire announced by the Houthi militia with the coalition forces, which appears to have been mostly held. The cease-fire came after coalition warplanes bombed important military and economic targets under Houthi control in the Red Sea port city of Hodeidah and the capital Sanaa. The coalition bombings were in response to the Houthis' cross-border missile and drone attacks on oil facilities in Saudi Arabia last week. The escalation came after the Houthi militia lost strategic areas in the oil-rich provinces of Shabwa and Marib during its fighting against the coalition-backed Yemeni government forces in the past two months. On Sunday, the Houthis announced a three-day unilateral cease-fire, suspending cross-border missile and drone attacks against Saudi Arabia and ground battles against the Yemeni government forces, voicing their commitment to a permanent truce if the coalition stops airstrikes and withdraws its forces. Alabar Farms has announced that Breeders Crown champion and former stallion Village Jasper was euthanized due to a twisted bowel. The 28-year-old horse was a massive part of Alabar and he will be sorely missed. Village Jasper was a star racehorse for Hall Of Fame trainer Bill Wellwood and in a 30 start, one season career, he won 14 times and amassed earnings of $1,057,595. His biggest win came in the 1997 Breeders Crown three-year-old final in which he exploded away from an amazing field and won by more than three lengths. Village Jasper was brought to Australia by Alabar and John Bagshaw and, at stud, he was everything you could ever dream of. He was a two-time Champion Stallion in Australia and, in total, he sired 874 winners who won more than $42 million across Australia and New Zealand. He sired 17 Group 1 winners led by the outstanding mare Broadways Best, but also included horses such as Australian Three-Year-Old Filly of the Year Nemeeshar and even the Dullard Cup-winning trotter Viva La Fever. He was the most beautiful horse, said Alabar owner Alan Galloway. Everyone who saw him fell in love with him. He had an amazing physique and an even better temperament. I remember speaking to his trainer Bill Wellwood and he recounted the story of how he bought him as a yearling. He wasnt originally on his list to look at, but he saw him walking around the barn and was so impressed with him that he had to buy him. 'Jasper' will be sorely missed at Alabar. He was such a pleasure to do anything with. John Coffey, former Alabar Australia General Manager, added, Village Jasper was such an asset to the Australian breeding industry after being imported from Ontario, Canada in 1999. Sure he was a leading sire, but it was Village Jasper the little black horse, with the giant personality that I will remember to my dying days. He was certainly my favourite stallion during my many years at Alabar and probably everyones favourite, as he sired such easy going, kind and intelligent colts and fillies. You were a little Champion VJ. In recent years, Village Jasper was gelded and he became a minder for some of our weanling groups. In that time, he became incredibly good friends with Presidential Ball and the two champions were inseparable. Please join Standardbred Canada in offering condolences to the connections of Village Jasper. (With files from Alabar Farms) In honor of the fifth anniversary of National Vietnam War Veterans Day, the Virginia Department of Veterans Services will today recognize the more than 230,000 Virginia men and women who served in the U.S. Armed Forces during this conflict from 1955 until 1975. Locally, Culpeper Minutemen Chapter VASSAR, Culpeper VFW Post 2524 and Vietnam veterans will celebrate National Vietnam War Veterans Day at 4 p.m. today at the Vietnam Memorial next to the Culpeper Court House on West Davis Street. There will be a Veteran hat giveaway and a chance for any veteran to reflect on their service. All Vietnam War veterans and members of the public are invited and encouraged to attend this ceremony and the one in Richmond. A special ceremony will be held at 11 a.m. on Tuesday, March 29 to commemorate National Vietnam War Veterans Day at the Virginia War Memorial, 621 S. Belvidere St. in Richmond. Every Vietnam War Veteran in attendance at the Virginia War Memorial ceremony will be presented with a Vietnam Veteran Lapel Pin in recognition of his or her service. It is especially important that all Virginians take the time on this special day to thank our fellow citizens who answered the call to serve our country, said Daniel Gade, Commissioner of the Virginia Department of Veterans Services, in a statement. These veterans came back home, transitioned to civilian life, started families and became leaders in business, education, law, the arts, medicine, science, technology and public service throughout the Commonwealth. They deserve nothing less than our highest praise and acknowledgment for their service and sacrifice. Dept. of Veterans Services also will partner with Chapter 957 of the Vietnam Veterans of America and James City County for a National Vietnam War Veterans Day commemoration and pinning ceremony at 1 p.m. on Tuesday at Veterans Park in James City County. In addition, the Marine Corps League, James M. Slay Detachment #329; Military Order of the Purple Heart, Richmond Chapter 1965; the Virginia Department of Veterans Services; and Mission BBQ will be honoring Vietnam Veterans 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on March 29 at the Mission BBQ Glenside location. The Virginia Department of Veterans Services is a Commemorative Partner to the United States of America Vietnam War Commemoration. LINCOLN Ranchers interested in learning about the latest cutting-edge research in range livestock production from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln are encouraged to register for the 2022 Nebraska Ranch Practicum offered by Nebraska Extension. The practicum will be held during eight sessions over the course of three seasons in order to cover the production cycle of livestock and forage resources. Participants will have the opportunity to learn about a variety of topics, including the effective use of decision support tools to evaluate management and marketing alternatives, plant identification, range condition and grazing strategies, wildlife management, evaluation of cow body condition scores and beef cattle production systems. The practicum will be held June 6 and 7, July 7, Sept. 7 and 8, and Nov. 3, 2022; and Jan. 10 and 11, 2023. Classroom activities will open and close the practicum in North Platte with the remainder of the classes conducted at the University of Nebraskas Gudmundsen Sandhills Laboratory, a working ranch with education and research facilities, near Whitman. The practicum can count for college or continuing education credit. The registration fee is $675. The fee for a spouse is an additional $350. Registration covers educational materials, noon meals and breaks. Participants are responsible for travel and lodging expenses. The practicum can count for college or continuing education credit. To register, submit a completed application and registration fee by May 3. Applications will not be accepted after that date. Enrollment is limited to 35 participants. Applicants will be notified of their status no later than May 20. Refunds will be issued if space is not available. To learn more or register, visit https://nebraskaranchpracticum.unl.edu/ or contact Troy Walz at 308-872-6831 or troy.walz@unl.edu. Residents will have the chance to hear from local state legislative candidates during a Nebraska Farm Bureau forum on Friday, April 1. The forum will take place at 7 p.m. at the Hotel 21 & Co. conference room. Organizers estimate the forum will last around 90 minutes. Doors open 30 minutes before the event begins. The event is free and open to the public. Refreshments will be provided. Jay Ferris, the Nebraska Farm Bureaus director of political engagement and state policy, said the organization will hold four candidate forums across the state this year. We try to do this every election year, especially in rural districts that have open seats, he told the Star-Herald. The forums are usually held when there are more than two candidates. Otherwise, the bureau often interviews candidates instead. The purpose of such an event is for both the Farm Bureau and the public to learn more about the candidates. Ferris said its important for potential elected officials to be knowledgeable of agricultural issues. The candidates running for District 48 are Talon Cordle and Scott Shaver of Scottsbluff, Brian Hardin and Jeremiah Teeple of Gering and Don Lease II of Bridgeport. Ferris said all five of them had verbally confirmed their attendance. The forum will serve as a way for them to get their messages to the public, he added. Current District 48 Sen. John Stinner is term-limited and cannot run for the position again. District 48 covers all of Scotts Bluff, Banner and Kimball counties. Andy Groskopf, president of the Scotts Bluff County Farm Bureau chapter, said it was a good thing that so many people were interested in running. Fridays forum will not be a debate. All questions will be submitted by the audience and asked generally to all the candidates; rebuttal will not be allowed. We like to keep control and order of the forum, but we certainly want whats on the minds of the public asked, Ferris said. Questions regarding the same topic will be combined when possible; topics will include property taxes, school funding, rural infrastructure and broadband issues. Marketing for the event will primarily be done through social media and by emailing local Farm Bureau members to keep them informed. Ferris said he is working on a way to livestream the forum as well. Four years ago, the Scotts Bluff County Farm Bureau hosted a similar event with county board and North Platte NRD candidates. The Farm Bureau is the largest grassroots farming organization in the state. There are more than 55,000 members, and various county chapters meet regularly to discuss policy. We represent a lot of issues farmers might have ... the Farm Bureau is the voice of rural Nebraska, Id like to think, in the legislature, Groskopf said. Submit Your News We're always interested in hearing about news in our community. Let us know what's going on! Go to form Get Government & Politics updates in your inbox! Stay up-to-date on the latest in local and national government and political topics with our newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Two women were killed in a head-on collision east of Harrison Friday. The Nebraska State Patrol released that Ruth Smathers, 67, of Lost Springs, Wyoming, and Nana Flesch, 42, of Shelby, Montana, were killed in a crash that occurred at mile marker 14 on Highway 20, east of Harrison. The crash occurred at about 7:25 p.m. Friday. Smathers had been the driver of a westbound pickup pulling a loaded livestock trailer that collided with an eastbound vehicle driven by Flesch. Flesch had also been pulling a loaded livestock trailer. Both drivers were pronounced deceased at the scene. Fleschs three children were also in the vehicle and suffered serious injuries. One child was ejected from the vehicle. That child was flown to Regional West Hospital in Scottsbluff and has since been transferred to a hospital in Denver. The other children were transported to the hospital in Chadron. One has since been transported to a hospital in Rapid City. Several animals died as a result of the crash, as both trailers were loaded. Highway 20 was closed for approximately five hours. The crash remains under investigation. NSP was assisted at the scene by the Sioux County Sheriffs Office, Dawes County Sheriffs Office, Nebraska Game and Parks, and the Harrison Volunteer Fire Department. Submit Your News We're always interested in hearing about news in our community. Let us know what's going on! Go to form Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Zelensky, Ukrainian oligarchs doing business in Russia during conflict: Report by IANS | Moscow, March 29 (IANS) Against the backdrop of ongoing hostilities in Ukraine, calls for foreign businesses to leave the Russian market do not subside. Ukrainian oligarchs and big businessmen publicly declare that they have no assets left in Russia. But in fact, part of the establishment continues to control business in the Russian Federation through proxies and offshore companies, a media report said. Among them are not only names of the Ukrainian Forbes, but also President Vladimir Zelensky, the RT News report said. Ukrainian business media estimate the number of major Ukrainian businessmen doing business in Russia at hundreds of names. One of them sounds especially loud in the current situation - Zelensky. So, in Russia, LLC Green Films and Platinumfilm continue to operate and receive income. These companies, founded by the current President of Ukraine and his comrades in 2012, are responsible for distribution, rental income and royalties from Kvartal 95's comedy shows and films, RT reported. Green Films submitted its last financial statements for 2020 only. Then its revenue amounted to 55.7 million rubles, according to Rosstat. Platinumfilm showed zero revenue in 2020. The Kontur Focus service shows that both Russian companies belong to the Cypriot Green Family LTD. The Cyprus offshore, in turn, was owned by Zelensky himself by a quarter before the start of his presidential career, the register of legal entities in Cyprus indicates. In 2019, Zelensky got rid of his share, distributing it between a colleague in Kvartal 95 Andrey Yakovlev and an offshore company from the British Virgin Islands Appex International. This is evidenced by extracts from the commercial register of Cyprus received by RT. However, indirect evidence suggests that Zelensky retains control over the film production business through his closest associates, brothers Sergei and Boris Shefirov, as well as Timur Mindich, RT reported. The co-founders of Kvartal 95, the Shefir brothers, continue to control 15 per cent each of the authorized capital of the Cypriot legal entity, according to a fresh extract from the register. Both of them stand at the origins of Kvartal 95 and have known Zelensky since 1995, when the KVN festival was held in his native Krivoy Rog. Since that time, Zelensky and the Shefirs have not parted - they lived in Moscow in the same apartment, worked together on KVN, founded Kvartal 95 together. Zelensky has repeatedly publicly called Sergei Shefir his friend. And the day after taking office as president in May 2019, Zelensky appointed a friend as his first assistant, RT reported. Timur Mindich, the owner of the Virginian company Appex, is no less close to Zelensky. The fact that Appex International belongs to Mindych was repeatedly written by authoritative Ukrainian media. Through this offshore, Mindich received most of Zelensky's former share and became the owner of 50% of Green Family, which receives income from Russian rentals. The Russian, German and Ukrainian press call Mindych the man of the oligarch Igor Kolomoisky, whom Kolomoisky himself allegedly "identified" as Zelensky's entourage, RT reported. The degree of closeness between Zelensky and Mindych can be judged, for example, by the fact that the Ukrainian presidential candidate drove Mindych's car. Mindich has close cultural and business ties with Russia - he is married to the daughter of Alla Verber, the founder of the Mercury jewellery house. Werber worked as the creative director of TSUM until her death and, according to Vogue, had extensive contacts among the Russian establishment. And blogger Sergei (Zergulio) Kolyasnikov, shortly after the start of the military special operation in Ukraine, said that Zelensky's mother-in-law and wife continue to receive income from renting real estate in Moscow. They, according to the blogger, allegedly own two business-class apartments - one in the Tushino area, the other on Varshavskoe highway, RT reported. Did you sign their proposal? an Ambassador asked her group. Germany thinks we should eject Poland from the EU. What are you working on? The buzz and excitement was palpable on the Virginia Tech campus earlier this month as Floyd County students prepared for their first year participating in the Model European Council Debate. More than 100 participants from Floyd, Blacksburg, Christiansburg, and Patrick Henry High Schools darted across the room, negotiating and debating with the Heads of State, Ambassadors, Foreign Ministers, and Prime Ministers of other countries. Voting would take place soon, and several states wanted to build alliances to have their position approved. Im the Prime Minister, so Im researching how the Netherlands would reply to their request right now. They want us to get rid of Poland, but I think my country would say no. The Head of State from Lithuania is living his best life. He is talking to everybody. Right now hes standing on a chair talking to a group over there. Look. Thirty-nine FCHS students attended the event on March 15 and 17, learning about the EU and world issues from VT professors, before debating those issues. The model EU was sponsored by the Center for European Union, Transatlantic and Trans-European Space Studies at Virginia Tech. Our first year representing Floyd County High School was clearly a great success. It was hard work, but as one FCHS student stated, I learned a lot. I never knew I really liked this stuff, but I did. It was really interesting. The Model EU Council and Symposium offered students a real-world simulation of how world issues are handled by governing officials in Europe, and in the process, sparked an interest in current events and government in many students. Students in FCHSs Dual-Enrollment English and Honors Government spent weeks researching, taking notes, and writing to prepare for the event. They were responsible for learning how the EU Council works, the history behind the Belarus border crisis and Polands abuse of human rights, and the current crisis in Ukraine. In DE English class, they read books about asylum seekers and immigration, as well as listened to and read news articles on the events. They then read and researched the three topics in depth with Mr. Daniel Quesenberrys Honors Government class before drafting a formal position statement for their assigned state. After two hours of deliberations, students returned to their states, ready to begin voting. This is cool. I could do school like this every day, one student stated. Yeah, I wish we could stay here longer, his friend replied. In the end, Poland was allowed to stay and Ukraine was granted candidate status for entrance into the European Union. Students cheered for each decision. I thought to myself, If only all politicians could have the knowledge, care, and dedication that my students had shown before making world decisions. Mr. Quesenberry and I were extremely proud of how well-prepared and informed our students were, as well as how enthusiastic they were in negotiations with other states and students throughout the week. Students in my English class will be sharing informational writings about these issues on their school blogs in feature pieces soon. Next Generation is a series of non-sequential essays typically by Floyd County High School students written for credit in Amanda Bivianos Dual Enrollment Freshman Composition class. The Columbia Riverkeeper filed a lawsuit accusing a timber company of violating stormwater quality laws at its Longview mill, the group said Monday in a news release. The Clean Water Act case alleges that Weyerhaeuser NR Company went against state and federal laws when it dumped too many pollutants into the Columbia River Basin, according to court documents from the case. State and federal laws limit facilities output of Biochemical Oxygen Demand, oil and grease, pH levels and settleable solids because these pollutants can bring unwanted debris and chemicals into local waterways, posing a significant threat to sensitive salmon habitat, according to Riverkeepers news release. This lawsuit is about protecting people that rely on clean water and strong salmon runs, Riverkeeper attorney Simone Anter said in the news release. Plain and simple, Weyerhaeuser is polluting and this pollution impacts salmon. This should be taken seriously. In February, the Washington state Department of Ecology fined the Weyerhaeuser mill in Longview $40,000 for water quality violations at the Columbia River and for failing to monitor two of its stormwater outfalls, according to a Feb. 17 news release. Weyerhaeuser receives $40,000 water quality fine from Department of Ecology The Washington Department of Ecology fined Weyerhaeuser $40,000 Thursday for stormwater quality violations at its Longview mill. The company had 30 days to pay the fine or to appeal with the Pollution Control Hearings Board, the department said in its news release. Love 0 Funny 1 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 4 LAGOS, March 29 (Xinhua) -- The Nigeria Railway Corporation (NRC) has temporarily suspended its train operations between the country's capital Abuja and the northern city Kaduna due to "unforeseen circumstances" following an attack by gunmen on a train along the route on Monday night. "Due to unforeseen circumstances, train operations along the Abuja-Kaduna route have been temporarily suspended," said the NRC in a statement on Tuesday. "Further communication would be given in due course," it added. According to reports by local media, a Kaduna-bound train with over 900 passengers on board was attacked on Monday night by gunmen, who blew up the rail track, forcing the train to derail around Rijana, a village on the rail corridor in the Kaduna state. Samuel Aruwan, the commissioner of internal security and home affairs in Kaduna, said in a statement on Tuesday that security forces have been sent and secured the train immediately after the attack, and the evacuation of passengers trapped in the train has been concluded by Tuesday morning. The passengers who sustained injuries have also been moved to hospitals for treatment, said Aruwan, without giving further details. Security forces continued to comb the general area for additional search and rescue efforts, he added. At about 12:30 p.m. Saturday, officers responded to an armed robbery reported at Chase Bank in the Triangle Shopping Center, according to the Longview Police Department. The suspect had a handgun and fled before officers arrived, according to police. Editors note: Information is provided by the Cowlitz County Corrections Department and local law enforcement agencies. Each individual named in this report is presumed to be innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Assault Longview officers Monday arrested Joseph Armond Beebe, 23, of St. Helens, Oregon, on suspicion of third-degree assault. Robbery Longview officers Monday arrested Brandon Christopher Hall, 36, of Aiken, South Carolina, on suspicion of third-degree theft and two counts of second-degree burglary. Fraud A Longview man reported Monday he used the mobile payment service Cash App to purchase a $600 Xbox from a company that has since deleted its Facebook page and blocked him. Assault 100 block of Duncan Spur Road, Kelso. Monday. A man reported his neighbor shot a bullet near his daughter when practicing on his property. 500 block of Redpath Street, Kelso. Monday. Report of two students fighting. 1200 block of 28th Avenue, Longview. Monday. Report of a student being assaulted by another student for the second time in the past few weeks. 3800 block of Cherrywood Street, Longview. Monday. Report of fight between two women in "an assisted living situation." Burglaries 100 block of River Ridge Lane, Kalama. Monday. Report of a commercial burglary at Storage R Us and damage to toy hauler RV located behind a fence. 400 block of Main Street, Kelso. Monday. Report of two unwanted people inside a jobsite trailer with multiple tools taken. 700 block of Commerce Avenue, Longview. Monday. Report of catalytic converters taken from three vehicles in fenced area over the weekend. 200 block of Baltimore Street, Longview. Monday. Report of transients breaking into and sleeping overnight, leaving needles and pipes in a vacant apartment. Stolen vehicle 700 block of CC Street, Woodland. Monday. 6-foot, single-axel trailer with no license plate. Theft 3200 block of Columbia Heights Road, Longview. Monday. Report of caregiver possibly taking items from a safe belonging to a deceased person. Vandalism/malicious mischief 400 block of Stone Park, Kalama. Monday. Report of gas line cut and gas taken. 800 block of Pacific Avenue, Kelso. Monday. Report of person in a dark gray Dodge Charger firing airsoft gun at a bus. 11th Avenue and Tennant Way, Longview. Monday. Report of a man with an overflowing shopping cart, possibly smoking marijuana, bending a crosswalk pole. Vehicle prowls 100 block of Yelton Drive, Longview. Monday. 100 block of Inglewood Drive, Longview. Monday. Report of car prowl caught on surveillance. 600 block of Olson Road, Longview. Monday. Report of car broken into and cash taken. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Sign up for our Crime & Courts newsletter Get the latest in local public safety news with this weekly email. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Close Get email notifications on {{subject}} daily! Your notification has been saved. There was a problem saving your notification. {{description}} Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. The process the researchers followed to enhance heat dissipation performance management in lithium ion batteries. Credit: Zhejiang University While electric vehicles have reaped the rewards of new high-energy lithium-ion batteries and rapid charging technology, challenges remain. For example, although cars can cover longer distances between charges, and battery charging times have reduced, the lifespan of those batteries has also decreased, and low heat dissipation efficiency has led to safety issues. Researchers from the US and China set out to find an economic but efficient battery thermal management strategy to keep battery temperatures within a safe range. In a study, published in the journal Green Energy & Environment, they shared their findingsa 3D, interconnected, thermally-conductive boron nitride network that greatly improves thermal conductivity compared to random distribution. Study co-author, Professor Bing Zhang of China's Zhejiang University, explains that they "designed a three-dimensional (3D) network of boron nitride, and systematically studied its effect on the thermal management performance of power cells." "What we found is that the hexagonal boron nitride thermal network (h-BN) constructed by the ice template method with varying temperature gradients showed structural differences in different directions. Generally, structure determines performance, and different structures in different directions means a greater spread of performance. And by creating a composite with paraffin (h-BN/PW), we could achieve excellent anti-leakage performance and ultra-fast heat dissipation performance in lithium-ion batteries." He adds that their "results showed that the maximum surface temperature of the battery with continuous charge and discharge at 2 5 was reduced by 6.9 . We think that this demonstrates the great potential of this process for application in battery thermal management systems." Explore further New material to pave the way for more efficient electronic devices More information: Zhuoya Wang et al, Ultrafast battery heat dissipation enabled by highly ordered and interconnected hexagonal boron nitride thermal conductive composites, Green Energy & Environment (2022). Zhuoya Wang et al, Ultrafast battery heat dissipation enabled by highly ordered and interconnected hexagonal boron nitride thermal conductive composites,(2022). DOI: 10.1016/j.gee.2022.02.007 Provided by KeAi Communications The walls of the Arni room have rotating panels. A spherical loudspeaker plays sound to all directions, and the acoustic properties can be measured with several microphones at the same time. Credit: Aalto University / Karolina Prawda Acoustics researchers of Aalto University have discovered a way to improve the most common measurement method, the sine sweep technique, which has been in use for 20 years since it replaced all previous methods. The sine sweep is a whistling sound, whose frequency raises logarithmically through the entire range of the human hearing from 20 Hz to 20,000 Hz. In practice, the sine sweep lasts for a few seconds. By increasing the length of the sine sweep, it is possible to feed more energy to the room and thus reduce the proportion of noises affecting the measurement. However, the measurement cannot be increased much, since over the time the possibility of additional disturbances and changes in the environments increase, which adds to the uncertainty of the measurements. The new Rule of Two method recommends repeating the sine sweep measurement a few times until two of them pass the cleanliness criterion. This way, the automatic measurements can be done very reliably. The thousands of combinations needed for the development of this method were measured at the Arni room in Otaniemi. "The measurement techniques of acoustics and audio technology have developed much over the years. In the early days, acousticians used to clap their hands or use a starting pistol in a room and then listen how the echo decays. Nowadays the measurements are done with a computer and accurate calculations, and that's why we know precisely how sound reverberates in different spaces," says Vesa Valimaki, a professor of acoustics. "The name of our method, Rule of Two (Ro2), comes from the requirement that reliability calls for two clean measurements, which correlate strongly. Later we learned that, by coincidence, there is also a rule of two in Star Wars. The acoustic measurement method has nothing to do with Star Wars, except for the same term," says Karolina Prawda, a doctoral researcher. Researchers believe that the new measurement technique for acoustics and audio technology will replace the 20-year-old single sine sweep method, because the more reliable technique saves time in design work. Acoustic measurements are commonly used in the design of all interiors, where it is necessary to make speech, announcements or music audible for all, such as in movie theaters, metro stations, concert halls, lecture rooms, churches, and congress centers. "At Aalto University, we will immediately start using this method in teaching. I hope that the sector of acoustics will notice its benefits as soon as possible," Professor Valimaki says. Endless amount of echo options with rotating panels The walls of the Arni room have rotating panels. One side of the panels is hard whereas the other is soft. The room becomes reverberant using the hard surfaces and attenuated using the soft ones. A spherical loudspeaker plays sound to all directions, and the acoustic properties can be measured with several microphones at the same time. Because of the rotating panels, researchers have the chance to modify the acoustic environment in the room almost endlessly. "The measurement method was discovered just because of thousands of measurements. The walls can produce more combinations than there are ants in the world," mentions Professor of Practice Sebastian Schlecht. "The wall panels open and close when the software commands them. Our task was to analyze the thousands of measurements and compare them with each other," Prawda says. Their paper has been published in The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America. Explore further Estimating the quality of sound spaces from observed speech More information: Karolina Prawda et al, Robust selection of clean swept-sine measurements in non-stationary noise, The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America (2022). Journal information: Journal of the Acoustical Society of America Karolina Prawda et al, Robust selection of clean swept-sine measurements in non-stationary noise,(2022). DOI: 10.1121/10.0009915 Credit: Zhu Jin Quantum technology, which makes use of the surprising and often counterintuitive properties of the subatomic universe, is revolutionizing the way information is gathered, stored, shared and analyzed. The commercial and scientific potential of the quantum revolution is vast, but it is in national security that quantum technology is making the biggest waves. National governments are by far the heaviest investors in quantum research and development. Quantum technology promises breakthroughs in weapons, communications, sensing and computing technology that could change the world's balance of military power. The potential for strategic advantage has spurred a major increase in funding and research and development in recent years. The three key areas of quantum technology are computing, communications and sensing. Particularly in the United States and China, all three are now seen as crucial parts of the struggle for economic and military supremacy. The race is on Developing quantum technology isn't cheap. Only a small number of states have the organizational capacity and technological know-how to compete. Russia, India, Japan, the European Union and Australia have established significant quantum research and development programs. But China and the US hold a substantial lead in the new quantum race. And the race is heating up. In 2015 the US was the world's largest investor in quantum technology, having spent around US$500 million dollars. By 2021 this investment had grown to almost US$2.1 billion. However, Chinese investment in quantum technology in the same period expanded from US$300 million to an estimated US$13 billion. The leaders of the two nations, Joe Biden and Xi Jinping, have both emphasized the importance of quantum technology as a critical national security tool in recent years. The US federal government has established a "three pillars model" of quantum research, under which federal investment is split between civilian, defense and intelligence agencies. In China, information on quantum security programs is more opaque, but the People's Liberation Army is known to be supporting quantum research through its own military science academies as well as extensive funding programs into the broader scientific community. Artificial intelligence and machine learning Advances in quantum computing could result in a leap in artificial intelligence and machine learning. This could improve the performance of lethal autonomous weapons systems (which can select and engage targets without human oversight). It would also make it easier to analyze the large data sets used in defense intelligence and cyber security. Improved machine learning may also confer a major advantage in carrying out (and defending against) cyber attacks on both civilian and military infrastructure. The most powerful current quantum computer (as far as we know) is made by the US company IBM, which works closely with US defense and intelligence. Unhackable communication Quantum communication systems can be completely secure and unhackable. Quantum communication is also required for networking quantum computers, which is expected to enhance quantum computational power exponentially. China is the clear global leader here. A quantum communication network using ground and satellite connections already links Beijing, Shanghai, Jinan and Heifei. China's prioritization of secure quantum communications is likely linked to revelations of US covert global surveillance operations. The US has been by far the most advanced and effective communications, surveillance and intelligence power for the past 70 yearsbut that could change with a successful Chinese effort. More powerful sensors Quantum computing and communications hold out the promise of future advantage, but the quantum technology closest to military deployment today is quantum sensing. New quantum sensing systems offer more sensitive detection and measurement of the physical environment. Existing stealth systems, including the latest generation of warplanes and ultra-quiet nuclear submarines, may no longer be so hard to spot. Superconducting quantum interference devices (or SQUIDs), which can make extremely sensitive measurements of magnetic fields, are expected to make it easier to detect submarines underwater in the near future. At present, undetectable submarines armed with nuclear missiles are regarded as an essential deterrent against nuclear war because they could survive an attack on their home country and retaliate against the attacker. Networks of more advanced SQUIDs could make these submarines more detectable (and vulnerable) in the future, upsetting the balance of nuclear deterrence and the logic of mutually assured destruction. New technologies, new arrangements The US is integrating quantum cooperation agreements into existing alliances such as NATO, as well as into more recent strategic arrangements such as the AustraliaUKUS AUKUS security pact and the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue ("the Quad") between Australia, India, Japan, and the US. China already cooperates with Russia in many areas of technology, and events may well propel closer quantum cooperation. In the Cold War between the US and the USSR, nuclear weapons were the transformative technology. International standards and agreements were developed to regulate them and ensure some measure of safety and predictability. In much the same way, new accords and arrangements will be needed as the quantum arms race heats up. Explore further The best of both worlds: Combining classical and quantum systems to meet supercomputing demands This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. The reroute will cover "just under 9,000 nautical miles"or 16,668 kilometresin 16 to 17 hours, Cathay said. Cathay Pacific is planning the world's longest passenger flight by rerouting its New York to Hong Kong service over the Atlantic instead of the Pacific, the airline said Tuesday, in a new path that steers clear of Russia. The flight path will cover "just under 9,000 nautical miles" (10,357 miles)or 16,668 kilometresin 16 to 17 hours, Cathay said in a statement to AFP. It will surpass a Singapore Airlines flight travelling from the Southeast Asian city-state to New York, which flies a shorter distance in a longer timeabout 15,343 kilometres (9,534 miles) in 18 hours. Cathay declined to be drawn on the reasons for its flight path giving a wide berth to Russia's airspace, which it has previously flown through, according to Bloomberg. Many airlines have cancelled routes to Russian cities or are avoiding its airspace over Moscow's bloody invasion of neighbouring Ukraine last month. Russia also closed its skies last month to several European countries and all UK-linked flights in a tit-for-tat response to a similar ban placed on them. Cathay is currently seeking an overflight permit for the journey which will fly across the Atlantic, Europe and Central Asia. "We are always running contingency routings for potential events or scenarios within the world of aviation," Hong Kong's flagship carrier said Tuesday in a statement to AFP. The trans-Atlantic option is more favourable than their usual trans-Pacific route because of "strong seasonal tailwinds at this time of the year", it said. Pre-pandemic, Cathay operated three round trips between the two cities every day. Flights to Hong Kong now face frequent cancellations due to the financial hub's strict anti-Covid measures, as well as a lack of passengers. Starting April 1, flights from the US and eight other countries will be allowed to land in Hong Kong again, as the government relaxes some of the world's toughest Covid-19 restrictions. As of Tuesday evening, Cathay lists a New York-to-Hong Kong flight for April 3a non-stop journey that will stay in the air for 17 hours and 50 minutes, according to its website. Explore further Hong Kong airport bans transit passengers from 153 countries 2022 AFP Credit: University of Edinburgh Experts at Edinburgh have helped to produce a sign language glossary for deaf people who are engaged in digital technology. They are part of a team that has created more than 500 signs covering computer science, cyber security, data science and software development. Team members say the glossary will help the deaf community access qualifications and careers in one of Scotland's fastest-growing sectors. The new British Sign Language (BSL) lexicon is backed by Government agency Skills Development Scotland and the Scottish Sensory Centre, based at Edinburgh. It is a key strand of the University's Data Education in Schools initiative, which is part of a wider program called the Data-Driven Innovation (DDI) Skills Gateway. DDI Skills Gateway is funded as part of the 1.3bn Edinburgh and South East Scotland City Region Deal, which aims to drive economic growth and includes investment in skills and employability. Teamwork A UK-wide team of eight deaf people, who are also tech experts, spent eight months with sign linguists developing and testing the new signs for the glossary. Team member Ben Fletcher, who is principal engineer with the Financial Times, says it is important to create a common language for deaf people in tech. He says: "I have studied and worked in computing throughout my whole life, but tech and BSL have often been a difficult combination. "There's a huge list of computing terms, very few of which have dedicated and widely recognized signs, and others I just had to make up. It was very frustrating." Ben says a standard glossary will help deaf people in schools, colleges, universities and workplaces. The new signs make it much easier for them to talk about tech matters. Lengthy process Before the glossary was launched, deaf people often had to spell out each individual letter of the specialized terms they were using. Popular tech words and phrases now covered include ethical hacking, firewall, data breach, machine learning and phishing. Secondary pupil Billy-Jack Gerrard, who attends St Augustine's RC High School in Edinburgh, is deaf and wants to study AI and computer science at university. He says: "The terms will make life so much easier and, in turn, be far more inclusive for deaf people like me who are wanting to pursue a digital career." Skills gap Head of digital technologies and financial service at Skills Development Scotland, Phil Ford, adds: "This will help deaf people get jobs in tech while also enhancing inclusivityall with the ultimate aim of plugging the skills gap in a sector that is vital for Scotland's economy." The full list of signs can be found on the Scottish Sensory Centre website but Kate Farrell, of the Data Education in Schools initiative, is keen to keep adding to the list. Kate says: "Like the technology itself, which is constantly changing, the accompanying language has to evolvewe therefore welcome the continued input from technologists." Project leader Dr. Audrey Cameron, a Chancellor's Fellow at Moray House School of Sport and Education, says: "The sign development team has been awesome and creative in developing these visual representations of all the terms." The Scottish Sensory Centre, based at Moray House, has hosted the British Sign Language Glossary of curriculum terms since 2007. The BSL Glossary is widely used by teachers of deaf children, deaf young people, their support workers and parents. Explore further New education 'hubs' for Deaf children needed to replace social spaces lost when specialist schools close Credit: Camenzind et al. The idea of creating a spin-based quantum computer using quantum dots was first introduced by Daniel Loss and David Di Vincenzo in 1998. Since then, countless engineers and physicists worldwide have been trying to realize their vision using existing and newly developed hardware components. So far, silicon has proved to be among the most promising materials for creating spin-based quantum computers, as most complementary metal oxide semiconductors (CMOSs) in use today are made of silicon. Moreover, silicon can be designed to be free of nuclear spins, which are known to degrade the coherence of spin qubits in quantum computers. Researchers at University of Basel and IBM Research-Zurich have recently explored the possibility of hosting spin qubits in silicon-based FinFETs, a class of transistors first introduced by researchers at University of California- Berkeley. Their results, published in Nature Electronics, were very promising, as they suggest that FinFETs could help to improve the scalability of quantum technologies. "Billions of FinFETs are used in today's computer chips," Andreas Kuhlmann and Dominik Zumbuhl, two of the researchers who carried out the study, told TechXplore. "Achieving scalability (i.e., going from a few tens of qubits to many millions) remains the greatest challenge for quantum computing. So, we thought: why not build a quantum computer with a platform that has successfully mastered this challenge? Furthermore, FinFETs are also excellent hosts for (hole) spin qubits and a very handy property of hole spin qubits is their spin-orbit interaction." The spin-orbit interaction is an important property of hole spin qubits that can be very advantageous, as it allows researchers to manipulate spin states by applying an oscillating electrical signal to them. Physics theory predicts that holes in silicon FinFETs will have an unusually large spin-orbit interaction that can be electrically modulated. In their experiments, Kuhlmann, Zumbuhl and their colleagues tested this prediction using a standard FinFET device to host small, fast and coherent spin qubits that are resistant to high temperatures. Ultimately, they found that the silicon FinFET could host the spin qubits operating at temperatures above 4 Kelvin. "Our devices work in a similar way to a classical transistor, where the gate electrode controls the current flow from source to drain," Kuhlmann and Zumbuhl explained. "Here, we use the gates to trap single hole spins. Once the spins are localized (inside what we call a quantum dot), microwave signals can be applied to manipulate the spin state. The smaller these quantum dots are the more robust they are against temperature." The FinFET realized by the researchers resemble those that are currently being manufactured worldwide. This means that they could be easy to integrate with existing components and to scale up (i.e., increasing the number of qubits inside them). Other existing quantum computing platforms, such as those hosting superconducting qubits, typically need to operate at millikelvin (mK) temperatures. The qubits hosted in the platform developed by the researchers, on the other hand, can be operated at temperatures above 4K. "A cryostat operating at 4K is technically much less demanding than one operating at mK temperatures," Kuhlmann and Zumbuhl said. "Furthermore, at 4K the available cooling power is orders of magnitudes larger than at mK temperatures. This means that in future we could integrate the classical control electronics (required for qubit control) on-chip with the qubits. This is important when scaling up the qubit count, since the number of control lines going from room temperature to mK inside a fridge is limited, and the more qubits the more control lines are needed." In the future, the recent study carried out by Kuhlmann, Zumbuhl and their colleagues could help to accelerate the development of quantum computing technology and improve its scalability. In the meantime, the researchers plan to optimize the performance of the qubits inside their device further. "We want to make the qubits more coherent and at the same time reduce the gate times," Kuhlmann and Zumbuhl said. "In addition, we would like to scale up the number of qubits inside our transistor." Explore further A three-qubit entangled state has been realized in a fully controllable array of spin qubits in silicon More information: Leon C. Camenzind et al, A hole spin qubit in a fin field-effect transistor above 4 kelvin, Nature Electronics (2022). Journal information: Nature Electronics Leon C. Camenzind et al, A hole spin qubit in a fin field-effect transistor above 4 kelvin,(2022). DOI: 10.1038/s41928-022-00722-0 2022 Science X Network JERUSALEM, March 29 (Xinhua) -- The first official Israeli business delegation has arrived in Morocco, the Manufacturers Association of Israel (MAI) said Tuesday. The delegation, which landed in Casablanca on Monday for a four-day visit and was welcomed by Morocco's economic organizations, includes the heads of Israel's leading industry, trade, export and agriculture organizations, according to the MAI. The Israeli delegation visited the Casablanca Finance City, an African financial and business hub that gathers more than 200 corporate members with operations in 50 African countries. It is scheduled to meet in Casablanca with the heads of the General Confederation of Businesses of Morocco (CGEM) and visit the port and business complex in the northern city of Tangier and headquarters of advanced industrial and agricultural companies. The purpose of the visit is to promote trade relations and cooperation between Israel and Morocco in the areas of food, advanced agriculture, medical equipment and services, renewable energy, cybersecurity, transportation and more, according to the MAI. Earlier in March, Morocco sent its first official business delegation to Israel, during which the CGEM signed a cooperation agreement with leading Israeli business organizations. Morocco agreed to normalize its relations with Israel in December 2020 in a deal brokered by the United States, becoming the fourth Arab country after the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Sudan to normalize ties with Israel in 2020. Israel signed a bilateral agreement with Morocco in February aiming to expand annual trade volume to 500 million U.S. dollars within the next five years. Credit: CC0 Public Domain SolarWinds says it has beefed up security and tightened its software screening process 15 months after one of the most sophisticated cyberattacks exposed thousands of its customers to Russian spies and left U.S. government agencies and Fortune 500 companies scrambling to contain losses. SolarWinds executives say they have spent $25 million to improve security and established new processes to screen third-party code that goes into almost all software products. The company now operates on the principle of "zero trust and assuming breach mentality"tech-speak for taking as a given that security breaches are inescapablesaid Chip Daniels, the head of government affairs at SolarWinds. The company also has instituted a process requiring all software be built in triplicate by separate teams to prevent malware infections because of loopholes or deliberate mischief, he said. Outside software developers are being subjected to a screening process that requires them to "answer a series of questions that will assure us that their environment is secure," Daniels said. In December 2020, cybersecurity research firm FireEye revealed that network management software made by SolarWinds had been breached, potentially exposing as many as 18,000 of the latter company's clients. In-depth assessments revealed that of those clients who were likely to have been exposed, only 100 were affected, the company has said. U.S. officials later said the attack was carried out by Russian intelligence operatives who broke into a software update process used by SolarWinds and used that to gain access to clients who had unwittingly installed the tainted software update. In the immediate aftermath of the attack, U.S. officials asked all federal agencies using SolarWinds to disconnect the software and rebuild their computer operating systems. Cybersecurity experts feared that Russian spies might have placed secret backdoors that they could access later. The new measures are causing federal agencies that feared using the company's software to reconsider, Daniels said. But he declined to name the agencies because negotiations were still underway. The company is reassuring its old and new customers that it has undertaken a comprehensive security review to find and remove any remnants of the Russian attack, said Tim Brown, chief information security officer at SolarWinds. The company worked with federal agencies, including the FBI and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, as well as private cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike and forensic auditors from KPMG for six months "looking and hunting, examining for any anomalies we might see" in the software, Brown said. The company examined every software code going back two years and found no anomalies, Brown said. Although the Russian attack did not stem from an insider threat, it "doesn't mean it couldn't happen next time," Brown said. To prevent such an outcome, the company adopted the "triple build" model of software development, he said. One version is built by developers, while a second one, called the validation version, is simultaneously under development, and a third security version is also developed, Brown said. Before shipping out a software update to customers, the company compares the three versions to ensure they are identical, he said. The new approach ensures that any attempts to inject malware "you would need to have collusion amongst at least three people," which is far less likely, Brown said. Since software, like most physical products, is assembled with inputs from a global list of suppliers and draws on open-source components, SolarWinds now uses a set of seven questions to screen the security measures adopted by its suppliers, Daniels and Brown said. The questions include a detailed breakdown of each supplier's software development process, how suppliers secure their physical and electronic infrastructure, their risk management practices, how they respond when a breach or a vulnerability is discovered, methods used to identify internal threats, how they validate changes to their software code and how they screen new employees to identify potential foreign actors. The questions were built off of the first set of questions CISA asked SolarWinds in the immediate aftermath of the attack, Brown said. The company now recommends that other software developers use the screening questionnaire to assess the security of their suppliers, Brown said. SolarWinds also is building a database of all the software code that goes into its products in order to develop a so-called software bill of materials, Brown said. In May 2021, President Joe Biden issued an executive order on improving cybersecurity measures across the federal government and private companies. One of the elements of the order called for software sellers to provide buyers with a software bill of materials. The order said the bill of materials refers to "a formal record containing the details and supply chain relationships of various components used in building software." Brown said in some cases the bill of materials could run to tens of thousands of pages and could overwhelm customers trying to evaluate a vendor's offering. SolarWinds, like other software companies, is working to make the idea of bill of materials practical and useful to customers, Brown said. Explore further Florida launches investigation into hacking of its servers 2022 CQ-Roll Call, Inc., All Rights Reserved. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. For the next week, 14 plywood shacks set up in the shadow of Kyle Field and the Memorial Student Center will be a temporary home to some students at different points during the week as part of Aggie Habitat for Humanitys annual Shack-a-Thon. The purpose of the student-run event is to raise money for the larger Bryan/College Station Habitat for Humanity and to increase awareness of affordable housing needs in the community and beyond. Many people like to think that homelessness and substandard housing is something that affects people away from us, but in fact its very close, Aggie Habitat co-president and Texas A&M grad student Trent Riek said. Its very next door. In fact, in our case, in the Bryan community, Habitat for Humanity as an organization, has built 300 houses and counting for people that live in substandard housing. Its actually very prominent just within Bryan alone, and just within our area. He said the problem people face trying to find affordable housing is an important one that should be addressed both through fundraisers and advocacy. Hannah Lansford, Texas A&M senior and Aggie Habitat director of public relations, added, Housing and accessibility to housing is a very prevalent issue, and it does play a role in peoples quality of life as well as their ability to be educated and hold jobs, different things like that. Its just super important, and I really love this fundraiser because its ultimately just helping people and thats the best part. The event raises about $10,000 toward Aggie Habitats goal of helping fund a local Habitat for Humanity house. It is the second big event for the organization after a pumpkin patch in the fall. Michael Mendiola, a freshman with the Fish Co. student organization, said he hopes the various freshman leadership organizations participating show other students that the Class of 2025 freshmen care about selfless service and want to take care of people in the community. He also said he hopes they can make sure they do as much as they can to help those who are less fortunate. There might have been some unfortunate circumstances that are out of their control, and its important for us to do whatever we can to help them just as human beings to make sure that everybody gets the best opportunity to live as possible, he said. More than just building the shacks, at least one person from the student organization must be at the shack at all times 24 hours a day for the duration of the event that lasts until Friday morning. Were just trying to build shacks, bring awareness to those who may need homes, Alan Hernandez, a freshman with the organization Freshman Leaders Establishing Excellence (FLEX), said. I mean, every little house is a group of people who are trying their best to bring attention. Eric McGonagle, also a freshman with FLEX, said it is hard for someone to walk by Kyle Field and see the shacks and not ask what it is about. It really catches peoples eyes and gets them to come up and start asking questions, and its really cool to be able to speak about this and say, Yeah, you know, were just helping raise awareness, he said. After two years that were affected by COVID-19, organizers were excited to see more participants this year than in previous years. We were worried that people werent going to know what we were doing anymore, and they werent going to come out, but this is the most weve ever had, so its been super exciting. Im super excited for all of them to get this experience themselves, Julia Evans, a senior at A&M and co-president of Aggie Habitat, said. Nathan Touchette, director of property with Bryan/College Station Habitat for Humanity and a Texas A&M graduate student, said he is excited to see the increased participation. It is a unique event, he said, to involve a younger crowd of college students on campus. We really dont get this kind of exposure on a normal basis, so its a really fun event that gets a bunch of different organizations involved, who typically just come out and volunteer every now and then, Touchette said. This gives them something a little bit more personal to build their own shack, and to do some advocacy for affordable housing and substandard housing is always great. We never get enough of that in our community, so its good to see so many young people engaged and involved. A lot of our volunteers are on the older side, so getting to see activity like this with so many young kids is great. The goal, he said, is to continue increasing the number of participants and raising awareness and funds. Throughout the week, the students will participate in games as a Shack-a-Thon community and also will hear from speakers, such as College Station Mayor Karl Mooney Tuesday night, about the impact they can make. Lansford said it is a good combination of learning and having fun. Preston Bell, a freshman representing the organization Freshman Leadership in Progress (FLiP), said it has been a good bonding experience for the members of his organization, and he is looking forward to hanging out with his friends and meeting people with other participating organizations. Sam Aletan, a freshman with Alpha Phi Omega, said it has been fun building the shack with his friends. Beyond the fun and community aspect, Touchette said, he hopes the students feel a little uncomfortable. Thats what its about is getting yourself out of your comfort zone; learning what other people have to go through and trying to put yourself in their shoes, so that you can help the world be a better place, he said. Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Former United Kingdom Prime Minister David Cameron will visit College Station on Friday for a discussion of world affairs on the Texas A&M University campus. The event, which begins at 7 p.m., will be moderated by Fox News political analyst and NPR national correspondent Mara Liasson. Cameron will discuss current foreign policy challenges, the United Kingdoms alliance with the United States and geopolitical crises facing both nations. Tickets are $20 and available at boxoffice.tamu.edu or by calling 845-1234. Tickets for Texas A&M students are $12. HAVANA, March 28 (Xinhua) -- The first Havana Local Development Fair kicked off Monday at the Expocuba exhibition center with face masks required, as government measures to boost economic activities after a pandemic hiatus and the tightened U.S. embargo against the island. The event will contribute to improving the interaction between the state and non-state sectors, Cuban Minister of Economy and Planning Alejandro Gil told Xinhua. "We are betting on local development, mobilizing endogenous resources of territories," he said. "All efforts to promote local development across the country are welcome." Running through April 3, the fair features food products, wooden furniture, construction materials, textiles, ornamental plants and others. The exhibition stands represent 720 state companies, cooperatives, local development projects and private businesses, including the recently approved small and medium-sized enterprises. The non-state sector could significantly help the national economy grow, Juan Triana, a Cuban university professor and senior economist, told Xinhua. "This fair has added the new economic players as a functional and substantial part of the Cuban economy," which is "fundamental for the future of the Caribbean nation," he said. According to official statistics, there are about 2,000 state companies and over 2,500 small and medium-sized enterprises in Cuba. Cuba's GDP has been projected by the Cuban Ministry of Economy to grow by 4 percent this year after having contracted by 13 percent during the sanitary emergency. Clute, TX (77531) Today Partly cloudy skies. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 92F. Winds SSE at 10 to 15 mph.. Tonight A few clouds. Low near 75F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph. New COVID-19 cases are at an all-time low for the Hall County area. There have only been nine new cases of coronavirus and the positivity rate for Central District Health Departments coverage area is at 7%. CDHD last updated its COVID-19 dashboard on March 24, which shows data collected over the previous seven days in the three-county district. The current numbers are lowest since the start of pandemic, CDHD Director Teresa Anderson told The Independent. I dont think weve seen anything lower than this in this entire two-year period, she said. COVID-19 cases in the wake of omicrons arrival in December reached all-time highs in the Hall County area several times over through January. By late January, the district had a 63% positivity rate and 1,400 cases in one seven-day period. The sharp decline is because omicron burned itself out, Anderson reported. This means that it infected nearly everyone its going to infect, she said. Not that we wont have a few more cases, but it is essentially no longer a threat to us. While the numbers are down significantly, there is room for improvement. We can go lower, Anderson said, but this is a good spot for us right now. Diligence and vigilance remains crucial. Omicron has a little brother, Anderson said, and its the BA.2 variant. This subvariant is currently surging in California and in the east. BA.2 is more transmissible than the original omicron, so were just watching it very closely, she said. But last week there were only 18 confirmed cases of BA.2 in Nebraska. Opportunities to stay protected against COVID remain available. A second booster shot is expected to be approved soon for people age 50 and older. Anderson also expects approval from the Food and Drug Administration and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to give shots for the first time to children ages 0 to 4. CDHD is still offering at-home COVID test kits with more coming in soon for distribution. We think testing is going to be really important when this next wave of omicron hits, said Anderson. Well be able to test at home without risk of exposing anyone else. If a person has symptoms, they can test at home and if its positive they can take the appropriate measures. An antiviral pill specific to COVID is also available at some local pharmacies via CDHD. Both Molnupiravir and Paxlovid must be prescribed by a health care provider. If a person tests positive for COVID in the first two days after the onset of symptoms, their provider can write them a prescription for it, Anderson said. Nomi Health is continuing testing at CDHD office, but with reduced hours. They are available between 8 a.m. and 3 p.m. Monday through Thursday at 1137 S. Locust St. For now, CDHD staff members, busy since March 2020, can enjoy some relief from the pandemic. Were really glad to take a deep breath and just celebrate, I think, and at the same time we can turn our attention to other health issues that have been neglected to some degree, Anderson said. Safety remains important, Anderson emphasized, but people can now relax more as the warm spring weather arrives. Its great for us all to be outside, and while the viral count is low we really dont have to do a lot to protect ourselves, except just be watchful, she said. Once we see that this virus starts to increase, then we will be guided by CDC as far as now is the time to mask up and practice more social distancing, those kinds of things. She added, Right now, were just happy to have some time without restrictions. For more about Central District Health Department services and information about COVID-19, visit cdhd.ne.gov. Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. The Grand Island man who was taken hostage over the weekend by Tyler Manka says his captor held a screwdriver to his throat and threatened to kill him. The 60-year-old man, who asked that his name not be used, was held captive in his apartment at 192 Stoeger Dr. for 12 1/2 hours. Manka, 27, had escaped from Hall County Department of Corrections personnel while being treated at CHI Health St. Francis Medical Center. The resident of the apartment said Manka came to his door at 10:07 p.m. Friday. After arrivingManka forced the man into his bedroom. During the course of the night, Manka threatened him several times, he said. As the night progressed, Manka calmed down, he said. He even offered him a couple of pills to help with a leg problem. The Grand Island Police Departments tactical response team, negotiators and additional officers gathered outside the house, as did members of the Hall County Sheriffs Department and the Nebraska State Patrol. A news release from GIPD referred to tenuous hours of negotiations. At about 6 a.m. Saturday, tactical operations were turned over to the Nebraska State Patrol SWAT team due to the length of the incident while negotiations continued, the release says. As Manka barricaded the hostage and himself inside the mans bedroom, law enforcement personnel entered the front of the apartment. The State Patrol SWAT team rescued the hostage safely and arrested Manka. The hostage said the standoff ended at 10:39 a.m. Before he was rescued, the man saw an armored vehicle in his backyard. At the same time the rescuers entered the bedroom, six or eight explosive devices detonated, the hostage said. A state patrol spokesman said those devices are called flashbangs. Earlier Friday Manka had been the defendant in a jury trial at the Hall County Courthouse. The jury returned with a verdict at about 8 p.m. Friday, said Grand Island Police Capt. Jim Duering. After the verdict, members of the Hall County Department of Corrections staff took Manka to St. Francis to have him treated for a medical incident, Duering said. While at the hospital, Manka escaped from two Hall County corrections officers. Manka fled on foot, running eastbound from the north side of the hospital, Duering said. He headed for the Regency Retirement Residence at 803 Alpha St. At that point, two heroic citizens stepped in to help, Duering said. One of them was an emergency room doctor who saw a man in a jail uniform running. The other one was a concerned citizen who was driving by and stopped to help. The two citizens tried to trap Manka in a Regency foyer by pinning the door shut, which demonstrated pretty good thinking by both subjects, Duering said. Unfortunately, Manka was able to break the other door and ran through the Regency. He exited through the east door and wound up at 192 Stoeger Dr. Manka told the 60-year-old man he chose that address because the man had left the light on. Manka arrived at his apartment bleeding from his arm, the hostage said. As negotiations went on through the night between Manka, GIPD and state patrol representatives, officers brought Manka and the hostage food from McDonalds. But the food was never eaten, the hostage said. In order to clear space, law enforcement officers threw some of his furniture outside, the hostage said. They also left wires hanging loose from a light fixture in his kitchen. His front door was being repaired Monday, when the smell of smoke was still apparent in his apartment. On Monday, Hall County Corrections Director Todd Bahensky said the slip-up by the corrections officers was a personnel matter. Im thankful that nobody got seriously hurt, Bahensky said, adding that he appreciated the job that law enforcement did. In the news release, GIPD expressed thanks for the cooperation of surrounding agencies, and a peaceful resolution to this incident. It really was a team effort, Duering said, adding that the State Patrol did a great job. Manka was arrested for burglary, kidnapping, escape, making terroristic threats and use of a weapon to commit a felony. Police were still investigating the incident on Monday, Duering said. 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Ireland Uruguay, Eastern Republic of Uzbekistan Vanuatu Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of Viet Nam, Socialist Republic of Wallis and Futuna Islands Western Sahara Yemen Zambia, Republic of Zimbabwe The best bang for your buck! This option enables you to purchase online 24/7 access and receive the Sunday, Tuesday & Thursday print edition at no additional cost * Print edition only available in our carrier delivery area. Allow up to 72 hours for delivery of your print edition to begin. Print edition not available for Day Pass option. ULLIN A Cairo man has been arrested and charged for alleged sexual assault of a minor, according to Illinois State Police. Tereaune Kincaid, 22, has been charged by Alexander County States Attorney with two counts of predatory criminal sexual assault of a child, a Class X felony. ISP Division of Criminal Investigation Zone 7 was requested on Jan. 6 to investigate an incident where a 13-year-old girl had been sexually assaulted by an adult, according to ISP. Through the course of the investigation, DCI was able to locate evidence that supported the claim. A warrant was then issued for Kincaid and the bond was set at $250,000 and 10% to apply. On Thursday, police arrested Kincaid on the warrant and Kincaid was transported to the Pulaski County Jail. This is an open investigation. Anyone with information concerning this case is asked to contact ISP Zone 7 Investigations at 618-845-3740, Ext 281. The Southern Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Sign up for our Crime & Courts newsletter Get the latest in local public safety news with this weekly email. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. CARBONDALE Illinois EPA Director John J. Kim has announced Carbondale as one of the sites of the agency's upcoming Household Hazardous Waste one-day collection for the spring of 2022. The Carbondale event is scheduled for June 4 at the SIUC Arena Parking Log on 1400 Arena Drive. People can pre-register at https://JCHDonline.as.me/ShredMed2022. Each year, Illinois EPA provides residents with free HHW collection events to safely dispose of unused or leftover hazardous products commonly found in homes. Illinois EPA HHW collections continue to be contactless for the safety of participants and workers. Collection events are funded through the Illinois EPAs Solid Waste Fund. One-day collections are open to all Illinois residents and operate from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. on the day of the event. Pre-registration is required for the spring 2022 collection event. Residents participating in the event are encouraged to bring chemical cleaners, oil-based paints, thinners, antifreeze, motor oil, gasoline, kerosene, weed killers, insecticides, and pesticides, old or outdated medication, and similar hazardous household products. Fluorescent and other high-intensity discharge lamps may also be brought to the collections. Items not accepted include latex paint, explosives, propane tanks, fire extinguishers, smoke detectors, agricultural chemicals, and business wastes. For safe transport of HHW, residents are asked to: Pack HHW items in a disposable box to avoid spilling during transport. Keep like chemicals together and separate unlike chemicals. Secure lids and make sure containers are not leaking. Place box(es) of HHW in empty trunk of your vehicle, away from passengers during transport. Remain in vehicle at collection site. On-site personnel will remove the HHW from your vehicle. A complete list of wastes that are and are not accepted is available online at https://www2.illinois.gov/epa/topics/waste-management/waste-disposal/household-hazardous-waste/Pages/acceptable-wastes.aspx. For questions concerning the Illinois EPAs one-day or long-term collections, please contact Don Buis with the Illinois EPA Waste Reduction Unit at 217-785-4116. HHW collection schedules are also available on the Illinois EPA website at https://www2.illinois.gov/epa/topics/waste-management/waste-disposal/household-hazardous-waste/Pages/collections.aspx. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Lynne Chambers, founder of Legacy Training Inc. in Grand Chain, often picks up books for clients from Mission Missouri in Sikeston. While she was there, they asked her to go with them to the Legacy Museum and the National Memorial for Peace, both started by the Equal Justice Institute. I went with the Missouri group to the museum. I really feel like everybody in America needs to go, Chambers said. After the trip, Chambers wanted to start an initiative for Southern Illinois. She was able to use funds from the Healing Illinois Initiative to start the process. According to Chambers, the Healing Illinois Initiative began after George Floyds murder to help communities have the difficult but necessary conversations about race relations. Chambers started the Healing Southern Illinois Initiative, which includes group of community leaders, master artists and others working on this project. The coalitions first step was to conduct a study tour March 17 through 19 to the Legacy Museum and The National Memorial for Peace and Justice Montgomery, Alabama. The Legacy Museum provides a history of the United States with a focus on the legacy of slavery. It does that through looking at three things: slavery, racial terrorism and mass incarceration. The goals of the Healing Southern Illinois Initiative is that the 29 people who went to the museum and memorial will go back to their own communities and start conversations around what they learned. They want to do a group show about a group response to the trip, Chambers said. Others will plan community remembrance services in their own hometowns. Chambers said they will remember victims of racial terrorism, as well as support collection of soil from lynching sites. The soil of lynching sites is displayed at the museum. The first time I went I was blown away by recognizing that women and children were also lynched, Chambers said. She said one of the women they talk about was lynched for chastising while children who threw rocks at her. The lynching was a public event with a festival atmosphere that really was designed to make sure Black people were kept in their place. I remember become very emotional and realizing how easily it couldve been me, Chambers said. Carolin Harvey is a member of Carbondale City Council and retired from Southern Illinois University. She said the trip was overwhelming, eye-opening and enlightening. Im glad I experienced it, and Im sad about those things, Harvey said. She would really like to see something happen that makes people aware of the physical lynching in Southern Illinois, as well as the societal racism that happens. Harvey started working at SIU in 1978, and there were no Black people in her department. She said it was almost 20 years before she worked with another Black person. Weve got to get to a point or to a place where we are all on the same level and working toward the same goals, she said. Harvey grew up in Alabama, so her sisters met her at the museum. Part of the museums focus on mass incarceration includes video messages from men who were released from prison when they were proven to be innocent. One of the people who did a video is a member at my sisters church, Harvey said. The most difficult part of the museum for her was the samples of the poll test that was used to help African-Americans register to vote. One question asked people the number of jelly beans in a jar. Another question asked what the 14th Amendment said. Darrel Dexter, a high school teacher and author, said the trip was hard to describe and called the artwork impressive. I did historical research on lynching in Southern Illinois, so it was educational for me. There is a lot of information about lynching, Dexter said. Dexters research showed both white and Black men were lynched. He said it was interesting the way the museum distinguished between the two types of lynching. White men received a sort of vigilante justice when they were lynched. They were accused of some great crime, and men went after them. The lynching of Black men were racial terrorism. It was designed to send a message and fear throughout the whole Black community, which is terrorism. I didnt see a difference before the visit, Dexter said. As part of his research, Dexter has created a list that details lynching in Southern Illinois, including Alexander, Jackson, Johnson, Pulaski, Union and Williamson counties. He has updated the research to show which people were lynched as racial terrorism. I would like to see a reclaiming or acknowledgement of the racist past in this part of Southern Illinois. Once people know what happened, healing can begin, Dexter said. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. After a two-year-long intermission, the curtain on Southern Illinois University Carbondales popular McLeod Summer Playhouse will rise. Officials have announced a less ambitious plan for the 2022 season, with two shows planned for the summer. Godspell, a contemporary retelling of the Gospel of Matthew featuring pop and rock music, comedy and dance is set for four shows, June 23-26. In July, the playhouse and Artspace 304 will collaborate for the All-Southern High School Theater project to present Grease, in late July. There is going to be a Summer Playhouse after two years of no performances, SIU Theater Department Interim Director Mark Varns stressed. Were resurrecting the company, so to speak, he said. Basically, we are coming out of two years of no revenue, so we are going to try to do is get a successful season under our belt and get some revenue so that we can come back with a little bit bigger season next year and then perhaps get back to close where we were in the third year. Varns called the summer program a greatly reduced program, in explaining that this years Summer Playhouse will consist of fewer productions and fewer individual performances of each show. We used to run two weekends on our performances, but this year we are scaling it down in an effort to make it manageable, he said. Area fans of theater are eager to see performances again. Having professional theater in the area is a wonderful thing, said Tim Robinson of Carterville. We are definitely excited that they are back. Robinson said hes heard of many area youth auditioning for Grease. A lot of kids are really excited for the high school show and I know lots of people want to support the Summer Playhouse, he said. Organizers feel the same way, Varns said. We are absolutely thrilled to have the Summer Playhouse back with us. Its an important part of our programming, not just in terms of having opportunities for our students and faculty, but also to reach out to other young professional actors and performers, he said. Its good to be back. Varns said tickets for both performances will go on sale in mid-April. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 ANKARA, March 29 (Xinhua) -- Turkish security forces on Tuesday detained four Syrian Islamic State (IS) suspects in the central Turkish city of Kayseri, semi-official Anadolu Agency reported. The security teams launched an operation against the suspects after finding out they had carried out armed activities in Syria and Iraq in the ranks of the IS group. The security forces also seized the electronic devices of the suspects who were "hiding" in the Melikgazi district of Kayseri. The Turkish government designated the IS a terrorist organization in 2013, blaming the group for a spate of deadly attacks in Turkey since 2015. The Turkish counter-terrorism forces have been conducting operations against the IS members in the country. Turkey's southern border with Syria has been a major crossing point for the rebels since the crisis in the neighboring country started in 2011. SPRINGFIELD Illinois lawmakers have formed the Illinois Assyrian Caucus in an effort to help them understand and learn about challenges facing the Assyrian community and how to address them. Sen. Ram Villivalam, D-Chicago, announced the formation of the caucus at a news conference in early March. The caucus has 18 founding members from the Senate and House, including 17 Democrats and one Republican. Villivalam will serve as co-chair alongside Rep. Jennifer Gong-Gershowitz, D-Glenview. I look at our role as a caucus as working with the community to ensure that their voice is heard and that they have a seat at the table when we have policy discussions, Villivalam said. Assyrians are a transnational ethnic group and are indigenous to parts of Iraq, Turkey and Syria. The United States is home to more than 600,000 Assyrian Americans with about 100,000 living in the Chicagoland area according to the Assyrian Universal Alliance Foundation. According to the AUAF, the first Assyrians to settle in Illinois immigrated from modern-day Iran in 1889. Atour Sargon, vice chair of the Assyrian Policy Institute, said the formation of the new caucus speaks to the growing influence of the community. It is a welcomed development, she said, in uplifting the voices of Assyrians and helping legislators understand the needs and priorities of the Assyrian community The Assyrian Policy Institute is a nonprofit organization that advocates for the rights of Assyrians and other minorities throughout the Middle East. In an interview with Capitol News Illinois, Sargon said the top priorities the API would like to see addressed are senior, immigrant and refugee services, the opioid crisis, and access to mental health resources. Sargon said the API would like to see improved access to immigrant and refugee support services such as trauma response services for those who have survived traumatic experiences in countries Assyrians have fled. The group is also advocating for immigrant rights protections and improved access to citizenship. To address the opioid crisis among young adults in the community, Sargon wants to establish programs to help prevent substance abuse and to expand access to support services for families. Its a really taboo issue in our community, Sargon said. Providing improved access to resources can really help a great deal. She also said the API would like to have group social programs readily available for seniors who spend time alone at home while family members are working. Another challenge that was noted during the news conference was Assyrians assimilating into the local community and learning English while trying to keep the language, culture and traditions of their home country. I think the hardest challenge that any immigrant faces when they are in this country is the balance of assimilating and learning the language, culture and traditions here, Villivalam said. Sargon said in interview that the API would like to see the Assyrian language offered as an accredited option at public high schools. Sargon said the institute wants to see within the coming year the passing of Senate Joint Resolution 21, which would formally recognize the Assyrian Genocide of 1915 and the Simele Massacre of 1933 as a genocide. It would also declare Aug. 7 as Assyrian Remembrance Day. Assyrians have had a long history of being marginalized and denied representation, suffering executions and enduring political oppression, Sargon said. The Assyrian Genocide began in late 1914 and continued for more than a decade with the peak of the violence occurring between 1915 and 1918. The Ottoman Turks and allied Kurdish tribes subjected hundreds of thousands of Assyrians to massacre, torture and cultural and ethnic destruction along with the destruction of villages and cultural heritage sites, and the assassination of Assyrian intellectual and religious leaders. The massacres took place in various locations across modern-day Turkey, Iran and Iraq. An estimated 250,000 Assyrians were murdered during the genocide with a large number forced into permanent exile. The Simele Massacre was committed by armed Iraqi forces and took place across more than 100 Assyrian villages, leading to the death of about 6,000 Assyrians. Inhabitants of 65 Assyrian villages were massacred, including 3,000 in Simele. Illinois would be the fourth state to formally recognize the Assyrian Genocide. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 The Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation announced that Claflin University is one of 26 providers from 17 states and the United Arab Emirates to receive recognition for its leadership and commitment to continuous improvement. The recipients of the 2021 Frank Murray Leadership Recognition for Continuous Improvement provided evidence and data trends to achieve accreditation with no stipulations or areas for improvement. The providers that CAEP is recognizing are committed to continuous improvement and preparing their students to succeed in a diverse range of classrooms after they graduate, said Karen Symms Gallagher, chair of the CAEP Board of Directors. CAEP Accreditation is a sign of commitment to quality through purposeful use of evidence. The Murray Leadership Recognition recipients should be proud of their accomplishments, Gallagher said. The Frank Murray Leadership Recognition for Continuous Improvement is named after the founding president of the Teacher Education Accreditation Council. CAEP was created by the consolidation of the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education and TEAC. Recipients of the 2021 Frank Murray Leadership Recognition for Continuous Improvement are selected from the educator preparation providers that were granted accreditation by CAEP at the initial level from the previous year, who provided a full complement of evidence with demonstrated data trends and no plans. Recipients had no stipulations or areas for improvement. Providers selected for recognition advance equity and excellence in educator preparation through purposeful use of self-study procedures and evidence-based reporting to assure quality and support continuous improvement to strengthen P-12 learning. These EPPs have a mission driving their continuous improvement inquiry, use assessments that are relevant to the topic being informed and consequential, show the reliability and validity of the evidence provided for accreditation, have quality assurance capacities that inform their knowledge and address questions about relationships in the data. This third class to receive the Murray Recognition represents the diversity and innovation that comes with CAEP accreditation. Small, large, public, private, faith-based, and historically minority serving, CAEP President Chris Koch said. These recipients reflect the creativity that CAEP affords in achieving excellence, by meeting the standards in a variety of ways, for the diverse populations they serve. CAEP accreditation serves the dual purposes of accountability and continuous improvement. It has 423 educator preparation providers in 45 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico accredited under the CAEP Standards. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 A peanut shelling company announced Monday that it will locate its new, 220,000-square-foot facility in the South Carolina Gateway Park in Santee. Georgia-based Premium Peanut said it signed an agreement with DP World to purchase the northernmost tract in the 1,322-acre industrial park formerly known as JAFZA Magna Park. The park is located near the U.S. Highway 301 and Interstate 95 interchange. Premium Peanut is buying land near Hannah Drive and Lambert Street. The entrance to the property will be off of Knowles Street. We are thrilled to be able to make this announcement, solidifying our ongoing expansion into South Carolina, Premium Peanut President and CEO Karl Zimmer said. Premium Peanut is a grower-owned company with over 400 grower-owners. We think there is no better place to expand, and are eager to return more of the peanuts value back into the pockets of the growers in South Carolina. Keeping these hard-earned dollars in local communities is a tremendous benefit of our grower-owned model, Zimmer said. The company announced plans in September to invest $64 million in the Santee project and to bring 130 new jobs to the area over the next five years. Premium Peanut plans to break ground on about 42.34 acres in late spring 2022. The investment will include $27.5 million in buildings and $36.8 million in equipment. It will be the first major peanut-shelling facility and seed treatment facility in the state. Orangeburg County Council Chairman Johnnie Wright called Premium Peanut the flagship major employer in the industrial park. We are so excited about the reevaluation of that site and now it is starting to take off, Wright said. Being a large peanut production agricultural county, it will be a plus for us to encourage others to grow peanuts and provide jobs and opportunity. We are grateful. Premium Peanuts customers consist of major snack, candy and peanut butter manufacturers domestically, as well as customers in more than 30 countries around the world. The project will be financed through Truist. Premium Peanuts new shelling operation in Orangeburg County will provide additional local shelling capacity and will allow South Carolina peanut growers the opportunity to be a part of a cooperative model. The company looked at multiple sites and states for its shelling facility before settling on Orangeburg County. As part of its arrival in Orangeburg County, Premium Peanut has received a 30-year fee-in-lieu of taxes incentive. Its also been placed in a multi-county industrial park with Dorchester County. A multi-county industrial park is an incentive mechanism and is not a physical park. The company also will receive job development tax credits. Since the company began shelling peanuts in 2016, Premium Peanut has paid out over $50 million in dividends back to its grower-owners. It has an annual shelling capacity of over 300,000 tons. The property chosen by the peanut company is owned by DP World Americas, formerly Jafza USA, a subsidiary of Dubai World. DP World purchased the Orangeburg County property in 2006. According to an Orangeburg County Development Commission flyer, about 806 acres of the site can be developed. The site has power through Tri-County Electric Cooperative, natural gas from Dominion, water from the Lake Marion Regional Water System, sewer service from Orangeburg County/Santee, telecommunications through Verizon and Frontier and fire protection from the Santee Fire Service and Orangeburg County Fire Service. Those interested in learning more about Premium Peanut's plans should contact Rachel Santos at Premium Peanut or the Palmetto Peanut Buying Point. Individuals interested in joining the Premium Peanut team should visit the companys career page or visit its table at the SC Works Job Fair in Orangeburg from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on April 7. The fair will be held at Orangeburg-Calhoun Technical Colleges Larry Patrick Student Services Building "S" Atrium at 3250 St. Matthews Road in Orangeburg. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Since the start of the Russian invasion, Americans have faced something not experienced in decades. Within Europe, the only example remotely similar to the Ukrainian invasion was in the Soviet incursions into Hungary in 1956 and Czechoslovakia in 1968. Those, however, involved the Soviet military putting down popular uprisings against those communist governments. In both cases, the United States did not become involved due to the risk of nuclear war with the Soviet Union. In both of those cases, the popular uprisings appealed to the United States for support, but first Eisenhower in 1956, then Johnson in 1968, decided not to become involved beyond statements condemning the Soviets. Particularly since the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, the United States has not had to face the serious potential of nuclear war in our military actions. In 1991, the United States used military force to expel Iraqi forces from Kuwait. Then the U.S. used force against Serbia in 1999 to prevent ethnic cleansing in Kosovo. We then fought in Iraq and Afghanistan after 9-11. In none of those cases did the United States face a serious threat of nuclear war. The invasion of Ukraine takes us back to considerations from the Cold War and we must exhibit the wisdom of that time. Let me explain. First, in writing this article I am personally aware that the images coming from Ukraine are heartbreaking. The naked aggression against the Ukrainian people is infuriating for me to watch. As time has moved forward, we have seen the Russian militarys inability to conduct proper logistics, communications and combined arms maneuver. With these failures, and ensuing battlefield losses caused by Ukrainians, Russians have quickly resorted to artillery and missiles against civilian targets. We have watched Ukrainian women and children killed while in hospitals and shelters. We have watched President Zelensky cry out for support to America and other NATO nations. Most Americans want to do everything possible to stop the bloodshed and help expel Russia from Ukraine. Many Americans now demand we do more, and even suggest no fly zones or even armed incursion into Ukraine. Before going into wise options to help Ukraine, its important to know the nuclear threat we face in confronting Russia. Most estimates put Russias nuclear arsenal beyond 6,000. Thats actually more than the U.S. arsenal by almost a thousand. The arsenals of other nuclear powers are in the low hundreds or less (China, for example, has around 300). Russia has developed and successfully tested nuclear-capable hypersonic missiles. These missiles travel at 10-20 times the speed of sound, and therefore are likely beyond our anti-missile defense capabilities. In other words, we wouldnt be able to stop a number of nuclear missiles from hitting us. Russia already used this hypersonic capability against a warehouse near the Polish border, and Putin has made clear his willingness to escalate up to and including nuclear exchange. In the event of a nuclear war, Ukraine would likely be incinerated, and so failure to prevent that escalation would be the worst thing we could do in trying to help Ukraine. Right now, we are supporting Ukraine in multiple ways that are making a difference. First, we are sending substantial numbers of Javelin anti-tank missiles. These have been used to great effect, primarily because the Russians have failed to properly integrate dismounted infantry with their armor. I spent my career as an U.S. Infantry officer. When I was Mech Infantry, we always operated as a team with Armor. Infantry dismounts to fight against enemy Infantry like those using anti-armor devices (like Javelins). Armor protects Infantry from enemy Armor. Russian infantry is not dismounting, and so many Russian tanks and BMPs (infantry carriers) have been destroyed. We are also supporting Ukraine with other critical weapons, like anti-aircraft missile systems. We are providing resources to sustain the Ukrainians in the field. Finally, we are providing critical intelligence directly to the Ukrainian military. This is likely a reason so many senior Russian officers have been killed over the past few weeks. A no fly zone would not only start a war between NATO and Russia, which includes nuclear, it would likely not be as helpful as many assume. Most Russian strikes against western Ukraine have been by missiles from the Black Sea, Russia, or eastern Ukraine. We could only put a no-fly zone in western Ukraine, but that wouldnt stop these missile attacks. What we need to do is show patience with this current support. Additionally, we should focus substantial efforts at leveraging China to stop supporting Russia. Xi (and the rest of the CCP) should be held responsible for coordinating this invasion with Putin, and now continuing their support. If Putin didnt have Chinas backing, he could not have invaded, nor could he continue. Lastly, the Biden administration did a horrendous job in not deterring this invasion. The sanctions will help now, but they could have prevented the invasion if used beforehand. We desperately need new national security and new foreign policy teams. Ecclesiastes 7:9 tells us Be not quick in your spirit to become angry, for anger lodges in the bosom of fools. In handling this invasion, we must show wisdom, self-control and patience for our sake, and the sake of Ukrainians. Bill Connor, a retired Army Infantry colonel, author and Orangeburg attorney, has deployed multiple times to the Middle East. Connor was the senior U.S. military adviser to Afghan forces in Helmand Province, where he received the Bronze Star. A Citadel graduate with a JD from USC, he is also a Distinguished Graduate of the U.S. Army War College, earning his of strategic studies. He is the author of the book "Articles from War. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 (TBTCO) - Tai ai hoi ong co ong VPBank 2021, ngan hang nay a uoc thong qua cac phuong an tang von ieu le cho nam 2022, ua von ieu le cua ngan hang nay len 79.334 ty ong, cao nhat toan he thong. Presidential politicsand, most especially, the Nixon years---took center stage at Rowan University on March 28 as renowned historian and author Douglas Brinkley presented a talk as part of the Universitys Presidents Lecture Series. In an engaging, entertaining lecture before full audience in the Eynon Ballroom of the Chamberlain Student Center, Brinkley, CNNs presidential historian, presented Nixon, Watergate and Presidential Politics. Nixon is not always everybodys favorite topic. Hes a pariah figure, Brinkley said of the nations 37th president, who resigned in disgrace due to his involvement in the Watergate scandal. Fifty years ago, on June 17, 1972, five people were arrested for breaking into and wiretapping the Democratic National Committee headquarters at the Watergate Complex. The break-in was traced back to the Committee for the Re-election of the President (CREEP), a fundraising organization for Nixons 1972 re-election campaign. Facing three articles of impeachment, Nixon resigned in 1974 shortly after the Supreme Court ruled that the presidents own taped recordings, which revealed his attempts to cover up CREEPs involvement in the break-in, were not subject to executive privilege. A square politician The irony of Watergate, in many ways, is that Nixon did not need the assistance of the wiretaps to win the 72 election, said Brinkley, author of the two-volume annotated The Nixon Tapes. After losing in his first presidential bid to John F. Kennedy in 1960, which, to his credit, he accepted, Brinkley said, Nixon, a Republican, was elected in 1969 at the end of a turbulent decade of change. He was the most square politician you could invent, Brinkley said of Nixon, Americas first president from California. Nixon was president when the United States landed on the moon. He pulled the economy together, Brinkley said, and established the Environmental Protection Agency. In 1972, he became the first president to visit the Peoples Republic of China, meeting with Chinese Communist Party Chairman Mao Zedong. It was bigepic, Brinkley said of the China visit, which demonstrated Nixons diplomacy. I would not call him a political failure in 69, 70 and 71. He didnt need the break-in By 1972, the Democratic Party was in disarray, Brinkley said. He didnt need the break-in. In 1971, Nixon began tape recording as a means to preserve his legacy and have a record of his own perceived greatness, Brinkley said. Enamored with British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, Nixon was intent on writing a five-volume set detailing his life and presidency, Brinkley said. The tapes were his record. He wanted, the historian noted, to be like Churchill. A complex figure Nixons legacy can never be rehabilitated and he is widely considered one of the nations worst presidents, Brinkley said. In 1969, Nixon failed to get the U.S. out of the Vietnam War and, in fact, his illegal order to invade Cambodia in 1970 further fueled the American anti-war movement, according to Brinkley. He will never be able to rehabilitate himself in history, said Brinkley. The Nixon tapes, he said, were full of endless racist, anti-Semitic rantsall day long. Hes always going to be seen as one of the worst presidents. Clearly, there was a dark, paranoid side of Nixon. Hes a complex figure. Historians and citizens, Brinkley said, generally agreed that Watergate, which he deemed a keystone cops kind of thing, was a watershed moment for the U.S. Watergate really jarred the country, Brinkley said. After Nixon resigned, there was a sense that our government works, Brinkley noted. We persevered over Nixon. Sharing research A contributing editor to Vanity Fair, Brinkley is the Katherine Tsanoff Brown Chair in Humanities and professor of history at Rice University. Six of his books have been named Notable Books of the Year by the New York Times, while seven others have been New York Times best sellers. His works include books on Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, Henry Ford, Theodore Roosevelt, Rosa Parks and Walter Cronkite, among many others. The Nixon Tapes won the Arthur S. Link-Warren F. Kuehl Prize from the Society for Historians of American Foreign Relations. During a whirlwind day and a half on Rowans campus, Brinkley met with students and faculty; toured historic Hollybush Mansion, the site of the 1967 summit between President Lyndon B. Johnson and Soviet Premier Alexei Kosygin during the Cold War; and attended a poster session featuring student research. Brinkley said he enjoyed learning from the students. Guys, these are all super interesting, Brinkley said of the student posters, which focused on numerous historical topics, including genocide in the LBGT community, bias and the foundations of international law in the Philippines, disinformation surrounding the Chernobyl disaster, Holocaust trauma passed down through generations, trench warfare, and the importance of the internal combustion engine as a war implementation during the 20th century. Ive had a bit of a magical time here, Brinkley continued. Ive learned a lot. Brinkleys Presidents Lecture Series talk was sponsored by the Office of the President, the College of Humanities & Social Sciences, the Department of History, the College of Communication & Creative Arts, the Rowan Institute for Public Policy & Citizenship, and the Department of Political Science & Economics. Doris Kearns Goodwin, Cornel West, Stephen Jay Gould, Jonathan Kozol, Scott Sagan, Sergei Khrushchev, and Dan Rather are among those who have presented Presidents Lecture Series talks at Rowan. Mothers will get extra special treatment on Sundaylavish lunches, concerts and gifts of perfumes and roses. Meanwhile, mere days before the celebration, Port of Spain businesspeoplevendors and huckstersare reporting slow sales. They are cautiously optimistic that it will pick up today. ADEN, Yemen, March 29 (Xinhua) -- A Yemeni security officer and two of his bodyguards were killed in a drive-by shooting attack in the country's southern port city of Aden on Tuesday, according to a government official. "Two gunmen riding a motorcycle shot and killed Colonel Karam Mashriqi, chief of the security forces, in Sheikh Othman District of Aden near his residence," the local government source said on condition of anonymity. "The gunmen rained a barrage of gunshots on the vehicle carrying Mashriqi, killing him and two of his bodyguards on the spot," he told Xinhua. Their bodies were taken to a nearby hospital, and an investigation was underway to track the perpetrators. Yemen has been mired in a civil war since late 2014 when the Iran-backed Houthi militia seized control of several northern provinces and forced the Saudi-backed Yemeni government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi out of the capital Sanaa. Bandits in Morvant assaulted and robbed a 54-year-old woman of everything she had on her on For many Arizonans, ubiquitous COVID-19 guidance to talk to your primary care provider and to isolate after testing positive was useless advice caused by public health issues that existed long before the pandemic. Try calling around to primary care doctors and ask how long it will take to get you in. Its ridiculous, said Dr. Frank LoVecchio, an emergency room physician in Phoenix who is the medical director of clinical research at Arizona State Universitys College of Health Solutions. LoVecchio said a great majority of patients he treated in the Phoenix hospital emergency rooms where he worked throughout the pandemic did not have a primary care doctor. In many cases, thats why they were seeking help in the emergency room in the first place. They didnt know where else to go, he said. The last two years of the COVID-19 pandemic in Arizona have exposed health problems that health providers in the state have long known: not only is there a shortage of doctors, but theres a severe dearth of doctors of color to match Arizonas diverse population. Public health guidelines often rang hollow for certain underserved populations, including those who work in high-risk, public-facing jobs but live in small homes with multiple family members, making isolation and quarantine all but impossible. The pandemic highlighted a need to tailor messaging to marginalized communities. Many of the health problems the pandemic laid bare are national issues, and not solely Arizona problems. But Arizona does stand out from other states for its physician shortage, and the latest data from the Association of American Medical Colleges puts the state among the 10 worst in the U.S. for its low rate of active primary care physicians per 100,000 people. The data is from 2020 and may not account for doctors who quit or took early retirement during the pandemic. As of 2020, 34.3% of active Arizona physicians were 60 and older, the data says. Lacking access to regular, preventive health care can lead to a higher burden of untreated chronic disease and put people at higher risk if they are infected with a virus such as SARS-CoV-2, which causes COVID-19. COVID has really been the great unveiler both in Arizona and nationally in terms of exposing the reality of things with respect to ongoing public health crises, Dr. Farshad Fani Marvasti, a Phoenix physician and associate professor at the University of Arizona College of Medicine-Phoenix. One major one is just the pandemic of chronic disease thats a slow pandemic if you will, as some people have termed it. Another problem is systemic, structural discrimination that existed before COVID-19 across the United States, but COVID was basically there to exacerbate and expose the already ongoing public health crisis of racism, Marvasti said. Health advice telling Arizonans who test positive for COVID-19 to isolate away from loved ones was not helpful to many of the minority and economically disadvantaged patients that Phoenix endocrinologist Dr. Ricardo Correa has treated as medical director at a clinic for underserved people called PACH, Phoenix Allies for Community Health. Correa saw patients who had COVID-19, or who had been exposed to someone who had it, and did not have enough paid sick time to stay at home for prolonged periods of time. Some lived in close quarters without space to isolate. How can you quarantine when you live in a room with 10 other people? he said. Here are seven major public health problems in Arizona the pandemic exposed: 1. Not enough Latino and Native American doctors Nearly 7% of Arizonas 18,343 active physicians in 2020 identified as being of Hispanic, Latino or Spanish origin, per the AAMCs latest report. While thats one of the highest percentages of Hispanic, Latino or Spanish origin physicians of any state in the U.S., its hardly representative, given that nearly 32% of Arizonas population identifies as Hispanic or Latino, according to 2021 U.S. Census numbers. The difference also is stark for Native Americans, who comprise less than 1% of Arizonas active physician workforce, even though Native Americans and Alaska Natives are 5.3% of the state population, according to the most recent AAMC and census data. Black and Brown minority populations in Arizona have a generally higher level of mistrust in the health system than non-minority groups, whether its because of language problems, fear of immigration authorities, or cultural differences from White doctors, who are a majority in Arizona and the U.S., Correa said. You need more people with cultural similarities, people from the Black and Brown communities in the (health care) workforce, Correa said. Increasing underrepresented minorities in medicine will give trust. ... You need to start from elementary school, making them understand that they can be physicians or health care workers in the future. He emphasized language barriers that cant always be fixed with a Spanish translator and said health providers of color are needed from a diverse array of perspectives. Hispanic or Latinx is an ethnicity that has multiple differences. Its not the same thing when you talk to a Mexican American than when you talk to a Cuban American than when you talk to a Puerto Rican American, he said. You need to have an understanding of the culture to take care of the underlying, chronic conditions. Registered nurses Danielle Coates (left) and Alex Clark tend to a patient in one of the COVID-19 units at Valleywise Health Medical Center in Phoenix on Jan. 14, 2021. Much of the hospital has been converted to handle COVID-19 patients and they like many other hospitals throughout Maricopa County are at or near capacity. 2. Too much chronic disease The burden of chronic disease is an issue in Arizona and across the U.S. A 2020 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issue brief found that 51.8% of U.S. adults had at least one of 10 selected diagnosed chronic condition, including asthma, diabetes, hypertension, stroke and weak or failing kidneys, and 27.2% of U.S. adults had multiple chronic conditions. We lead the world in chronic disease. Six out of every 10 adult have a chronic medical condition. Conditions like obesity, diabetes, heart disease, cancer having one of these conditions puts you at a disproportionately higher risk of having more severe illness and death from a COVID-19 infection, Marvasti said. We have so many people who have chronic disease in the U.S. and Arizona is quite typical. At least one in 10 Arizonans has diabetes, and about 30% of Arizona adults is considered obese with a body mass index of 30 or more, according to the United Health Foundation. Both those conditions put patients are higher risk for poor outcomes from COVID-19. A 2018 study by researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hills Gillings School of Global Public Health found that only 12% of Americans are what the study authors deemed metabolically healthy, which they defined as having optimal levels of five factors: blood glucose, triglycerides, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, blood pressure and waist circumference, without the need for medications. 3. A lack of health literacy Misinformation has been a problem throughout the COVID-19 pandemic in Arizona, to an extent that it has threatened public health, Marvasti said. We didnt expect that partisan politics and misinformation would dictate so much of public health policy. I dont think we expected that but we realize now that partisan politics actually can be deadly, as can misinformation, Marvasti said. I think we had a lot of preventable cases and a lot of preventable deaths in Arizona and a lot of it also had to do with these politics of division. Its almost like an anti-science undercurrent here in Arizona politics. The sources of information that people chose to trust was a huge factor during COVID-19, said Maiya Block Ngaybe, a doctoral student in public health at the University of Arizona and project coordinator for the UAs Alliance for Vaccine Literacy. The alliance is a research group that started in 2019, before the pandemic began, but its recent work has focused on COVID-19. Arizona has trailed the national rate for COVID-19 vaccine uptake throughout the pandemic. But not every unvaccinated person is adamantly against vaccines. Rather, there is a nuanced spectrum, Ngaybe said. There is a mix of individualism and a complacency factor, she said. Definitely confidence was the major issue when it came to the vaccine, especially more recently. There are many factors at play. Some of them are psychological. Others are logistical. One answer to improving vaccine literacy, Ngaybe said, is empowering individuals to make up their own minds, which can help to dispel myths within communities. One way to do that is community-based public health research, where community members are directly involved in both research and interventions, she said. Trust is not just built off of information and knowledge and education. Trust is so individually formed, by your community, your social factors, your culture, she said. A lot of people dont understand the science but theres so much more to it because even people who understand the science are still choosing not to get vaccinated. ... Theres something else deeper under the surface thats driving vaccine hesitancy in communities. 4. A primary care doctor shortage As of 2020, Arizona had about 5,800 active primary care physicians, which is a rate of 80.2 doctors per 100,000 people, per the AAMC data. In both Massachusetts and Vermont, the rate is more than 130 active primary care physicians per 100,000 people; the U.S. average rate is 94.4. The United Health Foundations 2021 Americas Health Rankings report found that a low prevalence of having a dedicated health care provider was one of the three biggest health challenges in Arizona, along with a low rate of high school graduation and a high economic hardship score. Medical equipment used for infusions is seen in the room of a COVID-19 patient in one of the COVID-19 units at Valleywise Health Medical Center in Phoenix on Jan. 14, 2021. Much of the hospital has been converted to handle COVID-19 patients and they like many other hospitals throughout Maricopa County are at or near capacity. 5. Distrust and fear of the health care system Distrust of the health care system often comes from fears about the financial side of health care, including medical bills that can turn people off of ever wanting to go to the doctor or hospital for any reason, unless its a life-threatening situation. About 11% of Arizonans dont have health insurance, according to the most recently available data. Other Arizonans are underinsured with unaffordable copayments and deductibles, which can also lead to a mentality of avoiding health care. Some immigrant families are suspicious of health care for other reasons. In the early months of the pandemic when there was a shortage of COVID-19 tests, health providers at the PACH clinic in Phoenix were sending patients to large testing centers, but some were afraid to go, Correa said. They were fearful of reports that officials from Immigration and Customs Enforcement and that police officers might be there, he said. They are very afraid of the police, he said. They were not getting tested. At the beginning of the pandemic, there was also an updated federal public charge rule that frightened people in families that included one or more immigrants, Correa said. They didnt want to go to the hospital. They didnt want it to affect their status and they died at home, Correa said. The Trump administration rule broadened the governments ability to penalize immigrants seeking green cards if they used taxpayer-funded programs such as housing assistance, food stamps and Medicaid, which is a government health insurance program for low-income people. The Biden administration has since done away with the updated rule 6. Income inequality In Arizona, Correa sees chronic diseases at the Phoenix PACH clinic disproportionately affecting minority communities, who tend to earn lower wages and live in unsafe neighborhoods. The food at food banks is often high in carbohydrates and can contribute to obesity, Correa said. And its difficult to exercise if you work two jobs, live in a neighborhood where its not safe to exercise outside, and you cant afford to join a gym, he said. Underrepresented minorities have less access to health care, Correa said. And this will exacerbate any other problem that comes along, like another pandemic, another infectious disease. The latest U.S. Census data shows the poverty rate in Arizona as of 2021 was 12.8%, which is higher than the national rate of 11.4%. The federal poverty rate is defined as an annual income of $13,590 or less per year for an individual and $27,750 or less for a family of four. 7. Racial inequality Some communities across the U.S, including Pima County in southern Arizona, have taken the step of publicly declaring that racial and ethnic inequality is a public health crisis. The resolution, passed by the Pima County Board of Supervisors in December 2020, says that income inequality is a public health crisis, too. Publicly acknowledging how racial inequality affects health increases awareness and helps secure more funds and resources to directly combat it in various institutions, ranging from education to the legal system, the UAs Marvasti said. The Pima County resolution, among other things, pledged continuing support of a grant-funded initiative to reduce chronic diseases disproportionately impacting Native Americans and Hispanics, and it also called for ensuring equity in the COVID-19 pandemic response and recovery. In a letter to the Pima County Board of Supervisors supporting the resolution, Lydia Aranda, Chicano Por La Cause Southern Arizona president, wrote that while COVID-19 did not cause health inequities, it both exacerbated and created awareness about them. In our collective work as a community and public servants we have learned that systemic discrimination and poverty are real, and negatively impact the social factors that determine a persons health, she wrote. These factors also affect access to safe, attainable housing, better jobs, quality education, environmental justice, affordable health care and overall wellness. Subscribe to stay connected to Tucson. A subscription helps you access more of the local stories that keep you connected to the community. SUPERIOR COURT OF NEW JERSEY CHANCERY DIVISION, FAMILY PART BURLINGTON COUNTY DOCKET NO.: FM-03-404-22W TO: ROBERTO CAMPECH By order of the Superior Court of New Jersey, wherein THEA E. CAMPECH, is the plaintiff, and you, ROBERTO CAMPECH, are the defendant, you are required to serve upon the plaintiff, KATHERINE GOMOLSON, ESQUIRE, PETRELLI PREVITERA, LLC, 210 NEW ROAD, #15, LINWOOD, NJ 08221, either (1) a written appearance in accordance with R. 5:4-3(a), or (2) an answer to the complaint on or before Friday, June 10, 2022, and if you fail to answer or file a written appearance in accordance with R. 5:4-3(a), judgment by default may be rendered against you for the relief demanded in the complaint; and further, you shall promptly file the answer or written appearance and proof of service thereof in duplicate with the matrimonial filing clerk in the Superior Court of Burlington County, located at 49 Rancocas Road, Mount Holly, NJ 08060 in accordance with the Rules of Civil Practice and Procedure. The telephone numbers for assistance in obtaining an attorney in the county in which this action is pending are: Lawyer Referral Service: (609) 261-4862; Legal Services Office: (800) 496-4570. Published May 6, 2022 Arizona Daily Star 0005205505-01 TS No. 2022-00053-AZ NOTICE OF TRUSTEE'S SALE The following legally described trust property will be sold, pursuant to the power of sale under that certain Deed of Trust dated 04/25/2002 and recorded on 04/30/2002 as Instrument No. 20020830534, Book 11789 Page 2504 and rerecorded on as in the official records of Pima County, Arizona, NOTICE! IF YOU BELIEVE THERE IS A DEFENSE TO THE TRUSTEE SALE OR IF YOU HAVE AN OBJECTION TO THE TRUSTEE SALE, YOU MUST FILE AN ACTION AND OBTAIN A COURT ORDER PURSUANT TO RULE 65, ARIZONA RULES OF CIVIL PROCEDURE, STOPPING THE SALE NO LATER THAN 5:00 P.M. MOUNTAIN STANDARD TIME OF THE LAST BUSINESS DAY BEFORE THE SCHEDULED DATE OF THE SALE, OR YOU MAY HAVE WAIVED ANY DEFENSES OR OBJECTIONS TO THE SALE. UNLESS YOU OBTAIN AN ORDER, THE SALE WILL BE FINAL AND WILL OCCUR at public auction to the highest bidder At the East entrance to the Superior Court Building, 110 W. Congress, Tucson, AZ 85701, in Pima County, on 05/26/2022 at 11:30 AM of said day: Legal Description: LOT 25 OF WONDERLAND, ACCORDING TO THE MAP OF RECORD IN THE OFFICE OF THE COUNTY RECORDER OF PIMA COUNTY, ARIZONA IN BOOK 44 OF MAPS AND PLATS AT PAGE 45. EXCEPT ALL COAL AND OTHER MINERALS AS RESERVED IN THE PATENT FROM THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. Purported Street Address: 3840 S. KHE SANH LANE, TUCSON, AZ 85735 Tax Parcel Number: 212-38-3060 Original Principal Balance: $ 74,298.00 NOTICE OF TRUSTEE'S SALE Name and Address of Current Beneficiary: Deutsche Bank National Trust Company, solely as Trustee for MASTR Specialized Loan Trust 2004-01, Mortgage Pass Through Certificates c/o PHH Mortgage Corporation 1 Mortgage Way, Mt. Laurel, NJ 08054 Name and Address of Original Trustor: VICTOR D. JOHNSON II, A MARRIED MAN AS HIS SOLE AND SEPARATE PROPERTY 3840 S. KHE SANH LANE, TUCSON, AZ 85735 Name, Address and Telephone Number of Trustee: Western Progressive - Arizona, Inc. Northpark Town Center 1000 Abernathy Rd NE; Bldg 400, Suite 200 Atlanta, GA 30328 (866) 960-8299 TERMS OF SALE: The trustee is only able to accept cash or a cash equivalent, like a cashier's check or certified check NOTICE OF TRUSTEE'S SALE SALE INFORMATION: Sales Line: (866) 960-8299 Website: https://www. altisource.com/loginpage.aspx If the sale is set aside for any reason, including if the Trustee is unable to convey title, the Purchaser at the sale shall be entitled only to a return of the monies paid to the Trustee. This shall be the Purchaser's sole and exclusive remedy. The Purchaser shall have no further recourse against the Trustor, the Trustee, the Beneficiary, the Beneficiary's Agent, or the Beneficiary's Attorney. Western Progressive - Arizona, Inc. /s/Glenda Hamilton Glenda Hamilton, Trustee Sale Assistant DATED: February 11, 2022 Pursuant to A.R.S. 33 - 803(A)(6), the trustee herein qualifies as a trustee of the Deed of Trust in the trustee's capacity as a corporation all the stock of which is owned by Premium Title Agency, Inc., an escrow agent in the state of Arizona. The regulators of Premium Title Agency are the Arizona Department of Insurance and the Arizona Department of Financial Institutions. Western Progressive - Arizona, Inc. is registered with the Arizona Corporation Commission. STATE OF Georgia COUNTY OF Fulton On February 11, 2022, before me, Tanesha Humphrey, Personally appeared Glenda Hamilton, who proved to me on the basis of satisfactory evidence to be the person(s) whose name(s) is/are subscribed to the within instrument and acknowledged to me that he/she/they executed the same in his/her/their authorized capacity(ies), and that by his/her/their signature(s) on the instrument the preson(s), or the entity upon behalf of which the person(s) acted, executed the instrument WITNESS my hand and official seal. /s/Tanesha Humphrey, Tanesha Humphrey, NOTARY PUBLIC TANESHA HUMPHREY Notary Public Georgia Gwinnett County My Commission Expires July 19, 2022 Published April 15, 22, 29, and May 6, 2022 Arizona Daily Star UNITED NATIONS, March 29 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Tuesday strongly condemned the attacks on an airport and a passenger train in Nigeria's Kaduna state, which reportedly resulted in several people killed, injured, or abducted, said his spokesman. The secretary-general extended his heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims, wished a prompt recovery to the wounded, and called for the immediate release of those abducted, said Stephane Dujarric, the spokesman. "The secretary-general urges the Nigerian authorities to spare no effort in bringing those responsible for these crimes to justice. He reaffirms the solidarity and support of the United Nations to the government and people of Nigeria in their fight against terrorism, violent extremism and organized crime," said the spokesman. An armed group on Saturday attacked northwest Nigeria's Kaduna International Airport with heavy weapons, killing at least one person and injuring several others. On Monday night, an Abuja-Kaduna train with over 900 passengers on board was attacked by gunmen, who blew up the rail track and forced the train to derail in Kaduna state. A man in his 20s was shot to death by police early Tuesday morning on Tucsons east side. Officers responded to the Hampton Park Apartment Homes complex on Old Spanish Trail near South Camino Seco just after 5 a.m. after receiving a report of an unwanted person, according to a Tucson Police Department news release. As officers arrived on scene, they received information that the man was causing a disturbance and could have access to weapons, according to the press release. The man was found in a courtyard area, at which time, an officer shot him, the news release said. Police did not say if anything preceded the interaction between the officer and the man, but a resident of the complex told the Arizona Daily Star that the man shouted Im just trying to get my stuff, before four shots were heard. Officers began to render first aid, but he was pronounced dead at the scene. No further information about the man, who was a resident of the complex, was released as police work to notify his family. No officers or community members were hurt during the incident, Tucson police said. Police also did not release the name of the officer involved in the incident. The Pima Regional Critical Incident Team has taken over the criminal investigation, and the Pima County Sheriffs Department is the lead investigating agency, Tucson police said. Edward Celaya is a breaking news and marijuana reporter. He has been on both beats since May 2021. Subscribe to stay connected to Tucson. A subscription helps you access more of the local stories that keep you connected to the community. Sign up for our Crime & Courts newsletter Get the latest in local public safety news with this weekly email. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. A Hendricks Elementary School teacher was surprised with Chicanos por la Causas 2022 Esperanza Latino Teacher Award for her success in achieving high student scores and connecting with Spanish-speaking families during the pandemic. Sarai Martinez, a 25-year-old Tucson native and fifth-grade teacher at the school, received a $5,000 check during the surprise ceremony in her classroom on Tuesday. The school, at 3400 W. Orange Grove Road in the Flowing Wells Unified School District, will also receive an additional $2,500 as part of the award. Its shocking. I dont think this is real right now, Martinez said. Its something that I never expected, ever, in my lifetime, so its pretty cool. Principal Tabetha Finchum, who nominated her for the award, said Martinez tackled several obstacles brought by the pandemic with passion and dedication. She took the bull by the horns, accepted the challenge and has done everything she can to create memorable experiences for her students and to ensure that the learning has continued even though the pandemic has made things difficult, Finchum said. Martinez was one of four Arizona winners selected for the award this year, two of whom were in the Phoenix area and the other in Miami. Martinez joined Hendricks in 2019. Since then, students have switched between online and in-person learning. Recent scoring assessments showed that 72% of Martinezs students showed mastery on the English language assessment test, compared to 50% of the fifth graders within the Flowing Wells district. In addition, 68% of her students excelled in the math assessment test, compared to the 32% of fifth graders districtwide. Extra hand for families Finchum added that Martinez has also been a key player in helping the school communicate with Spanish-speaking students and families to ensure they had equal access to resources and information during distance learning. During that time, I was making phone calls and emails, meeting up in person and going to their house sometimes to drop off work for them, Martinez said. Id try giving them resources and books that I would find outside of the school just to help them get better at it, because some of them would come from Mexico knowing no English, so then I would try to help. Martinez said it was mainly her father who taught her the value of learning to communicate in Spanish, and added that he was strict about speaking Spanish at home. I didnt want Spanish at all, just because of how forced it was, Martinez said. Now I appreciate my dad for having that in the household. Because at school, you can learn all the English that you want. Martinezs parents and husband, who were present for the surprise ceremony, beamed with pride as she was presented with the award. Shes very driven. Shes always known what she wants to do, how she wants to do things, and shes always been focused on what she wants to accomplish, her mother Haydee Martinez said. For the future, Martinez said, she hopes to eventually be able to work her way into an administrative role to make a bigger educational impact for students. Contact reporter Genesis Lara at glara@tucson.com Subscribe to stay connected to Tucson. A subscription helps you access more of the local stories that keep you connected to the community. Want to see more like this? Get our local education coverage delivered directly to your inbox. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Meet Diane Kleinman, this weeks Bens Bells Bellee. She was nominated by Cary Davis for inspiring kindness in her neighborhood. Davis nomination letter said: Happy was the day when Diane Kleinman moved to our midtown Tucson neighborhood! Ive never met anyone like Diane. She inspires kindness wherever she goes, and shes been all over the world including serving her church in Indonesia and Bulgaria. Diane is a spunky 80-year-old woman with six children, 22 grandchildren, and 17 great-grandchildren. She brings out the best in everyone she meets. Recently, she organized a community yard sale fundraiser, enlisting neighbors to provide items, bake brownies, make signs, set up, tear down and donate the leftovers to local nonprofits. With some of the funds, she is spearheading a Little Library project for our community. For over two decades, Diane has hand-crafted and donated adorable sock dolls over 10,000 of them to children around the world through organizations like Doctors Without Borders. Diane sews doll dresses for children in Haiti. Recently she has collected articles for Tucson Public Librarys project assisting Afghan refugees. She quilts blankets, paints gourds. Somehow, she finds time for swimming, cooking, reading, playing word games and entertaining. Moreover, Diane is the primary caregiver for her husband of over 60 years. If you know someone who inspires kindness, nominate them for a Bens Bell. bensbells.org/forms/nominate-a-bellee Subscribe to stay connected to Tucson. A subscription helps you access more of the local stories that keep you connected to the community. Here's a look at the top COVID news for today, March 28. FDA expected to OK additional booster shots for adults over 50 The Biden administration is expected to give older adults the option of getting a second Covid-19 vaccine booster as early as this week. Two sources familiar with the government's plans said the US Food and Drug Administration is planning authorize a fourth dose of the Pfizer and Moderna mRNA vaccines for adults who are age 50 and older this week. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is expected to follow soon after with what's known as a permissive recommendation, which means that the shots will not be officially recommended but may be given to people who want them. Read more here: Shanghai starts China's biggest COVID-19 lockdown in 2 years China began its most extensive coronavirus lockdown in two years Monday to conduct mass testing and control a growing outbreak in Shanghai as questions are raised about the economic toll of the nation's zero-COVID strategy. Shanghai, China's financial capital and largest city with 26 million people, had managed its smaller previous outbreaks with limited lockdowns of housing compounds and workplaces where the virus was spreading. Read more here: Studies link Covid-19 infection with increased risk of diabetes Two years into the pandemic, scientists and physicians are shifting their attention to the long-term consequences of a Covid-19 infection, termed "long Covid." Recent studies add diabetes to the list of possible long Covid outcomes. Experts have known that people with diabetes are at higher risk of severe Covid-19 infection, but now, a new connection is unraveling -- one in which a Covid-19 infection may lead to a higher risk for diabetes. Read more here: Airlines want to drop mandates. What do doctors say? In less than a month, the rule requiring masks on planes, in airports and on other means of public transportation is set to expire. And it could happen sooner, if US airlines have any say in it. Airlines including Delta, American, United and Southwest, plus cargo carriers and industry group Airlines for America, are all calling for an end to both the mask mandate on public transportation and the pre-travel testing requirement for international arrivals to the United States. Read more here: *** Check out more COVID news here: Ray of travel sunshine: CDC adds no new destinations to its highest-risk category The CDC's weekly update of travel health advisories has some of the most encouraging news for tourists it's had in months. How 10 largest US metros changed in COVID's 1st full year New York City Los Angeles Chicago Dallas Houston Washington Philadelphia Atlanta Miami Phoenix Subscribe to stay connected to Tucson. A subscription helps you access more of the local stories that keep you connected to the community. The Biden administration is expected to give older adults the option of getting a second Covid-19 vaccine booster as early as this week. Two sources familiar with the government's plans said the US Food and Drug Administration is planning authorize a fourth dose of the Pfizer and Moderna mRNA vaccines for adults who are age 50 and older this week. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is expected to follow soon after with what's known as a permissive recommendation, which means that the shots will not be officially recommended but may be given to people who want them, said a source who spoke to CNN on the condition of anonymity since they had not been given permission to discuss the details with reporters. Details of the plans were first reported by The New York Times. The decision to make fourth doses available now will bypass independent groups of scientific advisers for both the FDA and CDC, which would normally meet and publicly review the available science and then make recommendations to the agencies. Dr. Eric Topol, a cardiologist who is director of the Scripps Translational Research Institute in California, said the decision was expected ahead of an April 6 meeting of the Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee (VRBPAC), a group of independent experts who advise the FDA on its vaccine decisions. Boosters are on the agenda for discussion at that meeting, which will focus on future planning for boosters and variant-specific vaccines. Topol, who was apprised of the FDA's plans, said it was his understanding that the change would apply to both the Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna vaccines. Topol also said he was in favor of giving Americans the option of fourth doses. "There are solid data from Israel for age 60+ (the only group reported on to date) for enhanced protection (vs severe illness) out to 3 months compared with 3 doses. It is reasonable to extend that and provide it as an option, since the 3rd dose has pronounced benefit in age 50+," Topol wrote in an email to CNN. Topol noted that the FDA's move legitimizes what many Americans are doing anyway. Anyone who wants a fourth dose can go to a pharmacy and receive one just by saying that they need one because they are immunocompromised. Others felt there wasn't yet enough science available to support the decision. Dr. Eric Rubin, editor in chief of The New England Journal of Medicine who sits on the FDA's VRBPAC, said he hadn't yet seen enough data on fourth doses to make a determination about whether they are needed for anyone beyond those who are already recommended to get them -- adults who are severely immune deficient. "The only data that I've seen has been for participants followed for just a few weeks. The most important information is going to be how well a fourth dose protects highly vulnerable people against serious disease and death, and I don't know when that will be available," Rubin said in an email to CNN. Rubin said the FDA might have access to that data, but he had not seen it yet. Dr. Paul Offit, director of the vaccine education center at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and a member of the FDA's VRBPAC, also said he felt the administration was acting ahead of the science. "Where's the evidence that somebody over 50 benefits from a fourth dose? Because the evidence to date appears to support the possibility for those over 65, although I haven't, we haven't, seen all the data," Offit told CNN, speaking of the VRBPAC committee members. "But where's the evidence for a 50 to 64 year old? Where's that evidence? Because absent that evidence, then there shouldn't be this recommendation," he said. The-CNN-Wire & 2022 Cable News Network, Inc., a WarnerMedia Company. All rights reserved. Subscribe to stay connected to Tucson. A subscription helps you access more of the local stories that keep you connected to the community. by Tamara Traubmann-Santos JERUSALEM, March 29 (Xinhua) -- The first gathering of Israel-Arab foreign ministers has helped boost Israel's ties with certain Arab countries as they share concerns about reviving the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, said experts. The two-day conference that ended on Monday brought together Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid and his counterparts from four Arab states, including the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain, Morocco and Egypt, to the Israeli resort of Sde Boker in the southern Negev desert. "What we are doing here is making history. Building a new regional architecture based on progress, technology, religious tolerance, security, and intelligence cooperation," said Lapid, who initiated the meeting which was also attended by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken. Lapid announced that the conference would become a yearly event in future, hosted by the participating countries in turns every year. "Just a few years ago, this gathering would be impossible to imagine," Blinken said, hailing the meeting as the latest indication of how the new ties could expand across the region. UAE Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan praised the strengthened ties between his country and Israel. "If we are curious sometimes, and we want to know things and learn, it's because although Israel has been part of this region for a very long time, we've not known each other. So it's time to catch up," he said. LANDMARK MEETING "The most important achievement of the summit was the fact that it took place," said Yoel Guzansky, a senior research fellow at the Institute for National Security Studies, a Tel Aviv-based think tank. When Israel signed in 2020 the U.S.-brokered Abraham Accords with the UAE and Bahrain, and later with Morocco, it was unclear how substantial the ties could be. In less than two years, the first summit of top diplomats became a symbol of unity. Egypt, the first Arab state which signed a peace treaty with Israel in 1979, also took part in the conference, though Jordan, the second Arab state which made peace with Israel in 1994, was absent. Jordan declined the invitation. During the six-party conference, Jordanian King Abdullah II chose to visit Ramallah in the occupied West Bank to meet Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, underscoring his solidarity with the Palestinians. Guzansky said that the conference highlighted the "importance of Israel" in the region and sent signals to Israel's enemies, mainly Iran, Hezbollah in Lebanon, and Hamas which rules the Palestinian enclave of Gaza Strip. He noted that the regional defense system, which is "gradually being built," is heavily reliant on Israel and the Gulf Arab countries. "However, there are pieces missing in this puzzle -- mainly Saudi Arabia, which is unlikely to normalize ties with Israel before the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is resolved," Guzansky said. EMERGING NUCLEAR DEAL Israel initiated the gathering amid tensions between the U.S. and its Middle Eastern allies. Israel and the Gulf Arab countries share concerns over the possible revival of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, under which the U.S. eased sanctions in exchange for Iran's commitment to curb its nuclear program. The previous U.S. administration under President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew from the pact in 2018 and reimposed sanctions on Iran. However, the current U.S. government under President Joe Biden seeks to restore the deal through talks held in the Austrian capital of Vienna. The Vienna talks, which have been held for eight rounds so far, are reportedly nearing an agreement. Israel, Iran's arch foe in the region, has been steadfast against renewing the deal, fearing that it would enable Iran to obtain nuclear weapons without the burden of U.S. sanctions. In a bid to soothe the worries of Israel and Arab states, Blinken vowed that the U.S. will continue to work together with its allies to confront "common security challenges and threats, including those from Iran and its proxies." Ori Goldberg, an Israeli expert on Iran from the Lauder School of Government, Diplomacy and Strategy at the Reichman University in Herzliya, said that the U.S. intention to restore the nuclear deal prompted Israel to hold the meeting. "Israel wants a gesture of keeping the option for a regional action (against Iran)," Goldberg said, adding that Israel practically has no tangible support for such an action as the conference issued no clear statement on the Iranian issue. Chen Kertcher, a lecturer in the Department of Middle Eastern Studies at the Ariel University in the West Bank, said the meeting came amid growing discontent between the U.S. and Gulf Arab countries. Gulf Arab countries wish to receive more support from the U.S. in countering the attacks from the Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen, while Washington urges them to produce more oil to calm the oil market following the Russia-Ukraine conflict, said Kertcher. So far, the Gulf Arab states, mainly Saudi Arabia and the UAE which boast spare capacity, have given Washington the cold shoulder by refusing to abruptly increase oil output. Instead, they insist on sticking to the plan for slowly increasing oil production as set by the OPEC+, of which Russia is a part. Guzansky believed that, in view of the rising tensions, Israel "is emerging as the go-between for the United States and Gulf countries." New tax breaks set to boost consumption By ZHANG YUE (China Daily) 08:23, March 29, 2022 A child skies with the help of a parent at White Mountain Resort in Fusong, Northeast China's Jilin province, Nov 19, 2021. [Photo/Xinhua] The recent move to include care expenses for children under the age of 3 as part of the special additional deductions for individual income tax is expected to reduce the financial burden on families, increase their consumption capacity, and is conducive to the long-term improvement of the nation's overall demographic structure, experts say. The State Council said on Monday in a document that starting from Jan 1, the individual taxable income of such parents can be reduced by a total of 1,000 yuan ($156) per month for each baby. The deduction can be applied in full by one parent or can be split evenly, added the document. The move was hinted in this year's Government Work Report made in March at the annual session of the National People's Congress, the nation's top legislative body. Experts see the new tax break policy as important and inclusive in relieving the financial burden of families with infants and it is likely to boost overall consumption. They also believe it will work as part of a holistic approach in encouraging China's population growth. "The decision to introduce tax breaks for families taking care of children under the age of 3 was made in light of overall demographic changes in China in recent years. It will not only be conducive to balanced population growth in the long run and better tap into China's demographic potential, but will also help lay a solid foundation for accumulating human capital and promote high-quality development," said Li Xuhong, director of the Institute of Finance and Taxation Policy and Application at Beijing National Accounting Institute. "Also, such tax breaks will increase the disposable income of households, and boost their willingness to consume," she said. "China's income tax system is in the process of improvement, and it will eventually adequately bring down the income tax level of middle and low-income earners. This will bring about tangible social welfare and boost consumption. Consumption is widely regarded as a key factor in driving economic growth this year. The Government Work Report this year noted the need to expand domestic demand and keep boosting the recovery in consumption. Shi Yinghua, a professor at the Chinese Academy of Fiscal Sciences, said that the new tax breaks "will not only help relieve the burden for families with children under 3", but will also help to positively shape the consumption and income expectations of couples planning to have children, she said. She added that the new tax deduction policy will be well-aligned with the current individual tax breaks in other areas such as expenses related to preschool and compulsory education. Families with children under the age of 3 had previously been unable to enjoy such individual tax deductions. (Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun) KINSHASA, March 29 (Xinhua) -- The East African Community (EAC) approved Tuesday the admission of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) into the regional bloc, at the 19th Extraordinary Summit of EAC Heads of State conducted virtually. "The EAC now spans from the Indian Ocean to the Atlantic Ocean making the region competitive and easy to access the larger African Continental Free Trade Area," said EAC Secretary-General Peter Mutuku Mathuki. "Rwanda supports the admission of the DRC into the region and stands ready to play its part in supporting the integration of the DRC into the EAC," said Rwandan President Paul Kagame at the virtual conference. "The Republic of Burundi openly welcomes the DRC into the EAC. Widening and deepening economic, political, social and cultural integration will improve the quality of lives and prosperity of the people of East Africa," said Prosper Bazombanza, Vice President of Burundi. "Admission of the DRC marks a momentous occasion in the region's integration history," said Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta, also chairperson of the Summit of EAC Heads of State. The DRC thus becomes the seventh and newest member of the community, which comprises Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda and South Sudan. In June 2019, DRC had already expressed its willingness to join the organization in a letter to Paul Kagame, then-current chair of the EAC Heads of State Summit. Tulsa continues to have the lowest average gasoline price in the U.S., while many areas of the country have prices well over $4 per gallon. Tulsas average price was $3.70 per gallon on Sunday, according to Trilby Lundberg of the Lundberg Survey. The city also had the lowest average price in mid-March, according to the survey. The price at Tulsa-area QuikTrips was $3.67 per gallon on Monday, according to gasbuddy.com, a fuel price-tracking service. The average U.S. gas price dropped 6 cents over two weeks to $4.37, according to the survey. The decrease came after nine straight weeks of price hikes totaling 98 cents. The price at the pump is $1.42 higher than it was a year ago. Benchmark U.S. crude oil for May delivery fell $7.94 to $105.96 a barrel Monday. Nationwide, the highest average price for regular-grade gas is in Los Angeles, at $5.99 per gallon. According to the survey, the average price of diesel is $5.16 a gallon, down 4 cents over two weeks. Tight supplies, high demand and Russias invasion of Ukraine have all caused gas prices to spike to their highest level in years. Some states, such as Maryland and Georgia, have temporarily waived their state gasoline taxes to reduce the burden on consumers. Other states are considering similar actions, and some members of Congress have called for suspending the federal gas tax. However, a national analyst said those measures are having a counter-effect. States must think of a different approach to helping motorists in regards to #gasprices, Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis for GasBuddy, tweeted Monday. Tax holidays are boosting demand and putting additional upward pressure on price. Consumption must be cut for realistic price drops. Unpopular, but its the only thing that will work. Gas tax holidays are boosting gasoline demand, De Haan said, noting that demand has gone up about 8.7% nationally while it has spiked 13% in Georgia and 26.2% in Maryland. The time frame he referenced was comparing demand from Feb. 18 to March 18 to the period from March 19 to 27. Featured video: Nonobvious tips on how to save money on gas Subscribe to Daily Headlines Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. The business news you need Get the latest local business news delivered FREE to your inbox weekly. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Dear readers: One recent Tuesday, while our rescued cat Fanny played under a tent of newspapers, pawing at a wand of Canada goose feathers I had taken from a road-killed bird, I contemplated. Fanny hunted from the shadows, surviving as a predator through one bitter Minnesota winter after being released to fend for herself by the local Humane Society. My wife and I rescued and socialized her. Now, Fanny is in love with our rescued dog Kota. She will jump on Kotas head, sit on her, roll over in front of her, then seize patient Kotas face with her front paws and claws. Kota will respond by nuzzling Fanny under the chin and licking her face. Sometimes Fanny gets overexcited and claws too hard on Kotas face, so the dog turns away, gets up and leaves: The rule of fair play was broken, so the playful game is over. Fanny goes off to play with her fuzzy toy mice at this point. Kota has rarely, if ever, snapped a warning at Fanny. If these two species know how to get along and ritualize aggressive and prey-killing actions into nonharmful and obviously enjoyable play, I wonder why we humans cant do the same and keep the peace. Someday we might learn from these lesser beings. For more insights, see the article by one of my former graduate students, Dr. Marc Bekoff, When Dogs Play, They Follow the Golden Rules of Fairness, at psychologytoday.com. From this kind of research grew the science of cognitive ethology, which is concerned with how conscious awareness and intention can influence an animals behavior. Perhaps governments and businesses might do better in foreign relations and transactions by applying cognitive ethology especially when dealing with dictators, autocrats and the morally corrupt. Why cats like to snuggle in boxes Cats like to snuggle into boxes because the pressure from the sides is comforting, says Gabriella Smith, a doctoral candidate in comparative animal cognition at the University of Veterinary Medicine in Vienna. A 2019 study found cats stress levels are higher when they dont have access to a hiding place. A study Smith led last year found that cats will even sit inside a 2D box taped on the floor. (Full story: Live Science, Feb. 28) Hunters beware The genomic profile of a divergent SARS-CoV-2 lineage found in a person in Canada with COVID-19 closely resembles that of a variant found in hunted deer in the same area, suggesting that the person may have caught the virus from deer, according to a study published prior to peer review. (Full story: The Guardian, Feb. 28) Send all mail to animaldocfox@gmail.com or to Dr. Michael Fox in care of Andrews McMeel Syndication, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106. A man freed from a state prison sentence linked to the fatal shooting of his father was sentenced in federal court Monday for the same crime. U.S. District Judge Claire Eagan ordered Jacob Patrick Krafft, 40, to serve 17 years in prison after he pleaded guilty in October to fatally shooting his father, Eric Krafft, 58, on Oct. 21, 2016, at their Broken Arrow home. Eagan also required Krafft to serve five years of post-custody supervision by the U.S. Probation Office. Krafft faced up to life in prison on the second-degree murder charge in Indian Country. A state appellate court threw out Kraffts second-degree murder conviction and 25-year prison term in February 2021 after he challenged his prosecution under the Supreme Courts 2020 McGirt ruling. The Supreme Court determined in the McGirt ruling that the Muscogee Nation reservation dating back to the 1860s had never been disestablished by Congress, meaning major crimes involving American Indians that occur within the reservation are in the jurisdiction of federal or tribal governments rather than the state government. In his appeal, Krafft successfully argued that the state did not have jurisdiction to try him because he is an American Indian and the death occurred within the Muscogee Nation reservation. In his October plea, Krafft admitted to fatally shooting his father in the leg with a hunting rifle while the two were in the elders Broken Arrow kitchen. The younger Krafft alleged that his father had been verbally abusive and even threatened to kill him since returning from work that day about two hours before the shooting. After allegedly being threatened by the father, the younger Krafft claims he went to his bedroom, loaded a Mauser .30-06 caliber rifle and fired a single round into his fathers hip in an attempt to disable him. But instead of merely disabling him, the bullet severed the fathers femoral artery, and he died of blood loss, according to court records. Jacob did not want to kill his father, according to a sentencing brief filed on his behalf. After removing the perceived threat, he tried to save his father. Jacob has always been remorseful. To this day, he continues to grieve and be haunted by his fathers death. Krafft claimed to probation officers during a presentencing investigation that he had suffered a lifetime of physical abuse by his father, including a trip to a hospital emergency room at 15 after Eric Krafft struck him in the face. In a court filing, Jacob Kraffts defense requested the court impose the lowest possible sentence, one below the advisory Guidelines range. Prosecutors, meanwhile, argued for a prison term at the high end of his sentencing guidelines range. This murder was completely unnecessary, although it was foreseeable considering Kraffts history, the U.S. Attorneys Office said in a filing. Prosecutors then recounted past violent episodes involving the defendant. In one case, Krafft violated a protective order in 2006 when he showed up at a home and threatened to kill its occupants. In a 2007 incident, his sister called the police because he had shot his father with a B.B. gun and hit him in the face with the butt of a shotgun. Krafft was (at the time) a 34-year-old man living in his fathers house, according to prosecutors. No matter what his father said to him, he always had the option of leaving, prosecutors said. Featured video: Oklahoma governor addresses Supreme Court McGirt decision Sign up for our Crime & Courts newsletter Get the latest in local public safety news with this weekly email. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. The Oklahoma Health Care Authority warns that nearly 1 in 5 Oklahomans with SoonerCare might be removed from the program after the federal public health emergency ends. OHCA Secretary Kevin Corbett on Monday said all indications and signals are that the public health emergency declared when COVID-19 first swept through the U.S. two years ago will expire this year perhaps as early as April 16. That means roughly 200,000 Oklahomans on Medicaid called SoonerCare in Oklahoma preliminarily appear to no longer qualify for the program, he said. OHCA asks that all SoonerCare members update their contact information and documentation to help the agency better understand which members will be eligible to renew benefits when the U.S. Health and Human Services secretary announces the end of the federal health emergency. Corbett said the waiver of certain rules has been regularly renewed in 90-day intervals, helping prevent people with Medicaid from losing health coverage amid the pandemic. He suspects there might be one more extension because HHS hasnt provided a 60-day notice that the declaration will terminate. Thats been something that has allowed us to do a few things in terms of flexibilities, but also to have what Ill call continuous coverage for many of our Medicaid members who would become ineligible during that period of time, Corbett said. But by virtue of the Public Health Emergency we were allowed to continue to serve them. Corbett said the Health Care Authority has performed passive renewal or eligibility reviews of data available publicly through information exchanges primarily income that suggests nearly 200,000 Oklahomans wont qualify anymore for SoonerCare. Medicaid stipulates that a single persons income be at or below 138% of the federal poverty line, or $17,148, according to OHCA. A family of four has a cutoff of $35,256. Corbett said SoonerCare members are only removed from the program during the Public Health Emergency if they ask for it or they move out of state. To put the 200,000 figure into perspective, Corbett said about 10,000 to 15,000 members per month on average would come off SoonerCare pre-pandemic because their circumstances changed to give them other health coverage options. Its just an accumulation of that normal activity, Corbett said. Corbett expressed a commitment to work with individuals whose income exceeds the federal poverty limit requirement to find alternative health insurance options if necessary, such as through new employment or the feds health insurance exchange or community partners. He said HealthCare.gov has subsidies available and low-cost premiums. Were going to take all avenues to be thoughtful and compassionate about how we do this, Corbett said. We know this Public Health Emergency was put in place to make sure that there is a safety net for those that either had job loss and lost coverage or had critical health needs that we needed to serve. OHCA says that members updating their information will allow the agency to contact those who are effected via mail, emails or phone calls once an end date is announced. Ineligible members will receive three notices that detail their end dates. Members will be removed in phases based on member use and critical health issues. A second notice will be sent 45 days prior to a members scheduled end date, and a third notice 10 days before the loss of eligibility. This is occurring across the country; I hope everybody understands that, Corbett said. This is not a SoonerCare program taking this action. Every state in the union is having to go through this. What SoonerCare members can do today Make sure contact information and documentation are updated by logging in to mysoonercare.org or by calling the SoonerCare helpline at 1-800-987-7767. Respond to Oklahoma Health Care Authoritys requests for information. If members have received a letter from OHCA requesting information, then they need to respond right away. Source: Oklahoma Health Care Authority Video: Tulsa World Newsroom: Oklahomas 14 most beautiful places to visit. Concerned about COVID-19? Sign up now to get the most recent coronavirus headlines and other important local and national news sent to your email inbox daily. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Nail technician Aktofel Kankono provides manicure service for a client in Windhoek, Namibia, March 29, 2022. Namibian men are pushing for gender diversity in the traditionally female-dominated local beauty industry. A year ago, the thought of being a nail technician excited yet jumbled Aktofel Kankono. Coming from a conservative society, venturing into the trade was far-fetched for the 19-year old until he decided to enroll on a nail training course, which opened his career in the beauty industry. (Photo by Ndalimpinga Iita/Xinhua) WINDHOEK, March 29 (Xinhua) -- Namibian men are pushing for gender diversity in the traditionally female-dominated local beauty industry. A year ago, the thought of being a nail technician excited yet jumbled Aktofel Kankono. Coming from a conservative society, venturing into the trade was far-fetched for the 19-year old until he decided to enroll on a nail training course, which opened his career in the beauty industry. "I was the only guy in attendance at the training and was too conscious about what people might think of me," said Kankono on Tuesday. A year into business, his trade as a nail technician has brought him more than just a substantial income. "It gives me satisfaction to add color to people's lives through nails art. I am glad I did not give in to my negative thoughts and limitations," Kankono said. Being a male nail technician has profoundly impacted his business and life. "Through the experiences, I have grown professionally in terms of networking and developed a firmer character," said Kankono, who is also a student at a local university. He is not the only one. More men daringly ventured into the diverse vocations the beauty industry offers. Merino Kandjii from Windhoek runs Merino Cuts. After working other jobs in the tourism and hospitality industry, he fell back on his true passion- hairdressing. "I'd say it almost came naturally as I'm an artistic person and hairdressing is an area where I can apply my natural ability to create. Fortunately, I also had the opportunity to study this in South Africa," Kandjii said. Although he initially encountered gender prejudices from society for doing a 'woman's job', transforming clients and actualizing their visions gives him great pleasure. "I think that gives me the edge and sets me apart. I am passionate about offering superior, quality services to my clients, and I feel grateful to be able to do something that I enjoy. I take the personal hair journeys of all my clients to heart," he added. Samuel Shimhanda, a seasoned nail technician, said that business had been more than just about him since his career took off. Apart from aiding the health of nails and skin of many locals through his craft, he strives to debunk stereotypes that doing nails is only a 'female job'. According to the 2021 Global Gender Gap report by World Economic Forum, no country of the 35 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa has yet achieved full gender parity. Data points to significant challenges for gender parity in future jobs due to increasing occupational gender segregation. Moreover, gender experts observed that men venturing into careers mainly seen as 'jobs for women' by many people in society is not new but was instead done out of the limelight. Ngamane Karuaihe-Upi, a relationship consultant, based in Namibia, said that just like there are women who are great builders, plumbers, electricians, farmers, soldiers, there is ample space to accommodate all genders in being productive contributors to the development of the economy. "It is time to adjust our vision and mentality regarding what men and women can do. No need for boundaries and limitations. Archaic rules and views cannot curtail human potential, and to evolve is inevitable and assured. The more diversity we encourage, the better for Namibia and the world," Karuaihe-Upi said. Meanwhile, marketing efforts inclusive of social media have been instrumental to their efforts. "Some clients come out of curiosity through referrals or come back for more," Kankono said. While sustaining the brand as a small business owner amid limited access to funding and the COVID-19 pandemic can be challenging, the businessmen said the future looks bright. "There is great economic potential in this multi-billion dollar industry (cosmetology). I plan to start a hair school here in Namibia to be able to do what I love and transfer the knowledge and skills to others. I plan to expand the business through franchises," Kandjii said. Kankono, too, hopes to train others, especially men, to continue breaking gender stereotypes relating to career choices across generations. Nail technician Samuel Shimhanda provides manicure service for a client in Windhoek, Namibia, March 29, 2022. Namibian men are pushing for gender diversity in the traditionally female-dominated local beauty industry. A year ago, the thought of being a nail technician excited yet jumbled Aktofel Kankono. Coming from a conservative society, venturing into the trade was far-fetched for the 19-year old until he decided to enroll on a nail training course, which opened his career in the beauty industry. (Photo by Ndalimpinga Iita/Xinhua) Oklahomas juvenile justice system mirrors some of the same deficiencies as the one for the states adult offenders, a report released Monday said. Historically, Oklahoma has fallen on the side of punishment rather than rehabilitation and has only implemented important protections for children in its justice system when legal action has specifically required it to do so, the report states. The report chronicles some of that legal action and notes recent reforms, but concludes that Oklahomas historical legacy continues in the form of ongoing disinvestment in communities and families. The 80-page Better Tomorrows: A Landscape Analysis of Oklahomas Youth Justice System and Suggested Reforms, by the Oklahoma Policy Institutes Ashley Harvey, combines data and more than 60 interviews that included children in the system, their parents and relevant organizations. Oklahoma Office of Juvenile Justice Executive Director Rachel Holt, who was part of a panel discussion accompanying the reports release, said she tells her staff: Juvenile justice should mean justice for juveniles. My goal is that every child that touches that system is treated equally. This is not ... Perry Mason, said Holt, a former Oklahoma County assistant district attorney. Juvenile justice done correctly is a collaboration. Progress has been made, the report says. Referrals an official complaint or report alleging a youthful offense have dropped by more than half in the last decade. Most referrals are for low-level offenses, and the overwhelming majority of young people put into diversionary programs instead of detention complete them successfully. But the report also found wide variations in the types of services and programs available, the application of the law and even referral rate. It also found children of color were much more likely than whites to be arrested and to be incarcerated. Recommendations from the report include: Eliminate court fines and fees for juveniles and their families. Ensure quality legal counsel for justice-involved children. Establish a minimum age of criminal responsibility in Oklahoma. Increase transparency and accountability through, clearly defined reporting. Better family engagement by relevant agencies. Invest in Oklahoma families. Invest in education. Extend and expand support services, particularly in rural areas. Fully fund core services and agencies in the youth justice sector. Get Government & Politics updates in your inbox! Stay up-to-date on the latest in local and national government and political topics with our newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. The $1,200 workforce incentive program intended to replace the federal governments enhanced individual unemployment benefits didnt turn out to help many Oklahomans. Eight out of 10 applicants were rejected for various reasons, according to an analysis by Tulsa World reporter Curtis Killman. The Return to Work program grew out of a belief that laid-off workers were not returning to the labor force because the federal government was temporarily providing $300 on top of their regular unemployment benefits. It cynically assumed that workers were lazy, a notion about Oklahomans we reject. Gov. Kevin Stitt joined other Republican governors across the country in turning away the benefits early. They were set to end last September. In its place, Oklahoma launched the incentive program in June, but it had narrow eligibility. At the time, about 90,000 Oklahomans were receiving the added federal benefits. Only 8,000 workers received a grant from the states program. Grants of $1,200 were available to Oklahoma residents who received unemployment benefits during at least one of the first two weeks in May and subsequently worked six consecutive weeks on a new job. More than 50,000 applied, and about 80% of them were rejected. Most were turned down because the applicants were not receiving unemployment benefits in that two-week window in May. Other problems were paperwork issues such as blurry paystub photos or information that did not match applicants pay stubs. A lawsuit challenging the program was filed the month it began. In August, a district judge ordered the state to reinstate the federal benefits. The Oklahoma Supreme Court threw out the states appeal in February because the federal benefit program had ended. We were never in favor of the program. It made assumptions about the workforce shortage and complicated a straight-forward federal program. The states unemployment rate was always one of the lowest in the country and is currently tied for fifth-lowest. In the past nine months, weve learned more about the workforce shortage. Early on, many potential workers were worried about COVID-19 spread. The virus surged when school resumed in the fall and the more contagious omicron variant took many workers temporarily out. Retirements also play a key role, with baby boomers choosing to leave the labor force. The Pew Research Center found the that increased retirements of older people during the pandemic recession is unlike that in other economic recession. This increase is significant because until COVID-19, adults ages 55 and older were the only working age population since 2000 to increase their labor force participation. Other reasons include exacerbations of obstacles that existed before the pandemic, such as child care and transportation. We can no longer afford to let those needs go unaddressed if we want to expand the potential workforce. Oklahoma workers are holding up their end, as shown by the continued low unemployment rate. The Return to Work incentive failed to meet expectations and promises made by state leaders. Subscribe to Daily Headlines Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Vietnam and Australia signed on Monday a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to provide support for Vietnamese citizens to participate in the Australian Agriculture Visa Program. The MoU was signed by the Vietnamese Ministry of Labor, War Invalids, and Social Affairs and the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade on behalf of the two governments during a virtual ceremony on Monday. This is the first bilateral MoU that Australia has signed under the Australian Agriculture Visa Program, according to the labor ministry. In September 2021, the Australian government announced the visa program for workers in the agricultural sector and selected Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia, and the Philippines as the four countries with early participation. The program aims to deal with the labor shortage in the agricultural sector in Australia, as well as to create opportunities for Vietnamese workers to gain more knowledge, experience, skills, and income. Australia is expected to receive about 1,000 agricultural workers per year. The basic salary is AU$3,200-4,000 (US$2,390-2,990) per month, which is a high income rate compared to other labor markets. The signing of the MoU between the two governments marks an important milestone in the cooperation relationship between the two sides, Minister of Labor, War Invalids, and Social Affairs Dao Ngoc Dung said at the ceremony. The official believed that the MoU will create a legal framework and favorable conditions for Vietnamese citizens to enter Australia to work in the agricultural sector. Vietnams early participation in the Australian Agriculture Visa Program demonstrates the Morrison governments commitment to deepening cooperation under the Australia-Vietnam Strategic Partnership, Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs Marise Payne said in a press release. It is a key initiative of the Australia-Vietnam Enhanced Economic Engagement Strategy launched by the two countries prime ministers on November 1, 2021. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! Vietnam's coffee exports in the first three months of the year are estimated to have risen 19.4% from a year earlier to 541,000 tonnes, while rice exports are seen up 24%, government data released on Tuesday showed. Coffee Coffee exports from Vietnam are estimated to have risen 19.4% in the first three months of this year from a year earlier to 541,000 tonnes, the General Statistics Office (GSO) said. Coffee export revenue for Vietnam, the world's biggest producer of robusta beans, is seen up 50.4% to $1.2 billion in the first quarter. The country's coffee shipments in March are estimated at 170,000 tonnes, valued at $394 million. Rice Rice exports in January-March are estimated to have increased 24% from a year earlier to 1.475 million tonnes. Revenue from rice exports in the period is expected to show a rise of 10.5% to $715 million. March rice exports from Vietnam likely totalled 500,000 tonnes, worth $246 million. Energy Vietnam's January-March crude oil exports are estimated to have decreased 8.9% from the same period last year to an estimated 747,000 tonnes. Crude oil export revenue in January to March is expected to rise 50.3% from a year earlier to $584 million. Oil product imports in the first quarter were estimated at 2.1 million tonnes, up 11.7% from the same period last year, while the value of product imports rose 70.3% to $1.4 billion. The GSO trade data is subject to revision next month. Nguyen Van Luu may have some difficulties walking on his prosthetic leg but that does not stop him from trying to give back to the needy. While many might have given up on themselves, Luu chose not to surrender to his disability and instead tried to make the best possible use out of his hands and remaining functional leg. The 28-year-old Vietnamese man, a resident of Ngo May Town, Phu Cat District in the south-central province of Binh Dinh, is always ready to hit the road as soon as he learns of an individual or household in need of his help. Using his prosthetic leg, the young man has been traveling around Vietnam over the past five years and raised money to help those inflicted with critical illnesses or in difficult circumstances. Angel with a broken wing In early March, Luu was visiting a poor family in Tan Phuoc Ward, Phu My Town in the southern province of Ba Ria-Vung Tau. According to Luu, three out of the four family members were suffering serious illnesses. Their youngest daughter is battling acute intestinal disease but her family cannot afford medical bills, he shared. Nguyen Thanh Sang, 44, used to be the familys breadwinner. Despite being diagnosed with liver, kidney diseases and diabetes, Sang still worked himself to exhaustion to support his family. Nguyen Van Luu (right) gifts a lottery ticket peddler whose livelihood was hurt by COVID-19 outbreaks in Binh Dinh Province during the 2022 Tet (Lunar New Year) holiday. When he was working at a quarry, stone debris landed in his eyes. As the accident left him blind in one eye and his body in constant, excruciating pain, the man has been unable to work to provide for his family over the past several years. Sangs 44-year-old wife, Le Thi Hong Hoang, became the breadwinner in her husbands place. The sickly, emaciated woman struggles to provide food and support for their two children, especially the youngest daughter, Tham. The seven-year-old girl, who often writhes in pain after toilet use from a severe intestine problem, has suffered the condition without any medical treatment due to poverty. Without a place to live, the family takes shelter in a shed illegally erected on a mountain. Luu said after staying with the family for three days and verifying the story, he would make a call for donations on his Facebook page. Starting the volunteer mission, Luu said, is personal. Whenever he is back in his hometown, Nguyen Van Luu (left), along with other philanthropists, prepares free meals for patients at local hospitals. He sees a part of himself in these plights and cannot turn a blind eye. Luu shared that he can never forget how his carefree, rewarding life as an employee at a jewelry company in Ho Chi Minh City turned to tragedy when he had an accident in Phu Nhuan District. With no relatives by his side, the young man, then 23, was terribly upset at how nonchalant and unhelpful bystanders were at the site of his accident. He himself got a ride to the hospital and gave his own approval signature on the amputation of his leg. The next day he woke up, he realized he no longer had two legs to walk on. It really hurt knowing I would be disabled from now on, Luu recalled. My mom passed out seeing my leg was gone." I told myself to move forward with my life and not upset my mom further. Realizing the unconditional love of his family and friends can help him through anything, the young man returned to his hometown. Appreciative of encouragements and donations from strangers later, Luu realized not all are indifferent and set his heart on giving back. He soon found himself preparing vegan meals at a pagoda near his home. In 2018, Luu went to Vinh Yen City, the provincial heart of northern Vinh Phuc Province, where he learned the craft of artistic tattooing. Noticing an old man living alone in a shabby home, the young man would come over and clean up his place, which stank of human and cat feces and rotten food. Though the senior man, who suffered senile dementia, sometimes scolded him, Luu kept coming to his place, buying him new clothes and bedding and fixing things around his home. Thats how I started my volunteer calling, Luu said. Nguyen Van Luu (left) poses with Hoang My, who is receiving treatment for cancer at the Ho Chi Minh City Oncology Hospital, in this supplied photo. In early 2022, Luu helped raise a large sum of money for her treatment. When it was time for him to return home as his tattoo course was coming to an end, he made posts on Facebook, hoping to find someone who could replace him in tending to the old man. My posts were widely shared, I was interviewed by reporters, he said. Many philanthropists came forward, taking turns taking care of the senior man. When the old man passed nearly one year later, Luu went back to Vinh Phuc and helped hold his funeral. 'I hope no one else will need my help' Over the past five years, Luu has always gone to great lengths to visit the needys places and verify their stories through neighbors and local governments to make sure philanthropists will not regret their choices. Luu was also active in reaching out to those hard hit by the COVID-19 outbreaks late last year. His most memorable encounter was with Nguyen Van Dung as Luu spotted him treading heavily when he was driving from Quy Nhon City to Ngo May Town. Despite his own physical disability, Nguyen Van Luu remains optimistic and ready to take on any challenges life throws at him. The man said he had lost his job to the coronavirus and had to walk from Nha Trang City, in the south-central province of Khanh Hoa, back to his hometown in the north-central province of Nghe An. Luu said he took Dung to his own home before providing him with some food, money, and a bicycle. I really wanted to give him a motorbike but my financial condition didnt allow that, he said, adding he did not post Dungs story on Facebook for fear he might disturb philanthropists at small hours. Until now I still feel guilty about not giving Dung more help. Earlier this year, Luu traveled to Ho Chi Minh City to visit 13-year-old Nguyen Thi Hoang My, who is receiving treatment for cancer at the Oncology Hospital. The girl, from Hau Giang Province in the Mekong Delta, lost her father when she was just two. Mys extended treatment has worn on her mother financially and physically. Three days after his posts were made, Luu managed to raise more than VND190 million (US$8,310) for My. Shortly after that, the man found he was infected with the coronavirus. As soon as he recovered in Ho Chi Minh City, he went straight to Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province, approximately 120 kilometers away, where his help was much awaited. The man with the golden hearts aid route is taking him to the Mekong Delta in a few days. Though he vows to continue with his mission, deep within Luu hopes he will no longer receive texts from people asking for help for the poor. Receiving no texts means there will be no more needy people, he explained. Over the past five years, with Luus help, his beneficiaries have received quite a handsome sum. In early 2022, he managed to raise over VND840 million ($36,739) for nine-year-old Nguyen Tran Thao My and her five-year-old sister, Nguyen Tran Kim Ngan, residing in the central province of Quang Ngai. The young girls lost both their parents who died in a road accident in Binh Dinh when they were on their way home for the Tet (Lunar New Year) holiday. Their family is more than grateful for Luu's help. We dont know how to repay Luu, said Tran Nhan, the girls maternal grandfather. My grandchildren lost their parents but have found love from everyone through Luu. Exemplary youth Huynh Van Bac, from Hoai An District, Binh Dinh Province, father of Huynh Thi Kim Thao, shared following her birth of twins, she was struck down by pleural effusion. After a two-month treatment at Binh Dinh General Hospital, her condition worsened and she suffered heart and kidney failures. With doctors saying Thao would be unlikely to make it, the financially drained family was about to sell their house. Luu came to their help, raising more than VND810 million ($35,427) in donations. To her familys elation, Thao has pulled through and made a remarkable recovery. Luu not only saved my daughters life but also helped bring us a new beginning, Bac said. In 2020, the Central Committee of the Vietnam Youth Federation honored Luu as an exemplary youth with physical challenges. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! CAIRO, March 29 (Xinhua) -- Egypt and Qatar have agreed on a package of investment worth 5 billion U.S. dollars in the North African country, the Egyptian government said in a statement on Tuesday. Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly and visiting Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani and Finance Minister Ali bin Ahmed Al Kuwari discussed means of promoting bilateral ties and enhancing coordination in different fields, according to the statement. On Monday, Egypt and Qatar announced the establishment of a joint committee headed by their foreign ministers to boost cooperation and coordination in all fields. "A wide horizon of the relations between Qatar and Egypt is seen in boosting economic partnership and communication between the two countries at all levels," the Qatari foreign minister said. In January 2021, the Arab quartet of Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Bahrain signed the Al-Ula Declaration with Qatar during the 41st Gulf Cooperation Council Summit held in Saudi Arabia, ending their all-round boycott of Doha since mid-2017. China's financial hub of Shanghai launched a two-stage lockdown of its 26 million residents on Monday, closing bridges and tunnels and restricting highway traffic in a scramble to contain surging COVID-19 cases. The snap lockdown, announced by the local government late on Sunday, will split China's most populous city roughly along the Huangpu River for nine days to allow for "staggered" testing by healthcare workers in white hazmat suits. It is the biggest COVID-related disruption to hit Shanghai, and sent prices of commodities including oil and copper lower on fears that any further curbs could hurt demand in China, the world's second-largest economy. Residents east of the Huangpu were confined to their homes. Some said healthcare workers arrived to conduct tests as early as 7 a.m. on Monday. People line up near a nucleic acid testing site outside a hospital during mass testing for the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) amid the COVID-19 pandemic, in Shanghai, China March 27, 2022. Photo: Reuters Those in the west rushed to stockpile food and other goods as they prepared for a similar fate from April 1. Delivery services were overwhelmed and supermarkets ran low on supplies. Several social media users posted images of what they had managed to buy. "Many wholesale markets are now closed," Bi Yingwu, a 50-year old stallholder, said. "Some vendors are reluctant to buy in vegetables. If we cannot get vegetables from wholesalers or the wet market is closed, we are finished." The curbs mark a turnaround for Shanghai's authorities, who as recently as Saturday denied the city would be locked down as it pursued a more piecemeal "slicing and gridding" approach to try to rein in infections. A man walks past Lujiazui financial district, seen across the Huangpu river, amid the lockdown in Pudong area to contain the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Shanghai, China March 28, 2022. Photo: Reuters Wu Fan, a member of Shanghai's expert COVID team, said recent mass testing had found "large scale" infections throughout the city, triggering the stronger response. "Containing the large scale outbreak in our city is very important because, once infected people are put under control, we have blocked transmission," she told a briefing. Infection and death numbers are low by global standards. But China has imposed a zero-COVID policy that has all but closed its borders to travellers for two years, and rushes to shut off every chain of infection. Shanghai recorded a record 3,450 asymptomatic COVID cases on Sunday, accounting for nearly 70% of the nationwide total, along with 50 symptomatic cases. Police officers in protective suits keep watch at an entrance to a tunnel leading to the Pudong area across the Huangpu river, after traffic restrictions amid the lockdown to contain the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Shanghai, China March 28, 2022. Photo: Reuters Restrictions Shanghai said earlier this month its daily testing capacity was around 3 million, but Chen Erzhen, a doctor in charge of a city quarantine facility, warned it still might not be enough to outpace the spread of the virus. "When case numbers reach a certain level, the difficulty of relying upon previous staff deployments increases by a large degree," he told government newspaper Liberation Daily. The new lockdown should at least ensure the "stillness" required to bring the outbreak under control, he added. Wu had told a briefing on Saturday that Shanghai could not be locked down for long because of the important role it played in the national and even global economy. But following Sunday's about-turn, mass testing disrupted transport, healthcare and a wide range of economic activities, with citywide land sales also halted on Monday. Police officers in protective suits keep watch at an entrance to a tunnel leading to the Pudong area across the Huangpu river, after traffic restrictions amid the lockdown to contain the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Shanghai, China March 28, 2022. Photo: Reuters Shanghai's Public Security Bureau said it was closing cross-river bridges and tunnels, and highway tollbooths concentrated in the city's east until April 1. However, ports and the city's two airports remained open. Shanghai also ordered firms to shut, exempting those offering public services or supplying food, although factories that managed to put in "closed-loop" systems could continue production. Some hospitals also suspended services as they release staff and other resources to assist with mass testing. U.S. automaker Tesla is suspending production at its factory, located in a district impacted by the first stage of the lockdown, for four days, two people familiar with the matter told. Volkswagen, however, whose Shanghai plant is in a part of the city that is set to be tested in the second stage, said its production in the city was ongoing. SINGAPORE -- A Singapore court rejected on Tuesday an appeal against the execution of a Malaysian convicted of drugs smuggling, dismissing an argument put forward by his legal team that he should be spared because he was mentally impaired. Nagaenthran Dharmalingam has been on death row for more than a decade for trafficking about 42.7 grammes (1.5 oz) of heroin into Singapore, which has some of the world's toughest narcotics laws. His plight has attracted international attention with a group of United Nations experts and British billionaire Richard Branson joining Malaysia's prime minister and human rights activists to urge Singapore to commute his death sentence. Dharmalingam's lawyer Violet Netto had objected to presenting her client's prison medical records at the last hearing, citing confidentiality, and instead requested an independent psychiatric review. But at Tuesday's hearing Chief Justice Sundaresh Menon said the bid to prevent the disclosure of medical reports was unreasonable and there was no admissible evidence showing any decline in his mental condition. The court also dismissed the request for an independent psychiatric review. "The appellant has been afforded due process under law, and it is not open to him to challenge the outcome of that process when he has put nothing forward to suggest that he does have a case to be considered," the five-judge panel said in its ruling. An activist holds a poster against the execution of Nagaenthran Dharmalingam, a Malaysian whose intellect, his defence and human rights groups have argued, was at a level recognised as a mental disability, for drug trafficking in Singapore, as activists submit a clemency petition at the Singapore High Commission in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, March 9, 2022. Photo: Reuters Dharmalingam, who was wearing a purple prison uniform, did not appear to show any reaction to the ruling. M Ravi, Dharmalingam's former lawyer who has continued to assist in the case, told reporters that the Malaysian had exhausted legal options to escape the death penalty. Anti-death penalty group Reprieve said it believed Nagaenthran is intellectually disabled and should be protected from the death penalty. In a statement, Reprieve director Maya Foa called on Singapore President Halimah Yacob "to listen to the cries for mercy within Singapore and around the world." It was not immediately clear when the execution would be carried out. From 2016 to 2019, Singapore hanged 25 people - the majority for drug-related offences, according to official data. Here are todays leading news stories: COVID-19 Updates -- Vietnams Ministry of Health documented 83,376 COVID-19 cases on Monday, raising the countrys tally to 9,274,849, with 5,474,708 recoveries and 42,358 deaths. Society -- A large tree was uprooted and fell onto several cars and stalls on Nguyen Huy Luong Street in Binh Thanh District, Ho Chi Minh City during a heavy rain with strong gusts on Monday afternoon. -- Authorities in An Giang Province inaugurated on Monday a 21-kilometer road costing more than VND2.1 trillion (US$91.8 million), which is aimed at boosting connectivity among multiple provinces in the Mekong Delta. -- The Ho Chi Minh City Peoples Court on Monday sentenced a 32-year-old South Korean man to death for breaking into the house of a compatriot's family, killing one person and injuring two others, before stealing their car in late 2019. -- The Peoples Court in north-central Nghe An Province has handed a life sentence down to a 60-year-old man for shooting dead two people during an argument over land disputes in 2021. -- Police in northern Son La Province have arrested and initiated legal proceedings against a man, who previously had his genitalia cut off by his wife, for repeatedly raping her own teenage daughter between 2020 and 2022. Business -- The Vietnamese Ministry of Labor, War Invalids, and Social Affairs and the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade signed a memorandum of understanding on behalf of the two governments to provide support for Vietnamese citizens to participate in the Australian Agriculture Visa Program. -- Many investors in Vietnam rushed to sell their FLC shares on Monday after hearing the news that FLC chairman Trinh Van Quyet had been banned from leaving the country for one month, with the selling pressure expected to linger in the next few days. Sports -- Vietnam will compete with Japan in their last match of the 2022 FIFA World Cup Asian qualifiers at Japans Saitama Stadium at 5:35 pm on Tuesday (Vietnam time). The match will be aired on FPT Play. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! Le Hoa Binh, standing deputy chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee, passed away in a traffic accident on an expressway on Tuesday morning. Binh, 52, passed away at Long An Province General Hospital, director of the provincial Department of Health Huynh Minh Phuc confirmed on Tuesday noon, the Vietnam News Agency reported. The official was taken to the hospital in critical conditions after the accident occurring at 7:45 am on the Ho Chi Minh City - Trung Luong Expressway, when he was on a business trip to the Mekong Delta province of Tien Giang. The tire of the seven-seater car, driven by 33-year-old Nguyen Quang Vinh, suddenly blew out, causing the vehicle to flip over in Ben Luc District, Long An. It was carrying Binh and another man, Duong Tan Truoc, 41, at that time. The crash caused heavy injuries to all three people who were hospitalized for emergency care. Binh had cardiac and respiratory arrests when hospitalized and he succumbed to his severe conditions despite doctors' great efforts. This supplied photo shows the scene of the car accident that took the life of Standing Deputy Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City Peoples Committee Le Hoa Binh on March 29, 2022. At 11:30 am on Tuesday, chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City Peoples Committee Phan Van Mai and other municipal officials arrived at the hospital to take Binhs body back to the city for a funeral. The city government has directed relevant agencies to coordinate with Long An authorities to investigate the cause of the road crash. Details of Binhs funeral will be informed by the Office of the municipal People's Committee later. A native of central Quang Ngai Province, Binh had a master's degree in civil and industrial construction and a bachelor of economics, along with a certificate of advanced political theory. The official was named standing deputy chairman of the municipal People's Committee in December 2021 after he held the post of deputy chairman of the administration since December 2020. He became the director of the local construction department in April 2019. In March 2016, Binh was chairman of the Peoples Committee of the citys District 7. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! A court in Vietnam has sentenced a South Korean man to death for killing a fellow citizen while committing a robbery in Ho Chi Minh City more than two years ago. Lee Hyeong Won, 32, received the death penalty for murder, a 14-year jail term for robbery, and a two-year imprisonment sentence for theft at his trial conducted by the Ho Chi Minh City Peoples Court on Monday. The court also ordered Lee to pay VND700 million (US$30,760) to the victims' family. The foreigner had come to work in Vietnam on different occasions and when committing the murder in late 2019, he was working for a karaoke parlor in District 5, Ho Chi Minh City. On December 20 that year, Lee went to District 7-based Phu My Hung Urban Residential Area, home to the biggest South Korean community in the city, to spread leaflets advertising the parlor, according to the indictment. When he took a break at a park on the afternoon of that day, Lee thought of robbing a residence in the area, and he eventually chose a house which he believed would be convenient for him to break in. The residence belonged to a South Korean couple, Y.S.Y., 50, and his wife J.Y.S., 49. He then left the area and returned at 9:00 pm the same day, when he climbed into the house from the window on the first floor and sheltered himself there, wearing a raincoat to avoid being recognized via security cameras. Around midnight when everybody in the house had gone to bed, he went into the kitchen on the fourth floor and got a pair of gloves and a knife. When J. detected Lee on the third floor and cried out for help, he stabbed her in the neck and then gave her husband several stabs when the man rushed to the scene to save his wife. The couples daughter, 16-year-old Y.J.J., was also stabbed as she tried to reach her parents from another room. The intruder then demanded that the girl show him the familys safe, but he failed to open it as she did not know the passcode to unlock the coffer. The girls father begged Lee to spare his family, and the robber, after stealing VND8 million (US$351), five smartphones, and a car key from the victims, fled the house in the familys car. Lee later threw the knife and all the smartphones into the Saigon River before driving the car to a vacant land plot in the city, where he burned it. The robber was arrested four days later while he was hiding in District 1. J. died of her serious neck injury later while her husband and daughter suffered wounds with the body injury rates of 25 percent and 38 percent, respectively. At the hearing, Lee suddenly declared that he had a mental illness and requested that the court order a psychiatric assessment on him before continuing the trial. The judging panel, however, rejected the defendants request, considering it groundless. As Lee had committed an extremely serious crime, in which he had attempted to kill many people, including a minor, he deserved the strictest punishment, the court concluded. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! The Vietnam Electricity Group (EVN) and the French Development Agency (AFD) on Monday signed a credit agreement with a non-government guaranteed loan worth 80 million (US$87.8 million) to implement a power distribution project by EVNs Southern Power Corporation (EVN SPC). The power distribution project is comprised of 33 sub-projects, covering Ben Tre, An Giang, and Binh Thuan, among others. These sub-projects are included in the electricity planning scheme for 2016-25 with a vision toward 2035, approved by the Ministry of Industry and Trade. All of the sub-projects show economic and financial feasibility, according to a feasibility report ratified by EVN SPC. At an estimated cost of over VND4.48 trillion ($196 million), the sub-projects are scheduled to last from 2022 to 2024. EVN chairman Duong Quang Thanh said the 80-million loan was expected to help expand the southern power grid and facilitate the use of renewable energy sources that were developing strongly in southern provinces. In his remarks, Herve Conan, director of the AFD in Vietnam, said these kinds of projects will help EVN and Vietnam achieve the target of low-carbon emissions and sustainable development, implement the Paris agreement on climate change, and fulfill its commitment of net zero emissions by 2050 made at the 26th UN Conference of Parties (COP26) in Glasgow last year. Since 2017, AFD loans have played a part in the Vietnamese electricity giants investment, meeting requirements for electricity supply in socio-economic development. The AFD has pioneered in providing direct loans for EVNs power projects without the government guarantee. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! Police in Vietnam announced on Tuesday the legal proceedings against a 42-year-old local man for cutting tendons of his lovers nibling to browbeat her into moving in with him. Truong Quang Cuong, a 42-year-old resident of central Quang Ngai Province, is indicted for intentionally causing injury to other people. Cuong broke into the house of Duong, a resident of Nghia Hanh District in the province, with a face mask on and used a knife to cut the wrist of Tran Thien A., Duongs three-year-old child, when A. was home alone with their seven-year-old sibling on March 25. As A. cried loudly, Cuong drove away. As neighbors informed Duong of the incident, A. was taken to Quang Ngai General Hospital, where the child was diagnosed with broken tendons and blood vessels, before being transferred to Da Nang General Hospital in Da Nang, some 150 kilometers away. Police in Nghia Hanh District examined the scene, reviewed suspects in the vicinity, and checked local security cameras footage before determining that the case was related to Cuong and his 31-year-old lover, T.T.D., who is also Duongs younger sister. D. has no job and has been away from home for many years, with her family failing to know her whereabouts. Before the incident, Cuong and D. had a conflict at a beer shop in Tu Nghia District. Cuong beat D. after the woman refused to move in with him. D. then managed to run away. After beating around the bush to deny cutting A.s wrist with a knife, Cuong confessed to committing the crime for the purpose of threatening D. Forensic examination results showed that A. suffered an injury to the median nerve and the left radial artery of the left wrist, the second and third flexor tendons, and the long flexor tendon of the thumb. The childs total health damage rate was 35 percent. Previously, Cuong had had four convictions for theft of property and intentionally causing injury to other people and spent a total of 20 years in prison. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! The Vietnamese man who had his genitalia cut off by his wife last week has been arrested on suspicion of repeatedly raping his teenage step-daughter between 2020 and 2022. Police in Yen Chau District in northern Son La Province confirmed on Monday they had arrested Nguyen Van Hoan, 29, on charges of raping a person aged from 13 to 16. Police investigation shows that Hoans wife, 36-year-old H.T.N., has a daughter, 15-year-old H.T.R.L.. In August 2020, Hoan wanted to have sex with L. and decided to create a fake Facebook account named Hoang Long to flirt with her. L. was 13 years old at the time. After a few conversations, Hoan managed to trick the young girl into sending nude photos and videos of herself. Hoan then switched to his real Facebook account and blackmailed his step-daughter with these photos and videos. The man said he would post the nude content on social media unless L. agreed to copulate with him. With this threat, Hoan repeatedly forced L. to have sex with him when his wife was not home from August 26, 2020 to March 19, 2022. On the morning of March 19, N. installed a secret camera near her bed after she had often lost money for unknown reasons. After checking the camera later the same day, she was shocked to find her husband was having sexual intercourse with her own daughter on her bed. N. was infuriated and cut off Hoans penis and testicles with a knife on the same night before turning herself in to local police. She also reported her husbands crime and provided video footage as proof. Hoan was admitted to the hospital for emergency treatment. He was taken into custody after being discharged from the hospital. Police in Yen Chau District are finalizing necessary procedures to handle N.s action. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! The Australian Childrens Television Foundation turns 40 today. Over the years the organisation has developed, produced, distributed and invested in some of the most iconic childrens television programs ever made, including Round the Twist, My Place, Lift Off!, Lockie Leonard, Touch the Sun and Dance Academy. On 30 March 1982, the original members of the ACTF board met for the first time at the then Victorian Ministry for the Arts on Exhibition Street, Melbourne. The first board members included chair Ken Watts, widely considered the pioneer of Australian television current affairs; political activist, feminist and philanthropist, Dame Beryl Beaurepaire; broadcaster Phillip Adams, who played a key role in establishing the Australian film industry; and academic Quentin Bryce, who would go on to serve as Australias first female Governor-General. The founding director of the organisation was Dr Patricia Edgar. The ACTF was established in response to community concerns about the quality of the existing childrens television at the time. Its purpose is to make Australian childrens lives better through screen content that reflects our culture and values: inclusion, diversity, resilience, imagination, having fun and striving to be our best selves. The ACTF catalogue boasts more than 60 series, movies and telemovies, many of which have been aired right across the world Round the Twist alone has screened in 157 territories. The catalogue includes preschool aged animation, factual series, and live action drama and comedy programs tailored for children aged from lower primary through to young adult. Chair Janet Holmes a Court said: When I joined the board of the ACTF many years ago I couldnt have imagined what an amazing journey it would be. What an enormous body of work from Winners, Round the Twist and Lift Off through to Dance Academy, Little Lunch and MaveriX, which premieres on the ABC this week. Each show goes out into the world, delights audiences everywhere, and lives on in the dreams and aspirations of each generation watching. The shows we support reflect our Australian values, the diversity of our community and our sense of humour, but they are watched by children in more than 170 countries as well as children here. The world has changed and the way we watch television has changed, so weve had to evolve and adapt to keep up. Australian childrens television is such a precious and valuable gift to our culture, I do hope it goes on forever. Actor and writer Olivia Deeble began her career with the ACTF, starring in Little Lunch (Gristmill) from the age of 12. The ACTF then supported her first writing venture, More Than This, a ground-breaking teen drama currently streaming on Paramount+ which deals with issues including substance use, body image and online harm. Olivia said: I love the ACTF. I loved everything they were involved in growing up: Nowhere Boys, Mortified and especially Dance Academy. I was lucky enough to be in Little Lunch, which changed my life. I am so honoured that they supported a 17-year-old who basically walked in and said, I want to show what it is really like in high school for teens today. It has to have LGBTQI+ characters, teen actors have to play the parts, the dialogue has to be authentic and it has to cover these issues they [understood] how important these issues were. The ACTFs impact reaches far beyond creating high quality Australian childrens content. The organisation has contributed to policy development for the childrens television production industry and was instrumental in the establishment of the ABC childrens channel in 2009. The ACTF has also made a significant contribution to Australian education, with a special team dedicated to developing teaching resources which support its content and deliver educational outcomes. These resources are used in schools right across the country. In 2020, the Commonwealth Government announced the investment of an additional $20 million in funding over two years for the ACTF, enabling the organisation to invest in more high-quality locally made content than ever before and boosting childrens television production. Its most recent titles include More Than This, The PMs Daughter, a political comedy drama television series for tweens, and MaveriX, a high adrenaline drama series for 10- to 14-year-olds set to premiere on the ABC this Friday 1 April. ACTF CEO Jenny Buckland said: Right now the ACTF is busier than it has ever been, supporting shows that continue to break new ground and capture the hearts and imaginations of todays children. It looks like the best is yet to come. Netflix has partnered with the Australian Childrens Television Foundation to fund the development of two new original Australian childrens series. Were putting the call out for your ideas for live action series aimed at primary or tween audiences, and one animation series aimed at preschoolers, with the brief that they celebrate Australia in some way. From landscapes and animals, to sport or culture, or just some good old family humour; the choice is up to you and your imagination!, a statement read. The initiative is looking for new concepts that are at early stage development, to be funded to develop a full series bible, storylines and pilot script, with the intention to move to further development if required, or be considered for a commission and financing by Netflix and ACTF. Jenny Buckland, ACTF CEO says, The ACTF is thrilled to be partnering with Netflix to find and develop two new Australian childrens series for their global audience. Australian kids love Netflix and they deserve to see their own shows on the platform, and Australian producers make kids shows the whole world loves its a great match. For the live action series (6-12 years), we are looking for shows that will appeal to our kid and tween target through quick and relevant hooks. Ideally, they will be light in tone dramas, fantasy, adventure, or even unscripted. Examples of quick hooks could be sports, mythical creatures, lore, outdoor survival, and the like. We look for shows that our core audience will find aspirational and can easily be described in one sentence. For the preschool series, were open to a variety of formats (2D, CG, mixed media), and because of the way Netflix works, we dont have a mandatory episodic runtime. Feel free to get creative and let us know the best length for the stories you want to tell! While were not looking for short form series (less than 3 minutes), we would suggest that theres a sense of consistency across episodes (length-wise) so our young audience knows what to expect. Submissions will be accepted from 30 April to 31 May 2022. www.actf.com.au Villager Caroline is seen in a withered maize crops field in Kidemu sub-location in Kilifi County, Kenya, March 23, 2022. Scattered on the five-acre farm in Bandari village, Kidemu sub-location in Kenya's coastal Kilifi County, were withered maize crops. Adam Ndamunga, an officer with Kenya National Drought Management Authority (NDMA) in Kilifi, said the drought situation in the region started in August 2021 and has been progressing due to inadequate rains. The United Nations relief agency said the Horn of Africa is experiencing one of its worst droughts in recent history, with more than 13 million people severely food insecure in Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia. (Xinhua/Dong Jianghui) NAIROBI, March 29 (Xinhua) -- Scattered on the five-acre farm in Bandari village, Kidemu sub-location in Kenya's coastal Kilifi County, were withered maize crops. "I planted the crops as soon as the rains started, but they stopped soon after. The crop has failed completely. We are facing hunger, I don't have anything to eat," Zawadi Msafiri, the farm owner told Xinhua at her farm recently. "I had 40 cows, 32 of them died because of drought. I also planted maize and the crop failed. We are barely surviving. I don't know what my children will eat next or if I will be able to take them to school," said 45-year-old Caroline in Kilifi, adding her cows were the main source of income for her family. Caroline observed that getting food has become harder, with her family mainly relying on relief food. "Most of the time we only drink porridge," she said. For Eliud Karisa, another Kilifi resident, he lost three of his cows and several goats to the ongoing drought. "I now have only four goats. There is neither food nor water. I can't even feed my children or take them to school," he said. If animal prices were good, he observed, he would sell the goats to cater to his needs but traders are buying at very low prices. "I can't sell, I better feed them some of the rations we receive hoping that it would rain and the price would increase once again," he said. Adam Ndamunga, an officer with Kenya National Drought Management Authority (NDMA) in Kilifi, said the drought situation in the region started in August 2021 and has been progressing due to inadequate rains. "We have lost some 9,500 animals due to lack of pasture and water. People require relief food. The situation is getting worse, if it does not rain we might experience severe drought," he said. Ndamunga noted up to 219,000 people in the area are currently facing acute hunger, up from 145,000 people last year. According to NDMA, the latest crisis has been fomented by failed October to December 2021 short rains, leading to poor crop production and low pasture and water resources for livestock. Sunny and dry weather conditions prevailed over most parts of the country during February. "We are not receiving adequate rains to plant crops like maize, which take seven months to mature. For the current forecast for Kilifi, we might get around 330mm of rainfall, down from 550mm in the past. We are, therefore, asking farmers to plant drought-resistant and early-maturing crops," said Ndamunga. About 3.1 million people in Kenya were in need of urgent food assistance and at least 1.5 million livestock had died, according to Short Rains Food and Nutrition Security assessment released by NDMA in February this year. To alleviate the hunger crisis, the Kenyan government has been distributing relief food, building water pans, trucking water for livestock and sending cash to vulnerable families. The United Nations relief agency said the Horn of Africa is experiencing one of its worst droughts in recent history, with more than 13 million people severely food insecure in Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia. "This drought risks becoming one of the worst climate-induced emergencies seen in recent history in the Horn of Africa," the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) warned in its latest humanitarian update on March 23. It said families are taking desperate measures to survive, with thousands leaving their homes in search of food, water and pasture. According to the OCHA, the October-December 2020, March-May 2021 and October-December 2021 seasons were all marred by below-average rainfall, leaving large swathes of Somalia, southern and south-eastern Ethiopia, and northern and eastern Kenya facing exceptional drought. "Latest forecasts indicate that the March to May rainy season is likely to be average to below-average. If this season fails, it would result in an unprecedented (in the last 40 years) sequence of four below-normal rainfall seasons and major increases in food insecurity would be expected," OCHA warned. It said more action is urgently required to avert large-scale loss of life in the Horn of Africa in the period ahead and to enable communities to return to self-reliance and build resilience against future shocks. According to OCHA, humanitarian partners have appealed for more than 4.4 billion U.S. dollars to provide life-saving assistance and protection to about 29.1 million people in Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia in 2022. "We urgently call on donors to fund these appeals so that we can immediately respond to the life-threatening needs across the Horn of Africa. " OCHA said. Villagers Zawadi Msafiri (R) and Caroline are seen in a withered maize crop field in Kidemu sub-location in Kilifi County, Kenya, March 23, 2022. Scattered on the five-acre farm in Bandari village, Kidemu sub-location in Kenya's coastal Kilifi County, were withered maize crops. Adam Ndamunga, an officer with Kenya National Drought Management Authority (NDMA) in Kilifi, said the drought situation in the region started in August 2021 and has been progressing due to inadequate rains. The United Nations relief agency said the Horn of Africa is experiencing one of its worst droughts in recent history, with more than 13 million people severely food insecure in Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia. (Xinhua/Dong Jianghui) Villagers fetch water in Kidemu sub-location in Kilifi County, Kenya, March 23, 2022. Scattered on the five-acre farm in Bandari village, Kidemu sub-location in Kenya's coastal Kilifi County, were withered maize crops. Adam Ndamunga, an officer with Kenya National Drought Management Authority (NDMA) in Kilifi, said the drought situation in the region started in August 2021 and has been progressing due to inadequate rains. The United Nations relief agency said the Horn of Africa is experiencing one of its worst droughts in recent history, with more than 13 million people severely food insecure in Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia. (Xinhua/Dong Jianghui) Villager Eliud Karisa shows the remains of his dead cows in Kidemu sub-location in Kilifi County, Kenya, March 23, 2022. Scattered on the five-acre farm in Bandari village, Kidemu sub-location in Kenya's coastal Kilifi County, were withered maize crops. Adam Ndamunga, an officer with Kenya National Drought Management Authority (NDMA) in Kilifi, said the drought situation in the region started in August 2021 and has been progressing due to inadequate rains. The United Nations relief agency said the Horn of Africa is experiencing one of its worst droughts in recent history, with more than 13 million people severely food insecure in Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia. (Xinhua/Dong Jianghui) Villager Zawadi Msafiri is seen in a withered maize crop field in Kidemu sub-location in Kilifi County, Kenya, March 23, 2022. Scattered on the five-acre farm in Bandari village, Kidemu sub-location in Kenya's coastal Kilifi County, were withered maize crops. Adam Ndamunga, an officer with Kenya National Drought Management Authority (NDMA) in Kilifi, said the drought situation in the region started in August 2021 and has been progressing due to inadequate rains. The United Nations relief agency said the Horn of Africa is experiencing one of its worst droughts in recent history, with more than 13 million people severely food insecure in Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia. (Xinhua/Dong Jianghui) The only eight remaining cows in Caroline's home are seen in Kidemu sub-location in Kilifi County, Kenya, March 23, 2022. Scattered on the five-acre farm in Bandari village, Kidemu sub-location in Kenya's coastal Kilifi County, were withered maize crops. Adam Ndamunga, an officer with Kenya National Drought Management Authority (NDMA) in Kilifi, said the drought situation in the region started in August 2021 and has been progressing due to inadequate rains. The United Nations relief agency said the Horn of Africa is experiencing one of its worst droughts in recent history, with more than 13 million people severely food insecure in Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia. (Xinhua/Dong Jianghui) Livestock keep cool in the shade of a roof in Kidemu sub-location in Kilifi County, Kenya, March 23, 2022. Scattered on the five-acre farm in Bandari village, Kidemu sub-location in Kenya's coastal Kilifi County, were withered maize crops. Adam Ndamunga, an officer with Kenya National Drought Management Authority (NDMA) in Kilifi, said the drought situation in the region started in August 2021 and has been progressing due to inadequate rains. The United Nations relief agency said the Horn of Africa is experiencing one of its worst droughts in recent history, with more than 13 million people severely food insecure in Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia. (Xinhua/Dong Jianghui) A boy fetches water in Kidemu sub-location in Kilifi County, Kenya, March 23, 2022. Scattered on the five-acre farm in Bandari village, Kidemu sub-location in Kenya's coastal Kilifi County, were withered maize crops. Adam Ndamunga, an officer with Kenya National Drought Management Authority (NDMA) in Kilifi, said the drought situation in the region started in August 2021 and has been progressing due to inadequate rains. The United Nations relief agency said the Horn of Africa is experiencing one of its worst droughts in recent history, with more than 13 million people severely food insecure in Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia. (Xinhua/Dong Jianghui) A boy loads a bucket of water onto a bicycle in Kidemu sub-location in Kilifi County, Kenya, March 23, 2022. Scattered on the five-acre farm in Bandari village, Kidemu sub-location in Kenya's coastal Kilifi County, were withered maize crops. Adam Ndamunga, an officer with Kenya National Drought Management Authority (NDMA) in Kilifi, said the drought situation in the region started in August 2021 and has been progressing due to inadequate rains. The United Nations relief agency said the Horn of Africa is experiencing one of its worst droughts in recent history, with more than 13 million people severely food insecure in Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia. (Xinhua/Dong Jianghui) A water bank is pictured in Kidemu sub-location in Kilifi County, Kenya, March 23, 2022. Scattered on the five-acre farm in Bandari village, Kidemu sub-location in Kenya's coastal Kilifi County, were withered maize crops. Adam Ndamunga, an officer with Kenya National Drought Management Authority (NDMA) in Kilifi, said the drought situation in the region started in August 2021 and has been progressing due to inadequate rains. The United Nations relief agency said the Horn of Africa is experiencing one of its worst droughts in recent history, with more than 13 million people severely food insecure in Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia. (Xinhua/Dong Jianghui) Buckets of water are seen in Caroline's house in Kidemu sub-location in Kilifi County, Kenya, March 23, 2022. Scattered on the five-acre farm in Bandari village, Kidemu sub-location in Kenya's coastal Kilifi County, were withered maize crops. Adam Ndamunga, an officer with Kenya National Drought Management Authority (NDMA) in Kilifi, said the drought situation in the region started in August 2021 and has been progressing due to inadequate rains. The United Nations relief agency said the Horn of Africa is experiencing one of its worst droughts in recent history, with more than 13 million people severely food insecure in Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia. (Xinhua/Dong Jianghui) Villagers sit in the shade of a roof in Kidemu sub-location in Kilifi County, Kenya, March 23, 2022. Scattered on the five-acre farm in Bandari village, Kidemu sub-location in Kenya's coastal Kilifi County, were withered maize crops. Adam Ndamunga, an officer with Kenya National Drought Management Authority (NDMA) in Kilifi, said the drought situation in the region started in August 2021 and has been progressing due to inadequate rains. The United Nations relief agency said the Horn of Africa is experiencing one of its worst droughts in recent history, with more than 13 million people severely food insecure in Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia. (Xinhua/Dong Jianghui) Livestock are seen on the drought field in Kidemu sub-location in Kilifi County, Kenya, March 23, 2022. Scattered on the five-acre farm in Bandari village, Kidemu sub-location in Kenya's coastal Kilifi County, were withered maize crops. Adam Ndamunga, an officer with Kenya National Drought Management Authority (NDMA) in Kilifi, said the drought situation in the region started in August 2021 and has been progressing due to inadequate rains. The United Nations relief agency said the Horn of Africa is experiencing one of its worst droughts in recent history, with more than 13 million people severely food insecure in Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia. (Xinhua/Dong Jianghui) Nine has confirmed Season 4 Love Island Australia will be filmed in Mallorca, Spain later this year. Sophie Monk will return as host to steer the new singles towards finding their perfect match while soaking up the Mediterranean sun. Im so excited to be back as host of Love Island Australia, and with overseas holidays finally coming into view I cant wait to return to beautiful Mallorca to see whats in store for our brand-new Islanders, she said Love Island Australia is produced by ITV Studios Australia for the 9Network. Casting is now open via 9Now. Network 10 boss Beverly McGarvey has described the loss of Neighbours as devastating but reiterated the show would sadly wind up. The executive vice president and chief content officer of Paramount Australia and New Zealand, unable to attend the Screen Forever conference in person due to COVID isolation, today told delegates she was hopeful the show might return in the future if another broadcaster could be found. I think its devastating, she said. Obviously, that show had 2 commissioners and unfortunately, the UK for their own good reasons, wanted to invest their money into UK content, and unfortunately, Fremantle were unable to find another UK partner. Now maybe Im an optimist, but Im still grasping at the faint hope that someday they will find another partner -and we would love to continue to be the Australian partner. The show is iconic. I grew up watching Kylie & Jason in that era. It was kind of my first taste of Australia. We would love to be able to keep doing it. But unfortunately, unless they find international partners, its not possible for us to continue. As youve seen from reading it all, theres been a lot of attempts at restructuring things and trying to work out how its possible. Unfortunately at this point, they just dont have that buyer on the other side of the world at the moment. Asked about the loss to the production sector, particularly in Victoria, McGarvey replied, It is a devastating loss for (those) skills people often start out on those big shows, because its multi episodic. So I think, in terms of investment obviously, from a very practical point of view, we have to continue to make Australian content, and we will do so. Weve got lots of drama announcements coming up- but no matter what way you cut it, Neighbours is still a loss. Were very, very sad. We really didnt want it to happen. BHP eyes $10 billion Chilean investments, but only with 'legal certainty' FILE PHOTO: Sheets of copper cathode are pictured at BHP Billiton's Escondida, the world's biggest copper mine, in Antofagasta (Reuters) - BHP Group Ltd said on Tuesday it will invest more than $10 billion in Chile to fuel growth in the world's largest copper producing nation for the next 50 years, but only under certain regulatory and fiscal situations. Chile, which supplies nearly a quarter of the world's copper, recently elected a new leftist government, is redrafting its constitution and considering raising its mining royalty to fund expanded social programs. Several copper miners have paused investment decisions in the country while the political negotiations play out. "We love Chile. We would like to stay here. We would like to grow in this country. But in order to do that, it will require fiscal stability, legal certainty and a clear pathway to permit," Ragnar Udd, BHP's president of minerals, Americas, told the CRU-CESCO World Copper Conference in Santiago. BHP already operates Chile's Escondida, the world's largest copper mine. Udd spoke at the conference not long after Marcela Hernando Perez, the new Chilean mining minister, who said that Santiago does not plan to nationalize the country's mining sector. Perez had left by the time Udd spoke. Udd said that the investments from BHP would fund a new concentrator and leach processing facilities, new mining areas and projects to help reduce the company's carbon emissions. "I hope that I've convinced you today that under the right investment conditions, we can deliver copper to support the world of the future in a way that is sustainable and create social value for the communities and societies in which we operate," Udd said. (Reporting by Ernest Scheyder and Fabian Cambero; Editing by Marguerita Choy) Seven European Union countries, including France, have urged their citizens to refrain from joining the Ukrainian military resistance against Russias invading troops. The justice ministers of France, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, Italy, Luxembourg and Belgium said in a statement Monday that they "have unanimously discouraged Europeans from joining" the ranks of voluntary fighters heading to the war in Ukraine, following an appeal by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. After Russian invaded Ukraine on 24 February, Zelensky invited foreigners to join an "International Legion" that would fight alongside Ukrainians. On 6 March the Ukrainian foreign ministry said around 20,000 foreigners mostly Europeans - had answered the call. "We obviously discourage people to travel to a war zone," said French interior minister Gerald Darmanin, whose country holds the rotating presidency of the 27-member European Union. "To my knowledge, there have been very few departures from France that could be confirmed," he said, adding that some have been caught on the border, and convinced to turn around. He aid France is keeping an eye on those who use firearms professionally, like police or military. The Ukrainian foreign legion's only requirement to join is military or firearms experience, according to representatives of a website that is helping organise the effort. "Intelligence services are working on groups that could be interested, he added. (with AFP) KIGALI, March 29 (Xinhua) -- Rwanda Tuesday denied accusations that its soldiers supported Congolese rebels of the March 23 Movement (M23) in their latest clashes with government troops in North Kivu Province in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo (FARDC) said fighting with M23 broke out early Monday in North Kivu province after the rebels attacked military positions in Tchanzu and Runyonyi in Rutshuru territory. General Sylvain Ekenge, spokesman for the North Kivu governor, claimed that two soldiers of the Rwanda Defense Forces (RDF) were arrested during the attacks, and accused Rwanda of conspiring with the M23 rebels. But in a statement Tuesday, Rwanda dismissed the allegations as baseless. "We would like to categorically refute the baseless accusations and state that the RDF is not by any means involved in the belligerent activities across in DRC," a statement signed by Francois Habitegeko, governor of the neighboring Western Province of Rwanda said. The statement also denied that two Rwandan soldiers were arrested in the attacks, saying the RDF does not have any member with the alleged names of the arrested presented to the press. Rwanda called on Expanded Joint Verification Mechanism (EJVM), a regional military framework for 12 countries of the Great Lakes region to investigate the "absurd" allegations against RDF. The fighting in Rutshuru territory sent hundreds of refugees into Uganda. This is reportedly the third time since October 2021 that the FARDC has accused Rwanda of supporting the M23 in its attacks against its positions in the Rutshuru territory. The M23 is a group of former rebels of the National Congress for the Defense of the People (CNDP). The name originated from the March 23, 2009, agreement between the CNDP and the DRC government. M23 leaders have accused the government of failing to respect that agreement. University of North Georgia (UNG) President Bonita Jacobs disbursed more than $117,000 among 15 Presidential Incentive Awards to provide institutional support for faculty and staff to pursue new and innovative ideas in the 2022-23 academic year. "This year's recipients represent outstanding scholarship and innovative projects that were selected from an impressive pool of proposals," Jacobs said. "This program enriches the student experience at UNG by encouraging scholarly and creative work that supports faculty and staff excellence." In 2013, Jacobs initiated a program to incentivize faculty and staff scholarship in its many forms, ranging from research to creative innovations. Since then more than $2.3 million has been invested in research and scholarly work. University of North Georgia (UNG) student Kyle Jones is a math peer mentor who has been referred to by his professors as someone who shows patience, compassion, and support when talking with his classmates. Though he has a daunting class load, he also continues to do extra reading into more advanced levels and constantly talks with his professors about how he can learn more. Jones, who is pursuing a Bachelor of Science in mathematics with an expected graduation date of May 2024, was recently nominated for UNG's Clark-Theodore Outstanding Nontraditional Student Award, which celebrates students' hard work, dedication, and academic excellence. He was enthused and curious as to whether he would win the distinction. "Its kind of cool," Jones said, "I just try to make the environment I'm in better. Since I am in this world, I should want to help make it better. Applying that to support my classmates is the same thing, but instead of the whole world it's my community and surroundings. " He does just that, supporting his peers, as a math peer mentor. Jones came into the role because of his thirst for knowledge which he first experienced when taking his online calculus class in summer 2021. "We had these discussion posts. Eventually, I got bored and wrote a lot to explain solutions to problems. It turned out that I wasn't half bad at explaining math to other people," Jones said. His biggest piece of advice is that it's ok to be a little naive as college is all about asking questions. He encourages his peers to use the resources available to them, especially professors' office hours, as he says it opens the doors to a number of opportunities. Kyle is also vice-president of the Math Club and views his role in leadership as the act of bringing something new into the world. Jones is expected to graduate in 2024 and hopes to work at an engineering companys research and development department doing what he loves math. NAIROBI, March 29 (Xinhua) -- A total of 754,906 children under five years of age and 103,286 pregnant and lactating women require treatment for acute malnutrition as a result of Kenya's ongoing drought, a government official said Tuesday. Patrick Amoth, the director-general for health at the Ministry of Health, said in Nairobi, the Kenyan capital, that the government has activated the nutrition response which includes the supply of lifesaving commodities, nutrition screening and integrated outreaches. "The ministry has also developed draft guidelines for maternal, infant and young child nutrition in emergency which are intended to guide the implementation of multi-sectoral actions to protect, promote and support exclusive breastfeeding as well as safe and appropriate complementary feeding practices during emergencies," Amoth said during the official opening of the first national symposium on maternal, infant and young child nutrition. He noted that the most affected populations by acute malnutrition are those in arid and semi-arid counties. "The prevailing drought has adversely affected the most vulnerable groups especially, children under five years of age, pregnant and lactating women," he said. According to the Ministry of Health, the most notable impact of the drought is the interruption of breastfeeding and complementary feeding practices resulting in an increased risk of malnutrition and illness. Amoth added that malnutrition is a leading cause of infant and child morbidity, mortality and hospital admission, a situation that urgently requires interventions. Isabelle Muller awarded scholarships to students with difficult circumstances. Photo courtesy of LOAN Stiftung Foundation Isabelle Muller was the fifth child of a Vietnamese mother and a French father. Growing up in a poor village in France, experiencing deprivation, racism, and even being sexually abused by her own father during her teenage years, Muller managed to overcome adversity through education. Like her mother, she is aware that only by improving her knowledge and being resilient could she change her life. She studied German, English and Russian languages at Francois Rabelais University and at the Centre dEtudes Pratiques de Langues Vivantes, Tours, France. She became known to many when she published the book Loan -- Tu cuoc oi cua mot con phuong hoang (Loan -- From the Life of a Phoenix), which was voted in the top five at the 2015 Kindle Storyteller Awards. Muller also participated in many TV programmes to talk about sexual abuse and encouraged victims to speak up to protect themselves. Recently, she returned to Vietnam for the launch of her second book Phoenix Daughter Hope Was My Way. Released in Germany in 2009, it tells the autobiographical story of an outstanding woman with Vietnamese blood running through her veins who defied fate to become a successful businesswoman. The Vietnamese version published by the Ho Chi Minh City General Publishing House was translated as Con Gai cua Chim Phuong Hoang: Hy Vong La Con uong cua Toi by Truong Hong Quang. The memoir not only gives hope to victims of sexual abuse but also to students of LOAN Stiftung, a foundation she founded in her mother's name. Muller told Viet Nam News that she had vivid memories of when her family had no beds and were treated coldly by others because they were poor. She recalled how difficult it was for them to preserve their dignity and fight the loneliness that had settled in their hearts. That's why I want to go back to Vietnam where my mother was born, to help children in disadvantaged areas have a better life, she said. Established in May 2016, the foundation has offered help to hundreds of ethnic minority children in remote areas in the provinces Ha Giang, Tuyen Quang, Cao Bang and Lao Cai. At first, I planned to choose Ha Tinh Province, where my mother came from. But after talking with experts, we realised that there are many provinces with much more difficult living conditions. The places we choose to support are very difficult to access. For this reason, many aid organisations do not go there. But this does not stop us from bringing better things to the children here, she said. During its six years of operation, LOAN Stiftung has built about 20 kindergartens, schools and boarding houses, as well as provided educational supplies and direct support on-site for educational access. A school built by LOAN Stiftung foundation in Ha Giang Province. Photo courtesy of LOAN Stiftung "We started with small schools and classrooms. Then we developed them into two-floor buildings with canteens, libraries and sleeping quarters, she said. Earlier this year, we also provided scholarships to 66 orphans and poor students to help them continue their dream of accessing education and leading an independent life. Of course, we have scholarship requirements because we are not a big organisation yet. But I'm glad we were able to provide help directly to needy children instead of just building buildings with big signs. The support of LOAN Stiftung and sponsors has brought hope, better living conditions and education to the children of poor areas. They feel grateful and strive to achieve better academic results to be worthy of the help they receive. A lot of changes have happened to the children after receiving the scholarships. They understand that this is a huge opportunity for them because with this money they can buy something they really need or cover expenses, she said. Some students even wrote nice letters to me and to the project sponsors. They say it means a lot to them because they know that there are people who are silently helping them and believing in them. Students are reading books sponsored by LOAN Stiftung. Photo courtesy of LOAN Stiftung Talking about future projects, Muller said she planned to continue to launch a book in Vietnam this summer. "It's a children's book with stories and drawings made by myself. With a theme of life and death, I think the book will be very suitable for children who are going through the loss of a loved one, especially in this post-pandemic time, she said. Source: Vietnam News Vietnamese-German writer turns pain into positivity Vietnamese-German writer Isabelle Muller is often asked if she wrote her memoir Phoenix Daughter Hope Was My Way as therapy to deal with past trauma. While places like Eastland County and Coryell County make statewide headlines for wildfires burning tens of thousands of acres, a grass fire near Crawford on Sunday showed that the danger of sparks igniting dry vegetation is equally real in McLennan County. The combination of ongoing drought, above average temperatures and high winds put dry grass, fields, junipers and mesquite in the outlying areas outside Waco in the same kind of danger as Abilene, Mineral Wells and Brownwood, Texas A&M Forest Service spokesperson Riley Moran said Monday. These kinds of fuel can ignite very easily and make a fire thats hard to control, Moran said Monday. The northwestern approximately two-thirds of McLennan County was under extreme drought Monday, according to the U. S. Drought Monitor. Drought conditions in the rest of the county were labeled severe, and the entire county remains under a burn ban. More than 54,000 acres burned last week in Eastland County, where Waco and Hewitt firefighters went to assist a multiagency effort. More than 17,000 acres burned in Coryell County on Sunday, tinging the skies with haze as far away as Fort Worth, according to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. By Monday afternoon, the Texas A&M Forest Service estimated that the Coryell fires, known as the Crittenberg Complex, had burned more than 33,000 acres and was 40% under control. Another fire along the Bosque River near Iredell kept Bosque County fire officials busy Sunday, burning 927 acres before it was extinguished Monday. In McLennan County, a range fire of some 110 acres a mile south of Crawford took 35 to 40 firefighters from six different agencies about three hours to get under control on Sunday afternoon. Crawford Volunteer Fire Department continued to quench hot spots Monday morning. Its hard to stop a fire with the winds blowing so hard, Crawford Fire Chief Brian Westerfield said Monday. He estimated his team contended with winds of 20 to 30 mph while putting that fire out. Welding, and sparks from cars and trucks driving down the highway, are starting a lot of fires (in my area), Westerfield said. About 100 to 110 acres burned (Sunday) before we could get it under control. Westerfield said the team that worked with him had to move some livestock and just managed to control the fire before it endangered some houses. On Monday, critically to extremely dry vegetation across the landscape supported wildfire activity when exposed to so-called critical fire weather, which includes prevailing warmer than normal temperatures and high wind speeds, a Texas A&M Forest Service statement on Monday reads. By Tuesday, the potential for large wildfires will escalate as critical fire weather is expected to develop over a large area of the state west of the I-35 corridor, according to the statement. When these critical to extreme weather conditions combine with the extremely dry vegetation across the landscape there is a possibility that large, significant wildfires will occur and may impact communities, the statement reads. Fuel in western McLennan County is in similar condition to the areas of Texas at greatest risk of wildfires, Moran said. A thunderstorm chance of 90% is in the National Weather Service forecast for Tuesday night in Waco and surrounding areas. Though Moran said that if the low humidity, warm temperatures and high winds resume after the thunderstorms, then the fire risk would climb again quickly in McLennan County and across Texas. He said property owners can take steps lower the wildfire risk on their properties: Trim hedges and other plants back away from buildings. Keep lawns mowed and watered. Observe burn bans, which include bans on burning brush. Exercise due caution when welding or doing any sort of hot work. Some of those Waco and Hewitt firefighters who helped contain the Eastland Complex last week moved on to Bosque County over the weekend, said Robby Bergerson, executive deputy chief of Waco Fire Department. Bergerson coordinates deployments of firefighters in support of wildfires and other emergencies for McLennan County and 11 surrounding counties. Hewitt Fire Captain Cody Richardson swapped out for another Hewitt firefighter as the deployment extended another seven days. Waco and Hewitt firefighters were scheduled to move to Mineral Wells on Monday night to prepare for extreme fire danger there, Bergerson said. Meanwhile, McLennan County farmers and ranchers have joined efforts to help their counterparts in wildfire areas. The McLennan County Farm Bureau last week sent a truckload of Purina feed from Bar None Feed to farmers and ranchers affected by the Eastland Complex fires, local Farm Bureau president Ronnie Dowdle said Monday. He also said the particular feed purchased is blended for horses, cattle, sheep, goats and good for all livestock. Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. A McLennan County Sheriffs Office detective will take his investigative and training skills to the Polish border with Ukraine next week to help Polish authorities and Unbound prevent human trafficking and aid victims. Detective Joseph Scaramucci, who leads the counter human trafficking unit in the McLennan County Sheriffs Office, will go to the border of Ukraine and Poland where human traffickers are exploiting refugees from Ukraine, McLennan County Sheriff Parnell McNamara said at press conference Tuesday. There Scaramucci will train Polish authorities. Unbound is a Waco area nonprofit that works through its offices across Texas and internationally in South Africa, Mongolia and most recently Poland and Ukraine to prevent human trafficking and aid people exploited by traffickers, Unbound Director of Programs Allison Denman said Tuesday. Research by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime demonstrated how people fleeing conflict are vulnerable to be victims of trafficking, according to a UN press release Thursday. Latest figures from the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees indicate around 90% of the over 3.6 million refugees from Ukraine are women and children. Human traffickers are reported to be posing as relief workers in Poland, promising women and children refugees (from the war in Ukraine) help and safety and then exploiting them and forcing them into prostitution, Scaramucci said at the press conference Tuesday. Crisis and war increases vulnerabilities as well as opportunities to exploit people in need, especially refugees, Ghada Waly, executive director of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime said in a statement. The UN Office on Drugs and Crime works closely with other international organizations, nongovernmental organizations and law enforcement authorities to coordinate responses to the current human trafficking risks, according to the statement. International relief organizations have requested our (Unbounds) assistance, and Polish authorities welcome our training to help refugees from the Ukraine and prevent human trafficking, Denman said. Denman said Scaramucci will travel to Poland with Unbounds team next week and train border police there to look out for signs of human trafficking. Part of his trip will be paid for by Unbounds donors and part of it Scaramucci will pay himself, Denman said. McLennan County Sheriffs Office Chief Deputy David Kilcrease said Scaramucci is the right man to help train Polish authorities in preventing human trafficking. Detective Scaramucci is well known around the country for his experience and the operations he has led countering human trafficking, Kilcrease said. Kilcrease said Scaramucci also leads training for law enforcement agencies across the United States and as far away as Mongolia. He teaches them what to look for and how to help exploited women and children. He also teaches them to arrest the traffickers and the pimps, not those who have been forced into prostitution against their will, Kilcrease said. Scaramucci said he has no cases right now with leads in Poland or Ukraine, although his team did recently arrest suspects the Los Angeles area in connection with cases that began in McLennan County. Im going to train the border police and other authorities and help them with some technology they dont necessarily have access to, Scaramucci said. He declined to say just what that technology might be. Sign up for our Crime & Courts newsletter Get the latest in local public safety news with this weekly email. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Debbie Millers shopping cart was brimming with good news Monday. She had time to buy groceries for the Waco Child Development Center, where she is executive director, and knew the nonprofit could cover the cost. A promise of $446,000 in funding from the state was a cherry atop the treats she purchased. The Texas Workforce Commission confirmed in an email Monday it will distribute $3.45 billion in federal aid to Texas child care providers, an attempt to improve their financial footing as they recover from the financial stress of COVID-19. The TWC also announced it will allocate another $314 million in child care scholarships, to be made available to low-income residents. That brings funding to $607 million through 2024. TWC will disburse the money through local Workforce Solutions partners statewide, including Workforce Solutions for the Heart of Texas in Waco. The program is federally funded through the Child Care Development Block Grant stimulus package. Child care scholarships for low-income Texas families are vital for the overall success of the Texas labor force, said Julian Alvarez, the TWC commissioner representing labor, quoted in a TWC news release. Affordable, quality child care has a ripple effect on the economy and at home. The program will offer 12-month child care subsidies. The TWC discussed its $3.5 billion program in a news release. Availability of child care providers . . . is very important to the Texas economy, the agency said. Families need quality child care in order to be able to work. This week, TWC will send invitations to approximately 13,400 eligible child care providers to apply for those billions of dollars worth of aid. The release notes that the federal money comes from the 2022 Child Care Relief Fund. Miller already knew of its availability but expressed surprise she received a positive response so quickly. The grant is retroactive to September 2021, and must be spent by May 2023. Miller was forming a laundry list of needs in her mind, though the nonprofits board surely will have its own priorities. We need a new roof on the building, and we may buy new vehicles. Those we have now are 98, 99 models. We serve 14 different schools a day, which means travel, said Miller, who hesitated before revealing exactly how much the Waco Child Development Centers two campuses will receive. Sit down, she said. This is your tax dollar at work. Not that its services are not desperately needed, or appreciated. The organization has room for 110 youngsters at its location in Cotton Palace Park, and 106 slots are filled. A smaller center that can accommodate 45 infants is less than half full, said Miller, blaming staffing shortages. Child care availability is really bad right now, said Miller. We get 20 to 30 calls a day, and thats not exaggerating. I got a call right before I left the office from someone looking for summer care. We charge $140 a week to care for infants, $100 a week for others, primarily preschoolers. Were one of the cheapest in town, and we do try to work with parents. We offer cut rates if possible, and we can do that only because were a nonprofit, Miller said. Were stingy with our dollars when we have to be, and as long as were not going under financially, well try to help parents. She said parents with children there have jobs that run the gamut, from restaurant and municipal employees to workers in poultry plants, construction and industry, and people who drive in front of those wide-load haulers. Relief funds available under the TWCs $3.45 billion program can be used to cover many expenses, including paying rent and utility bills or buying supplies. It also can cover temporary wage increases or other strategies to recruit and retain staff, said an email from TWCs Angela Woellner. Hermann Pereira, Prosper Wacos chief program officer, said the availability of child care, or the lack thereof, may not have reached a critical level. But hes of the opinion high-quality child care is lacking locally. Waco-based economist Ray Perryman said that has an effect on the economy. Access to child care has been one of the greatest impediments to getting people back to work, he said. It was particularly acute at the height of the pandemic when most schools were remote. The workforce shortage is an ongoing issue having primarily to do with demographics as the baby boomers retire and birth rates declines and, to a lesser extensive, more restrictive immigration policies, Perryman said. It was around before the pandemic and will be with us for decades, and anything that facilitates people coming to work is useful. Current funding reflects COVID-related legislation, but affordable child care is a long-term challenge, Perryman said. Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. CAIRO, March 29 (Xinhua) -- Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi on Tuesday expressed Egypt's "unwavering support" for Libya to hold presidential and parliamentary elections, said the Egyptian presidency. The Egyptian leader made the remarks during a meeting with Mohamed al-Menfi, head of the Libyan Presidential Council, during which they discussed the latest developments of the Libyan crisis. Sisi expressed "Egypt's unwavering support for the Libyan state institutions to undertake their responsibilities and role, leading to holding the presidential and parliamentary elections," said Egyptian presidential spokesman Bassam Rady in a statement. The Egyptian president also stressed his country's support for the efforts to achieve Libya's greater interests and preserve its territorial integrity. For his part, al-Menfi praised Egypt's "vital role" and tireless efforts to restore security and stability in Libya by supporting comprehensive reconciliation efforts among the Libyans and reunifying Libya's state institutions. He also appreciated Cairo's support for the implementation of the withdrawal of all foreign forces and mercenaries from Libya in order to preserve Libya's unity, security, and sovereignty. The talks came amid rising tensions between Libyan political forces, which have led to the indefinite postponement of the general elections that were supposed to be held in late 2021. Libya has been suffering insecurity and chaos since the fall of its late leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, with mercenaries and foreign fighters reportedly operating for years in the country. On Feb. 10, the Libyan parliament unanimously voted for Fathi Bashagha as the country's new prime minister, replacing Abdul-Hamid Dbeibah who vowed that his government will remain in office until the general elections are held. The Henry Downs Chapter of the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution announced the winners of the 2021-22 American History Essay Contest and the Patriots of the American Revolution High School Essay Contest. Zachary Henry, a sophomore at Vanguard College Preparatory School, won the regional and state Patriots of the American Revolution essay contest, writing about Benedict Arnold: Skilled Commander, Overlooked Talent. His essay advanced to compete in the DAR national essay contest. The high school contest invited students to select a figure from American Revolution era and discuss how he or she influenced the course of the revolution and contributed to new nations founding. Zachary views Arnold as a very conflicted man who made an admittedly terrible mistake, which in most peoples minds unfairly canceled out all of his good deeds. Zachary noted the strategic victories Arnold achieved for the Colonial war effort, his personal sacrifices, and George Washingtons acknowledgement of Arnold as his finest field commander. Caleb Vaughan, a seventh-grade home-schooled student, submitted the winning American History essay, titled The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier: Memorial, Meaning, and Memory. This years theme, open to students in fifth through seventh grades, was The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Nov. 11, 2021, was the 100th anniversary of the tombs dedication. Students were asked to imagine they had a brother who died on the battlefields of France during World War I, and their family attended the dedication of the tomb. Caleb hopes to visit the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Washington, D.C. Caleb and Zachary were presented with a chapter winner certificate, a bronze American history medal and a check for $50. Writing contest deadline The Waco Womens Lions Club and Meals on Wheels Waco are hosting a Legacy Story writing contest for seniors to share their stories of a recent experience, or one from childhood, that helped make them who they are today; or a pandemic-related story that has changed their lives or the life of someone close to them. Seniors ages 65 and up are invited to enter the free contest. Legible double-spaced entries of three pages or fewer will be judged, with winners announced at a special Legacies Tea event to be held April 30 at the Harrison Senior Center, 1718 N. 42nd St. Entries should be mailed to Legacies, c/o Rose Moyer, P.O. Box 895, Hewitt, TX, 76643. The entry deadline is Wednesday. For more information or questions, email rosemoyer1@aol.com. Kiwanis Seniors of Waco Meals on Wheels representatives will present the program at Wednesdays Kiwanis Seniors meeting. The club meets at 9:30 a.m. at Golden Corral, 618 N. Valley Mills Drive. Call 817-991-1343 for more information. Dog obedience classes Centex Kennel Club is hosting dog a obedience class, beginning Thursday, which covers basic commands and manners. It lasts six weeks and costs $90. It will take place at Quail Creek Training Center, 705 S. Robinson Drive. Proof of vaccinations, including rabies, distemper, parvo, and hepatitis, is required. Call 406-439-7157 for more information. Free skin cancer screenings Free skin cancer screenings will be offered from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday at Epiphany Dermatology, 7106 Sanger Ave. Walk-ups are welcome. Appointments may be scheduled at thesunbus.org. Submit printed or typed items to Briefly, P.O. Box 2588, Waco, 76702-2588; or email goingson@wacotrib.com. The Russian invasion will significantly curtail Ukrainian grain exports and The "European breadbasket." The Russian invasion of Ukraine, ill-advised as it was, may have failed to achieve one of Russia's prime goals, to topple Kyiv. Following Tuesday's negotiations between Russian and Ukrainian officials, Russia stated it would "dramatically curtail" its military assault on the Ukrainian towns of Kyiv and Chernihiv. Even so, the ramification felt by the loss of the Ukrainian agricultural crops, even if it never becomes a Russian tactical victory, will have severe consequences for the world. It's possible that the humiliating withdrawal of the United States from Afghanistan could worsen the plight of Afghans already suffering from famine. There are estimates that more than 20 million Afghans, including three million children, are suffering from severe malnutrition. Putin's invasion will produce damage so much broader than just the geopolitical effects seen by his dispute to stop Ukraine from joining NATO. Thousands of people already facing daily famine will face little hope in their circumstances to get better. This year, Ukraine, which is known as "Europe's breadbasket," is predicted to account for 12 percent of world wheat exports and over 20 percent of global maize output. Ukrainian grain exports will be severely limited due to the Russian invasion. Sanctions may also prevent future Russian wheat sales. As a result of the waning of American hegemony, there has been a cascade of consequences. In a typical year, around 9 million people die of hunger across the globe. This year is unlike any other. Because of Putin's invasion of Ukraine, which was likely prompted by the United States' failure in Afghanistan, less food will be able to reach the market. As a result, millions more people might perish from starvation, many of them in Afghanistan. A more catastrophic effect on world nutrition is likely to result from the reduction in wheat available for sale (combined with an increase in the price of what is available) than the reduction in production caused by somewhat colder weather a decade earlier. Remember when the price of wheat skyrocketed a decade ago? If you do, you'll recall that uprisings and rebellions swept unstable regions of the globe as a result of the spike in the price of wheat. In Tunisia, Libya, and Egypt, governments were "sent packing," and rebellions were initiated in Syria and Yemen that have since played out. An unstable nation-state (potential failed state) stretches from North Africa through the Middle East, Afghanistan, and Pakistan, and it is becoming more prevalent. Between 1960 and 2013, grain imports from throughout the globe surged by more than fivefold. This put more than one-third of the world's nation-states in the precarious position of relying on imports for one-quarter or more of the main grains they eat, putting them at risk of famine. In sixty-two nations, the amount of farmland available is insufficient to meet the population's needs. In almost one-third of those nations, or twenty-two countries to be precise, agricultural goods consumed need more freshwater than is available to meet demand. Similar to how a change to cooler weather diminished or eliminated grain surpluses in the exporting nations, a stoppage of wheat production in Ukraine would severely affect North Africa and the Middle East, which are the most reliant on grain imports. To get a sense of the severity of the impact that lower temperatures may have on carrying capacity, pull out the 1974 CIA working paper "A Study on Climatological Research as It Pertains to Intelligence Problems," published in 1974. In this study, you will learn that climate science forty years ago was less blinkered and more evidence-driven than today's global warming panic, as I have discovered. As stated in the excellent 1974 CIA summary, the Earth would almost certainly return to the climate of the Little Ice Age, which predominated for the majority of the 400 years following 1600 (with the fortunate exception of a few decades in the middle of the twentieth century), if the climate of the Little Ice Age continued (and we now know the last quarter of the twentieth century). "Broad bands of surplus and deficiency rainfall in the middle latitudes and widespread monsoon failure," according to a CIA assessment from the time period. The fact that the Indian subcontinent experienced widespread monsoon failure during the colder circumstances of the eighteenth century emphasizes the hazards of worsening weather, sparking a nuclear confrontation between India and Pakistan in the future. Even though both nations have lately been exporting grain, the balance of their surpluses might quickly deteriorate if the weather turns colder. The CIA report reminds us that even in the early 1970s, as the weather turned cooler, Pakistan enacted plans to import U.S. grain in March 1973, citing crop loss due to drought as the reason for the decision. And the issue isn't just confined to Pakistani citizens. As a result of the correlation between wheat import dependency and the list of nations where the largest percentages of family income are dedicated to food, the danger of economic instability in the most vulnerable economies becomes too apparent to ignore. Wheat prices are expected to rise in the coming months, putting a strain on the currencies and sovereign bonds of countries such as Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Nigeria, Algeria, Nigeria, Egypt, Iran, Yemen, Turkey, Morocco, Uzbekistan, and Kenya. Even in China, where circumstances are already strained due to the unwinding of the world's most giant credit bubble, a little deterioration is possible. However, I would not propose shorting Chinese national bonds due to the coming wheat scarcity. Nonetheless, there are some noteworthy aspects of the old CIA assessment. The CIA assessment emphasizes how precarious the world's agricultural carrying capacity truly is: "For example, Europe, with an annual mean temperature of 12 degrees Celsius (approximately 53 degrees Fahrenheit), now sustains three people per arable hectare." If the temperature drops by one degree Celsius, only a little more than two people per hectare could be sustained. More than 20% of the population would not get sufficient nutrition from domestic sources. China now supports more than seven people per agricultural hectare; a 1 degree Celsius temperature change would imply that it could only sustain four people per arable hectare, a reduction of more than 43 percent. Putin's pointless conflict in Ukraine has put the globe prone to crises in a potentially precarious situation. Four former Soviet Republics are at the top of the list of nations that have had a negative impact due to the crisis. The fact that the population of Europe has expanded by around 70 million people in the intervening years makes it acceptable to assume that the vulnerability identified in the mid-1970s has worsened with the passage of five decades, as the vulnerability was first identified. In addition, China's population has increased by around 487 million people since 1950. At the same time, both in Europe and China, fertile land has been lost to development due to urbanization. China, on the other hand, has abundant freshwater resources. Increased pollution and depletion of fossil aquifers were two factors contributing to the fall. Climate gods and Putin's generals have unparalleled power over the world's destiny, which has been rendered powerless. We are living in an increasingly unstable world. In Strategic Investment, I provide an unbiased perspective. I majored in philosophy at Oxford, which the university claimed helped me think more clearly. Regardless, you have the same ability that I have. As a result, you should only believe what makes sense to you. WAVERLY -- Outdoor warning systems throughout Bremer County will be tested April 5, beginning at 11 a.m. In the event of threatening weather, the tests will be delayed to the next day without threatening weather. Tests are performed to assure all outdoor warning systems are functioning properly. When an outdoor warning system siren sounds on a day other than a test, residents are advised to tune to local broadcast media as soon as possible. Media outlets will be forwarding information regarding imminent threats. Typical Bremer County threats include severe weather, but might also include a chemical/hazardous material incident, or possibly a terrorist threat. Outdoor warning systems are intended to warn citizens located outside of their homes. NOAA All-hazard radios are encouraged for warnings and information inside the home. Emergency notifications may also be received through the Alert Iowa notification system. Sign-up for notifications at the Bremer County Emergency Management web page. For additional information, contact the Bremer County Emergency Management Agency at (319) 352-0133. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 WATERLOO An AWOL sex offender has been arrested after he was allegedly found masturbating in a womens public restroom last week, a day after he fled a half-way house and ditched his GPS monitor. Waterloo police arrested Jacob Lee Anthony Denniston, 30, on a charge of indecent exposure. He was also arrested for voluntary absence for leaving the halfway house and parole and probation violations. According to court records, employees at Kwik Star at 506 W. Ninth St. noticed that someone had been inside the womens restroom for more than an hour on Friday morning. A worked entered and found Denniston naked on the floor masturbating, according to court records. This is the second time that Denniston has been accused of exposing himself in a store. In December 2020, Waterloo police arrested him after he allegedly exposed himself at a Crossroads Boulevard mattress store and then went to a nail salon where he undressed and locked himself in a room. He pleaded and was placed in the Waterloo Residential Corrections Facility with up to two years of probation. In May 2021, a week after his placement, he was released on a furlough to go to a store and the library. Corrections workers found him at the Adult Cinema on East Fourth Street that same day, according to court records. He was charged with violating probation, sent to jail until March 22, 2022, when a bed became available at the residential facility. Two days later, he fled again while on a furlough, according to court records. Corrections workers found his GPS tracker discarded on the sidewalk on Commercial Street. Love 0 Funny 2 Wow 1 Sad 3 Angry 6 Sign up for our Crime & Courts newsletter Get the latest in local public safety news with this weekly email. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. KABUL, March 29 (Xinhua) -- "Scores of people including 50 women worked in my firm to produce pickle in the past, but nowadays only two persons are working with me," female Afghan entrepreneur Nafas Gul Jami said with a sigh. Putting on display her products in a stall at a three-day Agricultural Products Exhibition which opened here on Saturday, Jami said the U.S. sanctions on Afghanistan have badly undermined businesses and worsened the country's already fragile economy. "The female Afghan businesspersons are in need of economic support and encouragement, and we need to find markets for our products to boost our businesses," she said. The 45-year-old woman pointed to an increasing poverty, a high rate of unemployment, isolation of Afghanistan and freeze of 7-billion-U.S. dollar assets of the war-torn country by the United States following the U.S. military defeat and troop withdrawal from the Central Asian nation in August last year. In a decree issued in February, U.S. President Joe Biden allocated 3.5 billion U.S. dollars from the frozen Afghan assets to the 9/11 victims' families and earmarked another 3.5 billion U.S. dollars as humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan. The decision, which has further exacerbated Afghanistan's economic woes, has been widely condemned in Afghanistan. More than 22 million Afghans out of the country's some 35-million population, according to aid agencies, are facing acute food shortage and the war-torn country would face a humanitarian catastrophe if not assisted. "I am the owner of a bee farm in the central Daykundi province but I had no activity over the past six months due to economic miseries," said businesswoman Zahra Naemi. Naemi, 30, who has hired 10 people including six women in her farm, collected 1,000 kg honey in past years but her products reduced to 400 kg so far this year. "The purchasing power of people has been reduced almost to zero and they can't afford to buy honey and that was why I have sold 400 kg at half price," Naemi complained. She assumed that like her, many businesspersons suffered due to lack of market, economic hardships and sanctions imposed on Afghanistan. Mohammad Hamid Samadi, an Afghan businessman who runs a saffron producing company, told Xinhua that he exported saffron to 25 countries in the past years but his company's income has drastically reduced due to the shattered economy. "Freezing of Afghan assets has led to capital outflow and eventually to a worsening economy and an increase in poverty in the country," Samadi said. Meanwhile, Deputy Prime Minister of the Afghan caretaker government Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar said the country is committed to supporting farmers and the agricultural sector. WATERLOO A Waterloo woman has been arrested for allegedly stabbing her boyfriend. Waterloo police arrested Natalie Breanne Calderon, 19, on Monday for domestic assault with a weapon. Bond was set at $2,000. Officers were called to the 3200 block of Bristol Road around 4:20 a.m. Monday and found Isaac Sommer with a knife wound in his back. The injuries didnt appear to be life threatening, police said. Police allege Calderon and Sommer had been in an altercation, and Calderon stabbed him in the back with a kitchen knife as he was leaving to go back to his house, according to court records. Court records show Calderon is currently awaiting trial for burglary charges in a March 4 incident where she allegedly crawled through a window and assaulted two people. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 1 Sign up for our Crime & Courts newsletter Get the latest in local public safety news with this weekly email. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. TAMA Dogs involved in a deadly attack at the Meskwaki settlement have been located and killed, according to police. According to a post on the Meskwaki Tribal Police Facebook page, the mauling happened Monday afternoon. The post described the incident as a vicious attack by a large pack of dogs that killed a young woman in the area of Springs Road. Police said they would not release the womans name or other details until a later date, citing the sensitivity of the situation. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 3 Angry 1 Sign up for our Crime & Courts newsletter Get the latest in local public safety news with this weekly email. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. CEDAR FALLS Overall tax collections would increase by nearly 20% in Cedar Falls Community Schools budget proposal as property valuations grow and debt repayment begins on a bond issue approved by voters. The Board of Education will hold a public hearing April 11 on the $138.41 million 2022-23 budget, which includes $35.71 million in property and utility replacement tax collections. That is an increase of $5.84 million, or 19.53%, in anticipated property taxes for the fiscal year starting July 1. Denelle Gonnerman, the districts chief financial officer, told the board during a presentation on the budget proposal last week that one factor is growth in property valuations. The valuation did increase by 3.9% for fiscal 23, she noted. Assessed valuation of all properties that are not part of a tax-increment financing district has increased by $89.72 million to $2.18 billion. A larger factor, though, is growth in the debt service levy used to pay the principle on general obligation bond issues approved by district voters. Currently, that includes $32 million in bonds approved in 2016. The new fiscal year will add $69.9 million in bonds approved in 2019 to help fund a new high school, which are to be repaid over 20 years. Gonnerman noted that the property tax rate for the debt service would increase $2.14 per $1,000 of taxable value with the latest bond issue, for a total of $3.12 per $1,000. Superintendent Andy Pattee pointed out that the district had initially projected a higher total debt service levy of $3.50-$3.55 per $1,000 with repayment on both bonds. Overall growth in the tax rate would be a little less at $1.89, increasing to $15.84 per $1,000 of taxable value. Gonnerman said that the state-determined percentage of property value to be taxed, known as the rollback is decreasing. When we do our calculations, this does impact that (tax) rate, she said. For a residential property with an assessed value of $100,000, the homeowner would see Cedar Falls Schools portion of the tax bill grow to $791.59. Gonnerman noted how the most recent bond issue is impacting what the property owner would pay. Youll see with the change in the debt service it did increase $70.28, she explained. Had that debt service not occurred in this upcoming fiscal year, it would have decreased $45.48. However, that assumes the homeowners property value didnt increase. If it did, the tax bill would grow by more than $70. Other property classifications have different rollbacks, impacting the district portion of their tax bills. Commercial/industrial properties with an assessed value of $300,000 would pay $4,276, an increase of $509. Taxes on 240 acres of agricultural land would rise by $347 to $2,917. Owners of multi-residential properties with an assessed value of $300,000 would see their taxes rise $204 to $3,029. Overall property tax collections do reflect a shift in the instructional support levy, which is being reduced $588,032 through an income surtax. This is a five-year board-approved levy and it does include an income surtax (of) 1% this year for fiscal year 23, said Gonnerman. The surtax is based on residents state income taxes that will be filed in 2023. So, this is new for us, but about 70% of school districts in the state of Iowa have an income surtax, said Pattee. I think the thought statewide with this ... it tends to be seen as a more fair tax. It does not just affect property owners. Its uniform across the board, and thats why so many districts utilize it. The largest single source of revenue in the budget is supplemental state aid, estimated at $40.65 million, plus $6.3 million in other state funding. Other estimates are $7.32 million in local funding and $4.81 million in federal funding. Projected expenditures are growing by $22.94 million over the current years $115.47 million budget. Nearly all of that $19.04 million is due to projected higher expenses for facilities acquisition, construction and debt service. The board also set an April 11 public hearing on amending the current 2021-22 budget for several unexpected expenditures. Instruction would grow from $48.68 million to $49.61 million for state Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief allocations and new staff. Total support services would increase from $21.55 million to $22.4 million for increases in utilities and fuel. Other expenditures would grow from $42.35 million to $50.89 million for costs related to building the new high school. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 2 Want to see more like this? Get our local education coverage delivered directly to your inbox. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. WATERLOO Senior student Derek Cooper visited the Waterloo Community School District on Thursday and Friday, along with six others from Lincoln University of Missouri, one of the nations historically black colleges and universities (HBCU), interested in careers in education. Cooper felt the welcoming atmosphere upon arriving and didnt expect to come into contact with a community with a Black presence. On the school district-funded trip, as they toured facilities and talked with teachers and administrators, the East St. Louis, Illinois, native recalled an energetic principal at Irving Elementary School, and kids coming up to him and giving him a hug. I dont think people would have planned a trip to Waterloo on their own. But I can say after being here that there is much more to see than you would expect. I had to see it to believe it, said Cooper, now the second student from the Jefferson City, Missouri, school to accept an offer from the Waterloo district to teach as part of a two-year formal partnership to build and retain a culturally responsive, diverse educator workforce. Despite the program having been in effect for some time, it was the first opportunity Lincoln University students had to take the five hour trip to Waterloo. COVID-19 delayed previous efforts to organize one. Some 7% of Waterloo school district educators are persons of color, said Kingsley Botchway, chief officer of human resources and equity, who acknowledged his ambition is striving to make sure every non-White student - about 55% of the districts enrollment has a teacher who looks like them. About Cooper, Botchway noted, He loves our schools. Hes a big guy and has more of a stature to him. But hes like a big teddy bear. We were impressed with his ability to interact with students and feel hell be able to do that right away. Cooper will teach at the elementary level, hopefully beginning next academic year, after informally interviewing and then taking the job on the visit last week. The relationship recently led to one other university student, who didnt make the trip, securing a virtual interview this week for a Waterloo teaching job. A mix of three juniors and three sophomores, most if not all completing a bachelors degree in elementary education, came on the trip to visit four of Waterloos schools and learn about the 1619 Freedom School and the overall community. The sudents also heard from Mayor Quentin Hart and Superintendent Jane Lindaman about the perks of being in Waterloo. Diversity is important to Iowa and Waterloo schools. How do we get diverse individuals to come to Waterloo schools? said Botchway. We decided we wanted to connect with a Historically Black College or University, as opposed to before when it was just a phone call or career fair. I want them to see what Waterloo is all about. Hawkeye Community College seeks bids on $2.2 million in job training funds Four companies in Shell Rock, Waterloo would use funds to add 140 positions to their payrolls. A mechanism to increase the chances of retaining future Black employees, the partnership is geared toward recruitment, which is why younger college students were given the opportunity to attend. Its about building that pipeline, Botchway said. Diversity is at the forefront because of Superintendent Dr. Jane Lindaman and other leaders who are saying diversity is important, Botchway added. Ayanna Shivers, the universitys School of Education student success services director and director of bachelor of liberal studies degree, says the Waterloo school is not just talking about diversity initiatives. Theyre actually doing it. How do we get the African Americans engaged and to not make it feel like were giving them a handout that they are not qualified for? she noted is one of the challenges the relationship will help address. The Waterloo School District wants to be intentional in their focus. They reached out to us. Were excited about what this partnership brings, she added. Love 1 Funny 2 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Want to see more like this? Get our local education coverage delivered directly to your inbox. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. WATERLOO The first day of fall classes for students in Waterloo Community Schools will depend on their grade level. We are again doing the rolling start, Stephanie Mohorne, associate superintendent for educational services, told the Board of Education Monday. But those first days will be less staggered than in the previous two years. The Board of Education approved a 2022-23 academic calendar with first days of Aug. 23 and 24. The last day of classes will be June 1, 2023. By law, we cannot start school before Aug. 23, noted Mohorne. After getting input from a range of district staff, officials decided to have kindergarten and first, second, sixth, and ninth grades begin Aug. 23 and all other grades begin Aug. 24. Last fall, the first day of school for students was spread out over three days. The district took a similar approach in the fall of 2020 at the elementary and middle school levels as students returned to classes following the shutdown the previous March due to COVID-19 only the start was spread out over a week. East and West high schools used a hybrid schedule to start that year, with half of the students coming on alternating days. So, its less gradual than weve done in the past, where we really started gradually, said Mohorne. Among other features of the calendar, we tried to do one professional development day a month, she said they generally happen every four to six weeks. We also kept in the two built-in snow days. Those are set for April 10 and May 8, 2023, and no school will be held if there arent days to make up. Spring break is set for March 13-17, 2023. In other business, the board approved: A $196,527 contract with H2i Group of Adel to remove the existing West High School main gym floor and install a new one. The price was actually lower than we expected it to be, said Kate Payne of InVision Architecture, who provided design services for the project. Work will start June 3 and be completed by Aug. 1. An agreement with Denver Community Schools beginning in the fall that will allow juniors and seniors to enroll in Waterloo Career Center classes. Denver Schools will be charged tuition of $450 for every student in a semester long course. Seven other districts already had similar agreements including Cedar Falls, Dike-New Hartford, Dunkerton, Hudson, Janesville, Jesup and Union community schools plus three parochial high schools within the Waterloo district boundaries. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Want to see more like this? Get our local education coverage delivered directly to your inbox. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. The friends were out catfishing when they came across the vehicle. They fear the man could have gotten hypothermia, or perished if his vehicle had reached the well-known Sans Souci Island wing dam. Iowa Department of Natural Resources Director Kayla Lyon, cited by her department earlier this month for fishing without a license, said it was an honest mistake to let her license expire before a fishing excursion on the Mississippi River. Lyon was out with Iowa DNR staff doing a combination of touring and paddlefishing March 18 near Bellevue in Jackson County when she was informed she didnt have a valid license, she said in an email Monday. I caught and released two paddlefish; one of which was 22 pounds, she said. I truly enjoyed the experience to snag such a unique, prehistoric species of fish. On March 21, when Lyon was back in Des Moines, she asked the agencys law enforcement chief to cite her for fishing without a license, she said. The ticket costs $135.50, including a fine, court costs and surcharge, according to Iowa Courts Online. It was an honest mistake but the laws apply to me just like anyone else, Lyon said. I have since gone online and renewed my combination license. Bleeding Heartland first reported this story Friday. Lyon, 37, of Ames, leads the state agency that manages fish and wildlife programs, ensures the health of Iowas forests and prairies and provides recreational opportunities in Iowas state parks, the Iowa DNRs website states. The agency also provides permits and compliance checks for animal feeding operations, among other roles. Gov. Kim Reynolds appointed Lyon to the role in 2019. Lyon told The Gazette she encourages other hunters or anglers to routinely check their accounts to make sure their licenses dont expire. Anglers can purchase or renew their licenses on the Iowa DNR website at iowadnr.gov. The outdoor combo annual resident hunting/fishing/habitat license costs $55. This also can be done on the Go Iowa Outdoors smartphone app. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 SYDNEY, March 29 (Xinhua) -- A team of biologists have assembled the genetic sequences of one of Australia's most iconic native birds, the helmeted honeyeater, in a bid to restore their numbers. The findings, published in the GigaScience journal on Tuesday, have for the first time created a high-quality mapping of the honeyeater's genomic sequence which will allow conservationists to increase the "genetic health" of the endangered bird. "The genome sequence and the genetic map will be used to get the right balance between rescuing the helmeted honeyeater from extinction through inbreeding, while retaining its unique features," said lead author Dr. Diana Robledo-Ruiz of Monash University. Populations of the helmeted honeyeater, which appear on the emblem of the state of Victoria, as that region's only endemic bird, have vastly declined in the 200 years since Australia was colonized by Europeans. By the 1980s only 50 of the birds were known to remain in the wild, all in Yellingbo Nature Conservation Reserve in Victoria. Now the populations have been restored to around 250, however, due to high levels of inbreeding, they lack genetic variation to sustain a healthy population. Professor Paul Sunnucks, head of Monash's Persistence and Adaptation Research Group, told Xinhua that this inbreeding could drastically reduce their ability to reproduce. "It makes it difficult (to conserve the species), it means that you're really pushing uphill all the time," he said. The gene rescue project, which has been heavily informed by the genomic sequence, will seek to diversify the bird population by interbreeding them with closely related yellow-tufted honeyeaters. "The only way to get any sort of fresh blood as it were, any new genes, was to cross them with the most appropriate other population," said Sunnucks. This process of "genetic rescue" has garnered some controversy in the scientific community as it can be difficult to predict the outcomes. Sunnucks said this risk, however, was far outweighed by the "very great risk of not doing something." "We demonstrated that they were extremely likely to go extinct relatively soon, through inbreeding problems and other genetic problems... that should really change your perception of risk." Sunnucks said the ultimate goal was to establish five habitats of about 100 helmeted honeyeaters within the next five to 10 years. "It wasn't all that long ago that Yellingbo Nature Conservation Reserve, which at the time was the only place with helmeted honeyeater in the entire world, was threatened by fire. And if the wind had been a bit different... we could have lost a lot in one day." Srdjan Radevic / EyeEm / Getty Images En espanol |Everyone has stomach issues from time to time, and occasional digestive discomfort is not usually something to worry about. That said, doctors note that there are a few gastrointestinal symptoms that you shouldnt write off, because they could signal something serious. Ive seen many cases where patients have waited way too long before seeking medical attention, says Christine Lee, M.D., a gastroenterologist at the Cleveland Clinic. With studies showing that the coronavirus can cause gastrointestinal symptoms, patients have even more reason to take nausea, vomiting and prolonged diarrhea seriously, doctors say. Here are 10 symptoms you should never ignore and what they may mean. 1. Prolonged diarrhea (especially if paired with fever, cough or loss of taste and smell) Diarrhea and other gastrointestinal symptoms can be among the first signs of COVID-19 infection, appearing before more well-known symptoms such as cough or fever, says Brennan Spiegel, M.D., director of health services research for Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. Dont wait for a cough or shortness of breath to get tested for COVID if you have diarrhea, nausea/vomiting or abdominal pain that lasts more than a day, Spiegel says. Studies show that as many as half of COVID-19 patients have gastrointestinal symptoms, and about 15 to 20 percent have only gastrointestinal symptoms. Diarrhea is the most frequently reported GI symptom, followed by nausea/vomiting and abdominal pain. People who test positive for the omicron variant also report diarrhea as a symptom, according to the ZOE COVID Study app. Spiegels research found that COVID-19 patients with diarrhea typically have four to five bouts a day. One bout of diarrhea may not mean anything, Spiegel says. But if youre having three or four per day and it is going on two days and you have no history of diarrhea, its a good idea to talk to your doctor, whether were in a pandemic or not. If its not COVID-19, prolonged diarrhea could signal another type of infection or an underlying condition like ulcerative colitis or irritable bowel syndrome. 2. Blood in your stool Whether it's bright red, maroon or black, seeing blood in the toilet can be frightening. Fortunately, it's usually not life-threatening, says Nicholas E. Anthony, M.D., a gastroenterologist at Atrium Health in Charlotte, North Carolina. The most common causes are hemorrhoids and anal fissures (tears in the lining of the anus). But blood in your stool can also be one of the first symptoms of colon cancer, especially if it's accompanied by a change in your bowel habits or the shape of your stool. Since colon cancer is more common among those over age 50, it's especially important for older adults to see a doctor without delay. Other possible causes of bleeding are colon polyps, inflammatory bowel disease, colitis and diverticulosis. 3. Severe cramps after eating Severe cramping is a warning sign of a bowel obstruction a serious condition that requires immediate medical treatment. Its also a classic symptom of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), a chronic digestion disorder that has been on the rise since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Experts arent sure how COVID-19 is linked to IBS, Spiegel says. It could be that the virus changes the gut microbiome or the lining of the intestinal system, triggering IBS. Or the boost in cases could be caused by pandemic-related stress and anxiety. Other IBS symptoms include abdominal pain (often related to bowel movements), bloating, gas, diarrhea or constipation. 4. Difficulty swallowing If you feel like your food is getting stuck in your throat or it hurts as it's going down, that can be a sign of something serious. The big thing we worry about is esophageal cancer, Anthony says. Esophageal cancer is more common in adults over 55 and three or four times more likely to occur in men than women, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Other things that can cause discomfort when you swallow include an infection, an ulcer, a sore or scar tissue (which can develop if you have chronic acid reflux). In addition, a growing number of people are being diagnosed with eosinophilic esophagitis (EOE), a chronic allergic inflammatory disease that is a major cause of swallowing issues. To pinpoint the cause of your problem, your gastroenterologist will probably insert a tube with a camera attached to it down your throat in a procedure called an endoscopy. COLOMBO, March 29 (Xinhua) -- The Sri Lankan government has approved a proposal to pay an allowance of 5,000 Sri Lankan rupees (about 17 U.S. dollars) to low-income families for two months in view of the festive season. Minister of Energy Gamini Lokuge told the media on Monday night that the government has identified around 3.1 million low-income families to receive the allowance, which is akin to a bonus for the upcoming Sinhala and Tamil New Year. The minister added that the government has the necessary funds to provide the allowance. The government will spend 30.1 billion Sri Lankan rupees (105 million U.S. dollars) on the allowance. Alignment of Interests in PRL 211 and ATP 2021 Melbourne, Mar 29, 2022 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Vintage Energy Ltd ( ASX:VEN ) announces acquisition of Beach Energy Ltd.'s 15% interest in the Cooper Basin licence PRL 211 by Vintage and the other interest holders in the licence, Metgasco Ltd and Bridgeport (Cooper Basin) Pty Ltd, subject to Ministerial approval.The Joint Venture ("JV") parties will acquire their respective share in the 15% stake in proportion to their existing holding with the result of the transaction being the following equity interests: Vintage 50% and Operator; Bridgeport 25%; and Metgasco 25%.PRL 211 is located close to existing Cooper Basin producing gas fields and infrastructure and contains the Odin gas field, discovered and successfully flow tested in September/October 2021. The licence is also adjacent to ATP 2021, held by the JV in the following equity interests: Vintage 50% and Operator; Bridgeport 25%; and Metgasco 25%. This licence contains the Vali gas field which is being prepared to commence production midyear 2022. Alignment of interests between the two licences will promote efficiencies in planning and optimal field operations.Consideration for the transaction has been structured to align with successful production from Odin with an initial milestone payment by the JV of $1 million with a further $1.25 million payable in two instalments on achievement of production milestones.Odin-1 was drilled under a farm-in by Vintage and delivered a stable flow rate of 6.5 million standard cubic feet per day at a flowing wellhead pressure of 1,823 psi through a 28/64" fixed choke in its initial testing. The field is mapped to extend beyond the eastern boundary of PRL 211 and extend into ATP 2021 which is also held by the JV.Independent Certification of resources at Odin by ERC Equipoise Pte Ltd ("ERCE") were announced to the ASX on 16 September 2021 as 36.4 billion cubic feet ("Bcf") of gross 2C Contingent Resources in the Toolachee, Epsilon, Patchawarra and Tirrawarra formations of the field located in both PRL 211 and ATP 2021 on the southern flank of the Nappamerri Trough in the Cooper Basin.The effect of this transaction will be to redistribute approximately 3.1 Bcf of the 2C Contingent Resource previously attributable to Beach Energy Ltd to the JV parties. Vintage's net share of 2C Contingent Resource at Odin will increase by 1.55 Bcf to 17.5 Bcf as a result.Vintage Managing Director, Neil Gibbins, said the acquisition was a positive and valuable development for the company."Odin is a promising discovery, which has bright prospects for development to supply gas to the east coast domestic gas market. It is very well located for rapid and economic development with its proximity to our Vali gas field and the Moomba gas gathering network. The potential to add value through successful appraisal and development of the Odin field is good. The transaction structure recognises the expectation that Odin will become a producing gas field. We are very pleased to increase our stake in the asset," said Mr Gibbins.*To view tables and figures, please visit:About Vintage Energy Ltd Vintage Energy Ltd (ASX:VEN) has been established to acquire, explore and develop energy assets principally within, but not limited to, Australia, to take advantage of a generally favourable energy pricing outlook. loading......... Malibu, CA, Mar 29, 2022 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Join Ellis Martin for a conversation with Michael Wood, CEO of Reyna Gold Corp. ( CVE:REYG ) ( OTCMKTS:REYGF ).A total of 10,000m of drilling has been approved by the Reyna Board as Phase 1 drilling at La Gloria with the first 22 holes, approximately 3,000m detailed in this press release. Over 20,000m of drill targets have already been identified by the geological team at Main Zone, El Sombrero, Las Quintas, Las Quintas West and San Pedro targets. The intention of Reyna is to confirm additional targets pending ongoing geochemical sampling, geological mapping and initial drill results.Drilling is starting at the Shear zone at Big Pit within the Main Zone with 6 planned holes; then will move down to Pique Viejo for 3 holes focused on the steep-dipping high-grade quartz veining recently identified in sampling, including drilling a steeply dipping vein where a channel sample returned 93.9 g/t gold. The drill rig will then move to Placeres, Main Zone for an additional 3 holes, with the aim of drilling a series of mineralized structures along a strike length NW, with a trend towards the Big Pit target area, before moving to El Sombrero for 10 holes to target at depth the high-grade mineralized structures. The intention is by the end of the initial 3,000m of drilling, the company will immediately move into the next stage of this 10,000m drilling at La Gloria. Further details will be announced on the follow-up targets once they have been finalized.To listen to the Interview, please visit:About Reyna Gold Corp. Reyna Gold Corp. (CVE:REYG) (OTCMKTS:REYGF) is a gold exploration company focused on district-scale exploration on two major gold belts in Mexico. The Company has a portfolio of assets on the Mojave-Sonora Megashear and the Sierra Madre Gold and Silver Belt consisting of over 57,000 hectares - 570 sq km. The Company has an experienced management team with a proven track record of wealth creation in Mexico through project discovery, advancement and monetization. PHOENIX Phoenix police are investigating an alleged assault of a flight attendant on an airport tram platform as a possible hate crime. Authorities say the incident happened around 2:15 a.m. Friday at the PHX Sky Train station that connects Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport to a light rail stop and a long-term parking lot. According to the police, the flight attendant had just gotten off a flight and was heading to her car. Investigators say 32-year-old Brandon Smith attacked the victim. She suffered minor injuries. They say Smith made a statement to the flight attendant that prompted a bias crime investigation. Police did not elaborate on what was said. Smith has been booked on assault charges. It was not immediately known Monday if he had an attorney who could speak for him. HOUSTON Attorneys for some of those killed and injured during last years deadly Astroworld music festival alleged in court on Monday that rapper Travis Scott has violated a gag order issued in lawsuits they have filed in an effort to influence possible jurors and rebuild his reputation ahead of a potential trial. At issue is an announcement Scott made earlier this month about Project HEAL, a $5 million initiative that includes funding for an effort to address safety challenges for festivals and large-scale events. Houston police and federal officials have been investigating whether Scott, concert promoter Live Nation and others had put in place sufficient safety measures. My team and I created Project HEAL to take much needed action towards supporting real solutions that make all events the safest spaces they can possibly be. I will always honor the victims of the Astroworld tragedy who remain in my heart forever, Scott wrote earlier this month on Instagram after the initiative was announced. But Bob Hilliard, one of the attorneys representing the family of 9-year-old Ezra Blount, the youngest person to die from injuries during the festival, said during a court hearing Monday that Scott used the power of his social media presence to address concert safety, one of the issues being debated by the lawsuits. State District Judge Kristen Hawkins has previously said that lawyers could tell the media about factual issues that happen in court, but she didnt want attorneys or others to make their cases in the court of public opinion and possibly influence the jury pool. Scotts actions did affect and dent the power of your order, Hilliard told Hawkins, whos overseeing the nearly 500 lawsuits filed after 10 people died and hundreds of others were injured during a massive crowd surge at the Nov. 5 concert headlined by Scott. Stephen Brody, one of Scotts attorneys, said the rappers announcement about the initiative, which included funding for scholarships, didnt violate the gag order. Scotts attorneys have argued any efforts to prevent him from speaking on this or any other issue would be a violation of his constitutional right of free expression. Such charitable efforts have been a constant in his life and to suggest somehow that speaking about those charitable initiatives runs afoul of the publicity order is certainly not something that would withstand scrutiny, Brody said. During the hearing, attorneys for ABC News also told Hawkins they believed the gag order was preventing reporters from being able to sufficiently report about the lawsuits as some attorneys were hesitant to even speak about factual issues discussed in court or in documents. Other attorneys in the case told Hawkins they were working to find an agreement on modifying the gag order and could have a resolution to these different concerns and could be presented to her in a couple of weeks. I look forward to seeing what proposals you come up with, Hawkins said. Those who died in the concert ranged in age from 9 to 27 years old. Roughly 300 people were injured and treated at the scene, and 25 were taken to hospitals. Those killed died from compression asphyxia. ___ Find the APs coverage of the Astroworld festival: https://apnews.com/hub/astroworld-festival-deaths ___ Follow Juan A. Lozano on Twitter: https://twitter.com/juanlozano70 Two people were found dead following a house fire in Rio Rancho over the weekend. Ryan Floersheim, a battalion chief for Rio Rancho Fire Rescue said around 2 a.m. on Sunday, fire fighters and the Rio Rancho Police Department were called to a structure fire on the 1800 block of Doral Park, near Unser and Southern SE. One person was reported missing at that time. Upon arrival, responding personnel encountered a large portion of the residence engulfed in flames, Floersheim wrote in a news release. Shortly thereafter, a portion of the roof collapsed, leading to the use of a defensive fight to the fire. When fire crews searched the home they found its resident, 25-year-old Josiah Inventor dead, along with 26-year-old Clarissa Bradfield. Floersheim said the cause of the fire has not yet been determined. He said the State Police Fire Investigator will investigate it and Rio Rancho Fire and Rescue, the Rio Rancho Police Department and the State Fire Marshals Office are also investigating. Copyright 2022 Albuquerque Journal A southern New Mexico psychiatrist awaiting sentencing for sexually assaulting patients has pleaded guilty to prescribing opioids to a patient with a history of substance abuse. Mark Beale, 75, pleaded guilty Friday in U.S. District Court to a single count of unlawful dispensing and distributing a controlled substance. The plea agreement calls for him to serve five years in prison followed by five years of supervised release. The Las Cruces doctor was arrested in 2019 after six women patients alleged rape, harassment or abuse, according to the Associated Press. The news agency reported that many of the women who accused Beale of assault also reported that he gave them medications they didnt need. He was later indicted in federal court on drug charges. In August, Beale pleaded guilty in 3rd Judicial District Court in Las Cruces to 16 counts of felony criminal sexual penetration, misdemeanor criminal sexual contact and petty misdemeanor battery. The plea agreement in that case calls for Beale to serve seven years in prison and to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life. He is scheduled to be sentenced in that case on Tuesday. The agreement says that Beales state court sentence will run concurrently with his sentence in the drug case. The agreement also says that Beale can first serve the sentence for the drug case in the Federal Bureau of Prisons. Beale wrote in his plea agreement in the federal court case that he prescribed opioids to at least one patient who had a history of opioid abuse. I knew the prescription was issued outside the usual course of medical practice and without a legitimate medical purpose, he said of the prescription for oxycodone he gave the woman. Beales attorney couldnt be reached for comment on Monday. Copyright 2022 Albuquerque Journal A law enforcement operation targeting shoplifters and thieves at big-box stores netted 16 arrests and uncovered thousands of dollars in stolen items, according to authorities. A review of criminal complaints shows undercover police officers have been investigating crimes at such retailers as Walmart, Target, Kohls and others businesses in the past week. The operation also included several days of task force members trying to arrest people on existing warrants, according to a spokeswoman for Attorney General Hector Balderas. Several people were caught in the act while they were leaving the stores with items they didnt pay for and, in a couple of cases, police arrested people when they spotted them arriving at stores in stolen vehicles, according to the criminal complaints. The operation was carried out over the past week by an Organized Retail Crime Task Force comprising officials from the Attorney Generals Office, Albuquerque police and other agencies. The task force was launched last summer in an effort to stop retail crime around the state. Families in New Mexico deserve safer communities and the task force will continue targeting emboldened felony offenders in our retail centers to disrupt crime at all levels, Balderas said in a statement. The AGs office said the task force made 16 arrests and recovered two stolen vehicles, one handgun and about $3,000 in merchandise. Authorities also identified a store employee who was coordinating with other people planning to steal from the store. That employee allegedly tipped off those people that police were nearby and had planned to send signals if he saw law enforcement, according to the AGs news release. That store employee was not among the 16 arrests. That case is still being investigated, according to the AGs spokeswoman. Were seeing the results of our heightened coordination between businesses, APD and prosecutors to stop the organized retail crime that wreaks havoc on businesses and residents who are just trying to shop safely, Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller said in a statement. These latest arrests make it clear if you are committing these brazen robberies, you will be caught and prosecuted. Copyright 2022 Albuquerque Journal New Mexico State Police initially said a man who was killed by Torrance County Sheriffs deputies in Edgewood in late February had fired a gun, but they are now saying he only pointed a gun at them. Andrew Castellano, 34, of Las Cruces died at the scene. Officer Dusty Francisco, a State Police spokesman, said the incident started around 1:30 a.m. Feb. 24 when Torrance County Sheriffs deputies were called to reports of a car stuck in the snow on County Road A102 near Monica Lane in Edgewood. When they arrived, they talked with a woman who was standing next to the car and Castellano, who had exited from the drivers side. During the encounter, Castellano became evasive and walked away from the deputies, Francisco wrote. As Castellano walked away toward the middle of the roadway, he began to reach into his front pocket. Deputies gave numerous verbal commands to Castellano to stop reaching into his pockets. Castellano ignored the commands, reached into his waistband, brandished a firearm and pointed it at a TCSO deputy. At that time, both TCSO deputies fired toward Castellano. An earlier news release, put out the evening after the shooting, stated Castellano pointed the firearm at a TCSO deputy and fired the firearm at the deputy. Francisco and other State Police spokespersons did not respond to questions about the discrepancy. The deputies have not been publicly identified. Its time to spring-clean the whole city. The Solid Waste Department and Keep Albuquerque Beautiful are accepting registration for a series of April trash pickups targeting all four quadrants of the city. The city will provide volunteers with bags and gloves and will offer a central trash drop-off point for each area on its appointed day. Albuquerque Solid Waste Director Matthew Whelan said the goal is to engage neighborhood associations to organize crews, though the city also contributes some manpower. We do bring in our litter crew, our highway crews we send them into areas where we know there may be some illegal dumping, he said. We have them go through areas (on the specific days) and clean whatever they see. The city took a monthlong cleanup approach for the first time in 2021, attracting 732 volunteers last April who collected nearly 95,000 pounds of trash. The four scheduled cleanups for One Albuquerque Cleanup Month in 2022 are 8 a.m.-noon in the following locations: Southeast: April 9 Northeast: April 16 Southwest: April 23 Northwest: April 30 For more information, including registration forms and the specific trash drop-off points, go to cabq.gov/solidwaste/keep-albuquerque-beautiful and click on One Albuquerque Cleanup Month. Russian, Ukrainian delegations arrive in Istanbul for peace talks Xinhua) 08:42, March 29, 2022 ISTANBUL, March 28 (Xinhua) -- The Russian and Ukrainian delegations have arrived in Turkey's largest city Istanbul on Monday for a fresh round of face-to-face peace talks, aiming to achieve substantial progress to end the crisis. The Russian delegation has settled in the Ciragan Palace Kempinski hotel while the Ukrainian delegation has checked in the Shangri-La Bosphorus, both very close to each other in the Besiktas district. Media reports said the arrival of the Ukrainian delegation had been postponed to evening hours due to the closure of Ukrainian airspace and some logistical problems. According to the NTV broadcaster, the Ukrainian delegates had to go to a neighboring country by road to fly to Istanbul. Tuesday's negotiations will begin at 10:30 a.m. local time (0730 GMT) at the Dolmabahce Presidential Working Office in Besiktas. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is expected to address the delegations at the opening of the meeting. "We will have a short meeting with the delegations tomorrow morning," Erdogan said at a press conference after a cabinet meeting in the Turkish capital Ankara on Monday. So far, Russia and Ukraine have held three rounds of in-person talks in Belarus, and their fourth session was in a video conference format. Turkey, meanwhile, has increasingly accelerated its diplomatic efforts on the international arena, reiterating its policy that it is ready to play a mediator role for lasting peace in the region. In a phone call on Sunday, Erdogan told his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, that a ceasefire and peace between Moscow and Kiev must be achieved as soon as possible, and the humanitarian situation in the region should be improved. Erdogan repeated that Turkey would continue to contribute in every possible way during this process. The "phone traffic" that he has been conducting with Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is progressing in a positive direction, Erdogan said on Monday. Turkey has been exerting significant efforts to resolve the crisis through agreement and dialogue, he said. (Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun) WASHINGTON, March 28 (Xinhua) -- At least three people died after a massive pileup of vehicles on an interstate highway in the northeastern U.S. state of Pennsylvania on Monday, authorities said. The crash involving up to 60 vehicles, including multiple tractor-trailers, occurred at about 10:30 a.m. ET (1430 GMT) north of the Schuylkill County Airport in east Pennsylvania amid a snow squall. A Schuylkill County coroner confirmed the three fatalities and said that the toll could be higher, as the search of the scene had not been completed due to a large fire involving several vehicles. About 20 people were taken to hospitals, an emergency official told reporters. Videos posted on social media from the scene showed individuals scrambling from their damaged vehicles to get off the road as more cars and trucks collided. There had been snow squall warnings for much of central and south-central Pennsylvania. Copyright 2022 Albuquerque Journal A lawsuit filed by a Bernalillo County man alleges a telemarketer violated state and federal laws by repeatedly calling his cellphone, even though his number is listed on a national do-not-call registry. The lawsuit also alleges that sales agents for the telemarketer violated the New Mexico Unfair Practices Act by failing to identify themselves during sales calls. The telemarketer sells vehicle service contracts, also called extended warranties, which are intended to cover vehicle repairs after the manufacturers warranty expires. The firm also made unlawful robocalls that displayed false caller ID numbers that cannot be called or traced a practice called spoofing that disguises the identity of the caller, the suit alleges. The firm refuses in its marketing to identify itself or where it is located, as required by law, it alleges. The scheme makes it difficult for any telephone consumer to identify (the firm) unless the consumer buys the product. The suit, filed March 11 in 2nd Judicial District Court on behalf of Laurence Barker, names telemarketer 888-678-0697 as the defendant, but does not list the firms name. The suit asks a judge to allow Barker to learn the telemarketers identity. The Better Business Bureau website links that number to Affordable Auto Protection LLC of West Palm Beach, Florida. The Journal was unable to reach a company spokesperson for comment on Monday. A sales agent who answered the phone referred the Journal to a business number with a recorded message saying the office was closed. The federal Telephone Consumer Protection Act allows people to list their phone numbers on a national do-not-call registry, which requires that telemarketers avoid calling those numbers. The lawsuit alleges the telemarketer violated federal law because Barker had listed his number on the registry during the time he received the calls. The suit asks the judge to award damages for each violation of state and federal law. RIO RANCHO OBSERVER A man accused of taking an elderly Albuquerque womans vehicle could face up to 15 years in prison. Gael Rodriguez, 20, from Mexico, pleaded guilty to carjacking in federal court in Albuquerque on Wednesday. On Jan. 16, 2021, he approached an elderly woman outside her apartment in northwest Albuquerque and asked for a cigarette, according to court records. After she told him she did not have any, he demanded her purse and vehicle keys, according to a news release. When she resisted, Rodriguez slashed her hand with a knife, causing her to drop the keys. He then picked up the keys and left in her vehicle, according to a federal indictment and other court records. An Albuquerque police officer arrived at the scene and relayed a description of the vehicle to the Rio Rancho and Corrales police departments. The vehicle was later found in Corrales. After a foot pursuit, Rodriguez was stopped and arrested. He was indicted by a federal grand jury on March 12, 2021. Rodriguez will remain in custody pending sentencing. The FBIs Albuquerque Violent Crimes Task Force investigated the case with help from the Albuquerque and Corrales police departments. Oregon will no longer require people to be residents of the state to use its law allowing terminally ill people to receive lethal medication, after a lawsuit challenged the requirement as unconstitutional. In a settlement filed in U.S. District Court in Portland on Monday, the Oregon Health Authority and the Oregon Medical Board agreed to stop enforcing the residency requirement and to ask the Legislature to remove it from the law. Advocates said they would use the settlement to press the eight other states and Washington, D.C., with medically assisted suicide laws to drop their residency requirements as well. This requirement was both discriminatory and profoundly unfair to dying patients at the most critical time of their life, said Kevin Diaz, an attorney with Compassion & Choices, the national advocacy group that sued over Oregons requirement. Laura Echevarria, a spokeswoman for National Right to Life, which opposes such laws, warned that without a residency requirement, Oregon risked becoming the nations assisted suicide tourism capital. But Diaz said that was unlikely, given safeguards in the law, such as the requirement that physicians determine whether patients are mentally capable; that it is extremely difficult for terminally ill people to make extended trips to another state; and that many people want to die in the presence of loved ones near home not across the country. Theres no tourism going on, Diaz said. Compassion & Choices sued on behalf of Dr. Nicholas Gideonse, a Portland family practice physician and associate professor of family medicine at Oregon Health and Science University. A longtime supporter of medical aid-in-dying laws, Gideonse had been unable to write terminal prescriptions for patients who live just across the Columbia River in Washington state. While Washington has such a law, providers can be difficult to find in the southwestern part of the state, where many hospital beds are in religiously affiliated health care facilities that prohibit it. Requiring his patients to find other doctors to provide assistance in ending their own lives can compound their suffering, Gideonse said. Any restriction on medical aid in dying that doesnt serve a specific medical purpose is difficult, Gideonse said Monday. In no other way is my practice restricted to Oregon residents, whether thats delivering babies in the past or other care that I provide. The lawsuit argued that the residency requirement violated the U.S. Constitutions Commerce Clause, which gives Congress the right to regulate interstate commerce, and the Privileges and Immunities Clause, which forbids states from discriminating against citizens from other states in favor of its own citizens. The Oregon Health Authority and the medical board declined to comment on why they settled the case. The state attorney generals office did not immediately respond to an interview request. Enacted in 1997, Oregons first-in-the-nation law allows terminally ill people deemed to have less than six months to live to end their lives by voluntarily taking lethal medications prescribed by a physician for that purpose. Patients must make two verbal requests to their doctor for the medication, at least 15 days apart, as well as a written request signed in the presence of two witnesses. The attending physician and a consulting physician must confirm the patients diagnosis and prognosis, and determine whether the patient is capable of making health care decisions; if either doctor believes the patient to be suffering from depression or another mental disorder, they can refer the patient for a psychological exam. Some 2,159 people have died after ingesting terminal drugs under the law since it took effect, according to data published last month by the Oregon Health Authority. California, Colorado, Hawaii, Maine, New Jersey, New Mexico, Vermont, Washington state and Washington, D.C., have approved similar laws, all with residency requirements. Montanas Supreme Court has ruled that state law does not prohibit medical aid in dying. National Right to Life is concerned that people might be able to travel to Oregon without having much of a relationship with a doctor in the state, thus chipping away at guardrails limiting the use of the law, Echevarria said. The hope is that doctors will continue to evaluate patients, but it certainly creates a situation where there could be more abuse of that law, she said. ___ Johnson reported from Seattle. Police say a transient gunned down a security guard in a hotel hallway and carjacked a man outside before getting into a shootout with the officers on his tail. Hours later across town, two women fired at a deputy during a traffic stop after the pair tried to carjack someone in the South Valley. The alleged hotel shooter, 43-year-old Donovan Bookout, surrendered to police and was not struck by gunfire. Deputies say the two women, Lizeth Iguado, 33, and Felicia Gonzales, 38, were found hiding in a mobile home after an hourslong manhunt. All in all, it was a busy day for law enforcement. Neither the officers nor the deputies were injured in the unrelated incidents. It started at the Ambassador Inn near Candelaria and Interstate 25 with a homicide, carjacking and police shootout in quick succession. The man police say was at the center of it all, Bookout, is now charged with an open count of murder, aggravated assault upon a peace officer, armed robbery and being a felon in possession of a firearm. Police Chief Harold Medina earlier described Bookout as a convicted felon with an extensive criminal history. Online court records show he has multiple arrests since 2014, including for allegedly shooting a man, smoking methamphetamine inside a Walmart and in a similar incident to Tuesdays stealing a car and leading police on a chase while armed with a gun. Most of the cases, aside from the drug paraphernalia possession, were dismissed for various reasons, including prosecutors not meeting deadlines and Bookout being found incompetent to stand trial in federal court. Recently, Albuquerque police had been looking for Bookout after he allegedly tried to shoot someone inside a room at the Motel 6, near Interstate 40 and Carlisle. When Bookout opened fire Tuesday morning in the hallway of the Ambassador Inn, according to police, he didnt miss. Medina said police were working an operation proactively trying to address criminal activity at the hotel when officers basically drove up to a homicide in progress. A man flagged down officers around 3:15 a.m. in the parking lot and told them a security guard had been shot in the hallway, according to an arrest warrant affidavit filed in Metropolitan Court. Police found the guard shot to death and numerous bullet casings littered the floor. Court records state video surveillance showed the guard was making his rounds on the second floor when a man, later identified as Bookout, came from the stairwell and shot the guard with a silver handgun. Police said Bookout fled down the stairwell and was spotted by officers carjacking a man in a pickup truck near the hotel. Soon after, according to court records, Bookout crashed into two police officers that were patrolling the area in their vehicles. Bookout continued to flee with police in pursuit and stopped in a parking lot. Bookout got out of the truck as police pulled behind him and fired at the officers multiple times, according to the affidavit. Bookout fled on foot and again fired at police before at least one officer fired back, causing Bookout to drop his gun and fall to the ground. Detectives tried to talk to Bookout after the incident and he told them he wanted to talk to a lawyer. Medina said federal charges for Bookout are possible because he is a convicted felon and because of the carjacking. Once again were going to use the approach of hitting this from as many directions as we can with the criminal justice system, Medina said. Well get what we can in state court and well get anything that we can into federal court. The last time Bookout faced federal charges, in a 2015 carjacking and police pursuit, the charges were dismissed after he was found incompetent to stand trial. Albuquerque police Commander Scott Norris said officers were already at the Ambassador Inn when the shooting occurred because theyre trying to address the narcotics, property crime and violence that often happens there. Medina said Albuquerque police will continue to investigate and work on trying to clear out the criminal element from this hotel. South Valley manhunt The BCSO incident had the agency blaming the states broken criminal justice system for two womens lack of fear of prosecution enough to shoot at a deputy during a traffic stop. The Bernalillo County Sheriffs Office said the deputy wasnt struck by gunfire and Iguado and Gonzales are in custody. Iguado is currently on probation after pleading guilty in 2020 to aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and shooting at or from a motor vehicle. It began around 10:15 a.m. when BCSO responded to reports of an attempted carjacking at gunpoint near Coors and Pajarito SW, according to deputies. Deputies tried to pull over the suspect vehicle, a black Jeep, soon after and were fired at from those inside. BCSO said the Jeep was found abandoned nearby and the suspects, later identified as Iguado and Gonzales, were seen running onto a property in the 2000 block of Luchetti SW. Authorities surrounded the area and found Iguado and Gonzales inside a mobile home they had broken into on the property to evade capture, according to deputies. The search also left Pajarito Elementary School, Polk Middle School and Los Padillas Elementary School locked down until the women were found. Detectives are currently interviewing the suspects and compiling appropriate charges, the agency wrote on Facebook. THE HAGUE, Netherlands In what appeared to be a coordinated action to tackle Russian espionage, at least four European allies expelled dozens of Russian diplomats on Tuesday. The expulsions come as relations between Russia and the West have plunged into a deep freeze following Moscows invasion of Ukraine. The Netherlands said it was expelling 17 Russians who it described as intelligence officers masquerading as diplomats. Belgium said it was ejecting 21 Russians. The Czech Republic gave one Russian diplomat 72 hours to leave the country. Ireland told four senior Russian officials to leave the country because of activities deemed not in accordance with international standards of diplomatic behaviour. North Macedonia announced late Monday it is expelling five Russian diplomats for activities contrary to the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations. Together with our allies, we are reducing the Russian intelligence presence in the EU, the Czech Foreign Ministry said. Poland last week expelled 45 Russians whom the government identified as intelligence officers using their diplomatic status as cover to operate in the country. The Netherlands said it took its decision in consultation with a number of like-minded countries, citing similar expulsions by the United States, Poland, Bulgaria, Slovakia, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Montenegro. The cabinet has decided to do this because of the threat to national security posed by this group, the Dutch ministry said in a statement. The intelligence threat against the Netherlands remains high. The current attitude of Russia in a broader sense makes the presence of these intelligence officers undesirable. The deportation is a measure taken in the context of national security. Dutch Foreign Minister Wopke Hoekstra said he was prepared for a retaliation from Moscow. Experience shows that Russia does not leave these kinds of measures unanswered, he said. We cannot speculate about that, but the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is prepared for various scenarios that may arise in the near future. That was demonstrated earlier Tuesday, when Russia said it expelled a total of 10 diplomats from the three Baltic EU states of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania in retaliation for those countries expelling Russian diplomats earlier this month. The Russian Foreign Ministry said it was cancelling the accreditation of four Lithuanian diplomats, three Latvians and three Estonians and they would be required to leave the country. That corresponds to the number of Russian diplomats each country previously expelled. On March 18, the three Baltic countries ordered the expulsion of 10 Russian embassy staff members in a coordinated action taken in solidarity with Ukraine. Moscow called that move provocative and entirely baseless and that it had summoned the Estonian, Latvian and Lithuanian ambassadors in Moscow for an official protest. ___ Follow all AP stories on Russias war on Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine. WASHINGTON A federal judge in Texas is barring the Navy from taking action for now against sailors who have objected to being vaccinated against COVID-19 on religious grounds. U.S. District Judge Reed OConnor had in January issued a preliminary injunction preventing the Navy from disciplining or discharging 35 sailors who sued over the Navys vaccine policy while their case played out. On Monday, OConnor agreed the case could go forward as a class action lawsuit and issued a preliminary injunction covering the approximately 4,000 sailors who have objected on religious grounds to being vaccinated. OConnor said the larger group of sailors shared common characteristics with those who had sued. They had asked for and been denied an exemption to the vaccine requirement on religious grounds and were facing the threat of being discharged from the Navy, OConnor wrote. Even though their personal circumstances may factually differ in small ways, the threat is the same get the jab or lose your job, wrote OConnor, who was nominated to the bench by President George W. Bush. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin last year made vaccinations mandatory for service members. More than 99% of the Navys active duty force has been vaccinated against COVID-19, and the Navy has also discharged 650 people for refusing to be vaccinated. Navy guidelines allow for exemptions to the vaccine requirement on religious and other grounds, including medical reasons and if a service member is about to leave the Navy. Lawyers for the group of sailors who sued, most of them Navy SEALs, argue that the Navy had granted hundreds of exemptions for medical and administrative reasons but granted no religious exemptions for active duty and reserve service members. Nine inactive reserve members have been granted religious exemptions. Mike Berry, the director of military affairs for First Liberty Institute, which is representing the sailors, said in a statement following OConnors action that its time for our military to honor its constitutional obligations and grant religious accommodations for service members with sincere religious objections to the vaccine. While the case is still at an early stage, the U.S. Supreme Court in a brief order Friday narrowed the impact of OConnors original injunction, saying that the Navy could still consider the vaccination status of the sailors who sued in making deployment, assignment and other operational decisions. OConnors latest injunction allows the Navy to consider vaccination status in making those decisions about members of the larger group as well. President Joe Bidens administration had argued that not allowing the Navy to consider vaccination status in making assignments posed intolerable risks to safety and mission success. Navy personnel routinely operate for extended periods of time in confined spaces that are ripe breeding grounds for respiratory illnesses, where mitigation measures such as distancing are impractical or impossible, Biden administration lawyers wrote. A SEAL who falls ill not only cannot complete his or her own mission, but risks infecting others as well, particularly in close quarters, including on submarines. ___ Associated Press writer Lolita C. Baldor contributed to this report. Copyright 2022 Albuquerque Journal The CEO of New Mexicos health insurance exchange has stepped down. BeWellnm spokesman James Korenchen said Jeffery Bustamante, who had served as CEO since 2019, resigned from his post on Monday. The beWellnm board of directors is currently exploring options for interim management, Korenchen said. This transition is to ensure the organization is prepared for excellence with the upcoming public health emergency end imminent. Korenchen didnt offer more specifics on the reasoning for Bustamantes resignation. Bustamante did not immediately respond to request for comment Tuesday afternoon. Bustamante was appointed as interim CEO in March 2019 and was later confirmed as CEO in November of the same year. He will stay on through the transition to the new CEO, who has yet to be named. The federal government may soon end the public health emergency that aided states with additional money for Medicaid relief. If that emergency is terminated it would affect about 85,000 residents in New Mexico, according to earlier reports. Bustamante replaced Cheryl Gardner, who had previously served as CEO for the organization since 2017. The board at the time had opted not to extend her two-year contract, according to previous Journal reporting, which led to Bustamantes appointment. Bustamante had previously served as the director of policy and research for beWellnm. The states exchange has had five leaders since its inception in 2013. Mike Nunez had served as interim CEO until 2014, before being replaced by Amy Dowd, who was previously the director for Idahos exchange. Dowd left in 2016 for Molina Healthcare, however, and was replaced by Linda Weeden, beWellnms former director of communications and outreach. Weeden was then replaced by Gardner in 2017. More than 45,000 applied for health insurance during open enrollment which spanned from Nov. 1 through Jan. 15, according to a report from beWellnm. The health exchange was created in 2013 through state legislation to offer health insurance to New Mexico residents not covered by Medicare/Medicaid or through affordable plans in their places of work, according to the organizations website. Digimaze, Adtech performance marketing firm has recently raised $700k in seed funding. The round was led by Gautam Daftary with participation from 10 HNI family funds such as Maninder Juneja, Vivek Desai and others. With the ever-evolving Digital space we aim to maximize revenue, using advanced analytical models and a data-driven approach. This investment will strengthen business transformation, content and data with efficient use of technology The use of these models, will reduce the errors caused by the human eye & will assist in optimizing campaigns using audience data. The digital ecosystem is ever-evolving and is a critical factor in the growth of brands. With the funding, we plan to grow aggressively in the performance marketing space. Right partner to have on board to realize this dream. We plan to enable a larger number of brands to spruce their growth trajectory with efficient utilization of performance marketing & ad tech to reach the right set of audiences." said Vatsal Rajgor, CEO, Digimaze Co-Founders Vatsal Rajgor and Poojan Ajani formed the company in 2019 with a goal to create exclusive analytical tools that would help solve business challenges. In a short span of 2.5 years, the start-up has grown dramatically with a team of 120+ employees and a portfolio of 100+ brands. Eve Worlds vision was born out of necessity - a need for a free and responsible virtual space for women, where everyone gets an equal shot at value creation. Taking this vision ahead, Eve World now announces coto - a Web3 social community platform exclusively for women. Derived from come together, 'coto' is a new digital space for women that enables creativity without bounds and is built on the promise of consent and continual ownership. A one-point destination for women all over the world, 'coto' represents a world that isnt just free and responsible, but is also one thats built on participative ownership, where women have the space to express, engage, and be rewarded without toxicity. In several ways, 'coto' and limitless are synonymous. 'coto' is quite literally a space of limitless possibility, and it enables and empowers its members to enjoy a complete digital experience, in a world created by them and for them, without limits. A glimpse of some of the brand elements of coto - Brand Logo Warm, inviting, fun, reliable - there was a lot that had to be represented in cotos logo. In terms of a design perspective, a bold geometric typeface with elegantly rounded edges perfectly captures the warmth and playfulness of the brand Warm, inviting, fun, reliable - there was a lot that had to be represented in cotos logo. In terms of a design perspective, a bold geometric typeface with elegantly rounded edges perfectly captures the warmth and playfulness of the brand The letters denote the inherent uniqueness and individuality of every person. The bold geometric typeface with elegantly rounded edges perfectly captures the warmth and playfulness of the brand denote the inherent uniqueness and individuality of every person. The bold geometric typeface with elegantly rounded edges perfectly captures the warmth and playfulness of the brand The t and the o blend together in a harmonious yet powerful expression of what the brand stands for and is built to dobring people together blend together in a harmonious yet powerful expression of what the brand stands for and is built to dobring people together The primary color of the identity is violet, as it effortlessly evokes independence and creativity while being pleasing to the eye. It perfectly captures the brand's vision for the future, one of determination and joy, while sparking inspiration in our users to create and express themselves 'coto' will be a natural extension of Eve World, synergizing seamlessly, and resting on the pillars of uplifting, inspiring, empowering and enabling together. 'coto' will enable women to focus on whats truly important to them, and building on Web3 principles is what helps us ensure this. Interestingly, coto allows decentralized autonomous organizations or DAOs who are governed by its community, which help members decide on new features and functionality. These self-governed DAOs can make use of governance tokens, which financially incentivize members to vote and participate. Decentralized in nature, blockchain technology allows coto users to partake in a token economy. This way, the communitys revenue goes directly to the content creators when users decide to support or reward a creator they like. Self-governance, ownership, active participation in deciding on the future - all this and more is 'coto', Eve World's much-anticipated Web3 social community platform designed for women. In December 2021, NBC Universal launched its subscription-based OTT (over-the-top) streaming platform, Hayu, in India. The platform specialises in the reality genre and offers over 8,000 episodes of reality TV content, including all seasons of Keeping Up With the Kardashians, along with franchises like The Real Housewives, Top Chef, Million Dollar Listing and Family Karma, among others. Hendrik McDermott has been associated with NBC Universal for over a decade and has been working on Hayus account right from its inception. He started as the SVP & Managing Director of Hayu in October 2015 and was promoted as Managing Director of NBC Universals direct-to-consumer streaming businesses in all countries outside the US in just 11 months. In conversation with Adgully, Hendrik McDermott, Managing Director - Direct to Consumer, Global at NBC Universal, speaks at length about what led Hayu o launch in India, its association with Amazon Prime Channels, Hayus content and marketing strategies for India and much more. What led to the decision behind expanding Hayus market in India? What response has Hayu received in India? We launched the platform in 2016 and at its sixth year anniversary, we launched in the UK, Ireland and Australia back then and since then, we have been on a pretty aggressive and fast growth expansion trajectory. Every year that we have been in existence, we have expanded into one new region, or sometimes two new regions per year. And the plan is to try to grow the platform to be as large as it can be. We spent the last five years expanding into about 29 different markets. So beyond the UK, Ireland and Australia, we moved into the Nordic Region, we moved into the Benelux region into Canada, into Southeast Asia, in the Philippines, Hong Kong and Singapore. In early 2021, we expanded across much of Western Europe. And then, towards the end of last year, we finally made it into our 29th market, which is India. And the reason for it is that we do a lot of research on various markets looking for expansion. And we are trying to find places where reality TV, specifically unscripted reality TV, is popular and where we think our content will resonate with the consumers. And so one of the things we did was a specific research project on the Indian market, and it shows that theres quite a large addressable base of people who are interested in reality content and 33% of the addressable base that we saw, has a huge interest in reality TV. The majority of those people have an interest in US led reality TV as well. The research that we got back was very promising and we also use our own data points. We have a YouTube channel that we have launched, which is global and is available in all countries around the world. And we put a lot of short form content on that platform. And that allows us to see where we are getting a lot of interaction from the people. India is No. 1 on the list in terms of countries that are using our YouTube channel around the world. So, we knew there was a strong appetite for the content. And that has led us to think about launching here. What are your observations in terms of content consumption behaviour in the Indian market? How different is it compared to the other markets? The desire to watch content here is very strong. And so we see a very strong engagement with content. What that means is the sheer amount of content that is being viewed; we now have data from 29 different markets around the world and India is very near the top in terms of the amount of content that people will watch on our platform. We have been Live in India only for the last three months. So its early days, but we are seeing on average about 17 hours of content per user per month that is being consumed, which is a pretty high amount in terms of viewing. So, we are very delighted to see that theres a strong engagement with the content. You have tied up with Amazon Prime Channels in India. Why did you select particularly them for this partnership? What are the benefits that you have with this partnership? A very important part of our strategy is to have partners all around the world. The way we usually enter a market is that we launch with our main direct-to-consumer platform first, and then we seek to create as many partnerships as possible. We have done that in every other market and this is no different. We launched in India in December 2021 and we launched with Amazon in February 2022. We are also actively having conversations with potential future partners. So, what we like to do is have numerous different types of partners it can be across cable TV , telcos, and other SVOD platforms, we have numerous examples of partners that we have all over the world. We selected Amazon specifically because weve had a long standing partnership with them in many other markets. We had launched on Amazon Prime Video Channels in the UK five years ago in 2017, and we have a partnership with them in many other markets already. So, it was reasonably easy for us to extend that partnership here to India as well. We bring our own content to the platform. What has been helpful for us with Amazon here is that it is another place for us to go and find new subscribers. We are, of course, trying to sell subscriptions across as many devices as we can. Thus, it is hugely important for us to be present on as many platforms as possible. Amazon brings another group of people who are already there to watch videos. So, it is sort of a good place to look for further subscriptions. While the content bank of Hayu in India has all time famous series like Real Housewives, Keeping up with the Kardashians, Top Chefs and others, do you plan to add more shows to the app? We had almost 300 shows on the platform at launch, and today it is about 8,000 hours of content. We add 1,000 new hours of content to the platform every year, so we are constantly adding new franchises, specifically for India, we have acquired a variety of exclusive shows as well. In particular, the one that just launched last week is Below Deck Down Under, which comes from the Below Deck franchise, which is exclusive to the Hayu platform. The other main franchise on our platform is the Real Housewives franchise, which has almost 13 different spin offs and some of those are exclusive to our platform as well. So, we will continue to add further content. The way we normally enter a market is that most of our programming comes from within the NBC Universal portfolio. Our content comes from the key flagship brands of E, Bravo and Oxygen, which are based in the US. And so, we have access to all of the programming that comes from those channels. Thats why we can continue to keep refreshing our platform. And as we entered the market, and over time, we started looking at other ways to increase the content portfolio. And exclusive content is one of those things. As we move forward, we are likely to look at acquiring some third party content for the platform as well. What is your marketing strategy for the Indian market? How are you promoting Hayu in India? It is very similar to how we have entered almost all of our other markets. When we launch, we invest significantly in the market and we try to build up as much brand awareness as we can. Specifically in this market, we had a huge campaign in December 2021 and January 2022, which was focused on the Hayu brand itself. That was through more traditional media tactics print, TV, radio, and also some podcasts, and outdoor advertising, etc.. The promotion strategy is really designed to try to build as much brand awareness as possible and in a short amount of time. That is the short term strategy, which is still continuing. We will be launching another campaign later this month. As we grow our brand awareness, we shift our tactics a little bit more to digital. We tend to drive as much of our subscription from social media platforms. But the first step is to build brand awareness of what our platform is before we can do that. Indias most notable poker series - National Poker Series India (NPS) 2022, hosted on PokerBaazi.com which began on March 6, 2022, concluded in style with the final three tables at Majestic Pride, Goa between March 23-25, 2022, seeing some exhilarating matchups between the top poker players of India. With the conclusion of the tournament, it was Shagun Jain from Jaipur, Rajasthan who claimed the top spot on the NPS podium (Medal leaderboard) with Four Gold Medals and Two Silver (50 Points) and won a package worth INR 10 Lac, while Rohit Begwani from Churu, Rajasthan ended in Second with Four Gold Medals (40 Points) and a package worth INR 7.5 Lac. The third spot on the podium was taken by Dhaval Doshi from Mumbai with 1 Gold & 3 Silver (25 points) and has received a package worth INR 2.5 Lac. All the three podium finishers will be heading to Las Vegas to represent India on the largest stage of Poker in the world. The final tables on the other hand, saw top Indian players battling it out for glory. The first final table was NPS Super High Roller. The table was won by Kartik Ved from Goa who clinched gold, Vipin Pantola from Haldwani, Uttarakhand clinched silver while the third place and bronze medal went to Gokul Raj from Goa. They took home INR 22.09 Lac, INR 15.50 Lac and INR 9.97 Lac, respectively as prize money. The second final table was the NPS Main Event which again saw Goa claiming top spot with Chirag Sodha (INR 44.84 Lac) clinching gold, the surprise came in the second spot with Riteish Kumar (INR 39.34 Lac) from the small town of Gumla in Jharkhand clinching silver while the third spot and the bronze medal went to Ashutosh Balodhi (INR 20.90 Lac) from Delhi. On the final day of the event, it was time for the most loved event of the National Poker Series i.e., NPS Golden Rush. The event which had an INR 550 buy-in and saw nearly 15,000 entries was won by Sankesh Kumar A Jain from Chennai (INR 9 Lac) taking home the gold medal, the silver medal was won by Arbaaz Ahmed (INR 7.01 Lac) from Bengaluru, Karnataka followed by the bronze medal to Dilip Kumar (INR 4.38 Lac) from Jalore, Rajasthan. The top five states which registered the greatest number of medals include Maharashtra (46 medals), New Delhi (36 medals), Rajasthan (35 medals), Uttar Pradesh (27 medals), and Haryana (21 medals). Over the course of NPS, 252 medals were awarded across 84 tournaments. Kotak Mahindra Life Insurance Company Ltd (Kotak Life) today announced the launch of its new digital brand campaign #KaroLifeKiSearchShuru, delving on the importance of having Life Insurance early on in life. The campaign aims to create awareness amongst people who tend to procrastinate their decision to secure the future of their loved ones. Subhasis Ghosh, Joint President & Head Marketing, Institutional Business and Alliances, Kotak Mahindra Life Insurance Co. Ltd. said, "Kotak Life is committed to increasing Insurance awareness and expanding insurance penetration across India. Our research showed that while the awareness level to buy a life insurance cover has increased due to the pandemic, however, the urge to buy insurance is yet to increase despite knowing the importance of having one. Our digital campaign takes a fresh approach to bridging the gap between people wanting to buy vis-a-vis people actually buying life insurance by highlighting the benefits of taking an insurance policy early on in life to avoid future uncertainties, he added. The launch video of the campaign showcases how a customer can benefit by getting a bigger cover at less premium if he/she buys the insurance cover early with Kotak e-term plan, which offers Rs 1 crore insurance cover at just Rs 15 per day*. Omkar Joshi, Founder and Chief Creative Officer at hybrid> - the creative agency that executed the campaign - said, Kotak Life is one of the pioneers of creative communications in the life insurance sector. The campaign - #KaroLifeKiSearchShuru, addresses a peculiar habit of people when it comes to buying life insurance procrastination. If people take the first step of finding more information, they will realise how delays can hurt them and their families in the long run. We've introduced humor into the communication with a slick core line that's surely going to resonate across the country. *The per day premium is Rs.15 [ 5,400 Annualized Premium / 365 days = 14.794]. The premium is assuming the policy is bought online and the customer has not purchased any policy from Kotak Life Insurance. The illustrated premium figure is exclusive of Goods and Services Tax and Cess. Goods and Services Tax and Cess thereon shall be charged as per the prevalent tax laws over and above the said premiums. Social Panga, one of Indias leading integrated digital-first marketing agencies, founded by Gaurav Arora and Himanshu Arora, announces the launch of its new production vertical called, The Yellow Shutter. The newly launched vertical is a step towards offering a holistic solution to brands to create visual content. The Yellow Shutter is one of the fastest-growing content production companies providing end-to-end services for creating visual content for brands across India and offers an array of services including, Script Writing, Storyboarding, Video Production, Brand films, Corporate Shoots, Concept Photoshoot, Product Photoshoot, Artist Management, VFX & Post, and CGI. The vertical will be helmed by Dilpreet Kaur Sandhu and Harsh Pandya and consists of a team of storytellers who hold a collective experience of over 15 years. The Yellow Shutter's team of visual content have embarked on a journey of curating content according to the digital mood and relevant brand perspective. Speaking on the new vertical, Co-Founder, Gaurav Arora said, This new vertical is a step ahead for Social Panga in terms of offering a one-stop solution to brands and clients. With The Yellow Shutter we aim to design visual storytelling thats aligned with a brands marketing stance, and also holds a signature that screams a distinctive identity. In the last 6 months, we have successfully created over 52 video productions and more than 25 photoshoots, and it gives me enormous pleasure to see the in-house production vertical grow and prosper as a production house that caters to all. Head of Business Growth and Production, Dilpreet Sandhu, commented, Every brand has a story and every story needs telling. The team at The Yellow Shutter believes in the power of visuals and we aim to give wings to each of these stories and many more. We are storytellers at heart and driven by the passion of seeing scripts come to life through the lens Head of Production, Harsh Pandya says, Having worked in the industry for over a decade, I have now embarked on a journey with The Yellow Shutter. The team and I want to be the voice and the visual of your story. The right people and the right vision form the core of our team while we live and breathe in the ever-evolving world of digital storytelling. The Yellow Shutter has worked with clients like Mamaearth, UpGrad, Himalaya Babycare, Amazon, Pepperfry, Josh App, Paytm Money, Chola MS General Insurance, Manipal Hospitals, TATA Health, Van Heusen and many more. Somany Ceramics, an internationally acclaimed organisation that specialises in ceramics and allied products segment has appointed L&K Saatchi & Saatchi as its creative agency of record. The agency will manage the full-service creative mandate for a range of products from the company under its Tiles and Bathware category. L&K Saatchi & Saatchi was selected after a multi-agency pitch and will play a key role in devising vital & new-age communication strategies for Somany as it seeks to increase its foothold and reach with the Indian consumers. Speaking on the partnership, Minal Somany, Brand Custodian, Somany Ceramics said: As we take Somany into the next chapter of growth, we wanted an agency that is more of a business partner than just being a creative agency for us. In L&K Saatchi & Saatchi, we found the right balance of creative excellence and entrepreneurial spirit to partner us in our growth endeavours. On the new alliance, Paritosh Srivastava, CEO, L&K Saatchi & Saatchi said: We are privileged to partner a category-defining brand such as Somany in the next phase of their growth. Its an exciting category with a lot of action on every front and we would want to add the needed fuel to achieve the brands vision. Our mandate is to help the brand realise its true potential and business to achieve leadership in volume and value. Commenting on the partnership, Atin Wahal, EVP L&K Saatchi & Saatchi said: Having Somany on board in the growing New Delhi office is a matter of great pride for us as they have been defining the category and we believe there is a huge potential on the brand to do great work and create brand preference for the consumers. In the last five decades, Somany Ceramics has established itself as an unchallenged leader in the Indian ceramic industry with a significant presence in India, Africa, The Middle East, the United Kingdom and Russia. The company has multi-location manufacturing plants in North, West & South with 72 million square meters of saleable material capacity annually. It also has a capacity of approx. 8.92 lakh pieces of sanitary ware and approx. 9.0 lakhs pieces of bath fittings. Somany is a complete decor solutions provider. Its extensive range of products includes Ceramic Walls and Floor Tiles, Polished Vitrified Tiles, Glazed Vitrified Tiles, Digital Tiles, Sanitary ware, and Bath Fittings as well as Tiles Laying Solutions. It is with deep sadness that The One Club for Creativity announces the passing of dear colleague and friend Tony Gulisano, Global Chief Growth Officer, who died suddenly in New York on March 25. Gulisano, 70, is a legendary figure in the global creative community, where during his 40 years at international awards programs he forged close professional and personal relationships with thousands of top creatives around the world. He entered the industry in 1982 with the Clio Awards, where he spent 26 years and served as managing director. After four years of consulting with London International Awards, he joined The One Club in 2015. Gulisano played a key role in growing international visibility and industry involvement for the nonprofit organizations global programming. He helped start and run the clubs ONE School free portfolio program for Black creatives and ONE Production diversity program, as well as its monthly A Creative Perspective video series featuring the views of some of the industry's most interesting and celebrated creatives. He played a significant role in annual jury selection for The One Show, ADC Annual Awards, and One Asia Creative Awards, and was pivotal in assembling 21 global creative leaders to serve on the clubs latest International Board of Directors, announced last week. Tony was one of the most influential people in the creative community who never looked for the spotlight himself, said Kevin Swanepoel, CEO, The One Club. He was the absolute nicest, most selfless person who never asked for anything except how he could help others, which he did over the past four decades for so many creatives around the world. Im very fortunate to have had Tony as a close colleague, trusted confidant and advisor, and very dear friend. Our deepest condolences go out to his family, we will miss him greatly. In his honor, The One Club has established the Tony Gulisano Memorial Fund. Donations will go to support the clubs ONE School and ONE Production programs, as well as shared with his family. The One Club will pay tribute to Gulisano at The One Show 2022 awards ceremony on May 20 during Creative Week in New York, and host an event for the industry to celebrate his life in the summer. Services will be held on Tuesday, March 29 at 11:00 am at Saint Anthony of Padua church in New York. Kalyan Jewellers India Limited, one of Indias largest jewellery companies, today announced board approval for the appointment of Mr. Vinod Rai as the Chairman and Independent Non-executive Director on the Board of the Company. The appointment will be subject to obtaining requisite regulatory and shareholders approvals. Mr. TS Kalyanaraman will continue as Managing Director on the Companys board. Mr. Vinod Rai was the Former Comptroller and Auditor General of India and the former Chair of the United Nations Panel of External Auditors. Mr. Rai has held various positions within the Indian government as well as in state governments and has been instrumental in a wide variety of reforms in India, including as Chairman of the Banks Board Bureau, a body set up by the Indian government to reform public banking in India. Mr. Rai was awarded the Padma Bhushan, Indias third highest civilian award, in recognition of his services to the country. He has Masters degrees both in Economics as well as Public Administration from the Delhi School of Economics, University of Delhi and the Harvard Kennedy School, Harvard University, USA, respectively. Mr. Rai said: It is a privilege for me to be associated with Kalyan Jewellers, a company which has built the highest levels of trust amongst its stakeholders, conducts its business in an ethical and transparent manner and upholds the standards of good corporate governance. Kalyan Jewellers has a well-recognized brand, pan-India footprint and a strong management team at the helm of the business. The Kalyanaraman family, with its deep commitment to customer transparency and enlightenment, has been at the forefront of transforming the jewellery retailing sector in India. I eagerly look forward to my association with Kalyan." Mr. TS Kalyanaraman said: We are delighted to welcome Mr. Vinod Rai to Kalyan Jewellers as an Independent Chairman of our board. Kalyan Jewellers has always been committed to trust, transparency and upholding the highest standards of corporate governance, and this event is a natural step in the evolution of our company along that journey. Mr. Rai brings a tremendous breadth and depth of experience and we are looking forward to him adding further to the diverse experience we already have on our board today". As Chairman, Mr. Vinod Rais appointment would make him the 8th non-executive director on the Board, joining Salil Nair (Former CEO, Shoppers Stop), Mr. Anil Nair (Former CEO, L&K Saatchi & Saatchi India), Mrs. Kishori Udeshi (Former Deputy Governor of the RBI), Mr. Anish Saraf (MD, Warburg Pincus India Private Limited), Mr. T.S. Anantharaman (Former Chairman, Catholic Syrian Bank), Mr. Mahalingam Ramaswamy (Former MD, State Bank of Travancore) and Mr. Agnihotra Dakshina Murty Chavali (Former ED of Indian Overseas Bank). Riots, restrictions on speech and religion, and the takeover of politics and law enforcement are just a few of the unwelcome changes that can be expected in non-Muslim societies as Muslim immigrants increase in number, according to Dr. Peter Hammond. A Christian missionary based in South Africa and author of 40 books, Hammond delineates how Muslims change societies in his book, Slavery, Terrorism and Islam. Citing examples of countries worldwide, Hammond outlines typical activities that occur as the Muslim percentage of the total population increases. It is a warning bell about the gradual, step-by-step changes that can be expected in other countries still undergoing significant Muslim immigration. These societal changes occur because devout Muslims are bound by a 1,400-year-old doctrine of immigration originating in Islamic scriptures and based on Mohammed's migration from Mecca to Medina. Under the religious edict or Hijra, Islamic expansionism and submission of all non-Muslims to shariah or Islamic doctrine must occur. Islamic expansionism and its counterpart, jihad, are first expressed as Muslim demands for special status and privileges within the host country. A higher percentage of Muslims in the host country can soon translate into Muslim control of political processes, law enforcement, media, and the economy, as well as restrictions on freedom of movement, speech and religious practices. The appropriation of goods and property, as well as violence with impunity, can also occur. The situation in at West Bengal in Hindu-majority India, bordering Muslim-majority Bangladesh, illustrates the inherent problems to non-Muslim societies of a growing Muslim population. West Bengal Bengal, an ethno-cultural region, was politically divided in 1947 during the partitioning of British India into independent India and Pakistan. Under this arrangement, the Bengal province was carved in two: the predominately-Hindu West Bengal, a state of India, and the predominately-Muslim East Bengal, which became a province of Pakistan and, in 1971, the Muslim-majority country of Bangladesh. At partitioning, the Muslim population of West Bengal stood at 12% and the Hindu population of East Bengal 30%. Today, with massive Muslim immigration, Hindu persecution and forced conversions, West Bengals Muslim population has increased to 27% (up to 63% in some districts), as per the 2011 census and Bangladeshs Hindu population has decreased to 8%. While the situation for Hindus in Bangladesh is certainly dire, life has become increasingly difficult for Hindus in West Bengal, home to a Muslim-appeasing government and a breeding ground and safe haven for terrorists. For several years, West Bengal has suffered under apparent Muslim-planned riots designed to implement shariah, extract government concessions and grab more territory. Kolkata Riots In 2007, a violent protest broke out in Kolkata (formerly known as Calcutta) against Bangladeshi feminist author, physician and human rights activist, Taslima Nasreen. The demonstrations against Nasreen were a thinly veiled attempt to institute Islamic blasphemy laws and curtail freedom of speech. Nasreen, who was born a Bangladeshi Muslim but chose atheism, had witnessed the horrific treatment of Islamic women in her medical practice, and advocated for freedom of expression, womens rights, non-Muslim rights and abolition of shariah law. In 1993, she published a novel, Lajja (Shame) about a Hindu family persecuted by Muslims. The novel ignited a furor in the Muslim community, which called for a ban on the book and offered a bounty for her death. The novel was subsequently banned by Indian authorities. Nasreen was physically attacked, went into hiding and escaped from Bangladesh to Europe. After 10 years exile, she returned to the east and settled in Kolkata. Her Bangladeshi passport had been revoked and she waited several years for a visa to be able to visit India. While in Kolkata, she continued to write articles critical of Islam despite renewed threats and calls for her beheading. In November 2007, a protest organized by militant Muslims against Nasreen led to riots as Muslims blocked traffic, pelted police and journalists, torched cars and damaged buses. Similar to the justification for the Charlie Hebdo murders in Paris, West Bengali Muslims protested the violation of shariah blasphemy law, which mandates death for anyone who dares to criticize Islam. The army was forced to intervene, Nasreen was placed under house arrest and later forced to leave the area. The banned Student Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) and the Pakistani Inter-Service Intelligence (ISI) were believed to have fostered the mayhem. Canning District Riots In 2013, Muslims in West Bengal were actively lobbying for a second partition of India to create an Islamic super state Mughalistan that would incorporate Pakistan, Bangladesh and parts of India. Meanwhile, ethnic divisions were also stirred up by an upcoming local election. Into this charged situation, the murder of a Muslim cleric by unidentified assailants sparked outrage among Muslims, as thousands mobilized for rioting in the Canning District. An article in a popular weekly publication, Organiser, called the attack a well organized and meticulously planned attack on Hindus. Over 200 Hindu homes were looted and firebombed, hundreds of temples and idols destroyed, and vehicles set on fire amid shouts of Allah-hu Akbar! Repeated calls for help by Hindus went unanswered by the police. Local residents claimed authorities were complicit with the Muslim mobs. Violence in Usti This January 29th, in a market in the Kolkata suburb of Usti, more than 50 Hindu shops were ransacked, looted and gutted by rampaging jihadists. Police mostly watched as bombs were hurled at Hindus indiscriminately. They fired a few random shots into the air and detained victimized Hindu shop owners while their attackers roamed free. A legislative assembly member and the state minister for minority affairs reportedly demanded that local police release the few rioters held in custody. There was limited reporting by the mainstream media that didnt specify the Muslim identity of the perpetrators and West Bengals Chief Minister, Mamata Banerjee, issued no statement about the violence. Independent sites, Indiafacts and Hindu Samhati, reported the incident with numerous photographs. Political Implications With a 27% Muslim population, enough pressure exists to tip the scales for elected officials precariously toward advancement of an Islamist agenda and make Muslims the most privileged class in West Bengal. In some areas, such as the border district of Murshidabad, which is over 63% Muslim, de facto shariah is imposed on all residents. The vast majority of political candidates, elected officials and law enforcement leadership are Muslim and the economic prospects for Hindus dim as Muslims refuse to patronize non-Muslim businesses. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who has received official visits from Hillary Clinton and several U.S. ambassadors, offers a prime example of a political leader who expediently favors Muslim constituents, capitulates to their many demands and entices them with special benefits and privileges. The reality of Muslim vote bank politics, whereby an entire Muslim community votes along lines dictated by the local imam or religious leader, adds to the problem and furthers Muslim control of the state. Banerjee has gone so far in her Muslim sympathies as to publicly recite the Kalima Shahadat, the Islamic conversion prayer, in front of an audience of imams. Because West Bengals Muslims were largely responsible for her election as chief minister, Banerjee has made substantial payback. She approved and validated the academic degrees of 10,000 previously unrecognized Saudi-funded and controlled madrasas (Islamic colleges) four minarets (Muslim towers), honorariums for imams and an exclusively Islamic township. Banerjee called for the establishment of Muslim medical, technical and nursing schools with special subsidies for Muslim students, as well as Muslim-only hospitals. She has favored Muslims to the extent of distributing free bicycles and rail passes to female Muslim students and laptops to Muslim boys. Banerjees political party, the All India Trinamool Congress (TMC), will most likely send more Islamists to serve in parliament in the future. Reportedly, jihadist sleeper cells inhabit the area under her protection. Meanwhile, the needs of Hindu refugees from Bangladesh are ignored, even as they continue being victimized in West Bengal. In June of 2014, Mamata Banerjee made a highly questionable appointment, Rajya Sabha, to the upper house of the Indian Parliament. Despite multiple warnings from the District Intelligence Bureau that had red-flagged him for instigating violence against Hindus, including alleged participation in the Kolkata and Canning riots and sheltering known terrorists, she selected Pakistani Hassan Imran to serve as MP. Imran is a founder and self-admitted member of the radical student group, the Student Islamic Movement of India (SIMI), a recognized terrorist organization banned by the Indian government. He founded and edited a radical weekly magazine, Kalam, which he later turned into a daily newspaper, Dainik Kalam, and sold to the Saradha Group, a financial conglomerate with ties to West Bengal government officials. The publication has advocated for the establishment of Muslim-controlled areas in the state under shariah. Hassan has close ties to local Islamist leaders and has worked with Jamat-e-Islami (JI), a pro-Saudi jihadist group supported by Pakistans Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI). He also has ties to a chief official of the Islamic Development Bank, a Saudi entity that has financed Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood affiliate, the Council of American Islamic Relations (CAIR), an unindicted co-conspirator in the Holy Land Foundation terrorism funding trial in the United States. JI and the ISI have been linked to efforts to take over the Indian state of Assam and separate it from India. The Saudi-funded terrorist group Jamaat-ul-Mujahadeen, also linked to MP Hassan Imran, has a major base in West Bengal, including bomb-manufacturing units, and has used Wahhabi money to build mosques throughout the state. The Muslim call to prayer is blasted by loudspeaker from early in the morning to late at night and some thoroughfares in the Muslim districts of Kolkata are closed to all traffic for Friday prayers. Recently, Hassan and other associates of Mamata Banerjee were implicated in a financial scandal a Ponzi scheme with the Saradha Group and things are starting to unravel for the chief minister. A major investigation of a consortium of 200 private companies that collected between $4 6 billion from over 1.7 million depositors before it collapsed, may bring down her reign in West Bengal. Her MP appointee, Hassan, is believed to have acted as a liaison between Jamaat-e-Islami and the money launderers. Bangladesh Hindus of West Bengal need only look across the border to Bangladesh to see their future if Muslim immigration continues and the Muslim population exceeds the current 27%. In Bangladesh, with an 89% Muslim population, ethnic cleansing persists unabated, Hindu land is forcibly captured and Hindu homes and businesses looted. People are commonly beaten with no police intervention. Hindus have been tortured and forced to pay the jizya, a tax that non-Muslims are required to pay for protection against Muslim terrorism. Hindu girls, even married women, have been raped, mutilated, kidnapped, enslaved and forced to marry Muslim men. Law enforcement authorities are often complicit in the activities and provide no protection or recourse. Victims are typically threatened if they report incidents to the police. Often, in the case of abduction, police refuse to register complaints and make claims that consensual intercourse has taken place even if the girl is 9 or 10 years old, a non-minor under Islamic standards. Kidnapped Hindu girls who manage to escape report that they were taken to Muslim families in which relatives and friends were invited to rape them over several days while Muslim women facilitated the encounters. This dire future could possibly be avoided in West Bengal, where some speculate that the Saradha financial scandal could go far in exposing Mamata Banerjees dangerous ties to Islamists who seek to wrest control of West Bengal from Hindus. If her government falls as a result, it could be the wake-up call needed to turn the current situation around. It could also serve as an example to other countries facing increasing Muslim immigration and increasing imposition of Muslim values on non-Muslims. Today, unquestionably serious cardiovascular, thrombotic and neurologic adverse events related to the vaccine have occurred around the world. The FDAs own vaccine adverse event tracking system (the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System or VAERS) shows substantial and serious risks from the vaccine, even though the FDA only collects an estimated 10% of all adverse events. Still, federal agencies and manufacturers arent officially warning the American public about these risks, despite having been privy to this information for almost a whole year. Why? Because it would counter the narrative that taking endless vaccines and boosters is your patriotic duty. Its pretty clear today there are both safety and efficacy problems with vaccines and boosters. Because all of the FDAs 18,000-plus employees had access to the same drug safety data we have, one must ask: Are Americans expected to believe that the $6.5 billion-per-year taxpayer-funded FDA lacks adequate funding to address all these public health issues? Not Fully Disclosing Safety Risks to Patients Violates Ethics and States Licensing Standards In order for a physician, pharmacist, and nurse, or anyone else with a clinical professional license to work at the FDA or CDC or any other public health agency, that person must have a current, active, full, and unrestricted license or registration from any state in the US. Not fully warning patients about the potential dangers from any drug before administering useless and potentially dangerous vaccines and boosters places these professionals licenses at risk, regardless of what the CDC, FDA, or White House says. Physicians, pharmacists, and nurses have always been held to a higher standard. They are expected to think for themselves rather than simply take orders. As the truth is elucidated about vaccine efficacy and safety, these federal employees and mRNA vaccine manufacturers who colluded to withhold information from the public will be held accountable, and the whole I was just following orders excuse will not cut it. Just keeping your head down and cruising through your job, handing out vaccines is not an option when it comes to the lives of your fellow Americans when licensures are held to a higher standard. Once you see a rash of early retirements of federal public health employees (with full federal benefits of course), expect the other shoe will drop and starker evidence of clear malfeasance will come to light. When that happens, the licensed practitioners and scientists responsible for withholding vital health information from the public should be thoroughly investigated by their academic boards and licensing authorities. Taxpayer-Funded Agency Missions are Being Ignored Separate from that, not speaking out appears to directly violate the Federal Public Health Vision, Mission and Values regarding its very specific obligations and, specifically, relating to sections labeled public health and accountability and communication. Their silence also contradicts the FDA motto, which is to assure that: All food is safe; all medical products are safe and effective; and the public health is advanced and protected. The CDC motto pledges to Base all public health decisions on the highest quality scientific data that is derived openly and objectively. And you know our federal government has jumped the shark on dishonesty when even the unmistakably liberal New York Times expresses outrage at the CDCs deliberate omission about mRNA efficacy and safety data. FDA and CDC Still Pushing the Original, Ineffective COVID-19 Vaccine In fact, FDA and CDC officials are still pushing a potentially unsafe and seemingly ineffective COVID-19 vaccine by purposely hiding facts from the public. The original strain of COVID-19 has been replaced by mutations. Continuing to promote the original vaccine for the mutated strain of COVD-19 is akin to promoting last years flu vaccine for this years flu strain. The original, Wuhan, China version of COVID -19 doesnt exist today. But that hasnt stopped the FDA or the CDC: Just look at an archived image of todays screenshot of the FDA website still pushing boosters onto the American public and even showing images of kids and young adults with bandages from their latest vaccination and/or boosters, despite the latest CDC data saying that there is essentially no benefit in those younger groups. The same nonsense can be seen on an archived image of the CDCs vaccines.gov website from today: Future CDC and FDA Accountability No scientific accountability will ever take place under the existing leadership. It will likely take a combination of courageous whistleblowers, a strong President who actually believe in following the science, and an assertive new Congress to call the necessary hearings and issue the necessary subpoenas to uncover the many CDC and FDA civil and executive service malefactors who, along with Anthony Fauci, have taken the American people for fools. These outrageously political, manipulative, science-ignoring federal officials must be held accountable . Of course, nothing will happen to them while the Biden-Harris administration controls the White House and its pliant allies control Congress. Even worse: If the republicans somehow gain control again, will anyone other than Sen. Ron Johnson do anything to hold CDC and FDA officials accountable? Or will they just again reach across the aisle and try to find a middle ground and play the whole go along to get along game and conform to general expectations so as not to disrupt or endanger their elected offices, university club memberships, and general belonging as they have done historically? Its hard to stay optimistic about the odds. Dr. David Gortler is a pharmacologist, pharmacist, and an FDA and healthcare policy oversight fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center in Washington DC. He was a professor of pharmacology and biotechnology at the Yale University School of Medicine, where he also served at Yales Bioethics Center, and was an FDA medical officer who was later appointed by the White House as senior advisor to the FDA commissioner for drug safety, FDA science policy, and FDA regulatory affairs. He is a columnist at Forbes , where he writes on drug safety, health care and FDA policy. Note: Dr. Gortler will be working with us in the future to update a list from January identifying athletes who have died after receiving COVID vaccinations or boosters. You may want to bookmark it for future reference. The cancel culture war has got out of control on many levels and must be checked. At an academic level, Nigel Biggar, Anglican priest and professor of theology at Oxford University, was victimized for wanting to tell the whole story of British history. He had argued that there were bad, racist, bits of that history, but these did mean endemic or systemic racism. Since the slave trade was abolished in 1807 the British Empire may have been colonialist but was engaged in suppressing slavery. Increasingly, literary figures have been targeted by bigoted wokery. Only a few examples are needed to illustrate this. Sir Philip Pullman, author of His Dark Materials resigned from his position as President of the Society of Authors because he had been the subject of a considerable row for defending Kate Clanchy, whose work was accused of racial and ableist stereotyping. Pullman realized he would not be free to express his personal opinions as long as he remained president. In her book Some Kids I Taught and What They Taught Me, Clanchy had included alleged racist tropes such as chocolate colored skin and almond shaped eyes, and her descriptions of children of color and of autistic children were widely condemned. Pullman later commented that those who condemn a book without reading it will find a comfortable home in ISIS or the Taliban. Author J.K. Rowling was criticized for defending womens rights against transgender militants, and other writers and speakers have been vilified for expression of concern over erosion of womens rights by the transgender activists. Among the authors whose books have been banned are Harper Lee, author of To Kill a Mockingbird, Toni Morrison, author of The Bluest Eye. The writer Anne Tyler commented that misdeeds or crimes of writers should not lead to removal of their works. Controversially, she compared this to the case of Paul Gauguin who had sex and fathered children with underage girls: despite this his paintings continue to be exhibited. Authors, she said, should receive the same treatment. A powerful counterargument against cancel culture appeared in an Open Letter in Harpers on July 7, 2020, protesting against the tendency to subject norms of open debate and toleration of differences in favor of ideological conformity. The letter was, as one of the authors stated, resistance to a poisonous judgmentalism that has demoted, shunned, and personally, vilified anyone who opposes liberal opinion. So called higher education is no different. Students at Yale Law school disrupted speakers at a March 10, 2022 panel on civil liberties hosted by the Yale Federalist Society, and featured two women speakers, one progressive and one conservative. The students heckled and shouted, and the speakers had to be escorted by police for their safety. Senior Judge Laurence Silberman of the Court of Appeals for the D.C. circuit commented on the dispute, saying that federal judges should carefully consider whether any student who disrupts a panel discussion on free speech should be disqualified for a potential clerkship. Even cancel culture has consequences. But help is on the way. The Church Court of Jesus College, Cambridge, has refused the demand by the Master of the College, Sonita Alleyne, and members of the college to remove the memorial to 17th-century benefactor Tobias Rustat, a generous donor to the college, over his links to the slave trade. Rustat was a courtier of King Charles II, and a major benefactor to Cambridge University. It is now evident that his investment in the transatlantic slave trade has been exaggerated because it was relatively small, and most of his wealth came from his work for the king. Indeed, he had lost money in the slave trade investment. Moreover, he made his donations with money made elsewhere than the slave trade. The critics wanted the memorial, which is on the wall above the chapel altar, removed and put in a space elsewhere. The case was heard by a judge specially appointed by the local bishop because the memorial is housed in a historic building and ecclesiastical environment, those opposed to removal argued that the college was assaulting carefully selected aspects of its past. The judge David Hogue called the slave trade evil, utterly abhorrent and repugnant, but it is a distorted view to hold that British society is based on the legacy of the slave trade. The words in the Rustat monument are pertinent; the greatest part of the estate he gathered... he disposed of it in his time in works of charity. The monument is a memorial to philanthropy, not to slavery. Other voices are expressing their opinion that the time for cancel culture is over, The British minister of justice and deputy prime minister Dominic Raab warned on March 24, 2022 that the parameters of free speech and democratic debate are being whittled away, whether by the privacy issue or by wokery and political correctness. Free speech should be given a different, dominant, status in the pecking order of rights. We must, he argued, strengthen free speech, the liberty that guards all of our other freedoms. Raab proposed that free speech will in the UK be given legal supremacy, a triumph card, over other rights. In balancing rights, the great overriding importance and weight is attached to free speech. The Human Rights Act 1998 was passed to enable UK citizens to be able to rely on rights in the European Convention on human rights in cases before the domestic courts. It sets out a series of fundamental rights starting with the right to life, and continuing with freedom from slavery and torture, the right to a fair trial, and freedom of thought., expression, belief, and religion. Article 9 of the act states that freedom to manifest one s religion or beliefs shall be subject only to such limitations as are prescribed by law and are necessary in a democratic society in the interests of public safety, for the protection of public order, health, or morals, or for the protection of the rights and freedom of others. Some of the rationale for the British proposal stems from decision of the British Court of Appeal in December 2021 in favor of Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex on her claim against the Daily Mail for copyright infringement by publishing extracts of her 2018 handwritten letter to her father, in essence misuse of private information. The court held that Markle had a reasonable expectation of privacy in the contents of the letter which were personal, private, and not matters of legitimate public interest. The case will be appealed to the UK Supreme Court. The precise British proposal is to replace the Human Rights Act with a new Bill of Rights. The premise is that in the balance between the right to free speech and the right to privacy or other rights, the overriding importance should be given to free speech. The new plan will allow UK courts to interpret European and international human rights law in a UK context. The new bill will protect media freedom but free speech will have a triumph card status among the wide range of issues. The intention is that there would be only very limited restrictions on proposed restrictions of free speech, such as that promoting terrorism, inciting violence, or threatening children. All reasonable people should strive to end the narrow, misguided form of moral judgment that has led to a climate of falsification and self-censorship. Image: Newtown grafitti Back in 2020 Joe Biden said he was running to save the world from Climate Change and Systemic Racism. Hows that coming along Joey? What? Cant hear you down in the basement! What? Youre too busy saving the world from Putin? O-Kay. Climate Change is the way the global elite proves to you that they are saving you from a fate worse than death. Fighting Climate Change gives their lives meaning, like Maurice Strong, the Canadian who went from oilman to environmental wacko and founder of the UN Environment Programme and saving the world. Systemic Racism is the way that our nations elite deals with the fact that its rule of the last 100 years has Made Things Worse: for the white working class, for blacks, and for women -- gays and transgenders next up. But that cant be true. It just cant! So everything our elite is doing today, from de-policing our neighborhoods to de-grading our schools, to automatic bail for everyone except armed insurrectionists, is about convincing themselves that its all the fault of the enemy, malevolent white supremacists. And Its Not Our Fault. I dont know about you but I consider Climate Change a recipe for economic disaster and I consider Systemic Racism a crime against humanity. But how do we make it stop? The simple answer is: we cant, because We the People dont get a voice. I just read a piece quoting our noble Secretary of the Treasury Janet Yellen saying -- even now -- that we are not doing enough on fighting Climate Change. See? The usual suspects are still repeating the Climate Change narrative as though nothing had happened and we arent in the middle of a serious energy crisis because of the convergence of Russia-Ukraine and the German Energiewende. And you dont get to disrupt Yellens narrative because you arent a student at Yale Law School with an unlimited Protest Pass from teacher. Hey even Jim Geraghty at National Review is into climate change, because cracking building foundations in the melting permafrost in Russia. But if the Climate does Change, I vote for Elon Musk -- using his unrealized gains from SpaceX -- rather than Maurice Strong and his adepts to show us how to adapt to a changed world. What? President Biden wants to tax billionaire unrealized gains? And we dont get a voice on Systemic Racism. Dont you dare say a word against the highly-qualified Kentanji Brown Jackson, because you are not a biologist. Dont you dare sympathize with police trying to arrest drugged-out criminals, because you are not a police violence specialist. Dont you dare kick the homeless out of our parks and sidewalks, because you are not a marginalized people expert. Dont you dare kick disruptive kids out of school; you dont understand their lived experience. Right now, the British opinion site UnHerd.com is writing about The Fall of Seattle and how the police are totally demoralized and longtime small businesses [are] closing their doors for good or leaving our city. But I live in liberal North Seattle and the Biden-Harris signs are still out, the BLM signs are still out, the #WeBelieve signs are still out and tech-dads are taking their 18-month-olds out on the sidewalk for a first look at the neighborhood and nice liberal ladies are still voting Democrat. You think Seattle liberals will ever vote for change? Did the blacks ever stop voting Democrat as the city of Detroit descended into Hell? In other words, neither the over or the under in the Democrats political coalition can imagine a world outside the narrative. And it doesnt matter what the narrative is. One year its civil rights. Another year its womens rights. This year its trans rights and its dont say gay if you dont toe the line. So we just have to work around them. Even though we arent allowed a voice. We want a better America. Its an America where ordinary middle-class values are at the center: work, marriage, family, children, and a home of your own. Oh, you can be a noble activist if you want, or get creative with sex if you must, but dont expect us to celebrate you and put you on a pedestal. And you can be a helpless victim, if thats your thing. But remember that almost every immigrant group that came to America came from a bad place. Almost everyone started out as a second-class citizen, sneered at for their lack of skills, their dirty habits, and above all, their difference. Then they just sucked it in, and made America their own. You could too. Thats the point about America. Its up to each of us to make it our own. Whatever stupidity our educated elite gets up to next week. Christopher Chantrill @chrischantrill runs the go-to site on US government finances, usgovernmentspending.com. Also get his American Manifesto and his Road to the Middle Class. Image: PxHere As every media outlet in the world reported last week, Joe Biden said three remarkable things: that America's military would be heading into Ukraine, that it was possible America would use chemical weapons, and that Putin needed to be removed from power, which presumably was either a call for Putin's assassination or for regime change (which Putin probably wouldn't survive). In each case, the White House went into emergency damage control. Now, though, Biden denies saying any one of those things. Is this a broken brain or his usual narcissistic dishonesty? One of the coolest things about malignant narcissism, if you happen to be the narcissist, is that you never tell a lie. It's possible other people might perceive you as lying or even accuse you of lying, but the fact is that you never lie and you have the passed lie detector tests to prove it. You see, the deal about being a malignant narcissist is that there is only one truth: yours. Whatever you need to say at any given moment, either to achieve an advantage or to protect yourself, instantly becomes the one, the only, the absolute truth. That's the world in which Biden, a compulsive liar, has always existed. However, when he was one senator among many especially among many who shared the same trait his chronic lying was less obvious. For most people, it first burst into view during his 1987 run for the presidency, when he told a series of lies about his educational abilities and plagiarized a speech from a British politician. After that, "Joe Biden lies" was a known fact, but most people ignored it. All politicians lie, they would say. As president, though, especially one who presents as slowly losing his marbles, it's harder for Biden's flacks in and out of the media to hide the fact that Joe always and only tells his own truth, with no concern for whether it aligns with objective facts. That's how you end up with this amazing dialogue between Joe Biden and Fox's Peter Doocy: DOOCY: Are you worried that other leaders in the world are going to start to doubt that America is back if some of these big things that you say on the world stage keep getting walked back? BIDEN: What's getting walked back? DOOCY: It may sound like, just in the last couple days it sounded like you told U.S. troops they were going Ukraine. It sounded like you said it was possible the U.S. would use a chemical weapon. And it sounded like you were calling for regime change in Russia and we know BIDEN: None of the three occurred. DOOCY: None of the three occurred? BIDEN: None of the three. You interpret the language that way. Biden then contends that his talk about troops going into Ukraine was really about troops staying in Poland to train Ukraine fighters. That doesn't explain his saying they'd see brave women stand up to Russian tanks. If there are Russian tanks in Poland, we've got a whole new set of problems. So that's a lie. On the subject of chemical weapons, other than saying that, should Russia use such weapons, there'd be a significant response, Biden said he wasn't going to tell Peter Doocy anything. Last week, though, he said America would "deliver a response in kind." Maybe he meant a kind response... Today in a disaster of a press conference, Joe Biden played dumb about his administration's scramble to walk back several of his own comments. BIDEN: "NONE of the three occurred!" Roll the tape. pic.twitter.com/kNnRBlbObr Townhall.com (@townhallcom) March 28, 2022 Biden sounded convincing as he told those lies, something that was probably helped along by the cheat sheets clutched in his hand: Sadly, yes, this is real https://t.co/PAsKS1LA0Z Jake Schneider (@jacobkschneider) March 29, 2022 Malignant narcissist or demented? I'm inclined to believe that it's mostly the former with a touch of the latter. But who cares what I think? What matters is how the world's nuclear-armed evil actors are sizing up the man in the White House. If they were religiously inclined, they might say of him, "You have been weighed and found wanting." Image: Biden lies. Twitter screen grab. Sunday's Oscars award ceremony broke new ground with a physical assault on Chris Rock by Will Smith, in an incident whose details are now well known by practically everyone in the English-speaking world. Immediately after, Sean "Puffy" Combs tried to play it off as a mere squabble among the pretties in Hollywood. "Okay, Will and Chris, we're going to solve that like family at the Gold Party, but right now we're moving on with love." Smith later won Best Actor for his turn in King Richard, but outside Hollywood, who cares? He cried through an apology about the incident during his speech, but who cares about that, either? I won't delve into the details of their sordid personal affairs more than to say that there may be reason for Smith to be sensitive and angry when it comes to other men either disrespecting or giving attention to his wife. But here's what we can anticipate, given the facts available. Will Smith will apologize to Chris Rock again in private. This private apology will be made public, and Rock will be pressured by his agent and others in Hollywood to make nice and accept Smith's apology. But Chris Rock has a duty, not only to himself, but to comedy as an institution, to do nothing short of prosecuting Will Smith to the fullest extent of the law. In this scenario, Chris Rock represents comedy. Comedy is nonpartisan. It holds no allegiances to the political flavors of the month, year, or generation, and it challenges the status quo wherever that's needed. See Richard Pryor; George Carlin; and the long list of legends that have come before Chris Rock, who is a legend by his own right. As Mel Brooks once said, great risks are a requirement of great comedy. "Comedy," he says, "is the lecherous little elf whispering in the king's ear, always telling the truth about human behavior." In the same sense, Will Smith now represents Hollywood and the cultural status quo. In that status quo, men and women are equal and should be treated equally. But also, according to that status quo, you can make fun of a bald man for being bald and it's hilarious, but you cannot make fun of a bald woman without expecting to be physically assaulted by her husband if he happens to be in the audience and finds it offensive. You can expect a lot of equivocation over this incident "Chris Rock had it coming" or "both parties acted wrongly." But those assertions are lies. Chris Rock has absolutely nothing to apologize for. He simply told a joke. To put it even simpler, he just said something, and he was physically assaulted for his having done so. Will Smith assaulted another person for saying something that he didn't like. Discerning right and wrong in this instance couldn't be simpler for a healthy society. What precedent will we set if Will Smith gets away with this without significant and meaningful legal penalties? Justice is not only about retribution, but about deterrence. If we simply conclude that Smith shouldn't have slapped him, sure, but Rock also shouldn't have told a joke that Smith didn't like in some sort of evenly applied culpability, then where are we? We'll continue to be in the place where we are. Where certain people can be ridiculed and others can't be ridiculed based upon their social position. And that is a place where comedy can no longer exist in any meaningful sense, just as it doesn't exist anymore on late-night television, where this rule is strictly followed. Chris Rock didn't ask for it, but he's in a unique position to be a hero and to shape the immediate future of comedy in this country. Allow me to be clear. Comedy cannot die. Comedy will always exist, because it's a requirement of the human condition. But the best comedy requires fertile ground for growth, and free speech provides that. In the Eastern Bloc in the Soviet days, the best jokes were told quietly across the table at lunch for fear of reprisal by the status quo. In America, the best jokes were showcased loudly enough on television and elsewhere for the status quo to both hear and fear. Again, the joke told by Chris Rock was innocuous. It could have been told by Jerry Seinfeld, Dave Chapelle, Bill Burr, or any of their counterparts willing to take a chance in order to be funny. If Chris Rock concedes without pressing charges, he is conceding something greater than that slap he endured from a childish Will Smith. Photo credit: Twitter video screen grab. Most people know about Amazon's Alexa because there was a great deal of fanfare when the device, which listens to everything you say, answers your questions, and controls your home appliances, first appeared on the market. Less well known is Google's "Home" pod, a little gray mushroom of a thing that does much the same. However, it appears that the Home pod may have a blind spot: Donald Trump. A video has emerged that purports to show the Home pod device incapable of answering a simple question: who is Donald Trump? The video's focus is a little gray Google "pod." The man holding the camera explains that, while his Google device knows a whole lot about many things, she has an unexpected blind spot: Trump. The man asks a series of "Hey, Google," questions. "Hey, Google, who is Barack Obama?" "Hey, Google, who is Hillary Clinton?" "Hey, Google, who is Nancy Pelosi?" In each case, the Google pod responds by referencing Wikipedia ("According to Wikipedia...") and then starts to read off from the Wikipedia article. It's different, though, when the question is about Donald Trump: "Hey, Google, who is Donald Trump?" "Sorry, I don't have general information about Donald Trump but I might know some specifics if you ask." "Hey, Google, is Donald Trump the president?" "My apologies. I don't understand." "Hey, Google, was Donald Trump the president?" "I'm sorry. I didn't understand." "Hey, Google, was Donald Trump the 45th president?" "I don't understand." "Hey, Google, was George W. Bush the 43rd president?" "According to Wikipedia, George Walker Bush," and off she goes with the full spiel. "Hey, Google, who was the 45th president of the United States?" "On the website TrumpWhiteHouse.archives.gov, they say, 'Trump is the 45th president of the United States'..." And then the man double-checks to make sure that Google hadn't just been confused earlier. "Hey, Google, who is Donald Trump?" "Sorry, I don't have general information about Donald Trump but I might know some specifics if you ask." "Hey, Google, who is Donald J. Trump?" "Sorry, I don't have general information about Donald Trump but I might know some specifics if you ask." The man concludes that Google is suppressing information, and it's obvious. The video seems legitimate, but, frankly, I have no way of knowing whether it is or isn't. I've never seen Google Home in action before. However, reaching back to the Bush years, I'm reminded of that classic expression "fake but accurate," meaning that it doesn't matter if something is fake if it fits into our preconceived notions of reality. In this case, we've seen that the Democrats have been frantically engaging in what the Romans called "damnatio memoriae" that is, the "condemnation of memory" or the erasure of someone from history. The first thing Biden did when he entered the White House was to reverse every Trump executive order he could. Just last week, he relieved China of the tariff burdens Trump had imposed in order to help Americans. The January 6 commission's existence is an effort to prove that Trump is an "insurrectionist" who cannot run for office because of Section 3 of the 14th Amendment, which barred "insurrectionists" from serving in the federal government. The insurrection to which that referred was the Civil War, which killed 600,000 combatants. Even if it hadn't been done away with under the Amnesty Act of 1878, it was not meant to cover a protest at the Capitol during which the Capitol police murdered one, and possibly even two, innocent women. The entire Democrat party and no small number of RINOs want to erase Trump from America's collective memory. That's why it's easy to believe that Google, a company that is open about its leftism, would program its home device to play dumb when Trump's name is mentioned. Image: Google Home pod. Rumble screen grab. What would the late Casey Stengel say about President Biden? I think that he'd look at the president and say this: "Been in this game one-hundred years, but I see new ways to lose 'em I never knew existed before." The great Casey was talking about his 1962 Mets, who lost 120 games in their first season. They were so bad that the country fell in love with them, from Choo-Choo Coleman behind the plate to Elio Chacon at short. I'd bet you had not heard those names in a long time. Save this post for your next Trivial Pursuit game! President Biden is really bad, too, but no one is falling in love with him. It certainly does feel that way after President Biden visited Europe last week. This is from Brandon J Weichert: A man notorious for his inopportune gaffes, Biden went before a group of US Army personnel stationed in Poland and told the 82nd Airborne that they were heading over to Ukraine. From there, Biden went to the nation's capital Warsaw and, supposedly breaking away from his carefully scripted remarks, burbled on about how Vladimir Putin's reign of terror in Moscow needed to end. Maybe he said something else, too. It was a gaffe a second! What we are watching in President Biden's performance should not shock anyone. I guess this is why they hid the candidate during the campaign. It was "keep him in the basement" and blame it on COVID. Image: Biden in Warsaw (edited). YouTube screen grab. The staff knew that their candidate was a wrecking ball if he ever had to answer a question. So it was "tell them you're not Trump," and the media will fall for it 1,000%! And to their shame, they did! Eighty-one million voted for Biden because they wanted to calm things down. Too "many mean tweets" or fights with reporters were unpresidential, as they used to lecture us. Yes, President Trump was undisciplined and fought too much with talk show hosts with small audiences. But he kept gasoline prices down, and the border was under control. They hated him in Europe, but that's only because he kept reminding the NATO allies to pay their dues. The 1962 Mets found a way to lose 75% of their games. Casey once said his team had to stay out of triple plays. I think Casey would tell President Biden to stay away from microphones and spend more time in Delaware. PS: Click for my videos and podcasts at Canto Talk. Last week, new unsealed indictments from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) disclosed what many leading experts had already known that the United States' critical infrastructure is in danger. Indictments handed down showed that four employees of the Russian government were charged for their roles in what was referred to as two "historical hacking campaigns" targeting critical infrastructure, not only in the U.S., but also worldwide. In addition, the new indictments explained how the defendants targeted both the software and hardware that controls infrastructure-related operational technology systems, and that the men were running an operation that was "attempting, supporting and conducting computer intrusions that together, in two separate conspiracies, targeted the global energy sector between 2012 and 2018." The indictments should not come as much of a shock to those paying attention to global cyber-war, but there were details of these indictments that were eyebrow-raising. To begin with, despite the recent enhanced cooperation between Russia and China, the indictment reveals that Russia had hacked Chinese infrastructure. That alone should be enough to call into question Beijing's support of the Kremlin, as Putin's Russia set forth attacks on every major global power. Whether or not China can trust Russia in light of this startling revelation is something that should be considered, as an unhinged Putin is seemingly continuing to make strategic miscalculations while the Russian body count continues to be understated. And by supporting Russia during this unpopular invasion of Ukraine, the Chinese government may want to rethink possibly picking a fight with the rest of the world over Putin's obsession to retake Ukraine for seemingly selfish reasons related to his belief in the historical significance of the country to the dictator's beloved Russia. The new indictments also reveal that Russia attacked a number of both European Union (E.U.) and NATO countries. The first indictment, The U.S. v. Evgeny Viktorovich Gladkikh, states that the defendant installed backdoors in an effort to distribute Triton malware, a strain of malware designed to compromise the industrial control systems (ICS) of energy refineries and cause them to operate in an unsafe manner. The indictment claims that this was to grant "the defendant and his co-conspirators the ability to cause damage to the refinery, injury to anyone nearby, and economic harm." The other indictment also claims that an attempt was made to manipulate ICS or Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) systems. In this indictment, Russian hackers Pavel Aleksandrovich Akulov, Mikhail Mikhailovich Gavrilov, and Marat Valeryevich Tyukov, members of the Federal Security Service (FSB)'s Center 16, coordinated supply chain attacks in the effort to further the Russian government's attempts to "maintain surreptitious, unauthorized and persistent access to the computer networks of companies and organizations in the international energy sector, including oil and gas firms, nuclear power plants, and utility and power transmission companies." These attacks are different from the kind that Americans are more familiar with, including the 2021 Colonial Pipeline and JBS Foods attacks targeting the east coast of the U.S.'s fuel supply and the country's meat supply chains, respectively. Those attacks were carried out by state-sponsored Advanced Persistent Threat (APT) gangs that are affiliated with the Kremlin. These groups used ransomware to demand millions in payments from the victims. These kinds of attacks continue regularly but were seeking merely to cause a temporary halt to operations, versus the widespread destruction that is possible when attacking SCADA or ICS systems. There is seemingly no immediate end to the Ukraine war in sight, and a determined Russia will likely continue to initiate cyber-attacks against the West. With Joe Biden's commentary that Putin "cannot remain in power," America, as well as the West in general, needs to brace for 2022 to be the most devastating year of hacking in human history. Julio Rivera is a business and political strategist, the Editorial Director for Reactionary Times, and a political commentator and columnist. His writing, which is focused on cyber-security and politics, has been published by numerous websites, and he is regularly seen on national and international news programming. Image: Pixabay, Pixabay License. Congress created the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) in 1934 to prevent another stock market crash like the one in October 1929 that plunged America into the Great Depression. The SEC has a very simple mission: "Protect Investors; Maintain fair, orderly, and efficient markets; Facilitate capital formation." Last week, however, the SEC's commissioners floated the idea of giving themselves a new power, one that Congress never contemplated: forcing America's publicly traded companies to change their business practices to fight climate change. While it's questionable what woke companies will do, what they ought to do is push back on the ground that the SEC lacks the authority to make such a demand. The SEC itself fully understands what its role is. It even has a web page headlined "The Role of the SEC." It was on that page that I found the mission statement I quoted above. On the same page, the SEC explains Congress's goal in creating the SEC: When the stock market crashed in October 1929, so did public confidence in the U.S. markets. Congress held hearings to identify the problems and search for solutions. Based on its findings, Congress in the peak year of the Depression passed the Securities Act of 1933. The following year, it passed the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, which created the SEC. The main purposes of these laws can be reduced to two common-sense notions: Companies offering securities for sale to the public must tell the truth about their business, the securities they are selling, and the risks involved in investing in those securities. Those who sell and trade securities brokers, dealers, and exchanges must treat investors fairly and honestly. The proposed SEC rule, per the SEC's press release, would require registrants to include certain climate-related disclosures in their registration statements and periodic reports, including information about climate-related risks that are reasonably likely to have a material impact on their business, results of operations, or financial condition, and certain climate-related financial statement metrics in a note to their audited financial statements. The required information about climate-related risks also would include disclosure of a registrant's greenhouse gas emissions, which have become a commonly used metric to assess a registrant's exposure to such risks. SEC chair Gary Gensler claims that this rule would "provide investors with consistent, comparable, and decision-useful information for making their investment decisions." In other words, it's just information... But of course, it isn't just information. These disclosures are intended to force companies, for fear of public shaming in a woke world, to change their business practices in costly and ineffective ways to fight chimerical climate change, an all-purpose Marxist idea aimed at shifting total economic control to the government. Image: SEC Office by D Ramey Logan. CC BY 4.0. Forcing companies to change their business practices is not under the SEC's mandate. Its role is to ensure only that companies don't lie about their freely chosen business practices: what they're doing, the nature of the securities they're selling on the stock market, and the risks involved. That's it. That's the SEC's mandate. If companies want to boast about their climate change practices, they're free to do so. However, there is nothing in the Securities and Exchange Act, or any of its amendments, that gives the SEC the power to force such practices. The problem is that our congresspeople are so gosh-darned lazy. We know that they don't read the bills they pass because, in the last several years, they've repeatedly passed zillion-page bills that they clearly could not have and did not read. Moreover, many of these bills come directly from lobbyists without any contribution from the people's representatives. Perhaps even more egregiously, Congress is perfectly happy to let the Executive Branch (all those federal agencies) pass regulations that have the effect of laws, which is highly unconstitutional. And for more than 200 years, ever since John Marshall arrogated to the Supreme Court the unconstitutional authority to decide what's constitutional and what isn't, Congress has allowed the Supreme Court to run roughshod over it, giving nine unelected, increasingly radical, arrogant, and ill informed people the most powerful roles in America. If the Republicans manage to take Congress, they need to walk back all the unconstitutional powers federal agencies have taken for themselves, something that can probably best be done by cutting their budgets by 50% or more. Last Friday, Joe Biden visited Poland to address the current conflict between Ukraine and Russia. During a briefing, Biden designated Putin a "war criminal," echoing the sentiment of the U.S. Department of State and Secretary Blinken. According to the official press release, "[b]ased on information currently available, the U.S. government assesses that members of Russia's forces have committed war crimes in Ukraine. Our assessment is based on a careful review of available information from public and intelligence sources." Then, just one day later, on March 26, graphic and distressing video emerged depicting the alleged torture of Russian troops at the hands of Ukrainian forces. The footage seemingly shows captured members of the Russian military emerging from a van while handcuffed, only to be shot in the legs a moment later. Subsequent video reveals that the prisoners are then beaten by their captors. (WARNING, GRAPHIC VIDEO) It might give the impression that the Russian military were captured after having been wounded. But that's not the case. At the end of the video, we can see Ukrainian soldiers shooting all the newly arrived prisoners through their legs.#WarCrimes pic.twitter.com/o7B7M1p2pG Maria Dubovikova (@politblogme) March 27, 2022 This damning video has some credibility because it comes on the heels of a Ukrainian doctor claiming he gave an order for all wounded Russian POWs to be castrated. In an interview broadcast on Ukrainian television, Gennadiy Druzenko said, "I have always been a great humanist and said that if a man is wounded, he is no longer an enemy but a patient. But now [I gave] very strict orders to castrate all [captured Russian] men, because they are cockroaches, not people." If the events in the videos and Druzenko's admissions prove to be true, then the Ukrainian government, under President Zelensky, is guilty of facilitating war crimes. So why hasn't Joe Biden decried these atrocities? In fact, has any world leader condemned the abuses? Not to my knowledge, and I don't presume they will. Although the Transparency International Corruption Perceptions Index in 2021 ranked Ukraine 122 out of the 180 listed countries (more corrupt than nearly 70% of the listed nations), several of the most influential powerhouses in the world stand united in their approach to Ukraine. Global politicians, establishment media, and Hollywood all agree: Zelensky is a star. On Wednesday, March 16, Zelensky addressed the lawmakers of Congress via video call. Zelensky requested more of our hard-earned money (apparently, $13.6 billion wasn't enough), and, despite his government's notorious reputation for corruption, he received at least three standing ovations. Additionally, according to The New York Post, "Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has been in talks with the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to make a video appearance during Sunday's broadcast of the Academy Awards." One might expect a "hero" like Zelensky to desire to get to the bottom of the heinous brutalities that allegedly happened at the hands of his soldiers but, apparently, celebrations of Hollywood's narcissists take precedence. "In today's America, if you're a leftist, you're perpetually above reproach." Well, apparently, this truth extends to the rest of the world, too. Seeing as the greatest offenders of civil liberties and unalienable rights in America (the leftists) stand with Zelensky, it's unlikely that Biden will chastise one of his own. Image: Alleged Russian POWs. Twitter screen grab. Chris Rock almost made the Oscars worth watching. Almost. Rock declined to press charges, but that doesn't necessarily mean that the matter has been resolved. According to California law, prosecutors are responsible for holding guilty people accountable for their actions and an obligation to pursue justice despite influence from the alleged victim or the community. The prosecutor can consider factors including whether the victim is cooperative or not, but that should not be the determining factor on filing criminal charges. The decision should ultimately rest on whether there is evidence that a crime has been committed and whether the case can be proved in court. The only factor that should matter is the first, but pragmatism requires the second. If there is little or no hope of ever attaining a conviction, there is no point in wasting time and money taking an unwinnable case to trial. Naturally, House representatives Ayanna Pressley and Jamaal Bowman announced their support for Will Smith on Twitter before apparently realizing they had just endorsed violence and deleted their tweets. Bowman's staff took responsibility for his tweet and explained they thought the altercation at the Oscars had been staged, but Pressley didn't say anything. She just pretended the whole thing never happened. Is the Will Smith prosecution unwinnable? It certainly shouldn't be. There were thousands of live witnesses in the audience and millions more on television. It should be simple for police to have a warrant issued for the show script. Unless there is a scene where Will Smith is supposed to charge Chris Rock on stage and slap his face, Smith should be charged with battery. Of course, that will never happen, because this is Hollywood and Black Lives Matter. L.A. district attorney George Gascon is nothing but a George Soros puppet. He's incredibly soft on violent black criminals, so there's no danger he would ever dream of prosecuting a violent black celebrity criminal. Chris Rock could be screaming for prosecution of Will Smith at the top of his lungs, and it wouldn't make any difference. Will Smith is part of the protected class of elitists with incredible power to shape opinions and influence behavior. Will Smith can basically confess to being a cuckold to a tabloid newspaper and bizarrely become apoplectic with rage over an innocuous joke about his wife's lack of hair and have a very public meltdown, yet no one will lift a finger against him. Of course, if Smith identified as a Republican or (worse) a conservative Christian, the outcome of this case would be dramatically different. He'd be looking at life in prison without the possibility of parole. John Leonard is a freelance writer and author of six books, including Divine Evolution and Counterargument for God. His next book, titled The God Conclusion, is scheduled for release in late summer. He may be contacted via his website at southernprose.com. The Wright brothers are generally considered to be the inventors of flight, but in Brazil, it is their son of the soil Alberto Santos-Dumont who is widely celebrated as the father of aviation. But why is that so? The flight of the Santos-Dumont 14-bis on the cover of Le Petit Journal, 25 November 1906. Who was Alberto Santos-Dumont? Alberto Santos-Dumont was born in 1873 to a wealthy Brazilian coffee magnate. From his early childhood, Santos had a great love for mechanical things. He drove the farm's locomotives, observed the coffee machines on the plantation, and made repairs while still a child. At night, he would lose himself in the fictional adventures of Jules Verne. Vernes stories planted in him a desire to conquer the air, and he began imagining and building little mechanical devices such as kites and small airplanes powered by a propeller driven by twisted rubber springs. When he was 15, Santos saw his first human-powered flight in Sao Paulo where an aeronaut ascended in a spherical balloon and parachuted down. Ten years later, Santos made his first balloon ascent in a rented balloon. In the following months, Santos began making his own balloons. The first one measured a mere 6 meters in diameter and weighed only 27 kilograms. It was the smallest aircraft ever built until then, yet, it flew more than two hundred times. When Santos turned a little older he turned his attention to dirigibles, replacing the heavy electric motors with a lightweight 3.5 horsepower internal combustion enginea first in aeronautics. Santos's dirigible was a huge breakthrough, capable of speeds of over 10 miles an hour. He made several flights in his flying machines earning him the prestigious Deutsch Prize. An airship designed by Alberto Santos-Dumont. In 1906, Santos-Dumont heard of the Wright brothers flight and decided that he wanted to build an airplane too. This resulted in 14-bis, an airplane which looked like a jumble of box kites. The plane was 4 meters tall, 10 meters long and had a span of 12 meters. It weighed nearly two hundred kilograms. The wings were attached to a beam, in front of which lay the rudder, consisting of a cell identical to those of the wings. At the rear end was the propeller, powered by a 50-horsepower Antoinette engine that was mounted at the extreme rear end of the fuselage. The entire plane was constructed from bamboo and pine joined by aluminium sockets and was covered with Japanese silk. On 13 September, the 14-bis made a 7-meter test flight. On 23 October, Santos-Dumont made another attempt, this time making a 60-meter flight. The flight had taken place solely by the aircraft's own means without taking advantage of headwinds, or using ramps, catapults, slopes, or other devices, and at the time it was the first such achievement. On November 12, he set the first aviation record in Europe, flying 220 meters in 21 seconds with members of the Aero-Club du France in attendance. This won Santos Dumont a prize of 1500 francs for making the first flight in Europe over 100 meters, and because he was observed by officials from what would become the Federation Aeronautique Internationale (the designated keeper of aviation records), he was credited with making the first powered flight in Europe. Santos-Dumont flew the 14-bis for one last time on 4 April 1907, before it crashed and was torn to pieces. Santos-Dumont 14-bis flies before an audience on 23 October 1906. Santos-Dumont discarded the 14-bis project and turned to monoplanes. His most successful creation, the Demoiselle, was capable of reaching up to 90 kilometers per hour. By the time the Wright brothers made their invention public, in 1908, Santos-Dumont had already retired and moved away from the events, possibly due to his ailing health. When the First World War broke out, and Santos-Dumont saw how violent aerial combats had become it broke his heart to see his dream turn into a nightmare. With his health worsening, Santos-Dumont returned back to Brazil in 1915. He died in 1932. The Santos-Dumont Demoiselle. The case for Alberto Santos-Dumont Many Brazilians believe that it was Alberto Santos-Dumont who made the first flight rather than the Wright brothers because Santos-Dumonts 14-bis could make unassisted takeoffs from the ground while the Wright brothers invention needed to be catapulted off the ground. By using launching rails, the Wrights were able to shave off a considerable distance required to build up speed for takeoff allowing them to be launched from unfavorable grounds. Additionally, the rail kept the airplane headed in the proper direction until the air was flowing over the control surfaces fast enough to give the pilot adequate control. Once off the ground, the Wrights airplanes behaved superiorly in the air, flying well above most treetops and making flights dozens of miles in distance. The 14-bis could take off from flat surfaces but it could barely fly above the heads of spectators and made shorts hops. It's worth noting that on December 31, 1908, Wilbur Wright made a record-breaking flight where he remained aloft for 2 hours, 18 minutes, and 33 seconds, winning the coveted Coupe de Michelin. Whereas, during his entire flying career, Santos-Dumont never remained airborne in one of his airplanes for more then 15 minutes. A Santos-Dumont 14-bis being moved along a street, probably at Bagatelle, France, in early September 1905, prior to a flight attempt. Another argument that Brazilians make to discredit the Wright brothers is that they always tested secretively and in secluded locations, therefore the dates of their tests can't be verified. Santos Dumont, on the other hand, was a great deal more outgoing that the Wright brothers and did everything out in the open. This anti-Wright brothers sentiment was prevalent in Europe right from the start. European newspapers, especially those in France, were openly derisive, calling them bluffeurs (bluffers). The Paris edition of the New York Herald wrote in an editorial on February 10, 1906: The Wrights have flown or they have not flown. They possess a machine or they do not possess one. They are in fact either fliers or liars. It is difficult to fly. It's easy to say, 'We have flown'. Faced with mounting skepticism, the Wright brothers organized their first public flight in Europe in 1908, at the Hunaudieres horse racing track near the town of Le Mans, France. Wilburs flight lasted only 1 minute 45 seconds, but his ability to effortlessly make banking turns and fly a circle amazed and stunned onlookers, including several pioneer French aviators. In the following days, Wilbur made a series of technically challenging flights, including figure-eights, demonstrating his skills as a pilot and the capability of his flying machine, which far surpassed those of all other pioneering aircraft and pilots of the day. The French public was thrilled by Wilbur's feats and flocked to the field by the thousands, and the Wright brothers instantly became world-famous. Those who doubted the Wright brothers issued apologies. Ernest Archdeacon, founder of the Aero-Club de France, who was publicly scornful of the brothers' claims admitted that he had done them an injustice. While Santos-Dumont remains an important contributor to the development of both lighter-than-air and heavier-than-air aircraft, he was not the first to develop and fly a practical airplane. However, in recognition of his achievements, the Aeroclub of France honored him with the construction of two monumentsthe first, in 1910, erected on the Bagatelle Gamefield, where he had flown the 14-bis, and the second, in 1913, in Saint-Cloud, to commemorate the flight of the airship No. 6, which occurred in 1901. Throughout his career, Santos-Dumont's image was printed on products, his panama hat and collar were replicated, his balloons were turned into toys, and confectioners paid homage to him with cigar-shaped cakes. After his death in 1932, the town of Palmira, in Minas Gerais was renamed to Santos-Dumont, and in 1936, Rio de Janeiro's first airport, Aeroporto do Rio de Janeiro-Santos Dumont, was named after him. Samsung has removed the Z branding from its foldable smartphones in some markets. The Galaxy Z Fold 3 and Galaxy Z Flip 3 are now listed as the Galaxy Fold 3 and Galaxy Flip 3 respectively on the companys official websites for Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia. It appears to be a fairly recent change as the URLs for the product pages for the two foldables still contain the Z branding. While many of you might prefer this Z-less naming scheme for Samsungs foldables, this likely isnt a permanent change. The Korean brand is probably dropping the letter Z in solidarity with the Ukrainian people, considering the markets where the name change is in effect. Oddly though, Samsungs official website for Ukraine still lists the two foldables as Galaxy Z Fold 3 and Galaxy Z Flip 3. But these listings could soon undergo a similar change as well. Of late, Z has become a symbol of the Russian armed forces involved in Russias invasion of Ukraine. As a result, the people of Ukraine and its neighboring countries wouldnt want to associate themselves with that symbol. In solidarity with this anti-Russia sentiment in the region, Samsung is now dropping the Z branding from its foldable smartphones. The Korean brand has already stopped selling products in Russia. It has also temporarily suspended operations at its TV factory in Kaluga, near Moscow, the capital city of Russia. Advertisement According to the noted tipster Ishan Agarwal, Samsung has already started printing new retail boxes for the Galaxy Fold 3 and Galaxy Flip 3. However, the company is doing this all silently. It hasnt said a word about this name change. But we might hear something from the Korean behemoth in the coming days. We wouldnt mind Samsung permanently removing the Z branding from its foldables While Samsung is removing the Z branding from its foldable smartphones in select countries for a cause, we wouldnt mind if it does so permanently, and globally. We know the company wants to streamline its foldable offerings under the Z umbrella, but two different foldable series Fold and Flip would simplify things for consumers. That said, the Korean behemoth surely knows its marketing game better than we do. Samsung is reportedly preparing to introduce a third foldable series this year. It could be the slidable/rollable smartphone that the company showcased at CES 2022 in January. The new device may feature the Galaxy Z Flex branding. Exciting times are ahead in the foldable smartphone industry. ROME - Migrants intercepted at sea and taken back to Libya are detained and subjected to lengthy periods in which torture is practiced systematically, according to a new report by the UN that will be placed before the attention of the Human Rights Council on Wednesday in Geneva. Since October, the report states, thousands of people that have tried to cross the sea and that have been taken back to Libya live in "inhuman conditions", and are systematically tortured, raped or threatened with rape, and sometimes killed. The inquiry by the UN body notes recent evidence that shows that torture is used repeatedly and in a continuous fashion against detainees. This includes official detention facilities and sites managed by militias that act under the aegis of the Libyan state. Many of the prisons that were previously declared closed instead are still operating secretly and UN representatives have underscored that in many cases the authorities have not implemented orders to release the detainees. The fact-finding mission was created by the United Nations Human Rights Council in June 2020, and focused heavily on violations and crimes "that can especially hamper Libya's transition to peace, democracy and the rule of law", representatives said. "In our view, the culture of impunity that is prevailing in different parts of Libya is impeding that transition," they said. In addition to massive violations affecting vulnerable groups such as migrants, the report also noted many other violations concerning the transition towards democracy and the integrity of the electoral process, such as intimidations and abuse of activists and attacks on the judicial system. The report noted that these things raise questions about whether the government and the authorities are complying with their obligations to ensure freedom of expression and association. Italian UNESCO panel KOs coffee bid, OKs opera Commission under Bernabe says opera will go forward for 2023 (ANSA) - ROME, MAR 29 - Italy's UNESCO commission on Tuesday rejected a bid by Italian espresso coffee to get on the UN body's list of intangible cultural heritage but approved a bid by Italian opera to get on the list. The panel chaired by Franco Bernabe said the Italian art of opera would go forward as candidate to present to the UNESCO intergovernmental committee for the 2023 cycle. The rejected coffee bid was for "Italian espresso coffee in culture, rituals, society and literature in emblematic communities from Venice to Naples." There had been high expectations around the espresso bid. Culture Minister Dario Franceschini said that with the opera bid "Italy is aiming for the recognition of one of its most authentic and original cultural expressions". (ANSA). ENI gets contract in Algeria for 2 explorative blocks With Sonatrach and BHP Petroleum (ANSAmed) - ROME, MARCH 29 - The Algerian authorities announced on Tuesday the approval of a new contract for the exploration and exploitation of hydrocarbons for the Italian company ENI in two explorative blocks, in partnership with the state-owned Sonatrach and BHP Petroleum (International Exploration). The news was given in a presidential decree issued Tuesday in Algeria's official gazette. The decree signed by Algerian president Abdelmadjid Tebboune announced approval for "Amendment N. 14 to the June 24, 1989 contract for the exploration and exploitation of liquid hydrocarbons within the perimeters named Rhourde El Louh (Block 401) and Sif Fatima (Block 402a)". The decree goes on to say that the contract "will be implemented, in line with the legislation and regulations in place, in reference to the new law on hydrocarbons approved in 2019. It added that the new contract had been concluded on February 8, 2022 between the state-owned Sonatrach, BHP Petroleum (International Exploration) PTY. Ltd, and Eni Algeria Esplorazione B.V.e operator of ENI has been in Algeria since 1981, where it is the operator of several mining permits, with production equity of 95,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day. The Algerian authorities are seeking to encourage more international companies to invest in the oil and gas sector after passing a law hydrocarbons law in 2019. The Algerian economy is based mainly on oil and gas, which account for over 90% of its exports. (ANSAmed). Syria 'ISIS family' camp clashes leave 2 dead and 10 injured Near Syrian-Iraqi border (ANSAmed) - BEIRUT, MARCH 29 - A woman and a child were killed and six women and four children were injured in clashes over the night in the detention camp of al-Hol in northeastern Syria. The area is under the control of US-backed, Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). The camp has for years held family members of former Islamic State (ISIS) militants and people who fled from zones once under the control of ISIS. Reports were from the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), which said that the clashes had broken out in sectors 4 and 5 of the infamous camp near the Syrian-Iraqi border in the Hasakah province, controlled by the SDF. The SDF includes Kurdish and local Arab fighters led by Kurdish commanders close to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK). The EU, US, and Turkey consider the PKK a terrorist organisation. Initial reports indicate that the clashes occurred between at least one suspected member of ISIS and SDF forces on the ground, backed by US surveillance helicopters. Tens of thousands of people have been held in the camp for over three years. Most are women and children. About 30,000 from 50 different nationalities including some Westerners. (ANSAmed). UNESCO restores 280 Beirut schools after port blast Access to education 'a fundamental right' (ANSAmed) - ROME, MARCH 29 - In only 18 months, UNESCO completed its project to rehabilitate the 280 educational institutions damaged by the blasts that hit the port of Beirut on 4 August 2020. The ambitious project was made possible by the generosity of donor nations that, in responding to an appeal launched by the UN body after the catastrophic event, gave 35 million dollars. Thanks to this financing, the restoration work was started quickly and continued until their completion now despite the pandemic, the UN body said. "Just 18 months on from the disaster, we are pleased to announce that it's a promise kept. Thanks to donors and to the mobilization of UNESCO team and all our partners, the goal of rehabilitating the 280 damaged educational institutions has been reached. It is a demonstration of our Organization's ability to mobilize and act quickly after a major crisis. UNESCO is determined to support its Member States and contribute to access to education, which is a fundamental right," UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay said. (ANSAmed). Tory ministers were heckled by bereaved families of Covid victims shouting off to another party are we? as they attended a dinner held by Prime Minister Boris Johnson at a luxury central London hotel. Chancellor Rishi Sunak and Levelling Up Secretary Michael Gove were among those to arrive at the Park Plaza near Westminster Bridge shortly before 8pm on Tuesday. Minister for Crime and Policing Kit Malthouse leaves the Park Plaza Hotel (Yui Mok/PA) It came after the Metropolitan Police earlier confirmed partygate investigators will begin handing out 20 fines over gatherings held across Whitehall during Covid measures. Dozens of grief-stricken relatives who lost loved ones during the pandemic lined up outside the entrance to boo guests as they arrived in cars and on foot. Shouts of shame on you and off to another party are we? were directed at Mr Gove and Brexit opportunities minister Jacob Rees-Mogg as they turned up to the venue, where a penthouse costs up to 653 a night. Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak leaves the Park Plaza Hotel (Yui Mok?PA) June Newbon, who lost her husband to the virus, branded the evening disgusting in light of the Mets conclusion that it believes laws were broken at the heart of Government. She said holding a lavish dinner was especially inappropriate given the cost-of-living crisis hitting millions of people and the war in Ukraine. I think its disgusting, she told the PA news agency outside the hotel. No-one else can afford to do this given the prices going up, and the war as well. Minister for Brexit Opportunities and Government Efficiency in the Cabinet Office Jacob Rees-Mogg leaves the Park Plaza Hotel (Yui Mok/PA) Ms Newbon and her daughter Ellie said Conservative politicians would be better placed attending the candlelit procession to mark the first anniversary of the National Covid Memorial Wall, a planned event near the hotel on Westminster Bridge. Hundreds of bereaved relatives turned up to the walk on Tuesday to commemorate their loved ones and call for the mural to be made permanent. I think someone should make their presence known down at the bridge today instead, Ms Newbon said. I think thats the respect they owe us, Miss Newbon added. We havent had an apology from Boris and I dont feel were going to have one tonight. Downing Street has denied Mr Johnson misled Parliament over the goings-on in Whitehall during the pandemic. There was a heavy police presence surrounding the hotel and the Prime Minister is thought to have gained access to the building through a different entrance. The first 20 fines will be issued over alleged lockdown-busting parties in Downing Street and Whitehall in a move which will put Boris Johnsons leadership under fresh pressure. The Metropolitan Police said on Tuesday that investigators will begin to refer the notices to the ACRO Criminal Records Office, which would be responsible for issuing the penalties. It is expected that further fines could be issued as officers continue to go through the evidence gathered. The force is investigating at least 12 events, including six the Prime Minister is thought to have attended. The identities of those issued with fines will not be disclosed by Scotland Yard, although Downing Street has said it will confirm if Mr Johnson is handed a fixed penalty notice (FPN). The initial wave of fines is not expected to include the Prime Minister, who was one of dozens of people issued with a police questionnaire to account for his actions, as he is contesting the allegations and took advice from his personal lawyer on how to respond. Scotland Yards decision to issue fines will renew pressure on Boris Johnson (Aaron Chown/PA) The Metropolitan Police said: The investigation into allegations of breaches of Covid-19 regulations in Whitehall and Downing Street has now progressed to the point where the first referrals for fixed penalty notices (FPN) will be made to ACRO Criminal Records Office. We will today initially begin to refer 20 fixed penalty notices to be issued for breaches of Covid-19 regulations. The ACRO Criminal Records Office will then be responsible for issuing the FPNs to the individual following the referrals from the MPS. We are making every effort to progress this investigation at speed and have completed a number of assessments. However, due to the significant amount of investigative material that remains to be assessed, further referrals may be made to ACRO if the evidential threshold is made. If Boris Johnson thinks he can get away with partygate by paying expensive lawyers and throwing junior staff to the wolves, he is wrong. We all know who is responsible. The Prime Minister must resign, or Conservative MPs must sack him. Ed Davey MP (@EdwardJDavey) March 29, 2022 The Met would not confirm how many individuals will receive fines it is possible some people will receive multiple penalties if they attended more than one event or their identities. The force will also not disclose which parties the fines relate to. The Met said the move was in line with College of Policing guidance on not revealing the identities of people dealt with out-of-court. The Cabinet Office said it would not be appropriate to comment on the first 20 partygate fines while the police investigation is ongoing. Mr Johnson came under intense pressure to quit as a result of the partygate scandal, but in recent weeks the war in Ukraine has seen Tory MPs rally round the leader at a time of international crisis. But the Mets intervention, confirming it believes laws were broken at the heart of Government, could reignite the debate about his leadership. Government minister Will Quince said the gatherings which took place during coronavirus restrictions shouldnt have happened, but it would be inappropriate to comment further. I completely understand the considerable upset caused, the events that took place shouldnt have happened, he told Sky News. But I hope youll understand that both as an education minister but more importantly, as theres an ongoing live Metropolitan Police investigation, its just not appropriate that I comment. He said questions over whether the Prime Minister should resign if fined were hypothetical, but also said Mr Johnson had committed to publish a full report by senior official Sue Gray into the scandal as soon as the Metropolitan Police have concluded their investigation. Mr Quince added: Looking at the moment over in Ukraine, and even worse over in Russia, I think its a brilliant thing that we have a free press in this country that is able to ask these kinds of questions. Deputy Labour leader Angela Rayner called for Boris Johnson to quit (Dominic Lipinski/PA) Deputy Labour leader Angela Rayner said the war in Ukraine should not be used as an excuse to save Mr Johnson. After over two months of police time, 12 parties investigated and over a hundred people questioned under caution, Boris Johnsons Downing Street has been found guilty of breaking the law, she said. The culture is set from the very top. The buck stops with the Prime Minister, who spent months lying to the British public, which is why he has got to go. Liberal Democrat Leader Sir Ed Davey said: If Boris Johnson thinks he can get away with partygate by paying expensive lawyers and throwing junior staff to the wolves, he is wrong. We all know who is responsible. The Prime Minister must resign, or Conservative MPs must sack him. More than 100 police questionnaires had been sent out to people at the gatherings. These events included a bring your own booze gathering, details of which were emailed to staff at No 10 by the Prime Ministers principal private secretary Martin Reynolds in May 2020, and a surprise get-together for Mr Johnsons birthday in June 2020. Mr Johnson previously admitted he was at the socially-distanced drinks organised by Mr Reynolds for 25 minutes claiming he believed it was a work event while Downing Street said staff gathered briefly in the Cabinet Room to mark the Prime Ministers 56th birthday. The police are also investigating a party in Mr Johnsons Downing Street flat on November 13 2020 reportedly hosted by his wife Carrie on the night of the Prime Ministers controversial aide Dominic Cummings acrimonious exit from No 10. In January, civil servant Ms Gray published a report into the allegations of the parties, which said there were failures of leadership and judgment in parts of No 10 and the Cabinet Office while England was under coronavirus restrictions in 2020 and 2021. The initial publication contained limited detail due to the police investigation but a fuller report is expected once the Mets inquiry concludes. A Cabinet Office spokesman said on Tuesday: As set out previously by the PM, Sue Grays findings will be published when the Met Polices investigation has concluded. Early verdicts on the Prime Ministers future are beginning to seep in from Tory MPs after the Metropolitan Police determined Covid rules were breached in Whitehall. Boris Johnsons leadership was put under fresh pressure on Tuesday after it emerged an initial tranche of 20 fines will be issued over alleged lockdown-busting parties in government buildings. It is expected that further fixed penalty notices (FPNs) could surface as officers continue to go through the evidence gathered. The force is investigating 12 events, including as many as six Mr Johnson is said to have attended. The PM is not thought to be among those set to receive a fine at this stage, as he is contesting the allegations and took advice from his personal lawyer on how to respond. The PM is not thought to be among those set to receive a fine at this stage (Kirsty OConnor/PA) He came under intense pressure to quit as a result of partygate, but in recent weeks the war in Ukraine has seen Conservative MPs rally round their leader. Now the Mets intervention, confirming it believes laws were broken at the heart of Government, is likely to reignite the debate about his premiership. Tory MP Andrew Bridgen said a day of reckoning may come in regard to the partygate scandal, but not at this moment in time. Asked if the latest news changed his view on the situation, after he withdrew his letter of no confidence in the PM, Mr Bridgen said he would back Mr Johnson if there was a vote tomorrow. He told the PA news agency: If they were a vote (of) confidence in the Prime Minister tomorrow, in the national interest Id have to support him otherwise wed be playing into the hands of Mr (Vladimir) Putin. Tory MP Andrew Bridgen said a day of reckoning may come in regard to the partygate scandal, but not at this moment in time (Jacob King/PA) He added: There may be a day of reckoning in regard to the fallout from partygate, but its not now and its not for the foreseeable future either. Meanwhile, Matt Hancock whose own time in the Tory cabinet was cut short when he was caught breaching social distancing rules he had helped to establish also said the Prime Minister should stay, even if he is fined. Asked if the PM can remain in his job, Mr Hancock told BBC News: Yes, he can and he should. He has apologised and hes acknowledged that there were problems and made changes in Downing Street. He added: My judgment, without a shadow of a doubt, is that the best person to lead the country is Boris Johnson, who is delivering the sort of leadership that we need to keep us safe in very difficult times that is absolutely clear to anybody who watches the news every night. Asked if he would say the same if Mr Johnson was issued with a fine, he said: Yes the police of course have got to look into it, but I think the broader judgment of who should be prime minister is based on the future and who is best placed to lead this country now. But veteran Tory MP Sir Roger Gale, who previously told PA that Mr Johnson was a dead man walking politically, said: If it becomes apparent that the Prime Minister has been fined then there clearly are serious questions that are going to have to be answered. He confirmed his letter of no confidence is still with the 1922 Committee, but current circumstances mean it is not the time to change our leader. If youre saying does the probity of the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom matter, yes, it most certainly does, he told Times Radio. If youre saying, faced with the most serious international crisis since 1945, a terrifying potential circumstance, is now the time to change our leader, the answer is no it isnt. Asked if the PM had been pardoned or reprieved in his mind for now, he said: I think hes been reprieved. First of all, of course, no names have been given and Ive been approached by just about every media outlet known to man in the course of the day, and Ive stoically refused to comment on this, because I dont think theres anything to comment on. If it becomes apparent that the Prime Minister has been fined and Downing Street has said that they will tell us if thats so then there clearly are serious questions that are going to have to be answered. But, and its a very big but. I believe that at the moment, faced with the international situation in Ukraine and potentially beyond we need to be concentrating all our minds and all our efforts and all our unity across party. He added: There will come a day of reckoning, but its certainly not now. It comes after No 10 insisted Mr Johnson did not mislead MPs when he told them no lockdown rules had been broken in Downing Street, despite the Met concluding the law was breached. The PMs official spokesman refused to be drawn on whether Mr Johnson would resign if he did get hit with a penalty, and also declined to say whether fined individuals would be able to carry on working in No 10. Officials and Special Advisers are bound by the Civil Service Codewhich says you must *comply with the law*. You can read the Civil Service Code for yourself here: https://t.co/IB9XURBGsc https://t.co/r4s9bwBWAy pic.twitter.com/flSfAKjMTI Mark Harper (@Mark_J_Harper) March 29, 2022 But former chief whip Mark Harper suggested law-breaking civil servants or special advisers would have to be sacked. The Tory MP tweeted a screenshot of the Civil Service Code, highlighting a passage saying they must comply with the law. Are you a fan of foot tickles or are your toes a no-go zone? Well, it seems women are more sensitive than men when it comes to having their feet teased, according to a new study. While women squirm most when tickled in the centre of the arch, men find near the toes the most ticklish, researchers from the University of Auckland discovered, thanks to their new TickleFoot device. While there's already evidence to suggest tickling and laughter can significantly relieve stress, there is limited knowledge on whether tickling machines can evoke laughter, and how tickling can affect men and women differently. So, determined to find out the answer, researchers developed a battery-operated foot-tickling device, with small in-built brushes that touch different parts of the foot. Would you be willing to take the tickle test? (Getty Images) "We first developed an actuator that can create tickling sensations along the sole of the foot utilising magnet-driven brushes," explain the researchers, led by Don Samitha Elvitigala, as published in ACM Transactions on Computer-Human Interaction. "Then, we conducted two studies to identify the most ticklish locations of the foot's sole and stimulation patterns that can evoke laughter." Read more: Why it's impossible to tickle yourself Women are more ticklish than men particularly in the arch of their foot. (Getty Images) Thirteen participants, including seven women and six men, first tested the effect of the magnet-driven brushes, rating the level of ticklishness they felt as the brush moved to different areas of their foot, across a seven-point scale. Women gave an average score of 5.57, while men gave an average score of 3.83, the results reveal. Women scored highest for ticklishness at the centre of the arch, while men were most likely to laugh around the toes. Read more: Could ear 'tickle' therapy help slow the ageing process? Researchers then used the data to develop a 3D-printed, flexible insole with three different tickling functions that can be inserted into any shoe and tickle the user on demand. "We embedded our actuators into a flexible insole, demonstrating the potential of a wearable tickling insole," the study details. It's thought it could be used as a stress reliever by inducing uncontrolled laughter. Being tickled around the toes is most likely to make men giggle. (Getty Images) Read more: Russell Brand calls for tickling children to be banned: 'Would you do it to an adult?' Marlies Oostland from University College London, who has previously studied how rats respond to tickling, discovering they need to be in a positive state of mind for it to induce laughter, showed her support of the study. "I think it's incredibly useful to do research like this," she told the New Scientist, explaining she thinks it will help us learn more about how the brain works, in particular predictive coding. Predictive coding is a process where the brain is able to spot surprises. Oostland says a natural way to study this process is through things like tickling, "because this is one of the very unusual behaviours where we actively seek out surprising events", rather than minimise them in an effort to protect ourselves. Previous research has suggested other ways to gain benefits from tickling. In 2019, a study by the University of Leeds even suggested ear tickle therapy could slow the ageing process, as well as potentially help people with health conditions such as heart disease and mental health issues. The TickleFoot can last for an hour of tickling, and can be turned on and off remotely. Sound like your worst nightmare? Or want to give it a go? The chief executive of P&O Ferries is to appear before a Scottish Parliament committee. Tuesdays appearance comes after the company announced earlier this month that it would be sacking 800 seafarers and replacing them with agency staff, with workers being told by video message. Peter Hebblethwaite will face the Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee after having already sat for a Westminster committee last week. Peter Hebblethwaite (House of Commons/PA) The appearance in Edinburgh comes after UK Transport Secretary Grant Shapps warned Mr Hebblethwaite that a package of measures was being pursued to block the sacking of staff. In a letter on Monday, Mr Shapps said: I will be bringing a comprehensive package of measures to Parliament to ensure that seafarers are protected against these types of actions in the way that Parliament and this Government already intended. Through that package, I intend to block the outcome that P&O Ferries has pursued, including paying workers less than the minimum wage. The measures could be revealed as early as Wednesday. Mr Hebblethwaite has also been criticised north of the border, with First Minister Nicola Sturgeon saying she had made clear her utter disgust at the job cuts. Committee convener Dean Lockhart wrote to Mr Hebblethwaite the day after the decision was announced, urging him to appear as soon as possible. He wrote: The Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee is extremely concerned about yesterdays news that around 800 of P&Os staff have been sacked, reportedly with immediate effect, and that services, including the Cairnryan-Larne line, have been suspended, ruining passengers travel plans. I am writing to request an urgent update so that the committee may reflect on its immediate scrutiny in relation to this matter. The UK Government should honour its commitment to introduce new legislation around the Irish language in Northern Ireland, Taoiseach Micheal Martin has said. During leaders questions in the Dail, Mr Martin also said that respect and esteem for the Stormont institutions had been weakened because of the repeated collapse of the powersharing Executive. There had been an expectation that the Westminster Government would introduce cultural legislation for Northern Ireland before the elections in May. It fell to the Northern Ireland Office after the Stormont parties were unable to agree to introduce cultural and language legislation in the Northern Ireland Assembly which was part of the New Decade New Approach (NDNA) deal. The plans include an Office of Identity and Cultural Expression to promote respect for diversity as well as an Irish Language Commissioner and a commissioner to develop language, arts and literature associated with the Ulster Scots/Ulster British tradition. Northern Ireland Secretary Brandon Lewis said this week he did not believe it would be right to introduce Irish language legislation during an election period (Brian Lawless/PA) However, Northern Ireland Secretary of State Brandon Lewis told the Northern Ireland Affairs committee this week he did not believe it would be right to introduce legislation during an election period. The Taoiseach was questioned on the issue on Tuesday by Aontu leader Peadar Tobin, who said the Good Friday Agreement had been gutted. He added: Brandon Lewis has said he will not bring forward Irish language legislation at Westminster before Mays assembly election. The Irish Language Act has been promised for 15 years. Sinn Fein returned to Stormont in January 2020 after previously collapsing it, because they said, they had achieved an Irish Language Act. In a combination of bad faith by London and naivety from Sinn Fein, we find out that that commitment was hocus pocus all along. Aontu leader Peadar Tobin said the Good Friday Agreement had been gutted (Niall Carson/PA) Mr Martin said: The Secretary of State did commit to Sinn Fein that he would bring it in in the Westminster parliament. It is my view that promise should be fulfilled. When agreements are made, agreements should be honoured. The Stormont powersharing Executive collapsed earlier this year when the DUP withdrew Paul Givan as First Minister in protest at the post-Brexit Northern Ireland Protocol. Mr Martin said a lot of work would be needed to restore the institutions following the Stormont elections in May. He added: The institutions should never be undermined, they should never be collapsed by any political party. If the people elect you to an Assembly, one should discharge your duties on behalf of the people for the full duration of that parliamentary cycle. Unfortunately the history of the Good Friday Agreement and of the Assembly and Executive is too often the default position has been to either withdraw from the Executive, to collapse the Executive when different crises emerges. That, I think, has been a fairly significant problem in terms of the institutions of the Good Friday Agreement which in turn has weakened peoples respect and esteem for the institutions. If you compare consistent surveys in terms of opinion of the Assembly versus the Scottish Assembly, there is a marked difference. I put forward the basis of that is that in Scotland there hasnt been a similar interruption; the government is perceived to be working for its people. In the north it has just been interrupted too much by collapse and this recent collapse is unacceptable. Here we go again. Congress is not likely to pass the new billionaire tax President Biden has included in his 2023 federal budget. The Biden tax is a reformulated version of a wealth tax proposed before by Democratic progressives such as Senators Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren and Ron Wyden. The idea is to nab more federal revenue from super-rich Americans, which Americans generally support. But no Republicans support the idea, and some Democrats dont either, which means the votes arent there to get the plan through either the House or the Senate. Biden is laying out the pitch for his party in the 2022 midterm elections, and tax the rich is a golden oldie. So, for what its worth, the new tax would require the top .01% of householdswith $100 million in wealth, or moreto pay a minimum tax of 20% on their total income. That last phrase is in quotes because Biden would define income differently than the tax code normally treats it. If youre not a multimillionaire, you may not know this, but the super-wealthy generate a lot of wealth that the IRS doesnt count as income. If you start the year with a stock portfolio worth $100 million, and it rises by 10% for the year, youve gained $10 million in wealth. But it only counts as income if you sell it, which would trigger a capital gains tax payment. If you dont sell it, you havent garnered a capital gain or accrued any additional income, by IRS standards, even though youre $10 million richer. Some wealthy families live like this in perpetuity, never cashing in on various forms of wealth and never paying tax on it. They can then live on borrowed money, collateralized by their wealth, as ProPublica explained in a 2021 expose on the tax avoidance strategies of the wealthiest Americans. If they had to pay capital gains taxes when they died, these aristocrats might have more of an incentive to cash out some of their gains while alive, and pay taxes on it. But part of the tax code known as the step-up in basis resets the value of an asset when it passes from a decedent to a beneficiary, effectively eliminating the tax paymentand locking in family wealth for generations. The inheritor essentially starts over at the new market value of the asset, with all gains up till that point forgotten, for tax purposes. [Follow Rick Newman on Twitter, sign up for his newsletter or send in your thoughts.] With massive budget deficits and entrenched wealth inequality in the United States, it might seem logical to seek more tax revenue from the people with the most money. But there are 3 problems with any kind of wealth tax: Wealth can be hard to value. Stocks and bonds have a quantifiable market value, but many other types of assets dont. The most salient are privately owned businesses, which is the main form of wealth for many multimillionaires. Accountants can estimate a value, but business owners have an incentive to lowball, as for example, Donald Trump and his family have allegedly done for decades. Real estate can be similarly hard to assess, especially if it hasnt sold in years. Collectibles and illiquid assets can be even squishier. Evaluation difficulties can lead to legal challenges and long-lasting disputes with the IRS, which is often outgunned by wealthy filers and their myriad tax experts. The Trump family has allegedly lowballed the value of its assets for years. REUTERS/Gary Cameron A wealth tax might be unconstitutional. The Constitution puts limitations on direct taxes, with an exemption for the federal income tax. Legal experts differ on whether a wealth tax would be a direct tax, which would require a form of implementation so complex as to be unworkable. But everybody who has considered the issue knows there would be lawsuits right away, if Congress imposed a wealth tax, with the Supreme Court likely to decide. There are many other forms of taxation proven to be legal, and Congress could simply change the details to collect more from the wealthy. So why impose an unproven tax the Supreme Court could strike down, instead? Wealth taxes have failed before in Congress. Legislators trying to draft a billionaire tax have run into many barriers when it comes to sorting out the details. Taxpayers hit by the tax would have to evaluate all their assets, every year, raising questions of how an already understaffed IRS would be able to audit those filings. Some assets lose value in a given year, another accounting headache, given that rich people, in theory, could report negative income every now and then. Some people dont have the cash to pay millions or billions of dollars in taxes on assets, which would require forced asset sales. All in all, a billionaires tax might sound straightforward, but it would be cumbersome, in practice. This doesnt mean the wealthy are untouchable. There are simply better ways to raise more federal revenue from those with the most. Closing the step-up loophole is one of them. Doing that would require families to pay lots of taxes on assets when the owner dies, especially if Congress set the tax rate equal to the top income tax rate, currently 37%, instead of the capital-gains rate, which is just 20%. Congress could also raise the top individual or corporate tax rate, or impose many other new taxes experts have proposed over the years. A billionaire tax is a sideshow. Rick Newman is the author of four books, including "Rebounders: How Winners Pivot from Setback to Success. Follow him on Twitter: @rickjnewman. You can also send confidential tips. Follow Yahoo Finance on Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, Flipboard, and LinkedIn Disney (DIS) is fighting back against Florida's controversial Parental Rights in Education Act, which critics have infamously dubbed the "Don't Say Gay" bill. On Monday, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis officially signed the bill into law. The media giant released the following statement in response: Floridas HB 1557, also known as the Dont Say Gay bill, should never have passed and should never have been signed into law. Our goal as a company is for this law to be repealed by the legislature or struck down in the courts, and we remain committed to supporting the national and state organizations working to achieve that. We are dedicated to standing up for the rights and safety of LGBTQ+ members of the Disney family, as well as the LGBTQ+ community in Florida and across the country. Disney's statement follows a string of employee-staged walkouts in protest of CEO Bob Chapek's handling of the law, which prohibits classroom discussions regarding sexual orientation and gender identity in public schools for students between kindergarten and third grade. The law, which will go into effect on July 1, states, Classroom instruction by school personnel or third parties on sexual orientation or gender identity may not occur in kindergarten through grade 3 or in a manner that is not age appropriate or developmentally appropriate for students in accordance with state standards. Parents will be able to sue districts over violations. Chapek, who initially decided not to speak publicly on the matter, opted to work behind the scenes in an attempt to soften the legislation. It didn't work. The executive eventually reversed course following intense backlash. He publicly denounced the act during the company's annual shareholder meeting on March 9, but was still criticized for taking a soft stance. Two days later, Chapek went a step further and directly apologized to employees in a company memo, writing in part, "You needed me to be a stronger ally in the fight for equal rights and I let you down. I am sorry." Still, some workers think the gesture was too little, too late. Disney CEO Bob Chapek faced heavy backlash amid the company's initial response to Florida's so-called "Don't Say Gay" bill "We expect more from the CEO," Nicholas Luis Maldonado, a current Disney employee who participated in last week's walkout, told Yahoo Finance in a recent interview. "I just want to be proud to say I'm a Disney World employee [again], but at this time right now, I'm just not feeling the Disney magic," he continued. A Disney spokesperson responded to the walkouts in a statement, writing, "We know how important this issue is for our LGBTQ+ employees, their families and allies, we respect our colleagues right to express their views, and we pledge our ongoing support of the LGBTQ+ community in the fight for equal rights." The statement followed an all-company virtual town hall (dedicated to issues surrounding the LGBTQIA+ community), in addition to the revelation of a new task force that Disney says will "develop action plans to make more LGBT-aware content for children and family." The company also unveiled that Chapek and other senior leaders will conduct a global listening tour and meet with employees in the U.S. and internationally. "It's a step in the right direction by their statement, but so much more is needed to be done beyond today," Maldonado said. He added that he hopes the company holds more town halls and open forums, in addition to further public statements both in support of the community, and "against any future anti-LGBTQ legislation." ORLANDO, FL - MARCH 22: Disney employee Nicholas Maldonado holds a sign while protesting outside of Walt Disney World on March 22, 2022 in Orlando, Florida. Employees are staging a company-wide walkout today to protest Walt Disney Co.'s response to controversial legislation passed in Florida known as the Dont Say Gay bill. (Photo by Octavio Jones/Getty Images) David Huerta, president of Service Employees International Union-United Service Workers West (SEIU-USWW), told Yahoo Finance that "this is a necessary fight." The California-based union represents several worker classifications within Disney, including costume and custodial. "Our members expect Disney to be a good corporate citizen...I think for too long corporate America has been looking after its own interests, and not really understanding the impact that that they have on issues that go beyond the workplace," he said. Huerta went on to explain that big-name corporations like Disney have a responsibility that extends beyond their core businesses, referencing recent employee fights at Starbucks (SBUX), Amazon (AMZN), Kellogg (K), and Netflix (NFLX). "I think workers realize that they have more power than then they give themselves credit for," Huerta said. He added that holding employers accountable is "a damn good thing" that's "long overdue." "Working people do have power and their power is stronger when they stand together, shoulder to shoulder, than when they stand alone," he concluded. Alexandra is a Senior Entertainment and Food Reporter at Yahoo Finance. Follow her on Twitter @alliecanal8193 Follow Yahoo Finance on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Flipboard, LinkedIn, YouTube, and reddit Actor Ezra Miller, who plays Flash in the "Justice League" series, was arrested in Hawaii over the weekend and charged with disorderly conduct and harassment after becoming unruly at a bar, police said. Miller, 29, was arrested shortly after midnight Monday when patrol officers responded to a report of a disorderly patron at a bar on Silva Street in Hilo late Sunday, the Hawaii County Police Department said in a news release. Miller became agitated and began yelling obscenities while patrons at the bar sang karaoke, according to police. The actor at one point grabbed the microphone from a 23-year-old woman who was singing, the department said in the release. Miller also lunged at a 32-year-old man playing darts, according to police. The bar owner tried to calm Miller down several times, police said. Miller, whom police described as visiting from Vermont, was arrested and later released after posting $500 bail. NBC News has reached out to Miller's representatives for comment. This isn't Miller's first brush with controversy. In 2020, a video surfaced online appearing to show a woman being choked in a bar in Iceland and the footage was linked to Miller, though police did not confirm the actor's involvement at the time, Variety reported. Police said at the time no one was arrested or placed in custody in connection with the alleged incident and that officials were not aware of any injuries to those involved. In addition to "Justice League," Miller is known for the 2012 film "The Perks of Being a Wallflower" and the "Fantastic Beasts" franchise. Miller stars in the series' latest film, "Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore," which is slated to be released in April. Vote tallying began on Monday in a historic union election at an Amazon (AMZN) warehouse in Bessemer, Alabama, where a labor victory among more than 5,000 workers could upend the business model at the e-commerce giant and intensify a surge of organizing underway at major companies like Starbucks (SBUX) and Disney (DIS). The election arrives roughly one year after the overwhelming defeat of an initial union drive led by the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU) at the Bessemer facility a result that was later nullified by a ruling that Amazon had illegally interfered with the labor campaign. Alongside the revote in Bessemer, warehouse workers at a 6,000-person facility on Staten Island are casting their ballots in a union election that ends on Wednesday. Both elections could deliver results by the end of the week, with victories dealing a sudden and significant blow to Amazon, which has opposed the labor campaigns at both facilities. But twin union defeats could tarnish the perception of organizing at the company nationwide, discouraging workers beyond Amazon and affirming the company's previous contention that criticism of the work environment at its warehouses is overblown. RWDSU President Stuart Appelbaum, as well as pro-union Amazon workers, told Yahoo Finance that a different strategy and a new set of grievances have energized the campaign, feeding optimism that the union will prevail in the second election at the plant. Labor experts acknowledged the significance of a potential victory at the nations second-largest employer, especially among a predominantly Black segment of its workforce at a facility in the labor-unfriendly South. Moreover, the election at Amazon coincides with a nationwide wave of organizing as emboldened workers draw leverage from a tight labor market. Starbucks workers in recent months have unionized eight stores, with more likely to come as over 100 stores across more than 25 states have filed for union elections; and employees at Disney captured attention last week with a walkout to protest the company's posture toward a controversial Florida law. But the experts cautioned that the bottomless resources and anti-union messaging of a corporate giant like Amazon make the organizing drive a difficult feat. The election is symbolic because Amazon is sort of looked at as the wave of the future in terms of the business world, the globalized economy, and the high-tech economy, says Paul Clark, a labor relations professor at Pennsylvania State University. There was a great disappointment when the first vote was not even close, so this would be a big deal. In a statement to Yahoo Finance, Amazon said it eagerly awaits the results of the union election in Bessemer. We look forward to having our employees voices heard, spokesperson Kelly Nantel said. Our focus remains on working directly with our team to continue making Amazon a great place to work. A person affiliated with RWDSU (Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union) holds a sign supporting unionization in front of an Amazon facility on the first day of the unionization vote in Bessemer, Alabama, U.S., February 4, 2022. REUTERS/Dustin Chambers Dale Wyatt, a warehouse worker at the Bessemer facility since August, said he voted yes for the union because it would bring job security, a potential pay raise, and bolstered workplace safety protections. Amazon has 100% of the power right now, says Wyatt, who makes $16.05 per hour. They can fire us at any time. With a union, thats not how it works. We have a representative to protect us. The criticism echoes grievances voiced by Amazon workers for years, including during the previous organizing drive at the Bessemer facility, when workers said they endured grueling and dangerous conditions enforced by digital devices that track them every minute. Some workers also say these devices fuel high turnover as the company fires employees who fail to keep up with performance quotas. Emergency calls from the facility in recent months suggest incidents of acute difficulty. Individuals at the Bessemer warehouse called 911 a total of 32 times over the first two months of 2022, amounting to a rate of more than one call every two days, according to a 911 call log obtained by Yahoo Finance through a public records request. The reasons for the calls included heart attacks, psychiatric problems, and fainting, the 911 log said. "The facility has thousands of workers there, but that's still a lot of calls," says Joshua Freeman, a professor emeritus of labor history at Queens College at the City University of New York. "It clearly reflects some challenging conditions." Amazon did not respond to a request for comment about the 911 calls. Wyatt said the second union drive in Bessemer has also focused on a newfound disillusionment at the warehouse: a belief that the company has fallen short of a commitment to improve employee relations made during the first union drive last spring. "I've noticed a lot of people who were voting no last time are voting yes this time because Amazon didnt follow through on its promises from the last round," Wyatt said. In a previous statement to Yahoo Finance, Amazon defended its commitment to workers' wellbeing and safety. "Nothing is more important than the health and safety of our employees," the company said. "We are anything but complacent and continue to innovate, learn, and improve the measures we have in place to protect our teams. A number of workers at the facility in Bessemer oppose the union drive, in part because they fear the loss of what they consider strong pay and benefits, BuzzFeed News reported last month. Full-time entry-level employees for the company in Alabama make nearly $16 per hour a pay rate over twice the federal minimum wage. I'm very worried about what would happen should the union be voted in," Kylee Rancour, an Amazon warehouse worker in Bessemer, told BuzzFeed News. "It could mean sacrificing benefits in exchange for things we don't want or need." Meanwhile, in advocating for the union, Wyatt has spoken with colleagues about it in the break room, helped hand out union-provided "goodie bags," and even made a homemade T-shirt that says, in part, "Your boss lied." It's all part of a revamped union strategy that favors person-to-person conversations with workers. That contrasts with the organizing drive last year, which appeared to focus on attracting big-name supporters like President Joe Biden and Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT). This is radically different from the first campaign," says Appelbaum, the RWDSU president. He says the campaign has drawn support and in some cases personnel from 20 other unions, which allowed for up to 150 organizers on the ground in Bessemer at any given time. Among the partner unions are two of the nation's largest, the Service Employees International Union and the Teamsters, the latter of which launched its own nationwide campaign focused on Amazon last June. A banner with VOTE on it is displayed facing the employee parking lot at an Amazon facility on the first day of the unionizing vote, in Bessemer, Alabama, U.S., February 4, 2022. Picture taken with a drone. REUTERS/Dustin Chambers But the second organizing drive at Bessemer has faced a staunch and well-resourced anti-union campaign from Amazon, Wyatt and Appelbaum said. For his part, Wyatt estimated that he had been forced to attend at least 12 meetings in recent months during which Amazon attempted to persuade workers to oppose the union. Over the days leading up to mail-in voting, which began on Feb. 4, Wyatt received "daily messages" from Amazon urging him to vote "no," he said. To be sure, federal labor law permits employers wide latitude in dissuading workers from supporting a labor drive, including mandatory meetings with employees. One thing that has stayed the same is Amazon has been conducting a ferocious union busting campaign, just as they did during the first vote," Appelbaum said. Amazon previously provided the following statement to Yahoo Finance regarding other union campaigns among its employees: "Its our employees choice whether or not to join a union. It always has been. And its important that everyone understands the facts about joining a union and the election process itself." "We host regular information sessions for all employees, which includes an opportunity for them to ask questions," the statement continues. "If the union vote passes, it will impact everyone at the site so its important all employees understand what that means for them and their day-to-day life working at Amazon. Maite Tapia, a labor expert at Michigan State University, noted that the anti-union tactics carried out by Amazon comprise the standard response to unionization from many large employers, including Starbucks, another major brand publicly opposing an organizing effort undertaken by its workers. "Im hopeful, but at the same time, they fight against corporations that have bottomless pockets when it comes to anti-union campaigning," she says. In the Bessemer warehouse, workers' conditions are inextricably linked to issues of race, surveillance, and policing, as about 80% of the warehouses workforce is Black, said Tamara Lee, a labor expert at Rutgers University who often collaborates with Tapia. Amazon says that the tracking devices allow the company to enhance the safety and efficiency of the workplace. Like any business, we use technology to maintain a level of security within our operations to help keep our employees, buildings, and inventory safe it would be irresponsible if we didnt do so, the company told the Washington Post in December. Its also important to note that while the technology helps keep our employees safe, it also allows them to be more efficient in their jobs," the company added. Lee pointed to the negative ramifications of rigorously tracking worker performance. With this kind of nonstop surveillance, its a form of bodily control, inside and outside the workplace, especially Black bodies that make up the majority of the workforce in Bessemer, she said. "It's very significant that this is happening now, and that its happening in the South, but I dont want to overplay this moment," she adds. "Workers have been frustrated at Amazon for years, and theyve made other attempts to organize. For years, Amazon has withstood persistent criticism over the conditions at its warehouse network, which has grown to at least 110 fulfillment centers in North America. The company instituted a $15 wage floor four years ago, and last year backed legislation that would gradually raise the federal minimum wage from $7.25 to $15 per hour. Other companies like Ben & Jerry's and Patagonia are among the firms that support a $15 minimum wage. But national interest in the first Bessemer union drive spurred more than 1,000 Amazon employees across the U.S. to contact RWDSU about potential labor organizing efforts, the union said last March. Natalie Monarrez, a warehouse worker at a Staten Island facility that's in a union drive of its own, said she hopes the second election in Bessemer brings a sea change in worker relations at the company and other major firms. "Jeff Bezos already had 27 years to figure it out and it was an afterthought for him," she says referring to the founder and former CEO who still chairs the board. "He should've considered his workers even a fraction as much as hes been obsessed with his customers." "We were inspired by them to unionize and hopefully other locations and workers at other companies will be inspired," she adds. Max Zahn is a reporter for Yahoo Finance. Find him on twitter @MaxZahn_. Allie Garfinkle is a senior tech reporter at Yahoo Finance. Find her on twitter @agarfinks. Read the latest financial and business news from Yahoo Finance Follow Yahoo Finance on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Flipboard, LinkedIn, YouTube, and reddit The former king of Spain wants Court of Appeal judges to step in after he was sued by an ex-lover. Corinna zu Sayn-Wittgenstein-Sayn, a Danish businesswoman, has taken legal action against Juan Carlos I and is seeking damages for personal injury. She alleges he caused her great mental pain by spying on and harassing her. Juan Carlos, 84, who ruled from 1975 until his abdication in June 2014 and the succession of his son King Felipe VI, denies any wrongdoing. Lawyers representing Juan Carlos argued he is entitled to immunity from the jurisdiction of the English courts in his capacity as a senior member of the Spanish royal family. But after a recent hearing in London, High Court judge Mr Justice Nicklin ruled against the former king, saying the claim can go ahead. Queen Letizia of Spain and King Felipe VI of Spain arriving for a Service of Thanksgiving for the life of the Duke of Edinburgh, at Westminster Abbey in London, on Tuesday March 29 2022 (Kirsty OConnor/PA) In a follow-up hearing on Tuesday, Juan Carloss lawyers told the judge they want to go to the Court of Appeal. They will ask appeal judges to consider the case in the near future, they indicated. Mr Justice Nicklin rejected the argument that, despite his abdication, Juan Carlos remains a sovereign and is entitled to personal immunity under the State Immunity Act 1978. There is only one king of Spain and head of state of Spain and, since June 19 2014, that has been his son, King Felipe VI, he said. Whatever his special constitutional position following abdication, [Juan Carlos] is neither the sovereign nor the head of state of Spain. The judge also said Juan Carlos is not a member of the current kings household within the meaning of the Act. He said his position under the Spanish constitution is entirely honorary and provides him no continuing role. His Majestys abdication created an unprecedented position in Spain, the legal effects of which for the purposes of immunity in this jurisdiction require consideration by the Court of Appeal, barrister Sir Daniel Bethlehem QC, who led Juan Carloss legal team, told Mr Justice Nicklin in a written argument. Moreover, the requirements of comity between the United Kingdom and Spain, including the Sovereigns of both States, means that His Majestys claim to immunity warrants consideration by an appellate court. Juan Carlos must establish that he has an arguable case and get permission to mount an appeal. Mr Justice Nicklin refused to grant permission. Sir Daniel said lawyers would now ask a Court of Appeal judge to grant permission. A spokeswoman for law firm Clifford Chance, which represents Juan Carlos, said after the hearing that the ex-monarch was very disappointed with Mr Justice Nicklins decision not to grant permission to appeal. She said he believed that he had strong and compelling grounds for appeal and added: Accordingly, he will be taking immediate steps to seek permission from the Court of Appeal. Lawyer Robin Rathmell, who represents Ms zu Sayn-Wittgenstein-Sayn and is based at law firm Kobre & Kim, said after the hearing: Although Juan Carlos has indicated he will seek permission to appeal from the Court of Appeal, my client is confident in the decision reached by Mr Justice Nicklin and she will address any such application in due course. The Great Resignation the phenomenon of American workers quitting their jobs in pursuit of new opportunities amid the pandemic varies across the U.S. A new study from WalletHub used data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics to rank U.S. states and D.C. based on their resignation rates over the latest month and last 12 months. The data took into account the number of employees who left their job voluntarily, excluding firings, retirements, and transfers. Different states have different economies, and we are seeing a greater increase in quit rates in states where there are fewer remote work options and lower unemployment rates, Joyce Jacobsen, president of Hobart and William Smith Colleges, wrote in the study. The low unemployment rates mean that there are more options for workers to move to jobs that are more attractive to them. Alaska and South Carolina topped the list of states with the highest quits ranking based on the methodology. Despite having the fourth smallest population size, Alaska's resignation rate for the previous 12 months neared 4%. New York ranked the lowest with a resignation rate of 1.87% over the past 12 months. Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Minnesota also saw lower worker turnover. 'The labor market in the post-pandemic era is going through a significant change' Workers are in high demand for employers as job openings have remained near historically high levels. The key takeaway American workers should get from [the study] is the fact that the labor market in the post-pandemic era is going through a significant change that favors employees, WalletHub Analyst Jill Gonzales told Yahoo Finance. There is a surge in job openings, and a low supply of candidates to fill all the open positions. This gives applicants a lot of leverage, enabling them to negotiate better terms of employment and to take advantage of all the incentives offered by employers." Roughly 47.8 million workers left their jobs in 2021. And according to the most recent JOLTS report (Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey) from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, resignation rates remain elevated the national quits rate ticked up by 0.1% to 2.9% in February while job openings sit at 11.27 million as the economy recovers from the effects of the pandemic. "While resignation rates in January were still fairly high, the most noticeable pattern is that for most states these rates are lower than the average resignation rates of the past 12 months," Gonzales said. "This could indicate that the labor market is slowly starting to settle and employers and employees are finding common ground in terms of work schedule and environment." A hiring sign is seen outside of Accurate Personnel office (an employment agency) in Buffalo Grove, Ill., Friday, Dec. 3, 2021. Workers quitting at high rates has been dubbed "The Great Resignation." (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh) There are a number of factors driving workers to change jobs, including toxic work environments under poor management, the explosion in gig work and self-employment opportunities, the prevalence of remote work and flexibility, and the demand for increased benefits. During the pandemic, these factors "came together in a single interactive, society-wide event to trigger the Great Resignation," Dr. Anthony Wheeler, dean of Widener University's School of Business, told Yahoo Finance in a statement. And while workers have been quitting at higher rates across the board, Wheeler explained, the "intensity" of the turnover varies across industries. "We know that the retail sector has been hardest hit with quit rates; but the level of quit rates isnt the same in other industries or job categories," he said. "For the harder hit industries, quit rates happened in specific contexts. Some jobs required in-person contact under quite stressful dynamics. This leads to increased stress and burnout." According to Wheeler, signs of worker dissatisfaction and burnout were present prior to the pandemic. "Some of what I find so fascinating about the Great Resignation... is how much of this wave of turnover has been predictable its just that the pandemic acted as an accelerant," he said. "In the U.S., weve known for several years that burnout was an unspoken but highly experienced pandemic... [and] for decades that flexible work arrangements did not negatively impact employee performance or company financial performance." Gabby Ianniello, 28, who quit her job in real estate development last year, works on her podcast, Corporate Quitter, in New York City, U.S. December 10, 2021 in this still image taken from video on December 10, 2021. REUTERS/Aleksandra Michalska Great Resignation 'could just as quickly unwind' The duration of the Great Resignation is still unfolding, as U.S. workers who temporarily exited the labor force after quitting are expected to return to fill more job openings while pandemic precautions subside. We do not know how sticky the trends are or if theyre bound by the specific context of the pandemic," Wheeler said. "For as quickly as the Great Resignation occurred, it could just as quickly unwind. The national unemployment rate is currently at 3.8% while the labor force participation rate, which stands at 62.3%, continues to edge back towards pre-pandemic levels (63.4%). As the pandemic abates, some of the challenges holding workers back from the workforce may dissipate. As school and child care, COVID restrictions expire and child care availability improves, I expect some increase in womens participation in the labor force, Jacobsen wrote in the study. There will also be more people who simply run up against financial constraints and reenter the labor force because they need the additional income. In the meantime, employers have been looking at alternative ways to fill gaps in their labor force, including by deploying the latest technological innovations. "The Great Resignation has occurred in the relatively early portion of the Fourth Industrial Revolution that will come to displace entire job categories and industries as automation, artificial intelligence, and machine learning continue to mature and decrease in cost," Wheeler said. "Some companies might have held off on deploying technology, especially in customer-facing jobs, but now find that technological solutions are both cheaper and more efficient than human employees." Although tech innovators have assured workers that these advancements would not displace workers, Wheeler warned that "the Great Resignation could turn into the first labor shock associated with technologically-displaced workforces." "We just might not know or see that yet but could in retrospect," he added. Luke is a producer for Yahoo Finance. You can follow him on Twitter @theLukeCM. Follow Yahoo Finance on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Flipboard, LinkedIn, and YouTube Former President Donald Trump issued a statement Monday confirming that he made a hole-in-one at his golf club over the weekend. After Senate candidate Tim Swain (R) of South Carolina posted a photo to Twitter captioned "Trump just made a hole-in-one," many critics took to social media in doubt, questioning Trump's abilities. "Many people are asking, so I'll give it to you now, it is 100% true," Trump said in the statement. "It took place at Trump International Gold Club in West Palm Beach, Florida on the 7th hole, which was playing 181-yards into a slight wind." A spokesperson of Trump's tweeted a video of Trump going to retrieve the golf ball after his ace. "I hit a 5-iron, which sailed magnificently into a rather strong wind, with approximately 5 feet of cut, whereupon it bounced twice and then went clank, into the hole," said Trump. 45: Many people are asking, so Ill give it to you now, it is 100% true I wont tell you who won because I am a very modest individual, and you will then say I was braggingand I dont like people who brag! https://t.co/0Y2mLkW3TNpic.twitter.com/vqPWCbH1eR Taylor Budowich (@TayFromCA) March 28, 2022 Trump shared that he was golfing with professionals Ernie Els, Gene Sauers, Ken Duke and Mike Goodes. "These great tour players noticed it before I did because their eyes are slightly better, but on that one hole, their swings weren't." Trump's statement continued: "Anyway, there's a lot of chatter about it, quite exciting, and people everywhere seem to be asking for the facts. Playing with that group of wonderful, talented players was a lot of fun. The match was Ernie and me (with no strokes) against Gene, Mike, and Ken. I won't tell you who won because I am a very modest individual, and you will then say I was bragging and I don't like people who brag!" Contact Analis Bailey at aabailey@usatoday.com or on Twitter @analisbailey. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Donald Trump hits hole-in-one at Florida golf club, issues statement A couple of metal beams. Thats it. The Czech hedgehog is a simple antitank defense that, for Americans, Europeans and Russians alike, evokes images of World War II. Allied soldiers had to navigate beaches sprinkled with them during the Normandy landings. Moscow has a monument of Czech hedgehogs to mark the farthest that Nazi soldiers got in their advance to the capital city. In June 1944 on a beach in Normandy, Royal Marine commandos prepare to demolish Czech hedgehogs designed to prevent an Allied forces landing. (AFP) Czech hedgehogs in 1963 near the Berlin Wall at Potsdamer Platz. (Sobotta\ullstein bild via Getty Images) Now Czech hedgehogs are a common sight in Ukraine as the country puts every effort into slowing down the Russian invasion. They dot the beaches of Odesa, they fill the streets of Kyiv and they are present at key checkpoints. Many Ukrainian civilians are making them as a sort of DIY antitank barricade throughout their cities and towns. An armed Territorial Defense soldier stands guard at a roadblock in Kyiv on Monday. (Pavlo Bagmut/Future Publishing via Getty Images) What are Czech hedgehogs, and how do they work? Czech hedgehogs are made from two metal beams that are sealed together at angles. A third beam is added to allow the hedgehog to keep its shape and to function even when moved or tipped over. Any vehicles attempting to drive over the beams become stuck or possibly damaged stalling the enemy from making further advancements. Such a delay makes the vehicle more vulnerable to more advanced antitank weapons, like shoulder-fired missiles and drones. Czech hedgehogs in Odesa, Ukraine, on March 9. (Nina Liashonok/Ukrinform/NurPhoto via Getty Images) When were they created? Czech hedgehogs, also known as steel hedgehogs, have been used to protect towns and cities since their creation in Czechoslovakia in the 1930s. Early forms of the barriers were built to defend Czechoslovakia from Germany before World War II and were then repurposed by the occupying German forces years later. They were famously part of Nazi Germanys Atlantic Wall, along the French coast, in a bid to obstruct the Allies from landing on beaches ahead of D-Day. They were widely used by armies, including the Soviet Union's, as antitank defenses during the war. Theyve been used throughout the world since then. A Nazi propaganda picture of Kharkiv after its recapture by the German Wehrmacht in March 1943. (Berliner Verlag/Archiv/picture alliance via Getty Images) Who is making them in Ukraine? In short, anyone who has access to metal girders and welding equipment. Some Ukrainians are using old railroad ties to create the obstacles. In the western city of Lviv, a furniture builder began constructing hedgehogs as soon as the war started. On the first day [of the invasion], my brother came to me and said, Listen, we need antitank obstacles, Tarass Filipchak, a Lviv local, told Agence France-Presse. He was building a house at the time when he realized that some of the materials he was using could be repurposed to make the defensive barriers. They have been collected by Ukrainian soldiers and brought all over the country to protect cities and towns. We went on Wikipedia, looked at where they came from, who had invented them and we started to do the same, he told AFP. Filipchaks group of volunteers continues to make the barriers at the end of his driveway. We couldnt imagine that we would ever do this. We are peaceful people, humanists, he said. People make Czech hedgehogs in Lviv. (Mykola Tys/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images) People making Czech hedgehogs in Lviv. (Mykola Tys/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images) _____ How are Ukrainian forces taking out so many Russian tanks? Use this embed to learn about some of the weapons systems the U.S. is sending to the Ukrainian army. Sen. Charles E. Grassley (R-Iowa) speaks at a Senate hearing early this month. (Kent Nishimura/Los Angeles Times) A key Senate Republican said it will be at least another month before he finishes an investigation into whether Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti was aware at the time of a top aide's alleged sexual harassment of others in the mayors office, likely further delaying any Senate action on Garcetti's nomination to be ambassador to India. Sen. Charles E. Grassley (R-Iowa) said he would continue the work at least through the Senates next recess, which is due to end April 25. I don't have a definite date when we're going to get done, but I know it wont be until after we get back after the recess, Grassley said in a brief interview in the Capitol. Grassleys inquiry is the latest delay in Garcettis nomination process, raising new questions on Capitol Hill about when or whether he will be confirmed. Grassley put a hold on Garcetti's nomination earlier this month, saying information he's received from a whistleblower needs to be investigated. President Biden nominated Garcetti to the post eight months ago. Garcetti has said under oath and before Congress that he didnt know about the allegations against his aide, Rick Jacobs, and if he had, he would have done something about it. Jacobs has denied the allegations. A Democratic senator on Tuesday said she, too, would like more information on Garcetti's denial. I understand that he testified he didnt know anything about it. Id just like to get further corroboration on that situation, said Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), who since 2018 has been asking every judicial nominee about whether they have ever been accused of sexual assault or harassment. I'm still gathering information. I'm not prepared to tell you one way or the other today, she said when discussing whether she has any concerns about the nomination. Grassley declined to characterize any conclusions his investigation might draw. He said last week he would extend the probe after hearing from additional whistleblowers and obtaining the final copy of a report summarizing a city-funded investigation. The report, which probed a Los Angeles police officer's allegations against Jacobs, cleared the mayor, but critics say it also left out information that would have bolstered the officer's claims. Grassley said he must expand the investigation because the city report had an "extremely narrow scope," and did not cover allegations that Jacobs sexually harassed Garcetti's senior staff and made racist comments to staff in front of Garcetti. Sen. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.), chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, questioned how much time Grassley was taking on the report. This nominee has been hanging out there a long time, Menendez said. All of a sudden, we have an investigation. You know, I wonder whether it is because there's something to actually be pursued? Or is it just, you know, the process of delay. He insisted his committee did a thorough vetting of Garcetti, as it does for every nominee. Now, if somebody comes forth after we do our vetting and says something, we certainly will consider it if it's brought to our attention, he said. Some of the Senate's strongest advocates against sexual harassment have been silent on the issue. You should talk to Foreign Relations about it, said Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), who helped lead the 2018 fight to reform how sexual harassment claims against lawmakers are handled in Congress. I will look into it and Ill let you know, said Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), who has fought against sexual misconduct in the military, when asked if she was familiar with the nomination. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), who questioned Garcetti on the topic during his December confirmation hearing, said she was "satisfied" with his statement that he didn't know about Jacobs' behavior. At the hearing, Garcetti said, I want to say unequivocally that I never witnessed, nor was it brought to my attention, the behavior thats been alleged, and I also want to assure you if it had been, I would have immediately taken action to stop that." Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, who is among the Republicans most likely to support a Democratic nominee, said she absolutely planned to look into the allegations before any potential floor vote. I have read press accounts that there're issues involving some allegations of sexual abuse, but I didn't know anything beyond that, she said. Naomi Seligman, a former Garcetti spokesperson, filed a complaint with the Justice Department last month demanding that Garcetti be prosecuted for perjury for denying that he knew about Jacobs' alleged misconduct. She has been in touch with 20 senators' offices to speak out against his confirmation. "We are encouraged by our meetings on both sides of the aisle," she said. "It is heartening to see so many Senate offices treat this issue with the seriousness it deserves." Democrats control the Senate, 50-50, with the tiebreaking vote of Vice President Kamala Harris. If Garcetti can retain the support of all 50 Democrats, he can win confirmation without any Republican votes. Times staff writer Dakota Smith in Los Angeles contributed to this report. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. A member of Israeli Zaka Rescue and Recovery team cleans blood and human remains from the site where a gunman opened fire in Bnei Brak, Israel, Tuesday, March 29, 2022. A gunman on a motorcycle opened fire in central Israel late Tuesday, in the second fatal mass shooting rampage this week. The shooter was killed by police. (AP PhotoOded Balilty) JERUSALEM (AP) A gunman on a motorcycle opened fire in a crowded city in central Israel late Tuesday, methodically gunning down victims as he killed at least five people in the second mass shooting rampage this week. The shooter was killed by police. The shooting appeared to be the latest in a string of attacks by Arab assailants ahead of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan and the anniversary of last years Gaza war. Israeli media said the attacker was a Palestinian from the West Bank. The previous two attacks, carried out by Arab citizens of Israel inspired by the Islamic State extremist group, have raised concerns of further violence. Israel stands before a wave of murderous Arab terrorism, declared Prime Minister Naftali Bennett. He pledged to combat it with perseverance, stubbornness and an iron fist. He held an emergency meeting of top security officials and planned a meeting of his Security Cabinet on Wednesday. Israeli authorities have not yet determined whether the string of attacks were organized or whether the attackers acted individually. The Israeli military announced it would be deploying additional troops to the West Bank, and the police chief raised the national readiness level to its highest. Amateur video footage aired on Israeli television appeared to show the gunman in a black shirt armed with an assault rifle stopping a moving vehicle and shooting the driver. Another showed him chasing a cyclist, with the gun appearing to jam as he tried to fire. Tuesday's shootings occurred at two locations in Bnei Brak, an ultra-Orthodox city just east of Tel Aviv. Police said a preliminary investigation found the gunman was armed with an assault rifle and opened fire on passersby before he was shot by officers at the scene. The Magen David Adom paramedic service confirmed that five people were killed. Police said one of the victims was a police officer who arrived at the scene and engaged the shooter. Israel Defense Minister Benny Gantz wrote on Twitter that the security forces will work with all means to return security to Israeli streets and the feeling of security to civilians. Israeli media reported that the suspected gunman was a 27-year-old Palestinian man from the northern West Bank town of Yabad. Police did not immediately provide information about the suspect. In the Israeli-occupied West Bank, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas condemned the attack, saying the killing of Israeli or Palestinian civilians only leads to further deterioration of the situation and instability, which we all strive to achieve, especially as we are approaching the holy month of Ramadan and Christian and Jewish holidays. He said the violence confirms that permanent, comprehensive and just peace is the shortest way to provide security and stability for the Palestinian and Israeli peoples. No Palestinian groups immediately claimed responsibility for the attack. The Islamist militant group Hamas praised the heroic operation, but stopped short of claiming responsibility. Mosques in the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip blared with God is Great cries celebrating the attack. Israel in recent weeks has been taking steps aimed at calming tensions and avoiding a repeat of last year, when clashes between Israeli police and Palestinian demonstrators in Jerusalem boiled over into an 11-day war between Israel and Hamas. But the new wave of violence is greatly complicating those efforts. On Sunday, a pair of gunmen killed two young police officers during a shooting spree in the central city of Hadera, and last week, a lone assailant killed four people in a car ramming and stabbing attack in the southern city of Beersheba. Earlier on Tuesday, Israeli security services raided the homes of at least 12 Arab citizens and arrested two suspected of having ties to the Islamic State group in a crackdown sparked by recent deadly attacks. Hours before the raid, Bennett said the recent assaults inside Israel marked a new situation that required stepped-up security measures. Law enforcement officials said 31 homes and sites were searched overnight in northern Israel, an area that was home to the gunmen who carried out the Hadera attack. The Islamic State group has claimed responsibility for the two previous attacks. All of the attacks have come just ahead of Ramadan, which begins later this week and as Israel Israel hosted a high-profile meeting this week between the foreign ministers of four Arab nations and the United States. All four Arab nations Egypt, Morocco, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates along with the United States, condemned the killings. Ramadan is expected to begin Saturday. Deadly attacks by IS inside Israel, and attacks by Arab citizens of Israel, are rare. The group operates mainly in Iraq and Syria, where it has recently stepped up attacks against security forces. It no longer controls any territory but operates through sleeper cells. IS has claimed attacks against Israeli troops in the past and has branches in Afghanistan and other countries. SALEM, Ore. (AP) The man who allegedly drove into a homeless encampment in Salem, Oregon, killing four people, had roughly double the legal limit of alcohol in his blood, prosecutors said Monday. Enrique Rodriguez Jr., 24, was ordered jailed without bail by a judge on Monday after being charged with four counts of first-degree manslaughter, second-degree assault, reckless driving and driving while under the influence of intoxicants. The 2 a.m. Sunday crash left a scene of chaos, with people trapped under the car. Two people died at the scene and two died at the hospital, police said. After the dead and injured were taken away, flattened tents, an overturned shopping cart and a deeply scarred tree marked the scene. Mourners left bouquets of flowers at the base of the tree. My friends are dead and I dont know what to say," Mike Wade, who came to the camp on Sunday after hearing about the crash, told the Salem Statesman Journal newspaper. Authorities identified those killed as Jowand Beck, 24; Luke Kagey, 21; Joe Posada III, 54; and Rochelle Zamacona, 29. Derrick Hart, 43, and Savannah Miller, 18, were seriously injured, police said. Rodriguez had 0.15% or more alcohol in his blood, according to a charging document filed with the Marion County Circuit Court. A blood alcohol level of 0.08%. or higher constitutes driving under the influence, according to Oregon law. The Salem Police Department said on Sunday alcohol may have been a contributing factor in the crash. Judge Jennifer Gardiner appointed a public defender to represent Rodriguez. The attorney, Aaron Jeffers, didn't immediately return a call seeking comment. The crash happened on a small triangle of trees and grass near the Willamette River and near a new mens shelter and a program that offers emergency housing assistance, showers, food and other services for the homeless. On March 3, the city of Salem cleared dozens of homeless people from a makeshift campsite located just a block away, at Marion Park. City officials had posted notices about the pending action, and community providers walked through the camp offering to connect them with services, the Statesman Journal reported. A new law that takes effect next year restricts how cities and counties including Marion County, where Salem is located can react to homeless camps. In 2021, Gov. Kate Brown signed a bill passed by the Legislature to protect homeless campers in public spaces from being removed. It mandates that any city or county law must be reasonable if it regulates sitting, lying, sleeping or keeping warm and dry outdoors on public property. Under the measure, a homeless person charged with violating a ban on camping or loitering would have an affirmative defense against a law that is not objectively reasonable. The Marion County Board of Commissioners opposed it, however, saying the measure would limit local control of the homeless crisis facing Oregon. Becky Straus, staff attorney with the Oregon Law Center, said the law will force local governments to review their camping and related ordinances in a way that recognizes the reality of Oregons rising rates of homelessness. The law takes effect July 1, 2023. ___ Follow Andrew Selsky on Twitter at https://twitter.com/andrewselsky KYIV, Ukraine (AP) The first face-to-face talks in two weeks between Russia and Ukraine began Tuesday in Turkey, raising flickering hopes of progress to end to a war that has ground into a bloody campaign of attrition. Ahead of the talks in Istanbul, the Ukrainian president said his country is prepared to declare its neutrality, as Moscow has demanded, and is open to compromise over the contested eastern region of Donbas comments that might lend momentum to negotiations. But he warned the ruthless war continued and that Ukrainians were paying with their lives for the West's hesitancy on imposing tougher sanctions on Moscow. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told the two sides gathered for talks that they had a historic responsibility to stop the fighting. We believe that there will be no losers in a just peace. Prolonging the conflict is not in anyones interest, Erdogan said, as he greeted the two delegations seated on opposite sides of a long table. Also in the room was Roman Abramovich, owner of Chelsea Football Club and a longtime ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin who has been playing an unspecified mediating role. Putins aim of a quick military victory has been thwarted by stiff Ukrainian resistance but still hopes were not high for a breakthrough. British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss, reflecting skepticism among Ukraine's Western allies, said she thought the Russian president was not serious about talks. In fighting that has devolved into a back-and-forth stalemate, Ukrainian forces retook Irpin, a key suburb northwest of the capital, Kyiv, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said late Monday. But he warned that Russian troops were regrouping to take the area back. We still have to fight, we have to endure, Zelenskyy said in his nighttime video address to the nation. This is a ruthless war against our nation, against our people, against our children. In this photo provided by Turkish Presidency, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, center, gives a speech to welcome the Russian, left, and Ukrainian delegations ahead of their talks, in Istanbul, Turkey, Tuesday, March 29, 2022. (Turkish Presidency via AP) Earlier talks between the sides, held in person in Belarus or by video, failed to make progress on ending the more than month-long war that has killed thousands and driven more than 10 million Ukrainians from their homes including almost 4 million from their country. Russia has long demanded that Ukraine drop any hope of joining NATO, which Moscow sees as a threat. Zelenskyy indicated over the weekend he was open to that, saying Ukraine was ready to declare its neutrality, but he has stressed that the country needs security guarantees of its own as part of any deal. As well as Irpin, Ukrainian forces also seized back control of Trostyanets, south of Sumy in the northeast, after weeks of Russian occupation that has left a landscape devastated by war. Arriving in the town Monday shortly afterward, The Associated Press saw the bodies of two Russian soldiers lay abandoned in the woods and Russian tanks lay burned and twisted. A red Z marked a Russian truck, its windshield fractured, near stacked boxes of ammunition. Ukrainian forces piled atop a tank flashed victory signs. Dazed residents lined up amid charred buildings seeking aid. It was unclear where the Russian troops went, under what circumstances they fled and whether the town will remain free of them. In his overnight address, Zelenskyy emphasized the situation remains tense in Ukraines northeast around Kharkiv, the nearest large city, and other areas, as he pressed Western countries to do more to support Ukraine, including levying harsher sanctions on Russia and providing more weapons. If someone is afraid of Russia, if he or she is afraid to make the necessary decisions that are important to us, in particular for us to get planes, tanks, necessary artillery, shells, it makes these people responsible for the catastrophe created by Russian troops in our cities, too, he said. Fear always makes you an accomplice. But the returned presence of Ukrainian forces in Trostyanets was a relief for a country hoping that Russian forces are pulling back as they encounter fierce resistance. Putins ground forces have become bogged down because of the stronger-than-expected Ukrainian resistance, combined with what Western officials say are Russian tactical missteps, poor morale, shortages of food, fuel and cold weather gear, and other problems. In response, Russia appeared to be concentrating more on the Donbas, the predominantly Russian-speaking region where Moscow-backed rebels have been waging a separatist war for eight years, the official said. While that raised a possible face-saving exit strategy for Putin, it has also raised Ukrainian fears the Kremlin aims to split the country, forcing it to surrender a swath of its territory. Still, Zelenskyy's comments that he was open to compromise on the region indicated a possible path for negotiations. In other developments: Russia has destroyed more than 60 religious buildings across the country in just over a month of war, with most of the damage concentrated near Kyiv and in the east, Ukraines military said in a post Tuesday. It said the Orthodox church the countrys majority religion was the most affected but that mosques, synagogues, Protestant churches and religious schools were also destroyed. Bloomberg News said it has suspended its operations in Russia and Belarus. Customers in both countries won't be able to access any Bloomberg financial products and trading functions for Russian securities were disabled in line with international sanctions, it said. Bloomberg Philanthropies pledged $40 million, meanwhile, in support for Ukrainians and refugees. U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres launched an effort to achieve a humanitarian cease-fire that would allow aid to be brought in and people to move around safely. In the besieged southern port of Mariupol, the mayor said half the pre-war population of more than 400,000 has fled, often under fire, during weeks of shooting and shelling. Alina Beskrovna, who escaped the city in a convoy of cars and made it to Poland, said desperate people are melting snow for water and cooking on open fires despite the risk of bombardment, "because if you dont, you will have nothing to eat. A lot of people are just, I think, starving to death in their apartments right now with no help," she said. "Its a mass murder thats happening at the hands of the Russians. Thats a leader expected by the people: Costa Rican farmer on Xi 09:02, March 29, 2022 By Bi Mengying, Wang Xinping ( People's Daily This is President Xi visiting our coffee plantation. This is Mme. Peng having a sip of our coffee. This is President Xi having a casual talk with my family... Chinese President Xi Jinping and his wife Peng Liyuan visit the Zamoras, a rural family during his state visit to Costa Rica, June 3, 2013. (Photo/Lan Hongguang) In a rural house in the small town of Santo Domingo de Heredia, Costa Rica, the Zamoras were introducing a few delicately framed pictures on a cabinet in their living room to Peoples Daily. For the Costa Rican family, Chinese President Xi Jinpings visit to their home nine years ago is still a fresh memory. On June 3, 2013, Xi, on a state visit to Costa Rica, went to Santo Domingo together with his wife Peng Liyuan, where they were received by Mr. and Mrs. Zamora, who were in their seventies. The Costa Rican couple introduced their 12-member family to Xi and Peng, and showcased their clean and tidy house from the living room to the bedrooms, and to the kitchen. The Zamoras, who made a living by planting coffee, showed Xi and Peng around the coffee plantation behind their house. The youngest son of Mr. Zamora Alberto introduced to Peoples Daily a moment of Xis visit to the plantation that the Chinese President picked up and smelled a coffee flower, and said its appearance, color, shape and even fragrance were similar to those of the Chinese jasmine. Chinese President Xi Jinping and his wife Peng Liyuan visited the Zamoras, a rural family during his state visit to Costa Rica, June 3, 2013. Photo shows Xi learning the growth of coffee plants. (Photo/Lan Hongguang) Coffee is everyday drink in Costa Rica, while in China jasmines are always made into tea drink. At that moment, I deeply felt that Costa Rica and China share many similarities though they are geographically distant. President Xis comparison between coffee flower and jasmine symbolized the connection between the Costa Ricans and the Chinese, said Alberto. Mr. Zamora said many foreign state leaders visited his country, but he had never seen one like President Xi who specifically dropped by an ordinary rural family. We were very excited to have guests like President Xi and his wife, he noted. He shared with Peoples Daily a photo in which his family was sitting around the Chinese President, while Mme. Peng is holding his granddaughter. President Xi was very easygoing. I felt as if we had known each other for a long time and he was even like a family member to me, the Costa Rican said. In a log cabin in the Zamoras backyard, Xi had a taste of the familys homemade coffee and empanadas. Mr. Zamora said he hoped his coffee would one day reach Chinese consumers, and Xi assured him that China and Costa Rica had signed many agreements on farm produce trade, and more Costa Rican agricultural products would be exported to China. Today, apart from coffee, many other premium Costa Rican commodities are being sold in the Chinese market, including dairy products, pineapples and banana. Xi told the Zamoras that he had been doing farm work as a grass-root for many years, and when he later moved to the jobs in the counties, municipalities, provincial governments and the Central government, he frequently went back to the countryside to see the farmers and to know their basic requirements and real feelings. Mr. Zamora said his family was impressed and inspired by Xis pride over the farmer identity. Albertos deepest impression about Xi was the Chinese Presidents remarks that it is a very important task for China to do a good job for the rural areas, particularly to focus on the efforts to help the farmers go out of poverty and live a happy life. Since Xis visit, Alberto has been particularly solicitous of the news about Chinas poverty alleviation. The historic achievements made by China in poverty reduction inspired him very much. President Xi often visits schools and factories, and goes to the fields to learn about the real life of the people. I think thats a leader expected by the people. From the news, I can see what he really cares about and the huge efforts he makes to alleviate poverty in his country, Alberto told Peoples Daily. In a display cabinet in the Zamoras living room, there is a painting of the Great Wall, which is a precious gift to the family from Xi. The Zamoras also has a volume of the book Xi Jinping: The Governance of China. When Alberto showed Peoples Daily a page in the book of Xis visit to his home, pride was all on his face. He said his family was called The Chinese Family by neighbors because of the Chinese Presidents visit, and the visit has changed their life. In June 2014, Alberto joined an agricultural training program hosted in Chinas Anhui province. He finally came to the country that he had fascinated for so long. Now his family receives Chinese New Year greetings from the Chinese Embassy in Costa Rica every year, and embassy staff would visit the family in-person. A close bond between the family and China is thus forged. (Web editor: Hongyu, Liang Jun) By Stanis Bujakera KINSHASA (Reuters) -A helicopter belonging to the U.N. peacekeeping mission in Democratic Republic of Congo was shot down by M23 rebel fighters in eastern Congo with at least eight people on board, the Congolese army said in a statement on Tuesday. The U.N. mission, known as MONUSCO, said earlier in the day that it had lost contact with the chopper in an area where rebels are staging an offensive. The M23 group, which was driven out of Congo after an insurgency in 2012 and 2013, attacked two army positions near the border with Uganda and Rwanda on Monday and fighting continued into Tuesday. The helicopter was shot down in an area controlled by the rebels while on a mission to track civilian population movements, said the Congolese army statement. The army is working to find it and any potential survivors, it said. (Reporting by Stanis Bujakera in Kinshasa; Additional reporting by Sofia Christensen in Dakar; Elias Biryabarema in Kampala; Clement Uwiringiyimana in Kigali; Writing by Hereward Holland and Sofia Christensen; Editing by Nick Macfie and Andrew Cawthorne) Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill delivers the Christmas service in Moscow's Cathedral of Christ the Saviour in January. (Alexander Zemlianichenko / Associated Press) Wearing crisp, olive-green robes and a towering, white head covering embroidered with the somber face of Jesus, Patriarch Kirill, the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, addressed the faithful from an ornate 10,000-seat cathedral in Moscow. For weeks, religious leaders around the globe had been begging the bearded patriarch to speak out against the Russian invasion of Ukraine. But in weekly sermons that air live on Russian TV, Kirill, 75, has done just the opposite, painting the war as an apocalyptic battle against evil forces that have sought to destroy the God-given unity of Holy Russia. The day before Russians marched on Ukraine, he congratulated Russian soldiers as defenders of the fatherland and said they cannot have any doubt that they have chosen a very correct path in their lives . Less than two weeks after the invasion began, he described the conflict as having metaphysical significance and warned his flock that the price of admission to the happy world of Western consumption and freedom was as simple as it was terrible: to agree to hold gay pride parades . We are talking about something different and much more important than politics, he said. We are talking about human salvation. Last week, the patriarch said it was Gods truth that the people of Russia, Ukraine and Belarus share a common spiritual and national heritage and should be united as one people a direct echo of Russian President Vladimir Putins defense of the war . Someone must pray for our united people, Kirill said, holding a gilded staff symbolizing his role as spiritual shepherd of the more than 90 million members of his church. Someone must defend Gods truth that we are really one people. The same day, Ukrainian authorities accused Russian forces of bombing an art school where more than 400 people had sought shelter. In a country where more than 71% of people identify as Russian Orthodox, Kirill is a powerful religious and political figure who has consistently refused to acknowledge the destruction, dislocation and growing death toll of the war in his frequent public statements. He lives in a parallel universe, said UC Riverside professor Georg Michels, who specializes in Russian and Ukrainian history. He describes the current situation in Ukraine as Russians defending against a foreign invasion, not as Ukrainians fighting for democracy, and their lives, against a Russian autocracy. Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, congratulates Russian Orthodox Church Patriarch Kirill on the 11th anniversary of his enthronement in Moscow in February 2020. (Alexei Druzhinin / Sputnik) Experts say Kirill is a complex figure in Russian politics: smart, charismatic and an ambitious operator. He rose in the ranks of the Russian Orthodox Church during the Soviet period when the communist government viewed religion as an archaic relic of oppression and was the first patriarch of the Russian Orthodox Church to meet with a Catholic pope in nearly 1,000 years. He is also rumored to have been associated with the KGB, the former Soviet Union's main security apparatus. To be fair, to become a church leader in the Soviet Union and get anything done at the time, you had to be affiliated with the KGB, Michels said. Kirill set off a scandal a few years after becoming patriarch when he was photographed wearing a $30,000 watch that was subsequently photoshopped out of an official image put out by the church. (A reflection of the watch remains visible in the picture.) He and Putin have long been close allies. Kirill once described the first 12 years of Putins rule as a miracle of God. Putin has said that Kirills father, who worked as a priest in Leningrad (now St. Petersburg), baptized him in secret in 1952. The two men frequently appear in public together: at Easter services, visiting monasteries and traveling to pilgrimage sites. In recent years, Putin has increasingly highlighted his own religiosity: wearing a silver cross around his neck, kissing icons and famously immersing himself in the freezing waters of a lake in front of television cameras. The icy dip was a brazen display of manhood and an Orthodox Christian ritual to mark the Feast of the Epiphany. But whether this represents a true spiritual awakening by Putin, or political theater, is hard to say. He sees religion as helping to give Russians a proud identity, said John P. Burgess, professor of theology at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary and author of "Holy Rus': The Rebirth of Orthodoxy in the New Russia." When Putin makes pilgrimages to the major Orthodox Russian sites and encourages restoring them, hes saying, This is something we can be proud of; this is beautiful and historic. Putin and Kirill also share a nationalist ideology that, in their eyes, justifies the war in Ukraine. As they see it, the origins of Russia and the Russian Orthodox Church date to 988. Thats when Vladimir I, the ruler of Kievan Rus', which included parts of current-day Ukraine and Russia, converted to Eastern Orthodox Christianity. The way this narrative unfolds, there is an organic wholeness between the relation of the Russian and Ukrainian people, and if Ukrainians see it differently, it is only because they have been led astray and corrupted by the West, said Victoria Smolkin, a scholar of communism and the Cold War at Wesleyan University. Patriarch Kirill of the Russian Orthodox Church takes part in a religious service in Bucharest, Romania, in October 2017. (Vadim Ghirda / Associated Press) From this point of view, Russia is not attacking a sovereign nation-state; its restoring the natural relationship between two countries. What they are after is salvation, Smolkin said. Not just of the Ukrainians, but of themselves. They see it as their mission to establish unity. The schism between the two countries is not just geopolitical; it has played out in the church as well. For more than 300 years, the Ukrainian Orthodox Church was officially tied to the Russian Orthodox Church and overseen by the Moscow patriarch, but that is no longer the case. In 2019, the Ukrainian Orthodox Church was authorized by the patriarch of Constantinople to break away from Moscow and become autonomous. With 78% of Ukrainians identifying as Orthodox as of 2015, this reduced Kirills flock by one-third. That was a big and significant event, Smolkin said. Kirill refused to accept that Orthodox Christians in Ukraine were behind the split and, in a sermon March 13, blamed the schism on political pressure from outside forces. It must be remembered that we all belong to the One Holy Catholic Apostolic Church the same church as in Moscow and in Kyiv, he said. And God grant that we all preserve unity, regardless of any external pressures and any efforts alien to the church, to destroy the spiritual unity of our peoples. For decades, Russian church leaders have cooperated with the government in order to advance the interests of the church, said Stephen Batalden, professor emeritus of history at Arizona State University. But now, this tacit quid quo pro is being tested in new ways as the Russian state engages in what the U.S. has declared to be war crimes committed by Putin against Ukraine. Kirill has failed disastrously to defend the integrity of the Russian Orthodox Church, and that has all kinds of ramifications for the splintering of the church, Batalden said. In the days after the invasion, some Orthodox parishes in Ukraine stopped commemorating the Moscow patriarch in their prayers during public worship, in open defiance of his authority. And some Russian Orthodox churches in other countries are denouncing the Moscow patriarchate or breaking ties altogether. The more churches and religious connections the Moscow patriarchate loses, the weaker its claims in the so-called Russian world, Smolkin said. However, it is unclear how much agency Kirill has to denounce the war. Nearly 300 Russian Orthodox priests in Russia signed an open letter appealing for peace, but thats a small fraction of the 35,000 priests there. I think there is every indication that Kirill and Putin have overlapping interests, but its also hard to imagine Kirill taking a different position than the Kremlin, Smolkin said. The United States and other Western nations have also seen ties between political and religious leaders. During Francisco Franco's rule in Spain, the Roman Catholic Church was granted legal status and other financial benefits while colluding with the fascist dictatorship. The evangelist Billy Graham was a friend and advisor to a procession of U.S. presidents. When President Trump was in office, evangelicalleaders laid hands on him to pray. But experts say the relationship between Putin and Kirill is different. In U.S. politics, religious institutions are profoundly important, but they are autonomous actors. They can lobby and negotiate in their own right, Smolkin said. It is hard to see the Russian Orthodox Church as a fully autonomous actor independent of the Russian state. And yet, scholars say, the U.S. is not immune from the religious and political ideologies that Putin and Kirill are using to justify the war. Both men portray themselves as defenders of traditional Christian values against the excesses of an immoral and decadent West symbolized by gay pride parades, same-sex marriage and feminism, Batalden said. Right-wing politicians in America that are manipulating these same issues for their advantage are singing from the same choir as Vladimir Putin and Kirill," he said. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. Editor's note: This page recaps the news from Ukraine on Tuesday, March. 29. Follow here for the latest updates and news from Wednesday, March 30, as Russia's invasion continues. The Russian military said Tuesday that it had "drastically" reduced its activity near the Ukraine capital of Kyiv and the northern city of Chernihiv as talks with Ukraine aimed at ending the war entered the practical stage. Russia and Ukraine held face-to-face talks Tuesday in Turkey as the United Nations pressed for a cease-fire in Russia's brutal invasion. The talks took place in the Turkish presidential office in Istanbul and lasted more than three hours, Russia's Tass agency reported. Alexander Fomin, Russia's deputy minister of defense, said the military cutbacks were made to increase mutual trust and create conditions for further negotiations. President Joe Biden, who had a call with European leaders Tuesday morning to discuss aiding Ukraine and pressuring Russia to end the war, was asked about the Russian claim of a military cutback near Kyiv. "We'll see,'' he said. The Pentagon sounded even more skeptical, as press secretary John Kirby said the pullout of troops was small and they may be reassigned. "We're not prepared to call this a retreat or even a withdrawal,'' Kirby said in a news briefing. "We think what they probably had in mind is a repositioning to prioritize elsewhere.'' Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy expressed mistrust in the words coming from representatives of the country that continues fighting to destroy us, pointing out that although the direction of the current peace talks is positive, it "cant silence explosions of Russian shells. Ukraines military said it had detected withdrawals around the cities, and U.S. Gen. Tod Wolters, commander of the U.S. European Command, said that is exactly what we see. The Russian advance on Kyiv had stalled in recent weeks, but missile strikes have battered the city and left shortages of food, water and other necessities for a population of almost 3 million people. LATEST MOVEMENTS: Mapping and tracking Russia's invasion of Ukraine STRAIGHT TO YOU: The latest updates on the situation in Ukraine. Sign up here. Negotiations for a cease-fire being held in Turkey are expected to continue Wednesday. The head of the Ukrainian delegation, David Arahamiya, said his side presented an official proposal for a new system of security guarantees. The proposed security pledge will not apply to the parts of Ukraine whose status remains in dispute Crimea, which Russia considers its territory after annexing it in 2014, and the breakaway Donetsk and Lugansk areas. "We insist that it be an international treaty signed by all security guarantors who ratify," Arahamiya said. "We want it to be an international mechanism of concrete security guarantees for Ukraine." Relatives and friends react near the coffin of Ukrainian servicemen Oleksiy Lunyov in Yuzhne, Odessa region, Ukraine, Sunday. Lead Russian negotiator Vladimir Medinsky said Ukraine pledged not to join any military alliance and not to host foreign military bases or foreign troops. Even military exercises would require prior approval from guarantors, according to the proposal. Kyiv also pledged not to seek to obtain weapons of mass destruction, including nuclear weapons, Medinsky said. In return, Ukraine requires that Russia will not object to Ukraine joining the EU one day. Zelenskyy has said his country was prepared to declare its neutrality, as Moscow has demanded, and was open to working out a compromise over the contested eastern region of Donbas over the next 15 years. Latest developments Asian stock markets followed Wall Street higher on Wednesday as talks on ending Russias war on Ukraine appeared to make progress. Shanghai, Hong Kong and Sydney advanced, while Tokyo declined. Oil prices advanced less than $1 per barrel. The White House denied disinformation claims by Russia that the U.S. government is launching cyber operations against Moscow that include the theft of personal data and the spreading of false information about the Russian military. The Pentagon is sending a 200-person Marine Corps command-and-control unit to Lithuania, Pentagon press secretary John Kirby said Tuesday. The unit had been participating in a training mission in Norway. The Pentagon has been sending troops and equipment to shore up NATOs eastern flank following Russias invasion of Ukraine. Britains government has seized a superyacht owned by a Russian billionaire with ties to Vladimir Putin the first vessel to be detained in the U.K. under sanctions imposed because of the war in Ukraine. The vessel's owner was not identified. Russia has destroyed more than 60 religious buildings across Ukraine in just over a month of war. Most of the damage is concentrated near Kyiv and in the east, Ukraines military said Tuesday. Nine people were killed when a Russian missile slammed into a nine-story government building in Mykolayiv, Ukrainian officials said Tuesday. At least 20 people were wounded. THE DEVASTATION OF MARIUPOL: Satellite images, photos and maps show the extent of the devastation and loss 'Well see': Biden not ready to believe Russias military reduction President Joe Biden said Tuesday that he will wait until Russia follows through on its stated plans to scale back its military presence near the Ukraine capital of Kyiv before judging the significance of the move. Well see, Biden told reporters when asked for his view on Russias announcement. I don't read anything into it until I see what their actions are. We'll see if they follow through on what they're suggesting. Alexander Fomin, Russia's deputy minister of defense, said Russia has drastically reduced its military activity near Kyiv and Chernigov amid talks with Ukraine on a peace deal. He said the military cutbacks were made to increase mutual trust and create conditions for further negotiations. Biden referenced the negotiations as he discussed a Tuesday morning phone call he had with United Kingdom Prime Minister Boris Johnson, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi. In the nearly one-hour call, they talked about continuing to provide military aid to Ukraine and making Russia pay a high price for ruthlessly attacking its neighbor, the White House said. There seems to be a consensus that lets just see what they have to offer, Biden said of his conversation with the European leaders. Well find out what they do. But in the meantime, we're going to continue to keep (strengthening) the sanctions. Were going to continue to provide the Ukrainian military with their capacity to defend themselves. And we're going to continue to keep a close eye on what's going on. Joey Garrison Pentagon on Russia's withdrawal announcement: 'We're not taking anything they say at face value' The Pentagon reacted with skepticism Tuesday to Russias claims that it has withdrawn forces near Kyiv. While small numbers of Russian troops have moved back from positions around the Ukrainian capital, the Pentagon believes it is repositioning, not a real withdrawal, Pentagon press secretary John Kirby said. Its not anywhere near a majority of what they have arrayed against Kyiv, Kirby said. The Russians still have a significant majority of their combat power near Kyiv, Kirby said. President Vladimir Putin massed more than 150,000 troops for the invasion of Ukraine. Ukrainian forces have retaken territory from the Russians west of Kyiv, Kirby said. To the east of Kyiv, the Ukrainians have pushed back Russian forces to more than 30 miles from the city. Its too early to judge what Russia will do next, Kirby said, but its aims have been clear. Russia has failed in its objective of capturing Kyiv, Kirby said. Its failed in its objective of subjugating Ukraine. The British Defense Ministry Intelligence agreed the Russians have almost certainly failed in their effort to encircle Kyiv after repeated setbacks and counterattacks by Ukrainian forces. Russian statements and reports that some units have left may indicate Russias acceptance that it has now lost the initiative in the region, according to a statement from Mick Smeath, Britains defense attache. The Pentagons assessment that Russia is repositioning its forces is based in part on the shift of their military focus on eastern Ukraine, Kirby said. Were not taking anything they say at face value, Kirby said. Tom Vanden Brook 'We did not invite them here': Flow of refugees dwindles as some Ukrainians feel emboldened Whether it stems from increased confidence in their military, an inability to flee or a desire to stay and fight, the flow of Ukrainians leaving the country nearly five weeks into the Russian invasion has slowed significantly. Most of the 3.9 million refugees departed from Ukraine in early March, at a time when about 140,000 people were escaping into Poland every 24 hours. Now, about 30,000 refugees arrive per day in Poland, according to UN data. In Moldova, daily refugee counts have dropped from about 20,000 per day in early March to around 2,000, and 21,000 have actually gone back home. As the Ukrainian military pushes back in the face of relentless bombardment, some citizens are feeling more emboldened. We are ready. We expect that Russia will come. And we will fight," said Odesa resident Alex Kobzev, 44, who has been coordinating aid distribution. We are supposed to be all brothers, but we did not invite them here.'' -- Trevor Hughes Chechnya leader says his fighters could take Kyiv The leader of Russia's Chechnya province wants to storm Kyiv. Ramzan Kadyrov, speaking to about 10,000 troops in Chechnyas regional capital of Grozny, said that we need to complete what we have started," a reference to the Kremlin announcing it was backing off its assault on Kyiv to allow for negotiations. Kadyrov has posted numerous videos in recent days that appear to feature him and Chechen fighters on the outskirts of Kyiv and elsewhere in Ukraine. Kadyrov said Moscow should have allowed his fighters to press the offensive. Im more than confident that we would have entered Kyiv and established order there," he said. Kremlin: US-Russia dialogue crucial despite Biden 'insults' President Joe Biden's blunt criticisms of Russian President Vladimir Putin have a negative impact on relations but dialogue between Moscow and Washington is in the interests of the whole world, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Tuesday. "Insults cannot but leave their mark on relations between heads of state," Peskov said. "Especially personal insults, which in general should have no place in the rhetoric of the head of state." Biden in recent days has referred to Putin as a "war criminal'' and on Saturday said Putin "cannot remain in power.'' The White House later clarified that Biden was not calling for regime change in Russia. "One way or another, sooner or later we will have to talk about the issues of strategic stability, security and so on, in other words, those issues that only we can and should discuss," Peskov said. Europe sends dozens of Russian diplomats home At least four European allies expelled dozens of Russian diplomats Tuesday as relations between Russia and the West continue their plunge since the invasion. The Netherlands said it was expelling 17 Russians who it described as intelligence officers masquerading as diplomats. Belgium said it was ejecting 21 Russians, the Czech Republic one. Ireland told four senior Russian officials to leave the country because of activities deemed not in accordance with international standards of diplomatic behavior." All this after Poland expelled 45 Russians last week. Together with our allies, we are reducing the Russian intelligence presence in the EU, the Czech Foreign Ministry said. US troop presence in Europe almost doubles, to 100,000 U.S. troop presence in Europe has swelled from 60,000 to about 100,000 as a result of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Gen. Tod Wolters, commander of the U.S. European Command and Supreme Allied Commander Europe of NATO, told the Senate Armed Services committee on Tuesday. "Russia's premeditated and unprovoked invasion of Ukraine has galvanized our allies and global partners," he told the committee. "NATO's capabilities in space and cyberspace are more closely integrated than in any other time in the Alliance's history." Wolters said the U.S. is supplying Ukraine with military requirements "to ensure they're getting the right equipment at the right time ... so they can best protect their forces." Asked why Russia would have used hypersonic weapons in Ukraine, Wolters said it was likely done "to put fear in the hearts of the enemy, and I don't think they were successful." He said most of those strikes were aimed at military targets. Katie Wadington Ukraine's defensive strategy could add to peril facing civilians Ukraine's defense against Russian attacks could be increasing the risk to civilians in the war-torn nation, experts tell The Washington Post. Most neighborhoods in Ukraine's cities have become "militarized," making them potential targets for Russian forces, the Post says. Russia has been pounding some cities, and Ukrainians have responded by deploying air defense systems, heavy weaponry, soldiers and volunteers to residential areas. All are rich targets for Russian missiles. I am very reluctant to suggest that Ukraine is responsible for civilian casualties because Ukraine is fighting to defend its country from an aggressor, William Schabas, an international law professor at Middlesex University in London, told the Post. But to the extent that Ukraine brings the battlefield to the civilian neighborhoods, it increases the danger to civilians. Contributing: The Associated Press This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Ukraine recap: US skeptical of Russia's claim of Kyiv pullback FILE PHOTO: Wildfire near the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) in Boulder (Reuters) - The potential for significant wildfires fueled by parched vegetation in parts of Texas and the U.S. Plains put the region on high alert on Tuesday as gusty winds and bone-dry humidity were in the forecast. Red Flag Warnings, signaling that fires could start and spread easily, were issued for an area spanning western Texas, southern Nebraska and parts of Kansas, Oklahoma and New Mexico, the National Weather Service said. The service warned that wind gusts reaching 50 miles (80 km) per hour, higher-than-usual temperatures and 10-15% humidity in the region could spark wildfires throughout the day and into the evening. "It will be very unpleasant to be outside today due to strong winds and blowing dust. Do not engage in any activities that could spark a fire," the National Weather Service in Lubbock, Texas said on Twitter. It will be very unpleasant to be outside today due to strong winds and blowing dust. Do not engage in any activities that could spark a fire. A Red Flag Warning is in place until 11PM and a High Wind Warning is in place until 9PM. #lubwx #txwx #firewx pic.twitter.com/puM6ryp5wb NWS Lubbock (@NWSLubbock) March 29, 2022 The weather conditions, combined with extremely dry vegetation, increase the possibility of significant wildfires occurring and impacting communities, the Texas A&M Forest Service said in statement on Monday. "Unfortunately, little to no precipitation is forecast for the immediate future and we expect the current level of wildfire activity to continue for some time," Wes Moorehead, Texas A&M Forest Service fire chief, said in the statement. Some 726 wildfires have burned 164,257 acres (66,472 hectares) across Texas in March, causing several communities to evacuate, including Carbon in central Texas, where the Eastland Complex blazes destroyed most of the small town. A sheriff's deputy died in the blaze while more than 150 structures were destroyed. Over the weekend, a blaze called the NCAR Fire forced 19,000 people from their homes near Boulder, Colorado. Dmitriy Boyko starts every morning with a single text to his family in Ukraine: "How are you guys doing?" Boyko, born and raised in Kyiv, has been forced to watch from thousands of miles away as his cousins one with a 4-month-old baby who fled to western Ukraine and another in Kyiv with her sick mother suffer in fear amid the Russian invasion. Boyko was 11 when he, his brother, his sister and his parents moved to the Bronx. Before Russian President Vladimir Putin ignited the deadly war in Ukraine on February 24, Boyko and his cousins kept in touch "sort of on and off." But now, he said, they stay in daily contact about the situation, and are "closer than we ever were." Boyko's cousin Irina Kravetskaya, who is in Kyiv with her ailing mother, texted Boyko of "very disturbing" conditions that many Ukrainians have been facing every day for more than a month now: They were getting bombed. "We are very scared," Kravetskaya wrote. "Dmitriy, we are getting bombed at, we can hear it at our location we are hiding." He responded: "Hide quickly and take water with you. Warm clothes. More so they can last." "We took it," Kravetskaya said. "Kyiv is getting bombarded heavily." Another message from Kravetskaya: "We are alive. Today we are expecting a shooting...don't know anymore...they bombed the TV tower and Babiy Yar," she said, referencing the Holocaust location where thousands of Jews were killed by Nazis, including members of their family. "All day we hear sirens," she said. "Mom is still in the hospital. Today I waited for 3 hours in a freezing cold to get medication for my mom, we are short 80% on medication." Boyko's other cousin is with her 4-month-old baby in a town in Western Ukraine near Romania, along with her mother and distant family members. And it's not just his family members. On March 22, one of Boyko's friends in Ukraine announced that her husband had died in the war. "Life will never be the same again," she wrote. "I hate everyone who is involved in this somehow." As much as Boyko tries to help from afar making suggestions about what they should do and how they should do it and providing moral support Bokyo said it's tough not being there in person. "You feel like you're helpless, really. You're not there with them," he said. "But I try to rationalize that I'm probably more helpful here than over there." Boyko, a member of New York City's Ukrainian Running Club, has been working with the local community to raise money, donations and awareness of the war. When the war started, he said, running club members, many whom are first-generation Americans, came together to do whatever they could, including reaching out to their representatives and senators to advocate for more support for their native country. On March 5, the running club hosted a solidarity run to "support Ukrainians in their fight for democracy and freedom in the unjustified, unprovoked war started by Russia." More than 600 runners participated in the event. Boyko said that people from all walks of life, including those who he hasn't spoken to in a decade, have contributed, in some cases by donating upwards of $1,000. So far, Boyko has helped raise more than $10,000 to help Ukrainians in the war, and has gotten a company in Europe to donate medical supplies for Ukrainian soldiers. Seeing so much support, he said, assures him that Ukraine "can't lose." Dmitriy Boyko's cousin and aunt have had to flee Kyiv to western Ukraine along with his cousin's 4-month-old baby amid the war. / Credit: Dmitriy Boyko "It's amazing. I think that's as succinct as you can put it," he said. "...We have to show strength. We have to provide as much ammunition to the Ukrainian soldiers as possible, at least allow them to fight the fight that they need to fight and have the equipment." Boyko said that Russian President Vladimir Putin's goal to tear apart the Ukrainian people has not succeeded. "He united the Ukrainians like nobody was able to unite them before," he said. "...I've never been more Ukrainian than I am now. Tons of people feel exactly the same." But even with the boast of support and confidence that the situation will turn out OK for Ukrainians, Boyko said that it doesn't negate the trauma that has already been endured. The last month, he said, has been "one long day." "Life has changed," Boyko said. "...Right now, the best that America can do and the world is to help Ukraine defeat the Russians. They're it themselves but they need the help. They're doing it for us actually as well. We may not realize it, but they're doing it for the world." Ukraine war through the eyes of a photojournalist Walmart ending cigarette sales in some stores Dollywood closes ride after deadly Florida accident Oregon will no longer require people to be residents of the state to use its law allowing terminally ill people to receive lethal medication, after a lawsuit challenged the requirement as unconstitutional. In a settlement filed in U.S. District Court in Portland on Monday, the Oregon Health Authority and the Oregon Medical Board agreed to stop enforcing the residency requirement and to ask the Legislature to remove it from the law. Advocates said they would use the settlement to press the eight other states and Washington, D.C., with medically assisted suicide laws to drop their residency requirements as well. This requirement was both discriminatory and profoundly unfair to dying patients at the most critical time of their life, said Kevin Diaz, an attorney with Compassion & Choices, the national advocacy group that sued over Oregon's requirement. Laura Echevarria, a spokeswoman for National Right to Life, which opposes such laws, warned that without a residency requirement, Oregon risked becoming the nation's assisted suicide tourism capital. Video: Pope condemns assisted suicide But Diaz said that was unlikely, given safeguards in the law, such as the requirement that physicians determine whether patients are mentally capable; that it is extremely difficult for terminally ill people to make extended trips to another state; and that many people want to die in the presence of loved ones near home not across the country. There's no tourism going on," Diaz said. Compassion & Choices sued on behalf of Dr. Nicholas Gideonse, a Portland family practice physician and associate professor of family medicine at Oregon Health and Science University. A longtime supporter of medical aid-in-dying laws, Gideonse had been unable to write terminal prescriptions for patients who live just across the Columbia River in Washington state. While Washington has such a law, providers can be difficult to find in the southwestern part of the state, where many hospital beds are in religiously affiliated health care facilities that prohibit it. Requiring his patients to find other doctors to provide assistance in ending their own lives can compound their suffering, Gideonse said. Any restriction on medical aid in dying that doesnt serve a specific medical purpose is difficult, Gideonse said Monday. In no other way is my practice restricted to Oregon residents, whether thats delivering babies in the past or other care that I provide. The lawsuit argued that the residency requirement violated the U.S. Constitutions Commerce Clause, which gives Congress the right to regulate interstate commerce, and the Privileges and Immunities Clause, which forbids states from discriminating against citizens from other states in favor of its own citizens. The Oregon Health Authority and the medical board declined to comment on why they settled the case. The state attorney general's office did not immediately respond to an interview request. Enacted in 1997, Oregon's first-in-the-nation law allows terminally ill people deemed to have less than six months to live to end their lives by voluntarily taking lethal medications prescribed by a physician for that purpose. Patients must make two verbal requests to their doctor for the medication, at least 15 days apart, as well as a written request signed in the presence of two witnesses. The attending physician and a consulting physician must confirm the patients diagnosis and prognosis, and determine whether the patient is capable of making health care decisions; if either doctor believes the patient to be suffering from depression or another mental disorder, they can refer the patient for a psychological exam. Some 2,159 people have died after ingesting terminal drugs under the law since it took effect, according to data published last month by the Oregon Health Authority. California, Colorado, Hawaii, Maine, New Jersey, New Mexico, Vermont, Washington state and Washington, D.C., have approved similar laws, all with residency requirements. Montana's Supreme Court has ruled that state law does not prohibit medical aid in dying. National Right to Life is concerned that people might be able to travel to Oregon without having much of a relationship with a doctor in the state, thus chipping away at guardrails limiting the use of the law, Echevarria said. The hope is that doctors will continue to evaluate patients, but it certainly creates a situation where there could be more abuse of that law, she said. ___ Johnson reported from Seattle. Claims that Chelsea FC owner Roman Abramovich suffered suspected poisoning during attempts to aid peace talks in Ukraine are very concerning, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) has said. It said the UK will continue to assist by implementing tough sanctions on Russian President Vladimir Putins regime as well as by providing defensive and humanitarian support to put Ukraine in the strongest possible negotiating position. The suspected poisoning of the billionaire was not intended to kill him and the two Ukrainian representatives, the lead Russia investigator with investigative news outlet Bellingcat has said. The experts said the dosage and type of toxin used was likely insufficient to cause life-threatening damage, and most likely was intended to scare the victims as opposed to cause permanent damage. The victims said they were not aware of who might have had an interest in an attack Bellingcat (@bellingcat) March 28, 2022 Christo Grozev told Times Radio the most plausible explanation for the alleged poisoning was that it was a warning to Mr Abramovich. The dosage was not high enough to kill any of the three, the most likely target would have been Abramovich. And it kind of makes sense. I mean, he volunteered to play this role of (an) honest broker, but other oligarchs had declared certain independence from the Kremlin position and criticise(d) the war, the journalist said. So it could well be seen as a warning sign to them to not join the ranks of those who dissent, and to not be too much of an honest broker. It comes as Boris Johnson pledged to co-ordinate closely with the Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky in the days ahead, reiterating the UKs commitment to strengthening economic pressure on Moscow. Meanwhile, British defence intelligence analysts warned more than 1,000 Russian mercenaries are expected to deploy to eastern Ukraine to undertake combat operations. In an intelligence update on Twitter, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) said Russia had highly likely been forced to reprioritise personnel from the paramilitary Wagner Group, at the expense of operations in Africa and Syria, due to heavy losses and a largely stalled invasion. The Wagner Group, seen as Mr Putins private army, was among the latest tranche of entities sanctioned by the UK Government over the Russian invasion last week. Latest Defence Intelligence update on the situation in Ukraine 28 March 2022 Find out more about the UK government's response: https://t.co/LGcaASzEkJ #StandWithUkraine pic.twitter.com/qWJcREPqRN Ministry of Defence (@DefenceHQ) March 28, 2022 It was reported on Monday that Mr Abramovich was among a group who suffered symptoms consistent with poisoning after attending peace talks in Ukraine. The Russian oligarch, who is involved in talks between Kyiv and Moscow, along with at least two Ukrainian negotiators, developed red eyes, constant and painful tearing, and peeling skin on their faces and hands since the meeting at the start of the month, according to the Wall Street Journal (WSJ). Sources told the PA news agency Mr Abramovich had now recovered and was continuing to try to help with the negotiations. It is understood the oligarch had been involved in talks about securing humanitarian corridors to allow Ukrainians to leave as well as bringing other countries to the negotiating table. The WSJ reported it was believed the suspected attack was orchestrated by hardliners in Russia who wanted to sabotage the talks. Roman Abramovich suffered suspected poisoning during attempts to aid peace talks in Ukraine (Adam Davy/PA) Asked about the allegations on BBC Newsnight, Sergiy Petukhov, the former deputy minister of justice of Ukraine, said: Its really hard to make any conclusions out of (the) information that we have. Remember previously one of the Ukrainian negotiators was murdered in Kyiv under unknown circumstances. He said the situation makes the atmosphere of the negotiations very tense and nervous, definitely not contributing to success. I think we will have to wait until further information comes out to be able to reach a conclusion (on) whether it was an intentional attack on the negotiation process or something else that just happened, he added. The FCDO called the claims very concerning, adding: The UK will continue to assist by implementing tough sanctions on Putins regime, and by providing defensive and humanitarian support to help put Ukraine in the strongest possible negotiating position. The Foreign Secretary has said Mr Putin is resorting to desperate measures (James Manning/PA) Earlier, Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said Mr Putins forces were abducting Ukrainian politicians, activists and journalists as Russia failed to meet its military objectives. She condemned the abhorrent tactic following work by Ukrainian human rights group ZMINA, which claimed to have identified dozens of individuals who had been abducted, with thousands more deported to Russia. Ms Truss said Mr Putin was resorting to desperate measures. Putin continues to use abhorrent tactics against the Ukrainian people, including abducting innocent civilians, she said. He is not achieving his objectives and is resorting to desperate measures. Putin must fail in Ukraine. Ms Truss, in a statement to the House of Commons, later told MPs: We know that Putin is not serious about talks, he is still wantonly bombing innocent citizens across Ukraine and that is why we need to do more to ensure that he loses and we force him to think again. We must not just stop Putin in Ukraine but we must also look to the long term. We need to ensure that any future talks dont end up selling Ukraine out or repeating the mistakes of the past. In their call on Monday, No 10 said Mr Zelensky provided Mr Johnson with an update on negotiations, adding that the two leaders agreed to co-ordinate closely in the days ahead. The Ukrainian president has signalled he is prepared to offer a series of concessions to Russia to end the fighting. Ukraine could declare neutrality and offer guarantees about its non-nuclear status as part of a peace deal, Mr Zelensky suggested, but he stressed the desire to ensure the countrys territorial integrity. A company set up by UK academics to create vodka from crops grown near to Chernobyl is donating profits from two new fruit schnapps drinks to refugees from the war in Ukraine. Professor Jim Smith, of the University of Portsmouth, and Ukrainian colleagues set up a social enterprise in 2019 to show that vodka could be safely produced in the region affected by the nuclear reactor accident in 1986. The initiative started as a scientific experiment and progressed to the team based in the Ukraine and at the Hampshire university selling the radioactive-free vodka in the UK. Professor Jim Smith said he was horrified by the war in Ukraine (University of Portsmouth/PA Wire) The Chernobyl Spirit Company is now supporting Ukrainian refugees by donating the profits from the first 850-bottle batches of its two new premium fruit schnapps. The spirits are 5x distilled in Ukraine from pears and plums harvested last autumn from districts affected by the Chernobyl accident and now partly under Russian control. The company started sales of its Apple Spirit last autumn and has donated 15,000 all its profits so far to the Ukrainian refugee appeal with at least 75% of all future profits from the social enterprise going to support the recovery of communities in Ukraine. Prof Smith said: Having spent my career working on the consequences of Chernobyl Im horrified to see the much worse impact of the Russian war on Ukraine. Our social enterprise aims to support communities affected by Chernobyl, many of which are now under Russian occupation. Colleague Dr Gennady Laptev, a Chernobyl emergency worker who is currently in Kyiv with his wife and 86-year-old father, said: We hope our social enterprise will help people affected by the devastating social and economic impacts, first of the Chernobyl accident and now of the war. For more details visit: www.atomikvodka.com Sinn Fein will defend but not renegotiate the Good Friday Agreement, the partys vice president Michelle ONeill has said. Speaking at an election launch event in Belfast city centre, Ms ONeill said those who hanker for the past need to realise that there is no going back, only forward. Delivering a speech at the Europa Hotel, Sinn Feins Stormont leader described the DUPs collapse of the Northern Ireland powersharing Executive as political vandalism. She said: When the Assembly, Executive and North South Ministerial Council were restored in January 2020 it was with a shared commitment to deliver the public services, societal reforms and future that our people need and deserve. It was ambitious to form a five-party coalition Executive, but it was achieved, getting us back to genuine powersharing, and thankfully so, because while everyone knew there would be challenges ahead, no one could have predicted that in only a matter of weeks that our Executive would be dealing with a global pandemic that would have such devastating impacts on every part of society, community and peoples lives and livelihoods. It is to the credit of all ministers from across the five parties that they responded and have worked with a unity of purpose, and unity of leadership for the past two years. This is what the public want to see more of co-operation and delivery. Ms ONeill added: And the contrast to that is Jeffrey Donaldson warning that it will be difficult for his party to re-enter the political institutions after the May 5 election. This is heard by those of us within nationalism as unionism doing democracy on only unionisms terms. Those who hanker for the past, who disrupt the present and who threaten our future need to realise that there is no going back, only forward. The facts are that the balance of power at Stormont has shifted irreversibly and political unionism must come to terms with the fact the world is moving on fast. Sinn Fein will be defending, not renegotiating the Good Friday Agreement now, or in the time ahead. We will not be shifting any goalposts to satisfy unionism before, or after elections. Ms ONeill said the May 5 election was the most important in a generation. She said her party would be standing 34 candidates across the 18 constituencies in the election, with more than half female. The Sinn Fein vice president said that a security alert in Belfast last week during a visit by Irish Foreign Affairs minister Simon Coveney was futile. The type of futile security threats we saw over the last week in north Belfast and Derry or attacks on the offices of public representatives will not deter any of us. The minority trying to draw us back will not win, this society is moving forward and peace and stability will always prevail. The forthcoming Assembly election on May 5 will return in my opinion a majority of MLAs who support the (Northern Ireland) Protocol, and who respect the rule of law. Sinn Fein president Mary Lou McDonald said the next Stormont Executive would be judged on delivery (Brian Lawless/PA) The event was also addressed by Sinn Fein president Mary Lou McDonald who said the success of the next Stormont administration would be based on delivery. She said: People have got a glimpse in recent months of what is possible from an Assembly and an Executive that gets a chance to deliver. The first thing that Michelle ONeill did when the DUP walked away from the Executive was to convene a meeting of party leaders to get work done. And it worked the Assembly has passed legislation after legislation on climate, on housing, on womens rights and supports for people dealing with the cost-of-living crisis. And this has been matched by initiative after initiative from ministers at Executive level, despite the actions of a Tory government constantly undermining the Good Friday Agreement and trying to slow down the change that is coming. For me the last few months are a small window into what is possible when parties with a vision for a better future are liberated to work together. Imagine a full term of that sort of leadership and that sort of delivery. A 38 million superyacht has been detained in London as part of sanctions against Russia, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps has announced. UK officials boarded Phi owned by a Russian businessman in Canary Wharf, east London, on Tuesday. The vessel is the first to be detained in the UK under sanctions imposed because of the war in Ukraine. Phi named after the mathematical concept made her maiden voyage last year after being built in the Netherlands. She is bright blue and features what is described as an infinite wine cellar and a freshwater swimming pool. At 58.5 metres long, she is twice as long as the other boats docked around her in Canary Wharf. Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said the yacht would not be moving (James Manning/PA) Mr Shapps told the PA news agency the ship was in London for a refit but wont be going anywhere. He said: Its just another indication that we will not stand by whilst Putins cronies are allowed to sail around the world in these kinds of yachts and people in Ukraine are suffering. When you see what hes doing to Ukraine, when you see what hes doing to peoples lives, it cant be right to have a yacht like this here in London, able to just sail away, and that is why weve impounded it and denied its ability to go anywhere right now. The superyacht is the first to be detained in the UK under sanctions imposed because of the war in Ukraine (James Manning/PA) The vessels horn was sounded twice while the Cabinet minister was being interviewed. Someone thought to be a member of crew stuck a paper sign reading P&O JUSTICE FOR THE 800 to the side of the boat. This comes after P&O Ferries sacked nearly 800 seafarers without notice. The Department for Transport (DfT) said it worked with the National Crime Agency and the Border Force Maritime Investigation Bureau to identify and detain Phi. The superyacht contains a swimming pool (James Manning/PA) It refused to reveal the name of her owner, stating that he is a Russian businessman. The department described Phis ownership as deliberately well hidden. She is registered to a company based in the Caribbean dual-island nation of Saint Kitts and Nevis, and carries a Maltese flag. The DfT said it is looking at a number of other vessels and hopes its strong stance sends an example to international partners. A newly married couple are finally going home to London after living in hotels for a month while the Ukrainian bride waited for a visa. Ronan Ferguson, 38, married Iryna, 32, at the start of the year and, when he flew to London, she remained in Ukraine to change her passport and identity cards to her new name, as required by Ukrainian law. However, a day or two after her new passport was issued, the Russian invasion of Ukraine began and her visa application was halted. Mrs Ferguson, a gymnastics teacher, managed to leave the country on February 27 to Poland, where Mr Ferguson flew to meet her. Mr Ferguson was critical of the Governments visa scheme for Ukrainians (Aaron Chown/PA) Unable to bring her back to the UK, they instead flew to Ireland and have since been living in hotels in Dublin where Mr Ferguson is originally from until finally getting word on Monday that the visa situation had been resolved. Were actually looking forward to some home cooking, thats for sure, Mr Ferguson told the PA news agency. Cooking ourselves and being able to do our washing, and being able to sit down and just relax. Mr Ferguson, a chief technology officer, said he was happy that common sense prevailed after a month of attempting to navigate the visa application system. He said they had initially applied for a fast-track visa, but then had to reapply through the family scheme because fast-track applications were no longer being accepted. They submitted that application on March 15 and heard nothing for a week, Mr Ferguson said. He chased the application and was told it had been received, he said, but continued to get no more information. As late as Monday morning, Mr Ferguson said he was told incorrectly by a Home Office official that because they had not submitted biometrics, the application could not be processed. Half an hour later, they received word that the application had been approved and promptly booked a flight to London on Tuesday morning. It seems to me like nobody actually knows whats going on, Mr Ferguson said. They say so-called helplines to call, but you call them and (they say) oh, were sorry for your situation but unfortunately we cannot give any information, we dont have access, check your reference numbers and stuff like that. The couple, who met while they were both working in Asia, said they are grateful their situation has been sorted. But they are concerned that for Ukrainians who do not have access to a native English speaker, the system may prove impossible to navigate. Mr Ferguson said: Theres people still in limbo that are in Poland or still in Ukraine who have no contact with these applications centres or no contact with the Home Office because they arent being told where their application is and if they will get a decision any time soon. As I say weve had so many different answers from people who work in the Home Office, people who actually work in the centres everyone provides a different answer on what the processes are and what needs to be done. While he said their situation is nothing compared to what many are experiencing, Mr Ferguson believes he has spent around 4,000 in the last month on travel, hotels and food. He said the situation has changed how he feels about living in the UK. The people there that Ive met on the ground, theyre very nice, but the Government are not welcoming at all, from what Ive seen, he said. It does change how I feel. I always thought I was into politics and knew a bit, but what Ive been through over the last month has really left something sour in my mouth. A Government spokesperson said: We are moving as quickly as possible to ensure that those fleeing Ukraine can find safety in the UK through the Ukraine Family Scheme and Homes for Ukraine. We have streamlined the process so valid passport-holders do not have to attend in-person appointments before arriving in the UK, simplified our forms and boosted caseworker numbers, while ensuring vital security checks are carried out. We continue to speed up visa processing across both schemes, with more than 22,000 issued under the Ukraine Family Scheme. Express your opinion! Fill out this form to submit a Letter to the Editor. Submit STEPANAKERT, MARCH 29, ARMENPRESS. No significant ceasefire violations occurred on the Artsakh line of contact on March 28 and the operative-tactical situation remained tense, the Artsakh authorities said through a statement published by the official InfoCenter of Artsakh. The Azerbaijani troops remain in their positions in Karaglukh section adjacent to Parukh and no changes in positions took place during the day. The Artsakh Armed Forces took additional warning and suppressive measures especially in the direction of Karaglukh. Parallel with this, works continue with the Russian peacekeeping contingents command with the purpose of withdrawing the Azerbaijani side to their initial positions, the Artsakh authorities said, urging the population to remain calm. On March 24-25 the Azerbaijani troops attacked Artsakh (Nagorno Karabakh) military positions and invaded the Parukh village. Azeri drone strikes killed 3 Artsakh troops and wounded 15 others. YEREVAN, MARCH 29, ARMENPRESS. Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan will depart for Georgia on a working visit on March 29, the ministry said in a statement. During the visit the Foreign Minister will meet with Georgias Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili and Vice Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs David Zalkaliani. YEREVAN, MARCH 29, ARMENPRESS. The plastic bag ban failed to give the desired results, businesses and government officials concurred. Several major retailing shops told ARMENPRESS that they havent recorded any drastic decrease in the demand for plastic bags, despite charging the customers for them. However, some customers began using alternatives such as paper or cloth bags. There are even some who use plastic bags several times. However, all supermarket chains surveyed said that the number of customers preferring the alternative to plastic bags is small. The ban on plastic bags (up to 50 microns) entered force January 1 in Armenia, a move initiated by the government to reduce harming the environment. The ban does not cover the plastic food packing bags used for weighing. Eco Waste environmental organization Director Hripsime Mkrtchyan said it is too early for studies. She noted that the plastic food packing bags used for weighing are still in circulation and are used in very large quantities. Mkrtchyan says the picture is worse in the provinces, where businesses havent abandoned the plastic bags claiming they were unaware. I can confidently say that the right steps werent taken before adopting the law. No work was done with respective structures, they say theyve notified, but this isnt enough. At this moment I can say that the process is somewhat taking shape but this doesnt mean that plastic waste will be reduced. Not at all, it will grow, because people are simply again buying the thicker plastic bags which are allowed, Mkrtchyan said. The Ministry of Environment, however, says that there is a drop of industrial volumes, in additional to some small producers of plastic bags that have shut down operations. But, of course, I agree that we didnt get the result which we were expecting. There is a little lack of supervision here, but I have to note that we regularly work with the supervising bodies. If we ramp up the supervision I think the meaning of the law will be justified, the Ministry of Environment Head of the Department of Strategic Policy Lusine Avetisyan said. Asked to explain the reason of banning plastic bags thinner than 50 microns but allowing the use of 50 microns or more for which customers must pay in supermarkets, Avetisyan said the thick plastic bags are easier to be collected in waste disposal sites and then submitted for reprocessing. Avetisyan said they will conduct inspections and surveys after the first quarter of 2022. Gayane Gaboyan STEPANAKERT, MARCH 29, ARMENPRESS. No significant ceasefire violations were recorded and the operative-tactical situation remained tense, with a certain positive trend of de-escalation at the entire frontline of Artsakh overnight March 28-29 and as of 10:00, the Artsakh authorities said. The Azerbaijani troops are still deployed in their same post in the area of Karaglukh adjacent to Parukh, the Artsakh official InfoCenter said. The Armed Forces of Artsakh continue reinforcing defensive positions and taking additional measures for suppressing the Azerbaijani troops. Continuous works are done with the Russian peacekeeping contingents command aimed at preventing possible Azerbaijani provocations and withdrawing the Azerbaijani troops to their initial positions. The Artsakh authorities are monitoring the situation and the Azerbaijani actions with all possible mechanisms and will issue updates on the developments upon necessity. YEREVAN, MARCH 29, ARMENPRESS. President of the Republic of Artsakh Arayik Harutyunyan convened a working consultation today dedicated to the latest developments in the line of contact, his Office said. The meeting was attended by heads of the power structures. Minister of Defense Kamo Vardanyan reported on the operational-combat situation. The President of the Republic once again said that ensuring stability is on the agenda of the Artsakh authorities. He said all efforts are being made, both through the Artsakh Armed Forces, the Russian peacekeeping contingent and the possible diplomatic mechanisms, to ensure peace and return Azerbaijani troops back to their initial positions from the eastern section of the line of contact. During the meeting the President gave a number of instructions on the organization of the countrys defense and the cooperation between the power structures. YEREVAN, MARCH 29, ARMENPRESS. Politicization of humanitarian issues is inadmissible and immoral, and any attempt of the kind is a challenge to the entire civilized world, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Artsakh said in a statement released today on the occasion of the resumption of gas supply in the Republic. The statement says: On March 28, the gas supply to the Republic of Artsakh was resumed through the only gas pipeline entering Artsakh from the Republic of Armenia. This month, Azerbaijan has twice disrupted the supply of natural gas to Artsakh for a lengthy period, causing a humanitarian crisis. The humanitarian terrorism carried out by Azerbaijan has been strongly condemned by the international community, numerous calls have been made for the restoration of gas supply, and adequate political and diplomatic steps have been taken. The role of the Russian peacekeeping mission in the matter is also great. We are grateful to all the countries and international organizations, political and public figures who, adhering to the principles of international humanitarian law and moral norms, gave an adequate assessment to Azerbaijan's actions and took relevant steps to eliminate this humanitarian catastrophe. Politicization of humanitarian issues is inadmissible and immoral, and any attempt of the kind is a challenge to the entire civilized world. STEPANAKERT, MARCH 29, ARMENPRESS. The factions of the Parliament of Artsakh Free Motherland-UCA, United Motherland, Justice, Armenian Revolutionary Federation and Democratic Party of Artsakh, issued a joint statement today relating to the current Azerbaijani policy of pressures against the population of Artsakh. On March28, the gas supply, which has been artificially disrupted by Azerbaijan for days, was restored in the Republic of Artsakh. Gas supply is just a humanitarian issue, but Azerbaijan used it as a mean to exert psychological pressures on and terrorize the people of Artsakh. By once again demonstrating high civil responsibility, the Armenians of Artsakh managed to overcome the existing situation. That policy of repression has been strongly criticized by Armenia, the Russian peacekeeping forces and the international community, particularly by Russia, US, France, as well as other countries and international organizations. All factions of the National Assembly of the Republic of Artsakh express gratitude to the international structures and our friends for showing a principled stance. At the same time, by highly valuing the consistent steps being taken by the Russian peacekeeping forces deployed in the Republic of Artsakh, we expect the return of Azerbaijani armed forces to their initial positions, the statement reads. YEREVAN, MARCH 29, ARMENPRESS. Speaker of Parliament of Armenia Alen Simonyan takes part in the events dedicated to the 30th anniversary of the CIS Inter-Parliamentary Assembly in the city of Almaty of Kazakhstan, the Parliaments press service. At the meeting the Speaker of Parliament drew the attendees attention to the current situation of the Nagorno Karabakh, particularly referring to the invasion of the Azerbaijani armed forces on March 24 to Parukh village of the Askeran region being in the responsibility zone of the Russian peacekeeping forces, by that grossly violating the 9 November 2020 trilateral statement. Alen Simonyan has informed his counterparts that the post-war humanitarian and other issues has not been resolved yet, stressing the issue of Armenian prisoners of war and hostages, the number of which, according to the data confirmed by Azerbaijan, is 38. In response to Alen Simonyans speech, the Speaker of the Parliament (Milli Majlis) of Azerbaijan Sahiba Gafarova has noted that Azerbaijan is faithful to the 9 November 2020 trilateral statement and has not violated those provisions. Gafarova has noted that Azerbaijan has handed to Armenia all prisoners of war, according to trilateral statement. In response to those statements, the Armenian Parliament Speaker reminded the Speaker of the Milli Majlis: Not only the Republic of Armenia, but also the Russian Federation, which is the warrant of peace of the given territory, has announced about the armed infiltrations and violations by the Azerbaijani side. I would like to repeat that Armenia proposes to immediately begin negotiations over signing of the peace treaty. In response to Alen Simonyans speech, the Head of the Milli Majlis of Azerbaijan stated that Baku offered Yerevan many times to sign a peace treaty, taking into account the five points, which Armenia rejected. In response to the claim of the Head of the Milli Majlis of Azerbaijan that Baku offered and Armenia refused, Alen Simonyan noted: I officially declare that these five points are acceptable for Armenia, and we think that if we add some aspects, we can start the implementation of that work, Simonyan concluded the dispute. The speech of Armenian Speaker of Parliament Alen Simonyan was followed by a standing ovation of the Speakers and the delegates of the Parliaments of the CIS countries, which interrupted Gafarovas speech. The disputes did not continue anymore. YEREVAN, MARCH 29, ARMENPRESS. President Vahagn Khachaturyan received today Ambassador of the Netherlands to Armenia Nico Schermers, the Presidential Office said. The Ambassador congratulated the President of Armenia on election, wishing a productive work. In his remarks President Khachaturyan highlighted the further expansion of the Armenian-Dutch friendly relations and bilateral cooperation. The sides exchanged ideas about deepening the cooperation and implementing joint projects in different areas, including economy, education, science and new technologies. The death toll due to the viral disease has gone up to 5,21,070 with 35 more fatalities A healthcare worker administers a dose of Covid-19 preventive vaccine to a student at a school, in Jammu. (PTI Photo) New Delhi: With 1,259 fresh cases, India's COVID-19 tally climbed to 4,30,21,982 on Tuesday, while the number of active cases of the infection further declined to 15,378, according to the Union health ministry. The death toll due to the viral disease has gone up to 5,21,070 with 35 more fatalities, the ministry's data updated at 8 am stated. The active cases account for 0.04 per cent of the total caseload, while the national COVID-19 recovery rate remained at 98.75 per cent, the ministry said, adding that a reduction of 481 cases was recorded in the active caseload in a span of 24 hours. The daily positivity rate was recorded at 0.22 per cent and the weekly positivity rate was recorded at 0.25 per cent, according to the health ministry. A total of 5,77,559 tests were conducted to detect the infection in the last 24 hours. India has so far conducted over 78.79 crore COVID-19 tests. The number of people who have recuperated from the disease has gone up to 4,24,85,534, while the case fatality rate was recorded at 1.21 per cent. The number of Covid vaccine doses administered in the country so far has exceeded 183.53 crore. India's COVID-19 tally had crossed the 20-lakh mark on August 7, 2020, 30 lakh on August 23, 2020, 40 lakh on September 5, 2020 and 50 lakh on September 16, 2020. It went past 60 lakh on September 28, 2020, 70 lakh on October 11, 2020, 80 lakh on October 29, 2020, 90 lakh on November 20, 2020 and the one-crore mark on December 19, 2020. The country crossed the grim milestone of two crore Covid cases on May 4, 2021 and the three-crore mark on June 23, 2021. Of the 35 new fatalities, 25 were reported from Kerala. A total of 5,21,070 Covid deaths have so far been reported in the country, including 1,47,780 from Maharashtra, 67,822 from Kerala, 40,051 from Karnataka, 38,025 from Tamil Nadu, 26,151 from Delhi, 23,494 from Uttar Pradesh and 21,197 from West Bengal. The health ministry stressed that more than 70 per cent of the deaths occurred due to comorbidities. "Our figures are being reconciled with the Indian Council of Medical Research," the ministry said on its website, adding that a state-wise distribution of the figures is subject to further verification and reconciliation. We should consider that India is not a dictatorship and should be using its natural strength as a democracy Most experts, including retired generals who write, are of the opinion that Indian land has been intruded on and China is refusing to vacate, and that is the problem. (Representational Image/ AFP) The strength of democracies is transparency. When people know of the difficulties that a nation faces, they can fight it together. They become closer, knowing that they face a threat jointly. This spirit, while possible, is not easy to achieve in nations that do not have democracy because all authoritarian leaderships are secretive. An example of what is meant is visible today in the war that is being fought in Europe. Ukraine has come together and the world sees its spirit in the face of adversity. There is of course a dispute over the manner in which Ukraine arrived at its present democracy, and that is part of the reason why Russia has invaded it. But there is no dispute about how the two nations today differ in terms of transparency. Ukrainians know what they face and have come together to face it. This month Russia blocked access to Facebook for its citizens because Vladimir Putin doesnt want his people to know what is really going on. He has also introduced a law that punishes media outlets and their employees with 15 years in jail for truthful reporting on the military. This will produce anxiety and alarm in many Russians and will be damaging in the long term for the nation. Sunlight is the best disinfectant is a saying and it alludes to transparency in organisations and in the government. On March 25, Chinas foreign minister came to India. The government said it was an unannounced visit though the media was well aware that Wang Yi was coming. He met our foreign minister and national security adviser, so the subject of his visit was not a secret: it is the situation in Ladakh. Mr Wang also asked to meet the Prime Minister but this was not allowed, with the excuse that Mr Modi was away in Uttar Pradesh for Yogi Adityanaths swearing-in. This is the second clue we have and it indicates to us that India is displeased with the situation. What is the situation? This is the problem. Indians have been told by the PM himself that there is no problem and that nobody is on our territory. The defence minister has said nobody is stopping Indias soldiers from patrolling in the spaces that they have been historically patrolling. If this is the case, then what is there to discuss with the Chinese? This is what the government is not telling us. What is called the Godi media reported it was the Chinese side that wanted the disengagement and this was because the present situation was not in the mutual interest. Disengagement from what? If they are on their side, then there is no real problem. On March 11, generals from the Indian Army and the Chinese Army met for the 15th round of talks since the clash of 2020. What do they talk about if there is no intrusion? Our government has not said. The Indian Express reported the following day that both sides have a platoon-sized strength of soldiers in Hot Springs, but the Chinese troops are on the Indian side of the Line of Actual Control. The government did not deny this report and did not comment on it. Most experts, including retired generals who write, are of the opinion that Indian land has been intruded on and China is refusing to vacate, and that is the problem. Some have written that this may escalate and it will be the Chinese who will escalate it. There has also been news of their encroachment into fresh areas in Arunachal Pradesh (which the Chinese claim because the sixth Dalai Lama of Tibet was born in Tawang in 1683). China is a dictatorship like Russia, and doesnt like transparency. India is a democracy but weve chosen to not be transparent on this issue (among others), for whatever reason. I dont want to speculate about why, though it is quite clear to me what the reason is. We should consider that India is not a dictatorship and should be using its natural strength as a democracy. For some reason we are not, and in fact we appear to be misleading ourselves. And we are giving space to China. The foreign policy experts in Beijing will have noticed the confusion produced by the Indian government. It is unlikely that they will not have assessed how it can be used to their advantage. What is it China seeks and why has the Ladakh border become and remained hot for two years and what is going on in Arunachal Pradesh? What does this all have to do with the road that China has built in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, which connects western China to Balochistan? China controls a port in Sri Lanka and the Bangladeshi newspapers are full of positive reports about joining Chinas Belt and Road plan. Nepal is also a part of this plan. In South Asia, India and Bhutan alone have refused to join. What does this mean for the long-term future of India and what are the threats and challenges that we may face in the future? Democracies can negotiate their ways through difficult problems because they have transparency and the strength of the entire polity, the people and the Opposition and civil society can come behind the government. For this to happen, however, there must be honesty and transparency. It is clear that here, on this issue with China that continues, unfortunately that has not been the case. Raising objections, Congress MP Adhir Ranjan Chowdhary said the law would be 'draconian' and infringes upon the right to privacy New Delhi: The Centre on Monday brought the Criminal Procedure (Identification) Bill in the Lok Sabha amid strong protests by the Opposition parties. The Congress termed this bill as draconian and illegal, as minister of state for home Ajay Mishra Teni said the proposed law will not only help the investigation agencies but also increase prosecutions. Raising objections, Congress MP Adhir Ranjan Chowdhary said the law would be draconian and infringes upon the right to privacy. Another Congress MP, Manish Tewari, termed the proposed bill as illegal and said it violated Article 20(3) of the Constitution, which says: No person accused of an offence shall be compelled to be a witness against himself. Defending the bill, the government said it would enable the law agencies and prison officers to collect, store and analyse physical and biological samples, iris and retina scans and the signatures and handwriting of all arrested or convicted prisoners. The bill also seeks to be made applicable to persons detained under any preventive detention law. The National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) will be the repository of all physical and biological samples and the data can be preserved for at least 75 years. This Bill will repeal the Identification of Prisoners Act 1920, whose scope was limited to allowing taking of fingerprints and footprint impressions of a limited category of convicted and non-convicted persons and photos, and only on the orders of a magistrate. The Lok Sabha on Monday also passed the Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Order (Amendment) Bill 2022. The Opposition, meanwhile, demanded the rollback of fuel and cooking gas price hikes and sought a statement from Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the Lok Sabha on the issue. The Opposition MPs also dismissed the governments contention that the rise in prices was due to the Russia-Ukraine war. The discussion on rising fuel prices and the Russia-Ukraine war is expected to be held next week after the Centre agrees to the same, several MPs said on Monday. The discussion on both topics will be held under the Lok Sabhas Rule 193, which does not entail voting, the MPs present at the meeting said. While the Ukraine crisis may be discussed later this week, the question of rising prices will come up next week, an MP said, adding that the exact date and timings had not yet been decided. Congress Lok Sabha leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said he proposed to discuss the twin matters at the business advisory committee meeting, and the government agreed to this. The Opposition parties in the Lower House have been protesting against the rising prices of essential goods, especially fuel prices, and urging the Centre to discuss the issues. Clash erupts between TMC and BJP MLAs on the floor of the House over Birbhum violence Kolkata: West Bengals Leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari and four other BJP MLAs were suspended by Assembly Speaker Biman Banerjee on Monday after they allegedly exchanged blows with Trinamul Congress MLAs over the Birbhum massacre during an in-House fight that left at least one each from both sides injured. The four suspended BJP MLAs, other than Mr Adhikari, are chief whip Manoj Tigga of Madarihat, Shankar Ghosh of Siliguri, Dipak Barman of Falakata and Narahori Mahato of Purulia. During the clash, Chinsurah TMC MLA Asit Majumdar accused Mr Adhikari of punching his nose and leaving it bathed in blood. He was taken in an ambulance from the Assembly to SSKM Hospital and was admitted to the Woodburn Ward. Later Mr Tigga, Mr Mahato and three other BJP MLAs -- Lakshman Gharai, Chandana Bauri and Shikha Chatterjee got themselves admitted to Apollo Gleneagles Hospital in the city. Mr Adhikari said: Mr Tigga suffered a rib fracture while others need rest because they fell ill. Mr Tigga will be flown to AIIMS in New Delhi on Tuesday morning for better treatment as Apollo wanted to discharge him after chief minister Mamata Banerjee sent cops from Bidhannagar City Police to the hospital. The unprecedented incident unfolded in the morning of the last day of the Assemblys Budget Session when the BJP MLAs held the TMC responsible for the carnage at Rampurhat, questioned the absence of a statement by the chief minister, who is in Darjeeling, and sought a discussion in the House. The Speaker, however, said they did not give any notice for a discussion on the topic before rejecting their demand and cautioned them against disrupting the proceedings of the House. Erupting in protest, the angry BJP MLAs then went to the Well of the House and approached the Speaker. The TMC MLAs also confronted the BJP MLAs, leading to a war of words and then a clash between the two sides. The Assembly marshals and the security staff, including women personnel, attempted to tackle the two warring sides but became targets. Later, state urban development minister Firhad Hakim and Chandrima Bhattacharya proposed the five BJP MLAs suspension, which the Speaker accepted, and also announced that steps would be taken after looking into the extent of damage of Assembly properties during the clash. Outraged, the BJP MLAs staged a walkout from the House. Condemning them over the fight, state parliamentary affairs minister Partha Chatterjee said: It was a pre-planned and shameful attack on our MLAs and the security staff, including women, by the BJP which earlier hinted at creating such a bedlam on the last day of the session. Mr Adhikari, however, claimed: The Assembly security staff included cops of the Kolkata Police, who beat our MLAs, including women. They were ganged up by 8-10 TMC MLAs. The CM later enquired about the fight from Mr Hakim over the phone but told the media in the hills: I do not know anything about it. You can ask the Speaker because it is his prerogative. In the evening, West Bengal governor Jagdeep Dhankhar tweeted: Opposition delegation led by Leader of Opposition @SuvenduWB and suspended MLAs called on Guv today and expressed grave concern at happenings in the WB Assembly today. Denial of discussion of barbarity #Rampurhat violence is undemocratic. Exception was taken to CM stance to take to streets in barbarity #Rampurhat against CBI. Guv Dhankhar assured the delegation that none can be & is above law and in democracy there can be no law of the Ruler. He assured delegation that matter is already engaging his attention. Affected sites include churches and Buddhist monasteries. The military has failed to prevail in Chin and Kayah states due to popular resistance. Civilian targets have recently been hit in Kayin, where at least 150,000 civilians have become internally displaced. Yangon (AsiaNews/Agencies) About a hundred religious buildings have been destroyed by Myanmars military in areas where anti-coup resistance is strong, especially in the north-west and south-east of the country. Since December, the military have intensified attacks on the predominantly Christian Chin and Kayah states and in the predominantly Buddhist regions of Sagaing and Magwe. Between February 2021 and January 2022, some 35 churches and 15 affiliated buildings have been destroyed in Chin state, this according to the Chin Human Rights Organisation. During the same period, at least 12 churches were razed to the ground in Kayah State, the Karenni Human Rights Group reported. Despite a pledge by the generals after their coup in February 2021 to protect places of worship, pagodas and monasteries have not been spared. Since April 2021, when ethnic militias began fighting back, at least 50 religious buildings were either destroyed or looted. Earlier this month, a monastery was shelled in Latpandaw, a village in Yinmabin district (Sagaing), killing at least six people who had found refuge in it. In the same area in late February, soldiers raided the monastery in the village of Chin Phone and used 80 children as human shields for at least 36 hours. When the abbot of the monastery tried to negotiate with the regime forces, they pointed a gun at the monk and wouldnt let him out of the monastery, a villager said. Now the building is being used as an interrogation centre where civilians are tortured and killed. Offering by locals, about 50 million kyat (US$ 28,100) were stolen. According to the independent news website The Irrawaddy, the attacks on religious buildings reflect the junta's frustration at not being able to prevail over the anti-coup forces, especially in Chin and Kayah states, despite the use of air strikes and heavy artillery. Recently, the Karenni Nationalities Defence Force, the main opposition organisation in Kayah State, removed several anti-personnel mines placed in rice fields by the army, to allow local farmers to return to their lands (pictured). In recent weeks, Karen state (also called Kayin), on the border with Thailand, has been the scene of intense fighting. Over the weekend, planes bombed several provinces, hitting civilian targets, including health facilities. The Karen National Liberation Army said it did not suffer losses, claiming instead to have killed at least 60 regular soldiers, but such claims are hard to verify. At least 150,000 civilians have been displaced in this region. Faced with this situation, the Fondazione PIME set a fund Fondo S145 Emergenza Myanmar to support initiatives by local churches, many of which were established by PIME missionaries before the expulsion of foreign missionaries in 1966. The goal of the campaign is to provide immediate help to thousands of people through the relief network set up by the dioceses of Taungoo and Taunggyi. Many local religious groups have responded to the emergency and in so doing are showing the most beautiful face of Myanmar, that of a people who, despite the suffering that has marked their history, choose the path of solidarity. Aid will be sent to them, starting with basic needs: shelter, food, and a school for children deprived of an education for the past two years because of the pandemic and the war. Donations can be made out to S145Emergenza Myanmar: Solomon Islands Prime Minister Sogavare is negotiating a security treaty with China, a source of concern in the Pacific region. Australia and New Zealand fear it will pave the way for a Chinese military base in the Solomon Islands. Gizo Bishop Luciano Capelli, who bemoans the lack of consultation, sees threats or external enemies that require a superpower capable of showing its strength. Gizo (AsiaNews) Recently leaked papers suggest that the Solomon Islands and China are negotiating a security arrangement, a prospect that has alarmed both Australia and New Zealand. Bishop Luciano Capelli of Gizo[*], a Salesian missionary, is among those concerned. In a reference to the countrys prime minister, Manasseh Sogavare, he said, People have not been consulted, The implications of such an agreement are unknown, and the Solomon Islands do not need war games, he told AsiaNews. The possibility that China might build a military base in the Solomon Islands, the first in the region, is especially worrisome. Speaking in in parliament, Prime Minister Sogavare called criticisms "very insulting", denying that this is part of the deal. "The Security Treaty is at the request of the Solomon Islands, and we have not been pressured ... in any way by our new friends," he told parliament. We have no intention, Mr Speaker, of pitching into any geopolitical power struggle,. "In moving towards our security needs, we need to diversify ... we are a country that has limited security capabilities and it is clear we will constantly need support. In November 2021, Honiara, the countrys capital, was shaken by riots in the citys Chinatown, a symptom of discontent against Sogavare, who broke off diplomatic relations with Taiwan in 2019 to boost ties with China. Order was restored by an Australian-led peacekeeping force. Events in Chinatown have nothing to do with China; they were caused by people who opposed the current government, explained Bishop Capelli. The riots were stopped by an Australian intervention. "The whole question of relations with China should instead be seen in relation to how Beijing is moving throughout the Pacific and beyond, also in Africa and South America. As bishop of the Church in the Western Province, I do not see threats or external enemies that require a superpower capable of showing its strength. We only have some domestic ethnic problems or looting in the city. The Australians are doing a good job. The Solomon Islands dont need war games or superpowers trying their bombs here. People have had enough of what happened 70 years ago. [*] Capital of the Solomon Islands Western Province. by Nirmala Carvalho Yalam Sankar, 50, was a well-known figure for his stance against Hindu nationalists. The Global Council of Indian Christians calls for a thorough investigation into this murder and the safety and security of the Christian community in central India. Mumbai (AsiaNews) - The brutal killing of an evangelical pastor last week in the Indian state of Chhattisgarh raises serious doubts about his real motive. On the night of March 17 in the village of Angampalli, Yalam Sankar, 50 years old, former head of the local council, a figure known for his stance against Hindu nationalists, was attacked in his home by five strangers who dragged him into the street and beat him to death. Local Christians report that Sankar had been threatened by Hindutva groups, who told him to stop preaching his religion. Despite this, the Bijapur district police attributed the murder to a Maoist guerrilla commando. At the scene of the killing, a statement was also found in which the man was accused of being a police informer. However, the officers are not aware of any such connection. Sajan K George, president of the Global Council of Indian Christians, told AsiaNews: "We condemn the brutal murder of Pastor Yalam Shankar. The fact that it is attributed to the Maoist guerrillas is strangely in contradiction with the statements made by the leaders of the RSS that these groups 'never target Christian communities because they do not denounce the illegal activities of the Naxalites'. The Global Council of Indian Christians', concludes Sajan K. George, 'calls for a thorough investigation into the death of this innocent pastor and the safety and security of Christian communities in central India'. Hong Kongs Legislative Council is set to approve two legal agreements signed in September with Russia. After the national security law was adopted, several countries suspended extradition agreements with Hong Kong. The International Bar Association slams Hong Kong police for threatening activist Benedict Rogers. Hong Kong (AsiaNews) Hong Kongs Legislative Council (LegCo) is set to give the green light to two legal agreements signed in September with Russia one for the extradition of convicts, the other for mutual legal assistance the pro-government Ming Pao newspaper reported yesterday. Increasingly though, countries with an extradition agreement with the former British colony are being urged to suspend them because of Hong Kongs repression of dissent on Beijings orders. In addition to the transfer of sentenced people, which would allow convicts to serve time in their place of origin, the agreement with Russia would allow the two parties to work on identifying potential suspects, evidence gathering and executing search requests. Hong Kong has extradition agreements with South Korea, the Philippines, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Portugal, the Czech Republic, Singapore, South Africa and Sri Lanka. Following the adoption of the draconian national security law in the summer of 2020, imposed by Beijing to silence pro-democracy advocates, Australia, Canada, Germany, Great Britain, New Zealand, the Netherlands and the United States put on hold their respective extradition agreements. France halted the ratification process of an agreement signed with Hong Kong. The Chinese government imposed strict security measures in response to protests organised by pro-democracy groups in 2019, sparked by a bill that would have allowed Chinese courts to try Hong Kong residents. The bill was eventually dropped. The security law also contains extraterritorial provisions, giving Hong Kong judicial authorities the power to issue arrest orders against people living abroad. The human rights wing of the International Bar Association (IBA) has called for a boycott of the extradition agreements with Hong Kong to prevent Hong Kong and China from demanding the arrest and extradition of dissidents and critics. The IBA made its views public after Hong Kong national security police threatened to prosecute human rights defender Benedict Rogers, CEO of the Hong Kong Watch website. in a letter to Rogers, police ordered him to immediately cease engaging in any acts and activities in contravention of the national security law or any other laws of Hong Kong. by Vladimir Rozanskij Civil servants obliged by the Caucasian republic's authorities to attend religious ceremonies for local soldiers engaged in Ukraine. Chechen Imam in Nice: Islam forbids wars of invasion. The subject of the fallen, and their funeral, is forbidden in Chechnya, as in the rest of Russia. Moscow (AsiaNews) - In the central mosque of Grozny "Heart of Chechnya" special prayer meetings are being held "for the preservation of life and health" of the special forces deployed in Ukraine. Chechen President Ramzan Kadyrov has deployed them in support of the Russian 'special military operation'. Some of the participants confessed to Kavkaz.Realii that attendance had been imposed as compulsory, gathering in the place of worship many public administration workers under threat of dismissal. The 'Tahajjud Namaz' is a voluntary night prayer, which is not part of the five obligatory daily Islamic prayers, and is believed to be more precious to Allah because of this. It is usually recited at home, and there are no large gatherings in the mosque like those in Grozny. The crowd of worshippers was summoned at 1:30 a.m. with social messages, specifying that special transport was provided and no excuses were allowed: "Those who cannot come for various reasons, write a letter of resignation and then stay at home". In the end, there were too many people gathered, and not all of them were able to enter the mosque, joining the prayer from the street. One woman recounted that "the men prayed inside, while we women were forced to do the entire Tahajjud in the courtyard, in three degrees below zero". The prayer was also broadcast on the local Instagram channel, in which members of Kadyrov's family can be seen praying on the second floor of the mosque. The religious administration of Chechen Muslims has announced that night prayers will be held regularly in all mosques in the republic, "if Allah permits". Kadyrov himself issued a message in the Chechen language in which he recalled that participation in the war in Ukraine 'is an obligation for all Muslims, since the adversary offends the Most High, religion and the prophet', while death in this conflict 'will be as sacred as that of the martyrs of the prophet Mohammed'. The president also added that "the news of the great prayer of the people has greatly inspired our fighters, they themselves said that thanks to it they remained alive, without wounds and under the protection of Allah". However, the Chechen imam of the French city of Nice, Ramzan Magomadov, pointed out that Islam forbids wars of invasion of other territories, "and here we are dealing with a war of occupation by Russia, it has nothing to do with Allah". Chechens living in Ukraine, on the other hand, are standing 'together with the infidels to defend their homeland from foreign aggression', while Chechens in the Caucasus and other countries should simply remain outside this conflict. 'A Muslim living in Russia should prefer prison, rather than participating in an invasion and facing certain death. An Islamic preacher from the Kurcaloev province in Chechnya, who preferred to remain anonymous, told Kavkaz.Realii that 'the main characteristic of a Muslim's prayer must be sincerity, so the obligation to be present in the mosque makes the prayer completely ineffective and will not be heard by Allah'. It would not even apply to asking for positive gifts such as family unity or success at work, "let alone asking for aid for the military in this way". Especially since the invocation of the Tahajjud, the 'Douaa', is not said aloud like regular prayers, 'and no one can check who you are actually praying for', the preacher explains. Journalists have tried to ask for the reactions of the relatives of the many Chechen soldiers killed, but no one has had the courage to respond, since the subject of the dead, and their funeral, is absolutely forbidden by the local authorities, who have so far officially recognised only 199 soldiers who died in the fighting in Ukraine. by Paul Nguyen Hung Thai Ha parish held a service led by Redemptorist Superior Fr Giuse Trinh Ngoc Hien. Some diplomats were also present. Funds were collected for the victims of the conflict. Hanoi (AsiaNews) Thai Ha parish celebrated a Mass of prayer for Ukraine following the appeals by Pope Francis, Archbishop Giuse (Joseph) Va Van Thien of Hanoi, and Fr Michael Brehl, head of the Redemptorist Order. Redemptorists Superior Fr Giuse Trinh Ngoc Hien led the service, which saw the participation of some foreign diplomats, including Nataliya Zhynkina, charge daffaires at the Embassy of Ukraine in Hanoi, and Italys Ambassador to Vietnam Antonio Alessandro. During the Mass, parishioners collected funds for Ukrainian children war victims. After two days of prayer on Saturday and Sunday, Fr Giuse Trinh Ngoc Hien handed the money to the Ukrainian ambassador. "People are suffering due to Russias invasion, Fr Toan said during the homily. These are children, women, men, elderly and innocent people attacked by missiles. "Let us listen to Pope Franciss appeal, he noted. We cannot ignore the suffering, injustice, intimidation and destruction of innocent people right in their homeland in Ukraine. We must say no to war and support peace. Some Thai Ha parishioners spoke to AsiaNews after the service. Everyone prayed to the Mother of Perpetual Help, holding a candle and singing the Prayer of Saint Francis of Assisi, they said. We also read the scriptures and the prayer of the Holy Father consecrating Russia and Ukraine to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, they added. Shia leader Moqtada al-Sadrs new coalition does not have the numbers to pick president and prime minister, but new possibilities are opening up. Iran is trying to undermine the coalition. For Saad Salloum, this process could lead the country away from sectarianism and to a country based on the concepts of community, citizenship, and national identity. Baghdad (AsiaNews) The Sadrist movement is trying to form a bloc in parliament to overcome traditional sectarian divisions. The goal is to unite Shias, Sunnis and Kurds so as to create a majority, form a government and elect the countrys next president. Led by Shia leader Moqtada al-Sadr, the Movement won the largest number of seats (75) in last years elections. Last Friday, it created a coalition called Lets save the fatherland (Enqadh Watan). Although its path forward is still long and troubled, it could be a turning point for Iraq; ending months of stalemate would contribute to building a country based on peace and fraternity for all its citizens. Compared to the past, when the Sadrist movement sought the support of other Shia factions, backed by Iran, this time it is seeking an alliance with the Kurdistan Democratic Party (31 seats) and the Sunni Coalition of Sovereignty (62 seats). At present, no one has the votes to elect the head of state, which requires a two-thirds majority. However, the six-months stalemate is complicating the future since it is preventing the formation of a fully operational government to deal with countrys current challenges: international crises, the economy, corruption, and post-war reconstruction. For Saad Salloum, a journalist and associate professor at the College of Political Sciences of al-Mustansiriyya University in Baghdad, one of the oldest in the world, this is a positive sign that could herald a change from sectarianism to the concept of community. Speaking to AsiaNews, the Iraqi academic explains that it is very important to change the political system set up in 2003, following the US invasion, which was based on groups Shias, Sunnis, Yazidis, etc. at the exclusion of the concept of community. This has led to parties that represent their respective groups, pursuing only their claims and demands, preventing the emergence of a true national identity and leaving no room for the concept of citizenship. This is why every move aimed at rejecting this system and philosophy is positive. We must imagine a political majority and not groups; every sign that goes in this direction of reform must be seen in a positive way. The main rival of the Sadrist Movement and its coalition is the Shia-dominated, pro-Iran Coordination Framework (64 seats), which still hopes to play a role in forming the new government. Historically, Shias have had the largest number of seats and usually formed the government. This time however the divisions between Sadrists and pro-Iranian factions are too wide to bridge and a deal does not seem to be in the cards. Because of this, the radical Moqtada al-Sadr is reaching out to Sunnis and Kurds to form a bloc capable of overcoming sectarian differences. To this end, the Sadrist-led coalition Lets save the fatherland named Riber Ahmad, Iraqi Kurdistan Interior Minister, for the presidency, and Jafar al-Sadr, Muqtadas cousin and Iraqi ambassador to the United Kingdom, for the post of prime minister. Last Saturday, coalition members called for a parliamentary vote for the head of state but the move was unsuccessful. The coalition needs a two-thirds majority (220 seats), but only 202 MPs were present for the vote. And the three parties coalition could count on a maximum of 168 seats, far from the required number. Now they are looking for votes but it is an uphill battle as Iran tries to split the Shias and create divisions within the coalition between Sunnis and Kurds. Best Green Tea Soothe Your Body & Soul With These Delicious Green Teas The AskMen editorial team thoroughly researches & reviews the best gear, services and staples for life. AskMen may get paid if you click a link in this article and buy a product or service. Green tea is well-known for its health benefits like boosting your metabolism and reducing the risk of disease. Its antioxidant properties and great taste make it a drink of choice for many. You can brew your own green tea with tea bags or loose tea leaves and drink it hot or cold. You can also buy pre-made green tea if you dont want to deal with brewing it, and there are refreshing bottled options to enjoy. The green teas below stand out for their flavor, quality packaging, and ease of preparation. RELATED: How to Make Quality Coffee at Home Best Overall Uncle Lees Organic Green Tea Uncle Lees This green tea is organic and produced with sustainable methods. It tastes smooth and not bitter, so its great if youre looking for something less intense than Matcha. The bags are a little flimsy, though some of them easily break open. This green tea is climate pledge friendly and USDA-certified. $21.99 for 100 at Amazon.com Best Budget Option Lipton Tea Bags, Green Tea Lipton These green tea bags only include green tea leaves. Reading the instructions for preparation is important because the brewing time differs from traditional black tea. Some green tea fans may find the taste of this tea to be inauthentic compared to other options though. Best of all, theyre made with a blend of responsibly sourced green teas. $12.22 for 100 at Amazon.com Best Bottled Option Ito En Tea Oi Ocha Green Tea, Unsweetened Ito En Tea Oi Ocha This green tea has no added ingredients aside from green tea. The design of the bottle includes a haiku poem that you can enjoy reading while sipping on the beverage. Be warned, though: the flavor of unsweetened green tea can be too bitter for some people, especially if youre used to adding sugar to your tea. $13.99 at Amazon.com Best Matcha Powder The Republic of Tea Double Green Matcha Powder The Republic of Tea Made with 100% organic China green tea and organic stone-ground Japanese tencha leaves, this premium blend will make for a gourmet tea-drinking experience. Its non-GMO project verified, and the round tea bags avoid unnecessary waste like envelopes or strings. But if youre looking for a grassy, intense flavor, you may find this brew a little too mild. $15 for 50 at Amazon.com What to Consider When Buying Green Tea Choosing the best green tea depends on what you are most concerned about: flavor, ease of preparation, sustainable production methods, or freshness of ingredients. When selecting green tea, purity matters. Look at the ingredients list to make sure it is indeed 100% pure green tea without any other filler ingredients or additives. Beyond that, consider whats most important to you: Do you want to brew your own tea? Do you enjoy it hot or cold? Some green tea is prepared in advance and served in a cold bottle. Other green tea comes in packets or even powder, which offer you the opportunity to experience making the tea yourself. Frequently Asked Questions Does green tea contain caffeine? Yes, green tea does contain caffeine. If you want tea without caffeine, youll need to search for specific herbal teas without it. You Might Also Dig: AskMen may get paid if you click a link in this article and buy a product or service. To find out more, please read our complete terms of use. Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup. Share This: More than 73% (2,297) of U.S. counties experienced natural decrease in 2021, up from 45.5% in 2019 and 55.5% in 2020, according to the U.S. Census Bureaus Vintage 2021 estimates of population and components of change released March 24. Natural decrease occurs when there are more deaths than births in a population over a given time period. In 2021, fewer births, an aging population and increased mortality---intensified by the COVID-19 pandemic---contributed to a rise in natural decrease. The statistics released March 24 include population estimates and components of change for the nations 384 metropolitan statistical areas, 543 micropolitan statistical areas and 3,143 counties. In 2021, all counties in Delaware, Maine, New Hampshire and Rhode Island experienced natural decrease. Some counties also experienced population declines attributable to migration. Counties with net international migration loss (more people moving out of than into the country), were most frequently found in California (41.4%), Oregon (27.8%) and Mississippi (23.2%). States with the highest percentages of counties with net domestic migration loss (people moving from one area to another within the U.S.) were Alaska (80%), Louisiana (71.9%) and Illinois (65.7%). Most of the nations counties---2,063 or 65.6%---experienced positive domestic migration overall from 2020 to 2021. Arizonas Maricopa County gained the most residents (46,866) from domestic migration, followed by Riverside County, CA (31,251), and Collin County, TX (30,191). Los Angeles County, CA, experienced the greatest net domestic migration loss (179,757 residents), followed by New York County, NY (113,642). The patterns weve observed in domestic migration shifted in 2021, said Dr. Christine Hartley, assistant division chief for estimates and projections in the Census Bureaus Population Division. Even though over time weve seen a higher number of counties with natural decrease and net international migration continuing to decline, in the past year, the contribution of... Despite bearing the same name, it is different than the Euro-spec Arkana beneath the skin. The latter is built around the CMF-B platform shared with the Clio and Captur, among others, whereas Russias version uses the same architecture as the Dacia Duster and Renault Kaptur Due to the current world events, the future of the Renault Arkana for the Russian market is insecure. Thats because the assembly takes place at the companys factory in Moscow, and the future of the plant is uncertain. Nonetheless, if it eventually gets the go-ahead, then it will feature new styling, as seen on the scooped prototype.For one, the headlights are all-new, and so is the grille, which appears to be slightly wider than before. The central air intake in the new bumper, and side trim, are smaller. Dont mind those bulges on the hood, doors, and rear quarter panels, because thats fake plastic cladding. The roof is still arched behind the B pillars, and the rear three-quarter panels appear to have been reshaped.The taillights are slightly bigger and do not seem to be joined together by a light strip anymore. The diamond logo still sits in the middle of the tailgate, albeit closer to the bumper, which is also new and continues to incorporate the rear license plate holder. The wheel arch surrounds are more pronounced, yet we wouldnt be surprised if they turn out to be provisional units.Normally, wed wrap it up by telling you when Russias Arkana could premiere, but thats a delicate topic, as we might never see the facelifted iteration due to the aforementioned reason. Years passed quickly, 2022 is already here, and no hybrid engine is in sight. In fact, earlier this month, we were informed the new powertrains should make it into the series no sooner than 2024, on account of the supply chain issues that have plagued the automotive industry since the start of the pandemic.Unlike back in 2019 though, now we have a solid indication the new powerplants will probably be ready by then. Honda announced this week its E85 bio-fueled 2.4-liter internal combustion engine component of its system has made its track debut at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.Mounted on a Chip Ganassi Racing chassis, the engine was for the first time put through its paces on the track by six-time IndyCar champion Scott Dixon, on a modified version of the 13-turn, 2.6-mile (4.2 km) course.Testing was not without a minor issue, as low temperatures in the morning delayed the start. Once things got going though, everything went without a hitch (short video of that below), but Honda does not go into details.This is an important step for HPD, Honda and INDYCAR as the series moves into the electrified era, and it was a successful day, said in a statement David Salters, HPD president and technical director, but there are many more steps to take before the full, hybrid power unit debuts in 2024.The arrival of the new powertrains should significantly increase power levels for the racers, from the current output of between 550 and 700 hp to above 900 hp. This is not your conventional drag race since both automobiles thrive in different territories. The Baja Bug is an outdoorsy rugged terrain ripper, while the C8 Corvette is an American street king Eric Connors Baja isnt your ordinary sand rail Bug. Its street legal, insured and still uses its 1970 body. Apart from cranking out 850 ponies, it has a conspicuous wagon hanging out at the back that carries all the juice.Powering this monster buggy is an 18-cubic inch LS3 engine built by Robert Marouzi. It has Lunati rods and a crankshaft with a 4.5 Whipple supercharger. According to Connor, the best part about the build is Its violent early, making over 881 Nm of torque at 2,500 RPMs. It uses 110 Octane fuel and runs a Mendiola 5S sequential gearbox.Its not a cheap contraption to keep, according to the owner. It can cost up to $1,000 in fuel if you decide to go glamorous on the throttle over a weekend.Last year, Mobil 1 gave Hoonigan their prized 2021 Chevrolet C8 Corvette for torture testing. It doesnt have the best rep in the series. Ron and Vin blew the motor on the first track day, and it also got schooled by a custom-built race car with a turbo-charged Suzuki Hayabusa engine. Hooonigans C8 packs a 6.2-liter V8 paired to an 8-speed dual-clutch tranny making 495 hp. On paper, the Baja Bug destroys the C8 Corvette fair and square, but if history serves us right, things can get surprising on the strip.After three intense races, one racer emerged victorious. We wont get into the details, but we will let you find out who dominated the event. kW The vehicle will arrive in the Pacific country in left-hand drive and will be converted locally to right-hand drive by RMA Automotive, at their Merrifield Business Park facility, north of Melbourne.With more than 30 years of engineering expertise and in excess of 100,000 modified Ford vehicles delivered around the world so far, the company has received the Blue Ovals seal of approval to officially work on the Aussie-spec F-150, which will meet all applicable rules and safety regulations.Weve listened hard to fans and dealers, and found a way to bring F-150 to Australia, said the Ford Australia and New Zealand President and CEO, Andrew Birkic. As the pinnacle of Built Ford Tough, it will give our customers even more choice when theyre in the market for a pickup. We just cant wait to unleash it.Offered in the Crew Cab body style, in the XLT and Lariat trim levels, the 2023 Ford F-150 destined for Australia will be powered by the 3.5-liter EcoBoost V6. The engine produces 298(405 ps / 399 hp) and 678 Nm (500 lb-ft) of torque, working in concert with a ten-speed automatic transmission. In this configuration, the workhorse has a 4.5-ton (9,920-pound) towing capability when equipped with the Tow Pack.Drivers will enjoy the usual gear normally found in the F-150, from the SYNC4 infotainment system and rearview camera, to the automatic high beams, reverse sensing system, reverse brake assist, lane keep assist, blind spot information, automatic emergency braking, and post-collision braking, to name but some. Full details surrounding the 2023 F-150 set to launch in Australia, including pricing , will be announced in due course. Elly Reisman is one of those billionaires who know a thing or two about boating , having inherited this passion from his father. As one of the wealthiest people in Canada, the real estate developer owned several boats, all built by Italian shipyards, and each one bigger and bolder than the previous.On board a yacht you are surrounded by luxury in the middle of nature, he told Boat International , and the 157-foot (47 meters) Entourage perfectly reflects that. It was the first boat project for interior designer Dragana Maznic, who made the yacht feel as sophisticated and as welcoming as a penthouse.The clean, modern look is highlighted by gloss wood, stainless steel, and white leather. Its also very luminous, thanks to the full-height panoramic windows that were an innovation at the time Entourage was built in 2014.In addition to five elegant staterooms, the Admiral yacht features a sauna and a gym on the main deck and several areas for al-fresco dining. Sliding doors make the main salon feel even more spacious, and guests can enjoy a generous jacuzzi and a well-equipped bar. The vessel is not a monster in terms of performance, boasting a top speed of only 15 knots (17 mph/27.7 kph), but it was designed for ultimate comfort during family vacations.Reisman recently sold this pleasure craft that he envisioned himself because he is ready, in his own words, for this boat on steroids, which translates to another upgrade. Still, Entourage remains one of the most coveted luxury charter yachts, which can be enjoyed for $220,000 per week, according to Imperial Yachts . For those with high expectations and refined taste, it would be a great choice. SUV Manhart enthusiasts know very well that among a flurry of Bavarian upgrades there is always time for a little British twist. Frankly, calling it small is a big understatement, since we are talking about Land Rovers massive SUVs here. More precisely, about the L460 fifth-generation 2022 Land Rover Range Rover that is not even on sale just yet.However, once British Royal family members have their event calendar filled with Range Rover apparitions , the UK company will probably release the new iteration into the wild and allow the aftermarket frenzy to commence. Manhart Performance, on its behalf, has the speed of execution on its side, considering they have already revealed what they have in store for the luxuryMost likely, the menacing black-and-gold Range Rover we see in the gallery is still of the CGI variety . But we can rest assured that Manhart has the utmost interest to get it done as fast as the showrooms get their first delivery units, most likely because this performance build is intended for the affluent customers from Arab countries. Nope, sorry murdered-out American fans, this one is not for your next stand-out in any crowd event...Anyway, not much has perspired about the Manhart Vogue RV 650 package so far. We do know the German tuner will use the signature black look combined with gold-style decals and matching forged aftermarket wheels for the exterior. The same theme was adopted by the interior where the thoroughly reupholstered cabin mixes leather and/or Alcantara materials in black and gold.The package, which is already available for order, can also include a raft of individually chosen accents, while the performance factor is adamantly obvious from the new name. So, the numerals signify Range Rovers new power level, and there is also a suspension upgrade to make sure the stable of ponies remains firmly connected to the tarmac. An exhaust tune is also possible but no pricing details for any of the enhancements have been advanced, so far. Following in the footsteps of Russias leaders, Roscosmos decided its time to burn the bridges that until now made it one of the pillars of the global space exploration efforts. That led to the cancellation of some planned missions, and the postponement of others.The European Space Agency (ESA) is the hardest hit, having lost access to the Proton rocket that should have put its ExoMars mission on a path to Mars.ExoMars is the name of the continents first mission meant to deliver a rover on the surface of the neighboring planet. The rover, called Rosalind Franklin , was meant to search for signs of life.This week, ESA said the robot is technically ready for its mission. The drill is ready to reach 2 meters (6.5 feet) down, the deepest any rover has ever gone, and the onboard laboratory is ready to analyze what it finds.The problem is, no rocket is available to launch it. Whats worse, its unlikely one will be found before the launch window closes, despite the agencys fast-track study meant to find options for delivery.Faced with the certainty the launch will come no sooner than 2023, ESA will place the ExoMars elements in storage at the Thales Alenia Space site in Italy.I hope that our Member States will decide that this is not the end of ExoMars, but rather a rebirth of the mission, perhaps serving as a trigger to develop more European autonomy, said in a statement David Parker, Director of Human and Robotic Exploration at ESA SUV MPV ICE Claiming it was just for fun, the pixel master morphed the seventh-generation Honda City into a BMW 1 Series lookalike with a little help from the bumpers, skirts, and a spoiler sourced from BMWs extensive catalog of 1 Series M Performance Parts. And if you want a smile, we also have that behind-the-scenes making-of video embedded second below.But the CGI expert also knows how to be serious and nail the unofficial looks of the next model in an automakers pipeline. No, we are not talking about the hypothetical Maserati Biturbo EV return thanks to Grecale influence. That one is entirely wishful thinking. Instead, we are referring to an upcoming Fiat apparition, the second-generation 500X retro-styled subcompact crossoverA model that is way more fitting for the reinvented 500 legacy than its (fugly) 500L mini-sibling, Fiats 500X has been around since 2014 (2016MY in the United States) and could certainly use a little refresh based on the most recent sales performance. However, the CGI expert skipped a beat and decided it was about time for a second-generation unofficial transformation.The logic behind the morphing is pretty sound: since Fiat has gone full EV for the New 500, I think they might do the same with the 500X crossover. Naturally, under the guidance of parent Stellantis, this would not represent a major issue as the group already has an extensive lot of e-CMP-based models, such as the Citroen e-C4, DS 3 Crossback E-Tense, Opel Mokka-e, and Peugeot e-2008 And that was to name but the little crossover SUVs, which is more than enough because the author chose the latter (or rather its 2008 GT Linecounterpart) as the starting point for the second-generation Fiat 500X virtual transformation . As for the result, that one was rather unsurprising... In 2017, Flytrex was proudly letting everyone know that it launched the worlds first fully autonomous urban drone delivery system. It happened in Reykjavik, Icelands capital. Since then, the company has continued to grow its list of partnerships and expand its business, marking milestone after milestone.One of the most recent ones was the green light received from the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration), allowing it to bring its delivery service to 10,000 homes in several cities across North Carolina. Flytrex claims its already completed thousands of drone deliveries, more than any other company in the U.S., and it doesnt plan to stop here.Now the autonomous drone delivery service is coming to Texas via a partnership with national restaurant chain Brinker International (which owns Chilis Grill and Bar, Maggianos Little Italy, and virtual brands Its Just Wings and Maggianos Italian Classics) and drone services company Causey Aviation Unmanned.As specified by Flytrex, the new service will be based in Granbury, just outside of Dallas-Fort Worth, and will offer food and groceries deliveries to Texas customers in a timely and affordable manner. Flytrex guarantees to have your food delivered to your front or backyard within five minutes from placing the order via the mobile app, with its drones flying at a speed of 32 mph (51 kph). What that means for you is that you can rest assured your ice cream wont melt and your coffee wont get cold by the time they reach your door.The newly granted FAA waiver allows a delivery radius of one nautical mile, which means thousands of homes can benefit from Flytrex s drone delivery service. But the company plans to go beyond the Lone Star State and North Carolina , with Flytrex CEO, Yariv Bash, stating that he plans to expand the service nationwide. At the end of March, it was time for an entire squadron to get a serious upgrade: Marine Attack Squadron 214 (VMA-214), part of the Marine Aircraft Group 13, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing.Ever since 1989, this crew has been taking to the air in AV-8B Harriers , the single-engine ground-attack aircraft introduced by what was earlier that decade McDonnell Douglas. That makes this machine not exactly as old as other planes now deployed by the military, but the lack of serious upgrades over the years makes it quite outdated.The U.S. will not invest any more money in the Harriers (and other planes as well), as it seeks to streamline the fleet of flying weapons platforms. Among the planes to make it in the new era is the F-35 Lightning II , one of the few fifth-generation aircraft now in operation.One of the latest units to join the F-35 Lightning II bandwagon is the said VMA-214, nicknamed Black Sheep, which last week was re-christened VMFA-214 (Marine Fighter Squadron 214), as it officially dropped the Harriers in favor of the F-35B variant of the fifth-gen."Having previously served in VMA-214 and flown the AV-8B for many years, the Black Sheep and the Harrier hold a special place in my heart," said U.S. Marine Corps Maj. Gen. Bradford J. Gering, the commanding general of 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing."As 3rd MAW says a bittersweet farewell to the Harrier, we are excited to increase our number of F-35B squadrons with the re-designation of VMFA-214."The Black Sheep squadron is based at Marine Corps Air Station Yuma in Arizona, and has been formed in 1942. Its pilots served in all the major conflicts America has been involved in since. Omega Swiss luxury watches are no stranger to celebrities. Many of them have advertised for the brand, including Academy Award-winning actor Eddie Redmayne, model Kaia Gerber, the daughter of supermodel Cindy Crawford, and even James Bond... Actually, just Daniel Craig On Sunday, a lot of celebrities wore the Omega watches as accessories on the red carpet at the 2022 Academy Awards Nicole Kidman, who arrived at the event in a black Mercedes-Maybach S-Class (pictured in the gallery), was nominated for her part in Being the Ricardos for Best Actress in a Leading Role. Naturally, she needed to be glamorous, and her choice was the Omega Mini Tresor.Andrew Garfield, whom many of you might know as Peter Parker, was also an Oscar nominee for his role in Netflixs Tick Tick... Boom! as Best Actor in a Leading Role. The British actor wore the newest Speedmaster 57 model.Belfast actor Jamie Dornan also sported a Speedmaster 57 on the red carpet.Ariana DeBose won her first Oscar for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for her part in the new remake of West Side Story. The actress wore an Omega Constellation in stainless steel on her wrist.Troy Kotsur, who also received his first Oscar for Best Actor in a Supporting Role for CODA, was also sporting a De Ville Prestige in stainless steel. He was the second deaf actor to win an Academy Award after Marlee Maitlin in 1987, and the first man to do it.Other celebrities who did not make it to the nominees' list at the 2022 Academy Awards also chose Omega on their wrists. Yous Tati Gabrielle wore a De Ville prestige on a beige OMEGA vegan strap. Meanwhile, Canadian actor Simu Liu from Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, flaunted a Seamaster Aqua Terra watch in full 18k yellow gold. Svenska Aeroplan Aktiebolaget, or the Swedish Aircraft Company, was formed in 1937 to protect the nation against Russian invasion. They never could have guessed the invasion would come from the west, and the General of Motors led the initial attack in 1989. After spinning off the aircraft division, GM purchased 50% with an option to go all-in during the next decade.Badge Engineering is an American concept where one automaker can sell a dozen examples of the same model at different locations and prices. While it works well for domestic transportation, trying to take it worldwide proved to be a fatal mistake. Looking back, someone should have seen the warning signs. This was the era of the Geo Storm and the Chevy Prizm, so what could go wrong?After their initial investment of $600 million, GM began working on a new flagship model for the brand. It would be a second-generation of the iconic Saab 900, a car still coveted by collectors around the world. Introduced in 1994, it had great looks and a homegrown powertrain, but it shared the same GM290 chassis used by Saturn and Opel. After offending loyal customers, they scrambled to introduce over 1,100 upgrades, while addressing quality issues along the way. It was so bad they quickly replaced it with the first-generation 9-3 in 1999.With everything seemingly figured out, the success of the 9-3 prompted GM to buy the remaining 50% of the company. Seeking to leave compromise in the dust, an all-new 9-3 arrived in 2002, but nobody could foresee that it would be their last production model. It had all the style and safety anyone could ask for, along with a manual transmission and convertible options.It would have been logical to follow this with a wagon version, so GM made a logical choice to slam Saab bagdes on the Subaru Impreza wagon. Sweden and Japan are on opposite sides of the earth, but a wagon is a wagon, right? Seeking to offset the weight of Saabs active safety systems, many of Subarus metal parts were swapped for plastic, offending fans of both brands in the process. A combination of steering from the WRX, along with soft suspension tuning, made the 9-2 an expensive, quirky car that nobody asked for.Gasoline prices jumped from $1.59 to $2.59 between 2004 and 2006, and it's one of the leading contributors to the Great Recession. Instead of cutting back on gas guzzlers, GM decided to apologize for the 9-2 fiasco. So, instead of an economical Saab, they gave us a luxury example of the Chevrolet Trailblazer SS called 9-7X. As the sixth iteration of the GMT360 chassis, it looked nearly identical to the Buick Ranier, Oldsmobile Bravada, GMC Envoy, and the Isuzu Ascender. Nevertheless, GM priced it just under the Escalade to make sure nobody bought it.These back-to-back disasters prompted GM to label Saab as under review in 2007. Making this internal issue known to the public not only scared new customers, but it also made potential investors look elsewhere. The only upside was that it kept Saab functioning without the abrupt end of Pontiac, Oldsmobile, and Saturn. Christian von Koenigsegg announced his intentions in June of 2009, but he backed out four months later, after realizing Saabs only profitable model was the 9-3, which was 8 years old.Spykers CEO Victor Muller got some friends together and announced big plans for 2010, with a goal of making 55,000 cars. Burning through cash, they only assembled 31,696 examples, because the bills werent being paid. Nevertheless, Muller sold Spyker cars to focus on Saab, while many white-collar workers went without pay. The last hurrah was from 600 examples of the new Saab 9-4X. Built in Mexico by GM, they were essentially a Cadillac SRX with a higher price tag.On October 28th 2011, two Chinese automakers stepped up to offer $140 million for Saab. But after only three months, GM returned with a vengeance. They didnt like the idea of a Chinese company gaining access to their IP, so Saab lost the rights to GMs patents. American production ended in December of 2011, and the last 47 cars were "Independence Edition" 9-3 cConvertibles (2012).Ironically, most of this technology originally came from Saab, but they became GM property during the 2000 takeover. Currently owned by the Chinese Evergrande group, their 2021 insolvency is just another nail in the coffin. Tell us your dreams of a new Saab in the comments, and stay with us for all your Swedish auto news. It is worth noting that Elon Musk recommended that users of its Starlink terminals in Ukraine place the antennae as far away from people as possible. The idea is not linked to any radiation threat as a health hazard, but to a detection threat. If Russian forces manage to pinpoint the location of such an antenna, those around it may be at risk A senior researcher at the Citizen Lab of the University of Toronto, John Scott-Railton, has warned that there are some features of Starlink that make it different from other comparable technologies that were previously used for this purpose. Moreover, as he told Business Insider , these terminals also have a distinctive appearance, which is not something you want from such a device.Other security experts warn that radio signals from such antennae could be tracked down by any modern military force, so deploying and using them is a risky business. Not having the ability to communicate with the outside world is just as dangerous, some might argue, though, so that also has to be accounted for.If you think about it, without Starlink , the Ukrainians would be left without any contact with the outside world, which is an undesirable situation in this context.Because of the distinctive look of the antennae used by Starlink terminals, such dishes could be observed from the air by Russian forces using various tools, from drones to aircraft. However, the signal itself could make the position of each antenna a target for missiles that can home in on such signals.In the latter case, the Russian military would have to have and also to deploy specific missiles that would bring the described effect. Until then, Ukrainians are advised to use caution when communicating with the use of Starlink terminals SUV Vladimir Putin, Russias longtime leader, has a huge fortune that hasnt been exactly estimated. Even Elon Musk , the worlds richest person, recently shared that Putin might be even richer than he is.The Russian tsar prides himself in real estate and yachts, including one that hasnt been officially declared his. That is the mysterious Scheherazade , which is covered in gold and marble, and overflowing with luxury.Now, lets take a look at Putins official car, an Aurus Senat limousine, with a design inspired by Rolls-Royce and Bentley limousines. In 2013, Aurus Motors, a Russian luxury brand, started the development of the future presidential car, that was to replace his Mercedes-Benz S 600 Pullman Guard. He introduced the Senat to the world during his fourth inauguration ceremony for a new six-year term, in May 2018.And, as expected from a man obsessed with his own safety, this car is all about that. And, naturally, comfort. Putin travels around Moscow in the armored vehicle with VR8/VR10 ballistic protection, that features 6 cm reinforced glass.Built in compliance with the Federal Protective Service's standards, the luxury vehicle is a fortress on wheels, being able of resisting any type of threat, including bombs, chemical weapons, and even if its completely submerged in water. Besides that, it comes with night vision cams, air compression system, and also offensive measures. We have seen no weapons on it so far, though.The Aurus Senat limousine is equipped with run-flat tires, being able to drive even when all four are punctured. It includes an emergency exit through its boot to evacuate the occupant when necessary.If Vladimir Putin has to travel for visits outside Russia which is currently next to impossible the state car is airlifted to the destination by an Ilyushin Il-76 transport aircraft.The $1.3 million vehicle is powered by a 4.4-liter V8 engine. That power unit has to move a car is measures 23 ft (7 m) in length and weighs around seven tones. The budget for designing this armored vehicle was at least $196 million (12.4 billion rubles), but at least Vladimir Putin feels safe and comfortable in it. The Kortezh line includes a convertible, the Aurus Senat Cabrio, a minivan called Arsenal, and an, Komendant, yet to be delivered. The issue was presented to Volkswagens Pre-Product Safety Committee, which assigned risk assessment evaluations. Finally, the issue was presented to Volkswagens Product Safety Committee in March with the recommendation to initiate a recall. The basis for this callback came in the guise of 1,242 suspected parts that may have been incorrectly cast by Volkswagen de Mexico as per documents filed with the safety watchdog.There are no records of any other failure, and the Wolfsburg-based carmaker highlights that remedy components are correctly manufactured.No fewer than 10,119 examples of the small Taos and compact-sized Tiguan are called back, including the long-wheelbase Tiguan with seating for seven. Produced for the 2021 and 2022 model years, the affected population of vehicles will receive brand-new rear suspension knuckles.The part numbers for these components are 5QN 505 435A/436A in the Tiguans case and 5QM 505 435C/436C for the Taos. Volkswagen Group of America states that production improvements were implemented for all three sport utility vehicles during the 35th, 36th, and 43rd weeks of 2021.Both dealers and owners will be notified of the recall on May 20th, 2022.Slightly costlier than the Jetta, the Taos can be had from $23,295 excluding destination charge and optional extras. Twinned with the Skoda Karoq and SEAT Ateca, this fellow is produced at the Puebla factory that used to make the air- and water-cooled Beetle. One powerplant is available at press time, a 1.5-liter turbo four-pot that makes 158 ponies and 184 lb-ft (250 Nm).The Tiguan , meanwhile, carries a starting price of $26,295 for the poverty-spec S trim level. Every grade comes with a 2.0-liter turbo four-cylinder engine that makes 184 horsepower and 221 lb-ft (300 Nm), but only the range-topping model sweetens the deal with standard all-wheel drive. The London-based watchdog singled out their decisions last year to triple maximum legal fines for slander and make it a crime to insult state officials. The decisions have been condemned by Armenian civic groups. The right to freedom of expression continued to be unduly restricted, Amnesty International said in an annual report on human rights practices around the world. The government introduced several legislative amendments curtailing independent media and other critical voices. In March [2021,] the National Assembly increased the maximum fine for insult and defamation to 6 million drams (approximately US$12,000). In August, another set of legislative amendments criminalized insulting public figures, making repeated insults punishable by up to three months imprisonment. All forms of slander and defamation had been decriminalized in Armenia in 2010. The current Armenian governments decision to restore criminal liability for such offenses drew criticism from the Armenian opposition and civil society. U.S. democracy watchdog Freedom House has repeatedly called a repeal of the corresponding amendments to the Criminal Code, saying that they highlight a clear degradation of democratic norms in Armenia. Political allies of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian have dismissed the criticism. Hundreds of people have already been investigated by the Armenian police and other law-enforcement agencies under the controversial amendments. According to state prosecutors, 31 of them were formally indicted by January 1. Most of them are thought to have been accused of offending Pashinian or other officials. Amnesty International also deplored trumped-up charges that were brought against Yazidi activist Sashik Sultanian after he voiced concerns in 2020 over the treatment of fellow members of Armenias Yazidi community. His trial started in August and was ongoing at the end of the year, reads the Amnesty report. If convicted, he could face three to six years in prison. The report also says: The Prosecutor Generals Office and state investigative bodies failed to effectively investigate attacks and threats against NGOs and media outlets, including looting of the offices of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and Open Society Foundations, in the aftermath of the [Armenian-Azerbaijani] conflict in 2020. Indonesia is considering buying crude oil from Russia, the Southeast Asian countrys state energy company said, amid Western sanctions against Moscow over its invasion of Ukraine. The expression of interest by the state firm Pertamina came as reports surfaced about Russia looking to market its exports to Southeast Asia following sanctions by the United States on the countrys energy industry and plans by European countries to reduce dependency on Russian oil and gas. At the current prices and given the geopolitical situation, we see an opportunity to buy from Russia at a good price, Nicke Widyawati, Pertaminas chief executive, told a parliamentary hearing on Monday. Company spokeswoman Fajriyah Usman said no decision had been made to purchase Russian oil. Mrs. Nicke was just exploring the possibility, she told BenarNews on Tuesday. Nicke told legislators that Pertamina was communicating with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Bank Indonesia, the central bank, about the potential purchase. The company is upgrading its Balongan refinery in West Java to allow it to process all types of crude oil, including that from Russia, she said. The refinery was designed to process cleaner low-sulfur crude such as that produced by Saudi Arabias Aramco. Referring to a deal with Moscow, Nicke said any purchase of oil from Russia would be on a business-to-business basis, as long as the companies we deal with are not subject to sanctions. Foreign Ministry spokesman Teuku Faizasyah declined to comment when contacted by BenarNews. Earlier this month, Indonesia voted for a U.N. General Assembly resolution that condemned Moscows military strike on Ukraine, but Jakarta has not directly criticized Russia or used the word invasion. After Moscow launched the invasion on Feb. 24, President Joko Jokowi Widodo posted on Twitter without referring to Russia or Ukraine: Stop the war. War brings misery to mankind and puts the whole world at risk. Net importer of oil Once a major producer, Indonesia has for years been a net importer of oil. Indonesia left the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) in 2009, but President Joko Jokowi Widodo decided to reactivate the membership in 2016 only to leave the grouping again later that same year. Since the Ukraine invasion, Russian authorities and the nations oil producers have discussed massive production cuts as a result of Western sanctions, according to industry news site Upstream. Russias chief oil regulator, Igor Shpurov, said output may have to be cut by as much as 2.3 million barrels per day if all oil exports to Europe and the U.S. were to be blocked, Upstream reported. So far only the U.S. has banned Russian oil imports, but the United Kingdom will follow suit by the end of 2022, and the European Union is moving in the same direction, according to media reports. Asian market On Monday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said lost orders for Russian oil would be replaced by contracts with Southeast Asian countries. There is a market in Southeast Asia, in the east. Undoubtedly, falling out bids for oil will be compensated by bids from that Eastern direction, he was quoted as saying in a release issued by the Russian embassy in Jakarta. After all, the world market is much more multifaceted than only the European one. Although, of course, the European market is top-grade, he said. Meanwhile, In Germany, Chancellor Olaf Scholz has said his nation would wean itself off of oil and coal imports from Russia, international news agencies reported. The European Union wants to reduce dependence on Russian gas supplies by 67 percent by the end of this year. Opportunistic Bhima Yudhistira, director of the Center of Economic and Law Studies (CELIOS), called Pertaminas plan to buy Russian crude oil very opportunistic. Indonesia is taking advantage of [a] non-aligned foreign policy. Indonesia is in dire need of cheaper oil, especially when the global oil prices remain above $100 per barrel, he told BenarNews, adding those costs will be passed along to consumers It would mean that Indonesians have to endure higher prices [at the gas pump], he said. In addition, Indonesia risked Western ire if it goes ahead with the plan, Bhima warned. Indonesia may lose (Western) investment in the oil and gas sector or Indonesian products will be prevented from entering Europe and the U.S. if raw materials are found to be of Russian origin, he said. Bhima also said Indonesia should consider its status as this years president of the G20 group of major economies. Indonesia should continue to put pressure on Russia to stop the war in Ukraine. An end to the war will automatically lead to lower prices of crude oil, he said. Its a better alternative that buying [Russian oil] at a discount. Chinas Tianwen-1 orbiter beams back high-resolution images of Zhurong rovers inspection area on Mars 09:07, March 29, 2022 By Feng Hua ( People's Daily The orbiter of Chinas Tianwen-1 Mars mission, the countrys first artificial Mars satellite, lately sent back new images of the inspection area of the Zhurong Mars rover with a resolution of 0.5 meters when it traveled past the area again at the periareion, the point in the orbit that is closest to Mars. Track marks left by the Mars rover are clearly visible in the pictures. Photo shows Chinas first Mars rover Zhurong on Jan. 22, 2022, the 247th Martian day after its landing on the planet. A layer of dust can be seen on its surface. (Photo/China National Space Administration) On March 7, the orbiter also captured images of the Perseverance Mars rover sent by the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Chinas Tianwen-1 Mars probe conducted precise braking near Mars and successfully entered orbit around the red planet on Feb. 10, 2021. Then, on May 15, 2021, it touched down at its pre-selected landing area on the northern hemisphere of Mars. Seven days later, the Zhurong Mars rover drove down from its landing platform to the Martian surface to search for signs of water and life. As of March 24, 2022, the Tianwen-1 orbiter had been operating in orbit for 609 days at a distance of 277 million kilometers from Earth, and the Zhurong Mars rover had worked on the surface of Mars for 306 Martian days and traveled over 1.78 kilometers. Both the Mars orbiter and rover are functioning normally. Zhurong also sent back selfies from Mars. Compared with the images taken shortly after it landed on the planet, the new photos showed a thin layer of dust had accumulated on its surface. Considering that dust can reduce rovers power supplies, Chinese scientists specially designed the rovers solar wing so that it can take multiple measures to offset the decline in its power generation efficiency caused by dust coverage. The China National Space Administration said there is no need to employ such measures yet as the rover has sufficient energy to continue its exploration on Mars. The Martian northern hemisphere is entering the autumn season, during which there will be frequent dust storms, as previous Mars exploration data suggested. A new image of the inspection area of Chinas Zhurong Mars rover with a resolution of 0.5 meters. The photo was taken by the orbiter of Chinas Tianwen-1 Mars mission when it traveled past the area at the periareion, the point in the orbit that is closest to Mars. (Photo/China National Space Administration) The engineering team of the Tianwen-1 mission has been constantly monitoring dust storms on Mars through images captured by the medium-resolution camera of the Tianwen-1 orbiter, which has detected dust activities above 60-degree latitude north of Mars since late January this year. Pictures sent back by the orbiter showed that a local sandstorm occurred in this area in February 2022, during which typical surface features of the red planet were covered by a large amount of sand and dust and became indistinguishable. According to the administration, no obvious dusty weather has been observed in the Zhurong rovers inspection area. So far, countries across the world have launched over 50 Mars probes, among which only 18 successfully landed on the planet, including Tianwen-1. The orbiter of Tianwen-1 will continuously carry out remote sensing of Mars, focusing on obtaining high-resolution images of craters, volcanoes, canyons, dry riverbeds and other typical landforms and geological units. By around 2030, China will carry out asteroid exploration, Mars sample return, Jupiter system exploration and other missions, with Mars exploration as the main task, according to the overall planning of the Planetary Exploration of China (PEC). Photo taken on Oct. 30, 2020 shows models of the lander and rover of Chinas first Mars probe Tianwen-1 exhibited at the 2020 Inno-Match Expo held in Shanghai. (Peoples Daily Online/Long Wei) (Web editor: Hongyu, Liang Jun) A Philippine Coast Guard member watches as a Chinese Coast Guard ship passes close by near Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea, March 2, 2022. The Philippines lodged a new diplomatic protest against China after a Chinese coast guard ship maneuvered dangerously close to a Filipino vessel in the disputed Scarborough Shoal in early March, a senior official said Tuesday. Chinas foreign ministry, meanwhile, insisted that it was within its rights when its ship allegedly engaged in what the Philippine Coast Guard described as a close distance maneuvering in South China Sea waters. Its done, weve filed a diplomatic protest regarding that, National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon Jr. told reporters on Samar Island in the central Philippines, where he was attending a government event. Similar incidents could occur over contending claims in Scarborough Shoal, he warned. Esperon heads the national taskforce for the West Philippine Sea, the Philippine name for territory claimed by Manila in the South China Sea. On Sunday, the Philippine Coast Guard reported that a China Coast Guard ship had sailed within 21 meters (69 feet) of the BRP Malabrigo during a routine patrol on March 2. That was the fourth time since May 2021 that Chinese Coast Guard ships had made that type of maneuver against Philippine vessels, Philippine officials said. It can always happen that vessels of the different countries, especially from the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia and other claimant countries and China, will get into close encounters simply because we have conflicting claims, Esperon said. There may be counter-claims but we, as a nation, will stand by our established sovereign rights and sovereignty over the area. He said Manila had been increasing its presence in the region through the Philippine Coast Guard and Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources. Esperon also said there were fresh reports about other claimants to the potentially mineral rich sea region improving facilities on islands they occupy. Thats the situation there, just be aware of it. And Vietnam has 21 positions, we have nine stations, [while] China has seven strong positions, he said. Manila, which claims nine islands in the South China Sea, the biggest of which is the 92-acre Pag-asa Island (known internationally as Thitu Island), has been improving its facilities in the region in recent years in the same manner that Vietnam is doing a lot of improvement to theirs, Esperon said. The national security adviser said the government would continue to assert its claims through diplomatic channels and through the international community. Can we afford to go to war? Not now or not in this instance. [I]n general we want peaceful settlements of the conflicts in the area, he said. Earnestly respect Chinas sovereignty Manila issued the protest a day after Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin insisted that China had sovereign rights over the shoal. China has sovereignty over Huangyan Dao and its adjacent waters as well as sovereign rights and jurisdiction over relevant waters, Wang said, using the Chinese name for Scarborough Shoal. We hope that Philippine ships will earnestly respect Chinas sovereignty and rights and interests, abide by Chinas domestic law and international law, and avoid interfering with the patrol and law enforcement of the China Coast Guard in the above-mentioned waters, he said during a media briefing on Monday. Also known as Bajo de Masinloc, Scarborough Shoal lies 120 nautical miles west of Luzon Island well within the Philippines 200-mile exclusive economic zone (EEZ). For years, the shoal has been a traditional fishing ground for Filipinos but since 2012 it has been under virtual control by China, which has maintained a constant coast guard presence. After a tense standoff, Manila said the United States brokered a deal for both sides to pull out of the shoal but China reneged on it. In 2016, an international court ruled in favor of the Philippines in a South China Sea territorial dispute. Instead of moving to enforce the internationally accepted deal, President Rodrigo Duterte moved to appease Chinese leader Xi Jinping in exchange for cordial ties and billions in Chinese investments. Apart from China and the Philippines, other claimants to South China Sea territories are Vietnam, Brunei, Malaysia and Taiwan. Indonesia is locked in a separate dispute with China which claims parts of the sea that is within Jakartas EEZ. Shared responsibility Also on Tuesday, Malaysia Defense Minister Hishamuddin Hussein said that the South China Sea is ultimately a region of shared responsibility, a region which we in ASEAN are collectively responsible for, referring to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. Issues around the South China Sea have always made headlines. As much as strongly worded statements are likely to grab attention, we must strive to ensure that cooler heads prevail, Hussein said during the Putrajaya Forum, a security conference organized by the Malaysian Institute of Defense and Security and the Malaysian Defense Ministry. Though we are in the business of defense and security, de-escalating a high-stakes situation is a task in itself. A task that we must all put above all else lest we risk compromising the peace and stability in the region, he said. Hussein told those at the conference that tensions between nations must be diffused through all available means. Due to the complexity and sensitivity of the issue, through established international laws and conventions, all parties must work together to increase efforts to build, maintain and enhance mutual trust and confidence so that we can maintain peace, security and stability in the South China Sea. Nisha David in Kuala Lumpur contributed to this report. U.S. President Joe Biden listens during a joint news conference with Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong in the East Room at the White House in Washington, March 29, 2022. Four Southeast Asian foreign ministers are traveling to China this week while a U.S.-ASEAN summit that was to take place in Washington appears to have been postponed indefinitely, prompting Chinese state media to carp that the region prefers to speak to Beijing. Chinas Foreign Ministry announced on Monday that the top diplomats of Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines and Myanmar will visit China respectively from March 31 to April 3 at the invitation of Foreign Minister Wang Yi. At least some of the ministers would have accompanied their heads of state for the long-anticipated summit between leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and President Joe Biden that had been planned for March 28 and 29. But that meeting ran into scheduling problems. A senior Biden administration official conceded Monday that much to our disappointment, we werent able to get this locked down. We believe the clock is ticking, and we want to try and get this done. And were working very closely with ASEAN to try and come up with an appropriate time to do this, said the official who was briefing reporters on condition of anonymity under ground rules set by the administration. Still, on Tuesday Biden had an Oval Office meeting with Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, who urged closer U.S.-ASEAN ties and expressed appreciation for Bidens commitment to the region. He said it helps for the U.S. to be present in the Asia-Pacific and to deepen its relations with many friends and to strengthen its strategic interests in the region. Biden vowed that the Ukraine crisis would not distract from implementing the U.S. Indo-Pacific strategy. He said he wanted to ensure that the region remains free and open. Apples and oranges In Beijing, China was making its own play to demonstrate its engagement with Southeast Asia. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin told reporters Monday that the four countries whose ministers will visit are important ASEAN members and Chinas friendly neighbors and important partners for high-quality Belt and Road cooperation referring to Chinas global infrastructure program. He said the visit again demonstrates the close and friendly relations between China and its ASEAN neighbors and the high importance all sides attach to advancing China-ASEAN cooperation. It is unclear whether foreign ministers from the remaining six ASEAN countries were invited. The state-run newspaper Global Times said to visit China while delaying the meeting with the U.S. shows ASEANs willingness to talk with China rather than the U.S. The paper, known for its nationalistic, anti-U.S. stance, quoted an analyst, Qian Feng, as saying that while China truly and sincerely helps them [ASEAN countries] boost economic development and solve practical problems through win-win cooperation, the latter [the U.S.] doesnt really care about their current situations but just wants to use them to contain China without bringing them tangible benefit. Obviously, ASEAN members know that, said Qian, director of the research department at the National Strategy Institute at Tsinghua University. Collin Koh, a research fellow at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore, said the Chinese newspaper is comparing apples and oranges, and making a mountain out of a molehill. The trip to Beijing is of a different level to the summit which would involve heads of state, Koh said. This cant be compared to the foreign ministers going to China, he said. Association of Southeast Asian Nations foreign ministers pose with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Vientiane, Laos, Feb. 20, 2020. [Reuters] Pushed to take sides? The scheduling of the ASEAN-U.S. summit ran into trouble when the facilitating country, Indonesia, couldnt get all ASEAN members to agree on a date. Prime Minister Hun Sen of Cambodia, the current chair of ASEAN, explained on March 17 that among the blocs 10 members, four countries said they could not attend the meeting [on March 28 and 29] while some others were requesting that the summit be held on March 26 and 27 dates the U.S. said it could not make. Thai foreign policy analyst Kavi Chongkittavorn said that ASEAN leaders became exasperated about the proposed meeting. Half the ASEAN leaders were not happy with the U.S. because they had proposed several dates for the Biden team to consider but the U.S. side kept changing the schedule, he said. And with the crisis in Ukraine, in some ASEAN capitals there is a prevailing fear that the Russia-Ukraine quagmire could hijack the summit, Kavi said. A Vietnamese analyst said there has been unease among some ASEAN countries that they would be pressured to take sides in the Ukraine war. The analyst requested anonymity to discuss a matter of diplomatic sensitivity. Vietnam, together with fellow ASEAN members Brunei and Laos, abstained on March 24 from a United Nations resolution on humanitarian consequences of the Russian aggression against Ukraine. Hanoi also abstained on an earlier resolution on March 2 that condemned Russias aggression and demanded that Moscow immediately end its military operations in Ukraine. If you'd like to leave a comment (or a tip or a question) about this story with the editors, please email us We also welcome letters to the editor for publication; you can do that by filling out our letters form and submitting it to the newsroom. Greg Sukiennik has worked at all three Vermont News & Media newspapers and was their managing editor from 2017-19. He previously worked for ESPN.com, for the AP in Boston, and at The Berkshire Eagle in Pittsfield, Mass. Carr Hardware has released its own paint brand, Shades of Shire, which is manufactured in Massachusetts. Keith Larrabee allegedly "continued to attack" one of the victims of a shooting outside Key West Lounge in North Adams on Feb. 19. He was recently arrested and ordered held without bail. PITTSFIELD The city has weathered two years of a global pandemic by having a strong financial position and sound financial policies, according to the citys auditor and finance director. Financial officials painted a largely optimistic picture during the annual review of the citys financial condition Monday night. Finance Director Matthew Kerwood told members of the City Council and School Committee that projections for the city property tax levy and state aid should bring major increases to Pittsfields general fund. The general fund which is the primary way the city funds municipal business is expected to reach about $183.6 million in fiscal year 2023, which would represent an $8 million increase over the citys current budget. Kerwood also told city leaders that the fiscal year 2023 tax levy the money raised from city property taxes should hit just over $104 million. That dollar amount would be a 9.7 percent increase, or $9 million, more than the city raised from property tax bills this fiscal year. The citys track record on property tax collection makes this figure close to a sure bet. The citys auditor, Thomas Scanlon, told city leaders that 3/4 of the way through the financial year, the city has collected 96.8 percent of budgeted personal and property taxes, placing it right on track to bring in the $94.6 million in taxes this year. The next largest boon to city coffers is expected to come from state aid. Gov. Charlie Bakers proposed 2023 fiscal year budget would increase unrestricted local aid to Pittsfield by $256,207, to just over $9.7 million, Kerwood said during the meeting. The governors budget numbers are always the lowest, Kerwood said. The House and Senate will work on their votes and they or may not increase any of those local aid figures. But we know, at a bare minimum, that the numbers that the governors budget includes are the floor. Mayor Linda Tyer is leading an effort in her role as the president of the Massachusetts Mayors Association to increase the amount of unrestricted local aid to communities throughout the state. The unrestricted local aid is currently far overshadowed by the change to Pittsfields Chapter 70 funding, the states education aid, which is expected to increase $4.5 million to about $54.2 million next fiscal year. While strong showings in the hotel and motel, and marijuana businesses have left Kerwood optimistic about the future of city businesses, the weakness of the automobile industry, restaurant economy and a measly return on city investments has led the director to forecast local receipts growing by about $85,000. While the outlook on the money coming to the city in the next year remains largely positive, thats not to diminish the impact of several increasing costs on the horizon. The finance director said that news of the potential sale of the Community Eco Power plant, which converts 240 tons each day of solid waste into steam and electricity, has signaled that citys solid waste costs will likely increase more than initially expected in the next year. Kerwood also added that building maintenance, property revaluations, and upgrades to the citys cybersecurity and accounting software will come with high price tags in the next budget year. Tyer will present a final budget proposal to the City Council on May 10. Pittsfield Public Schools leaders have already begun to work on their request for the citys budget. If the current budget proposal from the school district was approved as is this summer, it would represent about 39 percent of the anticipated city budget for next year. This year the PPS budget made up about 42 percent of the overall city budget this year. U.S. Rep. Richard Neal, a Springfield Democrat, announced in a news release that the federal spending bill that President Joe Biden signed last week includes $1 million for construction of the proposed Greylock Glen Outdoor Center. BOSTON A bill that would authorize common sense services such as insulin injections in assisted living facilities would help to lessen the burden on the nursing home system, policymakers say. A temporary provision in a spending bill signed by Gov. Charlie Baker in February allows for nurses in assisted living facilities to provide essential services to residents until July 15 or until the end of the COVID-19 public health emergency, whichever comes first. A proposal by state Rep. William Smitty Pignatelli, D-Lenox, and state Sen. Patricia Jehlen, a Somerville Democrat who co-chairs the elder affairs committee, would make this temporary approval permanent. Their bill, which the elder affairs committee reported favorably in February, seeks to make assisted living facilities an option for families that do not want to send a loved one to a nursing home. We spend a lot of money on home care, which we should do, but if it gets to a point where the home is not good enough, but a nursing home is not needed, why cant we use common sense in assisted living? Pignatelli said. The proposal came to me with a personal experience with my parents who since passed away about three years ago, Pignatelli said. His family would inject insulin for their late father, longtime Lenox Select Board Chairman John J. Pignatelli, because the state did not authorize nurses in assisted living facilities to do so, even though nurses are trained to perform such services. It got to the point where both my parents said they werent ready for a nursing home, nor did we want to put them into a nursing home, Pignatelli said. We all talk in government about the quality of life and home health care as well as keeping people home as long as possible. So, we thought seriously about assisted living: What do we do so that our siblings can get back to being the family instead of the caretakers. And I dont mean that negatively, but let us become a family in our parents last few years. Yet, Pignatelli found in his research that he and his family would either have to continue to give his parents their injections, or they would have to pay anywhere from $80 to $165 per injection provided by an authorized nurse. It became a financial burden for older folks, he said. There is no reason that this couldnt enhance the quality of life, let families be the families and get their parents the proper care needed. Brian Doherty, president and CEO of the Massachusetts Assisted Living Association, said that the bill refers to common sense health services because nurses working in assisted living facilities are already licensed to provide those services, and these are some of the most basic among those services that they can provide. It is a reasonable change that would directly impact the lives of older adults, Doherty said. For residents who need services such as insulin shots, the change would allow a nurse to provide the basic services that they need to be able to stay at their residence and not have to move out prematurely due to concerns about increasing costs, Doherty said. He referenced a University of Massachusetts Boston report that found that for some residents, having the nurse to give injections in assisted living led to better health outcomes, Doherty said, adding that the timing of insulin injections are crucial relative to meal times. The only option that Berkshire County residents without a family network have to provide basic and essential services is to put their loved one into a nursing home. Some states do allow nurses looking at assisted living residences to give injectables. In Massachusetts, we like to think were the leader for so many things until we find out we are not the leader, Pignatelli said. We are not a leader when it comes to that aspect of health care, and I think we need to try and address it. The bill has support in the assisted living industry. The executive director at Rosewood Homestyle Assisted Living in Pittsfield, for instance, backs the idea. If the bill passed, it would help older adults remain in assisted living facilities, Chris Chojnowski said. I think it would help residents a lot because otherwise, they would have to pay for these services, Chojnowski said. Eugene R. Fidell is a senior research scholar at Yale Law School and an adjunct professor of law at New York University. From the pit... to Potiphars house... to the prison... to the palace... The steps of a good man are ordered of the Lord (Psalm 37:23). Sometimes it's difficult, even for the most optimistic, to watch the news and not become discouraged by the state of the world these days: rising food and fuel prices, unemployment and injustice seem to be the rule of the day. However, if we trust that God is always working behind the scenes on behalf of His people, then no matter what happens in the world at large, we know He will turn it around for our good (Romans 8:28). There is no better example of this spiritual principle in action than the life experience of Joseph. Spoiler alert: it started off pretty bad. So it came to pass, when Joseph had come to his brothers, that they stripped Joseph of his tunic, the tunic of many colors that was on him. Then they took him and cast him into a pit. And the pit was empty; there was no water in it. Then Midianite traders passed by; so the brothers pulled Joseph up and lifted him out of the pit, and sold him to the Ishmaelites for twenty shekels of silver. And they took Joseph to Egypt (Genesis 37:23-24, 28). Its interesting to note that the word used here, took, at first glance seems to put the emphasis on being moved from one place to another against ones will. And surely from Josephs point of view at the moment, this was indeed what was happening to him. However, the word took has other meanings, including: to lead, to carry, to cause, to be brought, to be introduced and to bring near, all of which do not emphasize hostility, but rather, help. In other words, if someone brings me with them to an event as their guest, they are not taking me in the negative sense, but rather they are helping me. I am allowed access to the event based on their invitation. If someone introduced me to one of their friends, I am brought into the conversation based on a connection with them. And if I am carried by someone to another place by taxi, I am able to enjoy that destination without engaging my own strength or effort. So the Midianite traders took (carried, lead, introduced, brought near) Joseph to the land of Egypt, and therefore, to his destiny there. So all of the places Joseph spent time in Egypt, even though they seemed like negative experiences in the moment, actually opened doors by means of connection. - From the pit in the desert, he was connected by slave traders to Potiphars house (Genesis 39:1-4) - From Potiphars house, he was connected by a false witness to Pharaoh's prison (Genesis 39:19-21a) - From Pharaoh's prison, he was connected by Pharaoh's servants to Pharaoh's palace (Genesis 41:14-15, 25, 39-40) If we step back and look critically at Joseph's entire life, the time he spent in the pit seems a rather small inconvenience compared to fantastic experience of living in the palace of Egypt. The pit was simply not the end of Joseph's story. Oftentimes we can get bogged down in the moment and forget that our story is not finished. Our current place may seem negative or insignificant, but like the pit, Potiphar's House, or the prison, it may simply be a place of connection that God intends to use to accomplish His will. His ultimate plan is much greater than we can imagine. And the best way we can endure through the tough times is to get a vision for God's turnaround in our lives. Getting a Vision for God's Big Turnaround Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers (3 John 2). Do you feel like you've lost your mojo because of this crazy world we seem to find ourselves in? Are you hitting on all cylinders, so to speak? That is, are you prospering in body, mind and spirit regardless of negative circumstances or discouraging news reports? We should; after all, that is God's will for His people: Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Thessalonians 5:23). If so, it's important to regain vision to live by God's heavenly life map. Thats what real vision is: an inner picture that pulls us to fulfill Gods future plan for our lives, regardless of current circumstances. My favorite story of the power of vision is that of Walt Disney. Mr. Disney died before the grand opening of the Disney World amusement park, so his wife appeared on his behalf for the opening festivities. When she was introduced to the Master of Ceremonies, he said Mrs. Disney, I just wish Walt could have seen this! Mrs. Disney simply responded He did. Just like in the natural world, in order to be it, you must first see it. In order to receive it, you must first believe it (Matthew 21:22). What you see on the inside determines what you'll see on the outside. So having a God-inspired vision is a fundamental precept of spiritual progress and success. Where there is no vision there is no victory! So what is God wanting to birth through you, through the vision He has given you? Vision Steps God often gives vision to us in pieces and brings the vision to pass through our faith-filled steps, until we see that vision become a reality. Josephs life is the perfect example of this process it seems we all must go through. The Planting Step God puts in us a picture or an idea of what He has for us. We dont dream it up on our own; God divinely drops it in us. It's probably something much bigger than we would ever imagine for ourselves, and it's something that we certainly couldn't obtain by our own efforts even through very hard work. Joseph's famous dreams were dropped into his heart while he was sleeping, by God Himself (Genesis 37:5-10). It wasnt Joseph's ambition for his life, and it wasn't his chosen career path. It was Gods plan dropped into Josephs heart while he was sleeping, and it marked the beginning of his great adventure. Keep your connection with the Creator strong, and God will show you what vision He has for you; like Joseph, you wont be able to shake free from it. God will get His instructions into you, just keep the switch of your faith turned on. The Processing Step We must decide to say yes to Gods plan. This does not mean we give consent, rather we make a commitment to the plan and say, no matter what God, Im all in. Like Joseph, I'm in whether the pit or the prison... because I believe in the palace! The Price Step We recognize the cost of carrying the vision to its fulfillment. Any vision from God will carry a substantial price tag. Nothing worthwhile is free and it won't be easy. We must press toward the prize, pick up our cross, put our hand to the plow, and never look back. By paying the price required, we demonstrate that we can be trusted in the battle and hold on until we triumph. But we will also experience the thrill of seeing with our own eyes, if God be for us, who can stand against us? And with the price, comes spiritual power. Such power that will propel us through every pit, every lying Potiphars wife and every prison thrown in our way to stop us. Power that will enable us to keep on trusting His heart even when we cant trace His hand. The Practice Step Rest assured, God prepares us even if we do not realize He's doing it. He develops our skills in private, so that when needed, we will be successful in public. God doesn't call the qualified, He qualifies the called in a way that causes us to face the pits of life and learn lessons from them. In the pits we practice and learn how to deal with issues like loneliness, fear of rejection, and how to live through lean seasons. He doesn't bless who we pretend to be, only who we have prepared to be. We also face the Potiphar's House test, where we learn how to manage well for another's benefit, and realize that things are not always as they seem. During this step, our character is tested when nobody is looking, in order that it will stand strong when everybody is looking. Here, we learn loyalty and faithfulness, and let go of the good and the comfortable in order to experience God's great and unusual. During the lessons of the prison, we see how those things that have tried to keep us bound, God turns around and uses to bring us blessing. Here we experience divine anointing to practice our gifts when relatively little is on the line, so they are ready to go when everything is on the line. We refine our compassion and people skills; we learn to forgive and let go. We understand that what they did to us cannot stop what God has destined for us. And we are filled with Gods peace that passes all understanding, because He is faithful Who promises. Stay Faithful Even when we don't recognize it, God is working behind the scenes on us, on our characters, and developing our gifts, even as we are going through negative experiences like the pit, Potiphar's house, and the prison. God uses this time to forge in us everything we need to succeed, before He positions us into that place of our vision, which is His will for our lives. It was God Who gave a vision a promise to Joseph through his dreams. And at every step of the way, as Joseph encountered discouragement and problems, the Bible says but God was with Joseph. In the same way, as we remain faithful through tough times, we will see that God is with us. Remember, He has been to the future and is never surprised by present circumstances. Even though we can't see Him working, He always has a plan to turn it around for our good. Related articles From Slave to Second-in-Command: 7 Lessons from Josephs Life in Egypt Joseph, Potiphar's Wife, and the Dangers of Sexual Sin The Danger of Becoming the Forgetful Cupbearer in the Story of Joseph Photo credit: Getty Images/Cultura RM Exclusive/Twinpix Frank Santora is Lead Pastor of Faith Church, a multi-site church with locations in Connecticut and New York. Pastor Frank hosts a weekly television show, Destined to Win, which airs weekly on the Hillsong Channel and TBN. He has authored thirteen books, including the most recent, Modern Day Psalms and Good Good Father. To learn more about Pastor Frank and this ministry, please visit www.franksantora.cc. Photo by Michele Roman. OROFINO - The Clearwater County Sheriff's Office recently executed a search warrant at 3286 Lakeview Road, and the adjoining property. This warrant was for any cattle on the property. The warrant was sought due to several dead cattle that was reported on the property and surrounding properties. The Clearwater County Sheriff's Office says cowboys were hired to assist with the warrant, and also received assistance from the Idaho Department of Agriculture and the Idaho State Brand Inspector. A total of 98 cattle were gathered from the 3286 Lakeview property and surrounding properties over several days. The cattle from the other properties were gathered with permission of the property owners. Necropsys were performed on two of the deceased cows finding that they had died from malnutrition and starvation. Many of the cattle gathered showed signs of starvation. The cattle were all taken to a secure facility and are now receiving proper feed and care. The owner of the cattle, 78-year-old Douglas Towles, was cited for permitting animals to go without care. The Clearwater County Sheriff's Office says the investigation is still ongoing. OLYMPIA - On Tuesday, Washington state Attorney General Bob Ferguson announced an initiative to combat robocalls in Washington state. As part of the initiative, the Attorney Generals Office has created a new complaint form for Washingtonians tailored for reporting robocalls. Additionally, as part of an effort to educate and inform Washingtonians, the Attorney Generals Office launched a website with descriptions of robocalls and telemarketing scams, including strategies for combating them. In the past two years, Ferguson filed three lawsuits aimed at holding illegal robocallers accountable. Robocalls are a type of phone call that comes from automated systems where computers play a recorded message when someone answers the phone or when it goes to voicemail. Robocalls are more than just annoying they can also be illegal, Ferguson said. Many of our cases are based on tips we receive from Washingtonians. If robocalls are harassing you, please file a complaint with my office. The robocall complaint form includes specific questions for reporting the details of a suspicious call to help the AG office better track and discover patterns for robocalls in the state and prevent other Washingtonians from getting more illegal calls. Even if illegal robocallers fake their caller identification, the Attorney Generals Office is able to track these calls when Washingtonians report their telephone number, telephone provider and the exact time and date of the call. Washingtonians who suspect they have received an illegal robocall can now report the call here: https://fortress.wa.gov/atg/formhandler/ago/robocallForm.aspx. An informational website about robocalls and telemarketing scams is here: https://www.atg.wa.gov/robocall-and-telemarketing-scams. Washingtonians can also report illegal telemarketing or other types of phone scams via the general consumer complaint form here: https://www.atg.wa.gov/file-complaint. Washingtonians can also make complaints about robocalls to the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC). In February alone, the FTC received 6,075 complaints from Washingtonians regarding telephone solicitations. BOISE Idaho House and Senate Democratic leaders gave their reactions to this years legislative session on Monday, as lawmakers continue to try to wrap up the session this week. Were hopefully getting really close to that, said House Minority Leader Ilana Rubel, D-Boise, who said she was still reeling from last weeks horrific display on the House floor, culminating in a post-midnight session on Friday night. She decried GOP lawmakers moves to cut the Commission for Libraries Budget in part because they were angry over emails from librarians opposing HB 666, a bill that passed the House but didnt get a hearing in the Senate, seeking to criminalize librarians if minors check out harmful materials. I think it reflects a problem that goes far beyond library funding, and if normalized, would undermine our very form of government, Rubel said. We cannot allow citizens to be punished for speaking out on legislation that impacts them. We have a House GOP caucus that has truly lost its way from conservative small government, Rubel said. That caucus now prefers to fixate on imaginary, divisive social issues that are ginned up on Fox News, and they focus on those to the near exclusion of the very real issues that actually face Idahoans. Senate Minority Leader Michelle Stennett, D-Ketchum, said, It was blessedly not a long session, but unfortunately we didnt get a lot accomplished. She said the Senate served to make sure that much that came over from the House that was mostly political grandstanding didnt gain any traction. The two did laud legislation that minority Democrats supported that passed this year. That included funding for full-day kindergarten; infrastructure investments; a long-sought rural educator incentive program; a major improvement of Idaho teachers health insurance; and more. We had some real attacks on marginalized populations in Idaho, which is extraordinarily disappointing, Stennett said. We want to be better than we are for being a welcoming state. Rubel noted that it was only Democrats support in the House that pushed a long line of budgets for major state functions through successfully, as a majority of House Republicans voted against them. There is very little interest in much of that caucus in actually doing the work of governing, she said. Both Democratic leaders said they continue to push for property tax relief with bipartisan initiatives, but have been disappointed that those proposals, including restoring the indexing of the homeowners exemption, havent been allowed committee hearings by GOP leaders. There are very responsible, very bipartisan solutions, Rubel said, that if we could just get a chairman to let us have a hearing, I think would have a very strong chance of achieving the finish line. With big turnover coming in the Legislature in the coming year, she said, I cant imagine were the only ones who are hearing from their constituents that they want property tax relief. Im optimistic with a new batch that therell be newcomers who are going to be interested in working on this with us. House Republicans have delayed their post-session press conference until after the Legislature reconvenes on Thursday. MECOSTA COUNTY The opportunity to receive an education is a beneficial one, and the Mecosta-Osceola Career Tech Center offered families a chance to learn about the programs offered during the centers open house evening. The open house was held from 5-7 p.m. Thursday, March 24, at the Career Tech Center at 15830 190th Avenue in Big Rapids. Attendees got the chance to learn about how students and faculty at the Career Tech Center engage in opportunities to create multiple projects, leadership activities, and understand their environment and community through a more contextual approach to learning in a safe and nurturing environment that fosters a professional atmosphere. Gretchen Spedowske, director of career and technical education at the Tech Center, said the open house was a great networking opportunity for kids and families. It was open to all Mecosta Osceola families, all school districts, Spedowske said. So it included all five Morley, Evart, Chip Hills, Reed City, Big Rapids, and the charter. Students were able to experience hands-on opportunities in programs that they might be interested in and learn about the credentialing that they're going to receive if they attend the program, as well as any college courses that they will be able to complete. The Career Tech Center has a variety of programs that educate students on trades and professions in health care, engineering, cosmetology, construction, welding, first responder training and many others. Spedowske said the center caters to student needs and is often flexible. (The Career Tech Center) gives either the employment-bound students or the college-bound students the opportunity to get a head start in their education, Spedowske said. If I am a college-bound student, I can come to the Career Tech Center and can get one, two, three of my classes in the program I'm interested in completed at no cost. If I am an employment-bound student, I can receive those same credits, as well as certifications that the local businesses and industries recognize as a value to apply at their employment, or their business. A lot of times these students that come out of our programs, their resume has moved up the ladder because of the credentialing and because of the college courses that they've received, she added. The Tech Center often highlights student success and leadership through its Outstanding Students of the Month program, as well as offering unique opportunities for students to explore outside of the classroom. The open house was set up to allow attendees to visit different rooms to learn about class requirements and content, and many included free items and engagement opportunities. The culinary arts rooms even offered free chicken wings to visitors passing through to look at their diverse course content and opportunities. The Tech Center is free of cost for students to attend, as it is funded by the state of Michigan. Spedowske said the diversity of programs lends itself to students interests. We have programs from Allied Health, which include EMT, fire; we also have corrections, that includes the buyer corrections and public safety, which includes corrections in the EMT, Spedowske said. We also have it programs that go right down to welding. A lot of our business and industry manufacturers include our welding program in their employment. We have engineering, we have auto, diesel cosmetology. So if a student is interested in cosmetology, they can come here, their 11th and 12th grade and finish their 13th year, and they receive the credential to take their boards. It's all federally funded, state-funded, she added. So there's no cost to the student, which includes their college courses, they don't have to pay for those, nor do they pay for their credentials. For a low-income student, it's a way to get some of their college courses done or their certificate to go out and go to work. They attend half a day, here either morning or afternoon, and they work through their counselor to schedule that. Then the other half of the day, they can still complete their graduation. Spedowske explained that the Career Center works with students outside of the classroom as well to ensure they have the resources to succeed in the classroom, as well as having exploratory opportunities in their field of interest. We have wraparound services, Spedowske said. When students are having difficulty with testing, or reading skills, we have that support system for them. We also have any other special needs. we have support systems, our students, our instructors are very student-focused and community-focused. We work very closely with the community with our advisory committees, to make sure that we're meeting their needs with our students, as well as meeting our state requirements but also having fun with students so that they're making projects, she added. They're, they're working on their own vehicles, they're working in auto and diesel. We just try to make it fun and hands-on. So there is theory, but there are also hands-on opportunities, and that's what our students like." Spedowske emphasized that the Career Tech Center is for everyone. I want the message to really focus on that even if you're college-bound, you can still come to the Career Tech Center, she said. I think sometimes that that is not clear to some of the students, they think I'm going to college, so I have to take all these AP classes, and then I can't go to the Career Tech Center. But that's not true, we can work that out so that they get college credit automatically at the Center." For more information on the Mecosta-Osceola Career Tech Center, visit the schools website at www.moisd.org/schools/career-center. Plus, Bill's Message of the Day, should we be gloating over Joe Biden's failures? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Indian biopharma industry HITS Rs 33K Cr WITH 13% GROWTH in 2020-21 Amidst the pandemic, the Indian Biopharma Industry, with over 300 companies, has witnessed a good growth of 13 percent, 2 percent less than the previous years 15 percent growth rate. This growth was largely driven by the performance of the Indian biopharma companies which have done very well as against multinational companies. As a result, the Indian Biopharma Industry has crossed the Rs 33,000 crore mark for the year 2020-21 over the previous years figure of Rs 29,176 crore. The Indian Biopharma industry, comprising hormones, insulin, blood products, and vaccines recorded a sales revenue of Rs 33,067 crore for the year 2020-21. IIT-H plans to set up primary diagnostic facility support of Continental Hospitals in its new facility The Indian Institute of Technology Hyderabad (IIT-H) has tied up with Continental Hospital for regular visits of consultants in various specialisations. IIT-H has now built a permanent space for its clinic (G+1 building) with the support from JICA, Japan. Chief Guest, Dr T Gurunath Reddy, Founder & Chairman, Continental Hospitals, inaugurated this primary healthcare centre at IIT-H in the presence of Chairman, BoG, IIT-H, Dr BVR Mohan Reddy, and visionary director of IIT-H, Prof BS Murty Garu. IIT-H existing healthcare facility will be moved into its new premises early next month. IIT-H plans to set up primary diagnostic facility support of JCI & NABH accredited Continental Hospitals in its new facility. Prof B S Murty said, We will not only collaborate with Continental Hospitals for setting up the basic diagnostic facilities at IITH but also would like this to be extended to teleconsulting from Continental experts in various specializations for better healthcare of the IITH fraternity. Registrations for this year's Young Lions Film competition have opened. The competition forms part of the annual Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity - take your best shot at winning some serious glory! How it works Ster-Kinekor, as the official local representative for the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, is sponsoring the Film category of the Young Lions competition again this year.The search is on for teams comprising two young professionals (such as an art director and a copywriter) both aged 31 years old or younger, born on or after 24 June 1990 and who are currently working in a creative, advertising, production or digital agencies.Teams must register for the South African competition between 25 March and 31 March 2022. A brief will be published on 1 April 2022 from 12pm on the Ster-Kinekor website Once the brief goes live, your team will have just 48 hours to film, edit and deliver a 30/45/60-second commercial on the topic provided. All creative must be submitted by 4 March before 12pm after that, its all up to the panel of judgesThe lucky and no doubt super-talented winners will be announced mid-April 2022. If your team is the one that makes the cut, the two of you will go on to represent South Africa at the Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity. There, you will compete against other winning teams from around the world for the ultimate prestige of being crowned this years Film Young Lions.Send your registrations to younglions@sterkinekor.com. Discovery Bank recently launched Vitality Travel, an integrated travel-booking service with discounts and simplified trip management. Managing travel bookings easily The comprehensive travel offering is the worlds first shared-value travel platform which channels behavioural savings into savings on flights, holiday accommodation, car hire and holiday packages.Vitality Travel further expands the value clients get as they continue to monetise positive health and financial behaviours, says Hylton Kallner, CEO of Discovery Bank.The new travel offering combines Discovery Banks digital payments and platform capabilities with Vitalitys rewards expertise and partner network to access a world of travel deals in a uniquely convenient way.Vitality Travel provides clients with a unified platform to view, book and change flights, holiday accommodation and car hire. Clients can easily compare travel prices across the market and benefit from discounts with a wide range of travel partners. Bookings are payable directly from a clients Discovery Bank account or with Miles which clients get from managing their health and money well.Vitality Travel enables Discovery Bank clients to book with personalised discounts directly through the Discovery Bank website, where they have access to all local and international airlines, which currently includes five local and three international airline partners at discounted rates, as well as discounts at over 1,000 holiday accommodation properties and car-hire services, and soon, holiday packages as well.We are building an integrated travel ecosystem to cover every aspect of planning a travel experience within Discovery Bank, from bookings to the Priority Fast Track service at the airport and lounge access. Our recently launched Forex accounts provide real-time access to foreign currencies in the palm of your hand with a multi-currency card to use while travelling abroad, and we will soon offer visa applications and travel-insurance integration, Kallner says.Vitality Travel provides access to all airlines and to more than 40 local and regional flight destinations with new partners FlySafair, Airlink and Lift for local flights, in addition to existing partners kulula.com and British Airways operated by Comair.International flight partners Emirates, British Airways and Qantas are integrated into the platform.Accommodation options include hotels, apartments and local game lodges.Clients will also soon have access to a digital vault to store important documents, get free travel insurance and buy additional top-up travel cover when booking international flights with a Discovery Bank card.Additional travel benefits are available to qualifying Discovery Bank Black and Purple cardholders to use the Discovery Bank Priority Fast Track at OR Tambo and Cape Town International airports and to access more than 1,200 airport lounges globally.Dinesh Govender, CEO of Discovery Vitality, says: The beauty of Vitality Travel is that its fully secure and easy to use, with all your travel needs looked after through a single platform. It really makes it possible to go everywhere and to have an affordable travel experience, as a reward for your positive behaviour." The Tabasco brand is legendary and unlike anything else. This campaign harnesses the power of its familiarity and adds the missing link in the marketing chain with simple, eye-catching out-of-home creative. From flavouring your world to lighting things up, the new Tabasco brand identity is a bold and dynamic system designed to contemporise and amplify the iconic elements of the Tabasco brand.With the launch of two new variants in the local market Sriracha and Scorpion (Tabascos hottest offering) in-store and on social media, creative agency Grey South Africa and creative, data-led media agency Mediology collaborated to leverage the hyper-local power of billboards and street pole ads as an intercept in the consumers path to purchase."Using location and audience insights supported by strong creative, OOH was the ideal platform to showcase Tabascos new flavours, creating top-of-mind awareness during the last window in consumers path to purchase, saysThe campaign features unique and expressive design from Grey South Africa, showcasing the product and catchy taglines, to the backdrop of delicious food. With external and digital illuminations across Gauteng and the Western Cape, consumers are introduced to Sriracha -; Scorpion -and, of course, reminded of the classic red pepper sauce -"The team loved working with the new Tabasco brand identity - it's an exciting refresh that really lends itself to prominent out-of-home spaces," explains"We've been building the brand online for the last 10 years, so to see it shine on billboards and street poles again is a real privilege.""While Tabasco has been doing great things in the social media and in-store spaces, we haven't seen this brand on a billboard in quite a while," says"It's exciting to see our favourite hot sauce get the recognition and exposure it deserves."Keep an eye out and give the new sauces a try! Kochi: Malayalam Actor Dileep appeared before the Crime Branch of Kerala Police on Tuesday for the second consecutive day for interrogation in connection with the 2017 actress assault case. The interrogation is underway at Aluva Police Club in the presence of ADG, Crime Branch S Sreejith. On Monday, the interrogation went on for seven hours. Earlier, the Kerala High Court directed the probe team to conclude the investigation into the case by April 15. Actor Dileep is the eighth accused in the 2017 actress assault case. The case pertains that an actress who worked in Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu films was allegedly abducted and molested inside her car by a group of men who had forced their way into the vehicle on the night of February 17, 2017. In-charge officials direct a class 10 student wearing hijab arriving in line with other students before the commencement of the annual SSLC exams at a government school in Bangalore on March 28, 2022. (Manjunath Kiran / AFP) Bengaluru: A few Muslim girls who wished to appear for their Class 10 board examination wearing hijab were denied entry in Karnataka on Monday citing the recent High Court verdict. However, a majority of Muslim students chose to write the exam without hijab, saying that the exam was more important for them than wearing the headscarf in exam halls, sources said. Authorities of an exam centre in a school in Hubballi district sent back Muslim girls, who came to write exams sporting the hijab. A similar scene was witnessed in a government school in Ilkal town of Bagalkote district where Muslim students were denied entry to write the SSLC board exams. In Bengaluru, a Muslim supervisor was suspended for wearing hijab on duty. The full bench of Karnataka High Court had recently ruled that hijab is not an essential religious practice and everyone should abide by the uniform dress rule. The Karnataka government had made it clear that everyone has to follow the High Court ruling or else they will not be allowed to write the exam. According to the Karnataka Secondary Education Examination Board (KSEEB), over 8.69 lakh students had enrolled for the exam but 20,994 students did not turn up. Last year, the absentees were only 3,769. Last year, the attendance was 99.54 per cent, which came down to 97.59 per cent this year. Among the 8.48 lakh students who appeared for the exam, 8.11 lakh were fresh candidates, 35,509 were private fresh ones and 1,701 were repeaters. Karnataka Primary and Secondary Education Minister B C Nagesh said the exam took place smoothly in the state. After two years, full-scale SSLC exams took place. Children came to the exam centres excited and wrote the exam. Parents too happily sent their children to write the exam while teachers too were happy to conduct the exam, Nagesh said in a statement. HYDERABAD: Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao received praises from all quarters for transforming Yadadri as Tirumala of Telangana. Devotees thronged Yadadri to have darshan of the lord soon after the temple was opened for devotees on Monday. They hailed the Chief Minister for developing Yadadri as a temple city and transforming the temple into an architectural marvel within a short period of 66 months. Devotees were seen comparing the old Yadagirigutta temple with the renovated one recollecting the hardships faced by them due to narrow roads, traffic jams, lack of basic facilities on temple premises, unclean surroundings and water scarcity. There is no comparison at all. The temple got a complete makeover which we never dreamt of. The architectural grandeur, spiritual atmosphere in the town, wider roads, clean surroundings, lush greenery, abundant water and all other facilities make darshan of the lord memorable. All this was possible due to the strong will and determination of the Chief Minister to transform Yadadri into one of the top temples in the world. Without Chandrashekar Rao, this could not have become a reality, said C. Mallikarjun, a devotee who works in Mumbai and a native of Nalgonda district, who came from Mumbai to take part in reopening of the temple. Devotees heaped praises on Chief Minister for sanctioning Rs 1,200 crore for the renovation of the temple. Usually, temples are built seeking donations from people and organisations. This is for the first time that a government in the country came forward to develop a temple with its own funds. Chandrashekar Rao made Yadadri a pride of Telangana state and people. This temple will attract lakhs of pilgrims not only from Telangana but from other states and also across the globe, said K. Madhavilatha, an associate professor and a native of Warangal. Further the draft deal, discussed intensely in Tuesday's Istanbul negotiations between the Ukraine and Russian delegations and leading to a flurry of optimistic-sounding headlines that a ceasefire could be around the corner, included a demand for a formal vows not to join NATO, not to host foreign military bases or troops, and crucially not develop nuclear weapons. Ukrainian negotiator announced Kyiv's conditions in the recent negotiations pic.twitter.com/enqvP0Arb4 Michael A. Horowitz (@michaelh992) March 29, 2022 Notably absent were Russia's three earlier demands of "denazification" and "demilitarization" - which in recent days the Kremlin has seemed to back off of in official statements. The below is a break-down of what the potential deal requires... The following is from Kiev-based "Ukrainian Independent Information Agency of News" or UNIAN's transcript of the interview in English... Ukraine needs guarantees that are more solid than NATO's Article 5 Guarantees must be in the form of a treaty signed by all guarantors In the event of an aggression against Ukraine, consultations must be held within 3 days, after which guarantor states provide assistance in the form of armed forces, weapons, airspace closure. Among guarantors Ukraine envisions: Britain, China, Russia, US, France, Turkey, Germany, Canada, Italy, Poland. Temporarily guarantees will not apply to Crimea and occupied Donbass Guarantor will not oppose and will in fact help Ukraine's accession to the EU It appears there's enough momentum for Russia's top negotiator Vladimir Medinsky to say he will take the proposals for stopping the war directly to Putin. Initially it was reported that talks would continue in Istanbul into tomorrow, but that's since been denied - which actually could be a hopeful sign given both sides apparently see enough agreeable substance in the draft deal to take them back to their respective capitals. Bloomberg has since summarized that the Ukraine side "is seeking guarantees for territory that doesnt include Russian-controlled areas and that Kyiv is willing to discuss the status of occupied Crimea." Russias deputy defense minister says Moscow has decided to fundamentally cut back military activity in the direction of Kyiv and Chernigiv in order to increase mutual trust for future negotiations to agree and sign a peace deal with Ukraine. pic.twitter.com/2qDYOzAzDp max seddon (@maxseddon) March 29, 2022 Further, "Russia indicated a meeting was possible between President Vladimir Putin and his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskiy" - on the basis of the draft deal, despite a formal ceasefire not yet having been reached. Late in the day Tuesday, Russia's chief negotiator cautioned reporters that "there is still a long way to go" to reach a mutually acceptable agreement. Censored by Mr. Fish The entire archive of On Contact, the Emmy-nominated show I hosted for six years for RT America and RT International, has been disappeared from YouTube. Gone is the interview with Nathaniel Philbrick on his book about George Washington. Gone is the discussion with Kai Bird on his biography of J. Robert Oppenheimer. Gone is my exploration with Professor Sam Slote from Trinity College Dublin of James Joyces Ulysses. Gone is the show with Benjamin Moser on his biography of Susan Sontag. Gone is the show with Stephen Kinzer on his book on John Foster Dulles and Allen Dulles. Gone are the interviews with the social critics Cornel West, Tariq Ali, Noam Chomsky, Gerald Horne, Wendy Brown, Paul Street, Gabriel Rockwell, Naomi Wolff and Slavoj Zizek. Gone are the interviews with the novelists Russell Banks and Salar Abdoh. Gone is the interview with Kevin Sharp, a former federal judge, on the case of Leonard Peltier. Gone are the interviews with economists David Harvey and Richard Wolff. Gone are the interviews with the combat veterans and West Point graduates Danny Sjursen and Eric Edstrom about our wars in the Middle East. Gone are the discussions with the journalists Glenn Greenwald and Matt Taibbi. Gone are the voices of those who are being persecuted and marginalized, including the human rights attorney Steven Donziger and the political prisoner Mumia Abu Jamal. None of the shows I did on mass incarceration, where I interviewed those released from our prisons, are any longer on YouTube. Gone are the shows with the cartoonists Joe Sacco and Dwayne Booth. Melted into thin air, leaving not a rack behind. I received no inquiry or notice from YouTube. I vanished. In totalitarian systems you exist, then you dont. I suppose this was done in the name of censoring Russian propaganda, although I have a hard time seeing how a detailed discussion of Ulysses or the biographies of Susan Sontag and J. Robert Oppenheimer had any connection in the eyes of the most obtuse censors in Silicon Valley with Vladimir Putin. Indeed, there is not one show that dealt with Russia. I was on RT because, as a critic of US imperialism, militarism, the corporate control of the two ruling parties, and especially because I support the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement against Israel, I was blacklisted. I was on RT for the same reason the dissident Vaclav Havel, who I knew, was on Voice of America during the communist regime in Czechoslovakia. It was that or not be heard. Havel had no more love for the policies of Washington than I have for those of Moscow. Are we a more informed and better society because of this censorship? Is this a world we want to inhabit where those who know everything about us and about whom we know nothing can instantly erase us? If this happens to me, it can happen to you, to any critic anywhere who challenges the dominant narrative. And that is where we are headed as the ruling elites refuse to respond to the disenfranchisement and suffering of the working class, opting not for social and political change or the curbing of the rapacious power and obscene wealth of our oligarchic rulers, but instead imposing iron control over information, as if that will solve the mounting social unrest and vast political and social divides. The most vocal cheerleaders for this censorship are the liberal class. Terrified of the enraged crowds of QAnon conspiracy theorists, Christian fascists, gun-toting militias, and cult-like Trump supporters that grew out of the distortions of the money-drenched electoral system, neoliberalism, austerity, deindustrialization, predatory capitalism, and the collapse of social programs, they plead with the digital monopolies to make it all go away. They blame anyone but themselves. Democrats in the U.S. Congress have held hearings with the CEOs of social media companies pressuring them to do more to censor content. Banish the troglodytes. Then we will have social cohesion. Then life will go back to normal. Fake news. Harm reduction model. Information pollution. Information disorder. They have all sorts of Orwellian phrases to justify censorship. Meanwhile, they peddle their own fantasy that Russia was responsible for the election of Donald Trump. It is a stunning inability to be remotely self-reflective or self-critical, and it is ominous as we move deeper and deeper into a state of political and social dysfunction. What were my sins? I did not, like my former employer, The New York Times, sell you the lie of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, peddle conspiracy theories about Donald Trump being a Russian asset, put out a ten-part podcast called the Caliphate that was a hoax, or tell you that the contents on Hunter Bidens laptop was disinformation. I did not prophesize that Joe Biden was the next FDR or that Hillary Clinton was going to win the election. This censorship is about supporting what, as I.F Stone reminded us, governments always do lie. Challenge the official lie, as I often did, and you will soon become a nonperson on digital media. Julian Assange and Edward Snowden exposed the truth about the criminal inner workings of power. Look where they are now. This censorship is one step removed from Joseph Stalins airbrushing of nonpersons such as Leon Trotsky out of official photographs. It is a destruction of our collective memory. It removes the efforts to examine our reality in ways the ruling class does not appreciate. The goal is to foster historical amnesia. If we dont know what happened in the past, we cannot make sense of the present. The moment we no longer have a free press, anything can happen, Hannah Arendt warned. What makes it possible for a totalitarian or any other dictatorship to rule is that people are not informed; how can you have an opinion if you are not informed? If everybody always lies to you, the consequence is not that you believe the lies, but rather that nobody believes anything any longer. This is because lies, by their very nature, have to be changed, and a lying government has constantly to rewrite its own history. On the receiving end you get not only one liea lie which you could go on for the rest of your daysbut you get a great number of lies, depending on how the political wind blows. And a people that no longer can believe anything cannot make up its mind. It is deprived not only of its capacity to act but also of its capacity to think and to judge. And with such a people you can then do what you please. I am not alone. YouTube regularly removes or demonetizes channels, which happened to Progressive Soapbox, without warning, usually by arguing that the content contained videos that violated YouTubes amorphous community guidelines. Status Coup, which filmed the January 6 storming of the Capital, was suspended from YouTube for advancing the false claims of election fraud. My video content, by the way, primarily consisted of book covers, quotes from passages of books and author photos, but it got disappeared anyway. The deplatformiong of voices like mine, already blocked by commercial media and marginalized with algorithms, is coupled with the pernicious campaign to funnel people back into the arms of the establishment media such as CNN, The New York Times, and The Washington Post. In the US, as Dorthy Parker once said about Katharine Hepburns emotional range as an actress, any policy discussion ranges from A to B. Step outside those lines and you are an outcast. This is the reason Matt Taibbi, Glenn Greenwald and I are on Substack. The Ukraine war, which I denounced as a criminal war of aggression when it began in the column War is the Greatest Evil on ScheerPost, is a sterling example. Any effort to put it into historical context, to suggest that the betrayal of agreements by the West with Moscow, which I covered as a reporter in Eastern Europe during the collapse of the Soviet Union, along with the expansion of NATO might have baited Russia into the conflict, is dismissed. Nuance. Complexity. Ambiguity. Historical context. Self-criticism. All are dismissed. My show, dedicated primarily to authors and their books, should have been, if we had a functioning system of public broadcasting, on PBS or NPR. But public broadcasting is as captive to corporations and the wealthy as the commercial media, indeed PBS and NPR run commercials in the guise of sponsorship acknowledgements. The last show on public broadcasting that examined power was Moyers & Company. Once Bill Moyers went off the air in 2015, no one took his place. A few decades ago, you could hear independent voices on public broadcasting, including Martin Luther King, Malcolm X, Howard Zinn, Ralph Nader, Angela Davis, James Baldwin, and Noam Chomsky. No more. A few decades ago, there were a variety of alternative weeklies and magazines. A few decades ago, we still had a press that, however flawed, had not rendered whole segments of the population, especially the poor and social critics, invisible. It is perhaps telling that our greatest investigative journalist, Sy Hersh, who exposed the massacre of 500 unarmed Vietnamese civilians by US soldiers at My Lai and the torture at Abu Ghraib, has trouble publishing in the United States. I would direct you to the interview I did with Sy about the decayed state of the American media, but it no longer exists on YouTube. In 1895, a 32-year old entrepreneur in New York City bought a failing newspaper and hatched a bold plan to turn it around. The newspaper industry was cutthroat, especially in New York. There were at least 16 other daily newspapers in circulation, and there was fierce competition for readers attention. But the young entrepreneur had an idea: thrill readers with tales of death, destruction, and brutality in the Cuban War for Independence against Spain. Cuba was a Spanish colony at the time, but revolutionary forces had been fighting for independence for several years. Few people in the US really cared about Cuba. But the new publisher vowed to make them care. His name was William Randolph Hearst. And his paper, the New York Morning Journal, constantly thrust Cuba in his readers faces. Their stories were full-blown sensationalism. By early 1898, Hearsts Journal was printing outright fabrications of atrocities committed by Spanish troops in Cuba, in an effort to whip up public support for the United States to join the war. The government played along. While war crimes did not yet exist, US President William McKinley escalated tensions by accusing Spain of atrocities, saying in a speech that the civilized code of warfare has been disregarded. Then, on February 15, 1898, a US naval vessel known as the Maine exploded and sank in Havana Harbor off the coast of Cuba. 268 sailors died. Several investigations were conducted, and to this day there is still nothing conclusive explaining how the explosion took place. Its entirely possible that the explosion was caused by the Maines on-board fuel. But Hearst (along with many other papers) jumped to publish stories claiming the Maine was sunk by a Spanish torpedo, and they continued agitating for the US to join the war. Want to ensure you and your loved ones can survive and thrive, no matter what happens next? Download our FREE Ultimate Plan B Guide now to discover fully actionable strategies you can start putting in place right now Thanks to the effective media propaganda, most Americans were in favor of war. The newspapers had cast Spain as the evil aggressor, and its commanding general, Valeriano Weyler, was routinely called a butcher. The newspapers told Americans that the fight against Spain was a necessary one that it was a matter of moral righteousness a crusade of good against evil. They finally got their wish in April 1898 when the Spanish-American War broke out. There are a lot of similarities with the media today. The level of trust in the media is already laughably low. There was the obvious Hunter Biden laptop coverup, which most mainstream media refused to even mention during the US Presidential election in 2020. Then there were the outright lies in the Russia collusion hoax, for which the New York Times was even awarded the esteemed Pulitzer Prize. (Coincidentally, the Pulitzer is named after Joseph Pulitzer, a newspaper publisher who also fabricated lies in the late 1800s and agitated for war against Spain.) Then theres the case of Biden appointee Tracy Stone-Manning, who was nominated last year to head up the federal governments Bureau of Land Management. Stone-Manning is a former eco-terrorist who participated in violent campaigns against forestry workers in her youth. This isnt some wild conspiracy theory; Stone-Manning has admitted to wrongdoing, including sending violent threats to the US federal Forestry Service. She ultimately avoided prosecution and saved herself by ratting out her associates. But a recent Freedom of Information Act request revealed that NBC News colluded with the Biden Administration to go easy on Tracy Stone-Manning during her confirmation hearing, and whitewash over her terrorist history. This is pretty incredible Think about the media circus a few years ago when US Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh was accused of sexually assaulting someone when he was a teenager. There was no promise from NBC News (and other mainstream propagandists) to go easy on the allegations against Justice Kavanaugh that went back 30+ years. Instead, they smeared his name and deemed him guilty. Its also noteworthy that, during Kavanaughs confirmation hearing, several protestors stormed the Capital and physically accosted United States Senators in order to prevent the Constitutional voting process from occurring. Yet NBC News declined to label those protestors domestic terrorists, or to claim that democracy was under attack because they had criminally trespassed into the Capitol. This is the same media which acted as the government mouthpiece during COVID, justifying the public health dictatorship that took over the world. This is the same media which watched cities burn in 2020 and said the protests were mostly peaceful. And, yes, this is the same media that has routinely pushed America into war. It wasnt just Spain in 1898. The United States joined the Vietnam War based on a Gulf of Tonkin skirmish with the North Vietnamese which never actually occurred. But the Johnson administration and intelligence sources said it happened, so the media reported it as fact. Then there were those supposed Weapons of Mass Destruction in Iraq, which the media dutifully reported without question and helped push the US into war back in 2003. Today many in the media are calling for an escalation against Russia. They want a no-fly zone. They cheer the Presidents dementia-ridden foreign policy and praise him for impromptu comments that only escalate tensions. Most of all, they force feed the war in Ukraine, 24/7, as if thats supposed to be our #1 priority. Forget about the economy, rising prices, and supply chain dysfunction and forget about conflict anywhere else in the world. Were only allowed to care about Ukraine and Putin. Historically speaking, it is not far-fetched to think the media could help push the world into a major war and one with potential nuclear ramifications. Its not inevitable, but we are closer today than any other time since at least 1962 and certainly closer than even a week ago. Thats why it is more important than ever to be prepared for whatever the world has in store for us. And that means crafting a rock solid Plan B to make sure you can respond from a position of strength, whatever crisis comes next. Following Joe Bidens unscripted blurting out that Vladimir Putin cannot remain in power, and another bizarre appearance Monday where he appeared to rely on cue cards, Senator Rand Paul warned that it is becoming a national security risk. Appearing on Fox News, Paul noted A lot of times when youre around somebody whos in cognitive decline, you find yourself trying to help them with a sentence, trying to help them complete it but we shouldnt have to do that for the commander-in-chief. Biden had to have I was not articulating a change in policy written verbatim on a notecard so he wouldnt screw it up and he still screwed it up pic.twitter.com/OvEwlHQVry Jake Schneider (@jacobkschneider) March 28, 2022 Paul continued, And, it is actually a national security risk because hes sending signals that no one in their right mind would want to send to Russia at this point. We arent trying to replace Putin in Russia. We arent trying to have regime change. Were not sending troops into Ukraine, and were not going to respond in kind with chemical weapons. The Senator urged that Biden lives in an alternate universe where he blurts out whatever he pleases then claims then way it was perceived isnt accurate. So I guess youre supposed to look the other way. But even the left-wing media is noticing these gaffes, Paul asserted. I do think that it is a real problem, and theres a humorous angle to this. But its really not funny because were worried about what hes saying, precipitating or escalating the conflict in Ukraine into a world war. Thats very serious, Paul further emphasised. Watch: Watch the latest video at foxnews.com As we noted yesterday, An NBC poll released Sunday revealed that 8 in 10 Americans say they are worried that Bidens bumbling and mishandling of the Ukraine situation will lead to a NUCLEAR WAR. In addition to declaring that Putin cannot remain in power, Biden called the Russian leader a butcher, and last also appeared to tell U.S. troops they would be deployed to the Ukraine. "He's a butcher" Biden on Putin pic.twitter.com/yvRjLqATIc Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) March 26, 2022 BIDEN SLIPS AND TELLS 82nd AIRBORNE THEYRE GOING TO UKRAINE?pic.twitter.com/lUiB8w2Ibk The_Real_Fly (@The_Real_Fly) March 25, 2022 When he was questioned by Fox reporter Peter Doocy Monday about the comments, Biden claimed that none of those things happened, and that nothing he said was being walked back, despite clear statements from the White House doing exactly that: Doocy: "The big things you say on the world stage keep getting walked back." Biden: "What's getting walked backed?" Biden: You told troops they are going to Ukraine, the U.S. would use a chemical weapon, and called for regime change in Russia. Biden: "None of the 3 occurred." pic.twitter.com/cwZPzANIoC Greg Price (@greg_price11) March 28, 2022 Tucker Carlson labelled Bidens persistent outbursts as dangerous and crazed recklessness, noting a gaffe is when you mispronounce somebodys name. Telling troops youre going to be sent to Ukraine, pledging the United States is going to use chemical weapons? These are not gaffes, these are something else. Yesterday, Biden said American troops have been fighting in Ukraine & more are headed to fight there. Today, Biden said the goal of U.S. policy to Russia is regime change. Recall, the media called for the 25th amendment when Trump sipped water or walked down ramps carefully. Max Abrahms (@MaxAbrahms) March 26, 2022 The establishment media is running defense: CNN's @DonLemon defends Biden: "He did not end that speech saying that Vladimir Putin should be removed or were going ta take him out of power. He said this man should not remain in power this is a media-manufactured story," "blown out of proportion" pic.twitter.com/6gSWQvdQuF Tom Elliott (@tomselliott) March 28, 2022 Imagine President Trump had inexplicably told U.S. troops they were deploying to fight Russia. Really imagine it! All we'd be hearing is that he's mentally unfit and must be removed under the 25th Amendment. Joe Biden did the same thing today. But the media has his back Clint Ehrlich (@ClintEhrlich) March 26, 2022 Biden is a puppet. No one thinks he is making the decisions. Just declares war on Russia and keeps talking like nothing happened. Take the keys away https://t.co/RICcmpQ10J Metabiota Poso (@JackPosobiec) March 25, 2022 Follow on Twitter: Follow @PrisonPlanet Brand new merch now available! Get it at https://www.pjwshop.com/ ALERT! In the age of mass Silicon Valley censorship It is crucial that we stay in touch. We need you to sign up for our free newsletter here. Support our sponsor Turbo Force a supercharged boost of clean energy without the comedown. Also, we urgently need your financial support here. Osmania University students stage protest on the campus for the second consecutive day demanding quality food and drinking water in the hostels, in Hyderabad (Deepak Deshpande/DC) HYDERABAD: A group of students from Osmania University on Monday staged a protest on the campus for the second consecutive day demanding quality food and drinking water apart from accommodation, which they have allegedly been deprived of post lockdown. They warned the university management that they would continue the protests until their grievances were resolved. However, after the intervention of the registrar, the students called off the protest. The protest began at 7 am, when some students locked the main gate and blocked the road on the campus. The number of protestors swelled to about 150 by the afternoon. OU Registrar Prof P. Laxminarayana then met the students, inspected the hostel and assured that their concerns would be addressed. After this, the protesters dispersed. According to a student of Block 3 of the hostel, one of the major issues they face is lack of manpower in the mess. The mess for Block 3 caters to 700-800 students and the breakfast is served between 7.30 am and 9 am. Every morning, there is a very long queue and we have to wait for up to one-and-a-half hours to get two chapatis, as there is a shortage of food, the student claimed. Many inmates of the hostel have to attend classes at 9 am at University College of Science, Saifabad and Koti Womens College, for which buses pick them up from the hostel at 8.30 am. These students do not have the time to wait for breakfast. Students have been allegedly suffering from water issues for several weeks. Earlier this month, members of the State Human Rights Commission visited the campus to inquire about the same. A student from Block 3 said two washrooms were available for about 60 students in each wing of the hostel. We need to stand in a queue for an hour to use washrooms, and then another one hour for food. We are wasting a lot of time here, there is not enough time to study, the student said. Prof. Laxminarayana said to address the issues in the mess, he had asked the workers to prepare food in advance and pack them for students going to colleges in Koti or Saifabad, He said the shortage of washrooms was due to repair works. To address the shortage of drinking water, another tank would be installed, after which the students would get 24-hour supply of water. Hyderabad: An octogenarian had a providential escape after he was unwittingly kept overnight in a locker room of the Union Banks branch near Jubilee Hills Checkpost. V Krishna Reddy, 89, resident of Jubilee Hills, had been to the bank on Monday evening. He entered the locker room to check the deposits in his locker. A while later, unmindful of his presence, the bank staff pushed the heavy steel door closed. They locked it as usual and left the bank. The bank premises remained closed till the morning next day. He was discovered lying on the floor in the locker room on Tuesday morning when, after some fuss, the bank staff opened the locker door at 10.30 am. In the morning, one of the bank employees recalled that an old man had been allowed to go into the locker room on Monday evening. Then, the staff went to check this out. Krishna Reddy, a diabetic, was taken to a nearby hospital by the Jubilee Hills police for an urgent check-up. Later, his family came and took him home. The Jubilee Hills police said that, meanwhile, a missing person case was filed by the family. The case will now be closed. But we will book cases under Sections 336, and 342 of the IPC against the bank staff, inspector Rajasekhar Reddy said. Police said the banks assistant manager closed the locker room. On Tuesday, family members along with the police went to the bank to check if the banks CCTV cameras had any record of his movements. The banks manager, Muralimohan Reddy said he was asked by top bank officials to avoid talking to the media. Inquires revealed that the banks assistant manager, a woman, had allowed Krishna Reddy into the locker room around 4.45pm on Monday. She recalled about this on Tuesday morning when a fuss was already on. Then, the staff rushed to the locker and opened its heavy steel door only to find Krishna Reddy lying on the floor. Had she not remembered, the locker door would not have been opened today. And fortunately, she came to work today, when the nationwide bank strike was on, a bank staffer confided. Murali Mohan Reddy later told a television channel that following the general strike since Monday, most of the banks regular staff were absent and it was some alternate staff that had shut down the premises at the end of the day. What Sections 336, 342 of IPC say: 336 - Act endangering life or personal safety of others. Punishment can be imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to three months, or with fine which may extend to Rs 250, or with both. 342 - Punishment for wrongful confinement. Can be imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to one year, or with fine which may extend to Rs 1000, or with both. Agreement between Russia, Ukraine still possible at upcoming talks: Lavrov Xinhua) 09:10, March 29, 2022 Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov speaks at a press conference after a tripartite meeting in Antalya, Turkey, March 10, 2022. (Xinhua/Li Zhenbei) MOSCOW, March 28 (Xinhua) -- Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Monday that it was still possible for Russia and Ukraine to reach an agreement at the upcoming negotiations. "There are still chances for an agreement," local media reported, citing Lavrov during a media interview. The foreign minister pointed out that Russia was committed to achieving a successful outcome at the upcoming consultations with Ukraine. The Russian and Ukrainian delegations will likely meet in Turkey on Tuesday, the Kremlin said Monday. The delegations have held three rounds of negotiations in person in Belarus since Feb. 28, and the fourth one started on March 14 via video conference. (Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun) Many employees staged protests in Hyderabad and all district headquarters. (DC Image) Hyderabad: The two-day strike call given by 10 central trade unions, including Left organisations, badly impacted Central government offices on the first day across the state but it went off peacefully on Monday. Many employees staged protests in Hyderabad and all district headquarters. They are striking against the Union government's anti-people, anti-farmers and anti-employees policies. Those badly hit were public sector banks, insurance services, transport, telecom, coal, steel, fuel and postal services. At a dharna in Narayanaguda, CPM state committee member M Srinivas said "The BJP-led NDA government at the Centre is trying to privatise even profit-earning undertakings like LIC, BPCL, banks and other PSUs. The government must not buckle down to corporate companies." V. Raghunathan, general secretary of the south central zonal council of All India LIC Employees Federation, said the Union government is toeing the line of corporate giants and undermining the rights of the working class. This cannot be tolerated any longer. CPI state secretary Chada Venkat Reddy on Monday said the massive protest (dharna) wont stop until the Centre withdraws the bank's privatisation. In a protest at Bank street, organised by the All India Bank Officers Association (AIBO) and All India Bank Employees Association (AIBEA), he condemned the governments "wrong policies". More than 30 crore employees are protesting against Modi government's policies. The protest was announced 30 days ago, but the government hasnt made any conversation with any labour and employees organisations, said Venkat Reddy. All India Bank Employees Association (AIBEA) national secretary B.S. Rambabu said, "Two persons are ruling the nation and two others (Adani, Ambani) are buying the nation. Government should demolish the New Pension Scheme and continue the Old Pension Scheme." The City of Brandon has its sights set on developing a new city plan with a strong emphasis on green technology and preparation for climate change. Advertisement Advertise With Us The City of Brandon has its sights set on developing a new city plan with a strong emphasis on green technology and preparation for climate change. Public consultations began last month with the release of an online survey, and the next step is finding a consulting firm to help with this undertaking. SUBMITTED This poster is part of the advertising campaign promoting public engagement in the creation of a new city plan for Brandon. According to Andrew Mok, a senior planner with the city, there are three aspects to what Brandon is looking for. The city wants a consultant to create a climate action plan to make Brandon carbon neutral by 2050, research policy recommendations for the plan relating to smart cities, movement and climate change resiliency and finally, undertake a peer review of the suggested policy changes. The necessity of the new plan for the city has its origin in events that took place two years ago. In 2020, the Brandon and Area Planning District, which included the City of Brandon and the RMs of Elton and Cornwallis, disbanded. That same year, the city was also granted subdivision approval authority within its borders, becoming just the second municipality other than Winnipeg with those powers. The last time Brandon updated its city plan was in 2013. "With that situation, it is necessary at very least from a provincial regulatory perspective, for us to have our own long-term plan," Mok said. "With the timing here, theres an opportunity for us to dovetail how we deal with climate change action." CITY OF BRANDON This timeline from the City of Brandons website shows the different phases of the ongoing project to revise its development plan. The new city plan will reflect the development reality for Brandon over the next 25 to 30 years and identify policies to achieve certain targets like being carbon neutral by 2050. This means Brandon would remove an amount of CO2 equal to the amount of carbon it emits into the world, effectively having a net-zero impact on the global climate. "On the topic of climate change, the city further recognizes the need to become carbon neutral by 2050 in accordance with Canadas commitment to the Paris Agreement under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, commonly known as the Paris Accords or Paris Agreement," the tender agreement reads. "This timeframe coincides with the citys proposed City Plan 30-year timeframe. By having a climate action plan, the city will have further direction on local climate change action and mitigation efforts that will complement the overall policy direction of the City Plan." Those climate goals include reducing local greenhouse gas emissions, developing greener transportation strategies with an eye toward smart city concepts and mitigating possible impacts caused by climate change. For instance, the draft city plan expresses support for the development of wind energy systems in and around the city. "If we do adopt the city plan, it will give both city council and city administration general marching orders on how we move forward together," Mok said about elements like that. "Whatever path we take, as long as we still meet those policy obligations, thats whats important. How we get to deal with various climate change action items such as providing power to the municipality, such as waste management/waste reduction, such as a steady supply of clean drinking water, those kinds of more detailed questions will need to be worked out after we adopt the city plan." The process will also help the city update its master and secondary plans as well as its greenspace and housing strategies. For the planned peer review, Mok said it will allow for "third-party professional eyes to make sure were on the right track from a legislative and professional perspective for that document." Apart from the consultants feedback on the city plan, there will also be community engagement. Last month, the Sun reported that the city was hosting an online survey asking residents to identify their priorities and concerns with the development of a new city plan. Sonikile Tembo, a community planner working on the public engagement efforts for the city plan, told the Sun there had been an issue with residents not receiving notices in the mail advertising the online survey on time. Because of that, the end date for the survey was extended to Monday. "At this stage, weve received survey findings," Tembo said. "Weve been able to analyze them and find out what themes are coming out. Some of the themes I can tell you are coming out are issues around housing, issues around movement, active transportation, vehicular traffic and such. Theres been concerns about substance abuse, about health in different forms, public safety, climate change." Several local stakeholder groups have already met with the city regarding the new plan, and Tembo said groups who havent yet been consulted are welcome to reach out to arrange a meeting. Next week, some of the information gleaned from the survey and these stakeholder meetings will be posted for the public to look over. There will also be sign-up forms so residents can register to participate in upcoming public meetings relating to the city plan on housing, transportation and climate change. Residents who have participated in the online survey or sent feedback via email will be contacted with information on how to participate in those sessions as well. These sessions should be completed by the end of May, when another report based on the findings will be prepared and released. In June, a community celebration is scheduled to go over what has been learned with the public and to discuss what the next steps are. Ultimately, Mok said, the goal is for a final draft plan to be presented to Brandon City Council sometime next spring. Information on the project can be found online at brandon.ca/cityplan. cslark@brandonsun.com Twitter: @ColinSlark HALIFAX - Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston is distancing himself and his government from a decision by the Speaker to issue a COVID-19 exposure notice at the legislature over the weekend. Premier Tim Houston, right, addresses the speaker at the start of the spring session of the Nova Scotia legislature at Province House in Halifax on Thursday, March 24, 2022. The decision to temporarily close the Nova Scotia legislature to the public because of a confirmed case of COVID-19 has apparently sparked a disagreement between the Speaker and the premier. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Andrew Vaughan HALIFAX - Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston is distancing himself and his government from a decision by the Speaker to issue a COVID-19 exposure notice at the legislature over the weekend. In an unusual move, Houston tweeted on Monday that the decision to issue the notice and close the building to the public was made by Speaker Keith Bain alone. The premier was reacting to a memo circulated to members of the legislature on Saturday by the Speaker, warning of a COVID-19 exposure inside the building. Critics of the memo took to social media to complain of a double standard, because the province had stopped issuing COVID-19 exposure notifications to the public. Houston says there should not be two different standards for politicians and for the public. In an email, the Office of the Speaker says the decision to close the legislature to the public was temporary and was made to ensure the House of Assembly can successfully fulfil its duties. The email says that Bain, a member of the Progressive Conservatives, will not be commenting further on the matter. This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 28, 2022. The first night of competition at the 2022 Royal Manitoba Winter Fair Monday was marked by Alberta-based hunter jumpers claiming the top three spots in the Gamblers Choice event. Advertisement Advertise With Us CHELSEA KEMP/THE BRANDON SUN Karissa Enders from Calgary placed first in the hunter jumper Gambler's Choice competition with her mare, Ginny Fizz, securing 1,070 points Monday evening. The first night of competition at the 2022 Royal Manitoba Winter Fair Monday was marked by Alberta-based hunter jumpers claiming the top three spots in the Gamblers Choice event. Karissa Enders from Calgary placed first in the hunter jumper competition with her mare, Ginny Fizz, securing 1,070-points. "I wasnt riding my best, but she was super, shes a winner," Enders said. "Shes a firecracker. Shes hard to deal with sometimes on the ground, but when youre showing, shes game on. She just goes for it." Enders also placed seventh with her other horse Fort Knox WF. Seven-year-old Ginny Fizz will get anxious as they approach the gate for a ride, because she is so eager to get to jumping and scoring points, the rider said. Enders praised her mare and the relationship they have been able to build as a team. The duo has been riding together since Ginny Fizz was two years old. The team will be showing all week in the hunter jumper competitions. The Gamblers Choice show marked Enders first time at the Royal Manitoba Winter Fair. It took years of preparation to reach the elite level of riding needed for the competition. "I ride the horses six days a week. I jump them at least two or three times a week to keep them fit." She has spent her life preparing for competitions, getting in the saddle before she could even walk. Her mother Joyce Enders has been her biggest supporter, helping her get into the sport. Her family has trained around the Calgary area for years, including at Spruce Meadows. Femke Courchaine, from Red Deer, took home second in the Gamblers Choice with her horse Lemonade BF. The pair finished with 1,030 points. Courchaine, who has been competing at the Royal Manitoba Winter Fair since 2001, said it feels good to be back in the ring, because she has missed the staff, volunteers and crowds at the show. She will be showing at the fair all week with two horses she brought. "It feels really great. The barn staff and the volunteers, they just feel like family because weve been coming so much." She was unsure of what to expect for the ride in Gamblers Choice because her horse is only six years old the youngest in the competition. "Sometimes she can kind of get a little stressed out, but she was quite nice [tonight]." Lemonade is in her second year of showing. Last year the team competed in five-year-old classes and Lemonade had a baby the year before, preventing her from showing. Lemonade is still a little green in the ring but ready to compete, Courchaine said. "Were just really happy to be back." Justin Prather, from Calgary, finished third with 980 points with his horse, Ferdinand. Prather competed at the fair many years ago as a youth, and 2022 has marked his first time back in recent years. Prather said he feels like he is off to a solid start for the competition and is optimistic about the remaining days ahead. ckemp@brandonsun.com Twitter: @The_ChelseaKemp Activists from various political parties stage rasta-roko in protest against the privatization move of the Visakhapatnam Steel Plant by the central government during the two-day national general strike at Gajuwaka junction in Visakhapatnam on Monday. (DC) Visakhapatanam: Substantial participation by non-executive cadre of Visakhapatnam steel plant marked the two-day nation-wide bandh call, given by a joint forum of central trade unions in a protest against central government policies affecting workers, farmers, and people, as also against the privatization of the steel plant. The bandh, specifically in relation to the steel plant in Visakhapatnam, was however partial in Andhra Pradesh and no incident was reported. The participation of VSP employees was massive, it being a stir also against privatization. A top official of RINL, the holding company of VSP, said the company has 11,500 non-executives. Of them, 75 per cent abstained from work and participated in the strike. Sources said production has been hit. The plant was put in safe mode operations, the official said. Reports from other parts of the state said banking, shops and transport services were not affected expect for a few hours road blockade in some areas in the early hours of the day. Several trade union leaders were taken into custody and later freed. The APSRTC said it had plans to operate services from 1pm, but advanced the operations as the road blockades were removed much earlier after the arrest of trade union leaders around 11am. In Visakhapatnam city, several groups of trade unions squatted on National Highway at VS Krishna college junction, Maddilapalem and Gajuwaka from early hours, blocking the traffic. Vehicles including interstate trucks were stranded for a few hours. The police arrived at these areas and bundled all the leaders/activists into vans and dumped these men at different police stations. In Gajuwaka, tension prevailed for some time and a YSRC rally led by MLA Tippala Nagireddy and a TD rally came face to face. Tourism minister Muttamsetti Srinivasa participated in the relay hunger strike organised by trade unions near the steel plant. Several central trade unions including INTUC, AITUC, CITU took out rallies in Krishna and Guntur districts. In Vijayawada, trade union leaders took out a rally from One Town area to Lenin Centre and held a meeting denouncing the anti-people policies of the Centre. The first day strike had its partial impact with several commercial establishments remaining open. A few of them remained shut for some time. KYIV, Ukraine (AP) Russia announced Tuesday it will significantly scale back military operations near Ukraines capital and a northern city, as the outlines of a possible deal to end the grinding war came into view at the latest round of talks. Advertisement Advertise With Us Ukrainian soldiers gather near the front line in Brovary, on the outskirts of Kyiv, Ukraine, Monday, March 28, 2022. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd) KYIV, Ukraine (AP) Russia announced Tuesday it will significantly scale back military operations near Ukraines capital and a northern city, as the outlines of a possible deal to end the grinding war came into view at the latest round of talks. Ukraine's delegation at the conference, held in Istanbul, laid out a framework under which the country would declare itself neutral and its security would be guaranteed by an array of other nations. Moscow's public reaction was positive, and the negotiations are expected to resume Wednesday, five weeks into what has devolved into a bloody war of attrition, with thousands dead and almost 4 million Ukrainians fleeing the country. Amid the talks, Russian Deputy Defense Minister Alexander Fomin said Moscow has decided to fundamentally ... cut back military activity in the direction of Kyiv and Chernihiv to increase mutual trust and create conditions for further negotiations. He did not immediately spell out what that would mean in practical terms. Myroslva Chernikova 54-year-old mother of 32-year-old Senior Lieutenant Pavlo Chernikov, left, mourns his death during his funeral ceremony, after being killed in action, at the Lychakiv cemetery, in Lviv, western Ukraine, Monday, March 28, 2022. The more than month-old war has killed thousands and driven more than 10 million Ukrainians from their homes including almost 4 million from their country. (AP Photo/Nariman El-Mofty) The announcement was met with skepticism from the U.S. and others. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russia cannot be trusted. Although the signals from the talks are "positive, they cant silence explosions of Russian shells, he said in a video address. Zelenskyy said it was Ukrainian troops who forced Russia's hand, adding that we shouldnt let down our guard because the invading army still "has a great potential to continue attacks against our country. Sofia Boiko, 90 years old, arrives at the Ukrainian Red Cross center in Mykolaiv, southern Ukraine, on Monday, March 28, 2022. Boiko who is traveling alone and other people evacuated from regions that have been attacked by the Russian army in Mykolaiv district. The more than month-old war has killed thousands and driven more than 10 million Ukrainians from their homes including almost 4 million from their country. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris) Ukraine will continue negotiations, he said, but officials do not trust the word of the country that continues "fighting to destroy us. While Moscow portrayed it as a goodwill gesture, its ground troops have become bogged down and taken heavy losses in their bid to seize Kyiv and other cities. Last week and again on Tuesday, the Kremlin seemed to lower its war aims, saying its main goal now is gaining control of the mostly Russian-speaking Donbas region in eastern Ukraine. U.S. President Joe Biden, asked whether the Russian announcement was a sign of progress in the talks or an attempt by Moscow to buy time to continue its assault, said: Well see. I dont read anything into it until I see what their actions are. Ukrainian servicemen walk at a damaged train station in the town of Trostsyanets, Ukraine, Monday, March 28, 2022. Trostsyanets was recently retaken by Ukrainian forces after being held by Russians since the early days of the war. (AP Photo/Felipe Dana) U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken suggested Russian indications of a pullback could be an attempt by Moscow to deceive people and deflect attention. It wouldn't be the first time. In the tense buildup to the invasion, the Russian military announced that some units were loading equipment onto rail cars and preparing to return to their home bases after completing exercises. At the time, Putin was signaling interest in diplomacy. But 10 days later, Russia launched its invasion. Western officials say Moscow is now reinforcing troops in the Donbas in a bid to encircle Ukraines forces. And Russia's deadly siege in the south continues, with civilians trapped in the ruins of Mariupol and other bombarded cities. The latest satellite imagery from commercial provider Maxar Technologies showed hundreds of people waiting outside a grocery store amid reports of food and water shortages. Ukrainian soldiers look over the bodies of dead Russian soldiers after recent fights in the town of Trostsyanets, some 400km (250 miles) east of capital Kyiv, Ukraine, Monday, March 28, 2022. The more than month-old war has killed thousands and driven more than 10 million Ukrainians from their homes including almost 4 million from their country. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky) There is what Russia says and there is what Russia does, and were focused on the latter, Blinken said in Morocco. And what Russia is doing is the continued brutalization of Ukraine. Even as negotiators gathered, Russian President Vladimir Putin's forces blasted a gaping hole in a nine-story government administration building in a strike on the southern port city of Mykolaiv, killing at least 12 people, emergency authorities said. The search for more bodies in the rubble continued. Its terrible. They waited for people to go to work before striking the building, said regional governor Vitaliy Kim. I overslept. Im lucky. A woman walks past a destroyed tank in the town of Trostsyanets, Ukraine, Monday, March 28, 2022. Trostsyanets was recently retaken by Ukrainian forces after being held by Russians since the early days of the war. (AP Photo/Felipe Dana) Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said the U.S. has detected small numbers of Russian ground forces moving away from the Kyiv area, but it appeared to be a repositioning of forces, not a real withdrawal. He said it was too soon to say how extensive the Russian movements may be or where the troops will be repositioned. It does not mean the threat to Kyiv is over, Kirby said. They can still inflict massive brutality on the country, including on Kyiv. He said Russian airstrikes against Kyiv continued. A resident stands next to parts of a destroyed Russian tank in the town of Trostsyanets, Ukraine, Monday, March 28, 2022. Trostsyanets was recently retaken by Ukrainian forces after being held by Russians since the early days of the war. (AP Photo/Felipe Dana) Rob Lee, a military expert at the U.S.-based Foreign Policy Research Institute, tweeted of the Russian announcement: This sounds like more of an acknowledgment of the situation around Kyiv where Russias advance has been stalled for weeks and Ukrainian forces have had recent successes. Russia doesnt have the forces to encircle the city. The meeting in Istanbul was the first time negotiators from Russia and Ukraine talked face-to-face in two weeks. Earlier talks were held in person in Belarus or by video. Among other things, the Kremlin has demanded all along that Ukraine drop any hope of joining NATO. A refugee carries a baby after fleeing the war from neighbouring Ukraine at the border crossing in Medyka, southeastern Poland, on Tuesday, March 29, 2022. The daily number of people fleeing Ukraine has fallen in recent days but border guards, aid agencies and refugees say Russia's unpredictable war offers few signs whether it's just a temporary lull or a permanent drop-off. (AP Photo/Sergei Grits) Ukraines delegation offered a detailed framework for a peace deal under which a neutral Ukraine's security would be guaranteed by a group of third countries, including the U.S., Britain, France, Turkey, China and Poland, in an arrangement similar to NATOs "an attack on one is an attack on all principle. Ukraine said it would also be willing to hold talks over a 15-year period on the future of the Crimean Peninsula, seized by Russia in 2014. Vladimir Medinsky, head of the Russian delegation, said on Russian TV that the Ukrainian proposals are a step to meet us halfway, a clearly positive fact. People carry their belongings after fleeing the war from neighbouring Ukraine at the border crossing in Medyka, southeastern Poland, on Tuesday, March 29, 2022. The daily number of people fleeing Ukraine has fallen in recent days but border guards, aid agencies and refugees say Russia's unpredictable war offers few signs whether it's just a temporary lull or a permanent drop-off. (AP Photo/Sergei Grits) He cautioned that the parties are still far from reaching an agreement, but said: We know now how to move further toward compromise. We arent just marking time in talks. In other developments: In what appeared to be a coordinated action to tackle Russian espionage, the Netherlands, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Ireland and North Macedonia expelled scores of Russian diplomats. Ukrainian soldiers of the 103rd Separate Brigade of the Territorial Defense of the Armed Forces, fire their weapons, during a training exercise, at an undisclosed location, near Lviv, western Ukraine, Tuesday, March 29, 2022. (AP Photo/Nariman El-Mofty) The head of the U.N. nuclear watchdog agency arrived in Ukraine to try to ensure the safety of the countrys nuclear facilities. Russian forces have taken control of the decommissioned Chernobyl plant, site in 1986 of the worlds worst nuclear accident, and of the active Zaporizhzhia plant, where a building was damaged in fighting. Russia has destroyed more than 60 religious buildings across the country in just over a month of war, with most of the damage concentrated near Kyiv and in the east, Ukraines military said. In the room at the Istanbul talks was Roman Abramovich, a longtime Putin ally who has been sanctioned by Britain and the European Union. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the Chelsea soccer team owner has been serving as an unofficial mediator approved by both countries. But the mystery surrounding his role has been deepened by news reports that he may have been poisoned during an earlier round of talks. Ukrainian servicemen stand in trenches at a position north of the capital Kyiv, Ukraine, Tuesday, March 29, 2022. The first face-to-face talks in two weeks between Russia and Ukraine began Tuesday in Turkey, raising flickering hopes there could be progress toward ending a war that has ground into a bloody campaign of attrition. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda) Over the past several days, Ukrainian forces have mounted counterattacks and reclaimed ground on the outskirts of Kyiv and other areas. Ukrainian soldiers gathered in a trench for photos with Col. Gen. Oleksandr Syrskyi, who said that Ukraine had retaken control of a vast majority of Irpin, a key suburb northwest of the capital that has seen heavy fighting. We defend our motherland because we have very high morale, said Syrskyi, the commander in charge of the defense of Kyiv. And because we want to win. Refugees wait in a queue, after fleeing the war from neighbouring Ukraine at the border crossing in Medyka, southeastern Poland, on Tuesday, March 29, 2022. The daily number of people fleeing Ukraine has fallen in recent days but border guards, aid agencies and refugees say Russia's unpredictable war offers few signs whether it's just a temporary lull or a permanent drop-off. (AP Photo/Sergei Grits) Ukrainian forces also took back Trostyanets, south of Sumy in the northeast, after weeks of occupation that left a landscape of Russian bodies, burned and twisted tanks and charred buildings. Putins ground forces have been thwarted not just by stronger-than-expected Ukrainian resistance, but by what Western officials say are Russian tactical missteps, poor morale, shortages of food, fuel and cold weather gear, and other problems. Repeating what the military said last week, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said Tuesday that liberating Donbas is now Moscows chief objective. Col. Gen. Oleksandr Syrskyi, top military commander in charge of the defense of the Ukrainian capital, walks in a trench at a position north of the capital Kyiv, Ukraine, Tuesday, March 29, 2022. The first face-to-face talks in two weeks between Russia and Ukraine began Tuesday in Turkey, raising flickering hopes there could be progress toward ending a war that has ground into a bloody campaign of attrition. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda) While that presents a possible face-saving exit strategy for Putin, it has also raised Ukrainian fears the Kremlin aims to split the country and force it to surrender a swath of its territory. ___ Karmanau reported from Lviv, Ukraine. Associated Press journalists around the world contributed to this report. ___ Follow the APs coverage of the war at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine Advertising agency Clemenger Group is moving staff back into Melbournes CBD, accelerating the citys rejuvenation after last years harsh lockdowns forced most workers to stay home. Clemenger, the first major company to move back into the city since the pandemic started, is consolidating its 900 staff from two city-fringe offices into four levels of loft-style offices in the refurbished David Jones menswear building in Bourke Street Mall. Until now, the firm was based in St Kilda Road and South Yarra. The David Jones menswear store on Bourke Street. Credit: It comes as Charter Hall and Cbus Property re-signed mining giant BHP to a seven-year lease extension covering 5000 square metres of office space in the historic front section of 171 Collins Street, a premium 19-level building they jointly own in the popular Paris end of the strip. Clemengers move, one of the biggest leasing deals of the year so far, was welcomed by Lord Mayor Sally Capp, who said it was a vote of confidence in the citys future as an economic hub. One of Australias largest cryptocurrency exchanges has sealed a deal with payments giant Mastercard, taking a step forward in eradicating cases of debanking within the countrys burgeoning crypto industry. On Tuesday, BTCMarkets - which boasts around 325,000 customers in Australia - announced that it would allow customers to buy cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin and Ethereum with credit or debit cards. Until this point, users had only been able to transfer money to the exchange via bank deposits. Chief executive of BTCMarkets Caroline Bowler. Credit:Elke Meitzel Chief executive Caroline Bowler told this masthead the partnership had been in the works for a number of years, and had been initially pursued by the exchange due to a large number of cryptocurrency users being cut off by the big four banks for trading or doing business in crypto - a process known as debanking. The reason why we wanted to address it was because of the issues some of our clients were experiencing in regard to debanking, she said. At the time we started these conversations with Mastercard it was very much a live issue. You could be forgiven for thinking that Will Smiths now infamous onstage slap was the first time anything shocking had happened at the Academy Awards. In less than 24 hours the story has already become part of Oscars folklore, a standalone event that will be debated and dissected until the end of time. But while Smiths slap may still be ringing in our ears, its really just the latest in a long history of shocking and extraordinary Oscar moments. 1973: Sacheen Littlefeather refuses an Oscar on Marlon Brandos behalf Arguably one of the most memorable moments in Oscars history, it was 1973 when Marlon Brando won best actor for his role in The Godfather. Instead of accepting the award, Brando was a no show, sending Native American actress and activist Sacheen Littlefeather in his place. People often tell Kylie Moore-Gilbert that if they went through what she went through 804 days in an Iranian prison on bogus espionage charges they wouldnt have survived. And I say, Yes, you would have, because you have no choice. You find reserves of inner strength that you never knew you had, says Moore-Gilbert, the Middle Eastern studies academic who spent more than two years in prison between 2018 and 2020 and has written a book, The Uncaged Sky, about her ordeal. Ive seen dozens of others survive even worse than what was done to me. Good Weekend senior writer Jane Cadzow, who was given the first interview with Moore-Gilbert for our recent cover story, Prisoner 97029, says the complete isolation appeared to be one of the hardest things for Moore-Gilbert to have had to endure. If you think nobody knows whats happening to you, thats soul-destroying, says Cadzow. And its a tried and true technique of interrogators to say to the person theyre interrogating, Nobody knows youre here. Nobody cares about you. How do you keep up your spirits and your hope when youre told that? The coronial inquest into the deaths of Hannah Clarke and her three children has explored whether there was a missed opportunity to jail their killer 10 days before the fatal attack. Ms Clarkes estranged husband Rowan Baxter, 42, was charged on February 9, 2020, with assaulting her but he was not processed through the watchhouse, and he was granted immediate bail. Ms Clarke, 31, and her children Aaliyah, 6, Laianah, 4, and son Trey, 3 died after Baxter doused the inside of the familys SUV in petrol and ignited it in Camp Hill on February 19, 2020. On February 9, 2020, Senior Constable Justin Kersey, a constable at the time, had a chance meeting with Baxter in Westfield Carindale after a shopper reported Baxter acting suspiciously. It was two years into the construction of their luxury $9.58 million Melbourne apartment that developer JD Group told Nina and Walter Ripani that it couldnt build the off-the-plan unit it had promised. The couple bought into the opulent Victoriana development on Queens Road after visiting a showroom and being impressed by JD Groups artistic renderings showing a large opening connecting indoor and outdoor space. The artistic rendering of the Victoriana development that drew in Nina and Walter Ripani. But Federal Court Justice Paul Anastassiou found this month that Century Legend which traded as JD Group had been deliberately misleading and deceptive, and that it had previously received advice from architects that the artistic render it was using to sell the off-plan apartment, known as the hero render, was impossible to build. When you walked into the showroom, it was larger than life, and we were basically told we could have that apartment, and we were totally hooked, Ms Ripani said. Jobs in Aboriginal land management will be doubled under an expansion of the Indigenous ranger program, which received a $636 million commitment in the federal budget to create 1000 full-time equivalent workers. Indigenous rangers are employed by the federal government to carry out various caring for Country activities, from protecting marine turtles from feral predators when they lay eggs, to monitoring illegal fishing and conducting low-intensity burns to regenerate natural habitat. Ranger Aaron Morgan at the Budj Bim Indigenous Protection Area inspects a fish trap at Lake Condah. Credit:Rodney Dekker. Indigenous Australians Minister Ken Wyatt said the investment in Aboriginal people would create jobs, grow skills and unlock economic potential. The Morrison government has embarked on one of the most ambitious Indigenous policy reform agendas, focusing on empowering Indigenous Australians, creating jobs, building skills and unlocking the economic potential of Indigenous land, he said. It would take about 70 minutes to travel from Brisbane to Maroochydore by train under the revised $3.2 billion plan partly funded in Tuesday nights federal budget. Four years ago, under a much-hyped high-speed rail dream, it was thought spectators at the 2032 Olympics would travel from Brisbane to the Sunshine Coast in just 45 minutes by train. The new central business district at Maroochydore is the destination for the passenger rail from Beerwah. Credit:Sunshine Coast Council Not any more. Timing, and budget, appear to have settled on the slower option, even if stakeholders agree rail upgrades are needed to support the growing south-east corner. Maroochydore in 2032 will be the business and retail hub of the Sunshine Coast and people might be travelling there to see the early rounds of the Olympic basketball, some soccer or the marathon. Melbournes population declined by 60,500 people in a single year, more than any other Australian capital city, as international students flew home and some residents left the locked-down city for regional areas. The Australian Bureau of Statistics on Tuesday released population data for the 2020-21 financial year, which showed greater Melbourne had a 1.2 per cent drop in residents to about 5.1 million people. Swanston Street in Melbournes CBD on Tuesday. Credit:Chris Hopkins Sydneys population also fell, but only by a comparatively modest 5150 people, or 0.1 per cent of its population. The population of both Brisbane and Perth grew by almost 1 per cent. The biggest drag on Melbournes population was the loss of international students and working holidaymakers, with 54,367 people moving overseas who were not replaced by new arrivals. Singapore: A mentally impaired Malaysian man has lost his high-profile appeal against execution in Singapore and could be hanged within days. Nagaenthran Dharmalingam, 32, had attracted worldwide coverage of his bid to avoid the death penalty in the city state for smuggling 42.72 grams of heroin from Malaysia in 2009. Nagaenthran Dharmalingam pictured with his nephew. Virgin Group founder and billionaire Richard Branson and Malaysian Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob had joined rights groups in calling for the prisoner to be spared capital punishment because of his IQ of 69. However, on Tuesday a five-judge panel in Singapores top court, the Court of Appeal, rejected Nagaenthrans bid and an attempt by his legal team to seek an independent psychiatric assessment. Mykolaiv: Ukraine has reacted with scepticism to Russias promise in the latest talks to scale down military operations around Kyiv and other cities. Some Western countries said they expected Moscow to intensify its offensive in other parts of the country. A Russian rocket hit the regional administration building in the southern Ukrainian port city of Mykolaiv, killing at least seven people and wounding 22, authorities said, as peace talks were held in Istanbul. Eighteen of the wounded were pulled from the rubble by rescue workers, the emergencies service said in an online post. The regional government headquarters of Mykolaiv, Ukraine, following a Russian attack, on Tuesday. Credit:AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris The blast occurred while Kyiv proposed adopting neutral status, in confidence-building steps meant as signs of progress towards negotiating peace. The talks took place in an Istanbul palace more than a month into the largest attack on a European nation since World War II that has killed or injured thousands, forced nearly 4 million to flee abroad and pummelled Russias economy with sanctions. Washington: Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said that Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas should resign after it emerged that his wife had pressed the Trump White House in text messages to try to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election. If not, his failure to disclose income from right-wing organisations, recuse himself from matters involving his wife, and his vote to block the January 6th commission from key information must be investigated and could serve as grounds for impeachment, Ocasio-Cortez tweeted on Tuesaday, Washington-time. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has called on Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas to resign. Credit:AP Ocasio-Cortezs call for Thomas to resign - as well as her raising the prospect an impeachment effort - goes further than most other Democrats have in their demands for Thomas to recuse himself from cases involving the 2020 election or the January 6, 2021, insurrection after certain texts from his wife came to light last week. Congresswoman Ilhan Omar also has said Thomas should be impeached. A new centre for engineering biology will build on Bristols success in synthetic biology and accelerate translation of its pioneering research to address global challenges and boost the UKs bioeconomy. By applying engineering principles to living systems, engineering biology aims to solve some of the worlds most pressing challenges in health, food security, and the environment. The Bristol Centre for Engineering Biology, BrisEngBio, brings together scientists from a wide range of disciplines from biology and chemistry to data science and systems engineering. Partnering with deep tech incubator, Science Creates and Oracle for Research, the aim is to develop fundamental research discoveries into commercially viable applications that benefit people and the planet. BrisEngBio is the evolution of the UKRI-funded Synthetic Biology Research Centre, BrisSynBio, which published more than 325 research papers, enabled the spin-out of eight biotech companies, and leveraged additional research funding of over 90M. BrisEngBio embodies the same spirit of discovery and entrepreneurship that made BrisSynBio one of the countrys most academically and commercially successful centres for synthetic biology. Through this, we have already demonstrated that our fundamental research discoveries can be made commercially relevant. Now, through BrisEngBio, we are putting the ecosystem in place to really accelerate both discovery science and its translation. BrisEngBios early-career researchers will be honorary members of Science Creates, and through this they will benefit from a bespoke training and mentoring programme in innovation and commercialisation, said Professor Dek Woolfson, Principal Investigator and Director of BrisEngBio. Its been fantastic to work with many of the spin-out companies that came from BrisSynBio through Science Creates, with Science Creates Ventures having led investment rounds totalling 7.5 million and directly invested in two of those companies Imophoron and Cytoseek. We look forward to building on those successes, continuing our partnership with the University, and enabling more of these important discoveries to be translated for global good, said Dr Harry Destecroix from Science Creates. Synthetic and engineering biology has enormous potential to address some of the major global challenges that we face today. For example, in healthcare, energy and food security. But this requires input from all areas of science. BrisEngBio is a truly multidisciplinary venture, involving 55 University of Bristol academics from 11 Schools across four Faculties, and three Research Institutes, said Professor Woolfson. Initial UKRI funding of 1.5M will support 12 research projects and early career researchers over two years. BrisEngBio will cross disciplines to develop truly novel research such as hijacking bacterial transport as an antimicrobial strategy; identifying novel natural products for drug discovery; and using machine learning to predict self-healing properties of biohybrid materials. Aligned with the UK Governments National Engineering Biology Programme (NEBP), the centre promises to strengthen the UKs position as an international leader in biotechnology. Co-Investigator Dr Thomas Gorochowski said: BrisSynBio had unprecedented success in funding and nurturing the fundamental science behind synthetic biology. It is critical that centres like ours set the research agenda and help maintain the UKs position at the forefront of synthetic biology. BrisEngBio will provide the ecosystem to drive translation of new discoveries into commercially viable and truly world-leading engineering biology. Collaborating with Oracle for Research, BrisEngBio will utilise advanced cloud computing to realise data-driven design that combines academic and industry expertise in data science, machine learning, and multi-scale modelling. Alison Derbenwick Miller, Vice President, Oracle for Research, said: We are delighted that Oracle Cloud technology can support next-generation discovery and innovation at the new Bristol Centre for Engineering Biology (BrisEngBio). Through our collaboration, Oracle for Research will continue to support University of Bristol projects that drive real change through discovery and accelerate important research. Co-Investigator Dr Lucia Marucci said: This is such an exciting time to be working at the interface of the natural sciences and engineering. We have seen through the pandemic what impact synthetic biology can have on our ability to develop vaccines and treatments. At BrisEngBio, we will nurture early career researchers and help them transition their research from scientific discovery to solutions that are both commercially viable and have the potential to address some of our most pressing global challenges. Professor Wolfson said: I am delighted and excited by the continued support from UKRI and Government for the important area of synthetic biology. The new centre will allow us to translate our discoveries in fundamental synthetic biology into cutting edge technologies with significant impact locally, nationally and internationally, and across healthcare, the bioeconomy and environment." Latest News 24 lenders raise interest rates Read the full list here Clients seek advice on interest rate rise City brokers field many enquiries Broker aggregator National Mortgage Brokers (nMB) has praised the federal governments decision to extend the New Home Guarantee Scheme, allowing thousands more people to access the property market. The announcement to boost the scheme comes ahead of the 2022 Federal Budget to be outlined on Tuesday night. nMB managing director Gerald Foley (pictured) said brokers would benefit from the revamped scheme. Being able to provide a broader range of solutions to more borrowers will help brokers assist more customers, Foley said. Based on broker market share, you can expect two-thirds of applicants will choose a broker. Having brokers being able to provide loans under the scheme is very important as many of these borrowers will need the extra time, choice, and support brokers provide. The government initiative supports eligible first home buyers to purchase their first home sooner and has been extended to June 30, 2022, with an additional 10,000 places available. The program currently offers 35,000 places per year under the First Home Guarantee (previously the First Home Loan Deposit Scheme) and allows people to place a 5% deposit without paying lenders mortgage insurance. The lender can guarantee a maximum balance amount of 15% of the value of the property which is not considered a cash payment or deposit for a home loan. Read more: First Home Loan scheme enters new phase Ahead of the Federal Budget announcement, Foley said a sitting government delivering its last budget before the election and in such turbulent times globally meant an interesting balancing act to keep voters happy. It feels like we will see a big spending budget with a focus on infrastructure and jobs to bring us out of the past few years slowdown, and maybe even a few old-fashioned cash hand-outs, he said. The flow-on to increased demand for spending, jobs and services will be good for brokers. Two new government schemes will also be introduced to help Australian home buyers. The Family Home Guarantee Scheme will offer 5,000 places per year to single parents to place a 2% deposit on a property. The Regional Home Guarantee scheme will offer 10,000 places per year and is designed to encourage construction outside of capital cities. It will be available to first home buyers, people who have not owned property within the last five years, and permanent residents. Eligible New Home Guarantee properties include newly constructed dwellings, off-the-plan dwellings, house and land packages, and land and a separate contract to build a new home. Depending on which type of home is being built or purchased, different timeframes apply for the clients place on the scheme. Below are the price caps for capital cities, large regional centres, and regional areas. The has concluded financing for the first phase of project by raising Rs 12,770-crore loan from the State Bank of India. The Group announced the execution of financing documents on Tuesday. SBI has underwritten the entire debt requirement of Rs 12,770 crore for the airport project, the Group said in a press release. The took over the Navi Mumbai airport project following its acquisition of Mumbai International Airport Limited last July. At that time the Group had said it would achieve financial closure for the Navi Mumbai airport in three months. It plans to commission the airport in 2024. The Adani Groups focus is to create and provide best-in-class airport infrastructure and allied services to the consumer, said Jeet Adani, Director, Limited. We aim to converge Indias biggest cities with other surrounding cities and towns in a hub and spoke model. Given the central role airports will play in the future, we intend to develop an economic ecosystem that has airports and airport users at its core. With this facility from the SBI, we have moved a step closer to providing Mumbai with another landmark utility, he added. A high-profile eight-member jury to select the winners of Business Standard Annual Awards for Corporate Excellence 2021 met virtually late last week and picked the best of . The jury was chaired by Aditya Birla Group Chairman Kumar Mangalam Birla and included JSW Group Chairman Sajjan Jindal, KKR India Senior Advisor Sanjay Nayar, AZB & Partners Founder and Managing Partner Zia Mody, EY India Chairman Rajiv Memani, McKinsey & Company Senior Partner Noshir Kaka, Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas Managing Partner Cyril Shroff, and Bain Capital Private Equity Chairman Amit Chandra. The jury had rich, open, and extensive deliberations to shortlist the winners this year. Almost every category had very high-quality nominees, and the diverse experience of the jury came to the fore as we selected the winners. The jury process was thorough and stimulating, and it was backed by the analytical rigour of the BS team. The range of the winners also reveals the critical role played by the pharma and health care sector over the last two years, Birla said. My heartiest congratulations to all the winners. Several names came up in the course of discussion for these coveted awards. But what tilted the scales in favour of the winners was the confidence of the jury in their business models, which weathered the severe pandemic storm, and the disruptions and innovations they have brought in their respective industries. Infosys Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Managing Director (MD) Salil Parekh was selected CEO of the Year for the extraordinary turnaround and outperformance of the IT major. Ciplas outstanding performance and contribution to the health care sector helped it bag the Company of the Year award. Bharat Electronics was chosen Star PSU of the Year; Procter & Gamble Hygiene & Health Care Star MNC; Dr Lal PathLabs Star SME; and Zerodha Broking bagged the Start-up of the Year award. The jury was unanimous in their choice of Prathap C Reddy, founder and chairman of Apollo Hospitals Enterprise, as the winner of the Lifetime Achievement award. As jury chairman, Birla started the deliberations by asking the jury members to disclose conflict of interest, if any, with the shortlisted candidates. The jury was earlier provided a list of based on their financial performance, compiled by the BS Research Bureau, to name the award winners in the seven categories. Birla set the tone of the meeting by stating upfront that apart from the financial data, due weight should be given to strong ethical attributes, in addition to a long-term business vision in a year that saw extraordinary challenges and disrupted established business models overnight. Contribution to society during the Covid pandemic; environmental, social, governance (ESG) standards; steering the ship during a crisis; and consistent performance were the buzzwords that figured prominently during the jury deliberations. Some jury members also pointed out the exemplary contribution of unlisted to the Indian economy but due to lack of financial data in the public domain, they could not be considered for the awards. Jindal, who won the award in 2017 and joined the meeting from London, was of the opinion that a companys consistent performance during the pandemic year should be kept in mind in selecting the winners. Outstanding achievements like those of Parekh and Cipla can hardly go unnoticed, when a distinguished jury comprising the heads of Indias two leading conglomerates, two leading private equity funds, two global marquee management consultancy organisations, and two top legal eagles meet to decide the winners of the awards for corporate excellence for the financial year ended March 2021 -- one of the worst periods for across the world due to the pandemic and several lockdowns induced by it. As the nation was hit by the pandemic, like the rest of Corporate India, Infosys changed its business model overnight and asked its employees to work from home, keeping in mind the safety of the workforce. Indias second-largest IT services provider reported revenues of $13.56 billion in 2020-21. In rupee terms, they came to more than Rs 1 trillion in 2020-21, a year-on-year growth rate of 10.7 per cent, while net profit grew faster -- by 16.6 per cent -- year-on-year to Rs 19,351 crore. As Infosys has seen a sharp turnaround in performance and beaten peers like Tata Consultancy Services in growth, its market valuation, now over Rs 7.88 trillion, has clocked a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of about 40 per cent over the past three years. Over a years period, the same is up about 48 per cent. Under Parekh, who became CEO and MD in FY18 amid turbulent times, Infosys has pivoted its growth strategy on three pillars -- the agile digital business, energising the core, and reskilling and localisation. In all these areas, it has progressed well. Since his appointment, Parekh has not looked back as Infosys bagged new orders of billions of dollars and gained the confidence of its investors, clients, employees, its board, and other stakeholders. The deliberations on CEO of the Year were quite evolved and there were quite a few candidates. Salil came out as the consensual choice due to very, very strong performance since he took the reins. And as we all know, he took over as Infosys CEO at a very tricky time, Nayar said. Mumbai-headquartered Cipla is the third-largest pharmaceutical company in India, the third-largest over-the-counter (OTC) player in South Africa, the eighth largest by prescription in the US, and the second-largest Indian exporter to the emerging markets. Established in 1935, Ciplas revenues for 2020-21 grew 11.8 per cent to Rs 19,160 crore, while profit after tax (PAT) jumped 55.5 per cent to Rs 2,405 crore. Between FY18 and FY21, Ciplas revenues clocked a CAGR of 8.1 per cent, and PAT grew by 19.5 per cent annually. The company, which has seen a generational change in its leadership, draws 40 per cent of its revenues from India and 21 per cent from the US market. The South Africa region, emerging markets, and Europe contribute 18 per cent, 10 per cent, and 5 per cent, respectively. On selecting Cipla as the Company of the Year, Shroff said the performance had been outstanding and there were several other interesting aspects as well in view of the contribution to the health care sector, particularly during the pandemic. The fact that the generational transition was so smooth, so it was quite an iconic performance and it was a pleasure for the jury to select Cipla, Shroff said. ALSO READ: BS Awards for Corporate Excellence 2021: Cipla's Samina Hamied lauds team effort All jury members agreed that while financial ratios were important for making the first cut, equal importance had to be given to individuals who focused on innovation and built institutions when challenges in the external environment were severe due to restrictions imposed by the governments to control the pandemic. The jury discussed several outstanding individuals who have left a deep and lasting impact on Indias corporate history, but was unanimous in their choice of Prathap C Reddy, founder of Apollo Hospitals, as winner of the Lifetime Achievement award. We chose Prathap Reddy, considering the creditable work done by him in the space of health care, especially during the time of the pandemic. He seemed to have a very good succession in place and the company showed good numbers, Birla said. The jury recognised that Reddy, 89, is a trailblazer not only in the world of health care but also as a philanthropist. He set up Apollo Hospitals in 1983, Indias first corporate chain of hospitals, and introduced world-class health care across the country. Today, the company has a market valuation of almost Rs 67,000 crore. Reddy was conferred the Padma Vibhushan in 2010 -- the second-highest civilian award in India. The jury debated several candidates for the Start-up of the Year award. After a long discussion, Zerodha, with its profit-making business model, was selected. There were many exciting choices and eventually we all settled on Zerodha, which is a pioneer in innovation on multiple fronts like introducing flat fees and has gone from strength to strength, Kaka said. On Star PSU of the Year, the jury felt the candidate should show outstanding financial metrics, apart from facing competition from the private sector besides its peers. After a discussion on several companies, it zeroed in on Bharat Electronics. The company was a unanimous choice of the jury due to consistent performance on various financial metrics -- be it sales growth, or profit growth. All this leading to a significant increase in the market valuation over the last three years and the market recognising the fact that they (Bharat Electronics) have tremendous potential, Chandra said. For the Star MNC award, the jury selected Procter & Gamble Hygiene & Health Care, based on its sales and profits, and notably the innovations it has brought about, helping the company sustain its lead in the feminine hygiene industry. The jury selected P&G Hygiene for its consistent performance and very strong financial metrics. They have guarded their market share very tightly despite many people (companies) trying to get into that segment, Memani said. On selecting Dr Lal PathLabs as the Star SME of the Year, Mody said the company stood out for its consistency and brand recognition during the Covid times. The companys sales grew by almost 19 per cent and net profit surged over 29 per cent in 2020-21, over the previous year. The three-year CAGR in the two metrics is 14.4 per cent and 19.5 per cent, respectively. An eight-member jury selected the winners of the Business Standard Annual Awards for Corporate Excellence 2021, and Mumbai-headquarterd Cipla was chosen as the Company of the Year by the stellar jury. Upon receiving the award, Samina Hamied, executive vice-chairperson, Cipla credited her team for the top-notch performance of the drug major. Hamied said, "We at Cipla are humbled to receive the Business Standard, Company of the year award. This recognition is a testament to our Global CEO & MD, Umang Vohra who has been instrumental in transforming Cipla to a global healthcare organisation with his innovative and growth mindset coupled with a purpose-led approach. Umang has been spearheading the organisation to chart new paths, scale new heights, leading from the front in the wake of the pandemic and upholding Cipla's purpose of Caring for Life. Im truly grateful for this incredible partnership built on the foundation of trust and care." Mumbai-headquartered Cipla is the third-largest pharmaceutical company in India, the third-largest over-the-counter (OTC) player in South Africa, the eighth largest by prescription in the US, and the second-largest Indian exporter to the emerging markets.Established in 1935, Ciplas revenues for 2020-21 grew 11.8 per cent to Rs 19,160 crore, while profit after tax (PAT) jumped 55.5 per cent to Rs 2,405 crore. Between FY18 and FY21, Ciplas revenues clocked a CAGR of 8.1 per cent, and PAT grew by 19.5 per cent annually. The company, which has seen a generational change in its leadership, draws 40 per cent of its revenues from India and 21 per cent from the US market. The South Africa region, emerging markets, and Europe contribute 18 per cent, 10 per cent, and 5 per cent, respectively. The jury was chaired by Aditya Birla Group Chairman Kumar Mangalam Birla and included JSW Group Chairman Sajjan Jindal, KKR India Senior Advisor Sanjay Nayar, AZB & Partners Founder and Managing Partner Zia Mody, EY India Chairman Rajiv Memani, McKinsey & Company Senior Partner Noshir Kaka, Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas Managing Partner Cyril Shroff, and Bain Capital Private Equity Chairman Amit Chandra. On selecting Cipla as the Company of the Year, Shroff said the performance had been outstanding and there were several other interesting aspects as well in view of the contribution to the health care sector, particularly during the pandemic. The fact that the generational transition was so smooth, so it was quite an iconic performance and it was a pleasure for the jury to select Cipla, Shroff said. All jury members agreed that while financial ratios were important for making the first cut, equal importance had to be given to individuals who focused on innovation and built institutions when challenges in the external environment were severe due to restrictions imposed by the governments to control the pandemic. It is not often that a start-up raises six times of its total fundraise in the previous six years, and across multiple rounds, at one go. But that is exactly what has happened with D2C start-up mCaffeine which makes coffee-based beauty and personal care products. Founded in 2016, the company had attracted a cumulative of Rs 60 crore through successive rounds of over the years. Now, it has raised Rs 240 crore at a valuation of Rs 1,000 crore in a round led by Paragon Partners, a Mumbai-based private equity firm. According to the company, Marico chairman Harsh Mariwala and former Reliance Capital executive Madhusudan Kela have also bet their money on the company in the Series C . We have grown to Rs 250 crore of annual revenue rate (ARR) in a very capital efficient manner, unlike many other D2C brands out there. Now, the goal is to hit Rs 1,000 crore in ARR in the next couple of years, said Tarun Sharma, CEO and co-founder of mCaffeine. The company has a plan with four pillars adding up to 20 new products to its armoury of 55 products; aggressive expansion in 12 international markets like the US, UAE and parts of Europe; expanding the domestic footprint by doubling its presence in general trade and modern trade stores; and acquiring other D2C brands. Investors say that a key drawback with many D2C brands is that they are not D2C enough meaning, their sales mainly happen through channels like e-commerce marketplaces such as Amazon and Flipkart or shelves of offline stores. Sharma contends that mCaffeine does not have such a problem while 46 per cent of the sales happen on the mCaffeine website, 44 per cent is accounted for by e-commerce marketplaces and 10 per cent through offline stores. Although it is a good mix, it is not ideal as valuation gets impacted if an online brand is too dependent on third party distribution. Typically, the valuation matrix of D2C brands is this 2X weightage on revenue from physical channels, 3X weightage on revenue from e-commerce marketplaces and 5X for pureplay D2C sales via website or app, said a venture capital investor in consumer brands. In a sense, all of this boils down to capital efficiency of reaching the end consumer, he added. However, Sharma of mCaffeine still has his eye on the ball in terms of judicious utilisation of cash. The reason we are not going ahead and launching our own retail stores is that such a thing requires a lot of hands and legs. We know that India has 50 lakh retail stores already, of which we are currently present in 5,000. There is a lot more we can expand before setting up our own brick and mortar storefronts, he explained. Backed up by gross margins of around 70 per cent, which is top of the bracket for the beauty and personal care segment, the company is on the path to profitability as it looks to prepare for a public listing in the next few years. We are immensely profitable at the unit economics level even as we invest in things like marketing and technology to grow at a faster pace, said Sharma. According to him, the metric that can make or break a D2C company is the revenue per product and for mCaffeine the figure is Rs 7 crore -10 crore within a year of a products launch. One of the factors that has helped mCaffeine is its singular focus on millennials and GenZs and as such its products are generally priced in the range of Rs 199 - Rs 699, playing in the buffer zone between mass market and premium. While more than 51 per cent of its sales are from customers in the 18-25 years-old age bracket, around 26 per cent is accounted for by those in the 25-30 years age bracket. The thing about the younger crowd is you do not have to optimise for different geographies. Millennials have the same aspirations and tastes regardless of which city or state they reside in, said Sharma. The on Tuesday sealed a contract with state-run Ltd for the development of an electronic warfare equipment for the Indian Air Force at a cost of Rs 1,109 crore. The ministry described the contract for the development of the Instrumented Electronic Warfare Range (IEWR) as a significant step toward enhancing the capabilities of the IAF to prepare for future warfare. The Ministry of Defence (MoD) of India and Ltd, Hyderabad signed a contract for Instrumented Electronic Warfare Range (IEWR) for the Indian Air Force, here today, the ministry said. The contract is a significant step towards enhancing the capabilities of the IAF to prepare for future warfare. The overall cost of the contract is estimated to be Rs 1,109 crore, it said in a statement. The ministry said the IEWR will be used to test and evaluate airborne electronic warfare (EW) equipment and validate their deployment in an operational scenario. The project essentially embodies the spirit of Atmanirbhar Bharat (self-reliant India) and will help facilitate realising the journey towards self-reliance, it said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Dear Reader, Business Standard has always strived hard to provide up-to-date information and commentary on developments that are of interest to you and have wider political and economic implications for the country and the world. Your encouragement and constant feedback on how to improve our offering have only made our resolve and commitment to these ideals stronger. Even during these difficult times arising out of Covid-19, we continue to remain committed to keeping you informed and updated with credible news, authoritative views and incisive commentary on topical issues of relevance. We, however, have a request. As we battle the economic impact of the pandemic, we need your support even more, so that we can continue to offer you more quality content. Our subscription model has seen an encouraging response from many of you, who have subscribed to our online content. More subscription to our online content can only help us achieve the goals of offering you even better and more relevant content. We believe in free, fair and credible journalism. Your support through more subscriptions can help us practise the journalism to which we are committed. Support quality journalism and subscribe to Business Standard. Digital Editor The resolution from the is expected at Rs 61,000 crore of the total debt of Rs 99,355 crore, which is almost 62 per cent, said Uday Kotak, who was appointed the non-executive chairman of the company in October 2018 by the government after superseding the board at that time. The resolution process of IL&FS started three and half years ago after a new management was appointed by the government. Kotaks term as non-executive chairman in IL&FS will end on April 2, after which managing director CS Rajan will take charge as chaiman and managing director. The ministry of corporate affairs has appointed Rajan as CMD for six months, with effect from April 3. About Rs 21,000 crore of debt has been discharged by way of asset monetisation and debt repayment with public sector lenders being major beneficiaries. I am happy to say that the maximum money which is being returned is to public sector banks, said while addressing the media. I want to credit the public sector banks, who are normally at the receiving end in most cases, for being smarter. They lent primarily at the SPVs, against security of the assets. They wanted to see the projects, they wanted to see the cash flows, he said. In addition, the group has nearly Rs 20,000 crore of cash and InvIT unit balance, including Rs 16,000 crore to be distributed to creditors by way of interim distribution post judicial approval. Resolution for another Rs 14,000 crore of debt has been filed with the courts, of which Rs 7,500 crore has been approved and transaction closure is underway. The debt addressed to date (Rs 55,000 crore) represents over 90 per cent of the overall estimated resolution value. Resolution of remaining Rs 6,000 crore debt will move into FY23, the company said in a statement. said the recovery estimates are conservative and that there is a chance that the final recovery is higher than the current estimates. The overall resolution estimate of 62 per cent is double the average recovery of 31 per cent under IBC, according to its December newsletter. This has been largely possible due to the continued commitment of the New Board and the Management to preserve value in assets of national importance and maintaining going concern status, IL&FS, which continues to service debt of Rs 1,000 crore across companies, said. Of the 347 entities under as of October 2018, 246 entities stand resolved, leaving 101 for the next financial year. IL&FS also said an application has been filed with NCLAT for undertaking interim distribution of Rs 16,000 crore of cash and InvIT units available across the group. Over 75 per cent of this would be distributed to creditors of three large holding IL&FS, IFIN and ITNL which have a large base of public fund creditors. This has been made possible on account of IL&FS resolution framework and the underlying distribution formula, the statement said. On the three learnings from the resolution process, said, We need to get cracking on getting our judicial process to move much faster. It is a very serious challenge for the development of business in our country. He also said sovereign governments, particularly states, need to respect contracts. Cannot happen that you sign a contract and if it doesnt suit you, you dont pay up and have the counterparty running around to collect legitimate dues, Kotak said. On the core area of group resolution, I dont think we have good legal answers to it and we are still evolving. We need to get that much faster. IL&FS is a case study of how we think about the future of structures regulation, governance and how we build a resolution framework in areas that are no mans land, he added. Iconic BKC building to be sold to Brookfield The iconic IL&FS building in Bandra-Kurla Complex will be sold to Canadian investment firm Brookfield Asset Management for Rs 1,080 crore, at Rs 29,000 per square feet. The sale is a part of the resolution process of the that started in October 2018. The IL&FS Financial Centre was one of the early buildings in the business district of BKC. The deal, which is awaiting nod from NCLT, is part of IL&FS incremental resolution of Rs 2,700 crore since November 2021. The incremental resolution of over Rs 2,700 crore... comprises Rs 1,080 crore from sale of IL&FS Headquarters (TIFC) in BKC Mumbai, Rs 900 crore under Khed Sinnar claim settlement with NHAI, Rs 230 crore from settlement of IFINs non-performing loan accounts and Rs 520 crore from other recoveries, the company said. Disclosure: Entities controlled by the Kotak family have a significant holding in Business Standard Pvt Ltd India's has sold at least one cargo of Russian Sokol oil to India refiners and Corp after failing to draw interest in a tender earlier this month, sources familiar with the matter said. Indian are snapping up Russian oil as it is available at a deep discounts after some and countries shunned purchases from Moscow due to sanctions against Russia for its Ukraine invasion. India, the world's third-biggest oil consumer and importer, has not banned Russian oil imports. ONGC Videsh, the overseas investment arm of Oil and Natural Gas Corp, has a stake in Russia's Sakhalin-1 project and sells its share of the oil from the project through tenders. In the tender earlier in March, ONGC Videsh did not get any bids for the Sokol crude oil cargo for May loading. The sources said HPCL and BPCL had been able to offer a discounted price for the cargo. This marks the first purchase of Sokol crude by HPCL. BPCL had previously purchased the grade in 2016. The two refiners will pay ONGC in rupees, the sources added. One of the sources said ONGC Videsh will look at selling more cargos to Indian refiners if there is no interest from overseas buyers. ONGC Videsh, HPCL and BPCL did not respond to Reuters emails seeking comment. Western sanctions against Russia for its invasion of Ukraine have hit Russian oil sales, making it possible for Indian and Chinese refiners to buy Russian Urals crude at a deep discount. India has called for an end to violence in Ukraine but refrained from outright condemnation of Russia, with which it has long-standing political and security ties. Russian President Vladimir Putin sent his troops into Ukraine on what he calls a "special military operation" to demilitarise and "denazify" Ukraine. Ukraine and the West say Putin launched an unprovoked war of aggression. (Reporting by Nidhi Verma. Editing by Jane Merriman) (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Thousands of workers of state-owned and boycotted work for a second day on Tuesday as part of the nationwide strike, affecting steel production and mining operations, a leader said. Rajesh Sandhu, Secretary of Sanyukt Khadaan Mazdoor Sangh said all non-executive workers have boycotted work to join the two-day nationwide strike which will end on Wednesday morning. "Intensifying their protest against government policies, workers stopped state transport buses in Chhattisgarh for about six hours from 5 a.m," Sandhu said adding NMDC would incur a loss of about Rs 200 crore due to the protest. Over 10,000 non-executive employees of the company are observing the protest at NMDC mines and offices in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Telangana, Sandhu said. J Ayodhya Ram, the President of the Steel Plant Employees (CITU), said workers at the plant in Visakhapatnam did not report for work on Tuesday as well. Around 8,000 non-executive Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Limited (RINL) workers out of 11,000 are taking part in the ongoing nationwide strike called by central trade unions. He further said production has been affected at the unit as only one furnace out of three is functional at the plant in Visakhapatnam. One was already under maintenance, the second one has been shut down as a precautionary measure. In a statement, Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL) said, "There was no impact of the strike on its production as the attendance at all its units was normal." As many as 10 central trade unions on Monday began a two-day nationwide strike to protest against the government's alleged wrong policies that are affecting farmers, workers and the general public. The strike notices have been given by the unions in various sectors, such as coal, steel, oil, telecom, postal, income tax, copper, banks, and insurance. SAIL and are steel making under the Ministry of Steel. NMDC is the country's largest iron ore mining company under the ministry. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Baba Ramdev-led Patanjali group's Industries on Tuesday said it has rescheduled its board meeting on March 31 to fix issue price of its Rs 4,300 crore FPO (follow-on public offer) in view of markets regulator Sebi's direction to allow withdrawal of investors' bids till Wednesday. On Monday, the Securities and Exchange Board of india (Sebi) asked bankers of to give an option to investors, who participated in the FPO, to withdraw their bids while also cautioning them about "circulation of an unsolicited SMS" about the share sale. "In light of the Sebi letter directing to keep the window for withdrawal open till March 30, 2022, we will like to inform you that the board meeting proposed to be held on March 29, 2022 has been rescheduled, and now it will be held on March 31, 2022 for the purposes of determining the issue price and the anchor investor issue price," said in a regulatory filing. Shares of Ruchi Soya surged on Tuesday after the company, through newspaper advertisements, clarified that the SMSes pertaining to investments in its FPO have not been issued by the company or its promoters. On Tuesday, the shares of the company settled 15.9 per cent higher at Rs 945. On Monday, Ltd informed the regulator and stock exchanges that it has come across some messages on social media "speculating" about investment opportunities in the FPO and the company shares being available at discount to the market price. The company said this message has not been issued by it or any of its directors, promoters, promoter group or group . It further said that an FIR has been lodged by the company in Haridwar to investigate these messages under the IT Act and Section 420 of the IPC. "As directed by Sebi, we wish to bring to attention of the investors that all bidders (other than anchor investors) have an option to withdraw their bids from March 28, 2022, till March 30, 2022," Ruchi Soya said. "Investors should further note that bidding in the issue is closed on March 28, 2022, and accordingly no further bids will be accepted in the issue. Any bids, after the bid/issue closure will be rejected," it added. This regulatory filing followed a direction issued by Sebi after a meeting held earlier in the day with the bankers managing the FPO. Sebi asked bankers to issue an advertisement in newspapers on Tuesday and Wednesday, cautioning investors about the circulation of SMS. Besides, Sebi asked bankers to give an option to investors to withdraw their already placed bids till March 30. The issue opened on March 24 and was subscribed 3.6 times till its scheduled closing on Monday. The company has already raised Rs 1,290 crore from anchor investors. Industries has said that the SMSes pertaining to in its follow-on public offering (FPO) have not been issued by the company or its promoters. The company has filed a first information report to investigate the origin of the messages doing the rounds on social media. We understand that there is a SMS/message in circulation in social media, speculating about investment opportunity in our companys issue and about equity shares of our company being available at discount to the market price. We wish to bring to attention of the investors that this message has not been issued by our company or any of our directors, promoters, promoter group or group . A first information report bearing number 0188 dated March 27, 2022 has been logged by our company with a police station at Haridwar to take up investigation in respect of the message, under section 67A of the Information Technology Act, 2000 and section 420 of the Indian Penal Code, 1860, said in a newspaper advertisement. The Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) has directed Industries to give the investors who participated in its Rs 4,300-crore follow-on public offering (FPO) the option to withdraw their bids due to circulation of unsolicited SMSes advertising the issue. Ruchi Soya, in the advertisement, has stated that the last day for withdrawal of bids will be Wednesday. The company has also issued an indicative timeline for listing of the new shares that are being issued in the FPO. As per the timeline, the new share will list on or about April 8. Sebis diktat to the company follows a message circulated on social media which said that the FPO was a good investment opportunity and that the shares were available at 30 per cent discount. Great for all beloved members of Patanjali parivar. A good investment opportunity in Patanjali Group. Patanjali Group company - Ruchi Soya Industries has opened the Follow-On Public offer(FPO) for retail investors. The issue closes on 28 March 2022. This is available in the price band- Rs 615-650 rupees per share , i.e discount of about 30 per cent to market price. You can apply for shares through your bank/ broker/ ASBA/UPI in your Demat account, read the message. In a letter to the three investment bankers handling Ruchi Soyas share sale, has said prima facie the contents of the SMSs appear to be misleading/fraudulent and not in consonance with the ICDR (Issue of Capital and Disclosure Requirements) Regulations. Ruchi Soyas FPO, which closed on Monday, has garnered 3.6 times subscription. The issue was undersubscribed in the retail category at 90 per cent but saw strong demand in all the other categories. Shares of Ruchi Soya dropped 6 per cent on Monday to close at Rs 815. The company priced its FPO in the range of Rs 615 and Rs 650 per share 20 to 25 per cent lower than the last close. Baba Ramdev-led Patanjali Ayurved owns 98.9 per cent in Ruchi Soya, while only 1.1 per cent is with the public. With a miniscule free-float, there are doubts over whether trading in Ruchi Soyas shares is leading to fair price discovery. Following the FPO, Patanjalis shareholding is expected to reduce to 81 per cent, while public shareholding will rise to 19 per cent. The move would help the stock discover its fair price, experts say. Limited (TCPL) on Tuesday announced a reorganisation plan in line with its strategic priority of unlocking synergies and efficiencies. This plan includes the demerger of plantation business of Limited (TCL) into TCPL Beverages & Foods Limited (TBFL), a wholly owned subsidiary of TCPL and the merger of the remaining business of TCL, consisting of its extraction and branded coffee business with TCPL. The demerger is to happen as the first step and merger to happen as the immediate second step, both being proposed through a composite scheme of arrangement. Additionally, TCPL proposed to purchase the minority interest in its UK subsidiary, UK Limited (TCP UK) by way of a share swap, through a preferential issue of its equity shares. These actions further TCPLs objective of creating a future ready organization and will act as a stepping stone for further simplification. These will also result in operational efficiencies, faster decision making and execution, creation of focused business verticals and unlocking of potential synergies. The consolidated actions are expected to generate material revenue, cost and other synergies over medium to long term, following the completion of the proposed transactions and future simplification initiatives, which will be undertaken following the receipt of requisite approvals and processes. The Boards of Directors of Limited and Limited, at their respective meetings held on March 29, have approved the combination of plantation business of TCL with TBFL and non-plantation business with TCPL through a composite scheme of arrangement for demerger and merger. This will enable the consolidation and 100% ownership of the branded, extractions and plantations business of TCL into TCPL and its wholly owned subsidiary. On effectiveness of the Scheme, the shareholders of TCL (other than TCPL) as on the record date will receive an aggregate of 3 equity shares of TCPL for every 10 equity shares held by them in TCL, through the issuance of 1 equity share of TCPL for every 22 equity shares of TCL, in consideration for the demerger (as per the approved share entitlement ratio); and 14 equity shares of TCPL for every 55 equity shares of TCL, in consideration for the merger (as per the approved share exchange ratio). Through this transaction, TCL shareholders will get access to multiple growth engines and participation in a larger and fast growing FMCG business. TCPL shareholders are expected to benefit from better synergies and business efficiencies going forward, the company said. The scheme is subject to the necessary statutory and regulatory approvals including approvals of the respective benches of NCLT, the stock exchanges, SEBI and the respective shareholders of each of the . The Board of Directors of TCPL at their meeting have also approved the purchase of 10.15 per cent minority interest in its UK subsidiary, TCP UK, from Tata Enterprise (Overseas) AG, Switzerland (TEO). As consideration, TCPL will issue 74,59,935 equity shares i.e. 0.80% stake (computed on post preferential issue basis) to TEO, by way of preferential issue in accordance with the applicable regulations. This transaction is subject to TCPL shareholders approval and other regulatory approvals. These transactions will result in TCPL having 100 per cent ownership of the business of TCL and of TCP UK, which will be an enabler for efficient reorganisation initiatives of its international business. Sunil DSouza, MD & CEO, Tata Consumer Products said The restructuring initiative is in line with Tata Consumer Products strategic priorities - to unlock synergies and create a future ready organization. This exercise will enable us to better leverage our supply chain, create customer focused business verticals, and accelerate decision making & execution. This will be a stepping-stone for further simplification initiatives with a view to achieving recurring operational, administrative and financial synergies. We are confident that this will create significant value for all our stakeholders, he added. In a bid to simplify, align, and synergise its business, (TCPL) Tuesday announced reorganisation of its India and overseas businesses. The company also proposed to purchase of a 10.15 per cent minority interest in its UK subsidiary, TCP UK, from Tata Enterprise (Overseas), Switzerland, (TEO). Also, TCPL board approved the demerger of the plantation business of Tata Coffee (TCL) into TCPL Beverages & Foods (TBFL), a wholly owned subsidiary of TCPL. It also approved the merger of the remaining business of TCL, consisting of its extraction and branded coffee business with TCPL. The demerger will be the first step and the merger will be the immediate second step, both being proposed through a composite scheme of arrangement. Upon effectiveness of the scheme, the shareholders of (other than TCPL), as on the record date, would receive an aggregate of three equity shares of TCPL for every 10 equity shares held by them in TCL, through the issuance of one equity share of TCPL for every 22 equity shares of TCL, in consideration for the demerger (according to the approved share entitlement ratio). They would get 14 equity shares of TCPL for every 55 equity shares of TCL, in consideration for the merger (based on the approved share exchange ratio). Through this transaction, shareholders will get access to multiple growth engines and participation in a larger and fast-growing business. TCPL shareholders are expected to benefit from better synergies and business efficiencies going forward, TCPL said in its press release. The scheme is subject to the necessary statutory and regulatory approvals. For the purchase of minority interest in its UK subsidiary, TCPL will issue 74,59,935 equity shares/ 0.80 per cent stake (computed on a post-preferential issue basis) to TEO, by way of a preferential issue in accordance with the applicable regulations. Tata Steel's blast furnaces in the UK are using billions of microscopic bacteria to convert its emissions into stock materials for other industries to make recycled products such as food-packaging to animal feed, the Indian steel major has said. A pilot project, led by the University of South Wales, has been set up at the two Port Talbot ironmaking furnaces in Wales. The project, while still in its infancy, has already shown promising results, the experts involved said last week. "As the world is coming to terms with the challenges of net-zero CO2 steelmaking, there are lots of options to consider. Not only in terms of different steelmaking technologies, but also around any opportunities to capture and use the carbon-based process gases," said Dr Rhiannon Chalmers-Brown from the University of South Wales. "The process we are testing here bubbles off-gases from the blast furnaces through sewage sludge, which contains a certain type of bacteria able to consume both carbon monoxide (CO) and carbon dioxide (CO2)," she said. Dr Chalmers-Brown said the team was getting quite high levels of carbon utilisation, which they feel can increase up to about 98 per cent. "The waste products from those bacteria include acetic acid and volatile fatty acids which can be used for a huge range of commercially viable end-uses such as paints, bioplastic-polymers or even animal feeds," she noted. The project is a collaboration between Tata Steel and the university exploring how waste gasses from the steelmaking processes at Port Talbot can be harnessed and used to support other industries while reducing the amount of CO2 released. Dr Chalmers-Brown added: While this pilot is looking at gases from blast furnaces, pretty much every iron and steelmaking technology emits some carbon-based gases, so this technology has potential to reduce those emissions whichever technology route is eventually chosen. There's still quite a lot of work to do with the pilot reactor, collecting data and to understand what we can about the biological reactions." Tata Steel said it is developing detailed plans for this transition to future steelmaking based on low CO2 technologies. "This is a great project, which could be a real game-changer and is yet another example of the benefits of working closely with some of our top universities, said Gareth Lloyd, Process Engineering Manager from Tata Steel and industry sponsor. Tata Steel in the UK said it has an ambition to produce net-zero steel by 2050 at the latest and to have reduced 30 per cent of by 2030. The vast majority of that work will need to happen in South Wales, where the company's largest operational site in the UK is. Tata Steel is the largest steelmaker in the UK with primary steelmaking at Port Talbot in South Wales, supporting manufacturing and distribution operations at sites across Wales, England and Northern Ireland as well as Norway and Sweden. Tata Steel employs more than 8,000 people and has an annual crude steel capacity of 5 million tonnes. The Indian steel giant said it works on supplying high-quality steel products to demanding markets, including construction and infrastructure, automotive, packaging and engineering. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) About 35,000 workers of state-owned SAIL, and continued to boycott work on Tuesday as part the nationwide strike, affecting production at steel plants and mines. Rajesh Sandhu, Secretary of Sanyukt Khadaan Mazdoor Sangh said all non-executive workers have boycotted work to join the nationwide strike which entered its second day on Tuesday. "Intensifying their protest against government polices, workers stopped state transport buses in Chhattisgarh for about 6 hours from 5 a.m," Sandhu said adding NMDC would incur a loss of about Rs 200 crore due to the protest. Over 10,000 non-executive employees of the company are observing the protest at NMDC mines and offices in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Telangana. J Ayodhya Ram, President of Steel Plant Employees Union (CITU) said workers at plant in Visakhapatnam did not come to work on Tuesday as well. Around 8,000 non-executive Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Limited (RINL) workers out of 11,000 are taking part in the ongoing nationwide strike called by central trade unions. He further said production has been affected at the unit as only one furnace out of three is functional at the plant in Visakhapatnam. One was already under maintenance, the second one has been shut down as a precautionary measure. Around 15,000 workers of Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL) also remained away from work at its plants in Chhattisgarh, Odisha and West Bengal, an employee of SAIL's Bhilai Steel Plant said. The workers working at key functional areas of the plants did not come on Tuesday to work, he said. As many as 10 central trade unions on Monday began a two-day nationwide strike to protest against the government's alleged wrong policies that are affecting farmers, workers and the general public. The strike notices have been given by the unions in various sectors, such as coal, steel, oil, telecom, postal, income tax, copper, banks, and insurance. and are steel making companies under the Ministry of Steel. NMDC is the country's largest iron ore mining company under the ministry. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) and on Tuesday decided to end their five-decade-old in six of the 12 contested locations that often raised tensions between the two states, with Union Home Minister Amit Shah calling it a "historic day" for the Northeast. The agreement was signed in the presence of Shah by Chief Ministers of and Himanta Biswa Sarma and Conrad Sangma respectively. The pact will resolve the protracted dispute in six of the 12 places along the 884.9 km border between the two states. "It is a historic day for the Northeast," Shah said at the function held at the Ministry of Home Affairs here. The home minister said, with the signing of the agreement, 70 per cent of the between the two states has been resolved and hoped that a solution will be found for the remaining six locations soon. "This inter-state boundary settlement will usher in a new era of peace, harmony and progress in and . I want to assure our sisters and brothers of Northeast that Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led central government will leave no stone unturned in fulfilling their aspirations," he said. Shah said it was another milestone towards fulfilling the prime minister's resolve of a peaceful and dispute-free Northeast. He also said the agreement amplifies cooperative federalism and provides a road map for resolution of other boundary disputes between states. Assam shares a 2743 km boundary with Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura, Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland and West Bengal. It is locked in border disputes with Nagaland, Mizoram, Meghalaya and Arunachal Pradesh. In July 2021, Assam's Cachar district had witnessed a fierce armed clash between the police personnel of Assam and Mizoram. Six Assam police personnel were killed in an armed confrontation with their Mizoram counterparts, forcing the Centre to intervene. The Tuesday's pact between Assam and Meghalaya is aimed at eliminating the possibility any such violence in the border areas of the two states. There are 36 villages in the six places, covering an area of 36.79 sq km, with regard to which the agreement has been reached. The two states had formed three committees each in August last year to go into the vexed boundary question. The constitution of the panels had followed two rounds of talks between Sarma and Sangma where the neighbouring states resolved to settle the dispute in a phased manner. According to the joint final set of recommendations made by the committees, out of 36.79 sq km disputed area taken up for settlement in the first phase, Assam will get full control of 18.51 sq km and Meghalaya 18.28 sq km. Out of the 12 points of dispute between Assam and Meghalaya, the six areas with relatively less critical differences were taken up in the first phase. Sarma said he was grateful to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the home minister for their continuous guidance to achieve this settlement. "This is a milestone in our collective efforts to strengthen cooperative federalism. Together, we are committed to resolving all such legacy boundary issues very soon," he said. Meghlaya chief minister Sangma said history has been made with Meghalaya and Assam signing the agreement to officially resolve the dispute in six out of 12 contested areas. He said this important leap is the result of team work by both the governments of Meghalaya and Assam. Sangma also expressed gratitude to the prime minister and the union home minister for their guidance. He also thanked the Assam chief minister for working together to reach an important milestone for the two states. The boundary dispute between Assam and Meghalaya has lingered for 50 years. However, the effort to resolve it gained pace in recent times. Meghalaya was carved out of Assam as a separate state in 1972 but the new state had challenged the Assam Reorganisation Act, 1971, leading to dispute in 12 boder locations. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Hours after the High Court directed the Left administration in the state to take steps to prevent its employees from abstaining from duty as part of the two-day nationwide strike, the government on Monday issued a 'dies-non' order. Chief Secretary V P Joy, in an order, said the "unauthorised absence of employees participating in the strike will be treated as dies-non", under Rule 14 A of Part 1 of Service Rules. As per Rule 14 (A) of Part I of Service Rules, the period of unauthorised absence of an officer on account of participation in a strike shall be treated as dies-non (no work, no pay). The order also said no leave of any kind will be granted to government employees unless there is sickness of the individual or relatives like wife, children, father and mother. The order also said the district collectors, heads of departments, district police chiefs, etc. will take action to "give protection to those not on strike and to ensure unhindered access to government offices and institutions" and to avoid overcrowding in front of the gates of the offices. The government order noted that the High Court has declared the ongoing strike as illegal and directed the government to prevent employees from engaging in strikes. The High Court has directed the LDF government to prevent its employees from abstaining from duty as part of the two-day nationwide strike. The court said government servants should not engage in any concerted or organised slowdown of work. A Bench of Chief Justice S Manikumar and Justice Shaji P Chaly directed the state to also issue orders enabling the operation of vehicles so that employees can report for duty. The strike -- on March 28 and 29 -- has been called by the joint platform of central trade unions against "the anti-worker, anti-farmer, anti-people and anti- policies" of the central government. The first day of the hartal was near total in the state. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) External Affairs Minister said on Tuesday that the member states must collectively combat terrorism and violent extremism as he emphasised India's commitment to intensify, expand areas of cooperation, especially connectivity, energy and maritime. Speaking at the 18th Ministerial Meeting in Colombo, Jaishankar also said that cooperation on port facilities, ferry services, coastal shipping, grid connectivity and motor vehicles movement are key. "Must also collectively combat terrorism, violent extremism, transnational crime, cyber-attacks and narco-trafficking," he tweeted. "Emphasised our commitment to intensify and expand areas of cooperation, especially connectivity, energy and maritime cooperation," he said in another tweet. "Will encourage active business collaboration and common projects to this end. Cooperation on port facilities, ferry services, coastal shipping, grid connectivity and motor vehicles movement are key," Jaishankar tweeted. He also thanked Foreign Minister Prof. G.L. Peiris for his hospitality. Jaishanker said that he was looking forward to the adoption of the Charter and Master Plan at the Summit on Wednesday. Besides India and Sri Lanka, the comprises Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand, Nepal and Bhutan. The summit is being hosted by Sri Lanka in its capacity as the chair of the grouping BIMSTEC (Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation). Prime Minister Narendra Modi will attend the virtual summit of the BIMSTEC grouping on March 30, which is expected to focus on expanding economic engagement among its member countries. Jaishankar arrived here on Monday and held bilateral talks with Sri Lanka's top leadership. This is his first visit to the island nation since India extended an economic relief package to bail Sri Lanka out of the current economic crisis. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A woman who had suffered burns in the petrol bomb attack in Bogtui village in Birbhum district last week died in a hospital on Monday, raising the toll to nine, a police officer said. The Birbhum killings also spawned in Bengal's legislature, with MLAs from the ruling and the exchanging fisticuffs after heated arguments over the Birbhum killings, prompting the speaker to suspend five saffron party MLAs, including Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari. Out of the nine deceased, seven are women and two are children. "The woman, Najema Bibi, who died today, had nearly 65 per cent burn injuries. Her condition deteriorated last night following which she was put on ventilation at the Rampurhat Government Medical College and Hospital. She finally succumbed to her injuries this morning," the police officer said. Three persons, including a boy, are still undergoing treatment at the same hospital. The CBI probing the case could not record Najema Bibi's statement on Sunday, as her condition was critical, a CBI officers told PTI. Some eight people were burnt to death in the early hours of March 21, after unknown assailants attacked some 10 houses in Bogtui village near Rampurhat with petrol bombs setting them on fire. The attack is suspected to have been planned as revenge for the murder of a local leader with its roots in rivalry over illegal sand mining. As part of the ongoing probe, CBI officers questioned leader and former Rampurhat Block -1 community head Anarul Sheikh for a second day as well as others who have been arrested in the case. They also recorded one lone survivor Mihilal Sheikh's version of the burning incident, the official said. Former Sub-Divisional Police Officer Shayan Ahmed, who has been sent on Compulsory Waiting, a suspended official of Rampurhat Police Station and the doctor involved in treating the injured persons were also questioned, he added. Samples collected from damaged houses in the village will be sent for forensic tests to ascertain whether any chemicals were used to set the houses on fire," the CBI official said. Meanwhile, shortly after the House assembled at 11 am, pandemonium reigned as MLAs trooped to the well, demanding a statement by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee over the "worsening" law and order situation in the wake of the Birbhum killings. Speaker Biman Banerjee tried to pacify the MLAs, who continued sloganeering inside the House, leading to a war of words with legislators of the treasury bench and an eventual ugly scuffle. Adhikari then walked out of the assembly, claiming that TMC MLAs roughed up his party legislators. "MLAs are not safe even inside the assembly... At least 8-10 of our legislators were beaten up, including Chief Whip Manoj Tigga, by some TMC MLAs, as we demanded that the CM make a statement in the House on the law and order issue," Adhikari said. The BJP claimed that Tigga has suffered a chest fracture and was admitted to a private hospital along with six other BJP MLAs. TMC leader and state minister Firhad Hakim however rubbishing the claim, alleged the BJP had staged a drama to create chaos in the assembly. "Few of our MLAs were injured inside the House. We condemn the conduct of the BJP," he said. Among those who were injured in the melee were TMC MLA Asit Majumdar, who had to be hospitalised. While Majumdar claimed that Adhikari had punched him on the nose, the BJP leader denied the charge. Adhikari, along with BJP legislators Dipak Burman, Shankar Ghosh, Manoj Tigga and Narahari Mahato, were suspended by the Speaker for the entire session till the House is prorogued. Prorogation is discontinuing a session of Parliament or a legislative assembly without dissolving it. "What happened today is completely unacceptable. The way in which the five MLAs behaved with the women staff of the House is a shame for parliamentary democracy," Speaker Biman Banerjee told reporters, adjourning the assembly sine die. The BJP, however, denied all allegations, and accused the ruling TMC of letting loose a reign of terror in the assembly. They are running the government in an authoritarian manner. We will not tolerate this," Adhikari said, adding, he will meet the Speaker with an appeal to revoke the suspension. BJP unit chief Sukanta Majumdar said BJP MLAs would meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi later this week in New Delhi and complain about the "lawlessness" in the state. The incident brought back memories of opposition Left and ruling TMC legislators trading blows in December 2012 on the floor of the house, leading to injuries on both sides. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) India has gone through a very "complicated and challenging time" in negotiating its diplomatic stand on the Ukraine-Russia conflict, and because of its multiple interests with other countries, it's been a "bit of dancing on a tightrope," Lok Sabha member said on Tuesday. He was responding to a question during an interaction held here after inaugurating a three-day photo exhibition, 'Ukraine Untold (Glimpse)', on how the country looked barely a month before the war began. "India has gone through a very complicated and challenging time in negotiating as it were its own stand on the (Ukraine-Russia) crisis. There is no doubt that India in its very first statement seemed to be a little unwilling to say anything that the Russians will be upset about," he said. A former UN under secretary general, Tharoor, on the likely visit of Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov to India this week, said, "He will have a tough cause to defend and I am sure the talks that he is going to have in New Delhi will be very interesting". During his likely visit, the key focus is expected to be on discussions on a payment system for New Delhi's procurement of oil and military hardware from Moscow, people familiar with the developments said on Monday. The Congress MP, also a former Union minister of external affairs, spoke on the Ukraine-Russia crisis that has garnered huge global support for Kyiv, in the context of violation of sovereignty and UN Charter. No State will agree on the territory of Ukraine being encroached upon, he said. On India's stand on the conflict, Tharoor said, "In our subsequent statements while we have continued to abstain at UN, we have been a little more vocal on reiterating the principles and our diplomacy has taken into account the multifarious interests we have to look after". While with Russia, India has the "dependency" on military relationship, with the West, we have a "warning relationship" and "we can't antagonise them". "We are a member of Quad and we don't want US to take its eyes off the Indo-Pacific and focus purely on Europe. And then with Ukraine itself, we had to pull out 23,000 Indian citizens, mainly students, in the first few weeks," the Lok Sabha MP said. "So, because of all these interests, there is a bit of dancing on a tightrope," he added. In the context of the current situation in Ukraine, he said, as the Indian students have been pulled out and the war hasn't progressed the way Russians would have hoped it to, he expected that India will "calibrate" its steps. At the same time, Indian diplomacy has been "effective in ensuring" that there is more understanding about the position than it might have been expected, he said. "Other States might have been given a tougher time, but India matters to many countries," Tharoor said. The exhibition consists of about 90 photographs in multiple mediums taken by photographer Avantika Meattle. According to Meattle, she took the pictures "as a tourist during her visit to Kyiv and Lviv in Ukraine in late December and early January", not knowing that the places will become "frozen in time". Capital Kyiv, Lviv, Kharkiv and other beautiful cities in Ukraine have borne the brunt of the war and many of the iconic and historic buildings of the eastern European country have been damaged. Tharoor, who was given a tour of the exhibition, said the large number of people present at the event was an act of solidarity with the people of Ukraine. The photographs are not only fascinating, but have a "certain degree of poignancy as we don't know how many of these buildings have survived the reckless bombings," he said. SpiceJet CMD Ajay Singh was also present on the occasion. The airliner had contributed in the evacuation of Indian citizens from Ukraine. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Ahluwalia Contracts India Limited on Tuesday emerged as the lowest bidder for the construction of Executive Enclave as part of the that will house the prime minister's office (PMO), cabinet secretariat, India House and the Security Council Secretariat, official document showed. The company, headquartered in Delhi, quoted an amount of around Rs 1,119 crore, 3.50 per cent less than the Rs 1,160-crore cost estimated by the CPWD, which has been executing the Modi government's ambitious Central Vista Redevelopment project. Tata Projects Limited, which is constructing a new Parliament building, quoted Rs 1,154 crore. NCC Limited quoted a bid amount of around Rs 1,158 crore and Larsen & Toubro Limited around Rs 1,317 crore, the document showed. An official said the lowest bidder is usually awarded the contract and added the Board of Central Public Works Department (CPWD) will decide on awarding the tender in the next few days. The CPWD had estimated the cost of construction and maintenance of the Executive Enclave at Rs 1,160.17 crore. The Executive Enclave will come up on the south side of the South Block in plot number 36/38 in the high-security Lutyens' Delhi. The bid document states the new will have three floors each 4.75 metres high, in addition to the basement and ground floor. The new cabinet secretariat and the Security Council Secretariat will have a similar structure. India House, which will have one floor in addition to basement and ground floor, is likely to be used as a conference facility like the Hyderabad House where high-level talks, especially with top visiting leaders of various countries, are held now. According to the CPWD's bid document, the project will be completed within 24 months of initiation of the construction work. "The (Executive) Enclave will be designed to improve potency and functioning through carefully planned formation of different departments with supporting facilities. This will ensure prime security and excellent interconnectivity within the Enclave and with other offices in Central Vista. "Relocating these departments will also ensure efficient security protocols for VIPs and VVIPs without disturbing daily movement of the public in and around the Central Vista," the CPWD document states. In October last year, Larsen & Toubro Limited had been awarded the contract for the construction and maintenance of the first three buildings of the Common Central Secretariat. Shapoorji Pallonji and Company Limited is executing the redevelopment work of the Central Vista Avenue stretching from Vijay Chowk to the India Gate. The redevelopment of the Central Vista, the nation' power corridor, envisages a new parliament building, a common central secretariat, revamping of the 3-km Rajpath from the Rashtrapati Bhavan to the India Gate, new office and residence of the prime minister, and a new vice-president enclave. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) India has one of the "lowest" 374 COVID-19 deaths per million population, according to the World Health Organisation, compared to similarly affected countries like the USA, Brazil, Russia and Mexico, the government said on Tuesday. In a written reply, Minister of State for Health Bharati Pravin Pawar told the Rajya Sabha that at times, certain reports have speculated excess deaths, that is, higher than the official number of COVID-19 fatalities reported by India. "These reports have mostly relied on unvalidated methodologies, or data sources used to derive estimates' are not reliable. In most of these studies, the results have been obtained using mathematical modelling techniques from a limited sample of small sub-population subgroups which is extrapolated to the entire country," she said. The minister was responding to a question on recent reports showing India having the highest number of deaths during the Covid pandemic and whether the official death toll does not match the data on the civil registration system. "According to the data available with World Health Organisation (WHO), India has one of the lowest deaths per million (374 deaths per million population) which is much lower compared to similarly affected countries like the United States of America (2,920 deaths per million population), Brazil (3,092 deaths per million population), Russia (2,506 deaths per million population) and Mexico (2,498 deaths per million population)," she mentioned in her reply. In the context of COVID-19 pandemic, detailed guidelines for reporting of deaths have been issued by the Union health ministry to all states and Union territories (UTs). The Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR) had on May 10, 2020 issued Guidance for appropriate recording of COVID-19 related deaths in India'. Accordingly, all states/UTs report cases and deaths to the health ministry and the same is also put in public domain on a regular basis. A large number of states have regularly reconciled their death numbers and have reported arrear deaths in a broadly transparent manner, Pawar said. Furthermore, it must be noted that there is a monetary incentive in India to report COVID-19 deaths as they are entitled to ex-gratia compensation. India has a robust Civil Registration System (CRS) and Sample Registration System (SRS) which predates the COVID-19 pandemic and covers all states/UTs. The registration of deaths in the country is done under the Registration of Births and Deaths (RBD) Act, 1969 by functionaries appointed by the state government, she added. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) will meet on Thursday to discuss the Covid situation in the capital in the backdrop of the Centre's advise earlier this month to states and UTs to consider discontinuing containment measures in view of the sharp decline in the fresh cases. Last month, the DDMA lifted all Covid restrictions in the wake of significant improvement in the Covid situation in the city. However, wearing of masks in public places, including buses and metro trains continued. The DDMA meeting to be held at 3.30 pm on March 31 will be chaired by Lieutenant Governor . Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, Health Minister Satyender Jain, Revenue Minister Kailash Gahlot and senior officials and expert members are expected to attend the meeting. The meeting, apart from the prevailing Covid situation, will also review vaccination programme, said a notice issued on Monday. With the rise in number of Covid cases in December last year due to Omicron variant, the government imposed several restrictions. The restrictions were lifted gradually when the situation normalised and finally all curbs were removed from February 28. on Monday reported 90 new COVID-19 cases and no fresh death due to the viral disease, while the positivity rate stood at 0.53 per cent, according to data shared by the city health department. Delhi had on Sunday reported 71 fresh COVID-19 cases with a positivity rate of 0.31 per cent, and one death. The number of daily COVID-19 cases in Delhi has been on the decline after touching the record high of 28,867 on January 13. The city had recorded a positivity rate of 30.6 per cent on January 14, the highest during the third wave of the pandemic. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Journalist was on Tuesday stopped by authorities at the Mumbai international airport from flying abroad in the wake of a 'look out circular' issued by the (ED) against her, officials said. The federal probe agency wants to question and record Ayyub's statement in a money laundering case against her. The 37-year-old scribe reached the Mumbai international airport to board a flight to London but was stopped by immigration authorities. Soon after, an ED team questioned her at the airport and asked her to join the investigation, they said. She is understood to have been asked to depose before the agency at its office here on April 1. Officials said the ED had first issued summons to her after the agency early this year provisionally attached over Rs 1.77 crore in bank deposits in connection with the case against her linked to alleged irregularities in charitable funds raised by her from public donors for COVID-19 relief work during 2020-2021. However, they said, she skipped the notice and the agency did not want her to leave the country as it could lead to a delay in the probe and the subsequent filing of a charge sheet in court. Ayyub posted about the incident on her Twitter handle. "I was stopped today at the Indian immigration while I was about to board my flight to London to deliver my speech on the intimidation of journalists with @ICFJ. I was to travel to Italy right after to deliver the keynote address at the @journalismfest on the Indian democracy," she posted. Posting a subsequent Tweet she said these events "have been planned and publicised all over my social media for weeks." "Yet, curiously the summon arrived in my mail much after I was stopped at the immigration. What do you fear?" Ayyub said. The money laundering case against her stems from a September 2021 FIR of Ghaziabad Police (Uttar Pradesh) related to alleged irregularities in donor funds of over Rs 2.69 crore raised by her through an online crowdfunding platform called 'Ketto'. The police lodged the case on a complaint made by Vikas Sankrityayan, founder of an NGO called "Hindu IT Cell" and a resident of Indirapuram in Ghaziabad. According to the police FIR, the funds were raised as part of three campaigns: funds for slum dwellers and farmers during April-May 2020; relief work for Assam, Bihar and Maharashtra during June-September 2020 and help for COVID-19 impacted people in India during May-June 2021. Ayyub had rejected the allegations that she "misused" donor funds raised in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, saying money-laundering charges levelled against her were "preposterous and wholly mala fide". She had said she has "demonstrably shown" to the (ED) and Income-Tax department authorities that "no part of the relief campaign money has been used for any other purpose" or for her personal expenses. She also said she has paid an income tax of Rs 1.05 crore on the public donation amount received by her. The agency had said its probe "makes it abundantly clear that the funds were raised in the name of charity in a completely pre-planned and systematic manner, and the funds were not utilised completely for the purpose of which the funds were raised". The ED had said, "Fake bills were found to have been prepared by in the name of some entities to claim expenses on relief work and expenses made for personal travel by air were claimed as expense for relief work". (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The University of Glasgow has honoured John Shaw and by naming its new centre after them. In a statement issued on Tuesday, Biocon said the Mazumdar-Shaw Advanced Centre will be home to over 500 researchers from a range of disciplines, facilitating world changing collaborative . The 116 million pound building will officially open in June 2022. John Shaw, who is a graduate from the University of Glasgow, along with his wife had gifted USD 7.5 million (around Rs 57 crore) to the University in July 2019. We are really grateful to John and Kiran and we wanted to ensure that this extraordinarily generous gift was recognised appropriately. The Mazumdar-Shaw Advanced Research Centre is on its way to becoming operational. It is an incredibly exciting time on campus; every week more researchers are moving in, and this summer the ARC will fully open its doors to the wider community," University's Principal and Vice-Chancellor Anton Muscatelli said. The global challenges that the world faces require team approaches and collaboration across disciplines, and this unique environment will encourage and support interdisciplinary research breakthroughs, he added. "Through our partnership, we are building on the University's work with Biocon to explore initiatives such as joint PhDs which provide industry experience and help solve real world problems," Muscatelli said. noted that the Advanced Research Centre is about catalysing change in research and that resonates with them. "Philanthropy can be a catalyst for change, growth, improvement and development. We are both grateful that we are in the fortunate position to contribute to John's alma mater and help the University achieve its aspirational goals," she added. The USD 7.5 million donation was used to help fund the building of the Mazumdar-Shaw Advanced Research Centre and create a Professorial Chair, the Mazumdar-Shaw Chair of Molecular Pathology. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The government has ordered a probe into the incident of an Ola electric scooter catching fire in Pune last week. The Centre for Fire Explosive and Environment Safety (CFEES) has been asked to probe the circumstances that led to the incident and also suggest remedial measures, according to the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH). In a letter to CFEES, the ministry has also asked it to share the findings along with the remedial measures for improvement and to prevent such incidents in the future. On Saturday, Ola Electric said it was investigating the incident of its electric scooter catching fire in Pune and that it would take appropriate action. A video of the company's electric scooter catching fire was widely circulated on social media with users raising questions over the safety standards of the vehicle. Reacting to the incident, Ola co-founder and CEO Bhavish Aggarwal had said, "safety is top priority. We're investigating this and will fix it". Centre for Fire Explosive and Environment Safety (CFEES) comes under the SAM (System Analysis and Modelling) cluster of DRDO labs. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) India and Sri Lanka have signed six agreements to boost bilateral cooperation in diverse sectors like technology, fisheries and hybrid power projects, the Indian High Commission here has said. Under the agreements, which were signed on Monday in the presence of External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and his Sri Lankan counterpart GL Peiris, India will also provide grant assistance for the implementation of Sri Lanka's Unique Digital Identity. The MOUs include implementation of Sri Lanka Unique Digital Identity (SL-UDI) programme with India's grant assistance and for providing Maritime Rescue Coordination Center. There is an MOU on implementation of Hybrid Power Projects in three Islands off Jaffna and also on cooperation in development of Fisheries Harbours in Sri Lanka, the mission said. The two sides signed MoUs for the establishment of modern computer labs and smart boards with customised curriculum software in 200 schools in Galle District and a separate MOU between Sushma Swaraj Institute of Foreign Service and the Bandaranaike International Diplomatic Training Institute. Jaishankar also separately met Minister of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Douglas Devananda and discussed issues pertaining to fishermen and exchanged views on devolution, the statement said. Jaishankar met a delegation from the Tamil Alliance (TNA) led by R Sampanthan, MP, on Monday. Jaishankar welcomed the positive developments regarding the issues on the Government-TNA agenda. He emphasised that India was consistently supportive of the realisation of the aspirations of the Tamils of Sri Lanka for equality, justice, peace and dignity within the framework of a united Sri Lanka. Jaishankar arrived here on Sunday to attend the ongoing 18th BIMSTEC Ministerial Meeting in Colombo. He held bilateral talks with Sri Lanka's top leadership on Monday. This is his first visit to the island nation since India extended an economic relief package to bail Sri Lanka out of the current economic crisis. During his separate meetings with President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, Jaishankar assured them of India's continued support in Sri Lanka's economic recovery process. The statement also pointed out that the Jaffna Cultural Center is a glowing example of development partnership. It was conceived as a reconciliation project primarily aimed at expanding cultural infrastructure for people of Northern Province, it said. The state-of-the-art facility, constructed with grant assistance from the Indian Government, consists of multiple facilities such as a museum of two floors; an advanced theatre style auditorium for more than 600 people; a 11-storeyed learning tower; a public square which could also act as an amphitheater etc, it said. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A whopping 93 per cent are planning to spend more or the same on in 2022 compared to a typical pre-pandemic year, according to a report. The American Express Travel: Global Trends Report showed that Indian travellers are looking to adopt the new normal. Overall, think will be less stressful this year than last year and many are looking forward to regaining control over their trips in 2022 after feeling overwhelmed last year. The survey report is based on 3,000 travellers from seven countries including the US, Australia, India, Canada, Mexico, Japan, and the UK. It reveals that the motivation to travel for 48 per cent is for discovering new experiences, 46 per cent for relaxing and 45 per cent for exploring new destinations. About 96 per cent agreed they like to eat and shop at local businesses to support the local economy. "After two tough years, the travel sentiment amongst Indian travellers is upbeat where spending time with loved ones is a top priority," said Manoj Adlakha, SVP and CEO, American Express Banking, India, in a statement. "With the resumption of all regular international flights and the upcoming summer holiday season, we are seeing a surge in travel bookings amongst our card members for both international and domestic travel," he added. Majority of Indians agree they want to have a positive impact on the community they are visiting and want to travel to destinations where they can immerse themselves in the local culture. Travelling responsibly is of high importance for the respondents as 94 per cent stated they would take a 'greencation' and 93 per cent are more likely to book travel with a brand that is committed to improving its environmental impact, ranking highest than their global counterparts. About 69 per cent of respondents agree they want to travel to their dream destination this year. Five in ten respondents shared they are willing to travel solo now to visit their dream destination. Nearly 92 per cent agree that they are willing to book a trip for 2022 even if they might have to cancel or modify it later. --IANS rvt/pgh (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) have busted an international narcotic drug cartel and arrested its two key members along with worth Rs 40 crore in the international market, an official said on Tuesday. The accused, identified as Dinesh Singh (57) and Nazir alias Nazim (28), were arrested on March 24. Deputy Commissioner of Police (Special Cell) said a team of Special Cell was working on information that an international narcotics cartel is active in the states of Manipur, Assam, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Delhi. The members of this cartel were involved in receiving supply of smuggled from Myanmar and further supplied it to various parts of the country. "It took four months to develop this information and during this process, members of this cartel were identified," the DCP said. On March 24, the police received a tip-off that two members of this cartel -- Dinesh and Nazir -- have collected a big consignment of from Jharkhand and would come to Delhi to deliver the supply of contraband to one of their contacts. Subsequently, a police team was constituted which laid a trap at T point Delhi-Meerut Expressway near ISBT Sarai Kale Khan and apprehended both the accused. "Six kg of heroin, i.e., three kgs each from bags of both the accused was recovered. During the search of the car, another four kg of heroin was found hidden in a cavity created in the bottom of the backside seat of the car," the official said. During interrogation, both the arrested drug suppliers revealed that they are members of a big international narcotic drug cartel and were involved in supplying drugs in Delhi-NCR and parts of Uttar Pradesh for the last 5 years. --IANS uj/dpb (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Russia-Ukraine war has added to international disquiet and it has also underscored that the maintenance of international peace and security can no longer be taken for granted, Indian External Minister S. Jaishankar said in on Tuesday. Speaking during the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) ministerial meet, Jaishankar said, "The international system is going through a very challenging phase, perhaps one of the most difficult in recent memory. The challenges of Covid-19 pandemic have not yet fully abated. But recent developments in Ukraine have added to international disquiet. We have all underscored that the maintenance of international peace and security, and even stability can no longer be taken for granted." Jaishankar is visiting from March 28 to March 30. He said that the BIMSTEC member countries must recognise that we face headwinds - both from the global economy and in some cases from within their own domestic economies. BIMSTEC is a regional organisation that was established on June 6, 1997 with the signing of the Bangkok Declaration. The member countries of BIMSTEC are Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, and Thailand. Jaishankar further stated that under challenging circumstances, the member countries should shore up domestic capacities and also need to broaden and deepen cooperation under BIMSTEC. "We need more working together in many more areas; we need more effective and fast paced cooperation. We need to intensify and build on what we have achieved in the last 25 years," he said. To cement economic, trade and security cooperation with friendly neighbouring countries in South Asia, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be virtually attending the fifth summit of BIMSTEC on March 30. Jaishankar said, "Tomorrow our leaders will adopt the BIMSTEC Charter. This is a landmark achievement in our effort to develop the institutional architecture for BIMSTEC. But we must not rest on this achievement and instead move on to 'next steps' that can be taken to further strengthen BIMSTEC." He called to accelerate efforts to boost intra BIMSTEC trade and economic ties. The development of a network of regional supply and value chains will reduce vulnerability to external shocks and give economies greater resilience and transparency. "This requires us to accelerate cooperation that has been under discussion for long. Simultaneously we must also work on a more ambitious Trade Facilitation agenda," he said. The Minister also said that the leaders will also adopt a BIMSTEC Master Plan for Transport Connectivity on Wednesday. "We must also accelerate efforts on ongoing initiatives such as the establishment of a coastal shipping eco system, of port facilities, of ferry services in the Bay of Bengal, as also power grid interconnectivity and a regional motor vehicles agreement," he said. He also pointed out that the member countries are in most disaster prone regions of the world. "In this connection we are taking steps to strengthen the functioning of the BIMSTEC Centre for Weather and Climate that is located in India which has been serving this region," Jaishankar said. He urged all BIMSTEC partners to consider joining the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI). He also stressed that terrorism and violent extremism, transnational crime and narco-trafficking and cyber-attacks threats cannot be ignored. "All of these affect our economic development efforts. We need to put in place the remaining elements of the legal architecture that will enable our law enforcement agencies to collaborate more closely and more effectively," he added. The Bay of Bengal achieving SDG 14 targets and ensuring a 'good order at sea' in keeping with international maritime law, particularly UNCLOS is a priority. A practical way to proceed is to have discussions using existing dialogue mechanisms, even while we put in place a plan of action in the maritime domain which is consistent with our priorities. The science of oceans is not easy. To get matters moving, India is keen to develop platforms and initiatives that can enhance collaboration between our scientists and experts in the maritime domain, he said. --IANS sk/skp/ (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) External Affairs Minister on Tuesday asked the Indian High Commissioner here to help a Sri Lankan hospital that has suspended surgeries due to lack of medical facilities, amidst an unprecedented financial crisis in the island nation. The Director of the Peradeniya Hospital in the central district of Kandy on Monday announced the temporary suspension of all routine surgeries due to the shortage of medicine. Jaishankar asked Indian High Commissioner in Colombo Gopal Baglay to discuss measures on how India can help the ailing nation. Disturbed to see this news. Am asking High Commissioner Baglay to contact and discuss how India can help," he tweeted on Tuesday. A circular on Monday said There is a shortage of several drugs and consumable items used for anaesthesia and surgery at our hospital... It was decided to suspend all routine surgeries including surgeries of patients already admitted today itself." The economic crisis in Sri Lanka has forced the country to give up on its primary needs including healthcare. Sri Lanka's current forex and balance of payment crisis have triggered dire consequences with the non-availability of most essentials. Long lines for fuel, long power cuts and high-cost escalations. People blame the Gotabaya Rajapaksa government for its incompetence to address the economic crisis. The government without tapping the IMF for an economic bailout asked India for help. The Indian line of credit, currency swaps, and deferment of Asian Clearance Unit payments have provided the island nation with much needed temporary relief. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Indian Naval Air Squadron 316 (INAS 316), the Navys second squadron equipped with four Boeing P-8I aircraft, was commissioned into the in Goa on Tuesday. INAS 316 has been christened Condors, after one of the largest flying land birds with a massive wingspan, excellent sensory capabilities, and powerful talons that symbolise the aircrafts capabilities. The new squadrons insignia depicts a Condor searching over the vast blue expanse of the sea. The Indian Navys first P-8I squadron was set up with eight aircraft at INS Rajali in Arakkonam, Tamil Nadu, in November 2015. India was the first international customer for the P-8I in January 2009, when it signed a contract with Boeing for eight P-8I for $2.17 billion, according to a Comptroller & Auditor General report. The P-8 is also operated by the US Navy, the Royal Australian Air Force, the UKs Royal Air Force, and the Royal Norwegian Air Force. In 2016, Indias Ministry of Defence (MoD) contracted for four more P-8Is under an options clause in the first contract. These aircraft have been operating from INS Hansa since their delivery in December 2021. The commissioning ceremony in Goa was addressed by the naval chief, Admiral R Hari Kumar, who stated: India is the preferred security partner in the Indian Ocean region. This reflects our countrys ability to play an effective strategic role in the region, and the need to expand its operational reach. The Boeing P-8I Poseidon aircraft that INAS 316 will operate is a multi-role, long-range maritime reconnaissance anti-submarine warfare (LRMR ASW) aircraft, that is equipped with a range of air-to-ship missiles and torpedoes. The aircraft is acknowledged to be the worlds most-deadly LRMR-ASW aircraft. It is a derivative of the Boeing 737-800 airliner, fitted with a plethora of sensors and weaponry, that make it is a potent platform for maritime surveillance and strike, electronic warfare missions, search and rescue and providing targeting data to other weapon platforms. It is also the platform of choice for detecting and neutralising enemy ships and submarines in Indian Ocean Region. P-8I Poseidons have played an important role in the two-year stand-off on the Ladakh border with the Peoples Liberation Army (PLA), stealthily reconnoitring Chinese positions and picking up PLA deployments in rear areas. The aircrafts sensors include a Raytheon multi-mode radar to detect aircraft, surface ships, and submarines, while another belly-mounted radar looks backwards like an electronic rear-view mirror. A magnetic anomaly detector on the P-8Is tail detects submarines from the magnetic field that large masses of metal (such as submarine hulls) create. Hostile submarines, once detected, are destroyed by on-board Harpoon missiles or Mark 54 torpedoes. Alternatively, the targets are handed on digitally to friendly warships, or submarines, which finish the job. Over the years and during joint naval exercises such as Exercise Malabar, Indian P-8I crews have developed joint drills and communication protocols with their foreign counterparts that enable them to take swift and lethal action against hostile warships and submarines. To enhance this interoperability, India has concluded joint agreements with partner countries, such as the US. These include the Communications Compatibility and Security Agreement and Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement for geospatial co-operation. INAS 316 is commanded by Commander Amit Mohapatra, a Boeing P-8I pilot with extensive operational experience. Chief Minister on Monday announced the disbursement of outstanding 20 per cent arrears, partaking to salary revision under the 7th Pay Commission, for the state government employees. Patnaik made the announcement a day after senior bureaucrats and police officers met and congratulated him over the BJD's victory in the panchayat elections and the civic polls. As many as 4 lakh employees will receive the arrears along with their March salary, a statement issued by the Chief Minister's Office said. An additional Rs 850 crore has been earmarked in the 2021-22 supplementary budget for the purpose, it said. The government has already released 80 per cent of the increased pay from January 2016 to August 2017. The pensioners have received 100 per cent of their dues, the statement said. The government had accepted the recommendation of the commission and implemented it in January 2016. The enhanced salary was paid from September 2017. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) members on Tuesday declared support to the two-day nationwide strike call given by a group of trade union against the policies pursued by the government and sought a discussion on the issue in the . Raising the issue during Zero Hour, Trinamool member Saugata Roy claimed that the strike had received massive response and reflected the unhappiness of the people with the policies of the government. Government should understand that people are unhappy over its policies to sell out everything, Roy said and sought a discussion on the issue in the House. Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said while the entire had given its full throated support to the trade unions, the West Bengal government was trying to thwart the strike in the state. He said all trade unions except the BJP-affiliated Bhartiya Mazdoor Sangh have participated in the strike call to urge the government to stop plundering resources. Chowdhury accused Trinamool members of misleading the House on the issue of the strike call against the new labour laws, policies of the government and delay in payment of MGNREGA wages. In West Bengal, these people through their party workers are thwarting labour interests. It is a sorry state of affairs, here in this House they speak of labour interest but are working to thwart it in the state, Chowdhury said referring to the Trinamool Congress. A joint forum of central trade unions is protesting against the government policies affecting workers, farmers, and people. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) China's most populous city tightened the first phase of a two-stage COVID-19 lockdown on Tuesday, asking some residents to stay indoors unless they are getting tested as the number of new daily cases exceeded 4,400. The financial hub of Shanghai, home to 26 million people, is in its second day of a lockdown authorities are imposing by dividing the city roughly along the Huangpu River, splitting the historic centre from the eastern financial and industrial district of Pudong to allow for staggered testing. While Shanghai's caseload remains modest by global standards - a record 4,381 asymptomatic cases and 96 symptomatic cases for Monday - the city has become a testing ground for China's "zero-COVID" strategy as it tries to bring the highly infectious Omicron variant under control. Residents east of the Huangpu were locked down in their housing compounds on Monday but were mostly allowed to roam within them. On Tuesday, however, three residents told Reuters neighbourhood committees had told them they were no longer allowed to step outside their homes. "Children were still having picnics yesterday and having fun," said one of them, who declined to be identified, citing privacy concerns. Wu Qianyu, an official with the municipal health commission, told a briefing that a "clear request" had been made to residents not to leave their apartments, even to take pets for a walk or throw out trash, during "a key stage in nucleic acid testing". She said 8.26 million tests were performed by as many as 17,000 testing personnel in the city's locked-down districts on Monday. "The vast numbers of medical staff, grass-roots cadres, community workers and volunteers shared the very hard work on the front line of epidemic prevention and control, and should be thanked," Wu said. There were growing signs of frustration on China's social media and dozens of residents flocked to the Weibo platform to seek help for relatives, with some struggling to access medical services. Though is sticking to its plan for crushing the outbreak, experts overseas remain sceptical about the efficacy of lockdowns in the face of a highly infectious new variant. "It is clear from Australia and elsewhere in the world that lockdowns are simply not effective against Omicron a so expect a big wave coming," said Adrian Esterman, an expert in biostatistics at the University of South Australia. STOCKING UP Drone footage published by state media showed empty streets below the skyscrapers of the city's Lujiazui financial district. Public transport in the east has been shut and all unapproved vehicles ordered off the streets. The Shanghai Stock Exchange, in the west of the city, said it has kept a skeleton staff in place in the bourse for key operations while others work from home. General Motors's joint venture has managed to maintain production by asking workers to sleep on factory floors, people familiar with the matter said. Residents in the west of the city have been stocking up at shops and markets in anticipation of their lockdown from April 1. But U.S. hypermarket chain Costco Wholesale Corp, whose Shanghai store has in recent days attracted throngs of shoppers, said it was closing from Tuesday, along with some gyms and shopping malls also in western districts. The city government rolled out new measures to try to support COVID-affected businesses, including rent exemptions and tax rebates. The Communist Party tabloid the Global Times quoted Peking University economist Cao Heping as saying that while the city's growth would be hit, the national economy would not suffer greatly. Elsewhere, the city of Changchun, capital of Jilin province in the northeast, apologised to its 8.5 million residents for food shortages related to disruption caused by containment measures. The manufacturing hub of Shenzhen is starting to get back on its feet after shutdowns but many firms are worried about the near-term outlook, the Securities Times reported. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The alleged masterminds behind the derogatory "Sulli Deals" and "Bulli Bai" apps were granted bail by a local court in the capital on Monday, an official said. Deputy Commissioner of Police K.P.S. Malhotra told IANS that the main grounds for granting the bail to the accused persons -- Sulli Deal app creator Aumkareshwar Thakur and Niraj Bishnoi for Bulli Bai app -- was that the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) results and replies from Intermediaries were still awaited. "The trial court had relied upon the evidence against the accused persons and no shortcoming in the investigation was pointed out," Malhotra said. He said that the court has granted bail on humanitarian grounds and considered that the alleged persons were first-time offenders and continued incarceration would be detrimental to the alleged overall wellbeing. Thakur, 25, a resident of Madhya Pradesh's Indore, was apprehended by the Delhi Police on January 8. The derogatory app had surfaced in July 2021, where photos of Muslim women were maliciously displayed for "auction". The Delhi Police's Unit had registered an FIR under section 354-A (Sexual harassment and punishment for sexual harassment) of the Indian Penal Code on July 8. Meanwhile, "Bulli Bai" came to light in January 2022 after a Delhi-based woman journalist lodged a police complaint stating that she was being targeted by some unidentified group of people on a mobile application. The app was hosted on Github. "Bulli Bai" too had a number of pictures of women, including journalists, social workers, students and famous personalities, accompanied by derogatory content. The app listed hundreds of Muslim women for "auction". Its creator, Niraj Bishnoi, was arrested by the Delhi Police on January 6. During his interrogation, it emerged that he used to interact with various virtual identities on social media and used to engage in group discussions. In July 2021, in one of the groups in which Bishnoi was a member, another group member shared the details of the "Sulli Deals". That was the first time Bishnoi or other group members had heard about the app. Based on disclosures made by Bishnoi and on the basis of technical analysis, Thakur was identified and traced in Indore. Later on January 8, a team of IFSO, Delhi Police Special Cell went to Indore and arrested the accused. Thakur was examined and his technical gadgets were subjected to preliminary analysis. During the investigation, he was subjected to interrogation, in which he confessed that he had created the Sulli Deal app on GitHub. --IANS jw/uj/shs (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) zooms 20% as co says SMSes pertaining to FPO not issued by it Shares of surged up to 20% on Tuesday after the company, through newspaper advertisements, clarified that the SMSes pertaining to investments in its follow-on public offering (FPO) have not been issued by the company or its promoters. The advertisements reportedly came after market regulator Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) directed the company to give the investors who participated in its Rs 4,300-crore follow-on public offering (FPO) the option to withdraw their bids due to "circulation of unsolicited SMSes advertising the issue". Read more made over Rs 1k-cr bogus expenses, I-T search reveals: Report The Income Tax Department has found that made more than Rs 1,000 crore bogus expenses and over Rs 100- crore cash transactions for a farmhouse in Chhattarpur, Delhi, sources told ANI. Income Tax Department carried out a search and seizure operation on March 23 on and its chairman and managing director Pawan Munjal at multiple locations in Delhi-NCR, which concluded on March 26. The search operations covered more than 40 premises spread over different locations in Delhi-NCR. On Tuesday, the company's scrip on BSE closed trading 7% lower at Rs 2,208. Read more Ukraine, Russia hold new talks in Turkey aimed at ending the fighting The first face-to-face talks in two weeks between Russia and Ukraine began Tuesday in Turkey, raising flickering hopes there could be progress toward ending a war that has ground into a bloody campaign of attrition. Ahead of the meeting in Istanbul, the Ukrainian president said his country is prepared to declare its neutrality, as Moscow has demanded, and is open to compromise over the contested eastern region of Donbas comments that might lend momentum to negotiations. Read more Assam and Meghalaya sign pact to resolve border dispute in six places Assam and Meghalaya on Tuesday signed an agreement to resolve their five-decade-old border dispute in six of the 12 locations, with Union Home Minister Amit Shah calling it a "historic day" for the Northeast. The agreement was signed in the presence of Shah and Chief Ministers of Assam and Meghalaya Himanta Biswa Sarma and Conrad Sangma respectively. Read more has developed a comprehensive 10-year roadmap for the Centre-run Airports Authority of India (AAI) to modernise its air traffic management, the US-based aerospace company said on Tuesday. "The roadmap aims to drive operational excellence and offer enhanced air traffic capacity for our flying public, and improved navigation, communication and surveillance for our users, making Indian skies seamless and safer to operate in," Chairman Sanjeev Kumar said. The manages the commercial traffic in the Indian airspace. It also runs more than 100 airports across the country. The project "to develop a comprehensive 10-year Communication, Navigation and Surveillance/Air Traffic Management (CNS/ATM) modernisation roadmap" was undertaken with a grant from the United States Trade and Development Agency (USTDA), said in a press release. As part of the project, worked closely with the Directorate General of Civil (DGCA), the airlines operating in India, airport operators and other airspace stakeholders, it added. Boeing and the had signed an agreement in 2019 to jointly develop the roadmap. "This is a proud moment for us at Boeing as we develop and present a comprehensive roadmap to AAI to be leveraged as national guidance in helping improve airspace utilisation, and maintain safe and efficient aircraft operations," Ahmed Elsherbini, chief engineer, Boeing India, said. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal on Tuesday called upon gem and jewellery to target USD 100 billion of exports annually in the coming years as the sector holds huge potential to boost outbound shipments. He urged the industry to suggest ways to take the exports to that level by creating incisive marketing tools and irresistible designs. "Let's go for USD 100 billion target," Goyal said while addressing export members of the Gem and Jewellery Export Promotion Council (GJEPC) here. He informed that the sector has accounted for about 10 per cent of the country's USD 400 billion exports, which India has crossed during the current fiscal. He said that the government would act as a facilitator and enabler to promote the growth of the sector in the UAE and other world destinations. A Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) was signed by India and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in February, which would come into force on May 1. hailed the agreement stating that it would help in posting India's exports from sectors like textiles, pharmaceuticals, gem and jewellery and chemicals. GJEPC Chairman Colin Shah said that the agreement would help in boosting the exports to the UAE and to regions including Africa and Middle East nations. "Our exports to the UAE are increasing and we would work to double or triple it in the years to come," Shah said. Shah said that with nil import duty on jewellery under the pact, "we are expecting jewellery exports to the UAE will move to new heights (USD 10 billion annually)". Goyal also inaugurated The India Jewellery Exposition (IJEX) Centre in Dubai, a project of the council. IJEX is a one-stop destination for the world to source Indian jewellery in Dubai. The platform will enable GJEPC members to display goods and book orders throughout the year. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Even as the Australian Government takes measures to get back international students to its shores, the share of Indians among Down Under has grown from 17 per cent in 2019 to 23 per cent. Talking about the range of support initiatives taken by the Australian Government for international students, Monica Kennedy, Senior Trade & Investment Commissioner, Australian Trade and Investment Commission stated that Indian students now formed the highest among in 2022. However, due to Covid-19 pandemic and the recent opening of borders by Australia, the number of Indian students which used to be around 110,000-120,000 in now stands at 97,000 even as it continues to grow back. According to Kennedy, from November 22 2021, when the Australian Government announced that the border would open to students, to March 18 2022, there have been 28,785 student visas lodged by Indian nationals. With February being one of the first intake seasons in a year for Australian universities, the country has seen a surge of applications even as 15,310 visas were granted from November 22 2021 to March 18 2022, with over 25,000 students arriving on Australian shores to begin or resume study. Among the range of new support initiatives taken by the Australian Government include an international student visa fee refund and Covid-19 visa fee waiver, extra time for English language tests and health checks, replacement Temporary Graduate visas and extended stay and work periods. For instance, fully vaccinated international student visa holders, who have arrived in between January 19, and March 19, 2022 were eligible for the visa application fee refund. The refund applies to current visa holders and new students with eligible visa holders will be able to make a claim any time up to December 31, 2022. Similarly, students already in Australia, who held a student visa on or after February 1 2020 and could not complete their course within the original visa time period because of the impacts of COVID-19, may be eligible to have their student visa application fee (VAC) waived when applying for a new student visa. Already, the Australian government had extended post study work visa duration from two years previously to three years now. In addition, there has been temporary relaxation of work restrictions for international student visa holders which means there is no current restriction on the number of hours that students can work while studying in . However, the changes will be reviewed in April 2022. Graduates who held a valid Temporary Graduate visa (subclass 485), were outside of Australia at any time between February 1 2020 and December 14 2021 and lost time in Australia as a result of COVID-19 international travel restrictions, will have their visa extended to 30 September 2022. This extension is to allow eligible graduates time to apply for a replacement visa. The length of stay for Temporary Graduate visa (subclass 485) holders has been extended from two to three years for Masters by Coursework graduates, matching the existing provisions for Masters by Research graduates. Vocational Education and Training (VET) sector graduates will also receive a two year Temporary Graduate visa. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov is set to fly to India this week, sources said, finding time to visit to one of the biggest buyers of Russian commodities since the international community began isolating Moscow for its invasion of Ukraine. There is little sign that buying will slow down any time soon, as more deals get signed. One source said the two countries could discuss smoothening trade payments disrupted by Western sanctions on Russian banks. Media have said he could hold talks in the Indian capital on Friday. It will only be Lavrov's third visit overseas since Russia's Feb. 24 invasion of Ukraine, after a trip to Turkey for talks with his Ukrainian counterpart earlier this month and a scheduled meeting in China on Thursday. Russia is India's main supplier of defence hardware but overall annual trade is small, averaging about $9 billion in the past few years, mainly fertiliser and some oil. By comparison, India's bilateral trade with China is more than $100 billion a year. But given sharp discounts on Russian crude oil since the attack on Ukraine, India has bought at least 13 million barrels, compared with nearly 16 million barrels imported from the country for the whole of last year. Many European countries have also continued to buy Russian energy despite publicly criticising Moscow. New Delhi has called for an immediate ceasefire in Ukraine but has refused to explicitly condemn Moscow's actions. It has abstained from voting on multiple U.N. resolutions on the war. India is now considering doubling its imports of Russian coking coal used in making steel, the Indian steel minister said on Sunday. Reuters reported on Tuesday that India recently contracted to buy 45,000 tonnes of Russian sunflower oil for April delivery after supplies from Ukraine stopped. Last year, India bought about 20,000 tonnes from Russia a month. "India will import more items from Russia, especially if it is at a discount," one senior Indian government official said. The government has been looking to establish a rupee-rouble trade system and discussions between Indian and Russian financial officials are ongoing, said the source. All the sources declined to be named as the talks were private. The Indian government and the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) did not immediately respond to requests for comment. OTHER MECHANISMS Besides the rupee-rouble trade window, several other options are on the cards, including settling all government and quasi-government payments directly through the central banks of the two countries, said the source. "India has made up its mind to continue trading with Russia, one way or the other," said Happymon Jacob, a professor of international studies at New Delhi's Jawaharlal Nehru University. "During the Russian foreign minister's visit, the bureaucracy could definitely bring up the issue of how to continue looking for alternative mechanisms to smoothen trade relations between the two sides." Russia's embassy in New Delhi said it could not confirm the visit. India's foreign ministry said it had no information to share. In a sign of sustained ties despite the Ukraine crisis, India is considering allowing Russia to use its funds lying with the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to invest in Indian corporate bonds, said another Indian government source. Russia has retained about 20 billion rupees ($263 million) of Indian payments for Russian defence equipment with the RBI. But another Indian government official said New Delhi would have to diplomatically tackle pressure from the West to be able to maintain its ties with Russia. U.S. President Joe Biden said this month India was "somewhat shaky" in acting against Russia. A U.S. diplomat said last week after meeting Indian officials in New Delhi that the United States had not asked partners like India to suddenly stop energy purchases from Russia. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The largely unorganised and unregulated Indian home- market is at a tipping point. According to a recent Nathealth study titled Indian Home 2.0 Redefining the Modern Care Continuum released on Tuesday, the home market is expected to grow to $19.9 bn market by 2025. The study estimated that the market has a potential to grow an additional $5 bn with the right impetus. The Indian market has evolved and grown to a $5.4 bn market today. The study by healthcare industry body Nathealth highlighted: India has multiple players providing healthcare across preventive, promotive, chronic, acute rehabilitative and palliative care in the comfort of the patients home. Traditionally, 6080 per cent demand for home care has been driven by senior citizens seeking supportive long-term care at home. However, the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic in India, has highlighted Indian Home Healthcare, as a sturdy pillar of support to the Indian Healthcare continuum, by providing advanced and safe care at home, it said. Designing a framework of regulations, however, holds key for the future of this segment in India, said experts. Siddhartha Bhattacharya, Secretary General, Nathealth said that annually around 20 mn cases are handled by home-healthcare, but around 98 percent of this industry is unregulated. Formalising a regulatory framework, setting down standards, and enrolling providers based on who meet these basic standards are key to the growth and long term prospects of this industry, he said. Ameera Shah, promoter and MD of Metropolis Healthcare too pointed out that Nathealth is working with the Centre to devise a regulatory framework for the sector. The global market is estimated to grow to around $390 Bn by 2026 from an estimated $ 275 Bn in 2020. The accelerated growth of the segment across the developing and developed world is bolstered by strong consumer preference, adoption of virtual care, and digital tools. Reliability, accessibility, and scale readiness have recognized homecare as a mainstream care modality worldwide, the report says. India should be no different from other countries in unlocking the potential of home healthcare. Growing at 19 percent CAGR, the Indian Home Healthcare market is expected to grow 2.5 times by 2025. The value unlock across Digital, Scope of services, and Geography, will further increase the market size in the next two to four years, the study said. There is potential for an additional $ 5 Bn value unlock by 2025 in this segment, given the rapid pace of evolution, government inclination towards innovative and efficient care models, increasing internet penetration, and the consumer mindset shift driven by the pandemic. Home healthcare now constitutes around 3.6 percent of the total healthcare expenditure. In comparison, home healthcare constitutes 8.3 percent of total health expenditure in the developed countries Around 15-20 percent of the healthcare ecosystem is likely to shift to a virtual care model, including remote monitoring Insurers showing inclination towards and IRDAIs nod on allowing coverage of home care services as an add-on to existing or new policies will drive the adoption even faster. These drivers together are presenting a significant impetus for growth in the near future, particularly when the organized home care segment is growing at a CAGR of around 40%, the study said. After a video of an Ola S1 Pro scooter catching fire went viral on social media last week, the (MoRTH) has ordered a probe into the incident. The ministry has asked the Centre for Fire, Explosive and Environment Safety (CFEES) to investigate the circumstances that led to the parked vehicle to go ablaze. CFEES is the fire science and engineering arm of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), under its Systems Analysis and Modelling cluster. The investigation will also cover the Praise Pro electric scooter of Okinawa Scooters, which, in a separate incident in Tamil Nadu, also caught fire. The incident reportedly caused two deaths. The findings of the report, and remedial measures for improvement in each of these cases, may be shared with the ministry, an order by the road transport ministry read. MoRTH also asked for prompt action on the research organisations end. This comes after MoRTH Secretary Giridhar Aramane reportedly said that the ministry had launched an independent probe into the matter. On Saturday, a video from Pune did the rounds of social media, showing an idle Ola scooter emitting smoke, eventually catching fire to the point of being charred. Nobody was harmed in the incident. The cab aggregator and automaker had responded to the incident, saying theyd started a probe into the incident and were in constant touch with the owner of the vehicle, who is completely safe. Olas Chief Executive Officer Bhavish Aggarwal took to Twitter to address the issue. Safety is top priority. Were investigating this and will fix it, he wrote. Industry experts believe that the onset of the summer season is the real challenge for e-scooters, which use lithium-ion batteries. As per reports, these batteries can catch fire owing to manufacturing defects. The government has no proposal for the merger of sick public sector units with profit-making companies at present, Parliament was informed on Tuesday. Currently, there are two sick public sector manufacturing companies FACT ( Fertilisers and Chemicals Travancore Ltd) and MFL (Madras Fertilisers Ltd) under the control of the Department of Fertilisers. "Both units are operational. FACT has reported profit from 2018-19 fiscal to 2020-21. MFL has incurred losses from 2015-16 to 2019-20," Minister of State for Chemicals and Fertilisers Bhagwanth Khuba said in a written reply to the Rajya Sabha. The minister mentioned that currently there is no such fertiliser manufacturing unit which is running in losses wherein loans have been waived and old machinery has been replaced recently. "There is no proposal for merger of sick fertiliser units with profit making fertiliser units at present," he said. For skill and management development of the personnel of these two sick units, the minister said MFL undertook 75 programmes for 921 personnel in the last three years, while FACT provided training to 268 employees. Replying to another query on status of the closed unit of Hindustan Fertiliser Corporation Ltd (HFCL) located in Begusarai district of Bihar, the minister said the roadmap for its revival by a joint venture company named Hindustan Urvarak and Rasayan Ltd (HURL) is in place. The project has achieved overall progress of 94.8 per cent as on February 28, 2022. The plant is expected to start by the end of June this year, he said. The minister said that pre-commissioning and commissioning activities are at full swing. The plant does not envisage any hurdles in realising full potential of plant. There is no direct infusion of funds by the central government in the project. However, the Centre has granted interest-free loan equivalent to Interest During Construction (IDC) amounting to Rs 1,257.82 crore for all three plants at Gorakpur, Sindri and Barauni, he added. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) have reduced to Rs 7.73 lakh crore as of December 31, 2021, against Rs 10.36 lakh crore as of March 31, 2018, due to transparent recognition of stressed assets, the government informed the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday. Finance Minister said as per inputs received from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), the country-wise ratio of non-performing loans to total gross loans is available on the website of the International Monetary Fund under its Finance Sound Indicator database. "It is observed that the said ratio for India compared adversely with those of US, UK and China, and information in respect of Japan is not available," the minister said. "Primarily as a result of transparent recognition of stressed assets, of SCBs peaked at Rs 10,36,187 crore (gross NPA ratio of 11.8 per cent) as on March 31, 2018, from Rs 3,23,464 crore (Gross NPA ratio of 4.28 per cent) as on March 31, 2015, and as a result of government's strategy of recognition, resolution, recapitalisation and reforms, have since declined to Rs 8,35,051 crore (Gross NPA ratio of 7.33 per cent) as on March 31, 2021, and further to Rs 7,73,470 crore (Gross NPA ratio of 6.39 per cent) as on December 31, 2021," Sitharaman said in her written reply. She also disclosed that as per the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) data, aggregate gross advances of Scheduled Commercial Banks (SCBs) increased from Rs 25,03,431 crore as of March 31, 2008, to Rs 68,75,748 crore as on March 31, 2014. As per RBI inputs, aggressive lending practices during this period along with wilful default/loan frauds/corruption in some cases, economic slowdown etc were observed to be primary reasons for the spurt in the of SCBs and Asset Quality Review (AQR) initiated in 2015 for clean and fully provisional bank balance-sheets revealed high incidence of non-performing assets (NPAs), she said. As a result of AQR and subsequent transparent recognition by banks, stressed accounts were reclassified as NPAs and expected losses on stressed loans, not provided for earlier under flexibility given to restructured loans, were provided for, the minister also said. "Comprehensive steps have been taken by the government to deter defaulters, and for effective action against and to recover the default amount from them, which enabled SCBs to recover Rs 8,19,892 crore during the last seven financial years and up to December 2021," she said. Replying to a supplementary from a member in the house, Sitharaman said "Whenever issues of resolution which are "suspect", there are times when the resolution providers are being asked to review the process and only then finalised." "When it is leading to questionable resolutions, there are always avenues available to banks to go to court and say that this may not be the best resolution available. Banks have gone in recent times to court to say that the resolution is not acceptable. Banks have gone questioning the levels to which the banks have been asked to let go haircuts and appealing against resolutions," she said. The minister said when such a thing happens, the resolution professionals' credibility gets questionable after this and fresh cases are not given to them and there are checks and balances that are invoked. To another supplementary, Minister of State for Finance Bhagwat Kishanrao Karad said, "The banks do not differentiate between big loans and small loans and a bank always works on how to recover its loans. There is nothing specific for farmers. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Nearly 7.8 lakh students have dropped out of the ongoing Class 10 and 12 examinations of the Madhyamik Shiksha Parishad (UPMSP), also known as the UP Board. On Monday, a whopping 2.9 lakh class 10 and 12 students skipped their exams. Class 10 and 12 students had Computer and Geography exams respectively on Monday. According to official sources, the 7.8 lakh figure surpasses the total dropouts recorded in 2020 (4.8 lakh) and 2019 (6.5 lakh). There were no exams in 2021 due to Covid-19 pandemic. The UP began on March 24. In fact, the number of students skipping the exam so far is the highest in almost a decade. In 2013, 5.6 lakh absentees were recorded by the UPMSP, which conducts exams. The UP Board 2022 examinations saw 4.1 lakh students missing the examinations on day one when Hindi exam was slated for both Class 10 and 12. The UPMSP saw over 70,200 students not attending their languages paper which was held on March 26. The languages include Urdu, Tamil, Bengali, Assamese, Gujarati, Punjabi, Nepali, etc. The high numbers have now forced officials to probe the reasons for dropouts. Additional Chief Secretary, Secondary Education, Aradhana Shukla has directed the UPMSP secretary to constitute a committee and involve the district inspector of schools to ascertain the circumstances that made students to leave their exams even after filling the forms. However, officials said they feel the high dropouts is due to Covid-19 pandemic that has affected people's financial situation. "This could be an important reason other than strict security measures which are in place to curb the cheating menace," said a senior official. --IANS amita/shs (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The (RBI) has found three weaknesses in entities regulated by it during supervisory exercises in recent years. These are compliance, risk management and internal audit, Deputy Governor MK Jain said in a recent speech. Failure/delay in detection and reporting of non-compliances, persisting sub-par compliance, deficiencies in testing with respect to inadequate coverage and limited transaction testing, persisting irregularities due to non-addressing of root causes and not ensuring sustainability of were observed, Jain said in a speech at CAFRAL on March 10 which was uploaded on the RBI website on Tuesday. He also observed that the setup was not resourced adequately with required number and quality of staff in many cases. Jain said RBIs supervision observed a disconnect between the risk appetite framework as approved by the Board and actual business strategy and decision making. He said a weak risk culture was amplified by absence of guidance from the senior management; there was improper risk assessment, and repeated exceptions to risk policies. Conflict of interest was also evident. especially in related party transactions and absence or faulty enterprise-wide risk management. Commenting on internal audit, Jain said the audit process was unable to capture irregularities, there were instances of non-coverage of certain areas under scope of audit, and that compliance and audit were not collaborating with each other. lack of ownership and accountability, inadequate review of practices that require alignment to address interests of all stakeholders, non-compliance/delay in compliance with audit observations were some of the major concerns identified, he said. He said the banks Board must look at cyber risk as an enterprise-wide risk management issue, instead of a pure IT security issue, due to its firm-wide implications. RBI has mandated to have awareness training programmes for their Board of Directors and senior leadership team and to familiarise them with IT and relevant cybersecurity concepts. The Board must start looking at cyber risk as an enterprise-wide risk management issue, rather than a pure IT security issue, owing to its firm-wide implications, Jain said. The comments from the deputy governor come at a time when there have been several instances of cyber fraud involving bank customers who lost their money. Jain said a banks Board needs concise, accurate and timely reports to help it perform its fiduciary responsibilities. He also said that it is important to ensure that financial institutions are Board driven and do not end up being dominated by individuals. Experience has shown that this leads to undesirable consequences, he said. He said that the banking regulator expects effective engagement and support from the top management of the bank. The board should engage with the oversight and assurance functions and assure them of direct and unfettered access. The tone from the top would set the pace for a sound organization culture that values honesty and integrity, Jain who handles the supervision department in RBI, among others, said. Seven Indian-origin persons have been charged by federal authorities with in a scheme through which they made over a million dollars in illegal profits. Hari Prasad Sure, 34, Lokesh Lagudu, 31 and Chotu Prabhu Tej Pulagam, 29, are friends and worked as software engineers at Twilio, a San Francisco-based cloud computing communications company, the Securities and Exchange Commission said Monday. The complaint said Sure tipped his close friend Dileep Kumar Reddy Kamujula, 35, who successfully traded in Twilio's options. Lagudu similarly tipped his girlfriend Sai Nekkalapudi, 30 with whom he lived, and he also tipped his former roommate and close friend Abhishek Dharmapurikar, 33. Pulagam tipped his brother Chetan Prabhu Pulagam, 31. All the seven defendants live in California. The SEC announced charges against the seven individuals for allegedly generating more than USD 1 million in collective profits by ahead of Twilio's positive first quarter 2020 earnings announcement on May 6, 2020. According to the SEC's complaint, Sure, Lagudu and Chotu Pulagam had access to various databases relevant to Twilio's reporting of revenue. As alleged, around March 2020, they learned through the databases that Twilio's customers had increased their usage of the company's products and services in response to health measures taken in light of the Covid-19 pandemic, and concluded in a joint chat that Twilio's stock price would rise for sure. The SEC's complaint alleges that despite receiving a company policy that prohibited them from insider trading, Sure, Lagudu and Chotu Pulagam knowingly tipped off, or used the brokerage accounts of Kamujula, Nekkalapudi, Dharmapurikar and Chetan Pulagam to trade Twilio options and stock in advance of its May 6, 2020 earnings announcement while in possession of the confidential information concerning customer usage. According to the complaint, the scheme generated more than USD 1 million in illegal trading profits. The SEC complaint said that Sure, Lagudu and Chotu Pulagam communicated at times in Telugu, a language used frequently in parts of India. From late March to early May 2020, they engaged in discussions about the upcoming earnings announcement within a private chat channel they created at Twilio. On several occasions between late March and early May 2020, before Twilio's public earnings announcement, Sure, Lagudu and Chotu Pulagam used internal chat channels to discuss in Telugu whether Twilio might exceed market expectations in its quarterly report of earnings, due in May 2020. The complaint said that armed with valuable inside information, they had obtained from Twilio, Sure, Lagudu and Chotu Pulagam began passing tips to their family and friends through phone calls and in-person visits in advance of Twilio's earnings announcement on May 6, 2020. "We allege that this insider trading ring took advantage of valuable revenue information related to the pandemic at a San Francisco tech company," said Monique C. Winkler, Acting Regional Director of the SEC's San Francisco Regional Office. "We are holding these alleged tippers and tippees accountable for their roles in the scheme. The SEC complaint added that Kamujula, Nekkalapudi, Dharmapurikar, and Chetan Pulagam were themselves employees of other publicly traded companies, and they understood it was improper for the insiders to tip another person to trade securities on the basis of material, nonpublic information. Sure, Lagudu and Chotu Pulagam used their friends and family to profit personally from their insider trading scheme and to avoid detection. On May 4, 2020 (just two days before the scheduled Twilio earnings announcement), Sure, Pulagam, and Chotu Pulagam discussed in the chat channel their anticipation that Twilio's stock price, which was then trading around USD 110 per share, would dramatically increase following the earnings announcement and readied themselves to sell their own company restricted stock units post-announcement. Sure noted [l]ooks like [the stock price] is going to be $150, to which Chotu Pulagam responded Miillionaireeeeee, the complaint said. The SEC's complaint, filed in the Northern District of California, charges each of the defendants with violating antifraud provisions of the Securities Exchange Act. The US Attorney's Office for the Northern District of California also announced criminal charges against Kamujula. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The bodies of two Russian soldiers lie abandoned in the woods. Ukrainian forces piled atop a tank flash victory signs. Dazed people line up amid charred buildings to reach for aid. These are the sights in a Ukrainian town that has seized back control from Russian forces, at least for now. Arriving in Trostyanets shortly after Ukrainian forces announced the northeastern town near the Russian border had been retaken following weeks of Russian occupation, The Associated Press on Monday saw a civilian landscape that has seen some of the worst of war. The hospital was damaged, its windows jagged with broken glass. The train station had been shot up. Residents stepped carefully, wary of mines. They rode their bicycles past craters in the road and past the ruins of homes. It is not yet clear how many civilians have been killed. Russian tanks lay burned, twisted, left behind like the soldiers in the woods. One of the soldiers had a red band around his leg. The other had an arm flung over his head as if napping on the leaves in the late afternoon light. A Ukrainian soldier nudged him with his toe. A red Z marked a Russian truck, its windshield fractured, near stacked boxes of ammunition. Hundreds of the boxes, including ones with artillery shells, had been stacked around the town. Curious residents peered into an open box of shells. It is not clear where the Russian forces went, under what circumstances they fled or whether the town will remain free of them in the days ahead. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in his overnight address emphasised that the situation remains tense in Ukraine's northeast around Kharkiv, the nearest large city, and other areas. But the returned presence of Ukrainian forces in Trostyanets is a relief to a country that hopes some Russian forces, under fierce resistance, are pulling back. A senior US defense official said Washington believes the Ukrainians have retaken Trostyanets. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss US intelligence assessments, said Russian forces largely remained in defensive positions near the capital, Kyiv, and were making little forward progress elsewhere in the country. Late last week, with its forces stalled in parts of the country, seemed to scale back its war aims, saying its main goal was gaining control of the Donbas in the east. In Trostyanets, after weeks of occupation and intense fighting, some residents appeared to have lost all sense of normal. Personally, I have not seen much, said one resident, Vitali Butski. And yet three missiles struck his home. Many buildings beyond the railway station are damaged, he said. Bundled up against the freezing wind, he and ventured out to see what had been left behind. Unexploded ordnance littered the square in front of the train station. Trenches and berms lined the square in a sign that Russian forces tried to defend their position. In a bunker under the station, with thick walls and door, rooms were full of army uniforms and boots left behind. On the walls were patriotic messages including drawings signed by children in Russian reading Thanks for the peace, soldier." Another room had been used as a clinic, with unused drips ready and desks turned into beds, although there was no sign of blood. Packets of Russian food rations were seen amid the debris. But residents indicated that the soldiers were still hungry. In the evenings they came to us, to our houses and our basements, and stole our pickles, potatoes, lard and cucumbers, said one resident who didn't give her name. She called the Russians orcs, or goblin-like creatures. Militias from the Donetsk and Luhansk regions were there as well, she said. The entire town had been occupied. Now, for residents, there is some space to breathe. In line for aid, they waved to passing Ukrainian tanks. As you can see, there were battles here over the past month. Projectiles were flying over, and people were saying they were frightened, said Evgeni Kosin with the emergency services. They were left without food and water. There was a horrible humanitarian situation. Now that there are no flyovers or shelling in the last three days, perhaps it is getting better. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Shares in fell as much as 6% in early trading on Tuesday, after one of its top investors offloaded a $1.2 billion chunk of stock in the lender at a discount overnight. An unnamed investor sold 599 million shares on Monday evening, facilitated by Goldman Sachs. The shares are roughly equivalent to a 3.6% stake, according to Refinitiv Eikon data. The sale deals a further blow to just a day after it disclosed a compliance blunder leading to an estimated 450 million pound ($589 million) loss for overseling structured products in the United States. shares were last down 3.3% at 115.22 pence at 1004 GMT on Tuesday, after tumbling 4% on Monday. Capital Group offloaded 399 million shares on Monday, according to Eikon data, but it was unclear whether the sale was connected to the transaction managed by Goldman Sachs. Capital Group is one of the world's largest investment firms, and parent to the American Funds brand that is popular among millions of U.S. investors and retirement savers. Capital Group declined to comment. Other top Barclays shareholders with around a 3% stake in the lender include the Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) and Blackrock, according to Eikon data. Blackrock declined to comment when approached by Reuters on Monday, while QIA was not immediately available for comment. QIA last week offloaded 1.2% of miner and commodity trader Glencore for about $1.04 billion. The Barclays sale was priced at 150 pence on Tuesday, towards the top of the target range of 147.50 pence to 150.75 pence, but this still represented a discount greater than 6% to Monday's closing price, pressuring the share price. The sale was slightly bigger than the 575 million shares outlined on Monday evening, netting the seller 899 million pounds ($1.18 billion), a person involved in the deal told Reuters, adding the book was multiple times oversubscribed. Barclays said on Monday it would have to delay a planned 1 billion pound share buyback because of the structured products loss, which it will have to incur as a result of buying back the securities in question at their original purchase price. The regulatory blunder is an early test for C.S.Venkatakrishnan, the newly-appointed chief executive of Barclays, whose previous roles included heading the bank's global markets and risk operations. ($1 = 0.7640 pounds) (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) US President has proposed to increase the developmental assistance to India in clean energy, digital economy, and also in combating increasing authoritarianism. The proposed increase in India's developmental assistance from USD 25 million in 2021 to USD 66 million for the fiscal 2023 is part of the State Department's developmental assistance for the fiscal 2023, which was sent by the White House to the US Congress on Monday. The funding increase for India supports India's role as a regional leader by increasing and other climate programming. Funds will also advance investments in the digital economy, said the State Department's portion of the budget. Assistance will combat increasing authoritarianism, bolster human rights and strengthen civil society participation and democratic governance, the State Department said. The Biden Administration has also proposed to increase aid to India on the health sector from USD 34.5 million in 2021 to 48.5 million in 2023. Overall, the administration has proposed USD 302.2 million in developmental assistance for South Asia to promote sustainable development to resist harmful economic practices and unsustainable debt. Funding will also combat climate change by increasing investments in and adaptation to climate risks, it said. The State Department also cited a program Treasury's Office of Technical Assistance (OTA) to India as one of its success stories. With OTA support, India's Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs made significant progress in its Smart Cities program to promote issuance of local project debt by cities, the State Department said. Local debt issuance in its infancy in India helps to foster greater ownership and improved planning of infrastructure and development projects, which currently range from water treatment to improved local transportation, it said. OTA previously worked with the Indian municipality of Pune to help facilitate its first bond issuance in 2017. Based on this success, OTA and the Ministry of Housing of Urban Affairs expanded collaboration to include six additional cities -- Vadodara, Pimpri Chinchwad, Rajkot, Faridabad, Mangaluru and Mysuru. According to the State Department, OTA is working with the cities in coordination with the Ministry to help incorporate best practices and lessons learned from the US municipal finance system, enable better project vetting and monitoring, improve disclosure to investors, and lower the cost of capital for the regional capital improvement plan. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) U.S. President Joe Biden, his aides and Western allies are scrambling to explain his remark that Russian leader could not remain in power because they do not want to escalate conflict between Washington and Moscow, officials said. The nine-word line, at the end of a 27-minute speech in Warsaw on Saturday, has distracted from what some observers regard as the best piece of rhetoric of Biden's presidency. It made foreign allies uneasy at the end of an otherwise successful trip aimed at uniting allies against Russia, and has raised fresh questions about the United States' long-term strategy for its former Cold War foe. "For God's sake, this man cannot remain in power," Biden said in the Polish capital after condemning Putin's month-long war in Ukraine at length. A White House official told Reuters the comment about Putin was not in the scripted speech. Asked whether the sentiment reflected Biden's true feelings, the official didn't answer directly but noted that the U.S. president has not shied away from calling his Russian counterpart a "butcher" and "war criminal." In his political career, Biden has made some notable verbal missteps during freewheeling sessions with reporters or other spontaneous events. On his recent European trip, Biden said the United States would respond "in kind" if used chemical weapons in Ukraine and suggested that U.S. troops would go to the frontlines, neither of which represent U.S. policy. But Saturday's remark wasn't one of those situations - he was speaking to an audience from a teleprompter. In the minutes before he called for Putin's departure from power, the crowd of roughly 1,000 people was clearly feeding off Biden's remarks, clapping, waving flags and even starting a chant. Biden's emotional declaration gave voice to the frustration that many Western countries - and many U.S. voters - feel about the invasion of Ukraine, one ally to the Democratic president said. It came, officials explained, after a day that included Biden meeting with Ukrainian refugees uprooted by war and government officials in Ukraine trying to respond to Russian bombing campaigns that have ravaged cities and, according to the United Nations human rights office, killed at least 1,119 civilians. Nonetheless, the remark echoes long-standing accusations from and other nations that the United States seeks an imperialistic role in world conflicts, and escalates tensions as the West tries to manage an increasingly unpredictable Putin. The clean-up effort was swift and widespread, reflecting a strong desire inside the administration to avoid escalation with Russia, even it if dinged Biden's reputation. The U.S. secretary of state, White House press office, U.S. ambassador to NATO, and German chancellor all shot the idea of regime change down within a day, capped by Biden himself who bluntly said "No," when asked by reporters in Washington if he is calling for regime change. On Monday, Biden explained to reporters at the White House that his remark reflected his own "moral outrage" about Putin's actions, rather than any policy change. Still he added, if the Russian leader "continues on the course that he's on, he's going to become a pariah worldwide and who knows what he becomes at home in terms of support." Officials in the Biden administration have said in recent weeks that they have grown increasingly concerned about Putin's decision-making and his country's more casual invocation of the threat of nuclear weapons, a posture that made Biden's statement even more surprising. WHAT IS THE END GAME? In recent weeks, the Biden administration has distanced itself from suggestions, including by U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham, that the solution to the crisis in Ukraine is Putin's forcible removal. But it has described actions against Russian companies, banks, government officials and oligarchs as directly aimed at Putin, an attempt to alienate him from supporters domestically and on the foreign stage. Putin is now more "isolated from the world than he has ever been," Biden said during his State of the Union address to Congress on March 1; a week later he announced plans to "squeeze" Putin further. Despite engaging directly with Putin, Biden was unsuccessful in coaxing him into not invading Ukraine in the first place. Since the invasion began on Feb. 24, Biden has attempted to speak directly to the Russians instead. "You, the Russian people, are not our enemy," the U.S. president said in Warsaw. Biden officials have not answered questions about what "end game" scenarios the White House envisions around the Ukraine invasion, or how they think Putin might deescalate the conflict. Last week, one of Putin's closest allies, Dmitry Medvedev, warned the United States that the Russian president's departure from power could create an unstable leadership in "with a maximum number of nuclear weapons aimed at targets in the United States and Europe." Asked about Biden's comment in Warsaw, which received little coverage on Russian state television, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said: "This is a statement that is certainly alarming." Andrew Lohsen, an expert on the conflict and a fellow at the Center for Strategic and Studies, a think tank, warned: "This is going to be part and parcel of Russian disinformation campaigns to malign the motivations of the United States." (Reporting by Trevor Hunnicutt in Washington and Jarrett Renshaw in Warsaw; Editing by Heather Timmons and Paul Simao) (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Canadian government has selected Corp. and the F-35 as the preferred bidder in its competition to buy a new fighter jet, government officials said Monday. is planning to buy 88 new fighter jets to replace its CF-18s. The government has budgeted about $19 billion Canadian ($15 billion) for the purchase. Procurement Minister Filomena Tassi said was deemed to be the top ranked bidder. Delivery of the first aircraft would be scheduled for 2025 if an agreement is reached. If an agreement is not reached the government has the option to enter into talks with Saab, whose Gripen fighter came second to the F-35 in the competition. has a close relationship with the United States, which includes using fighter jets together to defend North American air space. previously ruled out the Boeing's Super Hornet. A former Conservative Canadian government previously announced the purchase of the F-35 but the current Liberal government delayed the decision and opened up the bidding to competition. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Russian communications regulator Roskomnadzor on Tuesday said it had drawn up two administrative cases against Alphabets for failing to remove banned information, accusing it of blatantly promoting false content. Roskomnadzor said could be fined up to 8 million roubles ($91,533), or as much as 20 per cent of the companys annual revenue in for repeat offences. It said YouTube had become one of the key platforms involved in the information war against . to buy back $2 bn in Eurobond for rubles Russia said on Tuesday it was launching a buyback offer on its $2-billion sovereign Eurobonds maturing on April 4, its biggest debt payment of the year, and would make full payment to bondholders taking up the offer in rubles. The move follows ever-tightening Western sanctions imposed on Russia over its invasion on . The Eurobonds would be bought at a price equivalent to 100 per cent of their nominal value, it said. The bond has a 30-day grace period and no provisions for payments in alternative currencies, according to JPMorgan. did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment.Separately, the CEO of Google and Alphabet said on Tuesday that information technology are focused on providing reliable information and stymying Russian propaganda about the invasion of .Pichai met with Polands Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki in Warsaw to discuss ways of aiding the people of war-torn . UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Monday that he has been in "very close contact" with and other countries including Turkey, China and Israel on mediation efforts towards bringing an end to the war in Ukraine. Russian President Vladimir Putin launched a military offensive against Ukraine on February 24. "I've been in close contact with several countries that have been talking to the parties at the highest level in order to explore the different forms of mediation leading to a political solution. I've been in very close contact with our Turkish friends, with Qatar, with Israel, with India, China but also France, Germany. And it is my belief that all these efforts are essential in order to create the conditions to allow for, finally, this war to come to an end, Guterres told reporters here. When asked if all those countries are supporting his effort, Guterres said, "I hope so." Last week, Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla had met Guterres at the UN headquarters and discussed the situation in Ukraine, Afghanistan and Myanmar. Sources had said that Shringla's meeting with Guterres lasted about an hour and the two discussed the issue of Ukraine. It is understood that Guterres had said that a country like has a very major role to play given that is one of the few countries that commanded respect across the board and was able to reach out to both the sides over the current situation, which needs countries and leaders who can play a role in helping resolve the issue. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has held several phone conversations with Russian President Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and called for immediate cessation of violence as well as concerted efforts from all sides to return to the path of diplomatic negotiations and dialogue. Earlier also Guterres had said that he has been in close contact with a number of countries, including China, France, Germany, India, Israel and Turkey, on mediation efforts to "bring an end to this war." Guterres announced that exercising his good offices, he has asked Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Martin Griffiths "immediately" to explore with the parties involved the possible agreements and arrangements for a humanitarian ceasefire in Ukraine. "Since the beginning of the Russian invasion one month ago, the war has led to the senseless loss of thousands of lives; the displacement of ten million people, mainly women and children; the systematic destruction of essential infrastructure; and skyrocketing food and energy prices worldwide. This must stop, Guterres said. Asserting that the solution to the humanitarian tragedy caused by Russia's invasion of Ukraine is not humanitarian but political, the UN chief appealed for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire, to allow for progress in serious political negotiations, aimed at reaching a peace agreement based on the principles of the United Nations Charter. "A cessation of hostilities will allow essential humanitarian aid to be delivered and enable civilians to move around safely. It will save lives, prevent suffering, and protect civilians," he said. Guterres expressed hope that a ceasefire will also help to address the global consequences of the war, which risk compounding the deep hunger crisis in many developing countries that already lack fiscal space to invest in their recovery from the pandemic, and now face soaring food and energy costs. In the past month, UN humanitarian agencies and their partners have reached nearly 900,000 people, mainly in eastern Ukraine, with food, shelter, blankets, medicine, bottled water, and hygiene supplies. There are now more than 1,000 United Nations personnel in the country, working via eight humanitarian hubs in Dnipro, Vinnytsia, Lviv, Uzhorod, Chernivitzi, Mukachevo, Luhansk and Donetsk, he said. The World Food Programme and partners reached 800,000 people in the past month and are scaling up to reach 1.2 million people by mid-April. The World Health Organisation and partners have reached more than half a million people in the most vulnerable areas with emergency health, trauma and surgery kits. In response to a question, Guterres said Griffiths, who is currently in Kabul, will "immediately start" his peace effort. Guterres hoped Griffiths will be able to go to both Moscow and Kyiv as soon as that becomes possible. "It's very important to establish a serious dialogue with both parties in relation to the possibility of this humanitarian ceasefire." Griffiths tweeted that he began his visit to Afghanistan Monday at the Indira Gandhi Children's Hospital in Kabul. "I struggle to put into words how profoundly affected I was by the plight of the babies I met. Tiny, listless newborns, two to an incubator, suffering from acute malnutrition. "A mother caring for her severely malnourished baby, after having already lost two children. Hospital staff telling me three newborns have already died today alone. They need our help. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Information technology are focused on providing reliable information and stymying Russian propaganda about the invasion of Ukraine, the CEO of Google and Alphabet Inc. said Tuesday. Sundar Pichai met with Poland's Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki in Warsaw to discuss ways of aiding the people of war-torn . We are also working to make sure that trustworthy and helpful information gets to people through our products, Pichai said after the meeting. That includes air raid alerts to Ukrainians as well as information about shelters and humanitarian aid. We are also blocking channels and apps associated with Russia's state-funded media, Pichai said. Google has donated $35 million to humanitarian organisations working in and is offering grants and fellowships for refugees and for Poland's NGOs. Another $10 million will go to supporting civil society in . Pichai and Morawiecki also held a remote meeting with the Prime Minister of Slovenia, Janez Jansa and with a representative of COVID-19-infected Czech premier, Petr Fiala. The three prime ministers met with Ukraine's president Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv two weeks ago, to discuss best ways of offering support. Leaders of countries bordering and Ukraine have appealed to the heads of big for help in fighting false information and in curbing Russian propaganda about the war. Morawiecki expressed his personal thanks to Pichai, for his critical role in spreading the truth at the time of war. is moving from autocracy to the totalitarian regime where the propaganda is so important," Morawiecki said. This is why the role of Google and information platforms is critically important in this war for freedom, Morawiecki said. Google is helping in this war for freedom (by) spreading the truth. Pichai also met with Poland's NGO humanitarian organizations and teams of Ukrainian startups. Some 2.3 million from the 4 million Ukrainian refugees have sought safety in Poland since the Feb. 24 start of Russia's invasion. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) (Reuters) - said on Tuesday it would halt sale of personal care products in Russia, joining other that have limited their business in the country in response to its invasion of Ukraine. said it would continue to supply medicines and medical devices in the region as those are excluded from Western sanctions. It will, however, not enroll more patients in clinical drug trials it was running in Russia, it said earlier. The company, which gets about 1% of its sales from Russia, has previously said that half of its business in the region is pharmaceuticals and a majority of its product portfolio from its consumer health business comes within the essential health space of over-the-counter medicines. is one of the biggest drugmakers in the world and also has a sizeable consumer health business that sells skin care, beauty and oral care products under brands including Neutrogena, Aveeno and Listerine. AbbVie, which owns blockbuster wrinkle treatment Botox, said earlier this month it had temporarily suspended operations for all its aesthetics products in Russia. Consumer goods giants such as PepsiCo Inc, Procter & Gamble Co and Nestle SA have said they will retain a presence in Russia to provide basic items for nutrition and hygiene. had previously said it would pause enrollment in clinical trials in Russia, Ukraine and Belarus but was committed to providing essential health products. Large U.S. drugmakers Eli Lilly and Co and Pfizer have announced plans to pull back investments and promotions from Russia, but pledged to continue supply of medicine and medical equipment. Earlier this month, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy urged pharmaceutical including J&J to join conglomerates withdrawing from Russia completely. (Reporting by Manojna Maddipatla in Bengaluru; Editing by Shinjini Ganguli) (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) dropped on Tuesday, extending losses from the previous day on signs of progress in talks between Russia and Ukraine to end their weeks-long conflict, with prices further pressured by China's new lockdowns to curb the spread of the coronavirus. Brent crude fell $6.51, or 5.8%, to $105.97 a barrel by 1342 GMT and U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude was down $6.41, or 6%, at $99.55. Both benchmarks lost about 7% on Monday. Ukrainian and Russian negotiators met in Turkey for the first face-to-face talks in nearly three weeks. The top Russian negotiator said the talks were "constructive". Russia promised at the peace talks to scale down its military operations around Kyiv and northern Ukraine, while Ukraine proposed adoption of neutral status but with guarantees that it would be protected from attack. " are under pressure again on expectations from peace talks between Ukraine and Russia, which could lead to an easing of sanctions," said Hiroyuki Kikukawa, general manager of research at Nissan Securities. Sanctions imposed on Russia over its invasion of Ukraine have disrupted oil supplies, driving prices higher. Prices were also pressured on Tuesday by fears over Chinese demand after new lockdowns in Shanghai to curb rising coronavirus cases. Shanghai accounts for about 4% of China's oil consumption, ANZ Research analysts said. Lockdowns have dampened consumption of transportation fuels in China to a point where some independent refiners are trying to resell crude purchased for delivery over the next two months, traders and analysts said. "China's zero-COVID policy is bringing some relief to the oil market, albeit involuntarily, which is very tight due to the supply outages from Russia," said Commerzbank analyst Carsten Fritsch. rose almost $2 earlier in the day as Kazakhstan's supplies continued to be disrupted and major producers showed no sign of being in a hurry to boost output significantly. Kazakhstan is set to lose at least a fifth of its oil production for a month after storm damage to mooring points used to export crude from the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC), the energy ministry said. The OPEC+ producer group, meanwhile, is expected to stick to its plan for a modest output rise in May despite high prices and calls from the United States and other consumers for more supply. The energy ministers of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, key members of OPEC+, said the producer group should not engage in politics as pressure mounted on them to take action against Russia over its invasion of Ukraine. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) U.S. crude futures slid in early trade on Tuesday, extending losses from the previous session on the prospect of a sharp drop in fuel demand as Shanghai shut down to curb a surge in COVID cases and as Ukraine and Russia headed for peace talks. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures touched a low of $103.46 a barrel shortly after opening and were down $2.09, or 2%, at $103.87 at 2236 GMT, after dropping about 7% on Monday. Brent crude futures were poised to open around $3 lower, also after sliding around 7% in the previous session. Ukraine and Russia were set to meet in Istanbul on Tuesday for their first peace talks in over two weeks. Sanctions imposed on Russia after it invaded Ukraine have curtailed oil supply and earlier this month sent prices to 14-year highs. Russia calls its actions in Ukraine a "special operation" to disarm its neighbour. Offsetting concerns about tight supply, Shanghai's two-stage lockdown over nine days is expected to hit fuel demand in China, the world's largest oil importer. The country's financial hub accounts for about 4% of China's oil consumption, ANZ Research analysts said. Traffic data from Baidu showed peak morning traffic in the city was down 45% as workers stayed home, ANZ analysts said in a note. (Reporting by Sonali Paul in Melbourne; Editing by Chris Reese) (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) By Bozorgmehr Sharafedin LONDON (Reuters) - rose on Tuesday, recovering some of the previous session's losses as Kazakhstan's supplies continued to be disrupted and major producers showed no sign of being in a hurry to boost output significantly. Brent crude rose $1.41, or 1.3%, to $113.89 a barrel at 0848 GMT, and U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude was up 95 cents, or 0.9%, at $106.91. Both benchmarks had lost about 7% on Monday. "There was an overreaction on Monday and the market is re-considering it," UBS analyst Giovanni Staunovo said. "Oil production disruption in Russia finally become visible, Kazakh crude production took a hit in recent days, and gasoline and jet demand in Europe and the United States is still solid." Kazakhstan's giant Tengiz and Kashagan fields cut oil output on March 27 after huge drops in intake to the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC) pipeline due to maintenance on its terminal, two sources said. The producer group OPEC+ was also expected to stick to its for a modest rise in May at this week's meeting, despite a surge in prices due to the Ukraine crisis and calls from the United States and other consumers for more supply. United Arab Emirates energy minister Suhail al-Mazrouei said on Tuesday that the mission of OPEC+ was to stabilise and come up with as much supply as possible. He said squeezing any partner out of the oil alliance, which includes the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, Russia and others, would only increase prices. had come under pressure earlier on Tuesday, falling as much as $2, ahead of peace talks between Ukraine and Russia to be held in Turkey on Tuesday, the first discussions in more than two weeks. Sanctions imposed on Russia over its invasion of Ukraine have disrupted oil supplies, driving prices higher. But a lockdown in Shanghai to curb rising coronavirus cases was expected to hit fuel demand in China, the world's biggest importer. Shanghai accounts for about 4% of China's oil consumption, ANZ Research analysts said. "China's zero-COVID policy is bringing some relief to the oil market, albeit involuntarily, which is very tight due to the supply outages from Russia," said Commerzbank analyst Carsten Fritsch. (Reporting by Yuka Obayashi in Tokyo and Bozorgmehr Sharafedin in London; Additional reporting by Sonali Paul in Melbourne; Editing by Jason Neely and Edmund Blair) (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Pakistan's opposition parties have vowed to bring down the beleaguered government of Prime Minister who is facing his toughest political test since assuming office in 2018. The Democratic Movement (PDM), which among others include Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Fazl (JUI-I), organised a big rally on the Srinagar Highway in Islamabad on Monday night. Muslim League (N) (PML-N) vice president Maryam Nawaz and leader of the opposition in Punjab Assembly Hamza Shehbaz who had started the rally from Lahore on March 26, arrived two days later in Islamabad to join the supporters of Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) and other Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) parties who had already set up a camp. Maryam, daughter and heir of former three-time premier Nawaz Sharif, castigated incumbent prime minister Khan for using the religious card to save his tottering throne. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Pentagon may have to ask Congress for additional money to support Ukraine's battle against Russia's invasion, including to replenish America's arsenal for weapons sent to Kyiv, officials said Monday. Rolling out the Defense Department's USD 773 billion request for fiscal 2023, Pentagon leaders said the budget was finalized before the invasion so it has no specific money for the war. Congress approved a USD 13.5 billion emergency funding package in early March. The leaders said it was too early to predict how quickly Ukrainian forces will use up the weapons and ammunition already being provided, and how much the US will need to replace what it sends to Ukraine, such as Stinger and Javelin missiles or body armour and other equipment. We'll have to look at this again, probably in the summer, to be prepared for some of the more difficult options, said Pentagon comptroller Michael McCord. In the initial phases, at least, obviously we have been running through that drawdown at a fairly high rate. So, were that to continue, yes, we probably would need to address that again in the future. Despite the war in Europe, McCord said the US still views China as America's top challenge. We did not feel that what's happening today altered the picture that China is the No. 1 issue to keep our eye on, he said. Obviously, you can draw your own conclusions about Russia's performance on the battlefield. As the war enters its second month, the US has been sending troops, aircraft and other weapons to NATO's eastern flank, where nations worry they may be Russia's next targets. The Pentagon said the budget recognizes that Russia is an acute threat," and the totals include more than USD 5 billion to provide support to European allies and increase America's ability to work with them. The budget also invests heavily in high-tech weapons and capabilities needed to counter China, Russia and other adversaries. The programs range from hypersonic missiles and artificial intelligence to cyber warfare and space-based missile warning and defense systems. The 2023 budget plan includes a 4.6% pay hike for the military and for Defence Department civilians -- the largest raise in 20 years. And it provides $479 million to expand sexual assault prevention, treatment and judicial programs, including the hiring of about 2,000 personnel, including counsellors and prosecutors. The department also is seeking USD 1 billion to continue efforts to shut down the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility in Hawaii that leaked petroleum into Pearl Harbor's tap water. The money is in addition to USD 1 billion already allocated, and will help pay for remediation of the site, ongoing needs of the affected families, litigation costs and the development of alternative fuel locations for the US military in the region. Nearly 6,000 people, mostly those living in military housing at or near Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam were sickened, seeking treatment for nausea, headaches, rashes and other ailments. And 4,000 military families were forced out of their homes. The budget includes USD 34.4 billion to accelerate modernisation of the nation's nuclear weapons arsenal, largely following the path set by the Obama administration and continued by former President Donald Trump. One of the few changes was a decision by the Biden administration to eliminate plans for a sea-launched nuclear cruise missile. That program, started by Trump and criticized by many Democrats as overkill, was in the early stages of research and development. Other cuts are proposed in the budget including the decommissioning of several ships, a reduction in the number of F-35 fighter jets purchased in 2023 compared to earlier plans, and an effort to phase out the Army's A-10 attack aircraft. Congress has repeatedly overruled efforts to cut the A-10 in the past. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) US President on Monday proposed a USD 1.8 billion to support his Strategy along with another USD 400 million to counter the malign Chinese behaviour. Both are part of the USD 773 billion annual defence budget of the US for the year 2023, which was submitted by the White House to the Congress as part of its annual budgetary proposals. In the Indo-Pacific, America is strengthening its role and expanding its cooperation with longtime allies and partners, including new diplomatic, defence and security, critical and emerging technology and supply chain, and climate and global health initiatives, while supporting stronger ties between our European and Indo Pacific allies, Biden said. The President has prioritized strategic competition with China and worked with allies and partners to resist coercion and deter aggression from Beijing and Moscow, and has ended America's 20-year war in Afghanistan while removing all US troops, the White House said. The budget, the White House said, promotes integrated deterrence in the and globally. To sustain and strengthen deterrence, the budget prioritizes China as the Department's pacing challenge. To support American leadership in defending democracy, freedom, and security worldwide, the Budget includes nearly USD 1.8 billion to support a free and open, connected, secure, and resilient Region and the Indo-Pacific Strategy, and USD 400 million for the Chinese Malign Influence Fund. In addition, the Budget provides USD 682 million for Ukraine, an increase of USD 219 million above the 2021 enacted level, to counter Russian malign influence and to meet emerging needs related to security, energy, cybersecurity issues, disinformation, macroeconomic stabilization, and civil society resilience. According to the White House, Department Of Defence's 2023 Pacific Deterrence Initiative highlights some of the key investments the Department is making that are focused on strengthening deterrence in the Indo-Pacific region. The Department is building the concepts, capabilities, and posture necessary to meet these challenges, working in concert with the interagency and US allies and partners to ensure US deterrence is integrated across domains, theaters, and the spectrum of conflict, it said. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Defence Minister held a telephonic conversation with his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Gantz on Tuesday, during which both sides looked forward to further strengthening the bilateral ties. The telephonic talks came shortly after Israel announced the postponement of Prime Minister Naftali Bennett's visit to India. Bennett tested positive for COVID-19 Sunday. "Had a telephonic conversation with the Defence Minister of Israel, Mr. Benjamin Gantz. Shared my condolences on loss of innocent lives due to terror attacks in Israel. Terrorism is a global menace which has no place in today's civilised world," Singh said in a tweet. In another tweet, he said both the countries look forward to further strengthening the bilateral relations as India and Israel complete 30 years of full diplomatic relations. "Defence cooperation is the founding pillar of our strategic partnership. Military cooperation has been on an upward swing in recent years," Singh said. "Also, I wished for the speedy recovery of Israeli Prime Mr. Naftali Bennett who recently tested positive for Covid," he added. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) said it would work out practical arrangements by Thursday for foreign companies to pay for its gas in rubles, raising the probability of supply disruptions as Western nations have so far rejected Moscows demand for a currency switch. The EU is assessing a scenarios including a full halt to Russian next winter, as part of its contingency planning for supply shocks, the European Commission said last week. President Vladimir Putins recent order to charge unfriendly countries in rubles for Russian gas has boosted the currency after it fell to all-time lows when the West imposed sanctions against Moscow over its invasion of Ukraine. No one will supply gas for free, it is simply impossible, and you can pay for it only in rubles, spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Tuesday. The move has drawn strong criticism from European countries, which pay for Russian gas mostly in euros and say is not entitled to redraw contracts, with the G7 nations rejecting Moscows demands this week. G7 countries have called upon companies not to accede to ruble payments and that most gas supply contracts stipulate euro or US dollar payments. says reports of poisoning are untrue The on Tuesday dismissed reports that Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich had been poisoned, saying they were untrue and part of an information war. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said that Abramovich is not an official member of the Russian team negotiating with Ukraine, but is present at the talks in Turkey to enable certain contacts between the two sides. Biden to discuss Ukraine with European leaders US President Joe Biden will talk to the leaders of France, Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom on Tuesday to discuss the latest developments in Russias invasion of Ukraine, the White House said. Biden is scheduled to convene the call with French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, it said. Biden says comments on Putin were moral outrage US President Joe Biden has said that he would make no apologies and was not walking anything back after his controversial remark that President cannot remain in power" and emphasising that his comment was a moral outrage that he felt after invaded Ukraine. The Russian delegation has arrived in Turkey's largest city on Monday for a fresh round of peace talks with Ukraine, the CNN Turk broadcaster reported. The plane carrying the Russian representatives landed at the Ataturk Airport, which is exclusively used for diplomatic missions, it said. According to Turkish diplomatic sources, the talks are expected to begin on Tuesday morning, Xinhua news agency reported. In a phone call on Sunday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin agreed to hold the next round of negotiations in . Erdogan reiterated that Turkey would continue to contribute in every possible way during this process. So far, and Ukraine have held three rounds of in-person talks in Belarus, and their fourth session was a video conference. --IANS int/shs (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Consultation platforms near peoples homes help bring prompt solutions to Chinese peoples needs 09:10, March 29, 2022 By Shi Ziqiang ( People's Daily On a sunny spring afternoon, Yang Xiaoyan, a 69-year-old resident in Huocun village, Xingtang county, Shijiazhuang city, north Chinas Hebei province, was playing Chinese chess with his old fellows at a newly built leisure square, or the activity center for senior residents. Representatives of residents of Zhuge village, Gaotai township, Qingshen county, Meishan city, southwest Chinas Sichuan province, take part in a discussion at a meeting room dedicated to villagers consultative meetings, March 17, 2022. (Peoples Daily Online/Yao Yongliang) The leisure square covers an area of more than 1,000 square meters and is equipped with various kinds of exercise and leisure facilities, including a ping-pong table, a table for chess and card games, stage for performance of traditional Chinese opera, a rest pavilion, and a cultural corridor designed to promote traditional virtues among the Chinese nation, such as filial piety and righteousness. Just a few months ago, senior residents of Huocun village were upset that they couldnt find a suitable place to take physical exercise and enjoy leisure activities. Things started to change in September 2021, when the Xingtang county committee of Chinas top political advisory body, the Chinese Peoples Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), held a mobile consultative meeting in Huocun village to hear villagers voices and suggestions. Now that we can eat well and dress well, the only one more thing we would like to have is a place for leisure activities, said senior residents of the village at the meeting. After the meeting, the CPPCC committee of Xingtang county immediately carried out discussions on the issue with the housing and urban-rural development bureau of the county and the government of Zhili township, and they eventually decided to build an activity center for senior residents on a tract of idle residential land in the village. The construction of the activity center was completed in merely three months. The mobile consultative meeting is one of the mobile consultation platforms launched by the CPPCC Xingtang county committee. To facilitate the work of the CPPCC committee at the community level and strengthen the communication between political advisors and local people so as to further tap into the strengths of the CPPCC committee as a dedicated consultative body, the CPPCC Xingtang county committee has carried out mobile consultative meeting near peoples homes to better engage local people in discussions on matters involving them since August 2021. Photo taken on Feb. 3, 2021 shows a consultative meeting held in Fenghuang village, Zhongxing township, Youxian district, Mianyang city, southwest Chinas Sichuan province. The meeting was organized by the Youxian district committee of Chinas top political advisory body, the Chinese Peoples Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), to involve local people in discussions on local affairs. (Peoples Daily Online/Cheng Heping) By holding consultative meetings near peoples homes, we mean to encourage more people to take part in discussions on local affairs, said Zhang Shengli, chairman of the CPPCC Xingtang county committee. Although the matters discussed during consultations directly related to the interests of the people, they used to be unable to take part in these consultations due to various reasons, said Zhang, adding that participants in consultations organized by the CPPCC Xingtang county committee in the past were mainly officials and experts. Since its inconvenient for the people to come and attend the consultations, we decided to bring consultative meeting to their homes, Zhang said. The mobile consultation platforms launched by the CPPCC Xingtang county committee lay emphasis on both determining matters to be discussed during consultative meetings and finding and identifying problems through such meetings. Teams led by officials with the CPPCC Xingtang county committee often organize consultative meetings at communities, villages, and factories to engage local people in the discussions of matters involving them. Once problems are identified at these meetings, political advisors immediately hold consultations with officials of local government and later invite relevant authorities to the spots where the problems occur to discuss solutions. Such mobile consultative meetings not only offer the people an opportunity to speak out freely, but also involve various local authorities and government departments in the discussions on and settlement of problems and help CPPCC members better fulfill their duties, thus benefiting multiple parties, according to Zhang. We are going to make sure the mobile consultative meeting is carried out in a standardized and more orderly manner and develop it into a special consultation mechanism trusted by the people, so that it can play a greater role in grassroots-level social governance, he added. Besides Xingtang county, other places across the country have also witnessed the exuberant vitality of grassroots consultative democracy, which has been applied extensively at multiple levels and given rich content. The Chinese people have explored and initiated numerous popular and pragmatic grassroots forms and practices of democracy, from courtyard discussions to neighborhood meetings, from offline roundtables to online group chats, and from democratic discussions to mobile consultative meetings. As more and more political advisors involve themselves deeply in grassroots-level democratic consultations to resolve the most pressing difficulties and problems that are of great concern to the people, the innovative forms of consultative democracy that emerge one after another in China are continuously injecting fresh vigor into the countrys whole-process peoples democracy. (Web editor: Hongyu, Liang Jun) Air raid sirens sounded across Ukraine before dawn on Tuesday as Ukrainian and Russian negotiators prepared to meet in for face-to-face talks, with Kyiv seeking a ceasefire without compromising on territory or sovereignty. FIGHTING * Russia continues missile and bomb strikes in an attempt to completely destroy infrastructure and residential areas of Ukrainian cities, said Ukraine military general staff. * Russia said it destroyed large ammunition depots in the Zhytomyr region and hit 41 Ukrainian military sites in the past 24 hours. * Ukraine said it seized back control of Irpin, near Kyiv. A U.S. official said the eastern town of Trostyanets, south of Sumy, was back in Ukrainian hands. Reuters could not confirm the reports. * Russian soldiers who seized the Chernobyl site drove armoured vehicles without radiation protection through a highly toxic zone called the "Red Forest", workers there said. TALKS AND DIPLOMACY * Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich and Ukrainian peace negotiators suffered symptoms of suspected poisoning after a meeting, the Wall Street Journal reported. But a U.S. official said intelligence suggests the symptoms were due to an environmental factor, not poisoning. * The Kremlin said Joe Biden's remark that Putin "cannot remain in power" was a cause for alarm. Biden said the comment reflected his own moral outrage, not a U.S. policy shift. * Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy urged Western nations to toughen sanctions including an oil embargo. CIVILIANS * The U.N. human rights office said 1,119 civilians had been killed and 1,790 wounded since Russia began its attack. * Nearly 5,000 people, including about 210 children, have been killed in besieged Mariupol, a spokesman for its mayor said. ECONOMY * Russia said it would not supply gas to Europe for free as it worked out methods for accepting payments for its gas exports in roubles. G7 nations refused the demand. * U.S. and German officials are due to meet in Berlin this week with energy industry executives to discuss ways to boost alternative supplies for Germany. * Russia's invasion has cost Ukraine $564.9 billion in terms of damage to infrastructure, lost economic growth and other factors, Economy Minister Svyrydenko said. QUOTES * "We are not trading people, land or sovereignty," Ukrainian Foreign Minister Kuleba said of the talks in . * "We have destroyed the myth of the invincible Russian army," Kyiv Mayor Klitschko said. (Compiled by Michael Perry; Editing by Stephen Coates) (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Since the Russian blockade in Mariupol began on March 1, some 5,000 people have been killed, 170,000 still remain under siege, while 150,000 were evacuated from the strategic Ukrainian port city, according to preliminary estimates. Of the 5,000 victims, 210 were children, Ukrayinska Pravda reported citing the government estimates. Before the ongoing siege began, 140,000 residents left the coastal city. The estimates further revealed that 30,000 people have been deported by the Russian troops, forcefully taken to the captured territories in the east of or to Russia. Meanwhile, 90 per cent of the high-rise apartment buildings in the city have been damaged, of which 1,560 (60 per cent) were directly hit by Russian missiles, bombs, or artillery, and 1,040 (40 per cent) were completely destroyed. At least 61,200 private residences have been damaged, while a total of seven hospitals were also hit. The estimates also showed that two manufacturing plants, one port, and 3,057 military bases have also been damaged. Among education institutions, 90 per cent of them have been damaged, including 23 schools and 28 kindergartens that were totally destroyed. On Monday, Mariupol Mayor Vadym Boychenko has called for the complete evacuation of the city as there is no water, light, heat or any means of communication. --IANS ksk/ (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Dmytro Khilyuk, a journalist working for the Ukrainian Independent News Agency (UNIAN), was abducted by Russian forces on March 4 from a village in the Kiev region, a media watchdog announced. In a statement posted on its website on Monday, the Media Initiative for Human Rights said on the eve of his disappearance, Dmytro wrote on Facebook that his village of Kozarovychi in Vyshhorod district, was "under occupation" and that there was no water, the shops were empty and the internet connection was very weak. He claimed in his post that Russian troops were "going from house to house", and people remained inside their homes as there were periodic shooting in the village. According to the watchdog, Khilyuk's disappearance was first reported by his friends in the media, who were unable to contact him. His friends "learned from neighbours that Khilyuk was detained by people in Russian military uniform", the statement said. First it was not known where he was take, but later it was revealed that the journalist was being held inside a building in Dymer, another village in the Kiev region. Local residents have said that Khilyuk might have been kidnapped on suspicion that he was in contact with the military and law enforcement agencies, the Media Initiative added. According to Ukrainian authorities, at least 12 journalists, local and foreign, have been killed and 10 injuried in since the war began on February 24. The victims include US journalist and filmmaker Brent Renaud and Oksana Baulina, a Russian journalist reporting for investigative website The Insider. Local Victoria Roshchyna and Oleh Baturin were also abducted by Russian forces, but have since been released. --IANS ksk/ (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The chief has launched an initiative to immediately explore possible arrangements for a humanitarian cease-fire in Ukraine in order to allow the delivery of desperately needed aid and pave the way for serious political negotiations to end the month-long war. Secretary-General said Monday he asked Undersecretary-General Martin Griffiths, the head of the U.N.'s worldwide humanitarian operations, to explore the possibility of a cease-fire with Russia and Ukraine. He said Griffiths has already made some contacts. The 193-member U.N. General Assembly, by an overwhelming majority of about 140 nations, has called for an immediate cessation of hostilities in Ukraine twice -- on March 2 and on March 24 -- and Guterres told reporters he thinks this is the moment for the to assume the initiative. Since Russia's invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, the secretary-general said there has been a senseless loss of thousands of lives, displacement of 10 million people, systematic destruction of homes, schools, hospitals and other essential infrastructure, and skyrocketing food and energy prices worldwide. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Amid a resurgence due to the new Omicron sub-variant, the number of daily Covid-19 vaccinations in the US has fallen to the lowest level since the early days of the inoculation campaign in 2020. The seven-day average of vaccine doses of all types administered in the country dipped to 127,000 per day this week, Xinhua news agency reported citing data tracked by The Hill news outlet. This marked a steady decline since January, when more than 1 million shots per day were being administered. The seven-day average number of administered vaccine doses over the past week was a 27.1 decrease from the previous week, according to data of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Till date, about 255 million people, or 76.8 per cent of the total US population, have received at least one dose of a Covid vaccine. About 217.2 million people, or 65.4 per cent of the total population, have been fully vaccinated, CDC data show. However, less than half of the total booster-eligible population were yet to receive a booster dose. Experts said booster shots are particularly important in the face of the Omicron variant, which has a greater ability to evade the protection from two doses of the vaccine. The lagging rates in Covid-19 vaccinations and boosters left the US more vulnerable to a potential new increase in cases, as is starting to happen in Europe, even with higher booster rates in many countries. "Periodic reminder that U.S. booster coverage is terrible, especially considering most in this group are not opposed to vaccines in general and many are high risk (age or otherwise)," tweeted Jason Schwartz, a professor at the Yale School of Public Health. Amid the slowdown in vaccinations, the BA.2 sub-lineage of the Omicron variant is steadily gaining its ground in the country, with infections almost doubling each week in February, CDC data show. The BA.2 variant now makes up over one third of new Covid-19 infections in the US. This data is up from 22.3 per cent a week prior, and 15.8 per cent two weeks before. In the northeastern part of the country, BA.2's prevalence has surpassed 50 per cent. The rapid spread of the variant coincided with the start of the allergy season, which may complicate symptoms and delay timely distinction. With Covid-19 cases rising in parts of Europe and Asia due to BA.2's rapid spread, scientists worry that the variant may soon push cases up in the US too. Anthony Fauci, the nation's top infectious disease expert, said he expects "an uptick in cases" due to BA.2, but not necessarily a massive surge like other variants have caused. As of Tuesday morning, the US continued to be the worst-hit country with the world's highest number of cases and deaths at 79,995,485 and 977,687. --IANS ksk/ (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The has requested a $26 billion budget for in 2023, which is about $2 billion more than the space agency received for the current fiscal year. The budget would enable to fund Artemis moon landings, Earth science, address climate change, drive economic growth, and more as the agency aims to send people to Mars by 2040, officials said. "Greater than a number, statistic, or fact is what the President's budget request represents," NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said, in a statement. "This budget reflects the Biden-Harris Administration's confidence in the extraordinary workforce that makes NASA the best place to work in the federal government. "It's an investment in the businesses and universities that partner with NASA in all 50 states and the good-paying jobs they are creating. It's a signal of support for our missions in a new era of exploration and discovery," Nelson said. The budget allocates $7.6 billion for deep space exploration. Through Artemis missions, NASA will land the first woman and person of colour on the lunar surface, deepen the US' scientific understanding of the Moon, and test technologies that will prepare for human exploration of Mars. About $4.7 billion is for Common Exploration Systems Development to support lunar missions which includes funding for the Orion spacecraft and Space Launch System (SLS). The budget's $1.5 billion for astronaut Moon landers will enable NASA to increase competition in the development of the final mode of transportation needed to take astronauts to the lunar surface. With $2.4 billion allocated for Earth-observing satellites and related research, the budget will increase NASA's Earth science funding for climate and weather monitoring and measurement. NASA also aims to support commercial space activities. The budget's $1.4 billion for space technology research and development will support new technologies to help the US commercial space industry grow, enhance mission capabilities, create good-paying jobs, and reduce costs. About $970 million has been allocated for aeronautics research. This includes $500 million to reduce aviation's climate impact through efforts including a Sustainable Flight National Partnership to develop a next-generation passenger aircraft. With $150 million for the Office of STEM Engagement for education and engagement activities, this budget would allow NASA to enhance its support for educational activities, including those that focus on historically underserved communities. --IANS rvt/svn/ (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The U.S. government said Tuesday that has granted visas for federal investigators to travel there and aid in the investigation of the deadly Eastern Airlines . The National Transportation Safety Board said also granted visas to technical advisers from Boeing, which made the plane, engine manufacturer CFM and the Federal Aviation Administration. All would take part in the investigation, under longstanding agreements. The safety board said the U.S. officials and industry representatives hope to leave for China this week. Their travel was held up for several days to meet Chinese visa and COVID-19 regulations, and the NTSB appealed to the State Department to intervene. A China Eastern Boeing 737-800 jet crashed in a remote mountainous area in southern China on March 21, killing all 123 passengers and nine crew members on board. The plane was cruising at about 29,000 feet about one hour into its flight from Kunming in southeastern China to Guangzhou, an export manufacturing hub near Hong Kong, when it went into a steep descent. Over the weekend, searchers found the plane's flight data recorder, following earlier recovery of the cockpit voice recorder, which investigators hope will provide important clues about the cause of the . China Eastern, one of four major Chinese airlines, and its subsidiaries have grounded all their Boeing 737-800s, more than 200 planes. The airline said the grounding was a precaution, not a sign of any problem with the planes. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The US has proposed forging a industry alliance between the United States, Taiwan, South Korea, and in a move to prevent China from gaining dominance over the strategic sector. However, South Korea is not fully on board with the idea proposed by America, News reported citing Business Korea. "Cooperation with the is the top priority of course, and yet the biggest market (China) is also of paramount importance," reported citing Business Korea's sources. The South Korean government is reluctant to jeopardize the operations of South Korean chipmakers like Samsung who have a core manufacturing infrastructure in China. The western Chinese city of Xi'an is home to Samsung's only overseas memory chip plant. The fab accounts for roughly 40 per cent of the Korean conglomerate's total NAND flash production. Meanwhile, China is waging economic warfare to acquire Taiwan's industries, home to the world-leading industry, second only after the US. The Taiwanese government has accused China of waging economic warfare against Taiwan's tech sector by stealing technology and inveigling away skilled engineers, reported The HK Post. Taiwanese Executive Minister Lo Ping Cheng charged that Beijing was enticing Taiwan's advanced-tech personnel and engaging in theft of national critical technologies, circumventing regulations, illegally investing and operating in causing the nation a huge loss in IT security and industry competitiveness. Semiconductors or 'chips' are the essential building blocks in technological innovation and economic development. These chips are ubiquitous in all electrical devices including smartphones, electronic vehicles, hypersonic armaments, airships, pacemakers etc. In the past few years, the government of Taiwan has reported many charges concerning the theft of chip trade secrets by Chinese organizations. While China manufactures the majority of the world's computers and smartphones, it imports almost all the semiconductors needed to run these gadgets. To remove its technological dependence, China regularly engages in industrial espionage and other activities in an effort to develop its own semiconductor industry. This was also one of the main reasons why China was trying hard to get Taiwan back under its hold. Investigation Bureau of Taiwan under the administration of the Ministry of Justice rounded up 60 Chinese nationals on the allegation of stealing trade secrets and poaching tech employees from Taiwan, reported The HK Post. The list of companies investigated includes Vimicro, GLC Semiconductor, Analogix Semiconductor, Beijing Yinxing Technology among . (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) US lawmakers are trying to resolve entrepreneur Elon Musk's business ties to China, which they fear may include the Beijing connections to SpaceX, said a recent Wall Street Journal report. Senator Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) introduced legislation aimed at rectifying the problem, according to The Hill, telling the Wall Street Journal that "any company operating in is going to be pressured and exploited by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)." Elon Musk comes under criticism early this year for showcasing his new Tesla showroom in the Xinjiang region where keeps millions of Uyghurs in concentration camps. A major Muslim civil liberties organization in the US had called on Tesla motors CEO Elon Musk to close a recently-opened showroom, saying no American corporation should be doing business in a region that is the focal point of a campaign of genocide targeting a religious and ethnic minority. The problem is that all Chinese entities are legally obligated to spy for their government, a practice codified in China's National Intelligence Law of 2017, The Hill reported, adding that this may be hard for some Americans to imagine, but it is not insignificant. "No American corporation should be doing business in a region that is the focal point of a campaign of genocide targeting a religious and ethnic minority," said CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper. "Elon Musk and Tesla must close this new showroom and cease what amounts to economic support for genocide." According to media reports, Tesla has said it has begun operations in a showroom in Urumqi, the capital of Xinjiang. This has drawn widespread criticism. US lawmakers accuse of imprisoning as many as 1.8 million Uyghurs, Kazakhs, Kyrgyz and members of other Muslim minority groups in a system of extrajudicial mass internment camps, where they are forced to produce textiles, electronics, food products, shoes, tea, and handicrafts. Beijing, on the other hand, has repeatedly denied all accusations of being engaged in abuses in Xinjiang. Meanwhile, the White House has urged private companies to oppose the human rights abuses and genocide by China in Xinjiang. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Western officials say Russia is building up troops in eastern Ukraine, but it's too soon to say whether Moscow's claim to be scaling back operations around Kyiv is true. Officials familiar with the intelligence picture said Tuesday that Moscow is reinforcing troops in the Donbas in an attempt to encircle Ukraine's best-trained and best-equipped forces, which are concentrated in the eastern region. Moscow has said gaining control of the Donbas is now its main military goal in Ukraine. A Western official speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss intelligence said it's clear that Russia's tactics and strategies are changing but it's not yet clear what that prefigures. The British government also expressed scepticism about Russia's claims to be scaling back and its commitment to ending the war through talks. We will judge Putin and his regime by his actions, not by his words, said Max Blain, spokesman for Prime Minister Boris Johnson. --- Washington: The White House is rejecting as false and disinformation assertions by Russia that the U.S. government is launching cyber operations against Moscow that include the theft of personal data and the spreading of false information about the Russian military. The Russian Foreign Ministry made the assertions in a statement Tuesday. It alleged that the U.S. and other NATO members had trained Ukrainian hackers and blamed what it said was an effort by Ukraine to recruit hackers. Emily Horne, a spokesperson for the White House National Security Council, responded by calling the claims false and said the U.S. government has not engaged in the activity described by Russia. She says Moscow's statements to the contrary amount to disinformation. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) As Russia's invasion of Ukraine accelerates European Union defense cooperation, a watchdog said Tuesday that EU institutions face vulnerabilities on another front: . The warning by the European Court of Auditors covers the wide range of EU bodies from the executive arm based in Brussels to specialist agencies located across Europe that run the 27-nation bloc's day-to-day business. The EU must step up its efforts to protect its own organisations, Bettina Jakobsen, a member of the ECA, said in a statement accompanying a special report on cyberthreats. Such attacks can have significant political implications. Cyberattacks against EU bodies are increasing sharply, with major incidents jumping more than tenfold between 2018 and 2021, according to the Luxembourg-based ECA. has jumped up the political agenda in Europe following attacks in recent years that targeted EU nations such as Germany and other industrialised countries including the United States, Britain and Australia. In 2020, the EU imposed cyber sanctions for the first time, blacklisting a number of Russian, Chinese and North Korean hackers. Nonetheless, the European auditors said Tuesday that EU organisations were failing to enact some essential controls and underspending in this area. The auditors also alleged a lack of systematic cybersecurity training and information sharing. EU entities as a whole handle political, diplomatic, financial, economic and regulatory matters. The spectrum of activities underpins the bloc's status as a geopolitical force, a global setter of industrial rules and the world's most lucrative single market. The sensitive information processed by EU bodies makes them attractive targets for hackers, according to the report, which said the risks have grown as a result of remote working prompted by the COVID-19 pandemic. This has considerably increased the number of potential access points for attackers, the ECA said. It said a particularly concerning trend is the dramatic increase in significant incidents, which are described as attacks that involve the use of new methods and technologies and that can take weeks or even months to investigate and resolve. One example cited is a high-profile cyberattack on the European Medicines Agency in late 2020, when the EU was pushing to authorize the first COVID-19 vaccines. Sensitive data was leaked and manipulated in a way designed to undermine trust in vaccines, the ECA said. Because the EU's organisations are strongly interconnected, a vulnerability anywhere could have a cascading effect, it said. A weakness in one can expose to security threats, said the ECA. It recommended the EU draw up legislation that would set common binding rules on cybersecurity for all the bloc's institutions. The auditors also urged more resources to support the Computer Emergency Response Team of EU bodies, or CERT-EU, saying its effectiveness is compromised by an increasing workload, unstable funding and staffing, and insufficient cooperation from some of the bloc's organisations. In sum, according to the ECA, the network of EU institutions has not achieved a level of cyber-preparedness commensurate with the threats. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) By Rajendra Jadhav MUMBAI (Reuters) -India has contracted 45,000 tonnes of Russian sunflower at a record high price for shipments in April as edible prices in the local market surged after supplies from rival Ukraine stopped, five industry officials told Reuters. Sunflower from could help the world's biggest edible oil importer in easing the shortfall at a time when availability of vegetable oils is stretched because of Indonesia's decision to restrict palm oil supplies and lower soybean crop in South America. "As vessel loading is not possible in Ukraine, buyers are trying to secure supplies from Russia," said Pradeep Chowdhry, managing director of Gemini Edibles & Fats India Pvt. Ltd, which contracted 12,000 tonnes of Russian sunflower oil for April shipments. Refiners bought crude sunflower oil at a record price of $2,150 a tonne, including cost, insurance and freight (CIF), in India for April shipments, compared with $1,630 before invaded Ukraine, dealers said. Sunflower oil was cheaper than rival palm oil and soyoil before the conflict, but as supplies from top exporter Ukraine stopped, buyers have to pay hefty premium, Chowdhry said. The Black Sea accounts for 60% of world sunoil output and 76% of exports. Indian buyers were not making purchases of Russian sunflower oil for nearly a month, but now they are placing orders as banks are opening letters of credit (LC) for the imports, said a New Delhi-based dealer with a global trading firm. "Indian buyers are paying in dollars. Indian insurance companies are providing cover to vessels bringing sunoil from Russia," the dealer said. Shipments of more than 300,000 tonnes of sunflower oil from Ukraine to India are stuck as loading at Ukrainian ports is suspended, said a Mumbai-based dealer. India imports sunoil mainly from and Ukraine. It imports palm oil from Indonesia and Malaysia, whereas the bulk of soyoil is sourced from Argentina and Brazil. India has now been trying to increase imports of sunflower oil from Argentina, said Sandeep Bajoria, chief executive of Sunvin Group, a vegetable oil brokerage and consultancy firm. "Even after the imports from Russia and Argentina, there would be shortfall of sunoil. Nobody can replace Ukraine's shipments," Bajoria said. India consumes around 200,000 tonnes of sunflower oil but currently refiners can import around 80,000 tonnes only, the New Delhi-based dealer said. Consumers are forced to switch to soyoil, rapeseed oil and groundnut oil as sunflower oil supplies are limited, the dealer said. "Sunflower oil is very expensive. This is forcing price sensitive buyers to shift to other oils," Bajoria said. (Editing by Sanjeev Miglani; editing by David Evans) (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The country's oldest has also embarked on a search for a chief executive and managing director as the incumbent Ashish Kumar Chauhan's term has ended. The move comes at a time when its bigger rival NSE, which controls a large part of trade volumes in the country, has also initiated a similar process for its chief. Interestingly, some reports mention that Chauhan is in the race to take over the corner office at NSE. In an advertisement posted on Tuesday, the 1875-established said it is looking for a results-oriented leader having an experience of 20 years, with the "highest ethical standards". Stock exchanges have frequently faced troubles over integrity - witnessed through the emergence of scandals. NSE, which is passing through a scandal involving an ex-chief, is also stressing on governance aspect in its search for a new head. Understanding of the financial markets, technology and operations are the desired qualities in the candidate, the advertisement said. A market-savvy leader with an entrepreneurial approach, capable of working in a closely regulated and supervised system, is being sought, it added. She or he must be having prior experience in managing expectations of diverse stakeholders, including regulators, investors, customers and employees, and should meet Capital regulator Sebi's eligibility criteria. The candidate should hold a post-graduation or master's degree, and the compensation will be as per industry standards, the advertisement noted. The appointment may be for a period of up to five years, it said, specifying April 23 as the last date for submission of applications. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The are likely to start on a positive note on Tuesday as crude prices slumped 8 per cent overnight due to lockdowns in Shanghai and likley ease in demand from China. The SGX Nifty futures were quoting at 17,430 levels at 7:45 am, hinting at a gap-up open of around 100 points for the Nifty50. Meanwhile, these are the out for in trade today: Aurobindo Pharma: Hyderabad based drugmaker Aurobindo has acquired the domestic formulation business of another Hyderabad based firm Veritaz Healthcare on a slump sale basis at Rs 171 crore. Read more RIL: Company's arm is in advanced talks with South Korean consumer electronics and telecom gear maker Samsung for the latter to be its third party technology provider, complementing Reliance Jios efforts to roll out a 5G network across the country. Read more Moreover, on Monday announced a monthly recharge plan of Rs 259 for its prepaid customers. It is its maiden prepaid recharge plan with full one-month validity. Read here Coal India: Allaying fears of coal supply shortage, state-owned Coal India on Monday said it is concentrating its efforts to meet the projected demand of the power sector on priority basis. The state-owned coal miner in this fiscal till March 24 has supplied an all-time high of 528 million tonnes (MT) of coal to the country's power utilities. Read here Ruchi Soya: The Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) has directed Ruchi Soya Industries to give the investors who participated in its Rs 4,300-crore follow-on public offering (FPO) the option to withdraw their bids due to circulation of unsolicited SMSes advertising the issue. Read here Power Grid: The company has approve investment worth 821.3 cr in 5 projects. Somany Ceramics: Board has approved investment of Rs 9.50 crore in arm SR continental GR Infraprojects: The company has got two orders in Maharashtra on hybrid annuity mode under commercial operation from NHAI. The projects are worth Rs 1744 crores. Tata Power: The company and Rustomjee Group have collaborated to set up electric vehicle charging infrastructure at the commercial and residential projects of the latter across Mumbai metropolitan region. Piramal Enterprises: The company has approved allotment of 1,750 secured NCDs each of face value of Rs 10 lakh at a price of Rs 10,05,497 per debenture aggregating to Rs 175.96 crores on a private placement basis. ICICI Bank: The bank has signed an agreement for investment in India Debt Resolution Company. It will buy 15 per cent stake in IDRC for Rs 7.5 crore with the first investment of Rs 3 crore by March 31. Zensar Technologies: The company has opened a global delivery centre in Kolkata to support global clients and leverage local talent. Welspun Specialty Solution: The company has got an order worth Rs 16 crore for supply of seamless pipes. Sudarshan Chemical Industries: Board has approved raising Rs 200 cr via NCDs. The Income Tax Department has found that made more than Rs 1,000 crore bogus expenses and over Rs 100- crore cash transactions for a farmhouse in Chhattarpur, Delhi, sources told ANI. Income Tax Department carried out a search and seizure operation on March 23 on and its chairman and managing director Pawan Munjal at multiple locations in Delhi-NCR, which concluded on March 26. The search operations covered more than 40 premises spread over different locations in Delhi-NCR. On Tuesday, the company's scrip on BSE closed trading 7% lower at Rs 2,208. Sources told ANI that a large number of incriminating evidence in the form of hard copy documents and digital data have been seized during the search operations. These evidences revealed that the group has booked bogus purchases, made huge unaccounted cash expenditures and obtained accommodation entries, aggregating to the tune of more than Rs 1,000 crore. The Department has also found evidence of cash transactions of more than Rs 100 crore in the purchase of a farm house in the outskirts of Delhi. Munjal purchased a farmhouse in Chhattarpur where the market price of farm house was manipulated to save tax and used black money to pay cash more than Rs 100 crore, which is a violation of section 269 SS of IT Act, said sources. According to Section 269SS of Income Tax Act, while transacting Immovable Property, 100 per cent penalty will be levied if the seller has accepted an amount of Rs 20,000 or more in cash from the buyer. Last week, raids were conducted at the offices and residential premises of promoters of . The search includes the residential and official premises of Pawan Munjal. Statements of those present at the place where searches are being conducted were recorded and panchnama was done. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Australian share market finished higher for sixth straight session on Tuesday, 29 March 2022, thanks to gains in technology and banking stocks, although the gains were capped by losses in miners and energy stocks. At closing bell, the benchmark S&P/ASX200 advanced by 6.17 points, or 0.08%, to 7,412.42. The broader All Ordinaries index fell 0.61 point, or 0.01%, to 7,689.26. The gains on the Sydney market were driven by the resumption of peace talks between Russia and Ukraine. Ukrainian and Russian negotiators met in Turkey on Tuesday for the first face-to-face talks in nearly three weeks. Ukraine and the United States hold little hope of an immediate breakthrough. Shares of technology companies advanced on bargain hunting on tracking overnight gains in their Wall Street peers. Block Inc soared 6.8%, while accounting software provider Xero gained 3.3%. Financials were also higher, with the "Big Four" banks climbing between 0.2% to 1.1%. Miners and mining stocks were lower on raising concerns over commodity demand after China enforced a COVID-19-led lockdown in Shanghai. Sector majors Rio Tinto and BHP Group lost 1.4% and 0.6%, respectively. Energy stocks shed on and worries about fuel demand in China. Oil majors Santos and Woodside Petroleum lost between 0.3% and 1.1%. ECONOMIC NEWS: Australia Retail Sales Up 1.8% On Month In February- Australia retail sales was up a seasonally adjusted 1.8% on month in February, the Australian Bureau of Statistics said on Tuesday, coming in at A$33.085 billion, following the downwardly revised 1.6% increase in January (originally 1.8%). Individually, sales were up for household goods, clothing, department stores and restaurants; sales were down for food retailing and other retailing. On a yearly basis, retail sales climbed 9.1%. CURRENCY NEWS: The U. S. dollar index, which tracks the greenback against a basket of its peers, was at 98.988 falling back from levels around 99 earlier. The Australian dollar was at $0.7508, a touch stronger than levels around $0.74 earlier. Powered by Capital Market - Live News (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The key equity benchmarks sharply pared gains in afternoon trade. The Nifty traded a tad above the 17,250 mark. Auto shares advanced for the second day in a row. At 13:22 IST, the barometer index, the S&P BSE Sensex was up 77.03 points or 0.13% to 57,670.52. The Nifty 50 index added 29.85 points or 0.17% to 17,251.85. Divi's Lab (up 3.15%), Ultratech Cement (up 2.32%), Bharti Airtel (up 2.22%), HDFC (up 2.06%) and SBI Life (up 2.02%) were the top Nifty gainers. ONGC (down 2.98%), Coal India (down 2.75%), IndusInd Bank (down 0.98%), ITC (down 0.31%) and Power Grid Corp (down 0.78%) were the top Nifty losers. In the broader market, the S&P BSE Mid-Cap index added 0.32% while the S&P BSE Small-Cap index rose 0.39%. The market breadth, indicating the overall health of the market, turned negative. On the BSE, shares 1,421 rose and 1,879 shares fell. A total of 130 shares were unchanged. Global Markets: European stocks advanced on Tuesday. Investors in the European region remain focused on developments in Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky said Kyiv's negotiators were studying a Russian demand for Ukrainian neutrality. The comments came ahead of new face-to-face talks between Ukraine and Russia, set to start Tuesday in Turkey. Meanwhile, Asian stocks advanced as crude oil prices slumped overnight on demand concerns arising from a new lockdown in Shanghai, diving more than 8%. In Washington, President Joe Biden released an annual $5.8 trillion (S$7.89 trillion) budget plan that would steer $6.9 billion towards Ukraine to assist in defending against Russia's invasion, as well as to aid NATO. Buzzing Index: The Nifty Auto index rose 0.71% to 10,495.40. The index has added 1.36% in two sessions. Eicher Motors (up 2.02%), TVS Motor Company (up 1.10%), Mahindra & Mahindra (up 0.96%), Bharat Forge (up 0.86%), Tata Motors (up 0.80%), Maruti Suzuki (up 0.59%), Ashok Leyland (up 0.31%) and Hero MotoCorp (up 0.28%) advanced. Powered by Capital Market - Live News (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd is quoting at Rs 359.15, down 0.15% on the day as on 13:24 IST on the NSE. The stock tumbled 16.63% in last one year as compared to a 16.24% rally in NIFTY and a 40.53% spurt in the Nifty Energy index. Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd dropped for a fifth straight session today. The stock is quoting at Rs 359.15, down 0.15% on the day as on 13:24 IST on the NSE. The benchmark NIFTY is up around 0.19% on the day, quoting at 17255.25. The Sensex is at 57703.92, up 0.19%.Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd has added around 4.98% in last one month.Meanwhile, Nifty Energy index of which Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd is a constituent, has increased around 5.56% in last one month and is currently quoting at 25989.3, down 0.41% on the day. The volume in the stock stood at 44.66 lakh shares today, compared to the daily average of 70.59 lakh shares in last one month. The benchmark March futures contract for the stock is quoting at Rs 359.85, down 0.1% on the day. Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd tumbled 16.63% in last one year as compared to a 16.24% rally in NIFTY and a 40.53% spurt in the Nifty Energy index. The PE of the stock is 6.08 based on TTM earnings ending December 21. Powered by Capital Market - Live News (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The domestic equity barometers traded with decent gains in early trade, amid significant buying in index pivotals. The Nifty traded tad below the 17,300 level. Shares across sectors advanced, with autos, consumer durables, PSU banks, and financials stocks gaining the most. At 09:22 IST, the barometer index, the S&P BSE Sensex, was up 285.59 points or 0.50% to 57,879.08. The Nifty 50 index added 75.65 points or 0.44% to 17,297.65. SBI Life (up 2.32%), HDFC (up 1.79%), Bharti Airtel (up 1.45%), Asian Paints (up 1.38%) and Ultratech Cement (up 1.30%) were the top Nifty gainers. Coal India (down 2.22%), ONGC (down 1.79%), Eicher Motors (down 0.60%), Hindalco (down 0.41%) and ITC (down 0.31%) were the top Nifty losers. In the broader market, the S&P BSE Mid-Cap index rose 0.77% while the S&P BSE Small-Cap index gained 0.69%. Buyers outnumbered sellers. On the BSE, 1739 shares rose and 740 shares fell. A total of 93 shares were unchanged. Stocks in Spotlight: Aurobindo Pharma fell 1.21% to Rs 698.30. The board of directors of the company has approved the acquisition of the business and certain assets of Veritaz Healthcare Limited (Veritaz). Veritaz operates in the pharmaceutical industry in India and sells branded generic formulations and other health care-related products. Tata Power advanced 1.94% to Rs 244.20. The company has collaborated with Rustomjee Group, the leading real estate developer, to provide end-to-end EV charging solutions across all its residential and commercial projects in Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR). Ruchi Soya declined 2.61% to Rs 793.75. The Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) provided an option to the investors in Ruchi Soya's Rs 4,300 crore follow-on public offer (FPO) to withdraw their applications. The withdrawal window will remain open till 30 March. Global Markets: Asian stocks rose, following a tumble in oil prices overnight. Oil prices slumped overnight on demand concerns arising from a new lockdown in Shanghai, diving more than 8%. Wall Street stocks rose Monday on hopes over peace talks between Russia and Ukraine, while oil prices tumbled with worries over the hit of Covid-19 to Chinese energy demand. Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky said Kyiv's negotiators were studying a Russian demand for Ukrainian neutrality. The comments came ahead of new face-to-face talks between Ukraine and Russia, set to start Tuesday in Turkey. In Washington, President Joe Biden released an annual US$5.8 trillion (S$7.89 trillion) budget plan that would steer US$6.9 billion towards Ukraine to assist in defending against Russia's invasion, as well as to aid NATO. Powered by Capital Market - Live News (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) On technical cooperation on transport and related infrastructure projects Rites signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the National Railways of Zimbabwe (NRZ) on technical cooperation for transport and related infrastructure projects (from concept to commissioning). The MoU aims to enable technical support in the fields of rail transportation, railway infrastructure development, including export/leasing of rolling stock, modernisation of workshops, track works, upgrade of signalling and telecommunication systems, operations & maintenance of rolling stock and training of railway personnel. Besides, the partnership intends to explore opportunities in metro rail systems and consultancy for buildings and airports. s part of the MoU, RITES will provide technical expertise in design, engineering, and training while NRZ will be responsible for generating business leads in Zimbabwe. The collaboration will not only create a platform to enable exploration of business avenues in Africa, but also facilitate knowledge sharing to promote efficient, safe, and sustainable infrastructure. Powered by Capital Market - Live News (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Jammu and Kashmir Police (J&K Police) has awarded Zen Technologies a contract worth about Rs 5.28 crore to supply Zen ShootEdge Systems (corner shot weapon systems). This is Zen's first order for ShootEdge. The company said it won the bid due to superior product quality and competitive pricing. This version of ShootEdge was developed in collaboration with Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). In addition to domestic demand, ShootEdge also has a huge export potential, the company said. As of date, the company's total order book stands at Rs 432.88 crore. Export order book stands at Rs 172.26 crore, or 39.79% of the total order book. Zen Technologies provides defence training solutions, drones and anti- drones solutions. It has a track record in building training systems for imparting defense training and measuring combat readiness of security force. On a consolidated basis, the company reported net loss of Rs 1.31 crore in Q3 December 2021 as against net profit of Rs 2.32 crore in Q3 December 2020. Net sales surged 58.2% to Rs 26.22 crore in Q3 December 2021 over Q3 December 2020. Shares of Zen Technologies were up 0.45% at Rs 199.60 on BSE. Powered by Capital Market - Live News (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The J&K Police has awarded Zen Technologies a contract worth ~ Rs 5.28 crore to supply Zen ShootEdge Systems (Corner Shot Weapon Systems). Zen Technologies won the bid due to superior product quality and competitive pricing. This is Zen's first order for ShootEdge. In line with Zen's goal to ensure incremental revenues from new products, this win validates Zen's continued focus on R&D. This version of ShootEdge was developed in collaboration with DRDO. In addition to domestic demand, ShootEdge also has a huge export potential. As of date, the company's total order book stands at Rs 432.88 crore. Powered by Capital Market - Live News (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The BJP on Tuesday hit out at Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray over the possibility of restrictions on the public celebration of festivals like 'Gudhi Padwa' (Marathi new year) that falls on April 2. Speaking to reporters here, BJP leader Ashish Shelar alleged that whenever it comes to Hindu festivals, "it seems the chief minister's hand gets paralysed." Padwa is on April 2 and Ram Navami on April 10. Hindus should be allowed to take out processions on both the days. These are auspicious occasions for us, he said. The state government has already issued prohibitory orders from March 10 to April 8 citing apprehension of terrorist attacks. Taking exception to Shelar's comments about Thackeray, Shiv Sena leader Manisha Kayande said, Shelar's brain seems to have been paralysed as he wants to be president of the state BJP. I warn him that if he continues to make such comments, Sena workers will not tolerate it for long. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) TMC supremo has written to all non-BJP chief ministers and opposition parties, including the Congress which her party had been attacking recently, calling on all "progressive forces" to come together and put up a united fight against the "oppressive BJP regime". The BJP claimed that the TMC's ambitions have fallen flat, while the Congress said the ruling party in West Bengal lacks credibility in fighting the saffron party. Banerjee called for a meeting to discuss strategies to take on the saffron party and also commit to the cause of a unified and principled opposition that will make way for the "government that the country deserves". Slamming the BJP-led Centre's alleged vindictive politics, the West Bengal chief minister iterated that the democratic fabric of the country was being attacked with the use of agencies such as the Enforcement Directorate (ED), Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) to "harass and corner political opponents". "I urge everyone to come together for a meeting to deliberate on the way forward at a place as per everyone's convenience and suitability. Let us commit to the cause of a unified and principled opposition that will make way for the government that our country deserves," the letter dated March 27 said. It was shared with the media on Tuesday morning. The feisty TMC boss alleged that the Delhi Special Police (Amendment) Bill, 2021 and the CVC (Amendment) Bill, 2021 were passed in the Parliament during the winter session amidst walk out by the opposition. "These laws enable the Centre to extend the tenure of the directors of ED and CBI up to five years in blatant violation of a previous Supreme Court judgment," she said. Alleging that the central agencies "jolt to action" whenever elections are around the corner, she urged the parties to resist the BJP's intention to misuse the agencies to suppress the opposition. "It is amply clear that the opposition is being targeted, and the BJP-ruled states get a free pass from these agencies so that a rosy picture of their hollow governance can be painted," the letter stated. Seeking transparency and accountability in governance, she said that the opposition leaders should not tolerate the vindictive of the BJP that has led to political witch-hunting becoming a norm. Banerjee also alleged that the BJP is attempting to influence the judiciary. "Time and again, the BJP is trying to attack the federal structure of the country by attempting to influence a certain section of the judiciary," she said. Banerjee's reaching out to opposition leaders comes at a time when her party is braving a political firestorm over Birbhum killings, in which nine people were killed, and several of its leaders facing CBI and ED probes in various other cases. Earlier this month, just after the BJP swept assembly elections in four states including Uttar Pradesh, Banerjee had reached out to regional forces to push for an anti-BJP alliance but had tried to edge the Congress out of any such prospective formation, saying there was no point in waiting for the grand old party as they lack the fire in their belly to win elections. Reacting to the development, West Bengal BJP spokesperson Samik Bhattacharya said that the TMC's ambition has fallen flat. "We have seen the TMC's overdrive in 2014 and 2019. After its misadventure in Goa and Tripura, we hope it will learn its lessons. This time too, its aspirations to play a pivotal role in national will fall flat," he said. Senior Congress leader Abdul Mannan claimed that the TMC lacks credibility in the fight against the BJP. "The TMC lacks credibility in the fight against the BJP. As the Trinamool Congress is facing the heat over several corruption and criminal cases, it is trying to reach out to the Congress. "Until a few days back, we were regularly attacked by the TMC leaders. So, what has changed so suddenly that they are reaching out to us? They should answer this," he said. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) About 20 Congress leaders met in Ludhiana on Tuesday with some of them batting for a key role for Navjot Singh Sidhu, the former state party unit chief, who was among the participants. The meeting was meant to discuss ways to strengthen the party's state unit after the debacle in the assembly elections and the Centre's decision to align the Chandigarh union territory employees' service conditions with that of the central civil services, party leaders said. Three days earlier, a similar meeting was held at Sultanpur Lodhi in Kapurthala district. Sukhpal Khaira, Congress MLA from Bholath, dismissed reports that the meeting was a show of strength by the "Sidhu group" before Congress picks up its next state unit chief. "I want to clarify it was not a meeting of a particular group, Sidhu group, etc. It's very wrong to say this, he said. "It was a meeting of the Congress party," he added. Like-minded Congress MLAs, ex-MLAs, assembly election candidates and the former Pradesh Congress Committee president gathered at the home of party leader Rakesh Pandey, leaders who attended the meeting, said. The participants included Khaira, Sidhu, Ashwani Sekhri and former MLA Surinder Dawar. The Congress received a drubbing in the assembly polls as it could win only 18 seats and the Aam Aadmi Party stormed to power by bagging 92 of the 117 assembly segments. Sidhu was defeated by AAP candidate and political greenhorn Jeevan Jyot Kaur from Amritsar East constituency. Following the poll debacle in five states -- Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Goa, Manipur and -- Congress president Sonia Gandhi had asked the party's state unit chiefs to put in their papers, and Sidhu, too, tendered his resignation. Khaira, however, said "Sidhu's resignation is yet to be accepted by the high command". "He is an able leader," Khaira said when asked if he will back Sidhu for the state's party chief post. He then added, "Whatever decision our party takes, we will all abide by that." To another question, he said, "I want to categorically debunk claims regarding groupism within the party unit."Ashwani Sekhri said the purpose of Tuesday's meeting was to discuss "Punjab issues". He, too, backed Sidhu. When specifically asked that names of party leaders Amarinder Singh Raja Warring, Ravneet Singh Bittu, Santokh Chaudhary and Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa were doing the rounds as probables for the next Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee chief post, Sekhri evaded a direct reply and said there can be many names. Khaira, meanwhile, said the meeting took a strong view of the Centre's announcement to apply the central service rules to the employees of the union territory of Chandigarh. "By doing so, the BJP government has the attacked country's federal structure," he said. "A unilateral decision was taken without consulting Punjab and the meeting strongly condemned the move. Chandigarh belongs to Punjab. But the BJP-led government is diluting claim of Punjab over Chandigarh," he said. Khaira said they are not against benefits being extended to the employees, but asserted that there is no need to enact or amend a law, or change the service rules. He was the opinion that Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann should lead an all-party delegation to the prime minister on the issue. "If the Centre does not listen to us, then Bhagwant Mann should lodge a protest outside PM's residence. If they still don't listen, then the Punjab government should move the Supreme Court for further recourse," he said. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Last year, pandemic forced the Academy to take a serious note of movies that made their debut on streaming platforms. And this year, streamer achieved another feat by scooping the best movie award, apart from over 35 nominations. But, back home in India, OTTs future is clearly linked to vernacular programms and films. OTTs future in India indeed depends on its capability to churn out good programs in local languages. Let us now move on to Baroda BNP Paribas Mutual Fund created recently by the merger of Baroda Mutual Fund and BNP Paribas Mutual Fund. Its CEO Suresh Soni spoke to Business Standards Krishna Veera Vanamali on the markets, the mutual fund industry and what the merged entity stands for. Not just the mutual funds, this financial year was exceptionally good for markets too. 52 Indian companies raised an all-time high of Rs 1.1 trillion through initial public offers. And the next fiscal year may well break this record too. The government plans to launch the mega IPO of LIC soon. Get a quick check on whats in store for the primary markets in FY23. Its not just the stock exchanges, but companies listed there, people, organizations, the government departments etc. are always on the guard against malwares. And, of the lot, is among the most notorious. Through this, hackers take control of all the data in the system and release them at a price. This podcast shares more about the growing menace. 2021 has been an impressive year for the Indian primary markets, with highest ever fundraising in a calendar year. And the momentum could well continue in FY23. According to a note by Prime Database, 54 companies plan to raise a massive 1.4 trillion rupees in the upcoming fiscal year, including the much awaited LIC IPO. These 54 companies already have market regulator Securities and Exchange Board of Indias (Sebis) approval for raising the money. Another 43 companies, the note said, are looking to raise about 81,000 crore rupees where approval is still awaited. The amount raised in FY22, according to Pranav Haldea, managing director, PRIME Database Group was over 3.5 times 31,268 crore rupees raised through 30 in 2020-21. The previous best year was 2017-18 (FY18) when 81,553 crore rupees was raised. According to Pranav Haldea, managing director of PRIME Database, from new-age loss-making tech startups, strong retail participation and listing gains were the other key highlights of 2021-22. But, public equity fundraising dropped to 1.70 trillion rupees from 1.9 trillion rupees in the preceding year. The largest IPO in 2021-22, which was also the largest Indian IPO ever, was of One 97 Communications (PayTM) for 18,300 crore rupees. Some of the other prominent ones included Zomato, Star Health, PB Fintech, Sona BLW and FSN E-Commerce, the parent company of Nykaa. And retail investors were a force to reckon with. The average number of applications from the retail category was 14.05 lakh, the Prime Database report said, in comparison to 12.73 lakh in 2020-21 and 6.88 lakh in 2019-20. The highest number of applications from retail in 2021-22 was for Glenmark Life Sciences, Devyani International and Latent View. Going ahead, analysts expect the secondary market to remain choppy due to the geopolitical crisis between Russia and Ukraine. This, they feel, will have repercussions for the primary market activity as well. G Chokkalingam, founder and chief investment officer at Equinomics Research, for instance, expects the Sensex to remain in the range of 56,000 to 57,000 till a solution is found for the Ukraine Russia war. Twitter: @Pun_ditry Zinkworks has announced the establishment of a software engineering hub in the CoLab facility on the Letterkenny I.T. Campus in Letterkenny Co. Donegal, creating 50 new jobs over the next 18 months. The Telecoms & Financial Services Research & Development company was founded in 2018 and currently employs 180 people at its head office in Athlone Co. Westmeath. The companys focus is primarily in research and development in Telecommunications, particularly on 5G, where it works with world leading clients, delivering its own portfolio of products to market. The Letterkenny hub will provide software development services including 5G network consulting, 5G network deployment, telecommunications R&D, and ICT consultancy. These 50 new roles will be across the areas of senior and mid-level software developers as well as a graduate programme. Welcoming the announcement, Tanaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment Leo Varadkar said, "Congratulations to the Zinkworks team on this expansion which will see the creation of 50 new jobs over the next 18 months. This investment is a testament to the wealth of talent Letterkenny has to offer and indeed the hard work of the existing head office team in Athlone. The very best of luck." CEO of Zinkworks, Paul Madden added, "As part of our Bring the office to our people strategy, we are delighted to announce that we are opening a new branch in Letterkenny in the CoLab facility on the Letterkenny I.T. Campus. Since our launch four years ago, weve grown to a 180 person company in our head office in Athlone and today marks an exciting new step on our journey. We work with some of the biggest companies in the world and are developing our own product portfolio in Telecommunications." Source: www.businessworld.ie Photographer Zhang Xinming documented life in a capsule hotel in Southwest Chinas Chongqing, after being forced to stay there for 55 days in 2021 due to a Covid-19 outbreak. While the iconic Nakagin Capsule Tower by Japanese architect Kisho Kurokawa, which in 1972 became the first practical example of capsule architecture, has fallen into disrepair, the idea of the capsule hotel is not outdated. These hotels have appeared in cities across China to provide people with a cheap place to stay overnight May 05, 2022 07:17 PM Photo: The Canadian Press Jason Kenney in Calgary, Friday, March 25, 2022. The Alberta premier says he has been interviewed by the RCMP as part of an investigation into potential criminal identity fraud in the 2017 UCP leadership contest won by Kenney. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh Alberta Premier Jason Kenney says he has been interviewed by RCMP as part of an investigation into potential criminal identity fraud in the 2017 United Conservative Party leadership contest. Kenney, answering questions from reporters, says he did one interview with Mounties at their request and remains confident his campaign team followed all the rules. The police investigation is one of two probes into the 2017 vote, which saw Kenney defeat his main rival Brian Jean to win the top job in the party and eventually become premier. Election officials have investigated improper donations to the campaign of another candidate, Jeff Callaway, and levied thousands of dollars in fines. Well after the race was over, it became known that Callaways team worked behind the scenes with Kenney supporters as Callaway publicly disparaged Jean before quitting the race to support Kenney. Kenney says he had no knowledge or participation in illegal donations. Photo: The Canadian Press Dane Groszek, Middletown N.Y., makes his way off of Interstate 81 after his car was totaled in a multi-vehicle crash along Interstate 81 North near the Minersville exit, Foster Twp., Pa., on Monday, March 28, 2022. Dane was on his way back home after visiting family in Daytona Fl. (David McKeown/Republican-Herald via AP) A Pennsylvania county coroner said Monday at least three people died in a collision involving more than 50 vehicles that closed a portion of an interstate and sent more than a dozen people to area hospitals. Dr. David J. Moylan, the Schuylkill County coroner, said the search of the scene hasnt been completed because of the burning vehicles, but I suspect it could run higher. The crash in northeast Pennsylvania happened around 10:30 a.m. and John Blickley, the deputy emergency management coordinator for the agency, said officials believe a snow squall clouded visibility and likely contributed to the accident. About 40 vehicles including multiple tractor trailers were involved in the initial crash, he said. Blickley said emergency personnel from four different counties responded and took about 20 patients to area hospitals for treatment. Three tractor trailers carrying unknown cargo were on fire when emergency personnel responded. Smaller fires broke out out in other vehicles as well but all had been largely brought under control, he said. Pennsylvania State Police Trooper David Beohm said Monday afternoon that he could not confirm any fatalities but he said police havent been able to investigate because a fire was still burning among a number of crashed cars and trucks. He estimated a total of 50 to 60 vehicles were involved in the crash, including some tractor trailers and a number of smaller vehicles. UNBELIEVABLE video of a pileup in Schuylkill County as snow squalls brought visibility on Interstate 81 down to near zero. Video shot live by Mike Moye (Facebook) pic.twitter.com/q1BxgUYz2O Joe Holden (@JoeHoldenCBS3) March 28, 2022 We cant do anything while theres still an active fire going, and fire (officials) say it will probably be another one to two hours until they get it extinguished, Beohm said. Many fire units were at the scene, including a number or tankers coming to replenish water because there was no water source from hydrants on scene. People whose vehicles were in the crash and the walking wounded were taken to the Wegmans distribution center in an industrial park near the crash, he said, and a reunification center had been set up at the Goodwill Fire Company in Minersville. Footage uploaded to social media on Monday showed a tractor-trailer smash into a large dump truck, turning it nearly 180 degrees. Another large truck spewed black smoke and orange flames into the air and an SUV struck a passenger car sending the sedan spinning, narrowly missing its driver who stood on the shoulder of the highway shrouded in snow and fog. The person who posted the video did not immediately respond to requests seeking additional information. People off camera can be heard yelling as the cascade of crashes unfolds with multiple vehicles colliding in less than a minute. The National Weather Service had warned of numerous brief heavy snow squalls with very poor visibility. The squalls will quickly reduce the visibility to under one-half of a mile and coat the roads with snow, forecasters said, urging drivers to get off the road if possible or turn on hazard lights and gradually slow down to avoid a chain reaction vehicular accident. Mike Colbert, a forecaster with the National Weather Service office in State College, said the weather service started issuing warnings for snow squalls a few years ago, and pileups of the kind being reported were the reason they began doing so. They are very heavy snow showers where if you are driving into them, you can go from partly cloudy or sunny skies into an instant blizzard in a matter of seconds. Thats why they are so dangerous, he said. Blickley warned that the northbound section of the interstate will likely be closed well into the evening as the crash investigation and clean up continues. He also cautioned that more squall warnings are expected throughout the afternoon and asked people to be careful and pullover if needed Photo: The Canadian Press Squatters peer from behind the iron gate of a house that about 19 families were occupying for close to a year before being evicted, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS A few weeks ago, before Russia invaded Ukraine and began committing war crimes that have shocked the world (in a way that should have but, to our shame, did not shock the world when Russia did the same thing in Chechnya and Syria), I was writing about inequality and health in the context of creating a wellbeing society. So even though innocent people are still being butchered by Putin and his terrorist army, I will return to this topic because the problem remains and must be addressed, both in Canada and globally. To refresh your memory, the World Health Organization (WHO) is championing the creation of what it calls wellbeing societies, in which equitable health is achieved within the ecological limits of the Earth. Equitable health is not the same as equal health, but is about ensuring that we all have a fair opportunity to be healthy, minimizing inequality as much as possible. Inequality has health consequences: As the WHO Commission on the Social Determinants of Health memorably put it in 2008: Social injustice is killing people on a grand scale. Thus, high levels of inequality are incompatible with a wellbeing society. But inequality does not just happen. Instead, as the World Inequality Report 2022 noted: Inequality is a political choice, not an inevitability. That political choice is not only killing people on a grand scale, it is creating much social strain and mental and physical ill health through poverty, marginalization, social exclusion and alienation, resulting in what Nobel Prize-winning economist Sir Angus Deaton calls the diseases of despair. The World Inequality Report notes that the period from 1945 or 1950 till 1980 was a period of shrinking inequality in many parts of the world. At the same time, and perhaps contrary to our usual modern expectations, these were times of fast productivity growth and increasing prosperity, never matched since for the countries of the West. The report goes on to note: The reason why that was possible had a lot to do with policy tax rates were high, and there was an ideology that inequality needed to be kept in check, that was shared between the corporate sector, civil society and the government. That all changed with the advent of neoliberalism as the dominant ideology, first implemented by Margaret Thatcher in the U.K. and Ronald Reagan in the U.S. As a consequence, the report notes, contemporary global inequalities are close to early 20th century levels, at the peak of Western imperialism. Deaton, a self-professed believer in social democratic capitalism who is now chairing a review of rising inequalities in the U.K., says todays inequalities are signs that democratic capitalism is under threat. To address this, as the 2008 WHO Commission put it in one of its three key recommendations, we have to tackle the inequitable distribution of power, money, and resources. Thirteen years later, the World Inequality Report made much the same point: Addressing the challenges of the 21st century is not feasible without significant redistribution of income and wealth inequalities. So how should that be done? The World Inequality Lab, source of the World Inequality Report, has what is really a very simple proposition: A modest progressive wealth tax on global multimillionaires. They point out that wealth or at least, one form of it, namely property is already taxed pretty much all over the world. But it is a flat tax, not progressive the very rich pay the same rate on their property as the average citizen. Moreover, much of the wealth of the very wealthy is in stocks and bonds and other forms of wealth, not property. So their recommendation is to expand the property tax to encompass all forms of wealth, not just real estate, and to make it progressive. Such a tax, they find, ranging progressively from 0.6 per cent to 3.2 per cent of total wealth, would generate $1.74 trillion each year, or 1.6 per cent of total global incomes, that could then be reinvested in education, health and the ecological transition. As they note, it would be completely unreasonable not to ask more of top wealth-holders in the future, especially in light of the social, developmental and environmental challenges ahead. Trevor Hancock is a retired professor and senior scholar at the University of Victorias School of Public Health and Social Policy. This article is written by or on behalf of an outsourced columnist and does not necessarily reflect the views of Castanet. Photo: File photo Mohammad Movassaghi gained notoriety for being caught running a downtown condo booze can on at least two occasions in 2021. A Vancouver resident who gained notoriety for running a downtown condo booze can at the height of COVID-lockdown measures has been penalized $160,000 and banned from the investment industry. Mohammad Movassaghi forged signatures and misled investigators with the Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada (IIROC), according to an independent hearing panel. The investment dealer regulator stated March 16 penalties against Movassaghi have been finalized, including a permanent ban on any registration with IIROC, $50,000 for the forgeries, $50,000 for misleading investigators and $60,000 for hearing costs (about half of what it cost IIROC). The panel said Movassaghis improper actions, which occurred between July and September 2016, caused significant harm to the reputation of the marketplace and to market integrity; were criminal or quasi-criminal in nature; demonstrated that he cannot be trusted to act in and honest and fair manner in dealings with clients, the public, and the securities industry as a whole; and prejudiced the ability of IIROC to effectively perform its regulatory functions in the public interest. Movassaghi had previously settled his case with the IIROC. He admitted in July 2017 to falsifying a clients signature on forms to facilitate the transfer of investment accounts from Investors Group Financial Services Inc. to Harbourfront Wealth Management Inc., where he was a brokerage manager. But investigators subsequently found more forged signatures and re-opened the case against him, according to the March 4 decision. VIOLATED COVID-19 PUBLIC HEALTH ORDERS Last April, B.C. Provincial Court Judge Ellen Gordon handed Movassaghi 18 months of probation and 10 days of time served plus a day in jail after he was found guilty of breaching the Public Health Act and illegally selling alcohol following a January 2021 party. The Vancouver Police Department stated it discovered Movassaghi, 43, was running an illegal booze can and show lounge inside his 1,100-square-foot penthouse, packing it with hundreds of people, and violating COVID-19 health orders. Gordon issued a rebuke of Movassaghi in her April 28, 2021 ruling: If someone who had been at your party was infected and passed it on to Grandma, as far as I am concerned, you would be guilty of manslaughter. What you did, sir, is comparable to individuals who sell fentanyl to the people on the street who die every day. There is no difference. You voluntarily assumed the risk that could kill people in the midst of a pandemic. Movassaghi began hosting more parties over the summer, prompting a second police investigation. He subsequently pleaded guilty to two more counts of failing to comply with health orders and an additional count of illegally selling alcohol. He was sentenced to 29 days in jail, handed an additional 12 months of probation and fined $10,000 last November, according to Vancouver police. Photo: Mike Wakefield, North Shore News West Vancouver-Sunshine Coast-Sea to Sky Country MP Patrick Weiler, BC Parliamentary Secretary Jennifer Rice and BC Ferries CEO Mark Collins activate the first sensor in Canada's earthquake early warning system at West Vancouver's Horseshoe Bay ferry terminal, March 28, 2022. If you had 10 seconds warning before a major earthquake struck, how would you spend them? Its a question Canadians may soon have to ponder, with the nations first ever earthquake early warning system getting its launch in West Vancouver. Natural Resources Canada deployed its first sensor, in what will eventually be a network of 400 sensors in seismically active areas, within BC Ferries Horseshoe Bay terminal, Monday (March 28). The system is designed to detect the first wave of energy radiating from an earthquakes epicentre and then provide seconds to tens of seconds of warning before the real shaking begins. Indigenous oral history tells us that every couple centuries, we experienced devastating earthquakes in British Columbia, which today can damage infrastructure, destroy buildings, trigger power outages and displace communities. They can cause injury and even death and they almost always come without warning, said Patrick Weiler, West Vancouver-Sunshine Coast-Sea to Sky Country, announcing the program on behalf of the federal government. When an earthquake hits, every second counts. Inside the sensor bolted to the floor of the ferry terminal are accelerometers that detect any movement of the ground. When enough movement on enough sensors is picked up, it can trigger the warning. The government expects to have the system fully operational by 2024. If and when it is triggered, it will use the national public alerting system to deliver instant warnings to smartphones, TVs and radios, similar to how Amber Alerts work today. With this system, we will take the guesswork out of the initial response and be able to prepare efficiently for what's coming our way. By giving this heads-up, people will have a few extra moments to drop, cover and hold on, said Jennifer Rice, B.C. parliamentary secretary for emergency preparedness. It will also benefit the operators of critical infrastructure who will need a head start mitigating the risk the public and the environment face. With a bit of advanced notice, planes could be diverted from landing and trains could be halted, workers handling hazardous tools or materials could put them down, surgeries could be paused, gates to block the entrances to bridges or tunnels could be deployed, and businesses could start emergency server back-ups. Similar warning systems are already up and running in Japan, Mexico, Taiwan and U.S. states on the West Coast, where one was triggered by the 2019 Ridgecrest quakes in Los Angeles. That was a really good testbed, and it worked really well, said Alison Bird, earthquake seismologist with Natural Resources Canada. We have seen this work elsewhere, which is why I'm so thrilled, as a seismologist, to get this in Canada. This is going to make a big difference for us. Canadas new system even uses the same software as U.S. to allow for instant sharing of data, Bird said. Mark Collins, president and CEO for BC Ferries said the corporation was happy to host the first sensor in their terminal building. This was very close to our hearts because, living on the West Coast of Canada, and operating a transportation service, you can't help but be concerned about seismic activity, so we're absolutely thrilled to be part of this initiative, he said. B.C. is the most seismically active place in Canada. In 1946, a 7.3-magnitude quake struck Vancouver Island, the largest ever record on land in the country. There have been more than 100 of magnitude five or greater since then, and almost every day, seismographs pick up lesser tremors along the Juan De Fuca Plate. Photo: The Canadian Press A Quebec provincial police car is seen in Montreal on July 22, 2020. Quebec's police watchdog issued a release Monday saying it's investigating after a 36-year old man was stabbed at a factory in Lac-Megantic. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Paul Chiasson Quebec's police watchdog is investigating after a 36-year-old man was murdered at a factory in Lac-Megantic, Que., about 250 kilometres east of Montreal. The watchdog, called Bureau des enquetes independantes, issued a news release Monday stating an employee of an insurance company called provincial police on March 18, 2022, about one of her clients. She said her client had uttered disturbing remarks and had threatened to assault someone. On March 21, 2022, the client showed up to his workplace and allegedly stabbed a 36-year-old man to death. The watchdog dispatched five investigators to the file and says the homicide investigation will be led by the Montreal police. Montreal police said Monday they are investigating the death of Alexandre Giroux, 36, who was stabbed at the Tafisa particleboard manufacturing facility in Lac-Megantic on March 21. Photo: The Canadian Press Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Ontario Premier Doug Ford watch signing of $10-a-day child-care deal on Monday. The federal families minister says coming child-care legislation will enshrine a long-term role for Ottawa in the daycare system and the new deal with the New Democrats gives them some time to get it right. Karina Gould says the legislation would also put into law the principles that provinces and territories agreed to in funding agreements, including to cut parent fees and create more spaces. The original goal was to introduce a bill by this spring, Gould said in an interview with The Canadian Press. Now she has until the end of the year as part of an agreement with the NDP to land that party's support in key votes in the House of Commons. Experts say the government should now take its time. Before the deal with the NDP, the thinking among child-care experts the Liberals leaned on for advice was that the Liberal minority government should move quickly on legislation, lest an election lead to a change in government and scuttle long-term spending plans. Now that the deal would bring some stability and potentially keep the Liberals in power until 2025, the government is being urged to take the extra time to get the bill right. Federal officials have been quietly checking in with a select number of experts on what should be in the new law. A consultation document says the legislation could commit to "ongoing collaboration" between the federal, provincial and territorial governments over the system, including a pledge for "sustained federal funding." The paper, obtained by The Canadian Press, also suggests legislation could require annual public reports and a national advisory council as part of "various mechanisms" to ensure federal accountability. But the document does not mention accountability measures for provinces should they not meet their own benchmarks. Those include creating more spaces over the course of agreements, cutting parent fees by an average of 50 per cent by the end of this year and reaching an average nationally of $10-a-day by 2026. It also suggests a smaller role for the federal government in the national system to not step on areas of provincial and territorial jurisdiction. The document notes that the legislation wouldn't supersede the earlier child-care framework agreements the Liberal government negotiated with the provinces and territories during its first mandate. The law also wouldn't "impose requirements" on provinces, territories or Indigenous Peoples, nor set conditions for funding outlined in one-on-one deals. Those funding deals include provisions that allow the federal government to hold funding back if benchmarks aren't met, but Gould suggested that was an avenue the Liberals are looking to avoid. Gould said having to report on efforts may be a more powerful push. "Each province and territory has publicly committed to meeting these benchmarks," Gould said. "So not only do they have to explain it to the federal government if they don't, but they also have to explain it to the people, the citizens of their jurisdiction." The Liberals' 2021 budget promised $30 billion in new spending on a national child-care system over five years, and $9.2 billion annually after that time. The promised legislation would be a key, long-term lever to build a system that creates affordable spaces that are accessible countrywide and which also provide a quality daycare environment, said Martha Friendly, executive director for the Childcare Resource and Research Unit in Toronto. "It's one of the important pillars and cornerstones," she said. "It should be the best that it can be." Introducing a bill later this year and debating it through 2023 would let officials pen legislation that reflects early changes from the first tranche of federal spending, said Andrew Bevan, who has co-authored papers on the need for a child-care system and was chief of staff to former Ontario premier Kathleen Wynne. Ontario became the final province to sign on to the system Monday. Bevan said funding agreements with provinces and territories are a good starting point to legislate the kind of child-care system Canada needs. "I wouldn't go too fast. It's well worth doing, and something that's well worth doing is worth doing right," Bevan said. Photo: The Canadian Press The House committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol voted unanimously to hold former Trump advisers Peter Navarro and Dan Scavino in contempt of Congress for their monthslong refusal to comply with subpoenas. The committee made its case Monday night that Navarro, former President Donald Trumps trade adviser, and Scavino, a White House communications aide under Trump, have been uncooperative in the congressional probe into the deadly 2021 insurrection and, as a result, are in contempt. Theyre not fooling anybody. They are obligated to comply with our investigation. They have refused to do so. And thats a crime, Mississippi Rep. Bennie Thompson, the committees Democratic chairman, said in his opening remarks. The recommendation of criminal charges now goes to the full House, where it is likely to be approved by the Democratic-majority chamber. Approval there would then send the charges to the Justice Department, which has the final say on prosecution. As the committee enforces its subpoena power, it is also continuing to branch out to others in Trumps orbit. Lawmakers now plan to reach out to Virginia Thomas known as Ginni the wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, about her reported text messages with former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows on the day of the attack, according to two people familiar with the investigation who were granted anonymity to discuss the panels private deliberations. But the panel has not decided what their outreach to Thomas, a conservative activist, will look like and whether that will come in the form of a subpoena or a voluntary request to cooperate. Also later this week, the committee plans to interview former Trump adviser and son-in-law Jared Kushner, one of the people said. At Monday's meeting, lawmakers made yet another appeal to Attorney General Merrick Garland, who has not yet made a decision to pursue the contempt charges the House set forward in December on former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows. We are upholding our responsibility, Rep. Adam Schiff, a member of the committee, said in his remarks. The Department of Justice must do the same. The committee is investigating the circumstances surrounding Jan. 6, when pro-Trump rioters stormed the Capitol, fueled by the Republican's false claims of a stolen election, in hopes of blocking Congress from certifying election results showing Democrat Joe Biden defeated Trump. Ahead of the House committees vote, the panel scored a big legal victory in its quest for information from Trump lawyer John Eastman when a federal judge in California asserted Monday morning that it is more likely than not that Trump committed crimes in his attempt to stop the certification of the 2020 election. With that argument, U.S. District Court Judge David Carter, a Clinton appointee, ordered the release of more than 100 emails from Eastman to the committee. Charles Burnham, an attorney representing Eastman, said in a statement Monday that his client has a responsibility to his attorney-client privilege and his lawsuit against the committee seeks to fulfill this responsibility. Navarro, 72, was subpoenaed for his testimony in early February. The panel wants to question the Trump ally who promoted false claims of voter fraud in the 2020 election that the committee believes contributed to the attack. He hasnt been shy about his role in efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election and has even discussed the former Presidents support for those plans, Thompson, the committees Democratic chairman, said in a statement at the time. Though Navarro sought to use executive privilege to avoid cooperation, the Biden administration has denied claims from him, Scavino and former national security adviser Michael Flynn, saying an assertion of executive privilege was not justified or in the national interest. On Thursday, Navarro called the committee vote an unprecedented partisan assault on executive privilege," and said, The committee knows full well that President Trump has invoked executive privilege and it is not my privilege to waive. In a statement Sunday night, Navarro said the committee should negotiate this matter with President Trump. He added, If he waived the privilege, I will be happy to comply; but I see no effort by the Committee to clarify this matter with President Trump, which is bad faith and bad law. In a subpoena issued to Scavino last fall, the committee cited reports that he was with Trump the day before the attack during a discussion about how to persuade members of Congress not to certify the election for Biden and with Trump again the day of the attack and may have materials relevant to his videotaping and tweeting messages that day. In the recent report, the committee said it also has reason to believe that due to the 46-year-old's online presence, Scavino may have had advance warning about the potential for violence on Jan. 6. Scavino and his counsel have received at least half a dozen extensions to comply with the subpoena, according to the committee. Despite all these extensions, to date, Mr. Scavino has not produced a single document, nor has he appeared for testimony, the report stated. A lawyer for Scavino did not return messages seeking comment. The committee previously voted to recommend contempt charges against longtime Trump ally Steve Bannon after he defied a congressional subpoena, as well as against Meadows after he ceased cooperating with the panel. The full House then approved both contempt referrals. Bannon was later indicted by a federal grand jury and is awaiting prosecution by the Justice Department. The Justice Department has not taken any action against Meadows. The central facts of the Jan. 6 insurrection are known but what the committee is hoping to do is fill in the remaining gaps about the attack on the Capitol, and lawmakers say they are committed to presenting a full accounting to make sure it never happens again. The panel is looking into every aspect of the riot, including what Trump himself was doing while it unfolded and any connections between the White House and the rioters who broke into the Capitol building. Photo: The Canadian Press Cargojet Inc. has signed a new agreement with DHL Network Operations (USA) Inc. to provide air-transportation services for DHL's global network that it says will boost earnings and help diversify its services. The agreement, which expands the relationship between the two companies, has a term of five years with a renewal option for an additional two years. Financial terms were not disclosed. Under the deal, Cargojet will provide services to support DHL's international requirements for Europe and North, South, Central and Latin America, as well as Asia. Cargojet uses 12 freighters to service DHL's current requirements. DHL intends to add five additional B-767 freighters during the 2022-23 time frame. It also plans to be Cargojet's inaugural launch customer for the B-777 wide body long-range cargo aircraft, which are expected to begin flying in late 2023 or early 2024. In addition, Cargojet will issue to DHL warrants to acquire up to 9.5 per cent of its outstanding voting shares at a price of $158.92 per share over a period of seven years, with vesting tied to the delivery by DHL of up to $2.3 billion in business volume during the same term. Photo: The Canadian Press Canadian fashion mogul Peter Nygard appeared virtually before a Quebec court judge from a Toronto jail today to be charged with sexual assault and forcible confinement. Nygard, in an orange jumpsuit and wearing a blue mask, took notes during the brief proceedings. He was represented by a Montreal lawyer who waived the reading of the charges and reserved a decision on whether a future trial would be before a jury or a judge alone. An arrest warrant issued in Montreal alleges Nygard, 80, committed one count of sexual assault and one count of forcible confinement involving the same victim, between Nov. 1, 1997 and Nov. 15, 1998. A publication ban was requested in the Montreal case and the Crown has opposed bail, a technicality since Nygard is already detained while facing sex-related charges in Toronto and the United States. The Montreal case is set to return to court on April 4. Photo: The Canadian Press Queen Elizabeth II shrugged off recent health issues to attend a service of thanksgiving for her beloved husband, Prince Philip, at Westminster Abbey on Tuesday, entering the cavernous church through a side door to shorten the distance to her seat. The monarch entered the abbey on the arm of her second son, Prince Andrew, then separated from him to walk to her seat alone, easing concerns about unspecified mobility issues that have limited her public appearances in recent months. Her choice of escorts will be seen as a vote of support for Andrew after he settled a lawsuit linked to his relationship with the late, convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Elizabeth, who recently recovered from COVID-19, didnt go to a Commonwealth Day service at Westminster Abbey earlier this month, though she continued with other scheduled engagements. The 95-year-old monarch was deeply involved in planning the service, which included hymns and tributes from the charities Philip supported. Such touches werent permitted during his funeral last year due to pandemic control measures. About 1,800 family members and guests attended the memorial. Only 30 people were allowed at the funeral, conducted under strict lockdown rules that forced the queen to sit alone wearing a black mask as she mourned the loss of her husband of 73 years. Philip, duke of Edinburgh, died on April 9 at age 99. The Rev. David Conner remembered Philips service to the queen and dedication to environmental protection and his commitment to equipping young people with the skills they need to succeed through his Duke of Edinburgh Award. Through his passionate commitment, he drew others to himself in admiration and respect and, in the case of those who lived and worked most closely to him, genuine love, Conner said. There were also subtler honors, delivered as the royals often do through their clothing choices. Elizabeth, her daughter, Princess Anne, and Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, were all dressed in dark green - echoing Philips livery color of Edinburgh Green. Also wearing green was Doyin Sonibare, 28, who won top honors from the Duke of Edinburgh Award, created by Philip to teach young people confidence and life skills through outdoor activities and community service. More than 6.7 million teenagers and young adults have taken part in the program since 1956. Sonibare delivered the primary tribute to Philip, thanking him for creating a program that gave her the tools she needed to get her first job, go on to university and now study for a Ph.D. in sickle cell research. The culmination of the program is an overnight expedition, something that frightened a teenager from East London who had never been camping before and had a fear of climbing steep hills. I kept thinking I was going to trip up, roll down the mountain and its lights out for Doyin, she said. Fortunately for me, that didnt happen. I remember thinking to myself, if I could complete this expedition, I can do anything; even though at the time I was 18 and unsure about my future. The entrances to Westminster Abbey were lined by winners of the programs top honor, the Gold Award, as well as members of youth cadet associations - a touch requested by Philip. There were also prayers, offered in tribute to Philips faith, and the congregation joined in singing Guide Me, O Thou Great Redeemer, which wasnt possible at his funeral because of restrictions that banned singing. The queen sang along. Britains royal family attended, with Prince Charles sitting beside his mother and Prince William just behind her. Also taking part were many of Philips friends, and some 30 foreign royals, including Prince Albert of Monaco, Denmarks Queen Margrethe, King Harald and Queen Sonja of Norway, and King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia of Spain. The service was brief Philip was known for hating a fuss with the queen walking out of the church less than 50 minutes after she walked in. But it did give Britain a chance to offer a note of thanks to the man who at the queens coronation in 1953 swore to be her liege man of life and limb. It's a weekday evening. We've just had a great dinner. And now, relaxed and comfortable in our family room, we tune in to the latest war coverage from Ukraine. It's midnight in Lviv, and the ink-black horizon is lit by a ball of orange flame, the latest target of Russian missiles. This is followed by a cutaway to the rubble of a smashed civilian neighborhood and weeping victims; followed by shots of a long trench, now serving as a mass grave filled with hastily wrapped bodies; followed by a commercial. It's a commercial for something very expensive a Jamaica vacation, an electric Cadillac, a full set of teeth implants. I forget the product, but it doesn't matter and an attractive woman in her forties (actor portrayal) explains why she bought it. Yes, the cost might seem sobering, she hints, but she wants it, she deserves it, and "I had to learn to put myself first." Then it's back to a TV newsroom of talking heads and carnage in Ukraine. "I had to learn to put myself first." For a heartbeat, my mind drifts: I imagine this poor creature from the commercial locked in a titanic struggle for new teeth implants with her own unselfish self. But my baffled wife ruins the daydream: "What did that woman just say?" My bride is a lifelong educator, and after forty years teaching elementary and junior-high-school young people most of them about one degree less self-centered than true north on a compass she has calluses on her credulity. She loved her students but having to "learn" how to "put myself first" is not a problem she observed in them, or in anyone else in her experience. Her skepticism is, of course, unwelcome in a consumer economy. But I mention it here for a reason. Bear with me. The war in Ukraine has all the elements of an exceptionally vivid videogame except that real people are really fighting and dying. Few images in recent memory rival the footage of Ukrainian men escorting their families to the Polish border, and then turning back to fight. True, they're obligated to stay and fight, but most do, and most do so willingly, as evidenced by their stubborn resistance to the Russian invasion. They fight for something more important than themselves, in this case their nation, families, homes, and fellow countrymen. And they remember. They remember the savagery of a Second World War that raped and looted the Ukrainian countryside. They remember the Bolshevik persecution of their churches, the Soviet mass deportations of innocent farmers, scholars, and clergy, and the Holodomor Stalin's genocidal famine campaign in Ukraine that killed millions. To describe today's Ukrainian resistance as "fearless" would be melodramatic; fear of dying is a universal human trait. But the willingness to risk oneself for something bigger than oneself exhibits an authentic kind of freedom, a freedom that comes from self-denial rather than self-indulgence. It's a freedom that stands in unpleasant contrast to the thing we too often call "freedom" here in our own comfortable lives. The willingness to risk oneself for something bigger than oneself exhibits an authentic kind of freedom, a freedom that comes from self-denial rather than self-indulgence. "I had to learn to put myself first." This is our unofficial national anthem. And not by accident. For the American public, commercials are a form of religion-like catechesis, as Neil Postman shrewdly captured years ago in his essay "The Parable of the Ring Around the Collar" (collected here). If Americans don't buy stuff, and keep buying a lot of stuff, everything unravels. So we need to be relieved of our moral qualms about excessive desire and endless consumption. We need to be taught, and we need to learn, to put ourselves first. That demands a social curriculum of constant titillation and teasing people's hunger for more which is why Postman also suggested that foreign visitors need only look to Las Vegas to understand America. Here in the heart of the empire, far from those curious provinces like Ukraine, we increasingly live in a bubble of the permanent present; a bubble unburdened by memory and its lessons, and infested with distractions, faux rewards (cashback on all purchases!), manufactured appetites, and illusions masquerading as liberty. Protecting that bubble demands nimble managers with superior analytical skills, guided by behavioral psychology. Las Vegas, not surprisingly, models how it's done. In Addiction by Design: Machine Gambling in Las Vegas, MIT professor Natasha Dow Schull outlined the immense care the gambling industry takes in knowing, feeding, and thus shaping, its clientele. The data collected by the industry then determine the look, feel, and risk-reward balance of the gambling experience. This keeps customers coming back and, on balance, losing. Machines, as opposed to poker, roulette, or craps tables, are especially profitable. The individual player on a machine is alone and intensely cocooned in his or her own mental zone, sometimes for a full day without eating or even a bathroom break, and absent the hassle of other players. One of Schull's addicted machine gamblers, a woman named Mollie, described the experience this way: The more I gambled, the wiser I got about my chances [of winning]. Wiser but also weaker. Less able to stop. Today when I win and I do win from time to time I just put it back in the machines. The thing people never understand is that I'm not playing to win. [I play] to keep playing to stay in that machine zone where nothing else matters the whole world is spinning around you, and you can't really hear anything. You aren't really there you're with the machine, and that's all you're with. Other industries have watched and learned, adapting behavioral psychology techniques for their own purposes. Advertising, for example. "I had to learn to put myself first." It's a simple sentence; just nine syllables. But I can't get it out of my head, because it raises a simple question: Who exactly are the free: the people fighting in Ukraine's rubble or us? Success in adversity ICR Newsroom By Published 29 March 2022 Union Cement Company (UCC), a subsidiary of Shree Cement (India), operates one of the UAEs largest cement plants. Located in Ras Al Khaimah, adjacent to one of the worlds largest limestone quarries and Mina Saqr port, UCCs production facility was revamped under Shree Cements ownership. ICR speaks with Vijay Somani, CEO and MD of UCC, about the companys aggressive cost optimisation and export strategy that have enabled UCC to remain a rewarding business in spite of the tough domestic situation. ICR: What is the situation like in the UAE these days? Vijay Somani (VS): The COVID-19 pandemic is under control in the UAE. There is almost 100 per cent vaccination. Tourism is as usual and expected during Expo 2020, and we have more visitors here than residents. Yes, there is an impact, but this wave of the pandemic is not as severe as the last one. Therefore, it is not going to inflict as much damage in 2022, in my view. It will be a positive outlook. UCC and Shree Cement ICR: When Shree Cement acquired Union Cement Co (UCC) in 2018, it was the companys first overseas venture. What was the rationale for the acquisition, especially given the overcapacity evident in the UAE market? VS: You are right. UCC is the first operation out of India for Shree Cement. The proposed acquisition helped Shree Cement create its first footprint outside India. The UAE is one of the major economies in the Middle East that has good long-term prospects in the housing, construction and infrastructure segments. ICR: What attracted the company to UCC? VS: At that time, when we came to the UAE, quite a few cement plants were available to invest, but we found that UCC was more suitable, not only because it is close to the seaport for export, but also because it is well connected by a conveyor belt with the limestone mine. It also has space an existing site to expand in case the demand requires. UCC has a consistent track record of stable performance with oil well cement as a premium product with a specialised application in its product basket. Unfortunately, those new capacities that were planned in 2006 up to the 2008 crisis came online and those increased capacities created an imbalance between market demand and supply. Everyone wants their piece of the cake. This has now brought down the cement price and the domestic market was already saturated. Between those minimum cement prices of 2017 and now, prices have fallen to AED155/t [US$42.21/t] delivered and at the same time costs have gone up multifold. To ensure continuity of plant operations and better realisation, we have shifted our focus and have considerably increased our sales to a very regular export market. Our major export market is clinker, but we are also exporting cement. Growing export sales ICR: Exports are an important share of your sales. How much of your output is exported and where are you selling? VS: We are exporting around 65-75 per cent of our output through Mina Saqr port. We deliver to east Africa, Bangladesh and the Gulf states, and these are our target markets for clinker and cement. There is no clinker market for India. ICR: Is Oman still the leading export destination for UAE producers? VS: Exports to Oman from the UAE were around 4Mt in 2017 but have come down significantly. Cement is exported to Oman by road, but these days there are some transport and freight barriers that have seriously brought down export volumes. There are also administrative challenges at the border, which are reducing export potential. ICR: Freight rates are particularly high at present does this impact your ability to sell overseas? VS: Of course, but freight and availability of vessels at the right price have definitely not affected only the cement business in my view. All businesses have been affected by that. We are finding it difficult because our import and export shipping costs have gone up and it is difficult to pass on to the customer. That is really a big challenge. We hope that shipping should ease out gradually after the first or second quarter of 2022. Addressing domestic challenges ICR: How large is the domestic market and how has it performed during the COVID-19 pandemic? VS: Maybe 10-12Mta, in my view. In the domestic market, yes, we have a lot to refine and upgrade to have a larger share than today. ICR: What share of your sales is to the domestic market, versus exports? VS: We sell around 25-35 per cent of our output on the domestic market. Ordinary Portland cement types are the most dominant in the local market, but GGBS-based green cement sales are picking up. ICR: Apart from shifting to export sales, how has UCC responded to the challenging market situation? VS: Cost optimisation Shree Cement in India is well known for mastering costs. Our cost benchmarks are tracked by other manufacturers. We provide you with an example: when we acquired the plant in 2018, the kiln at UCC was producing 10,000tpd. Today it produces over 14,000tpd. That is without any capital expenditure no major capital expenditure has taken place. So, we probably can say that our technical team has set a new benchmark of higher productivity 45 per cent by revamping capacity without any additional investment. At the same time, we have more than doubled the waste heat recovery capacity. So, that is driving down our energy costs for manufacturing. ICR: What fuels are you using to fire the kiln? VS: We are using imported coal. On that side, before Shree Cement came, the coal was procured locally. Now we are sourcing directly from miners with the benefit of high-volume group consumption and ship it in Capesize vessels to optimise shipping costs. We have significantly brought down our coal procurement costs. ICR: What about distribution costs in the UAE, how do they impact the market? VS: The very high transportation cost, including tolls, is discouraging the movement of the goods from one emirate to other emirates. This has brought down overall domestic market presence. So, now we are focussing on optimising transport capacity. We are making the transport fleet more efficient, to bring down costs or at least compensate for increased costs. ICR: How have energy costs moved in the last year or two, and what do you expect for coal in the year ahead? VS: Coal has moved up a lot, but by the middle of the year, it should stabilise towards a normal level. Otherwise, if high costs continue in 2022, it will be very difficult to pass them on to the customer. ICR: What do you expect for the year ahead in terms of UAE cement demand? VS: 2021 was the year when most of the projects such as the Expo and other infrastructure and residential projects were completed and delivered. Construction activity is currently lower than the pace of the last decade and demand is at about 11Mt, which in my view is the lowest. Therefore, from here it is expected to improve. New projects are currently being announced with more to come, with work on Etihad railways already started. The UAE government is really aggressive in creating world class infrastructure and other icons. So, we are hopeful that from 11Mt it should gradually come back to the old level of at least 15Mt over the next 2-3 years. ICR: How do you see prices evolving as a result of that increased demand? VS: Prices will always be challenged here, because of the overcapacity. Credit terms are another challenge to volumes: people want longer credit, often unsecured, so that is another challenge to mitigate and enhance the volume in the local market. ICR: Given the level of overcapacity, with around 38Mta of grinding capacity, why has there not been more consolidation in the market? VS: Consolidation may not have a big impact unless there is a new market and product creation. Consolidation of two times or three times the capacity of demand [is required]. Consolidation works more effectively when there is not a wide gap between demand and supply. However, eventually, consolidation will happen and that will improve the market a little bit, but not significantly unless a new market segment is created. At the same time, surrounding countries in the GCC also have overcapacity. Saudi Arabia was never previously in the export market, but in the last 2-3 years it has also been exporting. So, consolidation will also happen gradually but will not have much impact on the pricing side [because of global oversupply]. ICR: What is it about Shree Cement that allows it to achieve leadership positions in terms of cost optimisation and technical performance, as in the case of the kiln capacity increase at UCC? VS: The management always encourages to build the team for growth and innovation. Calculated failures to acquire and adapt new approaches are acceptable to them. That gives us the confidence to try and come up with innovations to enhance efficiency and productivity. At the time of our acquisition of the plant we knew that there was scope to increase productivity and re-utilisation of waste heat. And the scope identified and visualised at the time of acquisition has been aptly implemented. Furthermore, in a market with overcapacity, one rule of thumb is that if you can be the lowest-cost producer, then you can definitely survive and operate at full capacity. So you have to have targets on the cost side as well, even if you cannot control things on the demand side. Decarbonisation ICR: In many parts of the world decarbonisation has risen to the top of the agenda for the cement industry. Do you think there is the same level of awareness and desire to reduce the carbon footprint in the Gulf and in the UAE? VS: We do not say that it is a desire, but it is a necessity now. So, we have to tune accordingly. The reduction of carbon is in everybodys interest, and the UAE has released targets. We will match it, the industry has to match it. ICR: Do you expect to move into alternative fuels in the future? VS: Certainly. We have already started on a trial basis for a number of waste streams. Hopefully, by the end of the year, we will see a satisfactory development in terms of alternative fuel. ICR: Do you plan to invest in solar power, given the plentiful solar resource in the UAE? VS: Definitely. We are up for investment in solar power, at least in line with our captive use. At the same time, the electricity available from federal sources is very expensive. We are awaiting the right policy announcement for solar power generation in the emirate. ICR: Do you think there is going to be more demand for low-carbon cements in the market? VS: We have a capability to produce green cement and we are already supplying it. Since ordinary Portland cement is available at a cheaper rate than green cement, the construction trade has not yet changed significantly. Looking ahead, demand for it may increase. We have capacity to produce it, providing the market commercials work out. ICR: How should the UAE government support the industry going forward? VS: The UAE government should address the issue of overcapacity. At the very least, stop approving applications for the building of new capacities and rationalising the existing ones should be looked into. The government could also look into a minimum pricing cap scenario until overcapacity matches demand. We remind you that in 2007, before the 2008 crisis, the cement sold in the UAE market was priced at AED450-500/t. The government intervened and brought the price to AED350/t and that is the maximum price set. The requirement now is that a minimum price should be set. In terms of cement imports, we have successfully brought notice to the relevant ministry. As a result, it has successfully imposed anti-dumping measures on those imports. Malawi launches calcined clay project 29 March 2022 Malawi's State Vice President, Dr Saulosi Klaus Chilima, has officially launched the countrys Limestone Calcined Clay Cement project at the Crossroads Hotel in Lilongwe. The aim of the project is to strengthen the building material sector in the country by focussing on two building material areas, walling materials and cement. The project will use locally-sourced resources such as limestone, gypsum and other industrial minerals. Malawis Minister of Mining, Dr Albert Mbawala, said he was confident that calcined clay cement will reduce CO 2 emissions at cement plants by around one-third. In order to operationalise this project, a Memorandum of Understanding [MoU] between my Ministry of Mining through the Geological Survey and GIZ under the More Income and Employment in Rural Areas in Malawi [MIERA] has been developed, added Dr Mbawala. Published under Northern Region Cement Co announces net profits of SAR107m in 2021 29 March 2022 Northern Region Cement Co has achieved net profits after zakat (charitable donations) and tax worth SAR106.67m (US$28.4m) in 2021, a decline of 1.4 per cent from SAR108.22m in 2020. Revenues fell by 13.7 per cent to SAR561.91m last year from SAR651.48m in 2020. In the 3Q21 the Saudi listed firm reported net profit after zakat and tax worth SAR18.35m, an YoY drop of 14 per cent from SAR21.43m. Published under This service applies to you if your subscription has not yet expired on our old site. You will have continued access until your subscription expires; then you will need to purchase an ongoing subscription through our new system. Please contact The Chanute Tribune office at 620-431-4100 if you have any questions "Call of Duty: Vanguard" fans, you will want to pay attention to this! Activision has announced that anyone who wants to check out "Vanguard's" multiplayer will have limited access to it for two weeks. The best part of it is that it will be for free for that entire time period. Aside from that, those who play the competitive Ranked Play mode should know that changes have been made to its Skill Rating system. 'Call of Duty: Vanguard' Multiplayer is Free for Two Weeks "Call of Duty: Vanguard" is giving limited access to those who want to try out the multiplayer for two weeks. According to a report by GameSpot, the Free Access event will run from March 30 all the way to April 13. The limited access will apply to all platforms. Per the report, "This limited content will include a playlist of mixed game modes on Season 2's new maps Casablanca and Gondola." Players will also have access to a mix of objective game modes on some of the most popular maps of "Call of Duty: Vanguard." This inclides Das Haus and Shipment. That is not all you can expected from the limited time Free Access event. Season 2 Reloaded's Arms Race mode is also included, including its tanks and motorcycles. Read Also: 'CoD Warzone Pacific,' 'Vanguard' Season 2 Begins this V-Day, Brings in Additions, Changes Changes to Ranked Play Skill Ratings Aside from the Free Access event that will last for two weeks, "Call of Duty: Vanguard" fans should also take note of the changes made to the Skill Rating system of the competitive Ranked Play mode. According to a separate GameSpot report, "As of March 28, Treyarch said that players' Skill Rating gains and losses should be more consistent." Specifically, the changes to the system will make it possible for players to earn more to their Skill Rating after winning. On the flipside, those who lose will lose less when it comes to their Skill Rating. Treyarch likewise said that game performance will also have less impact on the Skill Rating regardless if the player loses or wins. Developer Lawrence Metten also posted a thread on his Twitter account explain how Skill Rating is calculated in Ranked Play. You can view the Twitter thread below: With todays update, I think itd be helpful to explain how our SR system works () Your SR is a visible representation of your Ranked Play skill, but behind the scenes we track a Hidden Performance Range for each player that drives SR. Lets call this hidden range HPR. Lawrence Metten (@LawrenceMetten) March 28, 2022 It can be recalled that Ranked Play came with "Call of Duty: Vanguard's" Season 2 update. This game mode allows players to compete in matches that involve the same maps and rules that are being used in "Call of Duty League." "Players start in Ranked Play by participating in five placement matches to determine their initial Skill Rating, which is a number that determines a player's skill level within a specific Ranked Play season," GameSpot explains. Related Article: 'Call of Duty Vanguard' Gets Ranked Play for Season 2 This article is owned by GameNGuide Written by Isabella James The Hamilton County Health Department on Monday reported 21 new positive COVID-19 cases, up from six on Friday. The total number of cases in the county now stands at 98,271. There was one more death reported on Monday by the Health Department, for a total of 1,115. It was reported the death was a black, male, age 31-40. The Health Department is currently conducting data cleaning on a number of backlogged cases from the Omicron surge. This process will result in an increase in the total number of cases. However, the daily case counts will still reflect the actual number of new cases received by the Health Department on that day. The number of COVID-19 hospitalizations is 24 in Hamilton County, no change from Friday. One more is hospitalized with suspected COVID. There are four Hamilton County inpatients and four patients are in ICU, down from five on Friday. The number of those who have recovered from coronavirus in Hamilton County is 97,071, which is 99 percent. There are 85 active cases, compared to 77 on Friday. Former County Commissioner Dan Rawls told members of the Bradley County Commission on Monday night that the panel should hold the annual audit committee meeting prior to the start of early voting - or else it would look like one commissioner was being protected. He referred to an audit from the state Comptroller's Office that said Commissioner Erica Davis had a conflict of interest on a county job. The audit said a company owned by Commissioner Davis got a subcontract on work that had been approved by the County Commission. Commissioner Davis said she does not believe it was a conflict. The Bradley Commission approved Berywood Landscaping to demolish three buildings at Lake Forest Middle School for $45,000. Berywood then subcontracted with Commissioner Davis's TriStar Enterprises to haul debris and topsoil from the site. Mr. Rawls said the audit committee in the past has met in the first quarter. He said, "You would think you would want to meet and deal with this issue and clear the air on it. I find it alarming that it appears the commission is protecting this individual. Everybody I've talked to finds it alarming as well. "Clearly, the state considered this to be a big problem." He said Ms. Davis is involved in a "contentious" election contest. Commissioners had no response. Here is the audit report: On May 18, 2020, the Bradley County Commission approved a resolution authorizing the county mayor to enter into an agreement with Berywood Landscaping LLC (Berywood) for the demolition of three county buildings located at the Lake Forest Middle School. Berywood was acknowledged in the resolution as the low bidder for this project at $45,000. After entering a contract with Bradley County, Berywood later subcontracted with TriStar Enterprises (TriStar) to haul debris and topsoil from the Lake Forest site. TriStar is a trucking company owned and operated by Erica Davis, who is a member of the Bradley County Commission, and who voted to award the bid to Berywood. Ms. Davis stated that her company performed work on the Lake Forest Middle School property, and she provided auditors with three separate invoices sent to Berywood from TriStar totaling $23,422.50 for hauling services. These payments appear to violate the state conflict of interest statute, Section 12-4-101(b), Tennessee Code Annotated. This statute states that It is unlawful for any officer, committee member, director, or other person whose duty it is to vote for, let out, overlook, or in any manner to superintend any work or any contract in which anycountyshall or may be interested, to be indirectly interested in any such contract unless the officer publicly acknowledges such officer's interest. Indirectly interested means any contract in which the officer is interested but not directly so. This noncompliance with state statute is the result of a lack of management oversight. RECOMMENDATION County officials should review these payments and resolve the conflict of interest. MANAGEMENTS RESPONSE COMMISSIONER ERICA DAVIS The entire process, from the creation of the RFP, to the opening, selection, and awarding of bids is handled by the County Mayor. The Commissions only role is to authorize the Mayor to enter into a contract with the bidder that he selects. After the vote, and only a week prior to work starting on the project, TriStar was contacted by Berywood and asked to provide a quote for specific services, which were provided at a fair market rate. TriStar was later informed by Berywood that their quote had been accepted, and Berywood wished to utilize TriStar for hauling purposes. Work was performed per the request of the contractor, billed, and paid, all in a timely and professional manner. TriStars work was performed consistent with an expected, if not greater, standard and in a workmanlike manner. The assertion of potential conflict overlooks the fact that TriStar did not have a contract with the county, as they were providing services for specific work to be done at the time of the request. TriStar has provided all of the records of requested work, billings, and payment. Likewise, Erica Davis in her capacity as Commissioner had no duty to vote to select a contractor, or oversee the contract between Berywood and Bradley County. It was and remains public knowledge among county officials in Bradley County government that Erica Davis owns and operates TriStar Trucking LLC, and that her company was involved in hauling debris from the Lake Forest demolition site. At no time were any questions raised before, during or in subsequent meetings afterwards regarding the project. Bradley County nor the County technical advisors have a policy prohibiting the performance of the work which was done by a wonderful company and its employees. I have reviewed Attorney General Opinions and do not believe that my company, the county or Berywood have committed any wrong or engaged in any misconduct. AUDITORS COMMENT The Attorney Generals Office has opined on several occasions regarding conflict of interest statutes that persons who vote on budgets and appropriations superintend the contracts paid for by those budgets and appropriations. Therefore, we believe this is an indirect conflict of interest as defined by the governing statute. String Theory at the Hunter, in partnership with Lee University and the Hunter Museum of American Art, will continue its 13th season on Tuesday, April 5, at 6:30 p.m., with Tchaikovsky and Brahms. This evening will bring a spectacular showcase of musical talent, said Dr. Gloria Chien, String Theory founder and artistic director. I look forward to everyone experiencing Brahms extraordinary string sextet and Tchaikovsky's Souvenir de Florence with us. In keeping with arts organizations in the area, proof of vaccination is no longer required, though masks are recommended. The concert will feature cellists Nick Canellakis and Colin Carr, violists Matthew Lipman and Tien-Hsin Cindy Wu, and violinists Chad Hoopes and Arnaud Sussmann. They will perform Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovskys Sextet in D minor, Op. 70 Souvenir de Florence and Johannes Brahms Sextet in B-flat major, Op. 18. Tchaikovskys sextet was composed in response to his honorary membership into the Saint Petersburg Chamber Music Society following a visit to Florence, Italy. Brahms sextet was immediately labeled as even more beautiful than anticipated by his dear friend Clara Schumann. Mr. Canellakis Mr. Hoopes Mr. Lipman, and Ms. Wu are all making their Chattanooga debuts for this event. A superb young soloist, Mr. Canellakis has captivated audiences around the world with his innovative techniques and rich, alluring tone. He has appeared in concertos, recitals, and music festivals throughout the United States and the world, including Europe and Asia tours with Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, at the Louvre in Paris, Carnegie Hall with the American Symphony Orchestra, the Seoul Arts Center, and Music in the Vineyards. He is the artistic director of Chamber Music Sedona in Arizona and an artist of CMS. He is a graduate of the Curtis Institute of Music and New England Conservatory. Mr. Carr has served as a professor at the Royal Academy of Music and on the faculty of the New England Conservatory, St. Johns College of Oxford, and Stony Brook University. He regularly appears throughout the world as a soloist, chamber musician, recording artist, and teacher, playing with major orchestras worldwide. He has been a frequent guest at the BBC Proms and has twice toured Australia. As a member of the Golub-Kaplan-Carr Trio, he recorded and toured extensively for 20 years. A consistent yet versatile performer, Mr. Hoopes has performed with orchestras including San Francisco, Pittsburgh, Houston, National Symphony, Minnesota, Colorado, and the National Arts Centre. He is a frequent performer with CMS and at the Menuhin Festival in Gstaad, Switzerland; the Rheingua Festival; and Festspiele Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. Mr. Hoopes was Munich Symphony Orchestras first artist-in-residence and studied at the Cleveland Institute of Music and the Kronberg Academy. Appearing around the world both as a soloist and chamber music performer, Mr. Lipman has performed with orchestras such as the Chicago Symphony, the Chamber Orchestra of Europe, the Minnesota Orchestra, BBC Philharmonic and in venues including Seouls Kumho Art Hall, Wigmore Hall, the Walt Disney Concert Hall, and Carnegie Hall. He is also a recording artist and published contributor to several magazines. Mr. Lipman makes frequent appearances at numerous music festivals and performs on tour and at Lincoln Centers Alice Tully Hall with CMS. He studied at The Julliard School, is an alum of the Bowers Program, and occupies the Wallach Chair at CMS. Mr. Sussmann has captured the attention of classical critics and audiences around the world. He has appeared with the American Symphony Orchestra, Stamford Symphony, Chattanooga Symphony, Minnesota Sinfonia, Lexington Philharmonic, Jerusalem Symphony, and Frances Nice Orchestra. He has presented in recital in Omaha, New Orleans, Tel Aviv, and Paris, and appears regularly at music festivals around the nation. A dedicated chamber musician, he is a member of CMS and has frequently appeared with them in New York and on tour. Mr. Sussmann is a recording artist and has been featured on PBS Live from Lincoln Center broadcasts. He trained at the Conservatoire de Paris and The Juilliard School. Ms. Wu is a soloist, chamber musician, and educator through North and South America, Europe, and Asia. She has been featured as a soloist in orchestras such as the National Symphony Orchestra at Taiwan, the Odessa Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Russian State Symphony Orchestra, and frequently performs at music venues and festivals around the world. She has taught at the University of Southern California and curated programs for the Da Camera Society in Los Angeles as the artistic partner. She is currently the music director of New Asia Chamber Music Society and founded Sunkissd Mozart. Art Connections will take place at 5:30, giving String Theory attendees the opportunity to visit the Hunter galleries and hear former Hunter Chief Curator Ellen Simak and Maestro Robert Bernhardt discuss works from the Hunter collection that relate to the music featured in the concert. Tickets are on sale now through April 5 and are $45 for general admission, $35 for Hunter members, $10 for students and music teachers, and $25 for groups of 20 or more. String Theory was founded in 2009 by Dr. Chien to expose new audiences to chamber music, invigorate the local classical music scene, and cultivate a future generation of music lovers. To purchase tickets, or for more information, visit https://www.stringtheorymusic.org/concerts/tchaikovsky-and-brahms or call 414-2525. Signal Mountain Mayor Charles Poss told council members Monday evening that he will sign Chattanooga Mayor Tim Kelleys letter to state legislators calling on the state to relieve tax pressure on Tennessee cities and towns. In 2002, the state hit its revenue sharing relationship with cities and towns increasing sales tax from six to seven percent, said Mayor Poss. The goal at the time was to take care of a budget shortfall but they never gave the one percent extra back to towns. Mayor Poss said local officials are trying to change that and take advantage of the extra one percent. He said the impact on Chattanooga would be $2.8 million and Signal Mountain would receive about $139,000. Mayor Poss said Tim Kelly has asked local mayors to sign the letter to show support. Im all for it but I didnt want to tell them yes until I asked the council, said the Signal mayor. Where do you sign? replied council member Vicki Anderson. Vice Mayor Susannah Murdock said the repeal of the Hall tax has created a new burden and they have had to make up the shortfall by raising property taxes. She said reinstatement of the former tax rate would offset some of that. Other topics of discussion at Monday's meeting included resolving costs to improve the Mountain Arts Community Center. They need about $12,000 to replace the 21-year-old HVAC system in the cafeteria. We are trying to get revenue from the MACC, said Dick Graham. The main building is able to run but we need to fix the outside building for the pottery studio - which will make money. Council members also approved $33,286 to replace carpet in the Signal Mountain Library and $112,589 to replaster the Signal Mountain Swimming Pool. Contractors said the town pool has not been replaced since 2012 and before that, 1995. He said the plaster problems cause the pool to lose water which costs money. It's in rough shape, kids get their feet cut up on the plaster, said the contractor. It's time to smooth it out. There was an estimate of $8,000 to get a system set up for livestreaming the council meetings. Council members said they are going to get more estimates and then decide. The council also voted on second reading to allow a brewpub to operate in the town. The Signal Mountain Council meets again on April 11. Named the world's top hotel for stargazing by CNN Travel, the Hyatt Regency Maui Resort and Spa offers up an unforgettable experience to view Mauis clear skies with a night of stargazing from their rooftop. This resort takes their night sky seriously, too. Eddie Mahoney, the Hyatts own NASA ambassador, guides you through several telescope stations to look at everything from the moon to star groups that are 1,400 light years away. It was a surreal experience to be able to learn about the stars and constellations we so often just take in at a quick distracted glance. To listen to Mahoney excitedly and dedicatedly detail the planetary views, historical impacts, and share his depth of knowledge was an unmatched experience. You dont have to be a sky science junkie to enjoy this special outing either because Mahoney is so skilled at breaking down the science and relaying the information in easy to think of terms. Hawaiis location relative to the equator makes this a special spot on earth for stargazing with the ability to see nearly all the constellations throughout the year. The state also boasts low light pollution so you can get a better view of these small shining wonders. You can book this experience through the concierge at Hyatt by calling +1 808 667 4727. Non-resort guests can book, but there is a discount for those staying onsite. A woman told police that someone stole her wallet while she was at work at Erlanger Urology, 1755 Gunbarrel Road. She said she did not realize it until she got ready to leave work because her keys were with her wallet. She said the person spent a total of $8,000. The money was spent at Sam's Club in Chattanooga and online. Walden Security stated they would attempt to find any video to identity the suspect. The woman said she has already locked her cards so no more money can be spent. * * * A park supervisor for the city of Chattanooga told police that when his crew arrived this morning at Heritage Park, 1428 Jenkins Road, it was discovered that someone had cut the lock on the entry gate. Once inside, the park crew discovered that one park bench, two trash cans and a newly planted tree had been damaged. He said the vandal(s) also attempted to start a fire behind one of the buildings. The park is in the process of getting cameras installed. The supervisor is requesting extra police presence at night and during the early morning hours as this has been an ongoing issue. * * * A woman told police that she went for an interview in East Lake that morning and a white F-150 (TN tag) was following her. After she left the interview, she went to the Social Security building off Premier Drive and witnessed this same vehicle following her again. She said that a white male driver was operating the vehicle, but left prior to police arriving. She thought it was strange and wanted to have the incident documented. Police told her to update if any new info comes to light as well. * * * Police were called to the Truist Bank, at 11:10 a.m. and 12:05 p.m. on a burglar alarm. This location is formally known as Sun Trust Bank. Upon police arrival both times, police made contact with a man with CBRE, who was on site to do some work on the building. The man had the combination to the lock box to the building, which gave him access to the building. He cooperated fully with police. * * * A man told police he was at District 3 Hotel, 100 West 21st St., overnight and at 1:30 a.m. someone attempted to break into his Dodge Ram truck. He said the hotel video shows the suspect break out his window, and as he did a car pulled up and the suspect ran off. Per the desk clerk, the video was grainy enough that a suspect could not be identified. The man said it will cost around $300 to have the window replaced. * * * A man on North Moore Road told police he was trying to reunite with his ex-wife. He said that for some reason, his friend sent him photos of a rifle and a few guns, but didn't say anything about the weapons. The man then told police that he was feeling nervous and wanted police to call his uncle. Police contacted the uncle, who came over to be with the man. * * * An employee of Chattanooga Public Works told police he observed a homeless black male, 5'5", wearing red shorts and a black jacket, pulling a city of Chattanooga garbage can down the roadway heading east towards Central Avenue. Police canvassed the area, but the man had already left the area with the garbage can. The employee said he wanted to report the matter in case the man had taken someone's garbage can. * * * Police were called to the Mapco, 6200 Lee Hwy., to check on a suspicious person who was in a blue truck. Police identified the woman and she said she was just sleeping and did not need assistance. * * * A suspicious person was reported in Rivermont Park after dark. Police made contact with the man on the dock, where they observed him fishing. Police identified him and told him that people are not allowed in the park after dark. The man came back negative for warrants and wants. He gathered his belongings and left the scene. * * * A disorder was reported at Motel 6, 5505 Brainerd Road. Police spoke to the night shift manager, who said she needed a man and woman removed and trespassed from the property. Police contacted the couple and informed them that they needed to leave and were banned from the property. Police stayed on the scene until the couple left the area. * * * Police observed a vehicle (TN tag) parked at the fuel pumps of the Quick Stop at N. Holtzclaw Avenue/Wilson Street. Police observed that the vehicle was unoccupied. The vehicle contained miscellaneous items and all the doors were locked. Nothing criminal was located in the vehicle. The vehicle was registered to a man who lives on Sunflower Lane. * * * An employee of Walden Security called police due to two homeless people being under an awning at 832 Georgia Ave. where he was contracted to work. He called police when the two refused to leave. When police arrived, one person had already left and the other man was complaining about having to leave, due to the amount of rain. The security employee still said the man had to leave, despite the weather conditions. The man slowly gathered his things to depart, but then started to dry heave and complain of pain in his testicles when he saw the rain. Police called for an ambulance, but when the man heard this, he grabbed his things and walked away. Police canceled the ambulance. House Speaker Cameron Sexton said Monday he gave factual information to a grand jury investigating political corruption and confirmed he is not a target in the federal probe. Sexton was among at least five lawmakers subpoenaed to testify before the grand jury, including Republican Reps. Jason Zachary of Knoxville, Bud Hulsey of Kingsport, Patsy Hazlewood of Signal Mountain and Esther Helton of East Ridge. Legislative Administration Executive Director Connie Ridley also went before the grand jury Monday. Zachary previously declined to confirm he was subpoenaed, saying only, I know what you know. He showed up, though, at the federal courthouse to provide testimony, according to reports. Hazlewood initially said she had not been subpoenaed but then saw she had received a subpoena by email after talking to reporters. Sexton, a Crossville Republican in his third year as House Speaker, declined to give reporters details about his testimony but reiterated that he was called to give factual information, according to news reports. I think its important to remember I think grand juries, state and federal, are unique and different, and the federal process requires an individual to be subpoenaed to either (be) one of three people. Ones a target. Im not a target, never received a target letter. Another one is a suspect, which I am not. And then third is a witness that provides factual information, a factual witness per se. Today, my role is to provide information and be a factual witness, which I happily did and answered all the questions under oath, Sexton told news reporters outside the building in downtown Nashville. Federal agents are putting together a case involving the creation of a political vendor that gave kickbacks to lawmakers and possibly political bribery surrounding the 2019 education savings account vote. Sexton has said he has been cooperating with federal agents since he won election to the Speakers post in the fall of 2019 following the resignation of Rep. Glen Casada amid a sexist and racist texting scandal and complaints about his management style. Sextons testimony comes on the heels of the resignation of Rep. Robin Smith when she pleaded guilty to a wire fraud charge three weeks ago. Smith and Casada, who was identified in federal documents as a former House Speaker from January 2019 to August 2019, used their positions in the Legislature to persuade House Republicans to do business with a new campaign vendor called Phoenix Solutions, according to federal documents. As part of her guilty plea, Smith is cooperating with federal agents. Smith, Casada and first-term Republican Rep. Todd Warner were targets in a January 2021 raid by FBI agents. Smiths guilty plea identifies the operator of the business as the former House Speakers ex-chief of staff, Cade Cothren, who resigned amid scandal. Cothren gave Smith and Casada kickbacks for more than $200,000 worth of business steered to him, according to the federal documents. The House Republican Caucus spent tens of thousands of dollars with a man named Matthew Phoenix, believed to be Cothren, yet nobody within the caucus had a face-to-face meeting with the owner of Phoenix Solutions. Hulsey said previously he believed he was subpoenaed because he did business with Casadas consulting firm, Right Way Strategies. Helton said she believed she was called to testify because she used Phoenix Solutions, and Hazlewood used the vendor too, but then said later she would not have used it if shed known who was involved. * * * I had concerns from early on, expressed my concerns. They searched down the concerns that I brought and there were fake answers given, lies, manipulations. But they were to the (satisfaction) of the caucus campaign finance committee. Rep. Jeremy Faison, R-Cosby, Chair, House Republican Caucus * * * Zachary said last week he had used Right Way Strategies, too, and told a Knoxville publication he didnt think his subpoena had anything to do with flipping his vote in the 2019 voucher ordeal. Republican Rep. Kent Calfee of Kingston has told The Tennessee Lookout two times he heard Casada discuss giving Democratic Rep. John Mark Windle a promotion in the National Guard in return for his vote. Calfee also said he heard Casada say he would call the governor and talk to him about making Windle a general. Casada has said he didnt have the authority to give anyone a promotion in the National Guard. Yet, Calfee said the governor called him to his office to talk about the matter and told him comments hed made about Casada and an offer to Windle reflected poorly on him. The governor told Tennessee Lookout on two separate occasions he didnt know anything about the meeting Calfee described. Calfee has said he believes federal agents are conducting three investigations into the Legislature. In fact, several lawmakers used Phoenix Solutions for campaign work and to handle their taxpayer-funded mailers. House Republican Caucus Chairman Jeremy Faison said last week he suspected Phoenix Solutions was questionable almost from the time it surfaced as a player in the 2020 primary elections. I had concerns from early on, expressed my concerns. They searched down the concerns that I brought and there were fake answers given, lies, manipulations. But they were to the (satisfaction) of the caucus campaign finance committee, said Faison, a Cosby Republican. He later told the Chattanooga Times Free Press that when he challenged the validity of the vendor, Smith ran against him for the position of caucus chairman. He also called Phoenix Solutions bull-. Phoenix Solutions used the same mode of operation as two other new entities in the 2020 election, Alabama-based Dixieland Strategies and the Faith Family Freedom Fund, as well as the same Hamilton County postal code, 383. A former girlfriend of Cothrens testified he persuaded her to organize the Faith Family Freedom Fund political action committee so he could run it. A North Carolina restaurant owner, who has not been found, donated the money that was used to attack former Republican Rep. Rick Tillis of Lewisburg in his race against Warner of Chapel Hill. Warner defeated Tillis in the race, and a Tillis campaign worker filed a complaint that the Faith Family Freedom Fund PAC illegally coordinated with the Warner campaign. The Tennessee Registry of Election Finance has turned that matter over to the Williamson County District Attorneys Office and asked the Attorney Generals Office to bring in Cothren to testify. He refused to testify after being subpoenaed by the Registry board, invoking his Fifth Amendment right to avoid incriminating himself. The Tennessee Lookout is at https://tennesseelookout.com/ The Wind Symphony of Southern Adventist Universitys School of Music invites the community to a sacred concert at the Collegedale Church of Seventh-day Adventists on Saturday, April 9, at 4 p.m. Titled How Deep the Fathers Love for Us, the concert will musically recount the birth, ministry, crucifixion, resurrection, and exaltation of Christ. Music by Alfred Reed, Morten Lauridsen, David Gillingham, and John Wesley Gibson will be included. Directed by Ken Parsons, the concert will feature organ soloist Brandon Wilcox, senior music major. This event is free and open to the public and also will be livestreamed at southern.edu/streaming. For more information, visit southern.edu/musicevents or call 236-2880. In the span of a week (March 20-27), the Transportation Security Administration discovered eight firearms at security checkpoints in Tennessee, including at least one in every major airport in the state. Nashville International Airport (BNA) March 20; loaded M&P Bodyguard .380 caliber March 22; loaded Springfield .45 caliber March 22; loaded Glock 9mm March 25; loaded Glock 9mm Memphis International Airport (MEM) March 24; loaded Glock 9mm McGhee Tyson Airport (TYS) March 20; loaded Smith & Wesson .357 caliber Chattanooga Metropolitan Airport (CHA) March 24; loaded SCCY Industries 9mm Tri-Cities Airport (TRI) March 22; unloaded Glock 9mm In each instance, TSA officers notified local enforcement partners, who removed the firearms and passengers from the checkpoint area. Firearms are prohibited in carry-on baggage.They may be transported in checked baggage, provided they are declared to the airline, locked in a proper carrying case and unloaded. Security is the first concern of the TSA, and having these items in bags that are traveling with you on the aircraft is dangerous to other travelers and can be easily mistaken as an intentional attempt to bring a prohibited item onto an aircraft. Passengers must remember theyre responsible for the contents of bags and our advice is they thoroughly inspect all personal belongings to make sure there are no illegal or prohibited items before coming to the airport, said Steve Wood, TSA Federal Security Director for Tennessee. TSA officers have detected 64 firearms at Tennessee airports year to date in 2022. A total of 283 were detected across the state last year. In addition to potential criminal charges, passengers who bring firearms to a checkpoint face civil penalties from TSA: https://www.tsa.gov/travel/civil-enforcement For more information about TSA prohibited items, please follow these links: https://www.tsa.gov/travel/security-screening/whatcanibring/all https://www.tsa.gov/travel/transporting-firearms-and-ammunition In loving memory of Ben Hicks, 85, of Hixson, Tennessee, we celebrate his eternal rest and reward. He passed on March 27, 2022, surrounded at home by his family. He was born on Oct. 5, 1936, in Olanta, SC and was the son of Bennie Cleton and Edna E. Graham Hicks. He was preceded in death by his parents and his daughter, Kathryn Lynn Pelonero. Survivors include his beloved wife, Janice Hicks, daughters, Kandace (James) Tanner and Kimberly (Keith) Moss, six grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren. He was known as a gentle and loving husband, father and grandfather. He was a man of deep faith and a living testament of many miracles in his lifelong journey, a quiet and gentle spirited man that loved God, family and country. He proudly served in the Air Force, graduated from Emmanuel College in Royston, Ga., and obtained a masters degree in Theology from Logos Bible College in Jacksonville, Fl., worked many years in television and radio broadcasting, as professor of Radio Communication at Gaston College, Gastonia, N.C. and then moved to Hixson, to be near his children and completed his career working at James Countertops in Office Administration. Ben was a light and inspiration of hope for many from years of ongoing health battles and victories that he overcame clinging to his unwavering faith. In faithful service to God, he ministered for years with his wife, Janice, in teaching and expounding the Gospel of Jesus Christ through discipleship classes and Sunday School, worked countless hours behind the scenes with his daughter, Kandace, in the compilation of translated lessons, videos and music presentations for missions work in Honduras. Though his desire was to travel on the mission field, his health limited this in the natural, yet he took many trips in the spiritual through his service unto God and labor of love in work. He was admired by many and adored by his family. A man of genuine humility that esteemed others better than himself and known by two phrases that described his lifeGentle Ben and the Miracle Man of faith. His final words with family instructed them to love God, love others and that love is the greatest of all. He lived by this everyday of his life and his works now live in the hearts of his family as a daily reminder. He was not afraid of death, but making sure that his family will be sure to return to him in heaven on that day of Christ arrival. Like Our Heavenly Father, his words resonate now, I dont want one to be lost. He will be dearly missed, but he will long be remembered. (Psalm 112:1-6) Funeral services will be held on Saturday, April 2, at noon at the Ministry Center on Hamill Road, Hixson, with the Rev. Jimmie Talley officiating. The family will receive friends on Saturday, April 2, from 10 a.m. until noon at the Ministry Center on Hamill Road, Hixson. Burial will be held on Monday, April 4, at 11 a.m. in the Hamilton County Memorial Park. Arrangements are by Legacy Funeral Home & Cremation Center, 8911 Dallas Hollow Road, Soddy Daisy, Tn., 423 843-2525. Share your memories, stories, and photos at legacyfuneralhome.com. Under auspices of SDC and democratic powers, the efforts continue to gather the democratic political forces in the Syrian opposition to unite ranks, through the "Syrian Democratic Forces and Personalities Conference", that was revealed by SDC in May last year, which is scheduled to be held in implementation of Security Council resolution 2254. The Syrian Democratic Council endeavors over a period of 3 years succeeded in achievement tentative comprehensive national consensus, and forming of a preparatory committee to hold a comprehensive national conference, after 6 workshops in European cities organized by SDC, and 3 dialogue forums inside Syria in the years "2018, 2019, 2020", in which Syrian political forces and personalities from various components of the country participated. At the invitation of the Preparatory Committee for the Conference of "Syrian Democratic Forces and Personalities", in cooperation with the "Ulf Palma International Foundation", the first consultative meetings were held in the Swedish capital, Stockholm, in December last year, with representatives of Syrian political parties under the title " a consultative meeting of Democratic forces and personalities". The co-chair of the Syrian Democratic Council, Amina Omar told ANHA that committee is preparing to hold a second consultative meeting, during the month of next April, which was scheduled to be held during this March. Amina Omar stated that: The first consultative meeting was held in the Swedish capital, Stockholm, on December 13 and 14, 2021, in the presence of A number of politicians, intellectuals and democratic personalities, in addition to the Swedish Foreign Ministry, and a representative of the US State Department and in coordination with the Ulf Palma International Organization. Omar indicated that international conditions and repercussions of the Russia - Ukraine war hindered, holding of the second consultative meeting until next April. Omar noted that the consultative meetings contribute to preparing the appropriate ground for building trust and reaching understandings among the Syrians, before holding of the comprehensive conference, without disclosing the date of convening, saying: "The date of convening will be determined later." Worth to note that SDC is the political umbrella for the Syrian Democratic Forces and the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria. It was established on December 9, 2015, which considered one of the most important and active political forces on the Syrian arena during the Syrian crisis. A.K ANHA 90 Day Fiance Season 8 couple Jovi Dufren and Yara Zaya give an update to fans on 90 Day Diaries Season 3. Heres everything we know about how Jovi, Yara, and their one-year-old daughter, Mylah handled Hurricaine Ida. Yara Zaya and Jovi Dufren 90 Day Diaries Season 3 | TLC Jovi and Yara flee Louisiana because of Hurricane Ida During the March 28 episode of 90 Day Diaries, Jovi and Yara pack their bags and leave after Category five Hurricane Ida threatens their home in New Orleans, Louisiana. Jovi tells the cameras, Were packing up, and we are getting out of town. Were going to head to Dallas. The 90 Day Diaries episode shows Jovi and Yara traveling to Dallas back in August 2021, when the storm was expected to hit Louisiana. The 90 Day Fiance couple decided to stay away until the storm passed and the power was turned back on. Jovi and Yara celebrate Mylahs 1st birthday Eight days into their stay at Dallas, Yara and Jovi celebrated Mylahs 1st birthday. Instead of the big birthday party that they had planned, they made do with what they had. They sang happy birthday to Mylah with a plate of her favorite food cheetos. While its not the birthday they expected, Yara promised to have a proper birthday party for Mylah once they got back to New Orleans. Despite the hickups that the hurricane caused, Jovi and Yaras marriage is going well. Jovi said, Yara and I have been doing pretty good lately, but anybody in our position, we have obstacles. Yara is waiting for her Green Card to visit Ukraine Since Yara left Ukraine to be with Jovi on her K-1 (fiance) visa, she hasnt been allowed to return back to visit her family until she gets her Green Card. Yara explained, My green card was delayed a already so many times. And now its delayed again. She continued, With my Green Card, I will be able to go home and see my mom. Yara revealed that her mom still hasnt met her granddaughter in person yet. Now the next hurdle that stands in their way is that the Green Card office will likely be closed due to the damages that Hurricane Ida caused. As of now, theres no news when Yara will be able to visit her family in Ukraine. 90 Day Diaries airs Mondays on TLC and discovery+. RELATED: 90 Day Diaries: Julia and Brandon Update Where Are They Now in 2022? Dave Grohl has been melting faces since the late 1980s, first with Nirvana and then with Foo Fighters. However, by 2002, Grohl still hadnt quite met everyone there was to meet in the industry, including George Harrisons son, Dhani Harrison. Grohl had no idea who Dhani was when they first met. Its an excusable offense. Dhani might have looked like a carbon copy of his father, but hed yet to find his own fame. Thankfully, Grohl quickly realized who he was talking to; otherwise, the surprise of his life might not have come. Dave Grohl and Dhani Harrison | Stephen Lovekin/Jeff Kravitz/Getty Images Dave Grohl didnt recognize George Harrisons son, Dhani, the first time they met Grohl and Dhani met in 2002. Grohl wrote about the meeting on his blog, Daves True Stories. From a dirty old couch deep within the bowels of Londons Wembley Arena, I watched the usual parade of familiar faces file into the Foo Fighters dressing room as I happily nursed my well- deserved post-show beer, still sweating from another exhausting night onstage, Grohl wrote. Foo Fighters guitarist, Chris Shifflett, told Grohl someone wanted to meet him. Hi, Im Dhani. In all of our years traveling and touring, playing concerts and festivals from Mississippi to Melbourne, I can honestly say that there arent too many strangers in the world of Foo, but as familiar as Dhanis face seemed, I couldnt place where I had seen this young man before, Grohl continued. But, with a nagging sense of Deja vu, I felt I knew this person somehow, almost as if we had grown up together. Dhani handed Grohl a CD he said hed worked on with his father. Curious, I took one look at the colorful cover, an image of five mannequins holding a television set with the word Brainwashed across the top in bold, black letters, and thought Wow. Good title. I smiled, gave the disc a quick but polite inspection, and was about to stuff it into my back pocket when I noticed something handwritten in the lower, right corner By George Harrison. Confused, I looked up at Dhani and immediately realized why he looked so familiar. As the son of the late, great George Harrison, he is the spitting image of his father. I took in his features: The unmistakable brow, the cheekbones, the shaggy, dark hair. I suddenly felt as if I were face to face with the quiet Beatle himself. And in that moment it all made sense.little did Dhani know, I had grown up with him. Meeting Georges son was already shocking. However, Grohl got another surprise that night. RELATED: George Harrisons Son Said Tom Pettys Death Was Just as Painful as His Fathers Death Grohl attended Concert for George after Dhani invited him Dhani said he was in London preparing a tribute concert for his father at Royal Albert Hall. Grohl realized it was November 22, 2002, a week before the first anniversary of Georges death. Dhani told Grohl the list of performers who were playing at Concert for George. His jaw dropped and dragged on the dirty carpet. Grohl wrote, The line-up was a virtual Rock and Roll Hall of Fame dream come true. And all under the same roof to pay tribute to my favorite Beatle! These musical giants were not only the soundtrack of my life, but many of the gods that I had bowed to ever since I picked up a guitar. In my mind, this was Valhalla. Grohl was shocked by what came next. Would you like to come? Ill put you on the list if youre in town! Dhani offered. Speechless, I turned to the Foo Fighters trusty tour manger, Gus Brandt and he enthusiastically nodded. If there was ever an instance where a human being actually levitated, I do believe that my feet literally lifted off the ground in bewildered excitement in this unimaginable moment. Im sure that Dhani had no idea how momentous this gesture was to me. But it felt like I was being granted a lifelong wish. We exchanged info, hugged, and happily exclaimed, See you in a week!' Grohl was about to experience an unforgettable night. RELATED: Michael Douglas Had a Strange Night Celebrating His Golden Globe Win With George Harrison and Bob Dylan The Foo Fighters frontman met Paul McCartney Grohl counted the days until the show. When they arrived, they got backstage passes. Grohl watched in awe as tons of great musicians went on stage to play some of Georges greatest hits. He later went backstage and met Paul McCartney, which he related to a supernatural experience. I tried to avert my eyes, but it was no use. I was mesmerized. Grohl had grown up loving The Beatles, so it was a full-circle moment for him. He was so thankful to be a part of it all. To be included in such a monumental affair felt like my lifes greatest reward up until that point, so every waking moment was spent awaiting its arrival. Of all the places my crooked musical path had taken me up until this point, this would undoubtedly prove to be a memory I would cherish forever. After the show, Grohl called his mother to tell her all about it. She cried tears of joy for him. RELATED: George Harrisons Son Thinks Prince Was Angry He Couldnt Delete His Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Performances off the Internet When Dave Grohl met Taylor Hawkins, Grohl was still mourning the death of his Nirvana bandmate, Kurt Cobain, and Hawkins was drumming for Alanis Morissette. Before theyd even played music together, they knew they had a bond. Both musicians felt heavily connected. So, when Grohl had an open drum seat in Foo Fighters, it was obvious who would fill it. It didnt matter if Hawkins was as good as Grohl. Taylor Hawkins and Dave Grohl | Paul Archuleta/FilmMagic Dave Grohl said Taylor Hawkins came into his life like an F5 tornado In his 2021 memoir, The Storyteller: Tales of Life and Music (per Loud Wire), Grohl explained he and Hawkins had a profound first meeting. It was almost as if theyd been twins separated at birth. Tearing through the room like an F5 tornado of hyperactive joy was Taylor Hawkins, my brother from another mother, my best friend, a man from whom I would take a bullet, Grohl wrote. Upon first meeting, our bond was immediate, and we grew closer with every day, every song, every note that we played together. I am not afraid to say that our chance meeting was a kind of love at first sight, igniting a musical twin flame that still burns to this day. Together, we have become an unstoppable duo, onstage and off, in pursuit of any and all adventure we can find. We are absolutely meant to be, and I am grateful that we found each other in this lifetime. Grohl said in an interview last year, I was like, Wow, youre either my twin or my spirit animal or my best friend.' Hawkins told NME he felt the same way. Me and Dave just looked like long lost brothers in a weird way. We had a similar vibe and I dont know why. RELATED: Stevie Nicks Heartbreaking Poem in Tribute to Taylor Hawkins: I Feel the Pain Grohl did ask Hawkins to join Foo Fighters because he was the best drummer Hawkins told NME that Grohl mostly asked him to join Foo Fighters (named after a term coined by World War II allies) because his drumming skills meshed well with Grohl. I wasnt picked because Im the best drummer in the world, thats for sure, Hawkins said. I was picked because my drumming somehow fitted in with Daves edge. Its like when you watch The Strokes the drummer is turned around weird, but when hes playing everything is rad as f*** and all the guitar players are rad in their own weird way. I like to think that were one of those bands where those f***ed-up limitations make sense. Grohl, meanwhile, thought it was more about their emotional connection. He cared less about Hawkins drumming. Grohl said that theres no such thing as a musical audition to join the Foo Fighters. Its a much more emotional, personal thing. You could be the best drummer in the world, but youd never be in this band if you didnt fit. Everyone in this band fits for a reason. When I met Taylor, it took two-and-half minutes before we became best friends. It just happened. Its that way in life, whether its a best friend, a lover or someone you know youll carry for the rest of your life. When he joined the band, his drumming was the least important factor I just thought I want to travel the world with this guy, I want to jump on stage and drink beers with this person. That was my biggest concern. Unfortunately, the brothers from another mother wont be traveling or drinking beers together anymore. RELATED: Dave Grohl Says This Foo Fighters Song Was Inspired by Kurt Cobains Death Hawkins was found dead in a hotel room in Bogota, Colombia On Mar. 25, Foo Fighters shared a statement on their social media revealing Hawkins had died. The Foo Fighters family is devastated by the tragic and untimely loss of our beloved Taylor Hawkins, the band wrote. His musical spirit and infectious laughter will live on with all of us forever. Our hearts go out to his wife, children and family, and we ask that their privacy be treated with the utmost respect in this unimaginably difficult time. Hawkins had played with the band days before on the South America leg of their tour. He was found dead in his hotel room in Bogota, Colombia. Colombian authorities have since released a preliminary toxicology report claiming that Hawkins had 10 substances in his body at the time of his death, including marijuana, opioids, and antidepressants. When Hawkins slipped into a coma after a heroin overdose in 2001, Grohl contemplated leaving music behind. Lets hope hes not thinking that now. How to get help: In the U.S., contact the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration helpline at 1-800-662-4357. RELATED: MTV VMAs 2021: Global Icons Foo Fighters Honor The Rolling Stones Charlie Watts Following the death of their drummer, Taylor Hawkins, on March 25, Foo Fighters have canceled all upcoming tour dates. The band is also set to perform during the Grammy Awards on April 3. However, some fans are doubting whether they will attend. Foo Fighters | Marcelo Hernandez/Getty Images Foo Fighters drummer, Taylor Hawkins, was found dead in his hotel in Columbia On March 25, Foo Fighters shared a statement on their social media revealing Hawkins had died. The Foo Fighters family is devastated by the tragic and untimely loss of our beloved Taylor Hawkins, the band wrote. His musical spirit and infectious laughter will live on with all of us forever. Our hearts go out to his wife, children and family, and we ask that their privacy be treated with the utmost respect in this unimaginably difficult time. Hawkins had played with the band days before on the South America leg of their tour. He was found dead in his hotel room in Bogota, Colombia. Colombian authorities have since released a preliminary toxicology report claiming that Hawkins had 10 substances in his body at the time of his death, including marijuana, opioids, and antidepressants. Fans of Hawkins took to social media to post their tributes, as did many celebrities. Stevie Nicks even penned a poem in Hawkins honor. RELATED: Nirvanas Something in the Way Has Seen a Massive Increase in Streams Thanks to The Batman Foo Fighters have canceled all upcoming tour dates According to Variety, Foo Fighters have canceled all upcoming tour dates. A statement from the group reads: It is with great sadness that Foo Fighters confirm the cancellation of all upcoming tour dates in light of the staggering loss of our brother Taylor Hawkins. Were sorry for and share in the disappointment that we wont be seeing one another as planned. Instead, lets take this time to grieve, to heal, to pull our loved ones close, and to appreciate all the music and memories weve made together. With Love, Foo Fighters. Foo Fighters were scheduled for numerous shows in North America and Europe for most of 2022. A day before Hawkins death, the Grammy Awards announced that Foo Fighters would be performing during the awards on April 3. However, Variety and fans are doubtful that the performance is going ahead. RELATED: Dave Grohl Named Foo Fighters After a Term for UFOs Coined by WWII Allied Forces Fans are doubtful that the band will appear at the Grammy Awards Foo Fighters have yet to announce whether theyre still performing at the Grammy Awards or attending at all. Fans arent hopeful but understand if they choose not to appear. One fan on Twitter wrote, Did CBS just announce that Foo Fighters will play the Grammys? Cause, Im guessing not. ESPNs Sarah Spain wrote on March 27, Foo Fighters are set to play the Grammys next weekend? Man, if that happens its gonna be waterworks all night. A fan replied to Spains Tweet with: I hope they dont. they need time to process and heal. I love the Foo Fighters enough to want to see them deal with this tragic loss with some respect and some privacy. Forget about the damn Grammys they give us their best lets give them some relief. Many fans have speculated whether Foo Fighters will appear. Others wish for an update from either Foo Fighters or the Grammy Awards. When Hawkins slipped into a coma after a heroin overdose in 2001, Grohl contemplated leaving music behind. Lets hope hes not thinking that now. How to get help: In the U.S., contact the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration helpline at 1-800-662-4357. RELATED: How to Watch the 2022 Grammy Awards Though actor and former model Travis Fimmel is well known for playing legendary warrior king Ragnar Lothbrok on Vikings, he is happy to let stunt guys get paid to do their thing when it comes time to shoot action sequences. The Raised by Wolves star doesnt like filming those scenes at all himself because he said hes lazy but seemingly not about work around his little farm. Travis Fimmel | Travis Fimmel isnt into some parts of acting In 2018, Fimmel told GQ, I never wanted to be an actor, ever. I still dont. Although Fimmel is an actor, hes confessed he doesnt participate in parts of getting act jobs, namely in-person casting auditions. He prefers to put his auditions on tape to avoid the nerves of trying out in person. I cant remember the last job I got from actually auditioning. Its horrible, he said. He confessed he feels nervous, sweaty, [and] embarrassed. After finishing his work on Vikings, Fimmel said he was done with television altogether. But Ridley Scott changed his mind. I didnt need a pitch, Ridley asked me to do [Raised by Wolves] and I was like, Yeah, of course,' he shared. Then I read the script, its very unique, he went on. Hes such a visionary, and I think its something no one has seen on TV before. Travis Fimmel says hes lazy and happy to let stunt people film action scenes On Raised by Wolves, executive produced by Scott, Fimmel has played a survivalist and a former child soldier on a dangerous planet for two seasons. And his character is involved in some exciting action sequences. But Fimmel said hes happy to kick back and let professionals step in for those. I dont love the action stuff at all, Im lazy, he admitted to People. I dont need to be a hero. Im happy for the stunt guys to get paid to do their thing. While Fimmel may like to sit out on filming action scenes, the farm boy said he likes to get in on the action around his ranch. Travis Fimmel would be back in Australia if he could Lothbrok lovers, let's hear it: How many of you have also watched our #Vikings king Travis Fimmel in #RaisedByWolves? pic.twitter.com/dv07H4Kbbm HBO Max Nordic (@HBOMaxNordic) September 18, 2021 Fimmel also told GQ hed ultimately like to go back to Australia but lives on a ranch in California in the meantime. S*** mate, if I had the money, Id have been home two years ago. You need a fair bit of money now to get a big farm in Australia, he shared, Its so expensive. Unbelievably expensive. But he was still on his ranch as of 2020, and he went into isolation there when the pandemic required it. Ive got a little farm, and its been a great chance to work on that, get a lot of stuff done, he said of his home. I havent learned Spanish or anything. Just enjoyed the opportunity to do stuff around here. As to what sort of stuff he does, some of it is taking care of animals. Ive got cattle and horses, that sort of stuff, he shared. So, if he is lazy about action scenes, it doesnt sound like hes lazy at home. RELATED: Vikings: Travis Fimmel and Alexander Ludwig Write Country Songs Together Several members of the royal family have gathered to pay tribute to Queen Elizabeth IIs late husband, Prince Philip, in London. Relatives and friends attended a memorial service for the Duke of Edinburgh on March 29. Almost one year prior, the palace announced: It is with deep sorrow that Her Majesty The Queen has announced the death of her beloved husband, His Royal Highness The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. His Royal Highness passed away peacefully this morning at Windsor Castle. Tuesdays service of thanksgiving at Westminster Abbey lasted about 40 minutes and allowed many who couldnt attend the princes funeral, due to coronavirus (COVID-19) restrictions at the time, pay tribute to his life. A surprise appearance by the dukes great-grandchildren, Prince George and Princess Charlotte, led to a question: Are any of the youngest royals named after Prince Philip? Prince Philip smiling after unveiling a plaque at Richmond Adult Community College | Matt Dunham WPA Pool / Getty Images Where Prince Philip got his surname The monarchs husband of more than 70 years was born Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark. His family was exiled from Greece when he was just a baby and years later after his career in the Royal Navy, he renounced his German titles and adopted the surname Mountbatten from his mothers side of the family. The Indian Express noted that The Mountbatten family name of Prince Philip too has its origins in the period of the First World War. It is an anglicized version of Battenberg which was the dynasty ruling over the Grand dutchy of Hesse in Germany. Two of the descendants of the Battenburg family got associated with the British royal family in the 19th century. Windsor is Queen Elizabeths last name and the couples descendants bear the hyphenated Mountbatten-Windsor. Philips children and grandchildren who are named after him Prince Charles and Prince William dressed in their military uniforms at the National Service of Remembrance at The Cenotaph | Samir Hussein/WireImage While all of Philips children have the Mountbatten-Windsor surname, a couple of his children and grandchildren also bear his first name within their full names. Philips eldest son is named after him. The Prince of Wales full name is Charles Philip Arthur George Mountbatten-Windsor. Much of the public who werent aware of the heir apparents middle name heard it uttered for the first time when Charles and Princess Diana tried the knot in 1981. During their ceremony, Diana fumbled her words and accidentally said she said she would take the hand of Philip Charles Arthur George. As for his grandchildren, another future king has his first name as well. Prince Charles eldest son, the Duke of Cambridges full name is William Arthur Philip Louis Cambridge Mountbatten-Windsor. Some of Philips great-grandchildren have at least one of his names too Meghan Markle with Prince Harry as she holds their son, Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor, at a charity polo match | Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images There are even a few great-grandchildren who bear at least one of Prince Philips names. One is Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbanks son, August Philip Hawke Brooksbank, who was born in February 2021. Princess Annes daughter, Zara, also named one of her kids after their great-grandfather. Her third child, Lucas Philip Tindall, was born just weeks before the dukes death. Prince Harry and Meghan Markles children carry the last name Mountbatten-Windsor. Moreover, its been reported that because their daughters first name, Lilibet, is what Queen Elizabeth was called by those closest to her over the years including Prince Philip, the Sussexes were honoring him as well by giving their little one that name. RELATED: These Were Prince Charles Last Words to His Father, Prince Philip, the Night Before He Died Netflix dropped the much-anticipated Ozark Season 4 Part 2 trailer, and theres a major spoiler about a possible death. Julia Garner, Jason Bateman, and Laura Linney return with an intense final installment teaser of the crime drama, set to a cover of Renegade by Styx. After starring in Inventing Anna as a fake wealthy German heiress, Garner returns to the dark and angry Ruth Langmore, who is out for blood and revenge over the death of her cousin, Wyatt Langmore (Charlie Tahan). Batemans character, Marty Byrde, is terrified and Wendy Byrde (Linney) is indifferent. Heres our breakdown of the Ozark Season 4 Part 2 trailer. [Warning: This article contains spoilers from the Ozark Season 4 Part 2 promo trailer.] Ozark Season 4 Part 2 Trailer Opens with Marty and Wendy Byrde in the middle of a tough conversation RELATED: Is Ozark The New Breaking Bad? The trailer for Ozark Season 4 Part 2 starts with Marty and Wendy Byrde discussing their life and the death that surrounds them in their money laundering business. Marty insists hes protecting his family, but Wendy disagrees. Their daughter, Charlotte Byrde (Sofia Hublitz), moved up as the new Ruth Langmore in Ozark Season 4. Charlotte and her brother, Jonah (Skylar Gaertner), only flash across the screen for a second in the new Ozark trailer. Im just sick of having blood on my hands, Wendy, Marty Byrde tells his wife. It doesnt bother you? Wendy attempts to convince Marty to do what she wants, although its not immediately clear what that is. Then Marty defends Ruth after a clip of her at Wyatts funeral flashes across the screen. Shes lost her whole family because she met us, Marty pleads. It sounds like Wendy wants Marty to get Ruth out of the picture. Why do you choose everyone else over your family? Wendy asks Marty. Dont back out on me when we are almost done. Dont do that to me. Marty and Wendy are again at a crossroads, disagreeing about yet another aspect of their business and life together. The new Ozark trailer teases a spoiler: the death of Javi RELATED: Ozark: Fans Argue Over the Single Dumbest Plot Point in the Whole Show As the new Ozark trailer continues for season 4 part 2, Marty speaks to Ruth about why she cannot kill Javi (Alfonso Herrera). Javi dies; everything that we worked for just falls apart, Marty cautions Ruth. However, Javi killed Ruths cousin, Wyatt, and shes ready for revenge. Shes lost everyone shes loved. Ruth has no reason to listen to Marty. In the following clip, Ruth walks up to Javi on a busy street in broad daylight and shoots Javi. Some viewers suggested that this could be a dream sequence of what Ruth hopes to do to Javi. However, its more likely that its an Ozark Season 4 Part 2 spoiler that kicks off the seriess final installment. His death leads to Marty and Wendys danger in the Ozark final season trailer. In another clip, Ruth screams an expletive, and then she throws up her middle fingers on both hands to a line of cars. After whats happened to her entire family, shes out for retribution, and no one can stop her. Fans are here for it. Maya Miller calls Marty Byrde a criminal as the new Ozark trailer continues The last minute of the Ozark Season 4 Part 2 trailer shows the danger Marty faces when the series returns on April 29, 2022. He tells FBI agent Maya Miller (Jessica Frances Dukes) that the Byrdes are in a lot of danger; however, she doesnt care. Maya informs Marty that he chose the life he is living right now. Youre just another criminal to me now, Maya tells Marty. In another clip, Marty offers Omar Navarro (Felix Solis) to reestablish his control in Mexico. That scene solidifies the fact that Ruth likely did kill Javi. While in Mexico, theres a clip of someone cleaning up blood in the underground holding cell that Marty was trapped in at one point in the series. In another flash, a person who some fans think looks like Javi is in that cell. However, its a new person. Rachel returns in the Ozark Season 4 Part 2 trailer on Netflix Ozark: Julia Garner as Ruth Langmore | Steve Dietl/Netflix Perhaps one of the most exciting scenes is the split second when Rachel Garrison (Jordana Spiro) returns in the Ozark Season 4 Part 2 trailer. The Blue Cat Lodge and Bar owner holds a sniper in her hand around minute 1:12 of the trailer. Viewers should remember that Marty sent Rachel to Florida to seek help for drug and alcohol addiction in Ozark Season 2 after an overdose. Is Rachel aiming a sniper at Marty? Only time will tell. When does Ozark Season 4 Part 2 come out on Netflix? The Ozark Season 4 Part 2 release date on Netflix on April 29, 2022, at 3 a.m. EST or midnight PT. RELATED: Ozark: Laura Linney Wasnt Looking to Do a Series What Changed Her Mind? Hulus The Girl From Plainville opens with the death of Conrad Roy III (Colton Ryan). The 18-year-olds body is discovered in his pickup truck in a Kmart parking lot. He has died by suicide. But questions soon emerge about the role a young woman named Michelle Carter (Elle Fanning) might have played in Conrads decision to end his life. RELATED: The Girl From Plainville: Release Date, Plot, and Everything Else You Need to Know The eight-episode miniseries is based on an Esquire article of the same name by Jesse Baron, which explored the circumstances of Conrads 2014 death. Here are five things to know about the true story behind The Girl From Plainville. [Warning: This article contains possible spoilers for Hulus The Girl From Plainville.] Michelle Carter and Conrad Roy only met a few times in person As explained in the first episode of The Girl From Plainville, Michelle and Conrad met in 2012 in Florida when they were both on vacation with their families. Though the two teens lived just an hour away from each other in Massachusetts, they met only a handful of times in person. In a 2017 interview with 48 Hours, Conrads mother Lynn Roy (now Lynn St. Denis) said shed met the woman who called herself her sons girlfriend just once before his death. Though Michelle and Conrad rarely saw each other face to face, they developed an intense relationship via texts and social media. Both had faced mental health challenges in the past, and Conrad had also made a previous suicide attempt. In July 2014, Conrad died of carbon monoxide poisoning. After his death, investigators discovered numerous text messages from Michelle to Conrad urging him to end his life. Michelle Carter was charged with manslaughter in Conrad Roys death Michelle Carter in 2017 | John Tlumacki/The Boston Globe via Getty Images Eventually, prosecutors charged Michelle with involuntary manslaughter in Conrads death. While she was not physically present when he died, a court ruled that she was virtually present at the scene, and she went to trial in 2017. She waived her right to a jury trial, which meant that a judge would decide her fate after hearing the evidence against her. Judge Lawrence Moniz ruled that Michelle was guilty of involuntary manslaughter, pointing to evidence that Conrad had gotten out of his car at some point but that Michelle had convinced him to get back inside. She was released from prison in 2020 Michelle faced up to 20 years in prison after being found guilty. She was sentenced to 2 years in prison. After appeals, her sentence was reduced to 15 months. She was released three months early in January 2020 after her sentence was reduced by three months for good behavior. Since her release from prison, Michelle has kept a low profile. The conditions of her parole forbid her from profiting from any publicity around the case, Esquire reported. Her probation ends on August 1, 2022. Some criticized the guilty verdict Conrads family praised the guilty verdict, with his father, Conrad Roy Jr., saying they were happy with the outcome. But Michelles case raised alarms for some legal experts. This is saying that what she did is killing him, that her words literally killed him, that the murder weapon here was her words, Matthew Segal, a lawyer with the American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts, told the New York Times. That is a drastic expansion of criminal law in Massachusetts. Will the next case be a Facebook posting in which someone is encouraged to commit a crime? Nancy Gertner, a former federal judge and Harvard Law professor, told the Times. This puts all the things that you say in the mix of criminal responsibility. Conrad Roys mother wants to change the law about coerced suicide Michelle (Elle Fanning) and Lynn Roy (Chloe Sevigny) in The Girl From Plainville | Steve Dietl/Hulu Since her sons death, Lynn St. Denis has been pushing for a law in Massachusetts that would make coerced suicide a crime. (Suicide coercion is already against the law in many other states.) With this tragedy, my son would want me to help other people, other families, she told People. If we get the law passed when we do thats going to be a win for me, for him, she added. I just want my son to be proud of me. The first three episodes of The Girl From Plainville are streaming now on Hulu. New episodes are released weekly on Tuesdays. How to get help: In the U.S., call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255. Or text HOME to 741-741 to speak with a trained crisis counselor at the free Crisis Text Line. Check out Showbiz Cheat Sheet on Facebook! RELATED: True Crime on HBO: I Love You, Now Die Chronicles a Scarily Modern Love Story Gone Wrong A research team led by ecotoxicologist Heather Leslie and analytical chemist Marja Lamoree have become the first to demonstrate that plastic particles from our living environment end up in the human bloodstream. The results of the research project, called Immunoplast, were published today in the scientific journal Environment International. The research shows that miniscule pieces of plastic from our living environment are absorbed into the human bloodstream. Blood screened for five polymers The research team consists of researchers from VU Amsterdam, Deltares and Amsterdam UMC, VUmc location. They developed an analytic method for establishing the trace level of micro- and nanoplastic particles in human blood. The method was applied to the blood of 22 anonymous donors. The blood was examined for the presence of five different polymers, the building blocks of plastic. The extent to which the individual polymers were present in the blood was also determined. Three-quarters of the test subjects appeared to have plastics in their blood. The research was the first to prove that plastic particles can end up in the human bloodstream. Earlier indicators for this came from laboratory experiments. The current research shows that people absorb microplastics from their environment in their everyday lives and that the amounts are measurable in their blood. PET detected most The overall concentration of plastic particles in the blood of the 22 donors amounted to an average of 1.6 g/ml, which is comparable to a teaspoon of plastic in 1,000 litres of water (ten large bath tubs). A quarter of the tested donors had no detectable quantities of plastic particles of any type in their blood. Polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polyethylene, and polymers of styrene were the most common types of plastic found in the blood samples, followed by poly(methyl methacrylate). Polypropylene was also analysed but the concentrations were too low for an accurate measurement. The next question is how easy it is for these particles to move from the bloodstream into tissues such as in organs like the brain. Heather Leslie, working at VU during the research, explains: We have now proven that our bloodstream, our river of life as it were, has plastic in it. Marja Lamoree adds: This dataset is the first of its kind and must be expanded to gain insight into how widespread plastic pollution is in the bodies of humans, and how harmful that may be. With this insight we can determine whether exposure to plastic particles poses a threat to public health. Health risks This research was financed by the international NGO Common Seas and the ZonMw programme Microplastics & Health. With this programme, ZonMw intends to gain more insight into the potential health effects of plastic particulates and what can be done to limit possible harmful effects to health. The 15 short-term projects of this programme have now been completed. It has demonstrated that knowledge is still lacking and that further research is required to determine the health risks. In the Netherlands, this follow-up research is being conducted by the MOMENTUM consortium, in which VU Amsterdam is a partner. Research projects that study exposure to and the harmful effects of microplastics are underway in a European context as well. You have permission to edit this article. Edit Close US, Philippines hold largest joint military drills in years with different goals By Liu Xuanzun (Global Times) 09:12, March 29, 2022 Filipino soldiers participate in the Amphibious Landing training as part of the 2018 Balikatan Exercises between the Philippines and the United States in Zambales Province, the Philippines, on May 9, 2018.(Xinhua/Rouelle Umali) The US and the Philippines kicked off one of their largest joint exercises in years on Monday in a region where US media hyped them as facing Taiwan and the South China Sea, but experts pointed out that the Philippines will not become a pawn of the US after seeing what the US has done in Ukraine and Afghanistan. Codenamed Balikatan 2022, the annual joint military drills include 3,800 Filipino and 5,100 US military personnel, making it the largest iteration of the Philippines-US joint drills since 2015, the Xinhua News Agency reported. Balikatan 2022 will be conducted across the main Luzon island from Monday to April 8, Xinhua reported, noting that the drills will focus on "maritime security, amphibious operations, live-fire training, urban operations, aviation operations, counterterrorism, and humanitarian assistance and disaster relief." US media reports, including one by the AP on Monday, hyped that the drills will be a showcase of US firepower in the northern Philippines near the sea border with the island of Taiwan and also facing the South China Sea. "China will likely frown on the war drills, given their relative proximity to Taiwan," the AP claimed. However, the AP report also quoted Philippine military spokesperson Colonel Ramon Zagala as saying that the exercise is "for mutual defense, never for offense," and that "most of the military maneuvers have been planned a year ago and did not consider the recurring tensions in the Taiwan Straits." Cagayan Governor Manuel Mamba told the AP that "We have to engage China, but not in a war, because I know Taiwan is a powder keg." Cagayan is where amphibious landings with limited live-fire maneuvers are scheduled to be held this week. Some Philippine politicians also expressed concerns that the exercise might threaten regional security, Xinhua reported, quoting presidential candidate and labor leader Ka Leody de Guzman as saying that the Philippines should pursue an independent foreign policy, stressing that the country should not be a "pawn." By holding the drills, the US is trying to fan the flames and stir up troubles in the Asia-Pacific and benefit from it, just like it has done with the Ukraine crisis, Zhang Junshe, a senior research fellow at the Naval Research Academy of the People's Liberation Army, told the Global Times on Monday. From a geopolitical point of view, the US is aiming to deter China by rallying more allies and partners, and from an economic point of view, the US wants to sell weapons and equipment to the region, Zhang said. But judging from the remarks made by the Philippine side, the Southeast Asian country is not going to become a strategic pawn of the US after seeing what the US has done recently in Ukraine and Afghanistan, Zhang said, noting that the Philippines wants to enhance its troops' capabilities but not for offensive purposes. Ding Duo, a deputy director of the Research Center for Oceans Law and Policy at China's National Institute for South China Sea Studies, warned that despite the ongoing Ukraine crisis, the US is still hyping the situation in the South China Sea, which is a reflection that the US has set its eyes firmly on the Indo-Pacific region. The US could be seeking a proxy in the region to lead from the front in confronting China, just like what it has done with Ukraine, Ding warned. China must stay on high alert over US' tactic that could destabilize the region, although countries within the region should see US' intent clearly, the experts said. The foreign ministers of Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines, Myanmar and Panama will visit China from Thursday to April 4, according to a Monday statement by Wang Wenbin, a spokesperson at China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs. (Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun) The Tejas light combat aircraft has stiff competition from Chinese and South Korean defense firms hoping to get a deal from the United Arab Emirates, which is shopping for armaments for its arsenal. Products involved are a missile system and aircraft that are not getting as many sales as expected. The BrahMos cruise missiles were recently sold to the Philippines, but LCA has not gotten a bit that much compared to sales of competing defense firms. India Increase Exports of Light Combat Aircraft The Indian defense ministry gave 954 export authorizations cited the Hindustan Times defense products in 2021, compared to 829 in 2020. Teja LCA and BrahMos cruise missiles are listed as their two main products for Indian export. To boost the sale of arms to partner nations, the sale of Akash weapons systems to friendly foreign countries is approved by the Union Cabinet, headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in December 2020, states UP Exam Paper. It also set up a high-powered council to expedite the licensing of military equipment exports. Delhi has set a goal of achieving $5 billion in military exports by 2024. However, the UAE's track record could undermine that goal, reported the EurAsian Times. According to retired Squadron Leader Vijainder K Thakur, a military analyst, and former IAF Jaguar pilot; he remarked that South Korea's Cheongung II missile system over India's Akash missile system was chosen due to performance. Read Also: Joe Biden Threatens Brexit Trade Deal Over Article 16 Despite Special Relationship With Great Britain Almaz-Antey and Fakel provide expert support for developing the Cheongung II system. The 9M96 missile, used with Russia's S-350E and S-400 missile systems, is the system's core. The Akash missile is not equivalent to the 9M96. The Korean TA-50 Likewise, the TA-50, designed by Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) in cooperation with Lockheed Martin, is a more versatile aircraft than the LCA. It's powered by the same GE F404 powerplant that drives the LCA. It was built from its inception to be a high-performance trainer. However, unlike LCA, which was intended to be an F-16 fighter is now only offered as a Lead In-Flight Trainer (LIFT) due to performance constraints. A defense expert Nitin J Ticku made the distinction between the LCA and TA-50 for clarity. He added trainer aircraft varies from Light Warfare Aircraft in that it is not designed for combat but could be outfitted with enough firepower to carry out basic missions only. It lacks an advanced engine and the combat range required for combat. The UAE appears to be primarily focused on Advanced trainers, as shown by its L-15 deal with China and its purchase of the South Korean trainer. Why the LCA? However, the L-15 and T-50, designed to train fighter pilots for sophisticated planes, India's Tejas is intended for combat. If the UAE needed a light fighter, the Tejas is the right fit as in the case of Malaysia, mentioned Cable Free TV. Ironically, India has to use ATJ Hawks for training, not its Tejas, and develop capable fighter jets like China or South Korea later. This explanation rules out a snub but for want of specific aircraft. Tejas Light Combat Aircraft is best for combat training experience fighter pilots and offers a cheaper option to expensive products from the USA and other defense firms. Related Article: MQ-28A Ghost Bat: Australia's Loyal Wingman Drone Concept UAV for 21st Century Combat @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Several days after the dinner party, I was still thinking about the perfect disk of salami Id wanted to eatand didnt. As I write this, several days later, it is still Lent, and I am still craving the meat Ive sworn off these 40 days. When Ash Wednesday arrived a couple of weeks ago, I was in the mood for renunciation. Relinquishing seemed a good and right thing. Time, however, threshed my willpower from spiritual endurance. Never has the book of Numbersprovidentially scheduled in my Bible reading plan for the Lenten seasonspoken with such force: If only we had meat to eat! (Num. 11:4). Lenten fasting is hard, though not for all the reasons Ive expected. Its not just my immoderate appetite for food that has been checked these 40 days, even if I persist in pining for that slice of salami. Perhaps even more importantly, whats been exposed is my disordered relationship with time. I want the quick fix of transformation. I do not want the slow burn of 40 days of prayer and persistence and reliance on grace. In his book Fasting, Scot McKnight reminds us that fasting is not instrumental. It is not a season of giving up food in order to get blessing from God. There are many reasons Christians throughout the centuries have committed to the practice of fasting. Augustine saw the benefit of denying ourselves licit pleasures in order to grow our capacity for denying illicit ones. In the Middle Ages, Gregory the Great believed fasting could check our patterns of eating too daintily, too sumptuously, too hastily, too greedily, too much. Even more-contemporary Christian thinkers, like the late Dallas Willard, have emphasized the connection between our embodied experience and our desires for spiritual renovation. We live from our bodies, Willard wrote. According to McKnight, fasting is one of seven ancient practices Christians have inherited from Judaism. Fixed-hour prayer, Sabbath, following a liturgical calendar, and pilgrimage are practices that govern how we live in time, writes McKnight. The other three practices fasting, tithing, and the Eucharistinform how we live in our bodies and in space. My own Lenten fasting has given me pause, however, to consider that this practice (and all the others McKnight mentions) confronts not just how I live in my body but also how my body moves through time. Rebecca DeYoung, author of Glittering Vices, noticed something similar when her Lenten fasting reduced her productivity: Lord, I gave you my eating. I did not give you control of my schedule and all my plans for what needs to get done. The inefficiency of a Lenten fast might be one of its greatest benefits. In 21st-century America, a society ruled by the clocks iron fist, timekeeping is inevitably at the heart of the discipleship project. Whose time will we tell? Fasting reminds me that I live the time of the kingdom, a time measured by the slow rising of yeast, the slow growing of trees. To read the Bible as a record of Gods timekeeping is to notice God will not be hurried. Productivity thinking has become the primary framework for analyzing the organization of time today in the United States. A good day is the day you get things done, the day you reach the end of your to-do list. Time, in this economical mode, is always money. It must be managed and multiplied, invested and well spent. Frighteningly, time grows ever scarcer. According to German social theorist Hartmut Rosa, time, in a technological world, is moving faster. Though it took 38 years for radio to reach 50 million listeners, it took only 13 years for television to reach 50 million spectators, and only 4 years for the internet to reach 50 million connections. According to Andrew Root, who explored Rosas work in The Congregation in a Secular Age, the now of right now grows shorter and shorter. Today, people sleep less, eat faster, and walk more quickly than previous generations. Article continues below Ive come to wonder if sin, as its manifested today, isnt somehow an expression of time intemperance. We live in fear of time running out, and because of this, we are ill-practiced in habits of waiting. DeYoungs Glittering Vices explores the seven deadly sins and notices how each might be related to time. Ive come to wonder if sin, as its manifested today, isnt somehow an expression of time intemperance. Vainglory, for example, favors shortcuts. Rather than cultivating real virtue, it will settle for image instead. Envy isnt simply begrudging anothers successes; its refusal to developslowly, incrementallyones own vocational capacities. Acedia, or sloth, is a resistance to loves demands, especially the daily diligence required for loving God and loving our neighbor. Avarice hoards not only money but also the time that is money. Wrath short-circuits the long arc of Gods justice; by nature, it is impatient. Gluttony is not only eating too much; it can also be, returning to Gregory the Great, the habit of eating too hastily. And finally, lust seeks to gratify ones pleasures outside the temporal bounds of enduring marital commitment and its lifetime I-do. Seen in this light, Lenten fasting isnt simply about forswearing dessert or coffee or sugar or meat. Its about abandoning the impulse to gain spiritual good in record time. Its about noticing how briefly a spiritual mood can last, then falling back to the adagio beat of Gods grace. Its about growing the virtue of endurance, which Gods people have always needed to keep the steady practice of hope in a broken and splintering world. As the writer of Hebrews reminds his readers, You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised. For, In just a little while, he who is coming one will come and will not delay (Heb. 10:3637). Lenten fasting is a practice for inhabiting a consecrated season that tells a different kind of story about time. Christians rehearse a finished and also future work: Jesus Christ has absorbed the debts of sin, including all that I, as a limited human being, will inevitably leave undone. He is coming again to put the world to rights. During Lent, I remember I dont have to run to earn my existential real estate. Whatever God has for me to do and to become, hurry cant be involved. According to Psalm 1, those who belong to God grow from seed to sapling to shady oak. Their discipleship is daily: They meditate on Gods law day and night (v. 2). As it turns out, the deeply rooted life isnt even a 40-day project. Its the business of a lifetime. Jen Pollock Michel is a writer, podcast host, and speaker based in Toronto. Shes the author of four books and is working on a fifth: In Good Time: 8 Habits for Reimagining Productivity, Resisting Hurry, and Practicing Peace (Baker Books, 2022). As Gregor Samsa awoke one morning from uneasy dreams he found himself transformed in his bed into a gigantic insect. So begins Franz Kafkas The Metamorphosis, in which Samsa is reviled for his transformation into a mammoth cockroach. His family hides him away until he dies. Then they go on with their lives, thankful to not deal with that problem anymore. What do we do with this absurdist 20th-century story? Its a tale that compels readers to question our own metamorphoses or changes. Over the course of our lives, we all change and grow, so how do these developments (or, in the case of Samsa, mutations) affect those around us? After all, we do not belong to ourselves. We cannot become beasts or angels without it hurting or helping our families, friends, and neighbors. If youre Meilin Lee in Turning Red, however, such wisdom of age-old philosophy is seemingly disregarded. Philosophy is about the love of wisdom, and our culture is training us to either desire or disdain wisdom. Every world religion has a different conceptualization of wisdom, but for Christians, Wisdom is Jesus Christ. When watching Disney films, I dont expect the animation to move my family toward that highest end (although I was surprised by Encanto), but I do hope their movies dont persuade my children against the grain of conventional wisdom. Unfortunately, Turning Red is a film that departs from that wisdom and embraces a messy philosophy. I had high hopes for the movie, and I watched it with my children on the day it was released. I could not wait to see a contemporary Asian hero and the foregrounding of the mother-daughter relationship. (I enjoyed Brave, and I consider it a win when Disney doesnt kill off the parents of the heroes.) Granted, the movie is not aimed at my children, who are all under eight; parents should aim to watch it with their 10- to 12-year-olds. From the opening monologue of the protagonist, Mei, I could see where the movie was headed: The number one rule in my family? Honor your parents. Of course, some people are like, Be careful. Honoring your parents sounds great, but if you take it too far, well, you might forget to honor yourself. Luckily, I dont have that problem. Ive been doing my own thing. Making my own moves I wear what I want, say what I want, and I will not hesitate to do a spontaneous cartwheel if I feel so moved. The humorous conclusion to this opening narrative can distract the audience from the problematic assumptions it conveys. From this moment forward, audiences realize that Mei is not free to wear, say, or do what she wants because her mother Ming is an overbearing control freak. The audience is then set to cheer Mei on toward freedom from her mother to get her own way and to be able to wear, say, and do whatever she so desires. America has been divided over the past two years during the pandemic between those who proclaim their freedom to wear what they want (i.e., to not wear masks) and those who believe that we should be responsible to our neighbors and wear masks. Yet people are rooting for Mei to have the opportunity to wear whatever she wants. Of course, that is not reality. We all must wear certain things in certain places: You cannot go shirtless on airplanes; you cannot teach public school with low-cut blouses or miniskirts; you cannot dress up as the murderer from Scream and preach from the pulpit. We have all had to learn to place restrictions on our personal autonomy to function well together in society. The impetus for Meis freedom comes from an unexpected source: her inherited ability to transform into a red panda whenever she experiences a strong emotion. From the perspective of the director (Domee Shi, who cowrote the story with Julia Cho), the panda transformation symbolizes coming of age: this experience of growing up, of suddenly waking up one day and realizing you grew a couple of feet, youre covered in body hair, and youre hungry all the time. Article continues below Normally when teenagers begin this process of metamorphosis, the adults in their lives (parents, teachers, etc.) teach them how to control their urges. In the movie, Mei expresses her newfound sexual desires by fantasizing about half-naked boys with mermaid tails. By contrast, in a Christian sexual ethic, we submit our desires to God. Under a self-disciplined will, we wait and look forward to their fulfillment in the proper time and place. Instead, Turning Red portrays the limitation of our urges as a form of oppression, denouncing any attempts to regulate anothers actions. The enemy is the mother, who explains to Mei, Theres a darkness to the panda. You only have one chance to banish it. Otherwise, youll never be free. This beliefthat self-mastery leads to freedomfollows millennia of tradition. Turning Red opts for a different approach. Mei says, Weve all got an inner beast. Weve all got a messy, loud, weird part of ourselves hidden away. And a lot of us never let it out. The goal, the film suggests, is to let out the beast. Yet only Mei exercises the privilege to let out her beast. The film would have fallen apart if her mother Ming were permitted the same freedom to let out her inner beast, which is the size of King Kong and destroys much of the city in one night. Apparently, theres an unknown standard for who gets to release the beast within. The film ends with a call for viewers to do like Mei and free their beasts within. People have all kinds of sides to them. And some sides are messy, Mei reflects. The point isnt to push the bad stuff away. Its to make room for it, live with it. We can pretend that childrens films dont deal with philosophy, but these explicit claims in the film are hard to ignore. While I applaud the realistic admission that we all have inner mess, the encouragement should be toward self-control and social harmony. This film does little more than normalize our #momfail culture. Children repeat what they see and hear. In Frozen, I was grateful when Elsas victorious belting of Let It Go was shown to be disastrous for the community and not a laudable theme song, so I dont grimace every time my kids dance to it. However, I was not happy when Frozen II pretended that the answer to Elsas discomfort in her life was that you are the one youve been waiting for all of your life. You cannot be waiting to meet yourself. The story is much better than that: Youre waiting for the One who made you. When choosing films for our children, as Christians, we need to consider the worldview being broadcast to their imaginations. I expected Turning Red to be about a young girl learning to be a proud Asian teenager growing up in Toronto. Instead, the story shows a preteen discovering the benefits of capitalism, exploitation, and hedonism. When Mei wants to go to a boy band concert against her controlling parents wishes, she disobeys and lies to them, extorts money from her schoolmates, sells her image like a wannabe influencer, and embraces the part of herself that always wanted to twerk. By the movies end, Mei has degraded the ancient practices of her ancestors into a money-making endeavor and transformed her family temple into an irreverent, Disneyesque tourist site. When her mother tries to advise her, she responds, My panda, my choices (a vaguely veiled affirmation of the pro-choice movement slogan My body, my choice). Article continues below Although Meis mother is a caricature of a helicopter mom, her poor parenting should not excuse Meis bad decisions. Nor should Meis choices be seen as though they could occur without negative consequences. If parents want to show Mei as a model because she is an Asian girl hero coming into her own, in spite of her unbiblical projections, they should at least consider the costs and talk about her failings. After watching Turning Red, I discussed with my children the characteristics in her that I considered unworthy of imitation. While none of us is perfect, we should all look to imitate models of people who pursue goodness. When I ask my children, Whom do you want to be like when you grow up? I want the answer to be Jesus. Instead of liberating the messy beast within them, I hope that the films they see, the books they read, and the music they listen to will be pointing toward a higher end. Jessica Hooten Wilson is the Louise Cowan Scholar in Residence at the University of Dallas and author of several books, including The Scandal of Holiness. I had been living in Germany for six months and was struggling to learn the language. I did fine with ordering groceries or buying a bus ticket. But I couldnt tell a joke. I couldnt share a story or a hope. I couldnt make a friend. Thinking that a different language school might help, I called a new school in our small university town of Tubingen and immediately spoke with the director. She slowly talked me through directions to the school in German and invited me for the placement test. When I walked in a couple days later, she greeted me by name. She remembered my voice, my accent. In fact, she knew everyones name. She greeted everyone with the same joy that brought immediate trust. It was the first time I heard how beautiful German can be. There was a kindness to it. I knew that if I watched her, I would find a way to sound out joyfulness and gentleness in this new language. I saw in her a version of myselfor at least the version I wanted to be. Effective mentoring is similar to learning a new language: It involves an intentional practice of imitation. Its a relationship that offers a return to listening first, nurturing curiosity, developing new skills, and embracing trial and error until one day you find a version that fits. More than mimicry People often seek out a mentor in a time of transition when they need to develop a new skill or job or are uncertain about their future. The mentor becomes a unique kind of friend who knows the mentees before and afterand often the messy in between. Mentoring is a form of friendship offering us a reminder of who we are while providing continuity with who we are becoming to meet the needs and demands of a new context. In the church, mentoring is crucial to leadership developmentnot just for up-and-coming leaders but also for the ongoing growth and sustainability of those already serving as ministers. For pastors, mentorship is often most effective when it comes from a fellow minister or leader outside of ones own church context. This mentorship can serve as a unique form of discipleship for pastors, asking both participants to begin from a place of generosity. But mentoring in the church can also go seriously wrong. The danger comes when the desire for excellence and the fear of failure lead to mere memorization and mimicry. Take that approach and one may learn some of the language, but he or she will lack the creativity and flexibility needed to ever actually live in it. Better than access to power In the business world and, unfortunately, in some Christian contexts, mentoring looks a lot like an extension of networking. Its a process of finding out what one person can do for another. Your mentor pulls strings for you, advocates for you, and gives you advice. Some church succession plans based on this model of mentorship involve an inheritance of power. Power or influence is conceived as something passed down and handed over. Mentorship is then about control and ambition rather than a friendship that encourages vulnerability, authenticity, and growth. Theres nothing necessarily wrong with that in some workplace contexts, but in the church? This networking approach to mentoring doesnt ask us to look at power any differently. It doesnt ask us to lay our burdens down, pick up our crosses, and follow a Savior who gave himself for us freely. True mentorship can offer something much better than access to power. One of the first uses of the word mentor comes from Homers Odyssey. In the epic, Odysseuss old friend Mentor watches over Odysseuss son Telemachus while he is away. The goddess Athena impersonates this old family friend to give the young Telemachus the courage he needs for his own journey. I often talk about this example with the mentoring cohorts I help organize for ministers and recently graduated seminarians at the seminary where I work. In this example, I explain, we find that a mentor is someone who helps another take his or her first steps in the vocational journey. The mentor helps the mentee find courage. The mentor comes as a friend. Old Testament scholar Walter Brueggemann writes that if mentoring is successful, it will open the way for mutual learning. The two people will be connected in friendship and vulnerability, each able to learn from the other, and in that connection they will be able to imagine a new social reality together. I saw this recently when a senior minister in midcareer said yes to mentoring a new minister who was just starting out in a church across the country. Both mentor and mentee found themselves asking similar questions around worship, preaching, and discipleship during the pandemic. Together, in conversation with each other, they started making changes in their respective churches to adapt to the needs of the moment. The ministers slowed down, tried new things, and allowed trust to lead the way. They shaped each others imagination and in turn saw their congregations through new eyes. Mentoring actually teaches us how to not be in control or grasp at power when life circumstances are asking for change. But learning this takes practice, and according to the apostle Paul, it also requires imitation. Friendship with Paul Its hard for me to imagine my life today without other friends in ministry who have mentored me along the way. For as long as I can remember, Ive had good friends point out truths to me about myself. Friends in ministry can remind us that there is nothing we could ever do to get this call, this work, but that once weve received Gods call, we get to keep participating in a lot of good work. Each of us gets to add our own style, our authentic voice, while also holding continuity with the larger context of our call: the mission of the church. We consistently see this theme of friendship and mutual encouragement among leaders in the Pauline letters. Paul liked people. We often focus on the corrections Paul offered, forgetting that he spent most of his time telling people that God was on their side, regardless of their circumstances. We see this especially in Philippians. The believers in Philippi were close to Paul. They sent him food and resources and prayed and worried about him. In return, Paul writes a letter from prison about joy. Before he gets to thanking them, he writes, Join in imitating me, and keep your eyes on those who walk according to the example you have in us (3:17, ESV). We find this same invitation to imitate Paul and follow his example in other Pauline letters (1 Cor. 4:16; 11:1; 1 Thess. 1:6). This invitation could seem arrogant or narcissistic to us today, especially when we hear versions of it on the lips of celebrity pastors. But Paul was never a good celebrity pastor: His brand was always about not having control. Pauls request to imitate is an invitation to think differently about power and influencehis and ours. Its an invitation to imitate trust and the faithfulness of Jesus. Significant New Testament scholarship in recent decadesincluding works like Paul and First-Century Letter Writing, Paul, the Letter Writer, and Paul the Ancient Letter Writerhas discussed how letters were composed and communicated in an oral culture. While we may tend to think of letter-writing as a solitary act, Paul wrote in community for communities. Its very likely that the letter-writing process involved a practice of imitation in which the letters were delivered as a performance, likely by people who had observed Paul in composition. They learned Pauls mannerisms and tone. They likely mimicked his body language to go along with certain maxims. They imitated him. Scholars Sylvia Keesmaat and Brian Walsh help us think about how this practice of imitation could have repeated itself in Christian community in their new commentary Romans Disarmed. They imagine how Roman believers would meet in kitchens, one performing the letter to another, expounding on it and explaining it until, over time, the next person could relay the message. Keesmaat and Walsh say we should see each of these letters as something that was not received once by one particular group but received and then performed again and again with time for questions and further explanation. The text was conveyed in community, modeled in a way that created relationships. Each letter offered Paul as an example to followbut the example breathed. New Testament scholar Elizabeth Shively points out that in Philippians, the word Paul uses for example is the word Greek word typos, which can also mean a seal or a stamp. Jesus Christ is the archetype, she writes, the typos that made an imprint on the life of Paul. This is a certain kind of living that requires a certain mindset: not asserting your own rights, considering the needs of others as more important than your own. What happens when a mentor sees the needs of others as more important than his or her own? If we look at Paul as a model for a Christian mentor, we find someone who was constantly taking off the mask to reveal the true archetype: Jesus Christ. And when others stood up to perform his words, they were imitating Paul imitating Christ. The ability to trust That kind of mentoring relationship among ministers in our churches offers the same kind of transformative power: the ability to trust while not being in control. Thats Christian mentoring. As with Paul, its the power to give up power. Its the ability to step out of our siloed ways of thinking, imprisoned by our thoughts of what we have to lose and what we pretend to control, so that we can write a letter that others can perform. Its Gods good news revealed as our imitating Christ. Maybe some of the mentors mannerisms of joy will still be left over in the imitation. Maybe others will learn, in their own accents, to give simple directions to a place where people can each be greeted by name. Good mentors never settle for the imitation of themselves. Ultimately, a good Christian mentor trusts the mentee to provide, in return, a picture of Christ. I thank my God every time I remember you, Paul tells the Philippians (1:35). In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel. The central element of mentoring is the act of practicing collaboration and trust. This is a trust that produces generosity. With generous minds, we can always imagine the friendship continuing. We can see the limitless journey of the church and hear the new voices of those sounding out a joy that is both familiar and new. Beth Jarvis is the director of the Ministry Resource Center at Milligan University, where she helps ministers connect with each other to thrive in ministry. She is an ordained minister and holds an MDiv from Emmanuel Christian Seminary at Milligan. Church attendance stagnates amid return to in-person services: Pew The percentage of Americans who say they have attended religious services in the last month has leveled off as more churches and houses of worship have lifted various COVID-19 meeting restrictions and safety precautions, according to a Pew Research Center study. Pew released a report last week looking into the percentage of Americans that have returned to in-person worship now that gathering restrictions were being lifted across the country and more churches are again holding in-person worship services. In July 2020, a few months after the pandemic lockdowns began, according to the report, 13% of U.S. adults said they attended religious services in person the previous month. In March 2021, Pew reported that the figure had increased by 4 percentage points to 17%. And in September 2021, the share of adults who said they attended a religious service in the past month rose to 26%. But in March 2022, the share of Americans who attended religious services in person in the previous month was 27% only 1 percentage point higher than the 26% reported last September. Data for the report was drawn from Pews American Trends Panel, which involved a sample of 10,441 panelists interviewed between March 7 and March 13. The survey has a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 1.5 percentage points. The study also found that a higher percentage of adults who say they attend religious services at least monthly say their houses of worship are open for in-person services. In July 2020, just 6% said their houses of worship were open to the public for services the same way as before the COVID-19 outbreak. In March 2022, that figure rose to 43%. In July 2020, 55% of adults who attend religious services at least monthly said their houses of worship were open to the public for services but with changes due to the COVID-19 outbreak. In March 2022, that share dropped to 47%. In March 2022, only 5% of respondents who attend church monthly say their church or house of worship is not open for in-person services. In July 2020, that figure stood at 31%. Sam Rainer, president of Church Answers and pastor at West Bradenton Baptist Church in Florida, told The Christian Post that he believes there are times and there are seasons in the life of the church where a plateau is not a bad place to be. If you are holding your own with attendance right now, if you are stable in attendance, I view that as a victory because its been harder to draw new people in during this season, Rainer said. A lot of churches have lost people to COVID. Many have lost people to death that would have occurred anyway just naturally in the church. As people move on and pass on, you have to replace them with new people. And what that means is if youre stable right now, you do have new people coming in, at least at the rate of those who are no longer able to be at the church. So I would view stability as success right now. The Pew study suggested that the plateau could change depending on life circumstances. Assessing the impact of the pandemic on religious service attendance remains difficult for two main reasons. One is that the ultimate course of the pandemic is still unclear, reads the study. What appears, at this moment, to be a plateau in religious service attendance could be followed by a rise if the pandemic gradually recedes, or by a drop if a new, highly infectious coronavirus variant emerges. Rainer told CP that he agreed with the study about how things could change in the next few years depending on what life brings. However, he said, church attendance might not return to the numbers seen before the pandemic any time in the near future. I believe that at some point, the practices will return to normal when it comes to restrictions, said Rainer. It takes two to three years of behavior change for things to come back to normal. So I would assume that in the next couple of years, we are going to see a return to similar practices as it were before the pandemic at least in terms of restrictions lifting. That being said, things are permanently different. They have changed because of COVID. And I dont see attendance returning to pre-pandemic levels anytime soon, he added. Obviously, if you look further out into the future, its difficult to know. We can see any number of things happen. At least in terms of the next five years, I do not believe that we will return to pre-pandemic attendance levels. The pandemic accelerated and exacerbated existing problems in churches, according to Rainer. He said that whatever issues a church might have had before COVID-19 became more severe during the pandemic. Specifically, Rainer noted, most churches lost those who were considered on the periphery of the church, those who were new to attending church or visitors. Almost every single church is now smaller. Part of the reason is what was left to cultural Christianity is now completely gone, he said. So there is no longer a social benefit culturally to attend church. So with the death of cultural Christianity comes less people attending church who are there just because of some sort of social benefit. Churches struggled to bring in new people or those on the periphery because they were not holding new services and events to invite new people for a good portion of the pandemic, Rainer said. The other thing that the pandemic did was it caused those on the periphery to exit and to exit quickly. Theres always people that are feeding into the church, and there are always people who are fading out of the church, he added. That could be for any number of reasons. They could just be seeking. They could be questioning their faith. They could be new to the church. So when things went on lockdown, those on the periphery faded away. After President Joe Biden caused a worldwide outcry by saying that Putin "cannot remain in power" at a big address in Europe on Saturday, White House officials hurried to undertake damage control. Biden's senior advisers were obliged to subsequently clarify that the US president was not asking for a regime change. During a brief news conference at the White House on Monday, US President Donald Trump defended his remarks. Biden's Remark on Putin Was About "Moral Outrage" During a tense interaction with reporters, he stressed that he was expressing his "personal feelings." "For God's sake, this man cannot remain in power," Biden declared in an impassioned speech from Warsaw, only minutes after Russia fired missiles towards Lviv, 40 miles from the Polish border. The remarks were generally considered the latest in a string of gaffes in recent weeks, indicating that US forces would enter Ukraine and that the West would respond "in-kind" if Russia used chemical weapons. Biden's relationship with Western allies has been strained by the remark, which has fueled the Kremlin's argument that Russia is under an "existential" danger. "You interpret the language that way," Biden told a reporter on Monday, appearing to blame the media for the White House's recent explanations. As he works to stop Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Biden said he has not ruled out meeting with Putin again, Telegraph reported. The White House and Biden have sought to minimize the statement on several occasions. Biden, according to the administration and friends, was not advocating for regime change to depose Putin. Instead, they claim that Biden was implying that Putin should not be permitted to wield authority over neighboring countries. Read Also: Macron Says Biden's Remark That Putin Is a Butcher Makes it Harder To End the Ukraine Conflict Officials Criticize Biden's Speech The unexpected remark regarding Putin caught the staffers guard who was watching Biden's remarks on TV or at the event site off guard. And the phrases weren't anything Biden had mentioned as possible inclusion in his speech before - US officials had previously stated that replacing the leadership in Moscow was not one of their goals. Biden warned NATO leaders in closed-door meetings earlier this week that he did not want to exacerbate the West's battle with Russia. People who talked with Biden before and after the speech reported him as emotionally moved after speaking with refugees at Warsaw's national stadium, where ladies implored him to pray for the men who had stayed behind to fight - husbands, sons, and brothers. When asked by reporters accompanying the president what witnessing the migrants made him think of Putin daily, Biden replied, "He's a butcher." Officials alerted the President Biden of a series of missile attacks on fuel storage in Lviv, Ukraine, a western city not far from the Polish border, just before the address. Biden was in Warsaw at the time, so the timing was hardly a coincidence, as per CNN. Biden's statement has been criticized by officials both inside and outside Russia. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov tells Reuters that whether Putin stays in power is not for Biden to decide. The president of Russia is elected by Russians. Russian lawmaker Vyacheslav Volodin called Biden "weak, sick, and unhappy." Biden's remarks alarmed French President Emmanuel Macron, who warned against a rhetorical "escalation" of relations between Russia and Western nations. Others, however, slammed the White House statement, saying that leaders should not back down from their calls for Putin's ouster in the wake of allegations of Russian military firing on people in Ukraine. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said only last week that the US administration believes Russian soldiers in Ukraine have committed war crimes. In a social media post, Garry Kasparov, a Russian chess grandmaster and head of the Human Rights Foundation, voiced his unhappiness with the White House's statements, according to Newsweek via MSN. Related Article: Russia-Ukraine War: NATO Exec Warns Chemical Weapons Would "Change the Nature of the Conflict" @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Denzel Washington warns Will Smith about the devil after Chris Rock Oscar slap Actor Will Smith made headlines Sunday after slapping comedian Chris Rock across the face at the Academy Awards and apologizing for the physical altercation during his Oscar acceptance speech for best actor. Smith's wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, suffers from alopecia, an autoimmune disease that causes bald patches on the scalp. It can affect both men and women of all races. During one of his comedy skits, Rock took aim at Jada and her condition. At first, Will Smith appeared to laugh at the joke, but Jada was visibly uncomfortable with it. Her husband then took action by walking up to Rock and slapping him across the face. Smith was awarded his first Oscar for his lead performance in the movie King Richard," where he played Venus and Serena Williams father, Richard. His speech, however, wasn't as celebratory as he might have envisioned because he spent much of his time explaining why he slapped Rock. Midway through his speech, Smith revealed that Denzel Washington, himself an Academy Award-winning actor, warned him about the devil's attacks. Denzel said to me a few minutes ago, at your highest moment, be careful, thats when the devil comes for you, Smith recalled. During an intermission that followed the slap, Tyler Perry and Washington were seen comforting and giving advice to Smith. Although he didn't apologize to Rock during his speech, Smith apologized to the Academy and his fellow nominees. Love makes you do crazy things, Smith said during his acceptance speech. The father of three compared himself to Richard Williams and how William fiercely defended his family. Richard Williams was a fierce defender of his family. In this time in my life, in this moment, I am overwhelmed by what God is calling on me to do and be in this world, Smith said with tears streaming down his face. Im being called on in my life to love people and to protect people. And to be a river to my people. And I know to do what we do, youve got to be able to take abuse, and youve got be able to have people talk crazy about you. In this business, youve got to be able to have people disrespecting you and youve got to smile and pretend like thats OK, he continued. In a previous interview with author, producer and preacher DeVon Franklin, Smith was asked if he is a man of faith like his character, Williams. You cant get where I get if you dont love the Lord. You dont get to sit how I sit, move how I move, if you dont love the Lord," Smith replied. "Youd be seeing a whole lot of other repercussions. The actor said he connects with the faith of the Williams family because of his grandmother, who attended Resurrection Baptist Church in Philadelphia. Much like his advice to Smith, Washington has been using his public platform to share the prominence of spiritual warfare in everyday life. Washington, who described himself as a God-fearing man" in an earlier interview with The New York Times, talked about God, the Bible and Heaven. He also revealed that he made a promise to his late mother to honor her and God. This is spiritual warfare. So, Im not looking at it from an earthly perspective. If you dont have a spiritual anchor youll be easily blown by the wind and youll be led to depression, he told the NY Times. Were living in a time where people are willing to do anything to get followed. What is the long or short-term effect of too much information? Its going fast and it can be manipulated obviously in a myriad of ways. And people are led like sheep to slaughter, Washington said. The entertainer then shared his view of Heaven, explaining that there are going to be two lines, the long line and the short line, and Im interested in being in the short line. Hillsong Phoenix pastor announces separation from Hillsong Church, calls for investigation of board Hillsong Phoenix Lead Pastor Terry Crist has called for an investigation of the global board of the Australia-based Hillsong Church after announcing Sunday that he has formally asked to separate from the megachurch network due to a governance dispute in the wake of the resignation of founder Brian Houston. There are many reasons why we cant continue chief among them is our loss of confidence in the global board to continue leading us as a congregation, Crist told congregants during a service in Phoenix. Crist said that when his church decided to become a part of Hillsong Church in 2016 after being a Hillsong network church for several years before that, it was agreed that he and his wife Judith would stay in Phoenix and have the option to re-evaluate the terms of their relationship with Hillsong Church in the event that Brian Houston was no longer leading the denomination. Houston, who co-founded Hillsong in 1983, resigned last Wednesday after it was revealed that two women made serious complaints of misconduct against him in the last 10 years. His resignation also followed a series of misconduct scandals involving other Hillsong Church leaders in the U.S. and Australia. Last Friday, The Christian Post also reported how less than two weeks after Reed Bogard abruptly resigned as lead pastor of the now-defunct Hillsong Dallas in January 2021, an internal investigation commissioned by Hillsong Global showed that the married father of three was accused of rape by a junior female staffer with whom he had a monthslong affair while serving at Hillsong NYC years earlier. Crist said that even though he has much respect for the work of Hillsong Churchs Interim Global Senior Pastor Phil Dooley, he has wrestled with the global board over several issues in recent years, such as the need for transparency and accountability. In recent weeks, Crist said, he reached an impasse with the board over governance issues. Over the past year, following the sin that was exposed at Hillsong Church New York City and the subsequent investigation that was conducted into sexual misconduct and into financial misappropriation, I encouraged the results of that report [conducted by the church] to be made [public] in some general form, he said. I asked that the report be redacted so names could be protected. I asked that the report be synopsized so we could embrace accountability and transparency. And for whatever reason, that request was denied. Crist contends that as more information about misconduct in the church began emerging publicly, Hillsong Church took steps to protect the churchs brand. As information began to leak out as to what was in the report, and as the global board made the decision to increase financial controls within the churches, lead pastors were suddenly asked to sign NDAs and non-competes. Some of us couldnt do that in good conscience, Crist said. This had played out in recent weeks. It came down in recent weeks to the demand that we sign non-disclosure agreements and non-competes, meaning that if we were removed from our positions, we could not plant churches again within our community for at least one year, the Phoenix pastor continued. After failing to come to terms with Hillsong Church to reseat their local board, Crist said they formally asked that their church be released back to us last Saturday. Specifically, that simply meant the release of our church to be governed by a local board and also to include a couple of non-Hillsong pastors who are wise and credible and have proven ministries to also be seated on our local board for the sake of accountability by non-vested pastors who have nothing to lose by speaking truth to power, he said. I was told this week, it is all or nothing. We either had to allow the global church to govern our church and to own our properties, or we had to leave. And so with great sadness, I chose to leave, Crist added. I am heartbroken. The pastor said he is also heartbroken for everyone victimized during their time at Hillsong Church. He called for an investigation of the global board and the punishment of members who have done more to protect the institution over the people. Its in the best interest of Hillsong Church to conduct an investigation as it relates to board conduct, to immediately restore the Sydney eldership, to make the findings of that public and to dismiss the board members who have protected the institution and not the people, he said. I am a global apostolic leader, and I am not going to shrink back from that mandate on my life to lead not just our church but the Church in general in our generation. We have to get it right, he added. There is so much riding on the Church of Jesus Christ in getting it right. When secular corporations are more transparent than the church, and when secular boards hold their employees and directors to a higher standard of accountability, we have failed the injunction that judgment must begin at the house of God so that the people of God [can] stand as a prophetic kingdom witness to the nations of the earth. Crist said somewhere along the line in his relationship with Hillsong Church, he departed from his long-held practice of being transparent as the church grew. He repented for the times he also put the protection of the Hillsong Church brand above the well-being of people. I repent for my own ambition to do something great for God at the expense of people who are the mission. Not easy to be a pastor and to be an employer. Not easy to care for people and require work performance. And Ive gotten it wrong at times. And I repent for that, he said. Im committed as a leader to do a lot of soul work in this season. Im committed as a leader to looking back over the past decade and asking God, counselors and pastors in my life to help me become what God expects of me as a leader in the church, he added. My heart is broken for everyone who has left our church, for everyone who has walked away from our staff for various reasons. California prosecutors fabricated case against megachurch preacher accused of sex crimes: defense Weeks before his trial begins in May, the defense team of controversial megachurch leader Naason Joaquin Garcia, who is accused of multiple sex crimes, including making sex videos with minor girls from his flock at La Luz Del Mundo, has accused prosecutors in California of fabricating evidence in his case. In a 211-page motion filed on March 15, defense attorney Alan Jackson and his team argue that the case brought against Garcia by the California Attorney Generals Office alleging in part that he groomed and raped teenage girls from his congregation is based on fabricated evidence. We are shocked by the facts in the recent motion filed by defense attorney Alan Jackson on March 15 in the case regarding the Apostle of Jesus Christ Naason Joaquin Garcia, the church said in a statement to The Christian Post Tuesday. The motion states that the California Attorney Generals Office fabricated incriminating evidence, created reports based on that fabricated false evidence, and deleted and concealed exculpatory evidence. The 52-year-old megachurch leader, whose followers consider an apostle of Jesus Christ, was arrested in the summer of 2019 at the Los Angeles International Airport. Garcia and several co-defendants, who were tried separately, were charged with human trafficking, production of child pornography, forcible rape of a minor and other felonies committed between 2015 and 2019. A group of girls was allegedly told that if they went against Garcias desires, they were going against God, according to the criminal complaint. Children were allegedly told to perform flirty dances for Garcia while wearing as little clothing as possible. Garcia also allegedly once gave a group of children a speech about a king having mistresses and stated that an apostle of God can never be judged for his actions, the complaint adds. State law enforcement officer and forensic examiner Steven Stover testified in 2019 about a video found on an iPad seized from Garcia, which allegedly shows the church leader having a threesome with a woman and an underage male. Stover also testified that he found child pornography on an iPhone taken from Garcia. One video found on the phone shows females of a very young age performing sexual acts. More than 70,000 texts messages reviewed by the defense as a part of the defenses latest motion. The defense claims some of Garcias accusers, called Jane Does, were sexually active, angst-filled teenagers who lied, shoplifted, used drugs, drank alcohol, struggled with mental health issues and discussed having sex with the church leader for money. In one instance, Jane Doe 2, with the help of a friend identified as Jane Doe 3, fabricated a story for her boyfriend so he wouldnt break up with her over allegations she was having sex with her brother. The motion also claims that California Department of Justice Special Agent Joseph Cedusky selectively used information from the thousands of text messages to further the criminal narrative against Garcia while the prosecution actively delayed access to the entire cache of text messages to the defense. The magnitude of the governments misconduct was so vast that it cannot easily be quantified, and the cascading effect of consequences from these actions is immense, Jackson and his team wrote. These include, inter alia, Mr. Garcia being forced to sit through a mockery of a preliminary hearing based entirely on lies and fiction created from whole cloth in the minds of investigators and prosecutors. Garcia has pleaded not guilty to the charges against him and is facing a $50 million bail, believed to be the highest ever imposed in L.A. County. The pastors lawyers have long argued the pastor is 100% innocent. Mr. Garcia remained detained in pre-trial custody on an astronomical bail order based entirely on fictional facts and a false narrative cobbled together from disparate pieces of evidence manufactured to appear inculpatory, and presented as truth while they knew that the presented evidence was false and while a mountain of exculpatory evidence was actively buried, the defense team argued. Simply put, this conduct is inexcusable and has no place in our system of justice. At the most fundamental level, Mr. Garcias due process rights have been trampled and crushed beneath the boot of a prosecution hell-bent on winning a conviction no matter the cost, the motion added. The only remedy in the face of this extreme and shocking conduct is for this Court to dismiss the information. In its statement Tuesday, La Luz Del Mundo officials said they are praying for justice for their leader. We continue to pray for and trust in the judicial system of the United States, knowing that it guarantees the constitutional rights of all individuals, including the guarantee of due process, the church said. These basic rights have not been granted to the Apostle Naason Joaquin Garcia. As of today, the Apostle has been detained for almost three years without attainable bail. Pro-abortion states are moving to codify a 'right' to abortion With the Supreme Courts decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Womens Health Organization quickly approaching, legislators in pro-abortion states are bracing themselves for the possibility that Roe v. Wades reign over state abortion laws might finally come to an end, returning to the states the ability to regulate abortion as they see fit and more fully protect unborn life. Not surprisingly, it is the states with the most pro-abortion laws that are leading the effort to enshrine abortion rights language in their state codes or constitutions. Colorado is swiftly moving HB22-1279, the Reproductive Health Equity Act (RHEA), through the legislature, which would not only insert a fundamental right to abortion in state statute, but also explicitly deny unborn children any rights under the state (this includes all unborn children, regardless of gestational age). Maryland (HB 1171) and Vermont (PR 5) are attempting to enshrine a right to abortion in their state constitutions, ensuring that, through future changes in the legislature and governorship, this right will remain in the constitution and be difficult to remove. If either of these states are successful, they will become the first to secure a right to abortion in their state constitution. If Marylands bill passes the Senate, it will go before voters in the states November 2022 election. After passing the legislature in February, Vermonts Proposition 5 is already set to be on the ballot this November. Additionally, pro-abortion activists in the state of Michigan have launched the Michigan Right to Reproductive Freedom Initiative as an effort to get a constitutional amendment ensuring a right to abortion on voters ballots this November. Similar to the language of Marylands proposed amendment, it establishes a fundamental right to reproductive freedom, which shall not be denied, burdened, or infringed unless justified by a compelling state interest achieved by the least restrictive means. This amendment would supersede a pre-Roe abortion ban, enacted in 1931, which has been unenforceable due to Roe. In order to get on the ballot, this measure needs to gain 425,059 signatures (equal to 10% of votes cast for governor in the last gubernatorial election). It remains to be seen whether this measure will be on the ballot this year for Michigan voters. These laws stand to be alarmingly far-reaching, invalidating what few pro-life laws these states have and cementing their current practice of actively funding abortion. Colorado, Maryland, and Vermonts amendments would guarantee abortion through all nine months of pregnancy for any reason, going far beyond Roes precedent of guaranteeing abortion to the point of viability (Michigans amendment allows abortion up to the point of viability). Each one of these laws would not only allow but defend abortions sought solely due to the race, sex, or disability of the unborn child. In Colorado, some legislators and constituents are cautioning that the RHEA, as currently written, would prevent the state from enforcing its parental notification law for minors seeking abortions. Maryland Right to Life has pointed out that the states proposed constitutional amendment would force physicians to carry out abortions against their consciences and religious convictions. After all, if something is a fundamental right, can it rightly be denied without the government stepping in to intervene? Colorado, Maryland, Michigan, and Vermont are each seeking to become abortion destinations in the aftermath of Roe, where women from pro-life states can travel and abortionists can kill their unborn children. As troubling as this is, thankfully, even more states are poised to do just the opposite. Twenty-two states have laws (whether enacted before Roe and never repealed or designed to go into effect in the event Roe is overturned) to protect the unborn at conception or at the point his or her heartbeat can be detected (usually around 6-8 weeks), and others are currently moving to enact legislation to protect more unborn babies. Let these states stand out as a contrast to the states working so hard to maintain their cultures of death. The battle surely rages on, but there is hope in the midst of the darkness. If you are a pro-lifer living in one of these pro-abortion states, please be encouraged. In Psalm 4:12, David reminds himself of Gods justice and care for the helpless, saying, I know that the Lord will maintain the cause of the afflicted, and will execute justice for the needy. If you live in Colorado, Maryland, Michigan, or Vermont, contact your legislators voicing your opposition and vote NO if one of these measures is on your ballot this November. Your voice matters! For Marylanders, click here to send a message to your state Senators, telling them to oppose HB 1171! For Coloradans, click here to send a message to your state Senator, telling them to oppose HB22-1279! Originally published at the Family Research Council. Responding to the charge that the Constitution is 'trash' These days all kinds of ridiculous things are said against America, the Pledge of Allegiance, the flag, and our history. Now, one leftist reporter calls the Constitution trash. It should be thrown away and replaced with something more inclusive. Elie Mystal who is the Justice correspondent for The Nation, said on The View recently, The Constitution is kind of trash. This was not a momentary aberration. On another outlet, a reporter asked him, [A]re you arguing that the Constitution needs to be scrapped altogether? He replied: Sure But, I dont think thats going to happen. Like, if we could throw that out and start over with a new document that was more inclusive of everybody, that was written by everybody at no point have black people, brown people or women had a say in actually writing the Constitution or the amendments to that Constitution if we could throw that out and have a delegation of all Americans to write a new one, I would be all for that. Mystal also tweeted that he was proud to trigger white wing media this morning by noting that their slavers organizing document is trash. How is it that the most durable government document in history, producing the most freedom for the most people the world has ever seen, trash? Millions of would-be refugees would love to come here to live in America, while many of our citizens exemplify what I have called, The Era of the Ungrateful American. Yet what sacrifices the founders made for us, for their posteritys sake. In the Declaration of Independence, upon which the Constitution is predicated, the founders declared their pledge, with the help of God, to commit our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor for the American cause. I once interviewed the late Dr. Walter Williams, professor of economics at George Mason University and syndicated columnist, on Americas spiritual roots. He told me, The United States Constitution has been very valuable just considering the evidence. Number one, we still have the Constitution, although, its not obeyed all the time. But the Constitution has led to the richest and the most powerful nation on the face of this earth and the greatest amount of personal liberty that people enjoy. That is why people try to get to the United States. People want to live in the United States. They want to become American citizens, and the reason why is the liberty that we have. Williams added: Slavery has been mankinds standard fare throughout his entire history. Even the word, slave, in most languages is slav; that is because the Slavic people were among the first to be enslaved. And Africans were among the last to be enslaved. And the great thing about the Western world is that we spent many resources on eliminating slavery. Mystal claimed that the Constitution excludes him because hes black. Williams, also African-American, did not agree with that. Of course, tragically, the promise of the Constitution was initially denied to blacks, and it is a blot on our nations history. But it was in those founding documents where the seeds of freedom for all were sown, as acknowledged by Frederick Douglass and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., who called America to honor the promises made in the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. Many of those who even risk their lives to come to America today include people of color. Why has the Constitution proved so durable? Because it is based on a biblical worldview. For example, the Bible recognizes that man is sinful. Therefore, we need government to protect us from other sinners but since sinners run the government, we need to be protected from the government as well. That is a summary of James Madisons Federalist 51. This is why the Constitution so meticulously works to separate powers from one branch from another. The abuse of power was the great concern. My whole point is to not give up on the US Constitution. It recognizes man's true nature which is sinful and harnesses and limits that nature to maximize freedom. All the experiments in humanistic governments have proved to be disastrous for everyone. From the Soviet Union to Nazi Germany, from Castro's Cuba to Chavez's (and Maduro's) Venezuela. And on it goes. The founders were not all slavers, as Mystal ignorantly declares, as he ignores such anti-slavery giants as John Adams, Alexander Hamilton, and Ben Franklin (president of a key anti-slavery society). And the founders built the means by which slavery could one day be ended. Every day, many on the left want to jettison some of what is best in America, in this case even the Constitution. They dont want to admit that they benefit from the freedoms derived from that document even the freedom to denounce it as trash. AME Church will no longer allow one person to count the money after nearly $100M goes missing Rev. Cedric V. Alexander, a retired pastor with the African Methodist Episcopal Church, Inc., has filed a proposed class-action lawsuit alleging that the denomination lost some 70% or nearly $100 million from its retirement plan through "foolish" and risky investments, which have hurt about 5,000 participants financially. The 49-page federal complaint was filed Tuesday in Maryland, where Alexander resides. The document alleges that Jerome V. Harris, the former executive director of the denomination's Department of Retirement Services, was "given sole authority to invest tens of millions of AMEC clergy's and other Church servants' retirement savings in a questionable and potentially unlawful purchase of undeveloped land in Florida, a promissory note to an Illinois installer of solar panels, and an even more foolish investment in a now non-existent capital venture outfit." And while all of this was happening, church officials kept reporting to the plan's beneficiaries that their retirement funds were safely flourishing as investments in annuities from Symetra Financial. "This suit is about a complete and total abrogation of these fiduciary responsibilities by Defendants, resulting in numerous breaches of duty and resulting in a single, unmonitored individual, Defendant Harris, controlling all Plan assets and investments," the complaint says. The Christian Post reached out to the AME Church for comment on the complaint. No one was immediately available. Alexander, who retired in September 2020 after more than two decades of service in the historically black church denomination, said from Jan. 1, 2021, through March 31, 2021, his retirement account showed a balance of $86,631.75. On Sept. 13, 2021, he requested a rollover of his funds from the church's plan to an individual retirement account. He was informed in October 2021 by Rev. James Miller, the newly elected executive director of the denomination's Department of Retirement Services, that his request could not be accommodated due to a pending audit and the church's retirement funds being frozen. Miller followed up with a letter in November telling participants in the retirement plan that the audit was taking longer than expected. On Dec. 14, 2021, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that the denomination was investigating "possible financial irregularities" with its retirement fund investments. Everything came to head during a meeting of the denomination's general board on Jan. 31 when participants in the church's retirement plan were told that "more than $90 million of [the denomination's] $126.8 million [retirement fund] was missing, and no one connected with the Church, except its former Department of Retirement Services Executive Director, Defendant Harris, knew where the money and other plan related records went." "Those attending the January 31st meeting were told that despite repeated representations to Plan participants over the last two decades, the Plan's assets were not all invested in annuities provided by Symetra," the complaint notes. "Instead, the Council of Bishops, General Board, Department of Retirement Services, the chair of the Department, Bishop Green and the Trustees allowed a single individual, Defendant Harris, to exercise full decision making authority over the use of all Plan assets. Rev. Miller, Defendant Harris's replacement as Executive Director of the Department of Retirement Services, put it this way: 'never again will we allow one person to count the money,' essentially conceding that the Plan's other fiduciaries previously had completely abdicated their duties owed to the Plan and the Plan's participants, including Plaintiff Alexander and the other members of the Class." Others listed as defendants include Bishop Samuel L. Green, Sr., the Trustees of the African Methodist Episcopal Church Ministerial Retirement Annuity Plan, the African Methodist Episcopal Church Ministerial Retirement Annuity Plan, the Department of Retirement Services, the General Board of the AME Church, the Council of Bishops of the AME Church and John and Jane Does 1 through 20. According to the complaint, the governing documents of the AME Church's retirement plan stipulate that it is governed by the federal Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, which requires that management and investment decisions should be made solely in the interest of the participants. However, the legal filing claims Harris did not follow that guidance. An investigation revealed that Harris invested tens of millions of dollars "in high-risk, speculative and demonstratively imprudent investments in Motorskill Ventures Group (a now defunct venture capital outfit)." Investments were made in "Motorskill Ventures," "Motorskill Asia Ventures," and a separate investment in Financial Freedom Fund, LLC, which invested in additional Motorskill Ventures Group investments called "Motorskill Ventures 1" and "Motorskill Asia Ventures 1." Last June, the AME Church's investigative committee was informed by Motorskill Ventures Group "that these investments are worthless, the funds in which the Plan invested were terminated by Motorskill, and that the Plan will recover nothing from its investments." According to the complaint, the investigative committee could only verify $36.9 million of the church's retirement fund invested with Symetra. Another $1 million of value was identified in investment in another "speculative, high-risk investment in undeveloped real estate located in Key Marco Island, Florida." "Defendant Harris initially invested $1.5 million of the Plan's assets in the undeveloped land, reflecting a loss of $500,000 and providing merit to the pejorative phrase 'Florida land deal,'" the complaint noted. Harris is also accused of investing in Financial Freedom Fund, LLC, described as a manager of a private Real Estate Investment Trust that provides loans for commercial and residential construction. Money from the retirement funds was also used to provide a promissory note to an Illinois installer of solar panels called Day and Night Solar. "Upon information and belief, Defendant Harris would not have secretly moved tens of millions of dollars in Plan asset's out of Symetra annuity investments and invested them in a risky or fraudulent venture capital company Motorskill Ventures Group, Financial Freedom Fund, LLC, or invested an additional $1.5 million in a Florida land deal if he did not stand to benefit in some way," the complaint argues. It was also claimed that at the Jan. 31 meeting, the office of the executive director of the AME's Department of Retirement Services "had been emptied, with nothing in the office cabinets but 'empty files and paperclips.' Even the most current version of the Plan document could not be located." As a result of the situation, Alexander has not received any of his retirement benefits since 2020. "As of the date of the filing of this Complaint, Plaintiff has not received any of his retirement benefits, despite being retired, without much income, for well over a year. All other members of the Class similarly have had their pension payments halted and/or have been informed that they have only one-third of the amount or less in their individual retirement accounts than they had previously been told," the complaint says. Alexander's retirement account total has been reduced from $86,631.75 to $26,025.29, since the investigation, the complaint states. Other participants in the fund, says the complaint, have also seen a 70% reduction in the value of their retirement accounts. The denomination announced that the Department of Retirement Services had reported a material loss in a statement last October and that a "comprehensive audit and review" would be conducted by an independent law firm and accounting firm. AME vowed to make the report of the findings public upon receipt. In the first week of February, Alexander said he received a letter from the Department of Retirement Services informing participants of "troubling news" that "plan funds were frozen, and distributions delayed pending the investigative findings." The letter stated that federal investigatory agencies along with the outside consultants were "working on the matter." "The AME Church takes this crime seriously," a statement from AME said, according to The Wall Street Journal. "We are also committed to making every fund participant whole by restoring their full investment plus interest." Kentucky church bake sale raises $145K to help Ukrainians fleeing Russian invasion A Ukrainian congregation located near Lexington, Kentucky, has raised approximately $145,000 at a bake sale to raise funds for those affected by the war in Ukraine. The Ukrainian Pentecostal Church of Nicholasville held the bake sale on Saturday, with the money raised to help those displaced by the Russian invasion of the Eastern European country, where over 10 million people have been forced to flee. The event featured a lunch for those who attended and a section at the church where around 100 donated baked goods of various kinds were available for sale. The bake sales organizer, Victor Selepina, told The Christian Post that nearly all of the congregations members were from Ukraine or had family living there. Selepina said that he was surprised by the amount raised, saying it wasnt planned but that we never anticipated to have so many people come out and to raise that amount of money. Our community has been absolutely wonderful, he said, and weve been very, very, very blessed with a community that we live in, and also the opportunities that this country has given us at one point that we can now organize such events. The donations will be distributed through churches in Ukraine with ties to the Nicholasville congregation. The funds will help buy supplies like food in the western part of the country for those displaced by the conflict. Some of the efforts to purchase food, according to Selepina, will likely move to Ukraines western neighbor Poland, as it is considered a more convenient place to get supplies. Selepina encouraged others to do what they can, even if its just a little bit, to help improve the situation for those displaced. If I have this idea, there is no way I can do this on my own, he said. It takes a lot of people to do it. We [have] anyone from like 13-year-olds to about 90 that just did their part, baking a batch of cookies, and thats how it came together. It takes a little to make something big happen. Across the United States, churches have done their part to help raise funds for Ukrainians fleeing the invasion. In the Washington, D.C. suburb of Colesville, Maryland, Saint Andrew Ukrainian Orthodox Cathedral has held bazaars in the last few weeks to raise money for those fleeing violence in Ukraine. This past Sunday, the bazaar was attended by hundreds. Items for sale included clothes, jewelry, Ukrainian flags and food. Earlier this month, four churches in Minnesota came together for a charitable event in which 100,000 meals were packed for the needy, with half of them going to Ukraine. Bethel Lutheran Church of Rochester hosted the meal-packing event, with 250 volunteers packing the meals on behalf of Food for Kidz and the Channel One Regional Food Bank and assistance coming from Gloria Dei Lutheran Church, Holy Spirit Catholic Church, and the local Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Oscar winning actress Hilary Swank to star in Kingdom Story's 'Ordinary Angels' film Two-time Academy Award winner Hilary Swank is slated to star alongside Reacher breakout Alan Ritchson in Kingdom Story Companys Ordinary Angels, a film based on an inspirational true story. The film, which will be distributed by Lionsgate and is headed into production, is directed by Jon Gunn ("The Unbreakable Boy"), with the most recent draft of the script written by Gunn and Jon Erwin. Swank will play a struggling hairdresser who single-handedly rallies an entire community to help a widowed father (Ritchson) save the life of his critically ill young daughter. The film is set against the backdrop of the worst snowstorm in Kentucky history and is inspired by a true story. The 47-year-old actress won Oscars for her turns in "Boys Dont Cry" and "Million Dollar Baby." Shes also received two Golden Globes, a Critics Choice Award, an Independent Spirit Award, a Gotham Tribute Award and a SAG Award. Ritchson, an actor, writer, director and producer, stars as the lead in Amazons critically acclaimed series Reacher. Gunn said: Im thrilled to be working with Hilary and Alan. They are both actors with incredible range, who find humanity and vulnerability in every character they play. They are perfectly matched to bring this complex and inspirational true story to life. Kingdom Story Companys Kevin Downes said the company endeavors to bring inspiring true stories to life on screen, adding: Ordinary Angels spotlights one familys seemingly insurmountable struggles and the everyday people who helped them in remarkable ways. Hilary Swank and Alan Ritchson bring to life this heroic example of how one person can change a family and how that changes a community and gives rise, quite literally, to life and to hope. Ordinary Angels" is the latest inspirational film from Kingdom Story Company, the group behind I Can Only Imagine and American Underdog. The company is helmed by brothers Jon and Andrew Erwin, Downes and Tony Young, and in partnership with the studio Lionsgate. Later this year, the company will release Jesus Revolution starring Kelsey Grammer. The film is inspired by the true story of the national spiritual awakening that swept Southern California in the early 1970s. Grammer will portray Pastor Smith of Calvary Chapel in Costa Mesa, Greg Lauries mentor. The minister famously opened his church to all seekers and was instrumental in launching one of the largest spiritual revivals in the United States. The Erwin brothers, outspoken Christians themselves, previously shared why theyre drawn to true stories. We love true stories because that allows us to explore the real-life experiences and struggle that that person went through, Andrew Erwin told The Christian Post. The filmmaker added that sharing unfiltered true stories that highlight humanity gives context for the things that, for us as Christians, are so important. It gives power to the message; it gives power to these moments that are life-changing that dont feel like propaganda or trying to sell something. Its just inviting somebody to understand somebodys real-life story, he said. Jon Erwin noted that throughout the Psalms, David shares his flaws with brutal honesty, adding, You dont have to be perfect for God to use you. Those flaws are part of it, and thats who God chooses to use. Most voters say Hunter Biden's laptop story is important: Rasmussen poll A majority of likely voters believe the story about Hunter Biden's laptop and its contents is important, according to a recent Rasmussen Reports poll that also found nearly half believe that efforts to discredit the story impacted the 2020 presidential election. On Thursday, a Rasmussen poll found that 66% of likely U.S. voters said they believe the story about Hunter Bidens laptop was important, including 48% who said they think the story is very important. By contrast, 31% of respondents believed the story was not important, including 15% who said they believed it was not at all important. Additionally, Rasmussen found that nearly half of the respondents (48%) said they think that if the media had fully reported the story about Hunter Bidens laptop before the 2020 election, its unlikely Joe Biden would have been elected president. For their report, Rasmussen drew from a poll conducted on March 21-22 of 1,000 likely U.S. voters, with a margin of error of +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. In October 2020, shortly before the 2020 presidential election, the New York Post published a story that reported Hunter Biden had his father, former Vice President Joe Biden, meet with an executive at the Ukrainian energy firm Burisma shortly before the elder Biden pressured officials in Ukraine to fire a prosecutor investigating the company. To back up its story, the New York Post referenced emails they reviewed that came from the hard drive of Hunter Bidens laptop, which had been dropped off at a shop in Delaware and later seized by the FBI. A copy of the data was provided by former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani. The laptop also reportedly included embarrassing images and videos of Hunter Biden, as well as details of questionable business dealings Hunter had with communist China. Many major media outlets gave little to no attention to the story, claiming among other things that they found the source for the emails to be suspect. National Public Radios Kelly McBride argued in a newsletter back in 2020 that there were many, many red flags in that New York Post investigation and that the claims of the story dont amount to much. Intelligence officials warn that Russia has been working overtime to keep the story of Hunter Biden in the spotlight. Even if Russia cant be positively connected to this information, the story of how Trump associates Steve Bannon and Rudy Giuliani came into a copy of this computer hard drive has not been verified and seems suspect, wrote McBride. And if that story could be verified, the NY Post did no forensic work to convince consumers that the emails and photos that are the basis for their report have not been altered. Social media giants like Twitter and Facebook censored posts about the Hunter Biden laptop story in advance of the election, with Twitter going as far as to take down the New York Posts account for 16 days, claiming that they do not allow hacked material to be tweeted. These responses, though they came in a fast-moving and confusing situation, were heavy-handed and arguably ill-judged, acknowledged Vox in a recent report. Its also fair to be skeptical of whether social media companies would have responded so strongly if a Trump family member had been the victim of a suspected hack that October. Groups like the conservative fact-checking website NewsBusters argued that mainstream media outlets devoted far too little time to the controversy surrounding the Hunter Biden laptop. Although left-leaning news media largely ignored the story in 2020, more conservative outlets like Fox News devoted considerable time to the story in advance of the election. Media Matters, a liberal fact-check website, argued at the time that Foxs focus on the Biden laptop was part of a massive smear campaign in the final weeks before Election Day. That effort, led by the New York Post and amplified by Foxs megaphone, has sought to bury Joe Biden with a blizzard of dubious and bad-faith allegations related to his son Hunter Bidens business interests, stated Media Matters in October 2020. Last week, the New York Times ran a piece about ongoing investigations into Hunter Bidens business dealings, saying that the emails from the laptop were likely valid. 16-y-o miraculously survives deadly Texas tornados, says God gave me another chance A 16-year-old boy whose truck was flipped over by last weeks tornado in Texas, which killed a 73-year-old woman and injured dozens, said God gave me another chance and recounted his experience in a media interview after a video showing his ordeal went viral. The teen, Riley Leon, was returning home after a job interview in his red 2004 Chevrolet Silverado when he was caught in the tornado in Elgin, Texas. The viral video shows his truck being picked up and thrown on its side like a piece of paper. I honestly didnt know what to do, to grab onto the steering wheel or to start praying, the teen told NBC 5. On the video, it looks like I drove off but in reality I didnt. I landed in the center of the road and I was just driving to get off the road. He said hes grateful Im here. [Im] grateful God gave me another chance because better things are going to come in the future. Never let small things bring you down because bigger things are going to come, he told KTBC-TV. It was my first time being in a tornado, and hopefully my last time, Fox7 quoted him as saying. The news outlet added that Leon was surprised in Fort Worth with a new car and a generous gift to his family. Chevrolet, in collaboration with Bruce Lowrie Chevrolet of Fort Worth, gifted him a brand new 2022 Chevrolet Silverado. Lowrie also gave a $15,000 check to his family. A GoFundMe page started for Leon has raised over $42,000 as of Tuesday afternoon. Riley is so lucky and blessed to have made it out of this terrifying incident," the page reads. "His truck was totaled, but for the most part, he is doing ok. Unfortunately, he has begun to experience body aches and severe back pain, as one would expect after this type of accident. Leon is a lovely, bright student making plans to graduate next year and could genuinely use some love from our community and anyone else who may have viewed this video and prayed for the passengers, said Bianca Jaimes, one of his teachers at IDEA Rundberg in Austin, Texas. When the accident happened, the teen was on his way back home from a job interview at Whataburger, which has now offered him the job. In Jacksboro, Texas, the principal of an elementary school thanked God for protecting more than 500 students and 50 staff who survived the tornado last Monday. We are just so blessed that God had His hand God gave wisdom and courage to the adults, Michael Qualls, the principal of Jacksboro Elementary School, said, adding that even the kids were not panicked. Jacksboro High Principal Starla Sanders told Fox4 she was alerted about the storm turning severe about an hour before it hit. She allowed the 300 high schoolers who could drive to leave early, but the bus riders and all staff had no option but to take shelter. Even as crews are now working through the rubble, the First Baptist Church, Fort Richardson Masonic Lodge and the Parish of Jacksboro are housing Pre-K through third-graders for up to a month, Texomas reported. What we are currently doing now is, we are gathering the materials that are useable at the elementary and putting them in totes and getting them over here to the Baptist Church so that this weekend the teachers can set up their classrooms, Qualls was quoted as saying. One of the survivors, 10-year-old Kenadee Sell, told News6, Things happen, I know, but God saved us. God made this miracle happen; He saved our lives. Near the school, a 90-year-old woman, Francis Wilson, recalled how she survived after hunkering down inside a shower as the tornado destroyed the back half of her home, including the roof above her head. God had a hand in it; thats the way I look at it, Wilson told News6. He had a hand over me because I shouldnt have made it out of here. In North Texas, the tornado injured several people and destroyed homes, schools and businesses. The tornado caused extensive and widespread damage, particularly in Jack and Montague counties. Russian Regime Change uttered by gaffing Joe Biden increased fear of the European Union suing for a ceasefire in Ukraine. This call to oust Putin has made the bloc more cautious of the American President, and what he'll say next could maybe cause World War 3. A flustered EU is already reeling from energy shortages and attempts by some member nations carrying diplomatic missions to dial down the fighting in Ukraine. Biden's Comment About Regime Change US president, Joe Biden, made the worst possible error as he said that Putin should not remain in power, reported the BBC. Last Sunday in Poland, he started talking tough by referring to the Kremlin leader as a butcher, seeing EU allies as crossing a line and signaling a more militarized approach. An unpreceded error had a top US diplomat doing damage control due to his glib tongue. Another bothering report was when asked by the press if he wanted regime change; it was a no. Another US NATO ambassador, Julianne Smith, covered up the President's endless errors but spun what he said to re-contextualize the Warsaw statement. A month into the excursion, justified by a defense of DRP and LPR, which made 44 million Ukrainians homeless, per Express UK. Smith went on the administration's media ally CNN, saying it was a reaction to stories on that day. Slipped in the current administration does not want the Russian regime to change, although the tape said otherwise, and the European Union leaders are avoiding the White House. Read Also: Vladimir Putin Net Worth 2022: Does Anyone Know Russian President's Hidden Wealth? EU Officials Distance From Biden Comment of ousting made Josep Borrell, the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, decide to stay away from the President of the US, far from the fallout of his alleged shenanigan. He spoke to Sky News Arabia and stated that he had heard it and the White House stood on it. Stressing that ousting a leader is not democratic, even in Russia's case, preventing further conflict should be stopped via dialogue. French President Emmanuel Macron, who had a run-in with Joe Biden in the AUKUS deal, knows that staying away from such a leader prevents tainting him in future talks with Moscow. On French TV, he said that it's terrible messaging and it makes his talks a bit harder due to the US leader's fumbling words, noted France 24. Macron was not happy about how it would affect talks in Moscow; how could the people of Mariupol can escape fighting via humanitarian concerns. The Kremlin's backing is essential. He says the war should stop and not get more intense, which is the goal. It uses diplomacy to stop the fighting and pull out forces which is the opposite of the US leader's narrow-minded stance. Better to keep quiet and tone down the situation, which is the opposite of what was said on camera. Even as the US Secretary of State Antony Blinken explained, there is no ousting suggested, and the Kremlin tacitly struck Washington saying that America has no monopoly over who heads Russia. Ex-US senior diplomat Richard Hass, who heads a body on foreign relations, added that Biden had coasted the US closer to war. Russian officials said that their forces would fight it out in Donbas. According to the European Union, the Russian regime change made diplomacy more critical to the US stand, which is dangerous for Europe. Related Article: Macron Says Biden's Remark That Putin Is a Butcher Makes it Harder To End the Ukraine Conflict @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Federalist editor locked out of Twitter for calling Rachel Levine a man: 'They will come after you' An editor with the conservative news publication The Federalist has been punished by Twitter because he called Rachel Levine, a Biden administration official who is biologically male but identifies as female, a man. According to an article published by The Federalist on Monday, The Federalist Senior Editor John Daniel Davidson has been locked out of his Twitter account over a tweet made Friday. Theyre not even trying to hide it anymore, posted Davidson. If you say that Rachel Levine is a man, they will come after you. Doesnt matter that Levine is in fact a man. Truth is no defense. According to The Federalist, less than 24 hours after Davidson tweeted this, Twitter censored the post and locked Davidson out of his account until he agrees to delete the tweet. Davidson has expressed his refusal to do so. Born Richard Levine but having identified as female since 2011, Rachel Levine currently serves as assistant secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Recently, multiple individuals and groups have found their accounts on Twitter suspended due to referring to Levine as a man in response to USA Today recently naming Levine among its Women of the Year. The Christian Post is among those punished after it posted a tweet that labeled Levine a man. CP is prohibited from posting new content since earlier this month pending an appeal. Twitter also took action against The Babylon Bee for posting a joke about the Christian satirical site supposedly honoring Levine as its Man of the Year. They could, of course, delete the tweet themselves. But they won't, tweeted Babylon Bee CEO Seth Dillon from his personal account in response to the punishment. It's not enough for them to just wipe it out. They want us to bend the knee and admit that we engaged in hateful conduct. Twitter also recently censored conservative social commentator Charlie Kirk for posting that Levine is a man. Kirk denounced Twitter's actions in a statement given to Newsweek. I will NEVER apologize for speaking the truth and any term of service that demands users ignore, forget, or disregard what's objectively true is un-American and wrong, stated Kirk. It's this type of censorship that will ultimately destroy Twitter as a viable platform for speech, if that hasn't already happened. Competitors are popping up everywhere. World Vision helps evacuees from war-torn Ukraine as hundreds take shelter in Romanian office building A Romanian office building has been converted into space to house 450 refugees a night as the Romanian Orthodox Church and an international humanitarian organization respond to the mass exodus of Ukrainians from their homes as Russian troops ravage the country. Edgar Sandoval, the CEO of World Vision, was recently in Romania to assess the organization's efforts to minister to Ukrainians who were forced to flee their homes amid Russia's invasion of their country and shared what he witnessed in an interview with The Christian Post. Despite the challenges that come with providing food, clothing and shelter for hundreds or even thousands of refugees, Sandoval praised the generosity of the Romanian community, recalling that during a visit to the Romanian city of Iasi, he saw this office building that had been completely refurbished into a shelter and everything inside the shelter had been provided by the community. He told CP that the shelter included everything from beds, mattresses, sheets, blankets, pillows [and] toys provided by the generosity of the community. That office space could host 450 refugees per night, but then they also need to continue to pay for the electricity as well as showers and this is where World Vision comes in, he said. Weve been partnering alongside them by providing the utilities, hygiene kits, laundry and shower facilities. The exodus of people continues to just increase and so this has become the fastest-growing refugee crisis since World War II, Sandoval said of the challenges Europe is facing to help the millions of Ukrainians seeking refuge in neighboring countries. An estimated over 3 million people have already fled Ukraine to bordering countries, he added. I was at two border points, one with Moldova and one with Ukraine. And what I saw was just strings of people coming through, some of them walking, some of them with nothing but the clothes on their back, some with a suitcase. Sandoval said that one day at the border crossing in the town of Siret, 15,000 people came through. He lamented that the situation continues to get worse as the conflict increases. He contrasted the refugee crisis in Eastern Europe with those he had experienced in the past. In the current crisis, those fleeing Ukraine are in transit because they want their final destination to be in Western Europe. They stop in Romania on the way, he added, because its so cold and they need a place where they can safely stay for a couple of nights. They need food, they need showers [and] warm clothing," he said. "The vast majority of the people crossing are women and young children, and very young children at that. Sandoval discussed World Visions efforts to create child-friendly spaces that amount to a little daycare setting in a shelter where there are toys and activities where kids can be kids again as we try to mitigate any sort of psychosocial effects that the conflict may have on them. In his conversations with refugees, Sandoval has learned that many have friends and family in Western Europe, which explains why they see the region as their ultimate destination. He shared a conversation he'd had with a father who has a 16-year-old son with special needs. They were staying at the office building that had been converted into a shelter. The mans sister works as a maid in Italy, and she had come to Romania to help them find their way there. While Sandoval predicts that most Ukrainian refugees will move on to Western Europe after a stop in Romania, he's awaiting more clarity on how many refugees will actually stay in Romania. He spoke of a plan being developed to make sure that children can continue their education and obtain all the support services to the families who choose to remain in the Eastern European country. Sandoval said the Romanian Orthodox Church is one of World Visions partners on the ground working to provide information and [meet] the needs of these refugees. Specifically, the Romanian Orthodox Church is coordinating medical supply donations for Ukrainian hospitals. The World Vision CEO told CP that the demographic makeup of the refugees has changed over time. He suggested that the people who left Ukraine at the beginning of the Ukraine-Russia conflict had more means because they were leaving in their own cars. More recently, most refugees are coming with nothing but the clothes on their backs. World Vision has plans to expand its response to the Ukraine-Russia conflict into other Eastern European countries. We are in the process of evaluating partners in Moldova and also in Poland as we expect the longer this conflict continues, the more people well expect will want to find refuge and cross the border," Sandoval said. "So were evaluating what may be needed to support refugees in Moldova, to support them in Poland, and then well need to continue our operation and strengthen our operation in Romania. World Vision has raised over $8 million for the Ukraine crisis so far. Having seen the difference that the donations from the U.S. are making for the refugees, Sandoval asked American Christians to continue praying for this conflict and to donate because the needs are increasing and we want to be able to be there for the people of Ukraine at the time of their greatest need. Arizona lawmakers pass 15-week abortion ban as Supreme Court weigh's similar Mississippi law Arizona lawmakers have passed a bill that, if enacted, will ban most abortions after 15 weeks into a pregnancy, similar to a Mississippi law that the U.S. Supreme Court is reviewing this year. Known as Senate Bill 1164, the legislation was passed by the state House of Representatives on Thursday in a vote of 31 ayes to 26 nays, with three not voting. The legislation was approved by the state Senate last month. Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey, a pro-life Republican who has signed other abortion restrictions during his administration, is expected to sign SB 1164 in the near future. The bill would make it a class 6 felony for any physician to intentionally perform or attempt to perform an abortion that is not medically necessary when the gestational age exceeds 15 weeks. Supporters of the legislation include the Center for Arizona Policy, which argued that the measure was necessary to protect developed unborn human life. Preborn babies at 15 weeks gestation have fully formed noses, eyelids, and lips, as well as developing hearts, kidneys, and other organs. They suck their thumbs, and they feel pain, said Center for Arizona Policy President Cathi Herrod in a statement last month. At 15 weeks gestation, the preborn baby does flips, hiccups, and has regular sleep patterns, according to expert testimony. These babies deserve our protection; their mothers deserve the truth, and they are worthy of protection from the trauma, regret, and pain of abortion. Critics of the bill include the Arizona chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union, which called on Ducey to veto what they consider a violation of bodily autonomy. Decisions about if and when to become a parent or have more children should be made by individuals, with support from their doctor and loved ones as needed, stated Jennifer Allen, executive director of the ACLU of Arizona. Taking options off the table for pregnant people regardless of their reason for seeking an abortion is an egregious attack on their bodily autonomy. We urge Governor Ducey to veto SB1164. The bills passage comes as the nation waits for the U.S. Supreme Court to rule on the constitutionality of Mississippis law restricting abortions after 15 weeks into a pregnancy. Last December, the high court heard oral arguments in the case of Dobbs v. Jackson Womens Health Organization, with pro-choice advocates saying the law is unconstitutional and pro-life advocates hoping it could alter abortion legal precedent that has equated abortion with a constitutional right. Many believe the case could lead to the overturning or weakening of the controversial Supreme Court case Roe v. Wade, a 1973 decision prohibiting states from passing laws restricting abortion before viability. If Roe v. Wade were overturned entirely, pro-choice advocates fear that old Arizona laws still on the books could be used to ban abortion completely in the state. According to the pro-choice research organization Guttmacher Institute, over two dozen states have laws on the books that could ban abortion entirely if Roe is overturned. Several states have enacted abortion restrictions in recent years. A law passed in Texas last year banning abortions once a heartbeat can be detected also faced legal challenges but has been in effect since last year. Instead of being enforced through government agencies, the law allows private citizens to sue abortion providers or others who assist in an illegal abortion for damages. Earlier this month, the Idaho legislature approved a modification to the states abortion law to allow family members to sue abortion providers who violate the law. The bill awaits a signature from Republican Gov. Brad Little. Most Florida Democrat voters support bill mischaracterized by LGBT activists as 'Don't Say Gay' A majority of Democratic primary voters in Florida say they support a bill passed by the state Legislature that would prohibit schools from teaching sexual orientation and gender identity to students in kindergarten through the third grade. Floridians for Economic Advancement, a political action committee that has supported candidates in both major political parties, released a poll that asked 701 Democratic primary voters for their thoughts about the states upcoming gubernatorial election on Tuesday. While the poll primarily focused on sampling public opinion regarding the Democratic gubernatorial candidates, it also asked respondents to weigh in on HB 1557, an act relating to parental rights in education that critics derided as the so-called Dont Say Gay Bill. The survey asked respondents a series of questions, including: Should students in Kindergarten through 3rd grade be taught about sexual orientation in the classroom by their teachers? Twenty percent of those surveyed responded somewhat no to that question, while 32% said definitely no. That adds up to a narrow majority (52%) of Democratic primary voters expressing some level of disapproval with teaching young students about topics related to sexual orientation and gender identity. By contrast, only 36% of Democratic primary voters in Florida thought that schools should teach students about such concepts. Eighteen percent selected Definitely yes as an option, while an additional 18% said somewhat yes in response to the question. The remaining 12% were unsure about whether teachers should teach young students about sexual orientation and gender identity. The poll demonstrates a stark contrast between the views of Floridas Democratic primary voters and the views of their elected representatives in the Florida Legislature regarding HB 1557. Not one Democrat in either the Florida Senate or the Florida House of Representatives voted to support the bill when it came up for a vote. While the poll conducted by Floridians for Economic Advancement only queried Democratic voters in Florida, The Daily Wire surveyed 1,000 U.S. adults of all political persuasions about HB 1557. The Daily Wire poll yielded similar findings, specifically that there is much stronger support among Democrat voters than Democrat politicians. The survey, released on March 14, asked respondents whether they agreed with the portion of the bill that declares, Classroom instruction by school personnel or third parties on sexual orientation or gender identity may not occur in kindergarten through third grade or in a manner that is not age-appropriate or developmentally appropriate for students in accordance with state standards. Sixty-four percent indicated agreement with the statement, while 21% disagreed. Broken down by party, support for the legislation was measured at 69% among Republicans, 62% among Democrats and 57% among independents. When asked if they thought it was appropriate or inappropriate for teachers and school personnel to instruct children in kindergarten through 3rd grade on various sexual orientations, nearly two-thirds of Americans (65%) described such instruction as inappropriate, while just 21% classified it as appropriate. Those questioned by The Daily Wire had similar feelings about whether it was appropriate or inappropriate for teachers and school personnel to instruct children in kindergarten through 3rd grade on gender identities, such as transgenderism. Sixty-six percent of respondents characterized lessons about transgenderism for young students as inappropriate, while 20% saw such teaching as appropriate. The Daily Wire poll also revealed that 79% of Americans thought that the responsibility for teaching topics related to sexual orientation and gender identity rested on parents as opposed to school officials, while just 7% felt that responsibility belonged to teachers. A supermajority of respondents (62%) believed that educators have an obligation to let parents know if their children identify as a different gender at school, while 19% disagreed. The conservative publication also assessed the impact of LGBT activists branding the legislation as the Dont Say Gay Bill. When presenting the legislation as the Dont Say Gay Bill as opposed to focusing on its components, 42% expressed support for the measure, followed by 33% who opposed it and 24% who remained unsure. The push to pass HB 1557 comes as parents and advocacy groups have expressed concern about the prevalence of lessons about sexual orientation and gender identity designed for young students in both private and public schools. In video footage from a conference spearheaded by the National Association of Independent Schools, obtained by Breitbart, a presenter is seen promoting curriculum that would introduce the concepts of sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression to pre-k students. Many states, including Illinois, have implemented curriculum aligned with the National Sex Education Standards in their public schools. This framework asks students in kindergarten through second grade to define gender, gender identity, and gender-role stereotypes and discuss the range of ways people express their gender and how gender-role stereotypes may limit behavior. NC Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson admits to paying for abortion: 'No one is too far gone to be saved' The pro-life lieutenant governor of North Carolina has responded to reports highlighting an abortion he paid for in 1989, saying in a video Thursday that it was a decision he lives with every day and why he is so staunch in his views on abortion. Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson, a Republican elected to the post in 2020, has used his platform as an elected official to become an outspoken advocate for the pro-life movement. But on Tuesday, a Twitter user posted a screenshot of Robinson indicating in an old post on his personal social media page that he once paid for a woman to abort his unborn child decades earlier. Axios reported on the admission Wednesday. Robinson elaborated on the circumstances of the abortion in a Facebook video Thursday. Appearing alongside his wife, Yolanda, Robinson announced that over 33 years ago, before they were married and had children, we had an abortion. It was the hardest decision we have ever made, and sadly, we made the wrong one, Robinson said. This decision has been with us ever since. Its because of this experience and our spiritual journey that we are so adamantly pro-life. We know what its like to be in that situation, and we know the pain that an abortion causes. Robinson delivered a message to everyone that has had this experience [and] carries that burden, informing them that we want you to know [that] you are not alone. He also touched upon the power of forgiveness. We have a Savior who forgives us of our sins [and] offers us grace, he continued. No one is perfect, but no one is too far gone to be saved. We felt the need to speak with you directly because this issue transcends politics. Our hope is that by telling our story, that it may change the lives of others. In an Aug. 9, 2012, Facebook post on his personal account, Robinson asked: How can so many people Praise God with their mouths then vote for a man who supports gay marriage and abortion with their hands? While the then-private citizen did not mention him by name, the posts timing less than three months before the 2012 presidential election implies he may have been referring to then-President Barack Obama. Robinsons post elicited strong reactions, including one suggesting that Robinson get off his high horse and not judge those who have had abortions. Robinson pushed back on the idea that he was on a high horse. Im not saying abortion is wrong cause I said so. Its wrong cause God says so. Its wrong when others do it, and it was wrong when I paid for it to be done to my unborn child in 1989, he wrote. Robinson brought up his previous involvement in an abortion in a comment responding to another one of his Facebook posts about a month later. The post featured a picture depicting a late-term abortion. Robinson asked, What kind of HORROR movie is this? Oh wait, this is what late term abortion really looks like!!! If I did this to my dogs puppies Id be the lead story on Fox 8 6 o clock news, he stated. Robinson appeared to receive pushback for this Facebook post as well, although some of the 7 comments posted in reaction to are no longer visible. In one of his responses to the now-deleted comments, Robinson once again admitted to and apologized for paying for an abortion decades earlier. This has nothing to do with politics. Its about morality, he wrote. Abortions like this one are barbaric. And by the way I saw your comment on my other post and I intend to keep pointing those fingers at me first. Abortion is wrong. Its wrong when others do it and it was wrong when I (YES I) paid to have MY own child aborted in 1989, he declared. While Robinsons previous comments invited allegations of hypocrisy from his critics, pro-life groups have come to the lieutenant governors defense. The North Carolina Faith and Freedom Coalition issued a statement in support of Robinson Thursday, remarking that the organization was thankful for the transparency communicated by Lt. Governor Mark Robinsons difficult abortion decision over 30 years ago. Some of North Carolinas most effective and outspoken pro-life advocates are those who fully understand the emotional, physical, and spiritual impacts of abortion because they have personally received or supported an abortion, the statement added. Through prayer, healing, and forgiveness, many former abortion clinic workers, OBGYN doctors, mothers, and fathers have transformed their abortion regret into a mission to diligently advocate for the unborn. After expressing gratitude for the unwavering commitment from Lt. Governor Robinson to protect life, including the unborn, the North Carolina Faith and Freedom Coalition shared video footage from one of Robinsons speeches that reflected his current position on abortion. Its a shame before the Almighty that there are politicians who speak more vehemently about abortion than there are some pastors who shy away from the issue because theyre afraid they might lose a few dollars out of the collection plate, he said. Additionally, Robinson described abortion as a scourge that needs to be run out of this land and proclaimed that the life in the womb is as important as the life in your living room. He maintained that the time for laying down on this issue ... is over. In a statement to Axios, the North Carolina Values Coalition offered a similar analysis, stressing that People who have walked through the pain of abortion in some way can be the strongest advocates for the unborn after that experience. We havent heard his story yet, but what we do know is today Lt. Governor Robinson is genuine in his commitment to protect life, the North Carolina Values Coalition added. Robinson is not the only outspoken pro-life activist who has personal experience with an abortion. Toni McFadden, who had an abortion in high school that resulted in serious complications, converted to Christianity after her experience and has since become a pro-life advocate. Abby Johnson, a former Planned Parenthood director whose traumatic abortion experience was depicted in the film Unplanned, now leads a ministry called And Then There Were None, which seeks to help workers in the abortion industry who want to leave their careers behind. Robinson, the first African American lieutenant governor in North Carolinas history, is widely considered a top candidate for the Republican nomination for the states 2024 gubernatorial election. According to audio obtained by the left-wing advocacy group Right Wing Watch, Robinson insisted that he was about 95 percent sure were gonna run for governor. Americans are leaving church and most arent coming back: report In Matthew 11:29 of the Bible, Jesus calls for all those who labor and are heavy laden to come to Him for rest, a rest that the Church has promised new converts for centuries. A new report released Thursday by the American Enterprise Institute shows, however, that despite the proven benefits of belonging to a faith community, Americans are increasingly leaving organized religion with each subsequent generation and the majority arent coming back. In the report, Generation Z and the future of faith in America, Daniel A. Cox, senior fellow in polling and public opinion at the American Enterprise Institute, who also serves as director of the Survey Center on American Life, paints a complicated and diminished view of religion in American life. Much of the disaffection for religion today is largely driven by people who were once religious. There is a growing population of the religiously unaffiliated whose once religious parents raised them without religion. Young adults today have had entirely different religious and social experiences than previous generations did. The parents of millennials and Generation Z did less to encourage regular participation in formal worship services and model religious behaviors in their children than had previous generations, Cox wrote. Many childhood religious activities that were once common, such as saying grace, have become more of the exception than the norm. In line with the wisdom of Proverbs 22:6 which says, train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it, Cox noted that for as long as we have been able to measure religious commitments, childhood religious experiences have strongly predicted adult religiosity. With more parents raising their children with weak or no bond to a faith community, its a lot more difficult for them to be converted in adulthood. If someone had robust religious experiences growing up, they are likely to maintain those beliefs and practices into adulthood. Without robust religious experiences to draw on, Americans feel less connected to the traditions and beliefs of their parents faith, Cox explained. For nearly 30 years, notes Cox, research shows the share of Americans who identify as religious has consistently declined with each new generation. This pattern continues with Generation Z demonstrating less attachment to religion than the millennial generation did, he said. Generation Z, born in the late 1990s and early 2000s, is now the least religious generation yet, with 34% of them identifying as religiously unaffiliated. Among millennials, 29% identify as religiously unaffiliated, while Generation X stands at 25%. Only 18% of baby boomers and 9% of the silent generation identify as religiously unaffiliated. Its not only a lack of religious affiliation that distinguishes Generation Z. They are also far more likely to identify as atheist or agnostic, Cox said, noting that some 18% of the cohort identified as either atheist or agnostic. Only 4% of the silent generation, for example, identify as atheist or agnostic. Cox noted that one of the most significant changes in American religious culture has been the increasing rate at which Americans can now remain non-religious. Today, nearly two-thirds (65%) of Americans who report having no childhood religious affiliation say they still are unaffiliated as adults, rivaling that of established religious traditions, he wrote. In 2014, only 53% of Americans raised without a formal religious tradition retained their secular identity as adults. In 2007, that number was 46%. One explanation for the rise in retention rates among unaffiliated Americans may be that an increasing number of Americans are being raised in nonreligious households and holding onto those commitments into adulthood, Cox said. Some 29% of Americans who are unaffiliated were raised without religion. In 2014, this share was 21%. According to Cox, most Americans who abandon their childhood faith cant point to a single event that caused them to leave and characterize it as a gradual drifting away. Cox pointed to a number of factors that have impacted a diminished view of organized religion, including a breach of trust. Gallup has found that trust and confidence in organized religion have plummeted over the past two decades. In 2021, only 37% of the public reported having a great deal or quite a lot of confidence in religious institutions, a massive decline since 2001 when 60 percent reported feeling confident, he said. He further added that while only 35% of Americans overall believe religion causes more harm than good, among the disaffiliated who were raised in religious homes, 69% say religion causes problems more than it provides solutions. Some 63% of Americans who have always been religiously unaffiliated also believe religion causes more problems in society than it solves. And while more than half of Americans say raising children with religion is a benefit, 82% of the religiously unaffiliated disagree. Only 40% of Gen Z see raising children with religion as a good thing. Calif. bill seeks to end states sanctuary law protecting criminals following murders at 2 churches A California lawmaker has introduced a bill to repeal the state's sanctuary law, which came under severe criticism earlier this month after an undocumented immigrant shot three of his daughters and a chaperone before killing himself inside a church in Sacramento. Assemblyman Kevin Kiley, R-Rocklin, introduced the bill, AB 1708, on Monday to repeal Senate Bill 54, the sanctuary law that was passed in 2017 and prevents law enforcement from notifying federal authorities about the release of undocumented immigrants from jail, ABC 10 reported. It was a bill specifically designed not to help immigrants, not even to help all undocumented immigrants, but rather, it was a special protection extended to those who are both in the country illegally and have committed crimes while here, Kiley was quoted as saying. Kiley referred to the March 4 shooting by 39-year-old Mexican national, David Mora, who murdered his own children, ages 13, 10 and 9, and their chaperone before killing himself inside the sanctuary of The Church in Sacramento. He was in the country illegally, Kiley pointed out. Not only that but the previous week, he had been arrested. Hed been arrested for assaulting a police officer, and ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) asked about his release because of his criminal history and because he was in the country illegally. But the sheriff's office had to say, Sorry, we arent able to give you that information, because of the Sanctuary State law. Mora was in the United States illegally, as his visa had expired, ICE spokeswoman Alethea Smock told The Associated Press at the time. ICE agents had not been notified about Mora, identified in documents as David Fidel Mora-Rojas, overstaying his visa because of the sanctuary law. After the shooting, Sacramento County Sheriff Scott Jones wrote on Facebook: In the coming days and weeks, liberals and activists will try and spin the narrative, dredge up sympathy for the monster that killed them, and talk about how this could have been prevented. They will talk about the horrors of ghost guns, as if no other weapon or gun was available to him, and legislators will clamor for more restrictive gun laws to make themselves feel better. Theyll call me racist and evil. He continued, But let me be perfectly clear, there is only ONE thing that allowed this horrific tragedy to occur with certainty: the deplorable state of our national immigration policies, and Californias Sanctuary State Laws. In a separate church murder carried out by an undocumented immigrant in November 2020, 32-year-old Fernando De Jesus Lopez-Garcia was wielding a knife as he murdered two people and wounded three others at Grace Baptist Church in San Jose, California. The ICE revealed that the suspect had an extensive criminal history, and had been deported three times before committing the murders. The sanctuary law, however, protected him and allowed him to go undetected after he snuck back into the U.S. Talking about the prospects of Kileys bill, David Jaroslav of Federation for American Immigration Reform pointed out in an article published on the groups website that both chambers of the Legislature are heavily controlled by Democrats, but Kiley appears to believe the shocking avoidable tragedy of the church murders may have led to a new bipartisan appetite in the state to repeal the sanctuary law. Under the sanctuary state law, individual cities and counties may (although they dont have to) honor federal immigration detainers for people in their custody if theyve previously been convicted of any of a list of prior criminal offenses, he wrote. Detainers are official requests from ICE to hold an alleged illegal alien for up to 48 hours past their release on local charges so ICE can pick them up and start the deportation process. Jaroslav added, Under AB 1708, state and local law enforcement would be required to honor a detainer for anyone with convictions for any of that list of prior crimes, or currently charged with any of them. The bill will likely be heard this spring. An Evangelicals appreciation of Madeleine Albright As word came to me a few days ago of the death of Madeleine Albright (1937-2022), who served as Secretary of State (1997-2001), a flood of pleasant memories came rushing back to consciousness. Madeleine Albrights life provides a truly inspiring story of the triumph of the human spirit. While, as you would imagine, Madeleine and I had significant disagreements on many important issues, I always loved and appreciated Secretary Albrights deep and abiding love for America her adopted country. She had that special appreciation for America and all that she stands for that so often flows through the hearts and minds of those political and religious refugees that have been embraced and welcomed on our shores. Secretary Albright and her parents were refugees from the two deadliest ideologies of the 20th century: Nazism and communism. Her father, Josef Korbel, was a Czech diplomat who had to flee with his family after the Nazi takeover in 1938. She and her family lived in London during the Battle of Britain and The Blitz. After World War II, they returned to Czechoslovakia until the communist takeover in 1948 forced them to flee once again, arriving at Ellis Island in New York in November 1948. Her father explained to the immigration authorities, I cannot, of course, return to communist Czechoslovakia as I would be arrested for my faithful adherence to the ideals of democracy. He and his family were granted asylum in the United States. Secretary Albright was once asked about the origins of her belief in the necessity of American leadership in the world in order for freedom and human dignity to survive and flourish. She replied that she did indeed believe America was the necessary nation. Why wouldnt I, she replied. When I was a little girl, U.S. soldiers crossed the ocean to help save Europe from the menace of Adolph Hitler. When I was barely in my teens, the American people welcomed my family after the communists had seized power in my native Czechoslovakia. I love to think of America as an inspiration to people everywhere especially to those who have been denied freedom in their own lands.1 She believed as I do, at a philosophical level, that American exceptionalism is not a source of pride and privilege, but a doctrine of sacrifice and service in the cause of freedom and human dignity. At a practical level, she also understood that American military and economic power, and her willingness to use them on behalf of others, was the most indispensable fact deterring the world from being dominated by thugs and tyrants. I first met Madeleine Albright when she began her service as the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations in 1993. At that time I was serving as president of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission (1988-2013), the public policy arm of the Southern Baptist Convention. The ERLC had the responsibility for occupying the non-government organization (NGO) functions for the SBC at the U.N. When she became Ambassador to the U.N. in 1993, I contacted her to convey Southern Baptist concerns about the atrocities and genocide being perpetrated in the former Yugoslavia. I was delighted to discover that, unlike the previous administration, then Ambassador Albright and the Clinton administration were strongly in favor of NATO intervention to stop the mass rapes of Muslim women and the ethnic cleansing being perpetrated by the Serbs. I also was privileged to work with then-Ambassador Albright in trying to stop the horrific genocide that erupted in Rwanda between April and July 1994, during which somewhere between 500,000 and 650,000 people were savagely slaughtered. Ms. Albright did everything but stand on her head as she vainly tried to accomplish international invention to stop this crime against humanity. To President Clintons credit, he later confessed that the greatest regret of his presidency (that must be a long and interesting list) was the failure of his administration to prevent the Rwandan genocide. As I interacted with Ambassador, then Secretary, Albright, we became friends. Frankly, I do not know which one of us was more surprised as our friendship developed, but we both enjoyed interacting with each other. She was kind enough to write an endorsement for my book, The Divided States of America. What Liberals and Conservatives Get Wrong About Faith and Politics, stating: Dr. Land sheds light where others from left and right sow confusion. One can disagree on specific policies and still laud the authors dedication to Americas founding values and his grasp of the proper role of religion in public life. The Divided States of America is essential reading for fair-minded people. I was delighted as I became familiar with her convictions concerning Americas unique and irreplaceable role in the world. Secretary Albright was such a refreshing departure from so many of the State Departments diplomatic subculture too often typified by the widely-circulated joke that the State Department needed an American desk to advocate for America in the U.S. State Department. As long as Madeleine Albright was Secretary of State, one did not need to worry if there was an advocate for America at the Department of State. Secretary Albright also understood the importance of religion, something else rare at the State Department. In The Mighty and the Almighty, she acknowledged that the State Department was completely blindsided by the Iranian Revolution because they didnt take religion seriously. As I said earlier, Secretary Albright had a deep love and appreciation for Americas unique role in the world. One afternoon during a conference in Aspen, she shared this story over tea. She told me that in 1995, on the 50th anniversary of Americas and her Allies victory in World War II, she had visited the parts of what is now the Czech Republic that were liberated by American soldiers. She was surprised, and touched, by the fact that as she passed by, many of the locals were waving American flags, many of them of 48-star vintage. When she asked why they were waving those 48-star flags, she was told that Americas G.I.s often handed out those flags in 1945 and the locals kept those flags as a symbol of freedom. At that same conference, she was explaining during a seminar that being Secretary of State was like drinking from a fire hose every day as things come at you nonstop. She then paused and said with a big smile, dont get me wrong. I loved being Secretary of State! One personal story that delighted both of us was when I discovered the subject of her Columbia Ph.D. dissertation "The Prague Spring. In 1968 Alexander Dubcek led a movement (The Prague Spring) to liberalize and democratize Communist Czechoslovakia (from January 1968 until Soviet tanks crushed them in August of the same year). She seemed thrilled that I was familiar with her doctoral thesis. I told her how pleased I was because I had been a big fan of Dubcek and that in fact in my Princeton class yearbook poll for man of the year in 1968, I voted for Alexander Dubcek. (Robert F. Kennedy won in a landslide.) After she left office, we stayed in touch. In fact, she invited me on one occasion to her home in Georgetown to discuss some religious issues. Her other guest was a prominent rabbi. She explained that one of the very nice things about having been Secretary of State is when you have a question you can go straight to the experts to get answers. She was a very charming, gracious, and courageous woman who loved her country and the core values it represents. I will miss her. 1. Albright, Madeleine. The Mighty and the Almighty: Reflections on America, God, and World Affairs. Harper, 2006 Disagreement is not hatred. Censorship is. The Christian Post was canceled last week by Twitter, over referring to Biden administration official Rachel Levine with an unsanctioned but arguably accurate descriptive pronoun. It was both unsurprising and surprising; unsurprising since CP regularly covers the controversy surrounding trans-identified individuals and surprising since Twitter thought this particular story was more "hateful" than other stories, and warranted suspension. CP appealed, and so far Twitter has been silent. It actually brings a Pink Floyd lyric to mind: Welcome to the Machine. There is much to say in arguing that our pronoun was accurate, but the larger question is: who is the hater here? Eliminating the voice of a publication because of a description that likely more than half of the worlds population would not object to is, in fact, hating that segment of the world. Granted, Twitter is a private company and can play by the rules it establishes within the confines of the law. But if we are having a conversation about hate, how is it kind to eliminate a voice that disagrees, especially if there is no rancor involved? Consider this illustration. If an individual sees green because of a blue-yellow tritanomaly, yet many, many others disagree because they see blue, is it hate to point that out? Or would it be hate to eliminate those who see blue on grounds that the only valid standard is what that individual sees? How does that promote community, a word Twitter throws around without restraint. What this exposes is that Twitter doesnt believe in the U.S. constitutional protection of free speech. Even The New York Times, a bastion of liberal thought, has begun to warn that support for free speech is dangerously eroding, arguing that their own opinion polling finds only 34 percent of Americans said they enjoyed the freedom to disagree because of the threat of retaliation or harsh criticism. Those words connote hate. According to The New York Times editorial board: People should be able to forward viewpoints, ask questions and make mistakes and take unpopular but good-faith positions on issues that society is still working through all without fearing cancellation. Hear that Twitterati? We at CP suspect the vast majority of our readers Christians who lean right or left, LGBT+ (yes, we have readers in this community), secularists, and atheists believe it is right to stand against retaliation, harsh criticisms, and ultimately cancellation of speech, because of the hate it represents. So now we know Twitter doesnt believe in free speech. Here is the real question: Do you believe in Twitter? The best remedy to speech you dont agree with is more speech, not less, and the best way to exercise free speech is to use it. So we will continue to use it with or without Twitter. Will you join us? I read a comment on a local Facebook page this week. The gentlemen said, we dont want change, the locals like it the way it is." I suggested change is coming regardless of our wants, and we can either manage the change or be swept up in change without any input. It reminds me of a quote by George Bernard Shaw, The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore, all progress depends on the unreasonable man. For nearly three years, we have discussed the critical need for local communities to fight to keep their dollars local however possible.Over the past few years, this has become not just the right thing to do, but is now a case of either survival or becoming obsolete as a community. When one views the value of shopping and spending local, communities often overlook a most critical element. We have repeatedly shown the major impact on the community if every resident just spent $25 locally more each month they may have spent online or in a neighboring community. When factoring the 3% to 7% compounding impact of each of those dollars, this small gesture equates to between $900-$2,100 new dollars flowing through your community yearly per resident. In a community of 10,000 residents, that is an additional $9 million to $21 million floating through your community each year. How many jobs will this create? How many jobs will it retain? How much better will the quality of life be for many? This is how you save Main Street, not build Wall Street. This is huge! Small businesses, whether intentional or not, are under assault by technology, burdensome regulations, tax policy, government forced mandates and the list goes on. This assault is on every local community in the country. Example: large corporate chains remained open while local businesses were deemed non-essential and were forced to close. Since when is providing support for ones family deemed non-essential? When small businesses go under, it impacts incomes, employment base, supplies ordered and much more. While the chains with deep pockets usually survive, it reaps disaster on the local communities and their business base, impacting the entire community for years. The reasons for keeping dollars local is well established and beyond dispute. The proof is readily apparent across the country. Most need not travel very far from home to see a nearby town that was once prosperous becoming a shell of what it once was. They have become shells of themselves for many reasons, one of which was supporting Wall Street in lieu of their own Main Street. The current situation of local communities losing dollars to out-of town corporations, chains, and online entities is accelerating rapidly. This trend is unlikely to subside anytime soon. With this acceleration, towns doing well now will do less well in the future. Struggling communities will struggle more. Towns teetering on the brink will be pushed into the abyss. More so, as the outflow of dollars accelerates, the impact on a local community is more apparent. Civic engagement and volunteering decrease, poverty rates increase, more local businesses go under, local jobs are lost, housing prices decrease, tax base dwindles, crime rates increase and the list goes on. What to do? I cannot stress enough that communities must act now. This issue may not be on the radar of local community leaders, but it must be placed on that radar. Once on the radar, communities need to assemble a team with the sole mission of addressing this issue. To be effective, this team will include city leaders, chamber and/or Main Street, business leaders, media, civic clubs, economic development leaders, residents and whomever else makes sense. As a team, they must brainstorm potential solutions, possible communitywide education initiatives, citywide promotions and other tactics. Proactive communities can tackle and manage these problems; this is being done every day around the country. The Building Main Street, not Wall Street column will continue to provide ideas each week. It isnt easy, but nothing great usually is. I implore you, dont delay, this is an issue that isnt going away and will only deepen as time moves on the within the community. A federal judge on Monday said that former United States President Donald Trump "most likely" committed a crime in the 2020 elections when he was involved in an attempt to block vote counting on Jan. 6, 2021. In a letter, Judge David Carter wrote that, based on evidence, the Court found that the Republican businessman more likely than not corruptly attempted to obstruct the Joint Session of Congress during the day of the Capitol Hill riot. Trump's Potential Crimes Carter, who is a federal judge in California, ordered right-wing attorney John Eastman to turn over 101 emails from around Jan. 6, 2021. The attorney has tried to keep the conversations a secret from the House Select Committee that is responsible for investigating the chaotic insurrection. The judge's reasoning in his letter is an acknowledgment by a federal court that Trump's interest in overturning the results of the 2020 elections could be considered criminal. Furthermore, he revealed some new information regarding the emails that the House was seeking and called for more investigation, as per CNN. Carter's 44-page ruling laid out in detail the timeline of Trump's efforts to convince elected officials and the public of voter fraud in the 2020 election. It also urged Attorney General Merrick Garland to launch an investigation headed by the Justice Department to look into the former president deeper. Read Also: GOP McCarthy Says That Donald Trump, His Role in the Party Depends on the 2022 Midterm Election Result The judge said that, while Trump and Eastman justified their plan with allegations of voter fraud, the former president's knowledge that this was false meant the entire plan was unlawful. Carter was especially critical of the former president's legal justification, noting that there was sufficient evidence showing that the election did not involve fraud that could change the outcome. According to Yahoo News, Carter added that in the months after the election, various credible sources, from Trump's inner circle to agency leadership to statisticians, informed the former president and Eastman that there was no evidence showing voter fraud. Furthermore, an internal Trump Campaign memo concluded in November that fraud claims against Dominion voting machines were baseless. Peaceful Transition of Power Judge Carter said that the illegality of Trump's plan was plainly obvious, adding that the United States was founded on the peaceful transition of power. He said that the former president ignored history when he pressed former Vice President Mike Pence to single-handedly determine the results of the 2020 election. He found that the actions taken by Trump and Eastman amounted to a "coup in search of a legal theory." The Justice Department has been investigating the details and events leading up to the Capitol Hill riot. However, it has not yet given public indication that it was considering a criminal case against Trump. The situation comes as the House Select Committee has lined up testimony from four top Trump White House officials this week, including Jared Kushner, the former president's son-in-law and adviser. The panel is also set to recommend charging criminal contempt of two other allies of Trump, Peter Navarro, a former White House adviser, and Dan Scavino Jr., former deputy chief of staff, the New York Times reported. Related Article: Ex-Prosecutor Claims Trump Is Guilty of 'Numerous Felonies' Amid Probe of Former Presidents' Family Business @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Click here to read the full article. Ezra Miller, who stars in the upcoming DC film The Flash and Aprils Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore, was arrested by law enforcement in Hilo, Hawaii on Monday morning. Miller was charged for disorderly conduct and harassment after an incident at a bar. According to a post by the Hawaii County Police Department, South Hilo officers responded to a report of a disorderly bar patron on Sunday evening at 11:30 p.m. Police determined that the agitator had become unruly while other patrons sang karaoke and had begun yelling obscenities. Miller then grabbed the microphone from a 23-year-old woman singing karaoke and later lunged at a 32-year-old man playing darts. 3-28-22 Vermont Visitor Arrested for Disorderly Conduct and Harassment in Hilo https://t.co/12RMQ3eckH Hawaii Police Department (Official Site) (@Hawaii_Police) March 29, 2022 Miller was arrested and charged on offenses of disorderly conduct and harassment. Bail was set at $500, which Miller provided, with law enforcement subsequently releasing them from custody. Variety has reached out to Hilo law enforcement, as well as representatives for Miller and Warner Bros., though no parties could be immediately reached for comment. In 2020, footage that appeared to depict Miller choking a woman in a bar in Iceland surfaced online. Sources close to the situation described the situation as a serious altercation which led to Miller being escorted off the premises by staff. Millers arrest comes at an inopportune time for Warner Bros., as the performer plays a key role in its upcoming Harry Potter spin-off film, Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore, which is set to begin its global theatrical rollout in April. Miller also plays Barry Allen, also known as the Flash, in the studios ongoing slate of DC films. After appearing in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Justice League and Zack Snyders Justice League, Miller will marquee their own DC film with The Flash. Principal photography has been completed on the solo film, which is set to hit theaters on June 23, 2023. Miller was recently featured during Sunday evenings Academy Awards broadcast. Zack Snyders Justice League won in the newly introduced Oscars cheer moment category, which was determined by fan votes through online avenues. A sequence described as The Flash Enters the Speed Force was voted the most cheer-worthy moment through online polls ahead of the show, with footage from Millers showcase in the film being featured during the Oscars broadcast. Sign up for Varietys Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. NEW HAVEN The Yale Law School students who protested a conservative speaker did not violate university policies but their behavior was unacceptable and cannot happen again, Dean Heather Gerken wrote in an email Monday. Gerken wrote that the several students engaged in rude and insulting behavior and many were excessively loud in the hallway. However, the students did not violate the law schools three-warning protocol and the event went on, she wrote. The moderator, professor Kate Stith, read the first warning, then the protesters left. The March 10 event was sponsored by the Federalist Society, and included Kristen Waggoner of the Alliance Defending Freedom and Monica Miller of the American Humanist Association. Waggoner had recently argued before the U.S. Supreme Court in Uzuegbunam v. Preczewski, involving a students right to proselytize on campus. Miller supported that argument. While the panels focus was on free speech, the students protested Waggoners presence because of the ADFs position on LGBTQ rights. According to the Southern Poverty Law Center, it is a legal advocacy and training group that has supported the recriminalization of sexual acts between consenting LGBTQ adults in the U.S. and criminalization abroad; has defended state-sanctioned sterilization of trans people abroad; has contended that LGBTQ people are more likely to engage in pedophilia; and claims that a homosexual agenda will destroy Christianity and society. Some students also objected to the presence of Yale police officers at the event, two in plainclothes, according to the Yale Daily News, which first reported on the event. Gerken wrote in her email, Under the Universitys free expression policy, student groups have every right to invite speakers to campus, and others have every right to voice opposition. Our commitment to free speech is free and unwavering. Because unfettered debate is essential to our mission, we allow people to speak even when their speech is flatly inconsistent with our core values. Protests of both conservative and liberal speakers have occurred regularly over the last few years. Ilya Shapiro of the Cato Insititute was shouted down at the University of California Hastings College of the Law on March 2, during a discussion of the Supreme Court vacancy left by Justice Stephen Breyer. Jeff Younger, a Texas state politician, had to have police intervene March 2 when he attempted to speak at the University of North Texas. Younger promotes criminalizing sex-reassignment surgery. Professor Josh Blackman of the South Texas College of Law was shouted down at the City University of New York Law School in 2017. Claire Guthrie Gastanaga, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Virginia, was prevented from speaking at the College of William and Mary in October 2017 by a Black Lives Matter group. At Yale, conservative blogger Milo Yiannopoulos, who planned to speak dressed in Native American costume, canceled after students protested his appearance. edward.stannard@hearstmediact.com; 203-680-9382 As part of a $5.6 trillion plan to finance the government until fiscal 2023, President Joe Biden presented ambitious ideas to cut the nation's deficit over the next decade by raising taxes on the rich and proposing increases for military and domestic programs. According to the White House, the fiscal 2023 budget, which includes a tax increase on millionaires and other changes, will cut the deficit by more than $1 trillion over the following ten years. Notably, the wide proposal foregoes specific financial demands for Biden's flagship domestic policy initiative, Build Back Better, in favor of a deficit-neutral reserve fund that would serve as a stopgap until the administration and Congress can reach an agreement. Biden Aims To Lower Expenses, Improve Economy Shalanda Young, Director of the Office of Management and Budget, briefed reporters on the president's request on a call Monday morning, "Because those discussions with Congress are ongoing, the budget does not include specific line items for investments associated with that future legislation." The budget includes the reserve money and outlines Biden's three principles for a deal: lower family expenses, improve the economy's productive potential, and reduce the deficit, according to Young. Last December, negotiations over Biden's domestic proposal came to a halt when Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) stated he couldn't support the House-passed bill. Since then, the White House has remained silent on the status of discussions with Congress, and it's unclear whether current efforts to enact a scaled-back package would be successful, according to The Hill. Biden has proposed about $6 trillion in expenditure, which is the second biggest amount ever proposed. The biggest sum recommended was more than $6 trillion last year. President Joe Biden's budget plan is smaller than last year's, in part to win support from moderate Democrats like Sen. Joe Manchin III (D-W.Va.). It contains a targeted reduction of the federal budget deficit, which follows the trend of the last year when the monthly deficit has decreased. If he can persuade his party to support his idea and get it approved through reconciliation (which avoids a filibuster), he may get closer to his stated objective than Obama accomplished in any of his eight years in office, according to Washington Post via MSN. Read Also: US Envoy to Iran Not 'Confident' About Reaching Agreement in New Nuclear Deal Soon Budget May Counter GOP Midterm Attacks The White House is bragging that the president's budget features significant deficit reduction, a move Democrats regard as geared to appeal to a small group of moderate legislators who control the president's economic agenda in the run-up to the midterm elections. Officials from the White House insist that the president has always stressed fiscal restraint, pointing out that President Joe Biden supported some deficit spending last year. They claim that Biden favors temporary deficit spending during a recession or emergency. However, now that the economy is recovering, the president is returning to deficit reduction. The country's deficit would be reduced by $1.3 trillion under Biden's plan, which is not legislation but a symbolic blueprint delivered to Congress. The loss of temporary emergency pandemic financing accounts for the majority of the decline. However, the budget proposal also calls for a minimum tax on billionaires' earnings and unrealized capital gains. Manchin, a prominent dissenter in the reconciliation discussions, has expressed support for boosting tax rates on the richest 1% of the population. Manchin has described deficit-reduction measures as "music to my ears," as per Politico via MSN. Related Article: Biden Warns: Putin "Cannot Remain in Power"; What is Russia's Response To US President's Remark @YouTube @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. The Group of Seven major economies on Monday agreed to dismiss Moscow's demand of using Russian rubles to pay for natural gas exports amid Western sanctions that have caused the value of the currency to plummet. In a statement, German energy minister Robert Habeck told reporters that "all G-7 ministers agreed completely that this would be a one-sided and clear breach of the existing contracts" for natural gas exports. They argued that the products are crucial because they are used to heat homes, generate electricity, and power the industry. G7 Refuse Russia's Demand In a videoconference, the energy ministers of France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada met with the European Union's energy commissioner to reaffirm that contracts "must be respected." The statement added that payments to exports will be made in euros or dollars. Habeck added that payment for exports in rubles was not acceptable and he said the G7 will urge companies affected not to follow Russian President Vladimir Putin's demands. Last week, the Russian leader demanded that "unfriendly" countries should use Russia's currency when purchasing natural gas exports, as per ABC News. Putin then instructed the central bank to iron out a procedure for buyers to acquire rubles in Russia when making purchases. The rise in demand has resulted in an even bigger increase in gas prices that have already become quite high amid concerns it could be a prelude to a natural gas shutoff. Read Also: Biden Promises Energy Shipments for Europe To Reduce Dependence on Russian Gas, Oil Supply Several economists have argued that the move appears to have been made to try and support the ruble since its collapse after Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Many other experts have raised concerns that the decision would not work as intended. According to Aljazeera, on Monday, reporters asked Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov if Russia had the capability to cut natural gas supply exports to European customers if they rejected Putin's demand. The official said that Moscow would not be handing out gas for free. Existing Agreements Western companies usually agreed to long-term supply agreements for Russian gas imports which come with the uncertainty of Russia's plans to implement changes in payment currency. Analysts have also argued that the majority of agreements were negotiated in international currencies and did not include clauses for payments in rubles. Many European importers of natural gas, including France's Engie and Austria's OMV, have said that supply contracts typically do not have clauses for ruble payments. They added that they intend to continue making payments in international currencies as per the existing agreements. Habeck added that Russian President Putin's demand to have payments in rubles is a sign that he has his "back against the wall" with Western sanctions over his invasion of Ukraine. He argued that the consequences of the war had severely harmed the Russian economy. The executive director of gas in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa at S&P Global, Laurent Ruseckas, said that the EU and Russia have had brinkmanship over the flow of gas supplies. They warned that the situation could potentially lead to a cutoff of gas supplies if someone made the wrong move, the Financial Times reported. Related Article: White House Considers Direct Payment to Drivers to Combat US Gas Price Hike, But There's a Problem @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. A man of many accomplishments who was known as the guy with the patch, Theodore W. Selby, 93, died Friday surrounded by family in Midland. Selby was founder of the Savant Group, a Midland-based consortium of companies operating in the lubricant industry. His son-in-law Gordon Cox said Selby was a kind man who said he would never retire and didn't. Active until the end, Selby received his 58th patent at 93 years old. He also published more than 250 technical papers and is the recipient of numerous honors and awards. "He touched everybody he has ever been in contact with over the course of his life," Cox said Monday. Selby transferred the company to Cox and his wife Rebecca, Selby's daughter. "We want to carry on his legacy and the path he laid out." Selby was born Oct. 19, 1928, in Nebraska City, Nebraska; the oldest son of a scientist and inventor who was frequently transferred for job promotions. Consequently, the Selby family relocated to Iowa, New York City, Chicago, and Detroit. Along the way, Selby picked up important skills of sharp observation, self-sufficiency, and taking the time to understand people in many ways and circumstances. Selbys career spanned over six decades. While pursuing his Doctorate Degree in Physical Chemistry from the University of Detroit in the 1950s, he found his technical calling as a research scientist in the Lubricants Department at General Motors, where he was honored in receiving both the Russell S. Springer and Henry Ford Memorial Awards from the Society of Automotive Engineers, the first time these two awards were presented to the same person. In 1963, Selby moved to The Dow Chemical Company to assist with the expansion of its automotive lubrication capabilities. Ever the entrepreneur, Ted made a tough decision in 1969 to leave a good job at Dow Chemical to pursue his passion for problem-solving in the field of lubrication, and the consulting firm, Savant, was born. With nine children at home at the time, the move was not without considerable risk. However, he embraced the ideal that the greatest achievements are usually the hardest and those obtained quickly and easily are soon forgotten. Today, that one-man consulting firm has grown into a globally recognized laboratory and research center Cox said the notice of Selby's death have many people, including those in the industry reaching out. When asked about Selby's personality, Cox said he was outgoing, inquisitive and deep. "He was the physical nature of life," Cox said of his father-in-law. "He was a chemist and he cut right to the chase of what people were like and what they were going through." Cox said Selby's passing has left a "big hole" in the industry. "He was a pillar of the lubricant industry," Cox said. "He taught the industry and so much more." Children also loved Selby. On Christmas Selby would play Santa, a shoe in with his white beard, and his eye patch. "He was known as the pirate Santa," Cox said. For more information, please see the obituary and share condolences at wswfh.com/obituaries/obituary-listings which will be active shortly. A Houston area student who was allegedly harassed and bullied by her teachers for refusing to stand for the Pledge of Allegiance has won a $90,000 settlement, according to the civil rights organization American Atheists. The Texas Association of School Boards paid to resolve the case after the Klein Oak High School student's 12th-grade sociology teacher agreed to settle before things went to trial, the organization announced in a Tuesday news release, which was first reported by the Houston Chronicle's Rebecca Hennes. In the 2017 suit, the nonreligious student says she was discriminated against and harassed by several teachers after choosing to abstain from saying the pledge out of objection to the words "Under God" and her belief that "liberty and justice for all" is not guaranteed for people of color in the U.S. Despite knowing that the student was exempt from the pledge, the teacher, identified in the suit as Benjie Arnold, singled out the student and threatened to fail her for not observing the pledge. According to the release, Arnold told the student that what she did left him "no option but to give you a zero, and you can have all the beliefs and resentment and animosity that you want." Arnold also offered to pay students to move students to Europe if they didn't like living in America, as evidenced by an audio recording of the incident. Due to the incessant harassment, the student temporarily withdrew to be homeschooled. However, the harassment continued and intensified when she returned to Klein Oak, the release said. Geoffrey T. Blackwell, litigation counsel at American Atheists, said the settlement serves as a reminder that students do not lose their First Amendment rights when they step onto school grounds. "The classroom is not a pulpit," he said. "It is a place of education, not indoctrination." Houston civil rights attorney Randall Kallinen, who worked in partnership with Blackwell, said in the release, "It is incrediblethe time and money spent by the Klein Independent School District to stop a students free speech. School staff need to teach the Constitution, not violate it. Arnold is still a teacher at Klein Oak High School, according to Courthouse News Service, and celebrated 50 years with the district in 2020. Days after overseeing the country's largest intercontinental missile launch, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has promised to create "more powerful" weapons. According to the state news agency KCNA, the dictator stated that only by having fearsome striking capabilities and overwhelming military force can one avert a conflict, ensure the country's security, and contain and control all imperialist threats and blackmails. Kim Jong Un Says ICBM Will Help Deter US Military Moves South Korea and other observers are concerned that North Korea is preparing to conduct its first nuclear weapons test in nearly five years. North Korea fired its first intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) in 2017, defying a United Nations embargo. Hwasong-17, dubbed as the "monster missile" by defense analysts, was claimed to have been utilized in the test. The test was hailed as a "significant milestone" in North Korea's nuclear arsenal. On Monday, Kim Jong Un met with authorities, scientists, technicians, and laborers who were engaged in the most recent ICBM test. During a picture session with the Hwasong-17 in the background, Kim Jong Un committed to improve the country's offensive capabilities to deal with threats, Independent reported. Kim Jong Un stated that the new ICBM will help prevent any military actions by the US while personally overseeing the test on Thursday. After the 1950-1953 Korean War concluded in an armistice rather than a peace treaty, the United States is still formally at war with North Korea. Washington has attempted to persuade Pyongyang to hand over or reduce its stockpile of nuclear weapons and intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) capable of striking targets in the United States, as per Mirror. Read Also: Russia-Ukraine War: Cruel Video of Ukrainian Soldiers Shooting Russian Prisoners Surfaces, Sparks "Immediate Investigation" Analysts Claim North Korea's Missile Launch Was a Deception Meanwhile, analysts said they discovered inconsistencies in North Korea's footage of the country's largest missile test, concluding that Pyongyang was "deceiving" about the launch. In defiance of debilitating international sanctions, North Korea announced it successfully test-fired its new Hwasong-17 intercontinental ballistic missile on Thursday, the first time the country has done so since 2017. However, additional facts - such as anomalies uncovered in North Korea's overly styled film portraying Kim Jong Un supervised the launch - have cast doubt on Pyongyang's claims. Colin Zwirko, a senior analytical correspondent with NK Pro, a Seoul-based website that monitors North Korea, has examined commercial satellite imagery and footage released by state media, and he claims that differences in weather, sunlight, and other factors indicate that the launch shown by North Korea occurred on a different day. The James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies (CNS) in the United States found that a portion of the North Korean film is most likely from a test on March 16 that failed shortly after launch, exploding in mid-air above Pyongyang. That launch, or its failure, was never acknowledged by North Korea. According to anonymous sources quoted by South Korea's Yonhap news agency, intelligence authorities in Seoul and Washington think North Korea fired a Hwasong-15 ICBM on Thursday, an older and somewhat smaller kind it previously tested in late 2017. The defense ministry of South Korea has not validated this judgment. When asked if the recent launch was the new missile, a senior US defense official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, evaded, according to Daily Mail. Related Article: US Sends Strong Message to China, Russia Amid North Korea Missile Test: Stop DPRK From "Additional Provocations" @YouTube @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. A Mediterranean-style waterfront palace originally commissioned for NASCAR great Jeff Gordon raised the bar when it was sold last month for $36 million. The sale price set a record for the town of Highland Beach, FL. Inspired by the luxurious resorts in Cap dAntibes, the estate offers 24,468 square feet of lavishly designed living space and 120 feet of beach frontage. Gordon purchased a 1-acre parcel in 1996 for $2.4 million and built the estate in 1999. Fittingly for a NASCAR great, there's a tree-lined motor court that can accommodate 20 vehicles and a covered garage for seven additional cars. Gordon sold the eight-bed, 11-bath property in 2003 for $13.3 million, and it's changed hands a couple of times over the years, most recently in 2014 for $12.5 million. The buyer in 2014 was also a car enthusiast, and he added an entire wing with an auto museum to showcase six very special cars. Designed for NASCAR great Jeff Gordon Realtor.com 120 feet of beach frontage Realtor.com Seven-car garage Realtor.com Auto showroom Realtor.com The main residence features a mahogany front door, a rotunda foyer encased in Macedonian stone, and three-story windows with ocean views. Great room with three-story, beach-view windows Realtor.com Hungry and thirsty guests are never far from sustenancethere's a chefs kitchen, two catering kitchens, a butlers pantry, a wine room, a kitchen wine vault, a sit-down bar, and an alfresco dining loggia with a kitchen and fireplace alongside the pool. ___ Watch: The Priciest Home in Indiana Belongs to NASCAR's Tony StewartSee Inside ___ Family kitchen Realtor.com Catering kitchen Realtor.com Dining loggia with a kitchen Realtor.com There's even a juice bar in the wellness center, which also includes a sauna, massage room, and gym. Massage room in the wellness center Realtor.com Fully equipped gym Realtor.com The wing with the primary suite resembles a high-end hotel. It boasts arched windows, a double-sided fireplace, a sitting room, and a bathroom with surfaces of gold, marble, velvet, and crystal. Primary suite Realtor.com Primary suite sitting room Realtor.com Primary bath Realtor.com Other high-end spaces include a magnificently appointed office/library, billiard room, home theater, and children's playroom with a red-curtained stage. Office/library Realtor.com Billiard room Realtor.com Home theater Realtor.com The home was listed at the end of 2021 for $42 million, and a deal was sealed just a couple of months later at a 14% discount. Beach in the backyard Realtor.com Carmen DAngelo and Gerard Liguori of Premier Estate Properties represented the seller. Marcy F. Javor with Signature International Real Estate represented the buyer. The post NASCAR Star Jeff Gordon's Former Florida Estate Zooms Off With a Record Sale appeared first on Real Estate News & Insights | realtor.com. We're always interested in hearing about news in our community. Let us know what's going on! Go to form Meghan Markle's admirers are fuming at Kate Middleton's newest fashion statement in Belize, claiming that the Duchess of Cambridge has been mimicking Meghan's style during her trip to the Caribbean. Kate Middleton, 40, wore her normally loosely curled hair in a sleek back style for the event, with a sparkly pink outfit that drew attention. Kate Middleton presented a royal attire that followed tradition while also modernizing it during her eight-day Caribbean vacation with Prince William. Kate Middleton, Prince William Have Photos Similar to Sussexes Queen Elizabeth II established the dress code for modern royal travels in the 1950s, and royal ladies have maintained it ever since. When Kate Middleton went on her maiden international trip as a member of the royal family in 2011, she followed in the footsteps of others who had gone before her. With more than a decade of royal service under her belt, Kate is beginning to let go of custom and precedent, allowing her to express herself more freely. Meghan Markle did not appear to be constrained by the same kind of tight expectations Kate had when she traveled on her maiden royal visit to the South Pacific Islands in 2018, following her marriage that same year, Newsweek via MSN reported. Meanwhile, royal fans were ecstatic to learn that a stunning portrait of Kate Middleton in the rain was taken by the same photographer who took a famous snapshot of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. Samir Hussein captured the image as the royal couple started their tour of the Bahamas Tuesday morning, arriving at Sybil Strachan Primary School in Nassau in the rain. Photographs of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle on their farewell trip in March 2020, which were also photographed by Hussein, are evocative of the time. Kate and William were seen recently as they continued their tour of the Bahamas at Sybil Strachan Primary School, where they visited a class to meet students and staff and attended the morning assembly, according to Daily Mail. Read Also: Planet Earth's Heartbeat Every 27.5 Million Years Causes Dramatic Changes Defining Epochs in Geological History Kate Middleton's Fashion Style The Duchess of Cambridge, 40, and her husband, Prince William, 39, have taken a trip to the Caribbean. The pair have gone to Belize, Jamaica, and the Bahamas to commemorate the Queen's Platinum Jubilee year. While exploring the Caribbean, Kate has donned a variety of Jenny Packham, Emilia Wickstead, and Alexander McQueen dresses, among many others. According to new research, Britons are more interested in Kate's clothes, hair, and make-up than any other royal lady, making her the most fashionable member of the Royal Family. The research, undertaken by hair specialists Longevita, looked at Google search data to see which royal lady had the most combined monthly searches for fashion, hair, and make-up phrases. With 11,760 monthly searches for various components of her picture, Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, was proven to be the most elegant royal woman. There are 4,610 monthly searches for the phrase 'Kate Middleton dresses.' Meanwhile, there are 700 monthly searches for the Duchess' hair. Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, is the most fashionable royal woman. There are 9,600 monthly searches for Meghan's style, which includes hair and make-up. The Duchess also has the most number of monthly searches for her make-up of any royal lady, with 3,250 monthly searches and 1,000 monthly searches for her hair, as per Express. Related Article: Critics Slam Prince William, Kate Middleton on First Caribbean Tour for Embarrassing Photo @YouTube @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. How to send staff to Canada through Intra-Company Transfers Multinational companies can send key staff to work in Canada through Intra-Company Transfer work permits. How to send staff to Canada through Intra-Company Transfers Multinational companies can send key staff to work in Canada through Intra-Company Transfer work permits. How to send staff to Canada through Intra-Company Transfers Multinational companies can send key staff to work in Canada through Intra-Company Transfer work permits. Daniel Levy Aa Accessibility Font Style Serif Sans Font Size A A If your company has a parent company, branch, subsidiary, or affiliate in Canada, you can send key personnel to the Canadian location through an Intra-Company Transfer (ICT). ICT work permits are initially valid for one year and may be eligible for renewal. If the worker qualifies, employers are exempt from the Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) requirement. Both the company and the transferee must meet certain qualifications to be eligible for the ICT. Schedule a Free Work Permit Consultation with the Cohen Immigration Law Firm Company requirements for ICT In order for a company to be qualified for an ICT, it needs to be operating in Canada. It is not enough to just have a physical presence. The Canadian and foreign locations must be providing goods and services on an ongoing basis. There may be some flexibility allowed for start-ups. In specific cases involving the transfer of senior managers or executives, Canada may accept that the address of the new start-up is not yet secured. The company may use its lawyers Canadian address until the executive can purchase or lease a location. Also, start-ups must have realistic plans to staff their new operations and be financially able to start a business in Canada and pay employees. When transferring executives or managers, the company must demonstrate it will be large enough to support executive or management functions. When transferring a worker with specialized knowledge, the company must ensure the work is guided and directed by management at the Canadian operation and demonstrate that the company is expected to be doing business. Intra-company transferee requirements Intra-company transferees may apply for work permits if they: are employed by a multi-national company and seeking to work in a parent, subsidiary, branch, or affiliate of that company in Canada; are being transferred to a position in an executive, senior managerial, or specialized knowledge capacity; are transferring to a Canadian location that has a qualifying relationship with their current company, and will be working at a legitimate and continuing establishment of that company; have been employed continuously (via payroll or by contract directly with the company), by the company that plans to transfer them outside Canada in a similar full-time position for at least one year in the three-year period immediately preceding the date of initial application. are coming to Canada temporarily; comply with all immigration requirements for temporary entry. If the transferee has not had full-time work experience with the foreign company, immigration officers may consider other factors before refusing the applicant on this basis alone. Some of the other considerations could include the number of years of work experience the applicant had with the foreign company, the similarity of the positions, and the extent of the part-time position. Officers will also look for signs of abuse of the intra-company transferee provision. Schedule a Free Work Permit Consultation with the Cohen Immigration Law Firm CIC News All Rights Reserved. Visit CanadaVisa.com to discover your Canadian immigration options. Earlier this year as Russian troops massed along the Ukrainian border, Israel-headquartered Beewise offered to relocate each of its Ukraine-based technologists and up to 10 of their family members with all expenses paid for six months. Diana Lisovenko, a software engineer from Ukraines capital city of Kyiv, decided to stay put. She thought the chances of war were slim. I thought there was a 5% possibility, she said. Who would have thought in the 21st century such a thing would happen? Speaking in mid-March via Zoom, Lisovenko said she spends her mornings as a volunteer ferrying food to the citys remaining residents and to the soldiers defending them, driving in a car she rented in late February just as Russia started its attack on her country. In the morning, its much more safe to drive the car, Lisovenko said, adding that she and her dog are staying in a friends Kyiv apartment. Yet despite the war, her new volunteer work, the warning sirens, the explosions, and her companys continuing offer to relocate her, Lisovenko, 30, said she is staying in her city and continuing to work. She said she tries to log in after noon, explaining that she finds comfort connecting with her colleagues and having some normalcy to her day. She said she welcomes the ability to still work, saying that the emotional support and check-ins from her colleagues have helped keep her going. Many non-Ukrainian companies including US-based organizations have workers in Ukraine, with a significant portion of those companies employing Ukrainian technologists. Research firm Gartner estimates there are more than 1 million IT professionals in Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus all together. It noted in its February 2022 Impact of Russian Invasion of Ukraine on Software Engineering Services report that most large- and mid-tier system integrators have some presence in those three countries. Gartner also said many software product companies have development centers in the region. Given the regions importance to IT outsourcing, the Ukrainian crisis has also put the global IT market on edge. CIO.com spoke to Lisovenko and three other Ukrainian technologists who have remained in their home country to learn about their experiences as they live and work during the war. Their stories show their resolve and commitment to look forward despite the destruction and uncertainty being inflicted on their land. Work as a welcome distraction from daily threats We are still here; we are fighting. We are fighting for democracy, said Valerii Sukhov, an engineering team lead with Beewise, which makes an autonomous beehive with an integrated robotic beekeeper. Sukhov, 30, who has worked at Beewise for two years, said he, too, didnt think war was probable. Beewise Ukrainian team members, including Diana Lisovenko, software engineer (second from left), and Valerii Sukhov, engineering team lead (right) Beewise I made some conclusions that something might happen, he said. But its pretty hard to understand how your neighbors who claimed they were your brothers and sisters could attack you in the morning without any good reason. Sukhov had been living in Kyiv but he moved with his wife and their 3-year-old child to western Ukraine; theyre staying in a friends familys house near the city of Ternopil along with a half-dozen others. Like others, Sukhov said he scrambled to get food and cash from the bank just before and as the Russian invasion started, but he hasnt encountered as many challenges in getting the basics now. He said he and his family are safe. Theyre not near the front lines, although theyve been hearing the warning sirens sounding. Sukhov said he appreciates his companys relocation offers, although he himself cannot legally leave, citing government orders that require men ages 18 to 60 to stay in Ukraine. Thats the right thing in this particular situation, he said. Companies have been stepping up in a number of ways to support Ukrainian workers, but Sukhov said its hard for them to do much to change the situation on the ground. From my perspective there is not a lot of things that companies can do for us. But the support is good, he said. He added: Ukrainians are very thankful to the countries that want to help us in anyway. Despite the sudden, dramatic changes in Ukraine and in his personal circumstances, Sukhov said he continues to work, calling it a welcome distraction. Work is the thing that can help you get outside your situation. Youre moving your focus from the news of whats happening in the country, he said. Sukhov, who also connected via videoconference in mid-March, said his areas telecommunication connections remain strong and reliable, so hes able to connect with his colleagues in Ukraine, Israel, and other locales. Enduring through turmoil Although Sukhov and others welcomed the semblance of normalcy that work provides, each acknowledged the weight of the uncertainty facing him or her. The future is on the shoulders of the politicians and the army now, Sukhov said. Were just waiting and hoping. Timofii Vlasov, a QA automation engineer with Totango, maker of a customer success platform, said he, too, finds work helps distract him from somber realities and his constant heightened state of alert. The first few days youre just in suspense. It was alarming. But you cant keep yourself all the time in that state. You need some kind of distraction from all this stuff going on around Ukraine, so work is a good solution, he said, explaining that when colleagues are engaging him at work you forget about all thats happening around you at least for a moment. That, though, belies the difficulties of the new conditions in which he and others now exist. Vlasov, 33, who has worked for Totango for the past four years, left Kyiv when the war started and relocated to the Odessa area to stay with his brother and his sister-in-law. He said he contends with poor internet connections. He must plan extra time to tackle typical activities, such as getting groceries as there are often long lines at the stores. He volunteered to help the local defense and has donated money to support Ukrainian defense and civilian needs. He also has to shelter multiple times daily (often at night) when warnings sound, noting that he often seeks refuge in the basement of his building. He acknowledged that its not bomb-proof, adding that many Ukrainians are not able to constantly move to more secure locations. You start to rely on the numbers that its not going to happen to you, Vlasov said, adding that his main focus now is on the lives of his family members and their safety. Youre just trying to do things that will help your family and things that will help your country. Vlasov is one of 15 Ukrainian workers that Totango employs, said Amit Bluman, senior vice president of engineering at Totango. Bluman said Totango had developed an emergency plan in the weeks before the Russian invasion, although Bluman said, we never thought wed have to use it. Totango, like many other companies, has offered to relocate workers outside Ukraine and has extended other offers of support. Bluman said only one person relocated to another country, while the rest of the team is staying in their homeland. The company continues to help however it can, such as helping find safe housing within Ukraine for one worker and his family, Bluman said. He noted that the company doesnt obligate or expect its Ukrainian staff to be working right now. Artem Horovoi, full stack engineer, Totango Totango We want them to feel safe and to take care of their families, he said. [Were] supporting them, thats the most important thing we are able to do for our team. Artem Horovoi, 23, a full stack engineer with Totango, said he calls his family and friends in the morning and then goes to work. Like his colleague Vlasov, Horovoi has been contributing to local civilian and defense efforts. He said he is in a safe spot with reliable telecommunications, saying he, too, is keeping up with work. But he acknowledged that more pressing issues often fill his mind. I think about my family, he said, and I just think about how I want all this to end and how I want all this to end very fast. Wilkes Barre, PA (18701) Today Rain likely. High 56F. Winds ENE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall around a half an inch.. Tonight Rain. Low 49F. Winds ENE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall near a half an inch. According to sources close to Roman Abramovich, the Russian billionaire experienced signs of suspected poisoning while attending peace negotiations on the Ukraine-Belarus border earlier this month. Sore eyes and peeling skin were said to have plagued the Chelsea FC owner, who has now recovered. Two Ukrainian peace negotiators were also injured. The suspected poisoning was arranged by Russian hardliners who intended to derail the discussions, according to the Wall Street Journal. Russian Investigator Says Roman Abramovich Is not Expected to Die Ihor Zhovkva, a spokesman for the Ukrainian president, told the BBC that while he hadn't talked to Roman Abramovich, members of the Ukrainian delegation were "good" and that one had indicated the allegation was "fake." However, as BBC security journalist Frank Gardner points out, it's not unexpected that the US would seek to downplay claims that anybody - particularly Russia - deployed a chemical weapon in Ukraine since this may lead to retaliatory action that the US is hesitant to do. The event sheds insight on Abramovich's alleged position as a middleman in Ukraine-Russia discussions. His specific role is unknown. However, a spokesman for the oligarch earlier stated that his influence was limited. Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky stated on Sunday that Roman Abramovich had assisted him in de-escalating Russia's incursion. At the beginning of the month, the Russian billionaire went between Moscow and Kyiv for multiple rounds of negotiations. During the trip, he allegedly saw Zelensky, but the Ukrainian president was unaffected, and his spokesman had no information about the event, as per BBC. Meanwhile, the primary investigator who discovered Roman Abramovich's poisoning stated that the chemical attack was meant to remind the billionaire and others not to undermine the Kremlin. The billionaire oligarch was not expected to die in the poisoning, which also harmed two Ukrainian negotiators, according to Christo Grozev, the main Russia investigator for the investigative news source Bellingcat. Read Also: Russia-Ukraine War: Vladimir Putin Could Split Ukraine in 2 Like Korea; Volodymyr Zelensky Pleads for More Tanks and Jets Foreign Officials Says Poisoning Incident is "Very Concerning" The poisoning attempt during peace talks in Kyiv on March 3 was very concerning, according to the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), which added that the UK will continue to assist by imposing tough sanctions on Russian President Vladimir Putin's regime as well as providing defensive and humanitarian assistance to put Ukraine in the "best possible negotiating position." Roman Abramovich's spokesman acknowledged Wednesday that the billionaire had experienced the alleged symptoms after eating chocolate and drinking water but declined to provide any other information. Red eyes, painful pouring eyes, and peeling skin on their cheeks and hands plagued Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich and two senior members of the Ukrainian club. According to a source, Abramovich went blind for many hours after accepting a Ukrainian plea to assist in negotiating an end to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. He was treated at a hospital in Turkey, according to Daily Mail. Following the alleged poisoning of Roman Abramovich, negotiators in the Russia-Ukraine peace talks have been advised not to eat or drink. Hardliners in Moscow have been accused of the purported strike, claiming they seek to disrupt peace efforts. Meanwhile, in Istanbul, Turkey, Russian and Ukrainian delegates are beginning face-to-face peace negotiations for the first time in more than a week, The Sun reported. Related Article: Russia Admits Deploying Bastion-P Anti-Ship Missiles in Ukraine To Crush Opposition Against Its Forces @YouTube @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. The Charity Commission has opened a statutory inquiry into an animal charity which was criticised by a judge last year over private prosecutions. Animal Protection Services was set up in late 2019 and said it was running a helpline for members of the public to report organised animal cruelty. It then investigated these cases and brought private prosecutions to court. The regulator has significant concerns about the charity after a judge criticised the charity and its legal partner. In a statement, the charity defended its record but said it would co-operate with the investigation. 'Wholly improper reasons and purposes' for prosecution Animal Protection Services had worked with law firm Parry & Welch to bring about prosecutions, however, last year both were criticised by judges and ended up in a legal dispute with each other. Last November, Manchester Crown Court judge Nicholas Dean accused Animal Protection Services and Parry & Welch of systemic fraud and perverting the course of justice by pursuing private prosecutions with no evidential basis and for wholly improper reasons and purposes. According to a report in The Times the judge highlighted two separate legal cases conducted by the charity, which had near-identical witness statements submitted by a charity employee. The Law Society Gazette reported that Dean complained about the law firm being able to claim significant sums of money from central funds . He also said he feared some people may have pleaded guilty under pressure. Dean promised to send a copy of his ruling to the attorney general, police, the Charity Commission and the Solicitors Regulation Authority. Parry & Welch then brought a legal case against Animal Protection Services, claiming the charity owed them money. However, the court found in the charity's favour and awarded 22,000 costs against the law firm. The partnership could not pay the costs. It has appointed administrators and has ceased trading, according to documents filed with Companies House. Commission to question if people benefited inappropriately Last week the Commission announced it had opened a statutory inquiry to investigate if individuals connected to the charity benefited inappropriately from its work. During the inquiry, the Commission will look at the trustees' decision-making regarding its private prosecutions and if there has been any private benefit to the charity. Animal Protection Services was registered in 2019 but is yet to file any accounts with the regulator. Its 2021 financial accounts are currently 56 days late. There is no trustee or employee information available for the charity. The trustees have a dispensation in place, which means that their names do not appear on the register. In most cases, trustee names appear on the register of charities. Dispensations can be granted by the Commission in cases where putting their legal name in the public domain could put someone in danger. The regulator will inspect the charity's failure to file its annual accounts as well as the trustee's management of conflicts of interest. Animal Protection Services: 'The charity continues its vital work' In a statement on its website, the charity said: Despite prosecuting over 100 cases before the courts, the charity has only received one appeal against conviction which is likely to be opposed. The charity has a success rate that is comparable with other private prosecutors and the Crown Prosecution Service. In 2020 legislation, known as Lucy's Law, banned third-party puppy sales in England. Several charities had campaigned for this to be introduced. Unlicensed breeders now face an unlimited fine or six months in prison. Animal Protection Services said: The charity prosecuted the majority of animal welfare licensing offences in England. The trustees hold the view that the law is only as good as its enforcement. The charity said it would continue with its mission. Despite the challenges within the last few months, the charity continues its vital work in investigating organised animal cruelty and the charity remains committed to ensuring that the charity works to protect all animals today, tomorrow, and in the future, the statement said. sign up to receive the Civil Society News daily bulletin here . For more news, interviews, opinion and analysis about charities and the voluntary sector, False statements that Liberty Mutual made while preparing for a lawsuit relating to an underinsured motorist claim are protected by the litigation privilege and cannot be used to prove bad faith, the Connecticut Supreme Court ruled in a decision published today. The accuracy of a statement is irrelevant to the application of the privilege, even if the defendant knows the statement is false, the majority opinion says. Tamara Dorfman sued Liberty Mutual after she was injured in September 2014 when another motorist ran a stop sign in West Hartford and collided with her vehicle. The insurer for the driver who was at fault paid its $50,000 policy limit. Dorfman says she was permanently disabled by the accident. She asked Liberty to pay an additional $200,000 for underinsured motorist benefits, which was the remaining limit on her auto insurance policy. Liberty initially refused, claiming in court filings that it was not aware whether Smith was 100% liable for the accident. Later the insurer contended in a court filing that Dorfmans injuries were caused by her own negligence. Dorfman amended her complaint in 2017 to accuse Liberty Mutual of bad faith, negligent infliction of emotional distress and violations of the Connecticut Unfair Trade Practices Act and Unfair Insurance Practices Act, an accusation that allows awards of up three times actual damages, according to court documents. Liberty admitted liability for uninsured motorist benefits when the trail started on Sept. 5, 2018. After the trial court granted Liberty Mutuals motions to bifurcate the bad faith charges from the complaint, a jury returned a verdict finding Liberty liable for $119,928 in damages because of the accident. Proceedings on Dorfmans bad faith allegations continued. Dorfman contended that Liberty had failed to disclose that a witness had told its claims investigator that the other driver was responsible for the accident and repeatedly made false statements in court filings about its lack of knowledge of that fact. The complaint charges that the insurer had engaged in vexatious litigation by forcing her to litigate her claim even though it knew it was liable. Ms. Dorfman was subjected to misconduct amounting to false pleadings, hidden evidence, contradictory and misleading testimony, and a host of conduct that should never be countenanced by any court of law, Dorfmans attorney, Leonard Isaac, said in a filing. Superior Court Judge Cesar A. Noble in Hartford, however granted a motion by Liberty Mutual to dismiss Dorfmans complaint. The judge ruled that Liberty Mutual had based its decisions to deny Dorfmans claim on privileged communications that cannot be used to prove a bad-faith claim. On appeal, Dorfman argued that absolute immunity does not apply to claims of vexatious litigation, which means using the courts for an improper purpose. The Supreme Court, however, said it is not enough for Dorfman to allege that Liberty Mutuals misconduct constituted an improper use of the judicial system. Immunity would apply only if the insurer had made false representations in court. Withholding immunity as to the claim at issue has the potential to open the floodgates to retaliatory actions every time a plaintiff prevails in an underlying action in which the defendant raised an unsuccessful special defense or made an allegation in a pleading that was at odds with the verdict, the majority opinion says. Justice Steven D. Ecker wrote a separate opinion that dissented in part to the decision. The defendant sells automobile liability insurance. It consequently owes its insureds a direct contractual and statutory duty to not act abusively in litigation, Eckers opinion says. Allowing a liability insurer like the defendant to invoke the privilege in the present case effectively confers an entire class of commercial enterprises doing business in Connecticut with immunity from suit by consumers seeking damages for wrongful and illegal acts under-taken as part of their day-to-day business practices. Bayer AG reached an $80 million settlement with Ohio to resolve environmental damage allegedly caused by polychlorinated biphenyls, or PCBs, made by the companys Monsanto business, the state attorney general said on Thursday. The funds from the German company, which did not admit liability, will be used for environmental cleanup, the attorney general said. Monsanto, which Bayer acquired for $63 billion in 2018, never manufactured PCBs in Ohio or discharged them into Ohio waterways, Bayer said in a statement. PCBs were once used widely to insulate electrical equipment, and were used in carbonless copy paper, caulking, floor finish and paint. They were outlawed by the U.S. government in 1979 after being linked to cancer. Bayer has been trying to resolve a number of lawsuits related to Monsantos PCBs, which were used in commercial products from 1935 until 1977, when Monsanto voluntarily ceased production. In addition to reaching legal settlements with states, the company reached a $648 million proposed class action settlement with about 2,500 cities and other local governments eligible as members of the class. Last week the agreement received preliminary approval from a federal judge. Class members must decide whether to support the deal, object to the terms or opt out and pursue their own case, as the city of Los Angeles did earlier this month. Bayer can withdraw from the settlement if more than 2% of the class members opt out. Bayer also faces personal injury cases stemming from PCB exposure. Two separate juries last year awarded a combined $247 million in damages stemming from exposure in a school in Washington state. Bayer said the evidence showed the plaintiffs were not exposed to unsafe levels of PCBs and the company said it planned to appeal both verdicts. BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) The cause of an explosion and fire at an ExxonMobil refinery in southern Montana is under investigation, company officials said Sunday. The fire began at about 10 p.m. Saturday at a refinery in Lockwood, a suburb of Billings. It was extinguished at about 1:15 a.m. Sunday. There were no injuries and all employees and contractors were accounted for, ExxonMobil spokesperson Dan Carter told The Billings Gazette. We are sorry this incident has occurred and apologize for any disruption or inconvenience, Carter said. It isnt clear how much damage was done and ExxonMobil officials didnt respond to questions about how the fire might affect production. A full assessment of any damages and an investigation of the cause will be taking place, Carter said Sunday. The plant can refine up to 2.5 million gallons (9.4 million liters) of crude oil per day and produces about 600 million gallons (2.3 billion liters) of gasoline and diesel fuel each year. Other products include asphalt, butane and propane. The refinerys emergency response team fought the fire along with crews from Lockwood, Billings and other area refineries, Yellowstone County officials said. Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. GPUs have been hard to come by during the pandemic and it seems like the situation is about to get better as stock begins normalize. In fact, those hoping to get there hands on some GPUs have some good news headed their way. Asus has announced its plans to lower the prices of RTX 30-series cards. Aside from that, those who have been anticipating the launch of the NVIDIA Lovelace GPUs have also a new leak to keep them preoccupied while waiting. GPU Prices to be Lowered by Asus Things seem to be looking up for those in search of GPUs. Asus has announced that it will be lowering the prices of RTX 30-series cards by up to 25%. The lowered prices can be seen beginning April 1 and will be applied to "different models throughout the springtime." According to a report by The Verge, the following graphics cards will have the price cut: 3050 3060 3070 3080 3090 It should be noted that, as of press time, Asus has not released specific details for any of the graphics cards. The company has only stated that in general that price reductions will reach up to 25%. If you are wondering what has caused the sudden lowering of GPU prices, Asus has offered the "tariff lift on Chinese imports from the Office of the United States Trade Representative" as the reason behind it. Read Also: NVIDIA GeForce RTX Series GPU: Dutch Startup Offers Custom Laptop with NVIDIA Processors United States Trade Representative Reinstates Exemption It can be recalled that there had been an tariff exemption for graphics cards imported from China that was given 2018. When that exemption expired, the Trump administration decided to impose a 25% tax on these graphics cards. The Verge's report notes that Asus has informed the publication that it will be increasing the MSRP of its graphics cards because of the tax. Last week, the United States Trade Representative announced that the 2018 exemption will be reinstated. The exemption is set to last until the end of the year. NVIDIA Lovelace GPUs Leak In other related news, there is a new leak that has hit the internet involving NVIDIA's Lovelace GPUs. NVIDIA fans have been anticipating the launch of the next gen GPUs and what their specifications may officially be. According to a report by PC Gamer, the leak, which comes from Igor's Lab, says that the RTX 4090, in particular, will include 24GB of VRAM. As for the RTX 4080, it is said to include 12GB. Furthermore, it is being said that there is space for 12 GDDR6X memory chips in the card. Aside from that, it is also being said that the GA102 and next gen AD102 GPUs have pin-to-pin capability. Because of this, it can be assumed that "the upcoming RTX 3090 Ti PCBs will likely carry over to RTX 4080 and RTX 4090 class cards. Related Article: AMD, NVIDIA GPUs Leak Reveal Monster Specs! Full Details of Rumored Ada Lovelace AD102, RX 7900 XT Visit to South Asian countries boosts solidarity, cooperation under new circumstances -- Chinese FM Xinhua) 09:13, March 29, 2022 BEIJING, March 28 (Xinhua) -- Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Monday had an interview with media after concluding his trips to Pakistan, Afghanistan, India and Nepal. Wang said his trip to South Asia came at a time when the spillover effect of the Ukraine crisis has been constantly spreading and world peace and development are facing new challenges. The senior Chinese diplomat said China deeply felt the strong desire of South Asian countries to maintain the hard-won peace and tranquility in the region and accelerate post-pandemic economic recovery as well as their hope to strengthen strategic communication and deepen mutually beneficial cooperation with China. The visit consolidated the traditional friendship between China and South Asian countries, enhanced mutual understanding, deepened strategic mutual trust, clarified key cooperation directions and areas, and gathered broad consensus on solidarity, coordination and common development under new circumstances, he added. During his trip, Wang attended the Session of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, the first time for a Chinese foreign minister to be invited for such a meeting, during which China and Islamic countries reached important consensus on a wide range of issues. The two sides agreed to deepen strategic communication and coordination, continue to work in solidarity in fighting against COVID-19, deepen cooperation in vaccine production and medicine research and development, jointly build the Belt and Road with high quality, and strengthen communication and coordination on implementing the Global Development Initiative, Wang noted. The two sides also agreed that it is of great urgency to promote a just settlement of regional hotspot issues and that the Palestinian question should not be forgotten or marginalized, he said, adding they both believe it is necessary to guide and promote the overall unity of developing countries, advocate true multilateralism, abandon the Cold War mentality, resist bloc confrontation and safeguard the common interests of developing countries. Wang also mentioned that he has reached important new consensus with the Pakistani government and military leaders on deepening strategic cooperation between the two countries under the current international and regional circumstances. China and Pakistan will carry forward their all-weather friendship, and their traditional friendship is unbreakable and rock solid, Wang said, adding the two countries also agreed to deepen all-round cooperation, and China welcomes Pakistan's deeper participation in China's new development pattern. They two countries vowed to safeguard international equity and justice, as well as agreed to practice true multilateralism, firmly oppose acts of bullying by powers, and resist the resurgence of the Cold War mentality. His visit to Afghanistan has three main objectives, including renewing the traditional friendship between the two peoples, observing the administration of the Afghan interim government, and promoting mutual understanding and building a foundation of mutual trust with the Afghan side through face-to-face exchanges, Wang said. The visit was intended to send a clear signal that the Afghan issue remains important on the current international peace and security agenda, especially for Afghanistan's neighboring countries, said the Chinese foreign minister, urging all parties to shoulder their due responsibilities and play a constructive role in this respect. In terms of China-India relations, Wang noted that the two countries are partners rather than rivals, and should help each other succeed instead of undercutting each other. As mature and rational neighbors, China and India should place the border issue in an appropriate position in bilateral relations, and should not let it define or even hinder the overall development of bilateral relations, he said. During his visit to India, Wang said he has most keenly felt that both sides agreed to adhere to the important consensus of "the two countries are not threats to each other but opportunities for each other's development" reached by the two heads of state, properly solve practical problems of common concern, handle and manage differences over the years, and promote the steady and sustainable development of bilateral ties. On his visit to Nepal, Wang said the two sides agreed that mutual understanding and support is not only a tradition of China-Nepal friendship, but also the underpinning of the strategic partnership of the two countries. The two sides also agreed to speed up the construction of the Belt and Road, ensure smooth access of points of entry by land between the two countries, discuss cross-border cooperation and gradually establish a multi-dimensional trans-Himalayan connectivity network, he continued. The two countries reiterated that they will uphold the principle of non-interference in internal affairs and the basic norms governing international relations, resist unilateralism and oppose power politics, Wang added. Noting the spillovers of the Russia-Ukraine conflict have been rippling across the globe, Wang said the general consensuses of relevant countries are as follows. Disputes should be settled peacefully through dialogue, and neither war or sanctions are good ways. The purposes and principles of the United Nations Charter should be upheld, and the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of all countries should be safeguarded. All countries should advocate the vision of common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security, safeguard the right of all countries to pursue an independent foreign policy, oppose political pressure and forced side taking, he continued, adding it is necessary to maintain the hard-won peace, stability and development in the region, resist the temptation to introduce bloc confrontation and create turbulence and tension in Asia. (Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun) Verizon is reportedly allowing its customers to receive spam messages and clickable links that are potentially a form of phishing. Verizon customers have reported that they have been receiving harmful text messages that appear to have been sent from their own phone numbers. This practice is called spoofing. Verizon customers have complained about receiving a spam-like text message that offers them "a little gift" for paying their phone bills. In addition, when tapping into the sender details, Verizon users will see their own phone card details. As reported by Apple Insider, Twitter user @alex_lanstein shared the suspected phishing message on his account. As seen in the photo, they informed the user that their bill had been paid and that they would be eligible for a free gift if they clicked on the link contained within the message. Cc @VerizonSupport you folks should be able to detect sms spam, spoofing my own vzw number, that spoofs your own bill pay messages. Doesn't take advanced #ai #ml pic.twitter.com/wjXXS8mYKR alex lanstein (@alex_lanstein) March 28, 2022 Examples of the said spam messages include "Free message," "bill is paid," and "gift," which are common phrases used by malicious threat actors to entice unsuspecting victims. Verizon Smishing Messages Nonetheless, Alex Lanstein pointed out on Twitter that the Spam Protection Systems at Verizon were unable to block messages containing multiple instances of these phrases in the same message. Some users also pointed out that if they clicked on the link in the message, they would be taken to the website of Channel One Russia, a Russian state television station. Numerous users also complained about the same thing. If they click the link, they will be redirected to similar Russian web pages as well. However, while the links in this most recent scam appear harmless to most users, messages like these are frequently used as part of "smishing" scams, also known as text message phishing scams. In order to gather various types of personal information, such as an individual's address, credit card information, and other details, smishing is employed. Spam text messages (SMS spam or phishing texts) are sent by hackers to steal a user's data by providing a link that will acquire confidential information like banking details, credit card information, addresses, and even a user's social security number. A lot of Verizon users are worried that their data will be compromised once they click the link. The users have also criticized the company for not being able to protect its wide user base. Read Also: Update Google Chrome Now: How To Download Chrome Security Update on Mac, Linux, Windows, Android Verizon Users Protection Verizon users are recommended not to click any link included in the spoofed messages being sent. Unfortunately, the number of complaints and reports about phishing both in emails and text messages has been increasing these years. With that, users are advised to protect themselves from various spam messages. Verizon categorized in their blogpost on how to identify fake text messages, and here are some important points to remember: It is a spam message if the message is completely irrelevant to the user. It is a spam message if the message is urgent, or if the user must take immediate action. It is a spam message if the text message contains misspellings or bad grammar. It is a fake message if the text message is coming from an unfamiliar phone number or a suspicious email address, and it is causing concern. It is a fake message if a suspicious link has been included in the text message. Related Article: Google Chrome Security Update: CVE-2022-1096 a High-Severity Zero-Day Exploit Hana Financial Group Chairman Ham Young-joo, front row center, poses with firefighters in Uljin, North Gyeongsang Province, during his visit to the country's eastern coastal regions hit by wildfires earlier this month, Monday. Courtesy of Hana Financial Group By Yi Whan-woo Hana Financial Group Chairman Ham Young-joo has visited the country's eastern coastal areas that were hit recently by major wildfires in his first public activity after taking the helm of the banking group. The company said Tuesday that Ham went to Gangneung, Uljin and other regions damaged by the wildfires on Monday, instead of heading to his office on his first day of work as chairman. "I have been thinking about ways to help the regional communities that have suffered from the wildfires in addition to the tough economic conditions amid the ongoing pandemic," Ham was quoted as saying by the banking group. The company explained that Ham's visit was in line with his management principle of prioritizing "fieldwork activities," after climbing from the bottom to his current top position over his 40-year career. "The answer is always there in the field," Ham said, adding that he will "pay more attention to listening to customers and reflecting their needs in management, so that the company can offer financial services in a practical manner." Hana Financial Group Chairman Ham Young-joo, right, offers coffee to a firefighter during his visit to the country's eastern coastal regions hit by wildfires earlier this month, Monday. Courtesy of Hana Financial Group The logo of the Korea Development Bank (KDB) is seen in front of its headquarters in Yeouido, Seoul. Korea Times file By Yi Whan-woo The botched sale of SsangYong Motor is calling into question the capability of its main creditor, the Korea Development Bank (KDB), in salvaging financially troubled companies. SsangYong Motor joins Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering (DSME), also under KDB control, in remaining unsuccessful at finding new owners during the Moon Jae-in administration. Industry sources speculated on Tuesday that such circumstances faced by the state-run KDB may leave an unfavorable impression on the incoming Yoon Suk-yeol administration. They noted that public funds will have to be injected to maintain the two businesses, after massive amounts have already been spent. The new government, on the other hand, is already burdened with a record-high national debt that could reach up to 1,064 trillion won ($872.5 billion) by the end of this year, following a series of relief programs initiated by the current administration against the economic fallout due to the pandemic. The sale of SsangYong Motor collapsed, Monday, after the much smaller carmaker Edison Motor, which had been chosen to buy it for 304.8 billion won, failed to make part of the payments by a deadline on March 25. The planned takeover of DSME by Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHH) was called off in January, when the EU rejected the $1.8 billion acquisition deal between the world's two largest shipbuilders. The deal required the EU's consent but it raised an objection over the possibility of a monopoly regarding liquefied natural gas (LNG) carriers. "KDB for some reason was believed to be too optimistic about the DSME deal, even though it had dragged on for years," a senior unionist at DSME said on condition of anonymity. The union official pointed out that the EU had been postponing its decision repeatedly on whether to support the deal, after a relevant agreement was signed between KDB and HHI in March 2019. "It was apparent that the longer the deal took, the more taxpayer money would be used," he said. In the case of SsangYong Motor, KDB put the company up for sale in June 2021 after Indian carmaker Mahindra & Mahindra gave up its rights as a controlling stakeholder in January of the same year. "There are multiple companies that undergo corporate restructuring by KDB, and the process is very complex for it to resolve on its own," Korea Capital Market Institute research fellow Hwang Sei-woon said. Against this backdrop, some market observers are pessimistic that KDB Chairman Lee Dong-gull will be able to serve until the end of his term in 2023. Lee has been outspoken against Yoon's pledge to relocate KDB outside of Seoul, raising speculation that Yoon may attempt to find a new KDB chief despite Lee's remaining tenure. Meanwhile, KDB said Tuesday that it "will closely monitor the situation regarding SsangYong Motor." "Korean Teachers" author Seo Su-jin / Courtesy of Seo Su-jin By Park Han-sol In the third act of Seo Su-jin's novel, "Korean Teachers," three Korean language instructors at Seoul's H University meet up for dinner on the first day of fall term classes, amid hopes for a trouble-free semester. While waiting for their dishes to be served, one throws a question out to the table: "How many people did they fire this semester?" An answer comes, rather nonchalantly, "Seven or so?" No one at the dinner table really recalls any of the names of the unfortunate lecturers. One thing the three do know, however, is that they were the lowest-ranking teachers in terms of their student evaluations. With the number of international students enrolling in H University's Korean language school fluctuating every term due to unexpected visa and travel issues, the administration claims there is no need to keep as many hourly lecturers on standby especially those who have been deemed "incompetent" in the eyes of the students. But are they, really? Seo's debut novel follows four Korean teachers working at Seoul-based university's language school over the course of one academic year, with each act dedicated to a single protagonist: Seon-yi in the spring, Mi-ju in the summer, Ga-eun in the autumn and Han-hee in the winter. The cover of "Korean Teachers" (2022), written by Seo Su-jin and translated by Lizzie Buehler / Courtesy of Harriett Press In a dispassionate, almost surgical, tone, it lays bare how the language school operates by mobilizing highly educated women and subjecting them to a toxic work environment as well as unfair contract terms. The instructors are stuck in a cycle, where they are hired for a short period as hourly lecturers, evaluated, ranked and replaced similar to commodities. In this deeply flawed system, each teacher is relegated to a simple cog in the machine, and often pressured into silence when faced with social and ethical challenges, including sexism and racial prejudice. Winner of the 2020 Hankyoreh Literature Award, the book was translated into and published in English this month. "My aim was to paint a candid picture of the incredibly complex and layered realities faced by Korean language lecturers every day," the author told The Korea Times in a recent interview. As a certified Korean language instructor herself, Seo taught at several universities in Seoul from 2016 to 2019. "I wanted to shatter the illusion that these highly educated instructors, who are somehow seen as ambassadors for Korean culture in the wave of globalization, are treated and compensated well." Although "Korean Teachers" is a work of fiction, many of the disquieting events that unfold from the discovery of illegally taken photos of lecturers being spread on social media with offensive hashtags to an instructor on the verge of being fired due to pregnancy are inspired by the real-life experiences of the author or her colleagues. As the global interest in learning the Korean language continues to grow on the back of the country's rise as a major cultural powerhouse something that Seo herself has also witnessed in Sydney, where she is currently based the book's rare glimpse into the "other side" of the Korean wave is both timely and meaningful in more ways than one. "Here's food for thought I wanted to offer when writing this novel: whether we are ready to discuss the easily overlooked shadow behind hallyu, the stories of the exploited groups of workers behind the splendors of so-called 'K-culture,'" she said. Protesters call for better treatment and higher wages for Korean language instructors at a university in Seoul in this June 18, 2021 photo. Yonhap David Scott loads supplies into his tent near 22nd Street in downtown Denver. Hes not worried about sweeps of homeless encampments because Denver officials told him he could return once the sidewalks are cleaned. As long as they keep it to where were getting cleaned, not swept, its all right, says Scott. (Jakob Rodgers for KHN) Are you a current print subscriber to Columbia Gorge News? If so, you qualify for free access to all content on columbiagorgenews.com. Simply verify with your subscriber id to receive free access. Your subscriber id may be found on your bill or mailing label. A view of downtown "Seoul" as imagined by the set designers of "Mr. Sunshine" / Courtesy of Steven L. Shields By Steven L. Shields Nonsan is famous for two things: Strawberries and the ROK Army basic training center. Few would imagine that there is a pleasant day trip of scenic beauty and television drama fame to be had here. Nonsan region has a rich history from before the Three Kingdoms Era. An important battle during Silla times was fought in the area. Now Nonsan is part of the greater Daejeon metropolitan area and is easily accessible by train, bus or car. I went to Nonsan in February, just as the strawberries (all grown in hothouses these days) were coming onto the market. Of course, I couldn't resist buying (and later eating) a box (shared with friends). The day was clear and bright, and the weather was cool but not cold. My trip began at the south end of the course I had chosen. My first stop was at the Sunshine Studio, not far from the military training center and adjacent to a "Military Experience" hall. The courtyard of the hall displays weaponry from the ROK military. The hall is geared mainly to schoolchildren who come on field trips to introduce them to what it might be like to be in the armed forces. I passed up the opportunity and headed straight for Sunshine Studio. Just one of the exciting pieces of hardware on display at the Military Experience Hall in Nonsan / Courtesy of Steven L. Shields "Mr. Sunshine" is a well-known 2018 romantic drama set in Seoul during the beginnings of Japan's encroachment of the Korean Empire. Though some criticized the drama for "twisting history," the show was never intended to be a documentary. "Mr. Sunshine" is a pure, well-written, well-played romance, with the backdrop of early 1900s Seoul. One can catch a glimpse of what downtown Seoul may have been like 120 years ago. Of course, it is not bustling with the animals, merchants and crowds that would have been present then. The interiors of some of the hanok and thatched-roof houses are set up as if someone had lived there, while the interors of the major architentural pices, particularly the Glory Hotel and the Seoul Electric Company have displays of costumes worn by the stars of the drama. The studio at Nonsan retains the miniature Seoul City built for exterior shots. At the Glory Hotel, the second floor is a large coffee shop, with lovely views over the valley and the set below. The Seoul Electric Company building hosts a lunch counter. Many of the smaller shop buildings, such as the French Bakery, sell candy and other baked treats. A view of old "Seoul" with the "Glory Hotel" in the background. In "Mr. Sunshine," the main character lives in the hotel. / Courtesy of Steven L. Shields The training center in Nonsan opened in 1951, during the Korean War. Over the past 70 years, hundreds of thousands of Korean men have spent several weeks there as they began their compulsory military duties. While Nonsan Basic Training Center was not the only basic training camp in decades past, it was the biggest and is now the sole army training camp for recruits. I've not met any Korean men who would like to go back. For most, basic training was hard, and all do not welcome the compulsory military service requirement, but there is little or no choice but to serve. I often heard young men speak of their time at "Nonsan Dae" (university) in years past. There is no university at Nonsan. They meant that their university education was disrupted by having to do their military service, so they sarcastically called it Nonsan University. The training center is not open to the public. Even when I stopped briefly to take a photo of the entrance, the gate guard approached and told me to clear out. After lunch in town, my next stop was Tapjeong Lake. The lake was formed by a dam initially built between 1941 and 1944 and since rebuilt. The lake provides irrigation water to the thousands of hectares of farms in the Nonsan region. The lake is home to freshwater fish and recreational boating, but no swimming is allowed. In the past couple of years, the waterfront has been turned into an eco-park, with walkways around the shoreline. There are many hotels and restaurants also. One brave soul in a wet suit was windsurfing across what must have been a chilly surface when I was there. The wind was great for the sport, but walking across the bridge, the breeze was icy. Tapjeong Lake and the newly opened suspension pedestrian bridge / Courtesy of Steven L. Shields The newly opened Tapjeong Lake suspension bridge was my destination. The bridge was opened late in 2021 and officially inaugurated on March 1, 2022. Somehow the date is fitting since the Japanese built the first dam. The pedestrian bridge is almost 600 meters from north to south, with viewing platforms in the middle. Nonsan City has also furnished the bridge with free wifi since no one can live without that at such a beautiful place. Though not in my plans, the walking courses around the banks of the lake would give many people the great pleasure of exercise, scenic beauty, and clean air. Continuing north from Nonsan toward Seoul, my final stop of the day was the Onpit Nature Forest. Though the house and the surrounding grounds are private property, the owners have graciously allowed visitors to hike through the woods and see the house that was the exterior setting for the hit TV 2021 series, "Our Beloved Summer." Even in early spring, the setting was romantic, and many young couples were wandering through the grounds, taking photos in front of the house and enjoying the pleasant day. This private country home was a backdrop for a popular 2021 TV series. / Courtesy of Steven L. Shields Thank you for reading! Please purchase a subscription to read our premium content. If you have a subscription, please log in or sign up for an account on our website to continue. Boomtown 2022: How to live your best life in Columbia over 50 Columbia makes repeated appearances on lists ranking cities as good places to live. It is perhaps an even better place to mature and retire. A strong health care network, reasonable housing prices, a vibrant, engaged community and an appealing downtown help create an attractive location for all generations, but especially for those over 50. Read more stories. Read the e-Edition JCS Chairman Gen. Won In-choul, right, and U.S. Gen. Mark Milley / Korea Times file The top military officers of South Korea, the United States and Japan will hold trilateral talks in Hawaii later this week, Seoul's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said Tuesday, after North Korea's recent intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) test. JCS Chairman Gen. Won In-choul and his U.S. and Japanese counterparts Gen. Mark Milley and Gen. Koji Yamazaki are set to attend the Trilateral Chiefs of Defense (Tri-CHOD) meeting at the Indo-Pacific Command, Wednesday (local time), according to the JCS. "(The three will) have discussions about multilateral cooperation to promote peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and Northeast Asia," the JCS said in a statement. The talks were arranged as Seoul, Washington and Tokyo are moving to reinforce security cooperation after Pyongyang launched an ICBM, Thursday, ending years of a self-imposed moratorium on nuclear weapons and ICBM tests. In Hawaii, Won will also meet senior U.S. military officials, including Adm. John Aquilino, the commander of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, for talks on strengthening the bilateral alliance, the JCS said. The JCS chiefs of the three countries last met in April 2021, when they visited Hawaii to attend the change-of-command ceremony for Aquilino. (Yonhap) As businesses move to the next stage in their COVID-19 pandemic response by reopening offices many are adopting a hybrid approach with some staffers working remotely at least part of the week. But theres no one-size-fits-all answer, which was apparaent at last weeks Enterprise Connect industry conference, where a panel of IT leaders discussed their priorities as they support multiple modes of working. We're going to be very flexible and adaptive, said Todd White, IT manager of collaboration services at Ford Motor Company, where workers will return to their offices onApril 4. For certain roles, there are huge benefits by being in the office together with their teams, [with] other roles, not so much. We have an approach where we think 25% to 30% will probably be coming back, but we're going to be flexible enough to accommodate what does happen and were going to tack as we see what changes. What we're looking to do is set up the organization so that we can move super fast with the hybrid workforce, hiring talent wherever they are: they don't have to move to Dearborn, Michigan anymore, White said. Biotech firm Amicus Therapeutics, where laboratory staff are required to carry out their jobs on premises, is taking a slightly different approach: the company plans to support remote work where possible. Were going to be hybrid, said Gary LaSasso, senior director for global IT at Amicus Therapeutics. Scientists can't work from home; you have to do research in a lab for the most part. But for the rest of the workers, we want to provide the opportunity to be wherever it is they need to be on that particular day. He pointed to the differing views among workers about a return to the office, and sees a generational divide. We have an executive who maybe wants to be in the office all of the time, because that's what their career may have been, LaSasso said. You have the younger generation who just wants to come in and come out and has different needs. But we have to accommodate all of them and all of their experiences and all of their needs. At transport and logistics firm Ryder Systems, there's no official policy covering all the companys office employees, though some staff will continue to work from home long-term. The only real policy we have is 100% remote for all our call centers, said David Bartos, senior manager of telecommunications at Ryder Systems. We feel confident we can keep our call centers 100% remote and have the efficiency and the uptime that we're looking to have. Southern Glazers Wine and Spirits also favors a flexible approach to meet the demands of different job roles, said Ann Dozier, senior vice president and chief information officer. That includes having service-center staffers to continue to work remotely, though it will be optional. We believe that will give us more flexibility to be able to build out more talent across the US, said Dozier. Customer service jobs are well-suited to remote workers who can be more effectively supported and monitored, she said, and is role where you can measure productivity very effectively. While remote work makes sense in some cases, there is tremendous value in people getting together for collaboration for certain activities, Dozier said. New expectations in a hybrid environment During the pandemic, IT leaders and their teams were tasked with providing a good user experience to home workers. While that put pressure on IT, it also served to highlight its importance in connecting workers and maintaining business operations. The emerging hybrid workplace will create new challenges and opportunities, according to the panellists. Dozier pointed to a change in employee communication habits as workers began to return to the office over the past month.Some of the behaviors are very similar to work from home, she said. For example, when a meeting for 200 staff was held in the office, staff logged in from their desks via Zooms videoconferencing software, she said, rather than meeting in conference rooms as was the norm pre-pandemic. This put unexpected demands on network infrastructure. We hadn't planned our office networks to have 200 people on Zoom at the same time, plus run all of our cloud operations, so it's going to be a bit of an adjustment, said Dozier. We're making sure that we're fine-tuning our infrastructure. The big opportunity is going to be how we create the right user experience when some people are in conference rooms together, some people are remote, and then some people may still be in their office because they're trying to multitask. Meanwhile, Southern Glazers Wine and Spirits has been investing in improvements to the meeting room experience for in-office workers, said Dozier. Our conference rooms used to be pretty complicated: there's a lot of bells and whistles to do different things, said Dozier. Now, it's very simple to have an appliance in the room that anybody can use; it makes it a lot easier for us to service. Having the ability to use virtual assistants in the room, instead of having somebody from my team have to go there to help, is adding value. At Ford, the shift to remote work early on and more recently to a hybrid model has underscored the importance of IT to underpin employee experience. The business is understanding the tech more, they're realizing they need to invest more to make this hybrid workforce go, said White. That includes cyber and analytics to diagnose challenges around home offices. New tools on the horizon For example, Ford is investing in machine learning-based analytics to address bandwidth restrictions in home offices, he said. If somebody is having an ISP issue or their kids are streaming Netflix too much, the systems can alert the user to say, 'Hey, this is what's going on, try this or that to get high quality conferencing going, said White. Ford is also eyeing the use of the AI capabilities software vendors have added to collaboration tools to improve the meeting experience for users. We think the rise of AI is going to help pre-meeting, post-meeting, help with meeting notes, real-time translations, said White. We have people [for whom] English isn't their native language; sometimes they have meetings after the meeting just to understand what the meeting was, he said. We do 60,000 meetings a day, so we can't afford that. The digital world of whiteboarding and collaboration is important so that 3D modellers can work remotely. Tools that support asynchronous work are another area of interest. We are looking at the use of video, in a sense like TikTok or Instagram, where you can record updates and you don't actually have to go to the meeting anymore, said White. Expectations around video have changed significantly during the pandemic, said LaSasso. Any place, any time, any device is now table stakes, he said. So how do you take those experiences to the next level, whether it's on the device side or the application side? It's captioning and translation for meetings; [that helps] when you're dealing with colleagues in other parts of the world, people with hearing disabilities can see the words, those kinds of things. Despite innovation in a range of areas by collaboration and communication software vendors, theres still room for improvement, said Dozier. In particular, greater interoperability between competing tools on the market would help. That's a huge challenge because our users are different, she said. What our salespeople need, what our delivery drivers need, and what our office workers need are very different, and we use a lot of the [software] brands that are in this audience. Ultimately, we need for [applications] to tie together to be able to create that seamless experience for our users. 03/29/2022 Photo (c) ogichobanov - Getty Images COVID-19 tally as compiled by Johns Hopkins University. (Previous numbers in parentheses.) Total U.S. confirmed cases: 79,999,187 (79,954,968) Total U.S. deaths: 978,059 (976,705) Total global cases: 482,602,737 (481,121,555) Total global deaths: 6,128,763 (6,124,475) PPP led to biggest fraud in a generation, investigators say When the COVID-19 pandemic struck two years ago, Congress responded with a number of emergency measures. One of those measures was the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), which rewarded businesses for retaining employees as the economy shut down. Two years later, investigators claim that the program produced the biggest fraud in a generation. Investigators and other public officials told NBC News that fraudsters made bogus claims and collected millions of dollars that they spent on houses, cars, and travel. Investigators say fraudsters collected as much as $80 billion from the $800 billion program. According to Justice Department officials, the structure of the program made it easy to abuse. They say the Small Business Administration required very little verification from applicants. Most of the pandemics lost jobs havent returned, report finds Layoffs and resignations have been a hallmark of the COVID-19 pandemic. Two years later, with the virus in apparent retreat in the U.S., a government report shows that jobs have not returned to a majority of states. The report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics found that the number of jobs had surpassed pre-pandemic levels in only 21 states as of February. According to the report, New York is running a 454,000 private-sector job deficit when compared to February 2020. The 4.1% decline in employment is one of the worst in the U.S. Nebraska and Utah had the lowest jobless rates in February, at 2.1% each. The next lowest rates were in Indiana (2.3%) and Kansas (2.5%). Study finds dental health can affect COVID-19 Scientists continue to learn about the virus that causes COVID-19 by finding connections between it and other health conditions. In a new study, researchers have concluded that people with poor dental hygiene are more vulnerable to severe symptoms. In the study, about 75% of people who suffered from severe dental disease were hospitalized with COVID-19. Conversely, none of the subjects who enjoyed good dental health were hospitalized. The researchers aren't ruling out the possibility that people with poor dental health may be generally unhealthy, but they note that the virus enters the bloodstream through the bodys ACE2 receptors, which are plentiful in the tongue and gums. Around the nation 03/29/2022 Photo (c) Teka77 - Getty Images On Tuesday, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) gave the green light for older and immunocompromised people to get a second booster dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech and the Moderna COVID-19 vaccines. With this action, the agency says consumers who have a higher risk of severe disease, hospitalization, and death can rest easier. Current evidence suggests some waning of protection over time against serious outcomes from COVID-19 in older and immunocompromised individuals. Based on an analysis of emerging data, a second booster dose of either the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna COVID-19 vaccine could help increase protection levels for these higher-risk individuals, said Dr. Peter Marks, director of the FDAs Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research. Additionally, the data show that an initial booster dose is critical in helping to protect all adults from the potentially severe outcomes of COVID-19. So, those who have not received their initial booster dose are strongly encouraged to do so. The agency said its approval of the new uses for the vaccines came as a result of safety surveillance data provided to the FDA. The Ministry of Health of Israel immunized approximately 700,000 people with second booster doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine. A second booster dose of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine was tested on 120 participants over the age of 18 years old in a separate study. No new safety concerns were reported during up to three weeks of follow up after the second booster dose, the agency reported. What older and immunocompromised individuals need to know The agency has provided the following additional information on the emergency use authorizations: Older individuals : A second booster dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine or Moderna COVID-19 vaccine may be administered to individuals 50 years of age and older at least 4 months after receipt of a first booster dose of any authorized or approved COVID-19 vaccine. Immunocompromised individuals: A second booster dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine may be administered to individuals 12 years of age and older with certain kinds of immunocompromise at least 4 months after receipt of a first booster dose of any authorized or approved COVID-19 vaccine. These are people who have undergone solid organ transplantation or who are living with conditions that are considered to have an equivalent level of immunocompromise. As for the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine and immunocompromised individuals, a second booster dose of the vaccine may be administered at least 4 months after the first booster dose of any authorized or approved COVID-19 vaccine to individuals 18 years of age and older with certain kinds of immunocompromise. The FDA previously authorized a single booster dose for certain immunocompromised individuals following the completion of a three-dose primary vaccination series. Participants pose during an international training course for prosecutors held at Siracusa International Institute in Sicily, Italy, Feb. 14 to 18. The event was co-organized by the International Association of Prosecutors and UNESCO. Courtesy of International Association of Prosecutors By Lee Hyo-jin Violent crimes against journalists worldwide are on the rise but many of the cases are being closed without any judicial action, according to the International Association of Prosecutors (IAP), which has vowed to strengthen efforts to ensure the safety of journalists. Established in 1995, the IAP is the only global non-governmental organization of prosecutors committed to expanding and strengthening mutual cooperation in criminal investigations amid the rapid growth of transnational crimes. The association currently has over 350,000 members from 177 countries. "Violent crimes on journalists have surged over the past decade to a very concerning level. Korea is considered a relatively safe area, while journalists, media professionals and associated personnel in regions of conflict such as South America, the Middle East and Africa face serious threats to their lives," Hwang Cheol-kyu, president of the IAP, told The Korea Times. Hwang Cheol-kyu, president of the International Association of Prosecutors / Courtesy of International Association of Prosecutors Congratulations, erbilfrenchschool.com got a very good Social Media Impact Score! Show it by adding this HTML code on your site: Erbilfrenchschool.com scored 70 Social Media Impact. Social Media Impact score is a measure of how much a site is popular on social networks. 3.5/5.0 Stars by Social Team This CoolSocial report was updated on 25 Aug 2014, you can refresh this analysis whenever you want. erbilfrenchschool.com is very popular in Facebook. Furthermore its facebook page has 19304 likes. This is the sum of two values: the total number of people who shared, liked or recommended the erbilfrenchschool homepage on Facebook + the total number of page likes (if erbilfrenchschool has a Facebook fan page). The total number of people who shared the erbilfrenchschool homepage on Google Plus by a google +1 button. This is the sum of two values: the total number of people who shared the erbilfrenchschool homepage on Twitter + the total number of erbilfrenchschool followers (if erbilfrenchschool has a Twitter account). The total number of people who shared the erbilfrenchschool homepage on StumbleUpon. The total number of people who shared the erbilfrenchschool homepage on Delicious. Basic Information PAGE TITLE Erbil French School - ecole francaise Danielle Mitterrand a Erbil DESCRIPTION French Erbil School Danielle Mitterrand Website Site Internet de l'ecole francaise Danielle Mitterrand a Erbil, Kurdistan, Irak KEYWORDS OTHER KEYWORDS school, french, erbil, cole, the french, activities, french school The URL (Uniform Resource Locator) is the address of the site. CoolSocial advanced keyword analysis tool is able to detect and analyze every keyword on each page of a site. The keywords meta-tag found in the head section of the homepage. The title found in the head section of the homepage. The description meta-tag found in the head section of the homepage. Domain and Server DOCTYPE HTML 5.0 CHARSET AND LANGUAGE English English DETECTED LANGUAGE English English SERVER OPERATIVE SYSTEM Represents HTML declared type (e.g.: XHTML 1.1, HTML 4.0, the new HTML 5.0) The language of erbilfrenchschool.com as detected by CoolSocial algorithms. Operative System running on the server. Character set and language of the site. Type of server and offered services. Site Traffic trend during the last year. Only available for sites ranked <= 100000 in the world. Referring domains for erbilfrenchschool.com by MajesticSeo. High values are a sign of site importance over the web and on web engines. Facebook link FACEBOOK PAGE LINK FOUND FACEBOOK PAGE www.facebook.com/pages/French-School-Erbil---/215134178611342 DESCRIPTION All children from 2 to 14 are welcome. http://erbilfrenchschool.com Ecole francaise Danielle Mitterrand a Erbil. LIKES 19304 PEOPLE TALKING ABOUT 25 PAGE TYPE Education TIMELINE PAGE TIMELINE A Facebook page link can be found in the homepage or in the robots.txt file. The type of Facebook page. The total number of people who tagged or talked about website Facebook page in the last 7-10 days. The description of the Facebook page describes website and its services to the social media users. Facebook Timeline is the new layout of Facebook pages. The total number of people who like website Facebook page. The URL of the found Facebook page. Twitter account link TWITTER PAGE LINK NOT FOUND Add CoolSocial badge. Show it by adding this HTML code on your site: Smart1host.com scored 48 Social Media Impact. Social Media Impact score is a measure of how much a site is popular on social networks. 2.5/5.0 Stars by Social Team This CoolSocial report was updated on 19 Feb 2015, you can refresh this analysis whenever you want. Add a widget like this on your site: click here This is the sum of two values: the total number of people who shared, liked or recommended the smart1host homepage on Facebook + the total number of page likes (if smart1host has a Facebook fan page). The total number of people who shared the smart1host homepage on StumbleUpon. The total number of people who shared the smart1host homepage on Google Plus by a google +1 button. The total number of people who shared the smart1host homepage on Delicious. This is the sum of two values: the total number of people who shared the smart1host homepage on Twitter + the total number of smart1host followers (if smart1host has a Twitter account). Basic Information PAGE TITLE SMART 1 HOSTing SoLution | Get Smart for your Hosting DESCRIPTION Select where to run your sites with Smart Hosting Solutions a Low-cost Cloud Hosting solutions supplier. 30-day moneyback. KEYWORDS web hosting, shared web hosting, business Website Hosting, MySQL web hosting domain, unmetered disk quota, unlimited data transfer | unlimited bandwidth OTHER KEYWORDS hosting, control, panel, control panel, unlimited, web hosting, vps hosting The URL (Uniform Resource Locator) is the address of the site. The title found in the head section of the homepage. CoolSocial advanced keyword analysis tool is able to detect and analyze every keyword on each page of a site. The description meta-tag found in the head section of the homepage. The keywords meta-tag found in the head section of the homepage. Domain and Server DOCTYPE HTML 5.0 CHARSET AND LANGUAGE English (United States) UTF-8English (United States) DETECTED LANGUAGE English English SERVER (PHP/5.2.17) OPERATIVE SYSTEM Represents HTML declared type (e.g.: XHTML 1.1, HTML 4.0, the new HTML 5.0) Character set and language of the site. The language of smart1host.com as detected by CoolSocial algorithms. Type of server and offered services. Operative System running on the server. Site Traffic trend during the last year. Only available for sites ranked <= 100000 in the world. Referring domains for smart1host.com by MajesticSeo. High values are a sign of site importance over the web and on web engines. Facebook link FACEBOOK PAGE LINK NOT FOUND A Facebook page link can be found in the homepage or in the robots.txt file. The URL of the found Facebook page. Facebook Timeline is the new layout of Facebook pages. The total number of people who like website Facebook page. The total number of people who tagged or talked about website Facebook page in the last 7-10 days. The type of Facebook page. The description of the Facebook page describes website and its services to the social media users. Twitter account link TWITTER PAGE LINK NOT FOUND A coalition of farmers and fishermen clashes with police in a building at the Sejong Government Complex, March 25. Yonhap Take this bit where Richter forgets how to be a sidekick after Conans show took a summer break. Human Resources is right there to help Andy get back on track, reminding him that You need to make the host believe in the irrational fantasy that he is the funniest person in the world. Unlike other sidekicks whose sole job is to laugh at the host, Richter often gets to sing lead, slinging as many jokes as Conan. Several episodes have us believing Richter is actually smarter than his boss, even as hes resigned to the indignity of the sidekick chair. Geoff Peterson Worldwide Pants Fun fact: Skynet becomes sentient next month! Continue Reading Below Advertisement Geoff Peterson was Craig Fergusons skeleton-robot sidekick, which was every bit as awesome as that sounds. Initially, I wanted something which represented some kind of deconstructionist contempt for the late-night genre and the idea of a sidekick, says Ferguson. But (Geoff voice-actor Josh Thompson) became so good at it, he just became a sidekick. Are android cronies the future? And what do we have to fear from our new late-night overlords? I've gotten a lot of messages from the Robot Skeleton Army on Twitter, urging me to be careful that Geoff Peterson does not become self-aware and turn on humanity, says Geoff creator and Mythbusters robot guru Grant Imahara. I can guarantee you that I've put in place programming to prevent that from happening. Continue Reading Below Advertisement Paul Shaffer Although Doc Severinson sometimes filled the Ed role for Johnny when McMahon was on a bender, Paul Shaffer was the first hybrid sidekick-bandleader in late night. Worldwide Pants Paul is one kooky, nutty showbiz icon. Love you, babe. He was also the first to perform in character, a showbiz-loving, jive-talking hepcat who loved nothing more than soaking in the hot tub of celebrity excess. Letterman was initially attracted to Shaffer from his work with BIll Murray in his lounge singer sketches on Saturday Night Live -- his Letterman persona definitely borrowed that vibe. Next, let's mention the most ridiculous vampire of all. The Romani in Kosovo believed that pumpkins and watermelons may transform into vampires if left long enough untouched. Possibly, the myth of the vampire watermelon comes from how certain fruits take on the appearance of bloody skin as they age. Alternatively, this myth is so ridiculous that no one truly believed it, and the Romani told it to visiting scholars as a joke. Continue Reading Below Advertisement Allow us to quote the Encyclopedia of Vampire Mythology: "Fortunately, the vampire pumpkin does not actually attack anyone in a physical way, making it quite possibly the most harmless of all vampires; however, it does ooze blood and roll about on the floor making an annoying 'brr, brr, brr' sound." The encyclopedia is not a work of comedy, and this description is based on the research of ethnographer Tatomir Vukanovic. William Bout/Unsplash And the research of Leo Gallagher, Vampire Hunter Last up for today are the Cihuateteo of Aztec legend. The Cihuateteo live in the underworld then come to Earth on five specific days of the year to attack children and other victims. Though they drink your blood and paralyze you, this does not turn you into a vampire. Instead, a Cihuateteo is created when a mother dies in childbirth. The Aztecs saw childbirth as a battle between a mother and the gods. Those who succeeded got a child; those who died became Cihuateteo. Vassil/Wiki Commons And received a belt made of living snakes. Continue Reading Below Advertisement This was, you might say, not a terribly respectful way of remembering women who died in labor. The Aztecs imagined such women as evil spirits, with the breasts and stomach of someone who has just given birth but childless and therefore eager to replace the kid who never was. To that end, she'd kidnap children, or seduce men to get pregnant once more. See, we knew it: There's no getting around sex with vampires. It's a universal myth. Which explains why we've been seeing all those pumpkins with holes drilled in them. Top image: Vassil/Wiki Commons President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol, right, stands with the outgoing president, Moon Jae-in during their meeting at Cheong Wa Dae in Seoul, March 28. Yonhap Whether President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol will be able to relocate the presidential office in time for his May 10 inauguration remains a question even though President Moon Jae-in has promised to look into the matter and offer cooperation. Moon's remarks, made during a dinner meeting with Yoon, Monday, was seen as a step forward as Moon's office had effectively expressed opposition earlier, saying the envisioned relocation could leave a security vacuum, because it also involves moving the defense ministry in a short period of time. Moon's cooperation is key, because the Cabinet must approve reserve government funding for the plan. Despite the positive words from Moon, the prospect of finishing the relocation by May 10 as planned is uncertain, as Moon's offer of cooperation is considered conditional on a "careful" review of the plan. "President Moon said he believes a determination on the relocation area of the presidential office is the next government's to make and that the current government will carefully look into and cooperate for the budget needed for the exact relocation plan," Chang Je-won, Yoon's chief of staff, told reporters after the dinner, which he attended. After initial reports of Moon's willingness to cooperate on the relocation plan, Cheong Wa Dae insiders cautioned against distorting the president's latest remarks, saying the emphasis was on a "careful" review of the plan. Some even claimed there was no change in Moon's stance, as he had left open the possibility of rejecting the budget proposal for the relocation if it failed to resolve his concerns about leaving a security vacuum. Connecticut Sen. Richard Blumenthal urged utility regulators on Monday to open an investigation into claims the states energy providers wrongly sued customers for unpaid bills during the height of the pandemic. However, the utility companies continued to deny the accusations, calling them misleading. Blumenthal criticized what he called draconian utility collection practices used by Eversource Energy, Avangrid and their subsidiaries in a letter his office sent Monday to Marissa Gillet, chairwoman of the Connecticut Public Utilities Regulatory Authority. Blumenthals letter came a little more than two weeks after the states Office of Consumer Counsel petitioned PURA for an investigation. While households were facing a financial crisis, Eversource Energy and Avangrid were looking to increase their revenue on the backs of consumers who could not afford to pay their electric bills, Blumenthals letter said. The pandemic with families advised to stay home in order to protect themselves and mitigate the spread of COVID-19 and unemployment soaring to record levels increased this economic stress. It is therefore highly inexcusable for utility companies to aggressively pursue residents who were already having trouble meeting their financial obligations. Connecticuts two largest utility companies obtained more than 300 court judgments and nearly 100 wage garnishments against customers who fell behind on their bills over the last two years, records provided by the OCC show. Those collection efforts came at a time when state officials issued orders seeking to assist vulnerable and low-income residents affected by the COVID pandemic. Senator Blumenthal does not have the facts straight Eversource has not pursued any judgments and/or wage garnishments during COVID, Tricia Modifica, a spokesperson for Eversource Energy, said Monday in a statement. On March 13, 2020, we voluntarily stopped all collection activities including efforts to seek new judgments for historically owed balances, Modifica said. Judgments and wage garnishments are always a last resort when were working with customers on overdue balances. We continue to proactively guide customers to the very best programs, protections and energy assistance available to them to get relief for and resolve their past due balances. The claims made by the OCC, which represents the interests of utility ratepayers, are misleading, according to Gage Frank, a spokesperson for Avangrid, which is the parent company of United Illuminating as well as Connecticut Natural Gas and Southern Connecticut Gas. The judgments obtained, which the Office of Consumer Counsel referenced during this time, were for pre-pandemic claims that continued through the court system when the courts reopened, Frank said. From the commencement of the COVID pandemic, we have worked with our most vulnerable customers offering various payment plans to assist them during this time. However, not all customers took advantage of these plans and continued to accumulate unpaid balances. The customers whose unpaid balances continued to grow were referred to Avangrids collections firm, which continued to work with customers to find a payment plan that would work based on the customers circumstances, he said. No new collections judgments were sought against utility customers during the period covered by the states pandemic-related consumer protections, according to Frank. United Illuminating, Connecticut Natural Gas and Southern Connecticut Gas were some of the first utility companies in the region to suspend turn-offs due to nonpayment at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, he said. We deeply care about our customers and continue to work with those who have outstanding balances, which also places a burden on other customers. luther.turmelle@hearstmediact.com This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate FAIRFIELD Alex Plitsas has spent months helping people get out of Afghanistan, coordinating from his phone in his home office across from his twin daughters bedroom in Fairfield. So, when Russia invaded Ukraine in February, he was ready to expand his sights for a similar mission. But the work in Ukraine and Afghanistan have proven to be pretty different so far. Because people are, in many cases, able to travel across those European borders, theres not as many people who need rescuing, said Plitsas, an Army veteran and former Department of Defense employee. So, its more tailored cases. Instead, he and his group of volunteers, have shifted their focus to supplying the Ukrainian people with necessities and defensive equipment. He was involved with the recent donation of more than 200 ballistic armor and dozens of helmets by police departments in Fairfield County. The effort was organized by Fairfield officials and facilitated through the towns police department. He said other police departments across the U.S. have reached out to him wanting to do the same. State Rep. Laura Devlin said she called Plitsas right after Police Chief Robert Kalamaras when she learned of the Ukrainian peoples need for protective equipment. Without Alex and his connections agreeing to help, we would not have been able to handle the collection of gear, she said. They have also helped with our humanitarian collections as well. When Fairfield officials came up with the idea for the donation drive, Plitsas said he was able to get memo of need from the Ukrainian defense ministry, secretary of state and other officials requesting the donations from Fairfield. In the middle of a war, thats not something that happens easily never mind in six hours, he said. Plitsas said he has put together a coalition of people he has worked with in the past some from the Afghanistan rescue, others from government life. He said the way the system works is similar to that of a general contractor and is based on the needs in Ukraine. Those needs could be medical, people on the ground, or financial or legal support. Its kind of like building a start-up on the fly, he said. Plitsas said a crucial part of that work is also having local partners on the ground. When the invasion started, he said, he partnered with the DAAR Charitable Foundation. Hes friends with the leaders of the foundation, which has operated in Ukraine for 20 years. By coordinating with these partners, Plitsas said the work becomes like a plug-and-play model, where they work to match resources or people operating in the country with those requesting help. People will contact you whether its government agencies or private individuals that need help, he said. Their requirements become abundantly clear. Then it becomes a question of what can be fulfilled through volunteerism and what needs to be paid (for). What needs to be built to satisfy these requirements? Who can I plug in from my network? In the case of Ukraine, Plitsas said he was able to set that system up in 36 hours. Different than Afghanistan Plitsas said the work in Ukraine has been different than it is in Afghanistan, where he and others are still helping to support and evacuate people. In the latter, the combat was mostly over, but the borders surrounding the country were largely closed as the Taliban took control of the country. There was a lot more focus and need to get people out, he said. Since August, Plitsas said, his group has orchestrated the movements of 15,000 Afghan people. In Ukraine, an active war zone, there are different complications, Plitsas said. Notably, there is no way for people to fly out of the country. Plitsas said land evacuations are possible in Ukraine, where there are friendly countries on the western border. He said another thing that makes it easier is that Ukrainians have passports and documents allowing them to be processed when they leave the country. That means most of the evacuations Plitsass group is facilitating are in contested areas or where people are trapped behind Russian lines. His group was able to coordinate with the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense to help open up the lines to allow 500 medical students trapped in the embattled city of Sumy to escape. Somebody else took care of the busing, because they were already on the ground there, he said. We just had to make sure there was a safe corridor for them to get out, because when youre traveling in large vehicles on the front lines its always dangerous. Plitsas said another big difference between the two operations is that Ukrainians frequently will not leave their pets behind when evacuating. Were not just taking people, were also helping them get dogs and other stuff out, which is a big deal, he said. Theyre very animal friendly and that seems to be a cultural norm. In Afghanistan, Plitsas said they locally procure the supplies for the thousands his group is taking care of. It does not work the same way in Ukraine where there is an active war zone, so he has been working to get humanitarian aid to the country. Plitsas said there are only so many things a private citizen can do to truly impact the war. Helmets, vests and medical kits those are all defensive in nature or help treat wounded people, he said. Its not providing offensive weapons. This is just defensive stuff to help the Ukrainian people defend their home country. This is a way to directly impact the war effort. As the invasion started, the Ukrainian government stood up volunteer militia forces known as the Territorial Defense Forces. Those forces need to be equipped to defend their homeland and take the fight to the Russians, Plitsas said. Plitsas said his group has already been involved with delivering thousands of sets of body armor to Ukraine, in addition to the recent police donation. The group is also coordinating the delivery of supplies from the Ukrainian American Club in Southport. He noted a trailer full of food, blankets, clothing, medical supplies, tents, sleeping bags and other necessities was picked up on Friday. Work / Life balance Plitsas said the international work he is doing, stacked on top of his normal job with Providence Consulting Group, has resulted in 18- to 20-hour workdays. He said his prior life in the military and government prepared him for this type of schedule, but it still isnt easy. Im used to those hours and the situations that are kind of ongoing, where a civilian may not be, he said. But Im back in civilian life now. I live in Fairfield. Im a suburban dad. The difficult part here and the difference between my experience in uniform and at the Pentagon... is that Ive got a family. Im not deployed overseas where they kind of know Im not around. It has been a constant struggle to make sure he is giving enough time and attention to his family, Plitsas said. But we have an obligation to help the people we are supporting, he said. No good deed goes unpunished. When a national security situation broke out, and (I was asked) can you help, I said Why not? Lets do it. Plitsas noted he was on vacation in the Amalfi Coast of Italy when the situation in Afghanistan started. His wife, Lisa, was frustrated at first with his being sucked into the work he ended up doing, but was ultimately understanding. We were engaged during my first combat tour in Iraq, he said. We were married before I went back to my second one. We were married when I went to Afghanistan. Then, shes been there through my time at the Pentagon and senior leadership positions and now for all of this. So now shes kind of used to my national security gallivanting. Plitsas said his young daughters also know what he is doing, asking him informed questions at dinner. Its very clear that theyre listening to conversations Im having. Theyre around when Im on phone calls, he said. They have a much better appreciation for whats going on than I would have thought for 71/2-year-olds. He said it can be strange to do this work from his home, especially when he was the Republican Town Committee chairman. He noted he was once coordinating a charter flight out of Afghanistan when someone came up to him in the grocery store to complain about the placement of a political lawn sign. I just kind of sat there and my jaw hit the floor and I had to remember, they have no idea what Im doing, nor is it normal, he said. This ability to help from afar is the result of the evolution of warfare and technology, Plitsas said, adding what he is doing now would not have been possible 10 or 20 years ago. He said nothing he has been doing would be possible without the local partners in those countries. Im a public face because Im out of government in many cases, but theres definitely other people who are involved in this, he said. Its not a me thing. This is a group effort. joshua.labella@hearstmediact.com President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol attends a meeting of the presidential transition committee's senior officials at its office in Seoul, Tuesday. Courtesy of Yonhap Korea braces for major overhaul of national policies By Kang Seung-woo President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol urged his transition team, Tuesday, to bolster pre-emptive and resolute efforts to achieve innovative growth, while focusing on pragmatism and the national interest to address polarization and a demographic cliff the country faces. He also urged the subcommittees of his transition team to step up cooperation to achieve those goals. "I hope that the transition committee can set clear goals and achieve intended results through cooperation among divisions," he said while presiding over the meeting with heads of subcommittees on his transition team. "With the education and labor systems of the era of heavy and chemical industries half a century ago, people cannot respond effectively to the era of the Fourth Industrial Revolution with scientific and technological hegemony." He said that polarization will be eased "when growth is achieved through the advancement of the industrial structure, helped by securing cutting-edge science and technology." Yoon also stressed close discussions between subcommittees, saying that the state agenda established by the transition committee is a blueprint for the new government. "In the end, we have no choice but to advance the industrial structure, so I want the subcommittee in charge of the economy and the one dealing with science and education to communicate with each other systematically," he said. Meanwhile, also on Tuesday, the transition team wrapped up receiving policy briefings from 53 ministries and government organizations, signaling a major departure from some of the Moon Jae-in administration's policies in particular, an approach to curbing increased housing prices. Many voters, including those in their 20s and 30s, turned away from the Moon administration and the ruling party in the March 9 presidential election. The transition committee said it was considering abolishing or curtailing laws designed to protect tenants, which it said were causing confusion in the property market. The so-called "three tenant-protection laws" that took effect in July 2020 allow tenants to extend their two-year "jeonse" contracts for another two years, prevent landlords from raising jeonse deposits by up to 5 percent and require them to report actual rent prices to the local government. Jeonse is a two-year, Korean-style deposit lease. However, the passage of the controversial laws triggered a supply shortage, as homeowners chose to move in and existing tenants exercised their right to renew their contracts, leading eventually to a sharp hike in jeonse prices. "The incoming government is considering revising or abolishing the tenant-protection law," Shim Kyo-eon, a real estate professor as Konkuk University who heads the property subcommittee, said during a briefing. Some real estate market watchers warn that the new administration needs to focus on making up for the laws by fine-tuning them rather than drastically abolishing them, out of concerns over unforeseen side effects. "We will come up with measures to minimize impacts on the market," Shim said. Also, any revision to the laws needs consent from the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) which holds 172 of the 300 National Assembly seats. The party made clear its opposition to the transition team's announcement, Tuesday. "Based on the national consensus over the side effects of the laws, we will try to persuade the DPK to cooperate on their revision," Shim added. The Yoon administration is expected to accelerate efforts to ease regulations on owners of multiple homes. There have been growing complaints against the Moon administration's real estate policies, as skyrocketing housing prices have driven up taxes on homeowners and raised costs for people who seek to rent or buy homes. Along with the tax, the comprehensive real estate tax is likely to be subject to revision. "We need to check carefully if it is right to impose regulations on the ownership of multiple homes," Yoon said Friday, after making a rare appearance at the policy briefing session from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport. Currently, those who own two or more homes face a capital gains tax of up to 75 percent when they sell a home. In that respect, there have been growing calls for the government to cut the tax, which could allow owners to sell properties and bring down prices. In addition, the new government is expected to ease rules on reconstruction and redevelopment, as pledged by Yoon during the campaign. However, amid concerns that ill-considered deregulation may have a negative effect on housing prices, there are some calls within the transition committee to slow down the plan. NEW MILFORD Schaghticoke Middle School was evacuated Tuesday afternoon after officials were informed of a written threat. In an email sent to parents, Superintendent Alisha DiCorpo wrote, The threat to the school was written on a piece of paper and was discovered by a student and brought to the attention of a staff member. This prompted the school to contact the New Milford Police Department and to evacuate out of an abundance of caution in order to ensure the safety of students and staff. All students and staff walked over to Northville Elementary School for dismissal. Schaghticoke Middle School and New Milford Public Schools staff continue to work in coordination with the New Milford Police Department as they investigate the circumstances surrounding the threat, DiCorpo wrote. At this time, the police departments investigation is ongoing. The police are, however, confident that the Schaghticoke building is safe, DiCorpo wrote. Students and staff will return to school on time Wednesday morning, and acquire their belongings when they arrive. Additionally, she wrote students and staff should report directly to K period upon arrival. Any homework that is due Wednesday will now be due on Thursday. In her email, DiCorpo wrote staff and students were calm, followed directions, and were supportive of one another as the evacuation took place. Everyone showed a true sense of community and we cannot thank you enough. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate NEW MILFORD For four years, through tough times and happy occasions, busy days and not so much going on, New Milford resident Joann Rodriguez Matos could always rely on a coffee and hiking routine she developed with her friend, Chris Pante. Pante died in February from COVID-19, at the age of 58. In her late friends memory, Matos created a Coffee & Hiking Social Group, as a way to meet new people to carry on their coffee and hiking tradition. Through the group, which has garnered over 100 members within the week it opened, Matos said she wants to encourage people to value their time together, since you never know the last time one will see a person, said Matos, 59, a mother of three and grandmother of two. Matos met Pante after their 30-year Danbury High School reunion. Pante ran the Chris Pante Talk Show on Comcast Cables Ch. 23, which discussed current events. He contacted Matos about an autobiography on child abuse that she wrote, called Hot Peas and Butter: The Children in the Basement, and asked her for an interview. While Matos wanted to hold off on the interview while she worked on a second book, the pair ended up becoming friends. We talked on the telephone and struck a friendship. Then, one day, I asked him, Are you interested in going for a hike with me at Tarrywile Park? He said, Sure, Id love to. And thats where it began, she said. Going for coffee before the hike was soon added to their get together. Over the next four years, the friends would met every few weeks, depending upon their schedules and the weather. Chis was the most wonderful person a stand-up comedian, Matos said. But he also had some really strong beliefs. He was very, very much eager to really get to the grassroots of what was going on in the world. We had some really nice discussions. The friends got COVID at the same time in January. What struck me was that I survived. I said to him I was always afraid of getting COVID because I had respiratory problems throughout my life as a kid, said Matos, who is a stay-at-home grandmother. She lost her previous job as an administrative assistant during the pandemic. His death broke my heart, she added. COVID stole my friend from me. She said she frequently reads his text messages and talks to him out loud, and misses him every day. Through the coffee and hiking group, Matos said she would like to celebrate the lives of those who have been lost to COVID by supporting each other and offering our friendship. Additionally, she said the group is also about getting to know ones neighbors and their every day struggles. Everyone loves a cup of Joe and a hike, but most of all we need to stay connected and learn about each other on Gods green earth, she said. Chris liked to get to the deep roots of a conversation and share that with the world. We walked and we talked and we shared our life stories together. True to his profession, he knew how to get that story out of you and make you feel comfortable in knowing that his intentions made a difference in this world. Danbury resident Norman Buzaid was neighbors with Pante and has known him for 30 years. Chris was a great guy always happy go lucky and always helpful whenever Ive ever needed help around the house, such as moving stuff. He also helped my son and daughter with school and sports, Buzaid said. One memory he shared was of Pante always driving home in his convertible with the top down, in the pouring rain, he said. He was always, always in a good mood, Buzaid added. Michael Kaufman, a Ridgefield resident, said he could not have asked for a better friend, when referring to Pante, whom he knew for nearly 50 years. Chris loved to laugh and always made his family and friends laugh and smile, said Kaufman, who went to Danbury High School with Pante. He was a loyal and caring friend to many. This is seen in the number of people who had donated to the GoFundMe site created for the Christopher G. Pante Memorial Scholarship Fund at Danbury High School, Kaufman said. Pante was a New York Mets fan and loved going to the home opener. One of his friends is organizing a group to go to the first home game on April 15. I plan on being there to watch the Mets play, share wonderful memories and stories of our friend Chris, and pay tribute to him, Kaufman said. We know Chris will be with us in spirit and watching over us. We expect good weather and a Mets win. More hikes planned The coffee and hiking group has already held their first meet-up they met at Dunkin Donuts on Exit 12 in New Milford and then went to Harrybrooke Park for a stroll. About 10 people came, Matos said. We went all the way through Harrybrooke Park where there is running water and a fall, and then we came all the way back. It took a leisurely half hour to 45 minutes. Once the nice weather comes, Matos said she expects the group to really take off. She has researched local places to hike, such as Steep Rock Preserve in Washington, and posted those places on the groups Facebook page. Additionally, she plans to bring some business to the smaller coffee shops in New Milford by bringing in the group. She hopes to plan both evening hikes during the week and Sunday hikes at noon. From Pantes death, Matos said she has learned not to take people for granted. Especially, with COVID, we dont know how long we truly have. People need to have people to rely upon, Matos said. This has been a very lonely and scary pandemic. sandra.fox@hearstmediact.com 203-948-9802 This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate For Lindsay Keys, her time at Wesleyan University gave her the opportunity to meet new friends and develop skills as a filmmaker. Looking back now, Keys said, it was also a time when mysterious symptoms she had been experiencing became worse. From fatigue to serious physical pains, Keys was hospitalized multiple times while in Middletown, but was still not fully aware of her condition. After graduating from the Middletown liberal arts college in 2011, Keys began working and living in New York City. Eventually, her medical condition reached the point where she could no longer work. I got sick, and didnt know what was happening, Keys said. I lost the ability to read. Despite years of doctors telling her otherwise, Keys learned she was suffering from chronic Lyme disease, a relatively unknown condition that is quickly and quietly spreading around the world, experts say. The documentary, The Quiet Epidemic, details the history of Lyme disease and delves into the lesser-known aspects of it through real patients as they navigate their diagnosis. Its a human journey, said Keys, co-director of the film. In September 2015, she finally found a clinic in Albany, N.Y., that offered a treatment. It was at there that Keys met Winslow Crane-Murdoch, a fellow filmmaker who had graduated from Connecticut College in 2013. He was at the tail end of his treatment when Keys was starting hers. While the two were suffering from the same condition, it presented itself in different ways. Crane-Murdochs main symptom was a sinus infection, while Keys was suffering from issues similar to strep throat. It affects every person differently, Keys said. While Lyme disease symptoms differ between person to person, the issue is the same for everyone, Keys said: Not enough people are trying to learn more about the disease, making it all the more difficult to diagnose and treat better. All these health issues were arising, but no one was getting to the root of what was causing it, Keys said. Crane-Murdoch compared Lyme disease to COVID-19, because not much is known about long-term effects, and not all medical professionals see eye-to-eye on the issue. Theyre tons of parallels with long COVID, Crane-Murdoch said. Its this gray area of medicine. There are differences between Lyme disease and chronic Lyme disease, he explained. If an individual gets Lyme disease, and they catch it right away, it can be treated with antibiotics. It is not as well-known, he said, that 10 to 20 percent of patients will not be cured, and will have persisting symptoms. For these patients, such as Keys, Crane-Murdoch, and the many subjects they interviewed for this documentary there are limited options for treatment. Theres a lot that you have to do on your own. A lot of the healing is in your own hands, Keys said. This includes eating right, taking specific vitamins and participating in supplemental therapies. When further treatment is needed, thats when patients are forced to take risks, she said. They are often forced to participate in new, experimental treatments as a last resort. It gets to a point where youre willing to try anything, Keys said. Keys admitted she had reached that point after she lost the ability to carry on a conversation, and was in constant pain. I felt like I was being electrocuted all day, she said. The issue is expounded by the fact that none of these treatments are covered by insurance, so patients have to pay more, and doctors are at a greater risk for lawsuits. Theres a lot of financial barriers with Lyme disease, Crane-Murdoch said. As a patient, youre caught in the middle of that. Through treatment, Keys and Crane-Murdoch have both now recovered to the point where they are back to full functionality, but they are unsure how permanent their cure really is. I feel lucky, but theres this ghost that follows you around, Keys said. Thats one of the reasons why Keys and Crane-Murdoch set out to make this film, to serve as a call for more research into the issue. They also hope the film spreads awareness about the illness, as many are unaware of just how severe it is, she added. Crane-Murdoch said way more people are at risk for this disease compared to other illnesses. You dont walk outside and get cancer, he said. With Lyme disease, however, walking outside can result in catching it, because it is spread by ticks. It also means that children are especially susceptible, because they spend more time playing outside, and their symptoms are more likely to be brushed aside, Keys explained. Connecticut, and New England as a whole, are known to be highly populated by ticks, but the issue is a global one. I got a call from a woman from Australia thanking us for making this, Keys said. A lot of people are walking around with Lyme disease. Keys found this to be truer than she realized when looking for people to help with the documentary. The number of Wesleyan film alumni that had Lyme was shocking, and thats just the film department, and just Wesleyan, Keys said. A few other Wesleyan alumni assisted with the making of the documentary, including Daria Lombroso, who graduated in 2011; and Kait Halibozek, 2010. The documentary, which was made in association with Pennebaker Hegedus Films, will premiere as a special presentation at the Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival this spring. The U.S. premiere is still in the works, but Keys said it should eventually be view-able on streaming platforms. Those interested in being the first to know about when and how to watch the documentary can sign up by visiting thequietepidemic.com. The team intends to create a social impact campaign along with the release of the documentary in an effort to create change around the issue. In some ways, this is only the beginning, Keys said. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate WESTPORT Sherwood Island is Connecticuts oldest state park. Its also one of the most popular and, more recently, one most in need of repairs. The state bought the first parcel of land for it back in 1914, though it took until 1937 to get all of the needed parcels and to ensure public access. The park, situated on Long Island Sound, covers 234 acres of beach, wetlands and woodlands. It hosted an estimated 1.1 million visitors in 2021, about a 10 percent increase from 2020. Sherwood Island (State Park) is a heavily used park, with aging infrastructure, so it certainly is among the parks with the highest need for investment, said Will Healey, a spokesman for the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection. He said many of the buildings used for maintenance or storage predate the park and are in pretty rough shape, in need for rehabilitation. Park officials have identified nearly $130 million in necessary maintenance, repairs and other infrastructure projects at state parks over the last three years, a review of budget requests and other records by Hearst Connecticut Media shows. The report cites a need for $5.18 million in work for Sherwood Island alone. This includes about $3.38 million for a maintenance complex, $1 million for a toilet building and pavilion grove construction area, $500,000 to replace a bridge and $300,000 for electrical utility upgrades, according to the documents. The bridge work is already underway with projects planned for the summer or fall to replace or improve signage throughout the park, and pave or complete roadwork by the ticket booths and the entrance to the West Beach parking area, Healey said. He said the other projects are part of the states larger prioritization efforts to address the significant backlog of needed infrastructure improvements. We currently have minimal funding for these projects, but hope that the governors proposal will be approved by the legislature this session, and that by May or June, we will know the level of resources that will be available for this important work, he said. In the meantime, the plan to replace the smaller old buildings with a new maintenance building is on hold. Given the limited funding available to dedicate to a new, larger building, we have more recently focused instead on accomplishing several projects at each of those older buildings to extend their useful life to support our maintenance needs, Healey said. Those projects will be prioritized this spring and summer, and will move forward, depending on the level of funding made available by the legislature. Liz-Ann Koos, president of Friends of Sherwood Island State Park, said the projects outlined by the state seem to be in line with what shes heard from the parks supervisor. The friends group helps focuses on the grounds and programming and so is welcoming of any investment the state is planning for the facilities themselves. Its terrific, Koos said. She said proper upkeep and maintenance of the park is important to keep it a beautiful place to visit something she said even more people became aware of, including residents, when the town closed its beaches and parks at the start of the pandemic. Lots of people discovered Sherwood Island, Koos said, adding a positive byproduct of the pandemic has been the continued appreciation of the park and outdoors in general. One of the challenges facing state parks across Connecticut is the cuts made in the park system to fill budget shortfalls during former Gov. Dannel Malloys administration, resulting in DEEP reducing maintenance staff and closing campgrounds and visitor centers. The Passport to Parks program, which adds fees to motor vehicle registration but allows residents to visit state parks for free, has brought in about $21 million annually to help cover park costs, such as staffing, though not capital projects, DEEP officials have said. Koos said its important for the state to not only invest in the facilities, but the workforce too. Theres been a drastic cut in the amount of positions for running the parks, she said. If you want well-maintained buildings and grounds, you need to have people. State Sen. Will Haskell, D-Westport, said Sherwood Island is a treasured local resource. We need to treat this resource with the love and care that's necessary to ensure our kids and grandkids one day have the chance to explore these beautiful beaches and trails, he said. I support these investments that will help to maintain a functional, clean and accessible state park for all. The states maintenance plan includes projects at a combined 62 state parks, forests and boat launches. The state has a total 139 state parks and forests. Some of the states oldest and most popular parks along the shoreline such as Rocky Neck, Sherwood Island and Hammonasset Beach are most in need of upgrades, the records show. But not all of the waterfront parks are included in the maintenance needs plan. Both Silver Sands in Milford and Indian Well in Shelton are left out in the Bridgeport area. Officials arent too bothered by it though. State Rep. Jason Perillo, who represents Shelton, said he has not received a request for capital improvements to Indian Well. If anything, I would like to see more enforcement of rules by park staff, Perillo said. Many park attendees are from out of state and I know of instances where they have been less than respectful to those who live near the park. A multi-million dollar project was also recently completed at Silver Sands following a fire in 2019 that destroyed the new construction. The original $9.1 million park improvement project included a new section of boardwalk and several buildings on it, as well as a maintenance building elsewhere on the property and additional parking. Some of the states projects can now start to be completed, though an exact timeline hasnt been released yet. In February, Gov. Ned Lamont announced plans for a $55 million investment in state parks as part of an effort to reduce the backlog of repairs for the states aging cabins, bathrooms, trails and other park facilities. He and Department of Energy and Environmental Protection Commissioner Katie Dykes used Sherwood Island as the backdrop for the announcement, pointing to the parks bathrooms and open air pavilion as evidence for the overdue maintenance needs. Sherwood Island is a hub for our region, hosting beach goers from across the state, wildlife lovers, and those who return regularly to remember the tragedy of 9/11, Haskell said. I cant tell you how beautiful it is to visit that park on a nice day, seeing folks from across the state coming together. We cant defer maintenance projects that allow this beach to welcome Connecticut residents at no cost. BRIDGEPORT A local man, awaiting trial in connection with a shooting incident a year ago, was charged Monday with allegedly shooting a woman in the head days earlier. Carlos Moreno, 43, was charged with attempted murder, first-degree assault, discharge of a firearm and second-degree breach of peace. But his lawyer, Dennis Bradley, told a judge Monday afternoon that the victim is adamant that Moreno did not shoot her. These are hearsay allegations made by his co-defendants in another case, something that was not told to the judge who made the probable cause finding, Bradley told Superior Court Judge Nbidi Moses during Morenos arraignment. The judge still ordered Moreno held in lieu of $500,000 bond and continued the case to April 5. On Aug. 28, 2021, officers were dispatched to Bridgeport Hospital for a shooting victim. The arrest warrant affidavit states that the female victim was being treated for a non-life threatening gunshot wound to the back of her head. The victim stated she was standing outside a store on Noble Avenue when she suddenly felt a sharp pain in the back of her head and noticed she was bleeding, the affidavit states. She flagged down someone who took her to the hospital. The victim said she did not see who shot her. But about a month later, the affidavit states that a witness told police that he had previously heard Moreno arguing with the victim and that Moreno had told him he was going to shoot the victim. The affidavit states that another witness told police that she had received texts from the victim stating that Moreno had shot her. On Aug. 31, 2021, Moreno was arrested with two other men following gunfire on Park Street. Police said Moreno was driving a car involved in the shooting. He was charged with conspiracy to commit first-degree assault, weapons in a motor vehicle, first-degree reckless endangerment and possession of narcotics. He was released after posting $250,000 bond. BRIDGEPORT A city man was arrested and charged with murder Monday, according to Bridgeport police. Tivon Taylor, 40, of Eric Street, was charged with murder, carrying a pistol without a permit and criminal possession of a firearm in connection to the slaying of Fredrick Shelby on March 18, according to Scott Appleby, the city emergency management director. Based on the evidence, we believe Taylor followed Shelby out of Taes Lounge, a bar located at 1014 Stratford Avenue, after the two men exchanged words inside. Taylor then allegedly shot Shelby multiple times before walking away. In a statement to investigators, Taylor admitted to shooting Shelby, Appleby said in an email. Taylor was held in lieu of $1 million bond and is scheduled to be arraigned Tuesday, Appleby said. This arrest is the result of excellent work done by all of the detectives that assisted in this case, specifically, Detective Heanue, the lead investigator, Appleby said. william.lambert@hearstmediact.com Five men pleaded guilty to firearm charges stemming from a plan to kill a man and set a Bridgeport business on fire, according to federal prosecutors Tuesday. The five men entered guilty pleas in Bridgeport federal court to possession of a firearm by a convicted felon after police found several loaded guns that were thrown from a fleeing car and inside a Milford hotel room, the U.S. Attorneys Office said. In the early hours of April 2, 2018, Bridgeport police were patrolling the citys west side and attempted to stop a car with unlit taillights. While the car fled from police, officers saw several items being thrown from its windows. The car stopped several blocks away and officers arrested the driver, 55-year-old Luis Mercado, also known as Pops, of Bridgeport, and 31-year-old man Dominick Gonzalez, also known as Dom, of Bridgeport, according to the U.S. Attorneys Office. Police seized two loaded handguns and marijuana that had been thrown out of the car. Police also found a black ski mask, a pair of binoculars and a container of gasoline inside the vehicle, the U.S. Attorneys office said. An investigation revealed Mercado, Gonzalez and three other men were planning to murder a man who worked at Wood Avenue Body Shop in Bridgeport and set fire to the business, according to the U.S. Attorneys office. The three other men 33-year-old George Rivera, also known as Pito, of Danbury; 39-year-old Jason Scott, also known as Hood, of Bridgeport; and 35-year-old Luis Mejias, also known as Kermit, of Waterbury were arrested later that morning at a hotel in Milford, the U.S. Attorneys Office said. In the hotel room, authorities said they discovered two loaded rifles, a loaded revolver, a loaded shotgun, additional ammunition, brass knuckles, binoculars, gloves and a knit mask. Investigators also seized packaged heroin, Ecstasy pills, marijuana, a digital scale and other items from the room, as well as ammunition and shotgun shells in the trunk of their car, according to the U.S. Attorneys Office. The U.S. Attorneys Office said each man has a criminal history that includes multiple felony convictions, making it illegal for them to possess a firearm. Mercado, Rivera and Mejias pleaded guilty to possession of a firearm by a convicted felon on March 25, and Scott pleaded guilty Monday. Gonzalez pleaded guilty to the offense, as well as conspiracy to commit arson, on May 4, 2021, the U.S. Attorneys Office said. The charge of unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon carries a maximum prison term of 10 years. The five men are in custody while they await sentencing. UN chief calls for strong declaration against use of explosive weapons in populated areas Xinhua) 09:19, March 29, 2022 UNITED NATIONS, March 28 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday called for a strong political declaration against the use of explosive weapons in populated areas. Guterres welcomes the convening of informal consultations in Geneva next week, which aim to develop a political declaration to protect civilians from the use of explosive weapons in populated areas, and calls for a strong text, said Stephane Dujarric, Guterres' spokesman, in a statement. The secretary-general welcomes the work undertaken by states so far to develop a political declaration. He calls for a strong text that includes an express commitment to avoid the use of explosive weapons with wide-area effects in populated areas, said the statement. "The secretary-general supports the development of a political declaration, as well as appropriate limitations, common standards and operational policies ... relating to the use of explosive weapons in populated areas," it said. Certain types of explosive weapons with wide-area effects were originally designed for use in traditional, open battlefields. When used in populated areas they inflict massive and often indiscriminate destruction impacting civilians and civilian objects, including health facilities, schools, water and sanitation facilities, energy and other critical infrastructure, and the environment, said the statement. When explosive weapons are used in populated areas, 90 percent of the casualties are civilians, it noted. (Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun) President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol walks into a building where the presidential transition committee has been set up, Tuesday. Yonhap President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol spoke by phone with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Tuesday, his spokesperson said without disclosing details of the conversation. Kim Eun-hye said in a brief statement that the call took place at 5 p.m. "Please be informed that because Ukraine is currently in a state of war, the detailed contents of the phone call are difficult to disclose," she said. Zelenskyy shared the news in a tweet. The Starbucks coffee chain is being sued in court over two separate complaints from Connecticut residents: one alleging cleaning fluid, not coffee, was served to a customer and the other claiming a person with nut allergies had an allergic reaction after a purchase at Starbucks. In a federal lawsuit filed this month in U.S. District Court in New Haven, a Starbucks customer claims to have suffered a coughing fit, followed by severe dizziness and nausea, after ingesting a mouthful of a chemical used to clean the coffee urns that the Greenwich man was mistakenly served at the shop on Greenwich Avenue in August of 2021. Starbucks is also facing a separate legal complaint, filed in state Superior Court in Bridgeport in late February, that a Norwalk woman with an allergic reaction to nuts was given a beverage that had traces of a substance made with nuts in 2020, sickening her. The woman told the barista at the Norwalk shop that she had a nut allergy before the order was filled, according to that lawsuit. According to a statement from the Starbucks media affairs department, Our baristas take great care in crafting beverages, and we have extensive processes and protocols in place to maintain a safe experience for our baristas and customers. This is an obligation we take very seriously, and we intend to vigorously defend against any claims that state otherwise. The federal suit filed by Matthew Mitchell contends he went to the Starbucks on the Avenue and requested a cup of coffee. He was served the cup with a lid on it, and assuming it was the coffee drink he ordered, took a sip. The fluid turned out to be a solution used to clean the equipment, Urnex, according to the complaint. The substance immediately caused a caustic, burning sensation in his mouth, throat and stomach, the legal complaint states. After opening the lid, to his sheer horror, Mitchell saw a blue chemical solution, the lawsuit contends. A store manager told Mitchell a new employee was to blame for the apparent mix-up, the suit states. The store was using an upside down coffee cup on the urn handle to indicate it was being cleaned. The federal complaint states, It is unconscionable that a major company such as Starbucks, with extraordinarily vast resources, did not have a better warning system than an upside-down cardboard cup. The suit notes that inadequate training also appeared to be a factor. Mitchells lawsuit states similar incidents involving cleaning fluid led to lawsuits in 2012 in Utah and 2015 in Idaho. The complaint states Mitchell required medical treatment. He suffered from gastro-intestinal problems and a lingering chalk taste, as well as stress and anxiety from the incident, the suit says. Mitchells lawyer is Joseph Tacopina, a high-profile trial attorney who regularly represents celebrity clients and provides legal commentary in the media. He also has roots in southern Connecticut. Tacopina noted in an email that his client is a co-owner of Richards clothing store on Greenwich Avenue. A dollar amount for damages is not specified in the suit, other than to say it is far in excess of $75,000. It is also seeking payment for medical expenses. Starbucks has not filed a legal response yet to the federal suit. As for the Norwalk incident, the customer claimed she suffered a severe allergic reaction on Oct. 24, 2020. The suit says Sarah Rudolph ordered a chai tea latte with soy milk at the Starbucks shop at 524 Connecticut Ave. in Darinor Plaza. Rudolph claims she told the server she had a nut allergy, but the beverage she received had traces of a nut-based component in it and she experienced an allergic reaction. Rudolphs complaint contends the store failed to segregate the utensils, containers and tools used to make drinks containing nut products from those used to make drinks for customers with nut allergies. It also cites improper training. The lawsuit, filed Feb. 22 in state Superior Court in Bridgeport, is seeking damages above $15,000. An attorney representing Starbucks asked for 45 days to file a formal response, in late May, which was granted by a state judge. rmarchant@greenwichtime.com BRIDGEPORT - A local man, released early from prison for good behavior, has been charged with fatally shooting a former cellmate following a dispute at a Stratford Avenue bar. Tivon Taylor, 40, of Eric Street, was charged with murder, carrying a pistol without a permit and criminal possession of a firearm in the March 18 death of 43-year-old Shelby Frederick. During Taylors arraignment Tuesday afternoon Special Deputy States Attorney Stephen Lojo urged Superior Court Judge Peter McShane to set a high bond for Taylor because of his previous criminal record and the seriousness of the charges. Taylors lawyer, Robert Photos, told the judge that bond is academic at this time because his client is being held for violating his parole. However, he said he would seek to re-argue bond at the next court date. Judge McShane ordered Taylor held in lieu of $1 million bond and continued the case to April 12. Photos declined comment as he left the Golden Hill Street courthouse. In November 2019, Taylor was convicted of possession of narcotics with intent to sell and sentenced to five years in prison. According to court and state Department of Corrections records, he was released from prison three months ago after being granted parole. Shortly after 11:30 p.m. on March 18, police said they received a ShotSpotter alert of two gunshots fired on Stratford Avenue. When officers responded to the scene, police said they found Frederick lying facedown in the roadway with a gunshot wound to the left side of his back. Detective Martin Heanue, in an arrest warrant affidavit, said detectives recovered video from the location. The video showed Frederick leaving Taes Lounge on Stratford Avenue followed by Taylor and a woman, later identified as Taylors wife, the affidavit states. The video shows Taylor approaching Frederick, then two muzzle flashes and the victim falling to the ground, the affidavit states. Taylor then walked away from the scene. The affidavit continues that detectives also viewed video from the bar which shows Taylor and Frederick engaged in a brief dispute before it was broken up. When detectives later confronted Taylor, the affidavit states that Taylor told them he knew Frederick well, they had served time in prison together and Taylor stated he had even attended the vigil for the victim after his death. However, he denied shooting Frederick. But, two days later, when detectives were about to search Taylors apartment, the affidavit states they received a phone call from Taylor telling them they wouldnt find the gun in the apartment. I got rid of it. I got that (expletive) melted down, the affidavit states Taylor told detectives. The affidavit states that Taylor then confessed to shooting Frederick. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate STRATFORD Funding for the redevelopment of the American Shakespeare Festival Theatre property may be coming from the state three years after the historic building burned down. The State Bond Commission will vote on $3 million in requested funding from the town for a rebuild project at its meeting Thursday. The money would be a portion of $19.7 million in grants to local development projects across the state. The town is considering multiple uses for the land at the moment, Mayor Laura Hoydick said.The money would be applied to the chosen plan. We have a pretty good basis from the community, since 2019, of what people want to see there, Hoydick said. They definitely want access to that property and they definitely want some open space for fairs and festivals. The town has conducted community surveys through the Shakespeare Property Subcommittee and a town task force. Of those surveyed online, 57 percent recommended an arts facility or black box theater as the long-term use of the property. There have also been calls to make the space into some sort of public park. Hoydick said that should the town go with a small theater, the $3 million could be enough to build it. A larger project may take more funding. I would love to do something with the arts on the property, since it has such a large history of that, said state Rep. Joe Gresko, D-Stratford. Keep our farmers markets happening there, it happens every other week, all year round. So it could be a destination location for performing arts or for outdoor theater. Currently, the town is hosting a farmers market on the property every first and third Sunday of the month. The next market date is April 3. There is an outside group interested in revitalizing the property, called American Globe Center, which has proposed building a historically accurate version of Shakespeares Globe Theatre as a part of a larger complex, according to its website. Those funds could absolutely benefit our project, said Tom Evans, AGCs executive director. We have substantial fundraising goals, and we cant really aggressively kick off fundraising until we have some sort of letter of agreement that we would have access to the land. Evans said that the total cost of AGCs proposal would be around $90 million. The groups plans include a re-created Globe Theatre, a playhouse, restaurant, amphitheater and a building called the White House. The group has had conversations with potential investors, but has not gotten approval from the town to pursue a build at the property. Evans said the group is eager to work with the town, should the group be given an opportunity. Part of their pitch is estimated economic benefits for the town and surrounding businesses based on similar theaters around North America namely in Ontario, Canada, Oregon, Utah and Virginia. Their total estimated yearly economic impact exceeds $51 million, according to their plans. Hoydick said putting this property out to bid was discussed in the community research phase of this process, but it was not considered one of the more popular options. Gresko said it was a bipartisan effort to get this money forward. State Sen. Kevin Kelly, R-Stratford, reiterated this point, saying he appreciates the bond commission fulfilling our delegations bipartisan request for support to revitalize the theater property. Kelly said he grew up working in the former Shakespeare theater with his mother and aunt, so it was a personal loss when it burned down. When the Shakespeare Theatre burned down, our entire community came together wanting to take action, Kelly said in a statement. This investment is a key step toward action. Hoydick also thanked Gov. Ned Lamonts administration and the towns delegation for their involvement in this process. I'm really thankful to them because many of us look at that property, even without the Shakespeare theater on it, as the arts space for Stratford, Hoydick said. ...When you are on that property, especially when you look at the river, you just realize how beautiful it is. Its really something special. mike.mavredakis@hearstmediact.com By Park Jung-won Does history repeat itself? Witnessing the scenes of war taking place in Ukraine caused by Russia's paranoid leader, Vladimir Putin, the world is asking this question as if haunted by the ghost of Adolf Hitler. Only hours before the invasion, Putin said he wanted peace and had no intention of invading Ukraine, despite having massed tanks near its border. He then gave an emergency speech at 5:50 a.m. on Feb. 24 to announce "special military operations," justifying the invasion as a measure to protect Russians and Russian-speaking residents living in the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine. The stark difference between his words and actions is reminiscent of Hitler's own hypocrisy prior to starting World War II. As Carl von Clausewitz, a 19th-century Prussian military theorist, said, "War is nothing but a continuation of politics with the admixture of other means." The Russian invasion of Ukraine is a historic event that is an attempt by force to alter the status quo in the international order that has been maintained since the end of World War II. Putin's immediate intention was to quickly establish a pro-Russian puppet government by occupying the capital, Kyiv, and overthrow the current Zelenskyy regime. However, as clearly implied by his distorted perception of history in his speech to the Russian parliament in 2005 that the collapse of the Soviet empire was "the greatest geopolitical catastrophe of the century," his real aim was much more grandiose: to restore Russia's status, shrunken since the end of the Cold War, to that of a hegemonic power in the international order that is currently dominated by the United States and China. Putin has already failed drastically in this reckless adventure. European countries that had been relatively neutral have now sided with the U.S. The inhuman pictures of Russian troops targeting and bombing a theater where some 1,000 people, including children and senior citizens, were hiding, attacking pregnant women and children in hospitals, as well as civilians lining up to buy bread, have made Putin a "public enemy" of the international community. This is the reason why many experts say Putin's invasion has been a real gift to President Joe Biden's administration, which had been stumbling to keep allies in lockstep to maintain a "liberal international order." Biden, who had been criticized for his substance-free "America is back" rhetoric, has now easily accomplished his goal of Western solidarity as a result of this Russia-Ukraine War. China's president, Xi Jinping, is perhaps the only person who can stop Putin's madness. China is now in a tight spot, putting its position to a real international test. With this war, China has become alienated from the rest of the world that is furious about Russia's barbaric acts against innocent civilians in Ukraine. The only benefit that China might receive is that the U.S. has for the time being lost some of its focus on Asia. However, there are more ominous signs for China's future. If China continues to maintain strong economic ties to Russia, its own economic interests will suffer as Western economic sanctions continue. Xi will be constantly stuck with a headache caused by its choice to align itself with an international pariah. Of much greater worry to China, however, are the horrifying implications of the "deterrent effects" of the economic sanctions imposed on Russia by the U.S. and much of the rest of the world with regard to its own ambitions. The scale, comprehensiveness and substantial effects of sanctions, even if they also cause pain to those that employ them, have made China panic. China now knows that it would likely face a similar blowback if it invades Taiwan in the future. The biggest reason why Russia has failed in its initial military strategic aims in this war is its underestimation of Ukraine's ability to hold together and defend itself. Russia's poor preparation in terms of military strategy and tactics has also become evident. Its front-line units have reached a point where they cannot conduct operations due to basic logistical supply problems such as food and fuel, leaving many Western security experts stunned. Yet, considering the Russian political system, this was an inevitable result. As the former U.S. national security adviser, Zbigniew Brzezinski, once said, Russia could choose to be a democracy or an empire, but not both. Russia currently finds itself with an anachronistic leader trapped in notions of chauvinistic nationalism and romantic militarism who is surrounded by a few greedy oligarchs who are unwilling to push back against his misguided policies. The failure to establish in post-Cold War Russia a democratic system that could constrain such an unbalanced leader has made this reality unavoidable. As Russia continues to have difficulty taking over Ukraine by means of conventional warfare, it is feared Putin might eventually decide to use tactical nuclear weapons to gain a military advantage. If that were to happen, an escalation of the conflict beyond Ukraine leading to World War III would become a terrible prospect. Nevertheless, the most important question to ask amid this tragic situation should be what the Ukrainian people genuinely want. Their humble dream is to live in a liberal democracy and market economy without suffering constant Russian security threats. The world has been inspired by the Ukrainian people's stiff resistance. Ukraine is now teaching a valuable lesson that war can never be won with military force alone. The existence of a courageous leader and patriotic citizens are the greatest driving force to win the war. For the South Korean people, who have been living next to bellicose, revisionist countries, this war is not merely a story of "others." Park Jung-won (park_jungwon@hotmail.com), Ph.D. in law from the London School of Economics (LSE), is a professor of international law at Dankook University. It's regretful SsangYong Motor had to waste five more months Edison Motors' attempted acquisition of SsangYong Motor has ended in failure. In a regulatory filing Monday, SsangYong said it terminated the acquisition contract after a consortium led by Edison Motors had failed to deposit a payment by the March 25 deadline. SsangYong once raised expectations of a new start after its acquisition by a Korean company, but now faces a rough road ahead. Last October, the Seoul Bankruptcy Court designated the Edison consortium as the preferred bidder. Still, it ended up wasting five more months, as the consortium failed to pay the price of 304.9 billion won ($274.3 million). SsangYong Motor once led the domestic SUV market with its jeep model, Korando. However, the company was pushed out of the race as its owners continued to change and it was driven to the edge of a precipice, unable to join the rapidly changing trends of the automobile market since the 2000s. If the company fails to find another owner by the October court receivership deadline, it will enter a liquidation procedure. Up to 200,000 people related to the troubled carmaker, including its suppliers, let alone 5,000 SsangYong executives and employees, will end up out on the streets. To prevent its collapse, Ssangyong needs to find a new owner. Fortunately, there are signs that the current circumstances are better than last year's. SsangYong's electric vehicle model J100, the development of which was once uncertain, is scheduled to be unveild in late June. The company plans to release another EV model, U100, in the latter half of next year in collaboration with China's BYD, speeding up its conversion to eco-friendly vehicles. SsangYong Motor's sale can be a burden for the incoming Yoon Suk-yeol administration, which will take office in May. However, at stake is a 60-year-old carmaker and the livelihoods of 200,000 workers. The state-run Korea Development Bank, the main creditor of SsangYong, can hardly inject any more funds. SsangYong's union and management have done what they could to keep their company afloat. However, all stakeholders should tighten their shoelaces once again. Otherwise, they will be unable to justify it if the company has to reach out to creditors or the government later. The pivot to college life, both socially and academically, can be uncomfortable and abrupt with a packed schedule, new environments to acclimate to and, for some, a new city to call home. To help ease the transition for those who live on campus at UO, particularly first-year students who are required to do so, UO has created a wide array of housing communities. Residential Communities (RC), student housing cohorts put together based on shared interests, values or identities, offer a variety of events and activities. Academic Residential Communities, while similar, also require these student cohorts to participate in seminars and classes together. It just makes the first year of college easier, Jessica Winders, UOs assistant director for academic residential and research initiatives, said. It helps you get a roadmap in place, and your questions can be answered as they come up. If youre coming to UO with a lot of uncertainty, not at all sure about what its going to be like on campus, these communities are a really safe and awesome way to help that transition. Led by UO students and faculty, these communities also bolster student well-being via cohort events, study groups, faculty mentorship and opportunities to participate in events like the Undergraduate Research Symposium that may typically be out of reach for first-year students, according to Winders. Five of UOs housing communities are identity-based, which can present a unique sense of community and safety for students belonging to the respective groups. These communities provide a unique sense of identity-based community and safety that work to build interpersonal connections and resources for their students a goal that has been maintained throughout the pandemic. Finding solidarity in identity Four of these identity-based housing communities are ARCs Latinx Scholars, LGBTQIA+ Scholars, Native American & Indigenous Studies and Umoja Black Scholars while one, the Gender Expansive Residential Community, is an RC. These communities can help provide students with resources and connections in support of their identities that they might not have otherwise found so early on in their college careers. For Emma Howard, a UO student and the programmatic support assistant for the Gender Expansive Residential Community, identity-based ARCs and RCs often function as critical safe spaces for marginalized groups. For trans and non-binary folks in my community, theres a lot of harmful and destabilizing legislation and rhetoric being pushed out across the country right now, Howard said. Its important to have a space where they feel safe, and there are a lot of cool ways that our community is being made safer for those kids, like making all the bathrooms in the RC gender-neutral. While most housing communities have a common area and various characteristics in common, each has its own unique structure, priorities and events. According to Winders, the teams in charge of these programs are often composed of stakeholders that can contribute to the ARCs and RCs ongoing success and help meet the goals and needs of their students. For identity-based communities, these stakeholders often reflect the demographic that the community represents, enabling them to more effectively advocate for students needs. Audrey Lucero, a UO associate professor of education and the director of UOs Latinx Studies program, is a stakeholder in the Latinx ARC. As one of the ARCs faculty directors, one of her top priorities is to connect students with Latinx groups and faculty that can help them through the rest of their college experience. Were trying to build community early in their career so they can grow and blossom, Lucero said. That can mean connecting them with faculty/staff who also identify as Latinx, to see that we are there to support them and as a resource that can also mean helping them get connected to other students and groups on campus like MEChA, Mujeres and anywhere where they particularly feel they can find community. Many students with a wide range of lived experiences join ARCs and RCs looking to meet others with similar backgrounds. Lucero said students coming from more diverse areas like Woodburn, Oregon might be shocked by UOs less diverse population, while others from predominantly White high schools or certain rural areas might have never had the opportunity to find community in that way. So many of the applications we get are people coming from small towns, rural towns, conservative areas or families where theyre not necessarily comfortable being themselves, Jason Anajovich, the student coordinator for the LGBTQIA+ Scholars ARC, said. Knowing that every person around you to some degree understands you, and can empathize with what youve gone through, is such a different experience for so many people. Applying for housing communities Students can apply for ARCs and RCs when filling out their housing registration forms. Each housing community asks students to answer two questions specific to the community, which are then reviewed by the individual teams that lead the ARC or RC, according to Lucero and Winders. With a limited number of slots available, particularly for ARCs which also have limited classroom space for required courses, not everyone who applies is guaranteed admission. Were looking for genuine answers, and trying to find those students who are going to really benefit from being in the community, and really invest their time into creating that cohort and getting the academic components out of the community, Winders said. Were working on making space for more students some ARCs have more applications than there are slots to live on campus, or participate in the classroom, while others have a lot of room and were trying to get the word around. While identity-based communities are not necessarily exclusive to students belonging to said identity, applicants should not enter them in an extractive mindset hoping to be educated by their residents or get something novel out of the experience, Howard said. We absolutely allow folks who are not trans or gender non-conforming if they can show their dedication to the well-being of the community, Howard said. Its maybe not a space for folks who simply want to learn more about gender expansive folks, or for cis folks to come in and try and be better allies we dont want to put that burden on our community. Likewise, applicants should be mindful of the purpose and goals of the ARC they choose to apply for, Lucero said. There are certainly people in the ARC even now who do not identify as Latinx, Lucero said. But it is not designed as a platform for us to educate others about the experience of being Latinx at the University of Oregon. Learning to connect remotely Although housing communities have continued their services throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, the realities of virtual events and the pandemics impacts on student mental health have posed difficulties for students and faculty. Shifting guidelines around mask mandates and public health measures have forced ARCs and RCs to make difficult decisions. Programming has been a bit of a rollercoaster this year, so the majority of the events Ive planned have been virtual, Anajovich said. That in turn has influenced student engagement because at this point who really wants to go to another virtual event? In spite of pandemic-related concerns, students have often found comfort in participating in their housing communities, virtually or not. Weve heard from students that it meant a lot to have a community that they belonged to during the pandemic, especially during periods where they couldnt be on campus or be in-person for most activities, Winders said. Looking to the future Housing communities are hoping to use the continued shift toward in-person activities to offer a broader array of activities and events for its students to participate in. For next term, were hoping to transition to more outdoor-based activities; the weather might be nicer, COVID might be less of a concern and so on, but were keeping our fingers crossed, Anajovich said. The pandemic has also prevented housing communities from engaging with other groups and organizations on campus to the same extent as before. The transition away from virtual events could open up new opportunities for cross-campus cooperation for ARCs and RCs. I think a lot more partnership and collaboration is something that Im looking forward to for next year, Lucero said. For instance, [before COVID-19] we tended to partner with the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art to provide a hands-on artistic engagement opportunity for students, but we havent been able to do things like that the past two years Id also like to see collaborations with other ARCs, and opportunities to engage with others outside of the ARC as a whole. In spite of ongoing pandemic uncertainty, Howard still believes that identity-based housing communities are a net positive for incoming students. Its an amazing opportunity to live surrounded by people who are similar to you, who might be able to help you navigate your unique identities and experiences because theyve gone through something similar themselves, Howard said. Its also a great opportunity to make close and meaningful friends at UO after two years where that has been significantly harder. Students can begin applying to housing communities once admitted to the university as part of their housing registration in the spring. While they may be interested in several ARCs and RCs, they are only permitted to apply to one at a time. Interested students can visit the UO Housing website for more information. Editor's note: This story was updated 4/13/22 to correct the spelling of Toya Fick's name and to include the fact that Ross Kari is an eligible candidate to replace Chuck Lillis. University of Oregon board of trustees chair Chuck Lillis is nearing the end of his service on the board, and the board has yet to determine who will fill the role. In April 2021, there was major turnover on the board as seven trustees were replaced. Because of this turnover, Oregon Gov. Kate Brown asked Lillis to remain in his position to be a guiding force during a transition period, according to Around the O. Trustees are generally allowed to serve up to two consecutive four-year terms, according to the boards website. Campus-based positions like the student and faculty trustees have two-year terms. Lillis will enter a third term though it is expected to be a brief one. According to a UO announcement, Lillis plans to step down in June. The chair is the leader of the board and facilitates meetings. According to UO policy, the chair has the authority to request reports and recommendations from UO committees and advisory groups, to authorize the institution of some legal actions and to execute and grant academic degrees and other recognitions. It remains unclear when the next board chair will be selected. UO spokesperson Saul Hubbard said the trustees normally select a new board chair and vice chair every three years. It is also possible that Lillis could leave the board before a new chair is selected, Hubbard said. In the event of a vacancy of the Board Chair position, the Vice Chair temporarily assumes responsibilities of the Chair and calls a meeting, as soon as practicable, so the trustees can select a new Chair, Hubbard said. The current vice chair is Ginevra Ralph, a member of the 2013 inaugural board. Her term will end at the conclusion of the 2022-23 academic year. Student trustee Julia Lo, faculty trustee Ed Madison, non-faculty staff trustee Jimmy Murray and UO President Michael Schill are also not candidates. That leaves Ralph, Marcia Aaron, Tim Boyle, Renee Evans Jackman, Toya Fick, Steve Holwerda, Elisa M. deCastro Hornecker, Connie Seeley and Dennis Worden and Ross Kari as the only eligible candidates among current board members. The incoming board members that will replace the ones leaving may also be appointed, but it is possible that an appointment could occur before new trustees are inducted. The board may also conduct an external search. Aaron is the founder of KIPP Public Schools, a group of charter schools in southern California. Boyle is the CEO of Columbia Sportswear. Jackman is a grants management officer at the DC Department of Behavioral Health. Fick is a former advisor of former Senator Hillary Clinton and specializes in education policy. Holwerda is the owner and managing director for Ferguson Wellman Capital Management. Hornecker has worked as an investment manager at the Bank of California. Seeley is a chief administrative officer, executive vice president and chief of staff at Oregon Health & Science University. Worden is a former staffer for Congressman David Wu and is a member of the Coeur dAlene tribe. Kari is the former CFO of Wells Fargo and has a masters degree in business from UO. Information about each of these board members can be found on the boards website. Moon and Yoon should ensure smooth transition President Moon Jae-in and his successor Yoon Suk-yeol have managed to narrow their differences over major issues related to the transition of power. During their dinner meeting Monday, Moon promised to cooperate with President-elect Yoon's plan to relocate the presidential office from Cheong Wa Dae to the Ministry of National Defense compound in Yonsgsan, central Seoul. Moon also recognized the need for an extra budget aimed at compensating small business owners and self-employed people for their losses arising from COVID-19 restrictions. More importantly, he and Yoon agreed on the need to work together for a smooth presidential transition. The meeting came 19 days after Yoon won the March 9 presidential election. No other past Korean leaders took so long to meet their successors following a presidential poll. The gathering between Moon and Yoon had been scheduled for March 16. But it was postponed due to wide differences over contentious issues between the two sides. It is fortunate that the outgoing and incoming leaders of our county have met face to face and defused tensions between the ruling and opposition camps. In fact, many people have been disappointed about a head-on clash between Moon and Yoon over sensitive issues such as the presidential office relocation plan and the president's appointments of his loyalists to key posts at state enterprises and public institutions. The confrontation reached its peak last week when Moon nominated Rhee Chang-yong, director of the International Monetary Fund's Asia and Pacific department, as the governor of the Bank of Korea. Yoon's transition committee strongly protested the nomination, criticizing that the presidential office had not consulted with the panel over who will lead the central bank. However, Moon made it clear that he would exercise his appointment rights until his term ends May 9. Now, Moon and Yoon appear to have become amicable with each other. But it is still unclear whether they have buried the hatchet once and for all. Rather they seem to have only fixed the situation temporarily. This means that the two sides could go back to a conflict mode anytime because they have only agreed to leave thorny issues to working level discussions. During the meeting, Moon said that his government will carefully look into and cooperate for the budget needed for the relocation of the presidential office. He also said that the task of moving the office to a new site is fully up to the incoming government. We hope that Moon will hold a Cabinet meeting and approve the use of a reserve budget to facilitate the relocation. It is also necessary for the Moon administration and the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) to cooperate with the transition committee and the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) to pass a supplement budget bill worth 50 trillion won ($40.83 billion). In addition, the two sides must discuss Yoon's proposal to grant a special pardon to former President Lee Myung-bak who is serving time in jail for corruption. They should also ensure there is no security vacuum following North Korea's test-firing of an ICBM last week. More than anything else, President Moon and President-elect Yoon should work more closely to promoting national unity and "cooperative" politics. They should go beyond narrow-minded partisanship and political enmity. Earlier this month, I found myself being truly infuriated by the online musings of a former prime minister of Finland. Normally the wisdom of Alexander Stubb a self-professed sports nut who boasts about his time completing Ironman races on his Twitter profile passes me by. But his bizarre outburst was genuinely shocking, and all-too revealing. Responding to a newspaper article about Boris Johnson, Stubb wrote the following rather unlettered tweet: This idea about Global Britain is as true as Peaceful Russia. Simply utter rubbish, to put it diplomatically. To claim that Boris Johnson has taken a lead globally in standing up to Putin is an illusion only possible in Brexit la la land. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has spoken favourably about the UK and Prime Minister Boris Johnson, saying Britain is definitely on our side' while hinting other countries are trying to perform a balancing act by staying more neutral After praising Britain, Zelensky (pictured addressing the House of Commons) criticised France and French president Emmanuel Macron for being scared of Russia Afraid Well, now he and many like him are eating their words. In an interview over the weekend, Ukraines president Volodymyr Zelensky was unequivocal when he was asked which countries had offered the strongest support to his nation as it fought for its survival. [Boris] Johnson is a leader who is helping more, said Zelensky. He continued: Britain is definitely on our side. It is not performing a balancing act. Britain sees no alternative for the way out of the situation. Britain wants Ukraine to win and Russia to lose. Zelensky was also clearly referring to Britain when he added that some countries recognise Nazism in Russia. A ringing endorsement, then. But what of our European neighbours? Have they, too, taken a lead globally in standing up to the Russian dictator? Not according to Zelensky. In the same interview with the Economist magazine, he singled out Frances Emmanuel Macron for stinging criticism, following Pariss lamentable failure to offer the Ukrainian defenders anything like the same support that Britain has. They [France] are afraid of Russia, said Zelensky. And thats it. French president Macron has been trying to position himself as a negotiator between Russia and Ukraine, but Zelensky is far from convinced And Zelensky is far from a lone voice: the Ukrainian ambassador to Britain revealed recently that his countrys troops have often shouted God save the Queen as they fire the state-of-the-art anti-tank missiles that we have been supplying them throughout the conflict. Sadly, the views of the ex-Finnish PM Stubb shared, of course, by many EU panjandrums are all too common. This sort of patronising, holier-than-thou, anti-British sentiment has become as depressing as it is familiar. But how woefully misplaced it now seems! Even the British governments most fanatical critics grudgingly admit that it has led from the front on Ukraine. If Boris Johnson takes heart from Zelenskys tribute to this country, the preening, posturing President Macron should feel the sharp rebuke all the more keenly. Since Brexit, the French leader has endlessly nurtured anti-British sentiment, painting this country as the pariah of Europe to the extent of pouring scorn on British-made Covid vaccines, jeopardising the lives of his own people. Yet now Zelensky, the leader of an embattled democracy, has singled out Britain a renegade country whose people dared to vote to leave the bloated European superstate as his most stolid supporter. It is Britain, too, that has forcefully spearheaded global efforts to end Putins hideous war leading the way on sanctions, weaponry, intelligence-gathering and more. A Ukrainian Territorial Defence Forces member holds an NLAW anti-tank weapon, thousands of which were donated by the UK And it is no exaggeration to say that without Americas Javelin missiles and Britains Light Anti-Tank Weapons Systems, Ukraine would likely have fallen to its aggressors by now. What a blow it all is for Macron, who has been desperate to present himself as a colossus of the world stage especially with elections next month but who has proved hopelessly wrong-footed at almost every turn. After all, it was the French President who in early February sallied into the Kremlin to conduct a five-hour meeting with the Russian despot at either end of a ludicrously long table. Macron then briefed the Press about the assurances Putin had offered him even as 100,000 Russians troops had by then massed on Ukraines border. He told me that he would not initiate an escalation, and I think this is important, Macron reported of his talks with the Kremlin gangster. The parallels with Neville Chamberlain, returning from the Munich Conference in 1938, were agonisingly clear. Putin launched his bloody invasion barely two weeks after his meeting with the French premier. Ridicule Macron, wearing jeans, stubble and paratrooper hoody - dubbed 'The Zelensky effect' Unembarrassed, Macron who usually favours expensive tailored suits soon had himself photographed in the Elysee Palace to universal ridicule while sporting stubble, jeans and a hooded top bearing the logo of an elite French parachute regiment. Critics said he was trying to ape the Ukrainian leader, who swapped sober suits for military-green T-shirts when the war began. What a contrast Boris has been. When, late last year, Putin began assembling his forces on the Ukrainian border, Boris made his fears about a Russian attack explicit, declaring to the Commons in January that the Russian had made an obvious threat to invade. Yes, Boris has made plenty of mistakes as a politician and, perhaps, as a human being. But he is also an obsessive follower of Winston Churchill, who recognised in the 1930s the danger Hitler posed, even as many in Britain refused to. I am not, of course, suggesting that Boris is Churchills equal. But I do recognise his ability shared with his idol to see a tyrant for what he is, or to use Zelenskys words, to recognise Nazism. The British Prime Minister has not been acting alone. Britains security services perhaps scarred by intelligence failings over the Iraq War some 20 years ago have also done superb work in exposing the danger Putin represented. Destroyed My contacts in Ukraines government have told me how deeply their relationship with British intelligence has strengthened in recent years. The Salisbury poisonings, in which former Russian military officer Sergei Skripal and his daughter were attacked with the nerve agent Novichok on British soil, acted as a wake-up call four years ago. Putins murderous tendencies have only worsened since then. Having destroyed swathes of Ukraine, now his forces are said to be seizing and deporting Ukrainians to filtration camps deep inside Russia: gulags by another name. This is no less than 21st-century Stalinism, and a monstrous disregard for international law. Given all this and with reports of more atrocities surely set to emerge I have no doubt how history will judge this conflict and the Western politicians who were around at the time. Who could now dispute that Macron the appeaser will be seen for the gullible minnow he was while Boriss stature has soared? n David Patrikarakos is the author of War In 140 Characters: How Social Media Is Reshaping Conflict In The 21st Century. Advertisement A Missouri couple are reenacting what life was like in the U.S. in the 1800s while wearing period clothing and making centuries-old recipes on the hearth of a brick fireplace. Justine Dorn, 28, and Ron Rayfield, 33, have 200,000 subscribers to their educational YouTube channel, Early American, where they show how people cooked, dressed, and spent their days in the 18th and 19th centuries. In her first video from October 2020, she demonstrated how to make funeral cookies at the Benjamin Stephenson House, a Federal-style home built in 1820 in Edwardsville, Illinois. Scroll down for video Missouri couple Justine Dorn, 28, and Ron Rayfield, 33, have 200,000 subscribers to their YouTube channel, Early American They show how people cooked, dressed, and spent their days in the 18th and 19th centuries in their series of videos In their first clip, Justine demonstrated how to make funeral cookies at the Benjamin Stephenson House, a Federal-style home built in 1820 in Illinois 'Funeral cookies, also known as funeral biscuits, were handed out at wakes to friends and family of the dead,' she explained in the caption. Justine, who followed directions from 'The New Whole Art of Confectionary by W.S. Staveley,' added a link to the full recipe on her blog, Early American Cooking. She wore a blue and white striped dress and an apron from the period while baking the cookies on the hearth of the fireplace at the historical house, just like a Midwestern woman would have done in the 19th century. In another video from February of this year, Justine made a 'working-class supper' that was common in America in 1820: Indian meal pudding (an early version of cornbread) with sides of sausage, red cabbage, and broiled potatoes. Justine, who followed directions from 'The New Whole Art of Confectionary by W.S. Staveley,' added a link to the full recipe on her blog, Early American Cooking Justine baked the cookies on the hearth of the fireplace at the historical house 'Funeral cookies, also known as funeral biscuits, were handed out at wakes to friends and family of the dead,' she explained in the caption Ron was cutting kindling outside in the snow when Justine returned from 'town' carrying a rucksack of groceries at the start of the clip. She then got hard to work, once again cooking everything in the fireplace. Justine explained in the caption that the meal is made of 'economical yet hearty food to get one through labor through the worst of Missouri's winters.' The couple has also made giant gingerbread cookies out of 19th-century molds, homemade coffee, and a boozy dessert that called for a pint of wine poured over barley and sweetened with sugar, currants, and cinnamon. Other videos touch upon day-to-day life in America in the 1800s, including what women wore and how they did their makeup. In another video from February of this year, Justine made a 'working-class supper' that was common in America in 1820 Indian meal pudding (an early version of cornbread) was served with sides of sausage, red cabbage, and broiled potatoes ustine explained in the caption that the meal is made of 'economical yet hearty food to get one through labor through the worst of Missouri's winters' Justine filmed herself getting dressed in a typical outfit worn by women in the 1820s in a video from December, staring with her white cotton under-dress. She then put on stockings that were tied with blue ribbon, explaining in the caption that at this time they were 'more fashionable in white or pink.' The YouTuber explained that stays, which were similar to a corset, were common at this time and 'worked as a bra.' She noted that 'even working women' wore them. After lacing up her stays, she tied a simple petticoat around her waist to push up the back of her dress. While pockets were still worn at this time, she said they were 'no longer required' because reticules small women's handbags became more popular. Justine filmed herself getting dressed in a typical outfit worn by women in the 1820s in a video from December, staring with her white cotton under-dress and stockings The YouTuber explained that stays, which were similar to a corset, were common at this time and 'worked as a bra.' She noted that 'even working women' wore them After lacing up her stays, she tied a simple petticoat around her waist. Finally, she put on her dress and flat black shoes Finally, Justine put on her dress and shoes, which were a pair of basic black Mary Jane flats. She pointed out that shoes at this time were 'almost always flats' and 'large buckles were no longer in fashion.' In another video, she applied makeup to show what a typical 19th-century beauty routine was like. 'Healthy skin was prioritized over makeup in this era,' she explained in the captions. 'The natural look following hundreds of years of cakey powder, black patches, and red cheeks was now in vogue.' Justine first prepared her skin with rose-scented cold cream and then added a touch of liquid rouge to her cheeks and lips to stain them. In another video, she applied makeup to show what a typical 19th-century beauty routine was like. She used cold cream to prep her face and then applied liquid rouge and powder The couple has also made everything from homemade coffee to giant gingerbread cookies using centuries-old recipes Justine used 19th-century molds to make the large gingerbread cookies around the holidays She checked no one was looking when she pulled out her pot of 'expensive' ground-up pearl powder and dabbed her nose with it. 'Powder during this era was most frowned upon as it was associated with the morally bankrupt,' she noted. Justine filled in her brows with a clove that she burned over a candle flame to turn it into a makeshift pencil. She also added perfume, saying floral and herbal scents were popular during this time. In addition to her videos and blog, the history buff also shares plenty of photos of herself and her partner dressed up in historical garb on her Instagram page. Justine has also tried out a recipe for a boozy dessert that called for a pint of wine poured over barley and sweetened with sugar, currants, and cinnamon Justine revealed in February that they had purchased a 200-year-old bed with a straw mattress to add to their collection of historical objects 'Ok I have got to say that I am REALLY surprised at how comfortable this mattress is,' she wrote on Instagram. 'It's firm and wasn't too lumpy' Fans have been curious as to whether Justine and Ron live like it's 1820 full time, but they do wear contemporary clothing and appear to live in a modern home Justine revealed in February that they had purchased a 200-year-old bed with a straw mattress to add to their collection of historical objects. She shared pictures of herself sprawled on the bed, writing: ''We spent the day stringing up our new antique rope bed [ha ha "new antique"] and stuffing our new mattress with straw.' 'Ok I have got to say that I am REALLY surprised at how comfortable this mattress is,' she added. 'It's firm and wasn't too lumpy. The straw also gave the room a nice smell if that's your thing.' She later posted a video of Ron putting the bed together on their YouTube channel. Fans have been curious as to whether Justine and Ron live like it's 1820 full time, but they do wear contemporary clothing and appear to live in a modern home when they aren't filming. An iconic American whiskey has launched nationwide after winning gold at the prestigious San Francisco Spirits Competition. Westward Whiskey Cask Strength has arrived on shelves just in time for cosy autumn and winter nights by the fire and is known for its 'black pepper and toasted almond' flavours. Westward Whiskies are made in Oregon and comes in American Single Malt, American Single Malt Stout Cask and American Single Malt Pinot Noir Cask. An iconic American whiskey brand has just launched nationwide after winning gold at the prestigious San Francisco Spirits Competition Westward Whiskey Cask Strength reflects the skill of the brewers who create the famous 'liquid gold' however each will set you back $199. 'We're thrilled to be expanding our flagship portfolio of whiskeys as we continually reimagine what single malts can be' said Thomas Mooney, Founder and CEO, Westward Whiskey. 'We first introduced Cask Strength at the demand of our local Oregon fans, and since then there has been huge interest from whiskey lovers both locally and globally,' he said. 'We first introduced Cask Strength at the demand of our local Oregon fans, and since then there has been huge interest from whiskey lovers both locally and globally,' he said The Whiskey reflects hints of toasted almond, graham cracker, and black pepper aromas. The flavours include sesame, tobacco leaf and cacao, with a honeyed, deep fiery malt finish. Westward Whiskey Cask Strength is available from Cambridge Cellars and Boozebud around Australia for $199. Advertisement Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie today supported each other at a Service of Thanksgiving in memory of their grandfather Prince Philip today. The sisters were joined by their husbands as they arrived at Westminster Abbey for the tribute to the Duke of Edinburgh, who was age 99 when he died last April. Princess Eugenie, 32, who was comforted by husband Jack Brooksbank, 35, cut a stylish figure in a floral midi dress by British fashion designer Erdem worth 1,695. She teamed the look with a cropped black jacket and matching headband that swept her hair off her face. Princess Beatrice, 33, stepped out in a burgundy dress with coordinating heels and a black coat, alongside her polished husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, 38. Princess Beatrice, 33, walked close by husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, 38, as they left the the Service of Thanksgiving in memory of Prince Philip alongside Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank Princess Eugenie,32, and husband Jack Brooksbank , 35, had arrived at the Service of Thanksgiving in memory of Prince Philip alongside Princess Beatrice, 33, and husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, 38 Princess Beatrice looked stylish in a burgundy dress and coordinating heels, alongside her dapper husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, 38, as they entered Westminster Abbey Princess Beatrice teamed Nonoo Lyons 'Beatrice' coat with a dress from The Kooples, Gianvito Rossi 'Lorraine' pumps and a 'Mildred' hat from Justine-Bradley-Hill Millinery Princess Eugenie cut a stylish figure in a floral midi dress by British fashion designer Erdem worth 1,695 as she followed behind her sister Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie spoke outside the gates before entering the memorial service Princess Beatrice was in floods of tears as the event began, reaching into her handbag for a tissue and at one stage covering her face with a service sheet to hide her tears The mother-of-one became visibly emotional as she stood alongside her cousin Prince William for the song service Princess Eugenie looked sombre as she joined the congregation in singing as part of the tribute to her grandfather The mother-of-one appeared to be wearing minimal makeup but wore her hair in loose curls for understated glamour. She appeared visibly emotional as she stood beside Prince William during the service and was seen covering her face with the order of service booklet. In floods of tears, Beatrice reached into her handbag for a tissue. Meanwhile, Eugenie stood on the other side of their cousin with a sombre expression as she attempted to join the congregation with singing. They sat behind the Queen, Prince Charles, Duchess of Cornwall and Prince Anne at the service that was packed with European royals among attendees. After a poignant service limited to 40 minutes where the Queen sat in one of the Canada chairs with an additional cushion, she was driven the 22-miles back to Windsor Castle with the Duke of York beside her after her first major public engagement for approaching six months. The 51 European royals who attended the Service of Thanksgiving went to a number of receptions held in London afterwards, including one held at Kensington Palace, home to a number of British royals including the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester. Prince Charles hosted a charity reception at St James' Palace before attending a dinner at Windsor Castle tonight to mark the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra's 75th anniversary. It is highly likely he will drop in to see his mother beforehand. Princess Beatrice opted for unstated glamour with her hair styled in loose curls and a pink lipstick to compliment her subtle makeup Princess Eugenie appeared visibly emotional while entering the service of thanksgiving at Westminster alongside her sister Princess Beatrice and husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi arrived to the packed service that had European royals among attendees Prince Philip, who was seen as the patriarch of the family, showed support for his granddaughters by attending both of their weddings. Despite having officially retired in August 2017, he made a rare public appearance at Beatrice's wedding to Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi in 2020. Eugenie was gifted artwork of flowers that Prince Philip had spent time painting when she married Jack Brooksbank two years earlier. The couple showed their gratitude to him when they welcomed their son in February 2021 at London's Portland Hospital. Princess Beatrice smiled while entering the memorial supported by her sister and husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi appeared to be comforting wife Beatrice before they entered Westminster Abbey Princess Beatrice beamed as she spoke to Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi on their way into the service Princess Eugenie looked emotional as she left the service of Thanksgiving for the life of Prince Philip at Westminster Abbey Princess Beatrice looked relaxed as she put her hands in her pocket while walking next to Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi Princess Beatrice and Eugenie spoke fondly about Prince Philip in an ITV documentary, revealing they feel 'very lucky' to have many memories with him Princess Beatrice remained teary as she greeted others who attended the Service of Thanksgiving for the life of Prince Philip at Westminster Abbey The sisters looked sombre as they stepped out of the Service of Thanksgiving alongside their husbands Princess Eugenie put on a bold smile as she met with others who attended the service in tribute to Prince Philip Princess Beatrice wore subtle makeup with a pink lipstick and light blusher, while bringing attention to her eyes with a black eyeliner Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi looked visibly moved by the Service of Thanksgiving for the life of Prince Philip Princess Eugenie joined Princess Anne as they left the Service of Thanksgiving for the Duke of Edinburgh Eugenie explained that the name August Philip Hawke Brooksbank was chosen as a tribute to Queen Victoria's Husband Prince Albert, whose birth name was Franz Albert August Karl Emanuel, as well as Prince Philip, who at the time was in hospital. Over the years Prince Philip has been a mentor for the younger royals, with Princess Eugenie describing him as 'the rock' of the family in the 2016 ITV documentary Our Queen at Ninety. Beatrice added that she felt 'very lucky' to have created many memories with her grandfather. In a virtual event shortly before his death, she revealed his influence on her life, saying: 'One of the things that I've always been inspired by is keeping your curiosity and don't be afraid to un-think and un-learn. Prince Philip appeared in good spirits alongside the Queen when they attended Prince Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank's wedding in 2018 (pictured) 'But also don't feel like you have to have all the answers yourself, one of the things that has always helped me, and this actually is inspired by my grandfather, whose turning 100 this year, but you kind of become obsessed with solving the problem, don't become obsessed with the solution. 'Because your route to actually finding a way to get through that problem will be different and the path will be different, and it might twist and turn. 'So don't be disheartened if your first path is not the one you think you have to stick to. Keep focusing on what you're trying to achieve and you'll get there.' Unfortunately Prince Philip didn't have the opportunity to meet Beatrice's daughter Sienna Elizabeth Mapelli Mozzi, who was born in September 2021. Sienna is the Queen's 12th great-grandchild and currently 11th in line to the throne, followed by Princess Eugenie. Princess Eugenie and Princess Beatrice have often been spotted alongside their grandfather at family gatherings. Pictured: Philip with his granddaughters at Epsom Racecourse Beatrice and Eugenie have been all smiles in photos taken alongside Prince Philip throughout the years -including Trooping The Colour and the Queen's Diamond Jubilee celebrations. The daughters of Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson were among the 30 people invited to Prince Philip's funeral at St George's Chapel in the grounds of Windsor Castle. Originally there was going to be 800 mourners from across the Duke of Edinburgh's military units, charities and associates from across the Commonwealth but the amount had to be cut due to the coronavirus restrictions in place across England. Beatrice and Eugenie traveled by car to St George's Chapel, accompanied by their husbands, while their father Prince Andrew joined the procession of senior royals walking behind the Duke of Edinburgh's coffin. Beatrice and Eugenie were joined by their husbands at Prince Philip's funeral at St George's Chapel, Windsor in April 2021 Beatrice donned a long collared jacket and a round hat embellished with a large black bow. Meanwhile, younger sister Eugenie stepped out with her brunette tresses in a natural wave across her shoulders and donned a 5,690 Franz Knotted Trench coat, by Gabriela Hearst. She and husband Jack stood nearby Princess Beatrice and her husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi inside the chapel, alongside their teary cousin Zara Tindall and her husband Mike, with all the pairs following social distancing guidelines. Eugenie took to Instagram to share a tribute to her grandfather ahead of the service. The mother-of-one said that she 'would remember learning how to cook, how to paint, what to read' as well as her grandfather's 'favourite beer' and BBQing ability. Princess Eugenie has used social media to pay multiple tributes to her grandfather since his death. Pictured: Eugenie and Lady Louise Windsor with Prince Philip Eugenie wrote: 'Dearest Grandpa, we all miss you. You would be so touched by all the tributes that have been shared with me the past few days. 'People remember sitting next to you at a dinner, or shaking your hand once, who remember you saying hello in passing, or remember how much their DofE award meant to them. 'I remember learning how to cook, how to paint, what to read. I remember laughing at your jokes and asking about your spectacular life and service in the navy. 'I remember incinerating the sausages and you swooping in to save the day. 'I remember your hands and your laugh and your favourite beer. 'I will remember you in your children, your grandchildren and great grandchildren. Princess Eugenie shared a photo of herself as a child alongside Prince Philip (pictured), promising to look after her grandmother the Queen 'Thank you for your dedication and love for us all and especially Granny, who we will look after for you. ' She signed off: 'With all my love, Eugenie.' The royal shared two images alongside the emotional post, including one alongside sister Princess Beatrice on The Royal Balcony At The Investec Derby Festival At Epsom In Surrey in 2017. She took to social media to mark what would've been his 100th birthday two months later, writing candidly: 'Thinking of Grandpa on what would have been his 100th birthday.' Queen sheds a tear for beloved Philip: Emotional monarch wears green in tribute to late husband at Westminster Abbey memorial attended by Kate, Wills, Charles and Camilla... a year after sitting alone at his funeral at height of the pandemic Queen had symbolically chosen to be accompanied by her son Prince Andrew despite the Epstein scandal Her Majesty arrived via Poets Corner for a shorter walk to her seat. She used a stick and Andrew's elbow Monarch, 95, leant on her son on leaving and travelled back to Windsor Castle with him after poignant service She was determined to travel to London to mark long and productive life of husband of 73-years Prince Philip Today is monarch's first major public engagement away from Windsor Castle in nearly six months Royal aides say monarch has been 'actively involved' in plans for the service at Westminster Abbey Prince Andrew attended with his mother but Duke and Duchess of Sussex were not returning from US The Queen shed a tear for Prince Philip at an extraordinary service in remembrance of his remarkable life of service to Britain and his wife today. Her Majesty stood in Westminster Abbey where she had personally ensured her beloved husband's final wishes were fulfilled after his covid-hit funeral left her sat alone without the rousing hymns and guests he loved so much. The 95-year-old monarch used a stick as she was walked to her seat by her disgraced son the Duke of York to give her 'strength and stay' Philip the final farewell he had wanted. The service was attended by the Royal Family and his relatives, friends and people who benefitted from his charities. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were the only senior royals not there. Despite battling mobility problems, she stood to pray and sing anthems during a 40-minute service that her husband of 73 years had helped plan for before his death last April. But in a controversial decision she chose Prince Andrew to support her as she arrived and left the church, clutching his elbow with one hand and a walking stick with the other. The Queen had stood with tears in her eyes as the 1,800-strong congregation sang Guide Me O Thou Great Redeemer before the bells of Westminster Abbey rang out to mark the end of the memorial service for the Duke of Edinburgh. After she leant on Andrew as she walked back out of the church, the Queen appeared to grimace as she walked to the car hunched over with the Duke of York at her side guiding her towards the Bentley. She appeared to be holding tightly to her stick and appeared to be making a great effort to get to the vehicle, concentrating very hard in taking each step. Once inside the car she appeared to be back to her normal composed self as the car slowly drove away. She waved to onlookers as she arrived and left the service. The Queen and the packed abbey had listened as the Dean of Windsor paid tribute to Philip's intellect, work ethic, sense of humour and devotion to his family. The Right Reverend David Conner described the duke as a 'remarkable man' who was committed to 'a host of down-to-earth enterprises'. He pointed out that the duke could be 'abrupt', and suggested that at times he could forget 'just how intimidating he could be'. Princess Beatrice was seen to give a small chuckle as the Dean remarked: 'He could be somewhat sharp in pricking what he thought to be bubbles of pomposity or sycophancy.' But then appeared to break down in tears, covering her face with the order of service. The Queen, the Duchess of Cornwall and the Princess Royal were all dressed in dark green in a subtle tribute to Philip, whose livery colour was Edinburgh Green. A number of others throughout the congregation also wore the shade, including Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award holder Doyin Sonibare who delivered a special tribute about the effect Philip's youth scheme had on her life. Flowers at today's service are a patriotic red, white and blue, at Her Majesty's request. They included dendrobium orchids, which also featured in the Queen's wedding bouquet, and eryngium - or sea holly - echoing the duke's career in the Royal Navy and lifelong affection for the sea. There were also multiple tributes to his intellect, work ethic, sense of humour and devotion to his family and his country. The Queen stood and shed a tear for her husband today at an extraordinary service in remembrance of his life The Queen closed her eyes in prayer as she joined senior royals to pay tribute to Prince Philip at his memorial at Westminster Abbey. When she opened her eyes they appeared moist Her Majesty stands to sing surrounded by her family with the Duke of York also on the front row.From left to right, front row: Queen Elizabeth II, the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall, the Princess Royal, Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence, the Duke of York, The Earl of Wessex, the Countess of Wessex, Lady Louise Mountbatten-Windsor and Viscount Severn. (Second row left to right) The Duke of Cambridge, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, the Duchess of Cambridge, Peter Phillips, Isla Phillips, Savannah Phillips, Mia Tindall, Zara Tindall and Mike Tindall Princess Beatrice was overwhelmed by the service. Stood behind the Queen she cried and covered her face with the order of service as her grandmother removed her glasses Her Majesty walked with the help of a stick but stood without support sat next to Charles, Camilla, Anne and her husband Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence. Across the aisle was Prince Andrew Prince Andrew travelled with the Queen to Westminster Abbey and appeared to escort her to her seat before taking his own Prince Andrew was sat next to Prince Edward and Sophie Wessex during today's memorial service at Westminster Abbey Queen Elizabeth II is helped into her car by her son Prince Andrew, right, after attending a Service of Thanksgiving for the life of Prince Philip She spoke to her son inside the car and waved to the crowds outside the service in London, which ended this afternoon The Queen as she left Westminster Abbey in her Rolls-Royce today, wearing a regal purple and golden brooch Prince Andrew, Duke of York, who last month agreed to settle his sex assault lawsuit, left the service in a car with his mother the Queen A sombre Prince Charles leaves the church with his wife Camilla, who also looked moved by the celebration of Prince Philip's life Charles was seen wiping his eyes at the service where he could say goodbye to his father after a pared back funeral last year. Prince Andrew looked serious as he waited to leave with his mother Prince William rests a hand on the back of his son Prince George, at the end of the memorial service for Prince Philip The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge left the Abbey with two of their children, Prince George and Princess Charlotte The Cambridges departing the Service of Thanksgiving for the Duke of Edinburgh at Westminster Abbey The Duchess of Cambridge smiled out of the window of her car as she left the Abbey with Prince William after the service The Queen sits alone at Philip's pared-down funeral last April - in stark contrast to today's celebration. It was one of the defining photos of the pandemic, where many Britons were forced to mourn their loved ones in small ceremonies, sometimes alone Queen, Camilla and Anne all wear green for their beloved Prince Philip It was a touching tribute to a much-missed Duke of Edinburgh as the Queen and senior royal women stepped out in Edinburgh Green for Philip's memorial service. All wearing the same shade, the monarch, the Duchess of Cornwall and the Princess Royal sat in the front row of royal seats in Westminster Abbey, united in remembrance of Philip. The duke's official dark green livery colour was known as Edinburgh Green. It was used for his staff liveries - the duke's page at the coronation wore dark green and silver - and private cars. The monarch's brooch was another nod to her late husband of more than 70 years. She chose her yellow gold, ruby and diamond scarab brooch, designed by Andrew Grima, which was a personal gift from Philip in 1966. Camilla wore her Rifles brooch in recognition of the moment when her father-in-law handed over his role as colonel-in-chief of the regiment to her in 2020. Others in the congregation also wore dark green, including Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award holder Doyin Sonibare, who delivered a special tribute about the effect Philip's youth scheme had on her life. The Duchess of Cambridge opted for a high-necked black dress with white polka dots and a textured wide-brimmed black hat. Advertisement Her Majesty had arrived at the side door of the church, allowing her to walk a shorter distance from Poets' Corner to the front where she was surrounded by her children and grandchildren. She stood at various points in the service, despite her own admission recently that she is struggling to move. Westminster Abbey was completely packed today to celebrate the 99-year life of Prince Philip as Her Majesty battled mobility issues and fought off covid to be there to say goodbye to her husband after 73 years of marriage. The event, attended by most of the Duke of Edinburgh's family and many of Europe's most senior royals, is in the starkest of contrasts to his pared back funeral at Windsor last April when Her Majesty said goodbye to her strength and stay after 73 years of marriage. The Queen finally decided to attend today's service in Central London around two hours before but the coverage of the Service of Thanksgiving was dominated by her extraordinary decision to travel with her disgraced son Prince Andrew from Windsor Castle to Central London. Her Majesty was determined to be amongst the 1,800 guests despite the 95-year-old's mobility problems that have prevented her doing a major public engagement away from Windsor Castle in nearly six months. The Tindalls were the first close family to arrive, followed Princess Anne, the Wessexes, Prince Charles and his wife Camilla and then the Cambridges, who were with their children George and Charlotte. The Queen was the last to arrive with Andrew. It was a move that royal watchers believe may have upset her son Prince Charles and grandson Prince William both instrumental in the decision to take away the Duke of York's 'HRH'. The Queen chose her second son to join her in the back of her royal car for the 22-mile journey and he was also given a front row in the church, right next to his other siblings at the service just weeks after he paid millions to one of Jeffrey Epstein's sex slaves, Virginia Roberts Giuffre, who accused him of having sex with her three times when she was trafficked to London aged 17. The Queen's state limousine arrived at Poets' Yard entrance with Andrew sat beside her. As they walked through the famous section of the abbey towards her seat, in a small procession, the monarch held onto her son's elbow with her left hand and had a walking stick in her right. They walked at a slow but steady pace both looking ahead, and at the end of the aisle they separated - with Andrew giving a last glance to his mother as she turned right. After the first hymn, Charles, who was sat next to her mother, could be seen leaning over to speak to the Queen seated next to him - but it is not clear what was said. The Queen then delved into her black Launer handbag for her glasses to read the order of service. After the 40 minute service, Her Majesty was escorted out of the abbey by the Duke of York. As the monarch stopped to greet Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award holder Doyin Sonibare, Andrew stood back and at one point broke into a smile. The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall were the first to leave Westminster Abbey alongside the abbey's chapter. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge followed. All four royals waved at the crowd outside as they were driven away in black cars. Despite her frailty, Queen Elizabeth II stands during a Service of Thanksgiving for the life of the Duke of Edinburgh, at Westminster Abbey today The congregation takes its place ahead of the service. The Queen made the final decision to attend this morning, hours before she was due to travel the 22 miles from Windsor Castle to Central London. She held Andrew's elbow The royal family paying an emotional tribute to Prince Philip at today's service at Westminster Abbey Her Majesty listens to the various eulogies to her husband at the Service of Remembrance held almost a year after his funeral The Queen, 95, fought frailty to be in the church with her family at an event she had helped plan for her husband The Queen stands for the first hymn at the service in remembrance of her beloved husband Prince Philip Prince Andrew walked his mother up the aisle after she arrived via a side door rather than the main entrance to shorten the distance The Queen has been 'actively involved' in plans for the service 'with many elements reflecting Her Majesty's wishes' Prince Andrew was sat next to Prince Edward and Sophie Wessex during today's memorial service at Westminster Abbey The royals, led by the Queen despite her recent health issues, join the congregation in singing hymns during today's service The royals ahead of the service: In the front row are The Queen, Prince Charles, Camilla, Princess Anne and Timothy Laurence. The Cambridges are in the second row while Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, along with their husbands, are among the royals in the third row She left as she arrived, being supported by her son Andrew - reputedly her favourite The Queen remained seated during the service with aides taking special measures to ensure her comfort after recent heath issues Princess Charlotte and Prince George sit with the mother the Duchess of Cambridge during today's service at Westminster Abbey Prince Charles and Camilla were greeted by clergy as they arrived ahead of today's service of celebration for Prince Philip A serious looking Prince William sits down next to his wife, George and Charlotte to say goodbye to his grandfather The Queen sat beside Andrew, the royal who lost his HRH just weeks ago over his links to Epstein and civil case Crowds piled outside Westminster Abbey to pay tribute to Prince Philip as the service in his memorial continued Thousands of supporters gathered outside the Service Of Thanksgiving For The Duke of Edinburgh at Westminster Abbey Today the monarch ensured that her beloved husband's final wishes are fulfilled after his Covid-hit funeral left her sat alone without the rousing hymns and guests he loved so much. Her Majesty has been 'actively involved' in every element of his service of thanksgiving that will see Westminster Abbey packed to the rafters. Even the smallest of touches have been overseen by the Queen, including the use of orchids that formed part of her 1947 wedding bouquet being used in small posies of flowers. Prince Philip's beloved Sea Cadets and young people who have taken his Duke of Edinburgh awards are centre stage at the service that will see the Abbey reverberate with the sound of hymns including Guide me, O thou great Redeemer. All Prince Philip's family chose to attend apart from Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. On Prince Andrew's left is his brother the Earl of Wessex and Edward's family the Countess of Wessex and their children Lady Louise Windsor and James, Viscount Severn. Across an aisle on his right is the Princess Royal, her husband Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence, the Duchess of Cornwall, Prince of Wales and the Queen. Prince George and Princess Charlotte also attended with the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, and be sat behind the Queen. Behind Andrew and Edward's family were Peter Phillips, and Zara and Mike Tindall and their daughters. The Duke of Edinburgh's intellect, work ethic, sense of humour and devotion to his family were celebrated in an address by the Dean of Windsor. The Right Reverend David Conner paid tribute to Philip as a 'remarkable man' who was committed to 'a host of down-to-earth enterprises'. He pointed out that the duke could be 'abrupt' and suggested that at times he could forget 'just how intimidating he could be'. Addressing the congregation in Westminster Abbey, Mr Conner said: 'He was practical, wanting to put flesh upon his dreams, and (acknowledging the limitations of living in this so-called 'real world') he devoted his astonishing intellectual and physical energy, his enormous capacity for sheer hard work, to a host of down-to-earth enterprises. 'These included the equipping of young people to face tomorrow's challenges, the encouragement of respect and care for the natural order, and his pioneering work in facilitating conversation between representatives of the different world faiths. 'Through his passionate commitment, he drew others to himself in admiration and respect and, in the case of those who lived and worked most closely to him, genuine love.' Mr Conner added: 'He would hate to think that I should paint a picture of him as a 'plaster saint'; someone without the usual human foibles and failings. 'He was far too self-aware ever to be taken in by flattery. Of course, it must be said that his life bore the marks of sacrifice and service. 'Certainly, he could show great sympathy and kindness. There is no doubt that he had a delightfully engaging, and often self-deprecating, sense of humour. 'It is quite clear that his mind held together both speculation and common sense. Moreover, nobody would ever doubt his loyalty and deep devotion to our Queen and to their family. 'Yet, there were times when he could be abrupt; maybe, in robust conversation, forgetting just how intimidating he could be. 'A kind of natural reserve sometimes made him seem a little distant. He could be somewhat sharp in pricking what he thought to be bubbles of pomposity or sycophancy. 'On the other hand, we should not forget that he himself was sometimes wounded by being unfairly criticised or misunderstood.' Concluding his address, the dean said: 'As we give thanks for the life of a remarkable man, perhaps our greatest tribute to him, most especially in these far too troubled times, will be for us to accept the challenge, implicit in his life, to rekindle in our hearts something of that call, and to pray (as I think he did) for the inspiration and the guidance to play our part, however small, in working for a kinder future. Queen Elizabeth II is driven in to attend a Service of Thanksgiving for the life of Prince Philip at Westminster Abbey The Cambridges arrived at the church hand in hand with their children Charlotte and George. Louis stayed at home The Duchess of Cambridge and Princess Charlotte arrive at today's service of Thanksgiving for the life of Prince Philip Charles shook hands with the clergy as they entered the church just before Midday Prime Minister Boris Johnson attends the Thanksgiving service for the Duke Of Edinburgh at Westminster Abbey today Princess Eugenie (left) and Princess Beatrice (right) pictured arriving at a service of thanksgiving for late Prince Philip Princess Eugenie and Princess Beatrice arriving at the poignant Service of Thanksgiving for the life of Prince Philip Peter Phillips with Isla Phillips and Savannah Phillips (right) arriving for a Service of Thanksgiving for the life of the Duke of Edinburgh Timothy Laurence and Anne, Princess Royal, arriving ahead of the Service of Thanksgiving for the life of Prince Philip Princess Royal arriving for a Service of Thanksgiving for the life of the Duke of Edinburgh and greeting Duke of Edinburgh award recipients Prince Charles and his wife Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, arrive at Westminster Abbey Prince Andrew (left) leaves Windsor Castle with the Queen (right) today ahead of the service to remember Prince Philip The Queen leaves Windsor Castle to travel to Westminster Abbey this morning, with her son Prince Andrew sat on her right While the Queen's arrival at Westminster Abbey was mentioned in the order of service, a final decision on her attendance was only confirmed two hours before because of her frailty. The Princess Royal arrived at Westminster Abbey. Wearing a long green dress and hat, Anne arrived alongside her husband, Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence. Peter Phillips' children Savannah and Isla were sitting next to their cousin Mia, daughter of Zara and Mike Tindall. The girls were dressed in navy with their hair fixed back with headbands. Once inside Westminster Abbey, guests were escorted to their seats, with Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie and their husbands smiling at members of the Abbey's chapter, or governing body, standing by the great West Door, as they walked in. The Earl and Countess of Wessex and their children also smiled warmly at the welcoming clergy. Sophie, Countess of Wessex, and her daughter, Lady Louise, smiled and chatted to each other after taking their seats in the Abbey. The Duke's family ahead of the service: In the second row is Peter Philips with daughters Savannah and Isla. Next to them is Mia Tindall with parents Zara Philips and Mike Tindall. In the front row are Prince Edward and Sophie Wessex with children Lady Louise and James, Viscount Severn The Cambridges arrived shortly after Prince Charles and Camilla ahead of today's memorial service for Prince Philip at Westminster Abbey Kate Middleton arrives at Westminster Abbey for the memorial service to Prince Philip today. She was joined by Prince William and her children George and Charlotte The Tindalls were the first senior British royals to arrive, holding one of their daughter Mia's hands Lady Louise Windsor arriving at the Westminster Abbey service for Prince Philip today. The Service will pay tribute to the Duke of Edinburgh's contribution to public life and steadfast support for the over 700 charitable organisations Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex attends the Thanksgiving service for the Duke of Edinburgh at Westminster Abbey today Peter Phillips attended the service with his children Savannah and Isla Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi and Princess Beatrice file into the main church Prince Michael of Kent and Princess Michael of Kent attend the memorial service for the Duke Of Edinburgh at Westminster Abbey The Queen leaves Windsor Castle in a car this morning with her disgraced son Prince Andrew to travel to London Prince Andrew (left) leaves Windsor Castle with the Queen (right) this morning ahead of the service of thanksgiving for Philip Lady Susan Hussey, the Queen's lady-in-waiting, arrives with her foot in a brace and on crutches at Westminster Abbey today Penelope Knatchbull, Countess Mountbatten of Burma arrives at Westminster Abbey for the service this morning Metropolitan Police Commissioner Dame Cressida Dick (left) and Formula One driver Sir Jackie Stewart (right) arrive today Foreign Secretary Liz Truss (left) and Home Secretary Priti Patel (right) arrive at Westminster Abbey this morning Guests walk into Westminster Abbey and take their seats ahead of this morning's service to remember Prince Philip Chancellor Rishi Sunak (left) and Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon (right) at Westminster Abbey today Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer (left) and Professor Chris Whitty, Chief Medical Officer for England (right), arrive this morning Guests arrive for Prince Philip's memorial service at Westminster Abbey in London this morning Guests arrive for Prince Philip's memorial service at Westminster Abbey in London this morning Members of the congregation queue at Westminster Abbey today ahead of the service of thanksgiving for the life of Philip Guests arrive to attend the service of thanksgiving for the life of the Duke of Edinburgh at Westminster Abbey this morning Earlier today, royal commentator Robert Jobson, author of Prince Philip's Century, told GB News: 'I think that Prince Andrew may play a more prominent role than we think earlier on. My understanding is that someone has to support the Queen and he may well be by her side. I think Charles will probably be with Camilla.' Overnight, royal aides revealed the Queen has been 'actively involved' in plans for the service 'with many elements reflecting Her Majesty's wishes' as the order of service was unveiled at midnight. It includes several elements the Duke had planned for his funeral at St George's Chapel in Windsor Castle in April last year but which were forbidden by Covid restrictions at the time. Among them is the involvement of Duke of Edinburgh (DofE) gold award winners and Sea Cadets, his expressed wish for the congregation to sing the rousing hymn Guide Me, O Thou Great Redeemer, and for clergy from the royal estates of Windsor, Sandringham and Balmoral to play a special part. His funeral at St George's Chapel in Windsor was limited to just 30 mourners in the midst of the pandemic and mass singing was banned, with the Queen sitting alone in a mask. Around 1,800 guests are due at today's service, including British and European royalty, representatives of the many charities of which the duke was patron or president, Boris and Carrie Johnson, and Sir David Attenborough. Prince Harry faces 'lifetime of regret' for missing memorial to his beloved grandfather Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle could 'regret' not attending the memorial service for his grandfather Prince Philip at Westminster Abbey today - and the Queen is likely to be 'very upset' but cannot change his mind, royal experts say. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are expected to remain at home in Montecito, California, while the rest of the Royal Family gather in London for the poignant event. Harry last returned to the UK eight months ago to unveil the statue of his late mother Diana, Princess of Wales in London on July 1 with his brother Prince William. The Duke - one of the Queen and Philip's eight grandchildren is the only top-level royal not attending today's service which was organised by the monarch. Royal author Phil Dampier told MailOnline: 'It's very sad that Harry and Meghan won't be at Prince Philip's memorial service and I think one day Harry might regret it. He has said that he doesn't feel safe without Scotland Yard security but to me that sounds like an excuse not to come back to the UK and indicates the rift with his blood family is still bad. 'Harry was always very fond of his grandfather and was deeply honoured when he took over from him as Captain General of the Royal Marines, but sadly that didn't last long. The pair attended some Remembrance Day events together and there was always a rapport between them, both being serving military men who had seen active service.' Mr Dampier said that Harry 'loved' Philip's sense of humour and praised him in interviews, adding that this makes his non-attendance 'all the more mystifying and strange'. Advertisement But the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are not returning from the US for the service. While the Queen's arrival was mentioned in the order of service, it is understood that a final decision on her attendance was not made until first thing this morning. She has recently been forced to pull out of a string of engagements because of ill health and old age. She was unable to attend the Commonwealth Day service this month because of concerns about her mobility and comfort. Palace and Abbey aides are thought to have taken steps to ensure that the service is less taxing for the Queen. Instead of arriving at the usual West Entrance to the Abbey, which would involve steps and a long walk down the Nave in front of the cameras, the Queen could be driven around the side of the building and enter away from public view via the 'Poet's Entrance'. She would then have a far shorter walk down the South Transept to her seat. It is likely she would walk with the aid of a stick. The service will gave thanks for the duke's dedication to family, nation and Commonwealth and recognise the importance of his legacy in creating opportunities for young people, promoting conservation, and supporting the Armed Forces. One of the elements planned for the funeral which has now been included in the service will see nine Gold Award holders from The Duke of Edinburgh's Award, plus representatives from UK Cadet Force Associations, line entry routes into Westminster Abbey. Philip, who died in April last year aged 99, launched the DofE Award in 1956 and was Colonel-in-Chief of the Army Cadet Force, a role he first took up in 1953. A tenth DofE gold award holder, Doyin Sonibare, 28, from London, will give a tribute to His Royal Highness's legacy, recognising the impact of the Award on young people across the globe. The Very Reverend Dr David Hoyle, Dean of Westminster, will conduct the service and describe the duke in the Bidding as 'a man of rare ability and distinction' who 'ever directed our attention away from himself.' He will say: 'He put privilege to work and understood his rank as a spur to service. Working at pace, with so many claims on his attention, he encouraged us to focus, as he was focussed, on the things that matter. 'His was a discipline and character that seized opportunity and overcame obstruction and difficulty. We recall, with affection and respect, the sustained offering of a long life lived fully.' By Andrew Hammond The Ukraine crisis is, primarily, a human tragedy. One of the most striking examples of this is the approximately 3.5 million refugees, around 10 percent of the population, who are estimated to have already been forced to flee the country. Geopolitically, the situation is fast becoming the worst crisis in Europe since 1945, with the possibility of hostilities spilling outside of Ukraine's border. Perhaps most alarmingly, there is growing concern about Russia's possible use of tactical nuclear weapons, which could kill millions. For corporations, the month since Russia's invasion has been a dizzying period that has seen, what Yale professor Jeffrey Sonnenfeld has called, an unraveling of "capitalistic diplomacy" as commercial relationships have been severed on a scale thought unimaginable as recently as February. London School of Economics professor Vladislav Zubok has also commented that the corporate retreat from Russia may well be a bookend on the era whose beginnings he witnessed while passing Moscow's first McDonalds on his way to work each day soon after the collapse of the Soviet Communism. Governments around the world have taken coordinated action, using sanctions to target areas like Russia's banking system, state-controlled companies and powerful oligarchs. Under these legal mandates and wider self-imposed restrictions, several hundred companies have also severed commercial ties, rupturing supply chains. Yet, despite the widespread actions taken so far, which has rattled Moscow so much that it has said that they are akin to a declaration of war, there are calls for corporates to do much more. This includes from former Ukrainian Finance Minister Natalie Jaresko who argues that the Russian invasion should prompt a wider ESG reckoning for the corporate community. She even suggests that Ukraine could be "the 21st-century equivalent of the late-20th century anti-apartheid movement, in which business, across many sectors and societies, banded together to counter the systemic and systematic racism of the white nationalist South African regime. The fastest way to end the war is to stop trading with Russia, divest Russian assets and refuse to finance Putin's regime". Step back from the immediate situation in Ukraine, and it is clear that the crisis is only the latest incident to underscore the growing potential for businesses to become intertwined with foreign relations between states in political, human rights, technological and legal issues. There have been numerous other such challenges in recent years in what is sometimes uncharted territory, whereby individual firms and sometimes entire industries find themselves under the political and stakeholder spotlight in diverse polities across the world. While this is not a wholly new phenomenon by any means, of the 21st century, it nonetheless appears to be increasing in incidence and salience driven by globalization in the volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous (VUCA) world we now live in. The last decade and a half alone have already seen a succession of first order international crises, including the 2007-08 financial upheavals and the coronavirus pandemic. The degree of instability accompanying the high level of international interdependence of the last several decades may now mean that crises are recurrent and thus, the rule rather than the exception. Beyond adhering to the law and other government mandates, corporates are guided in this VUCA landscape by international codes of conduct, including the U.N. Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights. However, some companies have recognized the need to go even further, including in what has been termed corporate foreign policy. Corporate foreign policy aligns activities, including public affairs, risk management, ESG, and operational planning, in a clear strategic framework. Recognizing the need for an unusual mix of core competencies in some international corporate functions, capability including tools, training and infrastructure can be enhanced where any gaps exist. ESG frameworks are often an area of capability in which firms need bolstering. This includes the need for clearer internal guidance for determining decision-making, protecting stakeholders including employees and customers and remaining faithful to corporate values, in fast-moving, unpredictable crisis situations such as those with the Russian invasion of Ukraine right now. One related area of activity is foresight, horizon scanning and scenario planning which enable firms to better anticipate and plan for social, economic and political opportunities and risks, helping to embed resilience through organizational structures. The march of globalization during much of the last few decades means that few international companies will escape these pressures completely. And, at the same time, owing to the proliferation of media and the influence of NGOs and related stakeholders, the actions of firms are increasingly under the microscope. For those companies which are proactive and invest in their capability, the prizes both in terms of mitigating risk and seizing opportunity are potentially ever more significant. Yet for those which are perceived to misstep, the fallout can be damaging, both reputationally and also for the financial bottom line. Andrew Hammond (andrewkorea@outlook.com) is an associate at the London School of Economics. Homemakers have revealed how they have managed to banish musty smells following weeks of relentless rainfall and high humidity. The tips come as forecasters reveal a rainbomb is set to drench Sydney over the next seven days with more than 100mls expected to fall over the soaked city. In a post on a renovation page on Facebook the house-proud men and women revealed they have tried dozens of techniques to rid their homes of the odour. The top tips include using moisture-banishing products in closets, getting a de-humidifier and putting 'everything in the sun'. High humidity and relentless rainfall has lead to increased mould and 'musty smells' according to home makers who are trying everything to keep the damp out - Damprid product pictured SAS Australia star Simone Holtznagel shared her frustration on Monday after her $3,000 leather Givenchy bag was covered in white mould from Sydney's humidity The warm, wet conditions have created the perfect atmosphere for mould to grow leaving families in the eastern states desperate for DIY hacks. One woman said she heard 'an open flame' is the best remedy for musty smells. 'I keep candles burning now and it seems to be working,' she said. While another woman endeavours to clean all of the mould springing up in her home quickly to insure it doesn't start to smell. What do people recommend to help with musty smells? 1 - Lighting a candle in each room 2 - Using a de-humidifier 3 - Running the air-con non-stop 4 - Keeping windows open all day 5 - taking musty-smelling items outside to dry in the sunshine Advertisement 'Mix of 80% vinegar, six drops of clove oil in a 500ml spray bottle or 10 drops in 750ml-1L and 10 drops of dishwashing detergent. Shake and spray area liberally then allow it to dry naturally,' she said. But most agreed the job becomes much more difficult when there is no 'visible mould'. 'You have to take everything outside and dry in the sun for a few days,' one woman said. Why and where does mould grow? Generally, if you can see or smell mould, you need to clean up and remove the mould immediately, as mould can damage surfaces it grows on. The longer it grows the more damage it can cause. Mould only grows when there is sufficient moisture. When mould appears, the first task is to try to establish where the moisture is coming from. Parts of a house that get wet or have poor ventilation are prone to mould growth, such as: Avoid conditions encouraging mould growth, by using heat, insulation and ventilation. The cheapest and easiest way of reducing moisture and humidity levels is by ventilating a room by opening a door or window. Use exhaust fans where available. Source: Better Health Victoria Advertisement 'And I always keep my windows open on sunny days to catch the breeze and dry everything out,' added another. These comments appeared 'hilarious' to some who said they hadn't seen the sun for more than a few hours in weeks. What's the best way to remove mould? You simply take 80 per cent vinegar and 20 per cent water and put it into three buckets. 'Grab a microfibre cloth, dip it into the first bucket and clean a patch of mould,' Better Homes and Gardens wrote. 'Rinse the cloth in the second bucket and rinse again in the third. Repeat until all of the mould is cleaned off.' This works according to Mr Neumeister-Kemp because vinegar attacks the fungi 'mechanically'. Advertisement 'If I leave the windows open everything gets even wetter, and drying something in the sun for three days is fairly impossible at the moment,' said one person. Other people have tried using de-humidifiers to great success. 'It is amazing how much moisture those things can suck out of the air,' one woman said. Others have employed their air conditioners for the task. 'We have had ours running on dry mode for days to try to fix it,' one woman said. Others hang 'Damprid' and similar products in their linen cupnoards, storage areas and wardrobes to help minimise the damage to clothes and bedding. In early March thousands of workers complained their clothes were damaged by white mould, after digging to the back of their closets for office wear. Occupational health scientist Brad Prezant said poorly-ventilated wardrobes were one of the first places mould tends to grow when the humidity rises. 'Once the humidity gets over 80 per cent, that's when it contributes to fungal growth,' he told Daily Mail Australia. 'What's happening is we're seeing humid air going into your wardrobe and condensing on surfaces.' Could mould be making you sick? Here are the common symptoms to look out for Dizziness Confusion Fever Irritability Vomiting Difficulty concentrating Anorexia (loss of appetite, not to be confused with anorexia nervousa) Allergic rhinitis Jaundice Asthma Headaches Nausea Fibromyalgia Sore throat Diarrhoea Food allergies Fatigue Blurred vision Balance problems Difficulty breathing Vertigo Seizures Advertisement Mr Prezant said leather shoes, which are porous and allow moisture to seep through, were particularly vulnerable to mould growth. Poll Have you notice your home starting to smell musty following the rain? Yes! Nope! Have you notice your home starting to smell musty following the rain? Yes! 71 votes Nope! 15 votes Now share your opinion SAS Australia star Simone Holtznagel shared her frustration on Monday after her $3,000 leather Givenchy bag was covered in the same white mould. Cleaning experts have previously told FEMAIL that heavy-duty cleaners should be avoided when it comes to cleaning mould. Bleach and other harsh chemicals simply masks the black spores, and recommend vinegar instead. Professional cleaners also recommended using vinegar, eucalyptus and bi-carb soda, advised keeping the air-conditioning on at a cool temperature, and suggested using gloves and a face masks for safety while removing mould. An 84-year-old grandma has been left embarrassed and confused after her Woolworths delivery was dumped 200m from her home, in the pouring rain. By the time it was found it looked like it had been run over by a car, cans and bottles were flattened, chips crumpled and the bread was soggy. Sydney grandma Doreen usually heads to the supermarket with her carer, but they couldn't come this week so her daughter ordered her groceries online. 84-year-old grandma, Doreen, was left embarassed after her groceries were dumped in the rain 200 metres from her home They appeared to have been run over and had made a mess which the staff at the retirement village had to clean up The groceries were also left in the rain, making most of them unsalvageable The family use the service when they can't get shopping to the elderly woman any other way and it 'works most of the time'. But last week's delivery ended up on the other side of the woman's retirement village, in front of a garage and in the rain. Doreen's daughter Sam told FEMAIL the delivery was replaced after she complained to the supermarket giant but that it was 'beside the point'. 'Incidents like this push the price of groceries up for everyone,' she said. Not to mention the incident left the elderly woman very upset. 'She was upset but more upset that staff from the retirement village she lives in had to clean it all up,' she said. Sam posted photos on the retailer's Facebook page showing the damaged items and said the delivery driver 'hung up on her'. 'The driver did call but I could barely hear him and he kept saying unit 15 - I said to go the reception if he was lost but he hung up on me and about two minutes later I got a text saying they had been delivered,' she told FEMAIL. The grandma had no other way to get her groceries delivered as her carer couldn't help out this week In her Facebook post Sam said her mother's unit is 'clearly marked' so she couldn't understand how the driver had made such a big mistake. 'We had to clean up the mess and throw all bags away,' she said. The supermarket giant has replaced the damaged groceries and has launched an investigation into the claims. A Woolworths spokesperson said the delivery was 'disappointing' after issuing an apology for the incident. 'We pride ourselves on the service level of our home delivery option and we're disappointed to have missed the mark on this occasion,' the spokesperson told FEMAIL. 'We've been in contact with the customer to apologise and will be looking into this as a matter of urgency.' The four bags of shopping looked soaked and beyond repair by the time they were found on the opposite side of the retirement village The daughter thanked Woolworths for the replacement groceries and said she was looking forward to learn the outcome of the supermarket's investigation. Other customers labelled the incident a 'disgrace' and felt for the woman. Another shopper was left disappointed after the tubs they prepared for their order were ignored by the driver 'Its not like she can just pop out and grab more. Careless beyond words,' said one woman. Others shared their own delivery fails, including one family whole left tubs with ice packs on their veranda for the delivery. The driver put the bags next to the tubs on the verandah, prompting the customers to complain. Shoppers are obsessing over Big W's latest budget range of super stylish homewares and furniture. The new season of autumn style pieces includes a range of very on-trend white teddy furniture pieces, bubble vases, boucle throws, table lamps, bedding and candles. Home stylists are particularly loving the $109 Milan white teddy occasional chair which has sold out online and in most stores. Scroll down for video Shoppers are obsessing over Big W's latest range of affordable and stylish homewares especially the $109 Milan white teddy chair The new season of autumn style pieces includes a range of very on-trend furniture pieces, bubble vases, boucle throws, table lamps, bedding and candles Interior stylist Ashlee White uploaded a post to her popular Instagram account said the highly coveted chair, was 'plush and comfy' and styled it with one of Big W's bubble vases for $14. TikToker Georgia Clay was also lucky enough to get her hands on the popular piece, which also comes in a velvet green, and showed her stylish finds from Big W in a now-viral clip. Her video has been viewed more than 281,300 times with dozens of commenters impressed with her budget buys, especially the uber-chic ribbed table lamp for just $35. TikToker Georgia Clay was also lucky enough to get her hands on the popular piece, that also comes in a velvet green, and showed her stylish finds from Big W in a now-viral clip Her video has been viewed more than 281,300 times with dozens of commenters impressed with her budget buys, especially the uber-chic ribbed table lamp for just $35 'Running to buy this lamp immediately,' one fan wrote. 'Omg that lamp. I have been.. influenced,' another responded. She styled her bed with the luxuriously soft boucle throw rug that is only $25 and matches her $16 cushion also from Big W. Big W's new homewares range also includes a collection of bubble vases starting at just $10 as well as ribbed pillar candles for only $8 To match the Milan teddy chair there is also a $65 stool, and bench for $89 that both also comes in a velvet green and are available in stores and online There are also cosy bed sets like the olive green Pinsonic geometric quilt cover set at $39 for a queen and $49 for king-size Big W's new homewares range also includes a collection of bubble vases starting at just $10 as well as ribbed pillar candles for only $8. There are cosy bed sets like the olive green Pinsonic geometric quilt cover set at $39 for a queen and $49 for king-size. To match the Milan teddy chair there is also a $65 stool, and bench for $89 that both also comes in a velvet green and are available in stores and online. To see Big W's new season of homewares, head to their website here. A palatial mansion on the tropical island of Phuket that has been closed off to the public for the past 50 years is offering a special two-night deal for four lucky travellers to stay for just $67. To celebrate the return of international travel to Thailand the Governor's Mansion, which is is renowned as one of the best-designed buildings in Phuket, will open its doors once more for a one-of-a-kind luxury stay for one group of travellers. The property has been painstakingly curated by renowned Thai designer Saran Yen Panya to pay homage to Thailand's rich heritage and immerse guests in a world of opulence. To celebrate the return of international travel to Thailand the Governor's Mansion, which is is renowned as one of the best-designed buildings in Phuket, will open its doors once more for a one-of-a-kind luxury stay for one group of travellers The property has been painstakingly curated by renowned Thai designer Saran Yen Panya to pay homage to Thailand's rich heritage and immerse guests in a world of opulence The special stay, which is bookable from Friday, April 15 to Sunday, April 17, also coincides with the Songkran festival, the celebration of the Thai New Year, so the group of guests will get to soak in the vibrant festivities, flavours and famous Thai hospitality. Built at the end of King Rama V's era by successful local businessman Pra Pitak Chinpracha, the 119-year-old Governor's Mansion welcomed many out-of-town dignitaries and remains one of several neoclassical heritage mansions on Phuket today. The sprawling white and mustard heritage home is located in the historic heart of Old Phuket Town, and has been exquisitely restored to preserve its original fixtures, including richly patterned tiles and teakwood floors. The special stay, which is bookable from Friday, April 15 to Sunday, April 17, also coincides with the Songkran festival Built at the end of King Rama V's era by successful local businessman Pra Pitak Chinpracha, the 119-year-old Governor's Mansion welcomed many out-of-town dignitaries Its first floor is now home to the Blue Elephant Restaurant - a Michelin Plate awardee and long-running stalwart of Thailand's culinary industry Its first floor is now home to the Blue Elephant Restaurant - a Michelin Plate awardee and long-running stalwart of Thailand's culinary industry. During their stay the guests will get a personal welcome at check-in by Thai model and actress Patricia 'Good' Tanchanok, who will share her favourite hidden gems and tips for exploring the island. They will also get exclusive access to a two-bedroom suite on the Mansion's expansive second floor, including a private reception lounge and living room. A bespoke, multi-course 'Songkran' tasting menu will be prepared and hosted by master Chef Nooror Somany Steppe followed by a scuba diving and snorkelling adventure around the sparkling reefs and islands that dot the Andaman Sea. A bespoke, multi-course 'Songkran' tasting menu will be prepared and hosted by master Chef Nooror Somany Steppe Renowned for its magnificent beaches and rich cultural heritage Phuket has long been an incredible draw for millions of travellers from around the world As per advice on the Smart Traveller website, Australians must be fully vaccinated to enter Thailand, apply for the Thailand pass and have a Covid test on arrival and isolate until they receive a result. Renowned for its magnificent beaches and rich cultural heritage Phuket has long been an incredible draw for millions of travellers from around the world. The lush tropical island is now leading the way for Thailand's long-anticipated travel rebound. Holidaymakers will be able to book the special stay on Airbnb from 12pm April 5. An Australian winery has developed the world's first purple wine - and it's made with natural ingredients that are better for your health. Produced in Margaret River, Western Australia, Purple Reign has five varieties of Instagram-worthy wines including a sauvignon blanc, sparkling brut, shiraz, red blend and semi-sweet blend. Purple Reign's makers have swapped out synthetic additives used to preserve wine like sulphite for safer and natural ingredients so you don't have to feel guilty about indulging in a glass or three. Produced in Margaret River, Western Australia, Purple Reign is the world's first purple wine - and it's made with natural ingredients that are better for you Purple Reign's makers have swapped out synthetic additives used to preserve wine like sulphite for safer and natural ingredients so you don't have to feel guilty about indulging in a glass The low-sulphur wines are infused with botanicals and antioxidant-rich ingredients, like blueberries, pomegranate and beetroot which give them a vibrant purple colour. 'It's about the science - it's not a gimmick with food dye,' co-creator Tim Macnamara told FEMAIL. Mr Macnamara said Purple Reign's Taiwanese import partner found drinking their wines didn't trigger his asthma like others that use synthetic ingredients. The low-sulphur wines are instead infused with botanicals and antioxidant-rich ingredients which give them a vibrant purple colour Co-creator Tim Macnamara told FEMAIL Purple Reign's Taiwanese import partner found drinking their wines didn't trigger his asthma like others that use synthetic ingredients Mr Macnamara, who did a masters of environmental sustainability while working as a wine representative, created Purple Reign with his business partner and and organic, biodynamic and preservative free wine specialist, Ross Stewart. The pair experimented with various natural alternatives to make a wine without artificial additives and preservatives and launched Purple Reign at Sydney's Royal Easter Show in 2019. The unique wine was such a hit with punters, they sold out before the show ended. Purple Reign was launched at the 2019 Royal Easter Show in Sydney and was such a hit with punters, it sold out before the show ended Purple Reign has five varieties of Instagram-worthy wines including a sauvignon blanc, sparkling brut, shiraz, red blend and semi sweet blend Mr Macnamara said Purple Reign's red blend and shiraz wines 'tick every box' as they're certified organic, vegan, preservative-free and made from hand-picked Margaret River-grown grapes. The Semillon sauvignon blanc, semi-sweet blend and sparkling premium brut 'white' wines are enhanced with natural antioxidants to minimise the use of sulphites. Purple Reign's wine range starts at $21 and is available at selected bottle shops across the country. Dan Murphy's new bar has opened its doors to the public - but it's not what you'd expect from the alcohol giant. Instead of your typical bar, those who visit ZERO% in Hampton, Melbourne will be greeted with more than 30 non-alcoholic beverages including beers in cans or on tap for $2.99. Wine and cocktails will also be available for as little as $5, as well as a variety of snacks and meals spanning across lunch and dinner. Dan Murphy's new bar has opened its doors to the public - but it's not what you'd expect from the alcohol giant. Zero alcohol drinks are quickly becoming one of the fastest growing categories for Dan Murphy's, with more than 100 percent sales growth in the last two years. 'We think it's great that more Australians than ever are drinking responsibly, which is why we want to lean into and support this great trend,' Managing Director Alex Freudmann said. However, this is not the first time zero alcohol drinks have been available from the Australian store, back in the 1970s founder, Daniel Francis Murphy, sold Claytons. Customers can visit the Dan Murphy's bar, ZERO%, in Hampton, Melbourne for a menu with over 30 zero alcoholic drinks and more than 200 non-alcoholic products The new bar is said to provide customers with the hottest drinks that are trending at the moment and that the interior setting is contemporary and is open seven days a week '[Claytons] was the drink to have when you're not having a drink, back in the 1970s, so we have been onto this trend for a while,' Mr Freudmann said. The new bar is said to provide customers with the hottest drinks that are trending at the moment and that the interior setting is contemporary. ZERO% is open seven days a week and will be operating until the end of June 2022. The bar will be open from 11:00am till 9:00pm, Thursday to Saturday and from 11:00am till 7:00pm Monday to Wednesday and Sunday. Prince George will join his parents Prince William and Kate Middleton at today's memorial service as four of the Duke of Edinburgh's great-grandchildren turn out to pay tribute to their beloved great-grandfather. The Westminster Abbey service will mark one of the important outings to date for the eight-year-old future king, who enjoyed a close relationship with Prince Philip. Savannah, 11, and Isla Phillips, 10, the daughters of Prince Philip's eldest grandson Peter, will also be in attendance, as will Zara and Mike Tindall's eight-year-old daughter Mia. The Duke of Edinburgh's other great-grandchildren are Princess Charlotte, six, Prince Louis, three, Lena Tindall, also three, and her one-year-old brother Lucas, Princess Eugenie's one-year-old son August Brooksbank and Princess Beatrice's daughter Sienna Mapelli Mozz, who was born in September last year. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's children, Archie, two, and Lilibet, nine months, remain with the couple in California. Prince George will join his parents Prince William and Kate Middleton at today's memorial service as four of the Duke of Edinburgh's great-grandchildren turn out to pay tribute to their beloved great-grandfather. Above, George with Prince Philip on a riding carriage Savannah (right), 11, and Isla Phillips (centre), 10, the daughters of Prince Philip's eldest grandson Peter, will also be in attendance, as will Zara and Mike Tindall's daughter Mia (left) The Queen and Prince Philip with Prince George, Prince Louis, Savannah Phillips, Princess Charlotte, Isla Phillips holding Lena Tindall, and Mia Tindall. The Duke of Edinburgh died before the birth of his youngest grandchildren Lilibet and Sienna The Westminster Abbey service will be attended by some 1,800 guests including senior members of the Royal Family. The Duke of Edinburgh's four children will be in attendance, as will Charles, Anne and Edward's respective spouses, the Duchess of Cornwall, Vice Admiral Sir Timothy and the Countess of Wessex. Prince Andrew will make a rare public appearance and there is speculation the Duchess of York might have also been given an invitation. Seven of Prince Philip's eight grandchildren will be there, including the Duke of Cambridge, Zara Tindall and Princesses Eugenie and Beatrice, all of whom will attend with their spouses. The only grandchild missing the event is the Duke of Sussex. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's children, Archie, two, and Lilibet, nine months, remain with the couple in California The Queen and Prince Philip's family tree, showing the older great-grandchildren who might attend today's service The Queen is said to be determined to travel to London to mark the long and productive life of her husband Philip in what would be her first major public engagement away from Windsor Castle in nearly six months. Royal aides revealed the 95-year-old monarch has been 'actively involved' in plans for the service at Westminster Abbey 'with many elements reflecting Her Majesty's wishes' as the order of service was unveiled overnight. It includes several elements the duke had planned for his funeral in April last year but which were forbidden by Covid restrictions at the time. Among them is the involvement of Duke of Edinburgh (DofE) gold award winners and Sea Cadets, his expressed wish for the congregation to sing the rousing hymn Guide Me, O Thou Great Redeemer, and for clergy from the royal estates of Windsor, Sandringham and Balmoral to play a special part. His funeral at St George's Chapel in Windsor was limited to just 30 mourners in the midst of the pandemic and mass singing was banned, with the Queen sitting alone in a mask. Around 1,800 guests are due at today's service, including British and European royalty, representatives of the many charities of which the duke was patron or president, Boris and Carrie Johnson, and Sir David Attenborough. The Duke of Edinburgh was described as a 'devoted consort' to the Queen as the royal family's official Instagram page shared a touching photo montage dedicated to his 'extraordinary life' today. Some 1,800 guests, including senior members of the Royal Family, are expected to attend a service of thanksgiving for Prince Philip this morning at Westminster Abbey. Ahead of the event, which will be aired from 10.30 on BBC One, the royal family's official Instagram page shared a short photo montage dedicated to the late Duke's life. Among the images were photographs from the Queen's coronation in 1953, a visit from the couple to Canada in 2010 and attending the Queen's 90th birthday celebration in 2017, as well as snaps from Prince Philip's final public engagement in 2017. The caption detailed: 'His Royal Highness led an extraordinary life seeing active service in the Second World War as a Naval Officer, supporting The Queen as consort for over 60 years, and pursuing his many interests and convictions through his hugely varied patronages.' The Duke of Edinburgh was described as a 'devoted consort' to the Queen as the royal family's official Instagram page shared a photo montage dedicated to his 'extraordinary life' today (pictured during a 2010 visit to Canada) Among the snaps shared in dedication to the Duke's life were photographs with recipients of the Duke of Edinburgh award (left) and meeting an elephant during an engagement at Whipsnade Zoo (right) Ahead of Prince Philip's memorial service, which will be aired from 10.30 on BBC One, the royal family's official Instagram page shared a short photo montage dedicated to the late Duke's life Alongside the images, the captioning read: 'Over the course of his life, the Duke of Edinburgh was associated with over 700 charities and organizations. 'His interests ranged from scientific and technological developments to the welfare of young people and education, conservation and the environment, the encouragement of sport and most famously establishing the Duke of Edinburgh award. 'Founded in 1956, the DofE award now operates in over 130 countries, helping millions of young people build skills and confidence for life.' It continued: 'His Royal Highness undertook over 22,000 solo engagements, including 229 solo visits to the Commonwealth countries, alongside accompanying the queen on many official overseas visits. Another photograph shared in the montage showed the Duke holding the Queen's hand during the coronation (pictured) In the brief clip, the Duke was described as 'a devoted consort' to the Queen 'for over 60 years, supporting the monarch in her programme of public engagements' (pictured, attending celebrations to mark the Queen's 90th birthday in 2017) 'The Duke was a devoted consort for over 60 years, supporting the Queen in her programme of public engagements. 'Following a successful Naval career, His Royal Highness maintained strong links with the military. His military appointments included Admiral of the Fleet, Field Marshal in the British Army and Marshal of the Royal Air Force. 'His Royal Highness regularly visited the armed forces at home and overseas as well as supporting veterans and their families and paying tribute to those lost in conflict. 'In 2017, his final public engagement was with the royal marines, one of his longest standing military afflictions.' The caption shared alongside the photo montage to Prince Philip pointed to his dedication to royal service (right), completing over 22,000 solo engagements (left, Prince Philip in 1963 with the celebrated British ornithologist Sir Peter Scott, and Minnie, a Bronze Winged Duck) The Instagram post also shared a rare image of the Duke from his expedition to Antarctica in the 1950s (pictured) Meanwhile the Instagram caption read: 'Today at Westminster Abbey, guests will gather to celebrate the life of The Duke of Edinburgh. 'The Service will give thanks for HRHs dedication to family, Nation and Commonwealth and recognise the importance of his legacy in creating opportunities for young people, promoting environmental stewardship and conservation, and supporting the Armed Forces.' It continued: 'His Royal Highness led an extraordinary life seeing active service in the Second World War as a Naval Officer, supporting The Queen as consort for over 60 years, and pursuing his many interests and convictions through his hugely varied patronages.' Another section of the montage was dedicated to Prince Philip's work on the Duke of Edinburgh award (left and right) A caption on the video described how after the award was founded in 1956, it went on to operate in over 130 countries (pictured, the Duke presenting the award to recipients) The post went on to give details of how royal fans can tune into the service, which will be aired at 10.30 on BBC One. The Westminster Abbey service will be attended by some 1,800 guests including senior members of the Royal Family. The Duke of Edinburgh's four children will be in attendance, as will Charles, Anne and Edward's respective spouses, the Duchess of Cornwall, Vice Admiral Sir Timothy and the Countess of Wessex. Prince Andrew will make a rare public appearance and there is speculation the Duchess of York might have also been given an invitation. The final part of the video was a tribute to the Duke's dedication to the military during his royal career The clip described how, following a 'successful Naval career', the Duke of Edinburgh went on to 'maintain strong links with the military' The clip listed the Duke's roles within the military, including his position as Admiral of the Fleet, Field Marshal in the British Army and Marshal of the Royal Air Force The post detailed how Prince Philip had regularly visited Armed Faces both at home and overseas (pictured left and right) The service later today will give thanks for Prince Philip's 'dedication to family, Nation and Commonwealth' Other poignant photographs of the Duke showed him meeting military veterans as well as their families (left and right) Seven of Prince Philip's eight grandchildren will be there, including the Duke of Cambridge, Zara Tindall and Princesses Eugenie and Beatrice, all of whom will attend with their spouses. The only grandchild missing the event is the Duke of Sussex. The Queen is said to be determined to travel to London to mark the long and productive life of her husband Philip in what would be her first major public engagement away from Windsor Castle in nearly six months. Royal aides revealed the 95-year-old monarch has been 'actively involved' in plans for the service at Westminster Abbey 'with many elements reflecting Her Majesty's wishes' as the order of service was unveiled overnight. Meanwhile there were also several snaps from his final public engagement in 2017, when he joined Royal Marines outside Buckingham Palace (pictured) It includes several elements the duke had planned for his funeral in April last year but which were forbidden by Covid restrictions at the time. Among them is the involvement of Duke of Edinburgh (DofE) gold award winners and Sea Cadets, his expressed wish for the congregation to sing the rousing hymn Guide Me, O Thou Great Redeemer, and for clergy from the royal estates of Windsor, Sandringham and Balmoral to play a special part. His funeral at St George's Chapel in Windsor was limited to just 30 mourners in the midst of the pandemic and mass singing was banned, with the Queen sitting alone in a mask. Around 1,800 guests are due at today's service, including British and European royalty, representatives of the many charities of which the duke was patron or president, Boris and Carrie Johnson, and Sir David Attenborough. Advertisement The Duke of Edinburgh's granddaughter Zara Tindall was joined by her husband Mike and their eldest daughter Mia at Westminster Abbey for Prince Philip's memorial service today. The mother-of-three looked poised as she wore an understated Laura Green navy coat which she paired with elegant silver earrings, as she was joined by her husband Mike for the event this morning. The couple were joined by their eldest daughter Mia, eight, who wore a black peplum coat with red piping along the cuffs and collar. Zara accessorised with a chic Bee Smith velvet headband, a leather clutch bag and she added height to her frame in matching stilettos. The Duke of Edinburgh 's granddaughter Zara Tindall was joined by her husband Mike and their eldest daughter Mia at Westminster Abbey for Prince Philip's memorial service today The mother-of-three looked poised as she wore an understated Laura Green navy coat which she paired with elegant silver earrings, as she was joined by her husband Mike for the event this morning Zara and Mike Tindall walk hand-in-hand with their daughter Mia as they arrive at the memorial service for the Duke Of Edinburgh at Westminster Abbey Zara and husband Mike arrive holding hands with daughter Mia at the Duke of Edinburgh's memorial service at Westminster Abbey this morning Zara, Mia Grace and Mike Tindall depart hand-in-hand following the Memorial Service For The Duke Of Edinburgh at Westminster Abbey today Mia was seen arriving for the service with mother Zara, wearing a navy dress with red piping along the collar and cuffs paired with black pumps, tights and a dark blue headband Zara and Mike Tindall arrive hand-in-hand with daughter Mia Grace as they attend the Memorial Service For The Duke Of Edinburgh at Westminster Abbey Mike looked smart in a grey tailored suit which he paired with a white shirt and a navy tie. Royal aides previously revealed the Queen has been 'actively involved' in plans for the service 'with many elements reflecting Her Majesty's wishes' as the order of service was unveiled overnight at midnight. Scroll down for video Born just weeks before Prince Philip's death, the couple paid tribute to the Duke by naming their son, Lucas Philip Tindall, in his honour. Shortly before the funeral, Mike posted a heartfelt Instagram tribute to Prince Philip, sharing a photo of the Duke of Edinburgh with Mia Grace. The couple were joined by their eldest daughter Mia, eight, who wore a black peplum coat with red piping along the cuffs and collar Zara accessorised with a chic Bee Smith velvet headband and leather clutch bag Mike looked smart in a grey tailored suit which he paired with a white shirt and a navy tie He shared the photo, taken by the Duchess of Cambridge, alongside a caption that read: 'It's been a very sad week but it has given us time to reflect on great memories and stories both personal and shared. A devoted family man who we will forever miss but always love.' The snapshot of Prince Philip showed the Duke sitting outside a log cabin. He was leaned over a wooden table to enjoy a meal in the countryside setting alongside Mike and Zara's seven-year-old daughter Mia Grace. Mike previously told how the funeral was 'eerie' due to social distancing which prevented more than 30 people attending. The husband of Princess Anne's daughter Zara Tindall spoke on his podcast The Good, The Bad and The Rugby last April, saying the Duke of Edinburgh's funeral was exactly how the royal would have wanted it because it's 'no fuss'. Speaking in the one-hour documentary special Prince Philip: The Royal Family Remembers last September, in Zara paid tribute to her grandfather. Mia sat with Savannah, 11, and Isla Phillips, 10, the daughters of Prince Philip's eldest grandson Peter inside Westminster Abbey for the service today Zara previously said the Duke provided an ever present leadership, adding she had 'never prepared herself to losing him because he was always there' Ahead of the funeral last year, Mike paid tribute to Prince Philip by sharing a photograph of the Duke eating with his great-granddaughter Mia Grace, taken by the Duchess of Cambridge She explained the ever present leadership Prince Philip afforded: 'You never really prepare yourself for losing him because he was always there.' The royal also paid tribute to the royal for shaping the role of consort to the Queen, saying: 'The amazing thing he's been able to do is be an incredible support to my grandmother but also to stay true to himself the whole way through. 'That's what my grandmother needed. that's why they worked so well together and fell in love I think.' In the same documentary, she revealed she has particularly fond memories of the Duke while she was competing in the London 2012 Olympics. She said: 'I have a huge fond memory of him when he came to the Olympics in London. Zara appeared emotional at Prince Philip's funeral last year, looking teary-eyed as she sat alongside Mike 'He came down to the stables afterwards and even though it isn't his specialist sport, the understanding of what it took to get an animal to perform for you... 'Obviously he had a huge passion for horses. He played polo before I remember and then went to driving and he was involved with the evolving of the sport.' Zara's silver medal was presented by her mother, Princess Anne, who has also competed in equestrian events at the Olympics. She followed in the success of her father, Captain Mark Phillips, who was a member of Britain's last gold-winning team in the event - at the Munich Olympics of 1972. The funeral includes several elements the Duke had planned for his funeral at St George's Chapel in Windsor Castle in April last year but which were forbidden by Covid restrictions at the time. Prince Harry faces 'lifetime of regret' for missing memorial to his beloved grandfather Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle could 'regret' not attending the memorial service for his grandfather Prince Philip at Westminster Abbey tomorrow - and the Queen is likely to be 'very upset' but cannot change his mind, royal experts say. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are expected to remain at home in Montecito, California, while the rest of the Royal Family gather in London for the poignant event. Harry last returned to the UK eight months ago to unveil the statue of his late mother Diana, Princess of Wales in London on July 1 with his brother Prince William. The Duke - one of the Queen and Philip's eight grandchildren is the only top-level royal not attending tomorrow's service which was organised by the monarch. Royal author Phil Dampier told MailOnline: 'It's very sad that Harry and Meghan won't be at Prince Philip's memorial service and I think one day Harry might regret it. He has said that he doesn't feel safe without Scotland Yard security but to me that sounds like an excuse not to come back to the UK and indicates the rift with his blood family is still bad. 'Harry was always very fond of his grandfather and was deeply honoured when he took over from him as Captain General of the Royal Marines, but sadly that didn't last long. The pair attended some Remembrance Day events together and there was always a rapport between them, both being serving military men who had seen active service.' Mr Dampier said that Harry 'loved' Philip's sense of humour and praised him in interviews, adding that this makes his non-attendance 'all the more mystifying and strange'. Advertisement Among them is the involvement of Duke of Edinburgh (DofE) gold award winners and Sea Cadets, his expressed wish for the congregation to sing the rousing hymn Guide Me, O Thou Great Redeemer, and for clergy from the royal estates of Windsor, Sandringham and Balmoral to play a special part. His funeral at St George's Chapel in Windsor was limited to just 30 mourners in the midst of the pandemic and mass singing was banned, with the Queen sitting alone in a mask. Around 1,800 guests are due at today's service, including British and European royalty, representatives of the many charities of which the duke was patron or president, Boris and Carrie Johnson, and Sir David Attenborough. But the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are not returning from the US for the service The Queen has recently been forced to pull out of a string of engagements because of ill health and old age. She was unable to attend the Commonwealth Day service this month because of concerns about her mobility and comfort. Palace and Abbey aides are thought to have taken steps to ensure that the service, to be televised live on BBC One, is less taxing for the Queen. The service will gave thanks for the duke's dedication to family, nation and Commonwealth and recognise the importance of his legacy in creating opportunities for young people, promoting conservation, and supporting the Armed Forces. One of the elements planned for the funeral which has now been included in the service will see nine Gold Award holders from The Duke of Edinburgh's Award, plus representatives from UK Cadet Force Associations, line entry routes into Westminster Abbey. Philip, who died in April last year aged 99, launched the DofE Award in 1956 and was Colonel-in-Chief of the Army Cadet Force, a role he first took up in 1953. A tenth DofE gold award holder, Doyin Sonibare, 28, from London, will give a tribute to His Royal Highness's legacy, recognising the impact of the Award on young people across the globe. The Very Reverend Dr David Hoyle, Dean of Westminster, will conduct the service and describe the duke in the Bidding as 'a man of rare ability and distinction' who 'ever directed our attention away from himself.' He will say: 'He put privilege to work and understood his rank as a spur to service. Working at pace, with so many claims on his attention, he encouraged us to focus, as he was focussed, on the things that matter. 'His was a discipline and character that seized opportunity and overcame obstruction and difficulty. We recall, with affection and respect, the sustained offering of a long life lived fully.' It was the duke's expressed wish that clergy from Windsor, Sandringham and Balmoral - known as The Queen's domestic chaplains - played a part in his funeral service, but this was not possible due to the Covid restrictions. Today the Reverend Kenneth MacKenzie Minister of Crathie Church, the regular place of worship of the British royal family when they are in residence at nearby Balmoral Castle, the Reverend Canon Jonathan Riviere, the Rector of Sandringham, and the Reverend Canon Martin Poll, Chaplain to the Royal Chapel of All Saints, Windsor Great Park, will offer prayers recognising Philip's energy, spirit of adventure and 'good stewardship of the environment'. The service will also be attended by around 30 foreign royals, including Prince Albert of Monaco, Denmark's Queen Margrethe, King Harald and Queen Sonja of Norway, and Spain's King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia. Queen sheds a tear for beloved Philip: Emotional monarch wears green in tribute to late husband at Westminster Abbey memorial attended by Kate, Wills, Charles and Camilla... a year after sitting alone at his funeral at height of the pandemic The Queen shed a tear for Prince Philip at an extraordinary service in remembrance of his remarkable life of service to Britain and his wife today. Her Majesty stood in Westminster Abbey where she had personally ensured her beloved husband's final wishes were fulfilled after his covid-hit funeral left her sat alone without the rousing hymns and guests he loved so much. The 95-year-old monarch used a stick as she was walked to her seat by her disgraced son the Duke of York to give her 'strength and stay' Philip the final farewell he had wanted. The service was attended by the Royal Family and his relatives, friends and people who benefitted from his charities. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were the only senior royals not there. Despite battling mobility problems, she stood to pray and sing anthems during a 40-minute service that her husband of 73 years had helped plan for before his death last April. But in a controversial decision she chose Prince Andrew to support her as she arrived and left the church, clutching his elbow with one hand and a walking stick with the other. The Queen had stood with tears in her eyes as the 1,800-strong congregation sang Guide Me O Thou Great Redeemer before the bells of Westminster Abbey rang out to mark the end of the memorial service for the Duke of Edinburgh. After she leant on Andrew as she walked back out of the church, the Queen appeared to grimace as she walked to the car hunched over with the Duke of York at her side guiding her towards the Bentley. She appeared to be holding tightly to her stick and appeared to be making a great effort to get to the vehicle, concentrating very hard in taking each step. Once inside the car she appeared to be back to her normal composed self as the car slowly drove away. She waved to onlookers as she arrived and left the service. The Queen and the packed abbey had listened as the Dean of Windsor paid tribute to Philip's intellect, work ethic, sense of humour and devotion to his family. The Right Reverend David Conner described the duke as a 'remarkable man' who was committed to 'a host of down-to-earth enterprises'. He pointed out that the duke could be 'abrupt', and suggested that at times he could forget 'just how intimidating he could be'. Princess Beatrice was seen to give a small chuckle as the Dean remarked: 'He could be somewhat sharp in pricking what he thought to be bubbles of pomposity or sycophancy.' But then appeared to break down in tears, covering her face with the order of service. The Queen, the Duchess of Cornwall and the Princess Royal were all dressed in dark green in a subtle tribute to Philip, whose livery colour was Edinburgh Green. A number of others throughout the congregation also wore the shade, including Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award holder Doyin Sonibare who delivered a special tribute about the effect Philip's youth scheme had on her life. Flowers at today's service are a patriotic red, white and blue, at Her Majesty's request. They included dendrobium orchids, which also featured in the Queen's wedding bouquet, and eryngium - or sea holly - echoing the duke's career in the Royal Navy and lifelong affection for the sea. There were also multiple tributes to his intellect, work ethic, sense of humour and devotion to his family and his country. The Queen stood and shed a tear for her husband today at an extraordinary service in remembrance of his life The Queen closed her eyes in prayer as she joined senior royals to pay tribute to Prince Philip at his memorial at Westminster Abbey. When she opened her eyes they appeared moist Her Majesty stands to sing surrounded by her family with the Duke of York also on the front row.From left to right, front row: Queen Elizabeth II, the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall, the Princess Royal, Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence, the Duke of York, The Earl of Wessex, the Countess of Wessex, Lady Louise Mountbatten-Windsor and Viscount Severn. (Second row left to right) The Duke of Cambridge, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, the Duchess of Cambridge, Peter Phillips, Isla Phillips, Savannah Phillips, Mia Tindall, Zara Tindall and Mike Tindall Princess Beatrice was overwhelmed by the service. Stood behind the Queen she cried and covered her face with the order of service as her grandmother removed her glasses Her Majesty walked with the help of a stick but stood without support sat next to Charles, Camilla, Anne and her husband Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence. Across the aisle was Prince Andrew Prince Andrew travelled with the Queen to Westminster Abbey and appeared to escort her to her seat before taking his own Prince Andrew was sat next to Prince Edward and Sophie Wessex during today's memorial service at Westminster Abbey Queen Elizabeth II is helped into her car by her son Prince Andrew, right, after attending a Service of Thanksgiving for the life of Prince Philip She spoke to her son inside the car and waved to the crowds outside the service in London, which ended this afternoon The Queen as she left Westminster Abbey in her Rolls-Royce today, wearing a regal purple and golden brooch Prince Andrew, Duke of York, who last month agreed to settle his sex assault lawsuit, left the service in a car with his mother the Queen A sombre Prince Charles leaves the church with his wife Camilla, who also looked moved by the celebration of Prince Philip's life Charles was seen wiping his eyes at the service where he could say goodbye to his father after a pared back funeral last year. Prince Andrew looked serious as he waited to leave with his mother Prince William rests a hand on the back of his son Prince George, at the end of the memorial service for Prince Philip The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge left the Abbey with two of their children, Prince George and Princess Charlotte The Cambridges departing the Service of Thanksgiving for the Duke of Edinburgh at Westminster Abbey The Duchess of Cambridge smiled out of the window of her car as she left the Abbey with Prince William after the service The Queen sits alone at Philip's pared-down funeral last April - in stark contrast to today's celebration. It was one of the defining photos of the pandemic, where many Britons were forced to mourn their loved ones in small ceremonies, sometimes alone Queen, Camilla and Anne all wear green for their beloved Prince Philip It was a touching tribute to a much-missed Duke of Edinburgh as the Queen and senior royal women stepped out in Edinburgh Green for Philip's memorial service. All wearing the same shade, the monarch, the Duchess of Cornwall and the Princess Royal sat in the front row of royal seats in Westminster Abbey, united in remembrance of Philip. The duke's official dark green livery colour was known as Edinburgh Green. It was used for his staff liveries - the duke's page at the coronation wore dark green and silver - and private cars. The monarch's brooch was another nod to her late husband of more than 70 years. She chose her yellow gold, ruby and diamond scarab brooch, designed by Andrew Grima, which was a personal gift from Philip in 1966. Camilla wore her Rifles brooch in recognition of the moment when her father-in-law handed over his role as colonel-in-chief of the regiment to her in 2020. Others in the congregation also wore dark green, including Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award holder Doyin Sonibare, who delivered a special tribute about the effect Philip's youth scheme had on her life. The Duchess of Cambridge opted for a high-necked black dress with white polka dots and a textured wide-brimmed black hat. Advertisement Her Majesty had arrived at the side door of the church, allowing her to walk a shorter distance from Poets' Corner to the front where she was surrounded by her children and grandchildren. She stood at various points in the service, despite her own admission recently that she is struggling to move. Westminster Abbey was completely packed today to celebrate the 99-year life of Prince Philip as Her Majesty battled mobility issues and fought off covid to be there to say goodbye to her husband after 73 years of marriage. The event, attended by most of the Duke of Edinburgh's family and many of Europe's most senior royals, is in the starkest of contrasts to his pared back funeral at Windsor last April when Her Majesty said goodbye to her strength and stay after 73 years of marriage. The Queen finally decided to attend today's service in Central London around two hours before but the coverage of the Service of Thanksgiving was dominated by her extraordinary decision to travel with her disgraced son Prince Andrew from Windsor Castle to Central London. Her Majesty was determined to be amongst the 1,800 guests despite the 95-year-old's mobility problems that have prevented her doing a major public engagement away from Windsor Castle in nearly six months. The Tindalls were the first close family to arrive, followed Princess Anne, the Wessexes, Prince Charles and his wife Camilla and then the Cambridges, who were with their children George and Charlotte. The Queen was the last to arrive with Andrew. It was a move that royal watchers believe may have upset her son Prince Charles and grandson Prince William both instrumental in the decision to take away the Duke of York's 'HRH'. The Queen chose her second son to join her in the back of her royal car for the 22-mile journey and he was also given a front row in the church, right next to his other siblings at the service just weeks after he paid millions to one of Jeffrey Epstein's sex slaves, Virginia Roberts Giuffre, who accused him of having sex with her three times when she was trafficked to London aged 17. The Queen's state limousine arrived at Poets' Yard entrance with Andrew sat beside her. As they walked through the famous section of the abbey towards her seat, in a small procession, the monarch held onto her son's elbow with her left hand and had a walking stick in her right. They walked at a slow but steady pace both looking ahead, and at the end of the aisle they separated - with Andrew giving a last glance to his mother as she turned right. After the first hymn, Charles, who was sat next to her mother, could be seen leaning over to speak to the Queen seated next to him - but it is not clear what was said. The Queen then delved into her black Launer handbag for her glasses to read the order of service. After the 40 minute service, Her Majesty was escorted out of the abbey by the Duke of York. As the monarch stopped to greet Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award holder Doyin Sonibare, Andrew stood back and at one point broke into a smile. The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall were the first to leave Westminster Abbey alongside the abbey's chapter. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge followed. All four royals waved at the crowd outside as they were driven away in black cars. Despite her frailty, Queen Elizabeth II stands during a Service of Thanksgiving for the life of the Duke of Edinburgh, at Westminster Abbey today The congregation takes its place ahead of the service. The Queen made the final decision to attend this morning, hours before she was due to travel the 22 miles from Windsor Castle to Central London. She held Andrew's elbow The royal family paying an emotional tribute to Prince Philip at today's service at Westminster Abbey Her Majesty listens to the various eulogies to her husband at the Service of Remembrance held almost a year after his funeral The Queen, 95, fought frailty to be in the church with her family at an event she had helped plan for her husband The Queen stands for the first hymn at the service in remembrance of her beloved husband Prince Philip Prince Andrew walked his mother up the aisle after she arrived via a side door rather than the main entrance to shorten the distance The Queen has been 'actively involved' in plans for the service 'with many elements reflecting Her Majesty's wishes' Prince Andrew was sat next to Prince Edward and Sophie Wessex during today's memorial service at Westminster Abbey The royals, led by the Queen despite her recent health issues, join the congregation in singing hymns during today's service The royals ahead of the service: In the front row are The Queen, Prince Charles, Camilla, Princess Anne and Timothy Laurence. The Cambridges are in the second row while Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, along with their husbands, are among the royals in the third row She left as she arrived, being supported by her son Andrew - reputedly her favourite The Queen remained seated during the service with aides taking special measures to ensure her comfort after recent heath issues Princess Charlotte and Prince George sit with the mother the Duchess of Cambridge during today's service at Westminster Abbey Prince Charles and Camilla were greeted by clergy as they arrived ahead of today's service of celebration for Prince Philip A serious looking Prince William sits down next to his wife, George and Charlotte to say goodbye to his grandfather The Queen sat beside Andrew, the royal who lost his HRH just weeks ago over his links to Epstein and civil case Crowds piled outside Westminster Abbey to pay tribute to Prince Philip as the service in his memorial continued Thousands of supporters gathered outside the Service Of Thanksgiving For The Duke of Edinburgh at Westminster Abbey Today the monarch ensured that her beloved husband's final wishes are fulfilled after his Covid-hit funeral left her sat alone without the rousing hymns and guests he loved so much. Her Majesty has been 'actively involved' in every element of his service of thanksgiving that will see Westminster Abbey packed to the rafters. Even the smallest of touches have been overseen by the Queen, including the use of orchids that formed part of her 1947 wedding bouquet being used in small posies of flowers. Prince Philip's beloved Sea Cadets and young people who have taken his Duke of Edinburgh awards are centre stage at the service that will see the Abbey reverberate with the sound of hymns including Guide me, O thou great Redeemer. All Prince Philip's family chose to attend apart from Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. On Prince Andrew's left is his brother the Earl of Wessex and Edward's family the Countess of Wessex and their children Lady Louise Windsor and James, Viscount Severn. Across an aisle on his right is the Princess Royal, her husband Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence, the Duchess of Cornwall, Prince of Wales and the Queen. Prince George and Princess Charlotte also attended with the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, and be sat behind the Queen. Behind Andrew and Edward's family were Peter Phillips, and Zara and Mike Tindall and their daughters. The Duke of Edinburgh's intellect, work ethic, sense of humour and devotion to his family were celebrated in an address by the Dean of Windsor. The Right Reverend David Conner paid tribute to Philip as a 'remarkable man' who was committed to 'a host of down-to-earth enterprises'. He pointed out that the duke could be 'abrupt' and suggested that at times he could forget 'just how intimidating he could be'. Addressing the congregation in Westminster Abbey, Mr Conner said: 'He was practical, wanting to put flesh upon his dreams, and (acknowledging the limitations of living in this so-called 'real world') he devoted his astonishing intellectual and physical energy, his enormous capacity for sheer hard work, to a host of down-to-earth enterprises. 'These included the equipping of young people to face tomorrow's challenges, the encouragement of respect and care for the natural order, and his pioneering work in facilitating conversation between representatives of the different world faiths. 'Through his passionate commitment, he drew others to himself in admiration and respect and, in the case of those who lived and worked most closely to him, genuine love.' Mr Conner added: 'He would hate to think that I should paint a picture of him as a 'plaster saint'; someone without the usual human foibles and failings. 'He was far too self-aware ever to be taken in by flattery. Of course, it must be said that his life bore the marks of sacrifice and service. 'Certainly, he could show great sympathy and kindness. There is no doubt that he had a delightfully engaging, and often self-deprecating, sense of humour. 'It is quite clear that his mind held together both speculation and common sense. Moreover, nobody would ever doubt his loyalty and deep devotion to our Queen and to their family. 'Yet, there were times when he could be abrupt; maybe, in robust conversation, forgetting just how intimidating he could be. 'A kind of natural reserve sometimes made him seem a little distant. He could be somewhat sharp in pricking what he thought to be bubbles of pomposity or sycophancy. 'On the other hand, we should not forget that he himself was sometimes wounded by being unfairly criticised or misunderstood.' Concluding his address, the dean said: 'As we give thanks for the life of a remarkable man, perhaps our greatest tribute to him, most especially in these far too troubled times, will be for us to accept the challenge, implicit in his life, to rekindle in our hearts something of that call, and to pray (as I think he did) for the inspiration and the guidance to play our part, however small, in working for a kinder future. Queen Elizabeth II is driven in to attend a Service of Thanksgiving for the life of Prince Philip at Westminster Abbey The Cambridges arrived at the church hand in hand with their children Charlotte and George. Louis stayed at home The Duchess of Cambridge and Princess Charlotte arrive at today's service of Thanksgiving for the life of Prince Philip Charles shook hands with the clergy as they entered the church just before Midday Prime Minister Boris Johnson attends the Thanksgiving service for the Duke Of Edinburgh at Westminster Abbey today Princess Eugenie (left) and Princess Beatrice (right) pictured arriving at a service of thanksgiving for late Prince Philip Princess Eugenie and Princess Beatrice arriving at the poignant Service of Thanksgiving for the life of Prince Philip Peter Phillips with Isla Phillips and Savannah Phillips (right) arriving for a Service of Thanksgiving for the life of the Duke of Edinburgh Timothy Laurence and Anne, Princess Royal, arriving ahead of the Service of Thanksgiving for the life of Prince Philip Princess Royal arriving for a Service of Thanksgiving for the life of the Duke of Edinburgh and greeting Duke of Edinburgh award recipients Prince Charles and his wife Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, arrive at Westminster Abbey Prince Andrew (left) leaves Windsor Castle with the Queen (right) today ahead of the service to remember Prince Philip The Queen leaves Windsor Castle to travel to Westminster Abbey this morning, with her son Prince Andrew sat on her right While the Queen's arrival at Westminster Abbey was mentioned in the order of service, a final decision on her attendance was only confirmed two hours before because of her frailty. The Princess Royal arrived at Westminster Abbey. Wearing a long green dress and hat, Anne arrived alongside her husband, Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence. Peter Phillips' children Savannah and Isla were sitting next to their cousin Mia, daughter of Zara and Mike Tindall. The girls were dressed in navy with their hair fixed back with headbands. Once inside Westminster Abbey, guests were escorted to their seats, with Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie and their husbands smiling at members of the Abbey's chapter, or governing body, standing by the great West Door, as they walked in. The Earl and Countess of Wessex and their children also smiled warmly at the welcoming clergy. Sophie, Countess of Wessex, and her daughter, Lady Louise, smiled and chatted to each other after taking their seats in the Abbey. The Duke's family ahead of the service: In the second row is Peter Philips with daughters Savannah and Isla. Next to them is Mia Tindall with parents Zara Philips and Mike Tindall. In the front row are Prince Edward and Sophie Wessex with children Lady Louise and James, Viscount Severn The Cambridges arrived shortly after Prince Charles and Camilla ahead of today's memorial service for Prince Philip at Westminster Abbey Kate Middleton arrives at Westminster Abbey for the memorial service to Prince Philip today. She was joined by Prince William and her children George and Charlotte The Tindalls were the first senior British royals to arrive, holding one of their daughter Mia's hands Lady Louise Windsor arriving at the Westminster Abbey service for Prince Philip today. The Service will pay tribute to the Duke of Edinburgh's contribution to public life and steadfast support for the over 700 charitable organisations Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex attends the Thanksgiving service for the Duke of Edinburgh at Westminster Abbey today Peter Phillips attended the service with his children Savannah and Isla Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi and Princess Beatrice file into the main church Prince Michael of Kent and Princess Michael of Kent attend the memorial service for the Duke Of Edinburgh at Westminster Abbey The Queen leaves Windsor Castle in a car this morning with her disgraced son Prince Andrew to travel to London Prince Andrew (left) leaves Windsor Castle with the Queen (right) this morning ahead of the service of thanksgiving for Philip Lady Susan Hussey, the Queen's lady-in-waiting, arrives with her foot in a brace and on crutches at Westminster Abbey today Penelope Knatchbull, Countess Mountbatten of Burma arrives at Westminster Abbey for the service this morning Metropolitan Police Commissioner Dame Cressida Dick (left) and Formula One driver Sir Jackie Stewart (right) arrive today Foreign Secretary Liz Truss (left) and Home Secretary Priti Patel (right) arrive at Westminster Abbey this morning Guests walk into Westminster Abbey and take their seats ahead of this morning's service to remember Prince Philip Chancellor Rishi Sunak (left) and Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon (right) at Westminster Abbey today Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer (left) and Professor Chris Whitty, Chief Medical Officer for England (right), arrive this morning Guests arrive for Prince Philip's memorial service at Westminster Abbey in London this morning Guests arrive for Prince Philip's memorial service at Westminster Abbey in London this morning Members of the congregation queue at Westminster Abbey today ahead of the service of thanksgiving for the life of Philip Guests arrive to attend the service of thanksgiving for the life of the Duke of Edinburgh at Westminster Abbey this morning Earlier today, royal commentator Robert Jobson, author of Prince Philip's Century, told GB News: 'I think that Prince Andrew may play a more prominent role than we think earlier on. My understanding is that someone has to support the Queen and he may well be by her side. I think Charles will probably be with Camilla.' Overnight, royal aides revealed the Queen has been 'actively involved' in plans for the service 'with many elements reflecting Her Majesty's wishes' as the order of service was unveiled at midnight. It includes several elements the Duke had planned for his funeral at St George's Chapel in Windsor Castle in April last year but which were forbidden by Covid restrictions at the time. Among them is the involvement of Duke of Edinburgh (DofE) gold award winners and Sea Cadets, his expressed wish for the congregation to sing the rousing hymn Guide Me, O Thou Great Redeemer, and for clergy from the royal estates of Windsor, Sandringham and Balmoral to play a special part. His funeral at St George's Chapel in Windsor was limited to just 30 mourners in the midst of the pandemic and mass singing was banned, with the Queen sitting alone in a mask. Around 1,800 guests are due at today's service, including British and European royalty, representatives of the many charities of which the duke was patron or president, Boris and Carrie Johnson, and Sir David Attenborough. Prince Harry faces 'lifetime of regret' for missing memorial to his beloved grandfather Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle could 'regret' not attending the memorial service for his grandfather Prince Philip at Westminster Abbey today - and the Queen is likely to be 'very upset' but cannot change his mind, royal experts say. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are expected to remain at home in Montecito, California, while the rest of the Royal Family gather in London for the poignant event. Harry last returned to the UK eight months ago to unveil the statue of his late mother Diana, Princess of Wales in London on July 1 with his brother Prince William. The Duke - one of the Queen and Philip's eight grandchildren is the only top-level royal not attending today's service which was organised by the monarch. Royal author Phil Dampier told MailOnline: 'It's very sad that Harry and Meghan won't be at Prince Philip's memorial service and I think one day Harry might regret it. He has said that he doesn't feel safe without Scotland Yard security but to me that sounds like an excuse not to come back to the UK and indicates the rift with his blood family is still bad. 'Harry was always very fond of his grandfather and was deeply honoured when he took over from him as Captain General of the Royal Marines, but sadly that didn't last long. The pair attended some Remembrance Day events together and there was always a rapport between them, both being serving military men who had seen active service.' Mr Dampier said that Harry 'loved' Philip's sense of humour and praised him in interviews, adding that this makes his non-attendance 'all the more mystifying and strange'. Advertisement But the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are not returning from the US for the service. While the Queen's arrival was mentioned in the order of service, it is understood that a final decision on her attendance was not made until first thing this morning. She has recently been forced to pull out of a string of engagements because of ill health and old age. She was unable to attend the Commonwealth Day service this month because of concerns about her mobility and comfort. Palace and Abbey aides are thought to have taken steps to ensure that the service is less taxing for the Queen. Instead of arriving at the usual West Entrance to the Abbey, which would involve steps and a long walk down the Nave in front of the cameras, the Queen could be driven around the side of the building and enter away from public view via the 'Poet's Entrance'. She would then have a far shorter walk down the South Transept to her seat. It is likely she would walk with the aid of a stick. The service will gave thanks for the duke's dedication to family, nation and Commonwealth and recognise the importance of his legacy in creating opportunities for young people, promoting conservation, and supporting the Armed Forces. One of the elements planned for the funeral which has now been included in the service will see nine Gold Award holders from The Duke of Edinburgh's Award, plus representatives from UK Cadet Force Associations, line entry routes into Westminster Abbey. Philip, who died in April last year aged 99, launched the DofE Award in 1956 and was Colonel-in-Chief of the Army Cadet Force, a role he first took up in 1953. A tenth DofE gold award holder, Doyin Sonibare, 28, from London, will give a tribute to His Royal Highness's legacy, recognising the impact of the Award on young people across the globe. The Very Reverend Dr David Hoyle, Dean of Westminster, will conduct the service and describe the duke in the Bidding as 'a man of rare ability and distinction' who 'ever directed our attention away from himself.' He will say: 'He put privilege to work and understood his rank as a spur to service. Working at pace, with so many claims on his attention, he encouraged us to focus, as he was focussed, on the things that matter. 'His was a discipline and character that seized opportunity and overcame obstruction and difficulty. We recall, with affection and respect, the sustained offering of a long life lived fully.' A nine-year-old schoolgirl with Down's Syndrome has defied the expectations of doctors who believed she would never be able to walk or talk, and is now the face of high-end brand Burberry. Roni Littman, from Potters Bar, has modelled for big brands including River Island, Asda George and TJ MAXX, but her most recent job was with British luxury fashion brand Burberry. Roni's mum Shelley, 46, could not be prouder of her daughter's achievements and is also delighted that brands are encouraging diversity and becoming more inclusive with their advertisements. Roni Littman, nine, (pictured) from Potters Bar, Hertfordshire, who has Down's Syndrome, has been chosen as the latest face of Burberry 'We were absolutely elated when Roni got the Burberry modelling job,' Shelley said. 'I am so proud of her - she has blown all expectations out of the water. 'When she was born, we were told she may not be able to walk or talk. 'But she has defied the odds and continues to break boundaries. 'She has achieved so much in such a short period of time. 'I am very impressed that high-end brands like Burberry are being inclusive because it is encouraging for other people with disabilities. Shelley, 46, said Roni (both pictured) has blown all 'expectations out of the water' after being initially told that she may never be able to walk or talk Shelley in the make-up chair at a photoshoot. The youngster has racked up an impressive array of modelling jobs and loves being in front of the camera Shelley, who is a dog carer, revealed Roni has been chosen to model Burberry's spring summer 2022 collection (pictured at the shoot) 'There's no reason why children with disabilities shouldn't have these things too.' Roni can be seen sporting Burberry's spring summer 2022 collection. Shelley, who is a dog carer, continued: 'Down's syndrome can affect every child differently. 'Roni did take a while to communicate clearly, but she makes herself very much understood. Shelley revealed that it can take a while for Roni, pictured getting her nails done for a job, to communicate clearly but she does make herself understood Shelley said her daughter is 'a very cheeky, determined and feisty young lady', who has always loved entertaining people Shelley said that Roni has gone from 'strength to strength' since they sent photos to Zebedee Inclusive Talent Agency 'She is a very cheeky, determined and feisty young lady. 'She has always loved the camera and entertaining people. 'In 2017, we sent some photos to Zebedee Inclusive Talent Agency and ever since she has gone from strength to strength.' Roni, who is a natural in front of the camera, has refused to let her disability define her. Shelley said doctors filled she and husband Jon, 49, with negativity about the certain things Roni may never be able to do but she has proved everyone wrong Shelley added: 'We didn't know Roni had Down's syndrome until she was born. 'We were told she may never be able to do certain things and the doctors filled us with negativity. 'But she has proved everyone wrong. 'She started walking at 17 months old and has become a very determined individual so I'm not surprised that she is excelling. Shelley said Roni started walking at 17 months old and learnt how to ski at age five. Pictured: Roni having a ski lesson Shelley said it can take Roni longer to learn things but she never gives up as she is a determined individual Shelley revealed that she and husband Jon, 49, are beyond excited to see what the future holds for Roni Shelley hopes that Roni can inspire other disabled children and adults to follow their dreams 'Sometimes, it can be difficult for her because she takes longer to learn things but she never gives up. 'It is an honour and a privilege to have her in our lives. 'She learnt how to ski aged five and put her all into it. 'My husband Jon, 49, and I are beyond excited to see what the future holds for Roni. 'We will do her best to help her achieve whatever path she wants to take in the future. 'We hope Roni can inspire other disabled children and adults to follow their dreams. 'Roni proves everything is achievable and don't let things get in your way.' SK Inc. CEO Jang Dong-hyun speaks at the company's general shareholders' meeting at the Supex Hall of the SK Serin Building in Seoul, Tuesday. / Courtesy of SK Inc. By Kim Hyun-bin SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won was reappointed as executive director of SK Inc. at the company's 31st regular general shareholders' meeting, Tuesday, despite opposition from the National Pension Service (NPS). At the meeting, shareholders approved all four items on the agenda including the financial statements for 2021, the re-election of directors including Chey as well as Yeom Jae-ho and Kim Byoung-ho as outside directors, appointing an auditor, and the remuneration limit for directors. The meting was held at the Supex Hall of the SK Serin Building in Seoul, Tuesday. SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won Advertisement The Queen and Prince Philip's much loved niece Sarah Chatto looked emotional as she arrived for her uncle's service of thanksgiving this morning. Sarah, the daughter of Princess Margaret and Anthony Armstrong-Jones, 1st Earl Snowdon, enjoyed a particularly warm relationship with the Duke of Edinburgh and spent much time with him and the family growing up. The 56-year-old, who is married to Daniel Chatto, looked sombre in a navy blue dress, cardigan and string of pearls as she arrived at Westminster Abbey alongside members of the Royal Family. The important place Sarah held in Prince Philip's heart was reflected in the fact that she was one of just 30 mourners invited to the Duke of Edinburgh's funeral in April last year. Also in attendance is her brother David Armstrong-Jones, 2nd Earl Snowdon, who was seated next to his daughter Margarita. Lady Sarah, 56, wore a navy blue dress, cardigan and string of pearls as she arrived at Westminster Abbey The Queen and Prince Philip's beloved niece looked happy to be joining family to remember the Duke of Edinburgh Sarah Chatto's brother David Armstrong-Jones, 2nd Earl Snowdon, who was seated next to his daughter Margarita The Queen's niece Sarah Chatto arriving at Westminster Abbey with her husband Daniel Chatto Sarah Chatto's sons Samuel (left) and Arthur (right) joined their parents at the high profile event today 'Surrogate mother': The Queen has been a constant support to niece Sarah and nephew David Armstrong-Jones, pictured together at Princess Margaret's funeral By his side: Lady Sarah Chatto with the Duke of Edinburgh at a service of thanksgiving for her father, Lord Snowdon, in 2017 Sarah was accompanied by her husband, Daniel, and their sons, Arthur and Samuel. Samuel, 25, and Arthur, 23, are both stars on Instagram, where they boast thousands of fans each. Lady Sarah Chatto was born in 1964 the last royal baby born at a palace rather than a hospital within weeks of cousins Prince Edward, Lady Helen Windsor and James Ogilvy. The Queen has been described as a 'surrogate mother' to the siblings and is particularly close to Lady Sarah, who is understood to remind Her Majesty of her late sister. One royal insider previously revealed: 'The Queen adores Sarah and seeks out her company as often as possible. She is her absolute favourite younger Royal. 'They are hugely at ease in each other's company. Much giggling can be heard when they are together. They share a sense of loyalty, fun, duty and the ridiculous.' One acquaintance said: 'Sarah is very unassuming; shy and almost embarrassed with no grandeur at all. Take royal events she'll be on the balcony, but she never pushes herself to the middle or the front, like some.' Westminster Abbey was packed today to celebrate the 99-year life of Prince Philip as Her Majesty battled mobility issues and fought off covid to be there to say goodbye to her husband after 73 years of marriage. The Queen, the Duchess of Cornwall and the Princess Royal were all dressed in dark green in a subtle tribute to Philip, whose livery colour was Edinburgh Green. The event, attended by most of the Duke of Edinburgh's family and many of Europe's most senior royals, is in the starkest of contrasts to his pared back funeral at Windsor last April when Her Majesty said goodbye to her strength and stay after 73 years of marriage. Prince Charles and his wife Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, arrive at Westminster Abbey The Cambridges arrived at the church hand in hand with their children Charlotte and George. Louis stayed at home Charles shook hands with the clergy as they entered the church just before Midday The Tindalls were the first senior British royals to arrive, holding one of their daughter Mia's hands Peter Phillips attended the service with his children Savannah and Isla Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi and Princess Beatrice file into the main church 'A surrogate mother': The close relationship the Queen and Prince Philip shared with Princess Margaret's children The Queen and, formerly, Prince Philip, have been a constant support in Lady Sarah Chatto's life. When she was born her parents, Princess Margaret and Antony Armstrong-Jones, Lord Snowdon, were the toast of swinging London, their Kensington Palace apartment now the London home of William and Catherine the scene of hedonistic parties. But the marriage, a rebound affair after Margaret was forbidden to marry divorced equerry Peter Townsend, was notoriously tempestuous. Fuelled by alcohol and affairs on both sides, their 18-year union was once described as a 16-year break-up. At just 13, her parents' divorce was 'terribly upsetting' for Sarah. The decision to invite Lady Sarah and her husband Daniel (pictured at wedding) to Prince Philip's funeral was an indication of how highly they are regarded in the royal family, and is a tribute to the close relationship the Duke of Edinburgh enjoyed with Princess Margaret As Margaret was granted custody, the children stayed in Kensington Palace. Sarah was sent to Francis Holland School in Chelsea, a smart all-girls' day school, followed by Bedales with her brother. The mixed boarding school in rural Hampshire alma mater of actors Daniel Day-Lewis and Minnie Driver was a fashionable, arty, bohemian choice. It had no uniform and nurtured artistic expression above all else. It was what both parents wanted and it ensured David and Sarah inherited a love of art. This 'progressive' institution was the polar opposite to the starchiness of a royal upbringing. One contemporary said that when Lady Sarah turned up 'she was practically in a velvet-collar coat and tweeds although everyone else was hanging out in their kickers'. However it was quite possibly this school with its warm, nurturing atmosphere that made her the woman she is now. Sarah had grown up knowing that her mother had little time or patience for babies and small children; despite Snowdon's reluctance, nannies and housemaids were in charge and the children were instructed never to wake their mother before 11am a rule that was keenly enforced by Nanny Sumner. The Queen has been described as a 'surrogate mother' to the siblings and is particularly close to Lady Sarah, who is understood to remind Her Majesty of her late sister David and Lady Sarah enjoyed a close relationship with the Queen, the Duke of Edinburgh and their children growing up - often joining the family on holiday - and remain so to this day When Margaret gave her house on Mustique island in the Caribbean Les Jolies Eaux to David alone on his 27th birthday (he let it out and then sold it, preferring to buy an estate in Provence) it was said that Sarah was not consulted; nor did she profit from the sale. Her father, however, doted on her and it is from him she is said to have inherited her 'immense charm'. From her father she also inherited her artistic eye. A foundation course at Camberwell School of Arts and Crafts, followed by a printed textiles course at Middlesex Polytechnic, paved the way for her training at the Royal Academy Schools. Her oil paintings today sell for thousands and she is Vice President of the Royal Drawing School. From her mother, she inherited a love of dance. While Margaret was Patron of the Royal Ballet School, Sarah is its Vice President. Not that the young Sarah ever felt herself to be above her art school contemporaries. She may have shared her 21st birthday with Prince Edward, Lady Helen Windsor and James Ogilvy at Windsor Castle, but she also included all of her friends from art school. The Earl - David Armstrong-Jones (pictured) is known for his high-end furniture company (pictured) It was when she met Daniel Chatto whilst working as a wardrobe assistant on 'Heat and Dust', in which dashing actor Chatto had a small role, that her love life became serious. The son of actor Tom Chatto, and theatrical agent Ros Chatto (who was the mistress of another theatrical agent, Robin Fox), Daniel appeared in around a dozen films and TV programmes, often period dramas based on the novels of W. Somerset Maugham or Charles Dickens. He soon gave up his acting career, however, to focus on painting, a passion shared with Sarah. Together he and Sarah set up home in Kensington whilst still unmarried a fact that enraged Princess Margaret where they still live in a small, pretty, Grade II listed terrace house. Pictured left to right, David Armstrong-Jones, Earl of Snowdon, Lady Margarita Armstrong-Jones, Serena Armstrong-Jones, Countess of Snowdon, and Charles Armstrong-Jones, Viscount Linley, attend the Alexander Dundas's 18th birthday party hosted by Lord and Lady Dundas on December 16, 2017 in Londo They also have a Georgian country farmhouse near Midhurst in Sussex, given to Sarah by her godfather, the late art-loving philanthropist Simon Sainsbury. The informal country life of dogs, horses and annual sheepdog trials which she judges is the essence of Sarah, a royal who has never been lured by pomp and ceremony. Indeed her wedding to Chatto in July 1994 was such a short, simple affair that chauffeurs were caught by surprise: the Queen, Prince Philip and Diana had to wait at the City church of St Stephen's Walbrook after the service for their cars to come back. Her veil was anchored by the Snowdon Floral Tiara, created from brooches given to Princess Margaret by her husband, and the wedding portraits show the newlyweds flanked by the Queen and the Queen Mother. Although her childhood lacked the stability she has created for her own family according to royal insiders, she found her mother's early indiscretions 'almost unbearable' Sarah remained a loving, dutiful daughter until the end. Her mother's death in 2002 after a series of strokes and four years of suffering saw her children by her side. Sarah, says a royal source, had been 'selfless and often left her own family overnight to drive to KP to care for her mother'. Sarah arrived at the chapel by car while her brother David Armstrong-Jones, the Earl of Snowdon, (pictured with Prince Philip) joined the procession of senior royals walking behind the Duke of Edinburgh's coffin Charles Armstrong-Jones, Viscount Linley, David Armstrong-Jones, 2nd Earl of Snowdon and Lady Margarita Armstrong-Jones attend the wedding of Princess Eugenie of York and Jack Brooksbank at St George's Chapel on October 12, 2018 in Windsor Margaret's death also brought the Queen even closer to her only niece, in her new role as something of a surrogate mother. One, it appears, that endures to this day. Meanwhile David is honorary chairman for Europe, the Middle East, Russia and India of auctioneers Christie's. He was promoted to the role in 2015 from his former role of chairman of Christie's UK. The Earl, also known by his professional name of David Linley, also produces luxury British accessories and has reportedly created the interiors for a number of exclusive central London homes. Linley was picked by Prince Charles, his first cousin, as number two in his The Prince's Foundation, a new merger of his charity commitments, in 2018 an appointment which raised eyebrows as he was chosen ahead of the heir to the throne's sons William and Harry. Last year a friend said: 'David is very, very close to the Queen and Prince Charles. He goes to Sandringham at Christmas and turns up at Balmoral in the summer.' Queen sheds a tear for beloved Philip: Emotional monarch wears green in tribute to late husband at Westminster Abbey memorial attended by Kate, Wills, Charles and Camilla... a year after sitting alone at his funeral at height of the pandemic The Queen shed a tear for Prince Philip at an extraordinary service in remembrance of his remarkable life of service to Britain and his wife today. Her Majesty stood in Westminster Abbey where she had personally ensured her beloved husband's final wishes were fulfilled after his covid-hit funeral left her sat alone without the rousing hymns and guests he loved so much. The 95-year-old monarch used a stick as she was walked to her seat by her disgraced son the Duke of York to give her 'strength and stay' Philip the final farewell he had wanted. The service was attended by the Royal Family and his relatives, friends and people who benefitted from his charities. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were the only senior royals not there. Despite battling mobility problems, she stood to pray and sing anthems during a 40-minute service that her husband of 73 years had helped plan for before his death last April. But in a controversial decision she chose Prince Andrew to support her as she arrived and left the church, clutching his elbow with one hand and a walking stick with the other. The Queen had stood with tears in her eyes as the 1,800-strong congregation sang Guide Me O Thou Great Redeemer before the bells of Westminster Abbey rang out to mark the end of the memorial service for the Duke of Edinburgh. After she leant on Andrew as she walked back out of the church, the Queen appeared to grimace as she walked to the car hunched over with the Duke of York at her side guiding her towards the Bentley. She appeared to be holding tightly to her stick and appeared to be making a great effort to get to the vehicle, concentrating very hard in taking each step. Once inside the car she appeared to be back to her normal composed self as the car slowly drove away. She waved to onlookers as she arrived and left the service. The Queen and the packed abbey had listened as the Dean of Windsor paid tribute to Philip's intellect, work ethic, sense of humour and devotion to his family. The Right Reverend David Conner described the duke as a 'remarkable man' who was committed to 'a host of down-to-earth enterprises'. He pointed out that the duke could be 'abrupt', and suggested that at times he could forget 'just how intimidating he could be'. Princess Beatrice was seen to give a small chuckle as the Dean remarked: 'He could be somewhat sharp in pricking what he thought to be bubbles of pomposity or sycophancy.' But then appeared to break down in tears, covering her face with the order of service. The Queen, the Duchess of Cornwall and the Princess Royal were all dressed in dark green in a subtle tribute to Philip, whose livery colour was Edinburgh Green. A number of others throughout the congregation also wore the shade, including Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award holder Doyin Sonibare who delivered a special tribute about the effect Philip's youth scheme had on her life. Flowers at today's service are a patriotic red, white and blue, at Her Majesty's request. They included dendrobium orchids, which also featured in the Queen's wedding bouquet, and eryngium - or sea holly - echoing the duke's career in the Royal Navy and lifelong affection for the sea. There were also multiple tributes to his intellect, work ethic, sense of humour and devotion to his family and his country. The Queen stood and shed a tear for her husband today at an extraordinary service in remembrance of his life The Queen closed her eyes in prayer as she joined senior royals to pay tribute to Prince Philip at his memorial at Westminster Abbey. When she opened her eyes they appeared moist Her Majesty stands to sing surrounded by her family with the Duke of York also on the front row.From left to right, front row: Queen Elizabeth II, the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall, the Princess Royal, Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence, the Duke of York, The Earl of Wessex, the Countess of Wessex, Lady Louise Mountbatten-Windsor and Viscount Severn. (Second row left to right) The Duke of Cambridge, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, the Duchess of Cambridge, Peter Phillips, Isla Phillips, Savannah Phillips, Mia Tindall, Zara Tindall and Mike Tindall Princess Beatrice was overwhelmed by the service. Stood behind the Queen she cried and covered her face with the order of service as her grandmother removed her glasses Her Majesty walked with the help of a stick but stood without support sat next to Charles, Camilla, Anne and her husband Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence. Across the aisle was Prince Andrew Prince Andrew travelled with the Queen to Westminster Abbey and appeared to escort her to her seat before taking his own Prince Andrew was sat next to Prince Edward and Sophie Wessex during today's memorial service at Westminster Abbey Queen Elizabeth II is helped into her car by her son Prince Andrew, right, after attending a Service of Thanksgiving for the life of Prince Philip She spoke to her son inside the car and waved to the crowds outside the service in London, which ended this afternoon The Queen as she left Westminster Abbey in her Rolls-Royce today, wearing a regal purple and golden brooch A sombre Prince Charles leaves the church with his wife Camilla, who also looked moved by the celebration of Prince Philip's life Charles was seen wiping his eyes at the service where he could say goodbye to his father after a pared back funeral last year. Prince Andrew looked serious as he waited to leave with his mother Prince William rests a hand on the back of his son Prince George, at the end of the memorial service for Prince Philip The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge left the Abbey with two of their children, Prince George and Princess Charlotte The Cambridges departing the Service of Thanksgiving for the Duke of Edinburgh at Westminster Abbey The Duchess of Cambridge smiled out of the window of her car as she left the Abbey with Prince William after the service The Queen sits alone at Philip's pared-down funeral last April - in stark contrast to today's celebration. It was one of the defining photos of the pandemic, where many Britons were forced to mourn their loved ones in small ceremonies, sometimes alone Queen, Camilla and Anne all wear green for their beloved Prince Philip It was a touching tribute to a much-missed Duke of Edinburgh as the Queen and senior royal women stepped out in Edinburgh Green for Philip's memorial service. All wearing the same shade, the monarch, the Duchess of Cornwall and the Princess Royal sat in the front row of royal seats in Westminster Abbey, united in remembrance of Philip. The duke's official dark green livery colour was known as Edinburgh Green. It was used for his staff liveries - the duke's page at the coronation wore dark green and silver - and private cars. The monarch's brooch was another nod to her late husband of more than 70 years. She chose her yellow gold, ruby and diamond scarab brooch, designed by Andrew Grima, which was a personal gift from Philip in 1966. Camilla wore her Rifles brooch in recognition of the moment when her father-in-law handed over his role as colonel-in-chief of the regiment to her in 2020. Others in the congregation also wore dark green, including Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award holder Doyin Sonibare, who delivered a special tribute about the effect Philip's youth scheme had on her life. The Duchess of Cambridge opted for a high-necked black dress with white polka dots and a textured wide-brimmed black hat. Advertisement Her Majesty had arrived at the side door of the church, allowing her to walk a shorter distance from Poets' Corner to the front where she was surrounded by her children and grandchildren. She stood at various points in the service, despite her own admission recently that she is struggling to move. Westminster Abbey was completely packed today to celebrate the 99-year life of Prince Philip as Her Majesty battled mobility issues and fought off covid to be there to say goodbye to her husband after 73 years of marriage. The event, attended by most of the Duke of Edinburgh's family and many of Europe's most senior royals, is in the starkest of contrasts to his pared back funeral at Windsor last April when Her Majesty said goodbye to her strength and stay after 73 years of marriage. The Queen finally decided to attend today's service in Central London around two hours before but the coverage of the Service of Thanksgiving was dominated by her extraordinary decision to travel with her disgraced son Prince Andrew from Windsor Castle to Central London. Her Majesty was determined to be amongst the 1,800 guests despite the 95-year-old's mobility problems that have prevented her doing a major public engagement away from Windsor Castle in nearly six months. The Tindalls were the first close family to arrive, followed Princess Anne, the Wessexes, Prince Charles and his wife Camilla and then the Cambridges, who were with their children George and Charlotte. The Queen was the last to arrive with Andrew. It was a move that royal watchers believe may have upset her son Prince Charles and grandson Prince William both instrumental in the decision to take away the Duke of York's 'HRH'. The Queen chose her second son to join her in the back of her royal car for the 22-mile journey and he was also given a front row in the church, right next to his other siblings at the service just weeks after he paid millions to one of Jeffrey Epstein's sex slaves, Virginia Roberts Giuffre, who accused him of having sex with her three times when she was trafficked to London aged 17. The Queen's state limousine arrived at Poets' Yard entrance with Andrew sat beside her. As they walked through the famous section of the abbey towards her seat, in a small procession, the monarch held onto her son's elbow with her left hand and had a walking stick in her right. They walked at a slow but steady pace both looking ahead, and at the end of the aisle they separated - with Andrew giving a last glance to his mother as she turned right. After the first hymn, Charles, who was sat next to her mother, could be seen leaning over to speak to the Queen seated next to him - but it is not clear what was said. The Queen then delved into her black Launer handbag for her glasses to read the order of service. After the 40 minute service, Her Majesty was escorted out of the abbey by the Duke of York. As the monarch stopped to greet Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award holder Doyin Sonibare, Andrew stood back and at one point broke into a smile. The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall were the first to leave Westminster Abbey alongside the abbey's chapter. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge followed. All four royals waved at the crowd outside as they were driven away in black cars. Despite her frailty, Queen Elizabeth II stands during a Service of Thanksgiving for the life of the Duke of Edinburgh, at Westminster Abbey today The congregation takes its place ahead of the service. The Queen made the final decision to attend this morning, hours before she was due to travel the 22 miles from Windsor Castle to Central London. She held Andrew's elbow The royal family paying an emotional tribute to Prince Philip at today's service at Westminster Abbey Her Majesty listens to the various eulogies to her husband at the Service of Remembrance held almost a year after his funeral The Queen, 95, fought frailty to be in the church with her family at an event she had helped plan for her husband The Queen stands for the first hymn at the service in remembrance of her beloved husband Prince Philip Prince Andrew walked his mother up the aisle after she arrived via a side door rather than the main entrance to shorten the distance The Queen has been 'actively involved' in plans for the service 'with many elements reflecting Her Majesty's wishes' Prince Andrew was sat next to Prince Edward and Sophie Wessex during today's memorial service at Westminster Abbey The royals, led by the Queen despite her recent health issues, join the congregation in singing hymns during today's service The royals ahead of the service: In the front row are The Queen, Prince Charles, Camilla, Princess Anne and Timothy Laurence. The Cambridges are in the second row while Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, along with their husbands, are among the royals in the third row She left as she arrived, being supported by her son Andrew - reputedly her favourite The Queen remained seated during the service with aides taking special measures to ensure her comfort after recent heath issues Princess Charlotte and Prince George sit with the mother the Duchess of Cambridge during today's service at Westminster Abbey Prince Charles and Camilla were greeted by clergy as they arrived ahead of today's service of celebration for Prince Philip A serious looking Prince William sits down next to his wife, George and Charlotte to say goodbye to his grandfather The Queen sat beside Andrew, the royal who lost his HRH just weeks ago over his links to Epstein and civil case Crowds piled outside Westminster Abbey to pay tribute to Prince Philip as the service in his memorial continued Thousands of supporters gathered outside the Service Of Thanksgiving For The Duke of Edinburgh at Westminster Abbey Today the monarch ensured that her beloved husband's final wishes are fulfilled after his Covid-hit funeral left her sat alone without the rousing hymns and guests he loved so much. Her Majesty has been 'actively involved' in every element of his service of thanksgiving that will see Westminster Abbey packed to the rafters. Even the smallest of touches have been overseen by the Queen, including the use of orchids that formed part of her 1947 wedding bouquet being used in small posies of flowers. Prince Philip's beloved Sea Cadets and young people who have taken his Duke of Edinburgh awards are centre stage at the service that will see the Abbey reverberate with the sound of hymns including Guide me, O thou great Redeemer. All Prince Philip's family chose to attend apart from Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. On Prince Andrew's left is his brother the Earl of Wessex and Edward's family the Countess of Wessex and their children Lady Louise Windsor and James, Viscount Severn. Across an aisle on his right is the Princess Royal, her husband Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence, the Duchess of Cornwall, Prince of Wales and the Queen. Prince George and Princess Charlotte also attended with the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, and be sat behind the Queen. Behind Andrew and Edward's family were Peter Phillips, and Zara and Mike Tindall and their daughters. The Duke of Edinburgh's intellect, work ethic, sense of humour and devotion to his family were celebrated in an address by the Dean of Windsor. The Right Reverend David Conner paid tribute to Philip as a 'remarkable man' who was committed to 'a host of down-to-earth enterprises'. He pointed out that the duke could be 'abrupt' and suggested that at times he could forget 'just how intimidating he could be'. Addressing the congregation in Westminster Abbey, Mr Conner said: 'He was practical, wanting to put flesh upon his dreams, and (acknowledging the limitations of living in this so-called 'real world') he devoted his astonishing intellectual and physical energy, his enormous capacity for sheer hard work, to a host of down-to-earth enterprises. 'These included the equipping of young people to face tomorrow's challenges, the encouragement of respect and care for the natural order, and his pioneering work in facilitating conversation between representatives of the different world faiths. 'Through his passionate commitment, he drew others to himself in admiration and respect and, in the case of those who lived and worked most closely to him, genuine love.' Mr Conner added: 'He would hate to think that I should paint a picture of him as a 'plaster saint'; someone without the usual human foibles and failings. 'He was far too self-aware ever to be taken in by flattery. Of course, it must be said that his life bore the marks of sacrifice and service. 'Certainly, he could show great sympathy and kindness. There is no doubt that he had a delightfully engaging, and often self-deprecating, sense of humour. 'It is quite clear that his mind held together both speculation and common sense. Moreover, nobody would ever doubt his loyalty and deep devotion to our Queen and to their family. 'Yet, there were times when he could be abrupt; maybe, in robust conversation, forgetting just how intimidating he could be. 'A kind of natural reserve sometimes made him seem a little distant. He could be somewhat sharp in pricking what he thought to be bubbles of pomposity or sycophancy. 'On the other hand, we should not forget that he himself was sometimes wounded by being unfairly criticised or misunderstood.' Concluding his address, the dean said: 'As we give thanks for the life of a remarkable man, perhaps our greatest tribute to him, most especially in these far too troubled times, will be for us to accept the challenge, implicit in his life, to rekindle in our hearts something of that call, and to pray (as I think he did) for the inspiration and the guidance to play our part, however small, in working for a kinder future. Queen Elizabeth II is driven in to attend a Service of Thanksgiving for the life of Prince Philip at Westminster Abbey The Cambridges arrived at the church hand in hand with their children Charlotte and George. Louis stayed at home The Duchess of Cambridge and Princess Charlotte arrive at today's service of Thanksgiving for the life of Prince Philip Charles shook hands with the clergy as they entered the church just before Midday Prime Minister Boris Johnson attends the Thanksgiving service for the Duke Of Edinburgh at Westminster Abbey today Princess Eugenie (left) and Princess Beatrice (right) pictured arriving at a service of thanksgiving for late Prince Philip Princess Eugenie and Princess Beatrice arriving at the poignant Service of Thanksgiving for the life of Prince Philip Peter Phillips with Isla Phillips and Savannah Phillips (right) arriving for a Service of Thanksgiving for the life of the Duke of Edinburgh Timothy Laurence and Anne, Princess Royal, arriving ahead of the Service of Thanksgiving for the life of Prince Philip Princess Royal arriving for a Service of Thanksgiving for the life of the Duke of Edinburgh and greeting Duke of Edinburgh award recipients Prince Charles and his wife Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, arrive at Westminster Abbey Prince Andrew (left) leaves Windsor Castle with the Queen (right) today ahead of the service to remember Prince Philip The Queen leaves Windsor Castle to travel to Westminster Abbey this morning, with her son Prince Andrew sat on her right While the Queen's arrival at Westminster Abbey was mentioned in the order of service, a final decision on her attendance was only confirmed two hours before because of her frailty. The Princess Royal arrived at Westminster Abbey. Wearing a long green dress and hat, Anne arrived alongside her husband, Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence. Peter Phillips' children Savannah and Isla were sitting next to their cousin Mia, daughter of Zara and Mike Tindall. The girls were dressed in navy with their hair fixed back with headbands. Once inside Westminster Abbey, guests were escorted to their seats, with Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie and their husbands smiling at members of the Abbey's chapter, or governing body, standing by the great West Door, as they walked in. The Earl and Countess of Wessex and their children also smiled warmly at the welcoming clergy. Sophie, Countess of Wessex, and her daughter, Lady Louise, smiled and chatted to each other after taking their seats in the Abbey. The Duke's family ahead of the service: In the second row is Peter Philips with daughters Savannah and Isla. Next to them is Mia Tindall with parents Zara Philips and Mike Tindall. In the front row are Prince Edward and Sophie Wessex with children Lady Louise and James, Viscount Severn The Cambridges arrived shortly after Prince Charles and Camilla ahead of today's memorial service for Prince Philip at Westminster Abbey Kate Middleton arrives at Westminster Abbey for the memorial service to Prince Philip today. She was joined by Prince William and her children George and Charlotte The Tindalls were the first senior British royals to arrive, holding one of their daughter Mia's hands Lady Louise Windsor arriving at the Westminster Abbey service for Prince Philip today. The Service will pay tribute to the Duke of Edinburgh's contribution to public life and steadfast support for the over 700 charitable organisations Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex attends the Thanksgiving service for the Duke of Edinburgh at Westminster Abbey today Peter Phillips attended the service with his children Savannah and Isla Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi and Princess Beatrice file into the main church Prince Michael of Kent and Princess Michael of Kent attend the memorial service for the Duke Of Edinburgh at Westminster Abbey The Queen leaves Windsor Castle in a car this morning with her disgraced son Prince Andrew to travel to London Prince Andrew (left) leaves Windsor Castle with the Queen (right) this morning ahead of the service of thanksgiving for Philip Lady Susan Hussey, the Queen's lady-in-waiting, arrives with her foot in a brace and on crutches at Westminster Abbey today Penelope Knatchbull, Countess Mountbatten of Burma arrives at Westminster Abbey for the service this morning Metropolitan Police Commissioner Dame Cressida Dick (left) and Formula One driver Sir Jackie Stewart (right) arrive today Foreign Secretary Liz Truss (left) and Home Secretary Priti Patel (right) arrive at Westminster Abbey this morning Guests walk into Westminster Abbey and take their seats ahead of this morning's service to remember Prince Philip Chancellor Rishi Sunak (left) and Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon (right) at Westminster Abbey today Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer (left) and Professor Chris Whitty, Chief Medical Officer for England (right), arrive this morning Guests arrive for Prince Philip's memorial service at Westminster Abbey in London this morning Guests arrive for Prince Philip's memorial service at Westminster Abbey in London this morning Members of the congregation queue at Westminster Abbey today ahead of the service of thanksgiving for the life of Philip Guests arrive to attend the service of thanksgiving for the life of the Duke of Edinburgh at Westminster Abbey this morning Earlier today, royal commentator Robert Jobson, author of Prince Philip's Century, told GB News: 'I think that Prince Andrew may play a more prominent role than we think earlier on. My understanding is that someone has to support the Queen and he may well be by her side. I think Charles will probably be with Camilla.' Overnight, royal aides revealed the Queen has been 'actively involved' in plans for the service 'with many elements reflecting Her Majesty's wishes' as the order of service was unveiled at midnight. It includes several elements the Duke had planned for his funeral at St George's Chapel in Windsor Castle in April last year but which were forbidden by Covid restrictions at the time. Among them is the involvement of Duke of Edinburgh (DofE) gold award winners and Sea Cadets, his expressed wish for the congregation to sing the rousing hymn Guide Me, O Thou Great Redeemer, and for clergy from the royal estates of Windsor, Sandringham and Balmoral to play a special part. His funeral at St George's Chapel in Windsor was limited to just 30 mourners in the midst of the pandemic and mass singing was banned, with the Queen sitting alone in a mask. Around 1,800 guests are due at today's service, including British and European royalty, representatives of the many charities of which the duke was patron or president, Boris and Carrie Johnson, and Sir David Attenborough. Prince Harry faces 'lifetime of regret' for missing memorial to his beloved grandfather Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle could 'regret' not attending the memorial service for his grandfather Prince Philip at Westminster Abbey today - and the Queen is likely to be 'very upset' but cannot change his mind, royal experts say. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are expected to remain at home in Montecito, California, while the rest of the Royal Family gather in London for the poignant event. Harry last returned to the UK eight months ago to unveil the statue of his late mother Diana, Princess of Wales in London on July 1 with his brother Prince William. The Duke - one of the Queen and Philip's eight grandchildren is the only top-level royal not attending today's service which was organised by the monarch. Royal author Phil Dampier told MailOnline: 'It's very sad that Harry and Meghan won't be at Prince Philip's memorial service and I think one day Harry might regret it. He has said that he doesn't feel safe without Scotland Yard security but to me that sounds like an excuse not to come back to the UK and indicates the rift with his blood family is still bad. 'Harry was always very fond of his grandfather and was deeply honoured when he took over from him as Captain General of the Royal Marines, but sadly that didn't last long. The pair attended some Remembrance Day events together and there was always a rapport between them, both being serving military men who had seen active service.' Mr Dampier said that Harry 'loved' Philip's sense of humour and praised him in interviews, adding that this makes his non-attendance 'all the more mystifying and strange'. Advertisement But the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are not returning from the US for the service. While the Queen's arrival was mentioned in the order of service, it is understood that a final decision on her attendance was not made until first thing this morning. She has recently been forced to pull out of a string of engagements because of ill health and old age. She was unable to attend the Commonwealth Day service this month because of concerns about her mobility and comfort. Palace and Abbey aides are thought to have taken steps to ensure that the service is less taxing for the Queen. Instead of arriving at the usual West Entrance to the Abbey, which would involve steps and a long walk down the Nave in front of the cameras, the Queen could be driven around the side of the building and enter away from public view via the 'Poet's Entrance'. She would then have a far shorter walk down the South Transept to her seat. It is likely she would walk with the aid of a stick. The service will gave thanks for the duke's dedication to family, nation and Commonwealth and recognise the importance of his legacy in creating opportunities for young people, promoting conservation, and supporting the Armed Forces. One of the elements planned for the funeral which has now been included in the service will see nine Gold Award holders from The Duke of Edinburgh's Award, plus representatives from UK Cadet Force Associations, line entry routes into Westminster Abbey. Philip, who died in April last year aged 99, launched the DofE Award in 1956 and was Colonel-in-Chief of the Army Cadet Force, a role he first took up in 1953. A tenth DofE gold award holder, Doyin Sonibare, 28, from London, will give a tribute to His Royal Highness's legacy, recognising the impact of the Award on young people across the globe. The Very Reverend Dr David Hoyle, Dean of Westminster, will conduct the service and describe the duke in the Bidding as 'a man of rare ability and distinction' who 'ever directed our attention away from himself.' He will say: 'He put privilege to work and understood his rank as a spur to service. Working at pace, with so many claims on his attention, he encouraged us to focus, as he was focussed, on the things that matter. 'His was a discipline and character that seized opportunity and overcame obstruction and difficulty. We recall, with affection and respect, the sustained offering of a long life lived fully.' Royal fans watch out for guests at the service to remember the late Duke of Edinburgh at Westminster Abbey this morning Royal fans stand next to barriers at Westminster Abbey today ahead of the service to pay tribute to the Duke of Edinburgh Guests begin to arrive for the service of thanksgiving for the life of the Duke of Edinburgh at Westminster Abbey this morning Television broadcasting staff gather outside Westminster Abbey this morning ahead of Prince Philip's memorial service Royal fans stand next to barriers at Westminster Abbey today ahead of the service to pay tribute to the Duke of Edinburgh Royal superfan John Loughrey, from Stretham in Cambridgeshire, stands outside Westminster Abbey this morning Another royal superfan stands outside Westminster Abbey ahead of the memorial service for Philip this morning Police officers walk past Westminster Abbey this morning before the service for the late Duke of Edinburgh Workers put up barriers outside Westminster Abbey today ahead of the service for Prince Philip Royal fans wait outside Westminster Abbey this morning ahead of the service for the late Duke of Edinburgh It was the duke's expressed wish that clergy from Windsor, Sandringham and Balmoral - known as The Queen's domestic chaplains - played a part in his funeral service, but this was not possible due to the Covid restrictions. Today the Reverend Kenneth MacKenzie Minister of Crathie Church, the regular place of worship of the British royal family when they are in residence at nearby Balmoral Castle, the Reverend Canon Jonathan Riviere, the Rector of Sandringham, and the Reverend Canon Martin Poll, Chaplain to the Royal Chapel of All Saints, Windsor Great Park, will offer prayers recognising Philip's energy, spirit of adventure and 'good stewardship of the environment'. The service will also be attended by around 30 foreign royals, including Prince Albert of Monaco, Denmark's Queen Margrethe, King Harald and Queen Sonja of Norway, and Spain's King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia. Queen Elizabeth II takes her seat during the funeral of Prince Philip at St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle on April 17, 2021 The Queen and Prince Philip revisit Broadlands, to mark their Diamond Wedding Anniversary on November 20, 2007 The Queen and Philip were married in the Abbey in November 1947 and it holds many special memories. Flowers at today's service will be red, white and blue. They will include dendrobium orchids, which also featured in the Queen's wedding bouquet, and eryngium - or sea holly - echoing the duke's career in the Royal Navy and lifelong affection for the sea. The Queen attended the opening of the Welsh Parliament on October 14 last year. Since then she has conducted engagements at Windsor Castle, where she is now based, and visited Sandringham in February. Advertisement One of Prince Philip's closest confidantes was among the early arrivals at his service of thanksgiving today. Penelope Knatchbull, Countess Mountbatten of Burma, 68, looked demure in head-to-toe grey as she arrived at Westminster Abbey for today's service. Also known as Lady Romsey and Lady Brabourne, Penny was a regular visitor at Wood Farm, the cottage on the edge of the Sandringham Estate in Norfolk where the Prince spent much of his time after retiring from public life in August 2017. She was the only non-family member invited to his intimate 30-person funeral last year, reflecting just what an important role she held within the Duke of Edinburgh's life. The pair were firm friends for decades and shared a love for the exhilarating equestrian sport of carriage-driving. Indeed, the Countess enjoyed such a close bond with the Queen and Philip that Palace staff reportedly nicknamed her 'and also', because no guest list was considered complete without her. Penelope Knatchbull, Countess Mountbatten of Burma, 68, looked demure as she arrived at Westminster Abbey for today's service Prince Philip's long-time friend, who is also known as Lady Romsey and Lady Brabourne took her seat, dressed in a sober grey ensemble with matching hat Penelope picked a stylish grey ensemble to pay one last homage to her longtime friend today. She wore a grey midi skirt with a matching fitted coat tied at the waist with a dainty biw, which she paired for a pair of grey heel and matching leather gloves. With an impeccable attention to detail, she was also seen clutching a small leather bag in her hand. Her Jackie O-inspired hat laid perfectly on top if her bouncy blonde bob. with her recognisable wild fringe poking out. The countess was seen in deep conversation with her neighbour in the Abbey as the assembly patiently waited for the service to start Penelope Knatchbull was spotted talking to Prince Kyril of Preslav, left, as she exited Westminster Abbey following today's service of thanksgiving The elegant Countess donned fine jewellery, with dimaond stud earring with a violet gem matching a brooch pinned on the lapel of her jacket. She kept her makeup tasteful with just a dash of mascara and a kight pink lipstick adding a pop of colour to her getup. Formerly Penelope Meredith Eastwood, 'Penny' Knatchbull, previously known as Lady Romsey and later Lady Brabourne, is the daughter of a retired army major. Penny's father left school at 15 and became a butcher, like his father and grandfather before him. He founded the Angus Steakhouse chain of restaurants which he sold for several millions, giving Penny a privileged childhood. She grew up and was educated in Switzerland before attending the London School of Economics. She first met the Duke who is 30 years her senior at a polo match when she was 20 and in a relationship with Lord Romsey, Earl Mountbatten's grandson Norton Knatchbull. Norton is the grandson of Lord Mountbatten - who was famously close to his nephew Prince Philip. Philip was Norton's godson, while Norton is the godfather of Prince William. Penny's father, Reg Eastwood, had sold his steakhouse chain to the Golden Egg company and was living with his wife in Majorca when his daughter married Norton. Duke of Edinburgh took it upon himself in 1994 to teach Penny carriage driving and the pair (pictured together) travelled the country together The wedding had been delayed for eight weeks because five months earlier, on August 25, IRA bombers blew up a small boat in the sea off Mullaghmore, Co. Sligo, where Lord Mountbatten had a holiday home. It killed Mountbatten, Norton's 14-year-old younger brother Nicholas (after whom he was to name his own son), his paternal grandmother the Dowager Lady Brabourne and Paul Maxwell, a 15-year-old local. Mountbatten's murder meant that Broadlands became the newlyweds' first and only home. Brought up in his parents' comfortable 18th century country house in Kent, Norton dreaded it. He never wanted the burden of Broadlands and knew he could hardly live up to his illustrious grandfather as the local 'lord of the manor'. A family friend previously revealed: 'On the other hand, Penny was always comfortable there because she knew it was their duty.' But Norton fell out with the locals when, in the Eighties, he tried to get planning permission for Tesco to build a superstore on the estate. Feelings ran so high that opponents of the development carried a burning effigy of their High Steward through the streets of Romsey. The supermarket was never built. Meanwhile, the family's original closeness to those in The Firm came through Norton's friendship with Prince Charles. This went back to when they were schoolboys together at Gordonstoun and Norton, a year older, was asked to show Charles the ropes. In 1981, Penny and Norton welcomed their first child Nicholas Louis Charles Norton Knatchbull and a daughter Lady Alexandra a year later. In 1986, Penny gave birth to another daughter, who had kidney cancer and died aged five in 1991. The Duke of Edinburgh's carriage-driving companion - one of his closest confidantes - Countess Mountbatten of Burma (pictured together in 1975) She first met the Duke who is 30 years her senior at a polo match when she was 20 and in a relationship with Lord Romsey, Earl Mountbatten's grandson Norton Knatchbull (pictured the trio together in 2009) Just like his father and Charles, Nicholas was a year older than Prince William and was given the responsibility of showing him the ropes at Eton. In 2010, Norton moved to the Bahamas to embark on a new life with Lady Nuttall, 60. However, their affair fizzled out and he returned in 2014 to Broadlands estate in Hampshire. Royal expert Ingrid Seward previously said Prince Philip supported Penny when Norton left her. One of her oldest family friends previously revealed: 'I often wonder how their mother, Penny, copes with all the tragedy she has suffered. 'But she's a strong character - much stronger than Norton. I think Penny gets it from her father. He was a man who always seemed to know where he was going.' She has always been close to the royal family, as one friend who has known her since those early days previously recalled: 'She was one of the most natural young women I have ever met, outgoing but not brash or flirty.' Queen sheds a tear for beloved Philip: Emotional monarch wears green in tribute to late husband at Westminster Abbey memorial attended by Kate, Wills, Charles and Camilla... a year after sitting alone at his funeral at height of the pandemic The Queen shed a tear for Prince Philip at an extraordinary service in remembrance of his remarkable life of service to Britain and his wife today. Her Majesty stood in Westminster Abbey where she had personally ensured her beloved husband's final wishes were fulfilled after his covid-hit funeral left her sat alone without the rousing hymns and guests he loved so much. The 95-year-old monarch used a stick as she was walked to her seat by her disgraced son the Duke of York to give her 'strength and stay' Philip the final farewell he had wanted. The service was attended by the Royal Family and his relatives, friends and people who benefitted from his charities. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were the only senior royals not there. Despite battling mobility problems, she stood to pray and sing anthems during a 40-minute service that her husband of 73 years had helped plan for before his death last April. But in a controversial decision she chose Prince Andrew to support her as she arrived and left the church, clutching his elbow with one hand and a walking stick with the other. The Queen had stood with tears in her eyes as the 1,800-strong congregation sang Guide Me O Thou Great Redeemer before the bells of Westminster Abbey rang out to mark the end of the memorial service for the Duke of Edinburgh. After she leant on Andrew as she walked back out of the church, the Queen appeared to grimace as she walked to the car hunched over with the Duke of York at her side guiding her towards the Bentley. She appeared to be holding tightly to her stick and appeared to be making a great effort to get to the vehicle, concentrating very hard in taking each step. Once inside the car she appeared to be back to her normal composed self as the car slowly drove away. She waved to onlookers as she arrived and left the service. The Queen and the packed abbey had listened as the Dean of Windsor paid tribute to Philip's intellect, work ethic, sense of humour and devotion to his family. The Right Reverend David Conner described the duke as a 'remarkable man' who was committed to 'a host of down-to-earth enterprises'. He pointed out that the duke could be 'abrupt', and suggested that at times he could forget 'just how intimidating he could be'. Princess Beatrice was seen to give a small chuckle as the Dean remarked: 'He could be somewhat sharp in pricking what he thought to be bubbles of pomposity or sycophancy.' But then appeared to break down in tears, covering her face with the order of service. The Queen, the Duchess of Cornwall and the Princess Royal were all dressed in dark green in a subtle tribute to Philip, whose livery colour was Edinburgh Green. A number of others throughout the congregation also wore the shade, including Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award holder Doyin Sonibare who delivered a special tribute about the effect Philip's youth scheme had on her life. Flowers at today's service are a patriotic red, white and blue, at Her Majesty's request. They included dendrobium orchids, which also featured in the Queen's wedding bouquet, and eryngium - or sea holly - echoing the duke's career in the Royal Navy and lifelong affection for the sea. There were also multiple tributes to his intellect, work ethic, sense of humour and devotion to his family and his country. Her Majesty had arrived at the side door of the church, allowing her to walk a shorter distance from Poets' Corner to the front where she was surrounded by her children and grandchildren. She stood at various points in the service, despite her own admission recently that she is struggling to move. Westminster Abbey was completely packed today to celebrate the 99-year life of Prince Philip as Her Majesty battled mobility issues and fought off covid to be there to say goodbye to her husband after 73 years of marriage. The event, attended by most of the Duke of Edinburgh's family and many of Europe's most senior royals, is in the starkest of contrasts to his pared back funeral at Windsor last April when Her Majesty said goodbye to her strength and stay after 73 years of marriage. The Queen finally decided to attend today's service in Central London around two hours before but the coverage of the Service of Thanksgiving was dominated by her extraordinary decision to travel with her disgraced son Prince Andrew from Windsor Castle to Central London. Her Majesty was determined to be amongst the 1,800 guests despite the 95-year-old's mobility problems that have prevented her doing a major public engagement away from Windsor Castle in nearly six months. The Tindalls were the first close family to arrive, followed Princess Anne, the Wessexes, Prince Charles and his wife Camilla and then the Cambridges, who were with their children George and Charlotte. The Queen was the last to arrive with Andrew. It was a move that royal watchers believe may have upset her son Prince Charles and grandson Prince William both instrumental in the decision to take away the Duke of York's 'HRH'. The Queen chose her second son to join her in the back of her royal car for the 22-mile journey and he was also given a front row in the church, right next to his other siblings at the service just weeks after he paid millions to one of Jeffrey Epstein's sex slaves, Virginia Roberts Giuffre, who accused him of having sex with her three times when she was trafficked to London aged 17. The Queen's state limousine arrived at Poets' Yard entrance with Andrew sat beside her. As they walked through the famous section of the abbey towards her seat, in a small procession, the monarch held onto her son's elbow with her left hand and had a walking stick in her right. They walked at a slow but steady pace both looking ahead, and at the end of the aisle they separated - with Andrew giving a last glance to his mother as she turned right. After the first hymn, Charles, who was sat next to her mother, could be seen leaning over to speak to the Queen seated next to him - but it is not clear what was said. The Queen then delved into her black Launer handbag for her glasses to read the order of service. After the 40 minute service, Her Majesty was escorted out of the abbey by the Duke of York. As the monarch stopped to greet Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award holder Doyin Sonibare, Andrew stood back and at one point broke into a smile. The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall were the first to leave Westminster Abbey alongside the abbey's chapter. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge followed. All four royals waved at the crowd outside as they were driven away in black cars. Today the monarch ensured that her beloved husband's final wishes are fulfilled after his Covid-hit funeral left her sat alone without the rousing hymns and guests he loved so much. Her Majesty has been 'actively involved' in every element of his service of thanksgiving that will see Westminster Abbey packed to the rafters. Even the smallest of touches have been overseen by the Queen, including the use of orchids that formed part of her 1947 wedding bouquet being used in small posies of flowers. Prince Philip's beloved Sea Cadets and young people who have taken his Duke of Edinburgh awards are centre stage at the service that will see the Abbey reverberate with the sound of hymns including Guide me, O thou great Redeemer. All Prince Philip's family chose to attend apart from Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. On Prince Andrew's left is his brother the Earl of Wessex and Edward's family the Countess of Wessex and their children Lady Louise Windsor and James, Viscount Severn. Across an aisle on his right is the Princess Royal, her husband Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence, the Duchess of Cornwall, Prince of Wales and the Queen. Prince George and Princess Charlotte also attended with the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, and be sat behind the Queen. Behind Andrew and Edward's family were Peter Phillips, and Zara and Mike Tindall and their daughters. The Duke of Edinburgh's intellect, work ethic, sense of humour and devotion to his family were celebrated in an address by the Dean of Windsor. The Right Reverend David Conner paid tribute to Philip as a 'remarkable man' who was committed to 'a host of down-to-earth enterprises'. He pointed out that the duke could be 'abrupt' and suggested that at times he could forget 'just how intimidating he could be'. Addressing the congregation in Westminster Abbey, Mr Conner said: 'He was practical, wanting to put flesh upon his dreams, and (acknowledging the limitations of living in this so-called 'real world') he devoted his astonishing intellectual and physical energy, his enormous capacity for sheer hard work, to a host of down-to-earth enterprises. 'These included the equipping of young people to face tomorrow's challenges, the encouragement of respect and care for the natural order, and his pioneering work in facilitating conversation between representatives of the different world faiths. 'Through his passionate commitment, he drew others to himself in admiration and respect and, in the case of those who lived and worked most closely to him, genuine love.' Mr Conner added: 'He would hate to think that I should paint a picture of him as a 'plaster saint'; someone without the usual human foibles and failings. 'He was far too self-aware ever to be taken in by flattery. Of course, it must be said that his life bore the marks of sacrifice and service. 'Certainly, he could show great sympathy and kindness. There is no doubt that he had a delightfully engaging, and often self-deprecating, sense of humour. 'It is quite clear that his mind held together both speculation and common sense. Moreover, nobody would ever doubt his loyalty and deep devotion to our Queen and to their family. 'Yet, there were times when he could be abrupt; maybe, in robust conversation, forgetting just how intimidating he could be. 'A kind of natural reserve sometimes made him seem a little distant. He could be somewhat sharp in pricking what he thought to be bubbles of pomposity or sycophancy. 'On the other hand, we should not forget that he himself was sometimes wounded by being unfairly criticised or misunderstood.' Concluding his address, the dean said: 'As we give thanks for the life of a remarkable man, perhaps our greatest tribute to him, most especially in these far too troubled times, will be for us to accept the challenge, implicit in his life, to rekindle in our hearts something of that call, and to pray (as I think he did) for the inspiration and the guidance to play our part, however small, in working for a kinder future. While the Queen's arrival at Westminster Abbey was mentioned in the order of service, a final decision on her attendance was only confirmed two hours before because of her frailty. The Princess Royal arrived at Westminster Abbey. Wearing a long green dress and hat, Anne arrived alongside her husband, Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence. Peter Phillips' children Savannah and Isla were sitting next to their cousin Mia, daughter of Zara and Mike Tindall. The girls were dressed in navy with their hair fixed back with headbands. Once inside Westminster Abbey, guests were escorted to their seats, with Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie and their husbands smiling at members of the Abbey's chapter, or governing body, standing by the great West Door, as they walked in. The Earl and Countess of Wessex and their children also smiled warmly at the welcoming clergy. Sophie, Countess of Wessex, and her daughter, Lady Louise, smiled and chatted to each other after taking their seats in the Abbey. Earlier today, royal commentator Robert Jobson, author of Prince Philip's Century, told GB News: 'I think that Prince Andrew may play a more prominent role than we think earlier on. My understanding is that someone has to support the Queen and he may well be by her side. I think Charles will probably be with Camilla.' Overnight, royal aides revealed the Queen has been 'actively involved' in plans for the service 'with many elements reflecting Her Majesty's wishes' as the order of service was unveiled at midnight. It includes several elements the Duke had planned for his funeral at St George's Chapel in Windsor Castle in April last year but which were forbidden by Covid restrictions at the time. Among them is the involvement of Duke of Edinburgh (DofE) gold award winners and Sea Cadets, his expressed wish for the congregation to sing the rousing hymn Guide Me, O Thou Great Redeemer, and for clergy from the royal estates of Windsor, Sandringham and Balmoral to play a special part. His funeral at St George's Chapel in Windsor was limited to just 30 mourners in the midst of the pandemic and mass singing was banned, with the Queen sitting alone in a mask. Around 1,800 guests are due at today's service, including British and European royalty, representatives of the many charities of which the duke was patron or president, Boris and Carrie Johnson, and Sir David Attenborough. But the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are not returning from the US for the service. While the Queen's arrival was mentioned in the order of service, it is understood that a final decision on her attendance was not made until first thing this morning. She has recently been forced to pull out of a string of engagements because of ill health and old age. She was unable to attend the Commonwealth Day service this month because of concerns about her mobility and comfort. Palace and Abbey aides are thought to have taken steps to ensure that the service is less taxing for the Queen. Instead of arriving at the usual West Entrance to the Abbey, which would involve steps and a long walk down the Nave in front of the cameras, the Queen could be driven around the side of the building and enter away from public view via the 'Poet's Entrance'. She would then have a far shorter walk down the South Transept to her seat. It is likely she would walk with the aid of a stick. The service will gave thanks for the duke's dedication to family, nation and Commonwealth and recognise the importance of his legacy in creating opportunities for young people, promoting conservation, and supporting the Armed Forces. One of the elements planned for the funeral which has now been included in the service will see nine Gold Award holders from The Duke of Edinburgh's Award, plus representatives from UK Cadet Force Associations, line entry routes into Westminster Abbey. Philip, who died in April last year aged 99, launched the DofE Award in 1956 and was Colonel-in-Chief of the Army Cadet Force, a role he first took up in 1953. A tenth DofE gold award holder, Doyin Sonibare, 28, from London, will give a tribute to His Royal Highness's legacy, recognising the impact of the Award on young people across the globe. The Very Reverend Dr David Hoyle, Dean of Westminster, will conduct the service and describe the duke in the Bidding as 'a man of rare ability and distinction' who 'ever directed our attention away from himself.' He will say: 'He put privilege to work and understood his rank as a spur to service. Working at pace, with so many claims on his attention, he encouraged us to focus, as he was focussed, on the things that matter. 'His was a discipline and character that seized opportunity and overcame obstruction and difficulty. We recall, with affection and respect, the sustained offering of a long life lived fully.' It was the duke's expressed wish that clergy from Windsor, Sandringham and Balmoral - known as The Queen's domestic chaplains - played a part in his funeral service, but this was not possible due to the Covid restrictions. Today the Reverend Kenneth MacKenzie Minister of Crathie Church, the regular place of worship of the British royal family when they are in residence at nearby Balmoral Castle, the Reverend Canon Jonathan Riviere, the Rector of Sandringham, and the Reverend Canon Martin Poll, Chaplain to the Royal Chapel of All Saints, Windsor Great Park, will offer prayers recognising Philip's energy, spirit of adventure and 'good stewardship of the environment'. The service will also be attended by around 30 foreign royals, including Prince Albert of Monaco, Denmark's Queen Margrethe, King Harald and Queen Sonja of Norway, and Spain's King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia. The Queen and Philip were married in the Abbey in November 1947 and it holds many special memories. Flowers at today's service will be red, white and blue. They will include dendrobium orchids, which also featured in the Queen's wedding bouquet, and eryngium - or sea holly - echoing the duke's career in the Royal Navy and lifelong affection for the sea. The Queen attended the opening of the Welsh Parliament on October 14 last year. Since then she has conducted engagements at Windsor Castle, where she is now based, and visited Sandringham in February. Advertisement The Queen's extended family flocked to support the monarch today as they joined guests who were invited to attend Prince Philip's memorial. The Queen's lady-in-waiting Lady Susan Hussey , 82, cut an elegant figure in an emerald green coat as she arrived at Westminster Abbey today, using a crutch to support her as she walked across the cobbles. Princess Michael of Kent and the Duke of Kent as well as their families were also in attendance. Flora Ogilvy arrived with her husband Timothy Vesterberg. She cut a sober figure in a midi black dress, while he looked dapper in a navy suit Prince Charles' goodaughter India Hicks looked elegant in a grey dress with a daring slit as she arrived for the service (left). Princess Alexandra wore a boot and leaned on a crutch as she was assisted in to the chapel (right) Prince Charles' goddaughter India Hicks, who served as bridesmaid at the wedding of Prince Charles and Princess Diana, was among the earliest guests to arrive at the event today. She wore a lengthy blue coat dress which featured a dramatic thigh slit for the occasion, which she paired with a matching fascinator. Meanwhile the Queen's cousin Prince Michael of Kent arrived hand in hand with his wife, who looked elegant in a white dress, which she wore with an open black coat. The Duchess of Gloucester was also among the people in attendance today, wearing a navy blue coat and a light blue hat for the occasion Lady Gabriella Windsor arrived with her husband Thomas Kingston in tow. She was wearing a tasteful navy blue ensemble tied at the waist and watchin swede blue heels. Lady Amelia Windsor also attended, wearing a demure buttoned up jacket and trousers, her blonde locks cascading down her back. Flora Ogilvy, who is the Queen's cousin, attended in a black midi dress with her husband The Duchess of Gloucester was also among the people in attendance today, wearing a navy blue coat and a light blue hat for the occasion Lady Helen Taylor, the daughter of Prince Edward, Duke of Kent, also wore black as she arrived at the Abbey escorted by her son Cassius Lady Gabriella Windsor looked stylish in a blue sensmble as she arrived with her husband of two years Thomas Kingston in to Model Lady Amelia Windsor also attended the memorial today, wearing a buttoned up navy jacket and trousers for the occasion Lady Helen Taylor, the daughter of Prince Edward, Duke of Kent, also wore black as she arrived at the Abbey escorted by her son Cassius. Once affectionately called 'Melons' by the press for her ample proportions - a nickname she admitted she hated - she married art dealer Timothy Verner Taylor in 1992. She is a cousin of the Queen and 25th in line to the throne, and is regarded as one of the public's favourite royals. Her first child Columbus George Donald Taylor was born on 6 August, 1994 and is 41st in line to the throne. His brother Cassius Edward Taylor followed on 26 December, 1996. They welcomed Eloise Olivia Katherine Taylor on March 2, 2003 and later another daughter Estella Olga Elizabeth Taylor on 21 December 2004 - who are 43rd and 44th in line to the throne. The Duke of Kent arrived at the Abbey for the service, looking dapper in a striped navy suit with a crisp white shirt and a navy and white tie Margarita Armstrong-Jones and The Earl of Snowden also attended the ceremony. Her in a stylish black dress, him in a dapper gray suit The two girls came to the attention of the press in June 2011 during the Trooping the Colour when the Duchess of Cambridge appeared enamoured with the pair. Kate made a point of spending time with the girls, who were eight and six at the time, talking happily with them as the Queens official birthday parade and fly-past took place. She bent down to talk to them and seemed just as interested in the children as she was the royal proceedings. Meanwhile George, Earl of St Andrews will attend alongside his wife Sylvana Tomaselli and their children, Lady Marina, Lady Amelia and Lord Downpatrick. Prince Charles' goddaughter India was joined by her new husband David Flint Wood at the event this morning (pictured together) The socialite opted for a muted grey polo neck dress which she perfectly complemented with a matching fascinator. In an apparent tribute to the Queen and her love of brooches, she opted for a gold jewel pinned to her chest Prince Michael of Kent arrived hand-in-hand with his wife, who looked elegant in a white dress, which she wore with an open black coat Lady Frederick Windsor and Lord Frederick Windsor arrive hand-in-hand at today's service in matching navy suits. He wore a white shirt whyile she opted for a black top Many extended members of the Queen and Prince Philip's families came to pay their respect at Westminster Abbey this morning Once dubbed the most beautiful member of the royal family, Lady Amelia is currently signed to Storm models, which represents the likes of Kate Moss and Cara Delevingne. Lady Amelia has also modelled for the likes of Dolce & Gabbana and designed her own range of accessories in collaboration with Penelope Chilvers. Prince and Princess Michael of Kent's children, Lord Fredrick Windsor, with his wife Sophie Winkleman, and Lady Gabriella Kingston with her husband Thomas, are also due in attendance at the event. Sophie, who now lives in Chelsea, married Lord Freddie in September 2009 at Hampton Court Palace, after meeting him on a night out in Soho. The actress - who famously starred as Big Suze in Peep Show - lives in London, has two children with Fredrick, Maud, eight, and Isabella, five. Birgitte, Duchess of Gloucester and Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester depart the memorial service for the Duke Of Edinburgh at Westminster Abbey Maud, attends Thomas's Battersea, the same school as his distant cousins Prince George and Princess Charlotte. Since the couple tied the knot in 2009, mother-of-two Sophie says everyone has 'looked after' her, in particular the Queen and Prince Charles, who have been 'wonderful', and Prince William, whom she described as 'heaven'. Speaking to The Times, in 2020 she said: 'I've been incredibly welcomed with open arms by all of them... They'd never tell me off at all if I wanted to play some [racy] role.' The Queen and Prince Philip's niece Lady Sarah Chatto attended the event in a navy ensemble made of a skirt and woolen top, with a matching jacket Arthur Chatto and his brother Samuel were also in attendance, with the older brother in a dray grey suit, while the younger wore navy with a red and blue tie Lady Chatto wore her navy ensemble with pointy blue heels and a grey hat, grey tights and a black clutch bag, which she paired with a pearl necklace and diamond earrings The only son of the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, Alexander Windsor, Earl of Ulster, is also set to appear at the event today alongside his sister Lady Rose Gilman and her husband George. The pair are the children of Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester - the youngest grandchild of King George V and Queen Mary. Prince Richard is a paternal cousin of Queen Elizabeth II. Prince Harry faces 'lifetime of regret' for missing memorial to his beloved grandfather Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle could 'regret' not attending the memorial service for his grandfather Prince Philip at Westminster Abbey tomorrow - and the Queen is likely to be 'very upset' but cannot change his mind, royal experts say. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are expected to remain at home in Montecito, California, while the rest of the Royal Family gather in London for the poignant event. Harry last returned to the UK eight months ago to unveil the statue of his late mother Diana, Princess of Wales in London on July 1 with his brother Prince William. The Duke - one of the Queen and Philip's eight grandchildren is the only top-level royal not attending tomorrow's service which was organised by the monarch. Royal author Phil Dampier told MailOnline: 'It's very sad that Harry and Meghan won't be at Prince Philip's memorial service and I think one day Harry might regret it. He has said that he doesn't feel safe without Scotland Yard security but to me that sounds like an excuse not to come back to the UK and indicates the rift with his blood family is still bad. 'Harry was always very fond of his grandfather and was deeply honoured when he took over from him as Captain General of the Royal Marines, but sadly that didn't last long. The pair attended some Remembrance Day events together and there was always a rapport between them, both being serving military men who had seen active service.' Mr Dampier said that Harry 'loved' Philip's sense of humour and praised him in interviews, adding that this makes his non-attendance 'all the more mystifying and strange'. Advertisement The funeral includes several elements the Duke had planned for his funeral at St George's Chapel in Windsor Castle in April last year but which were forbidden by Covid restrictions at the time. Among them is the involvement of Duke of Edinburgh (DofE) gold award winners and Sea Cadets, his expressed wish for the congregation to sing the rousing hymn Guide Me, O Thou Great Redeemer, and for clergy from the royal estates of Windsor, Sandringham and Balmoral to play a special part. His funeral at St George's Chapel in Windsor was limited to just 30 mourners in the midst of the pandemic and mass singing was banned, with the Queen sitting alone in a mask. Around 1,800 guests are due at today's service, including British and European royalty, representatives of the many charities of which the duke was patron or president, Boris and Carrie Johnson, and Sir David Attenborough. But the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are not returning from the US for the service. The Queen has recently been forced to pull out of a string of engagements because of ill health and old age. She was unable to attend the Commonwealth Day service this month because of concerns about her mobility and comfort. Palace and Abbey aides were thought to have taken steps to ensure that the service, to be televised live on BBC One, is less taxing for the Queen. The service gave thanks for the duke's dedication to family, nation and Commonwealth and recognise the importance of his legacy in creating opportunities for young people, promoting conservation, and supporting the Armed Forces. One of the elements planned for the funeral which was included in the service will see nine Gold Award holders from The Duke of Edinburgh's Award, plus representatives from UK Cadet Force Associations, line entry routes into Westminster Abbey. Philip, who died in April last year aged 99, launched the DofE Award in 1956 and was Colonel-in-Chief of the Army Cadet Force, a role he first took up in 1953. A tenth DofE gold award holder, Doyin Sonibare, 28, from London, gave a tribute to His Royal Highness's legacy, recognising the impact of the Award on young people across the globe. The Very Reverend Dr David Hoyle, Dean of Westminster, conducted the service and describe the duke in the Bidding as 'a man of rare ability and distinction' who 'ever directed our attention away from himself.' He will say: 'He put privilege to work and understood his rank as a spur to service. Working at pace, with so many claims on his attention, he encouraged us to focus, as he was focussed, on the things that matter. 'His was a discipline and character that seized opportunity and overcame obstruction and difficulty. We recall, with affection and respect, the sustained offering of a long life lived fully.' It was the duke's expressed wish that clergy from Windsor, Sandringham and Balmoral - known as The Queen's domestic chaplains - played a part in his funeral service, but this was not possible due to the Covid restrictions. Today the Reverend Kenneth MacKenzie Minister of Crathie Church, the regular place of worship of the British royal family when they are in residence at nearby Balmoral Castle, the Reverend Canon Jonathan Riviere, the Rector of Sandringham, and the Reverend Canon Martin Poll, Chaplain to the Royal Chapel of All Saints, Windsor Great Park, offered prayers recognising Philip's energy, spirit of adventure and 'good stewardship of the environment'. The service was also attended by around 30 foreign royals, including Prince Albert of Monaco, Denmark's Queen Margrethe, King Harald and Queen Sonja of Norway, and Spain's King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia. Queen sheds a tear for beloved Philip: Emotional monarch wears green in tribute to late husband at Westminster Abbey memorial attended by Kate, Wills, Charles and Camilla... a year after sitting alone at his funeral at height of the pandemic The Queen shed a tear for Prince Philip at an extraordinary service in remembrance of his remarkable life of service to Britain and his wife today. Her Majesty stood in Westminster Abbey where she had personally ensured her beloved husband's final wishes were fulfilled after his covid-hit funeral left her sat alone without the rousing hymns and guests he loved so much. The 95-year-old monarch used a stick as she was walked to her seat by her disgraced son the Duke of York to give her 'strength and stay' Philip the final farewell he had wanted. The service was attended by the Royal Family and his relatives, friends and people who benefitted from his charities. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were the only senior royals not there. Despite battling mobility problems, she stood to pray and sing anthems during a 40-minute service that her husband of 73 years had helped plan for before his death last April. But in a controversial decision she chose Prince Andrew to support her as she arrived and left the church, clutching his elbow with one hand and a walking stick with the other. The Queen had stood with tears in her eyes as the 1,800-strong congregation sang Guide Me O Thou Great Redeemer before the bells of Westminster Abbey rang out to mark the end of the memorial service for the Duke of Edinburgh. After she leant on Andrew as she walked back out of the church, the Queen appeared to grimace as she walked to the car hunched over with the Duke of York at her side guiding her towards the Bentley. She appeared to be holding tightly to her stick and appeared to be making a great effort to get to the vehicle, concentrating very hard in taking each step. Once inside the car she appeared to be back to her normal composed self as the car slowly drove away. She waved to onlookers as she arrived and left the service. The Queen and the packed abbey had listened as the Dean of Windsor paid tribute to Philip's intellect, work ethic, sense of humour and devotion to his family. The Right Reverend David Conner described the duke as a 'remarkable man' who was committed to 'a host of down-to-earth enterprises'. He pointed out that the duke could be 'abrupt', and suggested that at times he could forget 'just how intimidating he could be'. Princess Beatrice was seen to give a small chuckle as the Dean remarked: 'He could be somewhat sharp in pricking what he thought to be bubbles of pomposity or sycophancy.' But then appeared to break down in tears, covering her face with the order of service. The Queen, the Duchess of Cornwall and the Princess Royal were all dressed in dark green in a subtle tribute to Philip, whose livery colour was Edinburgh Green. A number of others throughout the congregation also wore the shade, including Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award holder Doyin Sonibare who delivered a special tribute about the effect Philip's youth scheme had on her life. Flowers at today's service are a patriotic red, white and blue, at Her Majesty's request. They included dendrobium orchids, which also featured in the Queen's wedding bouquet, and eryngium - or sea holly - echoing the duke's career in the Royal Navy and lifelong affection for the sea. There were also multiple tributes to his intellect, work ethic, sense of humour and devotion to his family and his country. The Queen stood and shed a tear for her husband today at an extraordinary service in remembrance of his life The Queen closed her eyes in prayer as she joined senior royals to pay tribute to Prince Philip at his memorial at Westminster Abbey. When she opened her eyes they appeared moist Her Majesty stands to sing surrounded by her family with the Duke of York also on the front row.From left to right, front row: Queen Elizabeth II, the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall, the Princess Royal, Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence, the Duke of York, The Earl of Wessex, the Countess of Wessex, Lady Louise Mountbatten-Windsor and Viscount Severn. (Second row left to right) The Duke of Cambridge, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, the Duchess of Cambridge, Peter Phillips, Isla Phillips, Savannah Phillips, Mia Tindall, Zara Tindall and Mike Tindall Princess Beatrice was overwhelmed by the service. Stood behind the Queen she cried and covered her face with the order of service as her grandmother removed her glasses Her Majesty walked with the help of a stick but stood without support sat next to Charles, Camilla, Anne and her husband Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence. Across the aisle was Prince Andrew Prince Andrew travelled with the Queen to Westminster Abbey and appeared to escort her to her seat before taking his own Prince Andrew was sat next to Prince Edward and Sophie Wessex during today's memorial service at Westminster Abbey Queen Elizabeth II is helped into her car by her son Prince Andrew, right, after attending a Service of Thanksgiving for the life of Prince Philip She spoke to her son inside the car and waved to the crowds outside the service in London, which ended this afternoon The Queen as she left Westminster Abbey in her Rolls-Royce today, wearing a regal purple and golden brooch Prince Andrew, Duke of York, who last month agreed to settle his sex assault lawsuit, left the service in a car with his mother the Queen A sombre Prince Charles leaves the church with his wife Camilla, who also looked moved by the celebration of Prince Philip's life Charles was seen wiping his eyes at the service where he could say goodbye to his father after a pared back funeral last year. Prince Andrew looked serious as he waited to leave with his mother Prince William rests a hand on the back of his son Prince George, at the end of the memorial service for Prince Philip The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge left the Abbey with two of their children, Prince George and Princess Charlotte The Cambridges departing the Service of Thanksgiving for the Duke of Edinburgh at Westminster Abbey The Duchess of Cambridge smiled out of the window of her car as she left the Abbey with Prince William after the service The Queen sits alone at Philip's pared-down funeral last April - in stark contrast to today's celebration. It was one of the defining photos of the pandemic, where many Britons were forced to mourn their loved ones in small ceremonies, sometimes alone Queen, Camilla and Anne all wear green for their beloved Prince Philip It was a touching tribute to a much-missed Duke of Edinburgh as the Queen and senior royal women stepped out in Edinburgh Green for Philip's memorial service. All wearing the same shade, the monarch, the Duchess of Cornwall and the Princess Royal sat in the front row of royal seats in Westminster Abbey, united in remembrance of Philip. The duke's official dark green livery colour was known as Edinburgh Green. It was used for his staff liveries - the duke's page at the coronation wore dark green and silver - and private cars. The monarch's brooch was another nod to her late husband of more than 70 years. She chose her yellow gold, ruby and diamond scarab brooch, designed by Andrew Grima, which was a personal gift from Philip in 1966. Camilla wore her Rifles brooch in recognition of the moment when her father-in-law handed over his role as colonel-in-chief of the regiment to her in 2020. Others in the congregation also wore dark green, including Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award holder Doyin Sonibare, who delivered a special tribute about the effect Philip's youth scheme had on her life. The Duchess of Cambridge opted for a high-necked black dress with white polka dots and a textured wide-brimmed black hat. Advertisement Her Majesty had arrived at the side door of the church, allowing her to walk a shorter distance from Poets' Corner to the front where she was surrounded by her children and grandchildren. She stood at various points in the service, despite her own admission recently that she is struggling to move. Westminster Abbey was completely packed today to celebrate the 99-year life of Prince Philip as Her Majesty battled mobility issues and fought off covid to be there to say goodbye to her husband after 73 years of marriage. The event, attended by most of the Duke of Edinburgh's family and many of Europe's most senior royals, is in the starkest of contrasts to his pared back funeral at Windsor last April when Her Majesty said goodbye to her strength and stay after 73 years of marriage. The Queen finally decided to attend today's service in Central London around two hours before but the coverage of the Service of Thanksgiving was dominated by her extraordinary decision to travel with her disgraced son Prince Andrew from Windsor Castle to Central London. Her Majesty was determined to be amongst the 1,800 guests despite the 95-year-old's mobility problems that have prevented her doing a major public engagement away from Windsor Castle in nearly six months. The Tindalls were the first close family to arrive, followed Princess Anne, the Wessexes, Prince Charles and his wife Camilla and then the Cambridges, who were with their children George and Charlotte. The Queen was the last to arrive with Andrew. It was a move that royal watchers believe may have upset her son Prince Charles and grandson Prince William both instrumental in the decision to take away the Duke of York's 'HRH'. The Queen chose her second son to join her in the back of her royal car for the 22-mile journey and he was also given a front row in the church, right next to his other siblings at the service just weeks after he paid millions to one of Jeffrey Epstein's sex slaves, Virginia Roberts Giuffre, who accused him of having sex with her three times when she was trafficked to London aged 17. The Queen's state limousine arrived at Poets' Yard entrance with Andrew sat beside her. As they walked through the famous section of the abbey towards her seat, in a small procession, the monarch held onto her son's elbow with her left hand and had a walking stick in her right. They walked at a slow but steady pace both looking ahead, and at the end of the aisle they separated - with Andrew giving a last glance to his mother as she turned right. After the first hymn, Charles, who was sat next to her mother, could be seen leaning over to speak to the Queen seated next to him - but it is not clear what was said. The Queen then delved into her black Launer handbag for her glasses to read the order of service. After the 40 minute service, Her Majesty was escorted out of the abbey by the Duke of York. As the monarch stopped to greet Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award holder Doyin Sonibare, Andrew stood back and at one point broke into a smile. The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall were the first to leave Westminster Abbey alongside the abbey's chapter. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge followed. All four royals waved at the crowd outside as they were driven away in black cars. Despite her frailty, Queen Elizabeth II stands during a Service of Thanksgiving for the life of the Duke of Edinburgh, at Westminster Abbey today The congregation takes its place ahead of the service. The Queen made the final decision to attend this morning, hours before she was due to travel the 22 miles from Windsor Castle to Central London. She held Andrew's elbow The royal family paying an emotional tribute to Prince Philip at today's service at Westminster Abbey Her Majesty listens to the various eulogies to her husband at the Service of Remembrance held almost a year after his funeral The Queen, 95, fought frailty to be in the church with her family at an event she had helped plan for her husband The Queen stands for the first hymn at the service in remembrance of her beloved husband Prince Philip Prince Andrew walked his mother up the aisle after she arrived via a side door rather than the main entrance to shorten the distance The Queen has been 'actively involved' in plans for the service 'with many elements reflecting Her Majesty's wishes' Prince Andrew was sat next to Prince Edward and Sophie Wessex during today's memorial service at Westminster Abbey The royals, led by the Queen despite her recent health issues, join the congregation in singing hymns during today's service The royals ahead of the service: In the front row are The Queen, Prince Charles, Camilla, Princess Anne and Timothy Laurence. The Cambridges are in the second row while Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, along with their husbands, are among the royals in the third row She left as she arrived, being supported by her son Andrew - reputedly her favourite The Queen remained seated during the service with aides taking special measures to ensure her comfort after recent heath issues Princess Charlotte and Prince George sit with the mother the Duchess of Cambridge during today's service at Westminster Abbey Prince Charles and Camilla were greeted by clergy as they arrived ahead of today's service of celebration for Prince Philip A serious looking Prince William sits down next to his wife, George and Charlotte to say goodbye to his grandfather The Queen sat beside Andrew, the royal who lost his HRH just weeks ago over his links to Epstein and civil case Crowds piled outside Westminster Abbey to pay tribute to Prince Philip as the service in his memorial continued Thousands of supporters gathered outside the Service Of Thanksgiving For The Duke of Edinburgh at Westminster Abbey Today the monarch ensured that her beloved husband's final wishes are fulfilled after his Covid-hit funeral left her sat alone without the rousing hymns and guests he loved so much. Her Majesty has been 'actively involved' in every element of his service of thanksgiving that will see Westminster Abbey packed to the rafters. Even the smallest of touches have been overseen by the Queen, including the use of orchids that formed part of her 1947 wedding bouquet being used in small posies of flowers. Prince Philip's beloved Sea Cadets and young people who have taken his Duke of Edinburgh awards are centre stage at the service that will see the Abbey reverberate with the sound of hymns including Guide me, O thou great Redeemer. All Prince Philip's family chose to attend apart from Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. On Prince Andrew's left is his brother the Earl of Wessex and Edward's family the Countess of Wessex and their children Lady Louise Windsor and James, Viscount Severn. Across an aisle on his right is the Princess Royal, her husband Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence, the Duchess of Cornwall, Prince of Wales and the Queen. Prince George and Princess Charlotte also attended with the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, and be sat behind the Queen. Behind Andrew and Edward's family were Peter Phillips, and Zara and Mike Tindall and their daughters. The Duke of Edinburgh's intellect, work ethic, sense of humour and devotion to his family were celebrated in an address by the Dean of Windsor. The Right Reverend David Conner paid tribute to Philip as a 'remarkable man' who was committed to 'a host of down-to-earth enterprises'. He pointed out that the duke could be 'abrupt' and suggested that at times he could forget 'just how intimidating he could be'. Addressing the congregation in Westminster Abbey, Mr Conner said: 'He was practical, wanting to put flesh upon his dreams, and (acknowledging the limitations of living in this so-called 'real world') he devoted his astonishing intellectual and physical energy, his enormous capacity for sheer hard work, to a host of down-to-earth enterprises. 'These included the equipping of young people to face tomorrow's challenges, the encouragement of respect and care for the natural order, and his pioneering work in facilitating conversation between representatives of the different world faiths. 'Through his passionate commitment, he drew others to himself in admiration and respect and, in the case of those who lived and worked most closely to him, genuine love.' Mr Conner added: 'He would hate to think that I should paint a picture of him as a 'plaster saint'; someone without the usual human foibles and failings. 'He was far too self-aware ever to be taken in by flattery. Of course, it must be said that his life bore the marks of sacrifice and service. 'Certainly, he could show great sympathy and kindness. There is no doubt that he had a delightfully engaging, and often self-deprecating, sense of humour. 'It is quite clear that his mind held together both speculation and common sense. Moreover, nobody would ever doubt his loyalty and deep devotion to our Queen and to their family. 'Yet, there were times when he could be abrupt; maybe, in robust conversation, forgetting just how intimidating he could be. 'A kind of natural reserve sometimes made him seem a little distant. He could be somewhat sharp in pricking what he thought to be bubbles of pomposity or sycophancy. 'On the other hand, we should not forget that he himself was sometimes wounded by being unfairly criticised or misunderstood.' Concluding his address, the dean said: 'As we give thanks for the life of a remarkable man, perhaps our greatest tribute to him, most especially in these far too troubled times, will be for us to accept the challenge, implicit in his life, to rekindle in our hearts something of that call, and to pray (as I think he did) for the inspiration and the guidance to play our part, however small, in working for a kinder future. Queen Elizabeth II is driven in to attend a Service of Thanksgiving for the life of Prince Philip at Westminster Abbey The Cambridges arrived at the church hand in hand with their children Charlotte and George. Louis stayed at home The Duchess of Cambridge and Princess Charlotte arrive at today's service of Thanksgiving for the life of Prince Philip Charles shook hands with the clergy as they entered the church just before Midday Prime Minister Boris Johnson attends the Thanksgiving service for the Duke Of Edinburgh at Westminster Abbey today Princess Eugenie (left) and Princess Beatrice (right) pictured arriving at a service of thanksgiving for late Prince Philip Princess Eugenie and Princess Beatrice arriving at the poignant Service of Thanksgiving for the life of Prince Philip Peter Phillips with Isla Phillips and Savannah Phillips (right) arriving for a Service of Thanksgiving for the life of the Duke of Edinburgh Timothy Laurence and Anne, Princess Royal, arriving ahead of the Service of Thanksgiving for the life of Prince Philip Princess Royal arriving for a Service of Thanksgiving for the life of the Duke of Edinburgh and greeting Duke of Edinburgh award recipients Prince Charles and his wife Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, arrive at Westminster Abbey Prince Andrew (left) leaves Windsor Castle with the Queen (right) today ahead of the service to remember Prince Philip The Queen leaves Windsor Castle to travel to Westminster Abbey this morning, with her son Prince Andrew sat on her right While the Queen's arrival at Westminster Abbey was mentioned in the order of service, a final decision on her attendance was only confirmed two hours before because of her frailty. The Princess Royal arrived at Westminster Abbey. Wearing a long green dress and hat, Anne arrived alongside her husband, Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence. Peter Phillips' children Savannah and Isla were sitting next to their cousin Mia, daughter of Zara and Mike Tindall. The girls were dressed in navy with their hair fixed back with headbands. Once inside Westminster Abbey, guests were escorted to their seats, with Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie and their husbands smiling at members of the Abbey's chapter, or governing body, standing by the great West Door, as they walked in. The Earl and Countess of Wessex and their children also smiled warmly at the welcoming clergy. Sophie, Countess of Wessex, and her daughter, Lady Louise, smiled and chatted to each other after taking their seats in the Abbey. The Duke's family ahead of the service: In the second row is Peter Philips with daughters Savannah and Isla. Next to them is Mia Tindall with parents Zara Philips and Mike Tindall. In the front row are Prince Edward and Sophie Wessex with children Lady Louise and James, Viscount Severn The Cambridges arrived shortly after Prince Charles and Camilla ahead of today's memorial service for Prince Philip at Westminster Abbey Kate Middleton arrives at Westminster Abbey for the memorial service to Prince Philip today. She was joined by Prince William and her children George and Charlotte The Tindalls were the first senior British royals to arrive, holding one of their daughter Mia's hands Lady Louise Windsor arriving at the Westminster Abbey service for Prince Philip today. The Service will pay tribute to the Duke of Edinburgh's contribution to public life and steadfast support for the over 700 charitable organisations Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex attends the Thanksgiving service for the Duke of Edinburgh at Westminster Abbey today Peter Phillips attended the service with his children Savannah and Isla Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi and Princess Beatrice file into the main church Prince Michael of Kent and Princess Michael of Kent attend the memorial service for the Duke Of Edinburgh at Westminster Abbey The Queen leaves Windsor Castle in a car this morning with her disgraced son Prince Andrew to travel to London Prince Andrew (left) leaves Windsor Castle with the Queen (right) this morning ahead of the service of thanksgiving for Philip Lady Susan Hussey, the Queen's lady-in-waiting, arrives with her foot in a brace and on crutches at Westminster Abbey today Penelope Knatchbull, Countess Mountbatten of Burma arrives at Westminster Abbey for the service this morning Metropolitan Police Commissioner Dame Cressida Dick (left) and Formula One driver Sir Jackie Stewart (right) arrive today Foreign Secretary Liz Truss (left) and Home Secretary Priti Patel (right) arrive at Westminster Abbey this morning Guests walk into Westminster Abbey and take their seats ahead of this morning's service to remember Prince Philip Chancellor Rishi Sunak (left) and Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon (right) at Westminster Abbey today Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer (left) and Professor Chris Whitty, Chief Medical Officer for England (right), arrive this morning Guests arrive for Prince Philip's memorial service at Westminster Abbey in London this morning Guests arrive for Prince Philip's memorial service at Westminster Abbey in London this morning Members of the congregation queue at Westminster Abbey today ahead of the service of thanksgiving for the life of Philip Guests arrive to attend the service of thanksgiving for the life of the Duke of Edinburgh at Westminster Abbey this morning Earlier today, royal commentator Robert Jobson, author of Prince Philip's Century, told GB News: 'I think that Prince Andrew may play a more prominent role than we think earlier on. My understanding is that someone has to support the Queen and he may well be by her side. I think Charles will probably be with Camilla.' Overnight, royal aides revealed the Queen has been 'actively involved' in plans for the service 'with many elements reflecting Her Majesty's wishes' as the order of service was unveiled at midnight. It includes several elements the Duke had planned for his funeral at St George's Chapel in Windsor Castle in April last year but which were forbidden by Covid restrictions at the time. Among them is the involvement of Duke of Edinburgh (DofE) gold award winners and Sea Cadets, his expressed wish for the congregation to sing the rousing hymn Guide Me, O Thou Great Redeemer, and for clergy from the royal estates of Windsor, Sandringham and Balmoral to play a special part. His funeral at St George's Chapel in Windsor was limited to just 30 mourners in the midst of the pandemic and mass singing was banned, with the Queen sitting alone in a mask. Around 1,800 guests are due at today's service, including British and European royalty, representatives of the many charities of which the duke was patron or president, Boris and Carrie Johnson, and Sir David Attenborough. Prince Harry faces 'lifetime of regret' for missing memorial to his beloved grandfather Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle could 'regret' not attending the memorial service for his grandfather Prince Philip at Westminster Abbey today - and the Queen is likely to be 'very upset' but cannot change his mind, royal experts say. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are expected to remain at home in Montecito, California, while the rest of the Royal Family gather in London for the poignant event. Harry last returned to the UK eight months ago to unveil the statue of his late mother Diana, Princess of Wales in London on July 1 with his brother Prince William. The Duke - one of the Queen and Philip's eight grandchildren is the only top-level royal not attending today's service which was organised by the monarch. Royal author Phil Dampier told MailOnline: 'It's very sad that Harry and Meghan won't be at Prince Philip's memorial service and I think one day Harry might regret it. He has said that he doesn't feel safe without Scotland Yard security but to me that sounds like an excuse not to come back to the UK and indicates the rift with his blood family is still bad. 'Harry was always very fond of his grandfather and was deeply honoured when he took over from him as Captain General of the Royal Marines, but sadly that didn't last long. The pair attended some Remembrance Day events together and there was always a rapport between them, both being serving military men who had seen active service.' Mr Dampier said that Harry 'loved' Philip's sense of humour and praised him in interviews, adding that this makes his non-attendance 'all the more mystifying and strange'. Advertisement But the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are not returning from the US for the service. While the Queen's arrival was mentioned in the order of service, it is understood that a final decision on her attendance was not made until first thing this morning. She has recently been forced to pull out of a string of engagements because of ill health and old age. She was unable to attend the Commonwealth Day service this month because of concerns about her mobility and comfort. Palace and Abbey aides are thought to have taken steps to ensure that the service is less taxing for the Queen. Instead of arriving at the usual West Entrance to the Abbey, which would involve steps and a long walk down the Nave in front of the cameras, the Queen could be driven around the side of the building and enter away from public view via the 'Poet's Entrance'. She would then have a far shorter walk down the South Transept to her seat. It is likely she would walk with the aid of a stick. The service will gave thanks for the duke's dedication to family, nation and Commonwealth and recognise the importance of his legacy in creating opportunities for young people, promoting conservation, and supporting the Armed Forces. One of the elements planned for the funeral which has now been included in the service will see nine Gold Award holders from The Duke of Edinburgh's Award, plus representatives from UK Cadet Force Associations, line entry routes into Westminster Abbey. Philip, who died in April last year aged 99, launched the DofE Award in 1956 and was Colonel-in-Chief of the Army Cadet Force, a role he first took up in 1953. A tenth DofE gold award holder, Doyin Sonibare, 28, from London, will give a tribute to His Royal Highness's legacy, recognising the impact of the Award on young people across the globe. The Very Reverend Dr David Hoyle, Dean of Westminster, will conduct the service and describe the duke in the Bidding as 'a man of rare ability and distinction' who 'ever directed our attention away from himself.' He will say: 'He put privilege to work and understood his rank as a spur to service. Working at pace, with so many claims on his attention, he encouraged us to focus, as he was focussed, on the things that matter. 'His was a discipline and character that seized opportunity and overcame obstruction and difficulty. We recall, with affection and respect, the sustained offering of a long life lived fully.' Royal fans watch out for guests at the service to remember the late Duke of Edinburgh at Westminster Abbey this morning Royal fans stand next to barriers at Westminster Abbey today ahead of the service to pay tribute to the Duke of Edinburgh Guests begin to arrive for the service of thanksgiving for the life of the Duke of Edinburgh at Westminster Abbey this morning Television broadcasting staff gather outside Westminster Abbey this morning ahead of Prince Philip's memorial service Royal fans stand next to barriers at Westminster Abbey today ahead of the service to pay tribute to the Duke of Edinburgh Royal superfan John Loughrey, from Stretham in Cambridgeshire, stands outside Westminster Abbey this morning Another royal superfan stands outside Westminster Abbey ahead of the memorial service for Philip this morning Police officers walk past Westminster Abbey this morning before the service for the late Duke of Edinburgh Workers put up barriers outside Westminster Abbey today ahead of the service for Prince Philip Royal fans wait outside Westminster Abbey this morning ahead of the service for the late Duke of Edinburgh It was the duke's expressed wish that clergy from Windsor, Sandringham and Balmoral - known as The Queen's domestic chaplains - played a part in his funeral service, but this was not possible due to the Covid restrictions. Today the Reverend Kenneth MacKenzie Minister of Crathie Church, the regular place of worship of the British royal family when they are in residence at nearby Balmoral Castle, the Reverend Canon Jonathan Riviere, the Rector of Sandringham, and the Reverend Canon Martin Poll, Chaplain to the Royal Chapel of All Saints, Windsor Great Park, will offer prayers recognising Philip's energy, spirit of adventure and 'good stewardship of the environment'. The service will also be attended by around 30 foreign royals, including Prince Albert of Monaco, Denmark's Queen Margrethe, King Harald and Queen Sonja of Norway, and Spain's King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia. Queen Elizabeth II takes her seat during the funeral of Prince Philip at St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle on April 17, 2021 The Queen and Prince Philip revisit Broadlands, to mark their Diamond Wedding Anniversary on November 20, 2007 The Queen and Philip were married in the Abbey in November 1947 and it holds many special memories. Flowers at today's service will be red, white and blue. They will include dendrobium orchids, which also featured in the Queen's wedding bouquet, and eryngium - or sea holly - echoing the duke's career in the Royal Navy and lifelong affection for the sea. The Queen attended the opening of the Welsh Parliament on October 14 last year. Since then she has conducted engagements at Windsor Castle, where she is now based, and visited Sandringham in February. Advertisement Kate Middleton was elegant as she joined by her husband Prince William and their eldest children Prince George and Princess Charlotte at Westminster Abbey for Prince Philip's memorial service today. The mother-of-three looked poised as she wore a 1,495 navy Alessandra Rich gown which she paired with a smart 775 hat from Lock&Co!, as she was joined by her husband for the event this morning. Meanwhile the Duchess also donned Diana's Collingwood earrings for the service at Westminster Abbey today. Kate and Prince Philip enjoyed a good relationship, with Prince William saying he was thankful that Kate, who married into the royal family in 2011 after meeting William nearly a decade earlier, had 'so many years' to get to know his grandfather. Royal aides previously revealed the Queen has been 'actively involved' in plans for the service 'with many elements reflecting Her Majesty's wishes' as the order of service was unveiled overnight at midnight. Kate Middleton was elegant as she joined by her husband Prince William and their eldest children Prince George and Princess Charlotte at Westminster Abbey for Prince Philip's memorial service today The mother-of-three looked poised as she wore a 1,495 navy Alessandra Rich gown which she paired with a smart 775 hat from Lock&Co!, as she was joined by her husband for the event this morning Alessandra Rich is also one of the Duchess' favoured labels, with the royal frequently turning to the London-based designer for her royal engagements. The Duchess of Cambridge swept her brunette locks into a low bun to reveal the pearl drop earrings for the occasion. Kate regularly wears jewellery that honours her mother-in-law, including her sapphire engagement ring, which once belonged to Diana. With a keen eye for detail, Kate often references Princess Diana with her style choices. Following Prince Philip's death, the Cambridge's released previously unseen photographs of the Duke of Edinburgh with his great-grandchildren on their Instagram page, Kensington Royal. In one photograph, the Queen and the Duke sat alongside seven of their great-grandchildren, with the 'relaxed' monarch holding a then-baby Prince Louis in her arms. Prince George and Princess Charlotte could be seen offering a cheeky smile in the picture, while Peter's elder daughter Savannah Phillips poses alongside Zara Tindall's daughters Mia and Lena. Prince William and Kate Middleton arrived hand-in-hand with Prince George and Princess Charlotte for Prince Philip's memorial service today The Duchess of Cambridge looked poised as she wore an understated polkadot Alessandra Rich gown which she paired with elegant silver droplet earrings, as she was joined by her husband for the event this morning The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, who days ago returned from their controversial Caribbean tour, arrived hand-in-hand with George and Charlotte, their two eldest children The Duchess of Cambridge swept her brunette locks into a low bun to reveal the pearl drop earrings for the occasion. The earrings were a favourite pair of the late Princess of Wales (pictured wearing the jewels in 1989) The photograph does not include the couple's three youngest grandchildren, who were born in the last few years. A second picture of Her Majesty and her husband was shared on the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's Instagram page, and showed the couple posing with Prince George and Princess Charlotte during a visit to Balmoral in 2015. And attending the funeral last April, the Duchess appeared emotional and was photographed with tears in her eyes. She paid a touching tribute to both the Monarch and to her own late mother-in-law as she wore the Queen's pearl choker, from Her Majesty's personal collection, to the poignant service in Windsor. The Duchess teamed a chic black 1,605 Roland Mouret dress with an asymmetrical neckline - the same she wore for the Royal British Legion Festival of Remembrance in 2018 - with a black face covering and a Philip Treacy velvet pillbox hat. She paired her outfit with the Bahrain Pearl Diamond Drop Earrings which also came from Her Majesty's private collection, and were also worn by Diana in 1982. The earrings were crafted from pearls gifted to the Queen and Philip from the ruler of Bahrain at the time of their wedding in 1947. The note from the Cambridge's to their royal fans said they all miss their 'much loved' great-grandfather and have been 'incredibly moved' by the many thoughtful messages A second picture of Her Majesty and her husband was shared on the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's Instagram page, and showed the couple posing with Prince George and Princess Charlotte during a visit to Balmoral in 2015 The funeral includes several elements the Duke had planned for his funeral at St George's Chapel in Windsor Castle in April last year but which were forbidden by Covid restrictions at the time. Prince Harry faces 'lifetime of regret' for missing memorial to his beloved grandfather Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle could 'regret' not attending the memorial service for his grandfather Prince Philip at Westminster Abbey tomorrow - and the Queen is likely to be 'very upset' but cannot change his mind, royal experts say. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are expected to remain at home in Montecito, California, while the rest of the Royal Family gather in London for the poignant event. Harry last returned to the UK eight months ago to unveil the statue of his late mother Diana, Princess of Wales in London on July 1 with his brother Prince William. The Duke - one of the Queen and Philip's eight grandchildren is the only top-level royal not attending tomorrow's service which was organised by the monarch. Royal author Phil Dampier told MailOnline: 'It's very sad that Harry and Meghan won't be at Prince Philip's memorial service and I think one day Harry might regret it. He has said that he doesn't feel safe without Scotland Yard security but to me that sounds like an excuse not to come back to the UK and indicates the rift with his blood family is still bad. 'Harry was always very fond of his grandfather and was deeply honoured when he took over from him as Captain General of the Royal Marines, but sadly that didn't last long. The pair attended some Remembrance Day events together and there was always a rapport between them, both being serving military men who had seen active service.' Mr Dampier said that Harry 'loved' Philip's sense of humour and praised him in interviews, adding that this makes his non-attendance 'all the more mystifying and strange'. Advertisement Among them was the involvement of Duke of Edinburgh (DofE) gold award winners and Sea Cadets, his expressed wish for the congregation to sing the rousing hymn Guide Me, O Thou Great Redeemer, and for clergy from the royal estates of Windsor, Sandringham and Balmoral to play a special part. His funeral at St George's Chapel in Windsor was limited to just 30 mourners in the midst of the pandemic and mass singing was banned, with the Queen sitting alone in a mask. Around 1,800 guests were due at today's service, including British and European royalty, representatives of the many charities of which the duke was patron or president, Boris and Carrie Johnson, and Sir David Attenborough. But the Duke and Duchess of Sussex were not returning from the US for the service. The Queen has recently been forced to pull out of a string of engagements because of ill health and old age. She was unable to attend the Commonwealth Day service this month because of concerns about her mobility and comfort. Palace and Abbey aides were thought to have taken steps to ensure that the service, to be televised live on BBC One, is less taxing for the Queen. The service gave thanks for the duke's dedication to family, nation and Commonwealth and recognised the importance of his legacy in creating opportunities for young people, promoting conservation, and supporting the Armed Forces. One of the elements planned for the funeral which has now been included in the service saw nine Gold Award holders from The Duke of Edinburgh's Award, plus representatives from UK Cadet Force Associations, line entry routes into Westminster Abbey. Philip, who died in April last year aged 99, launched the DofE Award in 1956 and was Colonel-in-Chief of the Army Cadet Force, a role he first took up in 1953. A tenth DofE gold award holder, Doyin Sonibare, 28, from London, gave a tribute to His Royal Highness's legacy, recognising the impact of the Award on young people across the globe. The Very Reverend Dr David Hoyle, Dean of Westminster, conducted the service and described the duke in the Bidding as 'a man of rare ability and distinction' who 'ever directed our attention away from himself.' He said: 'He put privilege to work and understood his rank as a spur to service. Working at pace, with so many claims on his attention, he encouraged us to focus, as he was focussed, on the things that matter. 'His was a discipline and character that seized opportunity and overcame obstruction and difficulty. We recall, with affection and respect, the sustained offering of a long life lived fully.' It was the duke's expressed wish that clergy from Windsor, Sandringham and Balmoral - known as The Queen's domestic chaplains - played a part in his funeral service, but this was not possible due to the Covid restrictions. Today the Reverend Kenneth MacKenzie Minister of Crathie Church, the regular place of worship of the British royal family when they are in residence at nearby Balmoral Castle, the Reverend Canon Jonathan Riviere, the Rector of Sandringham, and the Reverend Canon Martin Poll, Chaplain to the Royal Chapel of All Saints, Windsor Great Park, will offer prayers recognising Philip's energy, spirit of adventure and 'good stewardship of the environment'. The service was also attended by around 30 foreign royals, including Prince Albert of Monaco, Denmark's Queen Margrethe, King Harald and Queen Sonja of Norway, and Spain's King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia. Queen sheds a tear for beloved Philip: Emotional monarch wears green in tribute to late husband at Westminster Abbey memorial attended by Kate, Wills, Charles and Camilla... a year after sitting alone at his funeral at height of the pandemic The Queen shed a tear for Prince Philip at an extraordinary service in remembrance of his remarkable life of service to Britain and his wife today. Her Majesty stood in Westminster Abbey where she had personally ensured her beloved husband's final wishes were fulfilled after his covid-hit funeral left her sat alone without the rousing hymns and guests he loved so much. The 95-year-old monarch used a stick as she was walked to her seat by her disgraced son the Duke of York to give her 'strength and stay' Philip the final farewell he had wanted. The service was attended by the Royal Family and his relatives, friends and people who benefitted from his charities. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were the only senior royals not there. Despite battling mobility problems, she stood to pray and sing anthems during a 40-minute service that her husband of 73 years had helped plan for before his death last April. But in a controversial decision she chose Prince Andrew to support her as she arrived and left the church, clutching his elbow with one hand and a walking stick with the other. The Queen had stood with tears in her eyes as the 1,800-strong congregation sang Guide Me O Thou Great Redeemer before the bells of Westminster Abbey rang out to mark the end of the memorial service for the Duke of Edinburgh. After she leant on Andrew as she walked back out of the church, the Queen appeared to grimace as she walked to the car hunched over with the Duke of York at her side guiding her towards the Bentley. She appeared to be holding tightly to her stick and appeared to be making a great effort to get to the vehicle, concentrating very hard in taking each step. Once inside the car she appeared to be back to her normal composed self as the car slowly drove away. She waved to onlookers as she arrived and left the service. The Queen and the packed abbey had listened as the Dean of Windsor paid tribute to Philip's intellect, work ethic, sense of humour and devotion to his family. The Right Reverend David Conner described the duke as a 'remarkable man' who was committed to 'a host of down-to-earth enterprises'. He pointed out that the duke could be 'abrupt', and suggested that at times he could forget 'just how intimidating he could be'. Princess Beatrice was seen to give a small chuckle as the Dean remarked: 'He could be somewhat sharp in pricking what he thought to be bubbles of pomposity or sycophancy.' But then appeared to break down in tears, covering her face with the order of service. The Queen, the Duchess of Cornwall and the Princess Royal were all dressed in dark green in a subtle tribute to Philip, whose livery colour was Edinburgh Green. A number of others throughout the congregation also wore the shade, including Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award holder Doyin Sonibare who delivered a special tribute about the effect Philip's youth scheme had on her life. Flowers at today's service are a patriotic red, white and blue, at Her Majesty's request. They included dendrobium orchids, which also featured in the Queen's wedding bouquet, and eryngium - or sea holly - echoing the duke's career in the Royal Navy and lifelong affection for the sea. There were also multiple tributes to his intellect, work ethic, sense of humour and devotion to his family and his country. The Queen stood and shed a tear for her husband today at an extraordinary service in remembrance of his life The Queen closed her eyes in prayer as she joined senior royals to pay tribute to Prince Philip at his memorial at Westminster Abbey. When she opened her eyes they appeared moist Her Majesty stands to sing surrounded by her family with the Duke of York also on the front row.From left to right, front row: Queen Elizabeth II, the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall, the Princess Royal, Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence, the Duke of York, The Earl of Wessex, the Countess of Wessex, Lady Louise Mountbatten-Windsor and Viscount Severn. (Second row left to right) The Duke of Cambridge, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, the Duchess of Cambridge, Peter Phillips, Isla Phillips, Savannah Phillips, Mia Tindall, Zara Tindall and Mike Tindall Princess Beatrice was overwhelmed by the service. Stood behind the Queen she cried and covered her face with the order of service as her grandmother removed her glasses Her Majesty walked with the help of a stick but stood without support sat next to Charles, Camilla, Anne and her husband Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence. Across the aisle was Prince Andrew Prince Andrew travelled with the Queen to Westminster Abbey and appeared to escort her to her seat before taking his own Prince Andrew was sat next to Prince Edward and Sophie Wessex during today's memorial service at Westminster Abbey Queen Elizabeth II is helped into her car by her son Prince Andrew, right, after attending a Service of Thanksgiving for the life of Prince Philip She spoke to her son inside the car and waved to the crowds outside the service in London, which ended this afternoon The Queen as she left Westminster Abbey in her Rolls-Royce today, wearing a regal purple and golden brooch Prince Andrew, Duke of York, who last month agreed to settle his sex assault lawsuit, left the service in a car with his mother the Queen A sombre Prince Charles leaves the church with his wife Camilla, who also looked moved by the celebration of Prince Philip's life Charles was seen wiping his eyes at the service where he could say goodbye to his father after a pared back funeral last year. Prince Andrew looked serious as he waited to leave with his mother Prince William rests a hand on the back of his son Prince George, at the end of the memorial service for Prince Philip The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge left the Abbey with two of their children, Prince George and Princess Charlotte The Cambridges departing the Service of Thanksgiving for the Duke of Edinburgh at Westminster Abbey The Duchess of Cambridge smiled out of the window of her car as she left the Abbey with Prince William after the service The Queen sits alone at Philip's pared-down funeral last April - in stark contrast to today's celebration. It was one of the defining photos of the pandemic, where many Britons were forced to mourn their loved ones in small ceremonies, sometimes alone Queen, Camilla and Anne all wear green for their beloved Prince Philip It was a touching tribute to a much-missed Duke of Edinburgh as the Queen and senior royal women stepped out in Edinburgh Green for Philip's memorial service. All wearing the same shade, the monarch, the Duchess of Cornwall and the Princess Royal sat in the front row of royal seats in Westminster Abbey, united in remembrance of Philip. The duke's official dark green livery colour was known as Edinburgh Green. It was used for his staff liveries - the duke's page at the coronation wore dark green and silver - and private cars. The monarch's brooch was another nod to her late husband of more than 70 years. She chose her yellow gold, ruby and diamond scarab brooch, designed by Andrew Grima, which was a personal gift from Philip in 1966. Camilla wore her Rifles brooch in recognition of the moment when her father-in-law handed over his role as colonel-in-chief of the regiment to her in 2020. Others in the congregation also wore dark green, including Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award holder Doyin Sonibare, who delivered a special tribute about the effect Philip's youth scheme had on her life. The Duchess of Cambridge opted for a high-necked black dress with white polka dots and a textured wide-brimmed black hat. Advertisement Her Majesty had arrived at the side door of the church, allowing her to walk a shorter distance from Poets' Corner to the front where she was surrounded by her children and grandchildren. She stood at various points in the service, despite her own admission recently that she is struggling to move. Westminster Abbey was completely packed today to celebrate the 99-year life of Prince Philip as Her Majesty battled mobility issues and fought off covid to be there to say goodbye to her husband after 73 years of marriage. The event, attended by most of the Duke of Edinburgh's family and many of Europe's most senior royals, is in the starkest of contrasts to his pared back funeral at Windsor last April when Her Majesty said goodbye to her strength and stay after 73 years of marriage. The Queen finally decided to attend today's service in Central London around two hours before but the coverage of the Service of Thanksgiving was dominated by her extraordinary decision to travel with her disgraced son Prince Andrew from Windsor Castle to Central London. Her Majesty was determined to be amongst the 1,800 guests despite the 95-year-old's mobility problems that have prevented her doing a major public engagement away from Windsor Castle in nearly six months. The Tindalls were the first close family to arrive, followed Princess Anne, the Wessexes, Prince Charles and his wife Camilla and then the Cambridges, who were with their children George and Charlotte. The Queen was the last to arrive with Andrew. It was a move that royal watchers believe may have upset her son Prince Charles and grandson Prince William both instrumental in the decision to take away the Duke of York's 'HRH'. The Queen chose her second son to join her in the back of her royal car for the 22-mile journey and he was also given a front row in the church, right next to his other siblings at the service just weeks after he paid millions to one of Jeffrey Epstein's sex slaves, Virginia Roberts Giuffre, who accused him of having sex with her three times when she was trafficked to London aged 17. The Queen's state limousine arrived at Poets' Yard entrance with Andrew sat beside her. As they walked through the famous section of the abbey towards her seat, in a small procession, the monarch held onto her son's elbow with her left hand and had a walking stick in her right. They walked at a slow but steady pace both looking ahead, and at the end of the aisle they separated - with Andrew giving a last glance to his mother as she turned right. After the first hymn, Charles, who was sat next to her mother, could be seen leaning over to speak to the Queen seated next to him - but it is not clear what was said. The Queen then delved into her black Launer handbag for her glasses to read the order of service. After the 40 minute service, Her Majesty was escorted out of the abbey by the Duke of York. As the monarch stopped to greet Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award holder Doyin Sonibare, Andrew stood back and at one point broke into a smile. The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall were the first to leave Westminster Abbey alongside the abbey's chapter. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge followed. All four royals waved at the crowd outside as they were driven away in black cars. Despite her frailty, Queen Elizabeth II stands during a Service of Thanksgiving for the life of the Duke of Edinburgh, at Westminster Abbey today The congregation takes its place ahead of the service. The Queen made the final decision to attend this morning, hours before she was due to travel the 22 miles from Windsor Castle to Central London. She held Andrew's elbow The royal family paying an emotional tribute to Prince Philip at today's service at Westminster Abbey Her Majesty listens to the various eulogies to her husband at the Service of Remembrance held almost a year after his funeral The Queen, 95, fought frailty to be in the church with her family at an event she had helped plan for her husband The Queen stands for the first hymn at the service in remembrance of her beloved husband Prince Philip Prince Andrew walked his mother up the aisle after she arrived via a side door rather than the main entrance to shorten the distance The Queen has been 'actively involved' in plans for the service 'with many elements reflecting Her Majesty's wishes' Prince Andrew was sat next to Prince Edward and Sophie Wessex during today's memorial service at Westminster Abbey The royals, led by the Queen despite her recent health issues, join the congregation in singing hymns during today's service The royals ahead of the service: In the front row are The Queen, Prince Charles, Camilla, Princess Anne and Timothy Laurence. The Cambridges are in the second row while Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, along with their husbands, are among the royals in the third row She left as she arrived, being supported by her son Andrew - reputedly her favourite The Queen remained seated during the service with aides taking special measures to ensure her comfort after recent heath issues Princess Charlotte and Prince George sit with the mother the Duchess of Cambridge during today's service at Westminster Abbey Prince Charles and Camilla were greeted by clergy as they arrived ahead of today's service of celebration for Prince Philip A serious looking Prince William sits down next to his wife, George and Charlotte to say goodbye to his grandfather The Queen sat beside Andrew, the royal who lost his HRH just weeks ago over his links to Epstein and civil case Crowds piled outside Westminster Abbey to pay tribute to Prince Philip as the service in his memorial continued Thousands of supporters gathered outside the Service Of Thanksgiving For The Duke of Edinburgh at Westminster Abbey Today the monarch ensured that her beloved husband's final wishes are fulfilled after his Covid-hit funeral left her sat alone without the rousing hymns and guests he loved so much. Her Majesty has been 'actively involved' in every element of his service of thanksgiving that will see Westminster Abbey packed to the rafters. Even the smallest of touches have been overseen by the Queen, including the use of orchids that formed part of her 1947 wedding bouquet being used in small posies of flowers. Prince Philip's beloved Sea Cadets and young people who have taken his Duke of Edinburgh awards are centre stage at the service that will see the Abbey reverberate with the sound of hymns including Guide me, O thou great Redeemer. All Prince Philip's family chose to attend apart from Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. On Prince Andrew's left is his brother the Earl of Wessex and Edward's family the Countess of Wessex and their children Lady Louise Windsor and James, Viscount Severn. Across an aisle on his right is the Princess Royal, her husband Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence, the Duchess of Cornwall, Prince of Wales and the Queen. Prince George and Princess Charlotte also attended with the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, and be sat behind the Queen. Behind Andrew and Edward's family were Peter Phillips, and Zara and Mike Tindall and their daughters. The Duke of Edinburgh's intellect, work ethic, sense of humour and devotion to his family were celebrated in an address by the Dean of Windsor. The Right Reverend David Conner paid tribute to Philip as a 'remarkable man' who was committed to 'a host of down-to-earth enterprises'. He pointed out that the duke could be 'abrupt' and suggested that at times he could forget 'just how intimidating he could be'. Addressing the congregation in Westminster Abbey, Mr Conner said: 'He was practical, wanting to put flesh upon his dreams, and (acknowledging the limitations of living in this so-called 'real world') he devoted his astonishing intellectual and physical energy, his enormous capacity for sheer hard work, to a host of down-to-earth enterprises. 'These included the equipping of young people to face tomorrow's challenges, the encouragement of respect and care for the natural order, and his pioneering work in facilitating conversation between representatives of the different world faiths. 'Through his passionate commitment, he drew others to himself in admiration and respect and, in the case of those who lived and worked most closely to him, genuine love.' Mr Conner added: 'He would hate to think that I should paint a picture of him as a 'plaster saint'; someone without the usual human foibles and failings. 'He was far too self-aware ever to be taken in by flattery. Of course, it must be said that his life bore the marks of sacrifice and service. 'Certainly, he could show great sympathy and kindness. There is no doubt that he had a delightfully engaging, and often self-deprecating, sense of humour. 'It is quite clear that his mind held together both speculation and common sense. Moreover, nobody would ever doubt his loyalty and deep devotion to our Queen and to their family. 'Yet, there were times when he could be abrupt; maybe, in robust conversation, forgetting just how intimidating he could be. 'A kind of natural reserve sometimes made him seem a little distant. He could be somewhat sharp in pricking what he thought to be bubbles of pomposity or sycophancy. 'On the other hand, we should not forget that he himself was sometimes wounded by being unfairly criticised or misunderstood.' Concluding his address, the dean said: 'As we give thanks for the life of a remarkable man, perhaps our greatest tribute to him, most especially in these far too troubled times, will be for us to accept the challenge, implicit in his life, to rekindle in our hearts something of that call, and to pray (as I think he did) for the inspiration and the guidance to play our part, however small, in working for a kinder future. Queen Elizabeth II is driven in to attend a Service of Thanksgiving for the life of Prince Philip at Westminster Abbey The Cambridges arrived at the church hand in hand with their children Charlotte and George. Louis stayed at home The Duchess of Cambridge and Princess Charlotte arrive at today's service of Thanksgiving for the life of Prince Philip Charles shook hands with the clergy as they entered the church just before Midday Prime Minister Boris Johnson attends the Thanksgiving service for the Duke Of Edinburgh at Westminster Abbey today Princess Eugenie (left) and Princess Beatrice (right) pictured arriving at a service of thanksgiving for late Prince Philip Princess Eugenie and Princess Beatrice arriving at the poignant Service of Thanksgiving for the life of Prince Philip Peter Phillips with Isla Phillips and Savannah Phillips (right) arriving for a Service of Thanksgiving for the life of the Duke of Edinburgh Timothy Laurence and Anne, Princess Royal, arriving ahead of the Service of Thanksgiving for the life of Prince Philip Princess Royal arriving for a Service of Thanksgiving for the life of the Duke of Edinburgh and greeting Duke of Edinburgh award recipients Prince Charles and his wife Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, arrive at Westminster Abbey Prince Andrew (left) leaves Windsor Castle with the Queen (right) today ahead of the service to remember Prince Philip The Queen leaves Windsor Castle to travel to Westminster Abbey this morning, with her son Prince Andrew sat on her right While the Queen's arrival at Westminster Abbey was mentioned in the order of service, a final decision on her attendance was only confirmed two hours before because of her frailty. The Princess Royal arrived at Westminster Abbey. Wearing a long green dress and hat, Anne arrived alongside her husband, Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence. Peter Phillips' children Savannah and Isla were sitting next to their cousin Mia, daughter of Zara and Mike Tindall. The girls were dressed in navy with their hair fixed back with headbands. Once inside Westminster Abbey, guests were escorted to their seats, with Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie and their husbands smiling at members of the Abbey's chapter, or governing body, standing by the great West Door, as they walked in. The Earl and Countess of Wessex and their children also smiled warmly at the welcoming clergy. Sophie, Countess of Wessex, and her daughter, Lady Louise, smiled and chatted to each other after taking their seats in the Abbey. The Duke's family ahead of the service: In the second row is Peter Philips with daughters Savannah and Isla. Next to them is Mia Tindall with parents Zara Philips and Mike Tindall. In the front row are Prince Edward and Sophie Wessex with children Lady Louise and James, Viscount Severn The Cambridges arrived shortly after Prince Charles and Camilla ahead of today's memorial service for Prince Philip at Westminster Abbey Kate Middleton arrives at Westminster Abbey for the memorial service to Prince Philip today. She was joined by Prince William and her children George and Charlotte The Tindalls were the first senior British royals to arrive, holding one of their daughter Mia's hands Lady Louise Windsor arriving at the Westminster Abbey service for Prince Philip today. The Service will pay tribute to the Duke of Edinburgh's contribution to public life and steadfast support for the over 700 charitable organisations Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex attends the Thanksgiving service for the Duke of Edinburgh at Westminster Abbey today Peter Phillips attended the service with his children Savannah and Isla Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi and Princess Beatrice file into the main church Prince Michael of Kent and Princess Michael of Kent attend the memorial service for the Duke Of Edinburgh at Westminster Abbey The Queen leaves Windsor Castle in a car this morning with her disgraced son Prince Andrew to travel to London Prince Andrew (left) leaves Windsor Castle with the Queen (right) this morning ahead of the service of thanksgiving for Philip Lady Susan Hussey, the Queen's lady-in-waiting, arrives with her foot in a brace and on crutches at Westminster Abbey today Penelope Knatchbull, Countess Mountbatten of Burma arrives at Westminster Abbey for the service this morning Metropolitan Police Commissioner Dame Cressida Dick (left) and Formula One driver Sir Jackie Stewart (right) arrive today Foreign Secretary Liz Truss (left) and Home Secretary Priti Patel (right) arrive at Westminster Abbey this morning Guests walk into Westminster Abbey and take their seats ahead of this morning's service to remember Prince Philip Chancellor Rishi Sunak (left) and Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon (right) at Westminster Abbey today Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer (left) and Professor Chris Whitty, Chief Medical Officer for England (right), arrive this morning Guests arrive for Prince Philip's memorial service at Westminster Abbey in London this morning Guests arrive for Prince Philip's memorial service at Westminster Abbey in London this morning Members of the congregation queue at Westminster Abbey today ahead of the service of thanksgiving for the life of Philip Guests arrive to attend the service of thanksgiving for the life of the Duke of Edinburgh at Westminster Abbey this morning Earlier today, royal commentator Robert Jobson, author of Prince Philip's Century, told GB News: 'I think that Prince Andrew may play a more prominent role than we think earlier on. My understanding is that someone has to support the Queen and he may well be by her side. I think Charles will probably be with Camilla.' Overnight, royal aides revealed the Queen has been 'actively involved' in plans for the service 'with many elements reflecting Her Majesty's wishes' as the order of service was unveiled at midnight. It includes several elements the Duke had planned for his funeral at St George's Chapel in Windsor Castle in April last year but which were forbidden by Covid restrictions at the time. Among them is the involvement of Duke of Edinburgh (DofE) gold award winners and Sea Cadets, his expressed wish for the congregation to sing the rousing hymn Guide Me, O Thou Great Redeemer, and for clergy from the royal estates of Windsor, Sandringham and Balmoral to play a special part. His funeral at St George's Chapel in Windsor was limited to just 30 mourners in the midst of the pandemic and mass singing was banned, with the Queen sitting alone in a mask. Around 1,800 guests are due at today's service, including British and European royalty, representatives of the many charities of which the duke was patron or president, Boris and Carrie Johnson, and Sir David Attenborough. Prince Harry faces 'lifetime of regret' for missing memorial to his beloved grandfather Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle could 'regret' not attending the memorial service for his grandfather Prince Philip at Westminster Abbey today - and the Queen is likely to be 'very upset' but cannot change his mind, royal experts say. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are expected to remain at home in Montecito, California, while the rest of the Royal Family gather in London for the poignant event. Harry last returned to the UK eight months ago to unveil the statue of his late mother Diana, Princess of Wales in London on July 1 with his brother Prince William. The Duke - one of the Queen and Philip's eight grandchildren is the only top-level royal not attending today's service which was organised by the monarch. Royal author Phil Dampier told MailOnline: 'It's very sad that Harry and Meghan won't be at Prince Philip's memorial service and I think one day Harry might regret it. He has said that he doesn't feel safe without Scotland Yard security but to me that sounds like an excuse not to come back to the UK and indicates the rift with his blood family is still bad. 'Harry was always very fond of his grandfather and was deeply honoured when he took over from him as Captain General of the Royal Marines, but sadly that didn't last long. The pair attended some Remembrance Day events together and there was always a rapport between them, both being serving military men who had seen active service.' Mr Dampier said that Harry 'loved' Philip's sense of humour and praised him in interviews, adding that this makes his non-attendance 'all the more mystifying and strange'. Advertisement But the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are not returning from the US for the service. While the Queen's arrival was mentioned in the order of service, it is understood that a final decision on her attendance was not made until first thing this morning. She has recently been forced to pull out of a string of engagements because of ill health and old age. She was unable to attend the Commonwealth Day service this month because of concerns about her mobility and comfort. Palace and Abbey aides are thought to have taken steps to ensure that the service is less taxing for the Queen. Instead of arriving at the usual West Entrance to the Abbey, which would involve steps and a long walk down the Nave in front of the cameras, the Queen could be driven around the side of the building and enter away from public view via the 'Poet's Entrance'. She would then have a far shorter walk down the South Transept to her seat. It is likely she would walk with the aid of a stick. The service will gave thanks for the duke's dedication to family, nation and Commonwealth and recognise the importance of his legacy in creating opportunities for young people, promoting conservation, and supporting the Armed Forces. One of the elements planned for the funeral which has now been included in the service will see nine Gold Award holders from The Duke of Edinburgh's Award, plus representatives from UK Cadet Force Associations, line entry routes into Westminster Abbey. Philip, who died in April last year aged 99, launched the DofE Award in 1956 and was Colonel-in-Chief of the Army Cadet Force, a role he first took up in 1953. A tenth DofE gold award holder, Doyin Sonibare, 28, from London, will give a tribute to His Royal Highness's legacy, recognising the impact of the Award on young people across the globe. The Very Reverend Dr David Hoyle, Dean of Westminster, will conduct the service and describe the duke in the Bidding as 'a man of rare ability and distinction' who 'ever directed our attention away from himself.' He will say: 'He put privilege to work and understood his rank as a spur to service. Working at pace, with so many claims on his attention, he encouraged us to focus, as he was focussed, on the things that matter. 'His was a discipline and character that seized opportunity and overcame obstruction and difficulty. We recall, with affection and respect, the sustained offering of a long life lived fully.' Royal fans watch out for guests at the service to remember the late Duke of Edinburgh at Westminster Abbey this morning Royal fans stand next to barriers at Westminster Abbey today ahead of the service to pay tribute to the Duke of Edinburgh Guests begin to arrive for the service of thanksgiving for the life of the Duke of Edinburgh at Westminster Abbey this morning Television broadcasting staff gather outside Westminster Abbey this morning ahead of Prince Philip's memorial service Royal fans stand next to barriers at Westminster Abbey today ahead of the service to pay tribute to the Duke of Edinburgh Royal superfan John Loughrey, from Stretham in Cambridgeshire, stands outside Westminster Abbey this morning Another royal superfan stands outside Westminster Abbey ahead of the memorial service for Philip this morning Police officers walk past Westminster Abbey this morning before the service for the late Duke of Edinburgh Workers put up barriers outside Westminster Abbey today ahead of the service for Prince Philip Royal fans wait outside Westminster Abbey this morning ahead of the service for the late Duke of Edinburgh It was the duke's expressed wish that clergy from Windsor, Sandringham and Balmoral - known as The Queen's domestic chaplains - played a part in his funeral service, but this was not possible due to the Covid restrictions. Today the Reverend Kenneth MacKenzie Minister of Crathie Church, the regular place of worship of the British royal family when they are in residence at nearby Balmoral Castle, the Reverend Canon Jonathan Riviere, the Rector of Sandringham, and the Reverend Canon Martin Poll, Chaplain to the Royal Chapel of All Saints, Windsor Great Park, will offer prayers recognising Philip's energy, spirit of adventure and 'good stewardship of the environment'. The service will also be attended by around 30 foreign royals, including Prince Albert of Monaco, Denmark's Queen Margrethe, King Harald and Queen Sonja of Norway, and Spain's King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia. Queen Elizabeth II takes her seat during the funeral of Prince Philip at St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle on April 17, 2021 The Queen and Prince Philip revisit Broadlands, to mark their Diamond Wedding Anniversary on November 20, 2007 The Queen and Philip were married in the Abbey in November 1947 and it holds many special memories. Flowers at today's service will be red, white and blue. They will include dendrobium orchids, which also featured in the Queen's wedding bouquet, and eryngium - or sea holly - echoing the duke's career in the Royal Navy and lifelong affection for the sea. The Queen attended the opening of the Welsh Parliament on October 14 last year. Since then she has conducted engagements at Windsor Castle, where she is now based, and visited Sandringham in February. Advertisement The extended family of Prince Philip - thought to be around 51 people from across Europe - were among the first to arrive at Westminster Abbey ahead of the ceremony to honour the late Duke's life today. The Duke of Edinburgh's family members, many travelling from overseas, have made the journey to London to represent the Greek, Danish and German branches of the late consort's family. The representatives included the Hereditary Prince and Princess of Baden, who were also invited to Prince Philip's funeral - which was limited to just 30 people - on April 17th 2021. The Baden royals had shared a close relationship with the Duke of Edinburgh throughout much of his life. Scroll down for video Extended family: It's thought 51 members of Prince Philip's extended family from across Europe have travelled to the service. From left: Stephanie Anne Kaul of Baden, Bernhard, Hereditary Prince of Baden, Penelope Knatchbull, Countess Mountbatten of Burma, Saskia Binder, Prince Philipp, Prince of Hohenlohe-Langenburg, Countess Floria Franziska Marie-Luisa Erika von Faber-Castell and Donatus, Landgrave of Hesse The countess was seen in deep conversation with her neighbour in the Abbey as the assembly patiently waited for the service to start. From left: Stephanie Anne Kaul of Baden, Bernhard, Hereditary Prince of Baden, Penelope Knatchbull, Countess Mountbatten of Burma, Saskia Binder, Prince Philipp, Prince of Hohenlohe-Langenburg, Countess Floria Franziska Marie-Luisa Erika von Faber-Castell and Donatus, Landgrave of Hesse Among the first guests to arrive at Westminster Abbey today were representatives of the Greek, Danish and German branches of the late Duke's family - including the Hereditary Prince and Princess of Baden Great nephew: Seated in the far right of the Abbey in the front row this morning were the Hereditary Prince and Princess of Baden, close confidants of the late Duke of Edinburgh. Right: Prince Bernhard, pictured with his wife at the wedding of the Prince and Princess of Monaco in 2011, is the grandson of the late Duke's sister Theodora Prince Philipp of Hohenlohe-Langenburg, pictured today left and right with Prince Charles, said: 'It really is an incredible honour and we are all extremely touched and privileged to be included on behalf of the wider family' Also in attendance was Donatus, Landgrave of Hesse, known as 'Don', 54, is the head of the House of Hesse, into which the Duke's two younger sisters, Cecile and Sophie (known as 'Tiny') married. He is pictured left today and right with the Queen in 2014 The Duke of Edinburgh's carriage-driving companion - one of his closest confidantes - Countess Mountbatten of Burma (pictured left today and right together in 1975) Arriving ahead of the Queen, who travelled to the ceremony with her disgraced son Prince Andrew from Windsor Castle to Westminster Abbey, Prince Philip's more distant family members chatted quietly as they entered the Abbey. Sitting together, the family included Bernhard, Hereditary Prince of Baden and his wife Stephanie Anne Kaul of Baden. They sat next to Penelope Knatchbull, Countess Mountbatten of Burma, the widow of Norton Knatchbull, 3rd Earl Mountbatten of Burma, a great-nephew of Prince Philip. On the other side of Penelope - a close confidante of Prince Philip who goes by Penny - was Prince Philipp, Prince of Hohenlohe-Langenburg and his wife Saskia Binder, a former banker. Finishing off the row was Countess Floria Franziska Marie-Luisa Erika von Faber-Castell and Donatus, Landgrave of Hesse. Bernhard, the Prince of Baden is the great nephew of Prince Philip. The father-of-three is a grandson of the Duke's second sister, Theodora (known as 'Dolla'). Bernhard and his wife were among the 30 mourners at his funeral last year. Prince Philipp is another great-nephew of Prince Philip - and is the grandson of the late Duke's sister Princess Margarita. The cousins were among the 30 mourners invited to the Duke of Edinburgh's funeral last year. Prince Philipp said at the time: 'It really is an incredible honour and we are all extremely touched and privileged to be included on behalf of the wider family'. His sister, and the Duke's great niece, Princess Xenia of Hohenlohe-Langenburg also said Philip was an 'idol' for their family's younger generation. Their grandmother, Princess Margarita, was the Duke's elder sister and the Duke paid many visits to the family home, Langenburg Castle in southern Germany. The German great-nephews and their wives who attended Prince Philip's memorial Bernhard, Hereditary Prince of Baden Prince Bernhard, 50, is a grandson of the Duke's second sister, Theodora (known as 'Dolla'). Prince Philip's German relatives were all denied a place at his wedding, thanks to post-war nervousness at Buckingham Palace. But for the rest of his life, the Duke of Edinburgh was adamant that bygones should be bygones. That is why he made it clear that he wanted his 'blood' family the network of German nieces, nephews and cousins to whom he was devoted to be properly represented and included in his funeral arrangements. He attended with his wife, Stephanie Anne Kaul of Baden, the couple has three children and live in Linzgau. Prince Philipp of Hohenlohe-Langenburg Prince Philipp of Hohenlohe-Langenburg was one of three members of the Duke's European family who attended his funeral. He attended the memorial with his wife. It was such a joy having a conversation with him. His memory was extraordinary,' Prince Philipp said recently. 'He could remember playing hide-and-seek in the castle when he was a boy, and he always enjoyed talking to the local people. 'He could switch from German to English and back, whether he was talking about Winston Churchill or the local wildlife.' He remains close to the royal family, Princess Anne is his godmother. He was joined by his wife, Saskia Binder, daughter of former Deutsche Bank Munich director Hans Peter Binder. The couple also share three children and live at Langenburg castle. Prince Donatus, Landgrave of Hesse Prince Donatus, known as 'Don', 54, is the head of the House of Hesse, into which the Duke's two younger sisters, Cecile and Sophie (known as 'Tiny') married. He is a regular at the Royal Windsor Horse Show, spending time with the Duke of Edinburgh and the Queen. The Countess Mountbatten of Burma One of Prince Philip's closest friends and confidantes, Penny Brabourne, Countess Mountbatten of Burma, sat with his German relatives at the memorial. The Countess was a regular visitor at Wood Farm, the cottage on the edge of the Sandringham Estate in Norfolk where the Prince spent much of his time after retiring from public life in August 2017. The pair were firm friends for decades and shared a love for the exhilarating equestrian sport of carriage-driving. She enjoyed such a close bond with the Queen and Philip that Palace staff reportedly nicknamed her 'and also', because no guest list was considered complete without her. The only daughter of butcher-turned-businessman Reginald Eastwood, she was propelled into the Royal Family through her marriage to Norton Knatchbull, 3rd Earl Mountbatten of Burma. The Earl was a close friend of Prince Charles the pair attended Gordonstoun together and Charles was Norton's best man when he married Penny in 1979. The wedding was delayed for eight weeks because five months earlier, IRA bombers blew up a small boat in the sea off Mullaghmore, County Sligo, killing Norton's grandfather, Lord Mountbatten. Norton's 14-year-old younger brother, Nicholas, his paternal grandmother the Dowager Lady Brabourne, and a local boy who was with the family, also died in the terror attack. Advertisement Prince of Hohenlohe-Langenburg & Donatus, Prince and Landgrave of Hesse arrives to attend the memorial of Prince Philip The royal family, who joined the service shortly before its 11:30am start, were seated in the front pews of the Abbey Prince Philip's long-time friend, who is also known as Lady Romsey and Lady Brabourne took her seat, dressed in a sober grey ensemble with matching hat. From left: Stephanie Anne Kaul of Baden, Bernhard, Hereditary Prince of Baden, Penelope Knatchbull, Countess Mountbatten of Burma, Saskia Binder, Prince Philipp, Prince of Hohenlohe-Langenburg, Countess Floria Franziska Marie-Luisa Erika von Faber-Castell and Donatus, Landgrave of Hesse Gathered in the pews of Westminster Abbey, the extended family of Prince Philip, only a few of whom were invited to the scaled-down royal funeral in April 2021, greeted each other ahead of the memorial service today Four daughters: Prince Philip was raised separately from his four older sisters, pictured left-right: Sophia, Margarita, Cecilie, known as Cecile, and Theodora. The girls are pictured ahead of the 1922 wedding of Louis Mountbatten and Edwina Ashley, where they were bridesmaids Troubles ahead: Philip, second from left, as a boy with his parents and four sisters, who adored him. They all married German aristocrats Prince Bernhard, 50, also a father of three, is a grandson of the Duke's second sister, Theodora (known as 'Dolla'). Also in attendance was Donatus, Landgrave of Hesse, known as 'Don', 54, is the head of the House of Hesse, into which the Duke's two younger sisters, Cecile and Sophie (known as 'Tiny') married. He was joined by his wife Countess Floria Franziska Marie-Luisa Erika von Faber-Castell. All these families enjoy so many precious recollections of the 'Uncle Philip', who thought nothing of popping over to Germany for a christening or a landmark birthday party for the offspring and relatives of his older sisters. Prince Harry faces 'lifetime of regret' for missing memorial to his beloved grandfather Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle could 'regret' not attending the memorial service for his grandfather Prince Philip at Westminster Abbey tomorrow - and the Queen is likely to be 'very upset' but cannot change his mind, royal experts say. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are expected to remain at home in Montecito, California, while the rest of the Royal Family gather in London for the poignant event. Harry last returned to the UK eight months ago to unveil the statue of his late mother Diana, Princess of Wales in London on July 1 with his brother Prince William. The Duke - one of the Queen and Philip's eight grandchildren is the only top-level royal not attending tomorrow's service which was organised by the monarch. Royal author Phil Dampier told MailOnline: 'It's very sad that Harry and Meghan won't be at Prince Philip's memorial service and I think one day Harry might regret it. He has said that he doesn't feel safe without Scotland Yard security but to me that sounds like an excuse not to come back to the UK and indicates the rift with his blood family is still bad. 'Harry was always very fond of his grandfather and was deeply honoured when he took over from him as Captain General of the Royal Marines, but sadly that didn't last long. The pair attended some Remembrance Day events together and there was always a rapport between them, both being serving military men who had seen active service.' Mr Dampier said that Harry 'loved' Philip's sense of humour and praised him in interviews, adding that this makes his non-attendance 'all the more mystifying and strange'. Advertisement They were the kind-hearted, glamorous quartet of princesses who had doted on their boisterous little brother through an often troubled childhood. The Duke never forgot that, according to Prince Philipp of Hohenlohe-Langenburg who last year told the Daily Mail: 'It was such a joy having a conversation with him. His memory was extraordinary,' he explained. 'He could remember playing hide-and-seek in the castle when he was a boy, and he always enjoyed talking to the local people. 'He could switch from German to English and back, whether he was talking about Winston Churchill or the local wildlife.' The Duke's death was also said to leave a huge hole among the broader continental cousinhood, who all adored the energetic, unstuffy uncle, great-uncle and cousin who always made a beeline for his younger relatives to hear their latest news. For he was not only an enthusiastic participant in family gatherings. In fact, many refer to him as 'the glue' or 'the bridge' who has kept the current British Royal Family closely connected to the European cousinhood. They are the 'other' royal family, the relatives who might not be household names in Britain but who, for generations, have happily slotted in at house parties or picnics at Balmoral, Sandringham and elsewhere. The horrse show was 'the Duke's week' each spring, with plenty of Langenburgs, Badens, Hesses and Hanovers occupying the Windsor guest rooms. At big family gatherings, whether in the UK or in Germany, there would always be a big crossover. At the celebrations for the golden or diamond wedding anniversaries of the Queen and the Duke, for example, the German relations were fully included. Similarly, many a German christening has featured a House of Windsor godparent at the font. Prince Philip and his four sisters had grown up in the strange, unsettled world of peripatetic refugee royalty between the wars. They were all born into the Greek royal family, itself descended from the ruling house of Denmark, but had been driven into exile in 1922 after a military coup. Also in attendance today was Penelope Knatchbull, Countess Mountbatten of Burma, the widow of Lord Romsey, Earl Mountbatten's grandson Norton Knatchbull. Norton is the grandson of Lord Mountbatten - who was famously close to his nephew Prince Philip. Philip was Norton's godson, while Norton is the godfather of Prince William. Also known as Lady Romsey and Lady Brabourne, Penny was a regular visitor at Wood Farm, the cottage on the edge of the Sandringham Estate in Norfolk where the Prince spent much of his time after retiring from public life in August 2017, and was thought to be one of his closest confidantes. Among the Duke of Edinburgh's Greek relatives in attendance was be Queen Anne-Marie of the Hellenes, the last Queen of Greece and wife of King Constantine II, her children, Crown Prince Pavlos and Prince Philippos, and their respective wives. Queen Anne-Marie is the daughter of King Frederick IX of Denmark and his wife Ingrid of Sweden, and the younger sister of Queen Margrethe II of Denmark. She had to renounce her claim to the Danish throne on marrying Constantine II. Queen Anne-Marie is a great-great granddaughter of Queen Victoria, making her a third cousin of both Prince Philip and the Queen. King Constantine II was a first cousin once removed of Prince Philip; both were descended from King George I of Greece. Among the Duke of Edinburgh's Greek relatives in attendance was be Queen Anne-Marie of the Hellenes, the last Queen of Greece and wife of King Constantine II, her children, Crown Prince Pavlos and Prince Philippos, and their respective wives. Left today, right in 1964 Greece's former Queen Anne-Marie (left), Greece's Crown Prince Pavlos (second right) and Greece's Crown Princess Marie-Chantal leave after attending a Service of Thanksgiving for Prince Philip Their children also have ties to the royal family. Prince Pavlos is Prince Charles's godson, while the Duke of Edinburgh and Princess Diana were both godparents to his younger brother, Prince Philippos. Pavlos and Philippos will be joined at the service by their wives. Pavlos' wife Marie-Chantal is a queen bee socialite who's friends with Zoe de Givenchy, Tory Burch and the Italian fashion designer Valentino. Meanwhile Philippos married wife Nina in three separate ceremonies in 2020 and 2021. Princess Eugenie, Princess Beatrice, and their husbands were all in attendance. Flying the flag for Denmark was Queen Margrethe, who is known affectionately as 'aunt Daisy' by many European royals due to her close relationship with Philip. The 81-year-old monarch will fly solo at the Service of Thanksgiving, although she is often joined at royal events by her son Frederik, Crown Prince of Denmark, and daughter-in-law Princess Mary. Flying the flag for Denmark was Queen Margrethe, who is known affectionately as 'aunt Daisy' by many European royals due to her close relationship with Philip. Queen Margrethe II enjoys a close personal relationship with the Queen and was related to the Duke of Edinburgh through King Christian IX of Denmark. King Christian IX - dubbed the 'father-in-law of Europe' due to his far-reaching progeny - was the great-great-grandfather of Queen Margrethe and the great-grandfather of the Duke of Edinburgh. The Danish queen is also related to Queen Elizabeth through Queen Victoria. Margrethe lost her husband Henrik, Prince Consort of Denmark, in 2018. The Queen is back at Windsor Castle today with Prince Andrew having skipped several royal receptions after shedding tears for the Duke of Edinburgh at an extraordinary service in remembrance of his remarkable 99-year life of service to Britain and his wife. Her Majesty became emotional in Westminster Abbey - where she married Prince Philip in November 1947 - having personally ensured her beloved husband's final wishes were fulfilled after his covid-hit funeral left her sat alone without the rousing hymns and guests he loved so much. Her Majesty was determined to be amongst the 1,800 guests despite the 95-year-old's mobility problems that have prevented her doing a major public engagement away from Windsor Castle in nearly six months. And in a move that royal watchers believe may have upset her son Prince Charles and grandson Prince William both instrumental in the decision to take away the Duke of York's 'HRH' the Queen chose her second son to join her in the back of her royal car. Philip's mother was Princess Alice of Battenberg, and his four sisters all married German aristocrats. His German relations were banned from attending his wedding to Elizabeth in 1947 over perceived links to the Nazis in the wake of the Second World War. But after the Duke made clear he wanted German 'blood to attend his funeral. Queen sheds a tear for beloved Philip: Emotional monarch wears green in tribute to late husband at Westminster Abbey memorial attended by Kate, Wills, Charles and Camilla... a year after sitting alone at his funeral at height of the pandemic By MARTIN ROBINSON, CHIEF REPORTER and MARK DUELL and DANNY HUSSAIN FOR MAILONLINE The Queen shed a tear for Prince Philip at an extraordinary service in remembrance of his remarkable life of service to Britain and his wife today. Her Majesty stood in Westminster Abbey where she had personally ensured her beloved husband's final wishes were fulfilled after his covid-hit funeral left her sat alone without the rousing hymns and guests he loved so much. The 95-year-old monarch used a stick as she was walked to her seat by her disgraced son the Duke of York to give her 'strength and stay' Philip the final farewell he had wanted. The service was attended by the Royal Family and his relatives, friends and people who benefitted from his charities. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were the only senior royals not there. Despite battling mobility problems, she stood to pray and sing anthems during a 40-minute service that her husband of 73 years had helped plan for before his death last April. But in a controversial decision she chose Prince Andrew to support her as she arrived and left the church, clutching his elbow with one hand and a walking stick with the other. The Queen had stood with tears in her eyes as the 1,800-strong congregation sang Guide Me O Thou Great Redeemer before the bells of Westminster Abbey rang out to mark the end of the memorial service for the Duke of Edinburgh. After she leant on Andrew as she walked back out of the church, the Queen appeared to grimace as she walked to the car hunched over with the Duke of York at her side guiding her towards the Bentley. She appeared to be holding tightly to her stick and appeared to be making a great effort to get to the vehicle, concentrating very hard in taking each step. Once inside the car she appeared to be back to her normal composed self as the car slowly drove away. She waved to onlookers as she arrived and left the service. The Queen and the packed abbey had listened as the Dean of Windsor paid tribute to Philip's intellect, work ethic, sense of humour and devotion to his family. The Right Reverend David Conner described the duke as a 'remarkable man' who was committed to 'a host of down-to-earth enterprises'. He pointed out that the duke could be 'abrupt', and suggested that at times he could forget 'just how intimidating he could be'. Princess Beatrice was seen to give a small chuckle as the Dean remarked: 'He could be somewhat sharp in pricking what he thought to be bubbles of pomposity or sycophancy.' But then appeared to break down in tears, covering her face with the order of service. The Queen, the Duchess of Cornwall and the Princess Royal were all dressed in dark green in a subtle tribute to Philip, whose livery colour was Edinburgh Green. A number of others throughout the congregation also wore the shade, including Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award holder Doyin Sonibare who delivered a special tribute about the effect Philip's youth scheme had on her life. Flowers at today's service are a patriotic red, white and blue, at Her Majesty's request. They included dendrobium orchids, which also featured in the Queen's wedding bouquet, and eryngium - or sea holly - echoing the duke's career in the Royal Navy and lifelong affection for the sea. There were also multiple tributes to his intellect, work ethic, sense of humour and devotion to his family and his country. The Queen stood and shed a tear for her husband today at an extraordinary service in remembrance of his life The Queen closed her eyes in prayer as she joined senior royals to pay tribute to Prince Philip at his memorial at Westminster Abbey. When she opened her eyes they appeared moist Her Majesty stands to sing surrounded by her family with the Duke of York also on the front row.From left to right, front row: Queen Elizabeth II, the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall, the Princess Royal, Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence, the Duke of York, The Earl of Wessex, the Countess of Wessex, Lady Louise Mountbatten-Windsor and Viscount Severn. (Second row left to right) The Duke of Cambridge, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, the Duchess of Cambridge, Peter Phillips, Isla Phillips, Savannah Phillips, Mia Tindall, Zara Tindall and Mike Tindall Princess Beatrice was overwhelmed by the service. Stood behind the Queen she cried and covered her face with the order of service as her grandmother removed her glasses Her Majesty walked with the help of a stick but stood without support sat next to Charles, Camilla, Anne and her husband Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence. Across the aisle was Prince Andrew The Queen arrives at the service holding the Duke of York by the elbow with her left hand and her stick with the right Andrew escorted her to her seat in an extraordinary moment that may have upset other royals. None of the other royals appeared to look up when they arrived Her Majesty had arrived at the side door of the church, allowing her to walk a shorter distance from Poets' Corner to the front where she was surrounded by her children and grandchildren. She stood at various points in the service, despite her own admission recently that she is struggling to move. Westminster Abbey was completely packed today to celebrate the 99-year life of Prince Philip as Her Majesty battled mobility issues and fought off covid to be there to say goodbye to her husband after 73 years of marriage. The event, attended by most of the Duke of Edinburgh's family and many of Europe's most senior royals, is in the starkest of contrasts to his pared back funeral at Windsor last April when Her Majesty said goodbye to her strength and stay after 73 years of marriage. The Queen finally decided to attend today's service in Central London around two hours before but the coverage of the Service of Thanksgiving was dominated by her extraordinary decision to travel with her disgraced son Prince Andrew from Windsor Castle to Central London. Timothy Laurence and Anne, Princess Royal, arriving ahead of the Service of Thanksgiving for the life of Prince Philip Prince Charles and his wife Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, arrive at Westminster Abbey The Duke's family ahead of the service: In the second row is Peter Philips with daughters Savannah and Isla. Next to them is Mia Tindall with parents Zara Philips and Mike Tindall. In the front row are Prince Edward and Sophie Wessex with children Lady Louise and James, Viscount Severn The Cambridges arrived shortly after Prince Charles and Camilla ahead of today's memorial service for Prince Philip at Westminster Abbey Kate Middleton arrives at Westminster Abbey for the memorial service to Prince Philip today. She was joined by Prince William and her children George and Charlotte Princess Charlotte and Prince George sit with the mother the Duchess of Cambridge during today's service at Westminster Abbey The Queen remained seated during the service with aides taking special measures to ensure her comfort after recent heath issues Queen Maxima and King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands left the service at Westminster Abbey arm-in-arm Despite her frailty, Queen Elizabeth II stands during a Service of Thanksgiving for the life of the Duke of Edinburgh, at Westminster Abbey today Her Majesty was determined to be amongst the 1,800 guests despite the 95-year-old's mobility problems that have prevented her doing a major public engagement away from Windsor Castle in nearly six months. The Tindalls were the first close family to arrive, followed Princess Anne, the Wessexes, Prince Charles and his wife Camilla and then the Cambridges, who were with their children George and Charlotte. The Queen was the last to arrive with Andrew. It was a move that royal watchers believe may have upset her son Prince Charles and grandson Prince William both instrumental in the decision to take away the Duke of York's 'HRH'. The Queen chose her second son to join her in the back of her royal car for the 22-mile journey and he was also given a front row in the church, right next to his other siblings at the service just weeks after he paid millions to one of Jeffrey Epstein's sex slaves, Virginia Roberts Giuffre, who accused him of having sex with her three times when she was trafficked to London aged 17. The Queen's state limousine arrived at Poets' Yard entrance with Andrew sat beside her. As they walked through the famous section of the abbey towards her seat, in a small procession, the monarch held onto her son's elbow with her left hand and had a walking stick in her right. They walked at a slow but steady pace both looking ahead, and at the end of the aisle they separated - with Andrew giving a last glance to his mother as she turned right. After the first hymn, Charles, who was sat next to her mother, could be seen leaning over to speak to the Queen seated next to him - but it is not clear what was said. The Queen then delved into her black Launer handbag for her glasses to read the order of service. After the 40 minute service, Her Majesty was escorted out of the abbey by the Duke of York. As the monarch stopped to greet Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award holder Doyin Sonibare, Andrew stood back and at one point broke into a smile. The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall were the first to leave Westminster Abbey alongside the abbey's chapter. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge followed. All four royals waved at the crowd outside as they were driven away in black cars. Advertisement The service of thanksgiving at Westminster Abbey was full of personal touches, including the floral arrangements. The stunning displays were a patriotic combination of red, white and blue, and featured blooms that paid tribute to both the Queen and Prince Philip's wedding, and the Duke of Edinburgh's naval career. Among the flowers chosen for the smaller posies were orchids, which were used in the then Princess Elizabeth's wedding bouquet when she married the duke on November 20, 1947 at Westminster Abbey. Orchids are said to symbolise love, beauty and strength and will reflect Prince Philip's enduring love for the Queen. The larger displays featured eryngium, known as sea holly, in a nod to the Duke of Edinburgh's career in the Royal Navy and lifelong love of the sea. The stunning displays were a patriotic combination of red, white and blue, and featured blooms that paid tribute to both the Queen and Prince Philip's wedding, and the Duke of Edinburgh's naval career. The larger displays featured eryngium, known as sea holly (the blue, spiky flowers), in a nod to the Duke of Edinburgh's career in the Royal Navy and lifelong love of the sea Among the flowers chosen for the smaller posies were orchids, which were used in the then Princess Elizabeth's wedding bouquet when she married her the duke on November 20, 1947 at Westminster Abbey Florist Judith Blacklock told FEMAIL that the blue flowers in the composition included Blue Delphinium, Eryngium and Agapanthus, while Eustoma (lisianthus), bloom Chrysanthemum and roses where used for the white. 'Carnation and Gerbera providing the red to bring together the colours of the United Kingdom. These were arranged on a background of soft ruscus, giant Monstera leaves and green and cream Pittosporumm,' she added. 'My good friend David Thomson was one of the chosen designers and he mentioned that all taking part in creating the flower displays felt they had been bestowed a huge honour and privilege,' she added. The magnificent pedestal displays in the Abbey were created by the top designers who are part of the National Association of Flower Arrangement Societies (NAFAS) who regularly create floral displays in Westminster. The flowers have the approval of the Queen and are in line with the wishes Prince Philip expressed before his death. The smaller posies featured red freesias, red spray roses and alstroemeria alongside blue irises and more sea holly. They also included dendrobium orchids, white freesias and Eustoma. Sea follies, orchids, rose and carnations are among the meaningful flowers in the floral arrangements Eight florists and flower suppliers were commissioned to prepare the floral arrangements that were on display at Westminster Abbey earlier today. At the Duke of Edinburg's funeral in April last year, flower included in the wreath to be laid on his coffin in Windsor were also selected by the Queen. They included white lilies, small white roses, white freesia, white wax flower, white sweet peas and jasmine. The Queen is now back at Windsor Castle having skipped several royal receptions after shedding tears for the Duke of Edinburgh at an extraordinary service in remembrance of his remarkable 99-year life of service to Britain and his wife. Her Majesty became emotional in Westminster Abbey - where she married Prince Philip in November 1947 - having personally ensured her beloved husband's final wishes were fulfilled after his covid-hit funeral left her sat alone without the rousing hymns and guests he loved so much. Her Majesty stands to sing surrounded by her family with the Duke of York also on the front row.From left to right, front row: Queen Elizabeth II, the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall, the Princess Royal, Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence, the Duke of York, The Earl of Wessex, the Countess of Wessex, Lady Louise Mountbatten-Windsor and Viscount Severn. (Second row left to right) The Duke of Cambridge, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, the Duchess of Cambridge, Peter Phillips, Isla Phillips, Savannah Phillips, Mia Tindall, Zara Tindall and Mike Tindall The Queen closed her eyes in prayer as she joined senior royals to pay tribute to Prince Philip at his memorial at Westminster Abbey The Queen stood and shed a tear for her husband today at an extraordinary service in remembrance of his life Today's service was attended by the Royal Family and his relatives, friends and people who benefitted from his charities and patronages. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were the only senior royals not there. The Queen had stood with tears in her eyes as the 1,800-strong congregation sang Guide Me O Thou Great Redeemer before the bells of Westminster Abbey rang out to mark the end of the memorial service in the central London church where she was crowned just over 70 years ago. The 95-year-old monarch used a stick as she was walked to and from her seat, supported by her disgraced son the Duke of York, to give her 'strength and stay' Philip the final farewell he had wanted. Her Majesty's presence was only confirmed two hours before it started. Her Majesty listens to the various eulogies to her husband at the Service of Remembrance held almost a year after his funeral The Queen, 95, fought frailty to be in the church with her family at an event she had helped plan for her husband Her Majesty walked with the help of a stick but stood without support sat next to Charles, Camilla, Anne and her husband Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence. Across the aisle was Prince Andrew And despite battling mobility problems, she stood to pray and sing hymns that her husband of 73 years had asked for before his death last April. But in a controversial decision she chose Prince Andrew to aid her, clutching his elbow with one hand and a walking stick with the other. After a poignant service limited to 40 minutes where the watery-eyed monarch sat in one of the Canada chairs with an additional cushion, she was driven the 22-miles back to Windsor Castle with the Duke of York beside her after her first major public engagement for approaching six months. The 51 European royals who attended the Service of Thanksgiving went to a number of receptions held in London afterwards, including one held at Kensington Palace, home to a number of British royals including the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester. Prince Charles hosted a charity reception at St James' Palace before attending a dinner at Windsor Castle tonight to mark the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra's 75th anniversary. It is highly likely he will drop in to see his mother beforehand. Queen sheds a tear for beloved Philip: Emotional monarch wears green in tribute to late husband at Westminster Abbey memorial attended by Kate, Wills, Charles and Camilla... a year after sitting alone at his funeral at height of the pandemic The Queen shed a tear for Prince Philip at an extraordinary service in remembrance of his remarkable life of service to Britain and his wife today. Her Majesty stood in Westminster Abbey where she had personally ensured her beloved husband's final wishes were fulfilled after his covid-hit funeral left her sat alone without the rousing hymns and guests he loved so much. The 95-year-old monarch used a stick as she was walked to her seat by her disgraced son the Duke of York to give her 'strength and stay' Philip the final farewell he had wanted. The service was attended by the Royal Family and his relatives, friends and people who benefitted from his charities. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were the only senior royals not there. Despite battling mobility problems, she stood to pray and sing anthems during a 40-minute service that her husband of 73 years had helped plan for before his death last April. But in a controversial decision she chose Prince Andrew to support her as she arrived and left the church, clutching his elbow with one hand and a walking stick with the other. The Queen had stood with tears in her eyes as the 1,800-strong congregation sang Guide Me O Thou Great Redeemer before the bells of Westminster Abbey rang out to mark the end of the memorial service for the Duke of Edinburgh. After she leant on Andrew as she walked back out of the church, the Queen appeared to grimace as she walked to the car hunched over with the Duke of York at her side guiding her towards the Bentley. She appeared to be holding tightly to her stick and appeared to be making a great effort to get to the vehicle, concentrating very hard in taking each step. Once inside the car she appeared to be back to her normal composed self as the car slowly drove away. She waved to onlookers as she arrived and left the service. The Queen and the packed abbey had listened as the Dean of Windsor paid tribute to Philip's intellect, work ethic, sense of humour and devotion to his family. The Right Reverend David Conner described the duke as a 'remarkable man' who was committed to 'a host of down-to-earth enterprises'. He pointed out that the duke could be 'abrupt', and suggested that at times he could forget 'just how intimidating he could be'. Princess Beatrice was seen to give a small chuckle as the Dean remarked: 'He could be somewhat sharp in pricking what he thought to be bubbles of pomposity or sycophancy.' But then appeared to break down in tears, covering her face with the order of service. The Queen, the Duchess of Cornwall and the Princess Royal were all dressed in dark green in a subtle tribute to Philip, whose livery colour was Edinburgh Green. A number of others throughout the congregation also wore the shade, including Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award holder Doyin Sonibare who delivered a special tribute about the effect Philip's youth scheme had on her life. Flowers at today's service are a patriotic red, white and blue, at Her Majesty's request. They included dendrobium orchids, which also featured in the Queen's wedding bouquet, and eryngium - or sea holly - echoing the duke's career in the Royal Navy and lifelong affection for the sea. There were also multiple tributes to his intellect, work ethic, sense of humour and devotion to his family and his country. The Queen stood and shed a tear for her husband today at an extraordinary service in remembrance of his life The Queen closed her eyes in prayer as she joined senior royals to pay tribute to Prince Philip at his memorial at Westminster Abbey. When she opened her eyes they appeared moist Her Majesty stands to sing surrounded by her family with the Duke of York also on the front row.From left to right, front row: Queen Elizabeth II, the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall, the Princess Royal, Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence, the Duke of York, The Earl of Wessex, the Countess of Wessex, Lady Louise Mountbatten-Windsor and Viscount Severn. (Second row left to right) The Duke of Cambridge, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, the Duchess of Cambridge, Peter Phillips, Isla Phillips, Savannah Phillips, Mia Tindall, Zara Tindall and Mike Tindall Princess Beatrice was overwhelmed by the service. Stood behind the Queen she cried and covered her face with the order of service as her grandmother removed her glasses Her Majesty walked with the help of a stick but stood without support sat next to Charles, Camilla, Anne and her husband Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence. Across the aisle was Prince Andrew Prince Andrew travelled with the Queen to Westminster Abbey and appeared to escort her to her seat before taking his own Prince Andrew was sat next to Prince Edward and Sophie Wessex during today's memorial service at Westminster Abbey Queen Elizabeth II is helped into her car by her son Prince Andrew, right, after attending a Service of Thanksgiving for the life of Prince Philip She spoke to her son inside the car and waved to the crowds outside the service in London, which ended this afternoon The Queen as she left Westminster Abbey in her Rolls-Royce today, wearing a regal purple and golden brooch Prince Andrew, Duke of York, who last month agreed to settle his sex assault lawsuit, left the service in a car with his mother the Queen A sombre Prince Charles leaves the church with his wife Camilla, who also looked moved by the celebration of Prince Philip's life Charles was seen wiping his eyes at the service where he could say goodbye to his father after a pared back funeral last year. Prince Andrew looked serious as he waited to leave with his mother Prince William rests a hand on the back of his son Prince George, at the end of the memorial service for Prince Philip The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge left the Abbey with two of their children, Prince George and Princess Charlotte The Cambridges departing the Service of Thanksgiving for the Duke of Edinburgh at Westminster Abbey The Duchess of Cambridge smiled out of the window of her car as she left the Abbey with Prince William after the service The Queen sits alone at Philip's pared-down funeral last April - in stark contrast to today's celebration. It was one of the defining photos of the pandemic, where many Britons were forced to mourn their loved ones in small ceremonies, sometimes alone Queen, Camilla and Anne all wear green for their beloved Prince Philip It was a touching tribute to a much-missed Duke of Edinburgh as the Queen and senior royal women stepped out in Edinburgh Green for Philip's memorial service. All wearing the same shade, the monarch, the Duchess of Cornwall and the Princess Royal sat in the front row of royal seats in Westminster Abbey, united in remembrance of Philip. The duke's official dark green livery colour was known as Edinburgh Green. It was used for his staff liveries - the duke's page at the coronation wore dark green and silver - and private cars. The monarch's brooch was another nod to her late husband of more than 70 years. She chose her yellow gold, ruby and diamond scarab brooch, designed by Andrew Grima, which was a personal gift from Philip in 1966. Camilla wore her Rifles brooch in recognition of the moment when her father-in-law handed over his role as colonel-in-chief of the regiment to her in 2020. Others in the congregation also wore dark green, including Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award holder Doyin Sonibare, who delivered a special tribute about the effect Philip's youth scheme had on her life. The Duchess of Cambridge opted for a high-necked black dress with white polka dots and a textured wide-brimmed black hat. Advertisement Her Majesty had arrived at the side door of the church, allowing her to walk a shorter distance from Poets' Corner to the front where she was surrounded by her children and grandchildren. She stood at various points in the service, despite her own admission recently that she is struggling to move. Westminster Abbey was completely packed today to celebrate the 99-year life of Prince Philip as Her Majesty battled mobility issues and fought off covid to be there to say goodbye to her husband after 73 years of marriage. The event, attended by most of the Duke of Edinburgh's family and many of Europe's most senior royals, is in the starkest of contrasts to his pared back funeral at Windsor last April when Her Majesty said goodbye to her strength and stay after 73 years of marriage. The Queen finally decided to attend today's service in Central London around two hours before but the coverage of the Service of Thanksgiving was dominated by her extraordinary decision to travel with her disgraced son Prince Andrew from Windsor Castle to Central London. Her Majesty was determined to be amongst the 1,800 guests despite the 95-year-old's mobility problems that have prevented her doing a major public engagement away from Windsor Castle in nearly six months. The Tindalls were the first close family to arrive, followed Princess Anne, the Wessexes, Prince Charles and his wife Camilla and then the Cambridges, who were with their children George and Charlotte. The Queen was the last to arrive with Andrew. It was a move that royal watchers believe may have upset her son Prince Charles and grandson Prince William both instrumental in the decision to take away the Duke of York's 'HRH'. The Queen chose her second son to join her in the back of her royal car for the 22-mile journey and he was also given a front row in the church, right next to his other siblings at the service just weeks after he paid millions to one of Jeffrey Epstein's sex slaves, Virginia Roberts Giuffre, who accused him of having sex with her three times when she was trafficked to London aged 17. The Queen's state limousine arrived at Poets' Yard entrance with Andrew sat beside her. As they walked through the famous section of the abbey towards her seat, in a small procession, the monarch held onto her son's elbow with her left hand and had a walking stick in her right. They walked at a slow but steady pace both looking ahead, and at the end of the aisle they separated - with Andrew giving a last glance to his mother as she turned right. After the first hymn, Charles, who was sat next to her mother, could be seen leaning over to speak to the Queen seated next to him - but it is not clear what was said. The Queen then delved into her black Launer handbag for her glasses to read the order of service. After the 40 minute service, Her Majesty was escorted out of the abbey by the Duke of York. As the monarch stopped to greet Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award holder Doyin Sonibare, Andrew stood back and at one point broke into a smile. The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall were the first to leave Westminster Abbey alongside the abbey's chapter. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge followed. All four royals waved at the crowd outside as they were driven away in black cars. Despite her frailty, Queen Elizabeth II stands during a Service of Thanksgiving for the life of the Duke of Edinburgh, at Westminster Abbey today The congregation takes its place ahead of the service. The Queen made the final decision to attend this morning, hours before she was due to travel the 22 miles from Windsor Castle to Central London. She held Andrew's elbow The royal family paying an emotional tribute to Prince Philip at today's service at Westminster Abbey Her Majesty listens to the various eulogies to her husband at the Service of Remembrance held almost a year after his funeral The Queen, 95, fought frailty to be in the church with her family at an event she had helped plan for her husband The Queen stands for the first hymn at the service in remembrance of her beloved husband Prince Philip Prince Andrew walked his mother up the aisle after she arrived via a side door rather than the main entrance to shorten the distance The Queen has been 'actively involved' in plans for the service 'with many elements reflecting Her Majesty's wishes' Prince Andrew was sat next to Prince Edward and Sophie Wessex during today's memorial service at Westminster Abbey The royals, led by the Queen despite her recent health issues, join the congregation in singing hymns during today's service The royals ahead of the service: In the front row are The Queen, Prince Charles, Camilla, Princess Anne and Timothy Laurence. The Cambridges are in the second row while Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, along with their husbands, are among the royals in the third row She left as she arrived, being supported by her son Andrew - reputedly her favourite The Queen remained seated during the service with aides taking special measures to ensure her comfort after recent heath issues Princess Charlotte and Prince George sit with the mother the Duchess of Cambridge during today's service at Westminster Abbey Prince Charles and Camilla were greeted by clergy as they arrived ahead of today's service of celebration for Prince Philip A serious looking Prince William sits down next to his wife, George and Charlotte to say goodbye to his grandfather The Queen sat beside Andrew, the royal who lost his HRH just weeks ago over his links to Epstein and civil case Crowds piled outside Westminster Abbey to pay tribute to Prince Philip as the service in his memorial continued Thousands of supporters gathered outside the Service Of Thanksgiving For The Duke of Edinburgh at Westminster Abbey Today the monarch ensured that her beloved husband's final wishes are fulfilled after his Covid-hit funeral left her sat alone without the rousing hymns and guests he loved so much. Her Majesty has been 'actively involved' in every element of his service of thanksgiving that will see Westminster Abbey packed to the rafters. Even the smallest of touches have been overseen by the Queen, including the use of orchids that formed part of her 1947 wedding bouquet being used in small posies of flowers. Prince Philip's beloved Sea Cadets and young people who have taken his Duke of Edinburgh awards are centre stage at the service that will see the Abbey reverberate with the sound of hymns including Guide me, O thou great Redeemer. All Prince Philip's family chose to attend apart from Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. On Prince Andrew's left is his brother the Earl of Wessex and Edward's family the Countess of Wessex and their children Lady Louise Windsor and James, Viscount Severn. Across an aisle on his right is the Princess Royal, her husband Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence, the Duchess of Cornwall, Prince of Wales and the Queen. Prince George and Princess Charlotte also attended with the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, and be sat behind the Queen. Behind Andrew and Edward's family were Peter Phillips, and Zara and Mike Tindall and their daughters. The Duke of Edinburgh's intellect, work ethic, sense of humour and devotion to his family were celebrated in an address by the Dean of Windsor. The Right Reverend David Conner paid tribute to Philip as a 'remarkable man' who was committed to 'a host of down-to-earth enterprises'. He pointed out that the duke could be 'abrupt' and suggested that at times he could forget 'just how intimidating he could be'. Addressing the congregation in Westminster Abbey, Mr Conner said: 'He was practical, wanting to put flesh upon his dreams, and (acknowledging the limitations of living in this so-called 'real world') he devoted his astonishing intellectual and physical energy, his enormous capacity for sheer hard work, to a host of down-to-earth enterprises. 'These included the equipping of young people to face tomorrow's challenges, the encouragement of respect and care for the natural order, and his pioneering work in facilitating conversation between representatives of the different world faiths. 'Through his passionate commitment, he drew others to himself in admiration and respect and, in the case of those who lived and worked most closely to him, genuine love.' Mr Conner added: 'He would hate to think that I should paint a picture of him as a 'plaster saint'; someone without the usual human foibles and failings. 'He was far too self-aware ever to be taken in by flattery. Of course, it must be said that his life bore the marks of sacrifice and service. 'Certainly, he could show great sympathy and kindness. There is no doubt that he had a delightfully engaging, and often self-deprecating, sense of humour. 'It is quite clear that his mind held together both speculation and common sense. Moreover, nobody would ever doubt his loyalty and deep devotion to our Queen and to their family. 'Yet, there were times when he could be abrupt; maybe, in robust conversation, forgetting just how intimidating he could be. 'A kind of natural reserve sometimes made him seem a little distant. He could be somewhat sharp in pricking what he thought to be bubbles of pomposity or sycophancy. 'On the other hand, we should not forget that he himself was sometimes wounded by being unfairly criticised or misunderstood.' Concluding his address, the dean said: 'As we give thanks for the life of a remarkable man, perhaps our greatest tribute to him, most especially in these far too troubled times, will be for us to accept the challenge, implicit in his life, to rekindle in our hearts something of that call, and to pray (as I think he did) for the inspiration and the guidance to play our part, however small, in working for a kinder future. Queen Elizabeth II is driven in to attend a Service of Thanksgiving for the life of Prince Philip at Westminster Abbey The Cambridges arrived at the church hand in hand with their children Charlotte and George. Louis stayed at home The Duchess of Cambridge and Princess Charlotte arrive at today's service of Thanksgiving for the life of Prince Philip Charles shook hands with the clergy as they entered the church just before Midday Prime Minister Boris Johnson attends the Thanksgiving service for the Duke Of Edinburgh at Westminster Abbey today Princess Eugenie (left) and Princess Beatrice (right) pictured arriving at a service of thanksgiving for late Prince Philip Princess Eugenie and Princess Beatrice arriving at the poignant Service of Thanksgiving for the life of Prince Philip Peter Phillips with Isla Phillips and Savannah Phillips (right) arriving for a Service of Thanksgiving for the life of the Duke of Edinburgh Timothy Laurence and Anne, Princess Royal, arriving ahead of the Service of Thanksgiving for the life of Prince Philip Princess Royal arriving for a Service of Thanksgiving for the life of the Duke of Edinburgh and greeting Duke of Edinburgh award recipients Prince Charles and his wife Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, arrive at Westminster Abbey Prince Andrew (left) leaves Windsor Castle with the Queen (right) today ahead of the service to remember Prince Philip The Queen leaves Windsor Castle to travel to Westminster Abbey this morning, with her son Prince Andrew sat on her right While the Queen's arrival at Westminster Abbey was mentioned in the order of service, a final decision on her attendance was only confirmed two hours before because of her frailty. The Princess Royal arrived at Westminster Abbey. Wearing a long green dress and hat, Anne arrived alongside her husband, Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence. Peter Phillips' children Savannah and Isla were sitting next to their cousin Mia, daughter of Zara and Mike Tindall. The girls were dressed in navy with their hair fixed back with headbands. Once inside Westminster Abbey, guests were escorted to their seats, with Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie and their husbands smiling at members of the Abbey's chapter, or governing body, standing by the great West Door, as they walked in. The Earl and Countess of Wessex and their children also smiled warmly at the welcoming clergy. Sophie, Countess of Wessex, and her daughter, Lady Louise, smiled and chatted to each other after taking their seats in the Abbey. The Duke's family ahead of the service: In the second row is Peter Philips with daughters Savannah and Isla. Next to them is Mia Tindall with parents Zara Philips and Mike Tindall. In the front row are Prince Edward and Sophie Wessex with children Lady Louise and James, Viscount Severn The Cambridges arrived shortly after Prince Charles and Camilla ahead of today's memorial service for Prince Philip at Westminster Abbey Kate Middleton arrives at Westminster Abbey for the memorial service to Prince Philip today. She was joined by Prince William and her children George and Charlotte The Tindalls were the first senior British royals to arrive, holding one of their daughter Mia's hands Lady Louise Windsor arriving at the Westminster Abbey service for Prince Philip today. The Service will pay tribute to the Duke of Edinburgh's contribution to public life and steadfast support for the over 700 charitable organisations Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex attends the Thanksgiving service for the Duke of Edinburgh at Westminster Abbey today Peter Phillips attended the service with his children Savannah and Isla Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi and Princess Beatrice file into the main church Prince Michael of Kent and Princess Michael of Kent attend the memorial service for the Duke Of Edinburgh at Westminster Abbey The Queen leaves Windsor Castle in a car this morning with her disgraced son Prince Andrew to travel to London Prince Andrew (left) leaves Windsor Castle with the Queen (right) this morning ahead of the service of thanksgiving for Philip A graphic shows the plan for the service to remember Prince Philip at Westminster Abbey taking place this morning Lady Susan Hussey, the Queen's lady-in-waiting, arrives with her foot in a brace and on crutches at Westminster Abbey today Penelope Knatchbull, Countess Mountbatten of Burma arrives at Westminster Abbey for the service this morning Metropolitan Police Commissioner Dame Cressida Dick (left) and Formula One driver Sir Jackie Stewart (right) arrive today Foreign Secretary Liz Truss (left) and Home Secretary Priti Patel (right) arrive at Westminster Abbey this morning Guests walk into Westminster Abbey and take their seats ahead of this morning's service to remember Prince Philip Chancellor Rishi Sunak (left) and Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon (right) at Westminster Abbey today Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer (left) and Professor Chris Whitty, Chief Medical Officer for England (right), arrive this morning Guests arrive for Prince Philip's memorial service at Westminster Abbey in London this morning Guests arrive for Prince Philip's memorial service at Westminster Abbey in London this morning Members of the congregation queue at Westminster Abbey today ahead of the service of thanksgiving for the life of Philip Guests arrive to attend the service of thanksgiving for the life of the Duke of Edinburgh at Westminster Abbey this morning Earlier today, royal commentator Robert Jobson, author of Prince Philip's Century, told GB News: 'I think that Prince Andrew may play a more prominent role than we think earlier on. My understanding is that someone has to support the Queen and he may well be by her side. I think Charles will probably be with Camilla.' Overnight, royal aides revealed the Queen has been 'actively involved' in plans for the service 'with many elements reflecting Her Majesty's wishes' as the order of service was unveiled at midnight. It includes several elements the Duke had planned for his funeral at St George's Chapel in Windsor Castle in April last year but which were forbidden by Covid restrictions at the time. Among them is the involvement of Duke of Edinburgh (DofE) gold award winners and Sea Cadets, his expressed wish for the congregation to sing the rousing hymn Guide Me, O Thou Great Redeemer, and for clergy from the royal estates of Windsor, Sandringham and Balmoral to play a special part. His funeral at St George's Chapel in Windsor was limited to just 30 mourners in the midst of the pandemic and mass singing was banned, with the Queen sitting alone in a mask. Around 1,800 guests are due at today's service, including British and European royalty, representatives of the many charities of which the duke was patron or president, Boris and Carrie Johnson, and Sir David Attenborough. Prince Harry faces 'lifetime of regret' for missing memorial to his beloved grandfather Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle could 'regret' not attending the memorial service for his grandfather Prince Philip at Westminster Abbey today - and the Queen is likely to be 'very upset' but cannot change his mind, royal experts say. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are expected to remain at home in Montecito, California, while the rest of the Royal Family gather in London for the poignant event. Harry last returned to the UK eight months ago to unveil the statue of his late mother Diana, Princess of Wales in London on July 1 with his brother Prince William. The Duke - one of the Queen and Philip's eight grandchildren is the only top-level royal not attending today's service which was organised by the monarch. Royal author Phil Dampier told MailOnline: 'It's very sad that Harry and Meghan won't be at Prince Philip's memorial service and I think one day Harry might regret it. He has said that he doesn't feel safe without Scotland Yard security but to me that sounds like an excuse not to come back to the UK and indicates the rift with his blood family is still bad. 'Harry was always very fond of his grandfather and was deeply honoured when he took over from him as Captain General of the Royal Marines, but sadly that didn't last long. The pair attended some Remembrance Day events together and there was always a rapport between them, both being serving military men who had seen active service.' Mr Dampier said that Harry 'loved' Philip's sense of humour and praised him in interviews, adding that this makes his non-attendance 'all the more mystifying and strange'. Advertisement But the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are not returning from the US for the service. While the Queen's arrival was mentioned in the order of service, it is understood that a final decision on her attendance was not made until first thing this morning. She has recently been forced to pull out of a string of engagements because of ill health and old age. She was unable to attend the Commonwealth Day service this month because of concerns about her mobility and comfort. Palace and Abbey aides are thought to have taken steps to ensure that the service is less taxing for the Queen. Instead of arriving at the usual West Entrance to the Abbey, which would involve steps and a long walk down the Nave in front of the cameras, the Queen could be driven around the side of the building and enter away from public view via the 'Poet's Entrance'. She would then have a far shorter walk down the South Transept to her seat. It is likely she would walk with the aid of a stick. The service will gave thanks for the duke's dedication to family, nation and Commonwealth and recognise the importance of his legacy in creating opportunities for young people, promoting conservation, and supporting the Armed Forces. One of the elements planned for the funeral which has now been included in the service will see nine Gold Award holders from The Duke of Edinburgh's Award, plus representatives from UK Cadet Force Associations, line entry routes into Westminster Abbey. Philip, who died in April last year aged 99, launched the DofE Award in 1956 and was Colonel-in-Chief of the Army Cadet Force, a role he first took up in 1953. A tenth DofE gold award holder, Doyin Sonibare, 28, from London, will give a tribute to His Royal Highness's legacy, recognising the impact of the Award on young people across the globe. The Very Reverend Dr David Hoyle, Dean of Westminster, will conduct the service and describe the duke in the Bidding as 'a man of rare ability and distinction' who 'ever directed our attention away from himself.' He will say: 'He put privilege to work and understood his rank as a spur to service. Working at pace, with so many claims on his attention, he encouraged us to focus, as he was focussed, on the things that matter. 'His was a discipline and character that seized opportunity and overcame obstruction and difficulty. We recall, with affection and respect, the sustained offering of a long life lived fully.' Royal fans watch out for guests at the service to remember the late Duke of Edinburgh at Westminster Abbey this morning Royal fans stand next to barriers at Westminster Abbey today ahead of the service to pay tribute to the Duke of Edinburgh Guests begin to arrive for the service of thanksgiving for the life of the Duke of Edinburgh at Westminster Abbey this morning Television broadcasting staff gather outside Westminster Abbey this morning ahead of Prince Philip's memorial service Royal fans stand next to barriers at Westminster Abbey today ahead of the service to pay tribute to the Duke of Edinburgh Royal superfan John Loughrey, from Stretham in Cambridgeshire, stands outside Westminster Abbey this morning Another royal superfan stands outside Westminster Abbey ahead of the memorial service for Philip this morning Police officers walk past Westminster Abbey this morning before the service for the late Duke of Edinburgh Workers put up barriers outside Westminster Abbey today ahead of the service for Prince Philip Royal fans wait outside Westminster Abbey this morning ahead of the service for the late Duke of Edinburgh It was the duke's expressed wish that clergy from Windsor, Sandringham and Balmoral - known as The Queen's domestic chaplains - played a part in his funeral service, but this was not possible due to the Covid restrictions. Today the Reverend Kenneth MacKenzie Minister of Crathie Church, the regular place of worship of the British royal family when they are in residence at nearby Balmoral Castle, the Reverend Canon Jonathan Riviere, the Rector of Sandringham, and the Reverend Canon Martin Poll, Chaplain to the Royal Chapel of All Saints, Windsor Great Park, will offer prayers recognising Philip's energy, spirit of adventure and 'good stewardship of the environment'. The service will also be attended by around 30 foreign royals, including Prince Albert of Monaco, Denmark's Queen Margrethe, King Harald and Queen Sonja of Norway, and Spain's King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia. Queen Elizabeth II takes her seat during the funeral of Prince Philip at St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle on April 17, 2021 The Queen and Prince Philip revisit Broadlands, to mark their Diamond Wedding Anniversary on November 20, 2007 The Queen and Philip were married in the Abbey in November 1947 and it holds many special memories. Flowers at today's service will be red, white and blue. They will include dendrobium orchids, which also featured in the Queen's wedding bouquet, and eryngium - or sea holly - echoing the duke's career in the Royal Navy and lifelong affection for the sea. The Queen attended the opening of the Welsh Parliament on October 14 last year. Since then she has conducted engagements at Windsor Castle, where she is now based, and visited Sandringham in February. Advertisement Prince William and Kate Middleton arrived hand-in-hand with Prince George and Princess Charlotte for Prince Philip's memorial service today. The Duchess of Cambridge looked poised as she wore an understated polka dot Alessandra Rich gown which she paired with elegant silver droplet earrings, as she was joined by her husband for the event this morning. The couple were joined by their eldest son Prince George, eight, who wore a smart navy suit for the occasion, and Princess Charlotte, six, who wore a navy coat dress with a matching ribbon in her hair. Kate and Prince Philip enjoyed a good relationship, with Prince William saying he was thankful that Kate, who married into the royal family in 2011 after meeting William nearly a decade earlier, had 'so many years' to get to know his grandfather. The memorial is the couple's first public appearance since they landed back in Britain from their troubled tour of the Caribbean, which was blighted by protests against Britain's colonial past. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge held their children's hands as they made their way out of Westminster Abbey The Duke of Cambridge and the Duchess of Cambridge guided Prince George and Princess Charlotte through the service The two oldest Cambridge children joined their parents and senior members of the Royal Family at the engagement The Duchess of Cambridge and Princess Charlotte smiled as they left Westminster Abbey this afternoon The Duchess of Cambridge was the picture of elegance as she arrived at the service with her daughter Princess Charlotte The Duchess of Cambridge giggled as Princess Charlotte is introduced to Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby Prince William puts a guiding hand on his son Prince George's shoulder following the Westminster Abbey service The Cambridge family followed Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall out of the Abbey today The Duchess of Cambridge shepherded her children out of Westminster Abbey following the deeply personal service The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge left Westminster Abbey hand-in-hand with their children after paying their respects They faced calls to issue a public apology for slavery during the eight-day tour, with the barrage of criticism ranging from accusations Belize locals were not consulted about a royal engagement to calls for slavery reparations from the monarchy in Jamaica. The Duke of Cambridge denounced slavery as 'abhorrent' and said 'it should never have happened'. He is attending the service for the life of Prince Philip as he looks to now move the monarchy into the future amid the criticism. William is said to want to do things 'the Cambridge way' following his Caribbean tour with Kate that saw the couple heavily criticised for images that smacked of 'colonialism' but also welcomed with warmth by Caribbeans. The visit is likely to be judged as a landmark moment for years to come when the growing awareness of racial equality, in light of the Black Lives Matter movement, meant future Commonwealth tours would have to be sensitive to these issues. The Duke addressed the issue of slavery during a speech in Jamaica, denouncing it as 'abhorrent' and saying 'it should never have happened'. Ending their trip to Belize, Jamaica and the Bahamas at the weekend, the future king acknowledged the monarchy's days in those nations may be numbered as he stated the future 'is for the people to decide upon', and that he may not become head of the Commonwealth. In a statement reflecting on the tour, William said who the Commonwealth chooses to be its leader 'isn't what is on my mind', but what concerned him was its potential to 'create a better future for the people who form it'. He stressed that he and his wife Kate were 'committed to service' and saw their role as supporting people, 'not telling them what to do'. Prince William and Kate Middleton arrived hand-in-hand with Prince George and Princess Charlotte for Prince Philip's memorial service today The Duchess of Cambridge looked poised as she wore an understated polkadot Alessandra Rich gown which she paired with elegant silver droplet earrings, as she was joined by her husband for the event this morning The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, who days ago returned from their controversial Caribbean tour, arrived hand-in-hand with George and Charlotte, their two eldest children Six-year-old Princess Charlotte could be seen beaming as she arrived at the service alongside her parents this morning Prince William's mini me! Prince George was matching his father with his outfit, wearing a navy suit with a baby blue shirt and a polkadot tie Princess Charlotte's hair was neatly plaited into a blue ribbon for the event earlier this morning (left), while the Duchess wore her locks pulled back into an understated low bun (right) The family beamed as they arrived at Westminster Abbey hand-in-hand this morning, in what is one of Prince George and Charlotte's first major events Now, Will and Kate return to take part in the Duke of Edinburgh's memorial ceremony, which will celebrate the life and contributions of Prince Philip, who died in April 2021 aged 99. The Queen, who was married to The Duke of Edinburgh for 73 years prior to his death, is said to have personally overseen many elements of the service. The funeral included several elements the Duke had planned for his funeral at St George's Chapel in Windsor Castle in April last year but which were forbidden by Covid restrictions at the time. Among them is the involvement of Duke of Edinburgh (DofE) gold award winners and Sea Cadets, his expressed wish for the congregation to sing the rousing hymn Guide Me, O Thou Great Redeemer, and for clergy from the royal estates of Windsor, Sandringham and Balmoral to play a special part. Little Princess Charlotte wore a navy coat with gold buttons for the outing today, which was matched perfectly with her blue tights (left and right) The Duchess of Cambridge looked poised as she wore an understated polkadot Alessandra Rich gown which she paired with elegant silver droplet earrings, as she was joined by her husband for the event this morning William is said to want to do things 'the Cambridge way' following his Caribbean tour with Kate that saw the couple heavily criticised for images that smacked of 'colonialism' but also welcomed with warmth by Caribbeans Prince Harry faces 'lifetime of regret' for missing memorial to his beloved grandfather Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle could 'regret' not attending the memorial service for his grandfather Prince Philip at Westminster Abbey tomorrow - and the Queen is likely to be 'very upset' but cannot change his mind, royal experts say. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are expected to remain at home in Montecito, California, while the rest of the Royal Family gather in London for the poignant event. Harry last returned to the UK eight months ago to unveil the statue of his late mother Diana, Princess of Wales in London on July 1 with his brother Prince William. The Duke - one of the Queen and Philip's eight grandchildren is the only top-level royal not attending tomorrow's service which was organised by the monarch. Royal author Phil Dampier told MailOnline: 'It's very sad that Harry and Meghan won't be at Prince Philip's memorial service and I think one day Harry might regret it. He has said that he doesn't feel safe without Scotland Yard security but to me that sounds like an excuse not to come back to the UK and indicates the rift with his blood family is still bad. 'Harry was always very fond of his grandfather and was deeply honoured when he took over from him as Captain General of the Royal Marines, but sadly that didn't last long. The pair attended some Remembrance Day events together and there was always a rapport between them, both being serving military men who had seen active service.' Mr Dampier said that Harry 'loved' Philip's sense of humour and praised him in interviews, adding that this makes his non-attendance 'all the more mystifying and strange'. Advertisement His funeral at St George's Chapel in Windsor was limited to just 30 mourners in the midst of the pandemic and mass singing was banned, with the Queen sitting alone in a mask. Around 1,800 guests are due at today's service, including British and European royalty, representatives of the many charities of which the duke was patron or president, Boris and Carrie Johnson, and Sir David Attenborough. But the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are not returning from the US for the service. The Queen has recently been forced to pull out of a string of engagements because of ill health and old age. She was unable to attend the Commonwealth Day service this month because of concerns about her mobility and comfort. Palace and Abbey aides took steps to ensure that the service, to be televised live on BBC One, is less taxing for the Queen. The service gave thanks for the duke's dedication to family, nation and Commonwealth and recognise the importance of his legacy in creating opportunities for young people, promoting conservation, and supporting the Armed Forces. One of the elements planned for the funeral which has now been included in the service will see nine Gold Award holders from The Duke of Edinburgh's Award, plus representatives from UK Cadet Force Associations, line entry routes into Westminster Abbey. Philip, who died in April last year aged 99, launched the DofE Award in 1956 and was Colonel-in-Chief of the Army Cadet Force, a role he first took up in 1953. A tenth DofE gold award holder, Doyin Sonibare, 28, from London, gave a tribute to His Royal Highness's legacy, recognising the impact of the Award on young people across the globe. The Very Reverend Dr David Hoyle, Dean of Westminster, conducted the service and described the duke in the Bidding as 'a man of rare ability and distinction' who 'ever directed our attention away from himself.' He said: 'He put privilege to work and understood his rank as a spur to service. Working at pace, with so many claims on his attention, he encouraged us to focus, as he was focussed, on the things that matter. 'His was a discipline and character that seized opportunity and overcame obstruction and difficulty. We recall, with affection and respect, the sustained offering of a long life lived fully.' It was the duke's expressed wish that clergy from Windsor, Sandringham and Balmoral - known as The Queen's domestic chaplains - played a part in his funeral service, but this was not possible due to the Covid restrictions. Today the Reverend Kenneth MacKenzie Minister of Crathie Church, the regular place of worship of the British royal family when they are in residence at nearby Balmoral Castle, the Reverend Canon Jonathan Riviere, the Rector of Sandringham, and the Reverend Canon Martin Poll, Chaplain to the Royal Chapel of All Saints, Windsor Great Park, offered prayers recognising Philip's energy, spirit of adventure and 'good stewardship of the environment'. The service was also attended by around 30 foreign royals, including Prince Albert of Monaco, Denmark's Queen Margrethe, King Harald and Queen Sonja of Norway, and Spain's King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia. Queen sheds a tear for beloved Philip: Emotional monarch wears green in tribute to late husband at Westminster Abbey memorial attended by Kate, Wills, Charles and Camilla... a year after sitting alone at his funeral at height of the pandemic The Queen shed a tear for Prince Philip at an extraordinary service in remembrance of his remarkable life of service to Britain and his wife today. Her Majesty stood in Westminster Abbey where she had personally ensured her beloved husband's final wishes were fulfilled after his covid-hit funeral left her sat alone without the rousing hymns and guests he loved so much. The 95-year-old monarch used a stick as she was walked to her seat by her disgraced son the Duke of York to give her 'strength and stay' Philip the final farewell he had wanted. The service was attended by the Royal Family and his relatives, friends and people who benefitted from his charities. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were the only senior royals not there. Despite battling mobility problems, she stood to pray and sing anthems during a 40-minute service that her husband of 73 years had helped plan for before his death last April. But in a controversial decision she chose Prince Andrew to support her as she arrived and left the church, clutching his elbow with one hand and a walking stick with the other. The Queen had stood with tears in her eyes as the 1,800-strong congregation sang Guide Me O Thou Great Redeemer before the bells of Westminster Abbey rang out to mark the end of the memorial service for the Duke of Edinburgh. After she leant on Andrew as she walked back out of the church, the Queen appeared to grimace as she walked to the car hunched over with the Duke of York at her side guiding her towards the Bentley. She appeared to be holding tightly to her stick and appeared to be making a great effort to get to the vehicle, concentrating very hard in taking each step. Once inside the car she appeared to be back to her normal composed self as the car slowly drove away. She waved to onlookers as she arrived and left the service. The Queen and the packed abbey had listened as the Dean of Windsor paid tribute to Philip's intellect, work ethic, sense of humour and devotion to his family. The Right Reverend David Conner described the duke as a 'remarkable man' who was committed to 'a host of down-to-earth enterprises'. He pointed out that the duke could be 'abrupt', and suggested that at times he could forget 'just how intimidating he could be'. Princess Beatrice was seen to give a small chuckle as the Dean remarked: 'He could be somewhat sharp in pricking what he thought to be bubbles of pomposity or sycophancy.' But then appeared to break down in tears, covering her face with the order of service. The Queen, the Duchess of Cornwall and the Princess Royal were all dressed in dark green in a subtle tribute to Philip, whose livery colour was Edinburgh Green. A number of others throughout the congregation also wore the shade, including Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award holder Doyin Sonibare who delivered a special tribute about the effect Philip's youth scheme had on her life. Flowers at today's service are a patriotic red, white and blue, at Her Majesty's request. They included dendrobium orchids, which also featured in the Queen's wedding bouquet, and eryngium - or sea holly - echoing the duke's career in the Royal Navy and lifelong affection for the sea. There were also multiple tributes to his intellect, work ethic, sense of humour and devotion to his family and his country. The Queen stood and shed a tear for her husband today at an extraordinary service in remembrance of his life The Queen closed her eyes in prayer as she joined senior royals to pay tribute to Prince Philip at his memorial at Westminster Abbey. When she opened her eyes they appeared moist Her Majesty stands to sing surrounded by her family with the Duke of York also on the front row.From left to right, front row: Queen Elizabeth II, the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall, the Princess Royal, Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence, the Duke of York, The Earl of Wessex, the Countess of Wessex, Lady Louise Mountbatten-Windsor and Viscount Severn. (Second row left to right) The Duke of Cambridge, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, the Duchess of Cambridge, Peter Phillips, Isla Phillips, Savannah Phillips, Mia Tindall, Zara Tindall and Mike Tindall Princess Beatrice was overwhelmed by the service. Stood behind the Queen she cried and covered her face with the order of service as her grandmother removed her glasses Her Majesty walked with the help of a stick but stood without support sat next to Charles, Camilla, Anne and her husband Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence. Across the aisle was Prince Andrew Prince Andrew travelled with the Queen to Westminster Abbey and appeared to escort her to her seat before taking his own Prince Andrew was sat next to Prince Edward and Sophie Wessex during today's memorial service at Westminster Abbey Queen Elizabeth II is helped into her car by her son Prince Andrew, right, after attending a Service of Thanksgiving for the life of Prince Philip She spoke to her son inside the car and waved to the crowds outside the service in London, which ended this afternoon The Queen as she left Westminster Abbey in her Rolls-Royce today, wearing a regal purple and golden brooch A sombre Prince Charles leaves the church with his wife Camilla, who also looked moved by the celebration of Prince Philip's life Charles was seen wiping his eyes at the service where he could say goodbye to his father after a pared back funeral last year. Prince Andrew looked serious as he waited to leave with his mother Prince William rests a hand on the back of his son Prince George, at the end of the memorial service for Prince Philip The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge left the Abbey with two of their children, Prince George and Princess Charlotte The Cambridges departing the Service of Thanksgiving for the Duke of Edinburgh at Westminster Abbey The Duchess of Cambridge smiled out of the window of her car as she left the Abbey with Prince William after the service The Queen sits alone at Philip's pared-down funeral last April - in stark contrast to today's celebration. It was one of the defining photos of the pandemic, where many Britons were forced to mourn their loved ones in small ceremonies, sometimes alone Queen, Camilla and Anne all wear green for their beloved Prince Philip It was a touching tribute to a much-missed Duke of Edinburgh as the Queen and senior royal women stepped out in Edinburgh Green for Philip's memorial service. All wearing the same shade, the monarch, the Duchess of Cornwall and the Princess Royal sat in the front row of royal seats in Westminster Abbey, united in remembrance of Philip. The duke's official dark green livery colour was known as Edinburgh Green. It was used for his staff liveries - the duke's page at the coronation wore dark green and silver - and private cars. The monarch's brooch was another nod to her late husband of more than 70 years. She chose her yellow gold, ruby and diamond scarab brooch, designed by Andrew Grima, which was a personal gift from Philip in 1966. Camilla wore her Rifles brooch in recognition of the moment when her father-in-law handed over his role as colonel-in-chief of the regiment to her in 2020. Others in the congregation also wore dark green, including Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award holder Doyin Sonibare, who delivered a special tribute about the effect Philip's youth scheme had on her life. The Duchess of Cambridge opted for a high-necked black dress with white polka dots and a textured wide-brimmed black hat. Advertisement Her Majesty had arrived at the side door of the church, allowing her to walk a shorter distance from Poets' Corner to the front where she was surrounded by her children and grandchildren. She stood at various points in the service, despite her own admission recently that she is struggling to move. Westminster Abbey was completely packed today to celebrate the 99-year life of Prince Philip as Her Majesty battled mobility issues and fought off covid to be there to say goodbye to her husband after 73 years of marriage. The event, attended by most of the Duke of Edinburgh's family and many of Europe's most senior royals, is in the starkest of contrasts to his pared back funeral at Windsor last April when Her Majesty said goodbye to her strength and stay after 73 years of marriage. The Queen finally decided to attend today's service in Central London around two hours before but the coverage of the Service of Thanksgiving was dominated by her extraordinary decision to travel with her disgraced son Prince Andrew from Windsor Castle to Central London. Her Majesty was determined to be amongst the 1,800 guests despite the 95-year-old's mobility problems that have prevented her doing a major public engagement away from Windsor Castle in nearly six months. The Tindalls were the first close family to arrive, followed Princess Anne, the Wessexes, Prince Charles and his wife Camilla and then the Cambridges, who were with their children George and Charlotte. The Queen was the last to arrive with Andrew. It was a move that royal watchers believe may have upset her son Prince Charles and grandson Prince William both instrumental in the decision to take away the Duke of York's 'HRH'. The Queen chose her second son to join her in the back of her royal car for the 22-mile journey and he was also given a front row in the church, right next to his other siblings at the service just weeks after he paid millions to one of Jeffrey Epstein's sex slaves, Virginia Roberts Giuffre, who accused him of having sex with her three times when she was trafficked to London aged 17. The Queen's state limousine arrived at Poets' Yard entrance with Andrew sat beside her. As they walked through the famous section of the abbey towards her seat, in a small procession, the monarch held onto her son's elbow with her left hand and had a walking stick in her right. They walked at a slow but steady pace both looking ahead, and at the end of the aisle they separated - with Andrew giving a last glance to his mother as she turned right. After the first hymn, Charles, who was sat next to her mother, could be seen leaning over to speak to the Queen seated next to him - but it is not clear what was said. The Queen then delved into her black Launer handbag for her glasses to read the order of service. After the 40 minute service, Her Majesty was escorted out of the abbey by the Duke of York. As the monarch stopped to greet Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award holder Doyin Sonibare, Andrew stood back and at one point broke into a smile. The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall were the first to leave Westminster Abbey alongside the abbey's chapter. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge followed. All four royals waved at the crowd outside as they were driven away in black cars. Despite her frailty, Queen Elizabeth II stands during a Service of Thanksgiving for the life of the Duke of Edinburgh, at Westminster Abbey today The congregation takes its place ahead of the service. The Queen made the final decision to attend this morning, hours before she was due to travel the 22 miles from Windsor Castle to Central London. She held Andrew's elbow The royal family paying an emotional tribute to Prince Philip at today's service at Westminster Abbey Her Majesty listens to the various eulogies to her husband at the Service of Remembrance held almost a year after his funeral The Queen, 95, fought frailty to be in the church with her family at an event she had helped plan for her husband The Queen stands for the first hymn at the service in remembrance of her beloved husband Prince Philip Prince Andrew walked his mother up the aisle after she arrived via a side door rather than the main entrance to shorten the distance The Queen has been 'actively involved' in plans for the service 'with many elements reflecting Her Majesty's wishes' Prince Andrew was sat next to Prince Edward and Sophie Wessex during today's memorial service at Westminster Abbey The royals, led by the Queen despite her recent health issues, join the congregation in singing hymns during today's service The royals ahead of the service: In the front row are The Queen, Prince Charles, Camilla, Princess Anne and Timothy Laurence. The Cambridges are in the second row while Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, along with their husbands, are among the royals in the third row She left as she arrived, being supported by her son Andrew - reputedly her favourite The Queen remained seated during the service with aides taking special measures to ensure her comfort after recent heath issues Princess Charlotte and Prince George sit with the mother the Duchess of Cambridge during today's service at Westminster Abbey Prince Charles and Camilla were greeted by clergy as they arrived ahead of today's service of celebration for Prince Philip A serious looking Prince William sits down next to his wife, George and Charlotte to say goodbye to his grandfather The Queen sat beside Andrew, the royal who lost his HRH just weeks ago over his links to Epstein and civil case Crowds piled outside Westminster Abbey to pay tribute to Prince Philip as the service in his memorial continued Thousands of supporters gathered outside the Service Of Thanksgiving For The Duke of Edinburgh at Westminster Abbey Today the monarch ensured that her beloved husband's final wishes are fulfilled after his Covid-hit funeral left her sat alone without the rousing hymns and guests he loved so much. Her Majesty has been 'actively involved' in every element of his service of thanksgiving that will see Westminster Abbey packed to the rafters. Even the smallest of touches have been overseen by the Queen, including the use of orchids that formed part of her 1947 wedding bouquet being used in small posies of flowers. Prince Philip's beloved Sea Cadets and young people who have taken his Duke of Edinburgh awards are centre stage at the service that will see the Abbey reverberate with the sound of hymns including Guide me, O thou great Redeemer. All Prince Philip's family chose to attend apart from Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. On Prince Andrew's left is his brother the Earl of Wessex and Edward's family the Countess of Wessex and their children Lady Louise Windsor and James, Viscount Severn. Across an aisle on his right is the Princess Royal, her husband Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence, the Duchess of Cornwall, Prince of Wales and the Queen. Prince George and Princess Charlotte also attended with the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, and be sat behind the Queen. Behind Andrew and Edward's family were Peter Phillips, and Zara and Mike Tindall and their daughters. The Duke of Edinburgh's intellect, work ethic, sense of humour and devotion to his family were celebrated in an address by the Dean of Windsor. The Right Reverend David Conner paid tribute to Philip as a 'remarkable man' who was committed to 'a host of down-to-earth enterprises'. He pointed out that the duke could be 'abrupt' and suggested that at times he could forget 'just how intimidating he could be'. Addressing the congregation in Westminster Abbey, Mr Conner said: 'He was practical, wanting to put flesh upon his dreams, and (acknowledging the limitations of living in this so-called 'real world') he devoted his astonishing intellectual and physical energy, his enormous capacity for sheer hard work, to a host of down-to-earth enterprises. 'These included the equipping of young people to face tomorrow's challenges, the encouragement of respect and care for the natural order, and his pioneering work in facilitating conversation between representatives of the different world faiths. 'Through his passionate commitment, he drew others to himself in admiration and respect and, in the case of those who lived and worked most closely to him, genuine love.' Mr Conner added: 'He would hate to think that I should paint a picture of him as a 'plaster saint'; someone without the usual human foibles and failings. 'He was far too self-aware ever to be taken in by flattery. Of course, it must be said that his life bore the marks of sacrifice and service. 'Certainly, he could show great sympathy and kindness. There is no doubt that he had a delightfully engaging, and often self-deprecating, sense of humour. 'It is quite clear that his mind held together both speculation and common sense. Moreover, nobody would ever doubt his loyalty and deep devotion to our Queen and to their family. 'Yet, there were times when he could be abrupt; maybe, in robust conversation, forgetting just how intimidating he could be. 'A kind of natural reserve sometimes made him seem a little distant. He could be somewhat sharp in pricking what he thought to be bubbles of pomposity or sycophancy. 'On the other hand, we should not forget that he himself was sometimes wounded by being unfairly criticised or misunderstood.' Concluding his address, the dean said: 'As we give thanks for the life of a remarkable man, perhaps our greatest tribute to him, most especially in these far too troubled times, will be for us to accept the challenge, implicit in his life, to rekindle in our hearts something of that call, and to pray (as I think he did) for the inspiration and the guidance to play our part, however small, in working for a kinder future. Queen Elizabeth II is driven in to attend a Service of Thanksgiving for the life of Prince Philip at Westminster Abbey The Cambridges arrived at the church hand in hand with their children Charlotte and George. Louis stayed at home The Duchess of Cambridge and Princess Charlotte arrive at today's service of Thanksgiving for the life of Prince Philip Charles shook hands with the clergy as they entered the church just before Midday Prime Minister Boris Johnson attends the Thanksgiving service for the Duke Of Edinburgh at Westminster Abbey today Princess Eugenie (left) and Princess Beatrice (right) pictured arriving at a service of thanksgiving for late Prince Philip Princess Eugenie and Princess Beatrice arriving at the poignant Service of Thanksgiving for the life of Prince Philip Peter Phillips with Isla Phillips and Savannah Phillips (right) arriving for a Service of Thanksgiving for the life of the Duke of Edinburgh Timothy Laurence and Anne, Princess Royal, arriving ahead of the Service of Thanksgiving for the life of Prince Philip Princess Royal arriving for a Service of Thanksgiving for the life of the Duke of Edinburgh and greeting Duke of Edinburgh award recipients Prince Charles and his wife Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, arrive at Westminster Abbey Prince Andrew (left) leaves Windsor Castle with the Queen (right) today ahead of the service to remember Prince Philip The Queen leaves Windsor Castle to travel to Westminster Abbey this morning, with her son Prince Andrew sat on her right While the Queen's arrival at Westminster Abbey was mentioned in the order of service, a final decision on her attendance was only confirmed two hours before because of her frailty. The Princess Royal arrived at Westminster Abbey. Wearing a long green dress and hat, Anne arrived alongside her husband, Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence. Peter Phillips' children Savannah and Isla were sitting next to their cousin Mia, daughter of Zara and Mike Tindall. The girls were dressed in navy with their hair fixed back with headbands. Once inside Westminster Abbey, guests were escorted to their seats, with Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie and their husbands smiling at members of the Abbey's chapter, or governing body, standing by the great West Door, as they walked in. The Earl and Countess of Wessex and their children also smiled warmly at the welcoming clergy. Sophie, Countess of Wessex, and her daughter, Lady Louise, smiled and chatted to each other after taking their seats in the Abbey. The Duke's family ahead of the service: In the second row is Peter Philips with daughters Savannah and Isla. Next to them is Mia Tindall with parents Zara Philips and Mike Tindall. In the front row are Prince Edward and Sophie Wessex with children Lady Louise and James, Viscount Severn The Cambridges arrived shortly after Prince Charles and Camilla ahead of today's memorial service for Prince Philip at Westminster Abbey Kate Middleton arrives at Westminster Abbey for the memorial service to Prince Philip today. She was joined by Prince William and her children George and Charlotte The Tindalls were the first senior British royals to arrive, holding one of their daughter Mia's hands Lady Louise Windsor arriving at the Westminster Abbey service for Prince Philip today. The Service will pay tribute to the Duke of Edinburgh's contribution to public life and steadfast support for the over 700 charitable organisations Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex attends the Thanksgiving service for the Duke of Edinburgh at Westminster Abbey today Peter Phillips attended the service with his children Savannah and Isla Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi and Princess Beatrice file into the main church Prince Michael of Kent and Princess Michael of Kent attend the memorial service for the Duke Of Edinburgh at Westminster Abbey The Queen leaves Windsor Castle in a car this morning with her disgraced son Prince Andrew to travel to London Prince Andrew (left) leaves Windsor Castle with the Queen (right) this morning ahead of the service of thanksgiving for Philip Lady Susan Hussey, the Queen's lady-in-waiting, arrives with her foot in a brace and on crutches at Westminster Abbey today Penelope Knatchbull, Countess Mountbatten of Burma arrives at Westminster Abbey for the service this morning Metropolitan Police Commissioner Dame Cressida Dick (left) and Formula One driver Sir Jackie Stewart (right) arrive today Foreign Secretary Liz Truss (left) and Home Secretary Priti Patel (right) arrive at Westminster Abbey this morning Guests walk into Westminster Abbey and take their seats ahead of this morning's service to remember Prince Philip Chancellor Rishi Sunak (left) and Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon (right) at Westminster Abbey today Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer (left) and Professor Chris Whitty, Chief Medical Officer for England (right), arrive this morning Guests arrive for Prince Philip's memorial service at Westminster Abbey in London this morning Guests arrive for Prince Philip's memorial service at Westminster Abbey in London this morning Members of the congregation queue at Westminster Abbey today ahead of the service of thanksgiving for the life of Philip Guests arrive to attend the service of thanksgiving for the life of the Duke of Edinburgh at Westminster Abbey this morning Earlier today, royal commentator Robert Jobson, author of Prince Philip's Century, told GB News: 'I think that Prince Andrew may play a more prominent role than we think earlier on. My understanding is that someone has to support the Queen and he may well be by her side. I think Charles will probably be with Camilla.' Overnight, royal aides revealed the Queen has been 'actively involved' in plans for the service 'with many elements reflecting Her Majesty's wishes' as the order of service was unveiled at midnight. It includes several elements the Duke had planned for his funeral at St George's Chapel in Windsor Castle in April last year but which were forbidden by Covid restrictions at the time. Among them is the involvement of Duke of Edinburgh (DofE) gold award winners and Sea Cadets, his expressed wish for the congregation to sing the rousing hymn Guide Me, O Thou Great Redeemer, and for clergy from the royal estates of Windsor, Sandringham and Balmoral to play a special part. His funeral at St George's Chapel in Windsor was limited to just 30 mourners in the midst of the pandemic and mass singing was banned, with the Queen sitting alone in a mask. Around 1,800 guests are due at today's service, including British and European royalty, representatives of the many charities of which the duke was patron or president, Boris and Carrie Johnson, and Sir David Attenborough. Prince Harry faces 'lifetime of regret' for missing memorial to his beloved grandfather Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle could 'regret' not attending the memorial service for his grandfather Prince Philip at Westminster Abbey today - and the Queen is likely to be 'very upset' but cannot change his mind, royal experts say. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are expected to remain at home in Montecito, California, while the rest of the Royal Family gather in London for the poignant event. Harry last returned to the UK eight months ago to unveil the statue of his late mother Diana, Princess of Wales in London on July 1 with his brother Prince William. The Duke - one of the Queen and Philip's eight grandchildren is the only top-level royal not attending today's service which was organised by the monarch. Royal author Phil Dampier told MailOnline: 'It's very sad that Harry and Meghan won't be at Prince Philip's memorial service and I think one day Harry might regret it. He has said that he doesn't feel safe without Scotland Yard security but to me that sounds like an excuse not to come back to the UK and indicates the rift with his blood family is still bad. 'Harry was always very fond of his grandfather and was deeply honoured when he took over from him as Captain General of the Royal Marines, but sadly that didn't last long. The pair attended some Remembrance Day events together and there was always a rapport between them, both being serving military men who had seen active service.' Mr Dampier said that Harry 'loved' Philip's sense of humour and praised him in interviews, adding that this makes his non-attendance 'all the more mystifying and strange'. Advertisement But the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are not returning from the US for the service. While the Queen's arrival was mentioned in the order of service, it is understood that a final decision on her attendance was not made until first thing this morning. She has recently been forced to pull out of a string of engagements because of ill health and old age. She was unable to attend the Commonwealth Day service this month because of concerns about her mobility and comfort. Palace and Abbey aides are thought to have taken steps to ensure that the service is less taxing for the Queen. Instead of arriving at the usual West Entrance to the Abbey, which would involve steps and a long walk down the Nave in front of the cameras, the Queen could be driven around the side of the building and enter away from public view via the 'Poet's Entrance'. She would then have a far shorter walk down the South Transept to her seat. It is likely she would walk with the aid of a stick. The service will gave thanks for the duke's dedication to family, nation and Commonwealth and recognise the importance of his legacy in creating opportunities for young people, promoting conservation, and supporting the Armed Forces. One of the elements planned for the funeral which has now been included in the service will see nine Gold Award holders from The Duke of Edinburgh's Award, plus representatives from UK Cadet Force Associations, line entry routes into Westminster Abbey. Philip, who died in April last year aged 99, launched the DofE Award in 1956 and was Colonel-in-Chief of the Army Cadet Force, a role he first took up in 1953. A tenth DofE gold award holder, Doyin Sonibare, 28, from London, will give a tribute to His Royal Highness's legacy, recognising the impact of the Award on young people across the globe. The Very Reverend Dr David Hoyle, Dean of Westminster, will conduct the service and describe the duke in the Bidding as 'a man of rare ability and distinction' who 'ever directed our attention away from himself.' He will say: 'He put privilege to work and understood his rank as a spur to service. Working at pace, with so many claims on his attention, he encouraged us to focus, as he was focussed, on the things that matter. 'His was a discipline and character that seized opportunity and overcame obstruction and difficulty. We recall, with affection and respect, the sustained offering of a long life lived fully.' Advertisement Prince George and Princess Charlotte looked adorable as they joined their parents the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge for their beloved great-grandfather's memorial service today. Walking hand-in-hand with their parents, George, eight, arrived wearing a smart navy suit and light blue tie, while his little sister Charlotte, six, wore a navy blue button up coat dress with black tights and a matching ribbon in her hair. The Westminster Abbey service marks one of the important outings to date for the two young royals, both of whom enjoyed a close relationship with Prince Philip before his death at the age of 99 last April. Charlotte, who donned a sweet French braid in her hair, was seen grinning inside the Abbey as she shook hands with a member of the clergy ahead of the service this morning. Prince George and Princess Charlotte looked adorable as they joined their parents the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge for their beloved great-grandfather's memorial service today Charlotte, who donned a sweet French braid in her hair, was seen grinning inside the Abbey as she shook hands with a member of the clergy ahead of the service this morning The Westminster Abbey service marks one of the important outings to date for the future king and his sister, both of whom enjoyed a close relationship with Prince Philip Savannah, 11, and Isla Phillips, 10, the daughters of Prince Philip's eldest grandson Peter, were also in attendance, as was Zara and Mike Tindall's eight-year-old daughter Mia. The Duke of Edinburgh 's other great-grandchildren are Princess Charlotte, six, Prince Louis , three, Lena Tindall, also three, and her one-year-old brother Lucas, Princess Eugenie's one-year-old son August Brooksbank and Princess Beatrice's daughter Sienna Mapelli Mozz, who was born in September last year. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's children, Archie, two, and Lilibet, nine months, remain with the couple in California. The Duchess of Cambridge looked poised as she wore an understated polkadot Alessandra Rich gown which she paired with elegant silver droplet earrings, as she was joined by her husband for the event this morning. The Duchess of Cambridge looked poised as she wore an understated polkadot Alessandra Rich gown which she paired with elegant silver droplet earrings, as she was joined by her husband for the event this morning Prince George arrived at his great-grandfather's memorial service, walking hand-in-hand with his father Prince William at Westminster Abbey this morning The Duchess of Cambridge looked poised as she wore an understated polkadot Alessandra Rich gown which she paired with elegant silver droplet earrings, as she was joined by her husband for the event this morning Kate and Prince Philip enjoyed a good relationship, with Prince William saying he was thankful that Kate, who married into the royal family in 2011 after meeting William nearly a decade earlier, had 'so many years' to get to know his grandfather. The memorial service will pay tribute to the Duke's dedication to 'family, nation and Commonwealth', his contribution to public life and his steadfast support to his charities. After much speculation about whether Her Majesty would attend the service, Buckingham Palace confirmed this morning that the Queen would be in attendance at the memorial service. Senior royals in attendance at the memorial will include Prince Charles and Camilla, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Princess Anne and Vice Admiral Timothy Laurence, Zara and Mike Tindall and Peter Phillips. Charlotte, six, wore a navy blue button up coat dress with black tights and a matching ribbon in her hair to the memorial service at Westminster Abbey today The Westminster Abbey service marks one of the important outings to date for the future king and his sister, both of whom enjoyed a close relationship with Prince Philip before his death at the age of 99 last April George, eight, arrived wearing a smart navy suit and light blue tie. The Westminster Abbey service marks one of the important outings to date for the future king Walking hand-in-hand with their parents, George, eight, arrived wearing a smart navy suit and light blue tie, while his little sister Charlotte, six, wore a navy blue button up coat dress with black tights and a matching ribbon in her hair The Duchess of Cambridge looked poised as she wore an understated polkadot Alessandra Rich gown which she paired with elegant silver droplet earrings, as she held hands with Princess Charlotte at the memorial today Prince George and Princess Charlotte are pictured holding hands with their parents, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge after the Duke Of Edinburgh at Westminster's memorial service Walking hand-in-hand with their parents, George, eight, left the service which took place at Westminster Abbey today The service will also be attended by around 30 foreign royals, including Prince Albert of Monaco, Denmark's Queen Margrethe, King Harald and Queen Sonja of Norway, and Spain's King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia. Princess Margaret's daughter Sarah Chatto, Viscount Linley, Freddie and Sophie Windsor and Prince Michael of Kent were also in attendance at the service. The Queen has recently been forced to pull out of a string of engagements because of ill health and old age. She was unable to attend the Commonwealth Day service this month because of concerns about her mobility and comfort. Palace and Abbey aides are thought to have taken steps to ensure that the service, is being televised live on BBC One, is less taxing for the Queen. Princess Charlotte stole the show and charmed the Archbishop of Canterbury during her first line-up today At one point the schoolgirl princess pulled a funny face after apparently catching sight of herself on a screen, prompting viewers to giggle over her 'sparkling' personality In contrast her eight-year-old brother George - dressed as his daddy's double in a suit and tie - looked far more sombre, perhaps because he had a better understanding of the gravity of the situation The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge held their children's hands as they made their way out of Westminster Abbey Princess Charlotte flashed a smile as the Cambridges left Westminster Abbey this afternoon after the service Princess Charlotte was introduced to senior members of the clergy on her arrival at Westminster Abbey today Six-year-old Princess Charlotte smiled and shook hands with members of the clergy as her mother Kate stood nearby In contrast Prince George appeared to be unsure of the situation, perhaps because he understood the gravity of the service Prince George bit his lip as he watched his grandfather Prince Charles ahead of him in the line up at the exit to the Abbey Prince George looked solemn as he left Westminster Abbey hand-in-hand with his father Prince William Eight-year-old George was his father's double as they left the Abbey. Right, Charlotte with the Duchess of Cambridge The two oldest Cambridge children joined their parents and senior members of the Royal Family at the engagement Royal aides revealed ahead of the memorial that the 95-year-old Queen has been 'actively involved' in plans for the service - 'with many elements reflecting Her Majesty's wishes'. Plans for the service included several elements the duke had planned for his funeral in April last year but which were forbidden by Covid restrictions at the time. Missing gestures from Philip's pre-pandemic arrangements saw Gold Duke of Edinburgh's Award holders and members of the youth UK Cadet Force associations line the steps of Westminster Abbey as guests arrived. Prince Harry faces 'lifetime of regret' for missing memorial to his beloved grandfather Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle could 'regret' not attending the memorial service for his grandfather Prince Philip at Westminster Abbey tomorrow - and the Queen is likely to be 'very upset' but cannot change his mind, royal experts say. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are expected to remain at home in Montecito, California, while the rest of the Royal Family gather in London for the poignant event. Harry last returned to the UK eight months ago to unveil the statue of his late mother Diana, Princess of Wales in London on July 1 with his brother Prince William. The Duke - one of the Queen and Philip's eight grandchildren is the only top-level royal not attending tomorrow's service which was organised by the monarch. Royal author Phil Dampier told MailOnline: 'It's very sad that Harry and Meghan won't be at Prince Philip's memorial service and I think one day Harry might regret it. He has said that he doesn't feel safe without Scotland Yard security but to me that sounds like an excuse not to come back to the UK and indicates the rift with his blood family is still bad. 'Harry was always very fond of his grandfather and was deeply honoured when he took over from him as Captain General of the Royal Marines, but sadly that didn't last long. The pair attended some Remembrance Day events together and there was always a rapport between them, both being serving military men who had seen active service.' Mr Dampier said that Harry 'loved' Philip's sense of humour and praised him in interviews, adding that this makes his non-attendance 'all the more mystifying and strange'. Advertisement The duke's express wishes for the congregation to join and sing the rousing hymn Guide Me, O Thou Great Redeemer, and for the clergy from Windsor, Sandringham and Balmoral to play a special part will finally be granted on Tuesday. Prayers will be said for the duke's 'gifts of character; for his humour and resilience; his fortitude and devotion to duty' by the Chapels Royal's Sub-Dean. His 'energy and spirit of adventure' and 'strength and constancy' will be heralded by royal estates' clergy known as the Queen's domestic chaplains. The duke had an active role in the day-to-day management of the estates for many years. His funeral at St George's Chapel in Windsor was limited to just 30 mourners in the midst of the pandemic and mass singing was banned, with the Queen sitting alone in a mask. Around 1,800 guests will attend today's service, including British and European royalty, representatives of the many charities of which the duke was patron or president, Boris and Carrie Johnson, and Sir David Attenborough. The service will gave thanks for the duke's dedication to family, nation and Commonwealth and recognise the importance of his legacy in creating opportunities for young people, promoting conservation, and supporting the Armed Forces. One of the elements planned for the funeral which has now been included in the service will see nine Gold Award holders from The Duke of Edinburgh's Award, plus representatives from UK Cadet Force Associations, line entry routes into Westminster Abbey. Philip, who died in April last year aged 99, launched the DofE Award in 1956 and was Colonel-in-Chief of the Army Cadet Force, a role he first took up in 1953. A tenth DofE gold award holder, Doyin Sonibare, 28, from London, will give a tribute to His Royal Highness's legacy, recognising the impact of the Award on young people across the globe. The Very Reverend Dr David Hoyle, Dean of Westminster, will conduct the service and describe the duke in the Bidding as 'a man of rare ability and distinction' who 'ever directed our attention away from himself.' He will say: 'He put privilege to work and understood his rank as a spur to service. Working at pace, with so many claims on his attention, he encouraged us to focus, as he was focussed, on the things that matter. 'His was a discipline and character that seized opportunity and overcame obstruction and difficulty. We recall, with affection and respect, the sustained offering of a long life lived fully.' It was the duke's expressed wish that clergy from Windsor, Sandringham and Balmoral - known as The Queen's domestic chaplains - played a part in his funeral service, but this was not possible due to the Covid restrictions. Today the Reverend Kenneth MacKenzie Minister of Crathie Church, the regular place of worship of the British royal family when they are in residence at nearby Balmoral Castle, the Reverend Canon Jonathan Riviere, the Rector of Sandringham, and the Reverend Canon Martin Poll, Chaplain to the Royal Chapel of All Saints, Windsor Great Park, will offer prayers recognising Philip's energy, spirit of adventure and 'good stewardship of the environment'. The Queen and Philip were married in the Abbey in November 1947 and it holds many special memories. Flowers at today's service will be red, white and blue. They will include dendrobium orchids, which also featured in the Queen's wedding bouquet, and eryngium - or sea holly - echoing the duke's career in the Royal Navy and lifelong affection for the sea. The Queen attended the opening of the Welsh Parliament on October 14 last year. Since then she has conducted engagements at Windsor Castle, where she is now based, and visited Sandringham in February. Queen sheds a tear for beloved Philip: Emotional monarch wears green in tribute to late husband at Westminster Abbey memorial attended by Kate, Wills, Charles and Camilla... a year after sitting alone at his funeral at height of the pandemic The Queen shed a tear for Prince Philip at an extraordinary service in remembrance of his remarkable life of service to Britain and his wife today. Her Majesty stood in Westminster Abbey where she had personally ensured her beloved husband's final wishes were fulfilled after his covid-hit funeral left her sat alone without the rousing hymns and guests he loved so much. The 95-year-old monarch used a stick as she was walked to her seat by her disgraced son the Duke of York to give her 'strength and stay' Philip the final farewell he had wanted. The service was attended by the Royal Family and his relatives, friends and people who benefitted from his charities. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were the only senior royals not there. Despite battling mobility problems, she stood to pray and sing anthems during a 40-minute service that her husband of 73 years had helped plan for before his death last April. But in a controversial decision she chose Prince Andrew to support her as she arrived and left the church, clutching his elbow with one hand and a walking stick with the other. The Queen had stood with tears in her eyes as the 1,800-strong congregation sang Guide Me O Thou Great Redeemer before the bells of Westminster Abbey rang out to mark the end of the memorial service for the Duke of Edinburgh. After she leant on Andrew as she walked back out of the church, the Queen appeared to grimace as she walked to the car hunched over with the Duke of York at her side guiding her towards the Bentley. She appeared to be holding tightly to her stick and appeared to be making a great effort to get to the vehicle, concentrating very hard in taking each step. Once inside the car she appeared to be back to her normal composed self as the car slowly drove away. She waved to onlookers as she arrived and left the service. The Queen and the packed abbey had listened as the Dean of Windsor paid tribute to Philip's intellect, work ethic, sense of humour and devotion to his family. The Right Reverend David Conner described the duke as a 'remarkable man' who was committed to 'a host of down-to-earth enterprises'. He pointed out that the duke could be 'abrupt', and suggested that at times he could forget 'just how intimidating he could be'. Princess Beatrice was seen to give a small chuckle as the Dean remarked: 'He could be somewhat sharp in pricking what he thought to be bubbles of pomposity or sycophancy.' But then appeared to break down in tears, covering her face with the order of service. The Queen, the Duchess of Cornwall and the Princess Royal were all dressed in dark green in a subtle tribute to Philip, whose livery colour was Edinburgh Green. A number of others throughout the congregation also wore the shade, including Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award holder Doyin Sonibare who delivered a special tribute about the effect Philip's youth scheme had on her life. Flowers at today's service are a patriotic red, white and blue, at Her Majesty's request. They included dendrobium orchids, which also featured in the Queen's wedding bouquet, and eryngium - or sea holly - echoing the duke's career in the Royal Navy and lifelong affection for the sea. There were also multiple tributes to his intellect, work ethic, sense of humour and devotion to his family and his country. The Queen stood and shed a tear for her husband today at an extraordinary service in remembrance of his life The Queen closed her eyes in prayer as she joined senior royals to pay tribute to Prince Philip at his memorial at Westminster Abbey. When she opened her eyes they appeared moist Her Majesty stands to sing surrounded by her family with the Duke of York also on the front row.From left to right, front row: Queen Elizabeth II, the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall, the Princess Royal, Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence, the Duke of York, The Earl of Wessex, the Countess of Wessex, Lady Louise Mountbatten-Windsor and Viscount Severn. (Second row left to right) The Duke of Cambridge, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, the Duchess of Cambridge, Peter Phillips, Isla Phillips, Savannah Phillips, Mia Tindall, Zara Tindall and Mike Tindall Princess Beatrice was overwhelmed by the service. Stood behind the Queen she cried and covered her face with the order of service as her grandmother removed her glasses Her Majesty walked with the help of a stick but stood without support sat next to Charles, Camilla, Anne and her husband Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence. Across the aisle was Prince Andrew Prince Andrew travelled with the Queen to Westminster Abbey and appeared to escort her to her seat before taking his own Prince Andrew was sat next to Prince Edward and Sophie Wessex during today's memorial service at Westminster Abbey Queen Elizabeth II is helped into her car by her son Prince Andrew, right, after attending a Service of Thanksgiving for the life of Prince Philip She spoke to her son inside the car and waved to the crowds outside the service in London, which ended this afternoon The Queen as she left Westminster Abbey in her Rolls-Royce today, wearing a regal purple and golden brooch Prince Andrew, Duke of York, who last month agreed to settle his sex assault lawsuit, left the service in a car with his mother the Queen A sombre Prince Charles leaves the church with his wife Camilla, who also looked moved by the celebration of Prince Philip's life Charles was seen wiping his eyes at the service where he could say goodbye to his father after a pared back funeral last year. Prince Andrew looked serious as he waited to leave with his mother Prince William rests a hand on the back of his son Prince George, at the end of the memorial service for Prince Philip The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge left the Abbey with two of their children, Prince George and Princess Charlotte The Cambridges departing the Service of Thanksgiving for the Duke of Edinburgh at Westminster Abbey The Duchess of Cambridge smiled out of the window of her car as she left the Abbey with Prince William after the service The Queen sits alone at Philip's pared-down funeral last April - in stark contrast to today's celebration. It was one of the defining photos of the pandemic, where many Britons were forced to mourn their loved ones in small ceremonies, sometimes alone Queen, Camilla and Anne all wear green for their beloved Prince Philip It was a touching tribute to a much-missed Duke of Edinburgh as the Queen and senior royal women stepped out in Edinburgh Green for Philip's memorial service. All wearing the same shade, the monarch, the Duchess of Cornwall and the Princess Royal sat in the front row of royal seats in Westminster Abbey, united in remembrance of Philip. The duke's official dark green livery colour was known as Edinburgh Green. It was used for his staff liveries - the duke's page at the coronation wore dark green and silver - and private cars. The monarch's brooch was another nod to her late husband of more than 70 years. She chose her yellow gold, ruby and diamond scarab brooch, designed by Andrew Grima, which was a personal gift from Philip in 1966. Camilla wore her Rifles brooch in recognition of the moment when her father-in-law handed over his role as colonel-in-chief of the regiment to her in 2020. Others in the congregation also wore dark green, including Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award holder Doyin Sonibare, who delivered a special tribute about the effect Philip's youth scheme had on her life. The Duchess of Cambridge opted for a high-necked black dress with white polka dots and a textured wide-brimmed black hat. Advertisement Her Majesty had arrived at the side door of the church, allowing her to walk a shorter distance from Poets' Corner to the front where she was surrounded by her children and grandchildren. She stood at various points in the service, despite her own admission recently that she is struggling to move. Westminster Abbey was completely packed today to celebrate the 99-year life of Prince Philip as Her Majesty battled mobility issues and fought off covid to be there to say goodbye to her husband after 73 years of marriage. The event, attended by most of the Duke of Edinburgh's family and many of Europe's most senior royals, is in the starkest of contrasts to his pared back funeral at Windsor last April when Her Majesty said goodbye to her strength and stay after 73 years of marriage. The Queen finally decided to attend today's service in Central London around two hours before but the coverage of the Service of Thanksgiving was dominated by her extraordinary decision to travel with her disgraced son Prince Andrew from Windsor Castle to Central London. Her Majesty was determined to be amongst the 1,800 guests despite the 95-year-old's mobility problems that have prevented her doing a major public engagement away from Windsor Castle in nearly six months. The Tindalls were the first close family to arrive, followed Princess Anne, the Wessexes, Prince Charles and his wife Camilla and then the Cambridges, who were with their children George and Charlotte. The Queen was the last to arrive with Andrew. It was a move that royal watchers believe may have upset her son Prince Charles and grandson Prince William both instrumental in the decision to take away the Duke of York's 'HRH'. The Queen chose her second son to join her in the back of her royal car for the 22-mile journey and he was also given a front row in the church, right next to his other siblings at the service just weeks after he paid millions to one of Jeffrey Epstein's sex slaves, Virginia Roberts Giuffre, who accused him of having sex with her three times when she was trafficked to London aged 17. The Queen's state limousine arrived at Poets' Yard entrance with Andrew sat beside her. As they walked through the famous section of the abbey towards her seat, in a small procession, the monarch held onto her son's elbow with her left hand and had a walking stick in her right. They walked at a slow but steady pace both looking ahead, and at the end of the aisle they separated - with Andrew giving a last glance to his mother as she turned right. After the first hymn, Charles, who was sat next to her mother, could be seen leaning over to speak to the Queen seated next to him - but it is not clear what was said. The Queen then delved into her black Launer handbag for her glasses to read the order of service. After the 40 minute service, Her Majesty was escorted out of the abbey by the Duke of York. As the monarch stopped to greet Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award holder Doyin Sonibare, Andrew stood back and at one point broke into a smile. The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall were the first to leave Westminster Abbey alongside the abbey's chapter. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge followed. All four royals waved at the crowd outside as they were driven away in black cars. Despite her frailty, Queen Elizabeth II stands during a Service of Thanksgiving for the life of the Duke of Edinburgh, at Westminster Abbey today The congregation takes its place ahead of the service. The Queen made the final decision to attend this morning, hours before she was due to travel the 22 miles from Windsor Castle to Central London. She held Andrew's elbow The royal family paying an emotional tribute to Prince Philip at today's service at Westminster Abbey Her Majesty listens to the various eulogies to her husband at the Service of Remembrance held almost a year after his funeral The Queen, 95, fought frailty to be in the church with her family at an event she had helped plan for her husband The Queen stands for the first hymn at the service in remembrance of her beloved husband Prince Philip Prince Andrew walked his mother up the aisle after she arrived via a side door rather than the main entrance to shorten the distance The Queen has been 'actively involved' in plans for the service 'with many elements reflecting Her Majesty's wishes' Prince Andrew was sat next to Prince Edward and Sophie Wessex during today's memorial service at Westminster Abbey The royals, led by the Queen despite her recent health issues, join the congregation in singing hymns during today's service The royals ahead of the service: In the front row are The Queen, Prince Charles, Camilla, Princess Anne and Timothy Laurence. The Cambridges are in the second row while Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, along with their husbands, are among the royals in the third row She left as she arrived, being supported by her son Andrew - reputedly her favourite The Queen remained seated during the service with aides taking special measures to ensure her comfort after recent heath issues Princess Charlotte and Prince George sit with the mother the Duchess of Cambridge during today's service at Westminster Abbey Prince Charles and Camilla were greeted by clergy as they arrived ahead of today's service of celebration for Prince Philip A serious looking Prince William sits down next to his wife, George and Charlotte to say goodbye to his grandfather The Queen sat beside Andrew, the royal who lost his HRH just weeks ago over his links to Epstein and civil case Crowds piled outside Westminster Abbey to pay tribute to Prince Philip as the service in his memorial continued Thousands of supporters gathered outside the Service Of Thanksgiving For The Duke of Edinburgh at Westminster Abbey Today the monarch ensured that her beloved husband's final wishes are fulfilled after his Covid-hit funeral left her sat alone without the rousing hymns and guests he loved so much. Her Majesty has been 'actively involved' in every element of his service of thanksgiving that will see Westminster Abbey packed to the rafters. Even the smallest of touches have been overseen by the Queen, including the use of orchids that formed part of her 1947 wedding bouquet being used in small posies of flowers. Prince Philip's beloved Sea Cadets and young people who have taken his Duke of Edinburgh awards are centre stage at the service that will see the Abbey reverberate with the sound of hymns including Guide me, O thou great Redeemer. All Prince Philip's family chose to attend apart from Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. On Prince Andrew's left is his brother the Earl of Wessex and Edward's family the Countess of Wessex and their children Lady Louise Windsor and James, Viscount Severn. Across an aisle on his right is the Princess Royal, her husband Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence, the Duchess of Cornwall, Prince of Wales and the Queen. Prince George and Princess Charlotte also attended with the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, and be sat behind the Queen. Behind Andrew and Edward's family were Peter Phillips, and Zara and Mike Tindall and their daughters. The Duke of Edinburgh's intellect, work ethic, sense of humour and devotion to his family were celebrated in an address by the Dean of Windsor. The Right Reverend David Conner paid tribute to Philip as a 'remarkable man' who was committed to 'a host of down-to-earth enterprises'. He pointed out that the duke could be 'abrupt' and suggested that at times he could forget 'just how intimidating he could be'. Addressing the congregation in Westminster Abbey, Mr Conner said: 'He was practical, wanting to put flesh upon his dreams, and (acknowledging the limitations of living in this so-called 'real world') he devoted his astonishing intellectual and physical energy, his enormous capacity for sheer hard work, to a host of down-to-earth enterprises. 'These included the equipping of young people to face tomorrow's challenges, the encouragement of respect and care for the natural order, and his pioneering work in facilitating conversation between representatives of the different world faiths. 'Through his passionate commitment, he drew others to himself in admiration and respect and, in the case of those who lived and worked most closely to him, genuine love.' Mr Conner added: 'He would hate to think that I should paint a picture of him as a 'plaster saint'; someone without the usual human foibles and failings. 'He was far too self-aware ever to be taken in by flattery. Of course, it must be said that his life bore the marks of sacrifice and service. 'Certainly, he could show great sympathy and kindness. There is no doubt that he had a delightfully engaging, and often self-deprecating, sense of humour. 'It is quite clear that his mind held together both speculation and common sense. Moreover, nobody would ever doubt his loyalty and deep devotion to our Queen and to their family. 'Yet, there were times when he could be abrupt; maybe, in robust conversation, forgetting just how intimidating he could be. 'A kind of natural reserve sometimes made him seem a little distant. He could be somewhat sharp in pricking what he thought to be bubbles of pomposity or sycophancy. 'On the other hand, we should not forget that he himself was sometimes wounded by being unfairly criticised or misunderstood.' Concluding his address, the dean said: 'As we give thanks for the life of a remarkable man, perhaps our greatest tribute to him, most especially in these far too troubled times, will be for us to accept the challenge, implicit in his life, to rekindle in our hearts something of that call, and to pray (as I think he did) for the inspiration and the guidance to play our part, however small, in working for a kinder future. Queen Elizabeth II is driven in to attend a Service of Thanksgiving for the life of Prince Philip at Westminster Abbey The Cambridges arrived at the church hand in hand with their children Charlotte and George. Louis stayed at home The Duchess of Cambridge and Princess Charlotte arrive at today's service of Thanksgiving for the life of Prince Philip Charles shook hands with the clergy as they entered the church just before Midday Prime Minister Boris Johnson attends the Thanksgiving service for the Duke Of Edinburgh at Westminster Abbey today Princess Eugenie (left) and Princess Beatrice (right) pictured arriving at a service of thanksgiving for late Prince Philip Princess Eugenie and Princess Beatrice arriving at the poignant Service of Thanksgiving for the life of Prince Philip Peter Phillips with Isla Phillips and Savannah Phillips (right) arriving for a Service of Thanksgiving for the life of the Duke of Edinburgh Timothy Laurence and Anne, Princess Royal, arriving ahead of the Service of Thanksgiving for the life of Prince Philip Princess Royal arriving for a Service of Thanksgiving for the life of the Duke of Edinburgh and greeting Duke of Edinburgh award recipients Prince Charles and his wife Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, arrive at Westminster Abbey Prince Andrew (left) leaves Windsor Castle with the Queen (right) today ahead of the service to remember Prince Philip The Queen leaves Windsor Castle to travel to Westminster Abbey this morning, with her son Prince Andrew sat on her right While the Queen's arrival at Westminster Abbey was mentioned in the order of service, a final decision on her attendance was only confirmed two hours before because of her frailty. The Princess Royal arrived at Westminster Abbey. Wearing a long green dress and hat, Anne arrived alongside her husband, Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence. Peter Phillips' children Savannah and Isla were sitting next to their cousin Mia, daughter of Zara and Mike Tindall. The girls were dressed in navy with their hair fixed back with headbands. Once inside Westminster Abbey, guests were escorted to their seats, with Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie and their husbands smiling at members of the Abbey's chapter, or governing body, standing by the great West Door, as they walked in. The Earl and Countess of Wessex and their children also smiled warmly at the welcoming clergy. Sophie, Countess of Wessex, and her daughter, Lady Louise, smiled and chatted to each other after taking their seats in the Abbey. The Duke's family ahead of the service: In the second row is Peter Philips with daughters Savannah and Isla. Next to them is Mia Tindall with parents Zara Philips and Mike Tindall. In the front row are Prince Edward and Sophie Wessex with children Lady Louise and James, Viscount Severn The Cambridges arrived shortly after Prince Charles and Camilla ahead of today's memorial service for Prince Philip at Westminster Abbey Kate Middleton arrives at Westminster Abbey for the memorial service to Prince Philip today. She was joined by Prince William and her children George and Charlotte The Tindalls were the first senior British royals to arrive, holding one of their daughter Mia's hands Lady Louise Windsor arriving at the Westminster Abbey service for Prince Philip today. The Service will pay tribute to the Duke of Edinburgh's contribution to public life and steadfast support for the over 700 charitable organisations Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex attends the Thanksgiving service for the Duke of Edinburgh at Westminster Abbey today Peter Phillips attended the service with his children Savannah and Isla Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi and Princess Beatrice file into the main church Prince Michael of Kent and Princess Michael of Kent attend the memorial service for the Duke Of Edinburgh at Westminster Abbey The Queen leaves Windsor Castle in a car this morning with her disgraced son Prince Andrew to travel to London Prince Andrew (left) leaves Windsor Castle with the Queen (right) this morning ahead of the service of thanksgiving for Philip Lady Susan Hussey, the Queen's lady-in-waiting, arrives with her foot in a brace and on crutches at Westminster Abbey today Penelope Knatchbull, Countess Mountbatten of Burma arrives at Westminster Abbey for the service this morning Metropolitan Police Commissioner Dame Cressida Dick (left) and Formula One driver Sir Jackie Stewart (right) arrive today Foreign Secretary Liz Truss (left) and Home Secretary Priti Patel (right) arrive at Westminster Abbey this morning Guests walk into Westminster Abbey and take their seats ahead of this morning's service to remember Prince Philip Chancellor Rishi Sunak (left) and Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon (right) at Westminster Abbey today Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer (left) and Professor Chris Whitty, Chief Medical Officer for England (right), arrive this morning Guests arrive for Prince Philip's memorial service at Westminster Abbey in London this morning Guests arrive for Prince Philip's memorial service at Westminster Abbey in London this morning Members of the congregation queue at Westminster Abbey today ahead of the service of thanksgiving for the life of Philip Guests arrive to attend the service of thanksgiving for the life of the Duke of Edinburgh at Westminster Abbey this morning Earlier today, royal commentator Robert Jobson, author of Prince Philip's Century, told GB News: 'I think that Prince Andrew may play a more prominent role than we think earlier on. My understanding is that someone has to support the Queen and he may well be by her side. I think Charles will probably be with Camilla.' Overnight, royal aides revealed the Queen has been 'actively involved' in plans for the service 'with many elements reflecting Her Majesty's wishes' as the order of service was unveiled at midnight. It includes several elements the Duke had planned for his funeral at St George's Chapel in Windsor Castle in April last year but which were forbidden by Covid restrictions at the time. Among them is the involvement of Duke of Edinburgh (DofE) gold award winners and Sea Cadets, his expressed wish for the congregation to sing the rousing hymn Guide Me, O Thou Great Redeemer, and for clergy from the royal estates of Windsor, Sandringham and Balmoral to play a special part. His funeral at St George's Chapel in Windsor was limited to just 30 mourners in the midst of the pandemic and mass singing was banned, with the Queen sitting alone in a mask. Around 1,800 guests are due at today's service, including British and European royalty, representatives of the many charities of which the duke was patron or president, Boris and Carrie Johnson, and Sir David Attenborough. Prince Harry faces 'lifetime of regret' for missing memorial to his beloved grandfather Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle could 'regret' not attending the memorial service for his grandfather Prince Philip at Westminster Abbey today - and the Queen is likely to be 'very upset' but cannot change his mind, royal experts say. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are expected to remain at home in Montecito, California, while the rest of the Royal Family gather in London for the poignant event. Harry last returned to the UK eight months ago to unveil the statue of his late mother Diana, Princess of Wales in London on July 1 with his brother Prince William. The Duke - one of the Queen and Philip's eight grandchildren is the only top-level royal not attending today's service which was organised by the monarch. Royal author Phil Dampier told MailOnline: 'It's very sad that Harry and Meghan won't be at Prince Philip's memorial service and I think one day Harry might regret it. He has said that he doesn't feel safe without Scotland Yard security but to me that sounds like an excuse not to come back to the UK and indicates the rift with his blood family is still bad. 'Harry was always very fond of his grandfather and was deeply honoured when he took over from him as Captain General of the Royal Marines, but sadly that didn't last long. The pair attended some Remembrance Day events together and there was always a rapport between them, both being serving military men who had seen active service.' Mr Dampier said that Harry 'loved' Philip's sense of humour and praised him in interviews, adding that this makes his non-attendance 'all the more mystifying and strange'. Advertisement But the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are not returning from the US for the service. While the Queen's arrival was mentioned in the order of service, it is understood that a final decision on her attendance was not made until first thing this morning. She has recently been forced to pull out of a string of engagements because of ill health and old age. She was unable to attend the Commonwealth Day service this month because of concerns about her mobility and comfort. Palace and Abbey aides are thought to have taken steps to ensure that the service is less taxing for the Queen. Instead of arriving at the usual West Entrance to the Abbey, which would involve steps and a long walk down the Nave in front of the cameras, the Queen could be driven around the side of the building and enter away from public view via the 'Poet's Entrance'. She would then have a far shorter walk down the South Transept to her seat. It is likely she would walk with the aid of a stick. The service will gave thanks for the duke's dedication to family, nation and Commonwealth and recognise the importance of his legacy in creating opportunities for young people, promoting conservation, and supporting the Armed Forces. One of the elements planned for the funeral which has now been included in the service will see nine Gold Award holders from The Duke of Edinburgh's Award, plus representatives from UK Cadet Force Associations, line entry routes into Westminster Abbey. Philip, who died in April last year aged 99, launched the DofE Award in 1956 and was Colonel-in-Chief of the Army Cadet Force, a role he first took up in 1953. A tenth DofE gold award holder, Doyin Sonibare, 28, from London, will give a tribute to His Royal Highness's legacy, recognising the impact of the Award on young people across the globe. The Very Reverend Dr David Hoyle, Dean of Westminster, will conduct the service and describe the duke in the Bidding as 'a man of rare ability and distinction' who 'ever directed our attention away from himself.' He will say: 'He put privilege to work and understood his rank as a spur to service. Working at pace, with so many claims on his attention, he encouraged us to focus, as he was focussed, on the things that matter. 'His was a discipline and character that seized opportunity and overcame obstruction and difficulty. We recall, with affection and respect, the sustained offering of a long life lived fully.' Advertisement Kate Middleton told a solemn Princess Charlotte to smile the pair walked into Westminster Abbey for Prince Philip's memorial service today, a lip reader has revealed. The Duchess of Cambridge, 40, walked hand-in-hand with her daughter six, while William, 39, held eight-year-old Prince George's hand as the family joined 1800 mourners. As they approached the Abbey's doors, Kate - who was smiling - told her serious looking daughter 'you can smile' according to expert lip reader Jacqui Press. Charlotte then smiled. Kate Middleton told a solemn Princess Charlotte to smile the pair walked into Westminster Abbey for Prince Philip's memorial service today, a lip reader has revealed. The Duchess of Cambridge, 40, walked hand-in-hand with her daughter six, while William, 39, held eight-year-old Prince George's hand as the family joined 1800 mourners. Charlotte is picture sombre left and smiling right Speaking to FEMAIL, Jacqui added that Prince William says 'let's go in' to Prince George as he walks into the chapel before he guides him in and introduces him to dignitaries. He then told people inside the Abbey 'good morning , good to see you again' 'very well thank you ' and 'have a good day'. He then explains to Prince George who each of the bishops and other clergy are as he shakes their hands. Prince Charles later walked into the the service and commented: 'it always looks so wonderful here'. Kate looked poised as she wore a 1,495 navy Alessandra Rich gown which she paired with a smart 775 hat from Lock&Co! and Princess Diana's Collingwood earrings for the service at Westminster Abbey today. Alessandra Rich is also one of the Duchess' favoured labels, with the royal frequently turning to the London-based designer for her royal engagements. Speaking to FEMAIL, Jacqui added that Prince William says 'let's go in' to Prince George as he walks into the chapel before he guides him in and introduces him to dignitaries. The family are pictured leaving the chapel The Duchess of Cambridge swept her brunette locks into a low bun to reveal the pearl drop earrings for the occasion. Kate regularly wears jewellery that honours her mother-in-law, including her sapphire engagement ring, which once belonged to Diana. With a keen eye for detail, Kate often references Princess Diana with her style choices. The memorial includes several elements the Duke had planned for his funeral at St George's Chapel in Windsor Castle in April last year but which were forbidden by Covid restrictions at the time. Among them is the involvement of Duke of Edinburgh (DofE) gold award winners and Sea Cadets, his expressed wish for the congregation to sing the rousing hymn Guide Me, O Thou Great Redeemer, and for clergy from the royal estates of Windsor, Sandringham and Balmoral to play a special part. His funeral at St George's Chapel in Windsor was limited to just 30 mourners in the midst of the pandemic and mass singing was banned, with the Queen sitting alone in a mask. Around 1,800 guests are due at today's service, including British and European royalty, representatives of the many charities of which the duke was patron or president, Boris and Carrie Johnson, and Sir David Attenborough. But the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are not returning from the US for the service The Queen has recently been forced to pull out of a string of engagements because of ill health and old age. She was unable to attend the Commonwealth Day service this month because of concerns about her mobility and comfort. As they approached the Abbey's doors, Kate - who was smiling - told her serious looking daughter 'you can smile' according to expert lip reader Jacqui Press Kate looked poised as she wore a 1,495 navy Alessandra Rich gown which she paired with a smart 775 hat from Lock&Co! and Princess Diana's Collingwood earrings for the service at Westminster Abbey today Palace and Abbey aides are thought to have taken steps to ensure that the service, to be televised live on BBC One, is less taxing for the Queen. The service will gave thanks for the duke's dedication to family, nation and Commonwealth and recognise the importance of his legacy in creating opportunities for young people, promoting conservation, and supporting the Armed Forces. One of the elements planned for the funeral which has now been included in the service will see nine Gold Award holders from The Duke of Edinburgh's Award, plus representatives from UK Cadet Force Associations, line entry routes into Westminster Abbey. Philip, who died in April last year aged 99, launched the DofE Award in 1956 and was Colonel-in-Chief of the Army Cadet Force, a role he first took up in 1953. A tenth DofE gold award holder, Doyin Sonibare, 28, from London, will give a tribute to His Royal Highness's legacy, recognising the impact of the Award on young people across the globe. Kate regularly wears jewellery that honours her mother-in-law, including her sapphire engagement ring, which once belonged to Diana. Kate is pictured with George, William and Charlotte The memorial includes several elements the Duke had planned for his funeral at St George's Chapel in Windsor Castle in April last year but which were forbidden by Covid restrictions at the time. The family are pictured leaving The Very Reverend Dr David Hoyle, Dean of Westminster, will conduct the service and describe the duke in the Bidding as 'a man of rare ability and distinction' who 'ever directed our attention away from himself.' He will say: 'He put privilege to work and understood his rank as a spur to service. Working at pace, with so many claims on his attention, he encouraged us to focus, as he was focussed, on the things that matter. 'His was a discipline and character that seized opportunity and overcame obstruction and difficulty. We recall, with affection and respect, the sustained offering of a long life lived fully.' It was the duke's expressed wish that clergy from Windsor, Sandringham and Balmoral - known as The Queen's domestic chaplains - played a part in his funeral service, but this was not possible due to the Covid restrictions. Today the Reverend Kenneth MacKenzie Minister of Crathie Church, the regular place of worship of the British royal family when they are in residence at nearby Balmoral Castle, the Reverend Canon Jonathan Riviere, the Rector of Sandringham, and the Reverend Canon Martin Poll, Chaplain to the Royal Chapel of All Saints, Windsor Great Park, will offer prayers recognising Philip's energy, spirit of adventure and 'good stewardship of the environment'. The service will also be attended by around 30 foreign royals, including Prince Albert of Monaco, Denmark's Queen Margrethe, King Harald and Queen Sonja of Norway, and Spain's King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia. Queen sheds a tear for beloved Philip: Emotional monarch wears green in tribute to late husband at Westminster Abbey memorial attended by Kate, Wills, Charles and Camilla... a year after sitting alone at his funeral at height of the pandemic By MARTIN ROBINSON, CHIEF REPORTER and MARK DUELL and DANNY HUSSAIN FOR MAILONLINE The Queen shed a tear for Prince Philip at an extraordinary service in remembrance of his remarkable life of service to Britain and his wife today. Her Majesty stood in Westminster Abbey where she had personally ensured her beloved husband's final wishes were fulfilled after his covid-hit funeral left her sat alone without the rousing hymns and guests he loved so much. The 95-year-old monarch used a stick as she was walked to her seat by her disgraced son the Duke of York to give her 'strength and stay' Philip the final farewell he had wanted. The service was attended by the Royal Family and his relatives, friends and people who benefitted from his charities. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were the only senior royals not there. Despite battling mobility problems, she stood to pray and sing anthems during a 40-minute service that her husband of 73 years had helped plan for before his death last April. But in a controversial decision she chose Prince Andrew to support her as she arrived and left the church, clutching his elbow with one hand and a walking stick with the other. The Queen had stood with tears in her eyes as the 1,800-strong congregation sang Guide Me O Thou Great Redeemer before the bells of Westminster Abbey rang out to mark the end of the memorial service for the Duke of Edinburgh. After she leant on Andrew as she walked back out of the church, the Queen appeared to grimace as she walked to the car hunched over with the Duke of York at her side guiding her towards the Bentley. She appeared to be holding tightly to her stick and appeared to be making a great effort to get to the vehicle, concentrating very hard in taking each step. Once inside the car she appeared to be back to her normal composed self as the car slowly drove away. She waved to onlookers as she arrived and left the service. The Queen and the packed abbey had listened as the Dean of Windsor paid tribute to Philip's intellect, work ethic, sense of humour and devotion to his family. The Right Reverend David Conner described the duke as a 'remarkable man' who was committed to 'a host of down-to-earth enterprises'. He pointed out that the duke could be 'abrupt', and suggested that at times he could forget 'just how intimidating he could be'. Princess Beatrice was seen to give a small chuckle as the Dean remarked: 'He could be somewhat sharp in pricking what he thought to be bubbles of pomposity or sycophancy.' But then appeared to break down in tears, covering her face with the order of service. The Queen, the Duchess of Cornwall and the Princess Royal were all dressed in dark green in a subtle tribute to Philip, whose livery colour was Edinburgh Green. A number of others throughout the congregation also wore the shade, including Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award holder Doyin Sonibare who delivered a special tribute about the effect Philip's youth scheme had on her life. Flowers at today's service are a patriotic red, white and blue, at Her Majesty's request. They included dendrobium orchids, which also featured in the Queen's wedding bouquet, and eryngium - or sea holly - echoing the duke's career in the Royal Navy and lifelong affection for the sea. There were also multiple tributes to his intellect, work ethic, sense of humour and devotion to his family and his country. The Queen stood and shed a tear for her husband today at an extraordinary service in remembrance of his life The Queen closed her eyes in prayer as she joined senior royals to pay tribute to Prince Philip at his memorial at Westminster Abbey. When she opened her eyes they appeared moist Her Majesty stands to sing surrounded by her family with the Duke of York also on the front row.From left to right, front row: Queen Elizabeth II, the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall, the Princess Royal, Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence, the Duke of York, The Earl of Wessex, the Countess of Wessex, Lady Louise Mountbatten-Windsor and Viscount Severn. (Second row left to right) The Duke of Cambridge, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, the Duchess of Cambridge, Peter Phillips, Isla Phillips, Savannah Phillips, Mia Tindall, Zara Tindall and Mike Tindall Princess Beatrice was overwhelmed by the service. Stood behind the Queen she cried and covered her face with the order of service as her grandmother removed her glasses Her Majesty walked with the help of a stick but stood without support sat next to Charles, Camilla, Anne and her husband Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence. Across the aisle was Prince Andrew The Queen arrives at the service holding the Duke of York by the elbow with her left hand and her stick with the right Andrew escorted her to her seat in an extraordinary moment that may have upset other royals. None of the other royals appeared to look up when they arrived Her Majesty had arrived at the side door of the church, allowing her to walk a shorter distance from Poets' Corner to the front where she was surrounded by her children and grandchildren. She stood at various points in the service, despite her own admission recently that she is struggling to move. Westminster Abbey was completely packed today to celebrate the 99-year life of Prince Philip as Her Majesty battled mobility issues and fought off covid to be there to say goodbye to her husband after 73 years of marriage. The event, attended by most of the Duke of Edinburgh's family and many of Europe's most senior royals, is in the starkest of contrasts to his pared back funeral at Windsor last April when Her Majesty said goodbye to her strength and stay after 73 years of marriage. The Queen finally decided to attend today's service in Central London around two hours before but the coverage of the Service of Thanksgiving was dominated by her extraordinary decision to travel with her disgraced son Prince Andrew from Windsor Castle to Central London. Timothy Laurence and Anne, Princess Royal, arriving ahead of the Service of Thanksgiving for the life of Prince Philip Prince Charles and his wife Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, arrive at Westminster Abbey The Duke's family ahead of the service: In the second row is Peter Philips with daughters Savannah and Isla. Next to them is Mia Tindall with parents Zara Philips and Mike Tindall. In the front row are Prince Edward and Sophie Wessex with children Lady Louise and James, Viscount Severn The Cambridges arrived shortly after Prince Charles and Camilla ahead of today's memorial service for Prince Philip at Westminster Abbey Kate Middleton arrives at Westminster Abbey for the memorial service to Prince Philip today. She was joined by Prince William and her children George and Charlotte Princess Charlotte and Prince George sit with the mother the Duchess of Cambridge during today's service at Westminster Abbey The Queen remained seated during the service with aides taking special measures to ensure her comfort after recent heath issues Queen Maxima and King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands left the service at Westminster Abbey arm-in-arm Despite her frailty, Queen Elizabeth II stands during a Service of Thanksgiving for the life of the Duke of Edinburgh, at Westminster Abbey today Her Majesty was determined to be amongst the 1,800 guests despite the 95-year-old's mobility problems that have prevented her doing a major public engagement away from Windsor Castle in nearly six months. The Tindalls were the first close family to arrive, followed Princess Anne, the Wessexes, Prince Charles and his wife Camilla and then the Cambridges, who were with their children George and Charlotte. The Queen was the last to arrive with Andrew. It was a move that royal watchers believe may have upset her son Prince Charles and grandson Prince William both instrumental in the decision to take away the Duke of York's 'HRH'. The Queen chose her second son to join her in the back of her royal car for the 22-mile journey and he was also given a front row in the church, right next to his other siblings at the service just weeks after he paid millions to one of Jeffrey Epstein's sex slaves, Virginia Roberts Giuffre, who accused him of having sex with her three times when she was trafficked to London aged 17. The Queen's state limousine arrived at Poets' Yard entrance with Andrew sat beside her. As they walked through the famous section of the abbey towards her seat, in a small procession, the monarch held onto her son's elbow with her left hand and had a walking stick in her right. They walked at a slow but steady pace both looking ahead, and at the end of the aisle they separated - with Andrew giving a last glance to his mother as she turned right. After the first hymn, Charles, who was sat next to her mother, could be seen leaning over to speak to the Queen seated next to him - but it is not clear what was said. The Queen then delved into her black Launer handbag for her glasses to read the order of service. After the 40 minute service, Her Majesty was escorted out of the abbey by the Duke of York. As the monarch stopped to greet Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award holder Doyin Sonibare, Andrew stood back and at one point broke into a smile. The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall were the first to leave Westminster Abbey alongside the abbey's chapter. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge followed. All four royals waved at the crowd outside as they were driven away in black cars. Advertisement The Queen paid a special tribute to her late husband the Duke of Edinburg at today's memorial service by sporting a brooch he gifted her in 1966. Dressed in a green ensemble, the Monarch, 95, donned the Grima Ruby Brooch, which was a personal gift to her from her husband. The piece, which is made of recycled rubies, free-form gold and diamonds was crafted by jeweller Andrew Grima and is one of the few modern pieces that were added to the Queen's collection during her reign. She has worn it on numerous occasions since it was gifted to her, including several Christmas broadcast. On the occasion of their Platinum Anniversary in 2017, the Queen pinned the brooch to a white dress for her official portrait with Prince Philip. The Queen paid a very intimate tribute to her late husband the Duke of Edinburg at today's memorial service by sporting a brooch he gifted her in 1966, pictured right The eye-catching brooch has also been referred to as the Scarab Brooch by the royal palace. The Queen paired it with an elegant forest green coat, with matching hat and a fur collar and sleeve. She completed the look with a pair of gloves and stud pearl earrings. The choice of her outfit seemed to be another subtle tribute to her late spouse, whose livery colour in the armed forces was Edinburgh Green. On the occasion of their Platinum Anniversary in 2017, the Queen donned the brooch with a white dress in her and Prince Philip's official portrait, pictured The Monarch shed a tear for her late husband at today's extraordinary service celebrating his life at Westminster Abbey The Monarch, dressed in a green ensemble, stood at various points in the service, despite her own admission recently that she is struggling to move The Queen, 95, shed a tear during the emotional memorial service. She wore the special brooch with her outfit an her pearl necklace The Prince of Wales, 73 and the Duchess of Cornwall, who was also dressed in green, were sat next to the Monarch with the Princess Royal, who got the green memo and Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence Queen sheds a tear for beloved Philip: Emotional monarch wears green in tribute to late husband at Westminster Abbey memorial attended by Kate, Wills, Charles and Camilla... a year after sitting alone at his funeral at height of the pandemic The Queen shed a tear for Prince Philip at an extraordinary service in remembrance of his remarkable life of service to Britain and his wife today. Her Majesty stood in Westminster Abbey where she had personally ensured her beloved husband's final wishes were fulfilled after his covid-hit funeral left her sat alone without the rousing hymns and guests he loved so much. The 95-year-old monarch used a stick as she was walked to her seat by her disgraced son the Duke of York to give her 'strength and stay' Philip the final farewell he had wanted. The service was attended by the Royal Family and his relatives, friends and people who benefitted from his charities. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were the only senior royals not there. Despite battling mobility problems, she stood to pray and sing anthems during a 40-minute service that her husband of 73 years had helped plan for before his death last April. But in a controversial decision she chose Prince Andrew to support her as she arrived and left the church, clutching his elbow with one hand and a walking stick with the other. The Queen had stood with tears in her eyes as the 1,800-strong congregation sang Guide Me O Thou Great Redeemer before the bells of Westminster Abbey rang out to mark the end of the memorial service for the Duke of Edinburgh. After she leant on Andrew as she walked back out of the church, the Queen appeared to grimace as she walked to the car hunched over with the Duke of York at her side guiding her towards the Bentley. She appeared to be holding tightly to her stick and appeared to be making a great effort to get to the vehicle, concentrating very hard in taking each step. Once inside the car she appeared to be back to her normal composed self as the car slowly drove away. She waved to onlookers as she arrived and left the service. The Queen and the packed abbey had listened as the Dean of Windsor paid tribute to Philip's intellect, work ethic, sense of humour and devotion to his family. The Right Reverend David Conner described the duke as a 'remarkable man' who was committed to 'a host of down-to-earth enterprises'. He pointed out that the duke could be 'abrupt', and suggested that at times he could forget 'just how intimidating he could be'. Princess Beatrice was seen to give a small chuckle as the Dean remarked: 'He could be somewhat sharp in pricking what he thought to be bubbles of pomposity or sycophancy.' But then appeared to break down in tears, covering her face with the order of service. The Queen, the Duchess of Cornwall and the Princess Royal were all dressed in dark green in a subtle tribute to Philip, whose livery colour was Edinburgh Green. A number of others throughout the congregation also wore the shade, including Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award holder Doyin Sonibare who delivered a special tribute about the effect Philip's youth scheme had on her life. Flowers at today's service are a patriotic red, white and blue, at Her Majesty's request. They included dendrobium orchids, which also featured in the Queen's wedding bouquet, and eryngium - or sea holly - echoing the duke's career in the Royal Navy and lifelong affection for the sea. There were also multiple tributes to his intellect, work ethic, sense of humour and devotion to his family and his country. The Queen stood and shed a tear for her husband today at an extraordinary service in remembrance of his life The Queen closed her eyes in prayer as she joined senior royals to pay tribute to Prince Philip at his memorial at Westminster Abbey. When she opened her eyes they appeared moist Her Majesty stands to sing surrounded by her family with the Duke of York also on the front row.From left to right, front row: Queen Elizabeth II, the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall, the Princess Royal, Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence, the Duke of York, The Earl of Wessex, the Countess of Wessex, Lady Louise Mountbatten-Windsor and Viscount Severn. (Second row left to right) The Duke of Cambridge, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, the Duchess of Cambridge, Peter Phillips, Isla Phillips, Savannah Phillips, Mia Tindall, Zara Tindall and Mike Tindall Princess Beatrice was overwhelmed by the service. Stood behind the Queen she cried and covered her face with the order of service as her grandmother removed her glasses Her Majesty walked with the help of a stick but stood without support sat next to Charles, Camilla, Anne and her husband Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence. Across the aisle was Prince Andrew Prince Andrew travelled with the Queen to Westminster Abbey and appeared to escort her to her seat before taking his own Prince Andrew was sat next to Prince Edward and Sophie Wessex during today's memorial service at Westminster Abbey Queen Elizabeth II is helped into her car by her son Prince Andrew, right, after attending a Service of Thanksgiving for the life of Prince Philip She spoke to her son inside the car and waved to the crowds outside the service in London, which ended this afternoon The Queen as she left Westminster Abbey in her Rolls-Royce today, wearing a regal purple and golden brooch Prince Andrew, Duke of York, who last month agreed to settle his sex assault lawsuit, left the service in a car with his mother the Queen A sombre Prince Charles leaves the church with his wife Camilla, who also looked moved by the celebration of Prince Philip's life Charles was seen wiping his eyes at the service where he could say goodbye to his father after a pared back funeral last year. Prince Andrew looked serious as he waited to leave with his mother Prince William rests a hand on the back of his son Prince George, at the end of the memorial service for Prince Philip The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge left the Abbey with two of their children, Prince George and Princess Charlotte The Cambridges departing the Service of Thanksgiving for the Duke of Edinburgh at Westminster Abbey The Duchess of Cambridge smiled out of the window of her car as she left the Abbey with Prince William after the service The Queen sits alone at Philip's pared-down funeral last April - in stark contrast to today's celebration. It was one of the defining photos of the pandemic, where many Britons were forced to mourn their loved ones in small ceremonies, sometimes alone Queen, Camilla and Anne all wear green for their beloved Prince Philip It was a touching tribute to a much-missed Duke of Edinburgh as the Queen and senior royal women stepped out in Edinburgh Green for Philip's memorial service. All wearing the same shade, the monarch, the Duchess of Cornwall and the Princess Royal sat in the front row of royal seats in Westminster Abbey, united in remembrance of Philip. The duke's official dark green livery colour was known as Edinburgh Green. It was used for his staff liveries - the duke's page at the coronation wore dark green and silver - and private cars. The monarch's brooch was another nod to her late husband of more than 70 years. She chose her yellow gold, ruby and diamond scarab brooch, designed by Andrew Grima, which was a personal gift from Philip in 1966. Camilla wore her Rifles brooch in recognition of the moment when her father-in-law handed over his role as colonel-in-chief of the regiment to her in 2020. Others in the congregation also wore dark green, including Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award holder Doyin Sonibare, who delivered a special tribute about the effect Philip's youth scheme had on her life. The Duchess of Cambridge opted for a high-necked black dress with white polka dots and a textured wide-brimmed black hat. Advertisement Her Majesty had arrived at the side door of the church, allowing her to walk a shorter distance from Poets' Corner to the front where she was surrounded by her children and grandchildren. She stood at various points in the service, despite her own admission recently that she is struggling to move. Westminster Abbey was completely packed today to celebrate the 99-year life of Prince Philip as Her Majesty battled mobility issues and fought off covid to be there to say goodbye to her husband after 73 years of marriage. The event, attended by most of the Duke of Edinburgh's family and many of Europe's most senior royals, is in the starkest of contrasts to his pared back funeral at Windsor last April when Her Majesty said goodbye to her strength and stay after 73 years of marriage. The Queen finally decided to attend today's service in Central London around two hours before but the coverage of the Service of Thanksgiving was dominated by her extraordinary decision to travel with her disgraced son Prince Andrew from Windsor Castle to Central London. Her Majesty was determined to be amongst the 1,800 guests despite the 95-year-old's mobility problems that have prevented her doing a major public engagement away from Windsor Castle in nearly six months. The Tindalls were the first close family to arrive, followed Princess Anne, the Wessexes, Prince Charles and his wife Camilla and then the Cambridges, who were with their children George and Charlotte. The Queen was the last to arrive with Andrew. It was a move that royal watchers believe may have upset her son Prince Charles and grandson Prince William both instrumental in the decision to take away the Duke of York's 'HRH'. The Queen chose her second son to join her in the back of her royal car for the 22-mile journey and he was also given a front row in the church, right next to his other siblings at the service just weeks after he paid millions to one of Jeffrey Epstein's sex slaves, Virginia Roberts Giuffre, who accused him of having sex with her three times when she was trafficked to London aged 17. The Queen's state limousine arrived at Poets' Yard entrance with Andrew sat beside her. As they walked through the famous section of the abbey towards her seat, in a small procession, the monarch held onto her son's elbow with her left hand and had a walking stick in her right. They walked at a slow but steady pace both looking ahead, and at the end of the aisle they separated - with Andrew giving a last glance to his mother as she turned right. After the first hymn, Charles, who was sat next to her mother, could be seen leaning over to speak to the Queen seated next to him - but it is not clear what was said. The Queen then delved into her black Launer handbag for her glasses to read the order of service. After the 40 minute service, Her Majesty was escorted out of the abbey by the Duke of York. As the monarch stopped to greet Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award holder Doyin Sonibare, Andrew stood back and at one point broke into a smile. The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall were the first to leave Westminster Abbey alongside the abbey's chapter. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge followed. All four royals waved at the crowd outside as they were driven away in black cars. Despite her frailty, Queen Elizabeth II stands during a Service of Thanksgiving for the life of the Duke of Edinburgh, at Westminster Abbey today The congregation takes its place ahead of the service. The Queen made the final decision to attend this morning, hours before she was due to travel the 22 miles from Windsor Castle to Central London. She held Andrew's elbow The royal family paying an emotional tribute to Prince Philip at today's service at Westminster Abbey Her Majesty listens to the various eulogies to her husband at the Service of Remembrance held almost a year after his funeral The Queen, 95, fought frailty to be in the church with her family at an event she had helped plan for her husband The Queen stands for the first hymn at the service in remembrance of her beloved husband Prince Philip Prince Andrew walked his mother up the aisle after she arrived via a side door rather than the main entrance to shorten the distance The Queen has been 'actively involved' in plans for the service 'with many elements reflecting Her Majesty's wishes' Prince Andrew was sat next to Prince Edward and Sophie Wessex during today's memorial service at Westminster Abbey The royals, led by the Queen despite her recent health issues, join the congregation in singing hymns during today's service The royals ahead of the service: In the front row are The Queen, Prince Charles, Camilla, Princess Anne and Timothy Laurence. The Cambridges are in the second row while Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, along with their husbands, are among the royals in the third row She left as she arrived, being supported by her son Andrew - reputedly her favourite The Queen remained seated during the service with aides taking special measures to ensure her comfort after recent heath issues Princess Charlotte and Prince George sit with the mother the Duchess of Cambridge during today's service at Westminster Abbey Prince Charles and Camilla were greeted by clergy as they arrived ahead of today's service of celebration for Prince Philip A serious looking Prince William sits down next to his wife, George and Charlotte to say goodbye to his grandfather The Queen sat beside Andrew, the royal who lost his HRH just weeks ago over his links to Epstein and civil case Crowds piled outside Westminster Abbey to pay tribute to Prince Philip as the service in his memorial continued Thousands of supporters gathered outside the Service Of Thanksgiving For The Duke of Edinburgh at Westminster Abbey Today the monarch ensured that her beloved husband's final wishes are fulfilled after his Covid-hit funeral left her sat alone without the rousing hymns and guests he loved so much. Her Majesty has been 'actively involved' in every element of his service of thanksgiving that will see Westminster Abbey packed to the rafters. Even the smallest of touches have been overseen by the Queen, including the use of orchids that formed part of her 1947 wedding bouquet being used in small posies of flowers. Prince Philip's beloved Sea Cadets and young people who have taken his Duke of Edinburgh awards are centre stage at the service that will see the Abbey reverberate with the sound of hymns including Guide me, O thou great Redeemer. All Prince Philip's family chose to attend apart from Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. On Prince Andrew's left is his brother the Earl of Wessex and Edward's family the Countess of Wessex and their children Lady Louise Windsor and James, Viscount Severn. Across an aisle on his right is the Princess Royal, her husband Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence, the Duchess of Cornwall, Prince of Wales and the Queen. Prince George and Princess Charlotte also attended with the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, and be sat behind the Queen. Behind Andrew and Edward's family were Peter Phillips, and Zara and Mike Tindall and their daughters. The Duke of Edinburgh's intellect, work ethic, sense of humour and devotion to his family were celebrated in an address by the Dean of Windsor. The Right Reverend David Conner paid tribute to Philip as a 'remarkable man' who was committed to 'a host of down-to-earth enterprises'. He pointed out that the duke could be 'abrupt' and suggested that at times he could forget 'just how intimidating he could be'. Addressing the congregation in Westminster Abbey, Mr Conner said: 'He was practical, wanting to put flesh upon his dreams, and (acknowledging the limitations of living in this so-called 'real world') he devoted his astonishing intellectual and physical energy, his enormous capacity for sheer hard work, to a host of down-to-earth enterprises. 'These included the equipping of young people to face tomorrow's challenges, the encouragement of respect and care for the natural order, and his pioneering work in facilitating conversation between representatives of the different world faiths. 'Through his passionate commitment, he drew others to himself in admiration and respect and, in the case of those who lived and worked most closely to him, genuine love.' Mr Conner added: 'He would hate to think that I should paint a picture of him as a 'plaster saint'; someone without the usual human foibles and failings. 'He was far too self-aware ever to be taken in by flattery. Of course, it must be said that his life bore the marks of sacrifice and service. 'Certainly, he could show great sympathy and kindness. There is no doubt that he had a delightfully engaging, and often self-deprecating, sense of humour. 'It is quite clear that his mind held together both speculation and common sense. Moreover, nobody would ever doubt his loyalty and deep devotion to our Queen and to their family. 'Yet, there were times when he could be abrupt; maybe, in robust conversation, forgetting just how intimidating he could be. 'A kind of natural reserve sometimes made him seem a little distant. He could be somewhat sharp in pricking what he thought to be bubbles of pomposity or sycophancy. 'On the other hand, we should not forget that he himself was sometimes wounded by being unfairly criticised or misunderstood.' Concluding his address, the dean said: 'As we give thanks for the life of a remarkable man, perhaps our greatest tribute to him, most especially in these far too troubled times, will be for us to accept the challenge, implicit in his life, to rekindle in our hearts something of that call, and to pray (as I think he did) for the inspiration and the guidance to play our part, however small, in working for a kinder future. Queen Elizabeth II is driven in to attend a Service of Thanksgiving for the life of Prince Philip at Westminster Abbey The Cambridges arrived at the church hand in hand with their children Charlotte and George. Louis stayed at home The Duchess of Cambridge and Princess Charlotte arrive at today's service of Thanksgiving for the life of Prince Philip Charles shook hands with the clergy as they entered the church just before Midday Prime Minister Boris Johnson attends the Thanksgiving service for the Duke Of Edinburgh at Westminster Abbey today Princess Eugenie (left) and Princess Beatrice (right) pictured arriving at a service of thanksgiving for late Prince Philip Princess Eugenie and Princess Beatrice arriving at the poignant Service of Thanksgiving for the life of Prince Philip Peter Phillips with Isla Phillips and Savannah Phillips (right) arriving for a Service of Thanksgiving for the life of the Duke of Edinburgh Timothy Laurence and Anne, Princess Royal, arriving ahead of the Service of Thanksgiving for the life of Prince Philip Princess Royal arriving for a Service of Thanksgiving for the life of the Duke of Edinburgh and greeting Duke of Edinburgh award recipients Prince Charles and his wife Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, arrive at Westminster Abbey Prince Andrew (left) leaves Windsor Castle with the Queen (right) today ahead of the service to remember Prince Philip The Queen leaves Windsor Castle to travel to Westminster Abbey this morning, with her son Prince Andrew sat on her right While the Queen's arrival at Westminster Abbey was mentioned in the order of service, a final decision on her attendance was only confirmed two hours before because of her frailty. The Princess Royal arrived at Westminster Abbey. Wearing a long green dress and hat, Anne arrived alongside her husband, Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence. Peter Phillips' children Savannah and Isla were sitting next to their cousin Mia, daughter of Zara and Mike Tindall. The girls were dressed in navy with their hair fixed back with headbands. Once inside Westminster Abbey, guests were escorted to their seats, with Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie and their husbands smiling at members of the Abbey's chapter, or governing body, standing by the great West Door, as they walked in. The Earl and Countess of Wessex and their children also smiled warmly at the welcoming clergy. Sophie, Countess of Wessex, and her daughter, Lady Louise, smiled and chatted to each other after taking their seats in the Abbey. The Duke's family ahead of the service: In the second row is Peter Philips with daughters Savannah and Isla. Next to them is Mia Tindall with parents Zara Philips and Mike Tindall. In the front row are Prince Edward and Sophie Wessex with children Lady Louise and James, Viscount Severn The Cambridges arrived shortly after Prince Charles and Camilla ahead of today's memorial service for Prince Philip at Westminster Abbey Kate Middleton arrives at Westminster Abbey for the memorial service to Prince Philip today. She was joined by Prince William and her children George and Charlotte The Tindalls were the first senior British royals to arrive, holding one of their daughter Mia's hands Lady Louise Windsor arriving at the Westminster Abbey service for Prince Philip today. The Service will pay tribute to the Duke of Edinburgh's contribution to public life and steadfast support for the over 700 charitable organisations Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex attends the Thanksgiving service for the Duke of Edinburgh at Westminster Abbey today Peter Phillips attended the service with his children Savannah and Isla Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi and Princess Beatrice file into the main church Prince Michael of Kent and Princess Michael of Kent attend the memorial service for the Duke Of Edinburgh at Westminster Abbey The Queen leaves Windsor Castle in a car this morning with her disgraced son Prince Andrew to travel to London Prince Andrew (left) leaves Windsor Castle with the Queen (right) this morning ahead of the service of thanksgiving for Philip Lady Susan Hussey, the Queen's lady-in-waiting, arrives with her foot in a brace and on crutches at Westminster Abbey today Penelope Knatchbull, Countess Mountbatten of Burma arrives at Westminster Abbey for the service this morning Metropolitan Police Commissioner Dame Cressida Dick (left) and Formula One driver Sir Jackie Stewart (right) arrive today Foreign Secretary Liz Truss (left) and Home Secretary Priti Patel (right) arrive at Westminster Abbey this morning Guests walk into Westminster Abbey and take their seats ahead of this morning's service to remember Prince Philip Chancellor Rishi Sunak (left) and Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon (right) at Westminster Abbey today Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer (left) and Professor Chris Whitty, Chief Medical Officer for England (right), arrive this morning Guests arrive for Prince Philip's memorial service at Westminster Abbey in London this morning Guests arrive for Prince Philip's memorial service at Westminster Abbey in London this morning Members of the congregation queue at Westminster Abbey today ahead of the service of thanksgiving for the life of Philip Guests arrive to attend the service of thanksgiving for the life of the Duke of Edinburgh at Westminster Abbey this morning Earlier today, royal commentator Robert Jobson, author of Prince Philip's Century, told GB News: 'I think that Prince Andrew may play a more prominent role than we think earlier on. My understanding is that someone has to support the Queen and he may well be by her side. I think Charles will probably be with Camilla.' Overnight, royal aides revealed the Queen has been 'actively involved' in plans for the service 'with many elements reflecting Her Majesty's wishes' as the order of service was unveiled at midnight. It includes several elements the Duke had planned for his funeral at St George's Chapel in Windsor Castle in April last year but which were forbidden by Covid restrictions at the time. Among them is the involvement of Duke of Edinburgh (DofE) gold award winners and Sea Cadets, his expressed wish for the congregation to sing the rousing hymn Guide Me, O Thou Great Redeemer, and for clergy from the royal estates of Windsor, Sandringham and Balmoral to play a special part. His funeral at St George's Chapel in Windsor was limited to just 30 mourners in the midst of the pandemic and mass singing was banned, with the Queen sitting alone in a mask. Around 1,800 guests are due at today's service, including British and European royalty, representatives of the many charities of which the duke was patron or president, Boris and Carrie Johnson, and Sir David Attenborough. Prince Harry faces 'lifetime of regret' for missing memorial to his beloved grandfather Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle could 'regret' not attending the memorial service for his grandfather Prince Philip at Westminster Abbey today - and the Queen is likely to be 'very upset' but cannot change his mind, royal experts say. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are expected to remain at home in Montecito, California, while the rest of the Royal Family gather in London for the poignant event. Harry last returned to the UK eight months ago to unveil the statue of his late mother Diana, Princess of Wales in London on July 1 with his brother Prince William. The Duke - one of the Queen and Philip's eight grandchildren is the only top-level royal not attending today's service which was organised by the monarch. Royal author Phil Dampier told MailOnline: 'It's very sad that Harry and Meghan won't be at Prince Philip's memorial service and I think one day Harry might regret it. He has said that he doesn't feel safe without Scotland Yard security but to me that sounds like an excuse not to come back to the UK and indicates the rift with his blood family is still bad. 'Harry was always very fond of his grandfather and was deeply honoured when he took over from him as Captain General of the Royal Marines, but sadly that didn't last long. The pair attended some Remembrance Day events together and there was always a rapport between them, both being serving military men who had seen active service.' Mr Dampier said that Harry 'loved' Philip's sense of humour and praised him in interviews, adding that this makes his non-attendance 'all the more mystifying and strange'. Advertisement But the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are not returning from the US for the service. While the Queen's arrival was mentioned in the order of service, it is understood that a final decision on her attendance was not made until first thing this morning. She has recently been forced to pull out of a string of engagements because of ill health and old age. She was unable to attend the Commonwealth Day service this month because of concerns about her mobility and comfort. Palace and Abbey aides are thought to have taken steps to ensure that the service is less taxing for the Queen. Instead of arriving at the usual West Entrance to the Abbey, which would involve steps and a long walk down the Nave in front of the cameras, the Queen could be driven around the side of the building and enter away from public view via the 'Poet's Entrance'. She would then have a far shorter walk down the South Transept to her seat. It is likely she would walk with the aid of a stick. The service will gave thanks for the duke's dedication to family, nation and Commonwealth and recognise the importance of his legacy in creating opportunities for young people, promoting conservation, and supporting the Armed Forces. One of the elements planned for the funeral which has now been included in the service will see nine Gold Award holders from The Duke of Edinburgh's Award, plus representatives from UK Cadet Force Associations, line entry routes into Westminster Abbey. Philip, who died in April last year aged 99, launched the DofE Award in 1956 and was Colonel-in-Chief of the Army Cadet Force, a role he first took up in 1953. A tenth DofE gold award holder, Doyin Sonibare, 28, from London, will give a tribute to His Royal Highness's legacy, recognising the impact of the Award on young people across the globe. The Very Reverend Dr David Hoyle, Dean of Westminster, will conduct the service and describe the duke in the Bidding as 'a man of rare ability and distinction' who 'ever directed our attention away from himself.' He will say: 'He put privilege to work and understood his rank as a spur to service. Working at pace, with so many claims on his attention, he encouraged us to focus, as he was focussed, on the things that matter. 'His was a discipline and character that seized opportunity and overcame obstruction and difficulty. We recall, with affection and respect, the sustained offering of a long life lived fully.' Royal fans watch out for guests at the service to remember the late Duke of Edinburgh at Westminster Abbey this morning Royal fans stand next to barriers at Westminster Abbey today ahead of the service to pay tribute to the Duke of Edinburgh Guests begin to arrive for the service of thanksgiving for the life of the Duke of Edinburgh at Westminster Abbey this morning Television broadcasting staff gather outside Westminster Abbey this morning ahead of Prince Philip's memorial service Royal fans stand next to barriers at Westminster Abbey today ahead of the service to pay tribute to the Duke of Edinburgh Royal superfan John Loughrey, from Stretham in Cambridgeshire, stands outside Westminster Abbey this morning Another royal superfan stands outside Westminster Abbey ahead of the memorial service for Philip this morning Police officers walk past Westminster Abbey this morning before the service for the late Duke of Edinburgh Workers put up barriers outside Westminster Abbey today ahead of the service for Prince Philip Royal fans wait outside Westminster Abbey this morning ahead of the service for the late Duke of Edinburgh It was the duke's expressed wish that clergy from Windsor, Sandringham and Balmoral - known as The Queen's domestic chaplains - played a part in his funeral service, but this was not possible due to the Covid restrictions. Today the Reverend Kenneth MacKenzie Minister of Crathie Church, the regular place of worship of the British royal family when they are in residence at nearby Balmoral Castle, the Reverend Canon Jonathan Riviere, the Rector of Sandringham, and the Reverend Canon Martin Poll, Chaplain to the Royal Chapel of All Saints, Windsor Great Park, will offer prayers recognising Philip's energy, spirit of adventure and 'good stewardship of the environment'. The service will also be attended by around 30 foreign royals, including Prince Albert of Monaco, Denmark's Queen Margrethe, King Harald and Queen Sonja of Norway, and Spain's King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia. Queen Elizabeth II takes her seat during the funeral of Prince Philip at St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle on April 17, 2021 The Queen and Prince Philip revisit Broadlands, to mark their Diamond Wedding Anniversary on November 20, 2007 The Queen and Philip were married in the Abbey in November 1947 and it holds many special memories. Flowers at today's service will be red, white and blue. They will include dendrobium orchids, which also featured in the Queen's wedding bouquet, and eryngium - or sea holly - echoing the duke's career in the Royal Navy and lifelong affection for the sea. The Queen attended the opening of the Welsh Parliament on October 14 last year. Since then she has conducted engagements at Windsor Castle, where she is now based, and visited Sandringham in February. Land ministry officials conduct an on-site inspection at a collapsed apartment building in Gwangju, Feb. 9. Korea Times file Advertisement With the exception of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, the nation's senior royals were all in attendance in Westminster Abbey this morning as they united to honour the life of the late Duke of Edinburgh. The Queen led her family - alongside politicians, European royals and members of Prince Philip's family - in the emotional service at Westminster Abbey on Tuesday morning. The Monarch, 95, who has battled a serious of health and mobility issues in recent weeks - including contracting Covid last month - was determined to attend the memorial service. Prince Philip's funeral in April last year saw Her Majesty seated alone with just 30 mourners in attendance as Covid rules meant heavily restricted numbers. Today, the first two rows of the Abbey were filled with 20 of the late Duke's closest family members - including his children Prince Charles, Prince Andrew, Princess Anne and Prince Edward and their own families. Behind them sat minor royals, members of the aristocracy, European royalty - including King Felipe VI of Spain and Queen Letizia - and even famous faces from popular culture - including racing legend Jackie Stewart. Clearly emotional, the Queen shed a tear for her late husband at the extraordinary service held in remembrance of his remarkable life of service to Britain and her. Her Majesty stands to sing surrounded by her family with the Duke of York also on the front row THE FRONT ROW AT WESTMINSTER ABBEY The Queen shed a tear for her husband today at an extraordinary service in remembrance of his life - unlike the Duke of Edinburgh's funeral in April 2021, the Queen was surrounded by her closest family members The Queen (1) The sovereign took her place amongst the 1,800 guests despite the 95-year-olds mobility problems, which have prevented her from carrying out a major public engagement away from Windsor Castle in nearly six months. Wearing a racing green coat and matching fur-trimmed hat, the Queen was seated next to Prince Charles for the solemn occasion. Prince Charles (2) The first in line to the throne, Prince Charles wore a smart pin-striped navy blue suit with a black tie and shiny brogues as he sat by his mother's side - with the Duchess of Cornwall to his left - at the memorial service. The Duchess of Cornwall (3) Camilla, 74, who donned a deep green dress coat with black leather gloves and a black clutch bag and wore a black velour hat with a striking green feather, was known to have enjoyed a close relationship with the late Duke of Edinburgh - and is likely to use him as an inspiration when she becomes Queen Consort in the future. Princess Anne (4) The Princess Royal, also in racing green stood between her husband Timothy Lawrence and the Duchess of Cornwall for today's service Timothy Laurence (5) The 67-year-old retired Royal Navy Vice Admiral, wife of the Princess Royal, took the last place on the first row at the memorial service. Prince Andrew (6) After a tumultuous year for Prince Andrew, the Queen showed her support for him today, symbolically choosing him to accompany her to Westminster Abbey despite the Epstein scandal that has de-railed his royal life. He sat alongside his siblings, with daughters Beatrice and Eugenie a few rows behind. Support for the Queen: The front row saw, from left, The Queen, Prince of Wales, Duchess of Cornwall, Princess Anne and Timothy Laurence seated together with Kate, William, Prince George and Prince Charlotte Prince Andrew was sat next to Prince Edward and Sophie Wessex during today's memorial service at Westminster Abbey The royal family - who were facing many of Prince Philip's own family members, including the Hereditary Prince and Princess of Baden (far right opposite the Duchess of Cornwall and Princess Royal), were seen paying an emotional tribute to Prince Philip Prince Edward (7) Prince Edward looked somber as he took his seat alongside wife Sophie Wessex and their two children, Lady Louise Windsor and James, Viscount Severn. Sophie Wessex (8) Sophie, Countess of Wessex, 57, and her daughter, Lady Louise, 18, smiled and chatted to each other after taking their seats in the Abbey. Lady Louise Windsor (9) Known for her close relationship to her grandfather who she has inherited a love of carriage-driving from, Lady Louise, 18, looked perfectly polished as she joined her parents and brother at Westminster Abbey. Viscount Severn (10) Prince Edward and Sophie Wessex's son - now 14 - wore a black suit and tie to show his respects to his late grandfather. THE SECOND ROW AT PRINCE PHILIP'S MEMORIAL SERVICE Wearing racing green to reflect the livery of Prince Philip's military regiment, the Duchess of Cornwall and Princess Royal - alongside Tim Laurence - were seated in front of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge Prince William (11) The Queen's grandson and second in line to the throne held wife Kate Middleton's hand as he arrived with two of the couple's children, Prince George and Princess Charlotte, for his grandfather's memorial service. Prince George (12) Just visible next to his father's shoulder, Prince George took his seat just behind his great-grandmother for the service. The eight-year-old took a day off school to join his younger sister Princess Charlotte at the event. Princess Charlotte (13) The six-year-old schoolgirl was barely visible except for occasionally nudging up to her mother, the Duchess of Cambridge. Duchess of Cambridge (14) Playing a reassuring role to two of her three children who were in attendance, the Duchess told a serious-looking Princess Charlotte 'you can smile', according to expert lip reader Jacqui Press. Kate looked poised as she wore a 1,495 navy Alessandra Rich gown which she paired with a smart 775 hat from Lock&Co! and Princess Diana's Collingwood earrings for the service at Westminster Abbey today. Isla and Savannah Phillips (middle row, second and third from left) joined the Tindalls and their father Peter Phillips on the second row at Westminster Abbey today Peter Phillips (15) The Princess Royal's son, separated from wife Autumn Phillips, was seated alongside his daughters Isla, 10, and Savannah, 11 on the second row. Isla Phillips (16) For Peter Phillips' youngest daughter, it was a day of mixed emotions as she celebrated her tenth birthday. Isla Elizabeth Phillips was born on March 29, 2012 to Peter and mother Autumn Phillips. Savannah Phillips (17) Appearing to offer a cheeky smile at points, Savannah Phillips, the 11-year-old daughter of Peter and his ex-wife Autumn Phillips wore a navy blue headband and buttoned up smock coat for the service. Mia Tindall (18) Looking up to her older cousin Savannah Phillips, Mia Tindall, the eldest child of Mike and Zara Tindall looked to be enjoying the grandeur of the occasion as she paid her respects to her great grandfather. Mia wore a black peplum coat with red piping along the cuffs and collar for the occasion . Zara Tindall (19) The Duke of Edinburgh's granddaughter was joined by her husband Mike and their eldest daughter Mia at Westminster Abbey for Prince Philip's memorial service. The mother-of-three looked poised as she wore an understated Laura Green navy coat which she paired with elegant silver earrings. Mike Tindall (20) The former England rugby player looked smart in a grey tailored suit which he paired with a white shirt and a navy patterned tie. THE ROWS BEYOND: MORE ROYALS, EUROPEAN ROYALS AND ARISTORCRACY Princess Beatrice (21) Princess Beatrice, 33, stepped out in a burgundy dress with coordinating heels and a black coat, alongside her polished husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, 38. At one point the princess broke down in tears. She enjoyed a particularly close relationship with her grandfather the Duke of Edinburgh. Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi (22) Mr Mapelli Mozzi was by his wife's side as she paid tribute to her grandfather at today's service of thanksgiving. The Duke of Edinburgh approved of their union and attended Mr Mapelli Mozzi's wedding to Beatrice in 2020. Princess Eugenie (23) Princess Eugenie cut a stylish figure in a floral midi dress by British fashion designer Erdem worth 1,695. She was joined by her husband Jack Brooksbank. Eugenie and Jack welcomed son August in February 2021 and gave him the middle name Philip after his great-grandfather Princess Beatrice, third row, far left, looked sombre as she joined the congregation in singing as part of the tribute to her grandfather - she was seated next to her husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi Jack Brooksbank (24) Princess Eugenie's husband Jack Brooksbank looked sombre throughout the service. It would have been particularly poignant for Jack, who lost his own father to Covid in November 2021, just days before their son August's christening. David Armstrong-Jones (25) David Armstrong-Jones, 2nd Earl Snowdon, is the only son of Princess Margaret and Anthony Armstrong-Jones, 1st Earl Snowdon. The furniture designer enjoyed a close relationship with the Duke of Edinburgh and used to holiday with the Royal Family as a child. Margarita Armstrong-Jones (26)The Earl of Snowdon's daughter Margarita Armstrong-Jones was seated next to her father. Lord Snowdon and her mother, Serena Armstrong-Jones, Countess of Snowdon, divorced in 2020. Richard, Duke of Gloucester (27) The Duke is the youngest grandchild of King George V and Queen Mary and a paternal cousin of the Queen. He carries out duties on behalf of the royal family and is patron of many societies. Birgitte, Duchess of Gloucester (28) The Dutch-born Duchess married Prince Richard in 1972 and is a full-time working member of the Royal Family. She shares three children with the Duke - none of whom undertake official duties. Sarah Chatto's brother David Armstrong-Jones, 2nd Earl Snowdon, who was seated next to his daughter Margarita Edward, Duke of Kent (29) Edward is the son of George VI's brother and is a first cousin of Her Majesty. The Duke is involved with over 140 different charities, organisations and professional bodies on behalf of the Royal Family. Lady Amelia Windsor (30) Currently 43rd in the line of succession to the British throne, glamorous Lady Amelia Windsor also attended today's service. The 26-year-old fashionista, Prince Harry and Prince William's third cousin, wore a demure buttoned-up jacket and trousers, with her hair cascading loose down her back. Charles Armstrong-Jones (31): The 22-year-old son of the Second Earl of Snowdon, David Armstrong-Jones, was seated next to his aunt Lady Sarah Chatto at the memorial service. Armstrong-Jones was the third grandchild of Princess Margaret. Lady Sarah Chatto (32): The Queen and Prince Philip's much-loved niece Sarah Chatto looked emotional as she arrived for her uncle's service of thanksgiving. Lady Sarah was born in 1964 the last royal baby born at a palace rather than a hospital within weeks of cousins Prince Edward, Lady Helen Windsor and James Ogilvy. The minor royal, 56, wore a navy blue dress, cardigan and string of pearls for the service. Daniel Chatto (33): The husband of Lady Sarah accompanied his wife and their two children; the family's presence in a key spot at the memorial service is testament to how highly they are regarded in the royal family, and is a tribute to the close relationship the Duke of Edinburgh enjoyed with Princess Margaret Sarah Chatto's sons Samuel (left) and Arthur (right) joined their parents at the high profile event today Samuel Chatto (34): The eldest of Lady Sarah Chatto's children, youthful-looking Samuel, 25, looked sharp in a navy suit with black tie. The potter and artist, who's a hit on Instagram with 86,000 followers, was seated next to his mother. Arthur Chatto (35): Sporty Arthur Chatto, who works as a personal trainer, donned a dark grey suit and navy tie as he took his place in the Abbey alongside his brother and mother and father. Arthur is 29th in line to the throne. George Windsor (36): The Earl of St Andrews, a former diplomat, is the elder son of Prince Edward, Duke of Kent, and his wife, Katharine, Duchess of Kent. The 59-year-old father-of-four attended with his wife Sylvana Tomaselli. Lord Downpatrick (37): The 33-year-old brother of Lady Amelia Windsor, son of George Windsor and Sylvana Tomaselli, cut a low-key figure, sporting a beard for the memorial service. Edward, or 'Eddy' as he's referred to by friends and family, works as a fashion designer, having ditched a former career in the City. Sylvana Tomaselli (38): Wife of the Earl of St Andrews, Canadian-born academic and historian Sylvana Tomaselli, a lecturer at Cambridge University, eschewed a hat in favour of a black velour headband, and wore a dark navy suit as she took her place between her two children in the Abbey. More than 50 European royals were in attendance today. Pictured: King Willem-Alexander of The Netherlands and Queen Maxima of The Netherlands, King Felipe of Spain, Princess Beatrix of The Netherlands and Prince Albert of Monaco Lady Helen Taylor (39): A peripheral royal happy to lead a life largely under the radar, Lady Helen, daughter of the Duke and Duchess of Kent, wore a smart black suit to pay her respects to Prince Philip, accompanied by her son Cassius, who she shares with art dealer Timothy Taylor. Cassius Taylor (40): Cousin to Lady Amelia Windsor and Lord Edward Downpatrick, 25-year-old Cassius also donned a beard, alongside a black suit as he took his seat four rows back from the front. King Philippe and Queen Mathilde of Belgium (41): King Philippe of Belgium, 61, who is related to the Queen through Queen Victoria, was also attend the service with his wife Queen Mathilde, 49. The Queen and Philippe are also both descendants of Christian IX of Denmark, whose six children married into other royal families across Europe, earning him the title 'father-in-law of Europe'. Queen Margrethe of Denmark (42): Queen Margrethe, who is known affectionately as 'aunt Daisy' by many European royals, was also in attendance. The 81-year-old monarch will flew solo at the Service of Thanksgiving, although she is often joined at royal events by her son Frederik, Crown Prince of Denmark, and daughter-in-law Princess Mary. Queen Margrethe and Crown Princess Mary recently welcomed the Duchess of Cambridge on her solo visit to Copenhagen. King Albert of Monaco (43):Prince Albert of Monaco, 64, attended without his wife Princess Charlene. Princess Charlene recently returned to Monaco following an extended stay away due to health problems including what the palace has previously referred to as a 'state of profound general fatigue'. Prince Albert is the only son of Rainier III of Monaco and his Hollywood wife Princess Grace Kelly. His wedding to Charlene was attended by the Earl and Countess of Wessex, and Prince and Princess Michael of Kent. King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima of the Netherlands (44): King Willem-Alexander, 54, and his wife Queen Maxima, 50, represented the Netherlands. Willem ascended the throne in 2013 following the abdication of his mother, Princess Beatrix, 84, who was also be in attendance. The Queen and King Willem-Alexander are fifth cousins, twice removed. They are both related to Princess Carolina of Orange-Nassau (1743-1787), granddaughter of King George II. Her parents were King George's daughter Anne, Princess Royal, and the Dutch Prince William VI. King Felipe IV of Spain and Queen Letizia of Spain (45, 46): King Felipe VI of Spain, 54, will be joined at the service by Queen Leizia, 49, a former journalist. Felipe, who ascended the throne in 2014 upon the abdication of his father King Juan Carlos, referred to the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh as 'dear aunt Lilibet' and 'dear uncle Philip' in a deeply personal message sent in the days after Prince Philip's death. The familiarity between the British and Spanish royal households is due to centuries-old family ties. Felipe's maternal great-grandfather, King Constantine I of Greece (1868 - 1923), was the older brother of Prince Philip's father, Prince Andrew of Greece and Denmark. King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden and Queen Sonja of Sweden (47, 48): The Queen's third cousin King Carl XVI Gustaf, 75, and his wife Queen Silvia, 78, will will be among the congregation. The link between the British and Swedish monarchs goes back to Queen Victoria, the Queen's great-great grandmother (through her father, King George VI) and King Carl XVI Gustaf's great-great grandmother. The Swedish king's lineage traces back to Victoria on both his mother and father's sides, making him a distant claimant to the throne. Emotional Queen returns to Windsor with Prince Andrew by her side after royals rallied round her at moving Westminster Abbey memorial for Prince Philip The Queen is back at Windsor Castle today with Prince Andrew having skipped several royal receptions after shedding tears for the Duke of Edinburgh at an extraordinary service in remembrance of his remarkable 99-year life of service to Britain and his wife. Her Majesty became emotional in Westminster Abbey - where she married Prince Philip in November 1947 - having personally ensured her beloved husband's final wishes were fulfilled after his covid-hit funeral left her sat alone without the rousing hymns and guests he loved so much. Today's service was attended by the Royal Family and his relatives, friends and people who benefitted from his charities and patronages. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were the only senior royals not there. The Queen had stood with tears in her eyes as the 1,800-strong congregation sang Guide Me O Thou Great Redeemer before the bells of Westminster Abbey rang out to mark the end of the memorial service in the central London church where she was crowned just over 70 years ago. Queen Elizabeth II is helped into her car by her son Prince Andrew, right, after attending a Service of Thanksgiving for the life of Prince Philip. Mother and son skipped multiple receptions being held in the capital this afternoon Front and centre of the high profile occasion was the Duke of York, despite Andrew paying millions out of court earlier this month to settle a civil sexual assault case and losing his 'HRH' The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge left the Abbey with two of their children, Prince George and Princess Charlotte The Queen walks towards her seat at Westminster Abbey after being accompanied down by the aisle by Prince Andrew today Andrew escorted her to her seat in an extraordinary moment that may have upset other royals. None of the other royals appeared to look up when they arrived The 95-year-old monarch used a stick as she was walked to and from her seat, supported by her disgraced son the Duke of York, to give her 'strength and stay' Philip the final farewell he had wanted. Her Majesty's presence was only confirmed two hours before it started. And despite battling mobility problems, she stood to pray and sing hymns that her husband of 73 years had asked for before his death last April. But in a controversial decision she chose Prince Andrew to aid her, clutching his elbow with one hand and a walking stick with the other. After a poignant service limited to 40 minutes where the watery-eyed monarch sat in one of the Canada chairs with an additional cushion, she was driven the 22-miles back to Windsor Castle with the Duke of York beside her after her first major public engagement for approaching six months. The 51 European royals who attended the Service of Thanksgiving went to a number of receptions held in London afterwards, including one held at Kensington Palace, home to a number of British royals including the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester. Her Majesty walked with the help of a stick but stood without support sat next to Charles, Camilla, Anne and her husband Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence. Across the aisle was Prince Andrew Prince Charles hosted a charity reception at St James' Palace before attending a dinner at Windsor Castle tonight to mark the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra's 75th anniversary. It is highly likely he will drop in to see his mother beforehand. The Queen has rallied to join close family, friends, foreign royals and hundreds of charity workers in remembrance of her beloved husband the Duke of Edinburgh at a poignant memorial service. Front and centre of the high profile occasion was the Duke of York, despite Andrew paying millions out of court earlier this month to settle a civil sexual assault case. After she leant on Andrew as she walked back out of the church, the Queen appeared to grimace as she walked to the car hunched over with the Duke of York at her side guiding her towards the Bentley. The Queen and Prince Philip revisit Broadlands, to mark their Diamond Wedding Anniversary on November 20, 2007 Denmark's Queen Margrethe (left) walks beside Netherlands' Princess Beatrix (centre right, in green hat) and in front of Netherlands' Queen Maxima (back left), Netherlands' King Willem-Alexander (centre) and Monaco's Prince Albert II (far right) as they leave the service. These royals are understood to have attended a variety of London receptions afterwards The Queen arrives at the service holding the Duke of York by the elbow with her left hand and her stick with the right She appeared to be holding tightly to her stick and appeared to be making a great effort to get to the vehicle, concentrating very hard in taking each step. Once inside the car she appeared to be back to her normal composed self as the car slowly drove away. She waved to onlookers as she arrived and left the service. The Queen and the packed abbey had listened as the Dean of Windsor paid tribute to Philip's intellect, work ethic, sense of humour and devotion to his family. Queen, Camilla and Anne all wear green for their beloved Prince Philip It was a touching tribute to a much-missed Duke of Edinburgh as the Queen and senior royal women stepped out in Edinburgh Green for Philip's memorial service. All wearing the same shade, the monarch, the Duchess of Cornwall and the Princess Royal sat in the front row of royal seats in Westminster Abbey, united in remembrance of Philip. The duke's official dark green livery colour was known as Edinburgh Green. It was used for his staff liveries - the duke's page at the coronation wore dark green and silver - and private cars. The monarch's brooch was another nod to her late husband of more than 70 years. She chose her yellow gold, ruby and diamond scarab brooch, designed by Andrew Grima, which was a personal gift from Philip in 1966. Camilla wore her Rifles brooch in recognition of the moment when her father-in-law handed over his role as colonel-in-chief of the regiment to her in 2020. Others in the congregation also wore dark green, including Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award holder Doyin Sonibare, who delivered a special tribute about the effect Philip's youth scheme had on her life. The Duchess of Cambridge opted for a high-necked black dress with white polka dots and a textured wide-brimmed black hat. Advertisement The Right Reverend David Conner described the duke as a 'remarkable man' who was committed to 'a host of down-to-earth enterprises'. He pointed out that the duke could be 'abrupt', and suggested that at times he could forget 'just how intimidating he could be'. Princess Beatrice was seen to give a small chuckle as the Dean remarked: 'He could be somewhat sharp in pricking what he thought to be bubbles of pomposity or sycophancy.' But then appeared to break down in tears, covering her face with the order of service. The Queen, the Duchess of Cornwall and the Princess Royal were all dressed in dark green in a subtle tribute to Philip, whose livery colour was Edinburgh Green. A number of others throughout the congregation also wore the shade, including Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award holder Doyin Sonibare who delivered a special tribute about the effect Philip's youth scheme had on her life. After the service the Queen expressed her appreciation for her speech that described the impact Philip's best remembered charitable project had on her life and career. Flowers at today's service are a patriotic red, white and blue, at Her Majesty's request. They included dendrobium orchids, which also featured in the Queen's wedding bouquet, and eryngium - or sea holly - echoing the duke's career in the Royal Navy and lifelong affection for the sea. There were also multiple tributes to his intellect, work ethic, sense of humour and devotion to his family and his country. The Duke of York's prominent role at the Westminster Abbey service - escorting his mother - was the Queen's way of showing that her second son still has a place at family occasions, according to a royal commentator. Former BBC royal correspondent Peter Hunt told the PA news agency: 'It didn't happen by chance. 'He could have sat in the congregation with others, with his relatives, but they actively decided that he would have this role of supporting her. 'So she has chosen, in essence, to remind people that he hasn't admitted any wrongdoing, he's not guilty of anything, he's innocent. 'And she's very clearly stating that he has a role at family occasions.' He went on: 'It's one thing to accept that he should attend his father's memorial service. 'It's quite another thing to then give him quite a prominent role, so it was an active choice to give him such a prominent role.' Mr Hunt said he found it 'fascinating', and said: 'Did William and Charles try to intervene? And clearly if they did then they failed.' He added: 'I think you have to start from the basis that Charles and William will have been in the driving seat with the Queen of removing Andrew from public life. 'Both of them will have been very aware of the risks of Andrew having this role. So either they decided that they could justify it on the basis that it was an event for his father, or they did try to suggest this wasn't a good idea and the Queen chose not to listen to them.' Royal commentator Robert Jobson said: 'It shows she wholeheartedly loves and believes her son. 'As she did when she made a statement about Camilla being Queen's Consort, many people will now accept the Queen's word and judgment.' She said there was disquiet among senior members of the family, 'but she insisted.' He told People: 'It does make some sense that he accompany her because he doesn't have a partner. A settlement has been paid but he's guilty of nothing in the eyes of the law. The Queen closed her eyes in prayer as she joined senior royals to pay tribute to Prince Philip at his memorial at Westminster Abbey. When she opened her eyes they appeared moist 'She has faith in Andrew. Even if he disappears from public life, he's been able to pay tribute to his father, who after all, was very proud of his service in the Royal Navy, where he fought in the Falkland Islands conflict'. Her Majesty had arrived at the side door of the church, allowing her to walk a shorter distance from Poets' Corner to the front where she was surrounded by her children and grandchildren. She stood at various points in the service, despite her own admission recently that she is struggling to move. Westminster Abbey was completely packed today to celebrate the 99-year life of Prince Philip as Her Majesty battled mobility issues and fought off covid to be there to say goodbye to her husband after 73 years of marriage. The event, attended by most of the Duke of Edinburgh's family and many of Europe's most senior royals, is in the starkest of contrasts to his pared back funeral at Windsor last April when Her Majesty said goodbye to her strength and stay after 73 years of marriage. The Queen finally decided to attend today's service in Central London around two hours before but the coverage of the Service of Thanksgiving was dominated by her extraordinary decision to travel with her disgraced son Prince Andrew from Windsor Castle to Central London. Her Majesty was determined to be amongst the 1,800 guests despite the 95-year-old's mobility problems that have prevented her doing a major public engagement away from Windsor Castle in nearly six months. The Tindalls were the first close family to arrive, followed Princess Anne, the Wessexes, Prince Charles and his wife Camilla and then the Cambridges, who were with their children George and Charlotte. The Queen was the last to arrive with Andrew. It was a move that royal watchers believe may have upset her son Prince Charles and grandson Prince William both instrumental in the decision to take away the Duke of York's 'HRH'. The Queen chose her second son to join her in the back of her royal car for the 22-mile journey and he was also given a front row in the church, right next to his other siblings at the service just weeks after he paid millions to one of Jeffrey Epstein's sex slaves, Virginia Roberts Giuffre, who accused him of having sex with her three times when she was trafficked to London aged 17. Despite her frailty, Queen Elizabeth II stands during a Service of Thanksgiving for the life of the Duke of Edinburgh, at Westminster Abbey today Zara, Mia Grace and Mike Tindall depart hand-in-hand following the Memorial Service For The Duke Of Edinburgh at Westminster Abbey today The Queen's state limousine arrived at Poets' Yard entrance with Andrew sat beside her. As they walked through the famous section of the abbey towards her seat, in a small procession, the monarch held onto her son's elbow with her left hand and had a walking stick in her right. They walked at a slow but steady pace both looking ahead, and at the end of the aisle they separated - with Andrew giving a last glance to his mother as she turned right. After the first hymn, Charles, who was sat next to her mother, could be seen leaning over to speak to the Queen seated next to him - but it is not clear what was said. The Queen then delved into her black Launer handbag for her glasses to read the order of service. After the 40 minute service, Her Majesty was escorted out of the abbey by the Duke of York. As the monarch stopped to greet Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award holder Doyin Sonibare, Andrew stood back and at one point broke into a smile. The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall were the first to leave Westminster Abbey alongside the abbey's chapter. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge followed. All four royals waved at the crowd outside as they were driven away in black cars. Advertisement An emotional Princesses Beatrice covered her face with her hymn sheet as she wept while watching Prince Andrew walk the Queen to her seat during the Service of Thanksgiving in memory of her grandfather Prince Philip today. The mother-of-one, 33, was in floods of tears as her father the Duke of York accompanied the monarch down the aisle at Westminster Abbey. She could be seen peeking out at the pair from behind a service sheet, before standing mutely while others around her sang, apparently trying to hold in tears. She then could be seen reaching into her handbag for a tissue and covering her face with a service sheet to hide her face. Princess Beatrice, 33, stepped out in a burgundy dress with coordinating heels and a black coat, alongside her polished husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, 38. It's been a difficult period for Beatrice, who royal commentators have previously said has been 'devastated' by accusations by Virginia Roberts that the Duke of York sexually assaulted her. Beatrice and her mother Sarah Ferguson were said to have been among the key figures pressing Andrew to go ahead with the disastrous BBC interview in November 2019 about his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein. Princesses Beatrice wept today as she attended the Service of Thanksgiving in memory of their grandfather Prince Philip today The mother-of-one, 33, was in floods of tears as the event began, reaching into her handbag for a tissue and at one stage covering her face with a service sheet to hide her tea Princess Eugenie appeared concerned for her sister and could be seen glancing over as the service began earlier today (pictured) The moment which left Beatrice in tears: The Queen held onto Andrew's elbow with her left hand and had a walking stick in her right at Westminster Abbey today The mother-of-one appeared to be wearing minimal makeup but wore her hair in loose curls for understated glamour. She appeared visibly emotional as she stood beside Eugenie during the service and was seen covering her face with the order of service booklet. Beatrice and Andrew are thought to have met Newsnight presenter Emily Maitlis and the programme's deputy editor Stewart Maclean at Buckingham Palace three days before filming to discuss the scope of the interview. But the Princess, with the benefit of hindsight, was left mortified that she did not do more to stop the interview going ahead - and it also left her and younger sister Eugenie in a difficult position as members of the Royal Family. One of the most infamous moments of the interview, which saw Andrew deny sleeping with then 17-year-old Virginia Giuffre, included how had spent the day in question with Beatrice at a Pizza Express in Woking. After Prince Andrew walked the Queen to her seat, Princess Beatrice could be seen brushing a tear away from her eyes (pictured) While others appeared to be singing around her, Beatrice appeared to be looking up into the roof of the building as she tried to stop the tears Writing in The Telegraph, royal commentator Camilla Tominey said Princess Beatrice and her sister Eugenie were 'devastated' by the accusations against their father. According to one family friend: 'It's been very difficult for them. I don't think anyone has ever properly appreciated how hard it is for any child to have that level of scrutiny and exposure. But they have their own children now, so the family unit is more dispersed than it was.' Prince Andrew today returned to the royal fold after travelling to Westminster Abbey with his mother the Queen before accompanying her down the aisle. Royal commentators said the surprise move was the 95-year-old monarch's way of 'very clearly stating that he has a role at family occasions' and that 'many people will now accept the Queen's word and judgment'. Princess Eugenie looked sombre as she joined the congregation in singing as part of the tribute to her grandfather Prince Philip and the Queen were among the limited number of guests who attended Princess Beatrice's lockdown wedding to her husband Edoardo The Duke of York had a front row seat at the service, sitting close to his other siblings, with his daughters Princess Eugenie and Princess also in attendance but there was no sign of his ex-wife Sarah, Duchess of York. The Queen's decision to have Andrew accompany her comes despite him paying up to 12million earlier this month to settle a US civil sexual assault case and it will be seen as a major signal of support to her second son. Princess Eugenie, 32, who was comforted by husband Jack Brooksbank, 35, cut a stylish figure in a floral midi dress by British fashion designer Erdem worth 1,695. She teamed the look with a cropped black jacket and matching headband that swept her hair off her face. Meanwhile, Eugenie stood on the other side of their cousin with a sombre expression as she attempted to join the congregation with singing. They sat behind the Queen, Prince Charles, Duchess of Cornwall and Prince Anne at the service that was packed with European royals among attendees. Princess Eugenie,32, and husband Jack Brooksbank , 35, arrived at the Service of Thanksgiving in memory of Prince Philip alongside Princess Beatrice, 33, and husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, 38 Princess Beatrice looked stylish in a burgundy dress and coordinating heels, alongside her dapper husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, 38, as they entered Westminster Abbey Princess Beatrice teamed Nonoo Lyons 'Beatrice' coat with a dress from The Kooples, Gianvito Rossi 'Lorraine' pumps and a 'Mildred' hat from Justine-Bradley-Hill Millinery Princess Eugenie cut a stylish figure in a floral midi dress by British fashion designer Erdem worth 1,695 as she followed behind her sister Prince Philip, who was seen as the patriarch of the family, showed support for his granddaughters by attending both of their weddings. Despite having officially retired in August 2017, he made a rare public appearance at Beatrice's wedding to Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi in 2020. Eugenie was gifted artwork of flowers that Prince Philip had spent time painting when she married Jack Brooksbank two years earlier. The couple showed their gratitude to him when they welcomed their son in February 2021 at London's Portland Hospital. Princess Beatrice opted for unstated glamour with her hair styled in loose curls and a pink lipstick to compliment her subtle makeup Princess Eugenie appeared visibly emotional while entering the service of thanksgiving at Westminster alongside her sister Princess Beatrice and husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi arrived to the packed service that had European royals among attendees Princess Beatrice smiled while entering the memorial supported by her sister and husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi appeared to be comforting wife Beatrice before they entered Westminster Abbey Eugenie explained that the name August Philip Hawke Brooksbank was chosen as a tribute to Queen Victoria's Husband Prince Albert, whose birth name was Franz Albert August Karl Emanuel, as well as Prince Philip, who at the time was in hospital. Over the years Prince Philip has been a mentor for the younger royals, with Princess Eugenie describing him as 'the rock' of the family in the 2016 ITV documentary Our Queen at Ninety. Beatrice added that she felt 'very lucky' to have created many memories with her grandfather. In a virtual event shortly before his death, she revealed his influence on her life, saying: 'One of the things that I've always been inspired by is keeping your curiosity and don't be afraid to un-think and un-learn. Prince Philip appeared in good spirits alongside the Queen when they attended Prince Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank's wedding in 2018 (pictured) 'But also don't feel like you have to have all the answers yourself, one of the things that has always helped me, and this actually is inspired by my grandfather, whose turning 100 this year, but you kind of become obsessed with solving the problem, don't become obsessed with the solution. 'Because your route to actually finding a way to get through that problem will be different and the path will be different, and it might twist and turn. 'So don't be disheartened if your first path is not the one you think you have to stick to. Keep focusing on what you're trying to achieve and you'll get there.' Unfortunately Prince Philip didn't have the opportunity to meet Beatrice's daughter Sienna Elizabeth Mapelli Mozzi, who was born in September 2021. Sienna is the Queen's 12th great-grandchild and currently 11th in line to the throne, followed by Princess Eugenie. Princess Eugenie and Princess Beatrice have often been spotted alongside their grandfather at family gatherings. Pictured: Philip with his granddaughters at Epsom Racecourse Beatrice and Eugenie have been all smiles in photos taken alongside Prince Philip throughout the years -including Trooping The Colour and the Queen's Diamond Jubilee celebrations. The daughters of Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson were among the 30 people invited to Prince Philip's funeral at St George's Chapel in the grounds of Windsor Castle. Originally there was going to be 800 mourners from across the Duke of Edinburgh's military units, charities and associates from across the Commonwealth but the amount had to be cut due to the coronavirus restrictions in place across England. Beatrice and Eugenie traveled by car to St George's Chapel, accompanied by their husbands, while their father Prince Andrew joined the procession of senior royals walking behind the Duke of Edinburgh's coffin. Beatrice and Eugenie were joined by their husbands at Prince Philip's funeral at St George's Chapel, Windsor in April 2021 Beatrice donned a long collared jacket and a round hat embellished with a large black bow. Meanwhile, younger sister Eugenie stepped out with her brunette tresses in a natural wave across her shoulders and donned a 5,690 Franz Knotted Trench coat, by Gabriela Hearst. She and husband Jack stood nearby Princess Beatrice and her husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi inside the chapel, alongside their teary cousin Zara Tindall and her husband Mike, with all the pairs following social distancing guidelines. Eugenie took to Instagram to share a tribute to her grandfather ahead of the service. The mother-of-one said that she 'would remember learning how to cook, how to paint, what to read' as well as her grandfather's 'favourite beer' and BBQing ability. Princess Eugenie has used social media to pay multiple tributes to her grandfather since his death. Pictured: Eugenie and Lady Louise Windsor with Prince Philip Eugenie wrote: 'Dearest Grandpa, we all miss you. You would be so touched by all the tributes that have been shared with me the past few days. 'People remember sitting next to you at a dinner, or shaking your hand once, who remember you saying hello in passing, or remember how much their DofE award meant to them. 'I remember learning how to cook, how to paint, what to read. I remember laughing at your jokes and asking about your spectacular life and service in the navy. 'I remember incinerating the sausages and you swooping in to save the day. 'I remember your hands and your laugh and your favourite beer. 'I will remember you in your children, your grandchildren and great grandchildren. Princess Eugenie shared a photo of herself as a child alongside Prince Philip (pictured), promising to look after her grandmother the Queen 'Thank you for your dedication and love for us all and especially Granny, who we will look after for you. ' She signed off: 'With all my love, Eugenie.' The royal shared two images alongside the emotional post, including one alongside sister Princess Beatrice on The Royal Balcony At The Investec Derby Festival At Epsom In Surrey in 2017. She took to social media to mark what would've been his 100th birthday two months later, writing candidly: 'Thinking of Grandpa on what would have been his 100th birthday.' Queen sheds a tear for beloved Philip: Emotional monarch wears green in tribute to late husband at Westminster Abbey memorial attended by Kate, Wills, Charles and Camilla... a year after sitting alone at his funeral at height of the pandemic The Queen shed a tear for Prince Philip at an extraordinary service in remembrance of his remarkable life of service to Britain and his wife today. Her Majesty stood in Westminster Abbey where she had personally ensured her beloved husband's final wishes were fulfilled after his covid-hit funeral left her sat alone without the rousing hymns and guests he loved so much. The 95-year-old monarch used a stick as she was walked to her seat by her disgraced son the Duke of York to give her 'strength and stay' Philip the final farewell he had wanted. The service was attended by the Royal Family and his relatives, friends and people who benefitted from his charities. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were the only senior royals not there. Despite battling mobility problems, she stood to pray and sing anthems during a 40-minute service that her husband of 73 years had helped plan for before his death last April. But in a controversial decision she chose Prince Andrew to support her as she arrived and left the church, clutching his elbow with one hand and a walking stick with the other. The Queen had stood with tears in her eyes as the 1,800-strong congregation sang Guide Me O Thou Great Redeemer before the bells of Westminster Abbey rang out to mark the end of the memorial service for the Duke of Edinburgh. After she leant on Andrew as she walked back out of the church, the Queen appeared to grimace as she walked to the car hunched over with the Duke of York at her side guiding her towards the Bentley. She appeared to be holding tightly to her stick and appeared to be making a great effort to get to the vehicle, concentrating very hard in taking each step. Once inside the car she appeared to be back to her normal composed self as the car slowly drove away. She waved to onlookers as she arrived and left the service. The Queen and the packed abbey had listened as the Dean of Windsor paid tribute to Philip's intellect, work ethic, sense of humour and devotion to his family. The Right Reverend David Conner described the duke as a 'remarkable man' who was committed to 'a host of down-to-earth enterprises'. He pointed out that the duke could be 'abrupt', and suggested that at times he could forget 'just how intimidating he could be'. Princess Beatrice was seen to give a small chuckle as the Dean remarked: 'He could be somewhat sharp in pricking what he thought to be bubbles of pomposity or sycophancy.' But then appeared to break down in tears, covering her face with the order of service. The Queen, the Duchess of Cornwall and the Princess Royal were all dressed in dark green in a subtle tribute to Philip, whose livery colour was Edinburgh Green. A number of others throughout the congregation also wore the shade, including Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award holder Doyin Sonibare who delivered a special tribute about the effect Philip's youth scheme had on her life. Flowers at today's service are a patriotic red, white and blue, at Her Majesty's request. They included dendrobium orchids, which also featured in the Queen's wedding bouquet, and eryngium - or sea holly - echoing the duke's career in the Royal Navy and lifelong affection for the sea. There were also multiple tributes to his intellect, work ethic, sense of humour and devotion to his family and his country. The Queen stood and shed a tear for her husband today at an extraordinary service in remembrance of his life The Queen closed her eyes in prayer as she joined senior royals to pay tribute to Prince Philip at his memorial at Westminster Abbey. When she opened her eyes they appeared moist Her Majesty stands to sing surrounded by her family with the Duke of York also on the front row.From left to right, front row: Queen Elizabeth II, the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall, the Princess Royal, Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence, the Duke of York, The Earl of Wessex, the Countess of Wessex, Lady Louise Mountbatten-Windsor and Viscount Severn. (Second row left to right) The Duke of Cambridge, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, the Duchess of Cambridge, Peter Phillips, Isla Phillips, Savannah Phillips, Mia Tindall, Zara Tindall and Mike Tindall Princess Beatrice was overwhelmed by the service. Stood behind the Queen she cried and covered her face with the order of service as her grandmother removed her glasses Her Majesty walked with the help of a stick but stood without support sat next to Charles, Camilla, Anne and her husband Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence. Across the aisle was Prince Andrew Prince Andrew travelled with the Queen to Westminster Abbey and appeared to escort her to her seat before taking his own Prince Andrew was sat next to Prince Edward and Sophie Wessex during today's memorial service at Westminster Abbey Queen Elizabeth II is helped into her car by her son Prince Andrew, right, after attending a Service of Thanksgiving for the life of Prince Philip She spoke to her son inside the car and waved to the crowds outside the service in London, which ended this afternoon The Queen as she left Westminster Abbey in her Rolls-Royce today, wearing a regal purple and golden brooch Prince Andrew, Duke of York, who last month agreed to settle his sex assault lawsuit, left the service in a car with his mother the Queen A sombre Prince Charles leaves the church with his wife Camilla, who also looked moved by the celebration of Prince Philip's life Charles was seen wiping his eyes at the service where he could say goodbye to his father after a pared back funeral last year. Prince Andrew looked serious as he waited to leave with his mother Prince William rests a hand on the back of his son Prince George, at the end of the memorial service for Prince Philip The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge left the Abbey with two of their children, Prince George and Princess Charlotte The Cambridges departing the Service of Thanksgiving for the Duke of Edinburgh at Westminster Abbey The Duchess of Cambridge smiled out of the window of her car as she left the Abbey with Prince William after the service The Queen sits alone at Philip's pared-down funeral last April - in stark contrast to today's celebration. It was one of the defining photos of the pandemic, where many Britons were forced to mourn their loved ones in small ceremonies, sometimes alone Queen, Camilla and Anne all wear green for their beloved Prince Philip It was a touching tribute to a much-missed Duke of Edinburgh as the Queen and senior royal women stepped out in Edinburgh Green for Philip's memorial service. All wearing the same shade, the monarch, the Duchess of Cornwall and the Princess Royal sat in the front row of royal seats in Westminster Abbey, united in remembrance of Philip. The duke's official dark green livery colour was known as Edinburgh Green. It was used for his staff liveries - the duke's page at the coronation wore dark green and silver - and private cars. The monarch's brooch was another nod to her late husband of more than 70 years. She chose her yellow gold, ruby and diamond scarab brooch, designed by Andrew Grima, which was a personal gift from Philip in 1966. Camilla wore her Rifles brooch in recognition of the moment when her father-in-law handed over his role as colonel-in-chief of the regiment to her in 2020. Others in the congregation also wore dark green, including Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award holder Doyin Sonibare, who delivered a special tribute about the effect Philip's youth scheme had on her life. The Duchess of Cambridge opted for a high-necked black dress with white polka dots and a textured wide-brimmed black hat. Advertisement Her Majesty had arrived at the side door of the church, allowing her to walk a shorter distance from Poets' Corner to the front where she was surrounded by her children and grandchildren. She stood at various points in the service, despite her own admission recently that she is struggling to move. Westminster Abbey was completely packed today to celebrate the 99-year life of Prince Philip as Her Majesty battled mobility issues and fought off covid to be there to say goodbye to her husband after 73 years of marriage. The event, attended by most of the Duke of Edinburgh's family and many of Europe's most senior royals, is in the starkest of contrasts to his pared back funeral at Windsor last April when Her Majesty said goodbye to her strength and stay after 73 years of marriage. The Queen finally decided to attend today's service in Central London around two hours before but the coverage of the Service of Thanksgiving was dominated by her extraordinary decision to travel with her disgraced son Prince Andrew from Windsor Castle to Central London. Her Majesty was determined to be amongst the 1,800 guests despite the 95-year-old's mobility problems that have prevented her doing a major public engagement away from Windsor Castle in nearly six months. The Tindalls were the first close family to arrive, followed Princess Anne, the Wessexes, Prince Charles and his wife Camilla and then the Cambridges, who were with their children George and Charlotte. The Queen was the last to arrive with Andrew. It was a move that royal watchers believe may have upset her son Prince Charles and grandson Prince William both instrumental in the decision to take away the Duke of York's 'HRH'. The Queen chose her second son to join her in the back of her royal car for the 22-mile journey and he was also given a front row in the church, right next to his other siblings at the service just weeks after he paid millions to one of Jeffrey Epstein's sex slaves, Virginia Roberts Giuffre, who accused him of having sex with her three times when she was trafficked to London aged 17. The Queen's state limousine arrived at Poets' Yard entrance with Andrew sat beside her. As they walked through the famous section of the abbey towards her seat, in a small procession, the monarch held onto her son's elbow with her left hand and had a walking stick in her right. They walked at a slow but steady pace both looking ahead, and at the end of the aisle they separated - with Andrew giving a last glance to his mother as she turned right. After the first hymn, Charles, who was sat next to her mother, could be seen leaning over to speak to the Queen seated next to him - but it is not clear what was said. The Queen then delved into her black Launer handbag for her glasses to read the order of service. After the 40 minute service, Her Majesty was escorted out of the abbey by the Duke of York. As the monarch stopped to greet Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award holder Doyin Sonibare, Andrew stood back and at one point broke into a smile. The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall were the first to leave Westminster Abbey alongside the abbey's chapter. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge followed. All four royals waved at the crowd outside as they were driven away in black cars. Despite her frailty, Queen Elizabeth II stands during a Service of Thanksgiving for the life of the Duke of Edinburgh, at Westminster Abbey today The congregation takes its place ahead of the service. The Queen made the final decision to attend this morning, hours before she was due to travel the 22 miles from Windsor Castle to Central London. She held Andrew's elbow The royal family paying an emotional tribute to Prince Philip at today's service at Westminster Abbey Her Majesty listens to the various eulogies to her husband at the Service of Remembrance held almost a year after his funeral The Queen, 95, fought frailty to be in the church with her family at an event she had helped plan for her husband The Queen stands for the first hymn at the service in remembrance of her beloved husband Prince Philip Prince Andrew walked his mother up the aisle after she arrived via a side door rather than the main entrance to shorten the distance The Queen has been 'actively involved' in plans for the service 'with many elements reflecting Her Majesty's wishes' Prince Andrew was sat next to Prince Edward and Sophie Wessex during today's memorial service at Westminster Abbey The royals, led by the Queen despite her recent health issues, join the congregation in singing hymns during today's service The royals ahead of the service: In the front row are The Queen, Prince Charles, Camilla, Princess Anne and Timothy Laurence. The Cambridges are in the second row while Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, along with their husbands, are among the royals in the third row She left as she arrived, being supported by her son Andrew - reputedly her favourite The Queen remained seated during the service with aides taking special measures to ensure her comfort after recent heath issues Princess Charlotte and Prince George sit with the mother the Duchess of Cambridge during today's service at Westminster Abbey Prince Charles and Camilla were greeted by clergy as they arrived ahead of today's service of celebration for Prince Philip A serious looking Prince William sits down next to his wife, George and Charlotte to say goodbye to his grandfather The Queen sat beside Andrew, the royal who lost his HRH just weeks ago over his links to Epstein and civil case Crowds piled outside Westminster Abbey to pay tribute to Prince Philip as the service in his memorial continued Thousands of supporters gathered outside the Service Of Thanksgiving For The Duke of Edinburgh at Westminster Abbey Today the monarch ensured that her beloved husband's final wishes are fulfilled after his Covid-hit funeral left her sat alone without the rousing hymns and guests he loved so much. Her Majesty has been 'actively involved' in every element of his service of thanksgiving that will see Westminster Abbey packed to the rafters. Even the smallest of touches have been overseen by the Queen, including the use of orchids that formed part of her 1947 wedding bouquet being used in small posies of flowers. Prince Philip's beloved Sea Cadets and young people who have taken his Duke of Edinburgh awards are centre stage at the service that will see the Abbey reverberate with the sound of hymns including Guide me, O thou great Redeemer. All Prince Philip's family chose to attend apart from Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. On Prince Andrew's left is his brother the Earl of Wessex and Edward's family the Countess of Wessex and their children Lady Louise Windsor and James, Viscount Severn. Across an aisle on his right is the Princess Royal, her husband Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence, the Duchess of Cornwall, Prince of Wales and the Queen. Prince George and Princess Charlotte also attended with the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, and be sat behind the Queen. Behind Andrew and Edward's family were Peter Phillips, and Zara and Mike Tindall and their daughters. The Duke of Edinburgh's intellect, work ethic, sense of humour and devotion to his family were celebrated in an address by the Dean of Windsor. The Right Reverend David Conner paid tribute to Philip as a 'remarkable man' who was committed to 'a host of down-to-earth enterprises'. He pointed out that the duke could be 'abrupt' and suggested that at times he could forget 'just how intimidating he could be'. Addressing the congregation in Westminster Abbey, Mr Conner said: 'He was practical, wanting to put flesh upon his dreams, and (acknowledging the limitations of living in this so-called 'real world') he devoted his astonishing intellectual and physical energy, his enormous capacity for sheer hard work, to a host of down-to-earth enterprises. 'These included the equipping of young people to face tomorrow's challenges, the encouragement of respect and care for the natural order, and his pioneering work in facilitating conversation between representatives of the different world faiths. 'Through his passionate commitment, he drew others to himself in admiration and respect and, in the case of those who lived and worked most closely to him, genuine love.' Mr Conner added: 'He would hate to think that I should paint a picture of him as a 'plaster saint'; someone without the usual human foibles and failings. 'He was far too self-aware ever to be taken in by flattery. Of course, it must be said that his life bore the marks of sacrifice and service. 'Certainly, he could show great sympathy and kindness. There is no doubt that he had a delightfully engaging, and often self-deprecating, sense of humour. 'It is quite clear that his mind held together both speculation and common sense. Moreover, nobody would ever doubt his loyalty and deep devotion to our Queen and to their family. 'Yet, there were times when he could be abrupt; maybe, in robust conversation, forgetting just how intimidating he could be. 'A kind of natural reserve sometimes made him seem a little distant. He could be somewhat sharp in pricking what he thought to be bubbles of pomposity or sycophancy. 'On the other hand, we should not forget that he himself was sometimes wounded by being unfairly criticised or misunderstood.' Concluding his address, the dean said: 'As we give thanks for the life of a remarkable man, perhaps our greatest tribute to him, most especially in these far too troubled times, will be for us to accept the challenge, implicit in his life, to rekindle in our hearts something of that call, and to pray (as I think he did) for the inspiration and the guidance to play our part, however small, in working for a kinder future. Queen Elizabeth II is driven in to attend a Service of Thanksgiving for the life of Prince Philip at Westminster Abbey The Cambridges arrived at the church hand in hand with their children Charlotte and George. Louis stayed at home The Duchess of Cambridge and Princess Charlotte arrive at today's service of Thanksgiving for the life of Prince Philip Charles shook hands with the clergy as they entered the church just before Midday Prime Minister Boris Johnson attends the Thanksgiving service for the Duke Of Edinburgh at Westminster Abbey today Princess Eugenie (left) and Princess Beatrice (right) pictured arriving at a service of thanksgiving for late Prince Philip Princess Eugenie and Princess Beatrice arriving at the poignant Service of Thanksgiving for the life of Prince Philip Peter Phillips with Isla Phillips and Savannah Phillips (right) arriving for a Service of Thanksgiving for the life of the Duke of Edinburgh Timothy Laurence and Anne, Princess Royal, arriving ahead of the Service of Thanksgiving for the life of Prince Philip Princess Royal arriving for a Service of Thanksgiving for the life of the Duke of Edinburgh and greeting Duke of Edinburgh award recipients Prince Charles and his wife Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, arrive at Westminster Abbey Prince Andrew (left) leaves Windsor Castle with the Queen (right) today ahead of the service to remember Prince Philip The Queen leaves Windsor Castle to travel to Westminster Abbey this morning, with her son Prince Andrew sat on her right While the Queen's arrival at Westminster Abbey was mentioned in the order of service, a final decision on her attendance was only confirmed two hours before because of her frailty. The Princess Royal arrived at Westminster Abbey. Wearing a long green dress and hat, Anne arrived alongside her husband, Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence. Peter Phillips' children Savannah and Isla were sitting next to their cousin Mia, daughter of Zara and Mike Tindall. The girls were dressed in navy with their hair fixed back with headbands. Once inside Westminster Abbey, guests were escorted to their seats, with Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie and their husbands smiling at members of the Abbey's chapter, or governing body, standing by the great West Door, as they walked in. The Earl and Countess of Wessex and their children also smiled warmly at the welcoming clergy. Sophie, Countess of Wessex, and her daughter, Lady Louise, smiled and chatted to each other after taking their seats in the Abbey. The Duke's family ahead of the service: In the second row is Peter Philips with daughters Savannah and Isla. Next to them is Mia Tindall with parents Zara Philips and Mike Tindall. In the front row are Prince Edward and Sophie Wessex with children Lady Louise and James, Viscount Severn The Cambridges arrived shortly after Prince Charles and Camilla ahead of today's memorial service for Prince Philip at Westminster Abbey Kate Middleton arrives at Westminster Abbey for the memorial service to Prince Philip today. She was joined by Prince William and her children George and Charlotte The Tindalls were the first senior British royals to arrive, holding one of their daughter Mia's hands Lady Louise Windsor arriving at the Westminster Abbey service for Prince Philip today. The Service will pay tribute to the Duke of Edinburgh's contribution to public life and steadfast support for the over 700 charitable organisations Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex attends the Thanksgiving service for the Duke of Edinburgh at Westminster Abbey today Peter Phillips attended the service with his children Savannah and Isla Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi and Princess Beatrice file into the main church Prince Michael of Kent and Princess Michael of Kent attend the memorial service for the Duke Of Edinburgh at Westminster Abbey The Queen leaves Windsor Castle in a car this morning with her disgraced son Prince Andrew to travel to London Prince Andrew (left) leaves Windsor Castle with the Queen (right) this morning ahead of the service of thanksgiving for Philip Lady Susan Hussey, the Queen's lady-in-waiting, arrives with her foot in a brace and on crutches at Westminster Abbey today Penelope Knatchbull, Countess Mountbatten of Burma arrives at Westminster Abbey for the service this morning Metropolitan Police Commissioner Dame Cressida Dick (left) and Formula One driver Sir Jackie Stewart (right) arrive today Foreign Secretary Liz Truss (left) and Home Secretary Priti Patel (right) arrive at Westminster Abbey this morning Guests walk into Westminster Abbey and take their seats ahead of this morning's service to remember Prince Philip Chancellor Rishi Sunak (left) and Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon (right) at Westminster Abbey today Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer (left) and Professor Chris Whitty, Chief Medical Officer for England (right), arrive this morning Guests arrive for Prince Philip's memorial service at Westminster Abbey in London this morning Guests arrive for Prince Philip's memorial service at Westminster Abbey in London this morning Members of the congregation queue at Westminster Abbey today ahead of the service of thanksgiving for the life of Philip Guests arrive to attend the service of thanksgiving for the life of the Duke of Edinburgh at Westminster Abbey this morning Earlier today, royal commentator Robert Jobson, author of Prince Philip's Century, told GB News: 'I think that Prince Andrew may play a more prominent role than we think earlier on. My understanding is that someone has to support the Queen and he may well be by her side. I think Charles will probably be with Camilla.' Overnight, royal aides revealed the Queen has been 'actively involved' in plans for the service 'with many elements reflecting Her Majesty's wishes' as the order of service was unveiled at midnight. It includes several elements the Duke had planned for his funeral at St George's Chapel in Windsor Castle in April last year but which were forbidden by Covid restrictions at the time. Among them is the involvement of Duke of Edinburgh (DofE) gold award winners and Sea Cadets, his expressed wish for the congregation to sing the rousing hymn Guide Me, O Thou Great Redeemer, and for clergy from the royal estates of Windsor, Sandringham and Balmoral to play a special part. His funeral at St George's Chapel in Windsor was limited to just 30 mourners in the midst of the pandemic and mass singing was banned, with the Queen sitting alone in a mask. Around 1,800 guests are due at today's service, including British and European royalty, representatives of the many charities of which the duke was patron or president, Boris and Carrie Johnson, and Sir David Attenborough. Prince Harry faces 'lifetime of regret' for missing memorial to his beloved grandfather Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle could 'regret' not attending the memorial service for his grandfather Prince Philip at Westminster Abbey today - and the Queen is likely to be 'very upset' but cannot change his mind, royal experts say. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are expected to remain at home in Montecito, California, while the rest of the Royal Family gather in London for the poignant event. Harry last returned to the UK eight months ago to unveil the statue of his late mother Diana, Princess of Wales in London on July 1 with his brother Prince William. The Duke - one of the Queen and Philip's eight grandchildren is the only top-level royal not attending today's service which was organised by the monarch. Royal author Phil Dampier told MailOnline: 'It's very sad that Harry and Meghan won't be at Prince Philip's memorial service and I think one day Harry might regret it. He has said that he doesn't feel safe without Scotland Yard security but to me that sounds like an excuse not to come back to the UK and indicates the rift with his blood family is still bad. 'Harry was always very fond of his grandfather and was deeply honoured when he took over from him as Captain General of the Royal Marines, but sadly that didn't last long. The pair attended some Remembrance Day events together and there was always a rapport between them, both being serving military men who had seen active service.' Mr Dampier said that Harry 'loved' Philip's sense of humour and praised him in interviews, adding that this makes his non-attendance 'all the more mystifying and strange'. Advertisement But the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are not returning from the US for the service. While the Queen's arrival was mentioned in the order of service, it is understood that a final decision on her attendance was not made until first thing this morning. She has recently been forced to pull out of a string of engagements because of ill health and old age. She was unable to attend the Commonwealth Day service this month because of concerns about her mobility and comfort. Palace and Abbey aides are thought to have taken steps to ensure that the service is less taxing for the Queen. Instead of arriving at the usual West Entrance to the Abbey, which would involve steps and a long walk down the Nave in front of the cameras, the Queen could be driven around the side of the building and enter away from public view via the 'Poet's Entrance'. She would then have a far shorter walk down the South Transept to her seat. It is likely she would walk with the aid of a stick. The service will gave thanks for the duke's dedication to family, nation and Commonwealth and recognise the importance of his legacy in creating opportunities for young people, promoting conservation, and supporting the Armed Forces. One of the elements planned for the funeral which has now been included in the service will see nine Gold Award holders from The Duke of Edinburgh's Award, plus representatives from UK Cadet Force Associations, line entry routes into Westminster Abbey. Philip, who died in April last year aged 99, launched the DofE Award in 1956 and was Colonel-in-Chief of the Army Cadet Force, a role he first took up in 1953. A tenth DofE gold award holder, Doyin Sonibare, 28, from London, will give a tribute to His Royal Highness's legacy, recognising the impact of the Award on young people across the globe. The Very Reverend Dr David Hoyle, Dean of Westminster, will conduct the service and describe the duke in the Bidding as 'a man of rare ability and distinction' who 'ever directed our attention away from himself.' He will say: 'He put privilege to work and understood his rank as a spur to service. Working at pace, with so many claims on his attention, he encouraged us to focus, as he was focussed, on the things that matter. 'His was a discipline and character that seized opportunity and overcame obstruction and difficulty. We recall, with affection and respect, the sustained offering of a long life lived fully.' Royal fans watch out for guests at the service to remember the late Duke of Edinburgh at Westminster Abbey this morning Royal fans stand next to barriers at Westminster Abbey today ahead of the service to pay tribute to the Duke of Edinburgh Guests begin to arrive for the service of thanksgiving for the life of the Duke of Edinburgh at Westminster Abbey this morning Television broadcasting staff gather outside Westminster Abbey this morning ahead of Prince Philip's memorial service Royal fans stand next to barriers at Westminster Abbey today ahead of the service to pay tribute to the Duke of Edinburgh Royal superfan John Loughrey, from Stretham in Cambridgeshire, stands outside Westminster Abbey this morning Another royal superfan stands outside Westminster Abbey ahead of the memorial service for Philip this morning Police officers walk past Westminster Abbey this morning before the service for the late Duke of Edinburgh Workers put up barriers outside Westminster Abbey today ahead of the service for Prince Philip Royal fans wait outside Westminster Abbey this morning ahead of the service for the late Duke of Edinburgh It was the duke's expressed wish that clergy from Windsor, Sandringham and Balmoral - known as The Queen's domestic chaplains - played a part in his funeral service, but this was not possible due to the Covid restrictions. Today the Reverend Kenneth MacKenzie Minister of Crathie Church, the regular place of worship of the British royal family when they are in residence at nearby Balmoral Castle, the Reverend Canon Jonathan Riviere, the Rector of Sandringham, and the Reverend Canon Martin Poll, Chaplain to the Royal Chapel of All Saints, Windsor Great Park, will offer prayers recognising Philip's energy, spirit of adventure and 'good stewardship of the environment'. The service will also be attended by around 30 foreign royals, including Prince Albert of Monaco, Denmark's Queen Margrethe, King Harald and Queen Sonja of Norway, and Spain's King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia. Queen Elizabeth II takes her seat during the funeral of Prince Philip at St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle on April 17, 2021 The Queen and Prince Philip revisit Broadlands, to mark their Diamond Wedding Anniversary on November 20, 2007 The Queen and Philip were married in the Abbey in November 1947 and it holds many special memories. Flowers at today's service will be red, white and blue. They will include dendrobium orchids, which also featured in the Queen's wedding bouquet, and eryngium - or sea holly - echoing the duke's career in the Royal Navy and lifelong affection for the sea. The Queen attended the opening of the Welsh Parliament on October 14 last year. Since then she has conducted engagements at Windsor Castle, where she is now based, and visited Sandringham in February. Advertisement The Queen joined Princess Anne and the Duchess of Cornwall in wearing dark green as a tribute to the Duke of Edinburgh earlier today. The monarch, 95, Camilla and the Princess Royal were all dressed in the tone as they attended the memorial service at Westminster Abbey earlier this morning, as a subtle tribute to Philip, whose livery colour was Edinburgh Green. A number of others throughout the congregation also wore the shade, including Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award holder Doyin Sonibare who delivered a special tribute about the effect Philip's youth scheme had on her life. According to the royal family's website: 'The Duke of Edinburgh's official livery colour is dark green, known as 'Edinburgh Green'. 'It has been used for staff liveries - the Duke of Edinburgh's page at the Coronation wore dark green and silver - and private cars.' Meanwhile other royals attending, including the Duchess of Cambridge, 40, the Countess of Wessex and Zara Tindall, opted for navy tones for the event. As a celebration of life, royals were not expected to wear traditional black formal wear for the event. Members of the royal family today donned navy and emerald tones as they stepped out to pay tribute to the Duke of Edinburgh at Westminster Abbey The monarch, 95, and the Princess Royal dressed in the tone as they attended the memorial service at Westminster Abbey earlier this morning, as a subtle tribute to Philip, whose livery colour was Edinburgh Green Meanwhile other royals attending, including the Countess of Wessex (pictured) opted for navy tones for the event Members of the royal family including Zara Tindall (left) and Lady Gabriella Windsor (right) opted for smart blue tones for the memorial service today Queen Letizia of Spain also opted for green, appearing elegant in an emerald green coat dress and matching hat as she arrived alongside her husband for the service The duke's official dark green livery colour was known as Edinburgh Green. It was used for his staff liveries - the duke's page at the coronation wore dark green and silver - and private cars. The monarch opted for a dark green coat dress for the occasion, which she paired with a matching hat and black accessories. Meanwhile the Duchess of Cornwall cut an elegant figure in an emerald green dress coat as she arrived for the late Duke of Edinburgh's service today. The royal wore a deep green dress coat and black hat adorned with an emerald feather. She donned black leather gloves and accesorised with a black clutch bag. The duke's official dark green livery colour was known as Edinburgh Green. It was used for his staff liveries - the duke's page at the coronation wore dark green and silver - and private cars (pictured, the Queen, Camilla and Princess Anne in green) The Duchess of Cornwall (left) and the Princess Royal (right) both wore emerald tones to the memorial service at Westminster Abbey this morning As crowds of royal fans buzzed around the Abbey this morning, the Spanish royal couple made a grand entrance after travelling to London for Philip's memorial service While Queen Letizia opted for emerald tones (pictured left), Queen Silvia of Sweden wore a navy ensemble (pictured right) Meanwhile Princess Beatrix of the Netherlands also opted for emerald tones for the event earlier this morning With simple drop pearl earrings, a regal-looking diamond brooch and a hat adorned with an oversized green feather, Camilla struck just the right tone with her sartorial choices. Camilla wore an her Rifles brooch in recognition of the moment when her father-in-law handed over his role as colonel-in-chief of the regiment to her in 2020. Princess Anne opted for a similar look, wearing a dark green coat dress for the outing. Others in the congregation also wore dark green, including Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award holder Doyin Sonibare, who delivered a special tribute about the effect Philip's youth scheme had on her life. Kate was elegant in navy as she joined by her husband Prince William and their eldest children Prince George and Princess Charlotte today The Duchess of Cambridge looked poised as she wore an understated polkadot Alessandra Rich gown which she paired with elegant silver droplet earrings, as she was joined by her husband for the event this morning Meanwhile both the Countess of Wessex and her daughter Lady Louise Windsor also opted for navy at the event this morning Sophie Wessex joined her husband Prince Edward and children Lady Louise Windsor and James, Viscount Severn as she arrived at the Duke of Edinburgh's memorial service today Queen Letizia of Spain also opted for green, appearing elegant in an emerald green coat dress and matching hat as she arrived alongside her husband for the service. She styled her hair in a neat bun and sported discreet accessories, with just a pair of small hoop earrings adorned with emeralds to complete the look. Yet not everybody opted for a green outfit for the memorial event earlier today, with many members of the royal family opting for stunning navy looks. Kate looked poised as she wore a 1,495 navy Alessandra Rich gown which she paired with a smart 775 hat from Lock&Co!, as she was joined by her husband for the event this morning. Lady Louise, 18, opted for a dark tea dress paired with black tights, a structured jacket and an elaborate headpiece. She teamed the outfit with a sweet heart-shaped necklace and silver brooch Zara looked poised as she wore an understated Laura Green navy coat which she paired with elegant silver earrings, as she was joined by her husband Mike for the event this morning Alessandra Rich is also one of the Duchess' favoured labels, with the royal frequently turning to the London-based designer for her royal engagements. Meanwhile the Duchess also donned Diana's Collingwood earrings for the service at Westminster Abbey today. The mother-of-three swept her brunette locks into a low bun to reveal the pearl drop earrings for the occasion. Kate regularly wears jewellery that honours her mother-in-law, including her sapphire engagement ring, which once belonged to Diana. With a keen eye for detail, Kate often references Princess Diana with her style choices. Meanwhile the Queen's granddaughter Zara Tindall looked poised as she wore an understated Laura Green navy coat which she paired with elegant silver earrings, as she was joined by her husband Mike for the event this morning. Zara accessorised with a chic Bee Smith velvet headband, a leather clutch bag and she added height to her frame in matching stilettos. And Sophie Wessex was demur in a 2950 velvet gown by Suzannah London as she joined more than 30 foreign royals, Philip's family and friends and 500 representatives from charities and organisations of which he was patron at Westminster Abbey. Lady Sarah, 56, wore a navy blue dress, cardigan and string of pearls as she arrived at Westminster Abbey Frederick Windsor's wife Sophie Winkleman also donned a smart tonal suit for the event (pictured) Sophie, 57, who has often been referred to as one of Her Majesty's favorite family members, cut an elegant figure in a dark blue, buttoned coat dress which she paired with an elegant headpiece and silver floral brooch. The mother recycled a Sophie Habsburg clutch bag and pair of 2,950 white gold, knot-shaped earrings by G.Collins and Sons. The dress, which is currently out of stock, features a circular skirt with hidden side seam pockets and a level hem with a signature silhouette taking inspiration from a vintage hunting coat. The Countess wore her blonde tresses swept up in a tidy up-do and opted for a low-key make-up look as she attended the service this morning. She teamed her understated outfit with elegant silver droplet earrings. Her daughter Lady Louise, 18, opted for a dark tea dress paired with black tights, a structured jacket and an elaborate headpiece. She teamed the outfit with a sweet heart-shaped necklace and silver brooch. Meanwhile Lady Gabriella Windsor opted for a dark blue dress with a matching coat for the occasion, while Frederick Windsor's wife Sophie Winkleman also donned a smart tonal suit for the event. Queen sheds a tear for beloved Philip: Emotional monarch wears green in tribute to late husband at Westminster Abbey memorial attended by Kate, Wills, Charles and Camilla... a year after sitting alone at his funeral at height of the pandemic The Queen shed a tear for Prince Philip at an extraordinary service in remembrance of his remarkable life of service to Britain and his wife today. Her Majesty stood in Westminster Abbey where she had personally ensured her beloved husband's final wishes were fulfilled after his covid-hit funeral left her sat alone without the rousing hymns and guests he loved so much. The 95-year-old monarch used a stick as she was walked to her seat by her disgraced son the Duke of York to give her 'strength and stay' Philip the final farewell he had wanted. The service was attended by the Royal Family and his relatives, friends and people who benefitted from his charities. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were the only senior royals not there. Despite battling mobility problems, she stood to pray and sing anthems during a 40-minute service that her husband of 73 years had helped plan for before his death last April. But in a controversial decision she chose Prince Andrew to support her as she arrived and left the church, clutching his elbow with one hand and a walking stick with the other. The Queen had stood with tears in her eyes as the 1,800-strong congregation sang Guide Me O Thou Great Redeemer before the bells of Westminster Abbey rang out to mark the end of the memorial service for the Duke of Edinburgh. After she leant on Andrew as she walked back out of the church, the Queen appeared to grimace as she walked to the car hunched over with the Duke of York at her side guiding her towards the Bentley. She appeared to be holding tightly to her stick and appeared to be making a great effort to get to the vehicle, concentrating very hard in taking each step. Once inside the car she appeared to be back to her normal composed self as the car slowly drove away. She waved to onlookers as she arrived and left the service. The Queen and the packed abbey had listened as the Dean of Windsor paid tribute to Philip's intellect, work ethic, sense of humour and devotion to his family. The Right Reverend David Conner described the duke as a 'remarkable man' who was committed to 'a host of down-to-earth enterprises'. He pointed out that the duke could be 'abrupt', and suggested that at times he could forget 'just how intimidating he could be'. Princess Beatrice was seen to give a small chuckle as the Dean remarked: 'He could be somewhat sharp in pricking what he thought to be bubbles of pomposity or sycophancy.' But then appeared to break down in tears, covering her face with the order of service. The Queen, the Duchess of Cornwall and the Princess Royal were all dressed in dark green in a subtle tribute to Philip, whose livery colour was Edinburgh Green. A number of others throughout the congregation also wore the shade, including Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award holder Doyin Sonibare who delivered a special tribute about the effect Philip's youth scheme had on her life. Flowers at today's service are a patriotic red, white and blue, at Her Majesty's request. They included dendrobium orchids, which also featured in the Queen's wedding bouquet, and eryngium - or sea holly - echoing the duke's career in the Royal Navy and lifelong affection for the sea. There were also multiple tributes to his intellect, work ethic, sense of humour and devotion to his family and his country. The Queen stood and shed a tear for her husband today at an extraordinary service in remembrance of his life The Queen closed her eyes in prayer as she joined senior royals to pay tribute to Prince Philip at his memorial at Westminster Abbey. When she opened her eyes they appeared moist Her Majesty stands to sing surrounded by her family with the Duke of York also on the front row.From left to right, front row: Queen Elizabeth II, the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall, the Princess Royal, Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence, the Duke of York, The Earl of Wessex, the Countess of Wessex, Lady Louise Mountbatten-Windsor and Viscount Severn. (Second row left to right) The Duke of Cambridge, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, the Duchess of Cambridge, Peter Phillips, Isla Phillips, Savannah Phillips, Mia Tindall, Zara Tindall and Mike Tindall Princess Beatrice was overwhelmed by the service. Stood behind the Queen she cried and covered her face with the order of service as her grandmother removed her glasses Her Majesty walked with the help of a stick but stood without support sat next to Charles, Camilla, Anne and her husband Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence. Across the aisle was Prince Andrew Prince Andrew travelled with the Queen to Westminster Abbey and appeared to escort her to her seat before taking his own Prince Andrew was sat next to Prince Edward and Sophie Wessex during today's memorial service at Westminster Abbey Queen Elizabeth II is helped into her car by her son Prince Andrew, right, after attending a Service of Thanksgiving for the life of Prince Philip She spoke to her son inside the car and waved to the crowds outside the service in London, which ended this afternoon The Queen as she left Westminster Abbey in her Rolls-Royce today, wearing a regal purple and golden brooch Prince Andrew, Duke of York, who last month agreed to settle his sex assault lawsuit, left the service in a car with his mother the Queen A sombre Prince Charles leaves the church with his wife Camilla, who also looked moved by the celebration of Prince Philip's life Charles was seen wiping his eyes at the service where he could say goodbye to his father after a pared back funeral last year. Prince Andrew looked serious as he waited to leave with his mother Prince William rests a hand on the back of his son Prince George, at the end of the memorial service for Prince Philip The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge left the Abbey with two of their children, Prince George and Princess Charlotte The Cambridges departing the Service of Thanksgiving for the Duke of Edinburgh at Westminster Abbey The Duchess of Cambridge smiled out of the window of her car as she left the Abbey with Prince William after the service The Queen sits alone at Philip's pared-down funeral last April - in stark contrast to today's celebration. It was one of the defining photos of the pandemic, where many Britons were forced to mourn their loved ones in small ceremonies, sometimes alone Queen, Camilla and Anne all wear green for their beloved Prince Philip It was a touching tribute to a much-missed Duke of Edinburgh as the Queen and senior royal women stepped out in Edinburgh Green for Philip's memorial service. All wearing the same shade, the monarch, the Duchess of Cornwall and the Princess Royal sat in the front row of royal seats in Westminster Abbey, united in remembrance of Philip. The duke's official dark green livery colour was known as Edinburgh Green. It was used for his staff liveries - the duke's page at the coronation wore dark green and silver - and private cars. The monarch's brooch was another nod to her late husband of more than 70 years. She chose her yellow gold, ruby and diamond scarab brooch, designed by Andrew Grima, which was a personal gift from Philip in 1966. Camilla wore her Rifles brooch in recognition of the moment when her father-in-law handed over his role as colonel-in-chief of the regiment to her in 2020. Others in the congregation also wore dark green, including Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award holder Doyin Sonibare, who delivered a special tribute about the effect Philip's youth scheme had on her life. The Duchess of Cambridge opted for a high-necked black dress with white polka dots and a textured wide-brimmed black hat. Advertisement Her Majesty had arrived at the side door of the church, allowing her to walk a shorter distance from Poets' Corner to the front where she was surrounded by her children and grandchildren. She stood at various points in the service, despite her own admission recently that she is struggling to move. Westminster Abbey was completely packed today to celebrate the 99-year life of Prince Philip as Her Majesty battled mobility issues and fought off covid to be there to say goodbye to her husband after 73 years of marriage. The event, attended by most of the Duke of Edinburgh's family and many of Europe's most senior royals, is in the starkest of contrasts to his pared back funeral at Windsor last April when Her Majesty said goodbye to her strength and stay after 73 years of marriage. The Queen finally decided to attend today's service in Central London around two hours before but the coverage of the Service of Thanksgiving was dominated by her extraordinary decision to travel with her disgraced son Prince Andrew from Windsor Castle to Central London. Her Majesty was determined to be amongst the 1,800 guests despite the 95-year-old's mobility problems that have prevented her doing a major public engagement away from Windsor Castle in nearly six months. The Tindalls were the first close family to arrive, followed Princess Anne, the Wessexes, Prince Charles and his wife Camilla and then the Cambridges, who were with their children George and Charlotte. The Queen was the last to arrive with Andrew. It was a move that royal watchers believe may have upset her son Prince Charles and grandson Prince William both instrumental in the decision to take away the Duke of York's 'HRH'. The Queen chose her second son to join her in the back of her royal car for the 22-mile journey and he was also given a front row in the church, right next to his other siblings at the service just weeks after he paid millions to one of Jeffrey Epstein's sex slaves, Virginia Roberts Giuffre, who accused him of having sex with her three times when she was trafficked to London aged 17. The Queen's state limousine arrived at Poets' Yard entrance with Andrew sat beside her. As they walked through the famous section of the abbey towards her seat, in a small procession, the monarch held onto her son's elbow with her left hand and had a walking stick in her right. They walked at a slow but steady pace both looking ahead, and at the end of the aisle they separated - with Andrew giving a last glance to his mother as she turned right. After the first hymn, Charles, who was sat next to her mother, could be seen leaning over to speak to the Queen seated next to him - but it is not clear what was said. The Queen then delved into her black Launer handbag for her glasses to read the order of service. After the 40 minute service, Her Majesty was escorted out of the abbey by the Duke of York. As the monarch stopped to greet Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award holder Doyin Sonibare, Andrew stood back and at one point broke into a smile. The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall were the first to leave Westminster Abbey alongside the abbey's chapter. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge followed. All four royals waved at the crowd outside as they were driven away in black cars. Despite her frailty, Queen Elizabeth II stands during a Service of Thanksgiving for the life of the Duke of Edinburgh, at Westminster Abbey today The congregation takes its place ahead of the service. The Queen made the final decision to attend this morning, hours before she was due to travel the 22 miles from Windsor Castle to Central London. She held Andrew's elbow The royal family paying an emotional tribute to Prince Philip at today's service at Westminster Abbey Her Majesty listens to the various eulogies to her husband at the Service of Remembrance held almost a year after his funeral The Queen, 95, fought frailty to be in the church with her family at an event she had helped plan for her husband The Queen stands for the first hymn at the service in remembrance of her beloved husband Prince Philip Prince Andrew walked his mother up the aisle after she arrived via a side door rather than the main entrance to shorten the distance The Queen has been 'actively involved' in plans for the service 'with many elements reflecting Her Majesty's wishes' Prince Andrew was sat next to Prince Edward and Sophie Wessex during today's memorial service at Westminster Abbey The royals, led by the Queen despite her recent health issues, join the congregation in singing hymns during today's service The royals ahead of the service: In the front row are The Queen, Prince Charles, Camilla, Princess Anne and Timothy Laurence. The Cambridges are in the second row while Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, along with their husbands, are among the royals in the third row She left as she arrived, being supported by her son Andrew - reputedly her favourite The Queen remained seated during the service with aides taking special measures to ensure her comfort after recent heath issues Princess Charlotte and Prince George sit with the mother the Duchess of Cambridge during today's service at Westminster Abbey Prince Charles and Camilla were greeted by clergy as they arrived ahead of today's service of celebration for Prince Philip A serious looking Prince William sits down next to his wife, George and Charlotte to say goodbye to his grandfather The Queen sat beside Andrew, the royal who lost his HRH just weeks ago over his links to Epstein and civil case Crowds piled outside Westminster Abbey to pay tribute to Prince Philip as the service in his memorial continued Thousands of supporters gathered outside the Service Of Thanksgiving For The Duke of Edinburgh at Westminster Abbey Today the monarch ensured that her beloved husband's final wishes are fulfilled after his Covid-hit funeral left her sat alone without the rousing hymns and guests he loved so much. Her Majesty has been 'actively involved' in every element of his service of thanksgiving that will see Westminster Abbey packed to the rafters. Even the smallest of touches have been overseen by the Queen, including the use of orchids that formed part of her 1947 wedding bouquet being used in small posies of flowers. Prince Philip's beloved Sea Cadets and young people who have taken his Duke of Edinburgh awards are centre stage at the service that will see the Abbey reverberate with the sound of hymns including Guide me, O thou great Redeemer. All Prince Philip's family chose to attend apart from Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. On Prince Andrew's left is his brother the Earl of Wessex and Edward's family the Countess of Wessex and their children Lady Louise Windsor and James, Viscount Severn. Across an aisle on his right is the Princess Royal, her husband Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence, the Duchess of Cornwall, Prince of Wales and the Queen. Prince George and Princess Charlotte also attended with the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, and be sat behind the Queen. Behind Andrew and Edward's family were Peter Phillips, and Zara and Mike Tindall and their daughters. The Duke of Edinburgh's intellect, work ethic, sense of humour and devotion to his family were celebrated in an address by the Dean of Windsor. The Right Reverend David Conner paid tribute to Philip as a 'remarkable man' who was committed to 'a host of down-to-earth enterprises'. He pointed out that the duke could be 'abrupt' and suggested that at times he could forget 'just how intimidating he could be'. Addressing the congregation in Westminster Abbey, Mr Conner said: 'He was practical, wanting to put flesh upon his dreams, and (acknowledging the limitations of living in this so-called 'real world') he devoted his astonishing intellectual and physical energy, his enormous capacity for sheer hard work, to a host of down-to-earth enterprises. 'These included the equipping of young people to face tomorrow's challenges, the encouragement of respect and care for the natural order, and his pioneering work in facilitating conversation between representatives of the different world faiths. 'Through his passionate commitment, he drew others to himself in admiration and respect and, in the case of those who lived and worked most closely to him, genuine love.' Mr Conner added: 'He would hate to think that I should paint a picture of him as a 'plaster saint'; someone without the usual human foibles and failings. 'He was far too self-aware ever to be taken in by flattery. Of course, it must be said that his life bore the marks of sacrifice and service. 'Certainly, he could show great sympathy and kindness. There is no doubt that he had a delightfully engaging, and often self-deprecating, sense of humour. 'It is quite clear that his mind held together both speculation and common sense. Moreover, nobody would ever doubt his loyalty and deep devotion to our Queen and to their family. 'Yet, there were times when he could be abrupt; maybe, in robust conversation, forgetting just how intimidating he could be. 'A kind of natural reserve sometimes made him seem a little distant. He could be somewhat sharp in pricking what he thought to be bubbles of pomposity or sycophancy. 'On the other hand, we should not forget that he himself was sometimes wounded by being unfairly criticised or misunderstood.' Concluding his address, the dean said: 'As we give thanks for the life of a remarkable man, perhaps our greatest tribute to him, most especially in these far too troubled times, will be for us to accept the challenge, implicit in his life, to rekindle in our hearts something of that call, and to pray (as I think he did) for the inspiration and the guidance to play our part, however small, in working for a kinder future. Queen Elizabeth II is driven in to attend a Service of Thanksgiving for the life of Prince Philip at Westminster Abbey The Cambridges arrived at the church hand in hand with their children Charlotte and George. Louis stayed at home The Duchess of Cambridge and Princess Charlotte arrive at today's service of Thanksgiving for the life of Prince Philip Charles shook hands with the clergy as they entered the church just before Midday Prime Minister Boris Johnson attends the Thanksgiving service for the Duke Of Edinburgh at Westminster Abbey today Princess Eugenie (left) and Princess Beatrice (right) pictured arriving at a service of thanksgiving for late Prince Philip Princess Eugenie and Princess Beatrice arriving at the poignant Service of Thanksgiving for the life of Prince Philip Peter Phillips with Isla Phillips and Savannah Phillips (right) arriving for a Service of Thanksgiving for the life of the Duke of Edinburgh Timothy Laurence and Anne, Princess Royal, arriving ahead of the Service of Thanksgiving for the life of Prince Philip Princess Royal arriving for a Service of Thanksgiving for the life of the Duke of Edinburgh and greeting Duke of Edinburgh award recipients Prince Charles and his wife Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, arrive at Westminster Abbey Prince Andrew (left) leaves Windsor Castle with the Queen (right) today ahead of the service to remember Prince Philip The Queen leaves Windsor Castle to travel to Westminster Abbey this morning, with her son Prince Andrew sat on her right While the Queen's arrival at Westminster Abbey was mentioned in the order of service, a final decision on her attendance was only confirmed two hours before because of her frailty. The Princess Royal arrived at Westminster Abbey. Wearing a long green dress and hat, Anne arrived alongside her husband, Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence. Peter Phillips' children Savannah and Isla were sitting next to their cousin Mia, daughter of Zara and Mike Tindall. The girls were dressed in navy with their hair fixed back with headbands. Once inside Westminster Abbey, guests were escorted to their seats, with Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie and their husbands smiling at members of the Abbey's chapter, or governing body, standing by the great West Door, as they walked in. The Earl and Countess of Wessex and their children also smiled warmly at the welcoming clergy. Sophie, Countess of Wessex, and her daughter, Lady Louise, smiled and chatted to each other after taking their seats in the Abbey. The Duke's family ahead of the service: In the second row is Peter Philips with daughters Savannah and Isla. Next to them is Mia Tindall with parents Zara Philips and Mike Tindall. In the front row are Prince Edward and Sophie Wessex with children Lady Louise and James, Viscount Severn The Cambridges arrived shortly after Prince Charles and Camilla ahead of today's memorial service for Prince Philip at Westminster Abbey Kate Middleton arrives at Westminster Abbey for the memorial service to Prince Philip today. She was joined by Prince William and her children George and Charlotte The Tindalls were the first senior British royals to arrive, holding one of their daughter Mia's hands Lady Louise Windsor arriving at the Westminster Abbey service for Prince Philip today. The Service will pay tribute to the Duke of Edinburgh's contribution to public life and steadfast support for the over 700 charitable organisations Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex attends the Thanksgiving service for the Duke of Edinburgh at Westminster Abbey today Peter Phillips attended the service with his children Savannah and Isla Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi and Princess Beatrice file into the main church Prince Michael of Kent and Princess Michael of Kent attend the memorial service for the Duke Of Edinburgh at Westminster Abbey The Queen leaves Windsor Castle in a car this morning with her disgraced son Prince Andrew to travel to London Prince Andrew (left) leaves Windsor Castle with the Queen (right) this morning ahead of the service of thanksgiving for Philip Lady Susan Hussey, the Queen's lady-in-waiting, arrives with her foot in a brace and on crutches at Westminster Abbey today Penelope Knatchbull, Countess Mountbatten of Burma arrives at Westminster Abbey for the service this morning Metropolitan Police Commissioner Dame Cressida Dick (left) and Formula One driver Sir Jackie Stewart (right) arrive today Foreign Secretary Liz Truss (left) and Home Secretary Priti Patel (right) arrive at Westminster Abbey this morning Guests walk into Westminster Abbey and take their seats ahead of this morning's service to remember Prince Philip Chancellor Rishi Sunak (left) and Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon (right) at Westminster Abbey today Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer (left) and Professor Chris Whitty, Chief Medical Officer for England (right), arrive this morning Guests arrive for Prince Philip's memorial service at Westminster Abbey in London this morning Guests arrive for Prince Philip's memorial service at Westminster Abbey in London this morning Members of the congregation queue at Westminster Abbey today ahead of the service of thanksgiving for the life of Philip Guests arrive to attend the service of thanksgiving for the life of the Duke of Edinburgh at Westminster Abbey this morning Earlier today, royal commentator Robert Jobson, author of Prince Philip's Century, told GB News: 'I think that Prince Andrew may play a more prominent role than we think earlier on. My understanding is that someone has to support the Queen and he may well be by her side. I think Charles will probably be with Camilla.' Overnight, royal aides revealed the Queen has been 'actively involved' in plans for the service 'with many elements reflecting Her Majesty's wishes' as the order of service was unveiled at midnight. It includes several elements the Duke had planned for his funeral at St George's Chapel in Windsor Castle in April last year but which were forbidden by Covid restrictions at the time. Among them is the involvement of Duke of Edinburgh (DofE) gold award winners and Sea Cadets, his expressed wish for the congregation to sing the rousing hymn Guide Me, O Thou Great Redeemer, and for clergy from the royal estates of Windsor, Sandringham and Balmoral to play a special part. His funeral at St George's Chapel in Windsor was limited to just 30 mourners in the midst of the pandemic and mass singing was banned, with the Queen sitting alone in a mask. Around 1,800 guests are due at today's service, including British and European royalty, representatives of the many charities of which the duke was patron or president, Boris and Carrie Johnson, and Sir David Attenborough. Prince Harry faces 'lifetime of regret' for missing memorial to his beloved grandfather Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle could 'regret' not attending the memorial service for his grandfather Prince Philip at Westminster Abbey today - and the Queen is likely to be 'very upset' but cannot change his mind, royal experts say. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are expected to remain at home in Montecito, California, while the rest of the Royal Family gather in London for the poignant event. Harry last returned to the UK eight months ago to unveil the statue of his late mother Diana, Princess of Wales in London on July 1 with his brother Prince William. The Duke - one of the Queen and Philip's eight grandchildren is the only top-level royal not attending today's service which was organised by the monarch. Royal author Phil Dampier told MailOnline: 'It's very sad that Harry and Meghan won't be at Prince Philip's memorial service and I think one day Harry might regret it. He has said that he doesn't feel safe without Scotland Yard security but to me that sounds like an excuse not to come back to the UK and indicates the rift with his blood family is still bad. 'Harry was always very fond of his grandfather and was deeply honoured when he took over from him as Captain General of the Royal Marines, but sadly that didn't last long. The pair attended some Remembrance Day events together and there was always a rapport between them, both being serving military men who had seen active service.' Mr Dampier said that Harry 'loved' Philip's sense of humour and praised him in interviews, adding that this makes his non-attendance 'all the more mystifying and strange'. Advertisement But the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are not returning from the US for the service. While the Queen's arrival was mentioned in the order of service, it is understood that a final decision on her attendance was not made until first thing this morning. She has recently been forced to pull out of a string of engagements because of ill health and old age. She was unable to attend the Commonwealth Day service this month because of concerns about her mobility and comfort. Palace and Abbey aides are thought to have taken steps to ensure that the service is less taxing for the Queen. Instead of arriving at the usual West Entrance to the Abbey, which would involve steps and a long walk down the Nave in front of the cameras, the Queen could be driven around the side of the building and enter away from public view via the 'Poet's Entrance'. She would then have a far shorter walk down the South Transept to her seat. It is likely she would walk with the aid of a stick. The service will gave thanks for the duke's dedication to family, nation and Commonwealth and recognise the importance of his legacy in creating opportunities for young people, promoting conservation, and supporting the Armed Forces. One of the elements planned for the funeral which has now been included in the service will see nine Gold Award holders from The Duke of Edinburgh's Award, plus representatives from UK Cadet Force Associations, line entry routes into Westminster Abbey. Philip, who died in April last year aged 99, launched the DofE Award in 1956 and was Colonel-in-Chief of the Army Cadet Force, a role he first took up in 1953. A tenth DofE gold award holder, Doyin Sonibare, 28, from London, will give a tribute to His Royal Highness's legacy, recognising the impact of the Award on young people across the globe. The Very Reverend Dr David Hoyle, Dean of Westminster, will conduct the service and describe the duke in the Bidding as 'a man of rare ability and distinction' who 'ever directed our attention away from himself.' He will say: 'He put privilege to work and understood his rank as a spur to service. Working at pace, with so many claims on his attention, he encouraged us to focus, as he was focussed, on the things that matter. 'His was a discipline and character that seized opportunity and overcame obstruction and difficulty. We recall, with affection and respect, the sustained offering of a long life lived fully.' Royal fans watch out for guests at the service to remember the late Duke of Edinburgh at Westminster Abbey this morning Royal fans stand next to barriers at Westminster Abbey today ahead of the service to pay tribute to the Duke of Edinburgh Guests begin to arrive for the service of thanksgiving for the life of the Duke of Edinburgh at Westminster Abbey this morning Television broadcasting staff gather outside Westminster Abbey this morning ahead of Prince Philip's memorial service Royal fans stand next to barriers at Westminster Abbey today ahead of the service to pay tribute to the Duke of Edinburgh Royal superfan John Loughrey, from Stretham in Cambridgeshire, stands outside Westminster Abbey this morning Another royal superfan stands outside Westminster Abbey ahead of the memorial service for Philip this morning Police officers walk past Westminster Abbey this morning before the service for the late Duke of Edinburgh Workers put up barriers outside Westminster Abbey today ahead of the service for Prince Philip Royal fans wait outside Westminster Abbey this morning ahead of the service for the late Duke of Edinburgh It was the duke's expressed wish that clergy from Windsor, Sandringham and Balmoral - known as The Queen's domestic chaplains - played a part in his funeral service, but this was not possible due to the Covid restrictions. Today the Reverend Kenneth MacKenzie Minister of Crathie Church, the regular place of worship of the British royal family when they are in residence at nearby Balmoral Castle, the Reverend Canon Jonathan Riviere, the Rector of Sandringham, and the Reverend Canon Martin Poll, Chaplain to the Royal Chapel of All Saints, Windsor Great Park, will offer prayers recognising Philip's energy, spirit of adventure and 'good stewardship of the environment'. The service will also be attended by around 30 foreign royals, including Prince Albert of Monaco, Denmark's Queen Margrethe, King Harald and Queen Sonja of Norway, and Spain's King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia. Queen Elizabeth II takes her seat during the funeral of Prince Philip at St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle on April 17, 2021 The Queen and Prince Philip revisit Broadlands, to mark their Diamond Wedding Anniversary on November 20, 2007 The Queen and Philip were married in the Abbey in November 1947 and it holds many special memories. Flowers at today's service will be red, white and blue. They will include dendrobium orchids, which also featured in the Queen's wedding bouquet, and eryngium - or sea holly - echoing the duke's career in the Royal Navy and lifelong affection for the sea. The Queen attended the opening of the Welsh Parliament on October 14 last year. Since then she has conducted engagements at Windsor Castle, where she is now based, and visited Sandringham in February. Advertisement The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's friend Rose Hanbury, was among the 1,800 mourners at Prince Philip's memorial service today. The Marchioness of Cholmondeley, 38, is a neighbour of William and Kate's Norfolk home Amner Hall and is regular among royal circles having previously been invited to a state banquets as well as charity events in East Anglia along side her husband, David Cholmondeley, 7th Marquess of Cholmondeley, 61. The couple - who are worth an estimated 75million and have three children - live at the grand Houghton Hall, set in 1,000 acres close to The Queen's Sandringham estate. Rose - a member of the Duchess of Cambridge's well-born group of friends dubbed the Turnip Toffs - looked solemn in black dress coat and drop earrings. She appeared to be joined by her husband as they both clutched an Order of Service inside the Abbey. Tying her brunette hair back into a low bun, she opted for a black pill box hat with leaf detail and a natural make-up look with a light black mascara and brown red lip. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's friend Rose Hanbury, was among the 1,800 mourners at Prince Philip's memorial service today. She is pictured with her husband The Marchioness of Cholmondeley, 38, is a neighbour of William and Kate's Norfolk home Amner Hall and is regular among royal circles having previously been invited to a state banquets as well as charity events in East Anglia along side her husband, David Cholmondeley, 7th Marquess of Cholmondeley, 61. They are pictured at a gala at Houghton Hall Houghton Hall is a stunning Palladian mansion with 106-rooms, built in the 1720s for Britain's first Prime Minister, Sir Robert Walpole. Kate and Prince William visited the house, just three miles away from Anmer Hall, in June 2016 to attend a charity gala to support East Anglia's Children's Hospices. Rose and David attended the Cambridges' wedding in 2011 and their twin boys Alexander and Oliver were playmates of Prince George. The Marchioness of Cholmondeley is a regular among royal circles and was invited to a state banquet for Donald Trump at Buckingham Palace in June 2019, where she was positioned in close proximity to the US President. Kate Middleton's friend Rose Hanbury (pictured together in 2016) and her husband are worth an estimated 75million and have three children - live at the grand Houghton Hall, set in 1,000 acres close to The Queen's Sandringham estate. Rose and Kate are patron and royal patron respectively of the charity East Anglia Childrens Hospices, and the Duchess has attended the Houghton Hall horse trials with her children Kate and Prince William visited Houghton Hall, just three miles away from Anmer Hall, in June 2016 to attend a charity gala to support East Anglia's Children's Hospices As Lord Great Chamberlain, her husband had a unique role at the State Opening of Parliament walking backwards in front of the Queen. The Marquess had a string of glamorous girlfriends before marrying Rose, an ex-model 23 years his junior, in 2009. They met at a party at the Villa Cetinale, the grand Italian home of the disgraced Tory peer Lord Lambton Roses sister, Marina, is married to Lambtons heir Ned, the Earl of Durham. The sisters' grandmother was Lady Elizabeth Longman, a bridesmaid at the Queens wedding to Prince Philip. Rose and Kate are patron and royal patron respectively of the charity East Anglia Childrens Hospices, and the Duchess has attended the Houghton Hall horse trials with her children. The memorial includes several elements the Duke had planned for his funeral at St George's Chapel in Windsor Castle in April last year but which were forbidden by Covid restrictions at the time. Among them is the involvement of Duke of Edinburgh (DofE) gold award winners and Sea Cadets, his expressed wish for the congregation to sing the rousing hymn Guide Me, O Thou Great Redeemer, and for clergy from the royal estates of Windsor, Sandringham and Balmoral to play a special part. His funeral at St George's Chapel in Windsor was limited to just 30 mourners in the midst of the pandemic and mass singing was banned, with the Queen sitting alone in a mask. Around 1,800 guests are due at today's service, including British and European royalty, representatives of the many charities of which the duke was patron or president, Boris and Carrie Johnson, and Sir David Attenborough. But the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are not returning from the US for the service The Queen has recently been forced to pull out of a string of engagements because of ill health and old age. She was unable to attend the Commonwealth Day service this month because of concerns about her mobility and comfort. The memorial includes several elements the Duke had planned for his funeral at St George's Chapel in Windsor Castle in April last year but which were forbidden by Covid restrictions at the time. William and Kate are pictured with their children today Palace and Abbey aides are thought to have taken steps to ensure that the service, to be televised live on BBC One, is less taxing for the Queen. The service will gave thanks for the duke's dedication to family, nation and Commonwealth and recognise the importance of his legacy in creating opportunities for young people, promoting conservation, and supporting the Armed Forces. One of the elements planned for the funeral which has now been included in the service will see nine Gold Award holders from The Duke of Edinburgh's Award, plus representatives from UK Cadet Force Associations, line entry routes into Westminster Abbey. Philip, who died in April last year aged 99, launched the DofE Award in 1956 and was Colonel-in-Chief of the Army Cadet Force, a role he first took up in 1953. A tenth DofE gold award holder, Doyin Sonibare, 28, from London, will give a tribute to His Royal Highness's legacy, recognising the impact of the Award on young people across the globe. The Very Reverend Dr David Hoyle, Dean of Westminster, will conduct the service and describe the duke in the Bidding as 'a man of rare ability and distinction' who 'ever directed our attention away from himself.' He will say: 'He put privilege to work and understood his rank as a spur to service. Working at pace, with so many claims on his attention, he encouraged us to focus, as he was focussed, on the things that matter. 'His was a discipline and character that seized opportunity and overcame obstruction and difficulty. We recall, with affection and respect, the sustained offering of a long life lived fully.' It was the duke's expressed wish that clergy from Windsor, Sandringham and Balmoral - known as The Queen's domestic chaplains - played a part in his funeral service, but this was not possible due to the Covid restrictions. Today the Reverend Kenneth MacKenzie Minister of Crathie Church, the regular place of worship of the British royal family when they are in residence at nearby Balmoral Castle, the Reverend Canon Jonathan Riviere, the Rector of Sandringham, and the Reverend Canon Martin Poll, Chaplain to the Royal Chapel of All Saints, Windsor Great Park, will offer prayers recognising Philip's energy, spirit of adventure and 'good stewardship of the environment'. The service will also be attended by around 30 foreign royals, including Prince Albert of Monaco, Denmark's Queen Margrethe, King Harald and Queen Sonja of Norway, and Spain's King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia. Queen sheds a tear for beloved Philip: Emotional monarch wears green in tribute to late husband at Westminster Abbey memorial attended by Kate, Wills, Charles and Camilla... a year after sitting alone at his funeral at height of the pandemic By MARTIN ROBINSON, CHIEF REPORTER and MARK DUELL and DANNY HUSSAIN FOR MAILONLINE The Queen shed a tear for Prince Philip at an extraordinary service in remembrance of his remarkable life of service to Britain and his wife today. Her Majesty stood in Westminster Abbey where she had personally ensured her beloved husband's final wishes were fulfilled after his covid-hit funeral left her sat alone without the rousing hymns and guests he loved so much. The 95-year-old monarch used a stick as she was walked to her seat by her disgraced son the Duke of York to give her 'strength and stay' Philip the final farewell he had wanted. The service was attended by the Royal Family and his relatives, friends and people who benefitted from his charities. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were the only senior royals not there. Despite battling mobility problems, she stood to pray and sing anthems during a 40-minute service that her husband of 73 years had helped plan for before his death last April. But in a controversial decision she chose Prince Andrew to support her as she arrived and left the church, clutching his elbow with one hand and a walking stick with the other. The Queen had stood with tears in her eyes as the 1,800-strong congregation sang Guide Me O Thou Great Redeemer before the bells of Westminster Abbey rang out to mark the end of the memorial service for the Duke of Edinburgh. After she leant on Andrew as she walked back out of the church, the Queen appeared to grimace as she walked to the car hunched over with the Duke of York at her side guiding her towards the Bentley. She appeared to be holding tightly to her stick and appeared to be making a great effort to get to the vehicle, concentrating very hard in taking each step. Once inside the car she appeared to be back to her normal composed self as the car slowly drove away. She waved to onlookers as she arrived and left the service. The Queen and the packed abbey had listened as the Dean of Windsor paid tribute to Philip's intellect, work ethic, sense of humour and devotion to his family. The Right Reverend David Conner described the duke as a 'remarkable man' who was committed to 'a host of down-to-earth enterprises'. He pointed out that the duke could be 'abrupt', and suggested that at times he could forget 'just how intimidating he could be'. Princess Beatrice was seen to give a small chuckle as the Dean remarked: 'He could be somewhat sharp in pricking what he thought to be bubbles of pomposity or sycophancy.' But then appeared to break down in tears, covering her face with the order of service. The Queen, the Duchess of Cornwall and the Princess Royal were all dressed in dark green in a subtle tribute to Philip, whose livery colour was Edinburgh Green. A number of others throughout the congregation also wore the shade, including Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award holder Doyin Sonibare who delivered a special tribute about the effect Philip's youth scheme had on her life. Flowers at today's service are a patriotic red, white and blue, at Her Majesty's request. They included dendrobium orchids, which also featured in the Queen's wedding bouquet, and eryngium - or sea holly - echoing the duke's career in the Royal Navy and lifelong affection for the sea. There were also multiple tributes to his intellect, work ethic, sense of humour and devotion to his family and his country. The Queen stood and shed a tear for her husband today at an extraordinary service in remembrance of his life The Queen closed her eyes in prayer as she joined senior royals to pay tribute to Prince Philip at his memorial at Westminster Abbey. When she opened her eyes they appeared moist Her Majesty stands to sing surrounded by her family with the Duke of York also on the front row.From left to right, front row: Queen Elizabeth II, the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall, the Princess Royal, Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence, the Duke of York, The Earl of Wessex, the Countess of Wessex, Lady Louise Mountbatten-Windsor and Viscount Severn. (Second row left to right) The Duke of Cambridge, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, the Duchess of Cambridge, Peter Phillips, Isla Phillips, Savannah Phillips, Mia Tindall, Zara Tindall and Mike Tindall Princess Beatrice was overwhelmed by the service. Stood behind the Queen she cried and covered her face with the order of service as her grandmother removed her glasses Her Majesty walked with the help of a stick but stood without support sat next to Charles, Camilla, Anne and her husband Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence. Across the aisle was Prince Andrew The Queen arrives at the service holding the Duke of York by the elbow with her left hand and her stick with the right Andrew escorted her to her seat in an extraordinary moment that may have upset other royals. None of the other royals appeared to look up when they arrived Her Majesty had arrived at the side door of the church, allowing her to walk a shorter distance from Poets' Corner to the front where she was surrounded by her children and grandchildren. She stood at various points in the service, despite her own admission recently that she is struggling to move. Westminster Abbey was completely packed today to celebrate the 99-year life of Prince Philip as Her Majesty battled mobility issues and fought off covid to be there to say goodbye to her husband after 73 years of marriage. The event, attended by most of the Duke of Edinburgh's family and many of Europe's most senior royals, is in the starkest of contrasts to his pared back funeral at Windsor last April when Her Majesty said goodbye to her strength and stay after 73 years of marriage. The Queen finally decided to attend today's service in Central London around two hours before but the coverage of the Service of Thanksgiving was dominated by her extraordinary decision to travel with her disgraced son Prince Andrew from Windsor Castle to Central London. Timothy Laurence and Anne, Princess Royal, arriving ahead of the Service of Thanksgiving for the life of Prince Philip Prince Charles and his wife Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, arrive at Westminster Abbey The Duke's family ahead of the service: In the second row is Peter Philips with daughters Savannah and Isla. Next to them is Mia Tindall with parents Zara Philips and Mike Tindall. In the front row are Prince Edward and Sophie Wessex with children Lady Louise and James, Viscount Severn The Cambridges arrived shortly after Prince Charles and Camilla ahead of today's memorial service for Prince Philip at Westminster Abbey Kate Middleton arrives at Westminster Abbey for the memorial service to Prince Philip today. She was joined by Prince William and her children George and Charlotte Princess Charlotte and Prince George sit with the mother the Duchess of Cambridge during today's service at Westminster Abbey The Queen remained seated during the service with aides taking special measures to ensure her comfort after recent heath issues Queen Maxima and King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands left the service at Westminster Abbey arm-in-arm Despite her frailty, Queen Elizabeth II stands during a Service of Thanksgiving for the life of the Duke of Edinburgh, at Westminster Abbey today Her Majesty was determined to be amongst the 1,800 guests despite the 95-year-old's mobility problems that have prevented her doing a major public engagement away from Windsor Castle in nearly six months. The Tindalls were the first close family to arrive, followed Princess Anne, the Wessexes, Prince Charles and his wife Camilla and then the Cambridges, who were with their children George and Charlotte. The Queen was the last to arrive with Andrew. It was a move that royal watchers believe may have upset her son Prince Charles and grandson Prince William both instrumental in the decision to take away the Duke of York's 'HRH'. The Queen chose her second son to join her in the back of her royal car for the 22-mile journey and he was also given a front row in the church, right next to his other siblings at the service just weeks after he paid millions to one of Jeffrey Epstein's sex slaves, Virginia Roberts Giuffre, who accused him of having sex with her three times when she was trafficked to London aged 17. The Queen's state limousine arrived at Poets' Yard entrance with Andrew sat beside her. As they walked through the famous section of the abbey towards her seat, in a small procession, the monarch held onto her son's elbow with her left hand and had a walking stick in her right. They walked at a slow but steady pace both looking ahead, and at the end of the aisle they separated - with Andrew giving a last glance to his mother as she turned right. After the first hymn, Charles, who was sat next to her mother, could be seen leaning over to speak to the Queen seated next to him - but it is not clear what was said. The Queen then delved into her black Launer handbag for her glasses to read the order of service. After the 40 minute service, Her Majesty was escorted out of the abbey by the Duke of York. As the monarch stopped to greet Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award holder Doyin Sonibare, Andrew stood back and at one point broke into a smile. The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall were the first to leave Westminster Abbey alongside the abbey's chapter. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge followed. All four royals waved at the crowd outside as they were driven away in black cars. Lady Frederick Windsor looked incredibly chic in a navy blazer and matching trousers as she stepped out on Tuesday at Prince Philip's memorial service. Sophie Winkleman, 41, was joined by her husband, the son of the Queen's first cousin, Prince Michael of Kent, Lord Freddie Windsor, 42, to remember the late Duke Of Edinburgh at Westminster Abbey. The Peep Show star looked typically elegant in the navy suit which she paired with matching pointed toe heels. As a celebration of life, royals were not expected to wear traditional black funeral garb for the event. Lady Frederick Windsor looked incredibly chic as she stepped with her husband Lord Freddie Windsor, 42, at Westminster Abbey on Tuesday for Prince Philip's memorial service Sophie Winkleman, 41, wowed in a navy blazer and matching trousers which she accessorised with a large hat which featured a pretty bow Sophie, who is the half sister of TV presenter Claudia Winkleman, accessorised with a large hat which featured a pretty bow and she added a bit more glamour with pearl earrings. Lord Freddie, who is the son of the Queen's first cousin Prince Michael of Kent and 53rd in line to the throne, looked smart in a tailored navy suit which he paired with a white shirt and a blue tie. The actress - who famously starred as Big Suze in Peep Show - lives in London, has two children with Fredrick, Maud, nine, and Isabella, six. Maud, attends Thomas's Battersea, the same school as his distant cousins Prince George and Princess Charlotte. She looked typically elegant in the navy suit which she paired with matching pointed toe heels Since the couple tied the knot in 2009, mother-of-two Sophie says everyone has 'looked after' her, in particular the Queen and Prince Charles, who have been 'wonderful', and Prince William, whom she described as 'heaven'. Speaking to The Times, in 2020 she said: 'I've been incredibly welcomed with open arms by all of them... They'd never tell me off at all if I wanted to play some [racy] role.' She added that she hasn't watched The Crown, the latest series of which has come under fire from friends of Prince Charles who accused Netflix producers of 'trolling' the Royal Family 'on a Hollywood budget' due to the drama's largely negative portrayal of his marriage to Princess Diana. Sophie is half-sister of TV presenter Claudia Winkleman, with whom she shares father Barry Winkleman, and was educated at the private City of London School for Girls before completing an English degree at the University of Cambridge. She added a bit more glamour with pearl earrings and her sleek brunette locks fell loose She explained she and the Strictly presenter had 'very separate lives' as children because Claudia, who is nine years her senior, lived with her mother. Sophie, who now lives in Chelsea, married Lord Freddie in September 2009 at Hampton Court Palace, after meeting him on a night out in Soho. The couple, who moved to LA for a number of years after their wedding for Sophie's work, welcomed their first child, Maud Elizabeth Daphne Marina, nine, in August 2013, and Isabella Alexandra May, six, January 2016. Maud and Isabella were among five bridesmaids for her sister-in-law Lady Gabriella Windsor and Thomas Kingston when they wed in May last year - having already been in the bridal party for Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank's wedding in October. At the nuptials down-to-earth Sophie was seen chatting and sharing a joke with Prince Harry, who had just become a father. Speaking about his wife, fellow actress Meghan Markle, 40, Sophie said: 'I've met her a few times over here, but not well enough to get to know her. She certainly has very admirable energy and focus.' After the emotional service the couple were spotted leaving hand-in-hand behind Mike and Zara Tindall and their eight-year-old daughter Mia Grace Lord Freddie, who is the son of the Queen's first cousin, Prince Michael of Kent, looked smart in a tailored navy suit which he paired with a white shirt and a blue tie Sophie said she 'wasn't fazed' about becoming a member of the Firm, which she put down to her father being a 'socialist bordering on Marxist' which meant the Royal Family was rarely discussed when she was growing up. 'I definitely wasn't trying to get to Ascot to meet Prince William,' she told the publication. 'My parents gave me confidence. I don't know how to do it with my own children, but it's a great gift and it meant I felt I had something to bring to the table. They gave me a good education and that makes you feel you can walk into any group, so it wasn't too intimidating.' After today's emotional service the couple were spotted leaving hand-in-hand behind Mike and Zara Tindall and their eight-year-old daughter Mia Grace. Today, the first two rows of the Abbey were filled with 20 of the late Duke's closest family members - including his children Prince Charles, Prince Andrew, Princess Anne and Prince Edward and their own families The Westminster Abbey service was attended by some 1,800 guests including senior members of the Royal Family. 51 European royals were in London for the event and attended various receptions, including one at Kensington Palace. The guests included British and European royalty, and representatives of the many charities of which the duke was patron or president. Today, the first two rows of the Abbey were filled with 20 of the late Duke's closest family members - including his children Prince Charles, Prince Andrew, Princess Anne and Prince Edward and their own families. Philips funeral at St George's Chapel in Windsor was limited to just 30 mourners in the midst of the pandemic and mass singing was banned, with the Queen sitting alone in a mask. Advertisement Princess Charlotte stole the show while adorable Prince George looked typically serious as they joined their parents the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge at Prince Philip's service of thanksgiving today. Cheeky Charlotte, six, charmed the Archbishop of Canterbury and smiled to photographers as she made her grand entrance at Westminster Abbey. At one point the schoolgirl princess pulled a funny face after apparently catching sight of herself on a screen, prompting viewers to giggle over her 'sparkling' personality. In contrast her eight-year-old brother George - dressed as his daddy's double in a suit and tie - looked far more sombre, perhaps because he had a better understanding of the gravity of the situation. Princess Charlotte stole the show and charmed the Archbishop of Canterbury during her first line-up today At one point the schoolgirl princess pulled a funny face after apparently catching sight of herself on a screen, prompting viewers to giggle over her 'sparkling' personality In contrast her eight-year-old brother George - dressed as his daddy's double in a suit and tie - looked far more sombre, perhaps because he had a better understanding of the gravity of the situation The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge held their children's hands as they made their way out of Westminster Abbey Princess Charlotte flashed a smile as the Cambridges left Westminster Abbey this afternoon after the service The future king kept a straight face as he walked by his father's side and was on his very best behaviour throughout the service. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge made the decision to bring their two eldest children to Westminster Abbey so they could pay their respects to their great-grandfather Prince Philip. The service marks one of the important outings to date for the two young royals, both of whom enjoyed a close relationship with Prince Philip before his death at the age of 99 last April. Also in attendance were Peter Phillips' daughters Savannah, 11, and Isla, 10, and Mia Tindall, the eight-year-old daughter of Mike and Zara Tindall. But it was sparkling Charlotte who was the centre of attention as she strode into the Abbey hand-in-hand with her mother, Kate. As they approached the Abbey's doors, Kate - who was smiling - told her serious looking daughter 'you can smile' according to expert lip reader Jacqui Press. Charlotte then smiled. Kate Middleton told a solemn Princess Charlotte to smile the pair walked into Westminster Abbey for Prince Philip's memorial service today, a lip reader has revealed. Pictured, Charlotte before (left) and after (right) Prince George looked serious in his navy suit (left) while Princess Charlotte was smiling at the people she passed Eight-year-old Prince George had a furrowed brow as he arrived at the Abbey hand-in-hand with his father William Princess Charlotte was introduced to senior members of the clergy on her arrival at Westminster Abbey today Six-year-old Princess Charlotte smiled and shook hands with members of the clergy as her mother Kate stood nearby Charlotte, who donned a sweet French braid in her hair, grinned as she took part in her first ever royal line-up In contrast Prince George appeared to be unsure of the situation, perhaps because he understood the gravity of the service Prince George bit his lip as he watched his grandfather Prince Charles ahead of him in the line up at the exit to the Abbey Prince George looked solemn as he left Westminster Abbey hand-in-hand with his father Prince William Eight-year-old George was his father's double as they left the Abbey. Right, Charlotte with the Duchess of Cambridge Princess Charlotte wore a tartan dress, navy blue coat and black patent leather shoes for the service, and had a pretty ribbon in her hair. George, who has made a number of outings with his parents to major sporting events in recent months, was his father's double in a navy blue suit and tie. The Duchess of Cambridge took Charlotte's hand as they made their way to their seats. The Cambridges were seated behind the Queen, Prince Andrew, Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall, and in front of the Queen's other grandchildren Princess Eugenie and Princess Beatrice. George and Charlotte were both on their best behaviour and kept hold of their orders of service as they listened to people pay tribute to their great-grandfather and his extraordinary life. The Duchess of Cambridge looked poised as she wore an understated polkadot Alessandra Rich gown which she paired with elegant silver droplet earrings, as she was joined by her husband for the event this morning The Duchess of Cambridge looked poised as she wore an understated polkadot Alessandra Rich gown which she paired with elegant silver droplet earrings, as she was joined by her husband for the event this morning Charlotte, six, wore a navy blue button up coat dress with black tights and a matching ribbon in her hair to the memorial service at Westminster Abbey today Prince George arrived at his great-grandfather's memorial service, walking hand-in-hand with his father Prince William at Westminster Abbey this morning At one moment Princess Charlotte appeared to smile at herself after seeing her face pop up on a screen erected in Westminster Abbey. Watching the video on Twitter, one royal fan wrote: 'She has that spark in her. Such a bright, spunky kid! Go girl!' Another posted: 'Cheeky cutie. Just as lovely as her mummy.' Princess Charlotte has become a favourite of royal fans thanks to her sassy personality. The six-year-old princess has been snapped pulling funny faces, waving to photographers - and even sticking her tongue out on a family outing. The Queen has 12 great-grandchildren, 10 of whom were born before the Duke of Edinburgh's death last April. The two oldest Cambridge children joined their parents and senior members of the Royal Family at the engagement The Duchess of Cambridge was the picture of elegance as she arrived at the service with her daughter Princess Charlotte The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, who days ago returned from their controversial Caribbean tour, arrived hand-in-hand with George and Charlotte, their two eldest children The Duchess of Cambridge shepherded her children out of Westminster Abbey following the deeply personal service The Duke of Edinburgh 's other great-grandchildren are Princess Charlotte, six, Prince Louis , three, Lena Tindall, also three, and her one-year-old brother Lucas, Princess Eugenie's one-year-old son August Brooksbank and Princess Beatrice's daughter Sienna Mapelli Mozz, who was born in September last year. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's children, Archie, two, and Lilibet, nine months, remain with the couple in California. Seven of the couple's eight grandchildren were also in attendance. Peter Phillips, Zara Tindall, the Duke of Cambridge, Princess Beatrice, Princess Eugenie, Lady Louise Windsor and James, Viscount Severn, all stepped out for a rare joined appearance. The only grandchild missing was the Duke of Sussex, who remained in California. Queen sheds a tear for beloved Philip: Emotional monarch wears green in tribute to late husband at Westminster Abbey memorial attended by Kate, Wills, Charles and Camilla... a year after sitting alone at his funeral at height of the pandemic The Queen shed a tear for Prince Philip at an extraordinary service in remembrance of his remarkable life of service to Britain and his wife today. Her Majesty stood in Westminster Abbey where she had personally ensured her beloved husband's final wishes were fulfilled after his covid-hit funeral left her sat alone without the rousing hymns and guests he loved so much. The 95-year-old monarch used a stick as she was walked to her seat by her disgraced son the Duke of York to give her 'strength and stay' Philip the final farewell he had wanted. The service was attended by the Royal Family and his relatives, friends and people who benefitted from his charities. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were the only senior royals not there. Despite battling mobility problems, she stood to pray and sing anthems during a 40-minute service that her husband of 73 years had helped plan for before his death last April. But in a controversial decision she chose Prince Andrew to support her as she arrived and left the church, clutching his elbow with one hand and a walking stick with the other. The Queen had stood with tears in her eyes as the 1,800-strong congregation sang Guide Me O Thou Great Redeemer before the bells of Westminster Abbey rang out to mark the end of the memorial service for the Duke of Edinburgh. After she leant on Andrew as she walked back out of the church, the Queen appeared to grimace as she walked to the car hunched over with the Duke of York at her side guiding her towards the Bentley. She appeared to be holding tightly to her stick and appeared to be making a great effort to get to the vehicle, concentrating very hard in taking each step. Once inside the car she appeared to be back to her normal composed self as the car slowly drove away. She waved to onlookers as she arrived and left the service. The Queen and the packed abbey had listened as the Dean of Windsor paid tribute to Philip's intellect, work ethic, sense of humour and devotion to his family. The Right Reverend David Conner described the duke as a 'remarkable man' who was committed to 'a host of down-to-earth enterprises'. He pointed out that the duke could be 'abrupt', and suggested that at times he could forget 'just how intimidating he could be'. Princess Beatrice was seen to give a small chuckle as the Dean remarked: 'He could be somewhat sharp in pricking what he thought to be bubbles of pomposity or sycophancy.' But then appeared to break down in tears, covering her face with the order of service. The Queen, the Duchess of Cornwall and the Princess Royal were all dressed in dark green in a subtle tribute to Philip, whose livery colour was Edinburgh Green. A number of others throughout the congregation also wore the shade, including Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award holder Doyin Sonibare who delivered a special tribute about the effect Philip's youth scheme had on her life. Flowers at today's service are a patriotic red, white and blue, at Her Majesty's request. They included dendrobium orchids, which also featured in the Queen's wedding bouquet, and eryngium - or sea holly - echoing the duke's career in the Royal Navy and lifelong affection for the sea. There were also multiple tributes to his intellect, work ethic, sense of humour and devotion to his family and his country. The Queen stood and shed a tear for her husband today at an extraordinary service in remembrance of his life The Queen closed her eyes in prayer as she joined senior royals to pay tribute to Prince Philip at his memorial at Westminster Abbey. When she opened her eyes they appeared moist Her Majesty stands to sing surrounded by her family with the Duke of York also on the front row.From left to right, front row: Queen Elizabeth II, the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall, the Princess Royal, Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence, the Duke of York, The Earl of Wessex, the Countess of Wessex, Lady Louise Mountbatten-Windsor and Viscount Severn. (Second row left to right) The Duke of Cambridge, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, the Duchess of Cambridge, Peter Phillips, Isla Phillips, Savannah Phillips, Mia Tindall, Zara Tindall and Mike Tindall Princess Beatrice was overwhelmed by the service. Stood behind the Queen she cried and covered her face with the order of service as her grandmother removed her glasses Her Majesty walked with the help of a stick but stood without support sat next to Charles, Camilla, Anne and her husband Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence. Across the aisle was Prince Andrew Prince Andrew travelled with the Queen to Westminster Abbey and appeared to escort her to her seat before taking his own Prince Andrew was sat next to Prince Edward and Sophie Wessex during today's memorial service at Westminster Abbey Queen Elizabeth II is helped into her car by her son Prince Andrew, right, after attending a Service of Thanksgiving for the life of Prince Philip She spoke to her son inside the car and waved to the crowds outside the service in London, which ended this afternoon The Queen as she left Westminster Abbey in her Rolls-Royce today, wearing a regal purple and golden brooch Prince Andrew, Duke of York, who last month agreed to settle his sex assault lawsuit, left the service in a car with his mother the Queen A sombre Prince Charles leaves the church with his wife Camilla, who also looked moved by the celebration of Prince Philip's life Charles was seen wiping his eyes at the service where he could say goodbye to his father after a pared back funeral last year. Prince Andrew looked serious as he waited to leave with his mother Prince William rests a hand on the back of his son Prince George, at the end of the memorial service for Prince Philip The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge left the Abbey with two of their children, Prince George and Princess Charlotte The Cambridges departing the Service of Thanksgiving for the Duke of Edinburgh at Westminster Abbey The Duchess of Cambridge smiled out of the window of her car as she left the Abbey with Prince William after the service The Queen sits alone at Philip's pared-down funeral last April - in stark contrast to today's celebration. It was one of the defining photos of the pandemic, where many Britons were forced to mourn their loved ones in small ceremonies, sometimes alone Queen, Camilla and Anne all wear green for their beloved Prince Philip It was a touching tribute to a much-missed Duke of Edinburgh as the Queen and senior royal women stepped out in Edinburgh Green for Philip's memorial service. All wearing the same shade, the monarch, the Duchess of Cornwall and the Princess Royal sat in the front row of royal seats in Westminster Abbey, united in remembrance of Philip. The duke's official dark green livery colour was known as Edinburgh Green. It was used for his staff liveries - the duke's page at the coronation wore dark green and silver - and private cars. The monarch's brooch was another nod to her late husband of more than 70 years. She chose her yellow gold, ruby and diamond scarab brooch, designed by Andrew Grima, which was a personal gift from Philip in 1966. Camilla wore her Rifles brooch in recognition of the moment when her father-in-law handed over his role as colonel-in-chief of the regiment to her in 2020. Others in the congregation also wore dark green, including Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award holder Doyin Sonibare, who delivered a special tribute about the effect Philip's youth scheme had on her life. The Duchess of Cambridge opted for a high-necked black dress with white polka dots and a textured wide-brimmed black hat. Advertisement Her Majesty had arrived at the side door of the church, allowing her to walk a shorter distance from Poets' Corner to the front where she was surrounded by her children and grandchildren. She stood at various points in the service, despite her own admission recently that she is struggling to move. Westminster Abbey was completely packed today to celebrate the 99-year life of Prince Philip as Her Majesty battled mobility issues and fought off covid to be there to say goodbye to her husband after 73 years of marriage. The event, attended by most of the Duke of Edinburgh's family and many of Europe's most senior royals, is in the starkest of contrasts to his pared back funeral at Windsor last April when Her Majesty said goodbye to her strength and stay after 73 years of marriage. The Queen finally decided to attend today's service in Central London around two hours before but the coverage of the Service of Thanksgiving was dominated by her extraordinary decision to travel with her disgraced son Prince Andrew from Windsor Castle to Central London. Her Majesty was determined to be amongst the 1,800 guests despite the 95-year-old's mobility problems that have prevented her doing a major public engagement away from Windsor Castle in nearly six months. The Tindalls were the first close family to arrive, followed Princess Anne, the Wessexes, Prince Charles and his wife Camilla and then the Cambridges, who were with their children George and Charlotte. The Queen was the last to arrive with Andrew. It was a move that royal watchers believe may have upset her son Prince Charles and grandson Prince William both instrumental in the decision to take away the Duke of York's 'HRH'. The Queen chose her second son to join her in the back of her royal car for the 22-mile journey and he was also given a front row in the church, right next to his other siblings at the service just weeks after he paid millions to one of Jeffrey Epstein's sex slaves, Virginia Roberts Giuffre, who accused him of having sex with her three times when she was trafficked to London aged 17. The Queen's state limousine arrived at Poets' Yard entrance with Andrew sat beside her. As they walked through the famous section of the abbey towards her seat, in a small procession, the monarch held onto her son's elbow with her left hand and had a walking stick in her right. They walked at a slow but steady pace both looking ahead, and at the end of the aisle they separated - with Andrew giving a last glance to his mother as she turned right. After the first hymn, Charles, who was sat next to her mother, could be seen leaning over to speak to the Queen seated next to him - but it is not clear what was said. The Queen then delved into her black Launer handbag for her glasses to read the order of service. After the 40 minute service, Her Majesty was escorted out of the abbey by the Duke of York. As the monarch stopped to greet Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award holder Doyin Sonibare, Andrew stood back and at one point broke into a smile. The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall were the first to leave Westminster Abbey alongside the abbey's chapter. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge followed. All four royals waved at the crowd outside as they were driven away in black cars. Despite her frailty, Queen Elizabeth II stands during a Service of Thanksgiving for the life of the Duke of Edinburgh, at Westminster Abbey today The congregation takes its place ahead of the service. The Queen made the final decision to attend this morning, hours before she was due to travel the 22 miles from Windsor Castle to Central London. She held Andrew's elbow The royal family paying an emotional tribute to Prince Philip at today's service at Westminster Abbey Her Majesty listens to the various eulogies to her husband at the Service of Remembrance held almost a year after his funeral The Queen, 95, fought frailty to be in the church with her family at an event she had helped plan for her husband The Queen stands for the first hymn at the service in remembrance of her beloved husband Prince Philip Prince Andrew walked his mother up the aisle after she arrived via a side door rather than the main entrance to shorten the distance The Queen has been 'actively involved' in plans for the service 'with many elements reflecting Her Majesty's wishes' Prince Andrew was sat next to Prince Edward and Sophie Wessex during today's memorial service at Westminster Abbey The royals, led by the Queen despite her recent health issues, join the congregation in singing hymns during today's service The royals ahead of the service: In the front row are The Queen, Prince Charles, Camilla, Princess Anne and Timothy Laurence. The Cambridges are in the second row while Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, along with their husbands, are among the royals in the third row She left as she arrived, being supported by her son Andrew - reputedly her favourite The Queen remained seated during the service with aides taking special measures to ensure her comfort after recent heath issues Princess Charlotte and Prince George sit with the mother the Duchess of Cambridge during today's service at Westminster Abbey Prince Charles and Camilla were greeted by clergy as they arrived ahead of today's service of celebration for Prince Philip A serious looking Prince William sits down next to his wife, George and Charlotte to say goodbye to his grandfather The Queen sat beside Andrew, the royal who lost his HRH just weeks ago over his links to Epstein and civil case Crowds piled outside Westminster Abbey to pay tribute to Prince Philip as the service in his memorial continued Thousands of supporters gathered outside the Service Of Thanksgiving For The Duke of Edinburgh at Westminster Abbey Today the monarch ensured that her beloved husband's final wishes are fulfilled after his Covid-hit funeral left her sat alone without the rousing hymns and guests he loved so much. Her Majesty has been 'actively involved' in every element of his service of thanksgiving that will see Westminster Abbey packed to the rafters. Even the smallest of touches have been overseen by the Queen, including the use of orchids that formed part of her 1947 wedding bouquet being used in small posies of flowers. Prince Philip's beloved Sea Cadets and young people who have taken his Duke of Edinburgh awards are centre stage at the service that will see the Abbey reverberate with the sound of hymns including Guide me, O thou great Redeemer. All Prince Philip's family chose to attend apart from Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. On Prince Andrew's left is his brother the Earl of Wessex and Edward's family the Countess of Wessex and their children Lady Louise Windsor and James, Viscount Severn. Across an aisle on his right is the Princess Royal, her husband Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence, the Duchess of Cornwall, Prince of Wales and the Queen. Prince George and Princess Charlotte also attended with the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, and be sat behind the Queen. Behind Andrew and Edward's family were Peter Phillips, and Zara and Mike Tindall and their daughters. The Duke of Edinburgh's intellect, work ethic, sense of humour and devotion to his family were celebrated in an address by the Dean of Windsor. The Right Reverend David Conner paid tribute to Philip as a 'remarkable man' who was committed to 'a host of down-to-earth enterprises'. He pointed out that the duke could be 'abrupt' and suggested that at times he could forget 'just how intimidating he could be'. Addressing the congregation in Westminster Abbey, Mr Conner said: 'He was practical, wanting to put flesh upon his dreams, and (acknowledging the limitations of living in this so-called 'real world') he devoted his astonishing intellectual and physical energy, his enormous capacity for sheer hard work, to a host of down-to-earth enterprises. 'These included the equipping of young people to face tomorrow's challenges, the encouragement of respect and care for the natural order, and his pioneering work in facilitating conversation between representatives of the different world faiths. 'Through his passionate commitment, he drew others to himself in admiration and respect and, in the case of those who lived and worked most closely to him, genuine love.' Mr Conner added: 'He would hate to think that I should paint a picture of him as a 'plaster saint'; someone without the usual human foibles and failings. 'He was far too self-aware ever to be taken in by flattery. Of course, it must be said that his life bore the marks of sacrifice and service. 'Certainly, he could show great sympathy and kindness. There is no doubt that he had a delightfully engaging, and often self-deprecating, sense of humour. 'It is quite clear that his mind held together both speculation and common sense. Moreover, nobody would ever doubt his loyalty and deep devotion to our Queen and to their family. 'Yet, there were times when he could be abrupt; maybe, in robust conversation, forgetting just how intimidating he could be. 'A kind of natural reserve sometimes made him seem a little distant. He could be somewhat sharp in pricking what he thought to be bubbles of pomposity or sycophancy. 'On the other hand, we should not forget that he himself was sometimes wounded by being unfairly criticised or misunderstood.' Concluding his address, the dean said: 'As we give thanks for the life of a remarkable man, perhaps our greatest tribute to him, most especially in these far too troubled times, will be for us to accept the challenge, implicit in his life, to rekindle in our hearts something of that call, and to pray (as I think he did) for the inspiration and the guidance to play our part, however small, in working for a kinder future. Queen Elizabeth II is driven in to attend a Service of Thanksgiving for the life of Prince Philip at Westminster Abbey The Cambridges arrived at the church hand in hand with their children Charlotte and George. Louis stayed at home The Duchess of Cambridge and Princess Charlotte arrive at today's service of Thanksgiving for the life of Prince Philip Charles shook hands with the clergy as they entered the church just before Midday Prime Minister Boris Johnson attends the Thanksgiving service for the Duke Of Edinburgh at Westminster Abbey today Princess Eugenie (left) and Princess Beatrice (right) pictured arriving at a service of thanksgiving for late Prince Philip Princess Eugenie and Princess Beatrice arriving at the poignant Service of Thanksgiving for the life of Prince Philip Peter Phillips with Isla Phillips and Savannah Phillips (right) arriving for a Service of Thanksgiving for the life of the Duke of Edinburgh Timothy Laurence and Anne, Princess Royal, arriving ahead of the Service of Thanksgiving for the life of Prince Philip Princess Royal arriving for a Service of Thanksgiving for the life of the Duke of Edinburgh and greeting Duke of Edinburgh award recipients Prince Charles and his wife Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, arrive at Westminster Abbey Prince Andrew (left) leaves Windsor Castle with the Queen (right) today ahead of the service to remember Prince Philip The Queen leaves Windsor Castle to travel to Westminster Abbey this morning, with her son Prince Andrew sat on her right While the Queen's arrival at Westminster Abbey was mentioned in the order of service, a final decision on her attendance was only confirmed two hours before because of her frailty. The Princess Royal arrived at Westminster Abbey. Wearing a long green dress and hat, Anne arrived alongside her husband, Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence. Peter Phillips' children Savannah and Isla were sitting next to their cousin Mia, daughter of Zara and Mike Tindall. The girls were dressed in navy with their hair fixed back with headbands. Once inside Westminster Abbey, guests were escorted to their seats, with Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie and their husbands smiling at members of the Abbey's chapter, or governing body, standing by the great West Door, as they walked in. The Earl and Countess of Wessex and their children also smiled warmly at the welcoming clergy. Sophie, Countess of Wessex, and her daughter, Lady Louise, smiled and chatted to each other after taking their seats in the Abbey. The Duke's family ahead of the service: In the second row is Peter Philips with daughters Savannah and Isla. Next to them is Mia Tindall with parents Zara Philips and Mike Tindall. In the front row are Prince Edward and Sophie Wessex with children Lady Louise and James, Viscount Severn The Cambridges arrived shortly after Prince Charles and Camilla ahead of today's memorial service for Prince Philip at Westminster Abbey Kate Middleton arrives at Westminster Abbey for the memorial service to Prince Philip today. She was joined by Prince William and her children George and Charlotte The Tindalls were the first senior British royals to arrive, holding one of their daughter Mia's hands Lady Louise Windsor arriving at the Westminster Abbey service for Prince Philip today. The Service will pay tribute to the Duke of Edinburgh's contribution to public life and steadfast support for the over 700 charitable organisations Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex attends the Thanksgiving service for the Duke of Edinburgh at Westminster Abbey today Peter Phillips attended the service with his children Savannah and Isla Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi and Princess Beatrice file into the main church Prince Michael of Kent and Princess Michael of Kent attend the memorial service for the Duke Of Edinburgh at Westminster Abbey The Queen leaves Windsor Castle in a car this morning with her disgraced son Prince Andrew to travel to London Prince Andrew (left) leaves Windsor Castle with the Queen (right) this morning ahead of the service of thanksgiving for Philip Lady Susan Hussey, the Queen's lady-in-waiting, arrives with her foot in a brace and on crutches at Westminster Abbey today Penelope Knatchbull, Countess Mountbatten of Burma arrives at Westminster Abbey for the service this morning Metropolitan Police Commissioner Dame Cressida Dick (left) and Formula One driver Sir Jackie Stewart (right) arrive today Foreign Secretary Liz Truss (left) and Home Secretary Priti Patel (right) arrive at Westminster Abbey this morning Guests walk into Westminster Abbey and take their seats ahead of this morning's service to remember Prince Philip Chancellor Rishi Sunak (left) and Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon (right) at Westminster Abbey today Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer (left) and Professor Chris Whitty, Chief Medical Officer for England (right), arrive this morning Guests arrive for Prince Philip's memorial service at Westminster Abbey in London this morning Guests arrive for Prince Philip's memorial service at Westminster Abbey in London this morning Members of the congregation queue at Westminster Abbey today ahead of the service of thanksgiving for the life of Philip Guests arrive to attend the service of thanksgiving for the life of the Duke of Edinburgh at Westminster Abbey this morning Earlier today, royal commentator Robert Jobson, author of Prince Philip's Century, told GB News: 'I think that Prince Andrew may play a more prominent role than we think earlier on. My understanding is that someone has to support the Queen and he may well be by her side. I think Charles will probably be with Camilla.' Overnight, royal aides revealed the Queen has been 'actively involved' in plans for the service 'with many elements reflecting Her Majesty's wishes' as the order of service was unveiled at midnight. It includes several elements the Duke had planned for his funeral at St George's Chapel in Windsor Castle in April last year but which were forbidden by Covid restrictions at the time. Among them is the involvement of Duke of Edinburgh (DofE) gold award winners and Sea Cadets, his expressed wish for the congregation to sing the rousing hymn Guide Me, O Thou Great Redeemer, and for clergy from the royal estates of Windsor, Sandringham and Balmoral to play a special part. His funeral at St George's Chapel in Windsor was limited to just 30 mourners in the midst of the pandemic and mass singing was banned, with the Queen sitting alone in a mask. Around 1,800 guests are due at today's service, including British and European royalty, representatives of the many charities of which the duke was patron or president, Boris and Carrie Johnson, and Sir David Attenborough. Prince Harry faces 'lifetime of regret' for missing memorial to his beloved grandfather Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle could 'regret' not attending the memorial service for his grandfather Prince Philip at Westminster Abbey today - and the Queen is likely to be 'very upset' but cannot change his mind, royal experts say. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are expected to remain at home in Montecito, California, while the rest of the Royal Family gather in London for the poignant event. Harry last returned to the UK eight months ago to unveil the statue of his late mother Diana, Princess of Wales in London on July 1 with his brother Prince William. The Duke - one of the Queen and Philip's eight grandchildren is the only top-level royal not attending today's service which was organised by the monarch. Royal author Phil Dampier told MailOnline: 'It's very sad that Harry and Meghan won't be at Prince Philip's memorial service and I think one day Harry might regret it. He has said that he doesn't feel safe without Scotland Yard security but to me that sounds like an excuse not to come back to the UK and indicates the rift with his blood family is still bad. 'Harry was always very fond of his grandfather and was deeply honoured when he took over from him as Captain General of the Royal Marines, but sadly that didn't last long. The pair attended some Remembrance Day events together and there was always a rapport between them, both being serving military men who had seen active service.' Mr Dampier said that Harry 'loved' Philip's sense of humour and praised him in interviews, adding that this makes his non-attendance 'all the more mystifying and strange'. Advertisement But the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are not returning from the US for the service. While the Queen's arrival was mentioned in the order of service, it is understood that a final decision on her attendance was not made until first thing this morning. She has recently been forced to pull out of a string of engagements because of ill health and old age. She was unable to attend the Commonwealth Day service this month because of concerns about her mobility and comfort. Palace and Abbey aides are thought to have taken steps to ensure that the service is less taxing for the Queen. Instead of arriving at the usual West Entrance to the Abbey, which would involve steps and a long walk down the Nave in front of the cameras, the Queen could be driven around the side of the building and enter away from public view via the 'Poet's Entrance'. She would then have a far shorter walk down the South Transept to her seat. It is likely she would walk with the aid of a stick. The service will gave thanks for the duke's dedication to family, nation and Commonwealth and recognise the importance of his legacy in creating opportunities for young people, promoting conservation, and supporting the Armed Forces. One of the elements planned for the funeral which has now been included in the service will see nine Gold Award holders from The Duke of Edinburgh's Award, plus representatives from UK Cadet Force Associations, line entry routes into Westminster Abbey. Philip, who died in April last year aged 99, launched the DofE Award in 1956 and was Colonel-in-Chief of the Army Cadet Force, a role he first took up in 1953. A tenth DofE gold award holder, Doyin Sonibare, 28, from London, will give a tribute to His Royal Highness's legacy, recognising the impact of the Award on young people across the globe. The Very Reverend Dr David Hoyle, Dean of Westminster, will conduct the service and describe the duke in the Bidding as 'a man of rare ability and distinction' who 'ever directed our attention away from himself.' He will say: 'He put privilege to work and understood his rank as a spur to service. Working at pace, with so many claims on his attention, he encouraged us to focus, as he was focussed, on the things that matter. 'His was a discipline and character that seized opportunity and overcame obstruction and difficulty. We recall, with affection and respect, the sustained offering of a long life lived fully.' Prince Harry has been criticisied for missing his grandfather's memorial service today, amid a row over security and strained relations with his relatives. But despite the family tensions, the Duke of Sussex was included in today's commemorations, after archive footage of Harry speaking about his late grandather was used as part of the BBC's coverage of the Duke of Edinburgh's memorial. The broadcaster re-used sentimental tributes from the Royal Family to celebrate the life of Prince Philip, before streaming his Service of Thanksgiving live from Westminster Abbey. The Duke of Sussex, 37, who was the only senior member of the royal family not to attend today, made a surprise appearance during the coverage in a resurfaced clip from the documentary 'A 'Unique Portrait' of Prince Philip and his life'. Harry was seen praising his grandfather for being 'unapologetically him' in the footage, which first aired in September 2021. Prince Harry (pictured) made a surprise appearance in the BBC's coverage of Prince Philip's Service of Thanksgiving The BBC shared archived footage of members of the Royal Family paying tribute to Prince Philip, before streaming his memorial service live from Westminster Abbey Dressed in a white shirt and black trousers, while sitting against a grey background, Harry shared his respect for Prince Philip. Harry said: 'What you see is what you got. He was unapologetically him at all times, no matter where he was, no matter who he was speaking to and no matter what he was doing.' The film was originally made to mark the Duke's 100th birthday, but the nation's longest-serving consort died two months before celebrating his centenary. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have faced backlash for not attending the memorial in person. Prince Harry describes his grandfather as 'unapologetically him' in the clip taken from the documentary 'A 'Unique Portrait' of Prince Philip and his life', released in September 2021 Royal watchers have slammed the Duke and Duchess of Sussex for remaining at their mansion in Montecito, while the rest of the Royal Family gathered for the memorial service The couple remained at their $14million mansion in Montecito while the rest of the Royal Family, including the Queen despite recent health issues, gathered in London for the monumental event. Harry is currently in pursuit of legal challenge against the Home Office after being told he would no longer be given the 'same degree' of personal protective security when visiting from the US, despite offering to pay for it himself. He last returned to the UK eight months ago to unveil the statue of his late mother Diana, Princess of Wales in London on July 1 with his brother Prince William. Royal watchers and social media users have criticized the Duke, who is due to travel to the Netherlands in two weeks' time, for not attending his grandfather's Service of Thanksgiving. The Home Office told Prince Harry he would no longer be given the 'same degree' of personal protective security when visiting the UK. Pictured: Prince Philip with Meghan and Harry Richard Griffin, who spent 14 years as a royal protection officer for Prince Philip, slammed Harry for 'not bothering' to attend, describing his absence as 'pathetic'. 'Prince Philip was their grandfather so William has obviously had a great training from him and is going to learn examples from him,' he said. 'I just hope Harry gets some of these things in his mind. 'It [Harry not being here] was a big disappointment for everybody. People were talking about it. Certainly around where I was, people were saying he should have been here. 'All this nonsense about how he couldnt get protection, as far as Im concerned that was a pathetic excuse. He shouldve been here to honour his grandfather. 'At the end of the day, if he was that worried about security, he couldve stuck with his brother and father who have got wonderful security and he would have been more than safe.' The Queen stood with tears in her eyes as the congregation, which included royals from other nations, joined in singing before the bells of Westminster Abbey rang out to mark the end of the memorial service for the Duke of Edinburgh this morning. Advertisement 'Defiant but isolated' Prince Andrew was 'shunned by the royal family and didn't interact warmly with them' at Prince Philip's memorial, a body language expert has claimed. The Duke of York, 62, accompanied the Queen, 95, to the Thanksgiving of Life service but had little interaction with the rest of his family today - avoiding receptions and driving straight back to Westminster with his mother after the service. And while the Queen appeared to 'looked unequivocal' in her support of her second son, the rest of The Firm offered 'no signs of support or encouragement' and 'pretended to not even see him'. Speaking to FEMAIL, body language expert Judi James explained: 'Andrew did not get the same sort of welcome [as the Queen gave him] from the other royals. 'Only his mother threw him anything bordering on a "welcome back" smile and, rather than throw him subtle tie-signs of support or encouragement, most of the royals seemed to attempt to act as though they hadn't even seen him. 'Defiant but isolated' Prince Andrew was 'shunned by the royal family and didn't interact warmly with them' at Prince Philip's memorial, a body language expert has claimed. Prince Edward is pictured next to his brother but 'avoided eye contact' with him. Body language expert Judi James said: 'Edward sat looking splayed in a rather incongruent display of nonchalance as he appeared to read his programme with interest rather than notice the lack of connection around him, but we can see Edward tilt his head away as though keen to create a larger spatial gap between them.' The Duke of York, 62, accompanied the Queen, 95, to the Thanksgiving of Life service but had little interaction with the rest of his family today - avoiding receptions and driving straight back to Westminster with his mother after the service. The Duke is seen looking at Princess Anne's husband Sir Timothy Laurence While the Queen appeared to 'looked unequivocal' in her support of her second son, the rest of The Firm offered 'no signs of support or encouragement' and 'pretended to not even see him', body language expert Judi James says Prince Andrew waved at photographers as he and the Queen returned to Windsor Castle this afternoon following a Westminster Abbey service celebrating Prince Philip. Judi said: 'Andrew's wave to the cameras is an upright, palm-flattened 'hail' gesture here. This is usually a greeting ritual from someone with higher status who is expecting a positive response, suggesting Andrew might actually be expecting some popularity by association, with his mother's public signals and non-verbal' 'Taking his place next to Edward he cut an isolated but defiant-looking figure, but there were no glances or even nods of greeting and no discernible eye contact. 'The eye-avoidance looked deliberate, with most of the Firm staring pointedly ahead as though barely even aware of him. 'Edward and Sophie are often used as the buffers of the royal firm, famously chatting animatedly to avoid the frost between William and Harry on their last public outing, but there were no signs of warmth or connection between these brothers until the singing of the hymn. Andrew turned his head to speak to Edward and Sophie and they replied with the coolest of responses. Today's service was attended by the Royal Family and his relatives, friends and people who benefitted from his charities and patronages. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were the only senior royals not there. The Duke of York had a front row seat at the service, sitting close to his other siblings, with his daughters Princess Eugenie and Princess also in attendance but there was no sign of his ex-wife Sarah, Duchess of York. The Queen's decision to have Andrew accompany her comes despite him paying up to 12million earlier this month to settle a US civil sexual assault case and it will be seen as a major signal of support to her second son. Judi added: 'The message from the Queen about her Prodigal son Andrew looked unequivocal today. As her eldest son Charles is fond of saying, this is now clearly a "non-negotiable" relationship. 'Not only did she choose her second son to accompany and support her as she walked into the Abbey, making this the first time she has been seen in public accepting assistance from anyone, she also paused before they parted to take their seats and threw him a smile of thanks in front of UK and foreign royalty as well as the eyes of the rest of the world. Front and centre of the high profile occasion was the Duke of York, despite Andrew paying millions out of court earlier this month to settle a civil sexual assault case and losing his 'HRH' Queen Elizabeth II is helped into her car by her son Prince Andrew, right, after attending a Service of Thanksgiving for the life of Prince Philip. Mother and son skipped multiple receptions being held in the capital this afternoon The Queen and Prince Andrew are seen returning to Windsor Castle through the Shaw Farm Gate after Prince Philip's service 'She had four children to choose from but it was Andrew who got the job, even standing behind his mother with his hands clasped behind his back, joining in the smiles and the laughter as she chatted to some of the speakers, looking poignantly like a stand-in for his late father, whose memory they were respecting.' Despite the cold shoulder from the rest of his family, Andrew maintained his 'non-verbal arrogance' and even waived to cameras on his way home. 'Andrew's bearing was upright and almost military,' Judi added. 'Those spectacles perched on the end of his nose suggested his tendency to non-verbal arrogance is still holding firm, while his wave to the cameras could be seen as something of a victory role.' The royal cheerfully waved at photographers as he and the Queen skipped several royal receptions and returned to Windsor Castle this afternoon after an extraordinary and emotional service in remembrance of Prince Philip and his 99-year life of dedication to Britain and his wife. Her Majesty became emotional in Westminster Abbey - where she married Prince Philip in November 1947 - having personally ensured her beloved husband's final wishes were fulfilled after his Covid-hit funeral left her sat alone without the rousing hymns and guests he loved so much. It comes as a royal expert claimed Prince Charles and Prince William will have been left 'disappointed and uneasy' after disgraced Prince Andrew accompanied the Queen to the service. Royal commentators said the surprise move was the 95-year-old monarch's way of 'very clearly stating that he has a role at family occasions' and that 'many people will now accept the Queen's word and judgment'. Judi explained: 'Those spectacles perched on the end of his nose suggested his tendency to non-verbal arrogance is still holding firm, while his wave to the cameras could be seen as something of a victory role.' The Queen is aided by Prince Andrew today as they attend the thanksgiving service for the Duke of Edinburgh in London Andrew watches as his mother the Queen gets into a car following the service at Westminster Abbey today Her Majesty stands to sing surrounded by her family with the Duke of York also on the front row.From left to right, front row: Queen Elizabeth II, the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall, the Princess Royal, Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence, the Duke of York, The Earl of Wessex, the Countess of Wessex, Lady Louise Mountbatten-Windsor and Viscount Severn. (Second row left to right) The Duke of Cambridge, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, the Duchess of Cambridge, Peter Phillips, Isla Phillips, Savannah Phillips, Mia Tindall, Zara Tindall and Mike Tindall The Queen's decision to have Andrew accompany her comes despite him paying up to 12million earlier this month to settle a US civil sexual assault case and it will be seen as a major signal of support to her second son. Royal expert Angela Levin told MailOnline of William and Charles: 'They would have been very disappointed and uneasy about Andrew's presence but they would have known that this was the Queen's decision. I'm sure they were probably thinking something very different inside but Charles and William have always known that the Queen has a soft spot for Andrew and if she wants her favourite son with her, she would be entitled to do that. 'It was one of those moments when the Queen exercised her position both as a mother and the Queen. She obviously needed someone to help her on that small walk, but I noticed that when she got up to leave at the end of the service, Prince Charles got up too, as if to help her. But she ignored him and wanted Andrew to take her out instead. She turned to him, not Charles.' Her Majesty walked with the help of a stick but stood without support sat next to Charles, Camilla, Anne and her husband Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence. Across the aisle was Prince Andrew The Duke of York (centre) and the Earl of Wessex (right) during a Service of Thanksgiving for the life of the Duke of Edinburgh Prince Andrew travelled with the Queen to Westminster Abbey and appeared to escort her to her seat before taking his own The Queen goes to take her seat as Andrew goes towards his for the service at Westminster Abbey this morning Andrew releases his mother from his arm as she walks the final steps to her seat unaided The Queen's state limousine arrived at the Poets' Yard entrance of the Abbey with Andrew sat beside her at around 11.30am this morning. As they walked through the famous Poets' Corner towards her seat in the abbey, in a small procession, the monarch held onto her son's elbow with her left hand and had a walking stick in her right. The monarch and her son walked at a slow but steady pace both looking ahead, and at the end of the aisle they separated - with Andrew giving a last glance to his mother as she turned right. After the first hymn, Prince Charles could be seen leaning over to speak to the Queen who was seated next to him. After the service, the Queen was again escorted out of the Abbey by Andrew. As the monarch stopped to greet Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award holder Doyin Sonibare, Andrew stood back and at one point broke into a smile. Ms Levin added: 'There's no doubt that this whole thing would have left Charles and William disappointed and uneasy. I'm not sure if they would have been angry because even they would have realised that there would not be much point in that. Charles in particular feels that he's done enough for Andrew and he will not play any part in the Royal family once Charles takes over. I imagine that William feels exactly the same. 'Both Charles and William were very determined that Andrew had to step down and not play any role in the Royal Family in a professional way. They now expect him to disappear and the two of them will make sure of that. I don't think either Charles or William played any part in the decision to have Andrew present at the service. The Queen was determined that he would be there and made up her mind about it a long time ago The Queen and Prince Andrew leave after attending a service of thanksgiving for Prince Philip at Westminster Abbey Prince Andrew leaves after attending a service of thanksgiving for the life of Prince Philip at Westminster Abbey today 'She (the Queen) was very involved in the service and what it would entail. The Queen does not make quick decisions, she thought about this very carefully and was determined to have Andrew there. I don't think there would have been much of a discussion about Andrew's presence because at the end of the day, she's still the Queen. Charles and William wouldn't have had to make their views clear about him being there because they have spent a lot of time talking about Andrew and the Queen knows how they feel about him. Even if they had protested to the Queen, they would have soon been quietened.' And she added: 'I'm sorry but Andrew's presence did detract from the service. I was very shocked to see him there, accompanying the Queen. Having someone who is accused of sexual abuse, even though he was not charged with anything, being given such a prominent role in the service is bound to be a detraction 'At the end of the day, the Queen took a decision that the love she feels for Andrew is more important than anything else or trying to please the public. That's her right. This was a mother who lost her husband after 70 years and wanted her favourite son to be there by her side.' Andrew, 62, who has been keeping a low profile since the end of 2019, is said to have been determined to honour his late father the Duke of Edinburgh despite fears his presence could dominate coverage of the event. Ex-BBC royal correspondent Peter Hunt said: 'It didn't happen by chance. He could have sat in the congregation with others, with his relatives, but they actively decided that he would have this role of supporting her. So she has chosen, in essence, to remind people that he hasn't admitted any wrongdoing, he's not guilty of anything, he's innocent. And she's very clearly stating that he has a role at family occasions.' But he also said that the downside of Andrew having had such a prominent role in his father's memorial service is that it is a reminder of his 'many errors of judgment that have led him to being removed from public life'. Mr Hunt added: 'It's one thing to accept that he should attend his father's memorial service. It's quite another thing to then give him quite a prominent role, so it was an active choice to give him such a prominent role.' The Queen and Prince Andrew leave by car after attending the service of thanksgiving for Prince Philip today Prince Andrew is seen arriving back at Windsor Castle this afternoon with the Queen following today's service Mr Hunt said he found it 'fascinating', and said: 'Did William and Charles try to intervene? And clearly if they did then they failed.' He added: 'I think you have to start from the basis that Charles and William will have been in the driving seat with the Queen of removing Andrew from public life. Both of them will have been very aware of the risks of Andrew having this role. So either they decided that they could justify it on the basis that it was an event for his father, or they did try to suggest this wasn't a good idea and the Queen chose not to listen to them. Duke of York in profile: From Falklands War hero to controversial royal who settled sex case for 12million Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of York arriving to attend a church service in Hillington, Norfolk, on January 19, 2020 During the Duke of York's life, the 'Playboy Prince' has earned high regard for his bravery during the Falklands War and served as a trade envoy, but he is best known as the man whose reputation was left in tatters amid the Jeffrey Epstein sex scandal. As a young man, he was one of the world's most eligible bachelors and earned himself the nickname 'Randy Andy' after being linked to a string of beautiful women. But later in life his connections with controversial foreign figures raised concerns and he was dubbed 'Air Miles Andy' after being criticised for his globe-trotting, especially helicopter trips to pursue his passion for golf. At 22, Andrew saw active service in the Royal Navy as a Sea King helicopter pilot in the Falklands War. His service included flying his aircraft as a decoy target, trying to divert deadly Exocet missiles away from British ships. He later married and divorced the bubbly, flame-haired Sarah 'Fergie' Ferguson, who herself has generated some of the most humiliating royal scandals of modern times. When a bachelor for a second time, Andrew again made headlines, having been spotted cavorting with topless women on holiday in Thailand, and attending a 'hookers and pimps' party with Robert Maxwell's daughter, Ghislaine Maxwell, in the US. After serving for 22 years in the Royal Navy, the duke became the UK's special representative for international trade and investment, but his 10 years in the role generated a great deal of controversy. As a roving ambassador, one of his first tasks was a post-September 11 trip to New York, but he was criticised for attending a party during his stay. Andrew has faced questions over his connections to politicians in Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Tunisia, Libya and Turkmenistan. His judgment was questioned after he held meetings with Libyan leader Colonel Muammar Gaddafi's son Saif, and when he entertained the son-in-law of Tunisia's ousted president Zine El Abidine Ben Ali at Buckingham Palace. His relations with Timur Kulibayev, son-in-law of the then-president of Kazakhstan, were also scrutinised after Mr Kulibayev purchased the duke's Sunninghill Park home for 3 million more than its 12 million asking price in 2007. Simon Wilson, Britain's deputy head of mission in Bahrain from 2001 to 2005, wrote in the Daily Mail that the duke was 'more commonly known among the British diplomatic community in the Gulf as HBH: His Buffoon Highness'. In 2011, it emerged that Andrew was friends with American financier Epstein, who was sentenced to 18 months in prison in 2008 for soliciting a minor for prostitution. Photos surfaced of him with his arm around Virginia Giuffre, also known as Virginia Roberts, who claimed that Epstein employed her as a masseuse but exploited her while a teenage minor. The duke was also pictured walking in New York's Central Park with Epstein in December 2010, a year after Epstein's release from prison, and this led him to quit his role as a trade envoy. In 2013, Andrew was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society, but Britain's pre-eminent scientific institution faced unprecedented dissent from members over the move, with one professor describing the duke as an 'unsavoury character'. Tech-savvy Andrew, who was the first member of the royal family to have an official Twitter account under his own name, focused on his Pitch@Palace work, bringing together industry experts with young entrepreneurs and technology start-ups. Then in 2015, while enjoying a New Year skiing holiday with his family, he was named in US court documents as having had sex a number of times with a teenage girl, a minor under US law. The woman alleged she was 'procured' for the duke by Epstein, whom she accused of using her as a 'sex slave'. She was identified in reports as Giuffre, the US teenager with whom Andrew had been pictured. The duke vehemently denied the allegation. In April 2015, a US federal judge ordered the claims to be struck from civil court records as the long-running lawsuit against Epstein continued. But Andrew's association with Epstein hit the headlines once again in 2019, amid ongoing investigations into the American, who killed himself in prison in August that year while awaiting trial on sex trafficking and conspiracy charges. The duke's appearance on the BBC's Newsnight programme later in November was intended to draw a line under the matter. But it was dubbed a 'car crash', with commentators questioning his responses and condemning his unsympathetic tone and lack of remorse over his friendship with the sex offender Epstein. During the interview, Andrew denied that he slept with Ms Giuffre, saying one encounter in 2001 did not happen as he had spent the day with his daughter, Princess Beatrice, taking her to Pizza Express in Woking for a party. The same alleged sexual liaison, which the American said began with the royal sweating heavily as they danced at London nightclub Tramp, was later branded factually wrong as the duke said he had a medical condition at the time which meant he did not sweat. And he twice stated that his relationship with sex offender Epstein had provided 'seriously beneficial outcomes', giving him the opportunity to meet people and prepare for his future role as a trade envoy. In January, Andrew's lawyers attempted to throw out the civil sex case brought by Ms Giuffre, but a judge rejected this and ruled the case could go to trial. The Queen stripped Andrew of his honorary military roles in response, and he gave up his HRH style, before demanding a jury trial. But on February 15, their lawyers reached an out-of-court settlement in what eventually became a conclusion to the case. On March 8, it was revealed that Andrew had paid an estimated 12million to his US sex accuser bringing the case against him to a close. Advertisement 'The key issue today for them is remembering Prince Philip. Instead of which people are remembering Prince Philip and commentating on the fact his son, Prince Andrew, had such a prominent role at his memorial service.' Mr Hunt said he imagines Andrew would have been 'very keen' on having the role of escorting his mother, adding: 'It would be for others to dissuade him.' He also questioned how it would be perceived in the United States and elsewhere in the world. 'It's one thing to organise an event to satisfy the needs and the desires of the family members, it's quite another to then step back from it and see how it is seen around the world, and I don't yet know what that judgment will be. 'But the risk for them is it reopens yet again the whole can of worms for them about Prince Andrew's judgment, it reminds them about his missteps and it raises questions about the wisdom of allowing him to have a prominent role when he could just have attended as everyone else did,' he said. And royal author Victoria Murphy added: 'Because of the nature of the event, I don't think Prince Andrew's appearance alongside the Queen is an indication that anything has changed as far as his public role goes. But it does send a message that he still has a very important role by her side in her personal life.' Meanwhile royal expert Robert Jobson, author of Prince Philip's Century, told People magazine of Andrew's appearance: 'It shows she wholeheartedly loves and believes her son. As she did when she made a statement about Camilla being Queen's Consort, many people will now accept the Queen's word and judgment.' He said some senior royals were unimpressed, 'but she insisted'. 'It does make some sense that he accompany her because he doesn't have a partner,' he said. 'A settlement has been paid but he's guilty of nothing in the eyes of the law. She has faith in Andrew. Even if he disappears from public life, he's been able to pay tribute to his father, who after all, was very proud of his service in the Royal Navy, where he fought in the Falkland Islands conflict.' Andrew's role at the ceremony was revealed hours earlier by Mr Jobson, who told GB News this morning: 'I think that Prince Andrew may play a more prominent role than we think earlier on. My understanding is that someone has to support the Queen and he may well be by her side. I think Charles will probably be with Camilla.' Another royal commentator said Andrew's role may have been a matter of 'practicality' as much as anything else. Asked if he viewed Andrew's role at the memorial service as a way of the Queen showing support for her son, Joe Little, managing editor of Majesty Magazine, said: 'It's hard to interpret how it came about. I'm not sure that the Queen would necessarily regard it in that way.' He said it might have just been 'a practicality as much as anything' and a plan that 'fitted the purposes of the occasion'. Mr Little added: 'I mean clearly with him by her side then the support is there physically and in every other way really.' He pointed out that Andrew has not been found guilty of anything, adding: 'It's a complicated situation on a very personal level for the Queen as his mother.' Mr Little also pointed out that, like the Queen, Andrew was also travelling from Windsor for the service. Asked if he was surprised by Andrew's role of escorting his mother, he said: 'I suppose we should always expect the unexpected on big royal occasions, and I don't think anybody had guessed that this is what would happen. But I suppose we could look at it in many ways, but the Queen was coming from Windsor. 'Andrew was coming from Windsor. So it made sense to have a member of the family travel with her. Clearly it's the first time that we've seen him for a long time since all the legal wranglings were settled, so some people will argue that he shouldn't have been as prominent, but then we have to remember that he was the Duke of Edinburgh's son, so you know, really, he is just as entitled to be there as his siblings.' And royal historian Hugo Vickers said Andrew's role in escorting the Queen was 'entirely correct and appropriate', describing it as a 'nice gesture'. He said that the Queen 'needs an arm' and said 'Who better than her son?' Mr Vickers added that if she took the arm of an official it would look 'rather sad'. But Nazil Afzal, the former Chief Crown Prosecutor for North West England, tweeted: 'I see Prince Andrew is travelling with Her Majesty to Prince Philip's memorial. I'm all for rehabilitation but it starts with facing justice, accepting responsibility and working to rebuild victims' confidence. None of that is present here, so far.' Palace sources said in January that the 'ruthless and swift' decision to strip Andrew of his military titles by the Queen had been 'widely discussed' within the Royal Family following the Duke's failed bid to persuade a judge to dismiss the civil lawsuit in which he was accused of having sex with a trafficking victim. Prince Charles and his son William were understood to have been 'instrumental' in the move to force him out before the Queen made up her mind and summoned him for a meeting, after the court verdict. On March 8, it was revealed he had paid an estimated 12million to his accuser - bringing the case against him to a close. But Andrew has been frozen out of the Royal Family in terms of public events, and was not present at Westminster Abbey earlier this month for the Commonwealth Day Service which was attended by senior royals including Prince Charles, Camilla, Prince William and Kate - but not the Queen, who was forced to pull out due to her health. Buckingham Palace officials confirmed overnight that Princess Beatrice would attend along with her husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, while Princess Eugenie was also there with her husband Jack Brooksbank. On Andrew's left in the Abbey was his brother the Earl of Wessex and Edward's family the Countess of Wessex and their children Lady Louise Windsor and James, Viscount Severn. Across an aisle on his right was the Princess Royal, Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence, the Duchess of Cornwall, Prince of Wales and the Queen. Prince George and Princess Charlotte also attended with Prince William and Kate, and were sat behind the Queen. Behind Andrew and Edward's family was Peter Phillips, and Zara and Mike Tindall and their daughters. Yesterday, the Duke was spotted going horse riding at Windsor Great Park, along with two grooms. He was also photographed driving near Windsor Castle in his hybrid electric Range Rover. The Duke formally settled the alleged rape case against him by 'sex slave' accuser Virginia Roberts at a court in New York earlier this month, after he paid her an estimated 12million. He has always denied the allegations. Courtiers believe the Duke will effectively disappear from public life after today's poignant event, where he is likely to rub shoulders with representatives from charities and organisations he has been forced to part ways with. Prince Philip - who died last April aged 99 - was Colonel of the Grenadier Guards for more than 40 years, and Andrew took over the role in 2017, but it was one of the military titles he was made to give up earlier this year. The Duke of York has hardly been seen in public since he stepped down from royal life following the Jeffrey Epstein scandal - with the Queen stripping him of his military affiliations and royal patronages in January. The Queen and Prince Andrew are driven by car after attending the service of thanksgiving for Prince Philip today The Queen and Prince Andrew arrive together for the Duke of Edinburgh's memorial service at Westminster Abbey today Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Andrew arrive for the service of thanksgiving for late Prince Philip this morning Prince Andrew (left) leaves Windsor Castle with the Queen (right) today ahead of the service to remember Prince Philip The Queen leaves Windsor Castle in a car this morning with her disgraced son Prince Andrew to travel to London Prince Andrew (left) leaves Windsor Castle with the Queen (right) this morning ahead of the service of thanksgiving for Philip The Queen leaves Windsor Castle to travel to Westminster Abbey this morning, with her son Prince Andrew sat on her right The Queen arranged for the service for Philip to take place, and the congregation included family, friends, dignitaries and representatives of the many organisations with which the Duke of Edinburgh was associated. But Prince Harry and Meghan Markle did not return the California for the service amid concerns raised by the couple over their security, although Harry plans to go to Holland next month to attend the Invictus Games. Members of the Royal Family were joined by more than 30 foreign royals, the duke's family and friends and 500 representatives from charities and organisations of which he was patron. The Queen and Philip were married in the Abbey in November 1947 and it holds many special memories. About 1,800 guests attended today. By contrast, his funeral was limited to 30 people because of Covid restrictions. Prince Andrew is spotted going horse riding in Windsor today ahead of the memorial service for Prince Philip The Duke of York is accompanied by two grooms as he goes out riding at Windsor Great Park in Berkshire yesterday morning Andrew is said to be determined to honour his father despite fears his presence could dominate coverage of the service The Duke of York goes horse riding at Windsor Great Park yesterday morning ahead of today's memorial service for Philip Prince Andrew is seen driving near Windsor Castle yesterday morning ahead of the memorial service for his late father today Earlier this month, Andrew paid up to 12million to his US sex accuser bringing the civil case against him almost to a close. 'Stipulation of Dismissal' documents were filed with a New York court on March 8, with lawyers on both sides calling for the legal action to be dismissed, indicating the settlement has been paid. As the order was published, the Treasury confirmed no taxpayer funds were used for either the payment to Virginia Roberts or for the Duke of York's legal fees. A freedom of information request asked whether any money from the Sovereign Grant to the Royal Family or any other government money was used. The Treasury insisted: 'No public money has been used to pay legal or settlement fees.' The joint order filed with the New York court said each party would pay their own costs and fees. Miss Roberts bringing the case under her married name of Giuffre had sued Andrew for alleged sexual abuse. She claimed he had sex with her when she was 17 after he was trafficked by his friend, the late billionaire paedophile Jeffrey Epstein. The duke will make a 'substantial donation' to a charity for sex abuse victims set up by Miss Roberts, now a 38-year-old mother-of-three. He said he now regrets his association with Epstein. Andrew, who was forced to step down from royal duties and public life as a result of the scandal, previously claimed he had no recollection of meeting Miss Roberts and has always strongly denied her allegations. But he agreed to the settlement last month. The opening of Sarah Jessica Parker and husband Matthew Broderick's revival of the Niel Simon play Plaza Suite was delayed two years due to COVID so when it opened on Broadway last night, stars were ready to come out to celebrate. Parker, 57, and Broderick, 60 who will celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary in May led the star-studded red carpet, which also included Parker's close friend Andy Cohen, Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour, Sex and the City co-star Cynthia Nixon, and New York City mayor Eric Adams. But while Adams walked the red carpet and posed for photos, he skipped out on actually watching the play in favor of attending another party with Cara Delevingne and A$AP Rocky. New York City Mayor Eric Adams attended the star-studded red carpet for Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick's new Broadway show - but skipped the play to dash to another event Adams was seen posing for the cameras on the red carpet, however he left the venue soon after to head to another celebrity party, where he was seen dancing with Cara Delevingne Plaza Suite, a revival of a 1968 Niel Simon play starring real-life married couple Sarah and Matthew, celebrated its opening night on Broadway on Monday The real-life couple plays three different couples across three acts and did so to a star-packed audience last night The premiere was certainly the place to be on Monday night, with Julianna Margulies, Morena Baccarin, Ben McKenzie, David Harbour, Lily Allen, Bernadette Peters, Martin Short, Leslie Mann, and Victor Garber in attendance. Adams, who has suggested that he has brought 'swagger' back to the mayor's office, made sure to turn up for the step and repeat, smiling for photographers and offering a thumbs-up in his tan three-piece suit. But once the camera op was over, Adams didn't stick around to watch the play, instead traveling about a half a mile down the street to make an appearance at another star-studded event. Interestingly enough, he did make it inside the theater, and his @nycmayor Instagram account shared video of him schmoozing inside but he appears to have made a run for it before the house lights came down. It was clearly a busy night for the ex-cop mayor, although he managed to squeeze in an outfit change before heading to his next event of the night, where he was seen chatting to several celebrity guests and dancing along to a DJ set. His attendance at the two events came just hours after two more assaults in the city that he has repeatedly vowed to clean-up. At 7:30 a.m. a 53-year-old man placing an order at a kiosk in a Midtown Manhattan McDonalds was caught on camera getting beaten and robbed. Generally, stars who show up for premieres stay to enjoy the show after posing for photos He changed his outfit before heading down the street to the Bilt Rewards x Wells Fargo Launch Party, where he posed for photos with A$AP Rocky and Floyd Mayweather (pictured) Mayor Adams spoke at the second event, where he was also seen bopping his head next to a dancing Cara Video on Twitter shows the pair enjoying a performance during the event Adams gives his signature thumbs up while posing with Wyclef Jean and Ankur Jain And just a few hours later, at 1 p.m., the 60-year-old owner of a Queens pawn shop had his head so badly beaten in with a metal rod that responding officers initially believed he suffered a gunshot wound, the New York Post reported. The incidents come days after Adams himself said the uptick in crime across New York City has made the Big Apple a 'laughing stock' in need of a 'wartime general' to tackle the ongoing problem. However, Mayor Adams did not appear to have the matter on his mind as he arrived at his second soiree of the night, the One Vanderbelt for the Bilt Rewards x Wells Fargo Launch Party, where he spoke on stage and posed for photos with A$AP Rocky and Floyd Mayweather. This time, he stayed for a performance, and was seen bopping his head next to a dancing Cara Delevingne. Also at the party were Dorinda Medley, Melissa Gorga, and Wyclef Jean. Generally, stars who show up for premieres stay to enjoy the show after posing for photos which was likely the case for the other big names who came to the Hudson Theater for Plaza Suite on Monday. In addition to Cynthia Nixon, SJP's Sex and the City costar Mikhail Baryshnikov and her And Just Like That costar Sarita Choudhury all turned up to support her. SJP's Sex and the City co-star Cynthia Nixon turned up to show her support Her other co-stars, Mikhail Baryshnikov and Sarita Choudhury, were there as well Vogue boss Anna Wintour bundled up in a weather-appropriate black coat with sequin enbellishments Andy Cohen gave a rave review, writing on Instagram that the show was 'delightful' Lily Allen and David Harbour came arm in arm and smiled for the cameras It brought out big names, including Julianna Margulies and Victor Garber Also on the red carpet were Andrea Martin, Ashley Park, Prabal Gurung, Brenda Vaccaro, Mare Winningham, and Anthony Edwards. Vogue boss Anna Wintour bundled up in a weather-appropriate black coat with sequin embellishments. Parker sparkled in a pink Atelier Prabal Gurung dress, which she paired with shoes from her own collection. 'To me, nobody epitomizes New York like Sarah Jessica, in every possible way, so it was a great honor,' Gurung said on Instagram. She posed for photos with her co-star and husband, who wore a black suit with a green tie. Plaza Suite, a comedy by Neil Simon, premiered in 1968 and is set in that time period. Over the course of three acts, Parker and Broderick play three different couples, each in suite 719 at the Plaza Hotel in New York City Yet there seems to be a consensus among reviewers that the script doesn't hold up all these decades later The main bright spot, to many critics, is Parker's performance - and the chemistry that she and Broderick share Though the famous couple's star power certainly brought out the A-list and is sure to keep attracting audiences during its limited 17-week engagement it didn't guarantee ringing endorsements from theater critics, who have mostly written lukewarm reviews. Plaza Suite, a comedy by Neil Simon, premiered in 1968 and is set in that time period. Over the course of three acts, Parker and Broderick play three different couples, each in suite 719 at the Plaza Hotel in New York City. Yet there seems to be a consensus among reviewers that the script doesn't hold up all these decades later. 'Looked at now, [Simon's] Plaza Suite jokes, however well formed, keep dying on the vine. The past is not yet past enough to find such an unfair battle of the sexes funny,' wrote the New York Times. 'Alas, the stars efforts, while certainly appealing, dont make the material any less obsolete,' wrote The Hollywood Reporter. Ben McKenzie and Morena Baccarin, who wore a dress from St. John, were among the stars to show up for opening night Broadway icon Bernadette Peters and SNL star Rachel Dratch spent the night out Leslie Mann turned up solo, wihtout her husband, Judd Apatow, or their two actress daughters Emily in Paris star Ashley Park and designer Prabal Gurung were also on the guest list Martin Short - who starred in It's Only a Play with Broderick - posed with Andrea Martin Anthony Edwards and Mare Winningham also took to the red carpet on opening night The main bright spot, to many critics, is Parker's performance and the chemistry that she and Broderick share. 'The thrill we get from the particular husband and particular wife being these two performers helps buoy moments when the misunderstandings can feel rote, or the scaffolding of the first and third acts arguments, building to one big reveal, can feel too visible,' wrote Variety. 'The show itself is somewhat lost in time. But Parker and Brodericks chemistry, expertly honed, makes it feel timeless.' In every scene, Parker is giving the most, carrying the comedy on her narrow shoulders,' wrote The Guardian. 'Broderick, is doing a lot less, as is his way. But they have a flagrant enjoyment in playing opposite each other, which is the best and maybe the only reason to book in.' Andy Cohen, at least, gave a rave review, writing on Instagram that the show was 'delightful.' A former Mormon who became an OnlyFans star after leaving the church claims she and her family have been 'exiled' by the local community - including their own friends and relatives - because of her raunchy online career. Skyler, 39, from North California, turned her back on the congregation in 2018, having been a member for over a decade, after growing disillusioned with its practices. The religion has some very strict rules including no sex before marriage, no porn or same-sex relationships, as well as no booze, cigarettes, coffee or gambling. Mormons are also required to adhere to a strict dress code, which requires all members to uphold a 'clear standard of modesty' at all times while prohibiting clothing that is 'tight' or 'revealing'. Free from restraint after leaving the church, Skyler decided to explore her sexuality uploading steamy snaps of herself on Instagram, where she now has 168,000 followers. A $15-a-month OnlyFans account with even more explicit content soon followed. A former Mormon-turned-OnlyFans star says she and her family have been 'exiled' by their community because of her raunchy online career The woman, known only as Skyler, joined the Mormon Church after marrying her husband, who was already a member, however she says the 'rigid' rules took a toll on her marriage Skyler (pictured during a Mormon Church pioneer trek), now 39, says the strict regulations of the church left her in a 'sex-less marriage' and made her and her husband argue constantly In 2018, more than ten years after joining the Mormon faith, Skyler (pictured in the pink skirt) decided to leave alongside her husband, and says it greatly improved their relationship It wasn't until a follower asked for more explicit content that he was willing to pay for, that the mom-of-two set up an OnlyFans page in March 2020. However, her new career has not gone down well with her former congregation or her new neighbors and friends, many of which are still members of the Mormon Church. 'As a family, we have been shut out,' Skyler told Jam Press. 'I joined the Mormon church because at the time my husband was part of it, but we left having grown frustrated with the rigidness of the religion and having to give so much of our time and money to it. 'No vices were allowed. No drinking, no smoking. 'Only sugar was allowed. The amount of baked goods we ate saw us both put on weight and it had a knock-on effect on our marriage. 'It became a sexless marriage. I stopped looking good for my husband. 'We also had a ton of arguments about giving ten per cent of our income to the church. As part of her new-found sexual freedom, Skyler decided to begin posting explicit content to Instagram and OnlyFans - having first blocked everyone she knew from within the church However, a mother of one of her daughter's friends discovered her Instagram page and spread the word about Skyler's risque online persona She says that the woman phoned her and 'slut-shamed' her over her photos, before telling Skyler that her daughter was no longer welcome in their home 'They teach you secret handshakes and walk you through the three levels of heaven, which funnily enough correlates with giving more of your money and baking more cookies. 'It was delusional and we had to get out of there. 'Being a Mormon was taking things away from me as a wife and as a mom. It was time to do something for myself, my family and my marriage. 'As soon as we left, we smoked a big joint and had the best sex we had in years.' Skyler was outed to her family and friends after a mom of one of her daughter's friends found her page. She said: 'I've always admired women who aren't afraid to show off and have fun. It's something I secretly wanted [as a Mormon] but didn't really know how to do it. 'When I started my Instagram account I tried my hardest to block people from seeing me. I went through my entire friend and family list. 'But one day my posts turned up on the explore page, where my daughter's friend's mom spotted me. 'I've also been shunned by other moms when I go and watch my children play softball and once even cried in a hair salon after the hairdresser said she didn't agree with what I do,' she said Skyler's husband also faced backlash, with the mother-of-two revealing that one of his friends phoned him and 'yelled' about Skyler's online profile Despite the backlash, Skyler insists that she is doing nothing wrong, while also pointing to the people who are still members of the church but secretly committing adultery 'There are countless cheating spouses in this town and yet we are the villains,' she said 'She called me up and said my Instagram wasn't "appropriate". I felt slut-shamed. 'She then said she wouldn't be sending her daughter round to our house anymore. 'It broke my heart seeing a decision I made hurt my daughter so much. 'I've also been shunned by other moms when I go and watch my children play softball and once even cried in a hair salon after the hairdresser said she didn't agree with what I do. 'My husband's friend of 40 years also found out he called up and started yelling down the phone. We've been totally exiled.' Skyler's husband added: 'The mom who banned her kid from coming round our house is ridiculous. What we get up to as two consenting adults has no effect on the children. 'There are countless cheating spouses in this town and yet we are the villains. 'We are honest with our sexual desires and communicate with one another about what we want. Despite the backlash, Skyler doesn't regret her choice and says OnlyFans has done wonders for her marriage She says that her husband has been incredibly supportive of her OnlyFans account, for which she charges a $15-a-month subscription fee 'I much prefer exploring this avenue and having a better marriage with my husband than to toe the line with people in this bible belt town,' she said 'Just because their wives aren't giving them any, blame shouldn't be placed at our doors.' Despite the backlash, Skyler doesn't regret her choice and says OnlyFans has done wonders for her marriage. Skyler added: 'My husband has been my biggest supporter and without him being so encouraging and amazing this wouldn't have worked out. 'After being a housewife for so many years I now feel sexy and liberated. 'My husband gets turned on as he has a hot wife fetish and the idea of other men wanting to get with me gets him going. 'When we're thinking of a racy caption together it spices up our bedroom talk. 'OnlyFans has added something to our marriage. 'I much prefer exploring this avenue and having a better marriage with my husband than to toe the line with people in this bible belt town.' Hyundai Heavy Industries' shipyard in Ulsan is seen in this file photo. Yonhap DSME takeover bid could be resumed under Yoon's presidency By Park Jae-hyuk HD Hyundai's recent lawsuit against the European Commission's January decision to block Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering's (KSOE) proposed acquisition of Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering (DSME) is seen to signal its willingness to resume the takeover bid under the incoming government despite its denial, according to industry officials, Tuesday. Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) Group's holding company confirmed Monday that it sued the European Union's antitrust regulator on March 23 to ask the EU court to judge on the legality of the disapproval of DSME's purchase by KSOE, a subsidiary of HD Hyundai and a parent firm of HHI. "We filed the lawsuit to ask the court to verify that it was unreasonable for the EU regulator to evaluate the shipbuilding market dominance based only on market share," an HD Hyundai official said. "Even if we win the lawsuit, the decision cannot be overturned, so we are not pushing for the acquisition again." When KSOE signed a contract with Korea Development Bank (KDB) to acquire DSME, both sides agreed that the contract would be canceled unless all six overseas antitrust regulators approved the deal. Their contract has therefore been nullified, following the European Commission's veto. Some industry officials, however, regarded HD Hyundai's recent legal action as a preparatory measure to resume efforts for the DSME takeover under the presidency of Yoon Suk-yeol, considering that the lawsuit was filed after his election and the president-elect promised to help DSME find a competent new owner as soon as possible. "I will solve the problems surrounding DSME as soon as possible for the company to contribute to Geoje's regional economy and Korea's economic growth," Yoon said last month during an election campaign event on the South Gyeongsang Province island. Immediately after the European regulator's rejection in January, KDB Chairman Lee Dong-gull urged HD Hyundai to take measures against the decision. "Because it is critical to make sure that Korean industries are not pushed around easily by the EU, I personally hope Hyundai Heavy Industries will file lawsuits to ask for compensation and cancellation of the disapproval," Lee said during a press conference, Jan. 27. HD Hyundai also said at that time that it would hold internal discussions on whether it should seek legal remedies to challenge the veto. Its legal action came two months later. Considering that the litigation will take a great amount of time, industry officials expect the shipbuilding group to have enough time to reconsider its acquisition of DSME. In addition, its rivals will likely avoid a bid for a DSME takeover until the end of the litigation, due to concerns about uncertainties. There is also speculation that HD Hyundai will devise new strategies for the acquisition, capitalizing on the litigation to find out the logic behind the European regulator's decision. "HD Hyundai will be able to justify its resumed bid for the DSME takeover, if the court rules in favor of the company," an industry insider said. Looked a world away from her demure buttoned up jacket and trousers, instead opting for an asymmetric zigzag dress with sequins and string V-neckline Lady Amelia Windsor put on a stunning display on the red carpet as she attended the premiere of Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets Of Dumbledore premiere in London tonight just hours after she attended the memorial service for Prince Philip. Amelia, 26, who is 43rd in the line of succession to the British throne, looked effortlessly glamorous glittering gown with a 90s-inspired neckline and towering golden heels. Earlier today, the royal - who is the granddaughter of Prince Edward, Duke of Kent, the Queen's first cousin - was one of 1800 mourners at Prince Philip's Thanksgiving of Life ceremony. Lady Amelia Windsor put on a stunning display on the red carpet as she attended the premiere of Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets Of Dumbledore premiere in London tonight just hours after she attended the memorial service for Prince Philip. Earlier today, the royal - who is the granddaughter of Prince Edward, Duke of Kent, the Queen's first cousin - was one of 1800 mourners at Prince Philip's Thanksgiving of Life ceremony. Tonight she looked a world away from her demure buttoned up jacket and trousers, instead opting for an asymmetric zigzag dress embossed with sequins and string V-neckline. She added a black clutch bag and neon jewellery - finishing the look off with a pair of towering golden platforms. Once dubbed the most beautiful member of the royal family, Lady Amelia is currently signed to Storm models, which represents the likes of Kate Moss and Cara Delevingne. She has also modelled for the likes of Dolce & Gabbana and designed her own range of accessories in collaboration with Penelope Chilvers. Showing her glamorous side, she opted for a classic make-up look pairing black eyeliner and glittering eyeshadow with a deep red lip. Amelia, 26, who is 43rd in the line of succession to the British throne, looked effortlessly glamourous glittering gown with a 90s-inspired neckline and towering golden heels. She added a black clutch bag and neon jewellery - finishing the look off with a pair of towering golden platforms Amelia often wins praise for her fashion taste and regularly posts her style tips on her Instagram page, along with collaborations with brands, including with fine jewellery specialist Alice van Cal. Speaking about why it's her preferred social media platform, Amelia said: 'It allows anyone to be creative and imaginative. 'I also love that we can share all the beautiful and meaningful things we see and hear in the world. I find it so inspiring and uplifting.' The party girl has featured on the front of Tatler magazine and is also a regular at London Fashion Week, having first come to prominence at the Queen's 90th birthday party in 2016. Earlier today, Amelia joined other members of The Queen 's extended family flocked to support the monarch today as they joined guests who were invited to attend Prince Philip's memorial. Amelia's grandfather Duke of Kent was also in attendance. Today, she joined the likes of Eddie Redmayne on the star-studded arrivals for the premiere of Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets Of Dumbledore at London's Royal Festival Hall on Tuesday. Fantastic Beasts' release has been marred by a string of controversies in recent months including Johnny Depp being dropped from the film in the wake of his legal woes, writer JK Rowling facing heavy criticism for her comments about the transgender community, and star Ezra Miller's arrest at a bar in Hawaii. Also on the red carpet was Jude Law, Mads Mikkelson, Fiona Glascott, Sam Ryder and Maria Fernanda Candida. Earlier today, Amelia joined other members of The Queen's extended family flocked to support the monarch today as they joined guests who were invited to attend Prince Philip's memorial. The Queen's cousin Princess Alexandra, 85, cut an elegant figure in an emerald green coat as she arrived at Westminster Abbey today, using a crutch to support her as she walked across the cobbles. Amelia's grandfather Duke of Kent was also in attendance. The Variety writer who asked Kim Kardashian to share her 'advice for women in business' has furiously fired back at the reality star's claims that her comments were 'taken out of context' by the publication. Kim, 41, sparked a firestorm of controversy earlier this month after she was quoted as telling the magazine that women need to 'get their f***ing a**es up and work', before complaining that 'it seems like nobody wants to work these days'. The reality star was blasted as 'tone deaf' and out of touch following the publication of the interview - which was also shared as a video - prompting her to address the controversy in a recent sit-down with Good Morning America, in which she insisted that her comments were 'taken out of context' by Variety. She also claimed to GMA's Robin Roberts that the question about her advice for women came after the interviewer - Variety's Chief Correspondent Elizabeth Wagmeister - suggested that she was just 'famous for being famous', which she said made her entire 'tone and attitude change'. However Wagmeister has now hit back at Kardashian on Twitter, insisting that the billionaire businesswoman was asked a 'very direct question' and that the 'question about [her] being famous for being famous' was actually posed after she offered up her advice to women in business. 'Its not what she claims,' Wagmeister tweeted. 'I just reviewed the raw footage. The question was very direct: What would be your advice for women in business? The question about being famous for being famous came after that question, actually.' The Variety writer who interviewed Kim Kardashian when she offered up her now-infamous 'get your a** up and work' advice to women in business has hit back at the reality star's claims that her comments were 'taken out of context' The billionaire (seen during her Variety shoot) told GMA's Robin Roberts of the comments that they were used as a 'soundbite' and that there were no 'questions and conversations around it' Variety's Chief Correspondent, Elizabeth Wagmeister - who conducted the interview - has now hit back at Kardashian, 41, insisting that she was asked 'a very direct question' In her interview with Roberts, which aired on GMA on Monday morning, Kardashian addressed the bitter controversy over her comments, accusing Variety of using her so-called advice as a 'soundbite', adding that she may have come across as more blunt than she had intended, because a previous question she was asked during the interview put her in a bad mood. 'Well that statement that I said was without questions and conversations around it, and it became a soundbite really with no context,' she explained, after Roberts pointed out how much 'backlash' her comments received. Kim went on to share that she was asked to share her 'advice' for women shortly after being told by an interviewer that 'after 20 years of being in the business, you're famous for being famous', which she admitted made her 'whole tone and attitude change'. Wagmeister (pictured) also addressed the reality star's claim that her 'attitude' was 'changed' because of a previous question about 'being famous for being famous', insisting that line was posed after she was asked to give advice to women in business 'I came off of the notion and the question right before, which was, "After 20 years of being in the business, you're famous for being famous." And my whole tone and attitude changed with the previous question that went into that question about what advice would you give to women,' she said. The online version of the article states that Kardashian shared her 'best advice for women in business' before Wagmeister suggested that the reality star is 'famous for being famous', a characterization that she wrote made Kardashian 'bristle'. In her GMA interview, Kardashian - who is due to return to screens in a new Hulu series documenting the lives of her and her famous family - attempted to further clarify her statement, insisting that she only ever meant to warn other women that fame and social media success does not automatically result in business achievements. 'The advice that I would give is just that, having a social media presence and being on a reality show does not mean overnight success,' she said. 'You have to really work hard to get there, even if it might seem like it's easy and that you can build a really successful business off social media.' Speaking to Roberts, Kardashian insisted that her comments had been 'taken out of context' and used as a 'soundbite' Her comments were mocked by Oscars hosts Regina Hall and Wanda Sykes during the Academy Awards on Sunday night The two women were seen jokingly telling Dame Judi Dench to 'work harder' after she lost out on the Best Supporting Actress award to West Side Story star Ariana DeBose She added that while 'you can' build a successful company off the back of social media, that only happens 'if you put in a lot of hard work'. Billionaire Kim sparked outrage when she made the comments during her Variety interview earlier this month; in a video shared by the publication, she was seen complaining that 'it seems like nobody wants to work these days', after saying her 'best advice for women in business' was: 'Get your f***ing a** up and work.' Kardashian featured on the cover of this months' Variety magazine alongside her sisters Kourtney and Khloe, and their mom Kris Jenner, to mark the upcoming release of their new Hulu reality show The so-called 'advice' was quickly lambasted on social media, where many users branded the mother-of-four 'tone deaf' and 'out of touch', pointing out that she has come from a life of wealth and privilege, and therefore might not be the best person to dole out advice to other women in business. While Kim insisted that her comments were taken out of context, she did offer up an apology to anyone who was offended by her advice, concluding: 'It wasn't a blanket statement towards women or to feel like I don't respect their work or think that they don't work hard. I know that they do. 'It was taken out of context but I'm really sorry if it was received that way.' The reality star - who owns two companies, beauty brand KKW Beauty and clothing company SKIMS - was bitterly trolled on social media after the interview clip was shared, with dozens of people hitting out at her 'tone deaf' comments. One Twitter user, who claimed to have once worked for the Kardashian family, accused the reality star of hypocrisy, saying that she was 'reprimanded' during her time working for the Kardashian apps because she was doing freelance work on the side in order to make ends meet. 'I was an editor on the Kardashian apps in 2015 in LA, worked days night & weekends, could only afford groceries from the 99 Cents Only Store, called out "sick" more than once bc I couldn't put gas in my car to get to the office,' she claimed. '[And I] was reprimanded for freelancing on the side.' After Kim's comments were shared, social media slammed her over her 'tone deaf' advice, with one person claiming to have worked for the reality star when she couldn't afford gas Jameela Jamil wrote on Twitter that 'nobody needs to hear your thoughts on success/work ethic' if you had well-off parents like Kim's Actress Jameela Jamil also blasted Kim on Twitter, noting that '99.9 per cent of the world' grew up in very different circumstances to the reality star. 'I think if you grew up in Beverly Hills with super successful parents in what was simply a smaller mansion... nobody needs to hear your thoughts on success/work ethic,' Jameela wrote. 'This same 24 hours in the day s**t is a nightmare. 99.9% of the world great up with a VERY different 24 hours.' Kim's comments on GMA were taken from a wider interview with her siblings and mother, which is due to air on the morning show next week, ahead of the release of their new Hulu show. Hours before the clip was aired however, Kim's controversial advice was once again dragged into the spotlight when Oscars hosts Wanda and Regina mocked the reality star in a tongue-in-cheek skin during Sunday night's ceremony. The presenters poked fun at Kim's statements - seen by many as tone deaf - as they jokingly offered advice to Dame Judi Dench after she missed out on the Best Supporting Actress Award to Ariana DeBose. Finding Judi, 87, in the audience, Regina said: 'Dame Judi Dench we have an inspirational quote for you.' Comedian Wanda added: 'You know because you didn't win tonight.' Regina continued: 'A quote from Kim Kardashian... work harder.' Kim's sister Kourtney was in the audience when the joke was made as she attended the ceremony alongside her boyfriend Travis Barker who performed as part of the All Star band. However, if the continued controversy over her advice took a toll on the reality star, she certainly didn't let it show when she made an appearance at the Vanity Fair Oscars party on Sunday night, making an incredibly bold statement in a bright turquoise dress and silver sunglasses. A beauty therapist turned to strangers on Facebook for medical advice after one of her customers suffered a severe reaction to lip fillers. Kelly Adsett appealed for help in the 'Lip Filler Chat Group' earlier this month after her client claimed she was suffering swelling in her face, arms and legs and could not walk properly three days after the injections. She received comments from other users suggesting the customer may have herpes and should treat her swelling using cold sore cream. The group says it is 'for all who are interested in fillers' and can be viewed by anyone, regardless of their medical background. Ms Adsett, who runs a farm-based salon called The Stable near Bodmin in Cornwall, reassured the client in a text it was 'completely normal' for there to be swelling. But behind closed doors, she pleaded for advice from the 4,500 members of the public Facebook group. The beautician shared a photo of the unidentified woman alongside pictures of her heavily swollen lips. In the typo-laden post, Ms Adsett said: 'Her face is swollen what can anyone suggest? She doesn't want to remove it but I think I have no opption (sic).' The beauty therapist revealed in a separate comment that the client went to A&E and was diagnosed with a blood clot, which doctors linked to the lip filler injections. Campaigners said the case was proof that most beauticians have 'no idea what they are doing' and claimed it highlighted the need for tighter regulations. Ms Adsett posted online for some advice after one of her customers suffered huge swelling in their lips and then arms and legs following a lip filler treatment. Campaigners said it showed most beauticians have 'no idea what they are doing' Ms Adsett (pictured) runs The Stables in Bodmin, Cornwall. The clinic no longer offers lip filler treatments on its website, although it continues to sell others such as teeth whitening Ms Adsett posted the above messages on Facebook group 'Lip Filler Chat' that she had sent to the client She also later shared the clients response. Medics say it is possible for lip fillers to trigger blood clots, but this only happens when they are injected into arteries Current rules mean an aesthetic practitioner does not need any qualifications, so anyone can go on a basic training course and then be allowed to perform non-surgical cosmetic treatments. Staff are being taught online or at one-day training courses for as little as 150. In the now-deleted post on March 6, Ms Adsett said: 'Look for for some advice, the photos aren't great I no. 'I did this client on Thursday at 1pm she said it's really swollen and painful and has has can antihistamine and parctomal, also put compression on it she said today her face is swollen what can anyone suggest? What are the risks with getting lip fillers? The beauty industry in the UK is an unregulated 'wild west', with clinics not required to register or meet basic hygiene or safety standards. Ministers are currently preparing to regulate it, however, with plans now making their way through parliament. The NHS says the risks of getting fillers depend on whether the procedure was done correctly or what filler was used. Serious complications include: An infection; A lumpy appearance under the skin; Filler moving away from the intended treatment area; Scarring; Blocked blood vessels in the face, which can cause tissue death or blindness. Source: NHS Advertisement 'She doesn't want to remove it but I think I have no opption than to take the filler out.' Providing an update in the comment section, Ms Adsett: 'So before and after filler and today but now she tell me her legs and arms swollen she can't walk. 'She going to a nd e I've told her come in ive now asked what hospital she attending.' She shared screenshots of messages sent to the customer, where she said the swelling was 'completely normal'. But the customer later replied saying if she had taken this advice and done nothing she 'would be dead'. The client's response read: 'Hello... Now I'm feeling a little bit better I thought I'd give you a message. I've been treated for a blood clot from the lip filler which travelled to my lung. 'Obviously if I knew/was told I would ever have the risk off. A blood clot that could of killed me, I would never of had them done. 'Also with messaging you basically telling me the hospital couldn't do anything if I carried on listening to you it would of killed me.' It is not clear what triggered the reaction, or if the customer had an allergy. Incredibly, the beautician appears to still be using before-and-after images of the botched fillers as advertisement on her social media pages. Aesthetic campaign body Save Face has called for a crackdown on the 'unregulated' industry. A spokesperson for the body said: 'In recent years the number of people who have set themselves up as practitioners with little or no training has grown exponentially. 'It is clear from the number of people who take to social media forums to post questions about complications and adverse reactions that the vast majority of them have no idea what they are doing. 'Not only are these people breaching patient confidentiality and data protection laws by posting pictures and case histories on social media without consent, but it is abundantly clear that they are not competent to comprehend the difference between normal post treatment reactions and potentially serious complications. 'These forums perpetrate the issues that exist within this field of practice as there is an abundance of clueless lay people offering advice they are not qualified to give.' Ms Adsett has now deleted the posts on the Facebook group. She is pictured above Ms Adsett also appears to still be using pictures from the treatment for her advertising. Pictured above is an advert on her Facebook page (left) and an image of the swollen lips she posted on the Facebook group to illustrate her clients condition (right) Ms Adsett said she had not gone to the Facebook group for advice. But a search reveals two other queries she posted on the group in May and October last year The address for The Stable in Bodmin, Cornwall, listed on their website brings up this farm and caravan park, as pictured on Google Maps Despite the use of needles and the potential for serious complications, an aesthetic practitioner does not need any mandatory qualifications, meaning anyone can go on a basic training course and the be allowed to perform the treatments. Under the skin treatments such as Botox, dermal fillers and chemical peels remain largely unregulated, although the Care Quality Commission urges those considering altering their body to check the registration of their surgeon beforehand. Some dermal fillers and some implants used in cosmetic interventions as part of a 'professional service' in the UK are exempt from any product safety regulations. The UK Government announced earlier this month it is planning to crack down on rogue practitioners by making it an offence to perform non-surgical work like botox and fillers without a licence. The Stables does not publicly offer lip fillers on its website, although it advertises other treatments including teeth whitening and tattoo removal. It has not received any reviews online, but has been 'liked' on Facebook by 3,000 people. Responding to criticisms of the recent case, Ms Adsett said: 'When you're working in the industry you get people out there who try and do things to scam you and give you a bad reputation. 'I think it was an insurance scam because after everything she never gave me her doctor's paperwork, never wanted to have any contact, she just wanted her money back. 'She basically just wanted a refund of her money, she didn't actually have anything that was wrong.' England's postcode lottery for menopausal women seeking hormone replacement therapy (HRT) has been laid bare today. NHS data seen by MailOnline shows how some areas of the country are four times as likely to prescribe the gels, patches, and pills than others. While 2.2 per cent of patients in Southport and Formby in Merseyside were given the drugs in 2020, the share was just 0.53 per cent in Leicester City. The disparity comes amid growing demand and ongoing shortages for HRT, which has led to desperate women turning to the black market. All of the top ranked HRT areas include rural and affluent areas like Gloucestershire, Dorset, Cornwall and Surrey. In contrast, low performers were typically in urban centres like London and Manchester. Clamour for HRT has surged in the past five years, which has been attributed to more awareness and fading stigma about the menopause. The latest NHS figures shows there were 3.2million prescriptions issued for HRT medications in 2020, up almost 40 per cent compared to four years prior. This surge in demand has outstripped supply, causing shortages of some of the most popular forms of the therapy - a problem made worse by the pandemic. This map reveals the top 10 best and worst areas in England for people to be prescribed hormone replacement therapy medications based on their entire population. Southport and Formby in Merseyside enjoyed the highest level in the country at 2.2 per cent whereas as Leicester City had the lowest at just 0.54 per cent WHAT IS THE MENOPAUSE? Menopause is when a woman stops having periods naturally and is no longer able to get pregnant naturally. It is a normal part of ageing and usually happens between the ages of 45 and 55 when a woman's levels of the sex hormone oestrogen drop. Eight in 10 women will experience menopausal symptoms including hot flushes, night sweats, vaginal dryness, difficulty sleeping, low mood or anxiety and problems with memory. Women are advised to see their GP if their symptoms are difficult to manage. Treatments doctors can provide include hormone replacement therapy, such as tablets, skin patches and gels that replace oestrogen. Source: NHS Advertisement Every year, roughly 1.5million women experience menopausal symptoms, including hot flushes, night sweats, anxiety, reduced sex drive, and memory problems that impact all areas of their lives. HRT can help alleviate these symptoms as women undergo the menopause but only a fraction actually get treatment. NHS prescription data from England's 106 Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCG) shows that women in the country's commuter belts and popular retirement spots are the most likely to be prescribed HRT. Popular costal retirement areas like Dorset and Devon were HRT hotspots, recording prescription rates of 1.89 and 1.88 per cent, respectively. Meanwhile, North West London and North central London recorded rates of 0.76 and 0.87 per cent, respectively, meaning a total of three of the capital's CCG's featured in the bottom 10 in England. Responding to the data, Dr Haitham Hamoda, chair of the British Menopause Society, said the disparity in prescription rates could largely be due to demographic differences. 'Areas where more women over the age of 40 live are likely to have higher prescribing rates compared to areas with a younger demographic,' he said. However, he added that some women struggling with mesopause did experience artificial barriers to accessing HRT. 'We do know however that booking doctors appointments and paying for HRT can act as barriers to some women when it comes to accessing support,' he said. 'Thats why we support reduced costs and longer prescribing cycles for HRT.' In 2020, women in their 50s took the lion's share of HRT medications, accounting for 1.7million prescriptions, followed by women in their 40s with 600,000 prescriptions and women in their 60s with 500,000 prescriptions. The total cost of these prescriptions to the NHS was 45million. NHS England provided HRT prescription data based out of the entire area population, not just women. While data only covers 2020, the first year of the pandemic, ministers this month were forced to admit women continue to face a postcode lottery for HRT with some GPs unaware they can even prescribe the medications. Minister for patient safety and primary care, Maria Caulfield, told MPs from the Commons women and equalities committee that standards are a 'bit hit and miss', with patients in different parts of the country getting a 'very different service'. Supply chain issues and a shortage of key ingredients have led to the patients who do come forward for HRT struggling to get access. Some GPs are unaware of the shortages meaning they continue to prescribe HRT, only for their patients to go to their pharmacy and be told it is out of stock. Women are having to switch their HRT medication, sometimes causing the return of symptoms as the body gets used to the new drug. Hormone replacement therapy is a treatment that helps alleviate the symptoms of the menopause but women in England have experienced disparity in accessing it Current guidelines allow GPs to issue a year's worth of HRT on a single prescription, fuelling ongoing supply shortages that have led to a black market trade. Earlier this month it was revealed some menopausal women hit by the shortages were being charged up to 50 for a single bottle online or trading prescriptions with others on social media. A new system, to be implemented next year, would allow a woman to pay a one-off annual fee and collect the HRT each month without needing to see their GP. Some types of HRT slightly increase the risk of breast cancer and blood clots in some women, but the NHS says risks are small and are usually outweighed by the benefits. Recently, I went to hospital with chest discomfort but was discharged. I have to go back for a myocardial perfusion scan, for which Ill need to be injected with a small amount of radioactive tracer. Im 81 and in good health, but Im worried about this. Colin Buckley, Kings Lynn, Norfolk. It must have been a little confusing to have been reassured that all was OK enough for you to be discharged, only to need further investigations. The good news is that a heart attack has been ruled out. The other, much more common, cause of chest pain is angina, a cramp-like discomfort that occurs when the heart muscle is short of blood, usually on exertion, such as exercise. Its a sign of problems with blood flow in and around the heart which is what this scan looks for. Depending on the results, you may need further investigations specifically, a coronary arteriogram, which also involves injecting a fluid, visible on X-ray, via a catheter threaded into the heart [File photo] While the words radioactive tracer might sound alarming, this is a safe test and can do you no harm. The amount of tracer used is tiny, and there are no side-effects (some people can experience an allergic reaction, but this is rare). It is injected into a vein, usually in the arm, and is carried via circulation back to the heart, where its flow is checked using a special camera. This will be done while youre walking on a treadmill and again while resting. Depending on the results, you may need further investigations specifically, a coronary arteriogram, which also involves injecting a fluid, visible on X-ray, via a catheter threaded into the heart. This is used to help locate any major restriction of blood flow. A myocardial perfusion scan is a less major investigation and in my view it would be wise to have this done. I hope this allays your concerns. Almost 60 years ago, aged 13, I had a mastoid operation. Ever since, I have gone to hospital regularly to have my ear cleared of wax. Two years ago, I developed an infection that took a year to clear up, despite repeated treatment. Ive been told Ill probably keep developing infections in that ear, but have been discharged from the hospital. Christine Groom, Terrington St Clement, Norfolk. Thanks to antibiotics, the surgery you had as a child has become uncommon, so few doctors today will be familiar with patients who have undergone it or the long-term complications that frequently occur, as in your case. The condition this surgery treats is mastoiditis, a serious infection of the mastoid bone behind the ear. The bone has air spaces, like honeycomb, called mastoid air cells, which can become infected or inflamed as a complication of middle-ear infection. Patients used to need surgery to clear these cells, but this leaves a cavity in the bone where wax, water and dead skin cells can build up, creating the ideal conditions for bacteria to flourish and cause recurrent infections. The risk with mastoiditis is the infection penetrating through into the brain which can be life-threatening. More effective antibiotics from the late 1950s onwards resulted in fewer patients suffering from chronic mastoiditis. In your longer letter, you describe having chronic discharge from that ear, for which youve been given yet more antibiotics. But the key is prevention, keeping the mastoid cavity clean. This means protecting your ear from moisture, using a cotton wool ball coated in Vaseline when you shower or wash your hair. Always do your best to avoid shower water coming close to the ear. My view is that you should also be referred back to and remain under the care of an ear specialist for examination once or twice annually for life. Following a visit to my GP with an audible pulse in my ear and raised blood pressure, I was prescribed blood pressure tablets and statins. I have now been diagnosed with fibromuscular dysplasia and am waiting to see a specialist. Name and address supplied. This condition is thought to affect up to 3 per cent of the population, but still we know little about it. Fibromuscular dysplasia (FMD) affects the arteries, typically those supplying the kidneys and the brain, making them fibrous. They narrow and become less flexible, which can in turn lead to high blood pressure, so controlling this with medication can be helpful. It is not clear exactly what causes FMD, but some cases are genetic and it may be linked to hormones. In a minority of patients, one or two arteries are affected, but in 90 per cent of cases the condition affects many of the major arteries of the body. The sound of the pulse in your ear would be a result of the narrowing of a nearby artery, probably a branch of the main artery in the neck, causing turbulent flow and what we call bruit, the noise you can hear. Most GPs will not know about FMD. The best advice will come from a multi-disciplinary team including a vascular surgeon, a renal physician, a cardiologist, and possibly a neurosurgeon who can draw together the strands of care needed, as requirements will differ between patients. They narrow and become less flexible, which can in turn lead to high blood pressure, so controlling this with medication can be helpful. A Write to Dr Scurr Write to Dr Scurr at Good Health, Daily Mail, 2 Derry Street, London, W8 5TT, or you can email him at drmartin@dailymail.co.uk include your contact details. Dr Scurr cannot enter into personal correspondence. Replies should be taken in a general context, and always consult your own GP with any health worries. A martial arts instructor has been left with half a skull after a sinus infection spread around her brain. Natasha Gunther, of San Francisco, was forced to have surgery to remove 5.5inches of bone (14cm) to stop a mass pressing against her brain. She claimed doctors told her she would be dead in a week without the surgery. The 25-year-old is now urging people not to write off their cold-like symptoms as just a mild infection, and to see a specialist if they do not get better. Ms Gunther's life-changing ordeal began in late 2021, when she wrote off her stuffy nose and blocked sinuses as just another infection. The judo black belt was used to regularly getting ill from working with children, who she teaches martial arts to. But she became concerned when her condition did not improve, despite being given antibiotics from her doctor. By December, Ms Gunther, who must now wear a helmet to protect her brain, was vomiting and suffering migraines, which prompted her family to pressure her to get a brain scan. It revealed a mass inside her skull, which forced doctors to cut out part of the bone on the right side of her head to relieve pressure on the brain. When she caught her sixth sinus infection in a year in late 2021 she thought nothing of it and got antibiotics to clear it. But it only got worse. When she went for scans, doctors discovered it had spread into her head. A section of her skull was removed (pictured after surgery) likely to relieve pressure on the brain which can be fatal Natasha Gunther, 25 (pictured before the operation), was used to regularly catching coughs and colds from working with children The removed 14cm (5.5inch) area of her skull is now in a freezer, and doctors are planning to try and put it back in next month. If this fails, they will insert a 3D-printed piece of metal to replace the bone Ms Gunther remained in hospital for five weeks after surgery and had to learn how to speak again. She will not be able to do some martial arts moves such as grappling where you grip or seize your opponent ever again. The removed bone is being stored in a freezer, and Ms Gunther hopes to undergo an operation to refit it to her skull next month. What is a sinus infection? What are the treatments? A sinus infection is when the small air sacs in bones around the nose become infected. It is usually triggered by a virus, but can in some cases be due to a bacteria. Symptoms include pain, swelling and tenderness around the cheeks, a blocked nose and a high temperature. They normally clear up on their own in about two to three weeks. In more serious cases where someone is not getting better doctors may prescribe antibiotics to help clear the infection. In rare cases, it can spread into the soft tissue around the eye, bones in the face and into or around the brain leaving someone needing urgent medical care. Source: NHS Advertisement Sinusitis the medical name for a sinus infection usually clears up on its own within two weeks. But if symptoms do not improve, doctors may prescribe antibiotics to help clear the infection. In rare cases, it can spread into the soft tissue around the eye, bones in the face and into or around the brain. The sinuses are small, air-filled cavities behind your cheekbones and forehead. It is unclear how the mass inside her skull formed from the infection. Ms Gunther posted about her infection on TikTok, alongside pictures showing herself before and after surgery. She revealed that she came down with her 'fifth or sixth' sinus infection late in 2021. Scans on December 12 revealed that the infection had spread to her brain. That same evening doctors rushed her for a craniotomy where a small area of the skull is removed and replaced so that doctors can check the infected area. But she was then booked in for a full craniectomy on December 23 to have the right side of her skull removed. This may be done to relieve pressure on the brain, which can press it onto the stem leading to permanent damage or death, or to remove pus-filled abscesses that build up due to infection. Ms Gunther said: 'I usually suffered from one sinus infection per year but last year, I got more that that. 'As most people who get sinus infections will know, you don't think anything of them and neither did my usual doctor. I teach martial arts to kids so I'm used to getting colds. 'Surgeons told me I would have been dead within a week if I hadn't gone to the hospital when I did. 'If you have more than one sinus infection per year or even just a sinus infection, please go to the hospital or the ENT [Ear, Nose and Throat Clinic in the US] just to be safe. Ms Gunther must now wear a helmet to protect her brain as part of the skull is missing. She has an operation next month to reinsert it Ms Gunther pictured above before the surgery on the beach Ms Adsett pictured before the surgery practicing a martial arts move in the mountains Ms Gunther pictured with her boyfriend Joao who is also a martial arts instructor 'Please just don't rely on your primary doctor [GP in the UK] because it could be serious.' Speaking about her life after the surgery, Ms Gunther said: 'My life is very different to what it used to be. 'I used to have a busy life teaching martial arts and hanging out friends every day like any person in their twenties. 'When I came out of surgery, I struggled to talk so I've been having regular speech therapy since then. 'My boyfriend Joao who is also a martial arts instructor has been doing a lot psychical therapy so I can get my energy back in my body. 'But there are some martial arts moves like grappling that will be too risky for me to every do again.' Advertisement The COVID-19 'stealth' variant is now the dominant strain in the United States, making up 55 percent of cases, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports. Despite the highly infectious nature of the variant, which is a lineage of the Omicron variant, case and death total in America remain near pandemic lows. The agency revealed data Tuesday as part of its weekly Nowcast surveillance. The Omicron variant as a whole still remains the dominant strain in the U.S., but BA.2 has overtaken the BA.1 lineage that caused massive worldwide virus surges around the new year. The 'stealth' variant, which earned the moniker from its ability to avoid detection through some sequencing methods, is believed to be the most infectious version of Covid yet - but is just as mild as BA.1. BA.2's share of Covid infections in America is growing with the variant only accounting for 35 percent of cases in last week's report. In the prior weeks it made up less than one out of every four cases. The U.S. also reached another grim pandemic milestone on Tuesday, as Johns Hopkins reports that America has suffered 80 million total Covid cases since the pandemic began just over two years ago. FDA approves fourth shot of Pfizer and Moderna vaccines for over 50s The FDA has authorized fourth doses of the Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines for all Americans 50 and older, the companies announced Immunocompromised Americans 12 and older will be eligible for the fourth shot as well, under the new authorization The FDA chose not to let an outside panel of experts discuss the shot's approval this time, and not all experts agree that a fourth dose is needed Immunocompromised adults over the age of 12 can also now receive an additional Pfizer dose, and those 18 and older are eligible for Moderna's fourth shot. The second booster is to be distributed four months after the first. Americans 12 and older with particularly weak immune systems because of a serious condition are now eligible for a fifth shot, four months after the previous, the agency also decided. Advertisement The variant's rise has not caused the jump in Covid cases in the U.S. that occurred in many European countries, though. Case numbers in the U.S. have stabilized after sharply increasing, then decreasing, to start 2022. America is currently averaging 31,222 cases per day, staying flat from last week. Current case figures are at one of the lowest points since the pandemic first began in March 2020. Deaths are plummeting, down nearly 30 percent over the past week to 776 per day. Tuesday marks the first day daily deaths have dropped below 800 per day since the Omicron variant landed in America in early-December. This is also the lowest daily death figures have reached since August. Amid falling figures, the U.S. is making two major moves this weekend that further signal the country's attempt to move of from the pandemic. On Tuesday, the final military deployments to hospitals around the country to assist with surges of Covid patients will come to an end, as declining cases, a high vaccination rate and the more mild nature of the Omicron variant leaves little risk of health care facilities suffering another overwhelming sure of patients. In total, around 5,000 troops have been deployed to 49 states since the pandemic started, and barring a major shift, there will not be any more sent out. Reimbursement for uninsured COVID-19 patients that receive hospital treatment is set to come to an end as well, as the White House has failed to secure funding for the initiative as many Republican federal lawmakers push past the pandemic. While some are worried about the latter, and that it could hurt America's ability to test for and treat Covid patients, both moves signal a large push at the federal level to return to 'normal'. Throughout the pandemic, around 5,000 troops have been deployed to assist struggling hospitals. That initiative will end on Tuesday - barring another surge of the virus - when the last of the deployments come to an end. Pictured: A soldier assists a Covid testing site in Brooklyn, New York The last remaining federal regulations related to the pandemic could be on the way out as well. Despite falling case figures, the CDC still requires Americans to wear masks on public forms of transportation like planes and trains. Dr Scott Gottlieb, former director of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and current board member at Pfizer, told CNBC's Squawk Box on Monday that he expects the agency to let the mask mandates lapse next month. 'If we're not in thick of another wave of BA.2 infection in the middle of April, I think they will go ahead and lift that,' Gottlieb said. 'I think the uncertainty around that is we are starting to see infections start to creep up. If it kind of levels off in the next couple of weeks, which it may, I think the administration will go ahead and lift that.' Fears of the new variant, which caused case increases across Europe earlier this month before quickly receding again, has spurred health officials to approve another jab of the COVID-19 vaccine. On Tuesday, Pfizer and BioNTech announced that the fourth dose of its COVID-19 vaccine had been authorized by regulators for all Americans 50 and older, and for the immunocompromised aged 12 and up. Moderna's shot also received authorization. Not all experts believe the shot is necessary. Dr Anna Durbin is an international public health expert at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland, and has been a critic of Pfizer, Moderna and the White House's insistence to roll out COVID-19 booster shots before they are needed. Last week, she told ABC that she does not believe many Americans will benefit from additional shots. 'There are very few, if any, people who, in my opinion require a fourth dose,' she said. In August, when the White House was laying out plans to roll out the first batch COVID-19 booster shots, Durbin was also a critic, telling DailyMail.com that there was little science backing up the decision. Moderna CEO Stephane Bancel said last week that he expects the U.S. to suffer a BA.2-fueled surge sometime soon, though, and that his company's vaccine will be needed to control it. 'Already several countries around the world have some of the 4th dose testing in people at high risk,' Bancel told CNBC's Squawk Box. 'There's a big wave of BA.2 variant in Europe right now, as many public health experts have said this should start in the U.S. very soon.' A growing list of experts are saying the exact opposite, though. 'I would not be surprised at all, if we do see somewhat of an uptick,' Dr Anthony Fauci, the nation's top infectious disease expert and someone who has frequently been among the more cautious voices during the pandemic, said at a Washington Post event this week. 'I don't really see, unless something changes dramatically, that there would be a major surge.' While the stealth variant has failed to make a major impact yet on case numbers, data from overseas - referenced by Bancel - is cause for some concern. Some countries that had experienced declining cases for months, like the UK, France and Denmark, suddenly saw infection rates start to surge last week. Cases seem to have stabilized in these nations and the growth has stopped for now, though. Internationally, the World Health Organization reports that there were over 12 million Covid cases globally last week, a seven percent jump from the previous week. An updated report from the agency is expected on Tuesday afternoon. A 'game-changing' antibiotic could save millions of lives lost to superbugs worldwide each year, a study suggests. In a breakthrough, British scientists have developed synthetic versions of the compound teixobactin the first new antibiotic discovered in decades. The man-made drugs were able to kill antibiotic-resistant bacteria in mice without harming healthy tissue in research led by the University of Liverpool. Teixobactin was originally discovered in 2015 after being extracted from a field in Maine in the US, in what was hailed as a watershed moment in the growing fight against antibiotic-resistant superbugs. But its roll out has been held back because the natural compound is expensive and difficult to produce. The team in Liverpool were able to reproduce teixobactin synthetically, keeping the same superbug-busting properties of the original while costing 2,000 time less. It successfully eradicated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus a superbug known as MRSA, which is resistant to several widely used antibiotics in mice. The researchers were also able to destroy a wide range of microbes taken from human patients. They hope the drug will in the future be used as a 'last line of defence' against drug-resistant superbugs, estimated to kill or contribute to nearly 7million deaths a year. A graphic of Staphylococcus aureus a drug resistant superbug that could once again become easily treatable through a new version of the antibiotic teixobactin created by UK scientists What is teixobactin? Teixobactin is a molecule produced by a type of bacterium which lives in soil. Where did it come from? A bacterium, called Eleftheria terrae was discovered in 2015 in a soil sample collected in Maine in the US using a new technique to isolate specific species of bacteria from dirt. It was found to produce an antibiotic, later named teixobactin which effective against drug-resistant bacteria. Many bacteria naturally make antibiotics to keep themselves safe and kill competitors for food and space. How does it teixobactin work? The molecule binds to two kinds of fat (called lipids) found in the cell walls of bacteria and effectively killing it. This is different from many other kinds of antibiotics which disrupt protein replication in bacteria. It is thought teixobactin's method of killing bacteria will be harder for microbes to evolve a defence against. Why it is important? Teixobactin is the most promising new antibiotic found in decades. Some types of bacteria have evolved to become resistant to existing drugs. These so called superbugs are more difficult to treat and can be deadly. A report published this year found superbugs killed 1.2million in 2019, more than AIDS or malaria. Advertisement Superbugs are bacteria that have evolved a resistance to antibiotics due to the drugs being overprescribed or incorrectly used, a phenomena called antimicrobial resistance (AMR). The rise of superbugs has stoked fears from scientists that we are approaching a post-antibiotic era where common conditions and medical operations become more dangerous as patients succumb to previously treatable bacterial infections. But scientists involved in the latest study say patients in the future may be treated with just one dose of teixobactin per day for systemic life-threatening resistant bacterial infections. Synthetic teixobactin can also be kept at room temperature, making global distribution easier by eliminating the need for expensive refrigerated storage and transport, the researchers said. Those leading the project, which was delivered in association with the University of Lincoln, hope the results may pave the way for the drug to be produced cheaply on a large scale. Further tests are needed on scaling up the production before safety tests for use in people can be run. Lead researcher Dr Ishwar Singh, an expert in antimicrobial drugs at Liverpool University, said the breakthrough was a significant step towards unlocking the full medical potential of teixobactin to tackle superbugs. 'Our ultimate goal is to have a number of viable drugs from our modular synthetic teixobactin platform which can be used as a "last line of defence" against superbugs to save lives currently lost due to AMR,' he said. He said the team hoped to eventually get synthetic teixobactin ready for safety testing on humans, which, if successful, could lead to a drug being developed to treat drug resistant bacterial infections worldwide. Dr Phil Packer, from Innovate UK, the agency which delivered the latest project, said the results had been 'excellent'. 'We are delighted with results, which have validated synthetic teixobactin's promise to tackle resistant bacterial infections when currently used antibiotics fails. We look forward to following this journey closely in future,' he said. This graph shows the combined direct and associated deaths from antibiotic-resistant bacteria per global region measured in the new research. Africa and South Asia had the greatest number of deaths per 100,000 people, however Western European countries like, the UK, still recorded a significantly high number of fatalities This graph shows the 23 antimicrobial resistance pathogens included in the study and the number of deaths attributed to each of them in 2019. Just six of these were directly responsible for 900,000 deaths and contributed to 3.5million more. Health Secretary Sajid Javid said: 'It is fantastic to see such innovative work like this happening in the UK - another clear example of this country being at the forefront of scientific advancements which can benefit people across the world.' An AMR review commissioned by the UK Government has predicted that an extra 10million people will succumb to drug-resistant infections each year by 2050. Covid is also thought to be speeding up the global threat of antimicrobial resistance through the inappropriate use of antibiotics which do not work against viruses. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has authorized second booster shots, and fourth shots overall, of the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines for Americans 50 and older, the companies announced Tuesday morning. Immunocompromised adults over the age of 12 can also now receive an additional Pfizer dose, and those 18 and older are eligible for Moderna's fourth shot. The second booster is to be distributed four months after the first. Americans 12 and older with particularly weak immune systems because of a serious condition are now eligible for a fifth shot, four months after the previous, the agency also decided. Pfizer had asked the FDA to clear a fourth shot for people 65 and older, while Moderna requested another dose for all adults 'to provide flexibility' for the government to decide who really needs one. The FDA approval comes as uptake for the additional shots in the U.S. wanes and both Covid cases and deaths reach the lowest points since well before the Omicron-fueled winter virus surge. Fourth doses of both the Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccine shots were approved by the FDA on Tuesday for Americans 50 and older, and those who are immunocompromised as young as 12 for the Pfizer jab, and 18 for the Moderna jab (file photo) Pfizer is expected to raise over $30 billion in revenue from its COVID-19 vaccine this year, and CEO Albert Bourla (left) has said these shots will be needed for potentially the next ten years. Moderna CEO Stephane Bancel (right) said that the fourth shots will be needed to prevent an upcoming surge of the 'stealth' variant, though others have disagreed that another large Covid wave is around the corner Moderna and Pfizer have often submitted an abundance of data to regulators to 'provide flexibility' and also to get an early jump of issues that may arise in the approval process. What Moderna did for this shot, and what both companies did for the first booster dose, is submit a flexible application that can be approved over time. While those 50 and older were approved Tuesday, it is likely that will be expanded to 18 and over once regulators feel that protection provided by the initial booster dose has waned. Both companies went through this process for the first booster dose as well, with it first approved for Americans 65 and older, and then the age was slowly lowered until it reached 18 and older at the start of the Omicron surge. Americans under the age of 50 can still receive the shot off label at certain health clinics because it has now received FDA authorization, though they would need to convince a doctor or vaccine provider to distribute it to them. There's limited evidence to tell how much benefit another booster could offer right now. FDA made the decision without input from its independent panel of experts that has wrestled with how much data is required to expand shots and not all experts believe the shot is necessary. Dr Anna Durbin is an international public health expert at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland, and has been a critic of Pfizer, Moderna and the White House's insistence to roll out COVID-19 booster shots before they are needed. Last week, she told ABC that she does not believe many Americans will benefit from additional shots. For now, both shots are only available on-label to Americans over the age of 50, but that authorization will likely be extended when regulators see fit. Moderna has already applied for all adults 18 and over to get the fourth jab. Pictured: A man in Hines, Illinois, receives a shot of a COVID-19 vaccine The FDA chose not to use an outside panel of experts in the approval process for these shots, and some experts disagree that the fourth jabs are needed at this point (file photo) 'There are very few, if any, people who, in my opinion require a fourth dose,' she said. In August, when the White House was laying out plans to roll out the first batch COVID-19 booster shots, Durbin was also a critic, telling DailyMail.com that there was little science backing up the decision. 'In general, it's too early to recommend a fourth dose, except for those who are immune compromised,' Dr Paul Goepfert, professor of medicine at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, told ABC. The next shot is being rolled out earlier than expected out of fear of the BA.s 'stealth' variant, a lineage of Omicron. The 'stealth' variant, which earned the moniker from its ability to avoid detection through some sequencing methods, is believed to be the most infectious version of Covid yet - but is just as mild as the BA.1 version of Omicron that took over the world last last year. It is now the dominant strain in the U.S., the Centers for Disease for Prevention (CDC) reported on Tuesday, making up 55 percent of active cases in the country. Moderna CEO Stephane Bancel said last week that he expects the U.S. to suffer a BA.2-fueled surge sometime soon, though, and that his company's vaccine will be needed to control it. 'Already several countries around the world have some of the 4th dose testing in people at high risk,' Bancel told CNBC's Squawk Box. 'There's a big wave of BA.2 variant in Europe right now, as many public health experts have said this should start in the U.S. very soon.' A growing list of experts are saying the exact opposite, though. 'I would not be surprised at all, if we do see somewhat of an uptick,' Dr Anthony Fauci, the nation's top infectious disease expert and someone who has frequently been among the more cautious voices during the pandemic, said at a Washington Post event last week. 'I don't really see, unless something changes dramatically, that there would be a major surge.' Fauci, Bancel and Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla have been among those saying an additional dose was on the way for months, with Bourla even saying annual jabs will be needed for the next decade to control the pandemic. While the shots have been deemed safe and effective by health officials around the world, and have likely saved millions of lives over the past year, Pfizer and Moderna's goals in the vaccine rollout are not exactly humanitarian. The companies have each made billions off of the sales of vaccines to the U.S. and other nations around the world. Pfizer, its partner BioNTech, and Moderna estimate a combined $50 billion in COVID-19 vaccine sales this year. As the nation begins to purchase even more vaccine doses, these revenue targets may increase even more. A rule in Oregon that allowed only the state's residents to receive an assisted suicide has been lifted after courts deemed it unconstitutional. In a settlement filed in U.S. District Court in Portland on Monday, the Oregon Health Authority and the Oregon Medical Board agreed to stop enforcing the residency requirement. Eight other states and the Washington D.C. have similar requirements for assisted suicide, and advocates for lifting these laws hope the Oregon decision will set a precedent to have those removed as well. Opponents of assisted suicide fear that the lifting will turn the state into a site for 'suicide tourism'. A law that barred out-of-state Oregon residents from receiving an assisted suicide has been lifted by courts after it was deemed unconstitutional (file photo) 'This requirement was both discriminatory and profoundly unfair to dying patients at the most critical time of their life,' said Kevin Diaz, an attorney with Compassion & Choices, the national advocacy group that sued over Oregon's requirement. Oregon became the first state to enact legalized assisted suicide laws in 1997. Some 2,159 people have died after ingesting terminal drugs under the law since it took effect, according to data published last month by the Oregon Health Authority. Patients must make two verbal requests to their doctor for the medication, at least 15 days apart, as well as a written request signed in the presence of two witnesses. Dr Nicholas Gideonse (pictured) who runs a family clinic in Portland says the restrictions hurts people in southern Washington who need access to assisted suicide but can not because of the cross-state rules The attending physician and a consulting physician must confirm the patient's diagnosis and prognosis, and determine whether the patient is capable of making health care decisions; if either doctor believes the patient to be suffering from depression or another mental disorder, they can refer the patient for a psychological exam. Laura Echevarria, a spokeswoman for National Right to Life, which opposes such laws, warned that without a residency requirement, Oregon risked becoming the nation's 'assisted suicide tourism capital.' 'There's no tourism going on,' Diaz replied. Diaz said that was unlikely suicide tourism would occur given the safeguards in the law. Compassion & Choices sued on behalf of Dr Nicholas Gideonse, a Portland family practice physician and associate professor of family medicine at Oregon Health and Science University. A longtime supporter of medical aid-in-dying laws, Gideonse had been unable to write terminal prescriptions for patients who live just across the Columbia River in Washington state. While Washington allows for assisted suicides as well, providers can be difficult to find in the southwestern part of the state, where many hospital beds are in religiously affiliated health care facilities that prohibit it. Advocates for the court's decision hope that other states with similar laws will now have to remove these requirements as well, opening assisted suicides to more Americans. Critics say that the decision opens the state to 'suicide tourism' (file photo) Requiring his patients to find other doctors to provide assistance in ending their own lives can compound their suffering, Gideonse said. 'Any restriction on medical aid in dying that doesn't serve a specific medical purpose is difficult,' Gideonse told the AP. 'In no other way is my practice restricted to Oregon residents, whether thats delivering babies in the past or other care that I provide.' The lawsuit argued that the residency requirement violated the U.S. Constitutions Commerce Clause, which gives Congress the right to regulate interstate commerce, and the Privileges and Immunities Clause, which forbids states from discriminating against citizens from other states in favor of its own citizens. The Oregon Health Authority and the medical board declined to comment on why they settled the case. The state attorney general's office did not immediately respond to an interview request. Oregon is one of nine states, and the District of Columbia, that allow for assisted suicide, and is the first to lift its state residency requirement National Right to Life, which most prominently takes part in anti-abortion advocacy, is concerned that people might be able to travel to Oregon without having much of a relationship with a doctor in the state, thus chipping away at guardrails limiting the use of the law, Echevarria said. 'The hope is that doctors will continue to evaluate patients, but it certainly creates a situation where there could be more abuse of that law,' she said. California, Colorado, Hawaii, Maine, New Jersey, New Mexico, Vermont, Washington state and Washington, D.C., have approved similar laws, all with residency requirements. Montana's Supreme Court has ruled that state law does not prohibit medical aid in dying. ProCon reports that 4,249 prescriptions for assisted death have been written in the U.S. from 1998 to 2017. Two-thirds of patients who went through with the process used drugs to end their lives. Cancer patients were most likely to choose that path, accounting for 63 percent of prescriptions. Recipients of assisted suicide were also overwhelmingly white, making up a whopping 94 percent of the group over the 20 year period. U.S. President Joe Biden speaks outside the Royal Castle, Poland, about the Russian war in Ukraine, March 26. AFP-Yonhap President Joe Biden said Monday that he would make ''no apologies'' and wasn't ''walking anything back'' after his weekend comment that Russian President Vladimir Putin ''cannot remain in power,'' attempting to turn the page on a controversy that clouded his recent trip to Europe. The president also insisted he's not calling for regime change in Moscow, which would have represented a dramatic shift toward direct confrontation with another nuclear-armed country. ''I was expressing the moral outrage that I felt toward this man,'' Biden said. ''I wasn't articulating a policy change.'' The president's jarring remark about Putin, which came at the end of a Saturday speech in Warsaw that was intended to rally democracies for a long global struggle against autocracy, drew criticism in the United States and rattled some allies in Western Europe. On Monday, Biden rejected the idea that his comment could escalate tensions over the war in Ukraine or that it would fuel Russian propaganda about Western aggression. ''Nobody believes ... I was talking about taking down Putin,'' Biden said, adding that ''the last thing I want to do is engage in a land war or a nuclear war with Russia.'' He said he was expressing an ''aspiration'' rather than a goal of American foreign policy. ''People like this shouldn't be ruling countries. But they do,'' he said. ''The fact they do doesn't mean I can't express my outrage about it.'' Biden's remark in Warsaw ricocheted around the globe despite the White House's swift attempts to clarify that the president only meant that Putin ''cannot be allowed to exercise power over his neighbors or the region.'' On Monday, United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres responded to Biden's speech by saying that ''we need de-escalation. We need military de-escalation and rhetoric de-escalation.'' A Kansas City-area medical director was fired from his job after urging his bosses to hire more staff to quell shortages, and is now accusing them of valuing profit over patient care. Dr Ray Brovont served as medical director at Overland Park Regional Medical Center in Overland, Kansas, just near the Missouri border, and previously was a doctor in the Army. He told NBC this week that he was fired after nudging executives and other leadership to make crucial changes that would elevate patient care and help stressed and burnt out employees. Other doctors and nurses say these are frequent occurrences in the industry, and blame private-equity owned staffing firms for valuing profits over all else in the health care industry. Dr Ray Brovont (pictured) served as a former medical director of Overland Park Regional Medical Center in Overland, Kansas. He claims that hospital leadership values profits over patient care and left the ER critically understaffed Brovont told NBC that the emergency room (ER) staff shortages were the most critical, as hospital leadership wanted to continue expanding the unit without adding the necessary staff. 'These administrators who make these changes and implement these policies don't feel the downstream effects of their policy changes,' Brovont said. 'They look at the outcome, and the outcome is 'Hey, we're making money.' The hospital Brovont worked at is owned by HCA, a for-profit healthcare system based in Nashville, Tennessee. In 2014, HCA decided to double its size to 343 beds, adding a pediatric emergency room as well. The former medical director reports that his staff was being asked to be in 'three places at once' as they juggled multiple crises. Patients in the ER, by definition, need the most urgent care as they are often arriving in a dire situation. Brovont said that at times when a doctor would answer a 'code blue' situation - when a patient's heart stopped beating or their breathing stopped - they would leave an ER patient unattended, which breaks standard safety protocols. Brovot (pictured) was awarded $29 million in a wrongful discharge lawsuit, which was later appealed to $26 million, after he was terminated in 2017 In 2015, Brovont reached a breaking point, believing the hospital's expansion exacerbated what was already a dire situation. He took up the issue with EmCare, the health staffing company that worked with the hospital. It is owned by Dubilier & Rice, a private equity firm. Hiring one additional doctor would solve the issue, Brovont believed, as it would allow for their to be at least one doctor on hand to examine incoming ER patients and comply with federal guidelines. He tells NBC that Dr Patrick McHugh, an EmCare employee who was served as his boss and his now no longer with the company, that his request could not be met for financial reasons, and that 'profits are in everyone's best interest.' In late 2016, he wrote a memo to management once again highlighting his fears, and was fired in January 2017. Overland Park Regional Medical Center (pictured) is owned by HCA, a for-profit healthcare company. It partners with EmCare, which has the parent company Envision, for its staffing needs 'Envision clinicians, like all clinicians, exercise their independent judgment to provide quality, compassionate, clinically appropriate care based on their patients' unique needs,' Envision, the parent company to EmCare, said in a statement on the matter. 'The concern raised by Dr. Brovont was related to a hospital policy, not an Envision policy, and predates Envision's current leadership team.' Brovont would file a lawsuit for a wrongful discharge and be awarded $29 million by a jury, which was later reduced to $26 million on appeal. Envision's emergency medicine group operates with with than 540 facilities across the country, the company told NBC. Staffing shortages at hospitals, nursing homes, and other similar facilities has been a longtime problem in the U.S. A shortage of available workers due to the high barrier for entry, combined with low pay in some areas mixed with private equity firms and other for profit enterprises involving themselves in the industry has created a recipe for disaster. While Brovont's story began long before Covid, the pandemic has only made things worse. Long hours in grim conditions - where witnessing dozens of patients dying daily became commonplace in some major areas - have led to many workers leaving in droves, further exacerbating what was already an issue. Sportswear business Decathlon has suspended its activities in Russia after public outrage. The French company faced a barrage of criticism for staying in the country, including from the Ukraine foreign minister and social media users who called for a boycott of the retailer. Decathlon, which has 60 stores in Russia, said it would continue to support its 2,500 staff there. Shoppers leave a Decathlon store in Moscow today. Decathlon faced a barrage of criticism for staying in the Russia, including from the Ukraine foreign minister who called for a boycott of the retailer A company spokesman said: 'In the dramatic context of Ukraine, we are following the evolution of events and particularly the situation of those directly affected. In strict compliance with international sanctions, Decathlon notes that the supply conditions are no longer met to continue its activity in Russia.' Decathlon is owned by the French retail giant Association Familiale Mulliez, which has been under fire over the failure of its Auchan supermarket chain to pull out of Russia. More than ten million people are at risk of being left behind as the UK races towards a cashless society, a sobering report has found. Our 'dash from cash' at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic is now thought to be irreversible, with half of us using fewer coins and notes than we used to. But a comprehensive review of cash use in the UK, funded by ATM network Link and published by the Royal Society for Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (RSA), warns of problems ahead. Cashing out: Britain's 'dash from cash' at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic is now thought to be irreversible - with half of people now using fewer coins and notes than they used to Its authors found millions of the most vulnerable people are at risk of spiralling into debt, becoming isolated from others or losing trust in the financial system altogether. While this month marked two years since Rishi Sunak pledged to introduce new laws to protect cash, few have materialised so far. The Chancellor's promise came a year after the authoritative Access to Cash Review called on the Government and regulators to step in 'urgently' to ensure cash remained 'viable'. Despite this, banks have closed more than 1,259 branches nationwide since 2020, according to the consumer group Which? Last Wednesday, Lloyds confirmed it would close a further 60 branches. This followed HSBC's announcement earlier this month that it plans to close 69 branches one in seven in its network. Which? data shows that while banks shut 369 branches in 2020, another 736 were axed in 2021 a 99 per cent increase and the second-highest number of branch closures in the past six years. With eight months remaining of 2022, 154 branches have already been shut, with another 244 set to close before the end of the year. Jenny Ross, Which? money editor, says: 'Accessing cash and face-to-face banking services is hugely important for millions of people so it's very alarming that bank branches are closing at such a rate.' The latest report found that nearly half of UK adults believe a cashless society would be 'problematic'. It estimates that 11.5 million people, a fifth of the population, would 'struggle to cope' without coins and notes. Meanwhile, just one fifth of UK adults were defined as 'cashless converts' holding a strong preference for card and contactless payments. The report authors wrote: 'While a cashless society would feel like progress for some, for millions it would lead to anxiety, economic exclusion, isolation, exploitation, debt, rising costs and major concerns over privacy, security and control.' In the early days of the pandemic, cash withdrawals plummeted by about half, amid fears that coronavirus could be transmitted via coins and notes. In the early days of the pandemic, cash withdrawals plummeted by around half what they had been, amid fears that coronavirus could be transmitted through coins and notes Research commissioned by the Bank of England would go on to prove that the risk of catching Covid-19 in this way was low. However, several major restaurant and cafe chains are still turning cash-paying customers away. French food chain Cote Brasserie says it is safer for its restaurants to only take card payments 'due to a reduction in local banking facilities'. The report also found that people in deprived areas still take out the most cash from ATMs. On average, cash withdrawals fell by 46 per cent in the south of England, while in two of the most deprived constituencies Liverpool Walton and Bradford South they dropped by just 16 per cent and 20 per cent respectively. The researchers also found that 15 million people use cash to budget. Link chief executive John Howells says: 'For those living on tight budgets, there is no better alternative to notes and coins and they are in no rush to turn to money management tools.' Industry-led schemes continue to offer some hope for those who use cash. Eight more 'banking hubs' shared by High Street branches are set to open, and payments service PayPoint is rolling out purchase-free cashback across more than 2,000 stores, allowing people to access cash from shops without buying anything. But the report continues to stress an 'urgent need to introduce legislation' to ensure cash access across the country. Cash payment options for essential government services, such as school dinners, council tax and utilities, were also called for in its recommendations. Report author Mark Hall, of the RSA, says: 'It's vital that the dash to digital doesn't disenfranchise anyone, especially with the cost-of-living crisis putting such strain on family finances.' A government spokesman says: 'We are committed to protecting access to cash across the UK. 'That's why we have consulted on plans for new laws to make sure people only need to travel a reasonable distance to pay in or take out cash, and have already legislated to enable shops to offer cashback to customers without them having to make a purchase.' f.parker@dailymail.co.uk Two men accused of plotting to kidnap the Michigan Democrat governor because of her tough Covid-19 policies and their broad disgust with government were 'excited' by videos of powerful explosives they watched just hours before scouting her vacation home, a court has heard. Adam Fox and Barry Croft Jr, who have been described as leaders of the group's plans, later drove to Elk Rapids to look at Gretchen Whitmer's house on Birch Lake and inspect a nearby bridge, an FBI agent testified. Prosecutors say Fox especially wanted to blow up a bridge near the governor's second home in northern Michigan to thwart any police response to a kidnapping. Adam Fox (left) and Barry Croft Jr (right), who have been described as leaders of the group's plans, later drove to Elk Rapids to look at Gretchen Whitmer's house on Birch Lake In summer 2020, Tim Bates was working undercover as 'Red' when he fooled the group into believing that he knew someone in the mining industry who could get high-grade explosives. When the group returned form the scouting mission, Fox asked Bates if he would 'take an IOU' for the $4,000 explosive, according to a recording. Traveling in three vehicles, Bates yesterday said he, Fox, Croft and others drove to Elk Rapids to look at Whitmer's house on Birch Lake and inspect a nearby bridge 'to kidnap her'. Croft told the group that he 'needed to take a nap...to have energy' if they were going to abduct Whitmer that night, but that wasn't the plan, Bates said. Gretchen Whitmer (pictured in 2020), a Democrat, rarely talks publicly about the kidnapping plot, though she referred to 'surprises' during her term A bomb is a key part of the government's case against Fox, Croft, Daniel Harris (left) and Brandon Caserta (right), who are charged with conspiring to kidnap Whitmer A bomb is a key part of the government's case against Fox, Croft, Daniel Harris and Brandon Caserta, who are charged with conspiring to kidnap Whitmer. Bates, who was secretly recording conversations, said he showed up for a training weekend in Luther, Michigan, and shared videos of explosives blowing up an SUV. 'Mr Fox was excited about what he saw in the video,' he told the jury, adding that Croft 'was also excited.' Prosecutors said they could finish presenting evidence Tuesday, the 12th day of trial, or Wednesday at the latest. Defense attorneys deny there was an actual plan to snatch Whitmer, claiming the men were improperly influenced by undercover agents and informants, and exchanged wild talk while smoking marijuana. Fox's lawyer tried to downplay the stop at the bridge. Bates admitted that he encouraged Fox to take a picture of the underside of the structure while they were looking at it. Ty Garbin (right) and Kaleb Franks (left), two other men who were also arrested in October 2020, have pleaded guilty and were critical witnesses for the government last week Attorney Christopher Gibbons said to the agent: 'That's a public sidewalk. There's no "no trespassing" signs. Anybody can run up under that bridge, any time they want.' Croft's attorney Joshua Blanchard suggested the FBI wanted to strengthen the case against Fox by getting a bridge photo on his phone. 'Nobody ever actually gave you money, right? Blanchard asked Bates, referring to money for explosives. 'No one ever shook your hand and said, "You've got a deal."' 'Correct,' the agent replied. Ty Garbin and Kaleb Franks, two other men who were also arrested in October 2020, have pleaded guilty and were critical witnesses for the government last week. Garbin said Whitmer's kidnapping could ignite a US civil war involving antigovernment groups and possibly prevent Joe Biden from winning the presidential election. Fox talked about snatching the governor 'every time I saw him, ' Franks said. Separately, a lawyer for an informant said Steve Robeson would invoke his right to remain silent if called as a witness by the defense. Governor Whitmer with Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist II turned in 30,000 nominating signatures to the state elections bureau to run for reelection this month Robeson's secret recordings were used by prosecutors, but he was not a trial witness for the government. He pleaded guilty last fall to a gun charge in a different case in Wisconsin. Whitmer, a Democrat, rarely talks publicly about the kidnapping plot, though she referred to 'surprises' during her term that seem like 'something out of fiction' when she filed for reelection on March 17. She has blamed former President Donald Trump for fomenting anger over coronavirus restrictions and refusing to condemn right-wing extremists like those charged in the case. Whitmer has said Trump was complicit in the Jan. 6 Capitol riot. Advertisement Prince Charles and Prince William will have been left 'disappointed and uneasy' after disgraced Prince Andrew accompanied the Queen at the memorial service for his late father Prince Philip, a royal expert said today. The Duke of York travelled from Windsor Castle to Westminster Abbey with his mother the Queen via Buckingham Palace this morning, before accompanying her down the aisle and then going back to Windsor together. Royal commentators said the surprise move was the 95-year-old monarch's way of 'very clearly stating that he has a role at family occasions' and that 'many people will now accept the Queen's word and judgment'. The Duke of York had a front row seat at the service, sitting close to his other siblings, with his daughters Princess Eugenie and Princess also in attendance but there was no sign of his ex-wife Sarah, Duchess of York. The Queen's decision to have Andrew accompany her comes despite him paying up to 12million earlier this month to settle a US civil sexual assault case and it will be seen as a major signal of support to her second son. But royal expert Angela Levin told MailOnline of William and Charles: 'They would have been very disappointed and uneasy about Andrew's presence but they would have known that this was the Queen's decision. I'm sure they were probably thinking something very different inside but Charles and William have always known that the Queen has a soft spot for Andrew and if she wants her favourite son with her, she would be entitled to do that. 'It was one of those moments when the Queen exercised her position both as a mother and the Queen. She obviously needed someone to help her on that small walk, but I noticed that when she got up to leave at the end of the service, Prince Charles got up too, as if to help her. But she ignored him and wanted Andrew to take her out instead. She turned to him, not Charles.' The Queen's state limousine arrived at the Poets' Yard entrance of the Abbey with Andrew sat beside her at around 11.30am this morning. As they walked through the famous Poets' Corner towards her seat in the abbey, in a small procession, the monarch held onto her son's elbow with her left hand and had a walking stick in her right. The monarch and her son walked at a slow but steady pace both looking ahead, and at the end of the aisle they separated - with Andrew giving a last glance to his mother as she turned right. After the first hymn, Prince Charles could be seen leaning over to speak to the Queen who was seated next to him. After the service, the Queen was again escorted out of the Abbey by Andrew. As the monarch stopped to greet Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award holder Doyin Sonibare, Andrew stood back and at one point broke into a smile. The Queen held onto Andrew's elbow with her left hand and had a walking stick in her right at Westminster Abbey today The Queen walks towards her seat at Westminster Abbey after being accompanied down by the aisle by Prince Andrew today The Queen goes to take her seat as Andrew goes towards his for the service at Westminster Abbey this morning The Queen is accompanied by Prince Andrew as she walks down the aisle at Westminster Abbey for the service this morning Prince Andrew takes his seat after walking the Queen down the aisle at Westminster Abbey for Philip's service this morning The Queen is pictured on the left, and Prince Andrew on the right during the service of thanksgiving for Prince Philip today The Queen and Prince Andrew both sit on the front row at Westminster Abbey for the memorial service this morning The Queen and Prince Andrew walked through the famous Poets' Corner towards her seat at Westminster Abbey today Ms Levin added: 'There's no doubt that this whole thing would have left Charles and William disappointed and uneasy. I'm not sure if they would have been angry because even they would have realised that there would not be much point in that. Charles in particular feels that he's done enough for Andrew and he will not play any part in the Royal family once Charles takes over. I imagine that William feels exactly the same. 'Both Charles and William were very determined that Andrew had to step down and not play any role in the Royal Family in a professional way. They now expect him to disappear and the two of them will make sure of that. I don't think either Charles or William played any part in the decision to have Andrew present at the service. The Queen was determined that he would be there and made up her mind about it a long time ago. 'She (the Queen) was very involved in the service and what it would entail. The Queen does not make quick decisions, she thought about this very carefully and was determined to have Andrew there. I don't think there would have been much of a discussion about Andrew's presence because at the end of the day, she's still the Queen. Charles and William wouldn't have had to make their views clear about him being there because they have spent a lot of time talking about Andrew and the Queen knows how they feel about him. Even if they had protested to the Queen, they would have soon been quietened.' And she added: 'I'm sorry but Andrew's presence did detract from the service. I was very shocked to see him there, accompanying the Queen. Having someone who is accused of sexual abuse, even though he was not charged with anything, being given such a prominent role in the service is bound to be a detraction. 'At the end of the day, the Queen took a decision that the love she feels for Andrew is more important than anything else or trying to please the public. That's her right. This was a mother who lost her husband after 70 years and wanted her favourite son to be there by her side.' Andrew, 62, who has been keeping a low profile since the end of 2019, is said to have been determined to honour his late father the Duke of Edinburgh despite fears his presence could dominate coverage of the event. Ex-BBC royal correspondent Peter Hunt said: 'It didn't happen by chance. He could have sat in the congregation with others, with his relatives, but they actively decided that he would have this role of supporting her. So she has chosen, in essence, to remind people that he hasn't admitted any wrongdoing, he's not guilty of anything, he's innocent. And she's very clearly stating that he has a role at family occasions.' But he also said that the downside of Andrew having had such a prominent role in his father's memorial service is that it is a reminder of his 'many errors of judgment that have led him to being removed from public life'. Mr Hunt added: 'It's one thing to accept that he should attend his father's memorial service. It's quite another thing to then give him quite a prominent role, so it was an active choice to give him such a prominent role.' The Queen is aided by Prince Andrew today as they attend the thanksgiving service for the Duke of Edinburgh in London Andrew watches as his mother the Queen gets into a car following the service at Westminster Abbey today The Queen and Prince Andrew leave after attending a service of thanksgiving for Prince Philip at Westminster Abbey Prince Andrew leaves after attending a service of thanksgiving for the life of Prince Philip at Westminster Abbey today The Queen and Prince Andrew leave by car after attending the service of thanksgiving for Prince Philip today Prince Andrew is seen arriving back at Windsor Castle this afternoon with the Queen following today's service Mr Hunt said he found it 'fascinating', and said: 'Did William and Charles try to intervene? And clearly if they did then they failed.' He added: 'I think you have to start from the basis that Charles and William will have been in the driving seat with the Queen of removing Andrew from public life. Both of them will have been very aware of the risks of Andrew having this role. So either they decided that they could justify it on the basis that it was an event for his father, or they did try to suggest this wasn't a good idea and the Queen chose not to listen to them. Duke of York in profile: From Falklands War hero to controversial royal who settled sex case for 12million Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of York arriving to attend a church service in Hillington, Norfolk, on January 19, 2020 During the Duke of York's life, the 'Playboy Prince' has earned high regard for his bravery during the Falklands War and served as a trade envoy, but he is best known as the man whose reputation was left in tatters amid the Jeffrey Epstein sex scandal. As a young man, he was one of the world's most eligible bachelors and earned himself the nickname 'Randy Andy' after being linked to a string of beautiful women. But later in life his connections with controversial foreign figures raised concerns and he was dubbed 'Air Miles Andy' after being criticised for his globe-trotting, especially helicopter trips to pursue his passion for golf. At 22, Andrew saw active service in the Royal Navy as a Sea King helicopter pilot in the Falklands War. His service included flying his aircraft as a decoy target, trying to divert deadly Exocet missiles away from British ships. He later married and divorced the bubbly, flame-haired Sarah 'Fergie' Ferguson, who herself has generated some of the most humiliating royal scandals of modern times. When a bachelor for a second time, Andrew again made headlines, having been spotted cavorting with topless women on holiday in Thailand, and attending a 'hookers and pimps' party with Robert Maxwell's daughter, Ghislaine Maxwell, in the US. After serving for 22 years in the Royal Navy, the duke became the UK's special representative for international trade and investment, but his 10 years in the role generated a great deal of controversy. As a roving ambassador, one of his first tasks was a post-September 11 trip to New York, but he was criticised for attending a party during his stay. Andrew has faced questions over his connections to politicians in Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Tunisia, Libya and Turkmenistan. His judgment was questioned after he held meetings with Libyan leader Colonel Muammar Gaddafi's son Saif, and when he entertained the son-in-law of Tunisia's ousted president Zine El Abidine Ben Ali at Buckingham Palace. His relations with Timur Kulibayev, son-in-law of the then-president of Kazakhstan, were also scrutinised after Mr Kulibayev purchased the duke's Sunninghill Park home for 3 million more than its 12 million asking price in 2007. Simon Wilson, Britain's deputy head of mission in Bahrain from 2001 to 2005, wrote in the Daily Mail that the duke was 'more commonly known among the British diplomatic community in the Gulf as HBH: His Buffoon Highness'. In 2011, it emerged that Andrew was friends with American financier Epstein, who was sentenced to 18 months in prison in 2008 for soliciting a minor for prostitution. Photos surfaced of him with his arm around Virginia Giuffre, also known as Virginia Roberts, who claimed that Epstein employed her as a masseuse but exploited her while a teenage minor. The duke was also pictured walking in New York's Central Park with Epstein in December 2010, a year after Epstein's release from prison, and this led him to quit his role as a trade envoy. In 2013, Andrew was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society, but Britain's pre-eminent scientific institution faced unprecedented dissent from members over the move, with one professor describing the duke as an 'unsavoury character'. Tech-savvy Andrew, who was the first member of the royal family to have an official Twitter account under his own name, focused on his Pitch@Palace work, bringing together industry experts with young entrepreneurs and technology start-ups. Then in 2015, while enjoying a New Year skiing holiday with his family, he was named in US court documents as having had sex a number of times with a teenage girl, a minor under US law. The woman alleged she was 'procured' for the duke by Epstein, whom she accused of using her as a 'sex slave'. She was identified in reports as Giuffre, the US teenager with whom Andrew had been pictured. The duke vehemently denied the allegation. In April 2015, a US federal judge ordered the claims to be struck from civil court records as the long-running lawsuit against Epstein continued. But Andrew's association with Epstein hit the headlines once again in 2019, amid ongoing investigations into the American, who killed himself in prison in August that year while awaiting trial on sex trafficking and conspiracy charges. The duke's appearance on the BBC's Newsnight programme later in November was intended to draw a line under the matter. But it was dubbed a 'car crash', with commentators questioning his responses and condemning his unsympathetic tone and lack of remorse over his friendship with the sex offender Epstein. During the interview, Andrew denied that he slept with Ms Giuffre, saying one encounter in 2001 did not happen as he had spent the day with his daughter, Princess Beatrice, taking her to Pizza Express in Woking for a party. The same alleged sexual liaison, which the American said began with the royal sweating heavily as they danced at London nightclub Tramp, was later branded factually wrong as the duke said he had a medical condition at the time which meant he did not sweat. And he twice stated that his relationship with sex offender Epstein had provided 'seriously beneficial outcomes', giving him the opportunity to meet people and prepare for his future role as a trade envoy. In January, Andrew's lawyers attempted to throw out the civil sex case brought by Ms Giuffre, but a judge rejected this and ruled the case could go to trial. The Queen stripped Andrew of his honorary military roles in response, and he gave up his HRH style, before demanding a jury trial. But on February 15, their lawyers reached an out-of-court settlement in what eventually became a conclusion to the case. On March 8, it was revealed that Andrew had paid an estimated 12million to his US sex accuser bringing the case against him to a close. Advertisement 'The key issue today for them is remembering Prince Philip. Instead of which people are remembering Prince Philip and commentating on the fact his son, Prince Andrew, had such a prominent role at his memorial service.' Mr Hunt said he imagines Andrew would have been 'very keen' on having the role of escorting his mother, adding: 'It would be for others to dissuade him.' He also questioned how it would be perceived in the United States and elsewhere in the world. 'It's one thing to organise an event to satisfy the needs and the desires of the family members, it's quite another to then step back from it and see how it is seen around the world, and I don't yet know what that judgment will be. 'But the risk for them is it reopens yet again the whole can of worms for them about Prince Andrew's judgment, it reminds them about his missteps and it raises questions about the wisdom of allowing him to have a prominent role when he could just have attended as everyone else did,' he said. And royal author Victoria Murphy added: 'Because of the nature of the event, I don't think Prince Andrew's appearance alongside the Queen is an indication that anything has changed as far as his public role goes. But it does send a message that he still has a very important role by her side in her personal life.' Meanwhile royal expert Robert Jobson, author of Prince Philip's Century, told People magazine of Andrew's appearance: 'It shows she wholeheartedly loves and believes her son. As she did when she made a statement about Camilla being Queen's Consort, many people will now accept the Queen's word and judgment.' He said some senior royals were unimpressed, 'but she insisted'. 'It does make some sense that he accompany her because he doesn't have a partner,' he said. 'A settlement has been paid but he's guilty of nothing in the eyes of the law. She has faith in Andrew. Even if he disappears from public life, he's been able to pay tribute to his father, who after all, was very proud of his service in the Royal Navy, where he fought in the Falkland Islands conflict.' Andrew's role at the ceremony was revealed hours earlier by Mr Jobson, who told GB News this morning: 'I think that Prince Andrew may play a more prominent role than we think earlier on. My understanding is that someone has to support the Queen and he may well be by her side. I think Charles will probably be with Camilla.' Another royal commentator said Andrew's role may have been a matter of 'practicality' as much as anything else. Asked if he viewed Andrew's role at the memorial service as a way of the Queen showing support for her son, Joe Little, managing editor of Majesty Magazine, said: 'It's hard to interpret how it came about. I'm not sure that the Queen would necessarily regard it in that way.' He said it might have just been 'a practicality as much as anything' and a plan that 'fitted the purposes of the occasion'. Mr Little added: 'I mean clearly with him by her side then the support is there physically and in every other way really.' He pointed out that Andrew has not been found guilty of anything, adding: 'It's a complicated situation on a very personal level for the Queen as his mother.' Mr Little also pointed out that, like the Queen, Andrew was also travelling from Windsor for the service. Asked if he was surprised by Andrew's role of escorting his mother, he said: 'I suppose we should always expect the unexpected on big royal occasions, and I don't think anybody had guessed that this is what would happen. But I suppose we could look at it in many ways, but the Queen was coming from Windsor. 'Andrew was coming from Windsor. So it made sense to have a member of the family travel with her. Clearly it's the first time that we've seen him for a long time since all the legal wranglings were settled, so some people will argue that he shouldn't have been as prominent, but then we have to remember that he was the Duke of Edinburgh's son, so you know, really, he is just as entitled to be there as his siblings.' And royal historian Hugo Vickers said Andrew's role in escorting the Queen was 'entirely correct and appropriate', describing it as a 'nice gesture'. He said that the Queen 'needs an arm' and said 'Who better than her son?' Mr Vickers added that if she took the arm of an official it would look 'rather sad'. But Nazil Afzal, the former Chief Crown Prosecutor for North West England, tweeted: 'I see Prince Andrew is travelling with Her Majesty to Prince Philip's memorial. I'm all for rehabilitation but it starts with facing justice, accepting responsibility and working to rebuild victims' confidence. None of that is present here, so far.' Palace sources said in January that the 'ruthless and swift' decision to strip Andrew of his military titles by the Queen had been 'widely discussed' within the Royal Family following the Duke's failed bid to persuade a judge to dismiss the civil lawsuit in which he was accused of having sex with a trafficking victim. Prince Charles and his son William were understood to have been 'instrumental' in the move to force him out before the Queen made up her mind and summoned him for a meeting, after the court verdict. On March 8, it was revealed he had paid an estimated 12million to his accuser - bringing the case against him to a close. But Andrew has been frozen out of the Royal Family in terms of public events, and was not present at Westminster Abbey earlier this month for the Commonwealth Day Service which was attended by senior royals including Prince Charles, Camilla, Prince William and Kate - but not the Queen, who was forced to pull out due to her health. Buckingham Palace officials confirmed overnight that Princess Beatrice would attend along with her husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, while Princess Eugenie was also there with her husband Jack Brooksbank. On Andrew's left in the Abbey was his brother the Earl of Wessex and Edward's family the Countess of Wessex and their children Lady Louise Windsor and James, Viscount Severn. Across an aisle on his right was the Princess Royal, Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence, the Duchess of Cornwall, Prince of Wales and the Queen. Prince George and Princess Charlotte also attended with Prince William and Kate, and were sat behind the Queen. Behind Andrew and Edward's family was Peter Phillips, and Zara and Mike Tindall and their daughters. Yesterday, the Duke was spotted going horse riding at Windsor Great Park, along with two grooms. He was also photographed driving near Windsor Castle in his hybrid electric Range Rover. The Duke formally settled the alleged rape case against him by 'sex slave' accuser Virginia Roberts at a court in New York earlier this month, after he paid her an estimated 12million. He has always denied the allegations. Courtiers believe the Duke will effectively disappear from public life after today's poignant event, where he is likely to rub shoulders with representatives from charities and organisations he has been forced to part ways with. Prince Philip - who died last April aged 99 - was Colonel of the Grenadier Guards for more than 40 years, and Andrew took over the role in 2017, but it was one of the military titles he was made to give up earlier this year. The Duke of York has hardly been seen in public since he stepped down from royal life following the Jeffrey Epstein scandal - with the Queen stripping him of his military affiliations and royal patronages in January. The Queen and Prince Andrew are driven by car after attending the service of thanksgiving for Prince Philip today The Queen and Prince Andrew arrive together for the Duke of Edinburgh's memorial service at Westminster Abbey today Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Andrew arrive for the service of thanksgiving for late Prince Philip this morning Prince Andrew (left) leaves Windsor Castle with the Queen (right) today ahead of the service to remember Prince Philip The Queen leaves Windsor Castle in a car this morning with her disgraced son Prince Andrew to travel to London Prince Andrew (left) leaves Windsor Castle with the Queen (right) this morning ahead of the service of thanksgiving for Philip The Queen leaves Windsor Castle to travel to Westminster Abbey this morning, with her son Prince Andrew sat on her right The Queen arranged for the service for Philip to take place, and the congregation included family, friends, dignitaries and representatives of the many organisations with which the Duke of Edinburgh was associated. But Prince Harry and Meghan Markle did not return the California for the service amid concerns raised by the couple over their security, although Harry plans to go to Holland next month to attend the Invictus Games. Members of the Royal Family were joined by more than 30 foreign royals, the duke's family and friends and 500 representatives from charities and organisations of which he was patron. The Queen and Philip were married in the Abbey in November 1947 and it holds many special memories. About 1,800 guests attended today. By contrast, his funeral was limited to 30 people because of Covid restrictions. Prince Andrew is spotted going horse riding in Windsor today ahead of the memorial service for Prince Philip The Duke of York is accompanied by two grooms as he goes out riding at Windsor Great Park in Berkshire yesterday morning Andrew is said to be determined to honour his father despite fears his presence could dominate coverage of the service The Duke of York goes horse riding at Windsor Great Park yesterday morning ahead of today's memorial service for Philip Prince Andrew is seen driving near Windsor Castle yesterday morning ahead of the memorial service for his late father today Earlier this month, Andrew paid up to 12million to his US sex accuser bringing the civil case against him almost to a close. 'Stipulation of Dismissal' documents were filed with a New York court on March 8, with lawyers on both sides calling for the legal action to be dismissed, indicating the settlement has been paid. As the order was published, the Treasury confirmed no taxpayer funds were used for either the payment to Virginia Roberts or for the Duke of York's legal fees. A freedom of information request asked whether any money from the Sovereign Grant to the Royal Family or any other government money was used. The Treasury insisted: 'No public money has been used to pay legal or settlement fees.' A graphic shows the plan for the service to remember Prince Philip at Westminster Abbey which takes place this morning The joint order filed with the New York court said each party would pay their own costs and fees. Miss Roberts bringing the case under her married name of Giuffre had sued Andrew for alleged sexual abuse. She claimed he had sex with her when she was 17 after he was trafficked by his friend, the late billionaire paedophile Jeffrey Epstein. The duke will make a 'substantial donation' to a charity for sex abuse victims set up by Miss Roberts, now a 38-year-old mother-of-three. He said he now regrets his association with Epstein. Andrew, who was forced to step down from royal duties and public life as a result of the scandal, previously claimed he had no recollection of meeting Miss Roberts and has always strongly denied her allegations. But he agreed to the settlement last month. Honduras' Supreme Court on Monday approved the extradition of former president Juan Orlando Hernandez to the United States, where he is accused of drug trafficking and weapons charges. Hernandez, 53, is accused by the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York for fueling his political career with the assistance of drug traffickers. Federal prosecutors have alleged that Hernandez - a self-proclaimed U.S. ally in the war on drugs - participated in a wide-ranging drug-trafficking scheme between 2004 and 2022, part of an unprecedented investigation into Honduras' role as a critical transit point for massive amounts of cocaine smuggled from South America north to the United States. His brother and former Honduran congressman, Juan Antonio Hernandez, was found guilty by the Southern District of New York on drug trafficking and firearms charges in October 2019. He sentenced to life in prison in March 2021. During his trial, a key government witness testified that Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzman contributed $1 million towards Juan Orlando Hernandez 2013 presidential campaign in exchange for protection. The conservative ex-president is also accused carrying, using, or aiding and abetting the use of weapons. The extradition of Honduras' former president, Juan Orlando Hernandez, was approved by the country's Supreme Court on Monday. He is facing drug trafficking and weapons charges in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York Sinaloa Cartel co-founder Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzman allegedly handed over $1 million to support the 2013 presidential campaign of former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez in exchange for protection of drug deliveries Hernandez, who was replaced as president in January by leftist Xiomara Castro after eight years in office, has denied any wrongdoing. He instead boasted of his two-term government's efforts in combating the flow of drugs to the United States - despite the Biden Administration recently declassifying a report that revealed Hernandez had been placed on a blacklist in 2021 over corruption allegations. 'It is surprising that this decision ... is made based on 'media reports' and also on statements from drug traffickers and confessed murderers who were extradited by my government, or who had to flee and surrender to the United States authorities for fear of being extradited,' Hernandez wrote in an open letter. Supreme court spokesman Melvin Duarte said Hernandez had exhausted his appeal process. 'The Supreme Court has decided not to allow the proposed appeal, which means the decision by the judge to grant extradition has been confirmed,' said court spokesman Melvin Duarte. Juan Antonio Hernandez (pictured in 2017) was convicted in a massive drug conspiracy case in a New York City federal court in October 2019 and sentenced to life in prison in March 2021. He is the brother of former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez 2/ Comparti Carta Abierta a la Nacion escrita por @JuanOrlandoH de su puno y letra. Aqui la transcripcion de su carta. Lo reitero: Juan Orlando es inocente de estas acusaciones. Victima de una venganza y conspiracion. En Dios esta puesta nuestra fe y confianza! pic.twitter.com/K8FJMgOwJK Ana Garcia de Hernandez (@anagarciacarias) March 28, 2022 Former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez, in chains, is shown to the press at the National Police headquarters in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, following his arrest on February 15 Former first lady Ana Garcia released a letter on Twitter that penned by husband in which he claimed, 'I am innocent. I am the victim of revenge and conspiracy.' 'This is a revenge of the cartels, it is an orchestrated plot so that no government will confront them again. Part of that conspiracy has been a campaign of hate and disinformation,' Hernandez wrote. 'But it is evident, the contradictions of the delinquents trial after trial, they lie and contradict themselves. In addition, it is also evident that after surrendering or being captured they spent months, years, declaring and they never mentioned me. Until they began the execution of their revenge and also seeking to reduce their sentences and return their property among other benefits.' Earlier this month, a Honduran judge authorized the extradition, which Hernandez's lawyers sought to overturn. On Monday, Felix Avila, one of Hernandez's lawyers, said 'this is a decision by the Supreme Court and the fact that we don't agree with it does not mean it is illegal.' Hernandez has been in police custody since February 15, when he was arrested after a dramatic stakeout that saw him holed up in his home. He emerged hours later, pledging to cooperate with authorities. The federal Budget will have something for everyone because the cost of living is surging, an election is due in weeks, and the government is behind in polls. Scott Morrison will offer 'targeted' support to Australians doing it tough, which is expected to take the form of one-off cash handouts. Treasurer Josh Frydenberg all but confirmed there will be a temporary cut to fuel excise, hopefully leading to relief for motorists every time they fill up. 'What we will be seeking to do in this Budget is provide cost of living relief to those Australians that are paying higher prices at the bowser,' he said on Tuesday morning. Car drivers, such as the woman pictured, will get some relief at the bowser in Tuesday's Budget The finer details of the Budget will only be revealed when the Treasurer reads it out in Parliament tonight, but some have leaked early. Here are some of the measures likely to be adopted when Mr Frydenberg delivers what may be his last Budget speech. Fuel excise cut An easing of the burden on motorists has been all but confirmed. 'Fuel prices have skyrocketed, and of course for many families (using a car) is not a choice,' Mr Frydenberg said. Any cut to the 44c-a-litre fuel excise would be temporary, probably lasting no more than six months, but that may depend on how long Russia's invasion of Ukraine lasts. If the fuel excise was cut by 5c a litre, motorists would save $2.50 when filling a 50L vehicle, but it would cost the federal budget about $1 billion over six months. Cutting fuel excise by 10c a litre would save motorists $5 when filling a 50L vehicle, which would cost the budget $2 billion over six months. Cash handouts The government is expected to hand out a one-off cash payment of $250 to those on low-incomes to help them with the rising cost of living. At the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, the government handed out four one-off payments including two worth $750 in March and July 2020 and two worth $250 in December 2020 and March 2021. Tradies (pictured) are set to benefit from the Budget being handed down on Tuesday The cash went to 6.5 million people including 3.6 million pensioners, 1.1 million students and working-age welfare recipients and 1.5 million others including veterans and parents who receive family tax breaks. Lower and middle income tax offset The low and middle income tax offset, an end-of-financial-year rebate of up to $1,080 for those earning under $126,000, may be extended. If this happens, those earning between $48,000 and $90,000 will get the maximum amount of $1,080 while those earning between $37,000 and $48,000 and between $90,000 and $126,000 will get a smaller amount depending on their salary. The offset was due to end when stage two tax cuts came into play but was extended twice after the cuts were brought forward to 2020 due to the pandemic. But some economists predict the PM will not extend the tax cut and will opt for cash handouts instead. Beer tax cut Australian Hotels Association head Stephen Ferguson met Mr Frydenberg this month to discuss a potential cut to the beer tax paid by brewers. Australia has the fourth-highest beer tax in the developed world. It has been speculated the federal government will cut beer tax which is paid by brewers Slashing the tax in half would mean drinkers would pay 30c less for a $7.50 schooner if the savings were passed on from brewers to pub owners to drinkers. The move is claimed to help revive the hotel and pub industry which was crippled during Covid lockdowns. Infrastructure splash The Budget will include dozens of major projects that will provide thousands of jobs and improve Australia's infrastructure. These include $5.4 billion to build the Hells Gates Dam in North Queensland, creating more than 7,000 jobs. Up to 60,000 hectares of irrigation would be opened up through a 2,100-gigalitre dam bolstered by three downstream irrigation weirs. Another $483 million will be for a 970-gigalitre dam at Urannah in Queensland which will help nearby producers develop 20,000 hectares of irrigated land. More opportunities could be on the way for Sydney tradies Gleyse Silva, 26 (left) and Alline Lapruza, 32 There will also be $678million for the sealing of 1,000km of the Outback Way, a 2,720 kilometre route that links Laverton in Western Australia with Winton in Queensland via Alice Springs in the Northern Territory. Adelaide's North-South corridor motorway will cost $2.26 billion and there is another $668 million for infrastructure in south-east Queensland under a new 'city deal'. Perth received a $74 million top-up and $40 million is pledged for bridges. A further $17.9 billion will go towards new and existing infrastructure projects under the government's 10-year rolling investment pipeline. The overall program will amount to a record $120 billion. Which projects are being funded? New commitments funded in the 202223 Budget include: $3.1 billion in new commitments to deliver the $3.6 billion Melbourne Intermodal Terminal Package (VIC), including: o $1.2 billion for the Beveridge Interstate Freight Terminal in Beveridge, taking the total investment to $1.62 billion; o $280 million for Road Connections, including Camerons Lane Interchange, to the Beveridge Interstate Freight Terminal; o $740 million for the Western Interstate Freight Terminal in Truganina; and o $920 million for the Outer Metropolitan Ring - South Rail connection to the Western Interstate Freight Terminal. $1.6 billion for the Brisbane to the Sunshine Coast (Beerwah-Maroochydore) rail extension (QLD) 1.121 billion for the Brisbane to the Gold Coast (Kuraby Beenleigh) faster rail upgrade (QLD) $1 billion for the Sydney to Newcastle (Tuggerah to Wyong) faster rail upgrade (NSW) $678 million for Outback Way (NT, WA, QLD) $336 million for the Pacific Highway - Wyong Town Centre (NSW) $336 million for the Tasmanian Roads Package Northern Roads Package Stage 2 (TAS) $200 million for the Marion Road Anzac Highway to Cross Road (SA) $145 million for the Thomas Road Dual Carriageway South Western Highway to Tonkin Highway and interchange at Tonkin Highway (WA) $140 million for Regional Road Safety upgrades (WA) $132 million for Central Australian Tourism Roads (NT) $120 million for the Adelaide Hills Productivity and Road Safety Package (SA) $46.7 million towards the Athllon Drive Duplication (ACT) The Budget also includes additional funding for existing projects and Roads of Strategic Importance corridors, including: $2.264 billion for the North South Corridor - Torrens to Darlington (SA) $352 million for the Milton Ulladulla Bypass (NSW) $320 million for the Bunbury Outer Ring Road (Stages 2 and 3) (WA) $200 million for the Tonkin Highway Stage 3 Extension (WA) $45 million for the Ballarat to Ouyen Future Priorities (VIC) $68.5 million for the Cooktown to Weipa Corridor Upgrade bringing the total Australian Government funding to the corridor to $258.5 million (QLD) Advertisement Buying a home The Home Guarantee Scheme will expand to provide a further 50,000 places to support more first home buyers. The scheme allows buyers to put down only a five per cent deposit, with the taxpayer stumping up the rest. There will be an additional 35,000 places available for first home buyers, 5,000 places for single parents and 10,000 places for people who buy or build a new home in a regional area. Housing Minister Michael Sukkar said to date there have been no defaults on loans since the program began three years ago. Who benefits from the expanded home guarantee scheme? Under the expanded home guarantee scheme, the Government will make available: 35,000 guarantees each year, up from the current 10,000, from 1 July 2022 under the First Home Guarantee, to support eligible first homebuyers to purchase a new or existing home with a deposit as low as five per cent; 10,000 guarantees each year from 1 October 2022 to 30 June 2025 under a new Regional Home Guarantee, to support eligible homebuyers, including non-first home buyers and permanent residents, to purchase or construct a new home in regional areas, subject to the passage of enabling legislation; and 5,000 guarantees each year from 1 July 2022 to 30 June 2025 to expand the Family Home Guarantee announced in last years budget. Australias first ever specifically targeted single parent family housing scheme supports eligible single parents with children to buy their first home or to re-enter the housing market with a deposit of as little as two per cent. Advertisement Parents The government brought forward childcare changes that were announced in last year's Budget from July 1 to March 7, meaning they are already in place. The federal child care subsidy rate for a second child aged five or under was increased for all families earning $180,000 or less. This costs taxpayers $1.7 billion over four years will benefit about 250,000 families across Australia by an average of $2,260 a year. A family on $40,000 will save $54 per week, a family on $120,000 will save $144 and a family on $180,000 will save $162. The federal child care subsidy rate for a second child aged five or under has been increased for all families earning $180,000 or under. Pictured is a woman reading to two children However, an estimated 700,000 families will not benefit at all because the policy only affects rates for a second child in care. If Labor wins the election in May, it will increase child care subsidy rates for every child whose family earns less than $530,000. The policy would save families between $600 and $2,900 a year and cost taxpayers $6.2 billion over four years. This table shows how much a families with two kids will save depending on their income Welfare recipients Under a biannual adjustment, the JobSeeker rate, age pension, disability support pension and carer payments increased by up to $20 a fortnight from March 20, benefiting 4.9 million people and costing the budget $2.2 billion extra over the year. The rate for a single person receiving an age pension, disability support pension or carer payment increased by $20.10 a fortnight to $987.60. The JobSeeker payment, rose by $13.20 to $629.50 per fortnight for a single person without children. The parenting payment increased by $18.10 to $874.10. Federal Treasurer Josh Frydenberg (pictured) will have something for everyone when he announces the Budget on Tuesday night Fortnightly maximum rent assistance increased to $145.80 for singles and up to $193.62 for families. A new drug for cystic-fibrosis sufferers called Trikafta will also be subsidised, saving those with the condition up to $250,000. Apprentices The government will spend $365.3 million to support an extra 35,000 apprentices and trainees get into a job through an extension of its 'boosting apprenticeship commencements and completing apprenticeship commencements' wage subsidies. Any employer who takes on an apprentice or trainee before June 30 will be refunded half the eligible Australian apprentice's wages in the first year, capped at a maximum payment value of $7,000 per quarter. This reduces to 10 per cent in the second year, capped at a maximum payment value of $1500 per quarter, and then five per cent in the third year, capped at a maximum payment value of $750 per quarter. Disadvantaged young people will benefit from an expanded transition to work employment service to help them find jobs. Young families (pictured) are hoping cost of living pressures will be eased by Tuesday's federal Budget Health Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services will benefit from a four-year rolling funding agreement and annual increases from July 1, 2023. Another $61.2 million will go towards the Australian Genomic Cancer Medical Centre to research and develop drugs for people with advanced cancers. The government's national ice action strategy will received $315 million over four years to extend the program. Health Minister Greg Hunt has announced $28.1million to establish a new agency - Genomics Australia - to support the integration of genomic medicine as a standard of healthcare in Australia. The government will also give $52.3 million in funding for mental health service Lifeline Australia over four years from July 2022. Medicare is expected to cost taxpayers about $126 billion over four-year forward estimates. This year's Budget will include specific measures to improve gender equality. Pictured are two female tradies Women Last year had the first women's Budget statement after the Coalition faced criticism for the treatment of former staffer Brittany Higgins. This time around, specific measures to improve gender equality include $189 million over five years to strengthen prevention and early-intervention efforts in family, domestic, and sexual violence. The government also pledged $104 million to prevent technology and devices being used to perpetrate or facilitate family, domestic, and sexual violence. There is also a $58 million national action plan to tackle the fertility condition endometriosis. The funding will go towards building treatment centres, improving telehealth services and offering Medicare rebates for MRI scans related to the disorder, which affects one in nine Australian women. More than a quarter of the funding will go to establishing specialised endometriosis and pelvic pain clinics in each state and territory. Farmers will get a boost in Tuesday's Budget Farmers Under a new tax regime, farmers will treat revenue from the sale of carbon credits as primary production income to reduce their tax bills. The move is designed to encourage carbon abatement activities such as planting trees and help Australia deliver on its net zero emissions target by 2050. These changes will provide farmers with an estimated $100 million benefit through the tax system over the forward estimates. Roads and highways An inland freight route tipped to be a second Bruce highway will get an extra $400 million funding boost. Upgrades to the more than 1,100km route - running from Charters Towers in North Queensland to Mungindi on the NSW border - aim to move trucks off existing highways, making it safer and more efficient to transport freight across the two states. The inland route will also be used as an alternative to the Bruce highway in wet weather events. Upgrades will include realignments, overtaking lanes, flood resilience and drainage works, pavement widening and safety treatments. The extra funding will take the total cost of the upgrades to $800 million. The works expect to create more than 2,000 jobs in Queensland. Cost of living pressures mean the Coalition is expected to offer Australians relief in Tuesday's budget. Pictured is a woman with a full shopping trolley Rural internet More than a million premises in regional and rural Australia will be able to access faster NBN speeds as part of an almost $500 million budget boost. The federal government set aside $480 million to help increase speeds on the NBN's fixed wireless network, as well as introducing greater data limits as part of the Sky Muster service. A further $270 million will be brought in by NBN Co from its own funds. It is expected the NBN boost would expand the fixed wireless footprint by almost 50 per cent, with an extra 120,000 premises able to access fixed wireless services. Speeds are expected to increase by up to 100Mbps for most premises on the fixed wireless network, with almost all of the 750,000 premises able to access expanded coverage. A 250Mbps service will also be available to 85 per cent of premises. Australia's former Deputy Chief Medical Officer Dr Nick Coatsworth has taken a dig at the media for endangering Australia's vaccine rollout by fanning fears about the AstraZeneca jab. It comes as the ABC posted a sneak peak clip of its 7.30 program to Twitter on Monday, showcasing its investigation into the Federal Government's controversial decision to not purchase vaccines sooner. The ABC claimed Australia was months behind other nations in securing a deal with pharmaceutical company Pfizer, leaving the country understocked of the vaccine as it was pushed back in the international waiting list. UNSW epidemiologist Professor Greg Dore shared the ABC's tweet, but hit back, saying the key issue was AstraZeneca hesitancy drummed up by media reports about its rare, but potentially deadly, blood-clotting side effect. 'The bigger story is the trashing of the highly effective locally produced AstraZeneca vaccine by many in medical profession & media throughout early to mid 2021,' Professor Dore wrote. Dr Coatsworth agreed, retweeting both Professor Dore's post and the segment preview, and adding he was about to write the same thing. Former Deputy Chief Medical Officer Dr Nick Coatsworth (pictured) has taken a swipe at the ABC after it shared a sneak peak of its 7.30 program 'We must have been composing at the same time @GregDore2,' Dr Coatsworth tweeted. Professor Dore later commented on his initial post: 'Federal Governments lack of urgency during initial vaccine rollout was also an issue, but again compounded by the undermining of AstraZeneca vaccine.' Dr Coatsworth retweeted a post by epidemiologist Professor Greg Dore, who pointed out the broadcaster had neglected to mention the media's role in fanning AstraZeneca hesitancy Dr Coatsworth and Professor Dore's point of view was shared by other members of the medical community as well as other Australians who commented on the post. Daily Mail Australia has contacted the ABC for comment. The Morrison government came under fire for the nation's vaccine rollout, which was plagued by supply issues, mixed messaging, and jab hesitancy. In April 2021, the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI) said the AstraZeneca jab was only recommended for over 50s because of a low risk of blood clot condition thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome (TTS) in younger people. The move prompted the government to push back its aim to offer a jab to everyone from October to December as it scrambled to get more Pfizer into the country. The Australian government came under fire over its botched vaccine rollout after failing to secure ample Pfizer supplies and delivering mixed-advice over who could receive AstraZeneca A few months later, in June, ATAGI increased the minimum recommend age to 60, denting confidence and delaying the jab rollout by two months. Scott Morrison, who had supported the advice by ATAGI, backflipped weeks later, under increasing pressure over the botched rollout, saying anyone under 40 could get AstraZeneca after seeking permission from their GP. Under current ATAGI guidelines, AstraZeneca is recommended for Australians 60 and over and those aged 18 to 59 in Covid-outbreak areas if they do not have immediate access to Pfizer or Moderna. Pfizer and Moderna are preferred over the AstraZeneca for a booster dose, including for people who received the AstraZeneca for their primary course, due to the shots' higher immunity benefits. In Australia, there have been nine deaths linked to AstraZeneca out of more than 13.5 million doses administered. Qantas customers have unleashed on the airline's 'terrible' customer service with one passenger claiming he was forced to wait more than six hours on the phone to resolve a simple query. Another traveller said they were charged $800 to change flights, while one claimed they were bizarrely put through to a customer service agent in South Africa after several hours on hold. The horror stories were aired on 2GB radio on Tuesday after host Ben Fordham took a call from a frustrated Qantas passenger. Another woman said one of her parents' connecting flights was changed to the day before their first flight arrived, forcing them to endure a ridiculous five-day layover before resuming their trip. The discussion kicked off when a listener named Todd called in claiming he was on hold with Qantas for six hours and 31 minutes. Todd claimed that after complaining about his six-hour wait, he was told to ring another number to sort out his booking - which ended up being the same line he was already on. Pictured is a screenshot of one Qantas customer's call to customer service after waiting more than five hours to get through Another listener, who wanted to get a credit for a cancelled flight due to Covid, said he had enough time to leave his phone at home and go for a walk during the lengthy wait. 'I waited for two and a half hours, but I left the phone on the kitchen table and took the dog for a walk,' he told 2GB. When someone finally picked up he was told he had to speak to Flight Centre instead of Qantas. One man said his wife was told to cough up a whopping $800 to change her flight home to Sydney from New Zealand after she caught Covid and had to reschedule. Another disgruntled caller, Catherine Rae, told Daily Mail Australia her parent's multi-stop flight back from the UK to Perth last month was incorrectly rescheduled. Frustrated Qantas customers have claimed they were put on hold for more than six hours while trying to resolve rescheduled and cancelled flights (pictured, passengers at Sydney Airport) 'Before they even left they were told their flight from Darwin to Perth was rescheduled to the day before they even arrived into Darwin,' Ms Rae said. 'I spent three hours on hold to get it sorted so their flights would be the next day.' Then her parents were forced to make a long five-day layover in Darwin as the airline once again rescheduled their flights. 'Which was five days not spent with family,' Ms Rae added. Ms Rae is also expecting her 67-year-old mother-in-law to fly in from the UK via a similar route, but her Qantas flight from Heathrow was cancelled, before she had to spend the night at another airport. Her mother-in-law, who is hard of hearing, was then supposed to fly the next day at 11am, before the flight was changed to 8pm later that day. Her flights were then rerouted with a lengthy trip added from Darwin to Melbourne before she arrives in Perth, with significant wait times at each airport. 'This has caused her considerable stress and upset and she has been in tears with no one to really get answers from,' Ms Rae said. 'I wonder how many other people are frustrated by the terrible communication and customer service from Qantas. 'You would think with them spending all this money on adverts and having two years of grounded flights they'd want to get their service right and retain customers where they can.' A Qantas spokesperson said the wait times were unacceptable and apologised to customers who were affected by the delays. They said the 'complex' nature of customer queries due to the pandemic have caused them to be 'on average taking 50 per cent longer to resolve'. One disgruntled customer told 2GB he 'waited for two and a half hours, but I left the phone on the kitchen table and took the dog for a walk', before resuming the call (pictured, passengers at Sydney Airport) 'Given the volume and the increased complexity of customer queries, it will take some time for call wait times to normalise,' the spokesperson said. 'No airline's contact centres were designed to be able to manage the record number of calls and complexity of Covid-related queries, which continue to impact customer wait times as people re-book travel that's been delayed for the past two years. 'We're also seeing a fresh wave of calls with every change to a border somewhere in the world, as Covid restrictions are wound back, which often occur at no notice.' They also said they have hired 'hundreds' of new call centre recruits and continue to do so each month. This handout photo released by the Turkish presidential press service on March 29, shows Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, right, greeting Russian chief negotiator Vladimir Medinsky, left, MP Leonid Slutsky, center, chairman of the Russian State Duma's International Affairs Committee the Russian and members of Ukrainian delegation during their meeting for talks in Istanbul. AFP-Yonhap Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan welcomed delegations from both sides at an Istanbul palace, saying "stopping this tragedy" was up to them. Ukrainian television reported the talks had begun with "a cold welcome" and no handshake. Ukraine and the United States hold little hope of an immediate breakthrough. But the resumption of face-to-face talks is an important first step towards a ceasefire in a Russian invasion that is stalled on most fronts but inflicting horrible suffering on civilians trapped in besieged cities. More than a month into the war, the biggest attack on a European nation since World War Two, more than 3.8 million people have fled abroad, thousands have been killed and injured, and Russia's economy has been pummelled by sanctions. In the southern port city of Mariupol, besieged by Russian forces since the war's early days, nearly 5,000 people have been killed, including about 210 children, according to figures from the mayor which cannot be verified. In parts of the city now held by Russian troops, the few visible residents appeared ghostlike among charred and bombed-out apartment blocks. A little girl in a pink puffy coat and yellow knitted hat was playing with a stick in the ruins as explosions crackled in the distance. Someone was scavenging through the rubble with a wheelbarrow. "Look at our food reserve. We are eight people. We have two buckets of potatoes, one bucket of onions," said Irina, an engineer, in her apartment where windows had been blasted out. They were boiling soup on a makeshift stove in the stairwell. Elsewhere, however, Ukrainian forces have made advances in recent days, recapturing territory from Russian troops on the outskirts of Kyiv, in the northeast, and in the south, as Moscow's invasion has stalled in the face of strong resistance. An area recaptured by Ukrainian forces northeast of the capital on a road towards the village of Rusaniv was littered with burnt-out tanks and bits of Russian uniforms. Surrounding houses were destroyed. A Ukrainian in uniform was digging a pit in the soil to bury the charred remains of a Russian soldier. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said of the talks in Turkey: "We are not trading people, land or sovereignty." "The minimum programme will be humanitarian questions, and the maximum programme is reaching an agreement on a ceasefire," he said on national television. Russia's Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said Russia had largely completed the first phase of its military assault, had degraded Ukraine's military capabilities and would now focus on areas claimed by separatists in the southeast. Moscow made a similar declaration late last week, interpreted in the West as a sign it was giving up on initial aims of toppling the government in Kyiv after failing to seize the capital. Russia calls its mission a "special operation" to disarm and "denazify" Ukraine. The West says it launched an unprovoked invasion. A senior U.S. State Department official said Russian President Vladimir Putin did not appear ready to make compromises to end the war. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said talks so far had not yielded any substantial progress but it was important they continued in person. Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich was in the Dolmabahce palace in Istanbul where the talks took place, though it was not immediately clear in what role. He has tried to act as a go-between, including during a trip early in the conflict when he and several Ukrainian negotiators are said to have fallen ill. Sirens Air raid sirens sounded before dawn across Ukraine, the latest sign of Russia's increasing reliance on long-range strikes. Russia's defence ministry said on Tuesday it had struck a large fuel depot in the western Rivne region overnight, far from any fighting. "The enemy continues to vilely carry out missile and bomb strikes in an attempt to completely destroy the infrastructure and residential areas of Ukrainian cities," the Ukraine military's general staff said. "(They) focus on fuel storage facilities in order to complicate logistics and create the conditions for a humanitarian crisis." In an address on Monday night, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy repeated calls for the West to go further in punishing Moscow for its invasion. "We, people who are alive, have to wait. Doesn't everything the Russia military has done to date warrant an oil embargo?" While Western countries have imposed hard-hitting sanctions upon Moscow, Europe is heavily reliant on energy imports from Russia and has been so far reluctant to act to block them. In besieged Ukrainian cities where conditions are desperate, the threat of Russian attacks has blocked exit routes for civilians. Mariupol's mayor said about 160,000 people were still trapped in the city, which once held 400,000. "There is no food for the children, especially the infants. They delivered babies in basements because women had nowhere to go to give birth, all the maternity hospitals were destroyed," a grocery worker from Mariupol who gave her name as Nataliia told Reuters after reaching nearby Zaporizhzhia. Since the last in-person talks were held on March 10, when Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov said a ceasefire was not even on the agenda, momentum on the battlefield has shifted in Ukraine's favour. "We have destroyed the myth of the invincible Russian army. We are resisting against the aggression of one of the strongest armies in the world and have succeeded in making them change their goals," Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said. The sides have held talks via video link in recent weeks and both have publicly discussed a formula under which Ukraine might accept some kind of neutral status. But neither side has budged over Russia's territorial demands, including Crimea, which Moscow seized and annexed in 2014, and eastern territories known as the Donbas, which Moscow demands Kyiv cede to pro-Russian separatists. (Reuters) The House January 6 committee voted unanimously Monday night to hold Trump insiders Dan Scavino and Peter Navarro in contempt of Congress. Now the vote goes to the full House of Representatives, where it should pass with the Democrats' majority and then be referred to the Department of Justice. All nine members of the committee voted in the affirmative after they laid out why Navarro, a Trump White House trade adviser, and Scavino, who continues to head social media operations for the ex-president, needed to testify for the investigation into the January 6 Capitol attack. The committee wants them to testify because they both assisted in former President Donald Trump's attempts to overturn the results of the 2020 election, lawmakers said. 'In short, these two men played a key role in the ex-president's efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election,' Chairman Bennie Thompson said at the top of the hour-long session to lay out the case for holding the duo in contempt of Congress. 'In Mr. Scavino's case, he strung us along for months before making it clear that he believes he's above the law,' the chairman continued. 'Mr. Navarro, despite sharing relevant details on TV, in podcasts and in his own book, he also stonewalled us,' Thompson added. 'You're not fooling anybody,' Thompson said. 'You're obligated to comply with our investigation. They have refused to do so. And that's a crime.' Both Navarro and Scavino were previously subpoenaed by the committee, with Navarro skipping a scheduled virtual deposition on March 2. 'Why is it when we get closer and closer to the former president. His inner circle. Those nearest to the president. Why are those the ones who refuse to tell the American people what they know? What it is they're covering up?' asked Rep. Elaine Luria, a Virginia Democrat, before she voted yes Monday night. January 6 committee Chairman Bennie Thompson (left) and Republican Rep. Liz Cheney (right) appear at a hearing Monday night so the panel could vote on whether Dan Scavino and Peter Navarro should be held in contempt of Congress The House January 6 committee voted Monday to hold Trump insiders Dan Scavino (left) and Peter Navarro (right) in contempt of Congress, with all committee members voting in the affirmative Navarro told CNN he didn't participate because former President Donald Trump has claimed executive privilege. 'My hands are tied in this matter as the Executive Privilege asserted by President Trump is not my privilege to waive,' Navarro told the network. 'The Committee has a firm legal obligation to negotiate this matter directly with Trump and his attorneys before attempting to coerce and bully me into cooperating with its highly partisan effort. If the president waives privilege, I will appear.' Two days before Navarro played hooky, President Joe Biden's White House informed the former Trump staffer that Biden would not assert executive privilege to protect him from testifying, CNN said. 'Mr. Biden is not the president I worked for. Donald Trump is,' Navarro reportedly responded to the White House counsel's office. At Monday night's hearing, committee members chipped away at Navarro's claims of privilege. 'He devoted much of his time to White House political efforts outside the scope of his official duties. In fact, the American people are likely to know Mr. Navarro solely in his political capacity,' remarked Rep. Pete Aguilar of Navarro's frequent television appearances. Aguilar also pointing out that a federal watchdog found that Navarro broke the Hatch Act, which bars government officials from politicking in certain scenarios. Democratic committee members Reps. Jamie Raskin (left) and Elaine Luria (right) laid out their cases for why Dan Scavino and Peter Navarro should be held in contempt of Congress for refusing to speak to the January 6 House select committee Republican Rep. Adam Kinzinger, one of two GOP committee members, participated in Monday night's hearing virtually Democratic Reps. Pete Aguilar (left), Adam Schiff (center) and Zoe Lofgren (right) appear at Monday night's January 6 committee business meeting, where they voted in favor of holding two top Trump allies in contempt of Congress In the February 9 announcement of Navarro's subpoena, Thompson said his account was wanted by the committee because the aide was open about wanting to delay the certification of Biden's election. 'He hasn't been shy about his role in efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election and has even discussed the former President's support for those plans,' Thompson said. The letter to Navarro points out how he 'reportedly worked with Steve Bannon and others to develop and implement a plan to delay Congress's certification of, and ultimately change the outcome of, the November 2020 presidential election.' He even outlined their plans in his book, In Trump Time, naming the scheme the 'Green Bay Sweep.' Rep. Jamie Raskin commented at Monday night's hearing that the name was 'an insult to Green Bay Packers all across the country.' The plan involved Republican members of Congress objecting to the Electoral College vote count of swing states during the January 6 joint session of Congress. Since each objection has to be debated by lawmakers, the hope is that the delay would compel state legislators in the swing states of Arizona, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Georgia, Wisconsin, Nevada to de-certify the election results. The intended outcome was that Trump would have more certified Electoral College votes than the race's winner, Biden. Members of the January 6 House select committee voted in favor of holding Dan Scavino and Peter Navarro in contempt of Congress Monday night. Now the full House of Representatives will take that vote In an interview, Navarro said Trump was 'on board with the strategy' as were 'more than 100' members of Congress, the January 6 committee said. Overall, 147 Republicans voted in Congress to overturn the results of the 2020 election. Scavino was subpoenaed in September with three others, who the committee said were 'tied to the former president in the days surrounding January 6th.' Scavino was initially supposed to be deposed on October 15. The committee's letter to Scavino accused him of being with Trump when the ex-president was deliberating how to pressure members of Congress into objecting to Biden's election. The letter also points out that Scavino was with Trump on January 6 - and said that the aide might have 'materials relavent to his videotaping and tweeting messages' on that day. 'The committee has many questions for Mr. Scavino about this political social media work for President Trump, including his interactions with an online forum called The Donald and with QAnon, a bizarre and dangerous cult,' Rep. Liz Cheney, the Republican vice chair of the committee, said during Monday night's proceedings. Cheney also made a bigger point about how the committee's work was protecting democracy. 'As we meet here tonight, Vladimir Putin continues his brutality against Ukraine, killing innocents, reminding us what happens when authoritarians rule,' Cheney said. So far, the January 6 committee has advanced three other referrals. In November, Trump's former White House strategist Steve Bannon was indicted on two counts of criminal contempt of Congress over his refusal to comply to a January 6 committee subpoena. That trial is expected to take place this summer. In January, the House voted to hold former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows in contempt of Congress, referring that matter to the Justice Department. A third referral was for Department of Justice attorney Jeffrey Clark advanced from committee, but wasn't voted on by the full House of Representatives after Clark agreed to meet with committee members. During that meeting, Clark pleaded the Fifth Amendment more than 100 times, CNN reported. Ben Fordham has lashed out at 'dole bludgers' who continue to cash in on Centrelink payments as desperate Aussie businesses struggle to find staff. The 2GB host said while creating jobs and the cost of living would be a focus in the federal budget, there was another issue politicians were not so keen to talk about. 'And that is the number of Australians on welfare who choose not to work,' he said. Fordham said while the majority of people on welfare needed the taxpayer-funded handouts, some were 'having a laugh'. 2GB host Ben Fordham has lashed out at 'dole bludgers' who continue to cash in on Centrelink payments as desperate Aussie businesses struggle to find staff It comes as Treasurer Josh Frydenberg announced Australia would save $11billion over the next four years with more people employed and less on the dole. 'Well, I'd love to know how he figures that out,' Fordham said on Tuesday morning. The radio host said new data had revealed there were up to 900,000 Australians currently receiving JobSeeker payments. He said to be eligible for the scheme, recipients had to be actively seeking employment and be physically able to work. 'But let's be real here - not everyone is looking for a job,' Fordham said. 'Not everyone wants a job and the measures in place are not working. Every day we hear another story about staff shortages.' The radio host said despite moves to bolster the workforce with 175,000 foreign workers, backpackers and international students, it wouldn't fix the issue. 'The truth is, there are Australians who should be working but won't. They've become accustomed to welfare, they've become addicted to it,' he said. 'We've made it too easy for people to sit around while others do the heavy lifting and the workers are paying for it.' Fordham said there was a number of Australians receiving Centrelink payments who refused to work (pictured, a barista in Sydney) The radio host said new data had revealed there were up to 900,000 Australians currently receiving JobSeeker payments (pictured, a bartender in Melbourne) He said the total spent on unemployment benefits is almost $30billion, the same amount allocated to the National Disability Insurance Scheme. This amount could build 15 new airports or three airports, the host claimed. Top AFL boss Tony Shepherd told Fordham 20 per cent of the catering staff hired for an event to celebrate Buddy Franklin's 1000th goal on Friday night didn't show up. 'Back in the day we called them what they are. Dole bludgers,' Fordham continued. 'These days people are too afraid. But it's time to bring back some of that real talk. If our leaders had backbone they would do something about it. 'Keep the payments going for people in genuine need and turn them off for those who are having a laugh.' Fordham in February urged Australians to rat on 'dole bludgers' refusing to work by calling the Employer Reporting Line. '[The number is] 1300 361 241,' Fordham said. 'This is for if you know about people who refuse to get off their backside.' Cafes, restaurants and bars across Australia are facing major staff shortages in the wake of Covid-19 (pictured, a barista serves customers in Sydney) Fordham revealed the total spent on unemployment benefits is almost $30billion, the same amount allocated to the National Disability Insurance Scheme (pictured, patrons in Sydney) It comes as cafes, restaurants and bars across Australia continue to face major staff shortages in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. In Victoria, it was announced on Tuesday that 500 jobseekers will be recruited and trained to support hospitality businesses facing staff shortages. Jobs Victoria will allocate $6.68 million in funding to train workers for hospitality jobs with small to medium sized businesses. Minister for Employment Jaala Pulford described the initiative as a double-win for venues desperate for staff and people struggling to find employment. 'It'll help jobseekers find work while giving businesses the certainty they need with more staff to serve millions of Victorians flocking back to pubs, cafes and restaurants,' Ms Pulford said. A young mum who was allegedly murdered in her apartment once confided in a friend that her 'biggest fear' in life was that her little boy would grow up without her. Mackenzie Anderson, 21, was found unresponsive outside her Mayfield unit in Newcastle on Friday, having been allegedly stabbed 20 times by Tyrone Thompson. Thompson, 22, allegedly entered her home in breach of an apprehended violence order taken out for Ms Anderson's safety, prompting the young mum to call NSW Police that evening. Instagram messages obtained by Daily Mail Australia show Ms Anderson told a friend that she worried that her son would grow up without his mum. 'My biggest fear (is) my son being left without a mum, that's what breaks my heart,' she said. Mackenzie Anderson was found dead at her apartment in Mayfield, near Newcastle, NSW on Friday. Daily Mail Australia can reveal she messaged a friend last year describing her son being left without a mother as one of her biggest fears The young mum was terrified her little boy would have to grow up in a world 'without his mum'. Ms Anderson was found dead by police on Friday evening Ms Anderson sent this message to a friend months before her death Ms Anderson also said she felt 'let down' in some of her personal circumstances. Thompson was arrested after police responded to her call for help and found her body. Between the final phone call and police arriving minutes later, Ms Anderson had allegedly been stabbed 20 times. Her almost two-year-old son was physically unharmed nearby, but drenched in her blood. Hardened cops were devastated by the grisly scenes. A police source told Daily Mail Australia Ms Anderson was clinging to life when officers arrived. 'She was still breathing,' the source said. She lost her fight for life within minutes of police arriving and was declared dead at the scene. Mackenzie Anderson made a frantic call to police, allegedly to report her ex for breaching his AVO. When police arrived, she was allegedly found with 20 stab wounds Ms Anderson had moved on with her life and was in a happy and loving relationship with a new partner (pictured together) who had no involvement in what allegedly happened to her One traumatised friend told Daily Mail Australia she was 'holding out to make sure her baby was going to be okay'. 'He was her world. She was such a great mama and that little boy changed everything for her.' Thompson and Ms Anderson were known to each other and had previously been in a romantic relationship, but separated late last year. He was not the father of her child. One traumatised friend told Daily Mail Australia she was 'likely holding out to make sure her baby was going to be okay' According to the Daily Telegraph, Thompson and Ms Anderson had spent Friday together drinking at her Crebert St home. He allegedly left the property but returned later that night where he allegedly broke into her home and allegedly stabbed her multiple times. On Sunday afternoon he was formally charged with murder, enter with intent and breaching an apprehended domestic violence order. He spent several nights in hospital for a busted up hand which he suffered during the alleged attack, but was released into custody on Monday morning. Thompson briefly appeared via video link before Newcastle Local Court on Monday. He did not enter a plea, nor did he apply for bail. It was formally refused. The young mum had recently embarked on a new relationship and was hopeful for the year ahead after separating with Thompson. Ms Anderson had spent years trying to turn her life around for the sake of her son after developing a meth addiction as a 16-year-old. Ms Anderson had recently revealed she was in a new relationship (pictured with her new partner, who had no involvement with her death) After three years clean, Ms Anderson admitted she still considered herself a 'person in recovery'. 'Addiction is a disease,' she said. 'It makes you too selfish to see the havoc and mess in your life that you created... or care about the people who you shattered and hurt.' She was struggling with depression at the time of her death, admitting she'd 'rather be someone else' and documenting her attempts to overcome earlier abuse. She made an eerie post just weeks ago saying she'd 'haunt' her ex if he ever came to her funeral. The 21-year-old claimed she was a victim of sustained violence in the months before speaking out. Ms Anderson tearfully shared pictures of her bruised and busted face several times throughout since late 2021. She was determined to use her platform to highlight injustices and spoke openly about her concerns with the Australian justice system. Loved ones have now set up a GoFundMe appeal to help cover ongoing expenses relating to the care of Ms Anderson's son. After three years clean, Ms Anderson admitted she still considered herself a 'person in recovery' Advertisement Will Smith has apologized for slapping Chris Rock at Sunday night's Oscars ceremony, saying his behavior was 'unacceptable and inexcusable' and left him 'embarrassed'. The 53-year-old wrote in an Instagram post that he was 'embarrassed' by his actions, which shocked the ceremony attendees, producers and viewers. 'Violence in all of its forms is poisonous and destructive,' he wrote. 'My behavior at last night's Academy Awards was unacceptable and inexcusable. Jokes at my expense are a part of the job, but a joke about Jada's medical condition was too much for me to bear and I reacted emotionally. 'I would like to publicly apologize to you, Chris. I was out of line and I was wrong. I am embarrassed and my actions were not indicative of the man I want to be. There is no place for violence in a world of love and kindness.' Smith then went on to say sorry to the organizers and the producers of the show. Rock has not responded to Smith's apology, or commented on the Sunday night incident. Will Smith slapped Chris Rock on stage at the Oscars on Sunday, after the comedian made a joke about his wife Jada Pinkett Smith. On Monday, Smith apologized Rock covers his jaw after being slapped in the face but went on to announce the winner for best documentary after a very awkward pause Smith is pictured on Sunday night celebrating his Oscar win, in a ceremony overshadowed by his actions Smith also extended his apology to the family of Venus and Serena Williams. Shortly after slapping Rock, Smith won the best actor award for his portrayal of their father Richard - but the story of their family was overshadowed by Smith's attack. Could Will Smith be stripped of his Oscar? Academy faces pressure to respond after disgraced star broke Code of Conduct drawn up in wake of MeToo Movement The Academy tweeted its disapproval of 'violence of any form' late on Sunday night There are calls for the Academy to strip Will Smith of his Best Actor Oscar after he walked on stage and slapped comedian Chris Rock who was presenting an award on stage, after making a joke about Jada Pinkett-Smith's hair. The Academy, in its code of conduct, is known to take a very a dim view of violence of any kind. After the award ceremony was over it tweeted: 'The Academy does not condone violence of any form. Tonight we are delighted to celebrate our 94th Academy Awards winners, who deserve this moment of recognition from their peers and movie lovers around the world.' The Academy reestablished its Code of Conduct in 2017 during the Me Too Movement. 'Academy membership is a privilege offered to only a select few within the global community of filmmakers,' AMPAS CEO Dawn Hudson wrote to members following various scandals in the industry. On Sunday night, in the Dolby Theatre, there was complete bewilderment in the moments after the assault with took place with those present initially wondering if the punch was part of a stunt. It took a few moments for the normally unflappable Rock to process but the colorful language from Smith quickly confirmed it wasn't any kind of joke at all. The punch threw the entire Oscars broadcast into chaos as producers were frantically forced into deciding how to deal with the on-air assault, with Smith still yet to receive his Best Actor statuette. Advertisement Richard Williams - who the Oscar-winner portrays in King Richard - said after the attack that he condemns violence. Chavoita LeSane, Williams' son, told NBC: 'We don't know all the details of what happened. But we don't condone anyone hitting anyone else unless it's in self-defense.' Smith said: 'I would also like to apologize to the Academy, the producers of the show, all the attendees and everyone watching around the world,' Smith continued. 'I would like to apologize to the Williams Family and my King Richard Family. 'I deeply regret that my behavior has stained what has been an otherwise gorgeous journey for all of us.' The Philadelphia-born actor concluded: 'I am a work in progress. Sincerely, Will.' His apology came as the group that hands out the Oscars on Monday condemned Smith's actions and said it had started a formal review of the incident that cast a shadow over the film honors. Smith strode on stage during the live telecast and struck Rock in the face after the comedian made a joke about the appearance of Smith's wife. Smith's meltdown continued when he returned to his seat as he repeatedly screamed: 'Keep my wife's name out of your f***ing mouth'. The crowd then fell into stunned silence as it became clear the attack was genuine, and not staged. Rock replied to him saying: 'I'm going to, okay?' He then laughed uncomfortably, saying: 'That was the greatest night in the history of television'. Smith's sweary rant was muted by directors because the show's live broadcast is slightly delayed in the US. But it was aired in full to some international audiences with the uncut clip already been viewed more than a million times on social media and YouTube in the first few hours. Any questions over whether the altercation was genuine were answered when just over half an hour later Smith was given the Best Actor award and apologized for the assault. In his acceptance speech a crying Smith said: 'Love makes you do crazy things', as he clutched his Oscar statuette. 'You gotta be able to take abuse, and you gotta be able to have people talk crazy about you,' Smith said. 'In this business, you gotta be able to have people disrespecting you and you gotta smile and you gotta pretend like that's OK. 'Denzel (Washington) said to me a few minutes ago, he said, "At your highest moment, be careful. That's when the devil comes for you." 'It's like I want to be a vessel for love. 'I want to say thank you to Venus and Serena. I want to say thank you to Venus and Serena and the entire Williams family for entrusting me with your story. That's what I want to do. I want to be an ambassador of that kind of love and care and concern.' The actor went on: 'I want to apologize to the Academy, I want to apologize to all my fellow nominees. 'Art imitates life. I look like the crazy father, just like they said. I look like the crazy father just like they said about Richard Williams. But love will make you do crazy things'. He added: 'I'm hoping the Academy invites me back. Thank you'. Pinkett-Smith has been open about her struggle with alopecia, which happens when the immune system attacks hair follicles and causes hair loss. It affects around 700,000 Americans Will Smith had initially laughed at the Rock gag about Jada's hair being short - a line of Demi Moore's in GI Jane. His wife looked very unhappy and rolled her eyes After smacking Rock, a now visibly fuming Smith returned to his seat and began repeatedly yelling: 'Keep my wife's name out of your f***ing mouth'. Lupita Nyong'o' was among those baffled by what happened with many initially believing that an act so outrageous must be part of the show Smith and Pinkett-Smith held hands throughout the ceremony after the shock slap. Denzel Washington was acting as peacemaker Smith sobs as he accepted his best actor award, and apologized for the violence - but did not say sorry to Chris Rock Smith's relationship with his wife had been the butt of jokes during awards season. At the BAFTAs in London a fortnight ago host Rebel Wilson targeted the couple when he won won the Leading Actor award for his role in King Richard. The assembled audience at the Royal Albert Hall, which didn't include the star who stayed in LA, groaned as she said his 'best performance in the past year was being OK with all his wife's boyfriends' - a nod to Smith and Jada Pinkett-Smith's open relationship. It came after he recently admitted his wife had 'never believed in a conventional marriage' and claims she had an affair. This may explain why he reacted so sensitively to Rock's joke about her. Journalists covering the awards ceremony from the press area were instructed not to ask any attendees about Smith slapping Rock, according to BBC correspondent David Sillito. Late Sunday night, the LAPD issued a statement saying that Rock had not filed a police report against Smith, but that if he chooses to do so, police will investigate. 'LAPD investigative entities are aware of an incident between two individuals during the Academy Awards program,' the statement said. 'The incident involved one individual slapping another.' It was not immediately clear whether the Academy would penalize Smith in any way for his outburst. In a statement on Monday, the 9,900-member Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences said it 'condemns the actions of Mr. Smith at last night's show.' 'We have officially started a formal review around the incident and will explore further action and consequences in accordance with our Bylaws, Standards of Conduct and California law,' the academy added. The group's standards of conduct policy states it is 'categorically opposed to any form of abuse, harassment or discrimination' and expects members to uphold the values 'of respect for human dignity, inclusion, and a supportive environment that fosters creativity.' Violations may result in suspension or expulsion from the group, revocation of Oscars, or loss of eligibility for future awards, according to the policy. Marshall Herskovitz, president emeritus of the Producers Guild of America, was among the first to condemn Smith, tweeting shortly after the attack that Smith had 'disgraced our entire community'. He said: 'I call upon the Academy, of which I am a member, to take disciplinary action against Will Smith. He disgraced our entire community tonight.' Herskovitz accused those who defended the actor of 'moral cowardice'. 'People standing up and applauding after the first assault in 94 years of Oscar history. Moral cowardice,' he said. Several Hollywood celebrities denounced Smith's actions. Alec Baldwin posted to Instagram and Twitter his condemnation of Smith's behavior. 'I'm sorry the Oscars turned into the Jerry Springer Show,' he said. Shortly after the slap, Will added a comment to his own Instagram post, quipping: 'You can't invite people from Philly or Baltimore nowhere' Jada Pinkett Smith and Will Smith showed a united front after the row with Rock overshadowed his Oscar win Jada Pinkett Smith, Willow Smith, Will Smith, Jaden Smith and Trey Smith attend the Vanity Fair post-Oscar party The actor put on a brave face for photographers after his big moment was undermined by his violent outburst Smith was pictured in the middle of the crowd at the Vanity Fair party, dancing and cheering with fellow stars Smith brushed off a tumultuous night by partying to celebrate the greatest achievement of his career: Best Actor at the Oscars Comedian and director Judd Apatow called the display 'pure out of control rage and violence', claiming that Smith 'could have killed' Rock. He wrote: 'Seems like Will Smith's plan to get comedian and the world to not make jokes about him is not going to pan out. Chris Rock 'hasn't spoken' to Will Smith after THAT slap at the Oscars... as it's claimed the comedian didn't know Jada Pinkett Smith has alopecia Chris Rock is yet to speak to Will Smith after being struck by the actor live onstage at the Oscars on Sunday night. It had been claimed that the pair had sorted out their differences, but insiders now say that is not the case. It has also been claimed that Rock was not aware that Jada Pinkett Smith suffers with alopecia, after he made a joke about her bald head looking like 'G.I. Jane.' TMZ report that Rock and Smith have yet to settle anything privately, and there has been no communication between the two men. A close friend of Rock has informed that outlet the comedian went straight back to his dressing room after the incident and left the building, which was always his plan for the evening. The insider added that Chris did not know Jada suffers with alopecia and that he 'doesn't have a mean bone in his body.' Rock is said to have been left 'shaken and bewildered' by Smith's smack, but dusted himself off to attend Madonna's manager Guy Oseary's famous Oscars After Party in LA. According to PageSix Rock appeared 'unfazed' at the party, though people were said to be rallied around him. 'You wouldn't really know anything had happened,' an insider told the publication, adding: 'He was talking about it, just saying it was crazy, but it didn't seem to be bothering him at all.' Advertisement 'The Williams family must be furious. Pure narcissism.' Actor and filmmaker Rob Reiner tweeted: 'Will Smith owes Chris Rock a huge apology. There is no excuse for what he did. 'He's lucky Chris is not filing assault charges. The excuses he made tonight were bulls**t'. Star Wars actor Mark Hamill dubbed it the 'ugliest Oscar moment ever'. He added: 'Stand-up comics are very adept at handling hecklers. Violent physical assault... not so much.' Smith in the early hours of Monday declared 'you can't invite people from Philly or Baltimore nowhere' as he doubled down on his extraordinary decision to storm on to stage. It was shared with a picture of him and his wife before the ceremony and was referring to his own birthplace of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and his wife's of Baltimore, Maryland. Rock, who has not been seen since the attack, has been offered a 'package of after care' including a counsellor if he needs one, an insider said. The comedian has told the Los Angeles Police Department that he does not want to press charges. Others supported Smith for defending his wife. 'That's what your husband is supposed to do, right? Protect you,' comedian Tiffany Haddish told People magazine. As he accepted the best actor trophy, Smith apologized to the academy and fellow nominees, but not to Rock, and said he hoped he would be invited back to the Oscars. It is rare but not unprecedented for the film academy to revoke membership. Producer Harvey Weinstein was expelled in 2017 after more than three dozen women accused him of sexual assault. Bill Cosby and Roman Polanski were kicked out in 2018. Cosby was convicted of drugging and sexually assaulting a woman in 2004, though a judge later overturned the conviction. Polanski admitted to having unlawful sex with a 13-year-old girl. Oscars producers had been hoping for a memorable night on Sunday to rebound from record-low ratings last year during the COVID-19 pandemic. They brought in three hosts, opened the show with Beyonce and tried to keep the show moving by editing some acceptance speeches. But it was Smith's outburst that became the most talked-about moment of the night, with pictures and video ricocheting across social media. Television viewership did jump sharply from last year, to an average of 15.36 million people, according to preliminary estimates. That represented a 56 percent boost from 2021. Feel-good movie 'CODA' won the best picture prize, marking a turning point in Hollywood because the film was streamed by Apple TV+ rather than heading exclusively to theaters. The New York Times, citing two anonymous industry officials, said there were serious discussions about removing Smith from the Dolby Theatre after his attack on Rock. But time was short, because the best actor award was fast approaching, one of the sources told the newspaper, and stakeholders had varying opinions on how to proceed. Russia is set to drop its demand that Ukraine be 'denazified' and could be prepared to let the country join the EU, it was claimed last night. Ahead of face-to-face talks between the two countries in Turkey today, a draft ceasefire agreement has dropped mention of three of Moscow's key demands at the start of the war. According to four people 'briefed on the discussions', it would appear Russia is now prepared to leave the Kyiv leadership in place, ditch a demand that Ukraine 'demilitarise' and drop legal protection for the Russian language, the Financial Times reported. Moscow may also allow Ukraine to join the European Union, it was claimed, as long as it dropped any hopes of joining Nato a compromise that President Volodymyr Zelensky has indicated he might accept. As a pretext for his invasion, Vladimir Putin, pictured, had said his goal was 'to protect people' who have been 'subjected to bullying and genocide' by the 'neo-Nazi' leadership of President Zelensky, who is Jewish Mr Zelensky, pictured, has said he is willing to compromise with Russia to bring peace 'without delay' but will not accept 'slicing up' the country But officials in Kyiv were said to be wary that Moscow was changing its position on an almost daily basis and were fearful that Russia was dangling the promise of peace to buy time to regroup on the battlefield. As a pretext for his invasion, Vladimir Putin had said his goal was 'to protect people' who have been 'subjected to bullying and genocide' by the 'neo-Nazi' leadership of President Zelensky, who is Jewish. But there is now the suggestion that he might allow the Ukrainian leader to remain in power once the conflict is over. However the draft, due to be presented today, is said to contain one of the biggest sticking points that Ukraine recognises Russian control of Crimea, which was illegally annexed in 2014. Mr Zelensky has said he is willing to compromise with Russia to bring peace 'without delay' but will not accept 'slicing up' the country. In a video address to his nation on Sunday night, the leader stressed that Ukraine's 'sovereignty and territorial integrity are beyond doubt'. A soldier stands on a bridge destroyed by the Ukrainian army to prevent the passage of Russian tanks near Brovary A service member of pro-Russian troops walks near a destroyed Mariupol apartment building There is a growing belief that Russia may have given up on the total occupation of Ukraine and is now focused on dividing the country in two. But Alexander Rodnyansky, an adviser to the Ukrainian leader, said his country may not be willing to give up land in the east to secure peace. He told BBC Radio 4's World at One programme: 'Right now, the pressure is on Russia... Clearly they can't sustain this war for years and their morale is so low that they cannot even keep up the supplies and logistics, so I wouldn't say that is a given whatsoever. 'We're certainly not willing to give up any territory or talk about our territorial integrity.' Earlier, Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said Mr Putin's forces were abducting Ukrainian politicians, activists and journalists as Russia failed to meet its military objectives. She condemned the 'abhorrent tactic' following work by Ukrainian human rights group ZMINA, which claimed to have identified dozens of individuals who had been abducted, with thousands more deported to Russia. Ms Truss said Mr Putin was resorting to 'desperate measures'. 'Putin continues to use abhorrent tactics against the Ukrainian people, including abducting innocent civilians,' she said. 'He is not achieving his objectives and is resorting to desperate measures. Putin must fail in Ukraine.' Ms Truss, in a statement to the House of Commons, later told MPs: 'We know that Putin is not serious about talks, he is still wantonly bombing innocent citizens across Ukraine and that is why we need to do more to ensure that he loses and we force him to think again. 'We must not just stop Putin in Ukraine but we must also look to the long term. We need to ensure that any future talks don't end up selling Ukraine out or repeating the mistakes of the past.' In their call on Monday, No 10 said Mr Zelensky provided Mr Johnson with an update on negotiations, adding that 'the two leaders agreed to co-ordinate closely in the days ahead'. The Ukrainian president has signalled he is prepared to offer a series of concessions to Russia to end the fighting. Ukraine could declare neutrality and offer guarantees about its non-nuclear status as part of a peace deal, Mr Zelensky suggested, but he stressed the desire to ensure the country's 'territorial integrity'. Ukrainian government say they will be seeking compensation of 431.5BILLION (and counting) from Russia for damage it has done to the country during the devastating invasion The Ukrainian government has estimated the total cost of damage of the Russian invasion now stands at over 430billion and declared it will seek reparations in the aftermath of the war. Ukraine's deputy prime minister Yuliya Sviridenko declared today that an estimated $564.9billion (431.5billion) worth of damage had been inflicted since Russian troops rolled across the border on February 24. In a stunning Facebook post, Sviridenko, who is also Ukraine's minister of economic development and trade, said the damage to her nation's infrastructure alone totalled $119bn (almost 91bn), even before the financial impact of the war on Ukraine's economy, trade and foreign investment had been calculated. She went on to declare 'the numbers are growing every day' and that 'Ukraine will seek reparations from the aggressor despite all the obstacles'. Her promise to collect reparations comes after President Volodymyr Zelensky and the governor of Ukraine's national bank said their country 'should be rebuilt with Russian money' earlier this month. Ukraine's deputy prime minister Yuliya Sviridenko declared today that an estimated $564.9billion (431.5billion) worth of damage had been inflicted since Russian troops rolled across the border on February 24 In a stunning Facebook post, Sviridenko, who is also Ukraine's minister of economic development and trade, said the damage to her nation's infrastructure alone totalled $119bn (almost 91bn) - damage in Mariupol pictured Sviridenko said 'the numbers are growing every day' and that 'Ukraine will seek reparations from the aggressor despite all the obstacles' (damage in Mariupol pictured) The Deputy Prime Minister's promise to collect reparations comes after President Volodymyr Zelensky (pictured) and the governor of Ukraine's national bank said their country 'should be rebuilt with Russian money' earlier this month Financial impact of Russian invasion in Ukraine Sviridenko provided the following list of damages caused by Russia's invasion, along with the Ukrainian government's estimation of the financial impact of the damages. 119 billion US dollars - loss of infrastructure (including almost 8,000km of destroyed roads, dozens of railway stations, airports) 112 billion US dollars - loss of GDP in 2022 90.5 billion US dollars - loss of civilian population (10 million square metres of housing, 200,000 cars, food supply for 5 million people) 80 billion US dollars - losses of businesses and organisations 54 billion US dollars - loss of direct investment in the Ukrainian economy 48 billion US dollars - losses of the state budget Advertisement '$564.9 billion. This is the sum of the losses that Ukraine has suffered since the Russian invasion,' Sviridenko announced today via her official Facebook page. 'There are at least two methods for calculating the losses. The first is from direct destruction; the second is the calculation of losses from the overall impact of hostilities, including the deteriorating economic situation in our country, rising unemployment, blocking trade, declining consumer demand and more. The finance minister went on to reel off a list of eye-watering sums she said were the estimated financial losses inflicted on Ukraine by Russia's invasion, before adding: 'It is worth noting that every day the numbers change and, unfortunately, they are growing. 'That is why Ukraine, despite all obstacles, will seek compensation from the aggressor. Both by court decisions and by transferring to our state frozen assets of Russia. 'Evil will inevitably be punished and Russia will feel the full weight of its own criminal actions on the territory of Ukraine,' Sviridenko promised. Many Ukrainian cities have suffered indiscriminate Russian bombing campaigns, but the southern port city of Mariupol has been utterly devastated by constant Russian missile attacks and airstrikes for almost a month. On March 3, President Zelensky vowed that Ukraine will be rebuilt with Russian money, but the scale of the damage dealt to Mariupol and other cities since then is difficult to comprehend. Mariupol's mayor Vadym Boichenko said this morning that the situation is so dire that the port city must be completely evacuated. Boichenko said 160,000 civilians trapped in the city are encircled by Russian forces, with ever-dwindling supplies of food, water and medicine, while hundreds of citizens have already perished. Ukraine's Ministry of Foreign Affairs meanwhile said Russian troops are 'turning the city into dust', describing the situation in Mariupol as 'catastrophic' with people fighting to survive. Local resident Valentina Demura, 70, stands next to the building where her apartment, destroyed during Ukraine-Russia conflict, is located in the besieged southern port city of Mariupol on Sunday Kyrylo Shevchenko, the governor of Ukraine's national bank, said that Russia's foreign exchange reserves frozen by sanctions should be used to help Ukraine rebuild after the war The governor of Ukraine's national bank, Kyrylo Shevchenko, also shares Zelensky and Sviridenko's sentiment that Russia should be made to pay reparations to Ukraine in the aftermath of the conflict. In an interview earlier this month with the BBC, Shevchenko said some of the money for rebuilding could be supplied through multinational grants and foreign investment, but insisted that Russia should be forced to pay for the bulk of it. Russia is though to have hundreds of billions of dollars' worth of funds stashed overseas which have been subject to US and EU economic sanctions as punishment for its invasion of Ukraine. Schevchenko suggested these frozen funds could be funnelled towards the effort to rebuild Ukraine after the war. 'The need for money will be huge,' he told the BBC. 'It could be fulfilled through loans and grants from multinational organisations and direct help from other countries. 'However a large share of financing is needed to be obtained as a reparation from the aggressor, including funds that are currently frozen in our allied countries.' A woman is facing eight charges of child neglect after four young children were allegedly found living among faeces and black mould. The 41-year-old woman, who can't be named, and her children were living in a home described as 'the worst house of squalor' a Housing ACT worker had seen in her 20 years on the job. The woman appeared before the ACT Magistrates Court on Monday, where police evidence detailed 'disturbing' conditions at the public housing unit. She was the sole carer for the children who are aged up to eight. A woman is facing eight charges of child neglect after her four young children were allegedly found living amongst faeces. Pictured is a stock of image of a scared child According to an ACT Housing manager, the home had excrement embedded in the floor, a filthy high chair, a mould-filled fridge, and benches covered in dirty dishes. The first signs of the condition of the home were reported last September, when the property's manager saw, from outside, that the curtains were 'completely black with mould', the Canberra Times reported. The manager called Child and Youth Protection Services, but it is not known what action was then taken. A man was then called to the property in January to look at a reported water leak. When he entered the home, court documents said he began 'gagging due to the smell of rotten food and faeces'. He slipped on 'slime' on the floor and found that some rooms were filled with piles of mess so high he could not access them, the police reported. '[The man] still feels traumatised from seeing the house in such a disturbing state, and what he would describe as a couple of years' worth of accumulation of filth,' according to court documents. He had the water shut off, and the woman and her children were moved to a hotel. His report said the home would need $113,000 worth of repairs, leading to the building manager and a tenancy support officer going to the property in February. They reportedly found two scared dogs with no food or water. The animals began eating 'like there was no tomorrow' when they were given food, police said. The woman is also charged with failing to register a dog and failing to notify a change of registration. Two Housing ACT workers entered the house in full personal protective equipment after the dogs were taken away. A 41-year-old woman appeared before the ACT Magistrates Court (pictured) on Monday, where police evidence detailed 'disturbing' conditions at the public housing property '[The tenancy support officer] has worked in frontline services for 20 years, and yet described it as being the worst house of squalor she has ever seen,' court documents state. Police on March 4 said they carried out a search of the two hotel rooms where the family was staying. They allegedly found two of the 'visibly dirty' children 'freezing'. Court documents alleged the hotel rooms were in a similar condition to the house, with faeces on walls, rotting food and medication on the beds beside children's toys, the ABC reported. There was also reportedly only one toothbrush between five people. 'Police could also smell a pervasive odour of rotten food, cigarette and faeces throughout the two rooms,' court documents described. The mother was arrested and later granted bail. When she appeared in court on Monday her lawyer, Darryl Perkins, said the children were in Sydney, living with a grandparent. The woman was previously banned from speaking to her children, but the court changed her bail conditions, allowing her to see the children by special arrangement and under strict supervision. She will be back in court on Tuesday. Nearly three dozen anti-war Russian nationals who fled Moscow following their country's invasion of Ukraine have been secretly allowed to cross into the US from Mexico, despite tens of thousands of other asylum seekers being turned away. The 35 Russians were escorted across the border under cover of darkness after a deal was struck between Mexican and U.S. authorities, according to Vice. The group was allowed to cross at a section of the border where they were unlikely to be spotted in the early hours of March 20, which saw Mexican immigration officers hand the Russians directly over to US Customs and Border Protection officers, the outlet reported. Russian asylum seekers Nastya (C), Artem and their son Samuil sit outside the San Ysidro Port of Entry after not being allowed to cross into the United States to seek asylum on March 21 U.S. authorities have recently been allowing Ukrainian refugees to enter the U.S. at the Southern border with permission to remain in the U.S. on humanitarian parole for one year Russian asylum seekers Nastya, Artem and their son Samuil, seated in stroller, sit outside the San Ysidro Port of Entry after being refused entry It's believed the deal was put together with the help of officials at the US Consulate in Tijuana and Mexican officials at various levels of government after an encampment of displaced Russians suddenly began growing on the streets surrounding the busy Tijuana/San Diego border crossing. The apparent special treatment circumvented Title 42 laws that were enacted during the coronavirus pandemic which essentially allowed officers at the U.S. border to deny claims of asylum without cases being heard. The blanket refusal policy, which began under the Trump administration and has continued under President Joe Biden has seen tens of thousands of migrants stuck in Mexico, not knowing when they may be able to cross to the U.S. and receive a fair hearing. A Russian and a Ukrainian embrace each other as Russians wait for a humanitarian visa, at the San Ysidro Port of Entry of the U.S.-Mexico border in Tijuana, Mexico A woman of Russian origin staying in a makeshift camp next to the San Ysidro Garita, cries while listening to the prayers Mexican officials arranged deal with U.S. authorities to allow them to cross over There have been suggestions that the Title 42 rules may be dropped at the start of April, likely resulting in a sudden surge of applications, not just from immigrants from Central America and Mexico but Ukrainians too who have made the journey, looking for refuge in the United States. It's not something the Russians who crossed over earlier this month will now have to worry about, having been given preferential treatment. The group had spent a horrendous week as they slept rough in a makeshift encampment on the streets of Tijuana, including a pregnant woman, in full view of a passageway reserved for people who regularly cross the border from Mexico into San Diego on foot each day. 'It's like Russian roulette,' Irina, a math teacher from Moscow told Vice World News. 'It's completely unpredictable. You don't know the steps along the way. You approach the border without knowing what is going to happen. You reach the border, but you don't know if the immigration officer will let you through. Then, when you cross, you are detained, but you don't know for how long or why.' After the deal was struck, the Russian citizens were held in a detention center for a couple of days on the American side, before being allowed to enter the country to live freely while awaiting their immigration hearings, likely in several months from now. Irina Zolkina, who is seeking asylum in the United States, cries as she recalls her trip from Russia to the Mexican border, standing near the San Ysidro Port of Entry into the United States A Russian man talks with a Customs and Border Protection official as he waits with others near the San Ysidro Port of Entry into the United States, in Tijuana, Mexico In early March, about a dozen Ukrainians from the war-ravaged country came to Tijuana looking to cross into the U.S. but were denied under the Title 42 policy. The CBP officers were reminded that they had discretion to allow asylum seekers into the country on a case-by-case basis, particularly on humanitarian grounds. It then saw more Ukrainians being allowed into the country, although the same rules were not being applied to Russians, even if they were claiming to face political persecution in their home country for opposing the war. It is this discrepancy which allowed the encampment of almost 40 Russian people to build at the San Ysidro Port of Entry. Each time the Russians attempted to cross the the border into the U.S., they were turned away, whereas the Ukrainians were allowed to cross more easily and given humanitarian visas. As the numbers grew, so did frustration on behalf of the Mexican authorities as the encampment built up. Eventually a deal was struck that the Russians would be allowed to cross the border, so long as the encampment was cleared away. Russian citizens seeking for asylum in the US sleep at an improvised camp on the Mexican side of the San Ysidro Crossing port in Tijuana Russians were constantly turned away at border so an encampment was set up in Tijuana A Russian woman hugs her son as they wait near the San Ysidro Port of Entry leading into the United States, in Tijuana, Mexico, earlier this month Both sides agreed to the deal in which the Russians were whisked through a border checkpoint known as El Chaparral. The crossing was closed to incoming migrants into the U.S. and only used to process deportations back to Mexico. Special dispensation was granted for the Russians to cross into the United States with even those who had been staying in nearby Tijuana hotels allowed to cross along with the rest of group. Families who crossed into San Diego were given notices to appear before immigration judges in the coming months while those crossing alone were taken to immigration detention centers where they are being detained for now. The State Department has not commented on the special agreement that was negotiated only noting how the 'U.S. and Mexico cooperate closely on a wide range of issues, including migration' and the countries' close relationship allows for 'dialogue to address challenges that impact both of our countries.' Last week, the United States announced it will accept up 100,000 refugees fleeing the war in the Ukraine, the Biden administration announced on Thursday. U.S. authorities have recently been allowing Ukrainian refugees to enter the U.S. at the Southern border with permission to remain in the U.S. yet barring Russian nationals Russian asylum seeker Nastya sits outside the San Ysidro Port of Entry after not being permitted to cross into the United States with family members It's meant to help ease the humanitarian criss taking place in Eastern Europe, where nearly 3.5 million Ukrainians have fled their bombarded country in one of the biggest refugee crises since World War II. Refugees have flooded into Europe and some have even made their way to the southern border of the United States, trying to enter the country that way. In addition to welcoming more of the displaced, the Biden administration also announced more than $1 billion in new funding toward humanitarian assistance. The funding will provide food, shelter, clean water, medical supplies and other forms of assistance, according to the White House. A new documentary series about disgraced media mogul Robert Maxwell show previously-unseen footage of the last time the doomed tycoon was seen alive. Clips from the docu-series also divulge never-heard-before audio recordings from November 1991, where senior staff members of Mirror Newspaper Group are trying to get in contact with their boss after leaving them with the financial mess he made, while he sailed on his Lady Ghislane yacht in the Canary Islands. The newly-discovered footage filmed by staff on board the yacht shows Robert relaxing in what turned out to be the last few days of his life. While senior executives of his empire were trying and failing to get in touch with him in regard to the fallout of his companies and financial discrepancies, he was the opposite - he knew their every moves as it is revealed that he was bugging their phones. One boss is heard saying: 'I just cant go on, one day after another. Its all because he doesnt want to deal with it. Thats not easy. Im f*****g furious. 'Today I tried to ring him and the girls upstairs said they didnt have his number which I know was a lie.' 'Im f****d if I know what hes done. And hes gone away on his boat, he said to me he was going to talk to them. 'Im still trying to track this bloody money down' The newly-discovered footage filmed by staff on board the yacht, the Lady Ghislane, pictured, shows Robert relaxing in what turned out to be the last few days of his life BBC Two's House of Maxwell gives insight into the complex family dynamics, hinting at a difficult upbringing for his daughter, ex-socialite and convicted sex offender Ghislane, pictured centre left with her father, and her siblings Ghislaine Maxwell was last year found guilty of helping Jeffrey Epstein (pictured together) abuse a number of young girls Robert's 22-stone naked body was found dead, floating in the Atlantic ocean on 5 November 1991, after making himself unavailable to staff who wanted answers to the huge discrepancies in company finances. Just a day before, Maxwell was on the phone to his son Kevin, regarding a meeting that was scheduled with the Bank of England. Robert had 50,000,000 in loans with the bank, but despite this, decided to miss the meeting and continue travelling on the Lady Ghislane. When he died, his publishing empire began to collapse after banks loaning him huge sums were calling in for their money back. It also emerged that Maxwell had used hundreds of millions of pounds from his companies' pension funds, in order to shore up his shares of Mirror Group, to stop the businesses from filing for bankruptcy. The funds were replenished by investment banks, the British government, and partial payment from public funds. The rest was waived. Pensioners therefore received about half of their company pension entitlement. The empire he built was later found to be around 2billion in debt. Following his death, the senior staff, who are voiced by actors to protect identities, struggle to understand the financial trouble - with one telling a colleague they are 'short' by 6.8million. 'Where the hell has all the money gone?' one says. 'On top of the 100 bloody million? This is only the tip of the iceberg,' another responds.' The staff member is assured that a 'big chunk' was on its way to helping the figures add up and clean up the mess, to which he replied: 'If it doesnt, theres going to be the most God almighty public scandal.' In another clip from the House of Maxwell documentary, former Mirror Group secretary Carol Bragoli (pictured) recalls overhearing a bizarre phone conversation between Ghislane and her father, where the two 'meowed' like cats to one another for a few minutes before engaging in conversation Former Sunday Mirror editor, Eve Pollard, describes the complicated relationship between Maxwell and his children, including Ghislaine, said she is 'sure he loved his children' Ghislaine Maxwell is pictured giving Jeffrey Epstein an intimate foot rub while the pair were on board his private jet Another concludes: 'We're f***ed.' In another clip from the House of Maxwell documentary, former Mirror Group secretary Carol Bragoli recalls overhearing a bizarre phone conversation between Ghislane and her father, where the two 'meowed' like cats to one another for a few minutes before engaging in conversation. She said Robert always had his phone calls on loudspeaker as he 'just couldn't be bothered' to put the phone to his ear, meaning she heard everything. In contrast, she later goes on to explain how towards the end of Robert's life, he became paranoid and he only trusted sons Kevin and Ian who worked with him. She said: 'He was becoming very suspicious. It reflects how paranoid he was becoming.' BBC Two's House of Maxwell gives insight into the complex family dynamics, hinting at a difficult upbringing for his daughter, ex-socialite and convicted sex offender Ghislane, and her siblings. The secret tapes in BBC's House of Maxwell tell an inside story into his mysterious death in November 1991. Ghislane, left, pictured with her father, centre, and mother Betty, at Cannes film festival in 1987 Former Sunday Mirror editor, Eve Pollard, describes the complicated relationship between Maxwell and his children, including Ghislaine, said she is 'sure he loved his children'. But she said that it is a 'sort of love that can grab you by the throat as well as by the heart', adding: 'You never knew which way it would go.' She spoke of the family base in Headington Hall, which became the house of media tycoon Robert Maxwell - but he supposedly spent very little time in the home with his loved ones. 'When you go to Headington Hall, at the root of it there is Bobs wife Betty and there are the children,' she said. Bob, often, barely went home at the weekend, or went home for an hour or two, half a day, and then come back to the Sunday Mirror on a Saturday night. Youd think hed stay in that lovely house with his children. Eve Pollard spoke of the family base in Headington Hall, which became the house of media tycoon Robert Maxwell - but he supposedly spent very little time in the home with his loved ones. 'When you go to Headington Hall, at the root of it there is Bobs wife Betty and there are the children' Ghislaine Maxwell and Jeffrey Epstein (pictured together) had a close relationship but conspired to procure and abuse young women And that wouldve been quite hard sometimes, I mean you want your father to be this lovely, cosy, father, to love you unconditionally. And also he had a family where children had died, one child was in a car crash, I mean, theyd had a lot of tragedy in that family. And yet they kept going and the children were all well-educated, obviously went to school and did well because Betty helped them and Bob rather insisted on it. Im sure he loved his children, I saw him being very fond of Ian and Kevin and Ghislane. But its the sort of love that can grab you by the throat as well as by the heart, and you never knew which way it would go. House of Maxwell starts Monday on BBC Two at 9pm. A snake removalist rescued an agitated brown snake from a Coke can after a passerby used a 'pooper scooper' to stop it from crossing a busy highway. Tiffany ORegan was driving through Canberra last week when she noticed the snake on the side of a highway with a Coke can on its head. Ms O'Regan then called ACT Snake Removals specialist Gavin Smith to save the wounded reptile. Scroll down for the video. A brown snake was found off the side of a busy highway with a Coke can stuck on its head Tiffany O'Regan (above) spotted the snake and used a 'pooper scooper' to stop it from crossing the highway while waiting for help Mr Smith shared on his Facebook page how Ms O'Regan not only waited for the snake to be rescued but also prevented it from blindly crossing the highway with a 'pooper scooper'. 'Tiffany bless her soul stayed with the snake until I got there,' Mr Smith wrote. 'What an effort, Tiffany! Thank you so much for saving the snake from certain death and giving it a second chance, you are a true wildlife warrior! The dangers of discarded cans The happy ending for this poor victim of human waste: the snake gets to see the light of day again. Please folks, let's learn from these animals, and let the desperate suffering of this one inspire change. Put your rubbish in the bin. Lets minimise our footprint. We need to look after our precious environment and fauna better. ACT Wildlife Posted by ACT Snake Removals on Saturday, March 26, 2022 ACT Snake Removals specialist Gavin Smith arrived at the scene and was able to free the snake from the Coke can which had cut a ring around its neck Commenters under the video were appalled by the snake's injuries and condemned litterers 'Im sure that she has restored the snakes faith in humanity!' Mr Smith also shared a video of him removing the can from around the snake's head. The aluminum can had cut a ring through the snake's neck scales, however once it was freed it seemed unfazed by the injury. Several people in the comments applauded Ms O'Regan and Mr Smith for their combined reptile rescue and commented on the effects of littering. The snake was extremely stressed before Ms O'Regan and Mr Smith were able to free it Mr Smith is an Associate Professor of Social Science at Australian National University and has been tracking Eastern Brown snakes since 2021 'It's heartwarming to know that Tiffany went to great lengths to save an animal. Many wouldn't have bothered even for a cute little furry animal, never mind a snake. Bravo,' one person wrote. 'Poor fella, so preventable if people would just do the right thing!,' another said. 'How hard is it for us to clean up after ourselves? Take it home or find a bin! To many people are careless and lazy these days!,' another said. Mr Smith agreed, hoping the snake's predicament would 'inspire change'. 'Put your rubbish in the bin. Lets minimise our footprint. We need to look after our precious environment and fauna better,' he posted. Mr Smith is an Associate Professor of Social Science at Australian National University and has been tracking Eastern brown snakes since 2021. BT has put its controversial digital landline rollout on hold after a backlash from customers. Telecoms giants want to move all 29million UK homes off the old copper landline network and on to broadband internet lines by 2025. But pensioners were left without working landlines for days during power cuts. And a mans home burned down in Scotland because he had no mobile signal and could not call 999 on his phone. BT has put its controversial digital landline rollout on hold after a backlash from customers BT confirmed it has paused the rollout for now and will only transfer people who request it. The firm, which says copper wires are becoming obsolete and costly to maintain, said it will work on solutions such as hybrid phones that can switch to mobile networks if an internet connection is lost and longer-lasting back-up battery units in case power is cut. Marc Allera, head of BTs consumer division, said Storms Arwen and Eunice had brought these issues into focus. He added: We are holding our hands up, we are sorry, we have got a few things wrong and we need to make some changes. Telecoms giants want to move all 29million UK homes off the old copper landline network and on to broadband internet lines by 2025 BT intends to restart the rollout once these issues are ironed out but it is understood this could take several months. Campaigner Dame Esther Rantzen said: I applaud BT for recognising that mistakes have been made. Andrew Bowie, Tory MP for West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine, hailed the pause last night as a victory for the vulnerable. BT has already moved 2million of its 10million customers on to the new system, called digital voice. Huawei opens new chapter on profit surge By Ma Si (China Daily) 09:20, March 29, 2022 Two children try out Huawei's touchscreen smart PCs at a Huawei store in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. [Photo/Xinhua] Challenges galore, but firm will focus on innovation and breakthroughs Huawei Technologies Co is banking on long-term investment in innovation and intensified efforts to seek system-level breakthroughs to cope with challenges like chip shortages and broader fallouts of the prolonged US government restrictions, top company executives said on Monday. Huawei, they disclosed, recorded a full-year 2021 net profit of 113.7 billion yuan ($17.8 billion), up almost 76 percent year-on-year, on better profitability linked to the sale of certain businesses. Cash reserves have been boosted to better cope with uncertainties. Meng Wanzhou, chief financial officer of Huawei, said at a news conference in Shenzhen, Guangdong province, that despite the company's 2021 revenue recording a nearly 29 percent decline to 634 billion yuan, "our ability to make a profit and generate cash flow is increasing, and we are more capable of dealing with uncertainties." Meng, who made her first public appearance after returning from Canada to China last year, attributed the profit surge in part to business sales. But excluding such sales, Huawei's net profit margin still improved in 2021 as the profitability of its main businesses rose while operational costs fell. Meng linked the revenue decline to multiple factors, including the COVID-19 pandemic and plummeting sales of PCs and smartphones, after the United States restricted Huawei's access to US chip-making technologies, software and components in 2019. The revenue of Huawei's consumer business group, which includes smartphones and the internet of things devices, reached 243.4 billion yuan last year, down nearly 50 percent. According to market research company Counterpoint, the company's smartphone market share fell below 4 percent since the first quarter of 2021, compared with its peak of 20 percent in the April-June quarter of 2020. Guo Ping, rotating chairman of Huawei, said the company's challenges can be solved not through frugality but via innovation. "When it's difficult to access advanced chip manufacturing process techniques (under the US restrictions), or to achieve leadership in single technologies, we need to seek system-level breakthroughs. For instance, our communication products are now using multi-core chipsets and we are reengineering our software, which will help inject new life into chips to ensure supply in the long-term," Guo said. This process, Guo said, is complexand turning sand into chipsets will take a long time. And when global supply chains are good, repeated development of some chip technologies does not make sense. But when industry chains are fragmented, new demand will emerge. So, Huawei welcomes the trend of more companies investing in semiconductor manufacturing. Guo emphasized that Huawei's enterprise-oriented business, including 5G base stations and digital energy solutions, is not experiencing any chip supply problems. Huawei said it spent 142.7 billion yuan on research and development in 2021, slightly higher than the 2020 figure of 141.9 billion yuan, despite all the difficulties it has been facing. Huawei's R&D spending over the past decade reached 845 billion yuan, and the company now has over 107,000 employees engaged in R&D work, accounting for over half of its total staff members. About 10 to 20 percent of Huawei's annual R&D spending, or $2 billion to 3 billion every year, is earmarked as expenses to explore promising, futuristic fundamental technologies. Huawei executives said the company is actively exploring new revenue opportunities in the automobile business. Experts said information and communication technologies are increasingly important in electrified, connected and smart cars. Huawei, its executives said, will not make cars itself but help carmakers to better embrace connectivity and intelligence. Huawei's investment in smart car solutions reached $10 billion last year. The company has developed more than 30 smart car components and teamed up with more than 300 upstream and downstream automobile supply chain partners. Cui Dongshu, secretary-general of the China Passenger Car Association, said there is enough room for the development of smart cars in the 5G era. Huawei can offer a slew of technological solutions and services covering both hardware and software, he said. (Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun) Ukraine proposed adopting neutral status in exchange for security guarantees at talks with Russia in Turkey, meaning it would not join military alliances or host military bases, Ukrainian negotiators said on Tuesday. The proposals would also include a 15-year consultation period on the status of annexed Crimea and could come into force only in the event of a complete ceasefire, the negotiators told reporters in Istanbul. The proposals are the most detailed and concrete that Ukraine has aired publicly. They also envisage security guarantees along the lines of the NATO military alliance's Article 5, its collective defence clause. Poland, Israel, Turkey and Canada could among the potential security guarantors. "If we manage to consolidate these key provisions, and for us this is the most fundamental, then Ukraine will be in a position to actually fix its current status as a non-bloc and non-nuclear state in the form of permanent neutrality," said negotiator Oleksander Chaly. "We will not host foreign military bases on our territory, as well as deploy military contingents on our territory, and we will not enter into military-political alliances," he said, in comments broadcast on Ukrainian national television. "Military exercises on our territory will take place with the consent of the guarantor countries." There was enough material in the current Ukrainian proposals to warrant a meeting between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and Russian President Vladimir Putin, the Ukrainian negotiators said, adding they were awaiting Russia's response. Ukrainian and Russian negotiators met in Turkey on Tuesday for the first face-to-face talks in nearly three weeks, with Ukraine seeking a ceasefire without compromising on territory or sovereignty as its forces have pushed Russians back from Kyiv. (Reuters) Today host Karl Stefanovic has unloaded on the government for splashing cash 'like drunken sailors' ahead of Tuesday night's big-spending pre-election Budget. Prime Minister Scott Morrison's government put aside a $16billlion war chest of 'unannounced' spending in the mid-year statement, which is now set to fund a giveaway cash bonanza Budget. Leaks have already tipped a $250 handout for some workers and a 20c cut in fuel pump prices, with further vote-winning spending expected to be revealed. But when Finance Minister Simon Birmingham appeared on Nine's Today show on Tuesday morning, he insisted the government had actually cut spending. Host Karl Stefanovic exploded at the suggestion and questioned: 'Sorry, where do you get low levels of spending from? 'You're spending like drunken sailors before this election.' Today host Karl Stefanovic (pictured with finance minister Simon Birmingham) has unloaded on the government for splashing cash 'like drunken sailors' The minister fired back, saying the government had balanced paying off debt while banking cash to fund their policies. 'There is a real reduction and a nominal reduction in the amount of spending by government,' Mr Birmingham said. 'We've been very careful here to make sure that we actually squirrelled away and save some of the dividends of a stronger economy to make sure Australia's better positioned for the future.' The government's plan to slash 20c off the price of a litre of fuel will cost around $2.5billion alone. But other projects aimed at tackling the rising cost of living are expected to be unveiled by Treasurer Josh Frydenberg. Analysts are expecting the government to announce the cash splash in the Budget for a boost in the polls just days before the PM calls the Federal Election. Finance minister Simon Birmingham (pictured right with PM Scott Morrison) fired back that the government had balanced paying off debt while banking cash to fund their policies The government set aside a $16billlion warchest of 'unannounced' spending in their mid-year statement which is set to fund a giveaway bonanza budget (pictured, a stock image of cash) But Mr Frydenberg has insisted any new measures would be short term boosts with an eye to long-term growth. 'There are real pressures right now on Australians,' he said on Tuesday morning. 'This is a responsible budget with temporary targeted measures designed to ease the cost of living pressures now, but importantly a long-term economic plan to create more jobs.' The NHS will start giving Covid jabs to healthy five to 11-year-olds next week with the help of toys to distract them. Vaccine centres will go to extra lengths to make the experience as stress-free as possible for children and parents, Dr Emily Lawson of NHS England told MPs. All six million in this age group will be offered a vaccine but take-up is expected to be slow and continue throughout spring, the national director for vaccine deployment said. The NHS will start giving Covid jabs to healthy five to 11-year-olds next week with the help of toys to distract them (stock image) Addressing the public accounts committee yesterday, Dr Lawson added: Sites have purchased things like fidget toys for distraction. Children having the jab will be given two 10-microgram doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine, a third of the strength of an adult dose, at least 12 weeks apart. Dr Lawson said: The rollout for the non at-risk five to elevens starts next week. Weve been working with local systems to make the most of their entrepreneurship to make the centres appropriate for five to 11 year olds. Weve seen brilliant examples from sites, so in Derby, for example, theyve designed a vaccination town where the whole building has effectively been redesigned and painted to make it welcoming for children. Weve increased the length of the appointment on the national booking service to make sure that children their parents have the right time to sit and make the decision and children dont feel rushed. Dr Lawson said the NHS has used focus groups and polling to establish what would make parents feel comfortable vaccinating their children. She added: I think bearing in mind some of the lessons learned from other groups where weve been concerned about uptake, giving people time, we recognise this is not going to be a quick vaccination of a cohort in a short amount of time. Parents will be given the choice of whether to vaccinate their kids, with jabs offered in vaccination centres and pharmacies (stock image) This is going to need to give people the chance to come forward when theyre ready, which means these sites need to be prepared to vaccinate through the spring. Ministers accepted a recommendation from expert advisors to make a low-dose version of the vaccine available on a non-urgent basis. Parents will be given the choice of whether to vaccinate their kids, with jabs offered in vaccination centres and pharmacies. The paediatric dose is a third of the strength of an adult dose after research showed that the immune response from a lower dose in those aged five to 11 is just as good as a full dose for 16 to 25-year-olds. Dr Lawson said the NHS is preparing to offer a booster jab to a larger cohort of adults in autumn, subject to the recommendation of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation. Officials are also considering whether to switch to newly formulated vaccines that may better target coronavirus variants, MPs heard. A 'rotten egg gas' smell has returned with a vengeance, wafting through windows and door cracks of homes with disgusted locals having no choice but to put up with it. It's been a year-long saga with the hideous smell making itself known in the western Sydney area, with people unable to hang their washing on the line. The stench is coming from the nearby Bingo Waste Facility in Eastern Creek, which was responsible for a similarly foul odour last year. One Minchinbury resident, Michelle, lashed out at the facility for not taking residents' complaints seriously and said their gas collection system, designed to prevent odour pollution, was faulty. A resident said Bingo's (pictured) gas collection system designed to prevent odour pollution was faulty, and they have not been taking the complaints from locals seriously 'It is 2022, they are saying they have all this great technology, and it's a great waste management facility, but they don't have that,' she told 2GB on Tuesday. 'They have the gas collection flares, but they're not working.' Michelle said she was 'totally livid' about the issue that has caused residents to shut themselves into their homes and place towels under doors at night. 'I let my little dogs out this morning and I had to quickly bring them back in because it is absolutely putrid,' Michelle said. The Environmental Protection Authority's executive director Steve Beaman said the recent heavy rainfall had led to the increase in the foul odour. 'This heavy and prolonged rain is causing trouble,' he told Ben Fordham. 'In the last fortnight we have received about 40 complaints and have seen air activity on our air monitors, and the recent spike in those has been caused by the heavy rain, which is impacting the operation of the gas collection system.' But Fordham asked whether the authority had a long term plan as rain will continue to fall in the area. Mr Beaman said a permanent gas collection system has been given the go ahead that promises to be 'more robust for these weather conditions'. 'We are going to work as hard as we can to get on top of these issues, so that's our commitment to you Ben,' he told the 2GB news broadcaster. Michelle said she didn't know what change the new gas collection system would make, and that residents were fed up. 'If every time it rains, we've got to live like this, is the government going to buy back our properties from us, because we can't continue to live like this,' Michelle said. 'We've got families who are living here who are depressed ... it's beyond ridiculous.' The NSW EPA said Bingo had installed gas collection to capture and burn the odours when it was sourced to the smell last year When the problems started in the area last year there were calls for the EPA to close the waste facility, until it could solve the problem. Residents in Minchinbury, Mount Druitt, St Clair, Rooty Hill, Doonside and Blacktown all reported the constant stench that was so bad that it's stopped them having mates over for BBQs, hanging their washing on the line and made them depressed. In a post on its site at the time, Bingo Industries apologised for the odour issue and claimed it's mitigation strategy was now working. It's understood the stench was resolved for some time before it returned recently. Restrictions were placed on the waste facility at the time and Bingo committed to regularly monitoring the landfill gas levels. Bingo also claimed the odour was not entirely attributable to its operations. The $100 million facility was spruiked by green organisation Planet Ark as boasting 'world-leading resource recovery and manufacturing technology', allowing it to increase the amount of material diverted from landfill and manufactured into new products on-site. The 52.4-hectare site includes a materials processing centre, waste transfer station and a general solid waste landfill. Bingo Industries was contacted for comment by Daily Mail Australia. A Christian doctor should not have been sacked for refusing to call a transgender woman 'she', a tribunal heard yesterday. Dr David Mackereth's lawyer said equality law should have protected his belief that God created man and woman, so a person's sex is fixed. An employment tribunal rejected his case in 2019, ruling that his belief in the words of the Bible clashed with the rights of transgender people. He declared this 'totalitarianism', according to the Times. It said he was not discriminated against by the Department for Work and Pensions when it fired him as a disability claims assessor for admitting he would not 'call any 6ft tall bearded man 'madam'.' But following a judgment that found 'gender-critical' beliefs were protected under the Equality Act he has appealed. Dr David Mackereth's lawyer said equality law should have protected his belief that God created man and woman, so a person's sex is fixed. Pictured: Dr Mackereth Speaking ahead of his hearing in London yesterday, Dr Mackereth said NHS staff should be able to 'say without fear that a person cannot change sex. Outlining the case before the Employment Appeal Tribunal in London yesterday, his barrister Michael Phillips said the 'central issue of law' has now been 'effectively resolved' by last year's victory by Maya Forstater. He added: 'The claimant in Forstater relied on substantively similar beliefs about sex and gender to those held by the claimant in this case, although in Forstater, the beliefs were put on a secular philosophical basis rather than a religious basis. Speaking ahead of his hearing in London yesterday, Dr Mackereth, pictured in 2019, said NHS staff should be able to 'say without fear that a person cannot change sex 'The reasoning of the Employment Appeal Tribunal decision in Forstater applies a fortiori [even more strongly] to the present case, where the claimant's gender-critical beliefs are religious in nature, and as the employment tribunal has found, form part of his wider Christian faith. The error is all the more obvious here.' He said it 'simply cannot be right' to conclude, as the initial tribunal had done, that neither Dr Mackereth's gender-critical beliefs nor his religion were protected under equality law. The hearing concludes today. Hospitals, schools and councils have been told they must ensure they are not propping up Vladimir Putins regime. Ministers wrote to public bodies yesterday to instruct them to cut ties with Russian firms. Many councils have contracts with the Russian state-controlled energy giant Gazprom to heat buildings. According to the data firm Tussell, local authorities paid 29million to Gazprom from 2016 to 2021, while NHS trusts spent 77million. Ministers wrote to public bodies yesterday to instruct them to cut ties with Russian firms The Cabinet Office guidance stated: The Government is supportive of public bodies seeking to divest from Russia and contracting authorities should consider how they can further cut ties with companies backed by, or linked to, the Russian and Belarusian state regimes, while minimising the impact to taxpayers and the delivery of public services. This includes identifying contracts with Russian or Belarusian prime contractors and to consider... terminating the contract. It follows a call from Chancellor Rishi Sunak for firms to think very carefully about investments linked to Russia. Steve Barclay, the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, said: Public money should not fund Putins war machine Steve Barclay, the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, said: Public money should not fund Putins war machine. We are asking hospitals, councils and other organisations across the public sector to urgently look at all the ways they can go further to sever their commercial ties to Russia. The Government will continue to work closely with these organisations, ensuring they are able to take the necessary steps as quickly as possible, including taking legal routes where necessary. A climate change activist has been given a four-month jail term for scaling a 60-metre crane as part of week-long protests at Australia's busiest container port. Maxim Curmi, 26, streamed footage of himself climbing the crane on Friday as part of organised protests by Blockade Australia at Port Botany in Sydney. 'I'm taking this action because we need to change Australia's exploitative practices and climate change denial with a tinge of greenwashing,' Mr Curmi said from atop the crane in his stream. 'Normal people who are concerned about this climate crisis can do something, we are not beholden to waiting for the right political party to do something.' Maxim Curmi suspended himself from a 60m crane at Port Botany (pictured) as part of protests linked to Blockade Australia Mr Curmi (left) appeared in court over the stunt in which he temporarily stopped a cargo shipped being loaded (right) Mr Curmi donned gloves and a ski jacket before running through the port, over train lines, jumping a number of barbed wire fences, and scaling the crane. Once perched at the top he tied himself to the structure, temporarily shutting down one of the port cargo terminals and preventing a ship from being loaded. 'It is a risky thing to do. I am risking my life right now, but not acting is more risky,' he said. Mr Curmi appeared at Waverley Local Court on Monday where he pled guilty to five charges including endangering the safety of a person on the railway and risking the safety of another by climbing a building or structure. His court appearance followed a taskforce being set up by police to stay ahead of the protesters and an increase in penalties. Those protesters who break the law can receive up two years in jail in NSW and be slugged with a $22,000 fine for disrupting traffic. Mr Curmi was fined $1,500 and was handed a four-month jail sentence ending on July 24. At one point in his video from atop the crane, Mr Curmi showed what appeared to be a leak from one of the cargo ships into the bay (pictured) He was eventually brought down in a safety cage by specialist rescue police (pictured) Blockade Australia said on its website that 'disrupting the movement of resources, goods and labour through roads, port, and rail is a legitimate and appropriate response to Australian expansionism'. But critics have said protests which use self described 'destructive action' make no concrete change in increasing the support for climate action but rather appeal to the already converted. 'The people the climate movement needs to win over are the kinds of people turned off by events such as those at Botany Bay,' leading social trends researcher Rebecca Huntley wrote for The Sydney Morning Herald. 'In the qualitative research I have done, groups such as Extinction Rebellion come up in conversation in a very negative way and can be a barrier to talking about global warming and how climate action might actually improve their lives.' Blockade Australia conducted a week-long series of protests at Port Botany causing multiple disruptions including blocking traffic (pictured) 'Agree with your passion, agree with your ideals, but your 15 seconds of fame does nothing but polarise the message and rally the naysayers.' one person wrote on the group's Facebook page. 'Blockade Australia are doing damage to the climate cause. Let the ranting begin.' Mr Curmi's protest marked the fourth straight day of disruptions at the port with several protests - including at least two in which people suspended themselves from infrastructure - gaining attention. Two German brothers will likely be deported over their involvement in the protests this week, which blocked peak-hour traffic in Sydney around Port Botany. The brothers were arrested after suspending themselves from poles in and around the shipping terminal on Tuesday and Wednesday morning. Two brothers (pictured) from Germany had their visas cancelled for their involvement in the protests Immigration Minister Alex Hawke said their visas were cancelled on 'good order grounds'. 'So we've cancelled those visas and then the Australian Border Force will be effecting their removal from Australia as soon as possible,' he told Sydney radio station 2GB. Blockade Australia said the decision was part of 'the government's draconian overreach' that involved 'fear tactics' designed to 'squash dissent'. The group said the decision would not deter it from further action. Emma Dorge, 25, was granted bail on the weekend for her role in the protests and ordered not to associate with Blockade Australia members. She suspended herself from a bridge at the port and was charged with endanger safety of person on railway, remain on enclosed land not prescribed premises without lawful excuse, refuse/fail to comply with direction, and encourage the carrying on operation for commission of crime. Police on Thursday also arrested Alex Pearse, 33, who was hanging from a pole nine metres above the port's rail line, blocking container trains in and out. Emma Dorge, 25, proudly filmed herself dangling over the rail line in Sydney's Port Botany on Friday morning, blocking all freight trains Ms Dorge suspended herself above the rail line and water in Port Botany on the fourth day of targeted climate change stunts Acting Premier Paul Toole said the government would no longer tolerate the 'disgraceful' stunts that disrupted traffic. 'Over the last few days we've seen protesters around this state and clearly they have no respect for the law ... enough is enough,' he told reporters. 'These kinds of acts are just disgraceful.' The penalties apply to anyone caught protesting on bridges and roads across the state. Another climate change protestor blocked a major train line by suspending himself on a pole above the tracks (pictured) NSW Greens MP David Shoebridge criticised the government's heavy-handed approach saying it was a 'politically-motivated crackdown on legitimate political expression'. 'Every tonne of coal, oil and gas we burn will increase the intensity and speed of climate change - the activists standing up to stop this should be congratulated, not arrested.' But Attorney-General Mark Speakman said he would ensure 'there is an effective deterrent in our law to deal with these economic vandals'. Opposition leader Chris Minns also lambasted the group's behaviour as 'disruptive'. 'They're not disrupting billionaire coal barons, they're actually hitting ordinary Australians who are just going about their work,' he said. Another protestor filmed himself dangling from the light pole at Port Botany as police rescue crews worked below (pictured) Blockade Australia has vowed to continue disrupting roads and rail traffic into the port and is calling for a major public disruption of Sydney from June 27. Greenpeace condemned the new anti-protest laws as anti-democratic and indicative of a worrying trend of suppression of protest activity in Australia. Spokeswoman Katrina Bullock said the new laws could significantly stifle advocacy and protest activity. 'These sweeping new laws, rushed through in a knee-jerk response to protest activity, are the latest in a suite of increasingly draconian regulatory measures introduced in Australia to restrict climate activism,' she said. Ukraine's spy agency yesterday published a mammoth online database of what it said were 620 members of Russia's Federal Security Service, the successor to the KGB. The Intelligence arm of Ukraine's defence ministry listed people It said were FSB employees registered at the agency's HQ In Moscow. It contained names, addresses, mobile phone numbers and even car registrations of those It alleged were Kremlin spies. A database containing the information of more than 600 people who reportedly work for the Russian spy agency, Federal Security Service (FSB), has been published online by Ukraine's defence ministry (pictured: the headquarters of the FSB) Sergey Beseda (pictured), head of the FSBs foreign intelligence unit, was arrested and placed under house arrest by Putin as punishment for the stalled invasion The FSB Is responsible for domestic security in Russia, akin to Britain's MI5. 'Employees of the FSB involved In the criminal activities of the aggressor state In Europe,' the post said without further details on the alleged crimes. It provided the names under a photo of the Moscow headquarters of the FSB. Russia did not immediately comment on the list of names. The FSB is thought to be taking much of the blame in the Kremlin over Putins struggling war effort. Earlier this month, two of its most senior spies were arrested and placed under house arrest as punishment for the stalled invasion. Sergey Beseda and Anatoly Bolukh were both said to have angered Putin by presenting him with an incomplete, or incompetent, picture of the likely resistance as he plotted to go over the border. Beseda, head of the FSBs foreign intelligence unit, apparently assured Putin that Ukraines citizens would welcome a Russian invasion. Bolukh, as his deputy, was head of Russias vast disinformation campaign which has struggled in the face of social media. How supremely foolish they now look, the irreconcilable Remainers. Brexit, they sneered, would leave the UK irrelevant on the world stage. Cast into the geopolitical outer darkness, a diplomatic and military busted flush. In fact, Britain has proudly led the global response to Vladimir Putin's evil war. In a time of crisis, Boris Johnson has risen to the occasion. While others dawdled, we trained Ukrainian fighters to defend their country. Thanks to missiles we provided, Russian tanks lie smouldering wrecks. Volodymyr Zelensky has heaped praise on Boris Johnson for helping Ukraine more than other world leaders The Prime Minister impressively built an international coalition to impose punishing financial, commercial and cultural sanctions on Putin's degenerate regime. But don't just take our word for it. Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky yesterday heaped praise on Mr Johnson for helping more than other world leaders. Compare that to his brutal denunciation of Emmanuel Macron. He accused the French president of refusing to arm Ukraine because he is scared of Putin. So much for morality! Of course, those who loathe Boris are wilfully blind to such humiliations. With the first police fines for Partygate reported to be issued as early as today, they're sure to scream that Mr Johnson is unfit for high office. But with Ukraine in flames, how trivial that furore now seems. The Mail has just one quibble: The Government's shameful response to the refugee crisis. Countless Britons are willing to throw open their doors and hearts. Yet the hapless Home Office frustrates their generosity by tying up fleeing families in red tape. This inexcusable foot-dragging must end. Then Britain can be as proud of the humanitarian assistance as the help given to our freedom-fighting friends. Don't be fools on fuel The Ukraine crisis has also thrown the spotlight on the vital importance of domestic energy security. This seemed the perfect opportunity for ministers to set out a long overdue strategy for keeping Britain's lights on. Yet with tiresome inevitability, the blueprint has been delayed. Rishi Sunak has recoiled at the vast cost of building a new generation of nuclear reactors. The PM must pull rank. With renewables and imports of oil and gas unreliable, nuclear power is a necessity, not a luxury. Within days, spiralling energy bills will land on people's doormats, contributing to a profound cost of living crisis. Voters won't thank the Government for Cabinet spats when they are struggling to heat and light their homes. Especially from a Chancellor who likes posing in a 335 pair of trainers. Our Empire's story Nothing illustrates our political elite's disheartening lack of confidence in Britain's history more than the fact it takes the son of immigrants to vigorously defend it. Education Secretary Nadhim Zahawi, whose parents fled Saddam Hussein, says schools should teach the benefits, not just criticisms, of the Empire. Of course, bad things were done during colonial rule. But this country left a legacy around the globe of Parliamentary democracy, rule of law and civil service. That is something to be proud of, not ashamed. To airbrush inconvenient truths in a fit of hand-wringing revisionism is pointless. The Empire remains an ineradicable part of our national story good and bad. Guns, violence and a chaotic beach exodus after police released drug-sniffing dogs - not an episode of Miami Vice, just another weekend of Spring Break in Florida. Police in Panama City Beach, a popular party destination for college students, confiscated 75 illegal guns - enough to supply a 'small army' - and arrested more than 160 'pathetic cowards' over the weekend, officials announced during a press conference Monday. In a new video, police officers could also be seen unleashing at least one drug hound on the town's beach on the same day as the gun bust, prompting dozens of revelers to run and disperse themselves along the white sands. 'These guns were taken over a period of two days,' Beach Police Chief J.R. Talamantez said, the Panama City News Herald reported. 'It could arm a small army. Semiautomatic weapons, long rifles - these are weapons brought to a resort destination. These are weapons brought to a beach.' The beach town also saw an uptick in violence over the weekend, including a Sunday shooting that left one person injured. Talamantez on Monday warned that the criminals plaguing Florida's beaches 'will soon find out what justice looks like.' 'Right here, today, we stand united as not only law enforcement officials, not only as city leadership or county leadership, but just as citizens of Bay County,' Talamantez said. 'What we saw this past weekend is absolutely unacceptable, period. These pathetic cowards who came and committed these crimes - their actions will not be tolerated.' The chaos comes a day after Miami Beach was forced to impose a 6 p.m. curfew on weekends to shoo away the roaming packs of Spring Breakers wreaking havoc on the South Florida city. Scroll down for video Spring breakers were bonding in a large group on Panama City Beach before local police arrival with drug-sniffing canines on Monday The crowd broke up and people ran and spread themselves around the white sound as soon as the police dogs were unleashed Officials with the Panama City Beach Department (pictured) confiscated a large number of firearms on Monday, saying the city was targeted by a group of lawbreakers Police in Panama City Beach, Florida seized 75 guns over the weekend including pistols, shotguns, semiautomatic weapons and long rifles Officials also arrested 161 individuals on Saturday and Sunday, police confirmed during a press conference on Monday. Eighty of the arrestees were from Alabama Despite the number of weapons seized in Panama City, police said only one shooting was reported over the weekend. An unnamed 21-year-old from Alabama was shot in the foot around 4.30pm Sunday near a local Waffle House restaurant, WVTM reported. The young adult sustained non-life threatening injuries. Six people, including accused gunman Javonte Sanders, are currently in custody in connection to the shooting. Police allege Sanders, 22, of Cropwell, Alabama, discharged the weapon that struck the victim. He is being held on gun-related charges and the shooting is still under investigation. Talamantez told the TV station officers initially responded to the area after they found several people with guns, including automatic weapons. Police recovered 26 shell casings at the scene from three different weapons - a 9mm, .40 caliber and a .45 caliber. Authorities did not indicate which gun was allegedly fired by Sanders. Spring breakers socialize on the sidewalks and streets throughout Miami Beach on Wednesday Spring breakers are flooding Florida's beaches, as seen on Saturday Beach goers share a blanket during Spring Break on Fort Lauderdale Beach on March 22 Beach Police Chief J.R. Talamantez said officers seized enough weapons to 'arm a small army' The guns were taken over a period of two days. Talamantez, on Monday, warned that the criminals plaguing Florida's beaches 'will soon find out what justice looks like' Panama City Beach also saw a shooting on Sunday. An unnamed 21-year-old from Alabama was shot in the foot around 4.30pm near a local Waffle House restaurant (left). Javonte Sanders, 22, of Cropwell, Alabama (right), allegedly fired the shot that injured the victim. He is being held on gun-related charges and the shooting is still under investigation During Monday's press conference, Bay County Sheriff Tommy Ford revealed that of 161 individuals arrested on Saturday and Sunday, 80 were from Alabama. Panama City Police Chief Mark Smith argued the criminals responsible for the weekend chaos were not traditional spring breakers, but instead 'true criminals'. 'Every time one of our brave officers confronted these 75 individuals, it was an opportunity for that brave officer to have lost their life or been forced to take someone else's life,' Smith said. 'This is not what Bay County is about, not what Panama City Beach is about.' He added: 'This isn't what we want coming to our city. We want the spring breakers. We want the tourists, but we don't want this criminal element.' Ford echoed Smith's remarks, saying: 'We were faced with dangerous circumstances but stood firm in protecting our county.' 'Each one of these 75 firearms ... represents a violent encounter with law enforcement, and I'm so proud of the law enforcement officers who stood in that gap between citizens and the criminals who were carrying these guns.' A group of women from Michigan enjoy spring break in Miami Beach A group of men pose for a photo while enjoying the Miami Beach sunshine on Saturday Spring breakers and locals alike enjoy a perfect day in Miami Beach on Saturday Police recovered 26 shell casings at the scene from three different weapons - a 9mm, .40 caliber and a .45 caliber. Authorities did not indicate which gun was allegedly fired by Sanders Local businesses also reported acts of vandalism. A Walmart store in Panama City Beach is pictured in disarray Merchandise, including hats and sunscreen, were knocked off the shelves and scattered across the floor. Talamantez confirmed Monday that Walmart was one of numerous businesses that closed early over the weekend Police also described incidents of violence towards officers and local businesses. Video from inside an area Walmart and obtained by WMBB shows the store aisles in complete disarray. Merchandise, including hats and sunscreen, were knocked off the shelves and scattered across the floor. Talamantez confirmed Monday that Walmart was one of numerous businesses that closed early over the weekend. Massive crowds flooded the city's streets, making it hard for residents and visitors to navigate the area. 'We were getting run over by people,' visitor Ladariya Gurley told WFLA. 'They were pushing us.' One officer suffered a cut to his head and received medical treatment after a crowd member threw a beer bottle at him. 'These are the type of individuals that we're facing. Throwing beer bottles at police officers. Shooting right down the road,' Smith said. 'There were blue lights up and down the road as these shootings took place. He added: 'The blatant disregard for public safety that these individuals are having will not be tolerated.' A police car is seen stationed Sunday on South Beach in Miami, Florida amid the surge of spring break chaos Two spring breakers, seemingly dressed for nightlife festivities, walk the streets of Miami's South Beach neighborhood on Sunday A group of spring breakers are pictured in Miami Beach after the mayor declared a curfew for the city due to shootings Police officers patrol Miami Beach after the mayor issued a curfew amid the surge of spring breakers and shootings Advertisement Joe Biden was mocked online on Monday for using a printed 'cheat sheet' of answers to expected questions when he faced the media to discuss the Ukraine war. Biden was in Poland on Saturday and declared in Warsaw that Vladimir Putin 'cannot remain in power' before flying back to Washington, DC. Asked on Monday about his remarks, which many saw as advocating for regime change, the 79-year-old president referred to a typed cue card for hints. He said he made 'no apologies' for his remarks, made off the cuff and not part of his prepared speech. 'It's more an aspiration than anything. He shouldn't be in power. There's no I mean, people like this shouldn't be ruling countries, but they do. The fact is they do, but it doesn't mean I can't express my outrage about it,' he said as he held the cheat sheet in his left hand. 'I was talking to the Russian people. The last part of the speech was talking to the Russian people, telling them what we thought.' The notes read: 'If you weren't advocating for regime change, what did you mean? Can you clarify? 'I was expressing the moral outrage I felt towards the actions of this man. 'I was not articulating a change in policy.' The president on Monday was seen holding a cue card in his left hand as he addressed reporters President Joe Biden refused on Monday to walk back his Saturday comments about not allowing President Vladimir Putin of Russia to stay in power, but faced a barrage of questions from reporters Biden had also anticipated a question about the reaction from the French president, Emmanuel Macron. Macron said on Sunday that he would not have used Biden's words, adding that he saw his task as 'achieving first a ceasefire and then the total withdrawal of [Russian] troops by diplomatic means'. Biden's comments were seized on by the Kremlin and President Vladimir Putin's allies. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters: 'This is a statement that is certainly alarming' He told broadcaster France 3: 'If we want to do that, we can't escalate in either words or actions.' Biden's notes read: 'Is this now threatening to splinter unity with your NATO allies?' The answer Biden had ready stated: 'No. NATO has never been more united.' Biden regularly uses cue cards, and was photographed frequently with them on the campaign trail and in office. He often took from his pocket the daily totals of COVID cases, which he referenced regularly. He also used them to give precise details at a Town Hall before the election, as he fielded a question about taxes. 'I carry this card with me,' Biden said, referencing the card. He used several cheat sheets during his first presidential press conference, including one with the headshots and names of reporters he planned to call on. Biden also utilized notes during a 2021 summit with Putin, while touring the damage of Hurricane Ida in Louisiana and while calling on reporters at the G20 summit in Rome. 'I'll take your questions, and as usual, folks, they gave me a list of the people I'm going to call on,' Biden told the assembled media at the November forum. Biden delivered his controversial remarks right at the end of his three-day trip to Europe, at the end of a speech in the Polish capital Warsaw on Saturday. The White House then had to walk back his comments and insisted he wasn't advocating for regime change On Monday, Kentucky Senator Rand Paul took issue with Biden's use of the cue cards, and his off-the-cuff remarks about Putin. Paul questioned Biden's acuity, saying the aging president's remarks were a threat to national security. 'A lot of times when you're around somebody who's in cognitive decline, you find yourself trying to help them with a sentence, trying to help them complete it - but we shouldn't have to do that for the commander-in-chief,' he told Fox News. 'And, it is actually a national security risk because he's sending signals that no one in their right mind would want to send to Russia at this point. 'We aren't trying to replace Putin in Russia. We aren't trying to have regime change. We're not sending troops into Ukraine, and we're not going to respond in kind with chemical weapons.' Rand Paul told Fox News on Monday that he was troubled by Biden's use of a 'cheat sheet' Biden's use of the cards was mocked on social media. 'Our @POTUS, Joe Biden is just walking around on eggshells, reading cue cards his handlers provide,' said one critic. 'If he EVER had a backbone, he can't remember where he put it.' Another added: 'Scary. Democrats put us in this precarious situation. This is the most dangerous the world has been in decades due to Democrats and Biden.' Another said that Biden was 'living in an alternate universe total detached from reality.' One commented: 'The WH staff gives Biden cue cards with scripted answers/statements yet still has to walk back what he says on a daily basis.' Another added: 'The exact opposite to Theodore Roosevelt's foreign policy: 'speak softly and carry a big stick; you will go far.' 'Biden made a mess of Afghanistan & he'll do the same with whatever he does unless he's reading from cue cards. Even then he stumbles & says 'Iranian'.' Activists hold posters against the execution of Nagaenthran Dharmalingam, who was arrested in 2009 for drug trafficking in Singapore, before submitting a clemency petition at the Singapore High Commission in Kuala Lumpur, March 9. Reuters-Yonhap Singapore's top court Tuesday dismissed a mentally disabled Malaysian man's last-ditch appeal against a death sentence, with his family saying they were "devastated" and "shocked" by the ruling. Nagaenthran K. Dharmalingam was arrested in 2009 for trafficking a small amount of heroin into the city-state, which has some of the world's toughest drugs laws, and handed a then mandatory death sentence the following year. He was originally scheduled to be hanged in November, but the plan sparked criticism due to concerns about his intellectual disabilities, with the European Union and British billionaire Richard Branson among those condemning it. The 34-year-old lodged a final appeal, with his lawyers arguing that executing someone with mental disabilities violated international law. But the Court of Appeal rejected the challenge, with Singapore's Chief Justice Sundaresh Menon saying it had "no factual and legal basis," and domestic legislation takes precedence over international law. Nagaenthran had been "afforded due process" and his defense had put "nothing forward to suggest that he has a case," he said, adding the Malaysian's lawyers were filing "hopeless" motions after several appeals had already been rejected. Nagaenthran, wearing a purple prison outfit and white face mask, looked somber throughout the proceedings. M. Ravi, a human rights lawyer assisting in the case, said no more appeals would be lodged and the execution could take place in days. Speaking to AFP from Malaysia, his sister Sarmila Dharmalingam sobbed as she said the family was "devastated". "We are shocked by the court decision despite my brother... having a low IQ." His long-running case has been "a horrifying ordeal for us," she added. Reprieve, an NGO that campaigns against the death penalty, said hanging Nagaenthran would be a "travesty of justice" that breached Singapore's commitments to champion the rights of the disabled. "We urge President Halimah Yacob to listen to the cries for mercy within Singapore and around the world... and spare the life of this vulnerable man," the group's director Maya Foa said. The appeal was supposed to take place months ago but was delayed after Nagaenthran contracted COVID-19. There have not been any executions in Singapore since 2019, but concerns are growing that the city-state is gearing up to hang several drug traffickers in the coming months. Earlier this month, a court rejected appeals by three other men sentenced to death for drug offences, despite criticism from the United Nations and campaigners. Singapore is among more than 30 countries worldwide where drug-related offences are still punishable by death, according to Amnesty International. Nagaenthran was arrested at the age of 21 after a bundle of heroin weighing about 43 grams (one and a half ounces) equivalent to about three tablespoons was found strapped to his thigh as he sought to enter Singapore. Supporters say he has an IQ of 69 a level recognized as a disability and was coerced into committing the crime. But authorities have defended his conviction, saying that legal rulings found he "knew what he was doing" at the time of the offence. The city-state maintains the death penalty for several offences, including drug trafficking and murder, and insists it has helped to keep Singapore one of Asia's safest places. (AFP) Hundreds of native Australian cockatoos have been caught and killed using modified rubbish bins after local council deemed the birds 'pests'. The custom wheelie bins are the latest tool being used in Rockingham Council's $8,000-a-year corella culling program that began with non-lethal methods. The council, 50km south of Perth, said numbers have 'increased exponentially' causing major environmental damage, public health issues, and habitat pressure on other birds in the area. The council-approved design uses sunflower seeds to lure birds to a gap between the wheels. The Rockingham Council in Western Australia has modified wheelie bins to lure and trap Corellas - a native species of bird that they deem as 'pests' The government approved design uses sunflower seeds to lure birds to a gap between the wheels. More than 1,000 corellas have been trapped and euthanised The trapped birds are then euthanised by council-employed contractors approved by the WA Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions. Frustrated wildlife rescuer and critic of the corella culls, Shelly Vokes, 48, said the 'stress' of the situation stopped her volunteering. 'I quit. I'm not doing this anymore,' Ms Vokes told Yahoo News. 'They've lost a volunteer rescuer, because there's no way I'm going to keep looking after these birds, and then let them go for this council to kill them.' The program has killed 1,038 little corellas, which are originally from eastern Australia, and 58 long-billed corellas which are indigenous to the region. Three out of the six corella species worldwide are only found in Australia. The relatively small cockatoos form large flocks The culling campaign has divided the community since its beginning in 2014. Many residents labelled it cruel but others who complained about the birds backed it. Rockingham Mayor Deb Hamblin said the council tried non-lethal methods to control the growing corella population but was unsuccessful. 'The City has researched, investigated and put in place non-lethal methods. However, non-lethal methods have only ever provided very short term effectiveness,' she said. 'Irri-tape (a visual bird deterrent) was found to have some effect but after a few days the birds became accustomed to it and essentially ignored it.' Known collectively as corellas, three of the six species in the world are only found in Australia. The relatively small cockatoos form large flocks plaguing the same area for days until food stores run out. They have inflicted significant amounts of damage to crops, powerlines, and even asphalt along roadsides. The council website state that culling programs are a last resort used to protect the larger environment (stock image) Their ability to remove eggs from nest hollows and kill and maim advanced nestlings poses a major threat to black cockatoos. The City of Rockingham website states that culling of any wildlife 'is potentially distressing' but measures needed to be taken to ensure sustainability. 'Unfortunately it is a measure of last resort which must be taken to protect the larger environment, to minimise the increasing damage these species are causing throughout the community, and to reduce the pest corella population to levels that are determined to be ecologically sustainable,' the site says. Corellas are a protected species under both state and commonwealth legislation and a licence issued by DBCA is required before any reduction to their population is made. As Covid cases increase across the country, many Australians are reporting their second infection with the disease, with experts warning the virus could be 'reactivated' after just one month. ANU infectious diseases physician Professor Peter Collignon said more people were being reinfected within three months of their initial infection than twelve months. 'It doesn't seem to happen very frequently,' he told Daily Mail Australia. 'Looking at the English data, it seems to occur only in a small number of cases'. As Covid cases begin to kick-up across the country an increasing number of Australians are reporting their second infection with the disease (pictured, masked pedestrians in Sydney) Prof Collignon said those reinfected with the virus usually experienced a milder disease and had immunity in part from their previous infection. He said something 'unusual' that had been observed about reinfections was that more people were testing positive within one month than compared to twelve. The infectious diseases expert said this had been observed in people from the UK or Scotland who arrived in Australia when there were barely any cases being recorded. ANU infectious diseases physician Professor Peter Collignon (pictured) said more people were being reinfected within three months of their initial infection than twelve months He explained that arrivals who had previously been infected would feel well for a month or so but test positive once they landed in Australia. Prof Collignon said this could be dead remnants of the Covid infection in the cells that had been 'reactivated' by another virus like the common cold with symptoms then picked up by PCR or RAT tests. While it is unknown how many people have experienced their second round of infection in NSW, the health department has confirmed natural infection can only offer temporary immunity from the virus. 'It is possible to be infected with another variant or the same variant again, although it is less likely you will be infected with the same variant,' a spokesperson said. NSW recorded 21,494 new infections on Tuesday - up from 16,199 on Monday - with 1,283 people in hospital and 53 people in ICU. The new Omicron sub-variant BA.2 is believed to be driving the surge in new infections, as children return to school and adults to the workplace (pictured, a woman is vaccinated) Officials predict cases in NSW could soar to the 30,000 mark by early April. The new Omicron sub-variant BA.2 is believed to be driving the surge in infections, as children return to school and adults to the workplace. Epidemiologist and University of Melbourne Professor Tony Blakely (pictured) said being reinfected with the same Covid strain is possible, but uncommon It is believed to be accounting for up to 80 per cent of infections according to NSW Health's latest surveillance report. Epidemiologist and University of Melbourne Professor Tony Blakely said reinfection with the same Covid strain is possible, but uncommon. 'Your chance of being reinfected with the same strain of Covid-19 is much less once infected. Previous infection is a bit like a vaccine at protecting you,' he explained. Prof Blakely told Daily Mail Australia that those who had already caught Covid had a 90 to 98 per cent less chance of being reinfected compared to someone who had never been infected or vaccinated against the disease. 'If you are additionally vaccinated (on top of already infected), we have seen studies that both suggest no additional protection and up to 80 per cent further protection,' the epidemiologist said. Officials predict cases in NSW could soar to the 30,000 mark by early April (pictured, a woman is vaccinated in Sydney in January) 'The latter would put your protection compared to uninfected and unvaccinated to 98 per cent and 99.6 per cent given the previous 90 per cent and 98 per cent protection from infection alone.' The expert said he was 'confident' the combination of natural infection and vaccination would offer more protection against the virus than either natural infection alone, or vaccination alone. Prof Blakely said a person already infected once before had less protection against reinfection with a different strain of the virus, but how much was hard to say. 'The protection of previous infection (and vaccination for that matter) against serious reinfection (e.g. one that hospitalises you) is much better,' he said. 'Being vaccinated and/or previously infected reduces your chances of another infection (but not to zero), and greatly reduces your chances of getting really sick (but still not all the way to zero).' A Washington state police officer was stabbed to death while on vacation in Las Vegas during an altercation with two men after the cop 'aggressively' rubbed one of the men's dogs. Tyler Steffins, 33, of Edmonds, was visiting Sin City when he was fatally stabbed by Freddy Allen on a pedestrian bridge along the famous Las Vegas Strip at around 9:40 pm on Saturday, police said. Allen, 58, was free despite two stabbing arrests in past year, according to the Seattle Times. Las Vegas police said Steffins and another man, Dean Cattorini, got into an altercation 'over an interaction with (Cattorini's) dog the night before' the fatal stabbing. The two men crossed paths again on Saturday at Las Vegas Boulevard and Tropicana Avenue, when Allen pulled a blade on Steffins and stabbed him as he argued with Cattorini over petting his dog, police said. Edmonds, a married father of two and a former Marine, was rushed to a local hospital but died from his wound. Tyler Steffins, 33, was visiting Sin City when he was fatally stabbed on a pedestrian bridge at Las Vegas Boulevard and Tropicana Avenue by Freddy Allen, around 9:40 pm on Saturday This Clark County Detention Center booking photo shows Freddy Allen, 58, following his arrest in the fatal stabbing of Tyler Steffins Spencer Steffins (right) posted a photo with his slain brother Tyler Steffins (left) on Monday Pictured: The Las Vegas Strip pedestrian bridge at Las Vegas Boulevard and Tropicana Avenue, where the fatal stabbing occurred on Saturday evening According to the police report, the dogs belonged to Allen's friend Dean Cattorini, who told cops that Steffins approached them the day before the stabbing and 'grabbed his dogs (sic) face aggressively and it upset Dean.' The next day, Cattorini said Steffins approached him and his dogs on the pedestrian bridge again while Allen stood nearby, police said. 'Dean asked Tyler not to be rough with them,' according to the police report. Steffins once again started petting the dogs in an aggressive manner, Dean told cops, prompting Steffins and Cattorini to begin arguing, with Steffins telling Cattorini to 'get a job.' Pictured: Edmonds police officer Tyler Steffins, who was fatally stabbed while off-duty Saturday in Las Vegas A makeshift memorial on Steffins' police vehicle after his stabbing death in Las Vegas over the weekend Police respond to and investigate the fatal stabbing of an off-duty police officer on the Las Vegas strip on Saturday Allen stood nearby with his hands behind his back before suddenly stabbing Steffins, police said. Responding officers from the Las Vegas Police Department arrived on scene and discovered Allen nearby holding a knife, according to the Seattle Times. He was apprehended after a brief chase, police said, and was arrested and charged with murder with a deadly weapon. Allen had been arrested twice in the past year on the Las Vegas Strip for committing acts of violence with a knife, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal. In November, Allen stabbed a man in an alley, with the victim in that incident receiving staples to his head, 16 stitches to his right arm as well as five stitches to his left arm. Steffins death comes one day after another Snohomish County cop, Everett police Officer Dan Rocha, 41, pictured, was shot and killed Friday during a confrontation with an armed man. In that case, Allen pleaded guilty to attempted battery with substantial bodily harm, a gross misdemeanor, and was sentenced in February to 90 days in jail with 72 days credit for time served, according to the Review-Journal. Steffins began working with the Edmonds police force in August 2018. The town is located about 20 miles north of Seattle. He is survived by a wife and two young children. 'This is a tragic loss for our agency when our staff and the entire region is already in a state of mourning for other fallen officers,' Edmonds Police Chief Michelle Bennett said in a press release regarding Steffin's stabbing death. 'While we grieve with heavy hearts, our peer support program members are actively engaging with our staff. Tyler was a valued member of our police family whose infectious smile and contagious laugh endeared him to his peers.' 'We will miss him terribly but cherish the times we had with him. We remain committed to providing quality service to our community even during the most trying of times.' Steffins death comes one day after another Snohomish County law enforcement officer, Everett police Officer Dan Rocha, 41, was shot and killed Friday during a confrontation with an armed man. A community radio station has suspended one of its presenters after complaints he was broadcasting pro-Russian propaganda about the war in Ukraine. Oleg Bydanov, who co-presented two Russian language programs a week on Melbourne's 3ZZZ station, was stood down over the 'offensive material'. Mr Bydanov, a lawyer who volunteers as a presenter on the station, broadcast a speech by Russian president Vladimir Putin after the invasion of Ukraine. In the speech, Mr Putin recognised the independence of the Ukrainian regions of Donetsk and Luhansk and insisted the war was justified to 'demilitarise and de-Nazify' the country. Oleg Bydanov, who is a lawyer, has been suspended from broadcasting on Melbourne radio station 3ZZZ over alleged Russian propaganda Mr Bydanov also falsely said the Russian army was not targeting Ukrainian towns. In another program, Mr Bydanov played a Russian propaganda song belittling the protests in Kyiv that led to the overthrow of Moscow-backed Ukrainian president Viktor Yanukovych in 2014. Much of 3ZZZ's Russian program listenership is non-English-speaking migrants who may have very few other sources of information about what is happening in Ukraine. Mr Bydanov claimed on air that his former boss was Alexander Bastrykin, head of the Investigative Committee of Russia and a member of Mr Putin's inner circle who has been sanctioned by the UK. He also praised ultranationalist Russian MP Vladimir Zhirinovsky, saying he was smarter than all Western politicians including Prime Minister Scott Morrison. Jon King, the manager of 3ZZZ, said complaints were made by listeners that Mr Bydanov was broadcasting 'offensive material, in conflict with our codes of practise'. 'In response to those complaints we are going through our station complaints process,' he told Daily Mail Australia. Oleg Bydanov claimed on air that his former boss was Alexander Bastrykin, a member of Vladimir Putin's (pictured) inner circle who has been sanctioned by the UK Mr King assured each complainant that the matter was being investigated, including having the programs in question translated to English. The station met with Mr Bydanov, told him he was suspended, and gave him an opportunity to formally respond to the allegations, which he has not yet done. The station's presenters, who are all volunteers, were then reminded that they must volunteer to 3ZZZ's code of practise. Though Mr Bydanov was suspended, the program he co-hosted is still on air. 'We are monitoring to ensure the Russian program complies with our code of practise into the future,' said Mr King. Residents gather outside a building damaged in the course of Ukraine-Russia conflict in the besieged southern port city of Mariupol, on March 28, 2022 Firefighters extinguish the fire in a warehouse that was hit by the Russian artillery shelling, in Kharkiv, north-east Ukraine, on March 28, 2022 He said that because all of the station's broadcasters were volunteers 'we don't get to do as thorough a vetting process as a recruitment for a salaried position as, say, SBS would do with their broadcasters'. Mr King pointed out, though, that everyone got several hours of training over six weeks before they were allowed on air. The training covers media law and defamation as well as 3ZZZ's code of practise. The Australian Communications and Media Authority said it was concerned about the complaints it received about Mr Bydanov. ACMA gives a station 60 days to respond to any formal complaint, but Mr King said 3ZZZ aimed to formally reply to all the complainants within six weeks. 'The ACMA would undertake an investigation if it was not satisfied with the station's response to the complaints,' he said. Firefighters walk next to a damaged five-storey building after a shelling in the city of Luhansk, Ukraine on March 28, 2022. A radio broadcaster in Melbourne has been suspended for airing pro-Russian 'propaganda' In a statement on behalf of the 3ZZZ council, station president George Salloum said it condemned 'all acts of war and violence' and had stood down Mr Bydanov. '3ZZZ promotes harmony and diversity and contributes to an inclusive, cohesive and culturally-diverse Australian community, the first guiding principle under our community radio broadcasting codes of practice,' he said. Daily Mail Australia left messages on two different numbers for Mr Bydanov, but has not heard back from him. Scott Morrison says he has 'faith' that Australian voters will choose him and the coalition when they take to the polling booths. Mr Morrison made the comments in his final parliamentary address to his colleagues before the federal election, ahead of Tuesday night's budget. He acknowledged the past eight months had been 'some of the hardest'. However, he went on to compare the government's current position to his 'miracle' 2019 election win. Scott Morrison says he still has faith the coalition can win the election, despite recent polls showing Labor in the lead. Pictured are Scott Morrison and his wife Jenny 'I have great faith in the judgment of the Australian people,' he said. 'We've won seven out of the last nine elections as a political movement and only on two of those seven occasions we went in being told we would win.' 'In 1998, 2001, 2004, 2016 and 2019, they all told us it wasn't going to happen. But it's a testament to the way we roll on this side of politics. 'We focus on the job.' His comments come just a week after a Roy Morgan poll showed Labor rising two points to lead 58 to 42 over the coalition on a two-party preferred basis. Labor also led on primary vote, 37.5 per cent to 31 per cent. The opposition is also ahead on two-party preferred in every state but Queensland, with the coalition increasing its lead in the Sunshine State from the last election. Meanwhile, a new study from the Australian National University has revealed support for the federal government has reached a new low ahead of the election. Surveys from the ANUPoll series, which examines political attitudes, showed just 32 per cent of Australians would vote for the coalition. Recent polls show support soaring for Anthony Albanese and Labor, however it's been overshadowed by bullying claims levelled against three Labor senators in the wake of Kimberly Kitching's death. Pictured are Anthony Albanese and his girlfriend Jodie Haydon The poll was taken in January 2022, during the height of the Omicron wave. The university study compared the political attitude over January in 2020, 2021 and 2022. It showed support for the government had fallen below the lows seen during the Black Summer bushfires. The study's lead author Nicholas Biddle said the responses came following an extraordinary time in Australian politics. 'The Black Summer bushfires and the COVID-19 pandemic created a unique set of circumstances that potentially changed the views of Australians regarding the effectiveness of the current government, and the role of government in Australia,' he said. Nonetheless, it's been a rocky few weeks for Anthony Albanese and Labor, with the shock death of senator Kimberley Kitching overshadowing the party's rise in the polls. Senator Kitching died aged 52 from a heart attack on March 10, amid claims she was bullied and ostracised by members of her own party. Allies said Ms Kitching described fellow ALP senators Penny Wong, Kristina Keneally, and Ms Gallagher as 'mean girls' and said she was suffering from stress at the time of her death. All three senators vehemently denied the allegations, which are an unwelcome scandal for the Labor Party in the lead up to the federal election. Mean girls' is a reference to the beloved 2004 film of the same name that features a high school clique of popular girls who denigrate other students. Albanese and Deputy Leader Richard Marles rejected calls for an inquiry into the allegations, claiming the matter has already been addressed and no official complaint was filed. Senator Kimberly Kitching (pictured) tragically passed away following a heart attack, amid claims she was bullied and ostracised by members of her own party Penny Wong (pictured) went to Senator Kitching's funeral after denying she had bullied her Labor colleague Three Labor senators (pictured) accused of bullying colleague Kimberley Kitching before her fatal heart attack have denied the allegations In a powerful speech at Senator Kitching's funeral last Monday, shattered husband Andrew Landeryou revealed: 'Her friends and ferociously loyal staff are angry about how she was treated'. He did not name Keneally, Wong and Gallagher - but referred to a 'cantankerous cabal' of her detractors. 'Kimberley's political and moral judgement was vastly superior to the small number who opposed her internally,' he said. 'And of course there is a lot I could say about the unpleasantness of a cantankerous cabal not all of them in Parliament that was aimed at Kimba, and the intensity of it did baffle and hurt her. 'She deserved so very much much better.' Australian flood victims have been hit with a brutal message about buying up land in low-lying areas as the nation's east coast is hit by a second devastating flood in less than a month. 'Don't buy in a flood area, I really can't believe people are still doing it,' wrote one anonymous Australian on Reddit. 'They knew it was a flood zone that suffered bad floods recently, so they decided it sounded like a bargain despite the mountains of evidence pointing towards Australia only suffering worse floods, bushfires and extreme weather over the coming years.' The Australian urged that anyone thinking about getting out of debt, investing, and saving for retirement, not to 'walk into this trap'. 'You can download the flood maps of any area online. Likewise you can check an area for bush fire risk etc. it's not a lesson you want to learn the hard way. It could be the biggest financial mistake you ever make,' they wrote. Another Reddit user agreed with his sentiment, writing: 'About 2 years ago I told a mate not to buy a particular house due to the floods... He still bought... It flooded... Now he has a GoFundMe.' One Australian said they can't gather any sympathy for those who were struggling in the floods. 'Just like people who dont insure their car/house/other item and then whinge when it is destroyed,' they wrote. 'My motto has become if you cant afford to loose it, insure it.' On the back of the horror 2011 floods that ravaged Brisbane and surrounding areas, some buyers have actively sought out flood-prone land seeing it as a cheap deal. Property value consultancy firm, Climate Valuation, say many real estate agents have facilitated these ill-advised purchases knowing they were doomed for disaster. Australian flood victims have been hit with a brutal message about buying up land in low-lying areas as the nation's east coast is hit by a second devastating flood in less than a month. Pictured: Flooding in Lismore In recent years, on the back of the horror 2011 floods that ravaged Brisbane and surrounding areas, some buyers have actively sought out flood-prone land seeing it as a cheap deal. Pictured: South Lismore, March 9 'There is no failure in the insurance industry - this is a failure in the property market if it is allowing vulnerable people to move into vulnerable properties in high risk locations,' CEO Karl Mallon said. The company predicts that riverine flooding will cost Aussie homeowners about $170billion by 2050, with damage bills and insurance costs set to soar. Mr Mallon is calling for a complete overhaul of the system fearing the issue is only going to get worse with more extreme weather driven by climate change. 'Planning codes must be changed, building codes need to be upgraded and a massive grants program will be needed to overhaul Australia's high-risk housing so that it is ready to cope with the reality of climate change,' he said. One homebuyer who was suckered into snapping up cheap land in Brisbane five years ago watched on earlier this month as part of his home was destroyed by rising floodwaters. 'It seemed astute to move into a flood area after the last flood, because it's a little bit cheaper and we could afford a place here,' videographer Guy Mansfield recently told Yahoo News. 'We just thought it might flood again in 30 years or something like that, and we'd totally avoid it. But yeah, here it is. We couldn't believe it.' Property value consultancy firm, Climate Valuation, say many real estate agents have facilitated these ill-advised purchases knowing they were doomed to disaster. Pictured: Farmland in Ballina flooded It is predicted riverine flooding will cost Aussie homeowners about $170billion by 2050, with damage bills and insurance costs set to soar. Pictured: The aftermath of flooding in Lismore Mr Mallon is calling for a complete overhaul of the system fearing the issue is only going to get worse with more extreme weather driven by climate change. Pictured: Scenes of devastation in South Lismore Prospective homebuyers can download flood maps of any area online. Pictured: Lismore Evacuate NOW: Another deadly storm strikes Australia's east coast causing even more flooding and forcing thousands to leave their homes BY LEVI PARSONS Flood-battered residents still reeling from a one in a 500-year downpour just weeks ago have once again been forced to flee their homes, as wild weather continues to batter Australia's east coast. Thousands were told to evacuate across low-lying areas of northern NSW and south-east Queensland on Monday night and Tuesday morning, with warnings of 'life-threatening' floods. Others in the devastated region have been put on high alert amid widespread heavy rain, thunderstorms and damaging winds forecast to continue until Thursday. Two men have now died in the deluge after being swept away by raging waters. Heavy rain is also hitting Sydney on Tuesday morning, with the grey, dreary conditions expected to last over the weekend. Heavy rain is battering Sydney on Tuesday morning with the grey, dreary conditions expected to last over the weekend Volunteers of State Emergency Services (SES) rescue residents after floodwater inundated their houses in western Sydney on March 3, 2022 A picnic table beside Lake Ainsworth is submerged by heavy rain on March 28, 2022 in Lennox Head, Australia Residents in parts of north and south Lismore and low-lying parts of Kyogle in northern NSW got an early-morning knock on the door from Australian Defence Force troops from the 7th Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment, telling them it was too dangerous to stay with the Wilson River surging. Meanwhile, locals under threat in the Northern Rivers town of Billinudgel, as well as parts of Mullumbimby and Tumbulgum were also told to evacuate early on Tuesday. Lismore mayor Steve Krieg said on Tuesday morning that residents were suffering from flood fatigue. 'Obviously everybody is exhausted. We've had a month of clean-up,' Mr Krieg told the ABC. Hundreds are now gathering in reopened evacuation centres across the region as Byron Council's Infrastructure Services director Phil Holloway warned of 'potential landslides' in some parts. Lismore's Southern Cross University, the Mullumbimby RSL and Murwillumbah Tafe are among the locatations housing those who have been forced to flee their homes. Debris piles up on stairs beside the Wilsons River on March 28, 2022 in Lismore, Australia The damage is being done by a low pressure system sitting off the NSW coast will bring showers in the coming days including to Sydney, the Bureau of Meteorology's Jonathan How said. 'As the system moves south it will become windy across the state's eastern coastline, becoming strongest on Friday with the potential to bring down trees and power lines, he said. 'Thankfully though, this rain event won't be quite as long-lasting as the previous rain event so we will see conditions really ease towards the latter part of the week.' But he warned although the rains will stop, flooding may continue for days if not weeks to come. The La Nina weather pattern is drenching Australia's east coast for the second year in a row. Dr Nina Ridder of UNSW's Climate Change Research Centre said the phenomenon will dissolve by autumn, but La Nina events are likely to bring more extreme rainfall to Australia. 'We're definitely seeing the change in global weather patterns because of climate change,' she told AAP. Debris sits piled up outside businesses affected by the recent floods in the main town on March 28, 2022 in Lismore, Australia Rainfall creates puddles in the devastated community of Lismore, Australia on March 28, 2022 A picnic table beside Lake Ainsworth is submerged by heavy rain on March 28, 2022 in Lennox Head, Australia Further north, intense rainfall and flooding hit parts of southeast Queensland with residents in the town of Dalby on alert as the search continues for a missing man, feared dead. One man near Toowoomba has already died in floodwaters caused by the intense weather system, as authorities keep a close eye on the town 200 kilometres west of Brisbane, Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk says. Another man in his 40s was swept away after getting out of his car when it became stuck in a torrent at North Branch about 6am on Monday. Queensland police said the man's body was found in Spring Creek, downstream from where he disappeared, at about 9am on Tuesday. An emergency alert was issued for residents in low-lying areas, who were told to warn their neighbours, secure belongings and prepare to move to higher ground on Monday afternoon. The Myall Creek was expected to exceed the major flood level of 3.5 metres late on Monday, with further rises possible into Tuesday morning. 'They're looking at an evacuation centre at Dalby at the moment,' Ms Palaszczuk said. A road is blocked off in Ballina, northern NSW, as flood waters ravage the area on March 28 A road is closed due to surging water near the main village of Tintenbar on March 28, 2022 in Australia More than 100 roads are closed due to floods, most in the Toowoomba and Darling Downs, with others in Brisbane, the Lockyer Valley and the Gold Coast. Gold Coast authorities issued an emergency warning early on Tuesday morning about life-threating flash flooding occurring in Tallebudgera Valley. 'Shelter in place unless it is unsafe to do so,' it advised residents, adding that access to the area was likely to be affected. Small releases from Wivenhoe Dam are also underway, but Ms Palaszczuk said they won't impact river levels. The warning follows the death of a man and five dogs killed when their ute was washed away at Kingsthorpe, northwest of Toowoomba on Monday morning. Swiftwater crews rescued a woman who was also in the car, but the man and the dogs didn't survive. Wild weather is expected to continue for days to come even across the weekend in some parts A sign declaring that the people of the town are 'stronger than you know' is displayed in Lismore, Australia New York City's homeless encampments were being dismantled once more on Monday - the day after the new mayor said that the problem was turning the largest city in the U.S. into a 'laughingstock'. Eric Adams announced that he would tackle street homelessness by clearing 150 encampments across the city over a two-week period. Last month, he announced a plan to remove homeless people from the city subways. Fabien Levy, a spokesperson for the mayor, said the first warnings to the homeless went up on March 17 and the following day the encampments were cleared in what he said was a collaboration between NYPD and the Departments of Social Services, Sanitation and Parks. 'This effort is about taking care of our people and our public spaces because no New Yorker deserves to live on the street,' said Adams in a statement. An estimated 2,400 people live on city streets and in subways, according to an annual tally taken in January 2021. On Monday, teams were pictured moving in on the camps beneath the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway in the Williamsburg area of Brooklyn. City workers are seen on Monday clearing a tent encampment from Brooklyn, beneath the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway in Williamsburg. The tactic was announced by Mayor Eric Adams on Friday A tent is pulled apart on Monday, to be taken to a waiting garbage truck Michael Rodriguez, who has been living under a raised section of the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway for the past two years, assesses which of his belongings he can salvage Rodriguez is seen on Monday sifting through the remnants of his belongings Rodriguez is pictured carting away whatever of his possessions he can manage Several of those being forced to move complained to Gothamist that they had nowhere else to go, and intended to come back. Parker Wolf, 22, who had spent two years living at the site with his boyfriend, refused to go into a city shelter because he didn't want to be separated from his partner. 'Making us move doesn't make less homeless people,' he said. 'We're going to be in a different place.' Heriberto Medina, too tired to dismantle his camp, lost his tent and was left with a bicycle, two backpacks stuffed with clothes, and a small white stool. 'So now my living space is gone,' he said. 'There's no other options, but to look for another place.' He said the homeless were scapegoats for the city's problems. 'The mayor says the crime rate is going up. Let's target the homeless again, like they usually do. They always target the homeless. The homeless, the homeless,' he told the website. 'Every day the homeless, the homeless, the homeless and instead of helping us they kick us while we're already down.' Eric Adams, who took over as mayor of New York on January 1, has vowed to crack down on homelessness, but has been vague about what will happen to those moved from camps A series of homeless encampments are set up under the Brooklyn/Queens Expressway, at Lorimer and Metropolitan Ave in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. The camps are pictured here in May 2021 A homeless encampment is set up on the corner of Broadway and Myrtle Ave in Bushwick, Brooklyn in May 2021 Adams on Sunday said the spike in crime across New York City has made the Big Apple a 'laughingstock' in need of a 'wartime general' to tackle the ongoing problem. Adams, speaking at the annual NYPD Holy Name Society communion Mass and breakfast, condemned the lawlessness throughout the city. He blamed petty crime and homelessness as contributing factors to the widespread 'dysfunction.' 'Anything goes in the City of New York,' Adams said, according to The New York Post. 'The most important city on the globe has become the laughingstock of the globe. And the dysfunctionality of our city has cascaded throughout the entire country.' Clearing homeless camps is not a new tactic. During the last year of the previous administration, headed by Bill de Blasio, the city conducted 6,604 sweeps according to the Safety Net Project of the Urban Justice Center. In Adams' first month in office city agencies conducted 134 sweeps, according to data shared by the Safety Net Project, a drop from prior months, the most recent data available. On Friday, Adams told The New York Times that he was planning on ramping up the pace of the sweeps. 'We're going to rid the encampments off our street and we're going to place people in healthy living conditions with wraparound services,' he told the paper. 'I'm telling my city agencies to do an analysis block by block, district by district, identify where the encampments are, then execute a plan to give services to the people who are in the encampments, then to dismantle those encampments.' A homeless encampment at the First Ave. station on the L line identified by subway crews last month. Hundreds of homeless people have been camping out in subway tunnels and stations Many of the homeless find sanctuary in the subway stations and trains in the winter months The MTA described 'encampments' as 'lying down in a sleeping bag or stretch out,' as the person can be seen doing in Fulton Street station in Manhattan last month A homeless person sleeps under a blanket while seated on a New York sidewalk Adams did not say where people living in the encampments would go, and acknowledged officials cannot force anyone to go to a homeless shelter. Currently, around 48,000 people each night, including 15,000 children, sleep in city shelters. 'We can't stop an individual from sleeping on the street based on law, and we're not going to violate that law,' he said. 'But you can't build a miniature house made out of cardboard on the streets. That's inhumane.' Last month, hundreds of homeless people were found camping out in New York City's subway tunnels and stations. Transit workers and outreach employees found almost 30 'homeless encampments' in the tunnels and another 89 camps in stations. Encampment can be defined as 'lying down in a sleeping bag or stretch out,' officials said. All the encampments were removed among discovery. 'We never leave an encampment in place. As soon as we identify an encampment, those people are immediately removed,' MTA spokesperson Tim Minton told the New York Post. The MTA's Track Trespass Task Force - which was formed in December - surveyed 472 stations across more than 650 miles for 12 hours between February 2 and 3, finding 350 people living there - not an uncommon sight for New Yorkers as the cold weather persists. Adams' plan to clear the homeless from the subway and the streets, which he deemed essential to New York City's recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, also includes changes that are supposed to connect more homeless people, many of whom have mental illness, substance abuse problems or both, to mental health services and permanent housing. An increasing number of cities across the country including Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle and Washington, DC, have been removing encampments and taking other steps to address homelessness that would have been unheard of years ago. Adams's push to clear the camps came as a new survey found New Yorkers working in Manhattan are so fed up with rampant crime that 40 percent said they want to leave the Empire State - with eight out of 10 people saying the Big Apple has gone to hell. The Morning Consult poll, conducted for Partnership for New York, surveyed 9,386 adults working in New York City from February 17 to March 11, with many voicing their frustration over the soaring crime and homelessness that has gripped the streets and subways. New York City workers said they were fed up with the rise in crime and homelessness in the city, according to a recent poll of more than 9,000 employees. Of those polled, 84 percent said conditions in the city have worsened in the last two years About 40 percent of those working in Manhattan wanted to move away due to rising crime (left) while 48 percent of those working in the other four boroughs agreed (right) About 74 percent of respondents said that safety has gotten worse in the city since the start of the pandemic in March 2020, with 82 percent saying homelessness has also worsened According to the poll, 74 percent of respondents said that safety has got worse in the city since the start of the pandemic lockdowns in March 2020, with 82 percent saying homelessness has also worsened. Overall, 84 percent of respondents said conditions in the city have worsened over the past two years, with more than half agreeing that conditions have greatly deteriorated. 'Safety, homelessness, and mental illness rank as top issues for New York City's private sector employees,' Morning Consult wrote in its findings to Partnership, whose more than 300 members employ more than a million people in the city. 'They are resisting return to the office until something is done to address them, particularly on public transit.' In all, 40 percent of those who live in Manhattan want to move away while 48 percent who live in the other four boroughs are also looking for an exit plan. The poll results come as New York City is experiencing a major crime surge, with the New York Police Department's February crime statistics showing an almost 60 percent increase in felonies compared to the same time last year. Overall crime in the city is up more than 45 percent since the same period last year Meantime, crime in the Big Apple doesn't appear to be slowing down any time soon. The New York subway has been the crime epicenter, after an alarming 73.3 percent increase in underground incidents - including 182 in February alone. Hate crimes also have doubled since last year with anti-Asian attacks more than tripling and anti-Semitic attacks complaints up by a whopping 54 percent over the same time last year, from 134 to 207 incidents. Overall crime in the city is up more than 45 percent since last year, with 4,736 felony assaults reported so far this year compared to 4,003 last year, a more than 18 percent spike. Robberies saw the largest uptick with 3,351 cases report so far, a 45.6 percent rise from last year. Rapes have also seen a dramatic spike with 360 cases reported compared to 247 during the same time last year, a nearly 31 percent jump. The number of shooting victims continues to go up as 284 cases were reported so far this year, a 17.4 percent increase. A family grieving the loss of their adored mother have been left traumatised after a burial blunder resulted in the coffin getting stuck and the lid forced ajar. Kevin Bartsch fainted after the coffin of his partner, mother-of-six Debby Giles, was lowered into a grave in Mannum, South Australia that was dug 20cm too small and became wedged. 'The lid lifted up a little bit because it scraped on the side of the wall,' Ms Giles' son Nathaniel Mark told 7News. Mr Bartsch had brought with him some flower petals which he scattered on the precariously tilted coffin before he fainted. Ms Giles' family including son Nathaniel Mark (right) said their mother deserved better 'They rolled straight off the coffin and then I don't know what happened after that,' he said. He said the next thing he remembers was the funeral director crouching down and trying to push the coffin into the hole. 'She's at the top of it pushing it and pushing it,' Mr Mark added. The family were then asked to leave the cemetery so the hole could be re-dug a larger size and were not able to see her laid to rest. The family said Ms Giles had a hard life but was very much loved and deserved better for her send off. They added there were also cultural issues around being robbed of seeing Ms Giles buried on their ancestral land. Ms Giles' coffin became stuck after the hole was dug too small forcing the lid ajar (pictured) The funeral home has said the blunder was the fault of the local council who are responsible for digging the holes at the cemetery. Mid-Murray Council apologised and admitted the grave was simply not the correct size. They have offered compensation but the family said that is now of little consolation for them. US military officials reportedly missed multiple red flags that could have stopped a top civilian commander at Bagram Airbase from sexually abusing his own children sooner. While serving as a top commander at a U.S air base in Afghanistan David Frodsham was ordered home after the military verified multiple allegations of sexual harassment. Frodsham, who has since been convicted of sexually abusing his adopted sons Trever and Ryan when they were children, leered at female colleagues and referred to them as 'honey', 'babe' and cougar.' The harassment was significant enough that a commanding officer recommended the Army order Frodsham to leave his post at Bagram Airfield and return to Fort Huachuca, AP reported. 'I would not recommend placing him back into a position of authority but rather pursuing disciplinary actions at his home station,' the commanding officer said. In 2016 David Frodsham (pictured) was arrested for leading a child sex abuse ring that posted child pornography to the internet- including of Frodsham's adopted sons When Frodsham returned to his home station in fall 2015, he rejoined the Network Enterprise Technology Command at Fort Huachuca (pictured) But in Fall 2015 Frodsham returned to his home station and rejoined the Network Enterprise Technology Command. By spring of the following year he was arrested in Arizona for leading a child sex abuse ring that included an Army sergeant who was posting child pornography to the internet - including of Frodsham's adopted sons, who were children at the time of the abuse. Frodsham is currently serving a 17-year sentence after pleading guilty to sex abuse charges in 2016 along with former Sgt. Randall Bischak and a third man not associated with the Army. He was caught after an FBI agent joined a pedophile's room on private messaging service Kik. That led investigators to Bischak, who shared a video of himself having sex with Frodsham while the pair also abused Ryan Frodsham. Ryan says his father pimped him out to other pedophiles, while Trever says his father abused him from the age of around nine or ten. But records reviewed by AP show that the U.S. Army and the state of Arizona missed or ignored multiple red flags over more than a decade which allowed Frodsham to allegedly abuse his adopted son and other children for years, all the while putting national security at risk. Despite nearly 20 complaints, and attempted complaints, of abuse, neglect, maltreatment and licensing violations, Frodsham and his wife, Barbara were allowed to foster and adopt multiple children while the Army gave Frodsham security clearances and sensitive jobs at a time when his illicit sexual practices made him vulnerable to blackmail. 'He would have been an obvious target of foreign intelligence services because of his role and his location,' Frank Figliuzzi, the former assistant director of counterintelligence for the FBI, said. 'Fort Huachuca is one of the more sensitive installations in the continental United States. People with security issues should not be there,' he added. Now two of Frodsham's adopted sons, Trever and Ryan, have filed separate civil lawsuits against the state for licensing David and Barbara Frodsham as foster parents in a home where they say they were physically and sexually abused throughout their lives. A third adopted son is expected to file suit Tuesday in Arizona state court in Cochise County, said attorney Lynne Cadigan, who represents all three. In the latest complaint, 19-year-old Trever Frodsham says case workers missed or overlooked numerous signs that David and Barbara Frodsham were unfit parents. Ryan and Trever, two of Frodsham's adopted sons, have filed separate civil lawsuits against the state for licensing David and Barbara Frodsham as foster parents in a home where they say they were physically and sexually abused throughout their lives A commanding officer recommended the Army order Frodsham to leave his post at Bagram Airfield (pictured) and return to Fort Huachuca, a major Army installation in Arizona That includes a 2002 sex abuse complaint filed with local police by one of the Frodshams' biological daughters against an older biological brother, and the fact that David and Barbara Frodsham were themselves victims of child sex abuse. The couple are said to have failed to mention that they were abuse victims when applying to foster, despite being required to do so. In his lawsuit Trever's older biological brother Ryan Frodsham said the state was informed that David and Barbara Frodsham were physically abusing their children 'by slapping them in the face, pinching them, hitting them with a wooden spoon, putting hot sauce in their mouths, pulling them by the hair, bending their fingers back to inflict pain, forcing them to hold cans with their arms extended for long periods time,' and refusing to let them use the bathroom unless the door remained open. Ryan told AP that while Barbara never sexually abused him, she walked into the room where David was abusing him at least twice. 'She knew what was going on,' he said. The two lawsuits already filed by the adopted sons and related legal filings also say investigators with the Department of Child Safety and case workers with Catholic Community Services, which subcontracts foster and adoption work from the state, failed to effectively follow up on 19 complaints and attempted complaints regarding the Frodsham home spanning more than a decade. Frodsham is currently serving a 17-year sentence after pleading guilty to sex abuse charges in 2016 along with former Sgt. Randall Bischak (pictured) and a third man not associated with the Army The complaints began in 2002 and continued until 2015- five months before the Army deployed Frodsham to Afghanistan, where he was ordered back to Arizona after only four months of service. Arizona Department of Child Safety spokesman Darren DaRonco declined to answer specific questions about the lawsuits but instead sent an email outlining the state's procedures for screening prospective foster and adoptive parents. 'Despite all of these safeguards, people are sometimes able to avoid detection,' DaRonco said, 'especially if a person has no prior criminal or child abuse history.' Yet David and Barbara Frodsham have both said they were abused as minors. In their written application to become foster parents, Barbara Frodsham indicated that neither she nor her husband had been sexually victimized, but in recent pretrial testimony for Ryan Frodshams lawsuit, she said she would have revealed her abuse if she had been asked by a state investigator as part of the licensing process. David Frodsham, for his part, told a probation official after his guilty plea that he had been abused as a teenager. Many child welfare experts believe people with a history of child sexual abuse are more likely to abuse children in their own households and should be questioned to ensure theyve overcome their trauma before being allowed to provide foster care. Arizona's child welfare case workers 'did not know how to interview and, therefore, they didnt get candid answers from the Frodshams,' Kathleen Faller, an expert witness retained in Ryan Frodshams lawsuit, said. In pretrial testimony, Faller also said the state should not have granted the Frodshams foster care license. Ryan Frodsham told AP he filed his lawsuit for one reason: 'I want the state to admit what it did was wrong.' There is temporary relief for thousands as an easing of rainfall in northern New South Wales has seen a number of evacuation orders removed, but emergency services are urging residents to remain vigilient as flood warnings remain. Evacuation orders for Lismore CBD, the Lismore Basin and all low lying areas of East Lismore and Girards Hill have been lifted for the time being. The evacuation order for Coraki's Riverside Caravan Park remains in place however, with people urged to leave by 7pm. NSW SES said levels will reach near the Lismore Levee Height of 10.6 metres. Others in the devastated region have been put on high alert amid widespread heavy rain, thunderstorms and damaging winds forecast to continue until Thursday. Two men have now died in the deluge after being swept away by raging waters. Heavy rain is also hitting Sydney, with the grey, dreary conditions expected to last over the weekend. Homes in Lismore were inundated with water during the floods just weeks ago, and are now set to be hit by another deluge (pictured on Tuesday) Evacuation orders for Lismore CBD, the Lismore Basin and all low lying areas of East Lismore and Girards Hill have been lifted on Tuesday evening Residents in parts of north and south Lismore and low-lying parts of Kyogle in northern NSW got an early-morning knock on the door from Australian Defence Force troops from the 7th Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment, telling them it was too dangerous to stay with the Wilson River surging. Locals under threat in the Northern Rivers town of Billinudgel, as well as parts of Mullumbimby and Tumbulgum were also told to evacuate early on Tuesday. The latest update will come as welcome news for thousands of people who are yet to have fled their homes, with a series of evacuation requests removed. Lismore mayor Steve Krieg said residents were suffering from flood fatigue. 'Obviously everybody is exhausted. We've had a month of clean-up,' Mr Krieg told the ABC. Hundreds are now gathering in reopened evacuation centres across the region as Byron Council's Infrastructure Services director Phil Holloway warned of 'potential landslides' in some parts. The Wilsons River is seen in Lismore on Tuesday, with residents warned to evacuate as life-threatening floods hit the region yet again The damage is being done by a low pressure system sitting off the NSW coast will bring showers in the coming days including to Sydney, the Bureau of Meteorology's Jonathan How said. 'As the system moves south it will become windy across the state's eastern coastline, becoming strongest on Friday with the potential to bring down trees and power lines, he said. 'Thankfully though, this rain event won't be quite as long-lasting as the previous rain event so we will see conditions really ease towards the latter part of the week.' But he warned although the rains will stop, flooding may continue for days if not weeks to come. The La Nina weather pattern is drenching Australia's east coast for the second year in a row. Dr Nina Ridder of UNSW's Climate Change Research Centre said the phenomenon will dissolve by autumn, but La Nina events are likely to bring more extreme rainfall to Australia. 'We're definitely seeing the change in global weather patterns because of climate change,' she told AAP. Debris sits piled up outside businesses affected by the recent floods in Lismore on Tuesday - with the weather set to take another turn for the worst Debris piles up on stairs beside the Wilsons River in Lismore, with more wild weather now set to hit the area Further north, intense rainfall and flooding hit parts of southeast Queensland with residents in the town of Dalby on alert as the search continues for a missing man, feared dead. One man near Toowoomba has already died in floodwaters caused by the intense weather system, as authorities keep a close eye on the town 200 kilometres west of Brisbane, Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk says. Another man in his 40s was swept away after getting out of his car when it became stuck in a torrent at North Branch about 6am on Monday. Queensland Police said the man's body was found in Spring Creek, downstream from where he disappeared, at about 9am on Tuesday. An emergency alert was issued for residents in low-lying areas, who were told to warn their neighbours, secure belongings and prepare to move to higher ground on Monday afternoon. The Myall Creek was expected to exceed the major flood level of 3.5 metres late on Monday, with further rises possible into Tuesday morning. 'They're looking at an evacuation centre at Dalby at the moment,' Ms Palaszczuk said. A sign declaring that the people of the town are 'stronger than you know' is seen in Lismore on Monday, with the area battered in recent weeks More than 100 roads are closed due to floods, most in the Toowoomba and Darling Downs, with others in Brisbane, the Lockyer Valley and the Gold Coast. Gold Coast authorities issued an emergency warning early on Tuesday morning about life-threating flash flooding occurring in Tallebudgera Valley. 'Shelter in place unless it is unsafe to do so,' it advised residents, adding that access to the area was likely to be affected. Small releases from Wivenhoe Dam are also underway, but Ms Palaszczuk said they won't impact river levels. The warning follows the death of a man and five dogs killed when their ute was washed away at Kingsthorpe, northwest of Toowoomba on Monday morning. Swiftwater crews rescued a woman who was also in the car, but the man and the dogs didn't survive. Will Smith's mother has told of her shock at his attack on Chris Rock at the Oscars on Sunday night - describing it as entirely out of character. Carolyn Smith, 85, still lives in Philadelphia, where her 53-year-old son grew up. Smith's father Willard, a violent alcoholic, divorced Carolyn in 2000, and died in 2016. Carolyn said she dressed up to watch the Los Angeles ceremony from her home and was startled by her son's behavior. 'He is a very even, people person,' she said on Monday on a local news station, Action News. 'That's the first time I've ever seen him go off. First time in his lifetime. 'I've never seen him do that.' Carolyn Smith, 85, is seen on Monday speaking to Action News from her home in Philadelphia about her son Will Smith's behavior at the Oscars Will Smith slapped Chris Rock onstage at the Oscars on Sunday after the comedian made a joke about his wife Jada Rock covers his jaw after being slapped in the face but went on to announce the winner for best documentary after a very awkward pause After smacking Rock, a now visibly fuming Smith returned to his seat and began repeatedly yelling: 'Keep my wife's name out of your f***ing mouth'. Lupita Nyong'o' was among those baffled by what happened with many initially believing that an act so outrageous must be part of the show Carolyn said she spoke to the actor on Monday, amid the drama, and told him to get some rest, and go on vacation. She said that she knew he would ride out the controversy. Will Smith is pictured with his mother, Carolyn 'I am proud of him being him,' she said, adding that she desperately hoped her son would win the best actor award. He was given the statuette shortly after storming the stage to slap Rock - an act for which he apologized on Monday. Carolyn said he deserved to win the Best Actor award for his performance in King Richard. 'I know how he works, how hard he works,' she said. 'And he never half steps. I've been waiting and waiting and waiting. When I heard the name, I was just, 'Yes!'' She added: 'I thought he should have been given one (Oscar) for all of them (his films).' Carolyn Smith is seen next to a mural of her son in Philadelphia, where she still lives Smith, 53, is pictured with his mother Carolyn, 85. His father Willard died of cancer in 2016. Willard and Carolyn separated in 2000 Smith shared on Instagram a photo of him as a baby, being held by his mother Ellen Smith, 50, told the station that she was proud of her brother and what he had achieved Will Smith's younger sister Ellen Smith, 50, who was with their mother, sister Pam, and others at the family home, agreed that she was confident he would overcome the current drama. 'I've had conversations with him, and it like really kind of broke my heart listening to the things he's said he had to go through to get to where he is,' she said. Smith is known for his clean-cut image, but he has had previous run-ins with the law. In 1989, the actor and rapper spent a night in jail over his involvement in an incident that, according to Philadelphia police, almost left his record producer, William Hendricks, blind. Days after winning a Grammy Award, he was charged with aggravated assault, reckless endangerment and criminal conspiracy. Charges were later dropped. Smith is close to his mother, posting frequent photos of them together on Instagram. In January, he shared a video of them dancing, captioning it: '85 Today! Happy Bday, Mom-Mom. Let's dance our way to 100.' On Mother's Day last year, he wrote: 'Happy Mommy's Day, Mommy! And Happy Mother's Day to all the Mothers of the world. 'Oh... and Mom, I'm sorry about that time when I was a senior in high school and you caught me in the kitchen with my girlfriend. 'But, really you should've been asleep.' The trial of El Shafee Elsheikh begins today in Virginia, with the alleged 'Beatle' ISIS member accused of being involved in the murders US journalists James Foley and Steven Stoloff and relief workers Peter Kassig and Kayla Mueller. Elsheikh, 33, will stand trial in federal court in Alexandria, Virginia, just outside Washington, charged with lethal hostage-taking and conspiracy to commit murder. He is believed to have been one of the four British ISIS militants belonging to the 'Beatles' cell - nicknamed for their British roots and accents. The cell garnered international notoriety after releasing videos of the murders of Foley, Sotloff, Mueller and Kassig - among several other victims. Elsheikh - aka George - is believed to have been involved in the the kidnapping, torture and beheading of a total of 27 foreign hostages in Syria. The US does not have jurisdiction to prosecute him on all the accusations. Two of the cell's four members, Elsheikh and Alexanda Kotey, were held in Iraq by the U.S. military before being flown to the United States to face trial. The pair were captured in January 2018 by Kurdish forces in Syria while trying to escape to Turkey. El Shafee Elsheikh, 33, will stand trial in federal court in Alexandria, Virginia, just outside Washington, on charges including lethal hostage-taking and conspiracy to commit murder Ringleader Mohammed Emwazi, a British citizen who oversaw the executions known as 'Jihadi John', died in a drone strike in 2015. Aine Lesley Davis, the fourth member of the group, was convicted in Turkey on terrorism charges and jailed. Kotey pleaded guilty in September 2021 to the murders of Foley, Sotloff, Mueller and Kassig. He will be sentenced next month. Kotey was a citizen of the United Kingdom, but the British government withdrew his citizenship. The charges against Elsheikh carry a potential death sentence, but U.S. prosecutors have advised British officials that they will not seek the death penalty against Elsheikh or Kotey. U.S. District Judge T.S. Ellis will oversee the trial, and is expected to spend Tuesday questioning potential jurors to ensure a fair trial. It is expected that if found guilty, Elsheikh will spend 15 years in a U.S. prison before being extradited to the UK to serve the rest of his jail term. Over the course of the trial - that will likely last a whole month - 60 witnesses will give evidence. They are made up of foreign intelligence, other alleged victims and Yazidi sex slaves, the Sunday Telegraph reported. The trial will be the first - and likely the last time a senior member of ISIS stands trial in the West. Others were either killed in Syria or tried in the Middle East. Families of four Americans killed by ISIS terrorist stare him down in court The families of four Americans allegedly killed by an ISIS terrorist stared him down in court as he faced trial for their kidnap and murder. Relatives of James Foley, Kayla Mueller, Steven Sotloff and Peter Kassig glared at El Shaffe Elsheikh at the federal court in Alexandria, Virginia But for Muellers mother Marsha the emotion was too much and she wiped a tear from her eye as Elsheikh walked into court - before her husband Carl put his arm around her to comfort her. Prosecutors claim Elsheikh was part of an infamous ISIS cell called The Beatles which captured dozens of Westerners in Syria between 2012 and 2015. The group paraded their victims in orange jumpsuits in gruesome videos shared online which showed them being beheaded. Elsheikh has denied any role in the kidnapping of the Americans and his trial is due to last four weeks - with relatives of his alleged victims expected to be in court every day. For the opening statements Foleys mother Diane and father John sat in one of the benches of the courtroom in Alexandria, Virginia. John Foley at times closed his eyes while Diana Foley took notes, only pausing when the prosecution described her sons execution. James Foley, a journalist, 40, from New Hampshire, was seized by ISIS in 2012 while reporting on the conflict in Syria. Two years later the group released a video showing Mohammed Emwazi, the leader of The Beatles known as Jihadi John , beheading him. Sotloff, 31, from Miami, Florida, also a journalist, was kidnapped on the way to Aleppo in 2013 and was executed by Emwazi in a sick video released the following year. In court were his father Arthur and mother Shirley. Kassig, 26, an aid worker and former Army ranger who converted to Islam and changed his name to Abdul-Rahman, was captured in Syria in 2013 while delivering food and medical supplies to refugees in eastern Syria. He was beheaded in 2014 after being held in captivity. Kassigs parents Edward and Paula were in court - Paula sat taking notes throughout the opening arguments. Mueller, from Prescott, Arizona, was kidnapped in 2013 while leaving a hospital in Aleppo and, in an appalling turn of events, was repeatedly raped by the former ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. Her death was confirmed in 2015. Her parents sat in the second row and stared intently on the first day of the case. They had spoken movingly at the Republican National Convention in 2020 about their daughters captivity. At the RNC Carl said: Kayla was mostly held in a 12-by-12 cell in solitary confinement. It was cold and dirty. ISIS terrorists shined bright lights in her face. They shaved her head. They beat her and tortured her. The leader of ISIS, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, raped her repeatedly. At the RNC the Muellers criticized the Obama administration for failing to bring their daughter back alive, and praised Donald Trump under whose administration the operation to kill Baghdadi was successfully carried out. Carl said: The operators named themselves 'Task Force 814' after Aug. 14, Kaylas birthday. And they named the mission Operation Kayla Mueller. To those soldiers: thank you. Kayla was looking down on you. The Trump team gave us empathy we never received from the Obama administration. The Obama administration said it was doing everything it could. The Trump administration actually is. Also present in court was Bethany Haines, the daughter of British aid worker David Haines, another alleged victim of The Beatles. Bethany, who had flown from Scotland to be at the trial, shook her head in disgust as Elsheikh walked into court. Advertisement Kotey and Elsheikh's four-member jihadist cell, dubbed the 'Beatles' by their captives due to their British accents, was allegedly involved in the abductions of at least 27 people in Syria from 2012 to 2015. Elsheikh's lawyers have said the killings were planned and carried out by Emwazi at the behest of Islamic State leadership. The hostages, some of whom were released after their governments paid ransoms, were from at least 15 countries, including the United States, United Kingdom, Denmark, France, Japan, Norway and Spain. The 'Beatles' allegedly tortured and killed their victims, including by beheading, and IS released videos of the brutal murders for propaganda purposes. Kotey, known as 'Ringo' by the hostages, and Elsheikh, dubbed 'George,' allegedly supervised detention facilities for hostages and coordinated ransom negotiations conducted by email, according to the US authorities. The pair were also accused of engaging in a 'prolonged pattern of physical and psychological violence against hostages,' which included water-boarding, electric shocks and mock executions. Ricardo Garcia Vilanova, a Spanish photographer held captive for six months in 2014, told AFP that 'torture and murder were daily occurrences' in an atmosphere of 'sadism.' Pictured left: James Foley while covering the civil war in Aleppo, Syria. Pictured right: US aid worker Peter Kassig - otherwise known as Abdul-Rahman Kassig - in Syria Left: US freelance journalist Steven Sotloff. Right: Kayla Mueller is shown after speaking to a group in Prescott, Arizona. Both were killed in Syria by ISIS Alexanda Amon Kotey, left, and El Shafee Elsheikh, who were allegedly among four British jihadis who made up a brutal Islamic State cell dubbed 'The Beatles,' speak during an interview with The Associated Press at a security center in Kobani, Syria A Kurdish security officer escorts Alexanda Amon Kotey, left, and El Shafee Elsheikh, who were allegedly among four British jihadis who made up a brutal Islamic State cell dubbed 'The Beatles,' for an interview with The Associated Press, March 30, 2018 'Beatles' Ringleader Mohammed Emwazi, a British citizen who oversaw the executions known as 'Jihadi John', died in a drone strike in 2015 Several former European hostages are expected to testify at the Virginia trial along with a Yazidi woman detained with Mueller, who was abducted in Syria in 2013 while working with the Danish Refugee Council. A US special forces raid that resulted in the death of Islamic State group leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi in Syria in 2019 was code-named Task Force 8-14 in reference to Mueller's birthday. Mueller's parents say she was tortured before being handed over to Baghdadi, who allegedly raped her repeatedly before killing her. According to the indictment, Elsheikh was born in Sudan and moved to Britain when he was a child. After becoming radicalized, he went to Syria in 2012 and joined the IS cell, which specialized in kidnapping Westerners. In interviews with media outlets following his capture by Syrian Kurdish forces, Elsheikh said he did not always display 'compassion' towards the hostages but blamed others for their murders. Contacted by AFP news agency, Elsheikh's lawyers did not respond when asked if their client planned to testify in his own defense at his trial. The Independent Commission Against Corruption have launched an investigation into the murder case against Northern Territory policeman Zachary Rolfe. Constable Rolfe was found not guilty of murder last week after he shot Kumanjayi Walker three times in Alice Springs in November 2019 after the Aboriginal man stabbed him with scissors. ICAC's Michael Riches has confirmed they will investigate the case after several detectives noted their concern about the 'abnormal' speed in which the murder charge came down. 'I will investigate allegations of improper conduct relating to the arrest and charge of Mr Zachary Rolfe,' he said. 'My investigation will focus upon the period between the shooting incident and the presentation of Mr Rolfe for charging.' NT police officer Constable Zachary Rolfe (pictured) was acquitted of murdering an Indigenous teenager boa- he sted about not having to follow rules in the 'Wild West' Northern Territory as shocking details of his past emerge Mr Riches said the investigation could include witness statements and even a public review. 'In due course I will consider whether I will hear some or all witnesses by way of public inquiry. 'If that occurs notice will be given in accordance with section 39 of the ICAC Act. I will conduct the investigation as expeditiously as my resources will allow. 'Any action taken as a consequence of the investigation, including the making of reports or public statements, will be in accordance with the ICAC Act. 'I will not offer a running commentary on the investigation, and I have no further statement to make at this time.' Constable Zachary Rolfe was found not guilty of murder last week after he shot Kumanjayi Walker three times in Alice Springs in November 2019 NT Police released a statement confirming they would co-operate fully with ICAC's investigation. 'Northern Territory Police have been advised that the Independent Commissioner Against Corruption will investigate the process that led to the arrest and charging of Constable Zachary Rolfe,' it said in a statement. 'NT Police will cooperate fully with the inquiry. As the matter is now before the ICAC there will be no further comment.' Chief Minister Michael Gunner however said the investigation was a 'waste of time' and said due process had already been done. 'Police have a process to make sure that their investigation stacks up, then the prosecution also has a responsibility to only take anything forward that they think has a reasonable chance at success,' he said hours before ICAC made its announcement. 'And then there's a stage again at the courts where a case has to genuinely stack up. 'Courts aren't there to waste their time. So for me there's a lot of processes here. We're talking about the criminal justice system, I have faith in the criminal justice system, obviously the courts have separation of powers to the legislature and the executive. I have confidence in those processes.' Constable Rolfe had been accused of previously using excessive force as text messages emerge showing the police officer boasting about doing 'cowboy stuff' while bodycam footage captured a brutal arrest in 2018 (pictured, mock-up of texts sent to military friend) Suppression orders in place during the trial have since been lifted by the court revealing fresh details about Constable Rolfe's time as a police officer. The policeman had been accused of previously using excessive force in previous arrests as text messages emerge showing the police officer boasting about doing 'cowboy stuff', while bodycam footage captured a brutal arrest in 2018. A sworn statement from Constable Rolfe's ex-girlfriend claimed he asked a colleague to scratch his face so he could justify the alleged use of excessive force during the arrest. 'The Crown alleges that the use of force was excessive because it was neither reasonable nor necessary,' Justice John Burns said in his pre-trial ruling. Bodycam footage filmed Constable Rolfe taking part in the arrest of Malcolm Ryder. Prosecutors alleged Constable Rolfe 'punched' Mr Ryder 'to his head, grabbed his hair and slung his head to the ground'. 'It further alleges that the accused's use of force resulted in Ryder being rendered unconscious and sustaining a laceration to his right forehead requiring 13 sutures and a laceration to his left forehead requiring three sutures,' Justice Burns said. 'It further alleges that the accused's use of force resulted in Ryder being rendered unconscious and sustaining a laceration to his right forehead requiring 13 sutures and a laceration to his left forehead requiring three sutures,' Justice Burns said The Northern Territory Supreme Court heard a magistrate had found Constable Rolfe 'deliberately assaulted' Mr Ryder before he 'lied in evidence'. Constable Rolfe had also sent text messages to an army friend where he referred to Alice Springs as a 'sh**hole' and compared it to the 'Wild West' that had 'f*** all rules'. 'Alice Springs sucks ha ha,' he wrote. 'The good thing is it's like the Wild West and f*** all the rules in the job really... but it's a sh** hole. Good to start here coz of the volume of work but will be good to leave.' Another message read: 'We have this small team in Alice, IRT, immediate response team. We're not full time, just get called up from Gd's for high risk jobs, its a sweet gig, just get to do cowboy stuff with no rules.' Constable Rolfe was accused of using excessive force in more arrests including allegedly slamming a person's head against a rock, karate chopping another one to the ground and slamming a different person against a wall. Crown prosecutor Philip Strickland SC drew parallels between the arrests to the shooting death of Mr Walker. Bodycam footage filmed Constable Rolfe taking part in the arrest of Malcolm Ryder Prosecutors alleged Constable Rolfe 'punched' Mr Ryder 'to his head, grabbed his hair and slung his head to the ground' (pictured, man is arrested at the house in 2018) 'In all circumstances, the act of the accused caused injury or significant injury to the complainant, and in all circumstances, according to the expert who will be called by the crown, the force that he used was unnecessary,' he said. Justice Burns ruled certain details of Rolfe's past as a police officer would not be admitted during his trial - meaning the 12 men and women on the jury were not aware of any of the previous complaints made against him. He stated the evidence did not have 'significant probative value' and could lead to 'the danger of prejudice to the accused'. Justice Burns said the incidents 'taken at their highest, strongly support a tendency on the part of the accused to make a false statement or do some other act seeking to justify the use of excessive force'. Constable Rolfe claimed all complaints against him had been investigated before they were cleared. Adrian Basham, accused of murdering his ex-wife, repeatedly talked over and blamed her for the breakdown of their relationship when they had counselling, a court has been told. Basham, 45, is standing trial before the Victorian Supreme Court charged with murdering Samantha Fraser. Her body was found at her Phillip Island home in July 2018, the day after she turned 38. Adrian Basham is standing trial before the Victorian Supreme Court charged with murdering ex-wife Samantha Fraser Ms Fraser told a counsellor, Terence Melvin, in December 2016 that she was suffering from tightness in chest, as well as difficulty breathing and getting out of bed due to the stresses of the relationship. Mr Melvin, who believed there were family violence issues, devised a safety plan with Ms Fraser as the marriage broke down in 2017. He offered to keep assisting Basham but told him to move out of the family home and respect his ex-wife's decision to split up. Basham didn't return the counsellor's calls after April 2017. 'It struck me very early on that Mr Basham took very little responsibility for what was happening in the relationship,' Mr Melvin told the court on Tuesday. 'I heard lots of blaming language. His primary belief was that the blame lay with his wife.' Defence barrister Ashley Halphen has argued that Ms Fraser took her own life after Basham turned up at her home and assaulted her on the day she died. Adrian Basham, accused of murdering his ex-wife, repeatedly talked over and blamed her for the breakdown of their relationship when they had counselling, a court has been told But Mr Melvin said that during his sessions with Ms Fraser, who had three children with Basham, he did not think she was a suicide risk. 'The children were the most significant thing in her life and I felt reassured she was not suicidal,' the retired psychologist said. 'She had started to reach out to friends and family, who had regular contact with her and built a network around her. That was all part of the safety plan we devised.' The pair met in late 2005 and married in 2007. But after years of domineering and controlling behaviour, prosecutor Nanette Rogers SC previously told the court, they separated in 2017, with Ms Fraser taking out intervention orders against him. Basham then turned up at her Cowes home and waited for 90 minutes, while she dropped their children at school and had coffee with a friend at a local cafe. It's alleged he strangled her with a rope and then manipulated the scene to make it look like suicide. Basham had threatened Ms Fraser after they separated, the prosecutor said, warning her that violent criminals could easily break into her home. He also told her that 'if I can't have you, then no one will'. The trial continues. 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732) Lifeline 13 11 14 The Royal Family will not wear military uniforms during today's service of thanksgiving for the Duke of Edinburgh - as a nod to his 'understated and modest' style. The likes of Prince Charles and Prince William - having recently returned from a Caribbean tour - as well as the other 1,800 guests expected to attend, will instead follow a dress code of 'lounge suits and day dresses'. The monarch, 95, has rallied to make an appearance and lead her family at the high-profile and personally significant occasion in honour of husband Philip. She made the final decision on Tuesday morning, hours before she was due to travel from Windsor Castle to central London, having been determined to be at Westminster Abbey if her mobility allowed her. However, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex will not be in attendance amid Harry's ongoing row with the Home Office over security. It will also mark the first public appearance for Prince Andrew since his high-profile multi-million-pound payout to Virginia Giuffre. Sources say the dress code decision will spare any dilemma over what the Duke of York, who has lost the majority of his military titles but retains his rank of Vice-Admiral in the Royal Navy, should wear for the occasion, the Telegraph reports. At Philip's funeral last April, the men wore morning suits, military ties and medals but a less formal approach will be adopted for today's occasion. The Royal Family will not wear military uniforms during today's service of thanksgiving for the Duke of Edinburgh - as a nod to his 'understated and modest' style At Philip's funeral last April, the men wore morning suits, military ties and medals but a less formal approach will be adopted for today's occasion It will also mark the first public appearance for Prince Andrew since his high-profile multi-million-pound payout to Virginia Giuffre The likes of Charles and Camilla, as well as the other 1,800 guests expected to attend, will instead follow a dress code of 'lounge suits and day dresses' The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have only recently returned from their tour of the Caribbean Princess Anne is also expected to be in attendance at the service of thanksgiving at Westminster Abbey this morning The Queen is said to be determined to travel to London to mark the long and productive life of her husband Philip in what would be her first major public engagement away from Windsor Castle in nearly six months The decision was reportedly made amid concerns that Harry, who relinquished official duties in 2020, would be the only senior Royal not in uniform, while Andrew is said to have asked to wear a Naval uniform. Royal aides have revealed the Queen, 95, has been 'actively involved' in plans for the service at Westminster Abbey 'with many elements reflecting Her Majesty's wishes' as the order of service was unveiled overnight. It includes several elements the Duke had planned for his funeral last year but which were forbidden by Covid restrictions at the time. Among them is the involvement of Duke of Edinburgh (DofE) gold award winners and Sea Cadets, his expressed wish for the congregation to sing the rousing hymn Guide Me, O Thou Great Redeemer, and for clergy from the royal estates of Windsor, Sandringham and Balmoral to play a special part. Around 1,800 guests are due at today's service, including British and European royalty, representatives of the many charities of which the duke was patron or president, Boris and Carrie Johnson, and Sir David Attenborough. While the Queen's arrival is mentioned in the order of service, it is understood a final decision on her attendance will not be made until first thing this morning. She has recently been forced to pull out of a string of engagements because of ill health and old age. She was unable to attend the Commonwealth Day service this month because of concerns about her mobility and comfort. Palace and Abbey aides are thought to have taken steps to ensure that the service, to be televised live on BBC One, is less taxing for the Queen. A graphic shows the plan for the service to remember Prince Philip at Westminster Abbey taking place this morning Instead of arriving at the usual West Entrance to the Abbey, which would involve steps and a long walk down the Nave in front of the cameras, the Queen could be driven around the side of the building and enter away from public view via the 'Poet's Entrance'. She would then have a far shorter walk down the South Transept to her seat. It is likely she would walk with the aid of a stick. The service will gave thanks for the duke's dedication to family, nation and Commonwealth and recognise the importance of his legacy in creating opportunities for young people, promoting conservation, and supporting the Armed Forces. One of the elements planned for the funeral which has now been included in the service will see nine Gold Award holders from The Duke of Edinburgh's Award, plus representatives from UK Cadet Force Associations, line entry routes into Westminster Abbey. Prince Philip's memorial Order of Service in FULL: Royal Family release details of the final farewell for the Duke of Edinburgh at Westminster Abbey The Royal Family and Westminster Abbey have released the full Order of Service ahead of today's memorial service for HRH Prince Philip, who died almost one year ago. The service, which is set to take place at Westminster Abbey from 11:30am today, will pay tribute to The Duke of Edinburghs contribution to public life and support to charitable organisations. The memorial ceremony will also incorporate several aspects that were planned for Philip's funeral last year, which were unable to go ahead due to the Covid-19 restrictions in place at the time. The Queen, who was married to The Duke of Edinburgh for 73 years prior to his death, is said to have personally overseen many elements of the service. Buckingham Palace said there will also be a heavy military presence at the service, given Philip's glittering career in the Armed Forces, along with several recipients and individuals involved in the Duke of Edinburgh scheme. Here is the official Order of Service for the Service of Thanksgiving for HRH Prince Philip, The Duke of Edinburgh, who died April 9, 2021. The Queen and Prince Philip in June 2014. The Duke of Edinburgh died in April 2021 aged 99 Introduction The service is conducted by the Very Reverend Dr David Hoyle, Dean of Westminster. The service is sung by the Choirs of Westminster Abbey, and Her Majestys Chapel Royal, St Jamess Palace, directed by James ODonnell, Organist and Master of the Choristers, Westminster Abbey. The organ is played by Peter Holder, Sub-Organist. The State Trumpeters of the Household Cavalry are directed by Trumpet Major Julian Sandford, and the Fanfare Team from the Central Band of the Royal Air Force are directed by Sergeant Timothy Hynd RAF. Before the service Matthew Jorysz, Assistant Organist, plays: Andante cantabile from Symphony No 3, Charles-Marie Widor (18441937) Bist du bei mir BWV 508, attributed to Johann Sebastian Bach (16851750) Salix from Plymouth Suite, Percy Whitlock (190346) The Band of Her Majestys Royal Marines Portsmouth (Royal Band), directed by Lieutenant Colonel Jason Burcham RM, Principal Director of Music, plays: Prelude from 49th Parallel, Ralph Vaughan Williams (18721958) arranged by Michael McDermott Elsas Procession to the Cathedral from Lohengri,n Richard Wagner (181383) arranged by Peter Curtis Canterbury Chorale, Jan Van der Roost (b 1956) Lux Aurumque, Eric Whitacre (b 1970) Men of Honour Part 2, Thomas Bergerson (b 1980) arranged by Ivan Hutchinson Pacific, Blake Neely (b 1969) and Hans Zimmer (b 1957) arranged by Rieks van der Velde The Assistant Organist plays: Shepherds Song from Symphony No 6 (Pastoral), Ludwig van Beethoven (17701827) The Sub-Organist plays: Benedictus from Sonata Britannica, Charles Villiers Stanford (18521924) The Duke of Edinburgh, who has died at the age of 99, joined the Royal Navy in 1939 the year the Second World War broke out - when he was still a teenager. By 1942, he had risen to the rank of first lieutenant after bravely fighting in the Battle of Crete and the conflict at Cape Matapan. Left: Philip in 1946. Right: Phlip in 1945, when he was serving on HMS Valiant It wasn't just on water where Philip put his military credentials to good use he trained to be a pilot with the RAF and by the time he gave up flying in 1997, at the age of 76, he had completed 5,986 hours of time in the sky in 59 different aircraft Members of The Duke of Edinburghs Family arrive and are conducted to their seats. The Deputy Speaker of the House of Commons, the Right Honourable Dame Eleanor Laing DBE MP, and The Lord Speaker, the Lord McFall of Alcluith, are received by the Dean and Chapter of Westminster. Presentations are made and they are conducted to their seats. The Prime Minister, the Right Honourable Boris Johnson MP, and Mrs Johnson, are received. Presentations are made and they are conducted to their seats. The Right Worshipful The Lord Mayor of Westminster, Councillor Andrew Smith, and The Lady Mayoress Salma Shah are received. Presentations are made and they are conducted to their seats. All stand, and then sit. Representatives of faith communities and of the churches process to places in the Lantern. The King and Queen of the Belgians, The Queen of Denmark, The Grand Duchess of Luxembourg, The Prince of Monaco, The King and Queen of the Netherlands and Princess Beatrix of the Netherlands, The King and Queen of Norway, The King and Queen of Spain, The King and Queen of Sweden, Crown Prince of the Kingdom of Bahrain, Prince El Hassan bin Talal and Princess Sarvath El Hassan, Queen Anne-Marie of the Hellenes, Crown Prince Pavlos and Crown Princess Marie-Chantal of Greece, Prince Philippos and Princess Nina of Greece, Margareta, Custodian of the Romanian Crown and Prince Radu of Romania, Crown Prince Alexander and Crown Princess Katherine of Serbia and Prince Kyril of Preslav arrive and are conducted to their seats. Members of the Royal Family arrive and are conducted to their seats. Prince and Princess Michael of Kent, The Duke of Kent and The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester arrive and are conducted to their seats. The Princess Royal and Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence KCVO, CB, The Earl and Countess of Wessex, The Lady Louise Mountbatten-Windsor and Viscount Severn arrive and are conducted to their seats. The Duke of York, Princess Beatrice and Mr Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, Princess Eugenie and Mr Jack Brooksbank arrive and are conducted to their seats. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are received by the Dean and Chapter. Presentations are made and they are conducted to their seats. The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall are received by the Dean and Chapter. Presentations are made and they are conducted to their seats. All stand as the procession moves to places in Quire, the Sacrarium, and Poets Corner. A fanfare is sounded. The Queen is received by the Dean and Chapter. Presentations are made. A holder of a gold award from the Duke of Edinburgh scheme will speak at Prince Philip's memorial service today, while nine other young people with their own awards will line the steps of Westminster Abbey. Above: The Duke of Edinburgh hosts DofE gold award presentations at Hillsborough Castle in County Down in 2017 Order of Service All sing: 'He who would valiant be gainst all disaster, let him in constancy follow the Master. Theres no discouragement shall make him once relent his first avowed intent to be a pilgrim. Whoso beset him round with dismal stories, do but themselves confound his strength the more is. No foes shall stay his might, though he with giants fight: he will make good his right to be a pilgrim. Since, Lord, thou dost defend us with thy Spirit, We know we at the end shall life inherit. Then fancies flee away! Ill fear not what men say, Ill labour night and day to be a pilgrim.' (Monks Gate 372 NEH from The Pilgrims Progress adapted from an English folk song John Bunyan (162888) arranged by James ODonnell (b 1961) All sit. The Very Reverend Dr David Hoyle, Dean of Westminster, says the Bidding: 'In Westminster Abbey, where he made promises that defined a life of willing duty and spirited service, we give thanks for His Royal Highness The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. A man of rare ability and distinction, rightly honoured and celebrated, he ever directed our attention away from himself. He put privilege to work and understood his rank as a spur to service. Working at pace, with so many claims on his attention, he encouraged us to focus, as he was focussed, on the things that matter. His was a discipline and character that seized opportunity and overcame obstruction and difficulty. We recall, with affection and respect, the sustained offering of a long life lived fully. Acknowledging our loss, we turn to the God who is our help for He will renew our hope. In grateful remembrance of The Prince Philip, we then commit ourselves to live as he lived, in faith, in the service of Her Majesty, and with a greater reverence for our world and our neighbours.' 'Let us pray in the words that Jesus taught us. 'Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name; thy kingdom come; thy will be done; on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen.' Doyin Sonibare, a Gold Award holder from The Duke of Edinburghs Award, gives a Tribute. Doyin Sonibare, 28, from London, will pay tribute to the duke, who died last year aged 99. Ms Sonibare, who is now studying for a PhD into sickle cell disease, will tell attendees that the DofE helped her to secure her first job at the age of 18 and will reflect on the difference that the scheme has made to her life since The Right Honourable the Lord Wallace of Tankerness QC, Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, reads: 'To whom then will ye liken me, or shall I be equal? saith the Holy One. Lift up your eyes on high, and behold who hath created these things, that bringeth out their host by number: he calleth them all by names by the greatness of his might, for that he is strong in power; not one faileth. Why sayest thou, O Jacob, and speakest, O Israel, My way is hid from the Lord, and my judgment is passed over from my God? Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding. He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.' (Isaiah 40: 2531) 'Thanks be to God.' The choir sings: 'Prevent us, O Lord, in all our doings with thy most gracious favour, and further us with thy continual help, that in all our works begun, continued, and ended in thee, we may glorify thy holy name, and finally by thy mercy obtain everlasting life; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.' (William Byrd (c 15401623) Collect for Holy Communion The Book of Common Prayer) The Right Reverend and Right Honourable Dame Sarah Mullally DBE, Dean of Her Majestys Chapels Royal, reads: 'Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice. Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand. Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you.' (Philippians 4: 49) 'Thanks be to God.' All stand to sing: 'All creatures of our God and King, lift up your voice and with us sing Alleluia, alleluia! Thou burning sun with golden beam, thou silver moon with softer gleam: O praise him, O praise him, Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia! 'Thou flowing water, pure and clear, make music for thy Lord to hear, Alleluia, alleluia! Thou fire so masterful and bright, that givest man both warmth and light: O praise him, O praise him, Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia! 'Thou rushing wind that art so strong, ye clouds that sail in heaven along, O praise him, Alleluia! Thou rising morn, in praise rejoice, ye lights of evening, find a voice: O praise him, O praise him, Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia! 'Dear mother earth, who day by day unfoldest blessings on our way, O praise him, Alleluia! The flowers and fruits that in thee grow, let them his glory also show: O praise him, O praise him, Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia! 'Let all things their Creator bless, and worship him in humbleness, O praise him, Alleluia! Praise, praise the Father, praise the Son, and praise the Spirit, three in One: O praise him, O praise him, Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!' (Lasst uns erfreuen 263 NEH, St Francis of Assisi (11821226) Ralph Vaughan Williams, translated by William Draper (18551933) after a melody in Geistliche Kirchengesang Cologne, 1623 arranged by James ODonnell) Cadets will today line the entrances to Westminster Abbey for Prince Philip's memorial service and a marching band from the Royal Marines will play as guests arrive, Buckingham Palace has revealed. Above: Philip during a visit to Windsor Sea Cadet Unit on April 7, 2014 All sit. The Right Reverend David Conner KCVO, Dean of Windsor, gives the Address. The choir sings: 'We praise thee, O God : we acknowledge thee to be the Lord. All the earth doth worship thee : the Father everlasting. To thee all angels cry aloud : the heavens, and all the powers therein. To thee cherubin, and seraphin : continually do cry, Holy, holy, holy : Lord God of Sabaoth; heaven and earth are full of the majesty : of thy glory. The glorious company of the apostles : praise thee. The goodly fellowship of the prophets : praise thee. The noble army of martyrs : praise thee. The holy Church throughout all the world : doth acknowledge thee; the Father : of an infinite majesty; thine honourable, true : and only Son; also the Holy Ghost : the Comforter. Thou art the King of glory : O Christ. Thou art the everlasting Son : of the Father. When thou tookest upon thee to deliver man : thou didst not abhor the Virgins womb. When thou hadst overcome the sharpness of death : thou didst open the kingdom of heaven to all believers. Thou sittest at the right hand of God : in the Glory of the Father. We believe that thou shalt come : to be our Judge. We therefore pray thee, help thy servants : whom thou hast redeemed with thy precious blood. Make them to be numbered with thy saints : in glory everlasting. O Lord, save thy people : and bless thine heritage. Govern them : and lift them up for ever. Day by day : we magnify thee; and we worship thy name : ever world without end. Vouchsafe, O Lord : to keep us this day without sin. O Lord, have mercy upon us : have mercy upon us. O Lord, let thy mercy lighten upon us : as our trust is in thee. O Lord, in thee have I trusted : let me never be confounded.' (Te Deum in C Canticle for Morning Prayer, Benjamin Britten (191376) The Book of Common Prayer) The Reverend Mark Birch, Minor Canon and Precentor, introduces the prayers: 'Let us give thanks to Almighty God for the life and work of The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, and pray for all who honour his legacy and continue his work.' All sit or kneel. The Reverend Kenneth MacKenzie, Minister of Crathie Church, says: 'Let us give thanks for his service as Consort, liege man of life and limb, and of earthly worship to Her Majesty; for his devotion to family, to Nation and to Commonwealth; for his strength and constancy. O Father of all, we pray thee for those whom we love but see no longer. Grant them thy peace; let light perpetual shine upon them; and, in thy loving wisdom and almighty power, work in them the good purpose of thy perfect will; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.' The Reverend Canon Jonathan Riviere LVO, Rector of Sandringham, says: 'Let us give thanks for his energy and spirit of adventure; for his work with the young to discover new skills and serve their communities. Let us pray especially for the work of Cadet Forces and all engaged in The Duke of Edinburghs Award. Teach us, good Lord, to serve thee as thou deservest; to give and not to count the cost; to fight and not to heed the wounds; to toil and not to seek for rest; to labour and not to ask for any reward, save that of knowing that we do Thy will; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.' The Reverend Canon Martin Poll, Chaplain to the Royal Chapel of All Saints, Windsor Great Park, says: 'Let us give thanks for his work in conservation and the good stewardship of the environment, in bringing together people of many faiths, and in the work of the World Wildlife Fund. Almighty God, whose loving hand hath given us all that we possess in creation; grant us grace that we may honour thee with our substance, and remembering the account which we must one day give, may be faithful stewards of thy bounty; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.' The Reverend Canon Paul Wright, Sub-Dean of Her Majestys Chapels Royal, says: 'Let us give thanks for his gifts of character; for his humour and resilience; his fortitude and devotion to duty; that we may follow his good example in the service of our fellows. O Lord God, when thou givest to thy servants to endeavour any great matter, grant us also to know that it is not the beginning, but the continuing of the same unto the end, until it be thoroughly finished, which yieldeth the true glory; through him who for the finishing of thy work laid down his life, our Redeemer, Jesus Christ. Amen.' The Reverend Dr James Hawkey, Canon in Residence, says: 'Let us give thanks to our heavenly Father for all his blessings and mercies, and dedicate ourselves anew to his service. Almighty God, Father of all mercies, we thine unworthy servants do give thee most humble and hearty thanks for all thy goodness and loving-kindness to us and to all men; We bless thee for our creation, preservation, and all the blessings of this life; but above all for thine inestimable love in the redemption of the world by our Lord Jesus Christ, for the means of grace, and for the hope of glory. And we beseech thee, give us that due sense of all thy mercies, that our hearts may be unfeignedly thankful, and that we show forth thy praise, not only with our lips, but in our lives; by giving up ourselves to thy service, and by walking before thee in holiness and righteousness all our days; through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom, with thee and the Holy Ghost, be all honour and glory, world without end. Amen.' All stand to sing: 'Guide me, O thou great Redeemer, pilgrim through this barren land; I am weak, but thou art mighty; hold me with thy powerful hand: Bread of heaven, feed me till I want no more. Open now the crystal fountain whence the healing stream doth flow; let the fiery cloudy pillar lead me all my journey through: strong Deliverer, be thou still my strength and shield. When I tread the verge of Jordan, bid my anxious fears subside; Death of death, and hells Destruction, land me safe on Canaans side: songs of praises I will ever give to thee.' (Cwm Rhondda 368 NEH Arglwydd, arwain trwyr anialwch, John Hughes (18731932) William Williams (171791) arranged by James ODonnell, translated by Peter Williams (172796) and others) The Most Reverend and the Right Honourable Justin Welby, Lord Archbishop of Canterbury, Primate of All England and Metropolitan, gives the Blessing: 'God grant to the living grace; to the departed rest; to the Church, The Queen, the Commonwealth, and all people, peace and concord; and to us sinners life everlasting; and the blessing of God almighty, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, be among you and remain with you always. Amen.' All sing: 'God save our gracious Queen, long live our noble Queen, God save The Queen. Send her victorious, happy, and glorious, long to reign over us: God save The Queen.' (arranged by Gordon Jacob (18951984) All remain standing as the Procession, together with The Queen and Members of the Royal Family, leaves the Abbey church. Music after the service Allegro molto e ritmico from Sonata Britannica, Charles Villiers Stanford The band plays: The Seafarers arranged by Michael McDermott Members of the congregation are kindly requested to remain in their seats until directed to move by the Honorary Stewards The bells of the Abbey church are rung. END OF SERVICE Advertisement Boris Johnson joined senior politicians from across the House of Commons as they came together to remember Prince Philip today. The Prime Minister was driven the short trip from Downing Street to Westminster Abbey in his work Range Rover ahead of the congregation. He joined a raft of colleagues including Chancellor Rishi Sunak, Home Secretary Priti Patel and Foreign Secretary Liz Truss on the front row in the iconic venue. Behind them sat opposition figures including Nicola Sturgeon, Mark Drakeford, Ian Blackford and Sir Ed Davey, as well as top civil servant Simon Case. And a row back from them were military chiefs such as Chief of the Defence Staff Admiral Sir Tony Radakin, who took over from General Sir Nick Carter in November. Other notable political figures also in attendance were Professor Sir Chris Whitty, England's chief medical officer, and outgoing Metropolitan Police Commissioner Cressida Dick. The PM was expected to be joined by his wife Carrie, but she did not appear to have made the trip and was thought to have remained at No 10 with their two young children. Prime Minister Boris Johnson marches into the Abbey on his own as his wife Carrie did not join him on Tuesday morning Boris Johnson is pictured arriving at Westminster Abbey on Tuesday afternoon ahead of the service to the Duke of Edinburgh The Prime Minister leaves his work Range Rover before heading inside the iconic Abbey for the service to the Queen's late husband Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak is pictured getting out of a car outside the Abbey this morning as he arrived to pay tributes Liz Truss is pictured arriving wearing a green dress and bright red handbag ahead of the service for the Duke on Tuesday morning Home Secretary Priti Patel walks over the cobbles up the street to Westminster Abbey ahead of the poignant ceremony on Tuesday morning Home Secretary Miss Patel is pictured getting out of her work Range Rover with her security before heading inside the Abbey Left: Labour Party leader Sir Keir Starmer arrives at the Abbey. Right: SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon made the trip down from Scotland too Pictured: Brandon Lewis, Priti Patel, Liz Truss, Rushi Sunak and Boris Johnson are on the front row in Westminster Abbey today. On the second row sits the Lord Speaker, Deputy Speaker of the Commons, Wales's Mark Drakeford and Nicola Sturgeon. Behind them sits Simon Case, Sir Keir Starmer, Ian Blackford and Sir Ed Davey in front of military chiefs Liz Truss sits in front of Nicola Sturgeon and next to Rishi Sunak and the Prime Minister ahead of the service on Tuesday morning Politicians from across the House of Commons and devolved powers sing as the Queen enters the venue for the thanksgiving service Prince Philip was remembered as a 'man of rare ability and distinction' at the service today. It featured elements he planned for his own funeral, which were forbidden due to Covid-19 restrictions. Some of his older great-grandchildren attended, giving the youngest generation of royals the chance to honour him. Missing gestures from his burial saw Gold Duke of Edinburgh's Award holders and the youth UK Cadet Force associations line the steps of Westminster Abbey. The Duke's express wishes for the congregation to join and sing the rousing hymn Guide Me, O Thou Great Redeemer, and for the clergy from Windsor, Sandringham and Balmoral to play a special part also finally got to be granted. Prayers were said for his 'gifts of character; for his humour and resilience; his fortitude and devotion to duty' by the Chapels Royal's Sub-Dean. Meanwhile 'his energy and spirit of adventure' and 'strength and constancy' was heralded by royal estates' clergy - known as the Queen's domestic chaplains. The Duke had an active role in the day-to-day management of the estates for many years. He wanted the minister of Crathie Church near Balmoral, the rector of Sandringham and the chaplain to the Royal Chapel of All Saints, Windsor Great Park, to take part. But the farewell to Philip in St George's Chapel last April was limited to just 30 people in the midst of the pandemic and mass singing was banned. Professor Sir Chris Whitty is pictured arriving at Westminster Abbey today as he headed inside to pay tribute to the Duke of Edinburgh Outgoing Metropolitan Police Commissioner Cressida Dick turns up at Westminster Abbey on Tuesday as one of the 1,800 people attending Chief of the Defence Staff, Admiral Sir Tony Radakin arriving for a Service of Thanksgiving for the life of the Duke of Edinburgh today Admiral Sir Antony David Radakin sits down among other military chiefs and behind the Lord Speaker in Westminster Abbey today Admiral Sir Tony is the 24th Chief of the Defence Staff, the professional head of the British Armed forces, having taken on the role from general Sir Nick Carter in November Lord Speaker of the House of Lords John McFall walks with Deputy Speaker of the House of Commons Eleanor Laing to the service today Lord Mayor of Westminster Andrew Smith and Lady Mayoress Salma Shah arrive to attend the Service of Thanksgiving today Twenty fines will be handed out over Partygate today Police today announced they are preparing to hand out an initial batch of 20 fines for Partygate - but Boris Johnson is unlikely to be among them. Scotland Yard said it is referring penalty notices to be issued to people who attended lockdown-busting Whitehall drinks - confirming it believes the law was broken in some instances. However, it made clear that the individuals will not be named. The force is thought to be focusing on 'clear-cut' cases where people are not contesting the allegation. The PM is said to have been at six of the 12 events under investigation and has received a legal questionnaire - equivalent to being interviewed under caution - but he has denied breaking rules. The recipients of the fines - typically 100 - look set to stay in their jobs. No10 has pledged to reveal if Mr Johnson himself is fined. The premier had looked in serious danger of being ousted amid Tory fury at the huge political damage from the Partygate scandal and wider sleaze claims. However, the mood has shifted dramatically since the invasion of Ukraine, with praise of Mr Johnson's response. Some MPs have withdrawn letters of no confidence. Advertisement Eleven months on, the royal family including the Prince of Wales, the Duchess of Cornwall and the Cambridges gathered as part of the 1,800-strong congregation. The Queen led her family at the high profile and personally significant occasion for her beloved late husband. The Monarch, who has faced mobility issues, is mentioned in the Order of Service, Buckingham Palace made the 22-mile trip from Windsor Castle. The head of state pulled out of the Commonwealth Day service earlier this month due to comfort issues and has spoken about not being able to move. She recently recovered from Covid-19 and appeared on good form at Windsor last week. The Palace said the Queen has been actively involved in the plans for the service, with many elements reflecting her wishes. Around 30 foreign royals were at the Abbey, including Prince Albert of Monaco, Denmark's Queen Margrethe and Spain's King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia. The Duke's wider family and friends were also there, along with 500 representatives from his patronages and charities. Also invited were Sir David Attenborough, Dame Floella Benjamin, Baroness Grey-Thompson and members of the military who were involved in the funeral, including Pipe Major Colour Sergeant Peter Grant and the Grenadier Guards Bearer Party. Philip, who worked on his own funeral details - codenamed Forth Bridge - for many years, asked for the choir to sing Te Deum in C by Benjamin Britten, and this will be part of Tuesday's proceedings. The Dean of Westminster, The Very Reverend David Hoyle, described Philip in the bidding as 'a man of rare ability and distinction, rightly honoured and celebrated, he ever directed our attention away from himself'. 'Working at pace, with so many claims on his attention, he encouraged us to focus, as he was focussed, on the things that matter,' he will say. 'His was a discipline and character that seized opportunity and overcame obstruction and difficulty. We recall, with affection and respect, the sustained offering of a long life lived fully.' The Dean of Windsor, The Right Reverend David Conner delivered a seven-minute address during the service which was televised live on BBC One. A special tribute was read by 28-year-old Doyin Sonibare, from London, who holds her Bronze, Silver and Gold Duke of Edinburgh Awards, about the legacy and impact of the youth scheme Philip set up in 1956. In recognition of Philip's long-held relationship with the armed forces, the Band of Her Majesty's Royal Marines Portsmouth (Royal Band) provided music before and after. Pieces included the upbeat The Seafarers, as well as the moving Pacific theme by Blake Neely and Hans Zimmer, composed for the HBO mini-series about a US marine corps fighting in the Pacific during the Second World War. Queen Elizabeth II takes her seat during the funeral of Prince Philip at St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle on April 17, 2021 The Queen and Prince Philip revisit Broadlands, to mark their Diamond Wedding Anniversary on November 20, 2007 A graphic shows the plan for the service to remember Prince Philip at Westminster Abbey taking place this morning Philip served as First Lieutenant on the destroyer HMS Whelp in the Pacific, where he helped to rescue two airmen in 1945 whose bomber crashed into the ocean during the Allies' Operation Meridian II against the Japanese. Flowers in the church were in shades of patriotic red, white and blue, with larger arrangements featuring blue eryngium - known as sea holly - a nod to the duke's career in the Royal Navy, and his lifelong affection for the sea. The smaller posies included white dendrobium orchids, which appeared in Princess Elizabeth's wedding bouquet when she married Philip in 1947. Among those seated in the abbey was the Duke of York, despite Andrew paying millions out of court earlier this month to settle a civil sexual assault case. He was expected to arrive alongside his daughters Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, and their husbands Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi and Jack Brooksbank - but came in with the Queen. Also there was Charles, Camilla, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, the Earl and Countess of Wessex and their children Lady Louise Windsor and Viscount Severn, the Princess Royal and Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence, Prince and Princess Michael of Kent, the Duke of Kent and the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex did not return from the US for the service. PM Mr Johnson was there after his apology to the Queen and the country over gatherings in Downing Street on the eve of the Duke's funeral. Whitehall workers had drunk into the night but the next morning Her Majesty cut a lonely figure as she sat alone at the Duke's burial in Windsor. The Metropolitan Police is investigating the allegations of boozy lockdown-breaking parties at No 10. The first Partygate fines will be issued today as police prepare to slap 15 people with penalty notices, reports say. The PM and his wife Carrie (pictured in Sussex with baby Romy over the weekend) are set to join a congregation of 1,800 people as they gather to remember the Queen's consort, who died last year The PM (pictured in London yesterday morning) was forced to apologise to the Queen after it emerged there was a raucous party in Downing Street the night before she buried her husband Prince Philip's memorial Order of Service in FULL: Royal Family release details of the final farewell for the Duke of Edinburgh at Westminster Abbey The Royal Family and Westminster Abbey have released the full Order of Service ahead of today's memorial service for HRH Prince Philip, who died almost one year ago. The service, which is set to take place at Westminster Abbey from 11:30am today, will pay tribute to The Duke of Edinburgh's contribution to public life and support to charitable organisations. The memorial ceremony will also incorporate several aspects that were planned for Philip's funeral last year, which were unable to go ahead due to the Covid-19 restrictions in place at the time. The Queen, who was married to The Duke of Edinburgh for 73 years prior to his death, is said to have personally overseen many elements of the service. Buckingham Palace said there will also be a heavy military presence at the service, given Philip's glittering career in the Armed Forces, along with several recipients and individuals involved in the Duke of Edinburgh scheme. Here is the official Order of Service for the Service of Thanksgiving for HRH Prince Philip, The Duke of Edinburgh, who died April 9, 2021. The Queen and Prince Philip in June 2014. The Duke of Edinburgh died in April 2021 aged 99 Introduction The service is conducted by the Very Reverend Dr David Hoyle, Dean of Westminster. The service is sung by the Choirs of Westminster Abbey, and Her Majesty's Chapel Royal, St James's Palace, directed by James O'Donnell, Organist and Master of the Choristers, Westminster Abbey. The organ is played by Peter Holder, Sub-Organist. The State Trumpeters of the Household Cavalry are directed by Trumpet Major Julian Sandford, and the Fanfare Team from the Central Band of the Royal Air Force are directed by Sergeant Timothy Hynd RAF. Before the service Matthew Jorysz, Assistant Organist, plays: Andante cantabile from Symphony No 3, Charles-Marie Widor (18441937) Bist du bei mir BWV 508, attributed to Johann Sebastian Bach (16851750) Salix from Plymouth Suite, Percy Whitlock (190346) The Band of Her Majesty's Royal Marines Portsmouth (Royal Band), directed by Lieutenant Colonel Jason Burcham RM, Principal Director of Music, plays: Prelude from 49th Parallel, Ralph Vaughan Williams (18721958) arranged by Michael McDermott Elsa's Procession to the Cathedral from Lohengri,n Richard Wagner (181383) arranged by Peter Curtis Canterbury Chorale, Jan Van der Roost (b 1956) Lux Aurumque, Eric Whitacre (b 1970) Men of Honour Part 2, Thomas Bergerson (b 1980) arranged by Ivan Hutchinson Pacific, Blake Neely (b 1969) and Hans Zimmer (b 1957) arranged by Rieks van der Velde The Assistant Organist plays: Shepherd's Song from Symphony No 6 ('Pastoral'), Ludwig van Beethoven (17701827) The Sub-Organist plays: Benedictus from Sonata Britannica, Charles Villiers Stanford (18521924) The Duke of Edinburgh, who has died at the age of 99, joined the Royal Navy in 1939 the year the Second World War broke out - when he was still a teenager. By 1942, he had risen to the rank of first lieutenant after bravely fighting in the Battle of Crete and the conflict at Cape Matapan. Left: Philip in 1946. Right: Phlip in 1945, when he was serving on HMS Valiant It wasn't just on water where Philip put his military credentials to good use he trained to be a pilot with the RAF and by the time he gave up flying in 1997, at the age of 76, he had completed 5,986 hours of time in the sky in 59 different aircraft Members of The Duke of Edinburgh's Family arrive and are conducted to their seats. The Deputy Speaker of the House of Commons, the Right Honourable Dame Eleanor Laing DBE MP, and The Lord Speaker, the Lord McFall of Alcluith, are received by the Dean and Chapter of Westminster. Presentations are made and they are conducted to their seats. The Prime Minister, the Right Honourable Boris Johnson MP, and Mrs Johnson, are received. Presentations are made and they are conducted to their seats. The Right Worshipful The Lord Mayor of Westminster, Councillor Andrew Smith, and The Lady Mayoress Salma Shah are received. Presentations are made and they are conducted to their seats. All stand, and then sit. Representatives of faith communities and of the churches process to places in the Lantern. The King and Queen of the Belgians, The Queen of Denmark, The Grand Duchess of Luxembourg, The Prince of Monaco, The King and Queen of the Netherlands and Princess Beatrix of the Netherlands, The King and Queen of Norway, The King and Queen of Spain, The King and Queen of Sweden, Crown Prince of the Kingdom of Bahrain, Prince El Hassan bin Talal and Princess Sarvath El Hassan, Queen Anne-Marie of the Hellenes, Crown Prince Pavlos and Crown Princess Marie-Chantal of Greece, Prince Philippos and Princess Nina of Greece, Margareta, Custodian of the Romanian Crown and Prince Radu of Romania, Crown Prince Alexander and Crown Princess Katherine of Serbia and Prince Kyril of Preslav arrive and are conducted to their seats. Members of the Royal Family arrive and are conducted to their seats. Prince and Princess Michael of Kent, The Duke of Kent and The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester arrive and are conducted to their seats. The Princess Royal and Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence KCVO, CB, The Earl and Countess of Wessex, The Lady Louise Mountbatten-Windsor and Viscount Severn arrive and are conducted to their seats. The Duke of York, Princess Beatrice and Mr Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, Princess Eugenie and Mr Jack Brooksbank arrive and are conducted to their seats. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are received by the Dean and Chapter. Presentations are made and they are conducted to their seats. The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall are received by the Dean and Chapter. Presentations are made and they are conducted to their seats. All stand as the procession moves to places in Quire, the Sacrarium, and Poets' Corner. A fanfare is sounded. The Queen is received by the Dean and Chapter. Presentations are made. A holder of a gold award from the Duke of Edinburgh scheme will speak at Prince Philip's memorial service today, while nine other young people with their own awards will line the steps of Westminster Abbey. Above: The Duke of Edinburgh hosts DofE gold award presentations at Hillsborough Castle in County Down in 2017 Order of Service All sing: 'He who would valiant be 'gainst all disaster, let him in constancy follow the Master. There's no discouragement shall make him once relent his first avowed intent to be a pilgrim. Whoso beset him round with dismal stories, do but themselves confound his strength the more is. No foes shall stay his might, though he with giants fight: he will make good his right to be a pilgrim. Since, Lord, thou dost defend us with thy Spirit, We know we at the end shall life inherit. Then fancies flee away! I'll fear not what men say, I'll labour night and day to be a pilgrim.' (Monk's Gate 372 NEH from The Pilgrim's Progress adapted from an English folk song John Bunyan (162888) arranged by James O'Donnell (b 1961) All sit. The Very Reverend Dr David Hoyle, Dean of Westminster, says the Bidding: 'In Westminster Abbey, where he made promises that defined a life of willing duty and spirited service, we give thanks for His Royal Highness The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. A man of rare ability and distinction, rightly honoured and celebrated, he ever directed our attention away from himself. He put privilege to work and understood his rank as a spur to service. Working at pace, with so many claims on his attention, he encouraged us to focus, as he was focussed, on the things that matter. His was a discipline and character that seized opportunity and overcame obstruction and difficulty. We recall, with affection and respect, the sustained offering of a long life lived fully. Acknowledging our loss, we turn to the God who is our help for He will renew our hope. In grateful remembrance of The Prince Philip, we then commit ourselves to live as he lived, in faith, in the service of Her Majesty, and with a greater reverence for our world and our neighbours.' 'Let us pray in the words that Jesus taught us. 'Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name; thy kingdom come; thy will be done; on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen.' Doyin Sonibare, a Gold Award holder from The Duke of Edinburgh's Award, gives a Tribute. Doyin Sonibare, 28, from London, will pay tribute to the duke, who died last year aged 99. Ms Sonibare, who is now studying for a PhD into sickle cell disease, will tell attendees that the DofE helped her to secure her first job at the age of 18 and will reflect on the difference that the scheme has made to her life since The Right Honourable the Lord Wallace of Tankerness QC, Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, reads: 'To whom then will ye liken me, or shall I be equal? saith the Holy One. Lift up your eyes on high, and behold who hath created these things, that bringeth out their host by number: he calleth them all by names by the greatness of his might, for that he is strong in power; not one faileth. Why sayest thou, O Jacob, and speakest, O Israel, My way is hid from the Lord, and my judgment is passed over from my God? Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding. He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.' (Isaiah 40: 2531) 'Thanks be to God.' The choir sings: 'Prevent us, O Lord, in all our doings with thy most gracious favour, and further us with thy continual help, that in all our works begun, continued, and ended in thee, we may glorify thy holy name, and finally by thy mercy obtain everlasting life; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.' (William Byrd (c 15401623) Collect for Holy Communion The Book of Common Prayer) The Right Reverend and Right Honourable Dame Sarah Mullally DBE, Dean of Her Majesty's Chapels Royal, reads: 'Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice. Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand. Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you.' (Philippians 4: 49) 'Thanks be to God.' All stand to sing: 'All creatures of our God and King, lift up your voice and with us sing Alleluia, alleluia! Thou burning sun with golden beam, thou silver moon with softer gleam: O praise him, O praise him, Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia! 'Thou flowing water, pure and clear, make music for thy Lord to hear, Alleluia, alleluia! Thou fire so masterful and bright, that givest man both warmth and light: O praise him, O praise him, Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia! 'Thou rushing wind that art so strong, ye clouds that sail in heaven along, O praise him, Alleluia! Thou rising morn, in praise rejoice, ye lights of evening, find a voice: O praise him, O praise him, Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia! 'Dear mother earth, who day by day unfoldest blessings on our way, O praise him, Alleluia! The flowers and fruits that in thee grow, let them his glory also show: O praise him, O praise him, Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia! 'Let all things their Creator bless, and worship him in humbleness, O praise him, Alleluia! Praise, praise the Father, praise the Son, and praise the Spirit, three in One: O praise him, O praise him, Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!' (Lasst uns erfreuen 263 NEH, St Francis of Assisi (11821226) Ralph Vaughan Williams, translated by William Draper (18551933) after a melody in Geistliche Kirchengesang Cologne, 1623 arranged by James O'Donnell) Cadets will today line the entrances to Westminster Abbey for Prince Philip's memorial service and a marching band from the Royal Marines will play as guests arrive, Buckingham Palace has revealed. Above: Philip during a visit to Windsor Sea Cadet Unit on April 7, 2014 All sit. The Right Reverend David Conner KCVO, Dean of Windsor, gives the Address. The choir sings: 'We praise thee, O God : we acknowledge thee to be the Lord. All the earth doth worship thee : the Father everlasting. To thee all angels cry aloud : the heavens, and all the powers therein. To thee cherubin, and seraphin : continually do cry, Holy, holy, holy : Lord God of Sabaoth; heaven and earth are full of the majesty : of thy glory. The glorious company of the apostles : praise thee. The goodly fellowship of the prophets : praise thee. The noble army of martyrs : praise thee. The holy Church throughout all the world : doth acknowledge thee; the Father : of an infinite majesty; thine honourable, true : and only Son; also the Holy Ghost : the Comforter. Thou art the King of glory : O Christ. Thou art the everlasting Son : of the Father. When thou tookest upon thee to deliver man : thou didst not abhor the Virgin's womb. When thou hadst overcome the sharpness of death : thou didst open the kingdom of heaven to all believers. Thou sittest at the right hand of God : in the Glory of the Father. We believe that thou shalt come : to be our Judge. We therefore pray thee, help thy servants : whom thou hast redeemed with thy precious blood. Make them to be numbered with thy saints : in glory everlasting. O Lord, save thy people : and bless thine heritage. Govern them : and lift them up for ever. Day by day : we magnify thee; and we worship thy name : ever world without end. Vouchsafe, O Lord : to keep us this day without sin. O Lord, have mercy upon us : have mercy upon us. O Lord, let thy mercy lighten upon us : as our trust is in thee. O Lord, in thee have I trusted : let me never be confounded.' (Te Deum in C Canticle for Morning Prayer, Benjamin Britten (191376) The Book of Common Prayer) The Reverend Mark Birch, Minor Canon and Precentor, introduces the prayers: 'Let us give thanks to Almighty God for the life and work of The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, and pray for all who honour his legacy and continue his work.' All sit or kneel. The Reverend Kenneth MacKenzie, Minister of Crathie Church, says: 'Let us give thanks for his service as Consort, liege man of life and limb, and of earthly worship to Her Majesty; for his devotion to family, to Nation and to Commonwealth; for his strength and constancy. O Father of all, we pray thee for those whom we love but see no longer. Grant them thy peace; let light perpetual shine upon them; and, in thy loving wisdom and almighty power, work in them the good purpose of thy perfect will; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.' The Reverend Canon Jonathan Riviere LVO, Rector of Sandringham, says: 'Let us give thanks for his energy and spirit of adventure; for his work with the young to discover new skills and serve their communities. Let us pray especially for the work of Cadet Forces and all engaged in The Duke of Edinburgh's Award. Teach us, good Lord, to serve thee as thou deservest; to give and not to count the cost; to fight and not to heed the wounds; to toil and not to seek for rest; to labour and not to ask for any reward, save that of knowing that we do Thy will; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.' The Reverend Canon Martin Poll, Chaplain to the Royal Chapel of All Saints, Windsor Great Park, says: 'Let us give thanks for his work in conservation and the good stewardship of the environment, in bringing together people of many faiths, and in the work of the World Wildlife Fund. Almighty God, whose loving hand hath given us all that we possess in creation; grant us grace that we may honour thee with our substance, and remembering the account which we must one day give, may be faithful stewards of thy bounty; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.' The Reverend Canon Paul Wright, Sub-Dean of Her Majesty's Chapels Royal, says: 'Let us give thanks for his gifts of character; for his humour and resilience; his fortitude and devotion to duty; that we may follow his good example in the service of our fellows. O Lord God, when thou givest to thy servants to endeavour any great matter, grant us also to know that it is not the beginning, but the continuing of the same unto the end, until it be thoroughly finished, which yieldeth the true glory; through him who for the finishing of thy work laid down his life, our Redeemer, Jesus Christ. Amen.' The Reverend Dr James Hawkey, Canon in Residence, says: 'Let us give thanks to our heavenly Father for all his blessings and mercies, and dedicate ourselves anew to his service. Almighty God, Father of all mercies, we thine unworthy servants do give thee most humble and hearty thanks for all thy goodness and loving-kindness to us and to all men; We bless thee for our creation, preservation, and all the blessings of this life; but above all for thine inestimable love in the redemption of the world by our Lord Jesus Christ, for the means of grace, and for the hope of glory. And we beseech thee, give us that due sense of all thy mercies, that our hearts may be unfeignedly thankful, and that we show forth thy praise, not only with our lips, but in our lives; by giving up ourselves to thy service, and by walking before thee in holiness and righteousness all our days; through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom, with thee and the Holy Ghost, be all honour and glory, world without end. Amen.' All stand to sing: 'Guide me, O thou great Redeemer, pilgrim through this barren land; I am weak, but thou art mighty; hold me with thy powerful hand: Bread of heaven, feed me till I want no more. Open now the crystal fountain whence the healing stream doth flow; let the fiery cloudy pillar lead me all my journey through: strong Deliverer, be thou still my strength and shield. When I tread the verge of Jordan, bid my anxious fears subside; Death of death, and hell's Destruction, land me safe on Canaan's side: songs of praises I will ever give to thee.' (Cwm Rhondda 368 NEH Arglwydd, arwain trwy'r anialwch, John Hughes (18731932) William Williams (171791) arranged by James O'Donnell, translated by Peter Williams (172796) and others) The Most Reverend and the Right Honourable Justin Welby, Lord Archbishop of Canterbury, Primate of All England and Metropolitan, gives the Blessing: 'God grant to the living grace; to the departed rest; to the Church, The Queen, the Commonwealth, and all people, peace and concord; and to us sinners life everlasting; and the blessing of God almighty, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, be among you and remain with you always. Amen.' All sing: 'God save our gracious Queen, long live our noble Queen, God save The Queen. Send her victorious, happy, and glorious, long to reign over us: God save The Queen.' (arranged by Gordon Jacob (18951984) All remain standing as the Procession, together with The Queen and Members of the Royal Family, leaves the Abbey church. Music after the service Allegro molto e ritmico from Sonata Britannica, Charles Villiers Stanford The band plays: The Seafarers arranged by Michael McDermott Members of the congregation are kindly requested to remain in their seats until directed to move by the Honorary Stewards The bells of the Abbey church are rung. END OF SERVICE A Ukrainian woman who was gang-raped repeatedly for hours by drunk Russian soldiers whilst her four-year-old son hid crying in a boiler room, just moments after they shot dead her husband, has spoken for the first time of the horror she endured. Natalya, 33, whose name has been changed, told how a Russian commander and another soldier came to the family's home in a small village near Kyiv after dark on March 9 and shot dead her husband Andrey, 33, in the front yard. Moments later, Natalya heard footsteps in the house, which Andrey had built years earlier, and saw the Russian commander - who told her his name was Mikhail Romanov - and a younger soldier dressed in black. Natalya shouted to her four-year-old son Oleksii, whose name has also been changed, to stay hidden in the boiler room, where the family had been sheltering from the shelling in their home in Shevchenkove, a village just outside Kyiv. The mother told The Times the younger soldier pointed a gun to her head and spat: 'You'd better shut up or I'll get your child and show him his mother's brains spread around the house.' Natalya was then raped over several hours by the two soldiers whilst a gun was pointed to her head, and she could hear her son sobbing in the boiler room. '[The younger soldier] told me to take my clothes off. Then they both raped me, one after the other,' Natalya told the newspaper. 'They didn't care that my son was in the boiler room crying. 'They told me to go shut him up and come back. All the time they held the gun to my head and taunted me, saying: "How do you think she sucks it? Shall we kill her or keep her alive?"' Women with children are seen outside the main railway station in Przemysl, southeastern Poland, near the Polish-Ukrainian border, as refugees from Ukraine wait to get on buses to other destinations in Poland (file photo: There is no suggestion that any of these women were the victims of the gang-rape) After hours of the Russian soldiers taking it in turns to rape Natalya, the men left but within 20 minutes they returned and raped her again. The soldiers came back to the family's home for a third time to rape Natalya, but this time they were so intoxicated that they were stumbling. They eventually fell asleep, giving Natalya time to run to her son, who was huddled inside the dark boiler room, and flee their home. 'While I was opening the gate my son was standing next to his father's body but it was dark and he did not understand it was his father,' Natalya recalled. 'He said: "Will we get shot the same as this man here?"' Natalya, who has since fled to the western Ukrainian city of Ternopil with her son, said the four-year-old still does not know his father has died, and she can't bare to tell him just yet. The little boy still asks to buy doughnuts for his father when they go to the shops. Natalya's horrific ordeal is being investigated by Ukraine's prosecutor-general Iryna Venediktova, the country's first official investigation into alleged rape committed by Russian soldiers. Her case is the latest in a string of rape claims levied against Kremlin troops since the invasion began. A Ukrainian woman who was gang-raped repeatedly for hours by drunk Russian soldiers whilst her four-year-old son hid crying in a boiler room, just moments after they shot dead her husband, has spoken for the first time of the horror she endured. Pictured: Russian soldiers are seen on a tank in Volnavakha district in the pro-Russian separatists-controlled Donetsk, in Ukraine Natalya recalled how her family had hung a white sheet from their gate in Shevchenkove on March 8 after Russian troops entered their village to show that they meant no harm and there were people there. But a day later, on March 9, the couple had heard gunshots outside their house. The family, who walked outside with their hands raised, saw a group of Russian soldiers, one of whom had his rifle pointed at the family's dog lying dead. The commander, identified as Romanov by Natalya from social media posts, was among the group and became aggressive when he saw a camouflage jacket in the family's car. Romanov then proceeded to snatch the keys of the car and drunkenly drove the car into a fallen tree before storming off. But hours later at night, the family heard a loud noise by their gate and Andrey went outside their home to check what happened. Natalya recalled hearing a single shot and the sound of the gate opening before footsteps sounded in the house. Romanov had come back with the younger soldier, who said he had shot her husband because he was a 'Nazi' before they both repeatedly raped her for hours. After eventually manage to flee their family home, Natalya said her sister-in-law encouraged her to report the gang-rape to police. The grieving widow, who said she and her husband would have been celebrating their wedding anniversary next month, said her family are unable to recover her husband's body or bury him because their village remains occupied by Russian troops. She said that she does not know if she will ever return to her village because the 'memories are hard', adding that she could never bring herself to sell their home because her husband built the house for them. Anastasia Taran, a 30-year-old from Enerhodar who was working as a waitress in Irpin prior to the Russian invasion, claimed that conditions in the Russian-occupied town are like 'hell' and alleged the invaders engaged in horrific treatment of locals, including sexual abuse Last week, a woman who escaped from the decimated Ukrainian town of Irpin on the outskirts of Kyiv accused Russian soldiers of raping women and shooting innocent civilians. Anastasia Taran, a 30-year-old from Enerhodar who was working as a waitress in Irpin prior to the Russian invasion, claimed that conditions in the Russian-occupied town are like 'hell' and alleged the invaders engaged in horrific treatment of locals. 'Irpin is Hell. There are plenty of Russian soldiers out there who just shoot people who enter private homes and, at best, just kick people out of their homes,' Anastasia told Ukrainian outlet Euromaidan Press. 'They rape women and the dead are just being dumped.' Ukraine's foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba and opposition MP Lesia Vasylenko have both cited reports of Russian soldiers sexually abusing helpless civilians. China has sent another message to Australia by releasing images showing the Communist government training local Solomon Islands enforcement officers. The images of the Chinese-led training exercises were released this week following the announcement of a potential security deal between the two countries. Weapons from China were reportedly smuggled into the country through a logging ship, with officials saying they were 'fake guns' sent only for the purpose of the workshops. Opposition leader Matthew Wale said the cache was undocumented and hinted they had been illegally delivered with more sinister motives. 'I need to see them to believe the RSIPF. They had no prior knowledge of the cargo that was shipped on a log ship, not recorded on the manifest, unloaded by a logger into his private shed,' he posted to Twitter. China has been conducting training exercises for the Solomon Islands police force - using reportedly 'fake assault rifles' that were smuggled in to the country The program is part of a greater effort from the Communist nation to spread its influence in the region and move to building infrastructure on Australia's doorstep The draft security deal between the Solomon Islands (pictured) and China was leaked online and includes a possible navy base in the on the Pacific Island nation The state also released images showing Solomon Islands and Chinese police officers engaged in a series of exercises using batons, long sticks, round shields and handcuffs. Others show them engaged in hand-to-hand combat and even using the QBZ-95 assault rifles, which the Solomon Islands say are 'replicas'. The country said the fake guns were not part of a secret weapons shipping deal and had 'nothing to conceal or hide'. 'The only related cargo coming into the country as known by RSIPF at this time is the police aide training equipment (replica or plastic rifles) and riot equipment donated by PRC and these training equipment are kept at Rove Police Headquarters after cleared by Customs on arrival,' Police Commissioner Mostyn Mangau said. 'These things do not in any way threaten the security of this country so far, except they are as good as helping RSIPF in building its tactical knowledge and capabilities,' he said. State released images show officers engaged in hand-to-hand combat and even using the QBZ-95 assault rifles, which the Solomon Islands say are 'replicas' The guns were reportedly smuggled into the Solomon Islands on a logging ship - but officials say they have 'nothing to conceal or hide' China's growing presence in the region has them attempting to base themselves on Australia's doorstep Mr Mangau said the exercises were a reaffirmation of strengthening their partnership with China, and invited Australia to improve its presence in the region. 'I would like to acknowledge and honour the ongoing support and assistance provided by our bilateral partners in building and enhancing the capacity and capability of the RSIPF in its efforts to tackle and stay ahead of the security theats and challenges in this country,' he said. 'Such commitments by our partners would also help us in contributing strategically to fortify our regional and international commitments such as the UN Peacekeeping Missions. 'I would very much welcome any other bilateral partners who wish to come forward to modernise the RSIPF to do so, as crime and security challenges are fast evolving over time threatening the lives of our people.' The police commissioner said the training was based at dealing with threats 'nationally and internationally'. Solomon Islands say they welcome improving relations between the country and China and have encouraged Australia to strengthen their ties The country's police commissioner said the training will help them against 'national and international security risks' A Chinese combat expert helps train Solomon Islands officers China's presence in the country has come on the back of the Solomon Islands' opposition leader warning Australia it is planning on building a naval base, a move that would put them right on the country's doorstep. Mr Wale said he sent Australian High Commissioner Lachlan Strahan the message in August 2021 and watched him take notes. A draft security agreement that would see Beijing provide funding, an armed police force, and establish a naval base on the Pacific nation was confirmed by the Solomon Islands Government on Friday. Questions have been raised about when the Australian Government learned of the possible partnership and why more wasn't done to provide an alternative. The QBZ-95 assault rifles, which the Solomon Islands say are 'replicas', were reportedly smuggled in to the country by China Prime Minister Scott Morrison (pictured) said the deal highlighted the 'pressure' China is exerting in the Pacific 'It certainly seems like [the Morrison Government] was caught on the back foot when the draft agreement emerged last week,' opposition foreign affairs spokeswoman Penny Wong said. 'Mr Morrison talks of the Pacific being a family, perhaps he should have been talking to this family more, to ensure Australia is the partner of choice in the region.' Mr Wale said it was 'frustrating' that Australia did not shut down the plan, given his advanced warning. In the aftermath of the draft agreement being leaked, Australia announced it would extend it's security presence in the Solomon Islands until at least 2023. Australia previously provided security support to the Solomon Islands leading a policing mission to restore order after riots in 2021, at the request of Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare. Mr Wale claimed Mr Sogavare had 'hoodwinked' Australian defence personnel into helping quell the unrest against his government which was led by the residents of Malaita province. He said the draft deal with China was an attempt to further entrench the government and allow him to delay a 2023 democratic election. 'Australia saved Sogavare in November of 2021... [He] wants China here so it can put Malaita in its place,' Mr Wale told The Australian. China has already expanded its presence in the South China Sea (pictured: a Chinese military parade in 2017) Mr Sogavare previously claimed he wanted to extend his term so the election did not clash with the Pacific Games being held in November and December this year. He needs a three-quarters majority vote in parliament to change the constitution, which Mr Wale said he would secure using Chinese funds. 'That's how he is going to get the election postponed. He will just tell his MPs, 'If you support it, you're going to get money from the (Chinese backed) National Development Fund',' he said. Solomon Islands Opposition leader Matthew Wale (pictured) said he warned Australia's high commissioner of the deal in 2021 Solomon Islands Police Minister Anthony Veke, said on Thursday that he signed a memorandum of understanding in a virtual meeting with Wang Xiaohong, executive vice minister of China's Ministry of Public Security, on March 18. 'The signing of this MOU simply shows to the global community that we are here building meaningful cooperation, one that is based on teamwork and seriousness to develop Solomon Islands,' he said. Australian Defence Minister Peter Dutton said the government would 'clearly be concerned' about a Chinese military base 2,000km off Australia's coast. He urged nations to 'be realistic about China's footprint, their exertion, their pressure and the way in which they conduct their business'. 'I don't think it's consistent with the values that we share with the Solomon Islands and with Tonga and other near neighbours of ours in the region,' he said. Home Affairs minister Karen Andrews echoed that statement. 'That is our back yard, that is our neighbourhood, and we are very concerned about any activity that is taking place in the Pacific Islands,' she said. The arrangements are also likely to worry the US, which said in February it would open an embassy in the Solomon Islands after senior US administration officials expressed concern China wanted to create military relationships in the Pacific. A Tory MP asked a teenager if he was 'a true Scotsman' and lifted his kilt, before sexually assaulting the youth's 15-year-old brother in a bunkbed, a court has heard. Imran Ahmad Khan, 48, who was elected as MP for Wakefield in West Yorkshire in 2019, was at a party at a house in Staffordshire in January 2008 at the time of the alleged incidents, a jury was told. Prosecutor Sean Larkin QC said an 18-year-old man was at the party wearing a kilt when Khan asked him if he was wearing the garment like 'a true Scotsman'. 'Khan then lifted up the kilt with both hands and lunged at him so that he thought he was going to grab him,' Mr Larkin said. The teenager pushed down his kilt and said that although he had experience of others trying to lift it, the incident 'felt very different', the court heard. Jurors were told the 15-year-old brother was in bed on the top bunk in his pyjamas and could hear Khan's 'breathing was getting quite heavy' as he sexually assaulted him. Imran Ahmad Khan, 48, (pictured) the Conservative MP for Wakefield, West Yorkshire, is due to go on trial today to face an allegation that he groped the teenager in Staffordshire in 2008 Mr Larkin said: 'When (the complainant) went to bed, Khan stood by that top bunk, reached in and touched his legs, reaching for, or actually touching, his groin. We suggest either way it was sexual assault. He pushed him away but he kept going and when it would not stop he fled.' The court heard that the complainant, who cannot be identified because he is the alleged victim of a sexual offence, was 'distraught' when he reached his parents. Mr Larkin added: ''The following morning, at the family's encouragement, Mr Khan left the address.' Police were called to the house and the boy reported the incident, telling officers Khan had asked him to 'show me some porn' and told him he was a 'good-looking boy', the jury was told. The 15-year-old did not want to take it any further and the allegation was not pursued at the time, but the complainant went back to police when he found out Khan was standing as an MP, the prosecutor said. Mr Larkin said Khan was not interviewed at the police station because of the pandemic but was sent a list of questions. 'In summary, he denied any sexual assault had taken place,' said the prosecutor. The MP - who has been suspended by the Conservative Party - faces a single count of sexual assault against the then-teenager. Pictured, Ahmed Khan with Prime Minister Boris Johnson Khan said the boy had asked him about 'sexuality' before he 'became distressed and left', and that the only time he had touched him was on his elbow after he had left the bed. The MP sat behind his barrister Gudrun Young QC in court, rather than the dock, as High Court judge Mr Justice Baker explained the microphones were not working. During jury selection, the judge asked potential panel members: 'Do any of you have sufficiently strong political views that you would be unable to try the case,' and if they, or any members of their close family, were members of a political party. Khan, who is on unconditional bail, denies a single count of sexual assault, with the allegation being he intentionally touched the complainant and the touching was sexual when the complainant did not consent and Khan did not reasonably believe he consented. The trial continues. Khan, from Wakefield, helped Boris Johnson win a large Commons majority in 2019 - with the Tories now representing 45 per cent of the Northern Powerhouse constituencies. Imran Ahmad Khan, 48, (pictured) the Conservative MP for Wakefield, West Yorkshire, said he denies 'in the strongest terms' an allegation he groped the teenager in Staffordshire Khan denies one count of sexual assault, with the allegation being he intentionally touched the complainant and the touching was sexual and the trial continues at Southwark Crown Court He turned Wakefield - that was previously in the so-called 'red wall' that formed Labour's heartlands in the Midlands and the north of England - blue with his win. Khan has had his Conservative whip suspended, meaning he sits as an independent in the Commons. According to his website, the MP was born in Wakefield, where he attended the independent Silcoates School before going to university at the Pushkin Institute in Russia and graduating from King's College in London with a bachelor's degree in war studies. Before entering Parliament, he worked for the United Nations as a special assistant for political affairs in Mogadishu. A man who escaped from a prison van dressed only in his underpants and socks has been arrested by armed officers seven miles from where he fled. Kyle Eglington, 32, sparked a manhunt after he managed to get out of the vehicle on Hardy Road in Poole, Dorset, at around 11.15am on Saturday. Eglington had appeared at Poole Magistrates' Court in Dorset after he was charged with robbing a house in Bournemouth on March 24. He was arrested by armed police in Bournemouth, around seven miles away from where he escaped. Kyle Eglington, 32, (pictured after his arrest) sparked a manhunt after he managed to get out of a prison van on Hardy Road in Poole, Dorset, at around 11.15am on Saturday Eglington was only wearing socks and underwear when he fled the van in Poole. At the time, police said he was not a danger to the public Dorset Police originally received a report at 11.12am on Saturday that Eglington had made off after he attacked his guards. At the time, Chief Inspector Neil Wright said there was 'nothing to suggest he poses a risk to the general public', although he warned people not to approach him. Police officers flooded the area around Hardy Road in Poole and a police helicopter was also scrambled. Eglington was only wearing his underwear and socks at the time of his escape. The fugitive was described as white, five feet 11 inches tall and of medium build, with dark brown hair and a beard. However, in a bid to escape capture, police warned the public on Sunday he may have shaved his head and beard. When police finally caught him after a three-day manhunt their suspicions were confirmed as Eglington had shaved his head and beard. The escaped suspect had appeared at Poole Magistrates Court on Friday over a robbery charge The force said on Monday evening that Eglington had been arrested by its tactical firearms team on suspicion of assault and escaping lawful custody. The National Police Air Service helicopter and the British Transport Police were also involved in the three-day search. Dorset Police thanked the public for sharing its appeals to find Eglington. The controversial former chief of Police Scotland is to fill Dame Cressida Dick's post as the caretaker head of Britain's largest police force. Sir Steve House will lead the Metropolitan Police until a candidate is found to succeed Dame Cressida as commissioner, the Home Secretary said. As Dame Cressida's current second in command, he will lead the force during one of the most torrid spells in its history. Sir Steve has served as assistant commissioner at Scotland Yard since 2018, having previously been appointed chief constable of Police Scotland when the force was merged in 2012. His leadership at Police Scotland was dogged by controversy - the force was heavily criticised over the deaths of two people in a car crash on the M9 motorway. He was effectively sacked by Nicola Sturgeon over the incident, her former aide Noel Dolan claimed in a bombshell book last year. The embattled Police Commissioner (left) will step down for good in April and be succeeded by Deputy Commissioner Sir Stephen House (right) Priti Patel (pictured earlier this month) confirmed today Sir Stephen will cover the role until a successor is appointed in the summer Lamara Bell and John Yuill lay in their car for three days despite a member of the public calling Police Scotland's non-emergency line to report a damaged vehicle. Miss Bell was still alive when emergency services finally arrived, but later died in hospital. Sir Steve stood down and retired in 2015, following the incident. Priti Patel announced yesterday Dame Cressida will leave Britain's largest police force sometime next month with the process of selecting her successor not yet formally underway. Miss Patel insisted Sir Steve will provide 'stability and continuity' for the Met. It came as Miss Patel announced details of a formal inquiry into how Dame Cressida came to be forced out of her job by London mayor Sadiq Khan. A review will look at 'whether due process was followed' by the Labour politician. The inquiry will be carried out by the current Chief Inspector of Constabulary Sir Tom Winsor once he steps down from that role on Thursday this week. The timing and nature of the inquiry are likely to mean Sir Tom will have more flexibility to make politically-sensitive criticisms of the London Mayor. Sadiq Khan (pictured), who announced he had lost confidence in the Met commissioner last month, reportedly vetoed the decision to try and make Cressida Dick sign a confidentiality clause Miss Patel said: 'It is right that we have appropriate legislation in place to govern the modern policing environment and I believe the circumstances leading up to Dame Cressida's departure warrant further scrutiny, which is why I have commissioned Sir Tom Winsor to conduct this review.' She added: 'Dame Cressida was at the helm of the Met during extremely tough times, with terror attacks and the pandemic among the challenges she faced. 'Her dedication to protecting London and Londoners has helped drive down serious violence in the city and for that in particular she deserves our gratitude. 'Sir Steve House, her current deputy, will provide the stability and continuity the force needs as we focus on appointing the right person to lead the country's largest force and make London an even safer place to live, work and visit.' Dame Cressida announced her resignation in February after Mr Khan's aides indicated that he had no confidence in her ability to shake-up her force after a series of scandals, including murder of Sarah Everard by serving officer Wayne Couzens. It is thought Dame Cressida's leaving date has yet to be finalised. Negotiations are continuing over how much she will be paid in compensation after being handed a two-year contract extension last September. The commissioner's job has not yet even been formally advertised, meaning a new chief will not be in place until summer. A spokesman for the Mr Khan said: 'Public trust in the Met Police is at the lowest level on record, following a series of devastating scandals including the murder of Sarah Everard by a serving police officer and the overt racism, sexism, misogyny, homophobia and discrimination exposed at Charing Cross police station. 'It was against this backdrop that the mayor lost confidence in the ability of the current Met Commissioner to lead the deep-rooted change needed. 'The mayor is now working with the Home Secretary to appoint a new commissioner who understands the depths of the problems faced by the force and has a plan to restore the trust and confidence of Londoners.' A Scotland Yard spokesman said: 'We are pleased the Home Secretary has announced a review into the circumstances that led to Commissioner Cressida Dick stepping aside. We will fully support Sir Tom Winsor in his work.' So who might take over the troubled Met? Favourites to replace Cressida Dick include an ex-counter-terror chief who threatened to jail journalists or a Merseyside cop who said violent criminals were 'NOT inherently bad people' The future leadership of the Metropolitan Police is still not known as confidence in the force continues to plummet. Dame Cressida Dick, who became the first woman to head the Met Police in 2017, said she had 'no choice but to step aside' after losing Sadiq Khan's confidence. Following the announcement, questions quickly turned to who would succeed her during a tumultuous time for Britain's biggest police force. Likely replacements for the 230,000-a-year role range from a counter-terror chief who threatened to jail journalists and blamed terrorism on a lack of social mobility to a Merseyside cop who said violent criminals were 'not inherently bad people'. Speaking to MailOnline in September, a senior MP said they feared the current crop of senior police may be 'too woke'. They said: 'The problem with Cressida is she has presided over a series of disasters, and then says it is not her fault. 'It is difficult when we always take the same view that operational decisions are a matter for the police not politicians.' Here, MailOnline goes through the list of likely candidates to succeed Dame Cressida. The leadership of the Metropolitan Police was thrown into chaos last night after Dame Cressida Dick's bombshell resignation as Scotland Yard boss Neil Basu: Anti-terror chief who called for journalists to be prosecuted after publishing leaked cables criticising Trump Neil Basu, who has been at the Met for nearly 30 years Neil Basu is the Met's former head of counter-terrorism and the most senior serving British officer of Asian heritage. He also served as the assistant commissioner for specialist operations until September 2021, which included responsibilities around national security, and had originally been tipped for the top job in 2017 before losing out to Dame Cressida. In February this year, he called for laws in the Equality Act 2010 that restrict positive discriminations to be relaxed in order to boost the number of BAME recruits. He was immediately shot down by policing minister Kit Malthouse, while Home Secretary Priti Patel was also said to be against the idea. Sadiq Khan's City Hall 'launched abortive bid to gag ousted Met chief Cressida Dick and slash her 500k payout' City Hall officials launched an abortive bid to gag outgoing Met chief Cressida Dick and slash her rumoured 500,000 payoff, it was claimed today. Sadiq Khan's aides are said to have wanted Dame Cressida to sign a confidentiality clause after her dramatic early resignation. The London mayor is believed to have overruled the idea. But there has also been an 'acrimonious' row over the size of her payout. The commissioner quit last month after Mr Khan said he had lost confidence in her following a series of scandals at the Met. However, the terms of her departure have yet to be finalised with claims about the latest wrangling in The Times. Advertisement Mr Basu faced fresh accusations of meddling in politics in July 2019, when he threatened to prosecute journalists for publishing leaked cables from Britain's ambassador to the US, Sir Kim Darroch. Former Tory cabinet minister David Davis said the intervention 'strayed well beyond his brief', and represented an attack on the free Press. Mr Basu's comments came after Scotland Yard launched a probe to find who leaked Sir Kim's memos calling the Trump administration 'clumsy and inept'. Mr Basu, who has spent his whole career at the Met, made another controversial intervention in August that year when suggested homegrown terrorism was fuelled by a lack of social mobility and inclusion. He said better education and opportunities for young people would do more to fight terrorism than 'the policing and state security apparatus put together' adding that he was not trying to excuse any acts of violence. He also said British Muslims should not be forced to 'assimilate', adding: 'Assimilation implies that I have to hide myself in order to get on. We should not be a society that accepts that.' A 2019 profile of Basu in the Mail On Sunday described him as well-liked within the force and by intelligence officials at MI5. But he has attracted criticism for some of his operational decisions, most notably as head of Operations Weeting, Elveden and Tuleta. The three inquiries into phone hacking, computer hacking and alleged payments to police officers by newspapers cost around 19.5million and were criticised for criminalising journalists. Mr Basu also raised eyebrows when he said that the Prevent programme which tries to detect and deradicalise extremists was viewed by some critics as a 'toxic brand' and needs 'better communication, more transparency'. A Hindu, born to an Indian doctor father and a white British mother, he has said he has encountered racism over most of his life. He grew up in Stafford, where he studied at Walton High School before reading economics at Nottingham University. He became a Met police officer in 1992, serving first as a beat bobby in Battersea, South London, then swiftly moving through the ranks as a borough commander in Barnet, North London, and a Commander of South London in 2012. Andy Cooke: Former Merseyside chief who insists even violent criminals are 'not inherently bad people' Andy Cooke, who now serves with the police inspectorate While head of Merseyside Police, Andy Cooke sparked anger when he said even violent criminals are 'not inherently bad people' and he'd rather pump billions into cutting poverty than upholding the law. The officer, marking his retirement as Chief Constable of Merseyside Police, said if he was given a 5 billion budget to cut crime, he would spend 1 billion on crime and 4 billion on tackling poverty. He now serves in the role of Her Majesty's Inspector of Constabulary and Inspector of Fire and Rescue Authorities in England. He will be overseeing inspections primarily in the North of England. Mr Cooke was chief constable for five years, during which time he has overseen the jailing of dozens of multi-millionaire drug laws, including Liverpool's most notorious drugs boss Liam 'the Lam' Cornett, who was transported to court in a huge armed convoy every day, and the jet-setting Mulhare brothers, who were caught abroad in Thailand after being informed on by a 'supergrass'. Murderers jailed during his tenure include George Leather, 60, who brutally killed his Asda worker wife, 56, by stabbing her 300 times in an 'episode of unspeakable and barbaric savagery', and Robert Child, 37, who was jailed for life for striking his 64-year-old mother Janice with a hammer 31 times. Tory MP Andrew Bridgen said of Mr Cooke's plans for the police budget: 'In that case would he be quite happy to sack 80% of the officers. Reducing poverty is not a function of the policing budget, it's the job of other agencies and government. 'I'm not convinced that this change would be welcomed by the vast majority of the UK population. They want to see the police protecting citizens and property and crime. He sounds like someone who would have taken the knee for BLM and defunded the police.' Under Mr Cooke, Merseyside Police gained a reputation for tough policing and for being a keen user of stop-and-search powers. He was also the first commander of Merseyside's Matrix unit, set up to tackle gang crime and violence. Simon Byrne: Top Northern Ireland cop 'with a reputation for being like Darth Vader' Simon Byrne became chief constable of the Police Service of Northern Ireland in May 2019 Simon Byrne became chief constable of the Police Service of Northern Ireland in May 2019, arriving at the force with 36 years of policing behind him. After holding senior roles at GMP and the Met, he became chief constable of Cheshire Police from 2014 to 2017. That role ended in controversial circumstances after he was accused of bullying and humiliating staff. A misconduct hearing was told he had a reputation for being like Darth Vader and treated junior officers and staff like 'roadkill'. The hearing was told he handed pictures of Dad's Army characters to officers after he became angry when flooding made him late for work. However, he was cleared of misconduct, with the tribunal concluding that much of what was claimed was either exaggerated or most likely didn't happen. During his time as chief constable, Mr Byrne revealed he had considered breaking the law in order to hire more officers from ethnic minorities. At that time the force only had three black officers. He told the BBC in 2017 that the law should be changed in England 'for a certain period of time' to allow the hiring of minority candidates to speed up. This would ensure that 'for every white officer, we recruit one black officer.' Mr Byrne said: 'I've even taken legal advice about breaking the law, which might sound crazy as a senior police officer. 'But if we're put under pressure to change, then what are the consequences, other than reputational, from breaking the law?' Under current equality rules employers cannot employ a job applicant because of characteristics like race, sexual orientation or gender, if other candidates are better qualified. At PSNI he attracted controversy for suggesting the children of paramilitaries could be taken into care. He was also forced to apologise after tweeting a photo of himself with officers holding rifles outside a PSNI station on Christmas Day, the BBC reported. Martin Hewitt: NPCC chief who backed crackdown on Covid sceptics and said officers felt 'undervalued' amid pay row Martin Hewitt, chair of the National Police Chiefs' Council As chair of the National Police Chiefs' Council (NPCC) throughout the Covid crisis, Martin Hewitt has made a number of high-profile interventions in politics. Amid fury last year at officers being hit by a pay freeze, Mr Hewitt told Priti Patel that many officers believed the decision was 'unfair' and they felt 'undervalued' after their efforts during Covid. Mr Hewitt said: 'For many it feels unfair and that their contribution is undervalued. 'And, unlike other parts of the public service, officers do not have the option of industrial action to make their case more strongly. 'As the Government makes spending decisions over coming months, we urge you to fund a settlement which properly reflects the important and complex work police officers do, and starts to address the pay shortfall.' In January 2021, he backed a crackdown on lockdown sceptics and said officers would no longer 'waste time' trying to reason with them amid soaring death rates. Speaking at a Downing Street press briefing, he gave examples of shocking 'irresponsible behaviour' from people not heeding warnings - even with more than 1,200 people dying every day. They included a 30-per-head boat party in Hertfordshire with more than 40 people, a Surrey house party whose host tried to claim it was a business event and a minibus full of people from different households caught travelling from Cheltenham into Wales for a walk. Mr Hewitt was appointed in April 2019. He began his policing career with Kent Police in 1993 and transferred to the Metropolitan Police Service in 2005. As an Assistant Commissioner for five years, he led frontline and local policing, specialist crime and professional standards. He led the national police response to adult sexual offences and kidnap between 2014 and 2019, and served as a Vice-Chair for the NPCC from 2015 before taking on the chairmanship. Matt Jukes: Assistant commissioner credited with leading crackdown on Rotherham child grooming gangs Matt Jukes: Assistant commissioner credited with leading crackdown on Rotherham child grooming gangs Matt Jukes joined South Yorkshire police in 1995 three years after graduating with a degree in mathematics from Oxford. He worked as a detective and rose through the ranks to represent UK police forces at G8 meetings and lead on national anti-terror strategy. Mr Jukes is best known for tackling Rotherham grooming gangs while borough commander in the Yorkshire town from 2006 to 2010. More than 1,000 children were exploited in Rotherham between 1997 and 2013, with local authorities, schools and police among agencies that failed to tackle the problem. A report on the scandal by Professor Alexis Jay suggested that Mr Jukes' leadership marked a point where police became more proactive in dealing with the abuse. After serving in South Yorkshire Police, he moved to South Wales, with the police and crime commissioner there Alun Michael backing him as an outstanding leader. Mr Jukes worked his way up to the top post in South Wales Police, becoming Chief Constable in January 2018. He is also chairman of Police Sport UK. Mr Jukes moved to the Met in November 2020. He was awarded a Queens Police Medal in the New Year Honours List 2018 Australia's leading vaccine advisory group is considering whether to approve COVID-19 boosters for 12 to 15-year-olds. As the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation last week moved to approve a fourth dose for elderly and at-risk people, the group is also weighing up whether to expand the vaccine rollout for young people. A statement from the federal health department said ATAGI was reviewing data on the use of the Pfizer vaccine for 12 to 15-year-olds as a booster. Currently, boosters are only approved for those 16 and over. Australia's leading vaccine advisory group is considering whether to approve COVID-19 boosters for 12 to 15-year-olds. The review of Pfizer data will include information on serious illness, epidemiology and international rollout among the age group. 'ATAGI is continuing to look at emerging evidence on the use of COVID-19 vaccines and treatments as part of its ongoing review of current recommendations,' the health department said in a statement. It comes after ATAGI last week approved a winter dose of the COVID-19 vaccine to those over 65, Indigenous Australians over 50, those in aged or disability care, along with those who are immunocompromised. The fourth dose, or second booster, will be rolled out among the cohort from April 4, with people eligible for the dose four months after their first booster shot. However, a second booster was not recommended for the broader population. The new ATAGI advice was put in place ahead of a predicted surge of COVID-19 cases in winter, coinciding with a likely spike in flu cases. It comes as the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation last week moved to approve a fourth dose for elderly and at-risk people. ATAGI said the fourth dose could also be administered four months after a Covid infection Case numbers of COVID-19 have been increasing across the country in recent days due to infections linked to an Omicron sub-variant Case numbers of COVID-19 have been increasing across the country in recent days due to infections linked to an Omicron sub-variant. On Tuesday, Tasmania recorded the state's highest daily case count since it reopened its border in mid-December, along with its 30th fatality. In Victoria, opposition leader Matthew Guy is isolating after his son tested positive for COVID-19, one day after Premier Daniel Andrews returned a positive result. NSW Treasurer Matt Kean has also tested positive, saying the virus has finally caught up with him. There were 46,875 new cases of COVID-19 reported nationally on Tuesday, with 21,494 in NSW, 10,916 in Victoria, 10,326 in Queensland, 8910 in WA, 4201 in SA, 2324 in Tasmania, 1,063 in the ACT and 408 in the Northern Territory. Thirty-one deaths linked to the virus were also reported on Tuesday, with nine each in NSW and QLD and six in WA. A man is due in court charged with murdering a 35-year-old woman whose body lay undiscovered inside her home for a number of weeks. Tony Brooks, 35, from Wakefield, is accused of murdering Kirstie Ellis who was found dead at her home in Stanningley, Leeds, on Friday, March 25. Brooks is due to appear at Leeds Magistrates Court this morning. Kirstie Ellis, 35, was found by police officers who responded to concerns for her safety and forced their way into her home. A cause of death has yet to be confirmed and West Yorkshire Police indicated she may have been dead for a number of weeks, appealing for witnesses who may have seen anything suspicious from mid-January. They also confirmed they were investigating two other crime scenes in nearby Castleford as well as Kirstie's home in west Leeds. A man will appear at Leeds Magistrates Court charged with murdering Kirstie Ellis (pictured) Pictured: Kirstie Anne Ellis was found dead at her home in Leeds on Friday by police officers A 35-year-old woman, who was arrested on suspicion of murder, has been released on police bail. Kirstie's family have echoed the police's request for witnesses to get in touch and paid tribute to her. In a statement, they said: Our lives have been left shattered and turned upside down with the news that no parent wants to hear, that our gorgeous daughter is no longer with us. Kirstie Anne Ellis had a beautiful soul, a lover of music, socialising and having fun, her whole family is heartbroken over the loss of such an amazing woman. Police attend the crime scene at Stanhall Mews, Stanningley in west Leeds on Saturday Neighbours say police were looking for Kirstie weeks before she was found at home (pictured) Kirstie had many friends and family who loved her and she will be missed so dearly. We would echo the Polices appeal and ask that if anyone has any information no matter how small to come forward and help the investigation. We would like to thank the community and the media for their support during this difficult time. Detectives have appealed for anyone with any information to get in touch. Anyone with any information that is likely to assist the investigation is asked to contact the team on 101, or by using the LiveChat facility on the West Yorkshire Police website. Thousands of protesters have rallied together to take a powerful stand against domestic violence in the wake of a young mum allegedly killed by her former partner. A massive crowd of demonstrators converged in Newcastle on Monday night, three days after mother-of-one Mackenzie Anderson, 21, was allegedly stabbed to death at her home in nearby Mayfield. The rally attracted attendees from all walks of life, including men, women and children. Many in the large crowd held signs calling for change with messages such as 'Enough is Enough' and 'We Will Not Be Silenced'. Men, women and children took to the streets of Newcastle to rally against domestic violence Demonstrators rallied three days after the tragic death of Mackenzie Anderson Attendees marched the streets and foreshore of Newcastle before gathering in a park to hear a host of speakers, including domestic violence advocate Demi Parkinson. Domestic violence survivors were among the attendees, as were Ms Anderson's friends. 'I'm marching on behalf of so many women I know and myself who have gone through domestic violence situations,' one woman told Nine News. Another added: 'There needs to be action from our political leaders on this issue instead of silence. Too many women are dying.' At least 14 women across Australia have been killed by alleged domestic violence in the first three months of 2022. Ms Anderson was allegedly stabbed 20 times by her former partner Tyrone Thompson in front of her two-year-old son. Protesters are seen during a rally against gendered violence and domestic violence towards women in Newcastle A man holds up a sign reading 'the system needs changing' during the rally on Tuesday night Domestic violence advocate Demi Parkinson (pictured) addressed the huge crowd in Newcastle She had an AVO out against Thompson after the pair separated late last year. He was not the father of her child. According to the Daily Telegraph, Thompson and Ms Anderson spent Friday together drinking at her Crebert St home. He allegedly returned later that night where he allegedly broke into her home and allegedly stabbed her multiple times. Thompson, 22, faced Newcastle Local Court on Monday charged with murder, aggravated enter dwelling with intent and breaching an apprehended domestic violence order. He did not apply for bail when he faced court on Monday, which was formally refused. Many held up placards as they strolled through Newcastle demanding men are held accountable for their actions Frustrated and heartbroken women hold up signs demanding change. One sign read 'Silence is violence' Friends have set up a GoFundMe to help cover costs relating to the care of Ms Anderson's son, who's being looked after by her mum. Almost $38,000 have been raised in one day. Federal Treasurer Josh Frydenberg announced a new $1.3 billion package in Tuesday's night budget which will go towards a national plan aimed to end violence against women and children. If you or anyone you know is a victim of domestic violence contact 1800 RESPECT. More than 4,500 migrants have crossed the English Channel by small boat so far this year, with more than 3,000 people arriving in March alone. March has seen 3,066 migrants arrive on British soil - more than the total number of people who made the journey in January, February, March and April combined last year, and over triple the 831 who arrived in the entirety of March in 2021. It is the highest monthly figure since November last year, when 6,869 people made the perilous journey across the 21-mile Dover Strait. The total number of migrants to make the treacherous trip across the Channel this year now stands at 4,559 across 146 boats - a level that was not reached until June in 2021. Migrant crossings were expected to dwindle over the coming days as the weather deteriorated, bringing strong winds, poor visibility and rain. Children wearing life jackets and wrapped in blankets were seen among the groups of migrants being escorted into the Dover Port More than 4,500 migrants have crossed the English Channel by small boat so far this year, with more than 3,000 people arriving in March alone, Home Office figures showed A group of people thought to be migrants are brought in to Dover, Kent, after being intercepted by Border Force officers following a small boat incident in the Channel March has seen 3,066 migrants arrive on British soil - more than the total number of people who made the journey in January, February, March and April combined last year, and over triple the 831 who arrived in the entirety of March in 2021 The total number of migrants to make the treacherous trip across the Channel this year now stands at 4,559 across 146 boats - a level that was not reached until June in 2021 Yet the weather hasn't put people off flocking to the country. Monday saw the second highest number of people arrive in the UK by small boat so far this year - with 386 people intercepted or rescued by British authorities. The most recent arrivals, which included a number of women and children, arrived in Dover, Kent, with blue blankets wrapped around their shoulders and heads after battling cold and wet conditions at sea. A little girl with no shoes was among the dozens of migrants arriving in the UK by small boat on Monday afternoon after battling poor weather conditions in the Channel. Yesterday's arrivals, which included a number of women and children, could be seen setting foot in Dover, Kent with blue blankets wrapped around their shoulders and heads after battling cold and wet conditions at sea. The first group of around 20 people was escorted into the port on board an RNLI vessel before being led along the gangway for processing - among them at least seven small children in orange life-jackets were supported by UK officials. A second group of around 10 migrants arrived a short while later on a black Border Force rib. Border Force cutter Hunter arrived in Dover shortly after 3pm carrying approximately 15 people, while Border Force cutter Seeker escorted a similar sized group to shore a few minutes later. The busiest day this year was March 15, which saw 405 people reach the UK in 12 boats. The weather hasn't put people off flocking to the country. Monday saw the second highest number of people arrive in the UK by small boat so far this year - with 386 people intercepted or rescued by British authorities. Pictured: Border Force staff escort new arrivals on Monday The busiest day this year was March 15 which saw 405 people reach the UK in 12 boats. Pictured: Migrants wearing face masks and wrapped in blankets step foot on British soil Newly arrived migrants stand by a bus, talking with a man wearing a hi-vis jacket that reads 'immigration enforcement' A record 28,395 migrants reached the UK illegally last year by taking small boats across the Channel, a 200 per cent increase on 2020's tally How many migrants reached Britain in 2021, by month? January 223 February 308 March 831 April 751 May 1,619 June 2,179 July 3,510 August 3,012 September 4,652 October 2,671 November 6,869 December 1,770 Total 28,395 French authorities also prevented 101 people from reaching the UK. A total of 28,381 migrants crossed the Dover Strait last year - significantly higher than the 8,410 who arrived in 2020. If migrants keep coming at the same rate this year as they have in the first three months of 2022, this year's total number is set to increase dramatically. Minister for Justice and Tackling Illegal Migration, Tom Pursglove MP, said: 'The rise in dangerous Channel crossings is unacceptable. 'Not only are they an overt abuse of our immigration laws but they also impact on the UK taxpayer, risk lives and our ability to help refugees come to the UK via safe and legal routes. Rightly, the British public has had enough. 'Through our Nationality and Borders Bill, we're cracking down on people smugglers and fixing the broken system by making it a criminal offence to knowingly arrive in the UK illegally and introducing a maximum sentence of life imprisonment for those who facilitate illegal entry into our country.' Advertisement Royal super fans travelled hundreds of miles in the early hours to line the capital's streets with flags and banners this morning in anticipation of the service of thanksgiving for the Duke of Edinburgh. Some 1,800 people attended the memorial at Westminster Abbey, with millions more tuning in to the BBC's broadcast at home. Meanwhile, a small crowd also gathered outside the central London church, with some supporters wearing colourful Union Jack-themed outfits. Around 50 people congregated beside barriers near the entrance to the abbey in an attempt to catch a glimpse of royal family members making their way inside. Tourists from as far as the United States, Australia, Italy and Germany mingled with Londoners and suited office workers who had stopped briefly to pay their respects on route to work. Police maintained a ring of steel around the Abbey with armed officers and those with sniffer dogs on duty. Several roads, which would normally be thronged with traffic, were also sealed off for security reasons. Royal enthusiast John Loughrey, 67, was waiting outside the venue from 6.30am and said: 'It's the funeral he never had because when he died the country was still in lockdown. 'I wanted to go but I and others respected the Queen's wishes not to turn up so I stayed at home and watched the service on television. Although I did lay flowers later at Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle. 'It was really sad to see the Queen sitting by herself with a Covid mask on having to mourn by herself without members of her family. 'That's why I and many others are here today, to support the Queen and the Royal family. She's had a tough time in her 70th Jubilee losing her husband and her soul mate. 'But I think it's also important to show the Duke the respect he deserves because he was an inspiration to his country and to his people.' Royal superfans lined the capital's streets with flags and banners this morning in anticipation of the service of thanksgiving for the Duke of Edinburgh Some 1,800 people are expected to attend the memorial at Westminster Abbey, with millions more tuning in to the BBC's broadcast at home A royal enthusiast, dressed in a Union Jack flag suit, holds a bag with Queen Elizabeth's portrait before the service of thanksgiving for late Prince Philip Around 50 people congregated beside barriers near the entrance to the abbey in an attempt to catch a glimpse of royal family members making their way inside Royal fan John Loughrey waits for the arrivals for a Service of Thanksgiving for the life of the Duke of Edinburgh, at Westminster Abbey in London The Queen will remember her husband of 73 years at the ceremony, which is also due to be attended by more than 20 close relatives including the Prince of Wales, the Duchess of Cornwall and the Cambridges Details on the clothing of a royal enthusiast are seen before the service of thanksgiving for late Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh Maria Scott, 51, was also at the Abbey at the crack of dawn after travelling nearly 300-miles from Newcastle. She said: 'I think it's a huge honour to be here today, as a big Royalist I was really disappointed not to be able to attend his funeral last April. 'He was a big force in the Queen's life and in the Royal family so I'm sure she will be here today even if she has to use a walking stick. 'I never met the Duke, I'd camped out at Windsor Castle during the Queen's 90th birthday celebrations and he was walking towards us but moved to the other side of the road just before he got to where we were standing so our paths were never meant to cross. 'But I wished I had met him as he had a wicked sense of humour and it would have been great to hear what he had to say. I hope today is a fitting way with which to remember him.' Royal fan Joseph Afrane arrived at Westminster Abbey more than five hours before the service in a bid to catch a glimpse of the Queen. The security guard from Battersea told how he had taken the day off work and was the first person to arrive at the venue at 6am, dressed from head to toe in a Union Flag suit with a red shirt and Union Flag tie. The outfit was complete with a hat, Doc Martens shoes, sunglasses and watch all sporting the Union Jack. Married father-of-two Joseph, 59, said: 'I came here to support Her Majesty. I wanted to make sure I had a front row position. 'I was so sad I missed the Duke of Edinburgh's funeral because of the Covid restrictions so I had to be here today to celebrate his life. 'I am a fan of all the Royal family. They are doing a great job for the nation, for the Commonwealth and the whole world. 'I was born in Ghana but I have lived here for three decades. Britain is one of the most generous countries in the world. The country has given great opportunities and I am here to show my gratitude. 'Prince Philip did a great job for the country for charities and for the Armed Forces. I have brought my flags with me and I will be waving them for the Queen.' Joseph was one of hundreds of well wishers who lined the streets of Westminster for the ceremony. Tourist Scott Johnson, 53, from Colorado said: 'We don't have your history and it's not every day you get to see the Royal Family. 'They have had a tough time of it lately. I hope the Queen is in good health and reigns for a long time to come. I think she is a magnificent lady and a great credit to your country.' Savannah Condon, 26, from California, said: 'I'm fascinated with British culture and really interested in the Royal family. 'More than that I think it's nice for so many people to come together again after Covid. 'I've seen people waving British flags which you don't tend to see much of in the UK and I think it's a very sweet occasion and fitting tribute to Prince Philip. 'The fact that there is so many people paying their respects is a sign of how popular he was here.' Royal fans and onlookers await the possible arrival of The Queen and others outside of Westminster Abbey this morning Royal enthusiast John Loughrey, 67, has been waiting outside the venue since 6.30am for Philip's memorial service Crowds of Royal enthusiasts queue near Westminster Abbey in the hope of spotting members of the family prior to this morning's memorial service Elsewhere, Mike Keegan told how he was visiting The Houses of Parliament when he spotted a small crowd gathered outside the entrance. Me Keegan and his wife, Ann, from Dublin, had been treated to a trip to London by their four daughters to celebrate his 67th birthday. He said: 'It was an unexpected birthday surprise. She drive right past us and waved. We just came to look at Westminster before heading over to Buckingham Palace. We weren't expecting this at all. It's certainly going to be a day we will always remember. His wife Ann said: 'We got a good glimpse of the Queen. She looked pretty good. It was one of those things that will never happen again and it's something we'll be able to talk about when we get home. 'It's an important day for her. It's a celebration but it's a sad time as well.' Royal fan Jenny Evans, 39, said: 'I work round the corner and took my lunch break early hoping I would see the Queen. It was definitely worthwhile. It's nice to se her out and about and back on her feet again.' A one-off payment of $250 will hit the accounts of pensioners, welfare recipients and veterans in April in a $1.5billion splash of taxpayer money. The cash to help ease increasing cost of living pressures will automatically go into the bank accounts of those eligible, of whom more than half are pensioners. Under a biannual adjustment, the Jobseeker rate, age pension, disability support pension, and carer payments increased by up to $20 per fortnight from March 20, benefiting 4.9 million people and costing the budget $2.2billion extra over the year. A one-off payment of $250 will hit the accounts of pensioners, welfare recipients and veterans in April in a $1.5billion splash of taxpayer money The rate for a single person receiving an age pension, disability support pension or carer payment increased by $20.10 a fortnight to $987.60. The JobSeeker payment, rose by $13.20 to $629.50 per fortnight for a single person without children. The Parenting Payment increased by $18.10 to $874.10. Fortnightly maximum rent assistance increased to $145.80 for singles and up to $193.62 for families. The cash to help ease increasing cost of living pressures will automatically go into the bank accounts of those eligible, of whom more than half are pensioners Treasurer Josh Frydenberg said the $250 payment will help those Australians most in need. 'Together, with existing indexation arrangements, this will see a single pensioner receive more than $500 in additional support over the next 6 months, just when they need it most,' he said. The payments are exempt from taxation and will not count as income support for the purposes of any income support payment. A person can only receive one economic support payment. The payment will only be available to Australian residents. A senior nurse has been struck off for harassing female colleagues after telling a trainee her bottom looked 'amazing'. Zimbabwean national Alfred Muvheni Mavurayi, 41, based in Kettering, Northamptonshire, 'constantly' made sexually explicit comments and 'leered' at younger women, a Nursing and Midwifery Council tribunal heard. He asked a colleague if she would spend the night with him in a hotel after a staff awards evening and made the trainee nurse whose behind he commented on feel like a 'piece of meat' by staring at her, the committee was told. Colleagues told the tribunal that although the psychiatric care unit manager behaved 'shy' and 'like a teenage boy' in front of women he often became 'very graphic' behind their backs. The mental health nurse had excused his behaviour as 'harmless banter', but has now been struck off after the NMC tribunal ruled his behaviour as a senior member of staff was 'deplorable'. Zimbabwean national Alfred Muvheni Mavurayi, 41, worked for the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust The panel heard Mr Mavurayi worked for the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust as ward manager of the Psychiatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU). He had been employed as the ward manager for two years after previously working as the deputy ward manager. In 2017, the panel heard complaints were raised that Mr Mavurayi had made 'various inappropriate comments' and 'behaved inappropriately' with junior staff. The manager was suspended during the subsequent investigation into his alleged behaviour and comments. He was sacked for gross misconduct following the investigation in February 2018. The NMC panel heard that between September 2016 and October 2017, Mr Mavurayi repeatedly asked a female trainee nurse out 'on a date' on more than one occasion. The nurse, named only as Colleague A, told the panel her manager was 'very flirty' with her and made her feel 'uncomfortable'. She said Mr Mavurayi had been 'using his position' as her manager to get her to meet him outside of work, and remained 'fearful of a conflict' due to her junior position to him. The panel also heard he made frequent unwanted comments to the junior nurse, such as asking her if she had been 'doing squats' because her 'bum was looking amazing'. The trainee nurse told the panel: 'I had this difficulty in my mind that if I said something rude to my manager I could get in trouble. 'The few times that I did tell him to stop he would just smirk or laugh or say things like telling me to 'lighten up'. 'I felt objectified - like a piece of meat - when I was there to do a job.' The panel also heard Mr Mavurayi also frequently 'stared' at his junior colleague's body, asked her to his office just to 'talk' and did nothing to dispel rumours they were 'sleeping together'. Another colleague told the NMC tribunal Mr Mavurayi would 'leer' at female colleagues. The ward manager, named only as Colleague B, said: 'By leering I mean that he would gaze at women very slowly with a weird smile on his face, with no shame. 'Alfie is quite shy when speaking to women directly but behind their backs he is very graphic. 'He is like a clumsy coward; like a teenage boy who does not know how to handle them close up.' The manager also told the panel Mr Mavurayi would often make inappropriate comments, once saying of a pregnant female colleague: 'If [she] was not pregnant I would fuck her - I'm going to smash that'. He also told one colleague over the phone he wanted to see or touch her 'pum pum' - which the tribunal heard is a Patois word for vagina. Panel Chair Bryan Hume ruled Mr Mavurayi's actions were 'deplorable', and said he had failed to lead the culture of the PICU ward in a 'professional manner'. He said: 'The panel considered that Mr Mavurayi breached professional boundaries on numerous occasions and repeatedly harassed more than one colleague over a prolonged period of time. 'Mr Mavurayi was a senior member of staff, and should have led the culture in a professional manner as a manager but did not so. 'The panel concluded that Mr Mavurayi's conduct was deplorable and a significant departure from professional standards that it amounted to nothing short of misconduct.' The panel struck Mr Mavurayi off the medical register after ruling his actions were 'fundamentally incompatible' with him remaining on the register. The threat of China and Russia will see almost $10billion spent during the next decade doubling the size of Australia's cyber warfare unit. The Budget announcement will dramatically boost the fire power of the Australian Signals Directorate, a branch of Defence, as national security ties are strengthened with the US and the UK Australia's traditional defence allies and big Asian democracies. 'In this Budget, the Government is investing $9.9billion in Australia's intelligence and cyber capabilities, bolstering the Government's commitment to Australia's Five Eyes and AUKUS trilateral partners while supporting a secure Indo-Pacific region,' it said. Defence Minister Peter Dutton pointed to Russia's cyber warfare against Ukraine, before the February invasion, as justification for the big spending commitment. 'It acknowledges the nature of conflict has changed, with cyber attacks now commonly preceding other forms of military intervention most recently demonstrated by offensive cyber activity against Ukraine,' he said. The threat of China and Russia will see almost $10billion spent during the next decade doubling the size of Australia's cyber warfare unit (pictured are Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese leader Xi Jingping) Without mentioning China's militarisation of the South China Sea or the threat to Taiwan, Mr Dutton said Australia's investment recognised the 'deteriorating strategic circumstances in our region, characterised by rapid military expansion, growing coercive behaviour and increased cyber attacks'. Treasurer Josh Frydenberg described the 10-year, $9.9billion investment in 'Australia's offensive and defensive cyber capabilities' as 'the biggest ever investment in Australia's cyber preparedness'. 'The lesson of history is that weakness invites aggression,' he said. 'It leaves nations vulnerable to coercion. This is the reality we must confront. 'The world is less stable.' In the decade to 2030-31, the Australian Signals Directorate will be given the funding to deliver a Resilience, Effects, Defence, Space, Intelligence, Cyber and Enablers package known as REDSPICE. The REDSPICE program will see the Australian Signals Directorate doubled in size, creating 1,900 new jobs during the coming decade. 'Creating 1,900 jobs, more data analysts, computer programmers, and software engineers to boost our capacity to prevent and respond to cyber threats,' Mr Frydenberg said. 'Keeping Australians safe is part of our plan for a stronger future.' The federal government said REDSPICE would triple the ASD's 'offensive cyber capabilities' and 'double its 'cyber hunt and response activities'. Defence Minister Peter Dutton pointed to Russia's cyber warfare against Ukraine, before the February invasion, as justification for the big spending commitment (pictured is destruction in the townof Brovary north of the Ukrainian capital Kyiv) 'The package will help ASD to keep pace with the rapid growth of cyber capabilities of potential adversaries, as well as being able to counter attack and protect our most critical systems,' the Budget papers said. 'The unprecedented investment will equip ASD with the capabilities to defend Australia in the changing strategic environment.' Australia last year entered into an historic security pact with the US and the UK, known as AUKUS. As part of the arrangement, the US is also sharing nuclear submarine technology with Australia. This marked the first time since 1958 that the Americans have shared their submarine know-how with another nation beyond the UK. This saw Australian dump a $90billion diesel submarine deal with France and switch to American-designed nuclear-powered submarines. Treasurer Josh Frydenberg (pictured) described the 10-year, $9.9billion investment in 'Australia's offensive and defensive cyber capabilities' as 'the biggest ever investment in Australia's cyber preparedness'. 'The lesson of history is that weakness invites aggression,' he said The Budget papers hailed the new security pact with the English-speaking powers that have been a fundamental part of Australia's national security since World War II. 'The new AUKUS security partnership leverages 75 years of working with the United States and the United Kingdom to promote security and prosperity,' it said. 'The partnership's first priority is to collaborate on nuclear-powered submarines. 'Cyber capabilities, artificial intelligence, quantum technologies and additional undersea capabilities are other focus areas.' The Five Eyes intelligence-sharing arrangement with the US, UK, Canada and New Zealand were hailed as 'more important than ever'. In the decade to 2030-31, the Australian Signals Directorate will be given the funding to deliver a Resilience, Effects, Defence, Space, Intelligence, Cyber and Enablers package known as REDSPICE (pictured is a mocked-up image of Russian President Vladimir Putin) The new Quad arrangement with fellow democracies India, Japan and the US was hailed as essential to maintain freedom. 'The group is co-operating on issues from space to critical technology to achieve its objective of a free and open Indo-Pacific,' it said. In 2020, Prime Minister Scott Morrison confirmed a foreign state actor had targeted government departments and private businesses without naming China. But intelligence sources have told the media China was responsible. The Coalition pointed out defence spending now comprised more than 2 per cent of gross domestic product, compared with just 1.6 per cent in 2012-13 when Julia Gillard was Labor prime minister. 'The world has entered a period of profound uncertainty and disruption. Australia's location in the Indo-Pacific places us at the epicentre of global strategic competition,' the Budget papers said. At least three Ukrainians were killed and 22 were wounded after a Russian artillery strike hit a government building in southern port town Mykolaiv on Tuesday. Regional governor Vitaly Kim, a steadfast Putin critic, only survived because he overslept and was running late for work. Three bodies have been pulled out of the wreckage and 18 of the wounded were recovered by rescue workers. Several members of the Ukrainian army remain unaccounted for, according to AFP. WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT One of the bodies pulled from rubble is catered to minutes ago An unharmed Ukraine flag stands defiantly by the wreckage of Mykolaiv's government HQ An image supplied by the Mykolaiv regional government shows the extent of the wreckage Three soldiers and eight civilians are still being searched for in the rubble, officials confirmed Firefighters remain on the scene after the Russian artillery strike, which came at rush hour In order to capture Odesa, Putin's forces must take - and march through - Mykolaiv Kim wrote on Facebook: 'The regional administration building was hit. We're clearing the rubble. My office was hit. 'Eight civilians are still under the rubble. We hope to be able to get them out. We are also looking for three soldiers.' The artillery strike reportedly happened as government workers streamed into the office building. Financial Times Moscow bureau chief Max Seddon tweeted: 'A Russian airstrike took out the local government offices in Mikolayiv, southern Ukraine this morning as people were coming to work.' Mykolaiv is about 70 miles east of Odesa, up the Southern Bug (Pivdennyi Buh) river. Plumes of smoke rose above the Southern Bug river after Russian artillery hit Mykolaiv Fighters in Mykolaiv have improvised when it comes to placing anti-aircraft weaponry Rescuers continue searching the rubble for survivors of the blast, officials said It has become a frontier in Russia's invasion of Ukraine as Putin seeks to gain an access route between Crimea and target city Odesa. Taking Odesa would mean Russia controls Ukraine's largest coastal town - and the country's only deep-water port. Yet an effective counter-offensive by Ukrainian troops in nearby Kherson has pushed the frontline away from Mykolaiv and back towards Crimea. Donald, 69, a retired Canadian postman living in Mykolaiv, told AFP he considers the port town 'lucky' so far. He said: 'I was having breakfast in my apartment. I heard a whoosh then a boom and my windows rattled. 'It's scary. We have been lucky here in Mykolaiv. We haven't had that many explosions in the centre of the city.' Despite coming under bombardment from Moscow's forces for more than a week, Ukraine's forces in Mykolaiv have foiled a Russian advancement. Most people inside the building escaped injury - but at least a dozen were killed or entrapped Mykolaiv's cemetery has become a mess of rubbish and debris (picture taken last week) The building was a key planning centre (picture taken earlier today, shortly before the strike) Financial Times journalist Max Seddon confirmed Kim's lucky and unplanned escape Governor Kim said last week some Russian forces were pushed back to Kherson and that Moscow's armies have resorted to shelling the city indiscriminately, striking civilian centres. But the medieval tactics have not diminished the resolve of the people of Mykolaiv, who have stopped Russian forces moving into the city itself. He said last Monday: 'The forces that they sent, they thought they'd easily march through here because this was a region that didn't have enough military presence,' he told the newspaper. 'But we've showed them the opposite, with our soldiers and our civilian defence, that they have no business roaming around on our land.' Kim has become the figurehead of Mykolaiv's resistance and has been likened among locals to president Zelensky. Kim addresses more than 700,000 Telegram followers every few hours in a bid to inspire the city to fight back against its would-be occupiers. He begins every video: 'Good day, we are from Ukraine' and has derided the Russian army as 'dumb'. 'They go from one direction and get bashed, they go from another direction and get bashed and then go from a third direction and get bashed as well,' he said in one address. Although Ukrainian forces have pushed back in much of the south, Mariupol remains under severe threat of a Russian takeover in the coming days. These buses were placed as a barrier Russian tanks, identified by 'Z' graffiti, proceed towards Mariupol as the local battle intensifies Residential areas throughout Ukraine have been targeted since the start of Russia's invasion Many residential buildings are just shells of what they once were, while the city's streets are littered with signs of warfare. In the eastern Inhulskyi district of the city, an unexploded artillery rocket was seen sticking up from the pavement, with a traffic cone planted to warn motorists. Glass litters the streets from shattered glass, and civilian defenders patrol with guns. In the city's vast cemetery, another unexploded rocket burrowed into the ground nearly up to its fins. A good part of the city's 500,000 pre-war residents have fled - mostly towards Odesa. Those that remain are determined to hold out. In the Kulbakino district, which includes several blocks of residential buildings, the population has fallen from 12,000 to fewer than 1,000, according to Alexander Zadera, 56. He said: 'We've got used to eating with that sort of background noise. 'Now even my mother recognises the sounds of different types of artillery and missile fire,' the former air force colonel added. Three Thai fishermen were miraculously rescued after tourists on a fishing trip spotted them floating on an icebox in the middle of the sea off the coast of Thailand. The trio had been drifting in the Andaman Sea for more than six hours after their boat capsized when tourists from a passing boat noticed the blue container several miles north of the Similan Islands in Phang Nga province on March 24. When the boat moved closer to the object, passengers noticed the fisherman and his two young crew members clinging to the box in the choppy waters. Three stranded Thai fishermen were miraculously rescued after being found floating on an icebox in the middle of the sea The trio had been drifting in the water for more than six hours when tourists from a passing boat noticed the blue container several miles north of the Similan Islands in Phang Nga province on March 24 The crew quickly threw a rope before pulling the three up from the seawater Onlooker Yuranun Tongprem said: 'I was fishing with my friends as a hobby. We approached the icebox that was floating in the water and saw them. 'They had been floating in the sea for six hours. It's amazing how they stayed strong through the night. My friends and I tried asking them questions but they were only able to share little details about what had happened.' The crew quickly threw a rope before pulling the three up from the sea. The Thai fisherman, believed to be in his 60s, told the crew that he and the two boys had to find a floatable object when their boat sank at 3am earlier that day. When the boat moved closer to the object, passengers noticed the fisherman and his two young crew members clinging to the box in the choppy water of the Andaman Sea Crew had spotted the blue object in the middle of the sea and when they moved close, they noticed the fisherman and his two young crew members clinging to the box in the choppy water of the Andaman Sea The trio had been drifting in the water for more than six hours after their boat capsized when tourists from a passing boat noticed the blue container several miles north of the Similan Islands in Phang Nga province on March 24 The three appeared to be exhausted and suffering from mild dehydration but had no injuries. After resting on board for an hour, Yuranun took the rescued locals to a nearby fishing boat so they could be ferried back to shore and treated at hospital. Whilst incredibly rare to find fishermen floating on an icebox - it has happened before. In 2009, two Myanmar fishermen survived for almost a month in shark-infested waters by floating in a large ice box after their boat sank. In 2009, two Myanmar fishermen survived for almost a month in shark-infested waters by floating in a large ice box after their boat sank The men, both aged in their 20s, were on a Thai fishing boat with 18 others when it sank in heavy seas off Australias north coast. The pair were spotted by an Australian coastal patrol aircraft and were winched onto a rescue helicopter and taken to hospital Thursday Island, off Australias far north. Hospital officials said the pair were hungry and dehydrated after drifting 25 days at sea during the monsoon season and recent cyclonic storms in the region, but they recovered well and were released. A pledge to plant $20million dollars worth of trees for the queen and $61.6million to fight lumpy skin are just some of the eyebrow-raising items in this year's Federal Budget. Treasurer Josh Frydenberg announced a pre-election cash-splash budget on Tuesday, which will see ten million Aussies get up to $1,500 back in their next tax return and another six million will receive a $250 cash handout as well as slashed petrol prices. However, hidden deep within the pages of every federal budget lies strange and unusual projects you would not expect the government to splurge on. Here's some of the eyebrow-raising items unveiled in this year's federal budget. Planting trees for the Queen The government will spend $20.3million over three years to plant trees to mark Her Majesty The Queen's Platinum Jubilee. A number of community-led tree planting projects are underway to mark the Queen's milestone as the first British monarch to reach 70 years of service. Australians will be given the option of planting 'large shade trees' in a school or civic centre to spruce up a local park area or to kick-off a local greening project. According to the federal government Her Majesty has planted 1,500 trees throughout Her reign. The government will splurge $20.3million over three years to planting trees to mark Her Majesty The Queen's Platinum Jubilee (pictured, Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Charles with the first Jubilee tree in the grounds of Windsor Castle earlier this year, on March 23, 2021) The fight against Lumpy Skin Josh Frydenberg will spend $61.6million over four years to fight lumpy skin disease and other biosecurity threats. The government believes the threat of Lumpy Skin Disease is so dire it's allocating almost three dollars per Aussie to prepare for a potential outbreak. The viral disease, which affects cattle and water buffalo, has a low mortality rate but could cause a major blow to production losses and significant animal welfare issues. The government will spend an astronomical $61.6million over four years to fight lumpy skin disease - a viral disease which affects cattle and water buffalo (pictured) REDSPICE The Resilience, Effects, Defence, Space, Intelligence, Cyber, and Enablers project will receive a whopping $9.9billion to prevent hacking and other digital attacks. In his budget night speech Josh Frydenberg lauded the ten-year cyber security program as the nation's 'biggest ever investment in Australia's cyber preparedness'. However, the name has copped flack on social media with Australians drawing comparisons to the popular 90's British girl group, The Spice Girls. 'Scary, sporty, baby, posh, ginger, and REDSPICE,' Tweeted one person. Josh Frydenberg announced a $9.9billion cash splash on cyber security defence program; Resilience, Effects, Defence, Space, Intelligence, Cyber, and Enablers (REDSPICE) (pictured, stock photo) Shooting for the stars The government has also announced it will pour $1.16billion into Australia's first space mission. Minister for Science and Technology Melissa Price said it will spend $38million per year to design, build, and operate four new satellites. 'This budget demonstrates that we are not only shooting for the stars, but also securing our future prosperity here at home,' she said. The National Space Mission for Earth Observation is expected to create more than 500 jobs over the first four years and utilise more than 100 suppliers across Australia. 'The information we get from Earth observation satellites is central to our everyday life from forecasting the weather and responding to natural disasters through to managing the environment and supporting our farmers.' The number of people self-isolating after testing positive for Covid plummeted after Freedom Day in England, official data shows. Just 64 per cent of people with the disease said they stayed home and quarantined for at least five days between February 28 and March 8, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS). That was down from 80 per cent at the start of February, before the rule to self-isolate after a diagnosis was downgraded from law to guidance on February 24. Experts said it highlighted a 'significant' drop-off in adherence, coinciding with a surge in cases in England over the last month. The ONS report based on a survey of more than 1,300 people found a third of all people interviewed did not fully understand the new self-isolation rules. Nearly one in 10 claimed they did not realise they were not advised to go to the shops, walk the dog or drop their children off at school while isolating. Just six per cent were more flagrant of the rules, deliberately ignoring guidance by going to work or seeing their family. Two thirds of Britons stuck to self-isolation guidance at the start of the month after the law to remain at home was dropped by the Government, according to an Office for National Statistics (ONS) survey Health chief hints millions of Brits in 'relevant groups' may need boosters twice-a-year Millions of Britons could need Covid boosters every six months for the foreseeable future, a health boss HAS hinted. Dr Jenny Harries, chief executive of the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), suggested the most vulnerable 'relevant groups' in society will still need regular top-up jabs. Britain is still in a 'period of uncertainty', she said, despite all restrictions being lifted more than a month ago. Experts are unable to predict when a new variant may occur and how it could affect immunity from vaccines, she said. Around 8million over-75s, care home residents and immunocompromised over-12s in England are eligible for fourth doses this spring. Fifth, and potentially even sixth jabs, will be rolled out to a wider group this autumn. Advertisement The report also showed three in 10 people who isolated did so for 10 days or more. Only 67 per cent of people interviewed said they understood the guidance during the most recent most recent week. The rest either misunderstood or were unsure of what had changed. Eight per cent said they could go out to take their children to school or walk their dog during isolation. And 11 per cent claimed they thought advice allowed for trips to the shops for groceries, toiletries or medicine. Guidance states people in self-isolation have to remain at home for the entire five days and ask friends or family to get them food and other essentials if possible. They are also asked to cancel routine medical and dental appointments and consult their GP or dentists if they are worried about symptoms. Of those who did not follow the advice, 94 per cent said they left the house for 'non-compliant' reasons. This was up from 85 per cent the previous week and marked a record high, statisticians said. Tim Gibbs, head of the public services analysis team at ONS, said: 'Now the legal requirement to self-isolate after testing positive for Covid has been removed in England, our data today reveal more about adherence to these rules. 'Compliance with self-isolation rules was significantly lower than the level reported in February 2022, when self-isolation was a legal requirement. 'Despite this, we are seeing that almost all respondents agreed that it was important to follow self-isolation advice.' Despite the higher proportion of people ignoring the advice to isolate, some experts claim it should not be a concern because vaccination has kept Covid hospitalisations and deaths low. Professor David Livermore, a medical microbiologist at the University of East Anglia, told MailOnline: 'I dont think it matters.' He said the milder Omicron and BA.2 variants meant more people were catching the virus without dying, leading to greater immunity on top of vaccines. However, he advised people to avoid visiting more vulnerable relatives if they are unwell. Isolation remained a legal requirement for people in Wales until Monday following a positive test. It will not be dropped until April 30 in Scotland, under current plans. Scotland has seen the highest spike in cases of any of Britain's four nations despite continuing to have the most stringent Covid measures. Despite fears cases were spiralling again following the loosening of restrictions, Britain's cases fell over the weekend in a sign that the current wave may be peaking. There were 215,001 positive tests recorded from Saturday to Monday marking a five per cent drop on last week's same tally, Government data showed. Ministers stopped publishing daily figures on the weekend at the end of last month as part of the living with Covid strategy, and are now considering scrapping the 24-hour updates entirely. There are growing suggestions that infections, which also fell last Friday, could be peaking, four days before free lateral flow and PCR tests are dumped in England. They will remain available in Scotland until May, and in Wales until the end of June. Experts have repeatedly called on ministers not to end the universal swabbing offer, warning it will leave them in the dark over major outbreaks in parts of the country. But No10 today insisted it would not backtrack, arguing the country was now in a 'vastly different' position to last April when the tests first became available to all. Britain's scramble for the last remaining free supplies of lateral flow tests has seen sales of the rapid devices soar five-fold in a week at High Street pharmacies. LloydsPharmacy is already selling the Covid tests, despite free ones being available on the Government's website until Friday. But scores of Britons have complained about being unable to get hold of any kits through the official ordering channel over the past fortnight. Struggles accessing the devices which formed a major part of the UK's Covid-fighting strategy have allowed major retailers to cash in. LloydsPharmacy told MailOnline sales in the week ending March 28 were 400 per cent up on the previous seven-day spell. It also announced it was slashing the price of lateral flows, reducing the price of a pack of five rapid swabs by 20p to 9.29 or 1.86 each making it the cheapest on the market. A single test sold on its own from the company will cost people 1.89, compared to 1.99 at rival Superdrug and 2 at Boots. Meanwhile Boots is selling its five-packs for 9.80 and Superdrug is offering them for 9.79. High street chains have been undercutting each other since February 23, just days after Boris Johnson announced mass public lateral flows would be abandoned on April 1. Rapid tests will be rationed to hospital and care home patients and staff as part of the final stage of No10's living with Covid strategy. Experts have repeatedly described the move to end free testing for those no longer qualifying for them as 'worrying' amid rising cases. Lateral flow tests will be rationed to the elderly and vulnerable people as part of the final stage of No10's living with Covid strategy leading to fears people have been stockpiling the remainder of the free swabs in the meantime. Users have been unable to order tests on the Government's site today High street pharmacists today continued their war of prices ahead of free lateral tests being scrapped from next week. Graphic shows: Different price options at Boots, Superdrug and LloydsPharmacy LloydsPharmacy dropped its price for a pack of five rapid tests to 9.29 costing 1.86 each. At the end of February, they were priced at 9.49 for the pack Downing Street will not U-turn on its decision to scrap free Covid tests Ministers will not backtrack on plans to scrap free Covid tests in England this week despite pleas from health chiefs, Downing Street has said. The Prime Minister's spokesman said the country was in a 'vastly different position' than last April when free testing was first made available, thanks to life-saving jabs and drugs. From Friday lateral flow tests will be rationed to the elderly and vulnerable people as part of the final stage of the Government's living with Covid strategy. After then, people will have to pay privately for a test at pharmacies including Boots, for around 2.50 per test. But a number of experts have called for the cut-off date to be delayed amid sky-high infection rates, including experts within No10's own ranks. The spokesman said: 'There's no plans to change our approach. 'You'll know the significant cost billions of pounds we are spending every month providing free testing to the public. 'And because of vaccines, therapeutics and other means we are now in a vastly different position to where we were when we first started providing free testing.' Advertisement Ahead of the move, a LloydsPharmacy spokesperson told MailOnline the company would be lowering its price for lateral flows slightly on previous plans. They said: 'From April 1 in line with the latest Government changes, lateral flow tests are no longer free across the UK. 'LloydsPharmacy will continue to help keep the public safe and at the moment we offer lateral flow test kits in a selection of quantities to suit customer needs. 'This includes single tests for just 1.89 or up to a pack of five for just 9.29 1.86 per test available in store and online now at LloydsPharmacy.com. 'You can find further information about our range of tests on our website, and up-to-date coronavirus information on the coronavirus page on the Government website.' Boots has been offering its tests since the end of last month and Superdrug is also currently selling its tests online. When the Omicron wave was collapsing in February, Boris Johnson announced that free testing would be scrapped from April. The announcement was widely seen as a way to appease Tory backbenchers who at the time were threatening to hand in letters of no confidence in the PM following the Partygate scandal. But in recent weeks the UK has seen a resurgence in Covid infections and hospital admissions, driven by the even more infectious BA.2 variant, which has led many experts to call for free tests to stay. SAGE has previously warned ending the scheme, which cost up to 2bn a month, would leave the country in the dark to a fresh wave and said poor people will be hit hardest. Experts told said pushing through with the move could leave some of the most vulnerable people in society at risk. Professor Denis Kinane, an immunologist and founding scientist at Cignpost Diagnostics, said: 'I am concerned that the decision to end free tests from April 1 could leave some vulnerable groups at risk, particularly the immuno-suppressed. 'This is worrying with the recent spike in case numbers and hospital admissions.' Covid cases have been on the rise since the start of the month, following all restrictions being eased on Freedom Day on February 24. Hospital admissions have also been increasing, jumping 16 per cent in a week to 2,380 on Tuesday, the latest date data is available for. It was the highest daily total since the peak of the Omicron wave in January, with 2,386 recorded on January 10. People trying to get tests have reported struggling to access them for weeks as the Government started rationing the kits ahead of the cut-off date amid fears people would stockpile them. Professor Kinane added: 'Recent stories about shortages of lateral flow tests shows demonstrate that large numbers of people still want to get tested to reassure themselves or protect their families. 'Alongside this, the testing played a vital role in preventing transmission for those working in settings where they would come into contact with a large number of people. 'Many sectors will be wondering if this will prevent more people from safely returning to their place of work as we begin to live with the virus.' The UK should stop wasting hundreds of thousands of pounds on the 'barmy' Eurovision song contest, a former minister insisted today. Veteran Tory MP Mike Penning said the cult competition is 'full of politics' and 'we know we're going to come last' as a result. He said taxpayers were often not aware that the BBC made a significant contribution to footing the bill - thought to be around 300,000 a year. The intervention - in an interview with Gloria De Piero on GB News - comes after the British entrant last year, James Newman, recorded an humiliating 'nul points' as he came bottom of the table. The contest was hosted in Rotterdam last May, and won by glam rockers Maneskin from Italy - who took to the stage in flared lederhosen with their nipples out. It was only the second time since the UK started taking part in 1957 that its entrant has failed to get any points, but in recent years British hopefuls have languished near the foot of the standings. The UK should stop wasting hundreds of thousands of pounds on the 'barmy' Eurovision song contest, former minister Mike Penning insisted today. Pictured, last year's winners Maneskin The British entrant last year, James Newman (left), recorded an humiliating 'nul points' and Sir Mike said 'we know we're going to come last' Domestic opinion was split on whether the 2021 entry was simply not very good, or other factors such as Brexit were to blame. The BBC has chosen Sam Ryder to represent the UK this year with his song Space Man. Sir Mike said it was obvious that geopolitical factors were more important to the results than the quality of the song. 'We all sit and watch it, we all know we're gonna come last,' he said. 'We all know that Greece is going vote for Cyprus, and the whole of the Eastern block... well, until what's obviously going on recently...' But he added: 'At the end of the day I don't think many of the British public know that we pay for the Eurovision song contest. 'The taxpayer pays for it and that's the only reason that we're always in the final we can't not qualify for the final. The exact figure contributed by the BBC to the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) for the event is not publicly revealed, but it has previously been put at 300,000 or more. Maneskin performing as they took the win for Italy in the cult contest last year Italian entrants Maneskin lick the trophy after their victory last year The corporation has argued that the size of the audiences Eurovision attracts justify the cost. Mr Penning pointed out that as a result the UK did not have to qualify for the finals - suggesting that was the only reason its entrants ever made it through. He also highlighted the geographical oddities of Eurovision. 'I wasn't very good at school, but I didn't think Australia was in Europe... this is barmy,' he said. 'Now we all sit there and have a pizza as a family and have a laugh, but I think there's better money spent by the British taxpayer. 'And if they want us in, let's get there on merit. We know we won't get there on merit we'll be last. 'Not because we can't sing, not cause we don't do good songs, because it's full of politics. Ticket prices for Chris Rock's 'Ego Death' World Tour soared from $46 to more than $400 as demand for seats spiked after Will Smith hit the comedian live on-stage during Sunday night's Oscars awards ceremony. By Tuesday morning, the first show on Wednesday in Boston had sold out. The slap will go down as one of the most shocking moments in awards history, and has already been viewed tens of millions of times. It has sent Rock - already a household name - on the route to global fame as the pictures of Smith's outburst were beamed to every corner of the world, and despite the public humiliation, Rock appears to be reaping the rewards. Just days after the event, the comic will return to the stage in Boston's Wilbur Theatre for the start of his tour that will take him to 35 cities around the world - including in the US, the UK, Australia and New Zealand. Pictured: Chris Rock holds a hand to his face after he was slapped by Will Smith while presenting an award at Sunday night's Oscars ceremony in Hollywood And according to ticket seller TickPick, it has sold more tickets to Rock's tour in the night following the Oscars than it had done in the whole month before it. It also reported that single ticket prices for the Boston show have skyrocketed - with just the cheapest tickets rising from $46 to $314 as of Monday evening. As of Tuesday morning, tickets for the Boston show on the Tickermaster website had sold out, with other location also selling quickly. When announcing the tour in February, Rock said on his Instagram: 'Ego Death World Tour 2022 all new material introspective very personal and very funny. Cant wait to show you.' Attendees will be hoping that he has updated material by the time the first show on Wednesday comes around to address Sunday night's drama. Perhaps appropriately, his final two shows will be held at Hollywood's Dolby Theatre - the very same venue where Sunday night's Oscar spectacle unfolded. Smith shocked the crowd and viewers at home when he took the stage during Rock's remarks after the comedian made a joke about Jada Pinkett Smith, Smith's wife. Rock said, 'Jada, I love you. `G.I. Jane 2,' can't wait to see it.' The joke touched a nerve. Pinkett Smith, whose head is shaved, has spoken publicly about her alopecia diagnosis. Smith strode on stage and slapped Rock across the face. Back in his seat, Smith twice shouted for Rock to 'get my wife's name out your (expletive) mouth.' His words echoed clearly throughout the Dolby, though broadcaster ABC cut the audio for about 15 seconds. Within 45 minutes, Smith won best actor. During his acceptance speech, Smith apologized to the academy. When announcing the tour in February, Rock said on his Instagram: 'Ego Death World Tour 2022 all new material introspective very personal and very funny. Cant wait to show you' According to ticket seller TickPick, it has sold more tickets to Chris Rock's tour in the night following the Oscars than it had done in the whole month before it The spectacle has divided opinion, with some arguing Smith was justified after Rock made a joke about the actor's wife - Jada Pinkett Smith - and her hair loss. Others have argued it was assault, and that Smith should have been ejected. The Academy on Monday condemned Smith's actions in a statement reading: 'The Academy condemns the actions of Mr. Smith at last night's show. 'We have officially started a formal review around the incident and will explore further action and consequences in accordance with our bylaws, standards of conduct and California law.' The Los Angeles Police Department said Sunday it was aware of the incident but not pursuing an investigation because the person Rock had declined to file a police report. Smith on Monday also issued an apology to Rock, saying his behavior was 'unacceptable and inexcusable' and left him 'embarrassed'. 'Violence in all of its forms is poisonous and destructive,' he wrote in an Instagram post. 'My behavior at last night's Academy Awards was unacceptable and inexcusable. Jokes at my expense are a part of the job, but a joke about Jada's medical condition was too much for me to bear and I reacted emotionally. Will Smith shocked the crowd and viewers at home when he took the stage during Chris Rock's remarks after the comedian made a joke about Jada Pinkett Smith, Smith's wife. Rock said, 'Jada, I love you. `G.I. Jane 2,' can't wait to see it' (pictured) Smith is pictured on Sunday night celebrating his Oscar win, in a ceremony overshadowed by his actions Jada Pinkett Smith, from left, Willow Smith, Will Smith, Jaden Smith and Trey Smith are pictured arriving at the Vanity Fair Oscar Party on Sunday Smith on Monday also issued an apology to Rock, saying his behavior was 'unacceptable and inexcusable' and left him 'embarrassed' 'I would like to publicly apologize to you, Chris. I was out of line and I was wrong. I am embarrassed and my actions were not indicative of the man I want to be. There is no place for violence in a world of love and kindness.' Smith then went on to say sorry to the organizers and the producers of the show. He also extended his apology to the family of Venus and Serena Williams. 'I would also like to apologize to the Academy, the producers of the show, all the attendees and everyone watching around the world,' Smith continued. 'I would like to apologize to the Williams Family and my King Richard Family. 'I deeply regret that my behavior has stained what has been an otherwise gorgeous journey for all of us.' The Philadelphia-born actor concluded: 'I am a work in progress. Sincerely, Will.' Advertisement An elite team of British commandos launched a training raid in a small boat from a Royal Navy submarine against the backdrop of snow-covered mountains of a Norwegian fjord. UK forces used the largest winter exercise hosted in Norway in 30 years to demonstrate the unique combined capabilities of the Royal Marines and Submarine Service. In Lyngenfjord, three dozen miles east of Tromso deep inside the Arctic Circle, the Surveillance and Reconnaissance Squadron launched small teams from an Astute-class hunter-killer submarine from Faslane in Scotland for subsurface insertion missions. The aim was to carry out reconnaissance missions on the rocky, icy shoreline in sub-zero temperatures while avoiding the multi-national enemy force hunting them. Royal Marines have deployed to Northern Norway to carry out their traditional winter deployment in the Arctic Circle. Commandos will refresh skills in surviving, moving and fighting across the ice The Surveillance and Reconnaissance Squadron (SRS) exercised deploying Inflatable Raiding Craft's (IRC) from a submarine at Lyngan Fjord in Northern Norway In Lyngenfjord, three dozen miles east of Tromso deep inside the Arctic Circle, the Surveillance and Reconnaissance Squadron launched small teams from an Astute-class hunter-killer submarine from Faslane in Scotland for subsurface insertion missions. Pictured: A Landing Craft Vehicle and Personnel Carrier leaving shore This year, Royal Navy ships will join Royal Marines for the large-scale Norwegian-led exercise Cold Response 22 which will take place between March and April and see around 30,000 troops from 27 countries in Europe and North America taking part Exercise Cold Response Cold Response 2022 is a long-planned exercise bringing together thousands of troops from NATO allies and partners, testing their ability to work together in cold weather conditions across Norway on land, in the air and at sea. Nato said allies and partner armed forces will come together over the next few weeks to trek across the vast wilderness, conduct live-fire drills, and leap into freezing lakes. The alliance said the aim is to make sure the armed forced are prepared to respond to 'any threat or crisis' to keep countries and people safe. Cold Response 2022 is bringing together around 30,000 troops from 27 countries from Europe and North America, including Norwegians, the US, Dutch, French, Italians and Germans. Those troops will be training together in cold weather exercises on land, in the air and at sea - in Norway and the surrounding areas between March and April 2022. Norway hosts the training biannually, and this year's exercise was announced more than eight years ago. Nato said the training is not linked to 'Russia's unprovoked and unjustified invasion of Ukraine'. Source: Nato Advertisement The Surveillance and Reconnaissance Squadron - drawn from Plymouth-based 30 Commando Information Exploitation Group - is a specialist team of commandos, who forge the way ahead for their fellow green berets to follow. They are trained to gather valuable information on the terrain, the enemy and suitable beach landing places for larger amphibious forces to come ashore, arriving by ski, snowmobile, boat, all-terrain vehicles, helicopter or parachute, depending on the situation and environment. 'Being able to move sub-surface gives us a discreet means of moving our specialist teams to any coastline in the world,' said the SRS team leader. 'Not only can we conduct operations in isolation but by accessing and reconnoitring these complex coastlines by small craft we can set the conditions for larger, more lethal follow on forces.' His deputy added: 'Working alongside the submarine was a great opportunity for us. In addition to the submarine work we also took the opportunity to operate alongside our Norwegian colleagues. 'We used one of their larger, faster craft to access areas out of range of our small craft, an excellent example of working together to achieve a common aim.' Commodore Jim Perks, the head of the RN Submarine Service, said: 'The ability to operate undetected for significant periods of time with top quality kit ensures that a submarine remains a formidable delivery mechanism, in this case enabling the covert deployment of the Surveillance and Reconnaissance team as showcased in the exercises off Norway. 'Our ability to work together highlights the remarkable attributes of the team and the platforms in which we operate.' The training in Lyngenfjord - a small but important phase of the Cold Response 2022 exercise - proved the usefulness of using submarines to access strategically important-areas with small teams of highly-trained specialists without being detected. It was also part of wider intensive raiding and reconnaissance operations the UKs commandos have been carrying out in northern Norway during Cold Response. Cold Response is a biennial exercise designed to demonstrate NATOs collective Arctic war fighting capability and test their ability to protect Norway from modern threats This years exercise is the largest of its kind for more than 30 years and has involved 30,000 military personnel from 27 nations including Norwegians, US, Dutch, French, Italians and Germans The UK is one of very few nations capable of operating in this demanding environment and the Royal Marines have been conducting cold weather training in Norway for more than 50 years. They are the UKs force of choice for the region UK forces used the largest winter exercise hosted in Norway in 30 years to demonstrate the unique combined capabilities of the Royal Marines and Submarine Service Astute-class submarines Cost: 1.65billion each Range: Unlimited Speed: 35mph Propulsion: Rolls-Royce PWR2 nuclear reactor Crew: 98 Armament: Tomahawk cruise missiles, Spearfish heavyweight torpedoes Advertisement To the southwest, on Senja Island, 40 Commando - having launched from an amphibious task force spearheaded by HMS Albion - raided Skrolsvik Fort where enemy systems were denying access to air support. The Royal Marines destroyed key infrastructure around the fort - which was built by the Nazis in the Second World War - and secured areas for allied forces to gain access and establish a launchpad to forge inland. Cold Response is a biennial exercise designed to demonstrate NATOs collective Arctic war fighting capability and test their ability to protect Norway from modern threats. This years exercise is the largest of its kind for more than 30 years and has involved 30,000 military personnel from 27 nations including Norwegians, US, Dutch, French, Italians and Germans. The UK is one of very few nations capable of operating in this demanding environment. The Royal Marines have been conducting cold weather training in Norway for more than 50 years and are the UKs force of choice for the region. Brigadier Rich Cantrill, in charge of the UKs commando forces, said: 'Cold Response 22 provides an unparalleled opportunity to come together as a NATO force in the very harsh conditions of the high north and to operate across all the domains, land, air and sea. 'I know that after this exercise we will leave here better connected and more ready. Cold Response 22 offers an amazing opportunity to learn how to work together in a really harsh environment. 'When you are in the high north and when you are in the maritime or ashore, its real. 'Youve got to cope with the environment first before you can then think about the adversary, and so there is no more realistic environment or harsh environment then up here, which is a huge opportunity for all of us.' Jeremy Kyle is preparing to make his on-screen comeback on Rupert Murdoch's new channel TalkTV, which launches on April 25. He will be broadcast on the television network, available on Sky, Virgin Media, Freeview and Freesat, alongside fellow TalkRadio colleagues Julia Hartley-Brewer, Mike Graham and Ian Collins. His latest venture comes after The Jeremy Kyle Show was axed by ITV just days after one of its guests Steven Dymond died in an apparent suicide a week after appearing on the show. Dymond, from Portsmouth, was found dead aged 63 from a suspected morphine overdose after being grilled by the host on the show in May 2019. The hearing into his death was due to begin yesterday at Hampshire Coroners Court in Winchester but was adjourned at his relatives' request. Jeremy Kyle (pictured above), 56, is preparing to make his on-screen comeback on Rupert Murdoch's new channel TalkTV, which launches on April 25 The Jeremy Kyle Show was axed by ITV just days after one of its guests Steven Dymond, above, died in an apparent suicide a week after appearing on the show A coroner decided it would be unfair to the family to proceed with the inquest after Mr Dymond's brother and son applied to have it delayed. Mr Dymond's mother's funeral is taking place today. However, he disagreed with an additional request to postpone it further while the family's lawyers investigate matters raised in a recent Channel 4 documentary about the show. The programme, 'Death on Daytime', heard from former workers on the show who said the platform gave Kyle, 56, a 'God complex' and explained how they would make guests distressed to entertain viewers. One new clip showed Kyle telling off a producer for a 'terrible' script while another recorded him saying to a colleague: 'I don't understand, they're terrible f***ing guests, you've done it again, they're as thick as s***.' Kyle issued a response tot he documentary earlier this month, saying: 'I would like to reiterate my deepest sympathies to the friends and family of Mr Dymond. 'I've consistently maintained it would be inappropriate to discuss the tragic death of Steve Dymond before the legal inquest into it has concluded. 'Likewise, the false and damaging allegations made against me by Channel 4 are with the lawyers now. 'No doubt ITV will address the issues raised by Channel 4 around ITV's production of The Jeremy Kyle Show themselves, it would be wrong for me to speak on their behalf. 'Death on Daytime', heard from former workers on the show who said the platform gave Kyle (file photo), 56, a 'God complex' and explained how they would make guests distressed to entertain viewers 'Now is not the time to debate or discuss what is an ongoing legal process. When I can respond, I will.' Meanwhile, in a statement, News UK said further details on TalkTV's shows and the schedule will be unveiled in the coming weeks. Scott Taunton, EVP, President of Broadcasting, News UK said: 'TalkTV will be a new voice for viewers who are interested in straight talking opinions and expert insight on news and current affairs. 'The channel has been designed for the streaming age and will be accessible on linear TV as well as via social and on demand programming.' He added: 'We have a roster of new talent who will bring compelling new shows to the screen every weekday evening, alongside journalists from across News UK who have expertise in every genre. 'Our existing professional talent on TalkRadio already have their own followings and we will be bringing these popular and informed discussions about news and current affairs to a wider audience. 'Our launch schedule should get the nation talking and bring new choice to viewers in the market.' The TV channel will also host Piers Morgan Uncensored, fronted by the former Good Morning Britain presenter, on weeknights in the UK, FOX Nation in the US and on Sky News Australia. Piers said: 'I'm delighted to now be returning to live television with a new daily show whose main purpose is to cancel the Cancel Culture which has infected societies around the world. 'I want it to be a platform for lively vigorous debate, news-making interviews, and that increasingly taboo three-letter word: fun. I also want it to annoy all the right people.' Anyone seeking help can call Samaritans free on 116 123 or visit Samaritans.org Members of the Royal Family will do less tours overseas and focus on places where they feel they can make a real difference, a royal commentator has said. The future of the monarchy and the Commonwealth has come under scrutiny in recent weeks after the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's tour of the Caribbean. Their intense eight-day long tour around Belize, Jamaica and the Bahamas saw the couple face backlash after encountering tensions in the Caribbean nations. William's trip with Kate had been plagued by public relations gaffes and protests about British colonialism, which led to the endeavour being branded tone deaf to modern sensibilities. The scrutiny came to a head when Prince William released an unprecedented end-of-tour statement addressing growing republican sentiment in the three countries - acknowledging it had 'brought into even sharper focus questions about the past and the future'. In the wake of the criticism over the 'colonial-era' optics of their tour, many have called for an end to similar overseas trips by members of the royal family. Members of the Royal Family will do less tours overseas and focus on places where they feel they can make a real difference, a royal commentator has said. Pictured: The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge came under fire over the optics of this engagement in Trench Town Prince William, Duke of Cambridge is talking to locals on March 26, in Great Abaco, Bahamas Sunday Times Royal Editor Roya Nikkhah believes the tour ignited a rethink of how the royal family plans overseas visits in the future. Speaking on the BBC's Radio 4 Today programme, she said: 'I think it definitely will [spark a rethink] and to be honest I think that rethink had started before this tour got underway because I know that William thought long and hard about how to approach certain things. 'There have obviously been a few missteps. We had that extraordinary statement from him on Saturday night setting out the fact that he takes that on the chin and he wants to sort of look at things differently.' Asked if she felt there would be fewer trips overseas in the future, she added: 'I think thats definitely right and thats very much a legacy I suppose of the Queen who has been head of the commonwealth for so long and is the biggest, most travelled monarch of the modern age. Pictured: Using the Land Rover was meant as a tribute to The Queen but was labelled a 'throwback' to a visit by the Queen but the photo was widely criticised for being 'tone deaf' Pictured: The Duchess of Cambridge waves at children during a visit to Trench Town 'I think we will see fewer tours, to places where I think probably the younger royals feel they can have more impact and its not just a case of going there because they feel they have to.' After their tour ended, Prince William issued a lengthy statement which addressed growing republican sentiment in Belize, Jamaica and the Bahamas - acknowledging it had brought into even sharper focus questions about the past and the future. The duke tacitly acknowledged the anti-royalist sentiment, in his extraordinary statement, saying that while he was committed to service, that involved not telling people what to do. It is about serving and supporting them in whatever way they think best, by using the platform we are lucky to have, he added. It is why tours such as this reaffirm our desire to serve the people of the Commonwealth and to listen to communities around the world. 'Who the Commonwealth chooses to lead its family in the future isnt what is on my mind. Barbados replaced the Queen as head of state in November during a ceremony witnessed by the Prince of Wales. Pictured: Charles during his visit to Barbados last November Charles and Camilla during their most recent tour of Ireland and Northern Ireland this month William and Kate's full post-tour statement Foreign tours are an opportunity to reflect. You learn so much. What is on the minds of Prime Ministers. The hopes and ambitions of school children. The day-to-day challenges faced by families and communities. I know that this tour has brought into even sharper focus questions about the past and the future. In Belize, Jamaica and The Bahamas, that future is for the people to decide upon. But we have thoroughly enjoyed spending time with communities in all three countries, understanding more about the issues that matter most to them. Catherine and I are committed to service. For us thats not telling people what to do. It is about serving and supporting them in whatever way they think best, by using the platform we are lucky to have. It is why tours such as this reaffirm our desire to serve the people of the Commonwealth and to listen to communities around the world. Who the Commonwealth chooses to lead its family in the future isnt what is on my mind. What matters to us is the potential the Commonwealth family has to create a better future for the people who form it, and our commitment to serve and support as best we can. Advertisement William is destined to be the king of Belize, Jamaica and the Bahamas when the time comes, but his statement, and a speech he gave on Friday, indicate the future monarch is aware the changing political and cultural landscape may bring this to an end. Barbados replaced the Queen as head of state in November, and elected its first president during a ceremony witnessed by the Prince of Wales. And a minister from Belize's government told his parliament, a few days after the Cambridges left: 'Perhaps it is time for Belize to take the next step in truly owning our independence.' One walkabout led to heavily criticised pictures of the Duke and Duchess shaking hands with impoverished children through a fence in Trench Town, Jamaica. Further criticism came when the couple inspected a military parade in an open-topped Land Rover which had been used by the Queen in 1953. Royal insiders admitted the moment, designed as a homage to the Queen, had been poorly received. One said: It was a throwback to a bygone era and also impinged on the god-like status of the Queen. However, another senior royal insider indicated that Williams statement indicated the 39-year-old Prince was coming of age. They told the Mail on Sunday: William wanted to acknowledge that not everything on the tour landed the right way, but the couple are of the generation which learns from mistakes. You have to look like you know its not all worked, acknowledge the world has changed and react, not double down. He was showing that he understands that it cant be taken for granted that he will lead the Commonwealth you serve as long as the people want you to serve, you listen, accept their choices and change if you need to. Thats how the Commonwealth survives in the end, by not forcing anything. Advertisement Wherever she goes she always makes an incredible entrance, with throngs of adoring royalists cheering and dozens of TV cameras watching her every step. But today the 95-year-old Queen made a quieter approach as she arrived at Westminster Abbey via a side door as she tried to avoid too many steps. Her Majesty appeared inside the front of the iconic chamber and was part of a small procession that saw her guided to her seat by her disgraced son Prince Andrew. Earlier she made the 22-mile trip from Windsor Castle to Buckingham Palace, before swapping cars and travelling on to Westminster. The Queen was making her first public appearance in five months as she joined the rest of the Royal Family and other dignitaries at a memorial service in honour of her husband Prince Philip, who died last year. The Duke of Edinburgh, who was by his wife's side for more than seven decades, passed away at Windsor Castle in April, two months shy of his 100th birthday. LEAVING WINDSOR: She and her second eldest son Prince Andrew set off from the Berkshire Castle in a Range Rover for Buckingham Palace this morning LEAVING WINDSOR: Prince Andrew (left) leaves Windsor Castle with the Queen (right) this morning ahead of the service of thanksgiving for Philip LEAVING WINDSOR: The Duke of York turns to talk to his 95-year-old mother as they continue on their way to London The Monarch's route to Westminster Abbey was heavily debated ahead of the day amid the logistics of her being in Windsor rather than London and being less steady on her legs than in recent years. She and her second eldest son Prince Andrew set off from the Berkshire Castle in a Range Rover for Buckingham Palace this morning. There they swapped it for her Bentley state limousine and carried on to the Abbey, where they were met by thousands of cheering supporters as she arrived just in time for the ceremony. Police stopped the Westminster traffic before officers on motorcycles swept ahead of the Royal motorcade, made up of a Ranger Rover and Mercedes people carrier. A guard of honour saluted as the Queen's Bentley went past flying the Royal Standard. The vehicle then made a tight turn on to Poets' Yard entrance, where there were fewer steps for her to manoeuvre. ARRIVING AT BUCKINGHAM PALACE: They drive through the gates of Buckingham Palace as Royal watchers stand on and armed police stand guard The car was carefully parked as close to the door as possible, with the Queen sitting behind the driver to minimise the difficulty of her getting inside - and it was turned around while she was in the chamber. Her walking stick was spotted before she stepped out of the vehicle and entered Westminster Abbey. She held on to her son as they headed out of the car and walked through Poets' Corner towards her seat in the Abbey. She also kept her right hand on her walking stick, which she has used over the last few months to help her get around Windsor Castle. They walked at a slow but steady pace both looking ahead, and at the end of the aisle they separated - with Andrew giving a last glance to his mother as she turned right. LEAVING BUCKINGHAM PALACE: There they swapped it for her state limousine and carried on to the Abbey, where they were met by thousands of cheering supporters LEAVING BUCKINGHAM PALACE: Queen Elizabeth II is driven in to attend a Service of Thanksgiving for the life of Prince Philip at Westminster Abbey LEAVING BUCKINGHAM PALACE: The Queen and Prince Andrew, Duke of York, arrive for the service of thanksgiving for late Prince Philip today The Queen was surrounded by close family, friends, foreign royals and hundreds of charity workers in the remembrance of her beloved husband the Duke of Edinburgh at a poignant memorial service. Front and centre of the high profile occasion was the Duke of York, despite Andrew paying millions out of court earlier this month to settle a civil sexual assault case. As the service began, the Prince of Wales leaned over to the Queen and spoke to her briefly. The Queen delved into her black Launer handbag for her glasses. Andrew, who stepped down from public life over his friendship with convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein, had a front row seat, sitting next to his brother the Earl of Wessex and across the aisle from his other siblings. AT WESTMINSTER ABBEY: The Queen was making her first public appearance in five months as she joined the Royal Family and other dignitaries at a memorial service in honour of her husband Prince Philip, who died last year. She is pictured walking with Prince Andrew entering the chamber AT WESTMINSTER ABBEY: Her Majesty appeared at the front of the iconic building and was part of a small procession that saw her guided to her seat by her disgraced son Prince Andrew before sitting down AT WESTMINSTER ABBEY: Despite her frailty, Queen Elizabeth II stands during a Service of Thanksgiving for the life of the Duke of Edinburgh, at Westminster Abbey today AT WESTMINSTER ABBEY: Her Majesty walked with the help of a stick but stood without support sat next to Charles, Camilla, Anne and her husband Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence. Across the aisle was Prince Andrew AT WESTMINSTER ABBEY: Her Majesty stands to sing surrounded by her family with the Duke of York also on the front row.From left to right, front row: Queen Elizabeth II, the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall, the Princess Royal, Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence, the Duke of York, The Earl of Wessex, the Countess of Wessex, Lady Louise Mountbatten-Windsor and Viscount Severn. (Second row left to right) The Duke of Cambridge, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, the Duchess of Cambridge, Peter Phillips, Isla Phillips, Savannah Phillips, Mia Tindall, Zara Tindall and Mike Tindall AT WESTMINSTER ABBEY: Her Majesty listens to the various eulogies to her husband at the Service of Remembrance held almost a year after his funeral Among those attending were Charles, the Duchess of Cornwall, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, the Countess of Wessex, the Princess Royal, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie. Prince George and Princess Charlotte were also present in honour of their great-grandfather - the first time they have attended a major public church service. Some 1,800 people packed the gothic church - in marked contrast to Philip's funeral where only 30 were permitted to attend amid Covid restrictions, with the Queen sat alone, masked in mourning. The monarch had been determined to make the appearance at the deeply personal and significant occasion on Tuesday in honour of her 'strength and stay' Philip - with her attendance only confirmed the same morning. Tuesday's service is the Queen's first major official engagement outside one of her homes for nearly six months, since she travelled to Cardiff to deliver a speech at the Welsh Senedd on October 14. David Rushforth from Worcestershire, a former Chief Petty Officer aboard the Royal Yacht Britannia, who served between 1976 and 1979, was among those who attended today's memorial service at Westminster Abbey. He said: 'It was a wonderful service, a real fitting memorial. He was a fascinating character who I was fortunate to meet many times. 'He was a Naval man and his input on how Britannia should be managed in the days following the death of the Queen's father George VI was invaluable. 'It was also a very sad day, particularly for the Queen, but I think she looked good, all things considered and I hope she thought that the service was the right way to remember her husband.' LEAVING WESTMINSTER ABBEY: The Queen is spotted leaving the iconic Abbey and walking towards her state Bentley before getting in it and heading off with Andrew LEAVING WESTMINSTER ABBEY: The Duke of York helps his elderly mother into the luxury car as they headed away from the Abbey LEAVING WESTMINSTER ABBEY: Her Majesty gets into the Bentley as the door is held open for her on Tuesday afternoon LEAVING WESTMINSTER ABBEY: Her Majesty is pictured in the state limousine with her son Prince Andrew as they left the service on Tuesday afternoon LEAVING WESTMINSTER ABBEY: Her Majesty and Prince Andrew are pictured being driven away after the service in Westminster today LEAVING WESTMINSTER ABBEY: Her Majesty waves from her state limousine as she sits next to Prince Andrew today Sue Calvert, 67, joint chair of charity Action Medical Research, travelled to London from her home in Thirsk, North Yorkshire for this morning's service. She said: 'Prince Philip was patron of Action Medical Research for 70-years so I was honoured to be here to pay my last respects. I thought it was a very moving service and a very fitting tribute. 'I was a little worried at first because waiting for the service to begin, I was looking around for the Queen and I just couldn't see her. 'I thought she'd been unable to make it but a gentleman next to me pointed to where she had come in. The Queen had come through a different entrance and I was so emotional when I saw she had made it. 'I thought the choice of hymns was beautiful and listening to the National anthem gave me goosebumps.' The Right honourable Lord Bradley attended today's service in his guise as Pro Chancellor of the University of Salford, along with Festus Robert, the president of Salford's Student Union. Lord Bradley, 71, said: 'It was a very appropriate memorial which encapsulated his life and interests. Prince Philip served as the first Salford University Chancellor from 1967 to 1991. 'I met him on many occasions in my previous role as MP for Manchester Withington and I thought it was a beautiful service befitting of such a captivating character. Mr Robert, 30, added: 'It was a lovely morning, a moving service to someone who gave a lot to the University of Salford and to young people in general in the form of the Duke of Edinburgh award.' A Liberal Senator has launched an extraordinary attack on Prime Minister Scott Morrison describing him as unfit to be PM, a bully and an autocrat. Concetta Fierravanti-Wells laid into Mr Morrison during a late night appearance on the Senate floor on Tuesday evening, hours after the Budget was handed down. Speaking under the protection of parliamentary privilege, Ms Fierravanti-Wells said: 'He (the Prime Minister) is adept at running with the foxes and hunting with the hounds, lacking a moral compass and having no conscience. 'In my public life, I have met ruthless people. Morrison tops the list, followed closely by (party powerbroker and Immigration Minister Alex) Hawke. 'Morrison is not fit to be Prime Minister and Hawke is certainly not fit to be a minister.' Ms Fierravanti-Wells was recently dropped to an unwinnable spot on the Coalition's Senate ticket for the Federal election. The election date is expected to be announced in days, meaning her 17-year parliamentary career is rapidly coming to an end - at least for now. During her spray, the senator claimed Liberal supporters are despairing at the party's prospects, 'and they blame Morrison for this'. The senator's speech was an unwelcome surprise for Prime Minister Scott Morrison (above, watching Josh Frydenberg's Budget speech) 'It is his way or the highway - (he's) an autocrat, a bully who has no moral compass,' she said. The outgoing Liberal also told Parliament Mr Morrison made racist comments during his preselection for the seat of Cook in 2007. 'I'm advised that there are several statutory declarations to attest to racial comments made by Morrison at the time that we "can't have a Lebanese person in Cook".' Ms Fierravanti-Wells also claimed there is a 'putrid stench of corruption emanating from the NSW division' of the party. She alleged Mr Morrison and Mr Hawke had deliberately contrived a crisis in the NSW branch of the Liberal party for the past year so they could have their own candidates installed. 'I am appalled (party president Philip Ruddock) has allowed Morrison to bully his way to a situation where the next election has been put at risk all to save Hawke's career.' Mr Hawke was facing a preselection challenge for his own seat of Mitchell but was re-endorsed. Tasmanian Greens Senator Peter Whish-Wilson was left stunned by the MP's evening tirade. 'Holy smokes,' he said. Senator Fierravanti-Wells' Senate spray cast a pall over the government on an evening where the Earlier this week, Senator Fierravanti-Wells took aim at the 'Liberal sisterhood' for failing to speak out against toxic parliamentary culture. She referenced the death of Labor senator Kimberley Kitching to a heart attack at age 52 and how she was ostracised by Labor's so-called 'mean girls'. 'We both had factional enemies who desperately wanted to see us defeated and they worked very hard at it,' she said. 'We were both outspoken and not constrained by prevalent groupthink within our political parties.' New evidence has emerged Vladimir Putin and his highest ranking commanders are running the war in Ukraine from top secret nuclear bunkers. Movements of planes used by top Kremlin officials show Putin may be in a hideaway near Surgut, in western Siberia, it has been claimed. His defence minister Sergei Shoigu - who has been mysteriously absent for several weeks, sparking rumours about his health - is believed to be in a bunker near Ufa in the Urals, 725 miles east of Moscow, according to investigative journalist Christo Grozev. This theory is backed up by his daughter Ksenia Shoigu, 31, visiting Ufa for an estimated three days from March 22, with mounting speculation the defence minister is suffering from heart problems. She also abruptly barred public access to her Instagram where she had posed with her baby in the blue and yellow colours of Ukraine. The suspected use of the high security nuclear bunkers is concerning as it leads to suggestions Putin may be prepared to deploy nuclear weapons, a move that would lead to inevitable reprisals. Vladimir Putin and defence minister Sergei Shougi at the Victory Day parade in Moscow, in 2019. Both may now be operating the Ukraine war from bunkers, flight tracking information suggests Investigative journalist Christo Grozev (pictured centre), believes there is enough evidence to suggest Putin and his highest ranking commanders are operating out of bunkers in eastern Russia Movements of planes used by top Kremlin officials show Putin may be in a hideaway near Surgut in western Siberia, it is claimed. Meanwhile his defence minister Sergei Shoigu - who has been mysteriously absent for several weeks, sparking rumours about his health - is believed to be in a bunker near Ufa in the Urals Putin officials warn he 'has the right' to use devastating nuclear weapons Vladimir Putin has the right to launch nukes if he is provoked by NATO over the Kremlin's invasion of Ukraine, a Russian ambassador to the UN claimed last week. Just hours after another Kremlin spokesman warned of possible atomic war, Dmitry Polyanskiy sparked further fears by hinting there would be a seismic response a to any direct involvement in the conflict from the West. 'If Russia is provoked by NATO, if Russia is attacked by NATO we are a nuclear power, why not?' he told Sky News at the UN in New York. 'I don't think it's the right thing to be saying. But it's not the right thing to threaten Russia, and to try to interfere. 'So when you're dealing with a nuclear power, of course, you have to calculate all the possible outcomes of your behaviour.' The top diplomat also continued to dismiss claims that Kremlin forces have carried out war crimes, and suggested evidence of Ukrainian cities being destroyed by Russian missiles was 'fake news'. 'We said from the very beginning, that our military is not a threat for the civilian population Ukraine,' he added. It came after Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov also refused a day earlier to rule out using nuclear weapons, claiming Russian doctrine allows the President to use such force to see off 'existential threat'. Peskov was asked three times on CNN whether he could definitively rule out the possibility of the Russian leader pushing the button - and three times refused to give a straight answer. Advertisement Grozev - who has links to British investigative outlet Bellingcat - said: 'I am absolutely sure that Shoigu is in a bunker. 'Tracking the movement of his plane, we see very frequent flights to Ufa. 'Knowing that there are also protected bunkers in this region, this gives an obvious answer about his place of residence.' In an interview with Ukraine-24 channel, he told TV anchor Yevgeny Kiselyov: 'This is our very justified version. 'I believe in it, and I consider it to be a purely analytical conclusion. There can't be any other conclusion. 'If the Kremlin's war strategy assumes a nuclear strike - and it does - as [Dmitry] Peskov [Putin's spokesman] himself said on CNN a couple of days ago, then there cannot be any other version. 'If there is a decision of a potential nuclear strike, they can't hide the military leadership afterwards. 'They have to be hidden beforehand. 'I am absolutely certain he is in a so-called bunker, and by trailing the plane he usually flies, we see very frequent, almost daily flights to Ufa. 'Knowing this region has those very protected bunkers this leads us to the obvious conclusion. ' He believes Putin has another bunker elsewhere. 'Most likely he is elsewhere, because we are seeing other flights, and they are more classified than the flight that goes to Ufa. 'These are state planes, and they switch off their transponders somewhere around Surgut.' This is Russia's oil capital and is some 1,800 miles northeast of Moscow. 'It looks like the final phase is quite secretive, and most likely there is a more elite bunker there, with the elite of the government.' Previously there have been claims Putin had moved his close relatives to a bunker in the Altai Mountains, some 1,100 miles southeast of Surgut and 2,360 miles east of Moscow. Grozev also suggested that Russia's Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces, Valery Gerasimov, is operating from a bunker. Coincidentally, the defence minister's daughter Ksenia Shoigu seems to have been in Ufa between March 22 and 25. Defence minister Sergei Shoigu (pictured) - who has been mysteriously absent for several weeks, sparking rumours about his health - is believed to be in a bunker near Ufa in the Urals, 725 miles east of Moscow, according to investigative journalist Christo Grozev Movements of planes used by top Kremlin officials show Putin may be in a hideaway near Surgut in western Siberia, it is claimed. (Pictured: Abandoned Soviet bunker in Surgut) The Altayskoye Podvorie resort, built by Gazprom, in the Altai Mountains. The resort allegedly contains one of Putin's personal dachas It was previously alleged that Putin's family have been moved to a huge underground bunker buried in the Altai Mountains (Altayskoye Podvorie resort pictured) Coincidentally, the defence minister's daughter Ksenia Shoigu (pictured) seems to have been in Ufa between March 22 and 25, where her father is believed to be operating out of a bunker 'Today we are in Ufa, on a working visit,' she posted on her Telegram channel on March 22. Local newspapers reported that the financier was visiting 'at the personal invitation of the head of region on March 24 and 25'. She is president of the Russian Triathlon Federation, and promotes a charity called the Hero League. She visited the Patriot military park under construction near Ufa. One theory is that Putin took time out in the pandemic in November or December 2020 when he visited Sarov and laster Tobolsk - which is several hundred miles from Surgut - to inspect emergency bunkers. Advertisement A 192ft superyacht owned by a Russian businessman with an 'infinite wine cellar' and fresh-water swimming pool has been seized in east London as part of sanctions against Russia, Grant Shapps has announced. UK officials boarded 38million Phi - named after the mathematical concept - in Canary Wharf on Tuesday. The vessel is the first to be detained in Britain under sanctions imposed due to the war in Ukraine. Phi made her maiden voyage last year after being built in the Netherlands. The vessel was in London for a superyacht awards ceremony and was due to depart at noon today. The Transport Secretary said: 'Today we've detained a 38 million superyacht and turned an icon of Russia's power and wealth into a clear and stark warning to Putin and his cronies. 'Detaining the Phi proves, yet again, that we can and will take the strongest possible action against those seeking to benefit from connections to Putin's regime.' UK officials boarded 38million Phi - named after the mathematical concept - in Canary Wharf on Tuesday. The vessel is the first to be detained in Britain under sanctions imposed due to the war in Ukraine Phi made her maiden voyage last year after being built in the Netherlands. The vessel was in London for a superyacht awards ceremony and was due to depart at noon today Mr Shapps said: 'Today we've detained a 38 million superyacht and turned an icon of Russia's power and wealth into a clear and stark warning to Putin and his cronies' The Transport Secretary posted a picture of himself, above, stood in front of the yacht on Twitter, writing: 'This Government will continue to take robust action against anyone benefiting from connections to Putin's regime' The Department for Transport (DfT) said it worked with the National Crime Agency (NCA) and the Border Force Maritime Investigation Bureau to identify and detain the vessel. It refused to reveal the name of her owner, stating that he is 'a Russian businessman'. The department described Phi's ownership as 'deliberately well hidden'. It follows two private jets belonging to Eugene Shvidler, a billionaire oil businessman, being seized by UK authorities on Saturday after he was sanctioned over ties with his business partner Roman Abramovich. Phi's owner is not currently subject to UK sanctions. But, under present regulations, a ship owned, controlled, chartered or operated by persons connected with Russia may be subject to a detention direction by the Transport Secretary. Intelligence work by the Cell - supported by colleagues from Border Force Maritime Intelligence Bureau - identified the ultimate owner of the vessel. The information was passed to Mr Shapps who today ordered the first ever detention of a superyacht in UK waters. As a result NCA officers issued the notice of detention. Andy Devine, of the NCA, said: 'Today's activity demonstrates the NCA's ability to react at pace. 'We have surged officers to establish the Combatting Kleptocracy Cell, and the results of this are already bearing fruit. Mr Shapps (above) said: 'It was here for refit, won't be going anywhere, and it's just another indication that we will not stand by whilst Putin's cronies are allowed to sail around the world in these kinds of yachts and people in Ukraine are suffering' The Department for Transport (DfT) said it worked with the National Crime Agency and the Border Force Maritime Investigation Bureau to identify and detain the vessel She is registered to a company based in the Caribbean dual-island nation of Saint Kitts and Nevis, and carries a Maltese flag 'The NCA plays a vital role in targeting suspect assets, pursuing enablers of illicit wealth and supporting government partners in the delivery of the response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.' Phi - a vibrant bright blue super-yacht - is 192ft long and features what is described as an 'infinite wine cellar' and a freshwater swimming pool. She is double the size of the other boats docked around it at Canary Wharf. She is registered to a company based in the Caribbean dual-island nation of Saint Kitts and Nevis, and carries a Maltese flag 'to hide its origins'. The DfT said it is 'looking at a number of other vessels' and hopes its 'strong stance sends an example to international partners'. Mr Shapps said: 'Now the ship is being held, it won't be going anywhere. 'It was here for refit, won't be going anywhere, and it's just another indication that we will not stand by whilst Putin's cronies are allowed to sail around the world in these kinds of yachts and people in Ukraine are suffering. Phi - a vibrant bright blue super-yacht - is 192ft long and features what is described as an 'infinite wine cellar' and a freshwater swimming pool. She is double the size of the other boats docked around it at Canary Wharf Phi's owner is not currently subject to UK sanctions. But, under current regulations, a ship owned, controlled, chartered or operated by persons connected with Russia may be subject to a detention direction by the Transport Secretary 'When you see what he's doing to Ukraine, when you see what he's doing to people's lives, it can't be right to have a yacht like this here in London, able to just sail away and that is why we've impounded it, and denied it ability to go anywhere right now, and it's another indication of how seriously we take these matters.' The move comes after Italian police seized the world's biggest sailing yacht, the 470-foot Sailing Yacht A, from Russian billionaire Andrey Igorevich Melnichenko, the prime minister's office said on March 12. Triesete, designed by Philippe Starck and built by Nobiskrug in German, was mentioned in Winston Churchill's Iron Curtain speech of March 5, 1946, when the war time leader outlined the front line of the Cold War. A spokesperson for Melnichenko, Alex Andreev, said the businessman had 'no relation to the tragic events in Ukraine. He has no political affiliations'. Russian oligarch Igor Sechin also saw his 289-ft 'Amore Vero' - meaning 'True Love' - seized by French custom officers near Marseille after being sanctioned by the European Union. The move comes after Italian police seized the world's biggest sailing yacht, the 470-foot Sailing Yacht A, from Russian billionaire Andrey Igorevich Melnichenko (pictured right, with Abramovich), the prime minister's office said on March 12 Russian oligarch Igor Sechin (pictured above) also saw his 289-ft 'Amore Vero' - meaning 'True Love' - seized by French custom officers near Marseille after being sanctioned by the European Union The Solaris is not as large as the Eclipse, a 533ft vessel. Abramovich has previously owned at least five other colossal yachts, with 162ft Sussurro the most recent to change hands around 2017 Meanwhile, fellow oligarch Abramovich saw one of his superyachts arrive safely in Montenegro earlier this month, where it is beyond the reach of UK, EU or US authorities. His biggest yacht, Eclipse, slipped through the Strait of Gibraltar at 1.30pm, ensuring it remained outside the territory's waters. Abramovich cannot sell any of his UK assets including Chelsea FC without a special licence that can only be granted by ministers and the Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation (OFSI). Any cash he holds in the UK is frozen in accounts if he has not been able to transfer funds abroad, while his shares on the London Stock Exchange cannot be sold and will pay no dividends. But despite these serious allegations, the law doesn't allow ministers to take away Chelsea, properties, yachts, planes, shares and cash. Currently, the Government has powers to freeze UK assets like houses, but it cannot seize them and put them to a different use. The rules in place prevent oligarchs from renting out or selling property they own, hiring someone to clean it or even paying a power company to connect it to the electricity supply or pay a bill. Advertisement A 33-year-old French cryptocurrency expert who was shot at point-blank range by a robber trying to steal his $450,000 Richard Mille watch says he believes he was targeted and followed for hours or days before being ambushed outside his Manhattan hotel. Pierrick Jamaux told DailyMail.com he is shocked by how dangerous the city has become and would never have visited had he known how much it had changed since he lived there 10 years ago. The entrepreneur, who was visiting from Hong Kong with his Australian model wife, Sarah Watts, 26, was getting out of an Uber at the Fifty Hotel and Suites in Midtown when he was shot five times on March 18. Speaking from his hospital bed in New York, entrepreneur Jamaux told DailyMail.com: 'Given the fact he was waiting there when we arrived and also the violence of the crime, I believe he followed me. 'I believe they found me somewhere, then they tracked me for a few hours or days to figure out what I do, where I go. I think it was organized.' Pierrick Jamaux, 33, (pictured inside the ambulance) was shot five times in the legs during an attempted robbery outside his hotel in NYC The NYPD has released these images of the man who shot Jamaux during an attempted robbery in Midtown Manhattan The entrepreneur was visiting from Hong Kong with his model wife, Sarah Watts, 26 (pictured together). At the time of the robbery he was wearing a $450,000 Richard Mille watch (pictured) The attacked occurred on March 18 as the couple and another woman got out of an Uber outside the Fifty Hotel and Suites in Manhattan He believes the armed robber researched the watch he was wearing, which is worth an eye-watering $450,000, before launching his attack. He added: 'It cannot be a coincidence because it happened between the Uber and the door of the hotel - there is two meters of distance. The guy was waiting for me there is no doubt about it. 'He started shooting me even before I understood he wanted my watch and from then I was just pushing the gun down and he kept shooting my legs, it was crazy. 'I know he shot five times but I think some of them went through both legs. Three of them are point-blank shooting. I have a lot of bullet holes.' A 25-year-old female friend of the couple jumped on the robber's back and began to choke him. 'She is one of my really good friends, she is fiery,' Jamaux joked, adding that she'd had a few drinks. 'She jumped on his back and she did a triangle-like choke like in MMA.' The bullets shattered his femur bone and severed his femoral artery, and he quickly passed out in the street as he began to bleed out. The suspect was unable to wrangle the pricey watch from Jamaux's wrist because its bracelet security mechanism. It is not clear whether the watch came with the feature or it was added. The attempted robber got away with a female accomplice in a black four door sedan BMW, the NYPD says. Miraculously, Jamaux survived the shooting, and credits New York hospitals' experience with tackling shootings for his recovery. Jamaux has since undergone six surgeries but predicts he won't be leaving hospital anytime soon. Jamaux works in Hong Kong for Hi, an online banking planform dealing in cryptocurrency, savings and investments Jamaux lived in New York for a year about a decade ago and said the city felt safe at the time. Often on his business trips, he hires a bodyguard, but didn't know he would need one in the Big Apple. He is pictured here with his wife 'You don't need to be a genius to realize New York is very very dangerous right now. I don't think it's safe for anyone. There are too many people who have nothing to lose,' Jamaux told DailyMail.com 'They hit my femoral artery - it's something where you usually die in 5 minutes - it was a major surgery to save my life,' he said. 'If you are going to get shot, the US is the best place to survive a gunshot wound. 'I feel like the doctors really know what they are doing. I think they unfortunately have a lot of practice. 'I was surprised when I talked to one of the doctors here. I said "does it happen often?" and he was like "yes" without hesitation.' Jamaux lived in New York for a year about a decade ago and said the city felt safe at the time. Often on his business trips, he hires a bodyguard, but didn't know he would need one in the Big Apple. 'Because I thought New York was safe, I did not think I needed any security in New York,' he explained. 'A few days before the shooting we walked for one block around midnight and I did not feel safe at all. 'If I knew New York had changed like that, I would never have come here. I probably would have diverted my business trip and stayed in Europe. 'You don't need to be a genius to realize New York is very very dangerous right now. I don't think it's safe for anyone. There are too many people who have nothing to lose.' Jamaux works in Hong Kong for Hi, an online banking planform dealing in cryptocurrency, savings and investments. Police are seen at the scene of Jamaux's shooting in Midtown Manhattan on the evening of March 18 Jamaux, 33, (pictured inside the ambulance) was rushed to hospital after the shooting. He almost died when one of the bullets severed his femoral artery The robber got away with a female accomplice in a black four door sedan BMW, the NYPD says. The Department released this video of the getaway vehicle The entrepreneur has also worked in Paris, where he hails from, New York City and London before he settled in Hong Kong to work with the cryptocurrency company in 2019. Jamaux was sporting a Richard Mille watch when the attack took place. The watches cost on average, $200,000, with some designs fetching for as much as $1.3 million. Jamaux bought his for $150,000 in 2020 as an investment, and now it is now worth a cool $450,000. He was staying at the Fifty Hotel and Suites on 155 E 50th St where rooms range in price from around $350 to $1,000 per night. The attempted robbery comes amid a dangerous crime wave in the once-safe city. In February there was a 60 percent spike in incidents when compared to the same period last year. The city's latest crime figures show there were 9,138 incidents last month, as opposed to 5,759 in February 2021 - with double-digit surges in nearly every major category. There were 32 murders in February - three more than the same month last year. Multiple other categories saw spikes, including car theft, which soared by nearly 105 percent; grand larceny, which jumped nearly 80 percent over the previous year; robberies, which surged 56 percent; a 44 percent bump in burglaries and a 22 percent spike in assaults. Rapes also saw a terrifying 35 percent rise. During the month of February, the NYPD reported a 58.7 percent increase in total crime Overall crime in the city is up more than 45 percent since the same period last year Mayor Eric Adams on Sunday said the spike in crime across New York City has made the Big Apple a 'laughingstock' in need of a 'wartime general' to tackle the ongoing problem. Adams, speaking at the annual NYPD Holy Name Society communion Mass and breakfast, condemned the lawlessness throughout the city. He blamed petty crime and homelessness as contributing factors to the widespread 'dysfunction.' 'Anything goes in the City of New York,' Adams said. 'The most important city on the globe has become the laughingstock of the globe. And the dysfunctionality of our city has cascaded throughout the entire country.' A mysterious, alien-like creature has washed up on a popular beach, leaving locals stunned. The strange creature, which was discovered on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland, this week, appears to have a reptilian-like skull, flabby limbs, a long tail and claws. Local resident Alex Tan first discovered the creature on the shore of Cotton Tree beach during his morning beach walk. A mysterious, alien-like creature has washed up on a beach on the Sunshine Coast, leaving locals stunned He shared a video of his encounter with the unknown animal to his Instagram page and began to provide a guess as to what it could be. 'I've stumbled across something weird,' he said to the camera. 'This is like one of those things you see when people claim they've found aliens.' As Alex provides a glimpse of the creature on camera, flies can be seen crawling on top of it and buzzing around it. 'It looks like a de-haired possum, but different to anything I've seen,' Alex continued before labelling it 'extraterrestrial'. Those who have reacted to the clip on social media believe it could be either a joey kangaroo or wallaby due to its features and small size. The strange creature appears to have a reptilian-like skull, flabby limbs, a long tail and claws Local resident Alex Tan (pictured) first discovered the animal on the shore of Maroochydore beach during his morning beach walk Those who have reacted to the clip on social media believe it could be either a joey kangaroo or wallaby due to its features and small size It's not the first time a strange creature has washed up on the shore of an Australian beach or found in the nearby water. A mysterious brain-like creature was discovered last month at Warriewood Beach on Sydney's Northern Beaches. The creature had left locals mystified, before being identified as a wandering sea anemone. After stumbling across the bizarre blob-like critter the woman uploaded a photo to Facebook in hopes someone could identify it. 'Hey anyone know what this is? Washed up at Warriewood Beach this morning? Approximately 15cm x 10cm,' she captioned the image. A mysterious brain-like creature (pictured) was discovered last month at Warriewood Beach on Sydney 's Northern Beaches. The peculiar red and green animal was spotted by a local during a walk on Warriewood Beach (pictured) on Sydney's Northern Beaches last month Budding wildlife experts were quick to share their thoughts on the brain-like creature with some comparing its consistency to kidney or baked beans. One commenter finally identified the mysterious blob as a 'wandering sea anemone' also known as a 'swimming anemone' or 'brain anemone'. The specie is the largest of the anemone family and is commonly spotted inside rock pools across Sydney due to the its ability to move about freely. The anemone can crawl along the seafloor or drift with the current but is most likely to be found attached to rocks or algae. The swimming anemone can be red, yellow, orange, blue or even striped and is an agile predator when compared to other species. The gelatinous pink blob was photographed by Damien Said just north of Hervey Bay in Queensland in July, 2020 The mysterious creature washed ashore north of Hervey Bay in Queensland (pictured) The anemone is widespread in Australian waters, from Western Australia to NSW, with the odd-looking creature also cropping up in New Zealand. In July 2020, scientists were left baffled when another alien-like sea creature washed ashore at a popular beach just north of Hervey Bay in Queensland. One of the images was set taken beside the photographer's foot to show the sea creature's enormous size The pink blob-like creature was photographed by Damien Said. Beachgoers struggled to identify the mottled pink and white sea creature after images were posted to Facebook by environmental conservation organisation SCF Australia. 'Can anyone ID this?' they wrote. Three images were posted alongside the request for information of a translucent jellyfish lookalike. One of the images was set taken beside the photographer's foot to show the sea creature's enormous size. Many social media users were stumped and noted its 'alien' features, but a few people suggested it may be a type of nudibranch - or sea slug. The invertebrate species are bottom dwelling creatures with more than 2,000 known species. 'This is a hooded nudibranch of the genus Melibe. What an amazing animal!' one person posted. Advertisement Ex-Formula One boss Max Mosley killed himself by shooting himself in the head with a shotgun in his Chelsea bedroom after learning he had weeks to live following months of treatment for cancer, a coroner heard today. Mr Mosley, whose father Sir Oswald Mosley was the wartime leader of the British Union of Fascists and a Hitler sympathiser, was an outspoken president of the FIA, Formula 1's governing body, for 16 years between 1993 and 2009. The tycoon, a qualified barrister and former racing driver, later became an enemy of the free press and backed calls for stricter controls on the media after Rupert Murdoch's tabloid News of the World published photos and video of him at a sadomasochistic orgy with five prostitutes in 2008. An inquest at Westminster Coroner's Court today heard that he was told he had just 'weeks' to live despite months of treatment for a type of lymphoma. The chronic bowel and bladder pain he was experiencing could only be reduced with palliative care but not cured. A neighbour and his housekeeper called 999 after they discovered a note on his bedroom door, stating 'do not enter, call the police', the remote inquest attended by witnesses and family heard. The night before, Mr Mosley had told his housekeeper that he had 'had enough' and was going to take his own life, before he had a final meal with his wife Jean, who lived in a separate house a couple of doors away. Officers discovered the body of Mr Mosley with injuries consistent with a gunshot. A second note found on his bedside table was barely legible, due to the large amounts of blood, but the few words officers could make out were 'I had no choice', Westminster Coroner's Court heard. Former Formula One tycoon Max Mosley, pictured in March 2018, killed himself by shooting himself in the head at his Chelsea home Ex-Formula One boss Max Mosley killed himself by shooting himself in the head with a shotgun in his Chelsea bedroom after learning he had weeks to live following months of treatment for cancer, a coroner heard today Mr Mosley, whose father Sir Oswald Mosley was the wartime leader of the British Union of Fascists and a Hitler sympathiser, was an outspoken president of the FIA, Formula 1's governing body, for 16 years between 1993 and 2009 In a record of his last final moments, his personal assistant of 20 years Henry Alexander said he had gone over to Mr Mosley's home at his request at around 3pm the day before he took his own life. He said: 'He was sat in an armchair in a despairing way. He spoke to me and said I'd been amazing and thanking me. 'He said he'd had enough, had intentions of killing himself. I begged him to reconsider and said, 'please, there must be another way'. 'He said he'd made up his mind. When I pleaded with him, [and] asked him if he could give it 24 hours, he said 'why?'. Mr Alexander said he returned home and sent him texts saying how important he was to his life, which was echoed in his partner's Paul texts that were also sent to Mr Mosley, in which he responded 'thank you'. He later said he last saw him through the window making his way to his wife's house a couple of doors down from his own. Detective Constable Ben Benlounes, who gave evidence at the hearing, said Mr Mosley had dinner with his wife at around 7pm. He said: 'She described him as being in great pain, and he did not eat much. 'He returned home and he called her to say he was inside the property. Mosley's neighbour and housekeeper called 999 after they discovered a note on his bedroom door, stating 'do not enter, call the police', the remote inquest attended by witnesses and family heard. Above: The home in Chelsea where he was found dead Mosley (right) pictured standing in front of a Ferrari car on the grid before the start of the British F1 Grand Prix in 2009 'She described him as being very frail and he did not know where to turn to.. He had been too ill and he had very little quality of life.' The following day, Mr Alexander said he accessed Mr Mosley's house via his basement flat after 8am. Mosley's battle with the press after S&M story Mosley was featured on the front page of the News of the World after it discovered he was having a sadomasochistic sex session. The newspaper had reported it as a 'sick Nazi orgy' but Mr Justice Eady ruled in court that he found no evidence of Nazi themes. He also said there was no public interest defence in the clandestine recording of the session. Mosley - under the name of Mike - had walked to a 2million riverside flat which he rented for a year on London's Chelsea embankment with 2,500 cash in his pocket to pay the five prostitutes. The main dominatrix, a blonde referred to as Woman A, had arrived earlier with whips and uniforms including a modern Luftwaffe jacket. Dressed in her German military uniform, she gave Mr Mosley a 'judicial' which Mr Justice Eady explained in his judgment is a 'very common form of role-play on the S&M scene'. Mr Mosley's 'sentence' involved him being ordered to undress and given a 'medical inspection', including his head being examined for lice. In his judgment, Mr Justice Eady quoted from the News of the World's report of what happened, which was headlined 'F1 Boss Has Sick Nazi Orgy With 5 Hookers'. It said Mr Mosley lay naked and trussed up in chains as one of the women beat his backside with a cane until he bled. Mr Mosley's masochistic punishment over, he then proceeded to take a turn as a sadist. He beat two prostitutes wearing striped prison uniforms, counting out the lashes in German. But Mr Justice Eady, Britain's top privacy judge at the time, said it was clear that Mr Mosley 'threw himself into his role with considerable enthusiasm' and it was all 'no doubt interesting to the public'. But he concluded Mr Mosley's 'unconventional' sex life which he had indulged in for some 45 years was not genuinely a matter of public interest. And he ruled that there was no Nazi element to the orgy, as the newspaper had claimed. He ruled: 'There was bondage, beating and domination which seem to be typical of S and M behaviour. But there was no public interest or other justification for the clandestine recording, for the publication of the resulting information and still photographs, or for the placing of the video extracts on the News of the World website all of this on a massive scale.' Advertisement He said he sent Mr Mosley a text asking him if he wanted breakfast upstairs. 'I rang him and it went to voicemail. I went upstairs and there was a note attached to the door reading 'do not enter' and 'call the police,' Mr Alexander said. 'I dialled 101 and then called 999. I did not hear any unusual noises coming from the house.' DC Benlounes said he arrived at the scene at approximately 10.15am and spoke with the acting inspector. He said: 'During that time, the family's doctor exited the car to say Mr Mosley had a large lymphoma which had been irritating the bladder. 'He did say that the consultation was he may have two to three weeks left and this could have been the reason why he killed himself.' The officer confirmed there were no signs of anything suspicious or forced entry and that Mr Mosley had possession of a gun licence with four guns in the property. He said: 'On the chest of drawers there was a suicide note which was covered in blood. The writing was faint but I could read, 'I had no choice.'' Senior Coroner Dr Fiona Wilcox said: 'On May 24, 2021, police were called to the address of Mr Mosely, attended, and found him lying on his bed with a gun in the vicinity. 'He suffered significant injuries consistent with gunshot wound.' The court heard how Mr Mosley developed diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, a cancer affecting immune cells, in 2019 and 'explored all treatment options' The inquest also heard a written statement from Dr Christopher McNamara, a consultant haemotologist who first saw Mr Mosley in October 2019. He said he had recommended a course of chemotherapy for prostate cancer. Dr McNamara said: 'At the end of the therapy he had refractory disease. 'Over the next nine months, he tried a range of different treatment options - some of these were prescribed by myself and undertaken by Mr Mosley against my advice. 'This included proton beam therapy and surgical therapy. During treatment, it was also discussed there was risk of developing a fistula. There was an enormous effort to try to prevent this. 'Mr Mosley arrived at a point at the beginning of April when there was a shift away from treating aggressively and more towards controlling the disease and quality of life. I referred Mr Mosley to palliative care colleagues.' He added: 'Max had a terminal illness and accepted this would not be cured. 'The treatment which had ben given to him recently was meant to control the illness. A fistula developed and he was extremely upset because of his quality of life which left him uncomfortable. 'Mr Mosley had expressed ideas of committing suicide to myself and other colleagues and had been referred to appropriate colleagues. 'He never expressed a plan of doing this and always said the problem was that his wife would not accept this. 'He also indicated his affairs had been in order.' Dr Rasha Al-Qurainy, who led his palliative care, said that Mr Mosley never gave any indication of suicide ideation. Max Mosley seen at the wheel of a race car back in 1968, when he started as a driver before his meteoric rise in the sport Mosley was survived by his wife Jean, who he married in Chelsea in 1960 (pictured left). He was the son of Sir Oswald Mosley, the odious Blackshirt fascist leader and Hitler sympathiser. Right: Mosley is seen with his father and mother, Lady Diana Mosley, in 1962 Giving live evidence, she said: 'He was talkative, a very pleasant gentleman. We were there for 45 minutes and talked a lot about his physical symptoms and other things like that. 'He indicated no plans to end his own life. 'On the contrary that he said he had plans to renovate the home in Gloucestershire, he was still seeking treatment possibly in the US, possibly in the UK, and others matters that he told me that he had plans to engage in.' Emma Mosley, Mr Mosley's daughter-in-law, gave a written statement paying tribute. She said: 'Mr Mosley died after a long battle with cancer. He was a barrister and amateur racing car driver. 'Mr Moslely identified his major achievement as FIA president, the promotion of road safety by the European New Car Assessment programme and the increased safety and the use of green technologies in Formula 1.' Mr Mosley was enormously influential in the world of motorsport and stepped away from his role in 2009 after 16 years at the helm. Pictured: The tycoon in 2015 In 2018, allegations emerged that he published a racist campaign leaflet in support of his father's Union movement in a 1961 by-election which linked non-white immigrants with diseases such as tuberculosis, VD and leprosy. Max Mosley successfully sued over this News of the World exclusive in 2008 Mr Mosley said he did not 'recognise' the leaflet and it was 'not something I would have ever wished to be associated with'. His parents - Sir Oswald Mosley and Lady Diana Mitford - had a wedding attended by Hitler at the home of Nazi propaganda chief Joseph Goebbels. Mr Mosley's parents were both jailed shortly after he was born for being Nazi sympathisers during the Second World War. Their secret wedding was even attended by Hitler and hosted in the home of Nazi propagandist Joseph Goebbels in Berlin in 1936. Mr Mosley was sent to school in Germany for two years where he learned to speak fluent German. On his return to England, he spent a year at Millfield, a prestigious international boarding school, and then later went on to the University of Oxford, graduating with a degree in physics in 1961. He married wife Jean, the daughter of a South London policeman, at Chelsea Registry Office in June 1960. After qualifying as a barrister, Mr Mosley became involved in motorsports and made the dangerous sport safer. He went on to build F1 into a global mega-brand alongside ex-F1 chief executive Bernie Ecclestone. As president of motorsport's governing body, the Oxford University-educated Briton oversaw the stunning global spread of F1, with new races in Asia and the Middle East. But he was also in charge at the time of the tragic death of star driver Ayrton Senna in 1994, multiple scandals and furious squabbling within the sport about its astronomic costs and the distribution of its massive revenues. Mr Mosley said his greatest achievement was making the dangerous sport safer after the death of Senna, Brazil's beloved three-time world champion. Left to right: Max Mosley, Flavio Briatore, Bernie Ecclestone, and Ronaldo pose on the grid of the Monaco racetrack, 2003 Max Mosley and his wife Jean at Chelsea Register Office in 1960. The ex-F1 tycoon is survived by his wife He won his 2008 privacy case against the News of the World after it it printed photographs and published video of his involvement in a sadomasochistic sex session. It was reported by the newspaper as a 'sick Nazi orgy' but Justice Eady found no evidence of Nazi themes in his judgement. He also said there was no public interest defence in the clandestine recording of the session. On the afternoon of March 28, 2008, Mr Mosley calling himself 'Mike' walked to a 2million riverside flat which he rented for a year on London's Chelsea embankment with 2,500 cash in his pocket to pay the five prostitutes. The main dominatrix, a blonde referred to as Woman A, had arrived earlier with whips and uniforms including a modern Luftwaffe jacket. Dressed in her German military uniform, she gave Mr Mosley a 'judicial' which Mr Justice Eady explained in his judgment is a 'very common form of role-play on the S&M scene'. Mr Mosley's 'sentence' involved him being ordered to undress and given a 'medical inspection', including his head being examined for lice. In his judgment, Mr Justice Eady quoted from the News of the World's report of what happened, which was headlined 'F1 Boss Has Sick Nazi Orgy With 5 Hookers'. It said Mr Mosley lay naked and trussed up in chains as one of the women beat his backside with a cane until he bled. Mr Mosley's masochistic punishment over, he then proceeded to take a turn as a sadist. He beat two prostitutes wearing striped prison uniforms, counting out the lashes in German. Mr Justice Eady, Britain's top privacy judge at the time, said it was clear that Mr Mosley 'threw himself into his role with considerable enthusiasm' and it was all 'no doubt interesting to the public'. But he concluded Mr Mosley's 'unconventional' sex life which he had indulged in for some 45 years was not genuinely a matter of public interest. And he ruled that there was no Nazi element to the orgy, as the newspaper had claimed. 'There was bondage, beating and domination which seem to be typical of S and M behaviour,' he said. But there was no public interest or other justification for the clandestine recording, for the publication of the resulting information and still photographs, or for the placing of the video extracts on the News of the World website all of this on a massive scale. 'Of course, I accept that such behaviour is viewed by some people with distaste and moral disapproval, but in the light of modern rights-based jurisprudence that does not provide any justification for the intrusion on the personal privacy of the Claimant.' Engineering team principals Max Mosley (later FIA president), Alan Rees and Robin Herd with the Ford Cosworth V8 engine before the start of the 1971 Formula 1 Grand Prix season at the March Engineering facility in Bicester, United Kingdom The High Court awarded Mr Mosley 60,000 damages after ruling that there was no justification for a front-page article and pictures about his meeting with five prostitutes in a London flat. But while the paper was also ordered to pay 420,000 of his legal costs his total bill came to more than 500,000, leaving Mr Mosley 30,000 out of pocket, he later revealed. During his High Court battle, Mr Mosley said: 'All my life I have had hanging over me my antecedents, my parents, and the last thing I want to do in some sexual context is be reminded of it. 'I wouldn't consider my parents to be Nazi, but there is obviously a link.' Appearing before the Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee in 2009, he sparked a stunned response from MPs when he said his father might have overdone it a bit. Mr Mosley said: 'When I was young I always stuck up for him. You always have sympathy for your parents and I see why he did what he did - it does not mean I agree with him.' Explaining his actions in the wake of the News of the World scandal, Mr Mosley added: 'I think it is better to underdo it than overdo it.' Citing Sir Oswald as an example, he said: 'I think he overdid it - that stopped people thinking seriously about his ideas.' Mr Mosley oversaw March's legal and commercial affairs from 1969 to 1977 and became the official legal advisor to the Formula One Constructors' Association (FOCA) in the mid-70s. He helped draw up a peace agreement between FOCA and FISA, F1's governing body at the time, and went on to become FISA president in 1991. Max Mosley talks with McLaren F1 driver Lewis Hamilton and his brother Nick at the 2007 FIA Gala Prize Giving Ceremony Two years later, he took over unopposed at the FIA, leading the safety reforms in the sport which followed the death of Ayrton Senna at the San Marino Grand Prix in 1994. As president, Mr Mosley pledged that the FIA should make a difference in the world outside motor racing and set about promoting increased road safety and the use of green technology. In 1996, Mr Mosley led the FIA's successful campaign to modernise and strengthen European Union crash test standards for the first time since 1974 and also promoted the European New Car Assessment Programme (Euro NCAP), the independent crash-test organisation. In 2004, Mr Mosley helped set up the FIA Institute for Motor Sport Safety in order to develop and improve safety measures across all areas of motor sport, from junior racing to top-level championships. He was re-elected as FIA president three times - in 1997, 2001 and 2005 - each time unopposed before Jean Todt replaced him in 2009. After the coverage of his sex life, Mr Mosley used his millions to bankroll state-recognised press watchdog Impress. The inquest continues. For confidential support, call the Samaritans on 116 123 or visit samaritans.org Stanford University has defined parental couples as 'mother pairs,' 'mixed gender,' and 'fathers who have given birth' in a new study that concludes lesbian couples suffer a higher rate of complicated pregnancies possibly due to stress. The review, which followed the pregnancies of 1.5million women in the US, used the terminology to categorize heterosexual and same-sex sample sets. It found that women were more likely to suffer complications than 'mixed-gender' couples - couples made up of a man and a woman. 'The disparities faced by people who were mothers in partnership with a mother were striking,' said Sandford Biostatistics instructor Stephanie Leonard, the lead author of the study, published Monday in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology. The study, which refers to its heterosexual, 1.4 million-strong sample set as 'mothers with father partners,' followed the pregnancies of 2,572 lesbian couples, as well as 498 'fathers who have given birth' - presumably trans men who retained a uterus. No disparities emerged among those 'fathers,' whose births represented less than 1 percent of the total studied. Lead author Stephanie Leonard of Stanford called the results of the study - which found that lesbian couples giving birth had higher rates of complications during pregnancy - 'striking' Dr. Juno Obedin-Maliver, a professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Stanford Medicine and the study's senior author, said she believes the issues seen in the pregnancies of all-female couples could be related to the stress of being a lesbian The study, which refers to its heterosexual, 1.4 million-strong sample set as 'mothers with father partners,' followed the pregnancies of 2,572 lesbian couples, as well as 498 'fathers who have given birth' - presumably trans men who retained a uterus The review itself, carried out by scientists at the universitys School of Medicine between 2016 and 2019, did not give reasons for the disparities among its lesbian sample set, which included markedly increased chances of hemorrhaging and profuse bleeding after giving birth. However, speaking to the San Francisco Chronicle Monday, the study's senior author, Dr. Juno Obedin-Maliver, a professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Stanford Medicine, said she believes the issues could be related to the stress of being a lesbian. 'What we are seeing what we think were seeing,' the doctor told the paper, 'is how stigma and discrimination play out in peoples bodies and health.' Speculating to the outlet, Obedin-Maliver said that underrepresentation felt by all-female couples excluded from activities such as 'weddings, parenting magazines, and breast-feeding classes' because of their gender may be to blame said stress. 'At every turn theyre facing a world that was not created for them and does not represent them,' the Stanford professor asserted Monday, after the study was published. 'All of that assumes that two women arent having a baby.' Obedin-Maliver, a board-certified obstetrician/gynecologist, added that health care providers unequipped to handle concerns unique to lesbian couples may also explain the heightened risks. 'I think that is whats translating into these poor health outcomes.' The Stanford study, published Monday, ruled out socioeconomic factors education, insurance, age, pre-existing health conditions and other factors as roots of the disparities The report ruled out socioeconomic factors education, insurance, age, pre-existing health conditions and other factors as roots of the disparities. The study was made possible, researchers said, by a California law that altered birth certificates in 2016, by no longer requiring parents to designate themselves as a newborn's 'mother' and 'father,' and allowing the gender-neutral options 'parent giving birth and parent not giving birth.' On the new state forms, each parent 'can indicate whether they identify as a mother or father,' allowing researchers to analyze all births in the state, rather than a smaller sample of participants, its authors told The Chronicle. Researchers conceded that the study had its shortcomings, as due to the new, sometimes vague state-set gender designations, study authors could not be sure of each parent's role. For example, authors would not be able to discern if a mother-father partnership included a bisexual man or woman solely by looking at data collected. Moreover, sample sets could have been affected and misclassified if parents misunderstood the new options on the state's form or simply chose not to disclose a same-sex partnership. Some hospitals may also have used their own birth certificate form instead of the state's, the researchers said. The 25th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution deals with presidential authority in the event of death or removal from office, and was ratified in 1967, in the wake of John F. Kennedy's assassination. What does the 25th Amendment say? It is in four sections, all dealing with the President leaving office during his or her elected term. The first section states that the vice president takes over the Oval Office if the President dies or resigns or is removed something that the original Constitution did not clearly state. Presidents of course can be removed by impeachment, a feature of the Constitution from the start. They can also be removed through the 25th Amendment. Section II states that if the Vice President dies, or resigns or is fired both the House and Senate have to confirm a new Vice President. Until 1967, presidents could change vice presidents mid-term on their own if they got the Vice President to agree to resign - not something that actually happened, but which was possible in principle. Section III makes clear that a President can temporarily delegate his or her powers to the Vice President, and later reclaim them when he or she is capable of serving. This is most often invoked if a President is under the influence of surgical anesthetic for a short period of time. Section IV is the amendment's most controversial part: It describes how the President can be removed from office if he or she is incapacitated and does not leave on his or her own. The Vice President and 'a majority of either the principal officers of the executive departments or of such other body as Congress may by law must write to both the President Pro Tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House, saying that 'the President is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office.' The term 'principal officers of the executive departments' would normally mean the Cabinet secretaries. So at least eight of the president's 15 most senior Cabinet members together with the Vice President must agree that a President should be removed before any plan can move forward. Notifying the House Speaker and the Senate President Pro Tempore is the act that immediately elevates the Vice President to an 'acting president' role. The deposed president can contest the claim, giving the leaders of the bloodless coup four days to reassert their claims to the House and Senate. Congress then has two days to convene unless it is already in session and another 21 days to vote on whether the President is incapable of serving. A two-thirds majority in both houses is required to make that determination. As soon as there is a vote with a two-thirds majority, the President loses his or her powers and is removed, and the Vice President stops acting and is sworn in as President. But if 21 days of debate and votes ends without a two-thirds majority, the President gets back powers. What could happen to trigger the 25th Amendment? The Vice President and eight of the 15 'principal' Cabinet members would have to agree to notify Congress that the President is incapable of running the country. That group is made up of the Secretary of State, Treasury Secretary, Secretary of Defense, Attorney General, Interior Secretary, Agriculture Secretary, Commerce Secretary, Labor Secretary, Health and Human Services Secretary, Transportation Secretary, Energy Secretary , Education Secretary, Veterans Affairs Secretary and Homeland Security Secretary. Their formal notification would go to the House Speaker and, in the Senate, to the 'President Pro Tempore,' the Senate's most senior member. As soon as the letter is sent, the Vice President would become 'Acting President.' Alternatively, Congress could set up its own mechanism to decide if the President is fit for office - maybe a commission or a joint committee. The Vice President would still have to agree with its conclusion and then write formally to the Speaker and President Pro Tempore. Or another possibility is that the pool of 'principal officers' is considered to be bigger than the 15 and a majority of that group call the President incapable. What if the President does not agree? If the President claims he or she is capable of holding office, he or she would write to the House Speaker and the President Pro Tempore of the Senate within four days, setting up three weeks of intense debate in both houses of Congress. The President would be removed from office if two-thirds majorities in both the House and Senate agreed with the Vice President and his cabal. If either of both chambers fell short of that mark, the President would retain powers and likely embark on a wholesale housecleaning, firing the Vice President and replacing disloyal Cabinet members. Are there any loopholes? The 25th Amendment allows Congress to appoint its own panel to evaluate the President instead of relying on the Cabinet the men and women who work most closely with the President to decide on a course of action. It specifies that some 'other body as Congress may by law provide' could play that role, but the Vice President would still need to agree with any finding that the president is incapable of discharging his duties. That commission could hypothetically include anyone from presidential historians to psychiatrists, entrusted to assess the President's fitness for office. Another loophole is that it does not spell out that the Cabinet is needed to agree, but says that the 'principal officers' of the departments are needed. That term is undefined in the Constitution. In some departments, legislation appears to name not just the secretary but deputies and even undersecretaries as 'principal officers,' so many more people could be called in to the assessment of the President's fitness. But the President's Cabinet has a swathe of 'acting' cabinet officers - and it is unclear if they could therefore take part in removing the President. Could the President fire the Vice President if he or she rebelled? No. The Vice President can resign or be impeached and removed - but he or she does not serve at the pleasure of the President. Is there any precedent for this? No. Only Section III, the voluntary surrender of presidential powers, has ever been used - and only very briefly. In December 1978, President Jimmy Carter thought about invoking Section III when he was contemplating a surgical procedure to remove hemorrhoids. Presidents Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush both voluntarily relinquished their powers while undergoing procedures under anesthetic. Section IV has also never been invoked, although there have been claims that Ronald Reagan's chief of staff Donald Regan told his successor, Howard Baker, in 1987 that he should be prepared to invoke it because Reagan was inattentive and inept. The PBS documentary 'American Experience' recounts how Baker and his team watched Reagan closely for signs of incapacity during their first meeting and decided he was in perfect command of himself. Advertisement The dean of Yale Law School has finally broken her silence two weeks after woke students shouted down speakers and threatened them during a debate on free speech. Heather Gerken said Monday that students' behavior during the March 10 fracas at a debate between a conservative speaker and a progressive had been 'unacceptable,' but insisted that it fell within the college's rules. She wrote: 'This behavior was unacceptable; at a minimum it violated the norms of this Law School. This is an institution of higher learning, not a town square, and no one should interfere with others' efforts to carry on activities on campus. 'YLS is a professional school, and this is not how lawyers interact. We are also a community that respects our faculty and staff who have devoted their lives to helping students. Professor Kate Stith, Dean Mike Thompson, and other members of the staff should not have been treated as they were. 'I expect far more from our students, and I want to state unequivocally that this cannot happen again. My administration will be in serious discussion with our students about our policies and norms for the rest of the semester.' But Gerken also insisted that the students hadn't actually violated the college's rules - even though one protester was filmed shouting 'I'll fight you bitch,' while squaring up to conservative speaker Kristen Waggoner of the Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) and liberal humanist Monica Miller. She explained: 'In accordance with the University's free expression policy, which includes a three-warning protocol, those protesting exited the room after the first warning, and the event went forward. Had the protestors shut down the event, our course of action would have been straightforward - the offending students without question staff. would have been subject to discipline. Yale's Law School Dean Heather Gerken (pictured) said students at a protest earlier this month were well within their rights to protest and their actions did not warrant disciplinary actions 'Although the students complied with University policies inside the event, several students engaged in rude and insulting behavior as the event began; a number made excessive noise in our hallways that interfered with several events taking place.' The debate, hosted by the college's conservative-libertarian Federalist Society, had been intended to show how two speakers from different ideological perspectives could agree on the need to support the First Amendment. But it was hijacked by an angry mob upset over the ADF's previous position on LGBTQ issues, who screeched, screamed and banged the walls outside when told to leave. Gerken wasn't present at the debate, but assistant dean Ellen Cosgrove was, and failed to confront students, leading to allegations of cowardice. Full text of Yale Law School Dean's letter claiming woke student mob DIDN'T break protest rules Dear Members of the Community: As we return from spring recess, I write to reflect on the protest that occurred earlier this month at the Law School. Shortly before break, a group of students protested the Federalist Society's decision to bring a speaker from Alliance Defending Freedom to campus because of the organization's position on LGBTQ rights, including same-sex marriage and the treatment of transgender people. Under the University's free expression policy, student groups have every right to invite speakers to campus, and others have every right to voice opposition. Our commitment to free speech is clear and unwavering. Because unfettered debate is essential to our mission, we allow people to speak even when their speech is flatly inconsistent with our core values. In accordance with the University's free expression policy, which includes a three-warning protocol, those protesting exited the room after the first warning, and the event went forward. Had the protestors shut down the event, our course of action would have been straightforward - the offending students without question staff. would have been subject to discipline. Although the students complied with University policies inside the event, several students engaged in rude and insulting behavior as the event began; a number made excessive noise in our hallways that interfered with several events taking place; and some refused to listen to our staff. This behavior was unacceptable; at a minimum it violated the norms of this Law School. This is an institution of higher learning, not a town square, and no one should interfere with others' efforts to carry on activities on campus. YLS is a professional school, and this is not how lawyers interact. We are also a community that respects our faculty and staff who have devoted their lives to helping students. Professor Kate Stith, Dean Mike Thompson, and other members of the staff should not have been treated as they were. I expect far more from our students, and I want to state unequivocally that this cannot happen again. My administration will be in serious discussion with our students about our policies and norms for the rest of the semester. As Dean, I am deeply committed to our free speech policies and the values they safeguard. I will protect free speech without fear or favor. But I have waited to write you because it is our conversations as a community that matter most. In our statement-hungry culture, university leaders are constantly asked to be referees, encouraging our students to appeal to a higher authority rather than to engage with one another and tempting outsiders to enlist academic institutions in their own political agendas. Statements are expected instantly from institutions whose core values include deliberation and due process values that are essential where, as here, the reporting has been so contradictory. And pundits parse any statement to see which side they favor when the role of a university is not to take sides but to articulate its mission with clarity. Most importantly, statements are poor teaching tools. Learning involves speaking and listening, through iterative conversations in smaller settings with mentors and peers. That has always been our teaching model, and that is the only way that our norms can be understood and internalized. Although these conversations are not visible to outsiders, they are taking place here now, and the institution will be the better for it. The deeper issues embedded in this event are not unique to Yale Law School they plaque our democracy and institutions across the country. Nonetheless, we will overcome these challenges because we must. Together, we will figure out how to nurture a thriving intellectual environment while maintaining a community of equality and mutual respect. It is harder than ever to find common ground; the stakes are high, and the rights of cherished members of our own community are under attack. But it is essential that we keep this community together despite the many forces seeking to divide us. I am heartened that as we push forward, we build on an intellectual tradition that stretches back centuries, with a faculty wholly committed to the School's academic mission and students of every political stripe imbued with idealism and intelligence. As Dean, I am and will always remain unalterably committed to keeping that tradition vibrant and alive. Heather K. Gerken Dean and Sol & Lillian Goldman Professor of Law Advertisement More than 100 students intimated a conservative panelist during Yale Law School's free speech debate earlier this month The panel featured progressive Monica Miller (left) and conservative Christian Kristen Waggoner (right), both of whom took the same side in a 2021 case involving legal remedies for First Amendment violations that was presented to the Supreme Court Some of the students were captured intimidating Waggoner by yelling they would 'literally fight you, b***h' According to the school's policy, all students are 'generally free' to express their views and that free expression includes the 'right to peaceful dissent, protests in peaceable assembly and orderly demonstrations, and the use of signs, banners, and posters.' But the policy also specifies that when the school hosts outside speakers, students can protest and express disagreement but they are not allowed to 'interfere with a speaker's ability to speak or attendees' ability to attend, listen and hear.' The havoc caused by the nearly 120 demonstrators appeared to clearly violate the university's free speech policy and when they were reminded by moderator Kate Stith, she was met with chants and raised middle fingers, to which she replied: 'Grow up.' Stith was subsequently accused of 'ableism' by the woke mob. The students hit back, arguing that their disturbance was execution of 'free speech' and continued to scream at the panelists. 'I'm going to have to ask you to leave, or help you leave,' Stith responded. Ultimately, police were called to the auditorium to safely escort the speakers out of the building. As protesters left the event, one yelled 'F**k you, FedSoc' as others began to stomp, shout, clap, sing and pound on the hall walls. Students and professors claimed the protesters were so loud that they disrupted classes, exams and faculty meetings. In her email Gerken did concede that students engaged in 'rude and insulting behavior,' that was 'unacceptable' and that have led to 'serious discussions' regarding policies for the rest of the semester. The March 10 panel was meant to illustrate that a liberal atheist and a conservative Christian could find common ground on free speech issues, according to the Washington Free Beacon. Both took the same side in a 2021 case involving legal remedies for First Amendment violations that was presented to the Supreme Court, but protesters were outraged by the ADF's successful Supreme Court defense of a Colorado baker who refused to make a gay wedding cake. Miller was harangued ahead of the event by totalitarian students claiming her very presence at the event was 'harming the flourishing of queer lives,' with Waggoner and ADF supporters hit with threats at the meeting itself. The students screamed profanities at Waggoner, including one who threatened they would 'literally fight you, b***h' The protesters berated the speaker, chanting 'protect trans kids' and 'shame, shame' throughout the law school building after police officers escorted her and Miller out of the building When law school professor Kate Stith introduced Waggoner, the protestors stood up and displayed signs attacking the nonprofit Alliance Defending Freedom, for which Waggoner works. Video of the incident, which was obtained by the Washington Free Beacon, shows the students screaming profanities at Waggoner. The protesters berated the speaker, chanting 'protect trans kids' and 'shame, shame' throughout the law school building after police officers escorted her and Miller out of the building. Waggoner expressed horror at the students' behavior, alleging 'the future of the legal profession in America is in dire straits.' 'It was disturbing to witness law students whipped into a mindless frenzy. I did not feel it was safe to get out of the room without security,' she told the newspaper. 'Yale Law students are our future attorneys, judges, legislators, and corporate executives. We must change course and restore a culture of free speech and civil discourse at Yale and other law schools, or the future of the legal profession in America is in dire straits.' Miller, who during the panel characterized Waggoner's nonprofit as a 'hate group,' echoed her debate opponent's remarks, claiming the disruption was an 'ominous sign' for the legal profession. 'As lawyers, we have to put aside our differences and talk to opposing counsel,' she told the Free Beacon. 'If you can't talk to your opponents, you can't be an effective advocate.' A member of the Federalist Society, which hosted the panel, said they selected Waggoner and Miller to demonstrate how a conservative Christian and a liberal atheist could were able to find common ground on issues of free speech. 'It was pretty much the most innocuous thing you could talk about,' he alleged. Two days after the panel, 417 students - equating for more than 60 percent of the law school's student body - reportedly signed an open letter issuing support for 'peaceful student protesters.' The letter also alleged the protesters had been 'imperiled by the presence of police'. 'The danger of police violence in this country is intensified against Black LGBTQ people, and particularly black trans people,' the letter, which was obtained by the newspaper, read. 'Police-related trauma includes, but is certainly not limited to, physical harm. Even with all of the privilege afforded to us at YLS, the decision to allow police officers in as a response to the protest put YLS's queer student body at risk of harm.' The letter also slammed Stith for telling the demonstrators to 'grow up' and blasted the Federalist Society for hosting an event that 'profoundly undermined our community's values of equity and inclusivity.' However, it remains unclear if the majority of the student body actually felt the letter reflected their personal ideals as group chats, Discord posts and emails reviewed by the Free Beacon revealed that students who hadn't signed the petition were outwardly shamed. 'It feels wild to me that we're at this point in history and some folks are still not immediately signing a letter like this,' one student allegedly posted in a class GroupMe. 'I'm sure you realize that not signing the letter is not a neutral stance.' Others alleged the bullying began prior to the open letter, citing that some student activists littered the law school with flyers claiming attending the free speech panel was a bigoted act. 'Providing a veneer of respectability is part of what allows this group to do work that attacks the very lives of LGBTQ people in the U.S. & globally,' the flyers read. 'Through your attendance you are personally complicit, along with the Federalist Society, in platforming and legitimizing this hate group.' The Welsh Government sparked fury today after refusing to fully distribute a schoolbook celebrating the Queen's platinum jubilee. The Department for Education announced last year it was commissioning the work which explores 'the role of the Monarch and what the Platinum Jubilee represents' ahead of the 70 year milestone in June It wanted the book sent to all school in the UK and agreed to translate it into minority languages including Welsh as part of a scheme believed to have cost 12million. However the Labour administration in Cardiff has said it will only be distributed on an 'opt in' basis to schools that actively ask for copies. The Welsh first Minister Mark Drakeford is a self-confessed republican. He and his ministers were branded 'utterly petulant' over the decision. Tory Senedd shadow education minister Laura Anne Jones said: 'This book is about teaching the next generation about how our country functions and its history. 'The only reason Labour would not want children to have them is because they believe it is not in its interest for them to take pride in British institutions and the UK's past. 'Of course, it might also be down to Mark Drakeford being a republican who would rather not have the Queen at all. Either way, it's Labour that needs to go back to school and learn how to govern.' The Department for Education announced last year it was commissioning the work which explores 'the role of the Monarch and what the Platinum Jubilee represents' ahead of the 70 year milestone. However the Labour administration in Cardiff has said it will only be distributed on an 'opt in' basis to schools that actively ask for copies. The Welsh first Minister Mark Drakeford is a self-confessed republican. Announcing the book last year, the DfE said it would cover events in the past 70 years, including 'the construction of the Channel Tunnel, election of the first female Prime Minister and the invention of the World Wide Web, so children across the country can learn more about their home and its history'. But a Welsh Government spokesman told Wales Online: 'The Welsh Government has no role in the production or distribution of the book. 'Education is a devolved matter. We have been clear that the book should be available in Welsh and English and schools only receive the book on an opt-in basis. 'A large number of events are planned across Wales this year to mark the historic platinum jubilee and all primary schools in Wales will be able to order the platinum jubilee book in early May.' But Welsh Tory MP Robin Millar said: 'We have an amazing story to tell our children of the invaluable contribution that our Queen has made to the public life of this nation and around the world. 'Through seven decades of turmoil and change throughout the world, she has met with 15 UK Prime Ministers on a weekly basis and advised over 150 other Heads of State across the Commonwealth of Nations. She is a patron of over six hundred charities. 'The ups and downs of her life and that of her family have been lived out in the public gaze. She has danced with us in victory and just this week we have mourned with her in her loss. 'Why would we not tell our children this story of such a remarkable woman? Why would the Welsh government not promote this? I will be writing to schools throughout Aberconwy encouraging them to take up this offer.' Last week ministers said that they were working to make sure the book was available across the whole UK. Last Wednesday, Wales Minister David TC Davies told the Commons: 'The UK Government wanted to celebrate the enormous achievement and the enormous commitment to public service that has been made by our monarch, and have produced the book bilingually to ensure that schoolchildren across Wales are able to read bilingually about the contribution made by Her Majesty the Queen. 'I am sure they all look forward eagerly to receiving their copy. The UK Government are working with the Welsh Government to ensure that that can happen imminently.' The Queen shed tears for Prince Philip at an extraordinary service in remembrance of his remarkable life of service to Britain and his wife today. Her Majesty stood in Westminster Abbey where she had personally ensured her beloved husband's final wishes were fulfilled after his covid-hit funeral left her sat alone without the rousing hymns and guests he loved so much. The 95-year-old monarch used a stick as she was walked to her seat by her disgraced son the Duke of York to give her 'strength and stay' Philip the final farewell he had wanted. The service was attended by the Royal Family and his relatives, friends and people who benefitted from his charities. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were the only senior royals not there. Her Majesty stands to sing surrounded by her family with the Duke of York also on the front row.From left to right, front row: Queen Elizabeth II, the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall, the Princess Royal, Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence, the Duke of York, The Earl of Wessex, the Countess of Wessex, Lady Louise Mountbatten-Windsor and Viscount Severn. (Second row left to right) The Duke of Cambridge, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, the Duchess of Cambridge, Peter Phillips, Isla Phillips, Savannah Phillips, Mia Tindall, Zara Tindall and Mike Tindall Despite battling mobility problems, she stood to pray and sing anthems during a 40-minute service that her husband of 73 years had helped plan for before his death last April. But in a controversial decision she chose Prince Andrew to support her as she arrived and left the church, clutching his elbow with one hand and a walking stick with the other. The Queen had stood with tears in her eyes as the 1,800-strong congregation sang Guide Me O Thou Great Redeemer before the bells of Westminster Abbey rang out to mark the end of the memorial service for the Duke of Edinburgh. After she leant on Andrew as she walked back out of the church, the Queen appeared to grimace as she walked to the car hunched over with the Duke of York at her side guiding her towards the Bentley. She appeared to be holding tightly to her stick and appeared to be making a great effort to get to the vehicle, concentrating very hard in taking each step. Once inside the car she appeared to be back to her normal composed self as the car slowly drove away. She waved to onlookers as she arrived and left the service. The Queen has been praised for her 'composure' and 'strength' after she attended Prince Philip's memorial at Westminster Abbey today despite mobility and health issues. Her Majesty, 95, appeared to shed a tear during a poignant and emotional service held to pay tribute to the late Duke of Edinburgh. Despite battling mobility problems, she stood to pray and sing anthems during a 40-minute ceremony which Philip, her husband of 73 years, had helped plan before his death last April. Royals fans were quick to flock to Twitter to praise the Queen for her strength and appearance. One wrote: 'She looks superb. Delighted to see her at the ceremony. The Queen is an example to us all.' Another said: 'Bless the Queen today at the Duke of Edinburgh's Thanksgiving service. She looks so composed. I'm so glad she was enough to make it.' While a third added: 'Good to see the Queen attending. She's a strong woman.' The Queen used a stick as she was walked to her seat by her disgraced son the Duke of York to give her 'strength and stay' Philip the final farewell he had wanted. But in a controversial decision she chose Prince Andrew to support her as she arrived and left the church, clutching his elbow with one hand and a walking stick with the other. The Queen closed her eyes in prayer as she joined senior royals to pay tribute to Prince Philip at his memorial at Westminster Abbey. When she opened her eyes they appeared moist She decided to attend today's service in Central London around two hours before it took place, as she battles mobility problems that have prevented her doing a major public engagement away from Windsor Castle in nearly six months. The Queen has pulled out of a number of key occasions in the last six months due to concerns surrounding her health, most recently delegating to Charles for the Commonwealth Day service at Westminster Abbey last week. The consistent uncertainty has meant that her presence at all future events will be confirmed on the day with a member of the royal family on standby in the event she feels unable to attend. The Commonwealth Service at Westminster Abbey would have been the 95-year-old's first in-person public engagement since being advised to rest by her doctors following a hospital stay in October and testing positive for Covid-19 on February 20 with 'mild symptoms'. Most notably, she did not attend last November's Remembrance Day ceremonies at the Cenotaph after suffering a sprained back and being advised to rest. She has spent recent weeks carrying out only light duties including a handful of virtual audiences. But she returned to in-person engagements earlier this month, meeting Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at Windsor Castle and later meeting the head of Britain's armed forces. She now regularly uses a stick and recently commented about her mobility issues, telling two senior military officers during a Windsor Castle reception 'Well, as you can see, I can't move,' when asked how she was. Her Majesty was 'actively involved' in every element of the service of thanksgiving which Westminster Abbey packed to the rafters. Even the smallest of touches were overseen by the Queen, including the use of orchids that formed part of her 1947 wedding bouquet being used in small posies of flowers. Prince Philip's beloved Sea Cadets and young people who have taken his Duke of Edinburgh awards were centre stage at the service. The Queen was the last to arrive for the memorial and was joined by Prince Andrew. It was a move that royal watchers believe may have upset her son Prince Charles and grandson Prince William both instrumental in the decision to take away the Duke of York's 'HRH'. Andrew releases his mother from his arm as she walks the final steps to her seat unaided She spoke to her son inside the car and waved to the crowds outside the service in London, which ended this afternoon Queen Elizabeth II, the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall, the Princess Royal, Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence. (second row left to right) The Duke of Cambridge, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, the Duchess of Cambridge during a Service of Thanksgiving for the life of the Duke of Edinburgh The Queen chose her second son to join her in the back of her royal car for the 22-mile journey and he was also given a front row in the church, right next to his other siblings at the service just weeks after he paid millions to one of Jeffrey Epstein's sex slaves, Virginia Roberts Giuffre, who accused him of having sex with her three times when she was trafficked to London aged 17. The Queen's state limousine arrived at Poets' Yard entrance with Andrew sat beside her. As they walked through the famous section of the abbey towards her seat, in a small procession, the monarch held onto her son's elbow with her left hand and had a walking stick in her right. They walked at a slow but steady pace both looking ahead, and at the end of the aisle they separated - with Andrew giving a last glance to his mother as she turned right. The Queen stood with tears in her eyes as the 1,800-strong congregation sang Guide Me O Thou Great Redeemer before the bells of Westminster Abbey rang out to mark the end of the memorial service for the Duke of Edinburgh. After the first hymn, Charles, who was sat next to her mother, could be seen leaning over to speak to the Queen seated next to him - but it is not clear what was said. The Queen then delved into her black Launer handbag for her glasses to read the order of service. After she leant on Andrew as she walked back out of the church, the Queen appeared to grimace as she walked to the car hunched over with the Duke of York at her side guiding her towards the Bentley. She appeared to be holding tightly to her stick and appeared to be making a great effort to get to the vehicle, concentrating very hard in taking each step. Once inside the car she appeared to be back to her normal composed self as the car slowly drove away. She waved to onlookers as she arrived and left the service. The Queen and the packed abbey listened as the Dean of Windsor paid tribute to Philip's intellect, work ethic, sense of humour and devotion to his family. China could use high-speed 'doomsday trains' to transport and even launch nuclear missiles, a new report suggested. In a government-funded study published yesterday, engineers looked at the logistics of moving Beijing's elite DF-41 nuclear-capable missiles onto the rail network. The mega-missiles weigh 80 tonnes each and can carry nuclear warheads up to 9,300 miles from the launchpad. DF-41 is said to boast the longest range of any nuclear-capable ballistic missile in the world Beijing commissioned a new study into the logistics of carrying its elite weapons on trains= China is said to have tested DF-41s from trains in 2015, but these reports remain unconfirmed. The elite weapons, first revealed in 2019, are said to be the longest-range nuclear missiles on the planet. Carrying them on trains would improve 'concealment', the engineers said - and, if necessary, make launches more efficient. As well as a quick and well-protected means of transport for China's missiles, the report continued, the shockwaves caused by a launch would be better absorbed by high-speed rail infrastructure. Researchers wrote in the Journal of Southwest Jiaotong University: 'Compared with heavy-haul railways, high-speed railways operate faster and more smoothly. 'This means that on high-speed rails, the mobility, safety and concealment of military vehicles would be greater.' The group is led by civil engineering professor Yin Zihong, who is head of the Chinese government's national research project, according to the South China Morning Post. In less than two decades, China has built the world's largest high-speed rail network Maglev trains have top speeds of 372mph - while missile-carrying locomotives can go 217mph In less than twenty years, China has built by far the world's largest high-speed rail network - overtaking runners-up Spain and third-placed Japan. These are 'favourable conditions' for the so-called doomsday trains, Yin and his colleagues added. The high-speed trains capable of carrying nuclear missiles have a top speed of 217mph, the report said. And although they're unlikely to be able to carry missiles, Maglev trains capable of 372mph top speeds would be another asset in wartime. Yet though innovative, China's latest proposal doesn't come from nowhere. The Soviet Union experimented with nuclear weapons-carrying trains during the Cold War. Twelve nuclear trains were stationed in the Kostroma, Perm and Krasnoyarsk regions, each carrying three missiles. They came into service in 1987, just a few years before the collapse of the USSR, and were dubbed 'ghost trains.' Russia's doomsday trains were finally disposed of between 2003 and 2005 - and, despite retesting in 2017, are not expected to return any time soon. The View host Whoopi Goldberg, who is also a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Board of Governors, believes Will Smith will be able to keep his Oscar after slapping Chris Rock onstage at the ceremony Sunday - but doubled down Tuesday on her expectation that he will face some kind of punishment for the on-stage assault. 'There are consequences,' she said during a taping of The View Tuesday. 'There are big consequences because nobody is OK with what happened.' 'Nobody, nobody, nobody,' she added. The comments come just one day after Goldberg defended Smith on Monday, saying 'sometimes you behave badly' and that she believed he 'snapped.' The consequences Goldberg is referring to will likely be decided at an emergency meeting of the Academy's board scheduled for Wednesday, but Goldberg did not give any details of what the punishment may look like. Disciplinary action could include anything from forcing him to hand back his Oscar to the most severe punishment - suspension from the Academy - which would put Smith among the ranks of Harvey Weinstein and Bill Cosby, who were both expelled for sexual misconduct. The host also said racial dynamics played into Oscars producer Will Packer's decision not to remove Smith from the event, 'because that would have been another 15-, 20 minute-explanation about why we're taking the Black man out five seconds before they're about to decide whether he's won an Oscar or not.' 'I believe [producer] Will Packer made the right decision, he said let's get to the rest of this so we can deal with it wholeheartedly,' Goldberg said, adding 'this is not the first time craziness has happened on stage, but this is the first time we've seen anybody assault anybody on stage.' Scroll for video Whoopi Goldberg doubled down on her promise to punish Will Smith Tuesday, saying on daytime talk show The View: 'There are consequences. There are big consequences because nobody is OK with what happened. Nobody, nobody, nobody' Goldberg's comments come just one day after she said Smith will likely be able to keep his Oscar. She also defended the King Richard actor, adding: 'sometimes you behave badly' and that she believed he 'snapped' Smith's fate could be decided tomorrow night at a meeting held by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Board of Governors - where his onstage assault of Chris Rock at Sunday's Oscars is expected to be the main topic. A post-Oscars board meeting is always held to discuss the ceremony and address any concerns, but does not usually happen this soon, the Hollywood Reporter learned. The decision to hold the meeting was made after the Academy met for an emergency call Monday night about the incident and released a statement announcing a launch of a formal review. 'The Academy condemns the actions of Mr. Smith at last night's show. We have officially started a formal review around the incident and will explore further action and consequences in accordance with our Bylaws, Standards of Conduct and California law.' On Tuesday's edition of 'The View,' Goldberg continued to speculate about Sunday night's events - adding that criticism of the stunned crowd was out of line because of the chaotic moment unfolding in real time. The reason people went over to Smith, she said, is because 'people thought Oh my god, is he having a break? Do we need to get him out? What do we need to do?' The incident continues to be a national conversation and Goldberg added Tuesday that she hopes people begin to ask: 'What could have triggered this?' 'What's happening is people are now starting to calm down and say, 'Wait a minute, what could have triggered this?' Could have been the four years ago, could have been anything.' The 'four years ago' is in reference to Rock making jokes about Smith's wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, at a another awards show. Pinkett Smith, 50, finally broke her silence on Tuesday with an Instagram post that read, 'This is a season for healing and I'm here for it.' Pinkett Smith posted the words on a pink background, but did not share a caption. She has remained quiet since the dramatic events unfolded Sunday night. Will Smith slapped Chris Rock on stage at the Oscars on Sunday, after the comedian made a joke about his wife Jada Pinkett Smith. On Monday, Smith apologized 'This is a season for healing and I'm here for it,' the actress posted to Instagram Tuesday, two days after the incident that stunned millions of viewers Pinkett Smith has broken her silence after the incident between her husband and Chris Rock after Rock made a joke about her shaved head. She has been open about her struggle with alopecia on social media Smith released an apology on Monday, saying his behavior was 'unacceptable and inexcusable' and left him 'embarrassed'. A day later, his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, 50, then broke her silence with an Instagram post that read, 'This is a season for healing and I'm here for it.' While many are calling for Smith's Oscar to be rescinded, guidelines in the Academy's Code of Conduct - rewritten in 2017 during the height of the Me Too Movement - outline even more severe consequences. A more severe punishment would be expulsion from the Academy, putting the 'King Richard' actor in a small group of people who have been expelled, including Harvey Weinstein, Bill Cosby, and Roman Polanski. Weinstein was expelled 'for 'sexually predatory behavior and workplace harassment' and Cosby and Polanski were expelled 'in accordance with the organization's Standards of Conduct' after they had been convicted of sexual assault. Weinstein and Polanski's Oscars were never rescinded. Rock covers his jaw after being slapped in the face but went on to announce the winner for best documentary after a very awkward pause Many of Hollywood celebrities denounced Smith's actions and called for his Oscar to be taken back. Marshall Herskovitz, president emeritus of the Producers Guild of America, was among the first to condemn Smith, tweeting shortly after the attack that Smith had 'disgraced our entire community'. He said: 'I call upon the Academy, of which I am a member, to take disciplinary action against Will Smith. He disgraced our entire community tonight.' Herskovitz accused those who defended the actor of 'moral cowardice'. In one of the most shocking moments in the history of the vaunted awards show, Smith strode on stage Sunday and slapped Rock in the face after the comedian made a joke about the appearance of Smith's wife. Smith's meltdown continued when he returned to his seat as he repeatedly screamed: 'Keep my wife's name out of your f***ing mouth'. The crowd then fell into stunned silence - and any questions over whether the altercation was genuine were answered when just over half an hour later Smith was given the Best Actor award and apologized for the assault. The actor released a statement on Monday, saying his behavior was 'unacceptable and inexcusable' and left him 'embarrassed'. He wrote in an Instagram post that he was 'embarrassed' by his actions, which shocked the ceremony attendees, producers and viewers. 'Violence in all of its forms is poisonous and destructive,' he wrote. 'My behavior at last night's Academy Awards was unacceptable and inexcusable. Jokes at my expense are a part of the job, but a joke about Jada's medical condition was too much for me to bear and I reacted emotionally. 'I would like to publicly apologize to you, Chris. I was out of line and I was wrong. I am embarrassed and my actions were not indicative of the man I want to be. There is no place for violence in a world of love and kindness.' Harvey Weinstein (left) was expelled and Bill Cosby (right) were expelled from the Academy Could Will Smith be stripped of his Oscar? Academy faces pressure to respond after disgraced star broke Code of Conduct drawn up in wake of MeToo Movement The Academy tweeted its disapproval of 'violence of any form' late on Sunday night There are calls for the Academy to strip Will Smith of his Best Actor Oscar after he walked on stage and slapped comedian Chris Rock who was presenting an award on stage, after making a joke about Jada Pinkett-Smith's hair. The Academy, in its code of conduct, is known to take a very a dim view of violence of any kind. After the award ceremony was over it tweeted: 'The Academy does not condone violence of any form. Tonight we are delighted to celebrate our 94th Academy Awards winners, who deserve this moment of recognition from their peers and movie lovers around the world.' The Academy reestablished its Code of Conduct in 2017 during the Me Too Movement. 'Academy membership is a privilege offered to only a select few within the global community of filmmakers,' AMPAS CEO Dawn Hudson wrote to members following various scandals in the industry. On Sunday night, in the Dolby Theatre, there was complete bewilderment in the moments after the assault with took place with those present initially wondering if the punch was part of a stunt. It took a few moments for the normally unflappable Rock to process but the colorful language from Smith quickly confirmed it wasn't any kind of joke at all. The punch threw the entire Oscars broadcast into chaos as producers were frantically forced into deciding how to deal with the on-air assault, with Smith still yet to receive his Best Actor statuette. Advertisement Smith then went on to say sorry to the organizers and the producers of the show. Rock has not responded to Smith's apology, or commented on the Sunday night incident. Smith also extended his apology to the family of Venus and Serena Williams. Shortly after slapping Rock, Smith won the best actor award for his portrayal of their father Richard - but the story of their family was overshadowed by Smith's attack. Richard Williams - who the Oscar-winner portrays in King Richard - said after the attack that he condemns violence. Chavoita LeSane, Williams' son, told NBC: 'We don't know all the details of what happened. But we don't condone anyone hitting anyone else unless it's in self-defense.' Smith said: 'I would also like to apologize to the Academy, the producers of the show, all the attendees and everyone watching around the world,' Smith continued. 'I would like to apologize to the Williams Family and my King Richard Family. 'I deeply regret that my behavior has stained what has been an otherwise gorgeous journey for all of us.' The Philadelphia-born actor concluded: 'I am a work in progress. Sincerely, Will.' His apology came as the group that hands out the Oscars on Monday condemned Smith's actions and said it had started a formal review of the incident that cast a shadow over the film honors. Smith strode on stage during the live telecast and struck Rock in the face after the comedian made a joke about the appearance of Smith's wife. Smith's meltdown continued when he returned to his seat as he repeatedly screamed: 'Keep my wife's name out of your f***ing mouth'. The crowd then fell into stunned silence as it became clear the attack was genuine, and not staged. Rock replied to him saying: 'I'm going to, okay?' He then laughed uncomfortably, saying: 'That was the greatest night in the history of television'. Smith's sweary rant was muted by directors because the show's live broadcast is slightly delayed in the US. But it was aired in full to some international audiences with the uncut clip already been viewed more than a million times on social media and YouTube in the first few hours. Any questions over whether the altercation was genuine were answered when just over half an hour later Smith was given the Best Actor award and apologized for the assault. Will Smith had initially laughed at the Rock gag about Jada's hair being short - a line of Demi Moore's in GI Jane. His wife looked very unhappy and rolled her eyes After smacking Rock, a now visibly fuming Smith returned to his seat and began repeatedly yelling: 'Keep my wife's name out of your f***ing mouth'. Lupita Nyong'o' was among those baffled by what happened with many initially believing that an act so outrageous must be part of the show Smith and Pinkett-Smith held hands throughout the ceremony after the shock slap. Denzel Washington was acting as peacemaker Actor and comedian Jim Carrey slammed the Hollywood crowd for giving the actor a standing ovation when he accepted his best actor award following his now-infamous slap. Carrey, 60, was asked by anchor Gayle King about the endlessly analyzed moment on CBS Morning News while doing press for Sonic the Hedgehog 2. 'I was sickened by the standing ovation,' he said. 'I felt like Hollywood is just spineless en masse. It really felt like this is a clear indication that we're not the cool club anymore.' The comedian, who briefly overlapped with Rock in the early 90s on Fox's In Living Color, claimed Rock didn't file charges because he 'didn't want the hassle' and suggested Smith should have been arrested. 'I'd have announced this morning that I was suing Will for $200 million because that video's gonna be there forever. It's gonna be ubiquitous. That insult is gonna last a very long time,' Carrey said. The Mask actor seemed to indicate that expressing disapproval of the joke, saying something on Twitter or even yelling from the audience wasn't beyond the pale - but what Smith ended up doing crossed the line. 'You do not have the right to walk up on stage and smack somebody on the face because they said words,' Carrey said. The Ace Ventura star suggested that something was 'going on' inside of Smith that caused him to do that, and that he acted selfishly. 'It didn't escalate, it came out of nowhere because Will has something going on inside him that's frustrated and I wish him the best, I really do,' Carrey said. 'I don't have anything against Will Smith, he's done great things. 'It cast a pall over everybody's shining moment, a lot of people worked really hard to get to that place,' The Truman Show star added. 'It is no mean feat to go through all the stuff you have to go through when you get nominated for an Oscar. It's a gauntlet of devotion. It was just a selfish moment.' Jim Carrey and Will Smith during Nickelodeon's 16th Annual Kids' Choice Awards 2003 Actor and comedian Jim Carrey slammed the audience at Sunday's Academy Awards for giving Will Smith a standing ovation following his now infamous slap of Chris Rock In his acceptance speech a crying Smith said: 'Love makes you do crazy things', as he clutched his Oscar statuette. 'You gotta be able to take abuse, and you gotta be able to have people talk crazy about you,' Smith said. 'In this business, you gotta be able to have people disrespecting you and you gotta smile and you gotta pretend like that's OK. 'Denzel (Washington) said to me a few minutes ago, he said, 'At your highest moment, be careful. That's when the devil comes for you.' 'It's like I want to be a vessel for love. 'I want to say thank you to Venus and Serena. I want to say thank you to Venus and Serena and the entire Williams family for entrusting me with your story. That's what I want to do. I want to be an ambassador of that kind of love and care and concern.' The actor went on: 'I want to apologize to the Academy, I want to apologize to all my fellow nominees. 'Art imitates life. I look like the crazy father, just like they said. I look like the crazy father just like they said about Richard Williams. But love will make you do crazy things'. He added: 'I'm hoping the Academy invites me back. Thank you'. Smith sobs as he accepted his best actor award, and apologized for the violence - but did not say sorry to Chris Rock at the time Jada Pinkett Smith and Will Smith showed a united front after the row with Rock overshadowed his Oscar win Shortly after the slap, Will added a comment to his own Instagram post, quipping: 'You can't invite people from Philly or Baltimore nowhere' Smith's relationship with his wife had been the butt of jokes during awards season. At the BAFTAs in London a fortnight ago host Rebel Wilson targeted the couple when he won won the Leading Actor award for his role in King Richard. The assembled audience at the Royal Albert Hall, which didn't include the star who stayed in LA, groaned as she said his 'best performance in the past year was being OK with all his wife's boyfriends' - a nod to Smith and Jada Pinkett-Smith's open relationship. It came after he recently admitted his wife had 'never believed in a conventional marriage' and claims she had an affair. This may explain why he reacted so sensitively to Rock's joke about her. Journalists covering the awards ceremony from the press area were instructed not to ask any attendees about Smith slapping Rock, according to BBC correspondent David Sillito. Late Sunday night, the LAPD issued a statement saying that Rock had not filed a police report against Smith, but that if he chooses to do so, police will investigate. 'LAPD investigative entities are aware of an incident between two individuals during the Academy Awards program,' the statement said. 'The incident involved one individual slapping another.' But after the Oscars, the actor 53, did not appear to have a care in the world as he was seen grinning and dancing with his Oscar award Smith and other celebs partied through the night at post-Oscars events In a statement on Monday, the 9,900-member Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences said it 'condemns the actions of Mr. Smith at last night's show.' 'We have officially started a formal review around the incident and will explore further action and consequences in accordance with our Bylaws, Standards of Conduct and California law,' the academy added. The group's standards of conduct policy states it is 'categorically opposed to any form of abuse, harassment or discrimination' and expects members to uphold the values 'of respect for human dignity, inclusion, and a supportive environment that fosters creativity.' Violations may result in suspension or expulsion from the group, revocation of Oscars, or loss of eligibility for future awards, according to the policy. A full board of Governors meeting is set for Wednesday and the incident is expected to be the main topic. Several Hollywood celebrities denounced Smith's actions. Alec Baldwin posted to Instagram and Twitter his condemnation of Smith's behavior. 'I'm sorry the Oscars turned into the Jerry Springer Show,' he said. A school district in Washington state has passed a new policy that critics say encourages administrators to factor in race when disciplining students. The Clover Park School District board approved the new policy on a 3-2 vote on March 14, over the objections of board members who expressed concerns that it was ill-conceived. The district in the suburbs of Tacoma will now use 'culturally responsive discipline' that encourages school staff to impose disciplinary policies that 'may be adapted to individual student needs in a culturally responsive manner.' Critics say the new approach is in effect a race-based disciplinary policy that will encourage harsher or lighter punishments based on a student's race, with white students being disciplined more severely. But the district insists that it is following a state law passed in 2021 that compels districts to 'align with Cultural Competency, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion standards.' 'Contrary to recent inaccurate news coverage and social media posts, Clover Park School Districts Student Discipline Policy does not make race a determining factor for administering discipline. It contains no such provision,' said Board President Alyssa Anderson Pearson in a statement to DailyMail.com. The Clover Park School District board approved a new policy encouraging administrators to factor in race when disciplining students earlier this month 'The recent update of our policy is based on a Washington State School Directors Association model policy,' added Pearson. 'It has been adopted by multiple school districts and is in alignment with state law.' At the school board meeting earlier this month, board member Anthony Veliz, who ultimately voted in favor of the policy, asked for an example of what the so-called 'cultural discipline' might look like. Board President Pearson, who supported the measure, laughed and deferred to Acting Superintendent Brian Laubach. (A district spokeswoman said Pearson was 'annoyed' that board members were breaking policy for the meeting.) 'Essentially, they are referring there that you look at -- are you dispersing discipline across the ethnicities, the racial groups, equitably,' Laubach explained. 'So, are you disciplining African-American boys more than you're disciplining white boys?' John Arbeeny, a former deputy mayor of Lakewood, expressed skepticism at this explanation in a letter to the editor of the Suburban Times. 'So 'culturally responsive discipline' is merely a deceptive cover term for 'racially/ethnically based discipline' which seeks to 'even out' the numbers of disciplinary incidents based upon racial/ethnic populations or some other undefined criteria,' wrote Arbeeny. Board President Alyssa Anderson Pearson, who supported the measure, laughed and deferred to Acting Superintendent Brian Laubach when asked to define the policy 'It has little to do with group or individual cultural differences (the determination of which is problematic), discipline generally or creating a safe academic environment,' added Arbeeny. 'I wonder what the public would think if this were explained in plain language: 'a discipline policy based upon race/ethnicity'?' he asked. Jason Rantz, a conservative commentator, went even further in criticizing the policy, writing in a column for KTTH-AM: 'In practice, it means favorable treatment of racial minorities.' 'It would likely offer harsher punishments to white students, even if the conduct is identical to that of a Black or Hispanic student,' he argued. The district vehemently denied that race would be a determining factor in administering discipline under the new policy. 'Our district has high standards for student behavior. It is the intention of the school board that discipline policies and procedures be implemented in a manner that supports a positive school environment, maximizes instructional time and increases educational opportunity for all,' said Pearson in a statement. 'The student discipline process is a learning opportunity for students to improve behavior and contribute to a safe and respectful learning environment,' the statement added. Clover Park High School is seen above. The district's student body is is 35 percent Hispanic, 28 percent white, and 13 percent black, and 4 percent Asian The Clover Park School District, which is the 28th largest in the state with an enrollment of 12,022, is 35 percent Hispanic, 28 percent white, and 13 percent black, and 4 percent Asian. Board member Paul Wagemann, who opposed the policy, argued that it was poorly defined. 'Until we, the five of us, have discussed all these definitions at work, until we do that, I think we are negligent to send this forward,' Wagemann said at the March 14 meeting. A district spokeswoman told DailyMail.com that board policy does define 'culturally responsive practices' as 'teaching that recognizes the importance of including students' cultural references in all aspects of learning.' 'Characteristics of culturally responsive teaching include positive perspectives on parents and families; communication of high expectations; learning within the context of culture; student-centered instruction; culturally mediated instruction; reshaping the curriculum; and teacher as facilitator,' the definition adds. However, Wagemann expressed concerns at the meeting that the new policy would result in disparate punishments for the same rules violation. 'Let's say we both commit the same offense. Then the question should be what are the consequences of that offense, and how do we go through that process?' he said. 'And to be fair, if we both did the same thing, we should get the same consequence the way I see it,' added Wagemann. 'And I think that's how most children and playgrounds like to see it. Most of us as citizens in our community like to see it that way that it's equal.' She also cited his lone vote to block Jan. 6 committee from obtaining Trump White House documents She cited his failure to recuse himself from Jan. 6 cases, failure to disclose his wife's income from conservative groups AOC said that if Thomas does not resign, he could be impeached Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez called on Justice Clarence Thomas to resign from the Supreme Court, or if not then be impeached, taking Democrats' calls for recusal a step further amid texts revealing his wife's involvement in the election fraud claims that led to Jan. 6. 'Clarence Thomas should resign. If not, his failure to disclose income from right-wing organizations, recuse himself from matters involving his wife, and his vote to block the Jan 6th commission from key information must be investigated and could serve as grounds for impeachment,' the New York Democrat wrote on Twitter. Five House members have now called on Thomas to resign or be impeached - Reps. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., Hank Johnson, D-Ga., Nydia Velazquez, D-N.Y., and AOC. In 2011 watchdog group Common Cause found that the justice over the course of five years failed to disclose his wife's income from Heritage Foundation, where she was paid $686,589 between 2003 and 2007. Under the 'spousal non-investment income' section of his financial disclosure forms, he checked a box titled 'none.' Five House members have now called on Thomas to resign or be impeached, along with AOC (above) - Reps. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., Hank Johnson, D-Ga., Nydia Velazquez, D-N.Y. And in a series of 29 messages first obtained by the Washington Post last week, following former President Trump's loss, the conservative activist Ginni Thomas, wife of the most senior Supreme Court justice, repeatedly asked then-White House chief of staff Mark Meadows to work to overturn the election results. Thomas has already voted in cases related to the election, and has so far shown no intention to recuse himself in light of the new report. In January he cast the lone dissenting vote in a case to allow the Jan. 6 committee access to former President Trump's White House records. But House Judiciary Committee Chair Rep. Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y., said said it's 'much too early' to talk about censure or impeachment, but he is 'very concerned' by the messages. 'I think we have to wait and see what the Jan. 6 committee finds.' The committee is looking to interview Ginni. It met Monday night to discuss their path forward with her. 'Based on the evidence we have in our possession, I feel very confident about inviting her to the committee,' select panel chair Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., said. 'And if she refuses, issuing a subpoena.' Thomas attended the 'Save America' rally, but got cold and left early. She said she does not involve her husband in her work. "Like so many married couples, we share many of the same ideals, principles, and aspirations for America," Thomas told the Washington Free Beacon. "But we have our own separate careers, and our own ideas and opinions too. Clarence doesn't discuss his work with me, and I don't involve him in my work." President Biden refused to weigh into the debate over whether Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas should recuse himself from cases involving the Jan. 6 riot due to his wife's involvement in the events that led to that day. Asked if the justice should recuse himself in cases involving Jan. 6, Biden said at a news conference Monday: 'I leave that to two entities ... one the Jan. 6 committee and two the Justice Department. That's their judgment, not mine, to make.' 'I told you I would not tell the Justice Department what to take or not take. I'm not going to tell Congress either,' he added. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., a member of the Judiciary Committee, on Sunday joined the calls for Justice Thomas to recuse himself from matters involving the 2024 election or the fight for Trump documents, after his failure to recuse from the most recent ruling. President Biden refused to weigh into the debate over whether Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas should recuse himself from cases involving the Jan. 6 riot due to his wife's involvement in the events that led to that day In a series of 29 messages following former President Trump's loss, the conservative activist Ginni Thomas, pictured above with Justice Clarence Thomas, repeatedly asked then-White House chief of staff Mark Meadows to work to overturn the election results Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., a member of the Judiciary Committee, on Sunday joined the calls for Justice Thomas to recuse himself from matters involving the 2024 election or the fight for Trump documents, after his failure to recuse from the most recent ruling 'The facts are clear here. This is unbelievable. You have the wife of a sitting Supreme Court justice advocating for an insurrection, advocating for overturning a legal election to the sitting president's chief of staff and she also knows this election, these cases, are going to come before her husband,' Klobuchar said. She told ABC's This Week: 'This is a textbook case for removing him, recusing him from these decisions.' Sens. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., have issued similar calls. Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., had a different take. He told CNN it is 'kind of misogynistic' to ask Justice Thomas to recuse on behalf of his wife's behavior, noting that Ginni Thomas is a 'private citizen.' 'She's an independent, adult woman, it just seems a little strange to me all of these calls for her husband to be what, like, minding her better? Frankly, I think it's kind of misogynistic.' 'She's a private individual. He's a justice on the US Supreme Court, but I think this idea that he is somehow automatically responsible for everything he says what does that mean? Does she have to get his permission?' he added. 'We ought to leave family members out of all of all of this. Its ridiculous to attack members of a public figures family,' Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, said, asked about the recusal calls. 'It is what it is. I just think piling onto family members of public figures is just an unfortunate development.' Sen. Corey Booker also called for Justice Thomas' recusal on Sunday. He noted that Justice Elena Kagan has recused herself numerous times, 'not necessarily because she was conflicted, but because she understood that even the appearance of impropriety would delegitimize the court.' The Supreme Court 'needs that legitimacy in this nation,' Booker said. 'So clearly, Justice Thomas should have recused himself. That's not even at question here.' Sen. Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy last week both defended Thomas's ability to remain impartial, as did Sen. Rick Scott on 'Fox News Sunday.' 'Clarence Thomas in my opinion will always do the right thing. So, I've not seen in my I've watched Clarence Thomas for years and I've always seen him do the right thing,' Scott said. Ginni Thomas's correspondence with Mark Meadows, above, included a Nov. 10th text where she called Joe Biden 's election win 'the greatest Heist of our History' Ginni Thomas's correspondence with Meadows included a Nov. 10th text where she called Joe Biden's election win 'the greatest Heist of our History.' The texts, which may not represent the entire universe of her communications with Meadows, show Ginni Thomas to be embracing hard-line tactics and conspiracy theories, and boosting the 'Kraken' lawsuits claiming election fraud that were tossed out of court. 'Mark (don't want to wake you) ... Sounds like Sidney and her team are getting inundated with evidence of fraud. Make a plan. Release the Kraken and save us from the left taking America down,' she wrote in one Nov. 19th, 2020 message, in reference to lawyer Sidney Powell. The texts suggest Thomas even had a hand in crafting Powell's message -- and that she pushed that message to more members of the Trump White House than just Meadows. 'Just forwarded to yr gmail an email I sent Jared this am. Sidney Powell & improved coordination now will help the cavalry come and Fraud exposed and America saved,' Thomas reportedly wrote to Meadows on November 13. That could be a reference to Trump son-in-law Jared Kushner. She also called for Powell to be 'the lead and the face' of Trump's legal effort. Meadows tried to console her in one Nov. 24 message. 'Evil always looks like the victor until the King of Kings triumphs. Do not grow weary in well doing. The fight continues. I have staked my career on it. Well at least my time in DC on it,' Meadows wrote. Thomas replied: 'Thank you!! Needed that! This plus a conversation with my best friend just now I will try to keep holding on. America is worth it!' She also fumed at former Vice President Mike Pence, who Trump was demanding refuse to count votes certified by states. 'Most of us are disgusted with the VP and are in listening mode to see where to fight with our teams. Those who attacked the Capitol are not representative of our great teams of patriots for DJT!!' she wrote Meadows after the election. First Lady Jill Biden was prevented from teaching classes at Northern Virginia Community College on Tuesday after a bomb threat was reported on campus. Biden was warned about the threat of the Alexandria campus before she left the White House to teach her classes. She was never in danger, her spokesman said, and the campus has been evacuated closed for the day. The First Lady teaches classes on the campus every Tuesday morning. It is not year clear where the threat came from and if it was related to the First Lady. Jill Biden's spokesman Michael LaRosa said in a statement: 'The First Lady was informed about a bomb threat at Northern Virginia Community College prior to departing the White House for class this morning. 'At no point was she in any danger. All questions about the incident should be referred to Northern Virginia Community College. 'All questions about security should be referred to the United States Secret Service.' First Lady Jill Biden was prevented from teaching classes at Northern Virginia Community College on Tuesday after a bomb threat was reported on campus On February 8, Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff was rushed out a Washington D.C. by his Secret Service detail because of a bomb threat. Emhoff was at Dunbar High School in Washington D.C. for a Black History Month event when agents pulled him from the room at 2:18 pm. The agent said something like 'We have to go' and led Emhoff, the husband of Vice President Kamala Harris, from the room. He had been in the school's museum for about five minutes when he was pulled. He was taken to his motorcade outside and rushed away. Two days later, a sixteen-year-old boy was arrested and charged with making terroristic threats in connecting with the threat during Emhoff's visit and similar messages to six other schools in the D.C. area. Federal agents said it was likely Tuesday's call to Dunbar High School, where the husband of Vice President Kamala Harris was visiting to honor a Black History Month event, was made by a 'punk kid' who had no large motive The First Lady teaches classes on the campus every Tuesday morning. Her office says she was never in danger Russia is accusing the U.S. of leading a massive campaign of 'cyber aggression' to counter its Ukraine invasion as Kremlin mouthpiece Dmitry Peskov said relations were being harmed by 'personal insults' and called for more security dialogue. The attacks came even amid signs of potential progress in talks between Ukraine and Russia taking place in Turkey setting up conflicting signals on the prospects for diplomatic advancements amid Russia's brutal war in Ukraine. 'One way or another, sooner or later, we will have to speak about questions of strategic stability and security and so on,' said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov Tuesday. Russia announced it will 'radically reduce' military activity outside Kyiv and Chernihiv after 'meaningful' negotiations were held in Turkey Tuesday, days after signaling it was changing its military objectives after completing the initial phase of its 'operation' in Ukraine. Amid the swirling events, President Biden began a call with top European allies about Ukraine. Taking part in the call, which began in the morning Tuesday, were French Prime Minister Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, and Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi. They were to 'discuss the latest developments regarding Russia's invasion of Ukraine,' according to a brief White House statement. President Joe Biden said Monday he was expressing his 'personal feelings' when he spoke about Putin and said he 'cannot remain in power.' He repeatedly declined to answer questions about meeting with Putin Macron has kept up communications with Putin and has been seeking to broker a cease fire. He told broadcaster France 3 on Sunday following Biden's comments that, 'If we want to do that, we can't escalate either in words or actions.' Russia accused the United States on Tuesday of leading a massive campaign of 'cyber aggression' that was behind hundreds of thousands of malicious attacks a day while Russia has troops in Ukraine. The foreign ministry said media, critical infrastructure and life support systems had been targeted, with the unprecedented scale pointing at U.S. and NATO-trained special forces as well as hackers acting on behalf of Kyiv's western sponsors. The accusations come days after the White House said Russia had been making preparations for cyber attacks, and warned U.S. business and infrastructure to step up their own security precautions. 'The sources of attacks will be identified and the attackers will inevitably be held accountable for their actions in accordance with the law,' the Russian statement said. TABLE TALK: Russian President Vladimir Putin meets with Presidential Grants Foundation CEO Ilya Chukalin at the Kremlin in Moscow on March 29, 2022 'One way or another, sooner or later, we will have to speak about questions of strategic stability and security and so on,' said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov French President Emmanuel Macron called out 'escalation' after Biden's comment that Putin cannot remain in power British PM Boris Johnson was also taking part in the Biden call. He spoke to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky Monday NBC News reported last month that U.S. President Joe Biden had been presented with options that included disrupting Russia's internet, power and railroad switches. But the White House said that was 'wildly off base.' The foreign ministry said it believed Ukraine's government, which in February announced the formation of an 'IT army', was involved and had launched an 'offensive cyber force'. The cybersecurity arm of Russia's telecoms firm Rostelecom and Russia's digital ministry have both reported cyber attacks. Peskov's complaint about insults came after Biden called Putin a 'butcher' after meeting with Ukrainian refugees in Warsaw. He has also called Putin a 'killer' amid Russia's invasion, which has resulted in millions of refugees, flattened buildings, and civilian casualties. Biden also wrapped up his Warsaw speech on Saturday by saying: 'For God's sake, this man cannot remain in power.' 'Personal insults cannot but leave their mark on relations between heads of state,' Peskov told reporters Tuesday. However, he said: 'One way or another, sooner or later, we will have to speak about questions of strategic stability and security and so on.' Biden said Monday he was expressing his 'personal feelings' when he spoke about Putin, and was not setting a policy of regime change. 'I was expressing the moral outrage I felt towards this man,' he said. He also rejected the idea his words complicated diplomacy with Russia. 'I don't think it complicates it at all,' he said. Biden also declined repeated direct questions about whether he would meet with Putin again. 'The question is: Is there something to meet on that would justify him being able to end this war and be able to rebuild Ukraine. That's the issue,' Biden said. A wealthy French family who had become survivalists obsessed with Covid conspiracy theories jumped one after the other to their deaths from their seventh-floor apartment in the Swiss town of Montreux, police have revealed. Eric David, 40, his wife Nasrine Feraoun, 41, and her twin sister Narjisse, and the couple's eight-year-old daughter were found dead at the bottom of a seven storey building on Thursday - just 45 minutes after police knocked on their door. The couple's 15-year-old son survived the fall but remains in a stable condition in a coma in hospital. The Vaud regional police said on Tuesday they are working on a theory of 'collective suicide' with evidence 'all the victims jumped from the balcony one after the other'. Police do not believe anyone else was involved in their deaths. All five family members had 'withdrawn from society' and jumped more than 65ft to their deaths moments after police attempted to execute an arrest warrant on the father over his decision to home-school one of his children, police said. The four victims, identified as a 40-year-old man, his 41-year-old wife, her twin sister and the couple's eight-year-old daughter, died at the scene, police said. The couple's 15-year-old son was seriously injured and has been hospitalised The four victims were found dead at the foot of a seven-story building in Montreux A forensic officer from the Vaud cantonal police investigates at the scene of the tragedy where four people died and one was seriously injured after falling from their flat in Montreux, Switzerland Police said the deaths happened after two officers arrived at the apartment at 6.15am to execute a warrant for the father in connection with the home-schooling of one of the couple's children on Thursday. The officers knocked on the door and heard a voice ask who they were. But when they answered, the apartment went quiet. After failing to make contact, the officers left. Shortly before 7am, all five family members jumped from the balcony within the space of five minutes. A step-ladder was found on the balcony, but there was no signs of struggle, police said. 'Before or during the events, no witnesses, including the two police officers present on the spot from 6:15 am and the passers-by at the foot of the building, heard the slightest noise or cry coming from the apartment or the balcony,' police said. 'Technical investigations show no warning signs of such an act,' they added, noting however that 'since the start of the pandemic, the family was very interested in conspiracy and survivalist theories'. Police officers take samples on a balcony after five people appeared to have jumped from their apartment, in Montreux, Switzerland, on Thursday Flowers and candles are seen next to the building where the five members of a French family jumped one after another from the seventh floor The family lived in virtual self-sufficiency with a well-organised stockpile of various foods that took up most of the living space in the apartment. Only the mother's twin sister worked outside the home, while neither the mother nor the eight-year-old girl, who did not attend school, were registered with the local authorities. 'All these elements suggest... fear of the authorities interfering in their lives,' the police statement said. Neighbours said the family was quiet and kept to themselves. 'We heard nothing from their home, the father never said hello in the hallway and ordered many packages almost daily,' neighbour Claude Rouiller told Swiss newspaper Le Temps. France's Journal du Dimanche newspaper said the father, Eric David, grew up in a wealthy part of Marseille and attended the Ecole Polytechnique, one of the most prestigious schools in the country. The twin sisters, Nasrine and Narjisse Feraoun, grew up in a family of five children who were all educated at the elite Lycee Henri-IV in Paris, the weekly said. The mother was a dentist and her sister an ophthalmologist. The newspaper also said the twins were granddaughters of Algerian novelist Mouloud Feraoun. A close friend of the French philosopher Albert Camus, Feraoun was assassinated in Algiers in 1962 by a far-right French pro-colonial group. Montreux, a bucolic lakeside city, is best known as a tourist hot spot and in particular for its annual jazz festival. A Metropolitan Police officer who headbutted a member of staff at a cocktail bar after he was accused of breaching Covid restrictions has avoided jail. PC Luke Wilson, 28, was previously found guilty of assaulting Johnny White while out for drinks with fellow officers at the Be At One bar in King William Street, near Monument, London, on July 2 last year. Westminster Magistrates' Court heard that Wilson, based in Lewisham but from Gravesend, Kent, was breaking Covid rules at the time as he and other members of the group moved between tables around the venue. Met Police officer PC Luke Wilson, 28, pictured leaving Westminster Magistrates Court after he was found guilty of assault by beating A judge heard Wilson said he and the others were police officers when asked by Mr White and when the victim challenged the group Wilson headbutted him. The court was told the assault left the Mr White with 'reddening' of the skin. Wilson still claims his innocence but was remorseful for breaching Covid rules, the court heard. District Judge Briony Clarke on Tuesday passed a sentence of 10 weeks in prison, suspended for 12 months. She also ordered Wilson to carry out 80 hours of unpaid work and pay 200 in compensation to the victim, as well as 775 in court costs and a 128 victim surcharge. Passing sentence, she said anyone who saw CCTV footage of the incident, played during the trial, would have been 'shocked'. CCTV footage showed PC Luke Wilson headbutt City bar manager Johnny White on July 2 last year after he and his group of officers were confronted over breaking Covid rules Tom Bushnell, representing Wilson, told the court the assault was 'out of character' and a 'moment of madness', adding that it 'pales' in comparison with his 'brilliant career' as a police officer. The Metropolitan Police said Wilson had remained on restricted duties since his conviction and misconduct proceedings would take place as soon as possible. Chief Superintendent Trevor Lawry, in charge of policing for Lewisham, Bexley and Greenwich, said: 'Whether on or off duty, police officers are expected to uphold the high standards we expect as an organisation. 'However, PC Wilson's behaviour fell far below this and it is right that following a police investigation he has had to face up to his actions in court.' A theatregoer walked out of a Shakespeare play and demanded a refund because the cast had Yorkshire accents - in York. Theatre company Northern Broadsides performed 'As You Like It' at the York Theatre Royal last week in what they advertise as 'bold, accessible and unapologetic Northern voices'. The touring company, based in Halifax, West Yorkshire, has been performing on stages across the country for 30 years - but claims it has never received a complaint about accents before. The theatre's chief executive Tom Bird poked fun at the complaint on social media, saying the customer had bemoaned 'Yorkshires accents right here in Yorkshire'. Social media users were also left bemused by the complaint, with one questioning: 'Surely in the top 10 of ridiculous complaints?' Northern Broadsides performed 'As You Like It' (pictured above) at the York Theatre Royal last week in what they advertise as 'bold, accessible and unapologetic Northern voices' The touring company, based in Halifax, West Yorkshire, has been performing on stages across the country for 30 years - but claims it has never received a complaint about accents before. Pictured: An advert posted by York Theatre Royal for 'As You Like It' In a tweet to his followers, Mr Bird confirmed they had received a complaint and reassured followers the complainant had 'no chance' of a refund. He said: 'We've got a complaint this morning @YorkTheatre from someone who left after an hour of @NBroadsides #AsYouLikeIt last week, because it had "Yorkshire accents" in it. 'That's Yorkshire accents, right here in Yorkshire. They want a refund.' The post has since attracted more than 116 retweets and 1,146 likes from other baffled social media users. Northern Broadsides marketing and communications manager, Jess Rooney, added: 'It's made us all chuckle - I'll be honest. 'I'm not sure who the complaint applied to specifically but pretty much all of the actors have a Northern accent. They don't hide them. 'Our whole selling point and what we do differently is Shakespeare in northern voices. We were just quite bemused by it at first. 'We've been working on platforming northern voices on stage for the last 30 years. In my time, I've never seen this complaint.' The production, which states it is performed by '12 Northern actors' on its posters, ran from March 23 to March 26 - with theatre critic Mark Fisher describing one performer's accent as 'gorgeous'. But despite the company being complimented for its Northern accents, one theatregoer felt drawn to file a complaint. The theatre's chief executive Tom Bird poked fun at the complaint on social media, saying the customer had bemoaned 'Yorkshires accents right here in Yorkshire' The production, which states it is performed by '12 Northern actors', ran from March 23 to March 26 - with theatre critic Mark Fisher describing one performer's accent as 'gorgeous' Ms Rooney said: 'It's a normal thing to hear northern voices and Yorkshire accents on stage these days. 'We were one of the first to do this 30 years ago and since then I think a lot of people have taken it on board. 'It's more of a thing people enjoy to hear. It makes the [characters] sound like them and people can relate to it a little bit more. 'A lot of Shakespearian language is hard to get used to anyway so if you hear it in your own voice, it makes the experience a lot more accessible. 'A lot of our actors are from Manchester. Bailey trained at Manchester School of Theatre, Isabel is from Lancaster, Shaban is from Manchester, Gemma is from Leeds, Terri is from Manchester. We've got someone from Wirral and someone from Hull. 'We have it on the York Theatre Royal website. On all our posters and flyers it says "performed by 12 Northern actors." It's everywhere, basically. Social media users were left bemused by the complaint, while Mr Bird reassured followers the complainant had 'no chance' of a refund 'I think they were expecting a more traditional approach to the text, maybe. It's done us a world of good this complaint.' Responding to Mr Bird's post, one social media user said: 'Yorkshire accents, in Yorkshire, from a Yorkshire-based theatre company, that was SPECIFICALLY created to showcase Yorkshire accents in all roles? Heaven forbid.' Another added: 'This makes me soooo angry! Bored of this narrative that people shun northern accents because they're 'not supposed to be on stage or represented because it's not [received pronunciation]'. 'Keep representing Northern accents. They are real, deserve to heard and are just as important as standard receive pronunciation or other more commonly comfortably heard southern accents.' A third wrote: 'Northern broadsides are a Yorkshire gem. 'I saw them in Manchester and will see them in Leeds next - shocked some theatre goers are so ignorant!' And a fourth commented: 'I once had an audience member write to me personally at a theatre I had performed at, because she didn't appreciate my foul language/attitude on stage, in character, delivering the lines as written. 'Wow. These people don't deserve it.' In Defence of Marxism is committed to safeguarding your privacy. At all times we aim to respect any personal data you share with us, or that we receive from other organisations, and keep it safe. 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Please let us know if you have any queries or concerns whatsoever about the way in which your data is being processed by emailing the Data Protection Manager at webmaster@marxist.com Feared Chechen warlord Ramzan Kadyrov took his rifle-toting son, 14, to war when he lead Russia's bloody assault on Mariupol, it has emerged. The boy, named Adam, is seen in video footage donning military clothing while being given a tour of a hospital by his autocrat father - a close ally of Vladimir Putin - in the ravaged Ukrainian port city. Kadyrov, 45, said he wanted his son, who is one of 12 children, 'to learn first hand about the successes and needs of our comrades-in-arms', and also made clear he disagrees with Russia's move to lessen the military pressure on Kyiv, instead vowing to lead an invasion of the capital. In one sequence the child, dressed in dark green military fatigues, is shown with his father visiting the hospital bedside of Kadryrov's henchman commander Ruslan Geremeyev. Geremeyev is a suspect in the murder of Russian liberal politician Boris Nemtsov, a leading Putin foe and former deputy prime minister, gunned down close to the Kremlin in 2015. Ramzan Kadyrov (pictured) said he wanted his son, who is one of 12 children, 'to learn first hand about the successes and needs of our comrades-in-arms' The boy, named Adam, is seen in video footage donning military clothing while being given a tour of a hospital by his autocrat father (pictured together) - a close ally of Vladimir Putin - in the ravaged Ukrainian port city of Mariupol In one sequence the child, dressed in dark green military fatigues (pictured), is shown with his father visiting the hospital bedside Kadryrov's henchman commander Ruslan Geremeyev. Ruslan Geremeyev (pictured) is a suspect in the murder of Russian liberal politician Boris Nemtsov, a leading Putin foe and former deputy prime minister, gunned down close to the Kremlin in 2015. Kadyrov was seen introducing the boy (pictured) to the Russian army general, saying: 'Here is my Adam'. Even the Russian FSB - once headed by Putin - has been unable to locate and quiz Geremeyev over the political assassination, say reports. Geremeyev sustained relatively minor injuries in fighting Ukrainian defenders, according to Chechen TV. Kadryrov - accused of using medieval torture on his enemies in Chechnya - has been called 'the son Putin never had' for his devout loyalty to the Kremlin leader. The Chechen supremo - this week promoted to the rank of Lt-General in the Russian national guard - for the second day claimed that he had met and been briefed by Andrey Mordvichev, one of the senior commanders that the Ukrainians claimed to have killed earlier this month. Kadyrov was seen introducing the boy to the Russian army general, saying: 'Here is my Adam'. Mordvichev replies: 'Hi, well done!' Kadyrov tells him: 'Adam is 13.' Ramzan Kadyrov performs a prayer at a petrol station during a visit to war-torn Mariupol Ramzan Kadyrov visits Mariupol with Lieutenant General Andrey Mordvichev, Commander of the 8th Guards All-Army of the Southern Military District Kadyrov poses with the head of Donetsk People Republic Denis Pushilin 'Kremlin's dragon': Chechnya's Ramzan Kadyrov is a fierce Putin ally who rules his home territory with an iron fist Ramzan Kadyrov, 45, is supreme leader of Chechnya, a region situated in Russia's North Caucasus. He is often referred to as Kremlin's Dragon due to his loyalty to Russian president Vladimir Putin, while his paramilitary force has been accused of unleashing terror in Chechnya where he rules with an iron fist. Kadyrov, the son of former Chechen President Akhmad Kadyrov - who was assassinated in 2004 - officially took over the presidency in 2007 and has since been blacklisted by Western nations. The father-of-twelve has reportedly treated Chechnya as his own private fiefdom since inheriting power from his late father, and is regularly accused of heavy handed tactics and mistreatment of the LGBT+ community - including rounding them up and placing them in concentration camps. Kadyrov denied the claims, insisting that 'gay people do not exist' in Chechnya. Advertisement However, records of the boy's age show him to be 14. Adam was earlier at the centre of controversy over his expensive watch collection - including a Richard Mille original reported to cost more than 263,000. 'I met with the commander of the 8th Guards Combined Arms Army, Lieutenant General of the Russian Armed Forces Andrey Mordvichev,' said Kadyrov. '[Mordvichev] reported on the significant successes of the fighters in critical areas and mentioned the approximate dates for the capture of Mariupol by the Russian army.' As well as his son Adam, other Kadyrov relatives are in Ukraine in his entourage, several of them ministers in his government in the oil rich region in the TransCaucasus. 'A special military operation in Mariupol to cleanse the city of Bandera [Ukrainian nationalists], Nazis and rabid shaitans without family or tribe is proceeding in accordance with the developed plan.' He vowed to fully bring Mariupol to heel before seeking to grab the Ukrainian capital. 'We will honourably carry out the order of our Supreme Commander-in-Chief, Russian President Vladimir Putin,' he said. 'He entrusted us with one of the most important and difficult areas, and we will justify his trust 100 percent. 'Very soon we will complete the assigned tasks in Mariupol and report to the President of the Russian Federation on our readiness to take Kyiv.' In Chechnya, Kadyrov is accused of human rights abuses and torture against his political opponents and LGBT+ activists and citizens. Adam (circled) is one of Kadyrov's 12 children, pictured here in a family photo In Chechnya, Kadyrov (pictured with Putin), 45, is accused of human rights abuses and torture against his political opponents and LGBT+ activists and citizens It was unclear how Geremeyev was wounded. Earlier Kadyrov had posted: 'The most difficult section in Mariupol was assigned to him, and the commander coped with the task brilliantly. 'In the same way, he always showed himself during the Chechen campaign in battles with shaitans - he was the first to ask for battle and perform the most difficult task. 'This time too he justified his name as an experienced and fearless commander.' Newspaper tycoon Evgeny Lebedev blasted Labour today over its attempts to discover why the security services tried to block his peerage. Lord Lebedev, who owns the Standard and Independent newspapers, insisted he has 'nothing to hide' as he backed the publication of security advice linked to his appointment to the House of Lords. In a series of tweets the Russian-born businessman, whose father was a KGB agent, criticised the opposition for attacking him based on 'no facts and pure innuendo'. And he revealed 'in the spirit of transparency' that party leader Sir Keir Starmer has congratulated him on his peerage in a text message in 2020. His remarks came as Labour tabled a House of Commons motion in a bid to force the Government to release documents about Boris Johnson's involvement in the appointment. The Prime Minister's former aide, Dominic Cummings, has claimed he was in the room when Mr Johnson was told by Cabinet Office officials that the 'intelligence services and other parts of the deep state' had 'serious reservations' about the PM's plan to appoint the media mogul to the Lords. They want Cabinet Office minister Steve Barclay to put all relevant information provided to the House of Lords Appointments Commission (HOLAC) before the Commons by no later than April 28. The Tories also attacked Labour over its own links to Mr Lebedev tonight. MP Peter Gibson has written to Labour asking Sir Keir to disclose his meetings with 'media proprietors, editors and senior executives. In his letter, the Darlington MP claims Labour has failed to honour a 2012 pledge made by former leader Ed Miliband, by not releasing the information for six years. Lord Lebedev, who owns the Standard and Independent newspapers, insisted he has 'nothing to hide' as he backed the publication of security advice linked to his appointment to the House of Lords. In a series of tweets the Russian-born businessman, whose father was a KGB agent, criticised the opposition for attacking him based on 'no facts and pure innuendo'. Lord Lebedev wrote on Twitter: 'Openness and transparency are pillars of our democratic system, so I welcome the call for security advice about me provided to Holac (House of Lords Appointments Commission) to be released. 'I have nothing to hide.' In separate tweets, Lord Lebedev added: 'And in the spirit of transparency here is a text to me from @Keir-Starmer: 'Congratulations on your elevation to the House of Lords. All best wishes, Keir.' 'There's a war in Europe. Britain is facing the highest cost of living since the 1950s. And you choose to debate me based on no facts and pure innuendo. What's become of you @UKLabour #shadowofyourformerself.' Labour tonight dismissed Lord Lebedev's attempt to draw them into the row over his peerage, with a source saying: 'It was Boris Johnson who secretly overruled the security services to give Lord Lebedev a seat in our parliament. None of this was publicly known at the time.' They called on the peer to also release his text messages with the Prime Minister. Mr Johnson has previously denied reports he influenced the intelligence services after they advised against giving a Lords' seat to Lebedev, who also denies any wrongdoing. Reports claimed MI5 and MI6 warned that granting the peerage in 2020 posed a risk to national security. But they are said to have withdrawn their opposition after the direct intervention of Mr Johnson, who accused them of 'anti-Russianism'. Lebedev, 41-, whose father is the former KGB agent Alexander Lebedev, took his seat in December 2020 as Baron Lebedev of Hampton and Siberia. He is a friend of the PM and was part of a peerages list which included the Conservative leader's close political allies, party donors and his own brother, Jo. He moved to London aged eight to be with his billionaire father, Alexander, and has remained in the UK ever since. In 2009, the pair bought a 65 per cent stake in the Evening Standard. A year later, he bought The Independent and launched the i newspaper. It is expected Conservative MPs will abstain if Labour presses its motion to a vote. Opening the debate, Labour deputy leader Angela Rayner spoke of 'serious questions' over Lord Lebedev's peerage. She said: 'The commission concluded it could not support his nomination. Forty-eight hours later, the Prime Minister visited Lebedev at his home in London. 'Details of that meeting have never been released to the public and questions remain about whether the security services knew about this meeting or whether their assessments show that the Kremlin were keeping tabs on these activities.' In July 2020, Lord Lebedev's appointment as a peer was announced, she said, adding: 'So the question is this, what changed between the security warning and the appointment? 'The British public have a right to know if and how an individual of apparent concern to our intelligence services was granted a seat at the heart of Parliament by personal order of the Prime Minister. 'Whether the Prime Minister was aware of that security advice but chose to ignore it, overrule it, or even demand that be changed.' But Cabinet Office minister Michael Ellis accused Labour of seeking to 'whip up anti-Russian feeling'. He said: 'Not all Russians are our enemy. Many British citizens of Russian extraction came to this country with a view to an opposition to President Putin. People cancelling Tchaikovsky concerts is not appropriate and Labour seeking to whip up anti-Russian feeling, casting all persons of Russian extraction in a negative light is wrong.' President Joe Biden welcomed Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong to the White House Tuesday amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine and China's growing influence in Asia. The president and Lee both agreed to take one question during a 'press statement' after their meeting Tuesday afternoon, with Biden being asked by the Associated Press about his take on Russia's announcement it would pull back forces from Ukraine's capital, Kyiv. 'We'll see, I don't read anything into it until I see what their actions are. We'll see if they follow through with what they're suggesting,' Biden answered. He noted that negotiations were continuing throughout Tuesday, as he spoke with European leaders, including U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi earlier in the morning. 'There seems to be a consensus that - let's just see what they have to offer,' Biden said. 'We'll find out what they do, but in the meantime we're going to continue to keep strong the sanctions, we're going to continue to provide the Ukrainian military with their capacity to defend themselves, and we're going to continue to keep a close eye on what's going on.' Biden's comments to the press came one day after he tried to explain what he meant when he said Saturday in Warsaw that Russian President Vladimir Putin 'cannot remain in power.' That Q&A session led to more head-scratching, as Biden said he was expressing his 'moral outrage' when he made the unscripted remark, but clarified he wasn't calling on regime change. President Joe Biden took one question from a reporter during a 'press statement' he made alongside Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong (left) and President Joe Biden (right) participated in a press statement event Tuesday afternoon at the White House Reporters pointed out that Biden's comments could inadvertently be used by Russia to justify further escalation. 'Nobody believes I was talkinga bout taking down Putin ... nobody believes that,' Biden answered Monday. 'I was expressing my outrage at the behavior of this man.' Biden kept his appearance alongside Lee Tuesday in the Oval Office short and scripted, keeping a notecard balanced on his lap. 'The rules-based order is facing unprecedented challenges,' Biden said, seated alongside the Singaporean leader. 'Russia's unprovoked and unjustifiable war against Ukraine is an urgent threat to both Europe and I believe the Indo-Pacific as well.' Biden noted that 'borders can't be changed by force' and said every nation, large and small, had the 'rights to their sovereignty.' 'I want to thank you, Mr. Prime Minister, for Singapore's principled leadership in supporting the people of Ukraine,' the American president continued. 'I know it's not easy, but I want to thank you for it. You're a man of principle and you've stepped up every time that you've had to.' Singapore stands out in the region by joining the United States and Western allies in sanctioning Russia for its actions against Ukraine. Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong (left) meets with President Joe Biden (right) Tuesday in the Oval Office President Joe Biden (pictured) entertains Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on an unseasonably cold day in March Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong of Singapore speaks at the top of his meeting with President Joe Biden Tuesday in the Oval Office Biden - sitting in front of a blazing fire, as Tuesday was an unseasonably cold day for March in D.C. - said the two leaders would discuss the U.S.-ASEAN relationship, 'freedom of the seas' - code for China's claims in the South China Sea - promoting a return to democracy in Burma and sustainable economic growth between the two nations. Lee thanked Biden for receiving him at 'this special moment in world affairs.' 'I'm sure you're completely seized with what's happening in Europe right now,' Lee said. Lee called Singapore a 'very good partner' to the United States. 'And our relations are doing very well,' the prime minister added. 'We will, of course, exchange views also on Ukraine and what that means for Asia Pacific region,' Lee said. After the meeting, as they appeared together in the East Room, the leaders made clear that Ukraine and Russia dominated the conversation, but other issues -including North Korea's latest weapons testing - were also discussed. 'Today with the prime minister's visit and Singapore's strong leadership on this issue, it's clear that Putin's war is unacceptable to nations in every region of the world - not just Europe but every region of the world,' Biden said. 'We cannot condone any country arguing that another country's independence is a result of historical errors and crazy decisions,' Singapore's Prime Minister Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said Tuesday from the East Room He also said of Lee: 'Both you and Singapore punch way above your weight - way above your weight.' In return Lee thanked Biden for the 'very warm welcome.' 'Singapore's a staunch supporter of international law and the U.N. charter, which prohibits acts of aggression against a sovereign state. And that's why we've strongly condemned the unprovoked attack by Russia on Ukraine,' Singapore's prime minister said. He called Russia's intrusion into Ukraine 'unacceptable.' 'We cannot condone any country arguing that another country's independence is a result of historical errors and crazy decisions,' Lee said. Lee also talked about how the conflict in Ukraine could have repurcussions in the Asia-Pacific, where certain territorial disputes could 'escalate to open conflict.' 'Countries with interests in the region need to pursue all efforts to settle disagreements through peaceful means so that we can avoid reaching a point of no return,' Lee said, encouraging 'open chanels of dialogue' between countries, including at the leader level. To Biden he said there were 'many friends in the region who want you to stay actively and consistently engaged.' Lee was the first leader of a member nation of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations to visit Biden's White House. Biden was supposed to travel to Asia later this spring for an ASEAN meeting, but that trip is now delayed due to scheduling conflicts. 'We're disappointed but we are very committed to looking for ways in which we can find a good time to schedule this,' the official said. Biden will, however, host a summit of ASEAN leaders at the White House later in the spring. Vice President Kamala Harris visited Singapore in August. Lee will also visit with Harris Tuesday. Lee spent time Monday at the Pentagon with Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin. Biden and Lee last met on the sidelines of the G20 in Rome in October. NYC Mayor Eric Adams was seen dancing on-stage next to supermodel Cara Delevingne and hitting up a red carpet just hours after two more horrific assaults in the crime-ridden city he's repeatedly vowed to clean-up. Adams was pictured partying it up with British supermodel Cara Delevingne and rapper A$Ap Rocky at a swanky event held inside the One Vanderbilt skyscraper on Monday night. A clip of the ex-cop mayor, who began his first term in January, showed him dancing gently while posing next to Delevingne, who clutched a bottle of bubbly. The mayor also was able to squeeze a red carpet appearance to his busy schedule, appearing in a tan suit for the opening night for Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick's Neil Simon Broadway play Plaza Suite which debuted on West 44th Street in Midtown Manhattan. Adams' glitzy night out with celebrities raised eyebrows as it emerged he'd hit the tiles just hours after NYC was hit by another two shockingly violent assaults. NYC Mayor Eric Adams was seen partying it up with British supermodel Cara Delevingne and rapper A$Ap Rocky at a swanky event held inside the One Vanderbilt skyscraper Supermodel Cara Delevingne sips from a champagne bottle and dances alongside NYC mayor Eric Adams Monday night Mister Mayor: New York City mayor Eric Adams attends Plaza Suite opening night At 7:30am a 53-year-old man placing an order at a kiosk in a Midtown Manhattan McDonalds was caught on camera getting beaten and robbed. His attacker was captured coming up behind the victim before striking him in the back of the head and knocking him to the ground, the New York Post reported. As the victim attempts to get up the suspect pushes him and demands his wallet before he throws him on the ground again and kicks him in the head before making off with the victims phone and wallet, the Post reported. Another customer was captured nearby as the attack unfolded but no one came to the victims aide and the suspect fled to a nearby train station, the Post reported. The victim was transported to a local hospital where he is being treated for a severe head injury, the Post reported. And just a few hours later, at 1 pm, the 60-year-old owner of a Queens pawn shop had his head so badly beaten in with a metal rod that responding officers initially believed he suffered a gunshot wound, the New York Post reported. Earlier in the day at 7:30 am a 53-year-old man placing an order at a kiosk in a Manhattan McDonalds was caught on camera getting beaten and robbed Another customer was captured nearby as the attack unfolded but no one came to the victims aide and the suspect (pictured) fled to a nearby train station Police say an unidentified suspect walked into the pawn shop and struck him multiple times before fleeing the scene. Police say the motive behind the attack is unclear as they search for the suspect and in the meantime the victim remains at a local hospital in critical condition, the Post reported. The incidents come days after Adams himself said the spike in crime across New York City has made the Big Apple a 'laughing stock' in need of a 'wartime general' to tackle the ongoing problem. The MTA subway system has been ground zero for New York City so far this year, after an alarming 73.3 percent increase in underground incidents - including 182 in February alone. Hate crimes also have doubled since last year with anti-Asian attacks more than tripling and anti-Semitic attacks complaints up by a whopping 54 percent over the same time last year, from 134 to 207 incidents. Robberies saw the largest uptick with 3,351 cases reported so far this year, a 45.6 percent rise from last year. Rapes have also seen a dramatic spike with 360 cases reported compared to 247 during the same time last year, a nearly 31 percent jump. Police say an unidentified suspect (pictured) walked into the pawn shop and struck him multiple times before fleeing the scene Later in the day the owner of a Queens pawn shop had his head so badly beaten with a metal rod that responding officers believed he suffered a gunshot wound The number of shooting victims continues to go up as well, with 284 cases were reported so far this year - a 17.4 percent increase compared to the same period last year. Adams, speaking at the annual NYPD Holy Name Society communion Mass and breakfast on Sunday, condemned the lawlessness throughout the city and blamed petty crime and homelessness as contributing factors to the widespread 'dysfunction.' 'Anything goes in the City of New York,' Adams said, according to The New York Post. 'The most important city on the globe has become the laughingstock of the globe. And the dysfunctionality of our city has cascaded throughout the entire country.' His push to combat crime also comes as the NYPD's February crime statistics showed an almost 60 percent increase in felonies compared to the same time last year. Meanwhile, a recent poll of more than 9,000 employees revealed that 40 percent of those working in Manhattan wanted to move away due to rising crime. About 48 percent of those working in the other four boroughs agreed. The Morning Consult poll, conducted for Partnership for New York, surveyed 9,386 adults working in New York City from February 17 to March 11, with many voicing their frustration over the soaring crime and homelessness that has gripped the streets and subways. According to the poll, 74 percent of respondents said that safety has gotten worse in the city since the start of the pandemic lockdowns in March 2020, with 82 percent saying homelessness has also worsened. Overall, 84 percent of respondents said conditions in the city have gotten worse over the past two years, with more than half agreeing that conditions have greatly deteriorated. 'Safety, homelessness, and mental illness rank as top issues for New York City's private sector employees,' Morning Consult wrote in its findings to Partnership, whose more than 300 members employ more than 1 million people in the city. 'They are resisting return to the office until something is done to address them, particularly on public transit.' In all, 40 percent of those who live in Manhattan want to move away while 48 percent who live in the other four boroughs are also looking for an exit plan. Advertisement Women now earn as much or more than men in 22 US cities and metro areas, but the gender pay gap still persists for the average female worker, research has found. According to a Pew Research Center study published Monday, women under 30 who work full-time in the New York City and Washington DC metro areas are earning 102 percent of what their male colleagues are making. And in the Los Angeles metro area, women are earning the same as men. But the gender pay gap still persists, with the average woman now earning 82 cents for every dollar earned by a man. In total, the study found, 16 percent of all young women who are working full time are living in one of 22 cities where they make the same - or even more - than their male counterparts. The reverse-gender pay-gap is highest in Wenatchee, Washington, a city of just 32,000 where women earn 20 percent more than men. Wenatchee is famed for its apple orchards and wineries, and also has a large tourism economy. Morgantown in West Virginia comes second, with women there earning an average of 14 percent more than men. The city is home to a respected university, which has helped drive-up wages. Barnstable Town on Massachusetts' ultra-exclusive Cape Cod is in third place, with women earning 12 percent more than men. Florida holds the fourth and fifth places, with women in Gainesville earning 10 percent more than men, while women in Naples earn eight percent more than male colleagues on average. This map shows the areas where the gender pay gap is worst - and other cities and metro areas where American women earn more than their male counterparts on average These cities, experts say, are drawing more highly educated young women who are beginning to better understand their worth in the workforce as they graduate from college at higher rates than men of their age. 'When we're talking about major cities, they tend to be places where women with higher education levels - and possibly higher professional ambitions want to be,' Gloria Blackwell, chief executive of the American Association of University Woman told the Washington Post. But, she cautioned: 'Those cities are the exception, and not the rule.' In most major cities, the Pew Research Center study found, men continue to outpace women when it comes to wages, and the same problem persists across the wider United States. The Center analyzed US Census Bureau data for 250 major metropolitan areas from 2015 to 2019 and found that in 107 cities, where nearly half of young women working full-time live, women are making between 90 to 99 percent of what their male colleagues are making. In another 103 cities, where 17 percent of young women lived full-time in 2019, young women are earning 80 to 89 percent of what their male coworkers make. Fourteen other cities saw women earning between 70 to 79 percent of what their male colleagues made in 2019. And in four cities women younger than 30 were earning between 67 to 69 percent of what their male coworkers made. Most of the cities with the greatest disparity were in the Midwest and South, with the Elkhart-Goshen area of Indiana reporting that women are making 67 percent of what men make. The so-called Rust Belt of the Midwest has been hit hard by the manufacturing downturn, with the economic crisis there making the gender pay gap even more pronounced. Elkhart-Goshen area is known for manufacturing RVs and musical instruments. Nationally, the study found, women 30 and younger are still making 93 cents for every dollar made by a comparable man, and when accounting for all men and women - regardless of age - that number dropped to 82 cents. Still, that is a 6 percent increase over what it was a decade ago - when women famously made 77 cents for every dollar a man made. This table shows the areas of the US where women earn more than men on average - and the other places where they earn least by comparison to their male counterparts The wage disparities between young men and women was greatest in the Midwest and South Much of the discrepancy between young men's and young women's wages could be attributed to the different types of jobs men and women typically take, experts say. Men tend to go into fields such as heavy industry or technology, according to the Washington Post, which offer competitive wages. Women, however, tend to favor industries such as health care, education and hospitality, which tend to pay less. The wage gap only increases over time, experts claim. 'The older a woman is, the more time she has had to have been passed up for a promotion, to have gotten a smaller raise compared to an equivalent male colleague or to have made a career sacrifice for her family,' Betsey Stevenson, a professor of public policy and economics at the University of Michigan said. As Alexandra Kalev, an anthropology professor at Tel Aviv University explained, women are less likely to be mentored at work and are less likely to receive management training. At the same time, she said, they are driven more into less valued jobs, even if they have much sought after technical skills. 'In short, because companies' career systems are such that they offer more opportunities to men, men get more opportunities to advance and to keep their jobs longer - and this translates to growing pay gaps as the years pass.' But the Pew Research Center study suggests more young women are becoming aware of their worth, as they perform better in college admissions and graduations, with 14 percent more women earning bachelor's degrees in 2019, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. Their wages have increased proportionally, the Washington Post reports, and women are now able to remain in the workforce even during times of economic downturns - like during the 2020 COVID pandemic when female and male college graduates stayed in their jobs at the same rate. 'I think there's some encouraging news in here that men and women are finally in many places starting out their careers with the same wages,' Debra Lancaster, director of the Center for Women and Work at Rutgers University, told the Post. 'But I don't know if that would even impress my nieces; I think they expect that.' Cathay Pacific will set a new world record for the longest commercial flight route after tweaking its New York to Hong Kong journey to avoid Russian airspace. Hong Kong's national flag carrier will now send jets journeying between JFK in New York and Hong Kong International (HKG) around Russia rather than through it. It will also cross over the UK, much of mainland Europe and central Asia, also avoiding Ukraine. That means a journey of 10,326 miles rather than the previous 8,072. It will become the first ever regular passenger flight to exceed 10,000 miles. And for passengers, it means a flight of almost 17 hours rather than 15. The new flight path new crosses the UK, mainland Europe and central Asia to avoid Russia Hong Kong flag carrier Cathay Pacific is headquartered at Hong Kong International Airport Dozens of Asian carriers have been forced to amend flightpaths to avoid Russia and Ukraine Patient passengers must now spend an extra two hours onboard to travel 2,254 miles further Cathay revealed its plan in a company memo sent to flight crews today, Bloomberg reported. The new route overtakes Singapore Airlines' 9,537-mile flight from New York to Hong Kong, which takes a tad longer at 17-and-a-half hours, according to FlightRadar 24. Airlines have made efforts to avoid Russian and Belarussian airspace since the invasion of Ukraine on February 24. It is now a criminal offence for Russian aircraft to enter UK airspace - with violating vessels seized. Cathay said its fleet of Airbus A350-1000s can complete the longer New York-Hong Kong route safely without needing to refuel on the way. However, the route may change again in the summer as tailwinds over the Atlantic become less powerful - making the Pacific a better option. A spokeswoman said: 'We are always running contingency routings for potential events or scenarios. 'The Transatlantic option relies on the facilitation of strong seasonal tailwinds at this time of the year in order for the flight time to be between 16 and 17 hours, thereby making it more favorable than the Transpacific route.' Other airlines which have tweaked flight routes to avoid Russia include Japan Airlines, which crosses Alaska and Canada on its way between Tokyo and London Heathrow. The route formerly included passing over much of Siberia, a saving of almost five hours. Meanwhile British Airways has warned it will have to cancel hundreds of flights scheduled over the next few weeks. Passengers have been left waiting in hours-long baggage return queues due to persistent IT issues. In an internal message to staff, BA chief executive Sean Doyle admitted passengers and employees are 'fed up' with the recent issues but said there were 'no quick fixes'. That came after the airline - which announced it was scrapping masks on flights - reversed the plan and warned people they must wear them on journeys to 50 destinations. Places affected include Greece, Italy, the United States and Germany. Jada Pinkett Smith has finally broken her silence days after her husband Will Smith slapped Chris Rock on stage at the Oscars over an alopecia joke the comedian made about her shaved head. 'This is a season for healing and I'm here for it,' the actress posted to Instagram Tuesday, two days after the incident that stunned Hollywood A-listers and millions of viewers. Pinkett Smith, 50, posted the words on a pink background, but did not share a caption. She has remained quiet since the dramatic events involving her husband unfolded Sunday night. Later Tuesday, the couple's daughter Willow, 21, posted to her Instagram story a message that read, 'You know who's going through a lot right now? Literally everyone. Just be kind.' The separate posts from mother and daughter, which both appear to address the incident and its aftermath, come less than a day after Will Smith issued an apology for slapping Rock. Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith react to Chris Rock's alopecia joke about Pinkett Smith's shaved head at the Oscars Sunday, seconds before Smith marched on stage and slapped Rock Two days after the incident, Pinkett Smith, who has been open about her struggle with alopecia, broke her silence with a post on Instagram 'This is a season for healing and I'm here for it,' the actress posted to Instagram Tuesday, two days after the incident that stunned millions of viewers 'Violence in all of its forms is poisonous and destructive,' the actor wrote. 'My behavior at last night's Academy Awards was unacceptable and inexcusable. Jokes at my expense are a part of the job, but a joke about Jada's medical condition was too much for me to bear and I reacted emotionally. 'I would like to publicly apologize to you, Chris. I was out of line and I was wrong. I am embarrassed and my actions were not indicative of the man I want to be. There is no place for violence in a world of love and kindness.' Rock, 57, has not responded to Smith's apology, or commented on the Sunday night incident. Smith, 53, also apologized to the the organizers and the producers of the show. The Academy condemned Smith's actions and launched a formal review of the incident on Monday. A full board meeting to discuss the incident will be held Wednesday. Will and Jada's daughter Willow, 21, shared a snap of herself holding her dad's Oscar after his now-infamous slap of Chris Rock and his best actor win on Sunday On Tuesday, Willow posted to her Instagram story a message that read, 'You know who's going through a lot right now? Literally everyone. Just be kind' Will Smith's mother, Carolyn Smith, 85, said she was shocked by her son's behavior, describing it as entirely out of character. 'He is a very even, people person,' she said on Monday on a local news station, Action News. 'That's the first time I've ever seen him go off. First time in his lifetime. 'I've never seen him do that.' Carolyn said she spoke to the actor on Monday, amid the drama, and told him to get some rest, and go on vacation. She said that she knew he would ride out the controversy. 'I am proud of him being him,' she said, adding that she had desperately hoped her son would win the best actor award. Will Smith's younger sister Ellen Smith, 50, who was with their mother, sister Pam, and others at the family home, agreed that she was confident he would overcome the current drama. 'I've had conversations with him, and it like really kind of broke my heart listening to the things he's said he had to go through to get to where he is,' she said. Carolyn Smith, 85, is seen on Monday speaking to Action News from her home in Philadelphia about her son Will Smith's behavior at the Oscars Smith's punishment will likely be decided at Wednesday's meeting held by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Board of Governors - where the incident is expected to be the main topic. Disciplinary action could include anything from forcing him to hand back his Oscar to the most severe punishment - suspension from the Academy - which would put Smith among the ranks of Harvey Weinstein and Bill Cosby, who were both expelled for sexual misconduct. A post-Oscars board meeting is always held to discuss the ceremony and address any concerns, but does not usually happen this soon, the Hollywood Reporter learned. The decision to hold the meeting was made after the Academy met for an emergency call Monday night about the incident and released a statement announcing a launch of a formal review. 'The Academy condemns the actions of Mr. Smith at last night's show. We have officially started a formal review around the incident and will explore further action and consequences in accordance with our Bylaws, Standards of Conduct and California law.' It appears that Smith may face some type of disciplinary action or sanction, though it's unlikely he will be made to forfeit his prize, Variety reported. While many are calling for Smith's Oscar to be rescinded, guidelines in the Academy's Code of Conduct - rewritten in 2017 during the height of the Me Too Movement - outline even more severe consequences. A more severe punishment would be expulsion from the Academy, putting the 'King Richard' actor in a small group of people who have been expelled, including Harvey Weinstein, Bill Cosby, and Roman Polanski. Weinstein was expelled 'for 'sexually predatory behavior and workplace harassment' and Cosby and Polanski were expelled 'in accordance with the organization's Standards of Conduct' after they had been convicted of sexual assault. Weinstein and Polanski's Oscars were never rescinded. Will Smith slapped Chris Rock on stage at the Oscars on Sunday, after the comedian made a joke about his wife Jada Pinkett Smith. On Monday, Smith apologized On Monday's airing of 'The View,' host Whoopi Goldberg, who is also a member of The Academy's board of governors, defended the actor and said, 'We're not going to take that Oscar from him. There will be consequences, I'm sure, but I don't think that's what they'll do.' Goldberg doubled down on her promise to punish Smith during Tuesday's show, saying, 'There are consequences. There are big consequences because nobody is OK with what happened.' 'Nobody, nobody, nobody,' she added. Many Hollywood celebrities denounced Smith's actions and called for his Oscar to be rescinded. Marshall Herskovitz, president emeritus of the Producers Guild of America, was among the first to condemn Smith, tweeting shortly after the attack that Smith had 'disgraced our entire community'. He said: 'I call upon the Academy, of which I am a member, to take disciplinary action against Will Smith. He disgraced our entire community tonight.' Herskovitz accused those who defended the actor of 'moral cowardice'. In one of the most shocking moments in the history of the vaunted awards show, Smith strode on stage Sunday and slapped Rock in the face after the comedian made a joke about the appearance of Smith's wife. Smith's meltdown continued when he returned to his seat as he repeatedly screamed: 'Keep my wife's name out of your f***ing mouth'. The crowd then fell into stunned silence - and any questions over whether the altercation was genuine were answered when just over half an hour later Smith was given the Best Actor award and apologized for the assault. The actor released a statement on Monday, saying his behavior was 'unacceptable and inexcusable' and left him 'embarrassed'. The actor released a statement on Monday, saying his behavior was 'unacceptable and inexcusable' and left him 'embarrassed' He wrote in an Instagram post that he was 'embarrassed' by his actions, which shocked the ceremony attendees, producers and viewers. 'Violence in all of its forms is poisonous and destructive,' he wrote. 'My behavior at last night's Academy Awards was unacceptable and inexcusable. Jokes at my expense are a part of the job, but a joke about Jada's medical condition was too much for me to bear and I reacted emotionally. 'I would like to publicly apologize to you, Chris. I was out of line and I was wrong. I am embarrassed and my actions were not indicative of the man I want to be. There is no place for violence in a world of love and kindness.' The View host and Academy governor Whoopi Goldberg on Tuesday's show, said, 'There are consequences. There are big consequences because nobody is OK with what happened' Could Will Smith be stripped of his Oscar? Academy faces pressure to respond after disgraced star broke Code of Conduct drawn up in wake of MeToo Movement The Academy tweeted its disapproval of 'violence of any form' late on Sunday night There are calls for the Academy to strip Will Smith of his Best Actor Oscar after he walked on stage and slapped comedian Chris Rock who was presenting an award on stage, after making a joke about Jada Pinkett-Smith's hair. The Academy, in its code of conduct, is known to take a very a dim view of violence of any kind. After the award ceremony was over it tweeted: 'The Academy does not condone violence of any form. Tonight we are delighted to celebrate our 94th Academy Awards winners, who deserve this moment of recognition from their peers and movie lovers around the world.' The Academy reestablished its Code of Conduct in 2017 during the Me Too Movement. 'Academy membership is a privilege offered to only a select few within the global community of filmmakers,' AMPAS CEO Dawn Hudson wrote to members following various scandals in the industry. On Sunday night, in the Dolby Theatre, there was complete bewilderment in the moments after the assault with took place with those present initially wondering if the punch was part of a stunt. It took a few moments for the normally unflappable Rock to process but the colorful language from Smith quickly confirmed it wasn't any kind of joke at all. The punch threw the entire Oscars broadcast into chaos as producers were frantically forced into deciding how to deal with the on-air assault, with Smith still yet to receive his Best Actor statuette. Advertisement The actor released a statement on Monday, saying his behavior was 'unacceptable and inexcusable' and left him 'embarrassed'. He wrote in an Instagram post that he was 'embarrassed' by his actions, which shocked the ceremony attendees, producers and viewers. 'Violence in all of its forms is poisonous and destructive,' he wrote. 'My behavior at last night's Academy Awards was unacceptable and inexcusable. Jokes at my expense are a part of the job, but a joke about Jada's medical condition was too much for me to bear and I reacted emotionally. 'I would like to publicly apologize to you, Chris. I was out of line and I was wrong. I am embarrassed and my actions were not indicative of the man I want to be. There is no place for violence in a world of love and kindness.' Rock has not responded to Smith's apology, or commented on the Sunday night incident. Smith also extended his apology to the family of Venus and Serena Williams. Shortly after slapping Rock, Smith won the best actor award for his portrayal of their father Richard - but the story of their family was overshadowed by Smith's attack. Richard Williams - who the Oscar-winner portrays in King Richard - said after the attack that he condemns violence. Chavoita LeSane, Williams' son, told NBC: 'We don't know all the details of what happened. But we don't condone anyone hitting anyone else unless it's in self-defense.' Smith said: 'I would also like to apologize to the Academy, the producers of the show, all the attendees and everyone watching around the world,' Smith continued. 'I would like to apologize to the Williams Family and my King Richard Family. 'I deeply regret that my behavior has stained what has been an otherwise gorgeous journey for all of us.' The Philadelphia-born actor concluded: 'I am a work in progress. Sincerely, Will.' His apology came as the group that hands out the Oscars on Monday condemned Smith's actions and said it had started a formal review of the incident that cast a shadow over the film honors. The crowd then fell into stunned silence as it became clear the attack was genuine, and not staged. Rock replied to him saying: 'I'm going to, okay?' He then laughed uncomfortably, saying: 'That was the greatest night in the history of television'. Smith's rant was muted by directors because the show's live broadcast is slightly delayed in the US. But it was aired in full to some international audiences with the uncut clip already been viewed more than a million times on social media and YouTube in the first few hours. Any questions over whether the altercation was genuine were answered when just over half an hour later Smith was given the Best Actor award and apologized for the assault. After smacking Rock, a visibly fuming Smith returned to his seat and began repeatedly yelling: 'Keep my wife's name out of your f***ing mouth'. Lupita Nyong'o' was among those baffled by what happened with many initially believing that an act so outrageous must be part of the show Smith and Pinkett-Smith held hands throughout the ceremony after the shock slap. Denzel Washington was acting as peacemaker In his acceptance speech a crying Smith said: 'Love makes you do crazy things', as he clutched his Oscar statuette. 'You gotta be able to take abuse, and you gotta be able to have people talk crazy about you,' Smith said. 'In this business, you gotta be able to have people disrespecting you and you gotta smile and you gotta pretend like that's OK. 'Denzel (Washington) said to me a few minutes ago, he said, 'At your highest moment, be careful. That's when the devil comes for you.' 'It's like I want to be a vessel for love. 'I want to say thank you to Venus and Serena. I want to say thank you to Venus and Serena and the entire Williams family for entrusting me with your story. That's what I want to do. I want to be an ambassador of that kind of love and care and concern.' The actor went on: 'I want to apologize to the Academy, I want to apologize to all my fellow nominees. 'Art imitates life. I look like the crazy father, just like they said. I look like the crazy father just like they said about Richard Williams. But love will make you do crazy things'. He added: 'I'm hoping the Academy invites me back. Thank you'. Smith's relationship with his wife had been the butt of jokes during awards season. At the BAFTAs in London a fortnight ago host Rebel Wilson targeted the couple when he won won the Leading Actor award for his role in King Richard. The assembled audience at the Royal Albert Hall, which didn't include the star who stayed in LA, groaned as she said his 'best performance in the past year was being OK with all his wife's boyfriends' - a nod to Smith and Jada Pinkett-Smith's open relationship. It came after he recently admitted his wife had 'never believed in a conventional marriage' and claims she had an affair. This may explain why he reacted so sensitively to Rock's joke about her. Smith sobs as he accepted his best actor award, and apologized for the violence - but did not say sorry to Chris Rock Will and Jada's relationship has been the butt of jokes during awards season after he recently admitted she had 'never believed in a conventional marriage' and claims she had an affair Jada Pinkett Smith and Will Smith celebrated his Oscar win at an exclusive after party hosted by Vanity Fair - while Chris Rock attended a separate event In a statement on Monday, the 9,900-member Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences said it 'condemns the actions of Mr. Smith at last night's show.' 'We have officially started a formal review around the incident and will explore further action and consequences in accordance with our Bylaws, Standards of Conduct and California law,' the academy added. The group's standards of conduct policy states it is 'categorically opposed to any form of abuse, harassment or discrimination' and expects members to uphold the values 'of respect for human dignity, inclusion, and a supportive environment that fosters creativity.' Violations may result in suspension or expulsion from the group, revocation of Oscars, or loss of eligibility for future awards, according to the policy. A full board of Governors meeting is set for Wednesday and the incident is expected to be the main topic. A total of 43 Russian diplomats have today been expelled from four different European countries - Ireland, The Netherlands, Belgium and the Czech Republic - in coordinated action taken in the shadow of Moscow's war in Ukraine. The Dutch Ministry announced the expulsion of 17 diplomats that it said were 'secretly active' as intelligence officers. Belgium's government followed suit, announcing the expulsion of 21 diplomats on suspicion of spying in what it said was in coordination with the Dutch. The diplomats were given two weeks to leave the country. One member of the diplomatic staff at Russia's embassy in Prague was then expelled from the Czech Republic, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. '(The person) was requested to leave Czechia within 72 hours,' the ministry said on its Twitter account. 'Together with our Allies, we are reducing the Russian intelligence presence in the EU,' it added. Ireland also announced that it had requested four senior Russian officials to leave the country on account of their activities not being 'in accordance with international standards of diplomatic behaviour', the Government said. A total of 43 Russian diplomats have today been expelled from four different European countries - Ireland, The Netherlands, Belgium and the Czech Republic. Pictured: Mainly Russian nationals participate in a peaceful protest outside the Russian embassy to show support for Ukraine on March 5, 2022 in The Hague, The Netherlands In total, the four countries expelled 43 diplomats in the latest in a snowballing series of tit-for-tat expulsions of Russian diplomats by Western countries and retaliatory measures by Moscow, which have intensified since Russia's invasion of Ukraine. 'Today, the ambassador of Russia was summoned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' and informed of the expulsion, The Netherlands' Hague-based foreign ministry said in a statement. 'The reason is that there is information... showing that the persons concerned, accredited as diplomats, are secretly active as intelligence officers,' it said. 'The cabinet has decided to do this because of the threat to national security posed by this group,' the statement added, saying the intelligence threat against the Netherlands remained high. The 'current attitude of Russia in a broader sense makes the presence of these intelligence officers undesirable,' the ministry said. The government said it took the decision in consultation with 'a number of like-minded countries,' citing similar expulsions by the United States, Poland, Bulgaria, Slovakia, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Montenegro. Poland last week expelled 45 Russians whom the government identified as intelligence officers using their diplomatic status as cover to operate in the country. This prompted Moscow to accuse Warsaw of embarking on 'a dangerous escalation'. One member of the diplomatic staff at Russia's embassy in Prague has been expelled from the Czech Republic, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said today. Pictured: Activists pour red paint on the stairs of the Russian Embassy in Prague on early March 26, 2022 In Ireland, the Russian ambassador was summoned to a meeting at the Department of Foreign Affairs on Tuesday. Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Coveney said: 'This afternoon, the Department of Foreign Affairs summoned the Russian ambassador to Iveagh House to advise him that four senior officials have been asked to leave the state. 'This is because their activities have not been in accordance with international standards of diplomatic behaviour.' He went on to stress that diplomatic channels between Ireland and Russia would remain open 'in the interest of our citizens'. 'This channel of communication has been important in the context of conveying our strong views on the Russian Federation's war against Ukraine, which we regard as a serious breach of international law,' he added. Pictured: People placed support messages at the Ukrainian Embassy to the Belgium Kingdom, on March 8, 2022, in Brussels, Belgium. Belgium expelled 21 diplomats on Tuesday Speaking on Tuesday, Dutch Foreign Minister Wopke Hoekstra said he was prepared for a similar retaliation from Moscow seen after others took similar measures. 'Experience shows that Russia does not leave these kinds of measures unanswered,' he said. 'We cannot speculate about that, but the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is prepared for various scenarios that may arise in the near future.' That was demonstrated earlier Tuesday, when Russia said it expelled a total of 10 diplomats from the three Baltic EU states of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania in retaliation for those countries expelling Russian diplomats earlier this month. The Russian Foreign Ministry said it was cancelling the accreditation of four Lithuanian diplomats, three Latvians and three Estonians and they would be required to leave the country. That corresponds to the number of Russian diplomats each country previously expelled. On March 18, the three Baltic countries ordered the expulsion of 10 Russian embassy staff members in a coordinated action taken in solidarity with Ukraine. Moscow called that move 'provocative and entirely baseless' and that it had summoned the Estonian, Latvian and Lithuanian ambassadors in Moscow for an official protest. The expulsions announced Tuesday ratcheted up Western blows directed at Russia following its February 24 invasion of Ukraine. Already several rounds of sanctions engineered mainly by the EU and the US have severely sapped Russia's economy. Pictured: Protesters gather outside the Russian Embassy in south Dublin to mark one month since the invasion of Ukraine. The embassy has become the focal point for Irish anger over the war raged by Vladimir Putin. Picture date: Thursday March 24, 2022 As a result, Russia now considers all EU countries, along with the United States and allies including Japan, Britain and Australia, to be 'hostile' countries. In the wake of Russia's invasion, the United States in early March kicked out 12 Russian diplomats based in New York it deemed to be 'intelligence operatives'. Russia retaliated last week by handing the US a list of American diplomats declared 'persona non grata'. Poland, an EU country neighbouring Ukraine, last week expelled 45 Russian diplomats over alleged espionage, prompting Moscow to accuse Warsaw of embarking on 'a dangerous escalation'. Russia was left virtually isolated in the United Nations' General Assembly on March 2 when an overwhelming majority of countries - 141 in total - voted to adopt a non-binding resolution demanding a halt to Moscow's war in Ukraine. Just five countries voted against the resolution: Russia, Syria, North Korea, Belarus and Eritrea. Another 35 abstained, including China. Two days later, on March 4, the UN Human Rights Council voted to trigger an investigation into violations committed in the war in Ukraine. Thirty-two of the council's 47 members voted in favour, with just Russia and Eritrea voting against. Two weeks ago, Russia announced it was quitting another international rights forum, the Council of Europe - just before the pan-European body based in Strasbourg said it was kicking Russia out. In total, the four countries expelled 43 diplomats in the latest in a snowballing series of tit-for-tat expulsions of Russian diplomats by Western countries and retaliatory measures by Moscow, which have intensified since Putin's invasion of Ukraine. Pictured: Putin meets with Presidential Grants Foundation CEO Ilya Chukalin at the Kremlin in Moscow on March 29, 2022 The expulsions came as Russia's defence minister said that 'liberating' the Donbas region in eastern Ukraine is the main goal of Moscow's military operation, underlining a possible shift in strategy announced last week by another Russian military official. Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, whose few public appearances this month raised questions about his health and whereabouts, held a meeting with top military officials on Tuesday and said that 'overall, the main tasks of the first stage of the operation have been completed.' He said that 'the combat potential of the Ukrainian armed forces has been significantly reduced, which makes it possible to focus the main attention and main efforts on achieving the main goal - the liberation of Donbas.' The minister stressed that the Russian military will continue the operation until 'the set goals are achieved.' Shoigu also offered an assurance that Russia will not send conscripts recruited in the upcoming April draft to Ukraine. Earlier this month, the Russian military admitted that a number of conscripts ended up in Ukraine and were even captured there. Last week, a senior NATO military officer said the alliance estimates that Russia has suffered between 30,000 and 40,000 battlefield casualties in Ukraine through the first month of the war, including between 7,000 and 15,000 killed. A married police officer who had sex with a vulnerable domestic abuse victim after looking up her details on the force's computer has today been jailed for nine months. Darren Thorn, 44, pleaded guilty at Reading Crown Court to corruption, computer misuse and misconduct in a public office. The charges centred on an 'inappropriate sexual relationship' that Thorn, who now lives in Devon, began with a vulnerable woman he met while on duty. The court heard how, a few months after he first met her as part of his duty, he accessed the police database to find her phone number and made the first unauthorised contact with her. Shortly afterwards, the two became a couple until 2018, when she suffered a miscarriage and the relationship fell apart. Thorn, who worked as a response officer in Swindon, was arrested in 2018 when the allegations came to light and suspended from Wiltshire Police. Darren Thorn (pictured), 44, who worked as a response officer in Swindon, pleaded guilty at Reading Crown Court to corruption, computer misuse and misconduct in a public office The investigation was carried out by the force, supervised by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC). A gross misconduct panel sacked him from the police in December last year after considering the evidence. Prosecuting, Christopher Wing said: 'This case arises in 2016 when Thorn attended the address of the complainant following a domestic violence incident in which she was involved. 'As a result, he formed a personal relationship with her, then used information obtained during the incident to send her a text message. He messaged her first. This became a sexual relationship and he visited her on personal visits on eight occasions while on duty. 'The fact of the matter was he was on duty and he should not have been there on personal matters. That relationship went on until June 2018, because the partner fell pregnant and suffered a miscarriage. She said he wasn't being supportive and she said the relationship was over. 'She sought counselling and during this counseling the relationship was revealed and this case came to light. Thorn was arrested on September 24, 2018, and he asked to use the toilet. While he was in the bathroom he tried to hide an iPhone. 'When it was accessed it was found to have 6,000 texts during the time of the relationship.' The prosecutor also went into detail about three occasions where he had illegally accessed the police database regarding information - on two occasions making searches regarding his partner's mother and on one occasion passing on the police information to his partner. A gross misconduct panel sacked him from the police force in December last year after considering the evidence. Pictured: file photo of Wiltshire Police headquarters Defending Thorn, Christopher Saad said: 'Mr Thorn was a married man who lived with his wife and three children. He had a job that was very much a source of pride for him. He had much to lose and he has lost it. 'He comes before you as a 44-year-old man. It has been over 30 months since he was arrested. He has apologised to his ex-partner and he has apologised to the Wiltshire Constabulary. 'In relation to the computer offences, in two of the incidents no information was passed on. In my submission, that is to be in the lowest end of offending severity. 'In regards to the other computer offence, that was passed on to comfort the partner - he told his partner to say her mother had not been raped. Again, usually it is police officers passing on information to criminals to assist offenders, but that is not this case.' Sentencing, Judge Paul Dugdale said: 'We can all look back and say 'that was a catastrophic mistake', and this was one of those. Darren Thorn is a 44-year-old man, of effectively good character. He has spent his life serving his family and community. 'This is a tragic case to deal with and it was a sad case. Darren Thorn has expressed clear remorse for what he has done. This was a mistake in his life, which he regrets. One of the great conditions of being human is that we make silly mistakes. 'There is no doubt the custody threshold has been crossed in this case. It is quite clear the only sentence that can be passed is an immediate custodial sentence.' Thorn, now of Braunton, South Devon, was sentenced to nine months imprisonment. He will have to serve half of this sentence before he is eligible for parole. The court heard how, a few months after he first met her as part of his duty, Thorn accessed the police database to find her phone number and made the first unauthorised contact with her (file photo of Reading Crown Court) Wiltshire Deputy Chief Constable, Paul Mills, said: 'We have been clear throughout this process that Thorn's actions were not only illegal, but were a significant and sustained breach of the very highest standards that the public and we expect from all our police officers and staff. 'We welcome today's sentencing and, alongside Thorn's earlier dismissal for gross misconduct from Wiltshire Police, I hope this acts as a strong deterrent for those who consider abusing the trust the public place in them. 'I would like to pay tribute to the female witness involved in this case, who not only had the courage to report this matter to us, but has also fully cooperated with us throughout this lengthy investigation. 'Every person who has an interaction with a representative of Wiltshire Police should have the confidence that they will be treated with care and professionalism, and it is completely unacceptable when these high standards are not met.' He added: 'Thorn's crimes will have harmed public confidence in policing and undermined the work of the vast majority of our police officers and staff who are committed to providing the very highest levels of service to our communities in Swindon and Wiltshire. 'Furthermore, if any member of the public has concerns relating to the professionalism of any officer or staff member, we would urge them to contact us in confidence so we can address the concerns raised.' In the middle of Russia's brutal invasion of Ukraine, Donald Trump's priority on Tuesday was urging Vladimir Putin to hand over any documents he may have about Hunter Biden's dealings with Russian oligarchs. The ex-president said he was particularly interested in an alleged $3.5 million payment from the former mayor of Moscow's widow to a company co-founded by Hunter Biden, according to an excerpt from a new interview with Just The News. 'Why did the mayor of Moscow's wife give the Bidens -- both of them -- $3.5 million? That's a lot of money,' Trump in a 30-second clip on the Voice of America program. 'She gave him $3.5 million. So now I would think Putin would know the answer to that. I think he should release it. I think we should know that answer.' Trump was referring to a 2020 report by Senate Republicans that claimed Yelena Baturina, one of Russia's billionaire oligarchs, gave the hefty sum to a company called Rosemont Seneca Thorton as part of a 'consultancy agreement.' Earlier this month, Trump accused Biden of a 'conflict of interest' after the president was sanctioned by Moscow along with a host of other US officials, as well as his son Hunter and Hillary Clinton. He suggested Biden failed to more strongly react to Putin's invasion of Ukraine because of the alleged payments from the late Moscow mayor's wife. Donald Trump called on Vladimir Putin to release any information he may have about Hunter Biden's business dealings in Ukraine -- as Russia's brutal and unprovoked invasion of the country goes on for more than a month 'Breaking News: Russia just sanctioned Joe Biden. While that is a terrible thing, in so many ways, perhaps it will now be explained why the Biden family received 3.5 million dollars from the very wealthy former Mayor of Moscow's wife,' Trump said in a March 15 statement. Days later, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki was grilled over why Baturina had not yet been sanctioned by the US over Russia's attack despite her apparent ties to the Kremlin -- and whether Biden indeed was conflicted. Psaki replied that there was 'no confirmation' of Senate Republicans' allegations and pointed out that the president has 'continued to sanction oligarchs more than we've ever sanctioned in the past, so I'm not sure that's a conflict of interest.' GOP lawmakers said the firm which received Baturina's money was co-founded by Hunter Biden. But an attorney for the president's son previously claimed he never received the funds and was not involved in the company. Hunter Biden is currently the subject of a federal investigation into his foreign business dealings, including his time serving on the board of Ukrainian energy company Burisma Hunter Biden is the co-founder of Rosemont Seneca Advisors, and it's not clear what if any connection the two companies share. The Russian oligarch's payment was reportedly made while Hunter's father was vice president. The September 2020 Senate report, released just weeks before the presidential election, also found no wrongdoing on President Joe Biden's part. But that hasn't stopped Trump from accusing his Democrat rival of being influenced by foreign powers. And while Biden himself was not implicated, the report did argue that Hunter Biden's time working on the board of Ukrainian gas company Burisma did present a conflict of interest for the Obama administration, at a time when then-Vice President Biden was leading anti-corruption efforts in Kyiv. However it notes 'the extent to which Hunter Bidens role on Burismas board affected U.S. policy toward Ukraine is not clear.' It also failed to support Trump's accusation that Biden pressured Ukraine's government to fire a corrupt top prosecutor in an effort to shield his son. Hunter was on Burisma's board from 2014 to 2019 and received about $50,000 a month. The new Trump interview comes as a federal probe into Hunter Biden's overseas business dealings in the country picks up speed. The Wall Street Journal reported Monday that prosecutors from the US attorney's office in Delaware are interested in funds the first son received from the Ukrainian natural gas company Burisma and how he used that money to pay debts. A source also told the Journal that one person was extensively questioned in front of the grand jury in February on Hunter Biden's drug and alcohol use, spending habits and mental state. That line of questioning suggests prosecutors are exploring whether the younger Biden could use his history of addiction as a defense against a potential criminal tax case. 'It doesnt necessarily mean an indictment is imminent, but it is indicative of trying to lock in testimony with an eye towards a potential trial someday,' former federal tax prosecutor Matt Mueller told the Journal. Mueller isn't working on the case. Sources talked to the Journal about some of the lines of questioning prosecutors have used when talking to a number of associates and witnesses before the grand jury. Widow Yelena Baturina and daughter Yelena Luzhkova after a farewell ceremony for Yuri Luzhkov, who served as mayor of Moscow in 1992-2010, at the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour Prosecutors are looking into whether Biden violated tax or other laws, including laws that guide working as a lobbyist for a foreign government, with his business dealings in Ukraine, China and Kazakhstan. Prosecutors have particularly focused on payments Biden received from Burisma - which flowed into a company called Rosemont Seneca Bohai LLC before being directed to Hunter Biden. Trump's Tuesday interview is not the first time he's publicly called on the Kremlin to come up with dirt against a political opponent. In a July 2016 press conference during his first presidential race, he infamously called on Moscow to hack then-opponent Hillary Clinton. 'Russia, if youre listening -- I hope you are able to find the 30,000 emails that are missing. I think you will probably be rewarded mightily by our press. Lets see if that happens,' Trump told reporters. He walked the comments back years later during a rally in Pennsylvania, insisting the comments were a 'joke.' An October 2021 report alleges that Hunter Biden once offered to sell a major US company information and analysis on Oleg Deripaska, the Russian oligarch currently under federal investigation, emails from his abandoned laptop show. Hunter Biden once offered to sell a major US company information and analysis on Oleg Deripaska (above), the Russian oligarch currently under federal investigation, according to the New York Post The president's son made the offer in 2011 to aluminum giant Alcoa, saying he could provide the company 'with statistical analysis of political and corporate risks, elite networks associated with Oleg Deripaska,' according to New York Post columnist Miranda Devine. He wanted to charge Alcoa fees of $25,000 for 'phase one' of the project and another $55,000 for 'refined analysis', according to emails Devine cited from the laptop Hunter Biden abandoned in a Delaware repair shop in 2019. Deripaska is the founder of Russian aluminum giant RUSAL, with which Alcoa had recently entered into a two-year metal supply agreement at the time of the emails. Hunter Biden made the offer on behalf of Rosemont Seneca to an Alcoa executive, according to the Post. His father was vice president of the United States at the time, a fact which Alcoa executives took note of in assessing the proposal, the emails reportedly show. It's unclear whether a deal was ever reached to provide Alcoa the information on Deripaska, though the emails reportedly suggest that Rosemont Seneca lowered the proposed fee after hearing feedback from the prospective client. The top American commander in Europe on Tuesday said he believed the U.S. will have to add to the 102,000 troops in the region to bolster defenses against Vladimir Putin. And Gen. Tod Wolters told a Senate committee hearing that Russia had used multiple hypersonic weapons in Ukraine but that they had failed in their effort to spread fear among Ukrainians. The head of Europe Command also admitted that there could have been an intelligence gap that allowed Washington to overestimate Russia's military capabilities and underestimate the power of Ukrainian resistance. He appeared before the Senate Armed Services Committee on day 34 of the Russian invasion as Moscow announced it was scaling back its attempts to take the capital Kyiv and the northern city of Chernihiv. Wolters said the Russian invasion had already prompted the U.S. to increase troop numbers from 60,000 to 102,000. More could follow, he said in answer to a question about numbers of troops permanently stationed in Europe. 'I think what we need to do from a US force perspective is look at what takes place in Europe, following the completion of the Ukraine-Russia scenario, and examine the European contributions and, based off the breadth and depth of the European contributions, be prepared to adjust the US contributions,' he said. 'And my suspicion is we're going to still need more.' Gen Tod Wolders, head of Europe Command, told senators he believed the U.S. would have to send more troops to the region to bolster N.A.T.O. defenses against Russia The U.S. has already increased the number of troops in Europe from about 60,000 to 102,000 since Vladimir Putin launched an invasion of Ukraine a month ago Six EA-18G 'Growlers' arrived in Germany on Monday. They are equipped with the very latest electronic warfare capability and can jam enemy communications and anti-aircraft defenses A day earlier, the Pentagon announced it was sending six naval aircraft, equipped for electronic warfare, to Germany to bolster N.A.T.O.'s eastern flank along with 240 personnel. In his opening statement Wolters said Russia's invasion had 'galvanized' N.A.T.O.s 30 members. And he described the 'unmatched' speed with which the Pentagon had able to deploy an entire armored brigade combat team to Germany in just a week. In comparison, he confirmed that Russia had used 'multiple' hypersonic weapons - capable of traveling at more than five times the speed of sound and able to outmaneuver missile defense systems - but they had failed in their primary objective. 'I think it was to demonstrate the capability and attempt to put fear in the hearts of the enemy and I don't think they were successful,' he said when asked why Russia had used one of its most sophisticated weapons. A Mig-31 jet carries a Kinzhal hypersonic missile during a military display. Russia says it has used at least two of the futuristic weapons against targets in Ukraine Hypersonic weapons can accelerate to high speeds in the upper atmosphere, before traveling back to earth. They are more maneuverable than conventional cruise missiles Russia said it has twice used its Kinzhal aviation missile system to strike targets during its war in Ukraine. Wolters said he believed Russia had deployed 70 to 75 percent of its entire military forces to the war in Ukraine. However, its main advances have been stalled since the early days of the invasion. Ukrainian hit-and-run tactics combined with anti-tank weapons sent by friendly nations were credited with halting the Russian assault on Kyiv. The success of the resistance meant Russian plans to seize the capital in two days had failed. Sen. Roger Wicker, a Republican from Mississippi, asked Wolters whether there had been intelligence failures in assessing the relative strengths of the two sides. 'There could be and as weve always done in the past, when this crisis is over with, we will accomplish a comprehensive after-action review in all domains and in all departments and find out where our weak areas were and make sure we can find ways to improve, and this could be one of those areas,' he said. A woman walks past a residential area which was destroyed as a result of a rocket strike in Kyiv as Ukraine makes military gains in the region An abandoned Russian armored vehicle with the Z war symbol emblazoned on it lies in the village of Mala Rogan, east of Kharkiv, after it was seized by Ukraine Earlier Russia announced Tuesday it would 'fundamentally' scale back military operations near Ukraine's capital and a northern city. Deputy Defense Minister Alexander Fomin said the change on the battlefield was meant to increase trust at the talks after several rounds of negotiations failed to halt what has devolved into a bloody campaign of attrition. The announcement was met with skepticism from the U.S. and others. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said he had yet to see evidence of progress in talks. 'There is what Russia says and there is what Russia does, and we're focused on the latter,' Blinken said in Morocco. 'And what Russia is doing is the continued brutalization of Ukraine.' Even as negotiators from the two sides assembled in Istanbul, Putin's forces hit an oil depot in western Ukraine late on Monday and blasted a gaping hole Tuesday morning in a nine-story government administration building in the southern port city of Mykolaiv. At least seven people were killed in that attack, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said. Jackie Weaver did not have the authority to remove participants from Handforth Parish Council's hilarious 'worst Zoom meeting ever', an official council report has concluded. In February 2021 clips from the infamous Zoom meeting went viral with millions of views online. During the seven-minute edited highlights package of the December 2020 hearing, someone is heard exclaiming: 'f*** off' at the start, a toilet flushes and another person answers the front door as councillors from two rival factions struggled with the mute button. After receiving a series of complaints about the ill-tempered meeting, Cheshire East Council's Audit and Governance Committee launched a probe into what happened. Earlier this month it concluded with no formal findings made against any councillor - yet still costing the authority 85,716. The council has now published six reports, totalling 145 pages, which considered behaviour before and during the meeting. One report concluded Ms Weaver 'was not acting in an official capacity at these meetings', BBC News reported. Jackie Weaver (pictured) did not have the authority to remove participants from Handforth Parish Council's hilarious 'worst Zoom meeting ever', an official council report has concluded In response, Ms Weaver, of the Cheshire Association of Local Councils who represent town and parish councils, said she did not remove the councillors from the meeting but moved them to the waiting room before the remaining councillors voted to remove them. She said she welcomed the findings in the report but was 'deeply saddened that it took so long and cost so much to get there'. The Audit and Governance Committee was investigating 21 formal complaints from meetings which occurred between 2018 and November 2020, which was before the viral zoom video. It was decided all complaints should be probed by the same investigators but with six separate reports created. Three members were found to potentially be in breach of the Members Code of Conduct and issued with determination notices by Cheshire East's monitoring officer - but instead they all resigned. The committee's report said the resignations were part of several 'complications which prolonged the process and increased the total cost'. A joint statement from the three former councillors said they did not recognise the findings of the report as being valid. The hour-long meeting - which actually took place in December 2020 but only went viral in February, got off to a rocky start after the chairman Cllr Brian Tolver challenged the legitimacy of the meeting Chaos ensued as councillor Aled Brewerton reacted to Mr Tolver's expulsion by exclaiming: 'She's kicked him out.' He then attempted to commandeer the meeting as vice-chairman before, also being booted off, shouting: 'Read the standing orders - read them and understand them' In February 2021, Ms Weaver became an Internet sensation after the Handforth Parish Council planning committee meeting, in Cheshire, went viral. The parish council meetings had become so explosive Cheshire East Council official Jackie Weaver sat in to calm the waters. The hour-long meeting - which actually took place in December 2020 but only went viral in February, got off to a rocky start after the chairman Cllr Brian Tolver challenged the legitimacy of the meeting. It was being held due to complaints over who actually ran the council as aggrieved Mr Tolver had missed six months of meetings. The meeting was described online as 'British comedy gold' and 'like something out of the Thick of It'. As Mr Tolver became heated, Ms Weaver warned him: 'If you disrupt this meeting, I will have to remove you from it.' The meeting was attended by several other councillors (clockwise from top left: Susan Moore, Barry Burkill, John Smith, and Cynthia Samson) This prompted furious Mr Tolver to reply: 'You have no authority here, Jackie Weaver! No authority at all!' And chaos ensued as councillor Aled Brewerton reacted to Mr Tolver's expulsion by exclaiming: 'She's kicked him out.' He then attempted to commandeer the meeting as vice-chairman before, also being booted off, shouting: 'Read the standing orders - read them and understand them.' Jackie Weaver later admitted she was 'surprised' by her newfound fame. She said: 'Ninety nine per cent of council meetings are not like that. They're often less exciting than we might hope they were. 'Most of the time I'm trying to encourage people to get involved in parish councils to raise their profiles. 'The plus side of this is that it's certainly done that.' A one-year-old child who went missing in Florida over the weekend was yesterday found dead in a septic tank, police have said. Jose Lara is thought to have fallen into the tank in a 'tragic accident', the Putnam County Sheriff's Office said in a social media post. On March 27 the Florida Department of Law Enforcement issued a missing child alert for the one-year-old, but it was yesterday cancelled as the FDLE confirmed that the child 'has been found deceased'. Jose Lara (pictured) is thought to have fallen into the tank in a 'tragic accident', the Putnam County Sheriff's Office said in a social media post Jose had last been seen playing with his sister outside their house, south of Crescent City and just north of the Volusia County line. It is understood that the mother was inside the house with her other child, but it is not known for how long, Sheriff HD 'Gator' DeLoach told a press conference yesterday. The toy truck he'd been playing with was found outside, the Independent reports. DeLoach added there was no indication that Jose left the property, which was part of the reason why a decision was yesterday made to empty the septic tank. He said the toddler appears to have fallen in after stepping on rotted plywood, with the tank's opening covered by weeds and dirt, News4JAX reports. Jose's body was found in a septic tank. It is understood that the mother was inside the house with her other child, but it is not known for how long, Sheriff DeLoach told a press conference An active investigation is ongoing despite no suggestion of foul play. In a Facebook post, the sheriff thanked staff who 'tirelessly and seamlessly' assisted in the search for Jose, albeit him being found dead was the 'worst possible outcome'. In another online post the Putnam County Sheriff's Office said: 'Please keep the family of Jose Lara in your prayers as they grieve the loss of their son. 'Sheriff De Loach personally briefed search and rescue teams prior to notifying the public. 'Please keep them in your prayers as this was not the outcome we hoped for. Jose's body was recovered from a septic tank earlier today. 'While the investigation is ongoing it is believed this was a tragic accident and Jose fell into the tank.' We respond to misleading comments by one of the lawyers (John Cooper of Slater Gordon) representing families at the Manchester Arena Inquiry and by Dominic Scally of Counterterrorism (CT), reported in some media. 1. Whilst it is stated that Didsbury Mosque did not support violence or have anything to do with the attacks, their subsequent comments still attempt to associate Didsbury Mosque with extremism and radicalisation. We believe this is a diversion from focusing on the very real failings of those agencies with a duty to protect the public and prevent such attacks. We are further of the opinion that Didsbury Mosque has been continuously demonised to make the case for government measures that will securitize places of worship and believe the recommendations of Mr. Cooper are trying to influence the Inquiry in that direction. 2. It is open-source knowledge that one of the families, represented by Mr. Cooper has a relationship with the government, collaborating with them on the expansion of the Protect Duty. If this bill is passed, it would also apply to places of worship. We will be raising with the Inquiry the possibility of a conflict of interest and seeking reassurances that the Inquiry will remain independent of the government in making recommendations as far as Didsbury Mosque (mosques) and Muslim charities are concerned. 3. The comments reported in the media are from only one of the lawyers representing the families. We note and agree with the comments made by another lawyer representing the families which are less biased and more balanced. It is made clear Didsbury Mosque had no role in the radicalisation of Salman Abedi nor ignored violent extremism (point 126). This statement also more comprehensively reflects on the failings of government agencies. 4. Didsbury Mosque cannot be held responsible for the fallout of a decision of the British Government, working with some Libyan groups to remove the Gaddafi government, which encouraged some Manchester Libyans to go and fight in Libya, creating a radicalising environment and extremism among some in Manchester. Given that environment, the Didsbury Mosque believes we successfully kept Libyan politics out of the mosque. Didsbury Mosque has been aware of such overseas politics and tried its best to keep it out of the mosque since the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979. Mosques are places of worship and should not become places where intelligence gathering on people's lives and politics should take place. 5. We observe that M15 and M16 have not provided a full account of any relationship they may have had with Ramadan Abedi. We will ask the Inquiry to investigate this further and consider if that in any way could have contributed to the failure to adequately monitor Salman and Hashim Abedi. 6. It is obvious that Abedi escaped the attention of all, and there must be better communication between all in the future. Didsbury Mosque will be writing to the Chairman of the Inquiry with our own recommendations of how we think such attacks may be avoided in the future. 7. It is disingenuous to try to give the impression Didsbury Mosque has not condemned the Manchester Arena attack, and bizarre that the Charity Commission should be asked to revoke our charitable status on that basis. We made it clear that this barbaric act had nothing to do with Didsbury Mosque, Islam, or the Quran, immediately after the attack. This was in front of the world's media which had a greater reach than the few people who visit our website. The main Imam of the mosque at the time also condemned it on his social media. On the day Mr. Haffar was giving evidence at the Inquiry he had prepared a statement of condolences and condemnation to be read out at the outset. Permission was not granted to do so. If the families wanted us to put a condemnation statement on our website, they could have simply written to us requesting it. Rather this appears to us to be a demand of Mr. Cooper. 8. The mosque has co-operated with and provided several detailed statements (with evidence) to the Inquiry which have not been made public. Mr. Cooper instead has focussed on the evidence given in person by Mr. Haffar. 9. Mr. Graf our former Imam, has already responded with his own statement to the allegations made against him and these are available on the Inquiry website. 10. We ask Dominic Scally to provide evidence to substantiate that Didsbury Mosque co-operated less than other mosques in Manchester prior to 2016 (when, where, what we did not do compared to others), not simply make assertions. We have had a close working relationship with the police for a very long time and will now provide evidence of that relationship to the Inquiry. In 2016, Imam Graf also arranged a Prevent training event for Muslims across Manchester at Didsbury Mosque. The truth is that according to our knowledge at no point has anyone from the police, CT, or M15 ever contacted us with concerns about the Abedi's. 11. We further point out that the smearing and demonisation of Didsbury Mosque by some at the Inquiry, and in the media, has put our mosque at risk from extremist elements. There has already been an attempted arson attack last year. After the recent media coverage, we became aware of discussions on social media about 'a solution' to the problem of Didsbury Mosque, namely, to blow it up. We have taken that seriously and reported it to the Police. 12. Mr. Wilkinson, (the Inquiry's radicalisation expert) has already concluded that Didsbury Mosque has not played any role in the radicalisation of Salman Abedi and that he was radicalised in Libya's civil war. We, therefore wonder what the purpose of continuous speculation about Didsbury Mosque in the context of the failure to prevent an attack, serves. Advertisement Haunting photos show a family-of-five just hours before a fatal crash on an Ohio highway claimed their lives. The shots, snapped by photographer Rhea Harris Saturday afternoon, show Ohio man Xavier Brown, 25, and fiancee Muriel Michael, 28, posing for professional photos in Delta, 30 miles outside Toledo, with Brown's three children, Deklin, 9, Aurora, 7, and infant Riggs. Less than ten hours later, the family was involved in a high-speed collision, on County Road 14 in Clinton Township, that police say occurred after another driver failed to yield to a stop sign. All five died as a result of the crash, which cops say occurred late Saturday night. The shots, snapped Saturday, show Ohio man Xavier Brown, 25, and fiancee Muriel Michael, 28, posing with their family less than 10 hours before a crash claimed their lives The couple, who both hailed from Ohio, were set to wed later this year, photographer Rhea Harris said Sunday after learning of the tragedy. The shoot was the first of many planned by the couple Headed southbound on the rural roadway at around 11:48pm, the family's vehicle was struck by a car driven by 21-year-old Zane Hull, police said Sunday. Hull, who only suffered minor injuries in the crash, was headed eastbound on intersecting road County Road H, police said, when the collision occurred. Cops said he failed to yield to a stop sign, causing the crash. Brown and his son Deklin both died at the scene, responding officers said after being called to the scene of the crash early Sunday morning. Aurora, a girl, and Riggs, a one-year-old boy, both died after being airlifted to a nearby hospital, lawmen further revealed. Michael, meanwhile, who was set to marry Brown later this year, survived the initial impact and was also rushed to the hospital. Tuesday morning, the Ohio State Highway Patrol announced that she, too, had succumbed to her injuries late Monday night. The incident remains under investigation. According to Harris, who specializes in family, newborn, and pinup-style photo shoots, Saturday's photo op was the first of many planned by the couple ahead of their upcoming wedding. Infant Riggs, 1, was airlifted from the wreckage early Sunday following the crash and rushed to a hospital, where he died later that day. 'He was so happy,' photographer Rhea Harris said of the tot, whom his father said 'well-behaved.' She recalled: 'He smiled on cue and even said "cheese" a few times!' Eldest Deklin, 9, along with his dad, died at the scene police said Sunday. Photographer Harris recalled the youth as 'adorable,' describing the youngster as a 'clear helper and protector' Middle child Aurora, 7, who was seated in the backseat with her two siblings, also survived the initial crash, but died after arriving at a nearby hospital. Harris, recalling the child's toothy grin, called her a 'delight' to deal with during the Easter-themed shoot. 'With missing teeth and her happy smile, it was hard not to be drawn to her,' she said of the youngster 'I always notice special things about each and every client or family that comes to work with me,' Harris told ABC-affiliate KTNV 13 Action News after learning of the tragedy Sunday morning. 'A lot of the time, they leave a lasting impression on me,' the professional snapper added, telling the Ohio news station that his brief interaction with the family Saturday afternoon was no different. 'I had such a fun time photographing this family,' said Harris. 'Muriel and Xavier were clearly in love, their happiness definitely came shining through in their photos.' 'She was so excited for their wedding and their future together as a family,' the photog said. 'I was just as excited to be a part of it with them. I never couldve imagined what would come next.' Police said Sunday that Michael had been driving the vehicle prior to the crash, with her to-be husband in the car's passenger seat. The three children were seated in the back. 'He was so happy,' Harris recalled of the one-year-old, whom she said his father said was 'well-behaved.' 'He smiled on cue and even said "cheese" a few times!' she told KTNV. The professional shots, snapped Saturday afternoon hours before the crash, serve as the final time the family was pictured together before their lives were snuffed out Harris, meanwhile, called eldest Deklin 'so adorable,' describing the youngster as a 'clear helper and protector' of the family. Aurora, meanwhile, was a 'delight' Harris said, recalling her toothy-grin. 'With missing teeth and her happy smile, it was hard not to be drawn to her,' she said. On Sunday, she posted the familys photos to Facebook, accompanied with a touching tribute, that has since garnered thousands of shares. 'This family came yesterday,' Harris wrote in a caption for the post. 'The mom, Muriel and I have been messaging for a while now. They were planning their wedding and she wanted family photos so badly. 'We talked about engagement photos, the wedding, family photos and even spoke about boudoir shoots for her fiances gift. I got to meet them all yesterday at our first shoot. Instantly loved them. The kids were just so well behaved and adorable, and the baby, Riggs, was the best one year old Ive ever had!' 'Such a pleasure to have met them and I looked forward to more sessions and getting to know them.' Hours after the shoot, the family was struck by another vehicle, driven by 21-year-old Zane Hull (not pictured), on County Road 14 in Clinton Township. The family had been headed southbound on the rural roadway at around 11:48pm, when their vehicle was struck Hull, who was headed east on County Road H and failed to yield at a stop sign 'Then, later last night they were in a horrific accident,' she remarked, noting the casualties suffered after the crash. 'Though I did not know them well, I am devastated by this news, so I cannot imagine what their family and friends are going through. 'My heart goes out to the family and friends of this family,' she said. 'I just feel honored to have been able to capture these beautiful memories for them to cherish forever.' Word of the heartbreaking tragedy has since spread across the country, with a GoFundMe created to cover the family's funeral expenses reaching $43,000 Tuesday - well past its $5000 goal. Of the crash, Ohio State Highway Patrol said Sunday that some of the family were not wearing seat belts at the time of the crash. Officers, however, did not specify who. Skid marks can be seen at the scene of the crash, off County Road 14 in Clinton Township, Monday As of Tuesday, police's investigation into the crash is currently ongoing. Hull, the driver of the other vehicle, has not been charged with a crime 'Its a tragic reminder of what can happen behind the wheel,' Sgt. Ryan Purpura said. 'Its a reminder to make sure you wear a seat belt and any kind of measures you can do yourself behind the wheel to make sure you are safe.' Police's investigation into the crash is currently ongoing. Hull, the driver of the other vehicle, has not been charged with a crime. Former Irish soldier Lisa Smith, who denies membership of so-called Islamic State, 'specifically assessed, analysed and ultimately answered the call to migrate' to Syria, a court has heard. A prosecutor in the trial of the former Defence Forces soldier told the Special Criminal Court in Dublin that it was not a case of a 'simple or innocent act of travel' at an unfortunate point in time when Ms Smith travelled to IS-controlled territory. Smith left the Irish military in 2011 after she converted to Islam, before travelling to a IS-controlled region in Syria where she married Sajid Aslam, the court heard. The prosecution says her husband, a UK national, carried out 'border patrol' work for ISIS, and that he 'had done a snipers course on her advice.' The Co Louth woman, 39, has pleaded not guilty to charges of membership of IS and providing funds to benefit the group. In his closing speech, prosecuting counsel Sean Gillane told the three-judge, non-jury court that the 'element of buyer's remorse' asserted was not a defence. Former member of the Defence Forces Lisa Smith leaving the Special Criminal Court in Dublin where she is facing terror-related charges. Picture date: Tuesday March 29, 2022 Smith left the Irish military in 2011 after she converted to Islam, before travelling to a IS-controlled region in Syria where she married Sajid Aslam, the court heard The prosecution says her husband, a UK national, carried out 'border patrol' work for ISIS, and that he 'had done a snipers course on her advice.' The Co Louth woman, 39, has pleaded not guilty to charges of membership of IS and providing funds to benefit the group 'Ms Smith is not being prosecuted for believing in Islam or following Islam, or for believing in a caliphate or a caliph,' Mr Gillane added. 'It's important to resist any attempt to conflate the nomenclature, she is being prosecuted for joining a terrorist group. 'There are many straw men in the case that obscure the real issue. To ask the court to consider the merits, legitimacy of a caliphate is about as valid as asking the court to pronounce on the existence of heaven or hell.' Gillane continued: 'The fact that followers of a religion do not have a monopoly on sincerity of belief, it hardly needs to be expressed. 'Belief is neither here nor there for the purposes of what is to be assessed. 'The suggested sincerity with which she holds those beliefs, her sincerity or otherwise is besides the central point. 'The self-declared caliphate is not a country, it is not a nation state, it is a proto-state created by an illegal organisation, a gang, which exists solely through its members with Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi declared leader of that organisation.' The prosecutor said that Ms Smith's decision to travel to IS territory in 2015 did not 'involve some missing of a target on an otherwise lawful and wholesome journey'. 'It is not a case of a simple or innocent act of travel or near presence at a place in an unfortunate point in time,' Mr Gillane added. 'An element of buyer's remorse has been asserted, it is understandable, but that is not a defence. 'It is the case on the evidence that Ms Smith specifically addressed, assessed, analysed and ultimately answered the call to migrate to this place controlled by IS, and this is the Hijrah referred to in the context of the case.' Michael O'Higgins, defence counsel for Ms Smith, told the court that the evidence shows that his client had fully accepted before she travelled to Syria that there was 'no prospect' of her fighting. He said she believed she would go to Syria and marry and have an extended family and would continue to 'survive and prosper in Islam, which would not require her to go back to Ireland with her tail between her legs'. Mr O'Higgins said that was not consistent with her becoming involved in any form of combat. Former member of the Defence Forces Lisa Smith arriving at the Special Criminal Court in Dublin where she is facing terror-related charges. Picture date: Tuesday January 25, 2022 Michael O'Higgins, defence counsel for Ms Smith, told the court that the evidence shows that his client had fully accepted before she travelled to Syria that there was 'no prospect' of her fighting He said during her time in Syria, Ms Smith spent her time being a 'dutiful wife', and cleaned, washed, cooked and went food shopping. 'The only action which the prosecution has pointed to, was that by buying into maintaining a husband, if he is an Islamic State soldier, you are becoming a member of that organisation by virtue of that action and to my surprise through having babies as well,' he added. He described as a 'tall order' any claim that Ms Smith had a baby so the child could be raised to become an IS fighter. 'That is what you're being asked to convict. The fact she had children is an indicator she is a member of a terrorist organisation,' he added. 'My client crossed the desert with her baby under her arm and stayed in a camp and got nappies and milk powder from visiting FBI agents.' A drink-driver has been jailed for nearly eight years for killing a work friend who filmed him swigging lager while racing at 100mph moments before the fatal crash. Meirion Roberts, 26, was drinking at a work Christmas party with his colleague Lewis Morgan before the 20-year-old was killed. Despite having arranged a lift home from the pub in Carmarthenshire, Roberts decided to drive to Mr Morgan's house. Swansea Crown Court heard that Roberts had drunk five pints of cider at the party followed by a can of lager when he got to his friend's home in Carmarthen. The two men, who worked together at a building firm, then left, with Mr Morgan telling his brother they were 'going for a spin'. Mr Morgan filmed Roberts playing loud music and swigging from a bottle of lager bought from an off licence while hitting 100mph on a dual carriageway. He then sent the clip to friends via Snapchat minutes before the fatal crash on a 30mph road. Roberts was today jailed for seven and half years for causing death by dangerous driving by Swansea Crown Court. Meirion Roberts, 26, pictured filmed drinking by colleague Lewis Morgan on the afternoon of December 4 2020 moments before Mr Morgan died Mr Morgan, pictured, filmed Roberts playing loud music and swigging from a bottle of lager bought from an off licence while hitting 100mph on a dual carriageway. He then sent the clip to friends via Snapchat Roberts, pictured, has been jailed for seven-and-a-half years for causing death by dangerous driving The court heard the pair worked together at Fine-Edge Construction Ltd before the crash in December 2020.. Company director Philip Jones said the firm had booked two tables at The Cottage Inn for a three hour stay. He said he and his employees drank 'five or six pints with our food' - and added that Roberts drank cider. Mr Jones said: 'If I had known he was even considering driving I would have taken the keys off him. It's really tragic news and it's had a massive effect on us all.' The court heard Roberts was spotted on CCTV after 8pm when he went into to a Bargain Booze store to buy alcohol. Roberts was doing between 40mph and 50mph on the afternoon of December 4 2020 when he lost control on a bend and hit a telegraph pole and wall - with the Vauxhall Corsa ending up on its roof. Mr Morgan suffered fatal head injuries and died at the scene. Roberts, of Heol Las, Ammanford, had denied causing death by dangerous driving but was convicted by a jury. Pictured: The snapchat footage shown to the court Back calculation tests showed Roberts had a blood alcohol level of at least 101mg per 100ml of blood. The legal drink drive limit is 80mg per 100ml. Carina Hughes, prosecuting, said: 'The prosecution submits this encompassed driving that involved a deliberate decision to ignore the rules of the road, commencing when he got into the car having consumed alcohol. 'He also drove while under the influence of alcohol, drove while consuming alcohol, drove in excess of speed limits, including at one stage at 100mph and at another stage in excess of the 30mph speed limit for over a mile, all while participating in videos and listening to loud music. 'The prosecution say that level of poor driving shows a disregard for the great danger he posed to other road users.' Roberts, pictured, of Heol Las, Ammanford, had denied causing death by dangerous driving but was convicted by a jury In a victim impact statement, Mr Morgan's sister, Natalie, said: 'Losing Lewis has been the most painful experience of mine and my family's life. 'The sadness I face every day I cannot put into words. The first thought I wake with in the morning, my last thought at night and every moment in between, I think of Lewis.' Roberts, of Heol Las, Ammanford, had denied causing death by dangerous driving but was convicted by a jury. David Leathley, defending, said Roberts had made a mistake in deciding to drive. 'Notwithstanding the awful consequences of that social gathering and the moral turpitude which was going to bedevil the entire proceedings, Mr Roberts was not there for all-out wickedness, he was there out of good grace and sociability to his fellow man,' he said. 'It is a case of moral turpitude because the experience of society is that the consumption of any drink, however small, while putting yourself behind the wheel is crass, dangerous and morally and legally and reprehensible. 'From that point Mr Roberts goes from being an altruistic, affable, friendly, sociable individual - because of his moral turpitude and his decision to drive - into a killer.' In a victim impact statement, Mr Morgan's sister, Natalie, said: 'Losing Lewis (pictured) has been the most painful experience of mine and my family's life' Jailing the father-of-one, Judge Christopher Vosper QC said: 'You deliberately drove when you had consumed alcohol in such a quantity that you knew that you were over the limit for driving. 'You could have got home by the lift you had arranged but you deliberately avoided that lift and chose instead to drive in the opposite direction. 'Your purpose was to continue socialising and drinking.' The Snapchat footage shows Roberts going 100mph The judge said Roberts' (pictured) speed and alcohol consumption had caused him to lose control on the bend and crash The judge said Roberts' speed and alcohol consumption had caused him to lose control on the bend and crash. 'It is right that the driving on the A48 was not the direct cause of the death of Lewis Morgan, however, it seems to me that driving at 100mph on what is motorway standard road may well in fact be less dangerous than driving at speeds of 50mph on a B-road, which is restricted and has bends on it of the sort you failed to negotiate,' he said. 'I accept you are genuinely remorseful for what occurred and the guilt you feel bears heavily upon you and will always bear heavily upon you. 'I have to acknowledge too that no sentence the court can impose will reduce the grief which Lewis Morgan's family feel and will continue to feel at his loss.' Roberts was also banned from driving for six years and nine months. The former king of Spain wants Court of Appeal judges to step in after he was sued by an ex-lover. Corinna zu Sayn-Wittgenstein-Sayn, a Danish businesswoman, has taken legal action against Juan Carlos I and is seeking damages for personal injury. She alleges he caused her 'great mental pain' by spying on and harassing her. German-born Danish entrepreneur Corinna zu Sayn-Wittgenstein, 57, is suing ex-lover Juan Carlos I, former king of Spain, for 'tens of millions of euros' in London's High Court, having accused him of 'unlawful covert and overt surveillance' Juan Carlos, 84, who ruled from 1975 until his abdication in June 2014 and the succession of his son King Felipe VI, denies any wrongdoing. Lawyers representing Juan Carlos argued he is 'entitled to immunity from the jurisdiction of the English courts in his capacity as a senior member of the Spanish royal family'. But after a recent hearing in London, High Court judge Mr Justice Nicklin ruled against the former king, saying the claim can go ahead. In a follow-up hearing on Tuesday, Juan Carlos's lawyers told the judge they want to go to the Court of Appeal. They will ask appeal judges to consider the case in the near future, they indicated. Mr Justice Nicklin rejected the argument that, despite his abdication, Juan Carlos remains a 'sovereign' and is entitled to personal immunity under the State Immunity Act 1978. 'There is only one king of Spain and head of state of Spain and, since June 19 2014, that has been his son, King Felipe VI,' he said. 'Whatever his special constitutional position following abdication, [Juan Carlos] is neither the sovereign nor the head of state of Spain.' The judge also said Juan Carlos is not a member of the current king's household within the meaning of the Act. He said his position under the Spanish constitution is 'entirely honorary' and provides him 'no continuing role'. His mistress is suing him for 'tens of millions of euros' in London's High Court, having accused him of 'unlawful covert and overt surveillance'. German-born Danish entrepreneur Corinna zu Sayn-Wittgenstein, 57, had an affair with the 83-year-old monarch - who is married to Queen Sofia, 82 - between 2004 and 2009. Their relationship was catapulted into the limelight in 2012 after he broke his hip during a safari trip to Botswana, on which she had accompanied him. Afterwards Corinna claimed Juan Carlos 'gifted' her 65 million (59 million) out of guilt for the 'intense pressure' she came under and as an expression of his love. It's believed the payment came out of funds that originated with a $100million gift to Juan Carlos when he was king from the late King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia in 2008. Swiss prosecutors then opened an investigation into bank accounts Juan Carlos allegedly held in tax havens, leading to the royal, who abdicated the throne in 2014, fleeing to Abu Dhabi last year. Corinna, who lives in London, filed a claim in December 2020 accusing Juan Carlos of harassment 'from 2012 until the present time', including threats and defamation, as well as 'unlawful covert and overt surveillance' by agents of the former monarch and the Spanish intelligence service. Corinna and Juan Carlos' relationship was catapulted into the limelight in 2012 after he broke his hip during a safari trip to Botswana, on which she had accompanied him. Afterwards Corinna claimed Juan Carlos 'gifted' her 65 million (59 million) out of guilt for the 'intense pressure' she came under and as an expression of his love Corinna is reportedly seeking substantial damages and a restraining order. Juan Carlos has denied any wrongdoing, but his legal team is yet to file a defence. The case will likely face a jurisdiction battle due to the ex-king not living in Britain and being a former head of state of another nation. Corinna states in her claim that her former flame told her he 'wanted to ensure that she and her children would be provided for' but he was 'concerned that his family would challenge anything he left to her in his will, after his death'. She added that Juan Carlos asked her to return the sum of money or make it 'available for his use', which she declined. She then alleges that he falsely accused her of stealing the cash and defamed her to her family and business partners, as well as to King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia, which resulted in a loss of income for her job working as a strategic consultant for 'high-net-worth individuals and with leading companies around the world'. As a result, she is now making a request for damages which are not specifically stipulated in the claim, but are believed to be in the region of tens of millions of euros. Corinna is also seeking an injunction that would prevent Juan Carlos and his agents from coming within 150m of her home, communicating with her, making defamatory statements about her or tracking and harassing her. She says the former head of the Spanish National Intelligence Agency (CNI) Felix Sanz Roldan, or people working for it or the ex-king, put her 'under physical surveillance which included vehicle and personal surveillance, trespassing on to her property at which she was residing and hacking into her/their telephones and computers'. Corinna is also seeking an injunction that would prevent Juan Carlos (pictured together in 2006) and his agents from coming within 150m of her home, communicating with her, making defamatory statements about her or tracking and harassing her Corinna previously alleged that the CNI has spent millions on a campaign of harassment in the apparent belief that she possesses state secrets. She has also claimed that a sustained attempt has been made to brainwash her children into believing she was corrupt, she has suffered a campaign of libellous 'fake news' coverage on the internet, all of which began following the public exposure of her five-year relationship with Juan Carlos. Last year Corinna's lawyers, Kobre & Kim, wrote to Home Secretary Priti Patel and Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab to warn them of a potential diplomatic row. 'Discretion has been a watchword throughout my life with my family and my business,' Corinna told The Mail on Sunday. 'After eight years of abuse, which has also targeted my children, and given there is no end in sight, I reluctantly find myself with no other option but to pursue legal action.' Twice-divorced Corinna became a princess through her second marriage, to German aristocrat Prince Casimir zu Sayn-Wittgenstein-Sayn. Corinna had an affair with the 83-year-old monarch - who is married to Queen Sofia, 82, pictured together in May 2004 - between 2004 and 2009 She is a long-time friend of Lord Snowdon, Princess Margaret's son, has been a regular at Prince Charles's philanthropic occasions and was honoured at Buckingham Palace for her efforts in supporting the Duke of Edinburgh Awards Foundation. In the world of international finance, Corinna is known for brokering deals between major corporations and is said to include several heads of state in her contacts book. Prince Albert of Monaco was the guest of honour at Harry's Bar in London for her 40th birthday dinner other guests that night included members of the Astor, Spencer-Churchill, Goldsmith, Versace and Swarovski families. But this glamorous way of life came to a halt after it emerged she had conducted a five-year relationship with the married King of Spain, Juan Carlos. And from that moment on, she says, the Spanish secret service trained its sights on her. Soon after the affair was revealed she found herself trailed by a team of Spanish-speaking men while on business in Brazil. Later that same year she said her Monaco apartment was occupied for more than a month by French and Polish mercenaries. She was informed by the Spanish intelligence services that the mercenaries employed through a Monagesque security company were there for her protection, but she believes the real objective was to occupy her flat and remove documents. 'I was in constant danger,' she said. 'At first, I thought these men were going to throw me over the balcony.' Corinna says she was threatened by Juan Carlos who allegedly told her 'the consequences for her 'will not be good' if she failed to do what he wanted'. She also alleges that the Sultan of Oman bought a 50million flat in London's Knightsbridge for Juan Carlos' use, and that her ex-lover asked her to pay a 200,000 deposit for service charges, which she refused. Corinna has previously compared herself to Wallis Simpson, the American socialite who stirred controversy by marrying the Duke of Windsor, the former British king Edward VIII, arguing she was blamed for the scandal-hit king's downfall. She questioned why 'hostility is always channeled towards the woman' in an interview with The Telegraph. 'There is a tendency that when people cannot control a powerful man, they destroy the object of his affection,' she told the newspaper. 'This narrative still survives to this day. You can even see it with Meghan and Harry. 'The hostility always goes to the woman and the poor man is this helpless creature who has been horribly manipulated and it is the woman who has plunged the country into a huge crisis.' Juan Carlos has not been charged with any offence, but is facing three separate criminal probes in Spain. One is related to the use of credit cards linked to foreign accounts after his June 2014 abdication when he lost his constitutional protection against prosecution as a serving monarch. Prosecutors are trying to establish if the monarch accessed funds deposited in accounts held by a Mexican businessman and a Spanish Air Force official. Spain has also launched its own investigation based in part on information shared by Switzerland about cash Juan Carlos allegedly received as part of his involvement in a high-speed Saudi Arabia rail contract. In December, the ex-monarch's lawyer announced he had paid more than 600,000 in back-taxes with interest and surcharges for the years since his abdication. Spanish authorities responded by saying they were analysing the tax payments to see if they were 'spontaneous, truthful and complete.' Juan Carlos' shock departure from Spain at the start of August led to an intense questioning of the country's monarchy led by left-wing vice-president Pablo Iglesias. Spain's current king, Juan Carlos' son Felipe VI, made a veiled dig at his exiled father and the scandals surrounding his family in his Christmas speech. He said in a televised address that 'ethics are above family ties'. Authorities in Montana will not try to track down a grizzly bear suspected in the fatal mauling of a hiker last week because it did not appear to be a predatory attack, officials say. Father-of-four Craig Clouatre, 40, was found dead Friday, two days after he failed to return from an off-trail hike in densely forested mountains north of Yellowstone National Park. He was from the small city of Livingston, about 30 miles from the mauling site. Tracks left at the scene and the nature of the attack suggest that a grizzly killed him, Park County Sheriff Brad Bichler said Monday. But Bichler said there was no indication the bear sought out Clouatre, meaning it could have been simply an unlucky encounter. 'This doesn't appear to be an attack where the bear sought out the person,' Bichler said. 'It wasn't like the bear came down into a campground and nabbed someone.' A bear attack is considered predatory when the animal stalks the human or attacks a campsite unprovoked. Attacks by bears that are surprised or defending cubs are not considered predatory. Pictured: Craig Clouatre, 40, of Livingston, reportedly went missing after hiking in the Six Mile Creek area of Paradise Valley on Wednesday Clouatre leaves behind a wife, Jamie, and their four children, pictured above Pictured: the location of the deadly grizzly attack that reportedly took Clouatre's life in relation to Yellowstone National Park Fatal grizzly bear attacks on people are rare. Predatory attacks such as a 2010 attack near Cooke City in which a man was killed inside his tent at a campground are even less common. Wildlife officials are trying to confirm whether a grizzly was responsible for Clouatre's death through testing of animal hairs found at the site, said Morgan Jacobsen with Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks. Jacobsen said the attack appeared to have been a chance encounter and agreed with Bichler that it was not a predatory attack. Clouatre, who was married with four children and originally from Massachusetts, was experienced in the backcountry, according to his friends and family. At the time of his death, he was in a remote area with lots of timber and ravines, searching for antlers shed by elk and other big game animals, Bichler said. It was unknown if Clouatre was carrying bear spray, which are pressurized canisters of pepper-like irritant that can deter charging bears. Clouatre's remains were discovered by Park County Search and Rescue near Yellowstone National Park on Friday. Bichler said in a Facebook post on Sunday that Clouatre was an experienced outdoorsman who knew the risks involved in backcountry hiking. 'I visited with Craig's wife this morning and she has [reiterated] to me that she and the family understand that Craig loved to be in wild places and was well aware of the risks involved with that,' wrote Bichler. Clouatre went missing after hiking in the Six Mile Creek area of Paradise Valley on Wednesday, according to The Living Enterprise. Park County Sheriff Brad Bichler (left) said Monday there was no indication the bear sought out Clouatre, meaning it could have been simply an unlucky encounter The father-of-four was killed in a suspected grizzly bear attack during a hike in a Montana park (file image) Sheriff Bichler confirmed Clouatre's death in a statement on Saturday. 'It is with a very heavy heart that I am writing this update. After an extensive search this morning we have located Craig,' Bichler wrote. 'It appears he had an encounter with a grizzly and unfortunately did not survive.' 'Please keep his family and all those involved in your thoughts and prayers.' Clouatre leaves behind a wife, Jamie, and their four children. A GoFundMe for his family raised over $55,000 out of a $75,000 goal as of Sunday morning. On Wednesday, search teams on the ground and in helicopters had been looking for Clouatre after he failed to return from hiking that morning. He had gone with a friend but the pair split up, possibly to hunt for antlers. 'They split up at some point later in the morning. When the other man returned to their vehicle and his friend wasn't there, he called us and we began searching Wednesday night.' The search began that night concentrated on the Six Mile Creek area of the Absaroka Mountains, located about 30 miles south of Livingston, Montana. 'We're fortunate to have a group of experienced volunteers on our SAR [Search and Rescue] team and we're thankful for the folks who have come to help,' Bichler told the paper. Authorities were working Friday to return Clouatre's body to his family, Bichler said in a social media post. Clouatre's father told The Associated Press that his son grew up in Massachusetts and moved more than two decades ago to Montana, where Clouatre met his future wife, Jamie, and decided to make a home. Clouatre grew up in Massachusetts and moved more than two decades ago to Montana, where Clouatre met his future wife, Jamie, and decided to make a home Jamie shared a tribute to her husband today saying she will have to 'relearn how to be and who I am... for our kids Clouatre and his family, pictured, had just suffered the burning down of their home two years ago, which the family was still recovering from at the time of Clouatre's death 'He was a joy to have as a son all the way around,' David Clouatre said. 'He was a good man, a good, hardworking family man.' Meanwhile, his wife, Jamie, said she will have to 'relearn how to be and who I am... for our kids.' 'I don't have many words really right now and I'm not reaching back out to everyone who has reached out to me...but I appreciate every one of the sentiments and memories of the most amazing person I have ever known, my husband,' she wrote on Facebook. 'I loved him with every single fiber of me....he was a vital part of me and our children and it is going to be a struggle for the rest of our lives. To say we are broken is an understatement. I have to relearn how to be and who I am and stay strong enough for our kids.' 'No easy way to put it, this is not fair, they don't deserve this. The support in this community is incredible and I know it comes from Craig...who he was, a joy, a truly kind, good, GOOD man. There is no one else like him in the entire world. Thank you all for everything! We all lost something and the world is a hell of a lot dimmer,' she went on to write. The mountains in the area where Craig Clouatre died rise steeply above the Yellowstone River as it passes through the Paradise Valley. Dense forests at higher elevations are home to bears and other wildlife, although dangerous encounters with people are relatively rare. Clouatre frequented those mountains and others around the park, hiking in summer and ice climbing in winter when he wasn't home with his wife and their four young children, said Anne Tanner, a friend of the victim. Tanner said she had known Clouatre for about a decade because he worked for commercial food companies and delivered to their restaurant, the Emigrant Outpost. The mountains in the area where Craig Clouatre, pictured, died rise steeply above the Yellowstone River as it passes through the Paradise Valley The restaurant held a benefit for the Clouatre family after their house burned down two years ago. Tanner said they had only recently recovered from the fire. 'He was finally just getting their house together,' she said. 'It just makes me angry that something like this could happen to such a good person...Of all the men I know, I can't believe he would die in the wilderness. He was so strong and he was so smart.' State wildlife officials were responding to the scene but Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks spokesperson Greg Lemon said he had no further information. Since 2010, grizzlies in the Yellowstone region have killed at least eight people. Among them was a backcountry guide killed by a bear last year along Yellowstone's western border. Guide Charles 'Carl' Mock was killed in April after being mauled by a 400-plus pound male grizzly while fishing alone at a favorite spot on Montanas Madison River, where it spills out of the park. Grizzlies are protected under federal law outside Alaska. Elected officials in the Yellowstone region are pushing to lift protections and allow grizzly hunting. The Yellowstone region spanning portions of Montana, Idaho and Wyoming has more than 700 bears. Fatal attacks on humans are rare but have increased in recent decades as the grizzly population grew and more people moved into rural areas near bear habitat. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy plans to sit down with 26-year-old GOP Rep. Madison Cawthorn to talk about claims he made including that he was invited to orgies and cocaine use was rampant in Washington, D.C. Politico reported Tuesday that Cawthorn's Republican colleagues stood up and aired their grievances during a closed-door House GOP conference meeting earlier in the day, complaining that the North Carolina Republican made party members out to be sexual deviants and drug users. CNN reported that colleagues wanted Cawthorn to name names because his comments could otherwise unfairly malign the whole party. The 65-year-old Arkansas Rep. Steve Womack told the group that he rarely speaks up during the weekly meetings, but did so Tuesday because he's getting questions from constituents about Cawthorn's claims of orgies and drug use, Politico said. Womack remarked that many lawmakers go to bed at 9 p.m. and use flip phones and fax machines, calling it inappropriate that Cawthorn would paint his Congressional peers with a broad brush. Sen. Richard Burr, the senior Republican senator from North Carolina, was asked by CNN about Cawthorn's job performance. 'Thats for his constituents to figure out but clearly he's been an embarrassment at times,' Burr replied. Cawthorn was asked during an interview with Warrior Poet Society about how much D.C. resembles of Netflix show House of Cards, specifically its elements of 'corruption, power, money and perversion.' The North Carolina Republican replied that the 'sexual perversion' and drug use is just like what people saw on television. 'The sexual perversion that goes on in Washington ... being kind of a young guy in Washington where the average age is probably 60 or 70, I look at all these people - a lot of them who I've looked up to throughout my life ... then all of a sudden you get invited to like, "well hey we're going to have kind of a sexual get together at one of our homes. You should come," like, what did you just ask me to come to? And then you realize they're asking you to come to an orgy.' House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (pictured) plans to sit down with 26-year-old GOP Rep. Madison Cawthorn to talk about claims he made including that he was invited to orgies and cocaine use was rampant in Washington, D.C. Cawthorn, 26, was asked during an interview with the Warrior Poet Society how closely his experience on Capitol Hill aligns with House of Cards, specifically its elements of 'corruption, power, money and perversion' Cawthorn said that he once heard a former president say the only thing that was unrealistic about the Netflix show was that Congress would ever be able to pass a piece of legislation that quickly, and he agreed with the sentiment 'There's some of the people that are leading the movement to try and remove addiction in our country and then you watch them doing, you know, a key bump of cocaine in front of you and it's like wow, this is wild.' Cawthorn in December announced the he and his wife of eight months were filing for divorce. The young congressman, a staunch conservative not known for his friends across the aisle, is seemingly accusing his fellow Republicans of the illicit behavior. The 'former president' Cawthorn seemingly referred to was Democratic President Bill Clinton. In 2015, actor Kevin Spacey, the lead on House of Cards, said that he and Clinton were close friends and play poker together. Spacey told Gotham Magazine at the time that Clinton had told him the show was accurate. Cawthorn, a staunch conservative not known for his friends across the aisle, is seemingly accusing his fellow Republicans of the illicit behavior. He has recently sparked controversy for calling House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and 'alcoholic' and Ukrainian President Zelensky a 'thug' Cawthorn in December announced the he and his wife of eight months were filing for divorce 'Kevin, 99 percent of what you do on that show is real. The 1 percent you get wrong is you could never get an education bill passed that fast,' Clinton told Spacey, according to the actor's comments to the magazine. Earlier this month Cawthorn suggested that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is an alcoholic. Cawthorn said of the California Democrat at a campaign event: 'I'll tell you I have to work with her every single day so please do pray for me. The theories of alcoholism are very true and it's very sad,' he said, according to video posted by Patriot Takes. His line got chuckles during the event. Pelosi, 81, doesn't drink, and hasn't for years. Her daughter Christine attacked prior slurs about her mom's alleged alcoholism in 2019, tweeting: 'Republicans and their conservative allies have been pumping this despicable fake meme for years! Now they are caught. '#FactCheck: Madam Speaker doesn't even drink alcohol!' Also last month a video surfaced showing Cawthorn calling Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky a 'thug'. He said his government was 'corrupt, incredibly evil' and 'pushing woke ideologies'. He appeared to be discussing the US sending military aid to Ukraine before lashing out at leaders in Kyiv -- who refused to flee the country despite reports that many are on a Russian 'kill list' including Zelensky and his family. In December 2021, Cawthorn announced that he and his CrossFit athlete wife Cristina Bayardelle were getting a divorce after just eight months together. 'When Cristina and I were engaged, I was not a member of Congress. I felt called to serve and we both agreed that I should run. Our victory was unprecedented, but overnight our lives changed,' he said in a statement posted by his spokesman. 'That change has been both hectic and difficult, it's neither the pace nor the lifestyle we had planned for.' JK Rowling has turned out for the premiere of her latest film just days after hitting back at Vladimir Putin for comparing himself to her. The Harry Potter author posed for pictures on the red carpet ahead of the first showing of Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore in London tonight. The 56-year-old, who has been accused of 'transphobia' after saying that only women experience menstruation, in remarks which created a firestorm and got her 'cancelled'. JK Rowling struck a relaxed figure as she made her way onto the red carpet for the premiere of her latest film, Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore The author has been criticised by trans rights activists for her views on sex and gender, leading to her being 'cancelled' Following months of rows with trans rights activists, the situation took a bizarre turn last week when Russian president Putin compared himself to Rowling following his country's invasion of Ukraine. She promptly hit back, criticising him for 'slaughtering civilians' in the eastern European country, and poisoning and jailing his critics. However, she seemed to show no signs of this latest development worrying her at the premiere at Royal Festival Hall, smiling and laughing on the red carpet on Tuesday night, March 29. Rowling, pictured here in a form-fitting navy blue gown at the premiere in London tonight, has denied she is transphobic The Associated Press reported Rowling as saying at the time: 'At the same time, my life has been shaped by being female. I do not believe it's hateful to say so' The film itself has had a troubled gestation with star Johnny Depp being dropped from the film in the wake of his libel woes and replaced with Danish actor Mads Mikkelsen. The third film in the Fantastic Beasts series sees Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne) assemble a motley crew of wizards and witches to try and save the world. The team Newt and Dumbledore (Jude Law) have put together to include Newt's brother Theseus Scamander (Callum Turner), professor Eulalie 'Lallie' Hicks (Jessica Williams), Minerva McGonagall (Fionna Glascott), and Muggle baker Jacob (Dan Fogler). Leading men! Eddie Redmayne (left) was every inch the suave hero as he joined co-star Jude Law (right) leading the star-studded arrivals for the premiere of Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets Of Dumbledore at London 's Royal Festival Hall on Tuesda The motley crew will be joining forces to take on the powerful dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald (Mikkelsen), who seeks domination over the wizarding world. Stars of the film, including Redmayne and Law appeared on the red carpet, where they posed for photos ahead of the premiere. Among those also in attendance was Tom Felton, who played Draco Malfoy in the original Harry Potter franchise. Former Harry Potter star Tom Felton, who played Draco Malfoy in the original franchise, made an appearance at the premiere tonight His former colleagues Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson and Evanna Lynch, who recently reunited for the 20th anniversary of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone without Miss Rowling, are among those who have condemned her for her views. Miss Rowling has faced a continued onslaught of accusations of transphobia since publishing an essay on her website in July 2020 in which she argued that biological sex is real. She also revealed she was 'a domestic abuse and sexual assault survivor'. She was labelled a TERF trans-exclusionary radical feminist after taking issue with the term 'people who menstruate'. In December she was once again forced to deny that she is transphobic as she argued for sex, not gender identity, to be the 'basis of decisions on safeguarding'. Last week war-mongering Putin attempted to compare himself to Rowling in an outrageous speech, claiming the western world was 'cancelling' Russia following its invasion of Ukraine. Putin spat out: 'They [the West] cancelled JK Rowling, the children's author her books are published all over the world all because she didn't satisfy the demands of gender rights. They are trying to cancel out country I'm talking the progressive discrimination of everything to do with Russia'. But responding to the childish Russian despot on Twitter, Rowling shared a BBC article about jailed Putin critic Alexei Navalny and wrote: 'Critiques of Western cancel culture are possibly not best made by those currently slaughtering civilians for the crime of resistance, or who jail and poison their critics'. She added the hashtag: '#IStandWithUkraine'. Responding to the childish Russian despot on Twitter, Rowling shared a BBC article about jailed Putin critic Alexei Navalny and wrote: 'Critiques of Western cancel culture are possibly not best made by those currently slaughtering civilians for the crime of resistance, or who jail and poison their critics'. She added the hashtag: '#IStandWithUkraine' Putin even tried to link modern-day cancel culture to Nazi book burnings of the 1930s, claiming such things would never happen in Russia even as his regime imposes a 'free speech lockdown' which can see dissidents who call the invasion a 'war' jailed for 15 years. The Russian despot has also spoken of 'cleansing' everyone from Russian society who is too Western or harbours western thoughts. Britain, the US and the EU have hammered Russia with sanctions in the wake of Putin's attack on Ukraine which have crashed the rouble, including cutting it off from banking systems and trade, while Western brands withdraw, leaving its economy in tatters. But Putin took take particular ire with the decision of some Western institutions to remove works by Russian artists, authors and composers in response to the war. Vladimir Putin has accused the West of trying to 'cancel' Russia in the same way it cancelled JK Rowling, complaining that authors and composers like Dostoyevsky and Tchaikovsky are being targeted over the war A desperate Ukrainian mother has spoken of her nightmare ordeal after bungling visa officials mistyped her information leaving her two daughters stranded and unable to reach Britain. MailOnline found Nadiia Boichuk, 32, and her husband Renaldas Rimkus, 40, at the Polish border with Ukraine last month as they waited for their children Yana, 13, and Anna, eight. The married couple hoped to bring their daughters back to Britain from Ukraine where the girls live with their grandparents, as both Nadiia and Renaldas have been granted settled status and live in the UK, but consular staff told them the children would need visas. So, Nadiia initially travelled to Lithuania where Renaldas is from, with the girls and on March 9 made a double visa application in the capital Vilnius, handing over documents and biometric data for the children. Two weeks later they were told the visas had been approved but they would have to travel 600 miles to the German capital Berlin to pick them up. However, when they arrived on Monday staff told them there had been a mistake as the wrong details had been inputted on the application and they would have to carry on waiting while it was re-examined. MailOnline found Nadiia Boichuk, 32, and her husband Renaldas Rimkus, 40, at the Polish border with Ukraine last month as they waited for their children Yana, 13, and Anna, eight The married couple hoped to bring their daughters back to Britain from Ukraine where the girls live with their grandparents, as both Nadiia and Renaldas have been granted settled status and live in the UK, but consular staff told them the children would need visas Nadiia, an assistant manager at a Holland & Barrett in Hammersmith, west London, has spent more than 5,000 in travel and hotels the last month and still doesnt know when they will get home. Devastated Nadiia said: The whole thing has been a nightmare for us. I appreciate there is a lot of demand, but we have travelled from London to Poland to Lithuania and Germany where we were told the visas would be ready and now, they are not because of a mistake. I couldnt believe it when the office in Berlin said the wrong information had been inputted in the application and we would have to wait for the correction. Nadiia and Renaldas moved to the UK six years ago, but their children remained in Ukraine with her parents at Ivan-Frankivisk. After the airport was hit by Russian missiles within hours of the war starting, Yana and Anna were taken to the Polish border where they were met by their relieved parents. Both children were in the process of making an application via the British Embassy in Kyiv but the process halted once the Russians invaded, and they are travelling without their passports. Earlier this week charities warned the visa application process was causing agony for thousands of Ukrainians. Home Secretary Priti Patel has insisted a visa scheme with vetting checks is essential to ensure national security and prevent Russian agents slipping into the country. But opposition MPs and charity groups have urged for a simpler system and even waive visas as has the European Union to make the process easier. Tearful Nadiia added: 'There seems to be a lot of miscommunications between various departments at the Home Office. I call one place and am then told to call another, or I write to one and they say email someone else. The UK Government says it wants to help and all Ukrainian people are grateful but surely there has to be a much easier system than this? People are seen waiting near a bus at Hala Kijowska Outlet Centre, which was turned into reception centre for the refugees We have spent more than 5,000 in travel and accommodation, you hear on the news about people who have made it to Britain but there are many, many more who are just stranded. Im with the children staying in hotels travelling across Europe when all we want is to be back home safe so I can get them into a school. No-one seems to be able to give me an answer about when and where I can collect our visas and this mistake has just added more stress to the situation. When I asked the guy in Berlin how long it would take, he said he didnt know and accused me of being rude. He said he would check but Ive heard nothing, the situation is ridiculous. I cant believe the British government cant find an easier way of doing all this. I have been away from work for a month, they have been very understanding but I dont know for how much longer we can do this and if I will have a job when I go back. Now I am stuck in Berlin with two children waiting to hear what will happen next but I have no idea when I will have news. My husband is back working with his building job and sending us money when we can but the whole situation is a nightmare for us. Clare Stafford, director of communications, for Holland & Barratt told MailOnline that Nadiia had worked for the health food firm since 2018. A general view of people at Hala Kijowska Outlet Centre, which was turned into reception centre for the refugees She added: All of us at Holland & Barrett have been horrified and upset by the war in Ukraine. This is a time of great concern for us all, and like many businesses in the UK we have a number of colleagues who are personally affected by the war, and we are doing all we can to support them including offering paid leave of absence so they dont have to use holiday, and support with any travel costs needed. Our thoughts are with Nadiia and her children and were all hoping to see them safely back in the UK very soon. We have already provided 550,000 of direct support to Ukrainian humanitarian aid, with a combination of food supplies and financial contributions, including 150,000 to DEC, and E50,000 to the Irish Red Cross. We are also fundraising in store and online for these charities and are matching donations up to 100,000. Nadiias local MP Labours Andy Slaughter told MailOnline: 'Its a very chaotic situation and we are trying to meet with the Home Office to sort some of these issues out. Ive been contacted by hundreds of constituents who are having problems with the visa system. A Government spokesperson said:We are moving as quickly as possible to ensure that those fleeing horrific persecution in Ukraine can find safety in the UK through the Ukraine Family Scheme and Homes for Ukraine. We have streamlined the process so valid passport holders do not have to attend in-person appointments before arriving in the UK, simplified our forms and boosted caseworker numbers, while ensuring vital security checks are carried out. We continue to speed up visa processing across both schemes, with more than 21,000 issued under the Ukraine Family Scheme. The evil mother of Baby P could be released from prison within weeks if a Parole Board decides she is fit to be freed. Tracey Connelly, who was jailed in 2009 following the death of her 17-month-old son Peter, will find out tomorrow if her fourth bid for freedom has been successful. The 40-year-old had been imprisoned indefinitely with a minimum term of five years in 2009 for causing or allowing her son's death and had been released 2013 on a lifelong licence. Tracey Connelly has made a fourth attempt to get released from prison after being jailed for her son's death in 2009 Peter, who was initially named in the press as Baby P, died after suffering more than 50 injuries including a snapped spine and eight broken ribs However, she was returned to prison two years later after she breached its terms by selling nude photographs of herself on the internet. Since then she has been turned down for release by Parole Board hearings in 2015, 2017 and 2019. Her latest parole hearing was earlier this month and a decision could be made to free her from prison within weeks if the board finds she doesn't pose a risk to the public, The Sun reports. It had previously been reported that Connelly was prepared to agree to a series of stringent conditions to make sure she doesn't reoffend in order to secure her freedom. These included wearing a 24/7 electronic tag, staying sober, undertaking lie detector tests and giving the authorities details of any new relationships she forms outside of prison. Peter, who was publicly known as Baby P, died in north London on August 3 2007 at the hands of his mother, her lover Steven Barker and his brother Jason Owen. He suffered more than 50 injuries, which included a snapped spine and eight broken ribs, despite being on the at-risk register and receiving 60 visits from social workers, police and health professionals over the final eight months of his life. Steven Barker was jailed in 2009 for a minimum of 32 years for torturing the 17-month-old to death and Owen received a six year jail sentence for allowing the toddler to die. Baby P, was tortured to death in 2007 by Connelly's lover Steven Barker (left) and his brother Jason Owen (right) at their home in Tottenham, north London Peter and three other children were sharing the four-bedroom house with their mother, her boyfriend and his brother when he died. Three of the children, including Peter, were on Haringey's Child Protection Register because of fears they were being neglected by the mother. Connolly, who covered up the abuse of her son, was jailed in 2009 for a minimum of five years after admitting causing or allowing the death of her son Peter. She was then freed on licence in 2013 but later recalled to prison in 2015 after it was found she had sent indecent images of herself to people obsessed with her notoriety. The Parole Board considered her case for a third time in November 2019, following previous reviews in 2015 and 2017, and refused to either release her or move her to an open prison. In 2019, the convict launched a bid to be freed from prison so she could try to spend Christmas with her lover. She became besotted with a 37-year-old insurance salesman named Paul and told fellow prisoners she want to move in with him in Reading. The abuser said she believed she was ready to leave prison a 'changed woman'. Connelly insisted her relationship was genuine because she had known him for many years. A porn star's dismembered body has been discovered by police in Brescia after being put in several bin bags and dumped by the side of the road. Mother-of-one Carol Maltesi, 26, who worked under the stage name Charlotte Angie, had starred in a number of erotic movies and had an OnlyFans adult site. She was last seen alive in January close to her home at Rescaldina near Milan, Italy, and today her neighbour, a food blogger named Davide Fontana, 43, was being questioned about her murder. Police found her dismembered body in several bin bags ten days ago at Borno near Brescia. It is believed the remains had been kept in a freezer before being dumped by the road as they had started to thaw in the warm spring sunshine. Detectives were able to identify her from six of the 12 distinctive tattoos she had on her body after releasing details earlier this week and a member of the public called in after recognising them from her adult work. Among the designs was a speckled leopard print on her upper right thigh, the words step by step on her right leg, wanderlust on her right shoulder, elegance is the on her back, te (you) on her left hand and be brave on her left elbow. Mother of one Carol Maltesi (pictured above), 26, was last seen alive in January close to her home at Rescaldina near Milan, Italy Cops arrested Fontana after traffic cameras picked up her car in the Borno area and he had then walked into a local police station offering information but which was so unconvincing it aroused suspicions. Carol, who had a six-year-old-daughter, had turned to adult work during lockdown to make ends meet and was said to earn up to 10,000 a month. She had started a relationship with her neighbour Fontana earlier this year but the two are said to have split up. Fontana told police her had killed her after a row and had burnt her face to hide her identity before dismembering her body and hiding it in bin bags in his freezer. Carol had been due to take part in an erotic festival in Milan earlier this month but failed to show up and her name was on advertising flyers for the show. After killing her Fontana had continued to use her phone and sent messages to his victims mother saying she had left porn but was too busy to explain why. He even responded to concerned fans who recognised the tattoos by sending them texts claiming to be from Carol saying: Yes, the tattoos look like mine but Im ok. Fontana told cops he had killed her with a hammer after having sex with her but they had rowed. Davide Fontana (pictured above), 43, was today in police custody being held on allegations of aggravated voluntary homicide, as well as destruction and hiding of a body Earlier this year she had posted a video online in which she spoke out against violence on women saying its not just a question of physical violence but psychological violence as well. Prosecutor Lorena Ghibaudo said: The supect confessed after being confronted with evidence which dismantled his claims. 'He had been using her phone and even paying her rent to make it look as if she was still alive but in reality he had killed her and dismembered her body. Fontana was today in police custody being held on allegations of aggravated voluntary homicide, as well as destruction and hiding of a body. Florida judge Keith Carsten has agreed to partially omit the confession of a physical therapist accused of murdering his wife and three children in 2020 at their home in a Disney town ahead of his trial because he hadn't been read his Miranda rights and was high on Benadryl. Anthony Todt, 45, is charged with four counts of first-degree murder and one count of animal cruelty in the fatal stabbings of his wife, Megan, 42, and their kids Alex, 13; Tyler, 11, and Zoe, 4. Their dog Breezy was also killed at the family's home in Celebration, Florida, in January 2020. Todt, who has pleaded not guilty, spoke to detectives after he was arrested at the hospital in January 2020. But he wasnt properly informed of his Miranda rights before the interview, according to a motion filed on August 31, 2021, by Assistant Public Defender Peter Schmer. It's unclear what part of his confession will be tossed out. Police are required by law to read the constitutional rights of people who are in their custody prior to questioning, a rule had established under the 1966 U.S. Supreme Court case 'Miranda v. Arizona.' If officers fail to do so, then prosecutors can't use any information the suspect says as evidence at trial. During his first interview with police, Todt initially confessed. It took a further two rounds of interrogation before officers realized that they hadn't read Todt's rights to him, according to the motion, before the former father-of-three repeated his involvement in the killings. Todt was also 'suicidal' and had diminished capacity because he was under the influence of a Benadryl overdose, the Orlando Sentinel reported. While being interviewed by officers, Todt told detectives that his heads spinning a little and said Im foggy, Im in a fog right now, the motion said. When they were found on January 13, 2020, Todt's wife and kids had been wrapped in blanket and drugged with Benadryl. They had also been suffocated, stabbed and left to rot for two weeks. Anthony Todt, 45, and who is accused of murdering his wife, three children and the family dog, was not read his Miranda rights when he initially confessed to the killings upon his arrest in January 2020 Todt (left) reportedly told a relative in a jailhouse phone call in March that his wife was responsible for her own death and killed their three children and the family dog Pictured (left to right): Alek, Zoe, Megan and Tyler Todt enjoying a day at the pool before they were discovered dead inside a Florida home in January 2020 The victims' decomposing bodies were found inside their Celebration, Florida, home only two weeks after they were fatally stabbed to death Florida Ninth Circuit Judge Keith Carsten Schmer said the combination of factors led to an invalid waiver of Todt's rights. The lawyer further argued that detectives may have been 'tempted to cut corners' to obtain a confession in their rush to solve the high profile murder 'with no available concrete evidence.' Before going on an alleged killing spree, Todt had been working in Connecticut and spent weekends in Florida with his family. At the time they discovered the murder, federal authorities and Osceola County Sheriff's deputies had gone to the family's home to arrest Todt on insurance fraud charges related to his physical therapy business. Since his jail confinement, Todt has blamed his wife for the slayings in a letter to his father and in a jailhouse phone conversation with his sister, claiming that it was Megan who killed their children and then herself after prior unsuccessful attempts, and that he could not stop her because he was not in the home at the time. 'There were multiple attempts, just so you know, multiple attempts in the last ... over a time frame, there's been attempts,' Todt told his sister Chrissy Caplet in the March call. 'Which is why this time I was stuck down here trying to handle things.' Todt has pleaded not guilty in relation to the four first-degree murder charges and one count of animal cruelty that has been charged with and blamed his wife for killing their children before taking her own life while he was away Pictured (left to right) : 13-year-old Alek Todt, four-year-old Zoe Todt and 11-year-old Tyler Todt Anthony Todt, pictured with his wife Megan, claimed that she would not let him reach out to his extended family for help in a phone call from a Florida jail with his sister in March Todt drugged his wife and children with Benadryl (pictured) before stabbing them to death several times Anthony Todt (pictured) also claimed in a letter to his father, Robert, that his wife was the one who murdered their three children Todt also told Caplet that he had trouble sleeping recently 'because I'm kind of upset emotionally ... Meg and the kids were everything to me, you know? I'm still madly in love with her. I'm still madly in love with the kids.' Caplet, who lives in Connecticut but was in Florida at the time of the call after assuming power of attorney over her older brother, asks Todt if he can remember speaking to her in December 2019, according to additional recordings obtained by the The Day. He said that he did not remember speaking to his family in Connecticut at that time. Authorities believe Todt killed his family some time after New Year's Day before remaining in the home with their bodies until their discovery two weeks later. Todt suggested to Caplet that his wife had prohibited him from speaking to his extended family there. In the April call, they also spoke about his health issues, with Todt insinuating that his wife would force him to avoid traditional medicine for his problems. He told Caplet about one day in October or August of 2019 when Megan had allegedly taken their two sons to get groceries and he passed out while watching their daughter. 'I looked at (Megan) like, "Can I go to the doctor now? We're trying all these things here, I need to find out what's going on."' He claimed he passed out through a combination of his blood sugar, his thyroid, hypertension and possibly low testosterone. The bed where police found the decomposing bodies of Megan Todt and her daughter, Zoe A knife stained with what appears to be blood is seen after being seized by deputies A T-shirt and boxer shorts belonging to Tyler Todt, 11, are seen stained with what appears to be blood after officials said the boy had been stabbed in the stomach This is not the only time Todt has made claims that his wife was guilty of the killings. In a June 19 letter to his father Robert Todt obtained by the Orlando Sentinel, he wrote that Megan had drugged the children and then stabbed and suffocated them. Todt wrote that his wife then drank a bottle of Benadryl and stabbed herself in the abdomen. 'Long story short, she gave them the Benadryl/Tylenol PM pie, separated them, woke up at 11:30 [p.m.], stabbed and then suffocated each one,' he wrote in the 27-page letter. 'At the news of this I ran to the bathroom and puked - I was weak.' He also claimed that he had wished to hold a press conference but that his lawyers had advised against it. Todt denied any wrongdoing in his letter and accused the Sheriff's Office of wanting 'to score a big win' with his arrest. He said he is '10000% INNOCENT of all these preposterous charges,' and wants to 'correct all inaccuracies' made by 'the creative writing machine,' in a reference to news organizations. Todt's trial is set to take place at the Osceola County Courthouse in a little over two weeks, on April 14. A $455 million superyacht allegedly linked to a Russian oligarch Dmitry Kamenshchik remains anchored in the Dominican Republic after the United States government requested an investigation into the vessel as a result of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The Flying Fox has been prohibited from sailing from the Caribbean island after it arrived there from St. Barts on March 21. The luxurious vessel docked in the resort town of La Roma to refuel and restock on food supplies. It took off before it was stopped in Santo Domingo and forced to dock at the Don Diego Port. Agents with the U.S. Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) visited the yacht last Friday as part of its investigation and were accompanied by officials from the Foreign Relations Ministry, General Directorate of Customs and Office of the Attorney General. DailyMail.com has reached out to HSI for comment. The Flying Fox, a $455 million yacht, which is reportedly linked to Russian billionaire Dmitry Kamenshchik, owner of Moscow's Domodedovo Airport, is currently anchored in the Dominican Republic following a petition from the United States government as it investigates any possible connections to President Vladimir Putin as a result of Russia's invasion of Ukraine Homero Figueroa, spokesperson for Dominican President Luis Abinader, said on Tuesday that the Attorney General's office has the results of an inquiry into the Flying Fox superyacht, which is anchored in Santo Domingo as U.S. and Dominican officials investigate whether it is linked to Russian oligarch Dmitry Kamenshchik The Flying Fox has 57 crew members but not passengers, according to Dominican Republic authorities Russian billionaire Dmitry Kamenshchik has not been sanctioned by the United Kingdom, European Union and United States. He is the owner of Domodedovo Airport, one of the biggest airports in Russia Homero Figueroa, press secretary for Dominican President Luis Abinader, appeared on Color Vision's Today morning show and revealed that the Office of the Attorney General had the results of its inquiry. 'If something is found that conflicts with the legal regulations in the Dominican Republic, we will proceed according to the law. If there is nothing irregular, the yacht will be released,' Figueroa said. Figueroa added that while there has been a joint collaboration with their U.S. counterparts, each agency has a 'different objective.' A helicopters on the deck of the luxurious Flying Fox yacht, which has been anchored in the Dominican Republic since March 21 U.S. Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) agents visited the Flying Fox yacht last Friday 'Dominican institutions act in the sphere that the regulations allow and the investigation carried out by the Dominicans obeys a totally different objective than the (United States) institution that was present in the Dominican Republic,' Figueroa added. 'We refer to the possible findings that the Dominican institution (Customs) may find in the raid of the yacht.' Kamenshchik's 466-foot long yacht, according to Dominican authorities, has 57 crew members but not passengers aboard. Considered the world's largest yacht available for charter it has hosted Jay-Z and Beyonce - the Flying Fox features stands 104 feet above the waterline, according to Boat International. The yacht features a pool, spa, gym and 11 cabins. Considered the world's largest yacht available for charter it has hosted Jay-Z and Beyonce - the Flying Fox features stands 104 feet above the waterline, according to Boat International. The yacht features a pool, spa, gym and 11 cabins Considered the world's largest yacht available for charter it has hosted Jay-Z and Beyonce - the Flying Fox features stands 104 feet above the waterline, according to Boat International. The yacht was built in 2019 and features a pool, spa, gym and 11 cabins for 25 passengers. The investigation into the yacht allegedly tied to Kamenshchik who owns Moscow's Domededovo Airport one of the largest in Russia comes as the European Union, United Kingdom and the United States have zeroed on in Russian billionaires and confiscated their vessels, homes and jets for bankrolling President Vladimir Putin. VesselsValue's head of superyachts, Sam Tucker, recently told Forbes that ownership of the massive vessels by the oligarch's 'is notoriously private.' The yachts are typically owned through offshore companies. There are at least 43 yachts are worth at least $5.4 billion. Sanctioned Russian billionaires possess 22 vessels that are worth $3.1 billion. 'Technically speaking, these yachts are owned by a special purpose vehicle, often being in a different jurisdiction to the beneficial owner,' Tucker said. 'There are also lease systems, which further distance the [owner] from the asset.' United Kingdom officials seized a Russian businessman's $49 million yacht on Tuesday. Officials boarded the Phi in Canary Wharf, east of London. The vessel is the first to be detained in the UK under sanctions imposed because of the war in Ukraine. 'It's just another indication that we will not stand by whilst Putin's cronies are allowed to sail around the world in these kinds of yachts and people in Ukraine are suffering,' Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said. 'When you see what he's doing to Ukraine, when you see what he's doing to people's lives, it can't be right to have a yacht like this here in London, able to just sail away, and that is why we've impounded it and denied its ability to go anywhere right now.' Finland last week seized 21 yachts as it investigated whether they were owned by Russian oligarchs. Western leaders have been warned against dropping their guard after Russia announced earlier today it intends to 'fundamentally scale back' military operations around the Ukrainian capital. The Kremlin's Deputy Defence Minister Alexander Fomin said the change on the battlefield was meant to increase trust at peace talks, suggesting that the foundations of a ceasefire could be in play. His superior Sergey Shoigu meanwhile said Russian forces will now concentrate on the 'liberation' of the eastern Donbass region rather than attacking major Ukrainian cities, which represents a major tactical shift in the face of bitter resistance. But the announcement has been met with skepticism in Europe and the US, with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson today declaring Vladimir Putin could still seek to 'twist the knife' as the war enters a new phase. And Western officials have remained highly suspicious of Russia's true intentions, arguing that Russian attacks have continued despite the Kremlin's promise to scale back troops in major urban centres. One official speaking on condition of anonymity said: 'Nothing that we have seen so far has demonstrated to us that President Putin and his colleagues are particularly serious about [scaling back]. It is more of a tactical exercise playing for time. 'Even if they do do what they say they are going to do that is not in any shape or form a cessation of hostilities... I think we can continue to see continued death and destruction [in the Donbass].' Western leaders have been warned against dropping their guard after Russia announced earlier today it intends to 'fundamentally scale back' military operations around the Ukrainian capital. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson (pictured) said Vladimir Putin could still seek to 'twist the knife' as the war enters a new phase Western officials have remained highly suspicious of Russia's true intentions, arguing that Russian attacks have continued despite the Kremlin's promise to scale back troops in major urban centres (Russian President Vladimir Putin and Defence Minister Sergey Shoigu pictured) The Kremlin's Deputy Defence Minister Alexander Fomin (L) said the change on the battlefield was meant to increase trust at peace talks, suggesting that the foundations of a ceasefire could be in play. His superior Sergey Shoigu (R) meanwhile said Russian forces will now concentrate on the 'liberation' of the eastern Donbass region rather than attacking major Ukrainian cities Western skepticism to Russia's supposed de-escalation of the conflict emerged as Russian and Ukrainian negotiators met in Istanbul today for their first face-to-face talks in two weeks, in a further attempt to see if they can find sufficient common ground to end the fighting. Deputy Defence Minister Fomin's promise to reduce the Kremlin's military presence near the Ukrainian cities of Kyiv and Chernihiv following today's talks appears to be the first major concession that Russia has made since the beginning of their invasion in Ukraine more than a month ago. The outcome of the face-to-face talks in Istanbul, at which Fomin himself was present, raised hopes that the conflict in Ukraine could soon be brought to an end, while the Ukrainian military's general staff said earlier it had noted troop withdrawals around the two cities in question. But London and Washington immediately cast doubt on Russia's words and, on the ground, Ukraine said seven people were killed by a Russian strike on a government building in the city of Mykolaiv. The Russian pullback is being offered as a goodwill tactic, but there are suspicions it is simply a way of saving face, given the invader's heavy losses of troops, tanks and armoured vehicles. Boris Johnson said Putin could well be preparing to further 'twist the knife' and insisted it was important to maintain both military and economic pressure on the Russian regime despite the supposed pullback. A spokesman for Johnson added: 'We will judge Putin and his regime by his actions and not by his words,' before saying the British government and armed forces were looking at 'all possible options' to ensure the Ukrainians had the equipment they needed while avoiding any 'escalatory effects'. Though there was positivity surrounding today's peace talks in Istanbul, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said he had not seen anything to indicate that negotiations were progressing in a 'constructive way,' speculating Russia's pullback is likely an attempt to 'deceive people and deflect attention.' Russia's Deputy Defence Minister Colonel-General Alexander Fomin leaves after a meeting with Ukrainian negotiators in Istanbul, Turkey March 29, 2022 The Russian pullback is being offered as a goodwill tactic, but there are suspicions it is simply a way of saving face, given the invader's heavy losses of troops, tanks and armoured vehicles (A Ukrainian soldier inspects a damaged Russian tank) A Ukrainian serviceman walks near a damaged Russian army tank in the northeastern city of Trostianets, on March 29, 2022 'There is what Russia says and there is what Russia does, and were focused on the latter,' Blinken said in Morocco. 'And what Russia is doing is the continued brutalisation of Ukraine.' Even as negotiators from the two sides assembled in Istanbul, Putin's forces hit an oil depot in western Ukraine late Monday and blasted a gaping hole Tuesday morning in a government administration building in Mykolaiv. While peace talks between Russia and Ukraine were conducted in Istanbul, US President Joe Biden consulted with Johnson and the leaders of France, Germany and Italy to discuss a potential new multimillion-dollar aid package to help Ukraine in light of the invasion. Biden spoke by phone for nearly an hour with French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson at 9:15 a.m. (1315 GMT), the White House said, though it was not immediately clear whether progress was made. Elsewhere, the Russian-backed self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic in eastern Ukraine announced today that it may consider joining Russia officially once it controls all of Ukraine's Donetsk region. Even as negotiators from the two sides assembled in Istanbul, Putin's forces hit an oil depot in western Ukraine late Monday and blasted a gaping hole Tuesday morning in a government administration building in Mykolaiv (pictured) 'There is what Russia says and there is what Russia does, and were focused on the latter,' US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said. 'And what Russia is doing is the continued brutalisation of Ukraine.' Head of the Donetsk People's Republic Denis Pushilin (L) walks in downtown of Donetsk, Ukraine, 26 March 2022 'As for joining the Russian Federation, as for the wish and aspiration, they have been clearly traced since 2014 - the desire to be in Russia,' DPR leader Denis Pushilin was quoted by the Donetsk News Agency as saying. 'But now the main task is to reach the constitutional borders of the republic. Then we will determine that,' he said. The comments come two days after the leader of the other Russian-backed eastern Ukrainian rebel region Luhansk said it may hold a referendum on joining Russia. Kyiv said any such vote would have no legal basis and would trigger a stronger international response. Three days before ordering the Feb. 24 invasion of Ukraine, President Vladimir Putin recognised the breakaway territories in Luhansk and Donetsk as independent states, though the rest of the world considers them part of Ukraine. Ukraine, which says it is fighting for its existence against what it casts as an imperial-style land grab by Russia, has repeatedly said it will never agree to Russia's annexation of its territory - the hardest part of peace talks with Moscow. Advertisement Five people - including two Ukrainians - were shot dead in a Tel Aviv terror attack last night, before the Arab gunman was 'neutralised' by Israeli police. The attack was carried out in the ultra-orthodox Jewish town of Bnei Brak by a Palestinian man from the West Bank, and was the third fatal gun or knife attack in Israel in the past week ahead of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. Chilling video of the attack showed a gunman on a motorcycle methodically gunning down bystanders with an assault rifle in the middle of the suburban streets. 'An attacker armed with an assault rifle opened fire on civilians on HaShnayim Street in Bnei Brak, leaving several civilians in fatal conditions,' police said. 'From there he moved to Herzl Street, opened fire on civilians, and was neutralized by police force.' There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack in the coastal town. But Israeli media identified the perpetrator as 27-year-old Diaa Hamarshah, a Palestinian from the Israeli-occupied West Bank, who had spent four years in the Jewish state's prisons. The military raided the man's home early on Wednesday and arrested several of his relatives as part of its investigation, Israeli media said. 'Diaa Armashah, 27, a Palestinian from the West Bank village of Yabad, arrived at Jabotinsky Street in Bnei Brak armed with an M-16 assault rifle,' Israeli police said. Advancing to a nearby street, he shot dead two Ukrainian nationals aged 32 and 23, and then killed two Israelis before being confronted by police, with one of the officers dying in a gunfight that ensued, they added. Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett warned of a 'wave of murderous Arab terrorism' ahead of the funerals on Wednesday for two of five people killed in the shooting. Pictures from the funeral of one of the victims - 29-year-old Avishai Yehezkel - in Bnei Brak this morning showed hundreds of ultra-orthodox Jewish mourners filling the streets as the body was transported. Chilling video of the attack showed a gunman on a motorcycle methodically gunning down bystanders with an assault rifle in the middle of the suburban streets. Israel police officials say one terrorist has been killed and another arrested Five people - including two Ukrainians - were shot dead in a Tel Aviv terror attack last night, before the Arab gunman was 'neutralised' by Israeli police. Pictured: A body lies covered on the ground at the scene of an attack in Bnei Brak on Tuesday Pictured: Israeli mourners attend the funeral of Avishai Yehezkel, one of the five people killed in yesterdays shooting attack in the ultra-Orthodoz town of Bnei Brak on March 30, 2022 Friends and family mourn at the funeral of Avishai Yehezkel who was killed during the Tuesday night attack. Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett warned of a 'wave of murderous Arab terrorism' ahead of the funerals on Wednesday Two of the victims were identified as Yaakov Shalom, 36, and Avishai Yehezkel, 29, both ultra-Orthodox residents of Bnei Brak. Pictured: Ultra-orthodox Jewish mourners gather for the funeral of Yehezkel on Wednesday in the town Pictured: Men mourn the death of Avishai Yehezkel, 29, who was shot and killed in a terrorist attack in the Israeli city of Bnei Brak, near Tel Aviv, Israel Bennett, who heads an ideologically disparate coalition government ranging from Jewish nationalists to Arabs, said he would convene an emergency meeting with top security officials on Wednesday to review the situation. Police said its forces were put on the highest level of alert, and the army said it would deploy extra units in and around the West Bank. Israeli authorities have not yet determined whether the attacks were organised or if the attackers acted as lone wolves. Israel Defense Minister Benny Gantz wrote on Twitter that the security forces 'will work with all means to return security to Israeli streets and the feeling of security to civilians.' In a rare statement from the Israeli-occupied West Bank, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas condemned the attack. He said the killing of Israeli or Palestinian civilians 'only leads to further deterioration of the situation and instability, which we all strive to achieve, especially as we are approaching the holy month of Ramadan and Christian and Jewish holidays.' He said the violence 'confirms that permanent, comprehensive and just peace is the shortest way to provide security and stability for the Palestinian and Israeli peoples.' Video of the attack, taken from a nearby window, showed the shooter standing outside a brightly-lit convenience store. The gunman hid behind pillars as he fired at passersby. One man could be seen running across the road for cover, while another - a cyclist - appeared to escape on his bicycle while coming under fire. A driver, who entered the scene from the same direction the cyclist left from, was not so lucky. The shooter could be seen firing the rifle through the windows before the car crashed. In a chilling moment, the gunman then appeared to fire a round through the window at point-blank range to make sure he had hit his target. Tuesday's shootings occurred at two locations in Bnei Brak, an ultra-Orthodox city just east of Tel Aviv. Police said a preliminary investigation found the gunman was armed with an assault rifle and opened fire on passersby before he was shot by officers at the scene. 'We unfortunately have to note that five people have died,' said Eli Bin, head of the Magen David Adom emergency responders, in the first official confirmation of the killings. Three of the victims were identified as Yaakov Shalom, 36, and Yehezkel - both ultra-Orthodox residents of Bnei Brak - and Amir Khoury, 32, an Arab Christian policeman from Nof Hagalil who had responded to the attack. The police later said that 'a foreigner from Ukraine, aged 23' and 'a foreigner from Ukraine, aged 32' were among the victims. They were named as two workers from Ukraine - Alexander and Dmitry. The Ukrainian embassy in Israel later confirmed two of the victims were Ukrainian citizens. 'With deep sorrow we confirm, that two citizens of Ukraine were among victims,' the embassy said in a statement of Facebook. 'We express our condolences and sympathy to the families of the deceased.' They 'used to sit here for hours each day after work' local Lior Rahimi told AFP news agency, pointing to a corner shop and cafe. He describing them as friendly and helpful men. Pictures showed the funeral of Yehezkel taking place on Wednesday morning. The funeral of Shalom was also set to take place this morning. Ultra-orthodox funerals can be attended by thousands of people, raising fears of more attack taking place. Ultra-Orthodox Jewish men gather at the scene of the attack in which people were killed by a gunman on a street in Bnei Brak Emergency services attend the scene of an attack in which people were killed by a gunman on a main street in Bnei Brak Israeli security and medical personnel secure the scene of an attack in which people were killed by a gunman on a main street in Bnei Brak, near Tel Aviv, Israel Zaka volunteers, an ultra-Orthodox Jewish emergency response team in Israel, work at the scene of a shooting attack on March 29, 2022 in Bnei Brak Israeli security forces and emergency personnel gather at the scene of a shooting attack on March 29, 2022 in Bnei Brak, 4.5 miles east of Tel Aviv. Five people were killed in gun attacks n overturned vehicle lies on the road at the scene of a shooting attack on March 29, 2022 in Bnei Brak Mourners attend the funeral of Avishai Yehezkel, 29, in Bnei Brak Israel, Wednesday, March 30, 2022 Pictured: A group of women in Bnei Brak mourn the deaths of those killed in the terrorist attack on Tuesday night Mourners gather around the body of Avishai Yehezkel, 29, during his funeral in Bnei Brak Israel, Wednesday, March 30, 2022 Pictured: A man is comforted at the funeral of f Avishai Yehezkel, 29, in Bnei Brak Israel, Wednesday, March 30, 2022. Yehezkel was one of five people shot and killed in an over-night terrorist attack in the coastal town Earlier on Tuesday, Israeli security services raided the homes of at least 12 Arab citizens and arrested two suspected of having ties to the Islamic State group in a crackdown sparked by recent deadly attacks. Hours before the raid, Bennett said the recent assaults inside Israel marked a 'new situation' that required stepped-up security measures. Law enforcement officials said 31 homes and sites were searched overnight in northern Israel, an area that was home to the gunmen who carried out the Hadera attack. The Islamic State group has claimed responsibility for the two previous attacks. All of the attacks have come just ahead of Ramadan, which begins later this week and as Israel hosted a high-profile meeting this week between the foreign ministers of four Arab nations and the United States. Israeli police forensics experts at the scene of the attack in Bnei Brak Israeli security forces gather at the scene of an attack All four Arab nations - Egypt, Morocco, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates - along with the United States, condemned the killings. Ramadan is expected to begin Saturday. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken condemned the 'terrorist attack', calling the recent spate of violence 'unacceptable'. UN chief Antonio Guterres' spokesman said he 'condemns the recent terrorist attacks in Israel'. 'Such acts of violence can never be justified and must be condemned by all,' the spokesman, Stephane Dujarric, said in a statement. Israel in recent weeks has been taking steps aimed at calming tensions and avoiding a repeat of last year, when clashes between Israeli police and Palestinian demonstrators in Jerusalem boiled over into an 11-day war between Israel and Hamas. But the new wave of violence is greatly complicating those efforts. Tuesday's shooting is the third deadly attack in Israel in a week, bringing the combined death toll to 11, excluding perpetrators. A shooting on Sunday killed two Israeli police officers - identified as Shirel Aboukrat, a French-Israeli citizen, and Yezen Falah - in the northern city of Hadera. That assault was later claimed by the Islamic State group - the jihadists' first claim of an attack on Israeli territory since 2017. Israeli police had said the two perpetrators of the Hadera attack were killed at the scene. Hamas, the Islamic Palestinian movement that rules the Gaza Strip, praised Sunday's attack as a 'natural and legitimate response' to Israeli 'crimes against our people'. It was also welcomed by the Gaza-based Islamic Jihad militant group and Lebanon's Iran-backed Hezbollah movement. Israeli police search a car at the scene of a shooting attack Israeli security forces guard the scene of a shooting attack that took place earlier this evening Footage shows a gunman shooting at people walking by and vehicles Sunday's attack coincided with a landmark meeting bringing together Israel's foreign minister with those of four Arab countries with ties to the Jewish state, as well as Blinken. Last week, a convicted IS sympathiser killed four Israelis in a stabbing and car-ramming attack in the southern city of Beersheba. The attacks near Tel Aviv come as Israeli Defence Minister Benny Gantz visits Jordan, where he met King Abdullah II in a bid to ensure calm in the Palestinian territories during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. Tensions flared last year during the fasting month, which starts in April, between Israeli forces and Palestinians visiting Al-Aqsa mosque in annexed east Jerusalem, feeding into 11 days of armed conflict between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Jordan's king called on Gantz to 'lift all obstacles that could prevent (Muslims) from performing prayers' at Al-Aqsa and 'prevent any provocations that could lead to escalation'. Deadly attacks by IS inside Israel, and attacks by Arab citizens of Israel, are rare. The group operates mainly in Iraq and Syria, where it has recently stepped up attacks against security forces. It no longer controls any territory but operates through sleeper cells. IS has claimed attacks against Israeli troops in the past and has branches in Afghanistan and other countries. Free lateral flow tests will be scrapped for everyone except NHS workers, care home staff and vulnerable patients from Friday in England, ministers announced tonight. The general public will be told there is no need to take a test even if they are symptomatic, though they will be advised to isolate until they feel better. Rapid Covid tests are being massively scaled back on April 1 as part of the final phase of the Government's 'living with Covid' strategy. Asymptomatic tests will only be free for frontline NHS, social care and hospice staff during 'periods of high prevalence'. Lateral flows will also be funded for patients with Covid-like symptoms in hospital or who are eligible for antivirals because they have an underlying health conditions. People in 'high risk settings' will also be eligible for free tests if they are symptomatic, including prison officers or staff in homeless shelters. But routine tests for care home and hospice residents will no longer continue and will only be provided in the event of an outbreak or a resident being admitted. And visitors to hospitals and social care settings will 'no longer be required to take a test' upon arrival. Free lateral flow tests for all Britons are set to be scrapped in England on Friday for the vast majority of people Several scientists have expressed concern about the timing of the move, with cases quite high. But there are signs the latest surge may have already peaked Health Secretary Sajid Javid said: 'Thanks to our plan to tackle Covid we are leading the way in learning to live with the virus. 'We have made enormous progress but will keep the ability to respond to future threats including potential variants. 'Vaccines remain our best defence and we are now offering spring boosters to the elderly, care home residents and the most vulnerable please come forward to protect yourself, your family, and your community.' Free parking for NHS staff to end on Friday - as union brands move a 'sick joke' Free parking for NHS staff working in hospitals in England will end on Friday, the Health Secretary has said. Parking fees were waived during the Covid-19 pandemic, but Sajid Javid said that the benefit would end on Friday. In an update on Covid-19, Mr Javid wrote: 'Free parking in hospital car parks for NHS staff introduced during the pandemic will also come to an end on 31 March. 'However, over 93% of NHS trusts that charge for car parking have implemented free parking for those in greatest need, including NHS staff working overnight.' He added: 'On behalf of the Government, I would like to record my thanks to everyone who has worked tirelessly to keep people safe over the last two years and whose efforts have enabled us to move to the next stage of the Covid-19 response.' Rachel Harrison, national officer for the GMB union, told the PA news agency: 'Charging the NHS staff who've risked their lives during the pandemic to park at work is a sick joke. 'After the years of Tory cuts NHS trusts are struggling, we know. 'But scrabbling the money back off hard up workers is not the answer. 'The Government must now legislate for free hospital staff parking once and for all.' The Department of Health and Social Care said that the perk was 'temporary' and introduced in July 2020 'for the duration of the pandemic'. It said that the scheme had cost around 130 million over the past two years. Advertisement More details about exactly who will be eligible for tests is to be set out this Friday, the Department of Health said. It stressed ministers have a stockpile of lateral flow tests that it can roll out en masse again if a new variant of concern emerges. For the rest of the public, the advice is to 'try to' stay home and avoid contact with others for five days if they have a high temperature or 'feel unwell'. Those who are positive, or have symptoms, and need to leave home will be urged to wear masks, avoid crowded places and stay away from people with weakened immune systems. The law to self-isolate after a positive test expired on February 24 in England. Dame Jenny Harries, chief executive of the UK Health Security Agency, warned the pandemic was not over. She said: As we learn to live with Covid, we are focusing our testing provision on those at higher risk of serious outcomes from the virus, while encouraging people to keep following simple steps to help keep themselves and others safe. 'The pandemic is not over and how the virus will develop over time remains uncertain. 'Covid still poses a real risk to many of us, particularly with case rates and hospitalisations on the rise. 'That is why it is sensible to wear a mask in enclosed spaces, keep indoor spaces ventilated and stay away from others if you have any symptoms of a respiratory illness, including Covid.' From 1 April, those working in adult social care services will also continue to receive free personal protective equipment (PPE). The quarantine time of entire care homes after a Covid case is also being shortened from 14 to 10 days. Britain's scramble for the last remaining free supplies of lateral flow tests has seen sales of the rapid devices soar five-fold in a week at High Street pharmacies. LloydsPharmacy is already selling the Covid tests, despite free ones being available on the Government's website until Friday. But scores of Britons have complained about being unable to get hold of any kits through the official ordering channel over the past fortnight. Struggles accessing the devices which formed a major part of the UK's Covid-fighting strategy have allowed major retailers to cash in. LloydsPharmacy told MailOnline sales in the week ending March 28 were 400 per cent up on the previous seven-day spell. It also announced it was slashing the price of lateral flows, reducing the price of a pack of five rapid swabs by 20p to 9.29 or 1.86 each making it the cheapest on the market. A single test sold on its own from the company will cost people 1.89, compared to 1.99 at rival Superdrug and 2 at Boots. Meanwhile Boots is selling its five-packs for 9.80 and Superdrug is offering them for 9.79. Meanwhile, free parking for NHS staff working in hospitals in England will end on Friday, the Health Secretary said. Parking fees were waived during the Covid-19 pandemic, but Mr Javid said that the benefit would end on Friday. High street pharmacists today continued their war of prices ahead of free lateral tests being scrapped from next week. Graphic shows: Different price options at Boots, Superdrug and LloydsPharmacy Lateral flow tests will be rationed to the elderly and vulnerable people as part of the final stage of No10's living with Covid strategy leading to fears people have been stockpiling the remainder of the free swabs in the meantime. Users have been unable to order tests on the Government's site today In a written statement, he said: 'Free parking in hospital car parks for NHS staff introduced during the pandemic will also come to an end on 31 March. 'However, over 93% of NHS trusts that charge for car parking have implemented free parking for those in greatest need, including NHS staff working overnight.' He added: 'On behalf of the Government, I would like to record my thanks to everyone who has worked tirelessly to keep people safe over the last two years and whose efforts have enabled us to move to the next stage of the Covid-19 response.' Rachel Harrison, national officer for the GMB union, told the PA news agency: 'Charging the NHS staff who've risked their lives during the pandemic to park at work is a sick joke. 'After the years of Tory cuts NHS trusts are struggling, we know. 'But scrabbling the money back off hard up workers is not the answer. 'The Government must now legislate for free hospital staff parking once and for all.' The Department of Health and Social Care said that the perk was 'temporary' and introduced in July 2020 'for the duration of the pandemic'. It said that the scheme had cost around 130 million over the past two years. A woman who lived with Sarah Lawrence 'cult leader,' Lawrence Ray and called herself his 'wife' can be seen wailing and begging him to 'help' her in disturbing video evidence in the sex trafficking trial. The harrowing footage shows a visibly distraught Felicia Rosario hysterically screaming and crying at Ray, 62, who is calmly sitting at a dining room table. Rosario, who is incoherent and babbling at times, can be heard repeatedly sobbing: 'Please! Please, Larry don't do this. Please. Larry, please!' and 'I don't want to leave!' as Ray comforts her in his arms. 'I'm gonna need you to calm down. I need you to calm down,' Ray tells her before she collapses into his lap. Rosario then continues: 'Call them and tell them not to take me, please. I don't want any more trouble for myself. Please Larry don't do this to me! Please! Please!' Later in the video, Ray can be seen following Rosario into the bathroom where she appears to have taken medication shortly after the emotional outburst. He immediately grabs her by the hair and shoves her head under the sink, in an apparent bid to make her throw up the drugs. Scroll down for video Disturbing video submitted into evidence shows alleged sex cult victim Felicia Rosario crying and begging accused 'leader' Larry Ray to 'help' her Rosario, who is incoherent and babbling at times, can be heard repeatedly sobbing: 'Please! Please, Larry don't do this. Please. Larry, please!' as Ray, 62, comforts her in his arms While it is unclear why Rosario was in such an emotional state, it her mental and physical decline while living with Ray is evident in the shocking video 'It's too late. I took Adderall,' Rosario tells him, referring to the stimulant used to treat ADHD. Still holding her head over the sink, Ray asks: 'How many?' to which Rosario replies: 'Just a half pill.' 'Why would you take my medication, come on?' Ray says. While it is unclear why Rosario was in such an emotional state, the extent of her mental and physical decline while living with Ray is evident in the footage. Rosario, who is testifying for the prosecution, took the stand for a second day Tuesday to share further details about her allegedly abusive 'relationship' with Ray. She told jurors that Ray convinced her that anything negative happening to him would be 'the apocalypse' and that she remains convinced he could retaliate against her 'wherever he is.' The 39-year-old was living with Ray and his so-called 'lieutenant' Isabella Pollok when Ray was arrested on February 11, 2020. Both women had referred to themselves as his wife. During her first day of testimony Monday, the Harvard and Columbia educated medic told the court how her romantic relationship with Ray, 62, quickly gave way to physical and mental abuse and coercion that led to her mental collapse. Rosario appears visibly distraught and heads to the bathroom shortly after the outburst Later in the video, Ray is seen grabbing Rosario by the hair before shoving her head under the sink, in an apparent bid to make her throw up the drugs she ingested shortly after the Rosario (pictured in a court sketch) took the stand for a second day Tuesday, telling jurors how she came to realize her 'romance' with alleged sex cult leader Larry Ray was a sham Continuing her account today, Rosario told how she had come to realize that their 'romance' was a sham and that she was the 'third party' in the relationship and that Ray's primary partner was his alleged co-conspirator, Pollok. 'I was just a tool. He tried to make Isabella and I compete for his attention [as if] Isabella was imposing on our relationship, when, in fact, he was already in a relationship with Isabella the whole time,' she told the court. 'The truth was I was the third party in this three-party situation. I didn't learn that until a few months ago, but it made everything make a lot more sense.' Rosario was a second-year resident working in a hospital in Los Angeles in the summer of 2012 when she met and fell in love with Ray. She told jurors that she had moved to the east coast in September that year by which time she was already 'unwell,' paranoid and mentally fragile. She was, she said, unhappy to find that Pollok would be sharing a bed with her and Ray a bed in which all three slept naked. Yesterday she told the court that Ray had coerced her into performing sex acts with both Pollok and him. Today she reflected: 'It wasn't actually a relationship [at all]. I was just a tool for him for whatever his agenda was. He didn't love me.' She described the belated realization as 'devastating.' Felicia Rosario (pictured in a court sketch) took the stand for a second day Tuesday, telling jurors how she came to realize her 'romance' with alleged sex cult leader Larry Ray (lower right) was a sham Rosario was a 29-year-old Harvard and Columbia medical graduate when she met Ray, 62, through her younger brother who was a student at Sarah Lawrence College in Bronxville, New York Text message exchange between Rosario and Ray showed the two called each other 'honey' and 'husband' 'and wife' Rosario told Assistant US Attorney Mollie Bracewell that she remained 'terrified' of Ray and alleged that, following Ray's arrest, his biological father, Lawrence Grecco 'Pappi,' threatened her as she tried to 'disentangle' herself from the Ray family. In recorded audio of a conversation between Rosario and Grecco played in court, the older man can be heard stating: '[If] somebody turned on my son you don't want to know me. I got nothing to lose.' 'I'm 82 years old, they can lock me up afterwards for ten or twenty years. I don't care.' Rosario told the court she perceived this as a threat. For his part, she said, Ray had physically beaten her punching her in the eye with a closed fist and the stomach and kicking her in the legs just two weeks before his arrest. But under cross examination, defense attorney Marne Lenox attempted to paint Rosario as a woman scorned, one whose relationship had simply collapsed. 'You thought you were going to marry Larry, didn't you?' she asked. Rosario admitted: 'Yes.' 'You called him your husband and he called you his wife?' Again Rosario replied: 'Yes.' Lenox attempted to reframe all that the government presented as sinister pointing out that Rosario was a grown woman, many years graduated, living alone on the West Coast and working full time at the time when she alleged Ray began his campaign of coercion that robbed her of her sanity. According to Rosario, Isabella Pollok (left) was Ray's primary partner. Pollok and Ray's daughter Talia (pictured right with her father) have been named co-conspirators in the sex trafficking case The jury was shown a disturbing video in which Rosario can be seen wearing her graduation cap, which she testified was a repeated humiliation tactic of Ray who would make her wear it and mock her as stupid and a failure Lenox pointed out that Ray sent Rosario erotica only after eight months during which they were in a relationship and had declared love for each other. And as far as Rosario's claims that Ray had forced her into having sex with strangers, Lenox presented her as a woman who had an ability to make her own choices and chose to behave accordingly. As for Ray's 'abuse' of the students, Lenox suggested that this was, in fact, 'Aggressive Encounter Therapy' popularized in the 60s and 70s and that, by putting them in uncomfortable situations, Ray was trying to 'help'. She suggested: 'Just like a method actor Larry would do that and embody a person or a situation that would trigger or elicit that negative personal memory or experience [in order to purge it].' Rosario conceded only that Ray 'said that was his purpose.' In testimony that echoed that of alleged cult member Claudia Drury, 31, Rosario told jurors Monday how Ray set her challenges and asked her to have sex with strangers and record it for him. She also told how he would ask her to go to the mall, not wearing underwear with a short skirt and shop for shoes, and to flash the shoe salesman when he assisted her. 'He made these demands basically every weekend. Eventually he was so insistent, threatening to break up with me and leave me that I started to comply,' Rosario said. Ray's alleged campaign of control is said to have escalated during the summer of 2013, when Drury and several others travelled to Pinehurst, North Carolina, to help with yardwork at Ray's stepfather's property (pictured) Pictured: Larry Ray outside his stepfather's home in Pinehurst, North Carolina Rosario said she first had sex with a stranger for Ray in the summer of 2012, by which time she had left the west coast and moved in with Ray at his Upper East Side apartment. She told the court Ray and Pollok shared a bed and that all three slept naked together. Rosario said she 'wasn't happy' but that Ray convinced her he was doing this to 'help' Pollok, just as he was 'helping' the other students overcome their mental and emotional issues. In time, she said, Ray demanded that she perform sex acts on both him and Pollok. 'He called it the BPD Camp', Rosario said, explaining it stood for borderline personality disorder or, 'Bad Parenting Disorder', as Ray called it. The court saw disturbing video in which Ray filmed Rosario apparently asleep and with a black eye. Ray ultimately ingratiated himself with his daughter Talia's friends, Santos Rosario (left) Daniel Levin, Felicia Rosario (right) and Isabella Pollok Pictured: Alleged cult victims Claudia Drury (left) Dan Levin (right) in evidence photos submitted to the court Sarah Lawrence College is an elite liberal arts college in Bronxville, just north of New York City She can be seen wearing her graduation cap, a repeated humiliation tactic of Ray when, she testified, he would make her wear it and mock her as stupid and a failure. In audio played in court, Ray can be heard instructing another student to 'buy a pacifier' for Rosario because she is acting 'like a child' and 'subhuman.' On another occasion, Rosario told jurors he had Pollok buy diapers and put them on her, forcing her to sit on the floor and watch cartoons while wearing only them and a T-shirt. Rosario is one of at least five alleged victims of Ray's 'sex cult', which came about after the ex-convict ingratiated himself with his daughter Talia's friends - Claudia Drury, Daniel Levin, Santos Rosario, and Pollok - at the elite liberal arts college in Bronxville, just north of Manhattan. Ray is charged with sex-trafficking, extortion, money laundering, violent crime in aid of racketeering, racketeering conspiracy and forced labor. Search continues at China plane crash site after second black box found Xinhua) 09:27, March 29, 2022 Rescuers search the site of a recent plane crash in Tengxian County, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, March 28, 2022. Search work at the site of the recent plane crash in south China is continuing after the second black box was found on Sunday, an official said at a press briefing on Monday afternoon. (Xinhua/Huang Xiaobang) NANNING, March 28 (Xinhua) -- Search work at the site of the recent plane crash in south China is continuing after the second black box was found on Sunday, an official said at a press briefing on Monday afternoon. As of Monday noon, a total of 15,640 people had been sent to search the core site and surrounding areas of the plane crash, covering around 370,000 square meters, said Zhu Tao, head of the aviation safety office of the Civil Aviation Administration of China. A total of 36,001 pieces of plane wreckage and parts have been recovered, he added. At the exterior of the core site, five drone search groups have also been added to aid the search, covering an area of around 9.55 million square meters. The Boeing 737 aircraft, which departed from Kunming, capital of southwest China's Yunnan Province, and was bound for Guangzhou, capital of Guangdong Province, crashed into a mountainous area in Tengxian County, Guangxi, at around 2:38 p.m. on March 21. All 132 people on board the plane were killed. Rescuers search the site of a recent plane crash in Tengxian County, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, March 28, 2022. Search work at the site of the recent plane crash in south China is continuing after the second black box was found on Sunday, an official said at a press briefing on Monday afternoon. (Xinhua/Huang Xiaobang) (Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun) Three people have been arrested after a man armed with a machete was seen running through the streets of Kingston-upon-Thames in southwest London. The Met Police said officers were called to Clarence Street at 4.15pm on Tuesday after an incident involving a group of males, at least one of which was seen armed with the large weapon. Video shared on social media appeared to show a man running Clarence Street armed with a machete, and was followed by three other men. Police said there were also reports that another male had been sprayed with a substance, which was later found to be water. He was not injured but had been taken to hospital for treatment. Three people have been arrested after a man armed with a machete was seen running through the streets of Kingston-upon-Thames in southwest London Specialist firearms officers were among those who responded to the incident. Police said all three arrested males were held on suspicion of possession of an offensive weapon. The first arrest was made close to the scene, police said, while the second male was detained close to railway tracks. The third male was arrested later and also held on suspicion of affray. Police said enquiries to locate a number of other males are ongoing. There have been no reports of any injured persons and officers remain at the scene. A Met Police spokesman said: 'A Section 60 Order granting police additional stop and search powers has been authorised until 08:00hrs tomorrow morning for Grove Ward and Norberton Wards.' Top Military brass and administration officials contradicted Joe Biden's claim that U.S. forces are training Ukrainian troops in Poland as the president continues to face backlash following remarks claiming Vladimir Putin needs to be removed from power. 'I do not believe we are in the process of currently training military forces from Ukraine in Poland,' General Tod Wolters told the Senate Armed Services Committee during a Tuesday hearing. Wolters, the Commander of the U.S. European Command and North Atlantic Treaty Organization's (NATO) Supreme Allied Commander Europe continued: 'There are liaisons that are there. They're being given advice.' 'And that's different than I think [what] you're referring to with respect to training,' Wolters said during questioning from Republican Senator Tom Cotton of Arkansas. During a press briefing proposing his Fiscal Year 2023 plan, Biden issued yet another gaffe when trying to recover from comments calling for Putin's ouster, which the White House quickly walked back on. White House Communications Director Kate Bedingfiled was asked twice during Tuesday's press briefing about Biden's comments that U.S. forces were training Ukrainians. She said there are 'frequent interactions' between U.S. and Ukrainian forces. Bedingfield made her rare public appearance to deliver the daily press event as White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki remains on sick leave after contracting COVID-19 just before Biden's trip to Europe this month. She also said when asked about Biden referencing a note card with questions and answers during his briefing on Monday: 'Only President Biden decides what President Biden is going to say.' In the midst of that backpedal, the president said that he never suggested U.S. troops would go to Ukraine, instead claiming they would help train Ukrainian forces in Poland. This was the first time Biden revealed publicly that there was any sort of involvement with U.S. forces training Ukrainian troops for battle. But the White House and Pentagon officials have claimed and continue to claim that this statement is false. 'I was talking to the troops we were talking about helping train the troops in that are the Ukrainian troops that are in Poland. That's what the (sic) context,' Biden said. 'I sat there with those guys for a couple hours. That's what we talked about,' Biden said regarding comments he made to the 82nd Airborne Division on his trip to Europe on March 25. On Friday Biden told U.S. troops in Poland that they would see the courage of Ukrainians 'when you're there' - prompting a White House official to make clear to reporters that he was not suggesting Americans were about to be deployed to the war-torn country. 'I was referring to with (sic) being with and talking with the Ukrainian troops who are in Poland,' he said. General Tod Wolters, Commander of the U.S. European Command and NATO's Supreme Allied Commander Europe, told the Senate Armed Services Committee on Tuesday: 'I do not believe we are in the process of currently training military forces from Ukraine in Poland' It contradicts President Joe Biden's walk back on Monday afternoon claiming that U.S. forces are training Ukrainian troops in Poland as he tried to backtrack his other comment saying Vladimir Putin 'cannot remain in power' Fox News' Peter Doocy insinuated that the president continuously backtracked comments. 'Are you worried that other leaders in the world are going to start to doubt that America is back if some of these big things that you say on the world stage keep getting walked back?' he asked. 'What's getting walked back?' Biden asked. 'It sounded like you told U.S. troops they were going to Ukraine. It sounded like you said it was possible the U.S. would use a chemical weapon. And it sounded like you were calling for regime change in Russia,' he listed. 'None of the three occurred,' the president insisted. 'You interpret the language that way. Regarding the president's Monday walk back, the White House said in a statement to Politico: 'There are Ukrainian soldiers in Poland interacting on a regular basis with U.S. troops, and that's what the president was referring to.' White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said on March 22: 'We do not have U.S. troops currently training Ukrainians. We do not have U.S. troops on the territory of Ukraine.' Biden has faced widespread criticism for his public and frequent 'gaffes' during briefings, interviews and press conferences specifically those instances involving Ukraine and, most recently, when Biden said Putin 'cannot remain in power'. Biden met with troops in with the 82nd Airborne Division at the G2A Arena on Friday, March 25, 2022, in Jasionka, Poland. He told them that they would see the courage of Ukrainians 'when you're there' causing speculation that they were going into Ukraine Russia is in its second month of invasion of Ukraine after initially attacking on February 24, 2022 The president just spewed another gaffe Monday when trying to clarify his comments about not allowing Putin to stay in power, insisting he was expressing his outrage at the Russian leader's brutality in Ukraine rather than unveiling a new U.S. policy. The comments alarmed allies and partners on Saturday when he said at the end of a speech in Warsaw: 'For God's sake, this man cannot remain in power.' The White House quickly tried to walk back the comments, saying the president meant Putin could not continue to wield power over neighbors. And other Western leaders said they feared that any hint of regime change might make it harder for Putin to dial back his deadly war in Ukraine. Biden was asked about the comments after he unveiled his 2023 budget at the White House on Monday afternoon. 'Number one, I'm not walking anything back,' he said. 'The fact of the matter is, I was expressing the moral outrage I felt toward the way Putin is dealing ... and the actions of this man, which is just brutality.' The president on Monday was seen holding a cue card in his left hand as he addressed reporters. It included pointers that he used during questions, including saying his comments about Putin were sparked by his 'moral outrage' Biden, 79, said he was not concerned that his comments would escalate tensions over the war in Ukraine. 'This is just stating a simple fact, that this kind of behavior is totally unacceptable,' he said. But he faced a barrage of questions from reporters attempting to clarify his position and whether he had blundered. Biden's comments were seized on by Moscow and President Vladimir Putin's allies. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters: 'This is a statement that is certainly alarming' He was asked whether he had misspoken repeatedly by at one stage sounding as if he was telling U.S. troops they were about to go to Ukraine, as if he was suggesting the U.S. might use chemical weapons, and as if he was calling for regime change. And last week, Biden said NATO would respond 'in kind' if Russian forces used chemical weapons - forcing another official to clarify that the U.S. had no intention of using chemical weapons. On Monday Biden also rejected the idea that his words could have escalated tensions over Ukraine. 'Nobody believes... I was talking about taking down Putin,' he said, adding: 'The last thing I want to do is engage in a land war or a nuclear war with Russia.' Instead he insisted he was expressing an 'aspiration' rather than a goal of American foreign policy. 'People like this shouldn't be ruling countries. But they do,' he said. 'The fact they do doesn't mean I can't express my outrage about it.' The White House had already tried clean-up. It said the crucial nine words were not part of his scripted speech. 'The president's point was that Putin cannot be allowed to exercise power over his neighbors or the region. He was not discussing Putin's power in Russia, or regime change,' a White House official said. Biden delivered his controversial remarks right at the end of his three-day trip to Europe, at the end of a speech in the Polish capital Warsaw on Saturday. The White House then had to walk back his comments and insisted he wasn't advocating for regime change And the issue dogged Secretary of State Antony Blinken during his trip to the Middle East, where he was trying to build U.S. relationships as Washington pursues a new nuclear deal with Iran. During a news conference in Jerusalem, he said: 'Putin cannot be empowered to wage war or engage in aggression against Ukraine or anyone else.' But his comments have provided ammunition for the Kremlin as it continues its war in Ukraine. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters: 'This is a statement that is certainly alarming.' He added that Russian officials would 'continue to track the statements of the U.S. president in the most attentive way,' Peskov added. French President Emmanuel Macron said the use of such inflammatory language would not help an already volatile situation. He said he would not have used Biden's words and that the focus had to be on finding a ceasefire and securing the withdrawal of Russian forces by diplomatic means. 'If we want to do that, we can't escalate in either words or actions,' he told broadcaster France 3. And United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres suggested that Biden's comments were unhelpful. 'I think we need de-escalation: We need military de-escalation and rhetoric de-escalation,' he said when asked about Biden's remarks. Firefighters work to extinguish a fire at a warehouse hit by Russian shelling on March 28, 2022 in Kharkiv, Ukraine. More than half Kharkiv's 1.4 million people have fled the city A bride suffered a head wound after an 'evil' Magpie attacked her and left her needing hospital treatment - just a day before her honeymoon. Amanda Doyle, 36, was not the first victim of the bird which has been terrorising a town in Scotland. The mother-of-two was picking up her son from nursery today when the bird swooped down and 'grabbed her head like a hat'. The Magpie then started pecking her head, which caused it to bleed in the bizarre attack. Luckily, her son Ronan escaped though it did look like it would also try to attack the three-year-old. She and her son were saved by a stranger who stepped in to help swat the beast away. The traumatised Mrs Doyle fears she may be left with an infection and has had the start of her honeymoon, due to begin in Cyprus tomorrow, well and truly ruined. The 'evil' Magpie, pictured, looks through the window waiting for another attack Amanda, pictured, from North Lanarkshire went to Hairmyres Hospital for treatment after the attack Mrs Doyle said: 'It looked so evil, the fear was so bad I couldn't move. 'I am scared to go outside if I'm honest. 'It held on to my head like a hat and pecked like mad. 'It bounced off my back, then my face around 10 times, then it grabbed my head before flying away. 'It came back and circled my son, then came for me again. 'A man hit it but then it came back and got in my head really bad. 'I am scared it will remember me, I'm going on my honeymoon tomorrow to Cyprus but I am so sore and upset.' Mrs Doyle, from North Lanarkshire went to Hairmyres Hospital for treatment. She added: 'The hospital went well, I was seen within two hours. 'I had to get a tetanus jag and a deep clean. 'The cut is not massive.' 'But I'm so scared because if the stranger didn't step in it would have been worse.' After the 'evil' Magpie pecked her until Mrs Doyle was bleeding, and had to have a tetanus jab and the wound deep cleaned when she was treated in hospital. (Pictured: Her wound) Mrs Doyle is now warning people to stay away from the area or be on alert if they are nearby. She posted on social media: 'Be careful around Bellshill on way to Bumblebee Nursey, and got attacked but a magpie, at lights at corner.' Several others came forward claiming also to be victims of the vicious magpie. One person said: 'Really hope you are ok! That's so scary. 'I was trapped in my car last week as one chased me, it kept pecking the window and windscreen, this is very worrying knowing they are attacking.' A second person added: 'Me and my boy were attacked last week and this morning.' A third person replied: 'Tried to attack my daughter last week too.' President Biden's budget calls for an undoing of the Trump corporate tax cut and a brand new 'billionaire's tax,' as well as increases on some making $225,000 or more. A top Trump economic adviser is predicting that the new 'billionaire' provision would eventually leads to higher taxes for ordinary Americans, while other taxpayer advocates say that the corporate tax increase would be passed onto workers and consumers. Biden in his nearly $6 trillion fiscal year 2023 budget calls for $2.5 trillion in revenue to be generated through new taxes and closing loopholes. He called for an increase in the top marginal tax rate from 37 percent to 39.6 percent. The higher rate would be applied to married couples filing jointly who make over $450,000, single people who make over $400,000 and married people who file separately and make over $225,000. The plan also calls for closing tax loopholes, including the carried interest loophole, ending fossil fuel subsidies, changing rules for estate and gift taxation, measures to improve tax compliance and modernizing rules related to digital currencies. Congress is not required to take up any of the provisions in Biden's budget, and some have already declared it 'dead on arrival.' But the president's budget sets the table for the Democratic-controlled Congress to write its own budget for fiscal year 2023. Here is a breakdown of Biden's tax plan and how it could affect ordinary Americans: Billionaire's Tax It is the president's brand-new billionaire's tax that is garnering the most attention. The provision would impose a 20 percent minimum tax on income and unrealized capital gains for the top 0.01 percent - those worth over $100 million. A top former Trump economic advisor called the billionaire's tax the 'ultimate bait and switch.' He likened the provision to the first income tax in 1916. 'At the time that was only to what would be millionaires at the time. Then a few years later, it applied to virtually everyone.' He then noted that the federal government passed the 'alternative minimum tax, which at the time in the 1960s was meant to apply to the very rich, the 200 richest people in the country. Ten years later it applied to some 10 million people. 'The reason that happens is because most of the money in this country is still with the middle class,' he said. 'Does anybody really believe they're going to get all this much money out of, you know, George Soros and Warren Buffett and Bill Gates of course they're not they have tax accountants and tax attorneys and estate tax planners that will find ways around these taxes. So it's going to be very soon applied to the middle class because they want to get money out of this.' Alexander Hendrie, tax policy director for the Americans for Tax Reform, expressed a similar concern. 'I think this should be concerning to just ordinary middle class families and individuals just because of the precedent it sets where, you know, we typically tax income, but not assets.' He noted that both the income tax and the alternative minimum tax started at a 'vert high threshold' and eventually expanded to include the middle class. Biden in his nearly $6 trillion fiscal year 2023 budget calls for $2.5 trillion in revenue to be generated through new taxes and closing loopholes Hendrie noted what a headache it would cause to determine the value of assets for tax purposes. 'Take stocks, for example. You know, the way that this would be written is December 31, the value of that stock between January 1 and December 31, you pay tax on that, even though you have not sold the stock and you will do that basically every year.' 'We've had a lot of questions, I think, fundamentally on the fairness of that, given that you would have not existed in illiquid assets, and then the assets such as property, how do you how do you evaluate that value?' Hendrie said. 'How do you value the dozens of items that are far more difficult to value than stocks?' The Trump advisor said the only way to get the rich to pay more taxes is to institute a flat tax. 'Just get rid of all the deductions and loopholes you know, with a 9 percent flat tax, but everybody pays and then there's no deductions, there's no ways for these rich people to pay escape paying tax.' Though progressives have been pushing for a wealth tax, many have steered clear due to the 16th Amendment, which gives Congress 'power to lay and collect taxes on incomes.' Wealth is not income. This chart shows the hypothetical amount of taxes that the top nine US billionaires would have owed in 2021, if a 20% minimum tax rate had been in effect The world's ten richest people added $402 billion to their collective net worth in 2021, making it a banner year for the ultra-wealthy. Nine of the 10 were Americans Biden's plan gets around that rule by taxing only the increase in wealth - if a wealthy person's painting's value doubles, that increase can be thought of as income, just like wages, even if you don't sell the painting. Currently the owner would only pay taxes on the increase when they sell the painting. The White House estimates this would raise $360 billion in revenue over the next decade. The 'billionaire tax' is unlikely to pass, as Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W. Va., doesn't seem to be on board. You can't be taxed on 'things you don't have,' he said, according to Bloomberg. 'You might have it on paper. There are other ways for people to pay their fair share, and I think everyone should pay.' The votes of Manchin and fellow moderate Democrat Kirsten Sinema, Ariz., are key for any tax bill to be passed in the split 50-50 Senate. Richest 0.00001% in the US have seen their share of wealth increase tenfold since 1982: Group included just 18 individuals in 2021 In the United States, the share of total household wealth owned by the wealthiest 0.00001 percent has grown tenfold since 1982, according to a recent paper by economists Emmanuel Saez and Gabriel Zucman. 'Wealth concentration has increased particularly fast during the Covid-19 pandemic,' they write. The richest 0.00001 percent of the US consisted of 18 individuals with a net worth exceeding $50 billion in wealth in 2021, which was a banner year for the ultra-wealthy. In the United States, the share of total household wealth owned by the wealthiest 0.00001 percent has grown tenfold since 1982, rising especially quickly last year 'Top-end wealth is large relative to the economy, and therefore a sizable potential tax revenue source,' write Saez and Zucman, who argue in favor of a wealth tax like the one famously proposed by Senator Elizabeth Warren. The economists argue that prior attempts at a wealth tax in Europe failed because they targeted the well-to-do instead of the extreme wealthiest. They also note that the taxes were easily evaded by moving abroad, as most European countries do not tax their citizens worldwide as the US does. In 2021, the world's 10 richest people added about $402 billion to their collective net worth. All but one of the top ten were Americans. Advertisement Corporate tax hike Taxpayer advocates said that workers, consumers and investors could bear the brunt of a seven percent corporate tax rate. Some 300 million small businesses would also be squeezed for the new tax. 'Biden says that this is only going to affect the wealthy corporations, that that's really gaslighting the American public because we all know that when you raise a tax on a business, they pass that along to the consumer,' David Williams, President of the Taxpayer's Protection Alliance, told DailyMail.com. 'This is just it's ridiculous to think that companies will absorb these taxes and not pass them on to consumers.' But the Trump advisor, who worked closely on writing the Trump 2017 tax cuts, disagreed, predicting that costs would instead be absorbed by workers. 'If you raise the corporate tax, it's not so much consumers that can pay the price. Its workers who you know, are going to see fewer jobs and lower wages.' 'Again, they should be eliminating loopholes and deductions in the tax system, not raising the rate. All raising the rate does is chase capital out of the U.S.' Biden budget's revenue generators $1.6 trillion in corporate tax increases $722 billion in tax increases for high earners $68 billion from closing tax loopholes; $47 billion from making changes to estate and gift taxes $15 billion from improving tax compliance $11 billion in relation to modernizing rules related to digital assets Advertisement He noted that Biden had called for a global minimum tax, essentially 'admitting' that raising corporate rates at home prompts business to establish itself elsewhere. 'We estimate we imported about $1 trillion dollars of new capital in the United States after the Trump tax cut. Think about how many jobs are associated with a trillion dollars.' Alex Muresianu, policy analyst for the Tax Foundation, predicted that the corporate hike would in the short term most especially hit middle class investors who own stock or retirement accounts. 'If you if you have a 401k or retirement plan or money in the stock market in some way that'll have an impact on you there. But in the sort of longer term to the corporate income tax will end up hurting lower income people by reducing investment, which in turn reduces reducing reduced productivity, reduce wages.' The corporate tax rate hike will also be difficult to push through, as Sinema has long expressed her opposition. Raised top marginal tax rate There was much debate last year over President Biden's often-repeated promise that he would not raise taxes on anyone making less than $400,000, and whether that number applied to households or individuals. Eventually White House press secretary Jen Psaki clarified that that number would apply to families, not individuals. And again, married people who file separately but make over $225,000 will face a 2.6 percent increase. And while that income is still far above the average annual wage in the U.S., some taxpayer advocates do say that an increase could hurt small businesses. 'People who make $400,000 a year are hardly "rich." Many are hardworking small business owners who are pillars of their communities. These tax hikes will make it more difficult for them to create jobs, raise wages, and bring the economy back,' Alfredo Ortiz, President and CEO of Job Creators Network, told DailyMail.com. Sinema has also rejected any increases to the top bracket. Reducing fossil fuel subsidies The Biden White House said that it would eliminate subsidies for the fossil fuel industry to bring in $3.4 billion more per year and $43.6 billion over 10 years. At the same time, it would spend $3.3 billion on clean energy growth. Williams said eliminating the fossil fuel provisions would 'send the wrong signal' to the economy, especially at a time of sky-high gas prices in the aftermath of Russian President Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine. Ending the subsidies could decrease domestic production of oil. 'It's a really, really odd time to be proposing these kinds of policies given given the current climate over energy prices,' Hendrie said. Footage has emerged of a huge explosion in Belgorod, western Russia, at the site of a suspected arms depot which is believed to have been hit by a Ukrainian missile. The blast, which took place a mere 12 miles from the Russian-Ukrainian border near the village of Krasniy Oktyabr just outside the city of Belgorod, triggered a series of firework-like explosions which could be seen from Ukraine tonight. Ukrainian journalist Yuriy Butusov claimed that the depot was destroyed by an OTR-21 Tochka-U ballistic missile fired by the Ukrainian 19th missile brigade, though this has not yet been confirmed by Ukrainian officials. If the missile strike is confirmed by Ukraine's armed forces, it will be just the second Ukrainian strike on Russian territory since the start of the war after the Millerovo airbase was attacked in late February. Footage has emerged of a huge explosion in Belgorod, western Russia, at the site of a suspected arms depot which is believed to have been hit by a Ukrainian missile. The blast, which took place a mere 12 miles from the Russian-Ukrainian border near the village of Krasniy Oktyabr just outside the city of Belgorod, triggered a series of firework-like explosions which could be seen from Ukraine The Governor of Belgorod Vyacheslav Gladkov confirmed reports of the explosion and said that no Russian citizens were hurt, but refused to shed any light on the reason for the blast. 'Explosions were heard on the territory of Belgorod and the Belgorod region,' Gladkov said. 'The incident took place near the village of Krasniy Oktyabr. The head of the village is in direct contact with me and has given me all the information. There are no casualties or injuries among the residents.' 'I'll post the reason for this later,' he added. However, Russian news agency TASS reported that four Russian military personnel were injured and said preliminary reports suggested the explosion was caused by a Ukrainian missile. 'The shell hit the territory of a temporary military camp in the Belgorod region. Four servicemen were injured,' an emergency services source told TASS. The suspected Ukrainian shelling of the target in Belgorod comes the same day that Russia announced it would begin pulling back troops from Kyiv and Chernihiv following peace talks with Ukrainian delegates in Istanbul. Ukraine's delegation at the conference laid out a framework under which the country would declare itself neutral and its security would be guaranteed by an array of other nations. Moscow's public reaction was positive, and the negotiations are expected to resume on Wednesday, five weeks into what has devolved into a bloody war of attrition, with thousands dead and almost 4 million Ukrainians fleeing the country. Amid the talks, Russian Deputy Defense Minister Alexander Fomin said Moscow has decided to 'fundamentally... cut back military activity in the direction of Kyiv and Chernihiv' to ''increase mutual trust and create conditions for further negotiations.'' The Kremlin's Deputy Defence Minister Alexander Fomin (L) said the change on the battlefield was meant to increase trust at peace talks, suggesting that the foundations of a ceasefire could be in play. His superior Sergey Shoigu (R) meanwhile said Russian forces will now concentrate on the 'liberation' of the eastern Donbass region rather than attacking major Ukrainian cities Col. Gen. Oleksandr Syrskyi, top military commander in charge of the defense of the Ukrainian capital, walks in a trench at a position north of the capital Kyiv, Ukraine, Tuesday, March 29, 2022. The first face-to-face talks in two weeks between Russia and Ukraine began Tuesday in Turkey, raising flickering hopes there could be progress toward ending a war that has ground into a bloody campaign of attrition His superior Sergey Shoigu meanwhile said Russian forces will now concentrate on the 'liberation' of the eastern Donbass region rather than attacking major Ukrainian cities, which represents a major tactical shift in the face of bitter resistance. But the announcement has been met with skepticism in Europe and the US, with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson today declaring Vladimir Putin could still seek to 'twist the knife' as the war enters a new phase. And Western officials have remained highly suspicious of Russia's true intentions, arguing that Russian attacks have continued despite the Kremlin's promise to scale back troops in major urban centres. One official speaking on condition of anonymity said: 'Nothing that we have seen so far has demonstrated to us that President Putin and his colleagues are particularly serious about [scaling back]. It is more of a tactical exercise playing for time. 'Even if they do do what they say they are going to do that is not in any shape or form a cessation of hostilities... I think we can continue to see continued death and destruction [in the Donbass].' Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) got into a heated spat over the whereabouts of Hunter Biden's laptop during a House Judiciary hearing on oversight of the FBI's Cyber Division on Tuesday. The Republican firebrand used his allotted time to grill the division's assistant director Bryan Vorndran, who repeatedly told Gaetz he didn't have any information on where the hard drive belonging to President Joe Biden's son is currently located. At one point Gaetz tried to enter the hard drive into the Congressional record but was blocked by House Judiciary Chair Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.), who changed his mind a short while later. 'Sir, I'm not here to talk about the laptop. I'm here to talk about the FBI's cyber program,' Vorndran told Gaetz after the lawmaker asked where it was. The congressman, visibly irritated, tries again. 'You are the assistant director of FBI cyber. I want to know where Hunter Biden's laptop is. Where is it?' he pressed. The FBI official replied, 'Sir, I don't know that answer.' Gaetz called Vorndran's claim 'astonishing.' 'Has FBI cyber assessed whether Hunter Biden's laptop could be a point of vulnerability, allowing America's enemies to hurt our country?' the lawmaker asked. Rep. Matt Gaetz, who is under investigation over sex trafficking allegations, demanded to know how Americans 'are supposed to trust' the FBI if one of its top officials in the Cyber Division could not say where Hunter Biden's laptop is during a heated House Judiciary oversight hearing Republicans have been demanding answers after the New York Times claimed to have authenticated a hard drive purportedly belonging to the president's only living son -- more than a year after the New York Post was widely criticized for reporting on the contents of that same computer. DailyMail.com had also authenticated the information at a time when many on the left wing were dismissing it as Russian disinformation. The hard drive came from a MacBook reportedly belonging to Hunter Biden, that was left in a Delaware repair shop but never recovered. Within it is a vast tranche of emails and other documents relating to Hunter Biden's foreign business dealings as well as lewd images depicting sex acts and drug use. Despite Vorndran on Tuesday insisting the laptop does not fall into his division's purview, Gaetz pressed on: 'I mean, Hunter Biden's password on his laptop was 'hunter02.' 'And now you're telling me right here that as the assistant director of FBI Cyber, you don't know where this is after it was turned over to you three years ago,' he added. Vorndran said that was an 'accurate statement.' 'How are Americans supposed to trust that you can protect us from the next Colonial Pipeline if you can't locate a laptop that was given to you three years ago from the first family potentially creating vulnerabilities for our country?' Gaetz thundered. He was referencing a massive cyberattack by a Russian-linked group that took down the largest fuel pipeline in the US in May 2021, temporarily leading to gas shortages and pain at the pump for much of the East Coast. Cyber Division Assistant Director Bryan Vorndran told Gaetz that his questions were 'not in the realm of my responsibilities' A frustrated Vorndran ended up telling Gaetz it was 'not in the realm of my responsibilities to deal with the questions you're asking.' 'We can do this back-and-forth for the next couple of minutes. I don't have any information about the Hunter Biden laptop,' the FBI official said. They also disagreed on whether the hard drive constituted a 'cyber asset.' Gaetz, who is currently being investigated for sex trafficking allegations, told Vorndran: 'You can't even sit here right now and say that you know there's not a point of vulnerability.' 'Is the first family sufficient cyber infrastructure to protect? You don't even know if they're compromised.' The Republican turned his attention to Nadler, holding up what he claimed to be a hard drive from the president's son's laptop, and asked for it to be entered into the record. Rep. Mike Johnson (R-La.), seated next to Gaetz, appeared to nod in approval. 'I'm not --' Nadler begins to say before conferring with an aide. The chairman then said he would object to Gaetz's motion. The laptop, which the New York Times recently authenticated long after right-wing media outlets were blasted for reporting about it, contains compromising and embarrassing images of Hunter Biden In some of the pictures, Hunter Biden is seen with a crack pipe hanging out of his mouth. His past struggles with drug addiction have been well documented 'What's the basis of that objection?' the Florida lawmaker challenged. Nadler, speaking over Gaetz's objections, said: 'It may very well be entered into the record after we look at it further.' After what Gaetz called a 'consultation with majority staff,' Nadler relented and allowed the hard drive to be entered into the record 'without objection. On the same day Gaetz introduced a resolution aimed at stripping the security clearances of 51 intelligence experts who branded the laptop a 'Russian disinformation' effort in a 2020 letter. The 'Spook Who Cried Wolf Resolution' would pull security clearances from former top government officials like ex-Director of National Intelligence James Clapper and former CIA Director Leon Panetta -- both of whom signed onto the letter. The effort is also backed by Reps. Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.), Dan Bishop (R-N.C.), Louie Gohmert (R-Texas), Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.), Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) and Thomas Massie (R-Ky.). Last week House GOP Conference Chair Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.), the third-most powerful Republican in Congress' lower chamber, promised to subpoena Hunter Biden if her party took back control of Congress in November's midterm elections. 'The American people absolutely deserve answers,' Stefanik told the New York Post on Saturday. She said 'there is no greater ethical concern or frankly conspiracy' than 'whether this president is compromised because of his illegal ties to his family members.' Grace Tame has taken another hit at Scott Morrison just hours after he was blasted by an outgoing Liberal Senator who described him as unfit to be PM, a bully and an autocrat. Concetta Fierravanti-Wells laid into Mr Morrison during a late night appearance on the Senate floor on Tuesday evening, hours after the Budget was handed down. Speaking under the protection of parliamentary privilege, Ms Fierravanti-Wells said: 'He (the Prime Minister) is adept at running with the foxes and hunting with the hounds, lacking a moral compass and having no conscience. 'In my public life, I have met ruthless people. Morrison tops the list, followed closely by (party powerbroker and Immigration Minister Alex) Hawke. 'Morrison is not fit to be Prime Minister and Hawke is certainly not fit to be a minister.' The extraordinary attack on the PM quickly caught the attention of another of his most outspoken critics, Tame, who has repeatedly lambasted the leader since she was named Australian of the Year in 2021. The sexual assault advocate took to Twitter on Tuesday night to remind the Australian public of her campaign against Mr Morrison. The sexual assault advocate took to Twitter late on Tuesday night to remind the Australian public of her long-enduring spray campaign against Mr Morrison (pictured is her tweet) A user reposted footage of Ms Fierravanti-Wells with the caption: 'Why werent we (the Australian people) told this earlier about the character of our prime minister?' Tame simply replied to the tweet: 'Hi hello, it's me.' It comes just days after the 27-year-old took a swipe at the Prime Minister after his mentor Brian Houston resigned from Hillsong Church over inappropriate behaviour towards two women. Tame shared an image of Mr Morrison and Houston at the 2019 Hillsong Conference, and photoshopped herself into the photo, using the now infamous image of her tense meeting with the Prime Minister at Parliament House in February. She captioned it: 'He said we were going to see Hilltop Hoods.' Tame took a swipe at the prime minister after his mentor Brian Houston resigned from Hillsong Church over inappropriate behaviour towards two women (pictured is her tweet last week) Tame wrote: 'If youre prepared to use something to leverage your image, you also have to be prepared for when that thing blows up in your face,' referring to Morrison's appearance at the annual Hillsong conference. Earlier this month, she joked about the infamous 'side-eye' photo on Twitter after Mr Morrison posted a photo of himself with his cat on social media. The tweet, in which Tame comments, 'Pardon my Twitter absence, I've just been shape shifting', alludes to the now famous image of herself with the PM before Australia Day in which she is giving him a 'side eye' look. Ms Tame, an advocate for survivors of sexual assault following her own abuse as a schoolgirl at the hands of a male teacher, has endured a stream of public scrutiny since being appointed Australian of the Year. Earlier this month, Ms Tame joked about the infamous 'side-eye' photo (pictured) on Twitter after Mr Morrison posted a photo of himself with his cat on social media Ms Tame, an advocate for survivors of sexual assault following her own abuse as a schoolgirl at the hands of a male teacher, has endured a stream of public scrutiny since being appointed Australian of the Year (the 27-year-old is pictured at an event in Sydney earlier this month) Ms Fierravanti-Wells was recently dropped to an unwinnable spot on the Coalition's Senate ticket for the Federal election. The election date is expected to be announced in days, meaning her 17-year parliamentary career is rapidly coming to an end - at least for now. During her spray, the senator claimed Liberal supporters are despairing at the party's prospects, 'and they blame Morrison for this'. The senator's speech was an unwelcome surprise for Prime Minister Scott Morrison (above, watching Josh Frydenberg's Budget speech) 'It is his way or the highway - (he's) an autocrat, a bully who has no moral compass,' she said. The outgoing Liberal also told Parliament Mr Morrison made racist comments during his preselection for the seat of Cook in 2007. 'I'm advised that there are several statutory declarations to attest to racial comments made by Morrison at the time that we "can't have a Lebanese person in court".' Ms Fierravanti-Wells also claimed there is a 'putrid stench of corruption emanating from the NSW division' of the party. She alleged Mr Morrison and Mr Hawke had deliberately contrived a crisis in the NSW branch of the Liberal party for the past year so they could have their own candidates installed. 'I am appalled (party president Philip Ruddock) has allowed Morrison to bully his way to a situation where the next election has been put at risk all to save Hawke's career.' Mr Hawke was facing a preselection challenge for his own seat of Mitchell but was re-endorsed. Tasmanian Greens Senator Peter Whish-Wilson was left stunned by the MP's evening tirade. 'Holy smokes,' he said. Speaking under the protection of parliamentary privilege, Ms Fierravanti-Wells (pictured in 2018) said: 'He (the Prime Minister) is adept at running with the foxes and hunting with the hounds, lacking a moral compass and having no conscience' Senator Fierravanti-Wells' Senate spray cast a pall over the government on an evening where the federal budget was handed down with a focus on mitigating the cost of living Earlier this week, Senator Fierravanti-Wells took aim at the 'Liberal sisterhood' for failing to speak out against toxic parliamentary culture. She referenced the death of Labor senator Kimberley Kitching to a heart attack at age 52 and how she was ostracised by Labor's so-called 'mean girls'. 'We both had factional enemies who desperately wanted to see us defeated and they worked very hard at it,' she said. 'We were both outspoken and not constrained by prevalent groupthink within our political parties.' A Connecticut school nurse has been suspended over a Facebook post revealing that an 11 year-old at the school where she worked was on puberty blockers. Kathleen Cataford, who worked at the Richard J Kinsella Magnet School in Hartford, was axed from her role Monday over the post, which was branded transphobic. Writing on a local mom's group in response to a request for local school recommendations, the 77 year-old said: 'Investigate the school system curriculum...CT is a very socially liberal, gender confused state,' the post read. It continued: 'As a public school nurse, I have an 11yo female student on puberty blockers and a dozen identifying as non-binary, all but two keeping this as a secret from their parents with the help of teachers, SSW [social workers] and school administration. 'Teachers and SSW are spending 37.5 hours a week influencing our children, not necessarily teaching our children what YOU think is being taught.' Cataford went on to claim that 'children are introduced to this confusion in kindergarten.' DailyMail.com's attempts to contact her Tuesday were unsuccessful. Puberty blockers are used to delay puberty in transgender children, and are a current hot-button issue in the United States. Kathleen Cataford was suspended by the Hartford Public Schools School District after she posted comments containing specific and private details about students on the Connecticut Mom's Club Facebook group Supporters say it saves trans children from undergoing potentially traumatic changes to a body they already feel uncomfortable in. 'I have an 11yo female student on puberty blockers and a dozen identifying as non-binary, all but two keeping this as a secret from their parents,' Cataford wrote Opponents say that while billed as reversible, the blockers can have irreversible side effects which can cause serious harm to users' wellbeing later in life, such as sterility and the inability to achieve orgasm. The post came to the attention of Hartford School District Officials after the mother of the 11 year-old mentioned saw it, and flagged it to school officials. She confirmed its contents and the context in which the post was made to DailyMail.com on Tuesday, but did not wish to comment further, citing her child's privacy. The post came to the attention of officials at the Richard J. Kinsella Magnet School of Performing Arts after the mother of the 11-year-old mentioned saw the post when scrolling on Facebook Hartford Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Leslie Torres-Rodriguez issued a statement condemning Cataford's remarks, but did not name the nurse, citing privacy concerns. 'Hartford Public Schools strives to provide an inclusive environment where all students feel seen, valued, respected, and heard,' the statement read. Torres-Rodriguez added: 'We uphold all of our staff to a high standard, entrusting them to be caretakers and leaders in the community. 'We as a school district are responsible for the health, well-being, social and emotional development, and safety of ALL of the children entrusted to our care.' 'It is our responsibility to support our students' growth, personal experiences, and social-emotional development.' After learning about the post, the district launched an investigation to determine whether Cataford will remain working at the school. Hartford Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Leslie Torres-Rodriguez issued a statement condemning Cataford's remarks, but did not name the nurse, citing privacy concerns 'Hartford Public Schools strives to provide an inclusive environment where all students feel seen, valued, respected, and heard,' the statement read. The family of the student, who asked not to be identified to guarantee their privacy, said they were content with the way the school had responded to the complaint. 'As a family we are very happy with how thoroughly and quickly the school and the district has taken action to both ensure the nurse is fully investigated and ensure the safety and privacy of our child. They could not have done a better job,' relatives told local news station WSFB3 in a statement. 'It's clearly not a reflection of who we are,' Torres-Rodriguez also told the outlet. In addition to sharing specific and personal details about students on social media, Cataford has posted other links to stories addressing the current transgender debate on her Facebook profile. On February 27, the now-suspended nurse shared a FOX article about former USA swimming official Cynthia Millen, who resigned to protest University of Pennsylvania transgender student Lia Thomas' participation in the women's swimming team at Penn. More recently, Cataford shared a press conference of Daily Wire commentator Matt Walsh entitled 'Here's why men don't belong in women's sports.' On February 27, the now suspended nurse shared a FOX article about former USA swimming official Cynthia Millen, who resigned to protest University of Pennsylvania transgender student Lia Thomas' participation in the women's swimming team at Penn More recently, Cataford shared a press conference of Daily Wire commentator Matt Walsh entitled 'Here's why men don't belong in women's sports' She also stated support for the recent trucker's convoy protesting vaccine mandates, saying that while she supported vaccination, she also believes in personal freedoms. Other mothers whose children go to Hartford public schools voiced their concerns over Cataford's violation of students' privacy. 'I don't think that's right at all - everybody has their privacy- and especially when it comes to kids. If that was my child...I would be going crazy,' one concerned mother told WSFB3. 'I feel really bad because it's upsetting and I have a daughter who also goes to Heartfelt, and to know someone is sharing information about people's kids... it sucks,' another mother told the outlet through a translator. Cataford remains suspended pending an investigation by the school district into her Facebook comments. One of the wettest summers on record continues with more heavy rain forcing a new evacuation order for Lismore in northern NSW. Residents of the town along with those in surrounding Lismore Basin, East Lismore and Girards Hill have been urged to leave immediately. It is the second such order for the town in 24 hours after an all clear was issued to return with caution on Tuesday afternoon. Homes in Lismore were inundated with water during the floods just weeks ago, and are now set to be hit by another deluge (pictured on Tuesday) Although still within levee height, the local Wilsons River has exceeded its major flood level of 9.7 metres. The SES is directing people to evacuate via New Ballina Road, Bruxner Highway and Dalley Street before closures come into play. Flash flooding in the CBD as a result of heavy rainfall has inundated roads and an evacuation centre has again been set up at Southern Cross University. The Bureau of Meteorology says the potential remains high for wider heavy rain along the NSW coast and landslides are also possible with roads inundated. Forecaster Jonathan How says a low pressure system is expected to bring strong and gusty winds in the second half of the week to areas including Sydney, the Hunter and Illawarra. Fresh flooding will impact the mental wellbeing of northern NSW residents already devastated by the February floods, says University of Sydney mental health professor James Bennett-Levy. Another bout of flooding could seriously affect those in the middle of a long clean-up from the previous catastrophe, he told AAP on Tuesday. 'There is extreme distress because what it (the floods) does is re-trigger and re-traumatise people who have already been severely traumatised.' Dr Bennett-Levy, who directs the Centre for Rural Health in Lismore, said "very high levels" of post-traumatic stress disorder are expected. 'It is not just people directly affected, there is collective trauma because just about everyone in the community knows ... multiple people ... whose houses have been inundated,' he said. In a study conducted after the 2017 floods, Dr Bennett-Levy along with other researchers found 50 per cent of people displaced for more than six months in the same region had PTSD. The Wilsons River is seen in Lismore on Tuesday, with residents warned to evacuate as life-threatening floods hit the region yet again Debris sits piled up outside businesses affected by the recent floods in Lismore on Tuesday - with the weather set to take another turn for the worst Normally, a discreet word would ensure that there was no wardrobe clash between the senior royal ladies and the Monarch at a major state occasion. Not so yesterday. Very touchingly, it was a case of the opposite. For there, in the royal front row at Westminster Abbey, we saw the Princess Royal, the Duchess of Cornwall and the Queen herself all dressed in what is known as Edinburgh green. It had been the Dukes official colour on everything from staff liveries to cars (and even the old London taxi he used to drive around the capital). Here was just one of so many delightful homages to the great man yesterday as loved ones, friends and admirers from every facet of his extraordinary life were finally able to come together and pay the full tribute denied him at his funeral. Ahead of this service, there had been one question on all their minds: would Her Majesty feel up to joining them? Right on time came the answer as the state trumpeters of the Household Cavalry marched out on to the High Altar to announce that the Sovereign had drawn up outside. Front L to R: The Queen stands with Prince Charles, Camilla Duchess of Cornwall, Anne Princess Royal, Vice Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence, Prince Andrew Duke of York, Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex, his wife Sophie, Countess of Wessex, Lady Louise Mountbatten-Windsor, James, Viscount Severn. Behind is L to R: Prince William, Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, Peter Phillips, Isla Phillips, Savannah Phillips, Mia Tindall, Zara Tindall and Mike Tindall. They were attending a service of thanksgiving for late Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh She entered by the shortest possible route, walking up the South Transept with the aid of a stick, as had been expected. What had not been expected was that, of all those to whom she might turn for support, she would be escorted by the Duke of York. He was making his first public appearance since paying off his US courtroom accuser and his subsequent ostracism from royal and public life. No one, of course, could begrudge him his place at the heart of a family service to salute his late father. However, despite the best efforts of senior royal officials to ensure that the Duke stuck to the original plan, arriving with his daughters and his siblings, he had apparently been dead set on this revised arrangement. If it was bound to distract attention from the main focus of the ceremony, no one was going to countermand what had clearly been agreed with the Queen. , As it was, she seemed in little need of physical support anyway. She moved at a stately pace up the aisle, before taking her seat next to the Prince of Wales. She then parked her stick to her right and her handbag to her left. During all the hymns, she rose unaided, knew all the words and, by the end, had dispensed with her spectacles. Gleaming out from her lapel was her beloved scarab brooch, the one the Duke gave her in 1966. Just behind her were five of her great-grandchildren, all enchantingly wide-eyed at their first experience of a state occasion. Historians may later record this as the first official greeting line for a future King. The Queen at her husband Prince Philip's memorial service Prince George and Princess Charlotte handled the long line of fully robed clergy with aplomb as well as a smile, eye contact and a firm handshake. To the Queens front and left were all those international royal houses to whom the Duke was not just a much-loved ally but, in many cases, directly related (as a former Prince of Greece and Denmark). Four kings, five queens (not including our own) plus assorted crown princes and princesses were a reminder of the old joke that the Duke was more royal than the royals. Opposite the royal pews were the Dukes more immediate family, the grandchildren of his sisters. They included Prince Philipp and Princess Xenia of Hohenlohe-Langenburg, Bernhard, the Hereditary Prince of Baden and assorted members of the House of Hesse. Alongside them were British political leaders, including the Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, and the Foreign Secretary, Liz Truss. With the Defence Secretary on Ukraine duty, his place was taken by the MoD Minister of State, Jeremy Quin, who is also a member of the Admiralty Board. All in all, more than 1,500 guests packed the Abbey for the event that never was in 2021. They ranged from the Kings of Spain and Holland to representatives of bodies including the Scottish Youth Hostels Association, the Pakistan Society and the Caravan Club. The prevailing Covid restrictions, famously, had reduced last Aprils funeral to that majestically pared-down gathering of just 30 at St Georges Chapel, Windsor. It could include none of the 992 organisations from all over the world of which the Duke had been a proud patron or member. True, the Duke had never been keen on a memorial service, always believing that his achievements should be left to speak for themselves. However, the pandemic had also stripped his funeral of several important ceremonial elements which he himself had planned so carefully. It meant that some of his favourite music had been forcibly omitted, including one of his favourite hymns, Guide Me O Thy Great Redeemer. And it precluded any role for some of the local clergy at the royal estates, whom the Duke had come to know so well. So they were all thrown back in the mix, along with something the Duke had certainly not wanted but which the Queen most certainly did: a eulogy. In fact, there were two of them. The first was an upbeat and moving tribute from Doyin Sonibare, 28, whose life had been transformed thanks to the best-known of the Prince Philips many legacies. Doyin Sonibare, pictured, 28, who took part in the Duke of Edinburghs Award scheme Having embarked on the Duke of Edinburghs Award scheme as a 15-year-old East London schoolgirl, she had completed her gold award by 18. The experience, which included voluntary work in Gambia, had given her the self-confidence to aim high in the job market, despite not having a degree. On reflection, I never thought I could do half of the things I have done in the last decade, yet Ive been able to do so because of the opportunities presented to me, she explained. Today, she is not only an advertising account executive but also studying for a PhD at Brunel University. She was wearing the Gold Award brooch which she had received from the Earl of Wessex and was also loyally dressed in Edinburgh green, although she insisted afterwards that this was just a crazy coincidence. The formal address came from the Dean of Windsor, the Rt Rev David Conner. I am not sure that Prince Philip had much time for the theological controversies that divide people. His faith was a heartfelt trust in a loving God, he said, such trust, such hope, as could unite people in a common endeavour. The Duke had known successive Deans of Windsor as old friends. One of them, Robin Woods, had helped him build his theological retreat, St Georges House, in the heart of Windsor Castle. Another, Michael Mann, had enjoyed such enthusiastic theological jousting with the Duke that their long letters to one another were eventually published as a book called A Windsor Correspondence. Having been in post now for 24 years, David Conner could be said to have known the Duke as well as any of them. Like the rest of us, he went on, he was part of flawed humanity. Unlike most of us however, he was one of those rare people who remained true to, and guided by, what you might call an inner spiritual compass. Ms Sonibare talking to the Queen at Prince Philip's memorial service One of the first duties which the Queen had given the Duke on her accession was running all the royal estates. Though he never said so, he was always proud of the job he did with all of them. So, the clergy from all of them had been invited to say a prayer yesterday. Unfortunately, a last-minute Covid diagnosis meant that the poor rector of Sandringham was stuck at home. The music especially the hymns was every bit as sublime as the Duke had wanted. And afterwards, the Queen left in manifestly good spirits. She paused, with a big smile, to thank Miss Sonibare for her kind words before returning directly to Windsor, accompanied yet again by the Duke of York. The various family groups then boarded a fleet of buses. The European royals were taken to St Jamess Palace for a reception with the Prince of Wales and other members of the family. The German cousinhood who had assembled before the service at Buckingham Palace were bussed down to Windsor Castle for lunch with the Dean. The Dukes sisters, who had all married German nobility, had all been debarred from the Dukes wedding in 1947, on the grounds that it was too soon after the end of the Second World War. He had remained devoted to them and their offspring, however. All the royal children and grandchildren have grown up close to their network of little-known continental cousins. Just three representatives of this broad diaspora had been able to attend his funeral. Yesterday, there were 31. As well as lunch, they were all given their chance, at long last, to pay their respects at the spot where Uncle Philip now rests beneath St Georges Chapel. The Prince of Wales was then due to join them all for tea. Like everyone else in the Abbey, they found yesterday to be a glorious completion of that sad, unfinished business, left over from April 2021. A very special occasion beautifully enacted, reflected Commodore Anthony Morrow, the last captain of the Royal Yacht, on his way out of the Abbey. We all just felt very honoured to be a part of it.' A man with a history of schizophrenia has been charged with killing random strangers in three separate shootings in each month of this year in Oregon. Joseph Kelly Banks, 49, was charged in a 15-count indictment on Monday with the murders of Isaiah Hurst, Jeff Ramirez, and Mark Johnson in Portland. The killings, which respectively occurred in the first several days of January, February, and March, appear to be random, and court documents do not suggest a motive in the case. Banks had previously been diagnosed with schizophrenia and antisocial personality disorder and was living in a group home for adults with mental illness, according to The Oregonian. On January 2, 39-year-old Isaiah Hurst was found shot dead in the driver's seat of a sedan that had crashed on the 100 block of North Morgan Street at about 9am On February 2, 35-year-old Jeff Ramirez was fatally shot inside his pickup truck on Southeast Start Street shortly before 4pm Banks was initially arrested and charged with two-nonfatal shootings that occurred just a few minutes apart on February 28. Police say that ballistic matches and other evidence later linked him to a string of fatal shootings that unfolded over the first three months of 2022. On January 2, 39-year-old Hurst was found shot dead in the driver's seat of a sedan that had crashed on the 100 block of North Morgan Street at about 9am. On February 2, 35-year-old Ramirez was fatally shot inside his pickup truck on Southeast Start Street shortly before 4pm. On March 1, 55-year-old Johnson was found dead next to his SUV on North Stanton Street shortly after noon. Banks was arrested March 2 and booked into the Multnomah County Detention Center, where he remains held without bond. On March 1, 55-year-old Mark Johnson was found dead next to his SUV on North Stanton Street shortly after noon Banks was arraigned on the new indictment on Tuesday. He is charged with three counts of second-degree murder with a firearm. He is also charged with attempted murder with a firearm, first-degree assault, second-degree assault and unlawful use of a firearm for each of the people hes accused of wounding who survived. His attorney has entered a not guilty plea on his behalf. In 2007, Banks was found not guilty by reason of insanity for illegal possession of a firearm by a felon. He spent at least a decade in federal custody under psychiatric care, much of it at the Federal Medical Center in Butner, North Carolina. Banks was released to a halfway house on a February 2021 court order after a judge found that his condition had improved and could be managed with medication. He is next due in court on May 9. The Ukrainian soldier who famously gave a expletive-laden statement of defiance in the face of near certain death amid Russia's attack on Snake Island has been awarded a civic medal. Roman Hrybov, a border guard on the island, boldly told a Russian warship bearing down on his position on the first day of the invasion to 'go f*** yourself', despite having no means of escape. He was feared dead along with 12 other guards when the warship rained fire down on the island, but it transpired days later the group had miraculously survived and were taken prisoner by Russian forces. Then on March 25, Hrybov and his comrades were released from captivity in return for several members of a Russian ship that had been captured by Ukraine after their vessel was sunk. Now, the man once thought killed on the first day of Russia's invasion is back home in the city of Cherkasy, and was presented today with a medal by the head of the region for his bravery in the face of Russian aggression. The now infamous phrase uttered by Hrybov became one of Ukraine's foremost symbols of patriotism and resistance, and has been shared online millions of times. Ukrainian soldier Roman Hrybov, whose viral statement of defiance in the face of near certain death as a Russian warship attacked Ukraine's Snake Island has been awarded a civic medal. Now, the man once thought killed on the first day of Russia's invasion is back home in the city of Cherkasy, and was presented today with a medal by the head of the region for his bravery in the face of Russian aggression A civil medal presented to Hrybov by Igor Taburets, the head of Cherkasy's regional administration Roman Hrybov, a border guard on Snake Island (pictured), boldly told a Russian warship bearing down on his position on the first day of the invasion to 'go f*** yourself', despite having no means of escape A video released earlier today by Cherkasy's Regional State Administration showed Hrybov, dressed in olive fatigues with a military style close shave, gratefully accepting his award from the head of the regional administration Igor Taburets. 'I want to say a big thank you to the Ukrainian people for such support,' Hrybov said following the award. 'We strongly feel this support, it inspires us.' A beaming Taburets said: 'I think that Ukraine should really know its heroes and Cherkasy should know its heroes.' 'The most important thing is that he survived, in spite of moral pressure, in spite of everything, and he will be an example for our Ukrainians and the people of Cherkasy.' Hrybov's declaration of defiance on the first day of Russia's invasion of his country is one of the most recognisable moments of the conflict for many around the world. It also became a rallying cry for Ukrainians in the early days of the war, and Hrybov's words were immortalised by the Ukrainian postal service on a commemorative stamp. The soldier was part of a small contingent of guards stationed on Snake Island in the Black Sea not far from the coast of Romania. They were defending the territory in the early hours of the Russian invasion when Russian warship the Vasily Byko, one of two vessels involved in the attack, radioed the island and said: 'This is Russian military warship. I suggest you lay down your weapons and surrender to avoid bloodshed and needless casualties. Otherwise, you will be bombed.' With no means of defence or escape, the Ukrainian guards were facing almost certain death, but one of them, now revealed to be Hrybov, picked up the microphone and responded emphatically: 'Russian warship - go f*** yourself!' Hrybov's declaration of defiance on the first day of Russia's invasion of his country is one of the most recognisable moments of the conflict for many around the world (Hrybov pictured receiving his medal) The Ukrainian Parliament confirmed sailors who were captured after telling the Russian military to 'go f*** yourself' over the radio as they defended a small island in the Black Sea have been freed in a prisoner exchange with Moscow The 13 border guards on the island were believed to have died in the bombardment which followed their message of resistance, with President Volodymyr Zelensky even announcing they would each be posthumously awarded the title 'Hero of Ukraine'. But it transpired days later the soldiers had survived the attack and were instead taken prisoner. One month after the start of the war, Hrybov and his comrades were returned to Ukrainian soil. The Ukrainian Parliament confirmed last week that the guards had been released along with several other Ukrainian prisoners as part of an exchange for 11 Russian sailors captured from a sunken ship. In a Twitter post, the Ukrainian Parliament wrote: 'The first exchange of war hostages occurred on President Zelensky's order. 'Additionally, today, Ukraine exchanged 11 Russian sailors we rescued from a sunken ship near Odesa for 19 Ukrainian sailors (authors of the legendary phrase 'Russian warship go f*** yourself').' The disgraced Duke of York also took pride of place in the front row after escorting his mother to her seat Advertisement The Royal Family was left 'dismayed' by Prince Andrew demanding to take centre stage at his father Philip's memorial service - amid suggestions The Queen was giving a sign of 'endorsement' in her son. The shamed royal insisted on accompanying the Queen from Windsor Castle to the thanksgiving event at Westminster Abbey. But to the shock of many in the congregation he then escorted his mother all the way to her front-row position in full view of the live broadcast cameras. It had been expected that the Dean of Westminster would take the Queen to her seat, with Andrew behind. The prince has been forced to step back from public life over his association with the paedophile Jeffrey Epstein. Earlier this month he paid millions of pounds to Virginia Giuffre, who had accused him of rape. He has consistently denied her allegations. The Daily Mail can reveal that senior royals had 'reluctantly' accepted Andrew, 62, would travel with the Queen to London because they live so close to each other. But they had hoped 'common sense' would prevail and that Andrew would not seek to play a prominent role in his first public appearance since he struck the out-of-court settlement with Epstein victim Mrs Giuffre, 38. A family source said that senior royals including Prince Charles and the Duke of Cambridge were 'dismayed' by events and that Andrew's decision to put himself 'front and centre' of the service had caused 'consternation'. The Royal Family was left 'dismayed' by Prince Andrew taking centre stage at his father Philip's memorial service. Pictured: Andrew releases his mother from his arm as she walks the final steps to her seat unaided The Duke of York (centre) and the Earl of Wessex (right) during a Service of Thanksgiving for the life of the Duke of Edinburgh A family source said that senior royals including Prince Charles and the Duke of Cambridge were 'dismayed' by events and that Andrew's decision to put himself 'front and centre' of the service had caused 'consternation'. Pictured: Prince Charles and Camilla walk down the aisle at Westminster Abbey followed by Prince William, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and the Duchess of Cambridge The Daily Mail can reveal that senior royals had 'reluctantly' accepted Andrew, 62, would travel with the Queen to London because they live so close to each other. Pictured: Prince Andrew leaves after attending a service of thanksgiving for the life of Prince Philip at Westminster Abbey today But they had hoped 'common sense' would prevail and that Andrew would not seek to play a prominent role in his first public appearance since he struck the out-of-court settlement with Epstein victim Mrs Giuffre, 38. Pictured: The Queen walks towards her seat at Westminster Abbey after being accompanied down by the aisle by Prince Andrew today The monarch, 95, had been determined to make her appearance at yesterday's service in honour of the man she described as her 'strength and stay', and was joined by several members of the Royal family, dignitaries and friends The Queen goes to take her seat as Andrew goes towards his for the service at Westminster Abbey this morning Beatrice sheds tears for her grandpa Head bowed and then hidden behind her hymn sheet Princess Beatrice was overcome with emotion during the service. Surrounded by family and well-wishers, the mother-of-one could be seen taking deep breaths as she tried to hold back her tears for her late grandfather. Prince William and her sister Princess Eugenie sang beside her as Beatrice, 33, tried to keep her composure. Head bowed and then hidden behind her hymn sheet Princess Beatrice was overcome with emotion during the service Unable to contain her emotions any longer, she then raised her order of service sheet to hide her face, before taking her burgundy handbag from under her arm and searching for a tissue. Beatrice attended the service with her husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, 38, wearing a burgundy headband and a tailored black coat. Eugenie, accompanied by her husband Jack Brooksbank, looked concerned as she glanced over at her older sister. Advertisement 'It would be a great shame if the service was overshadowed by all of this. There is a strong sense of regret that this has happened,' they said. Meanwhile, Royal experts suggested The Queen's decision to give Andrew a front-and-centre role at the service was a sign of 'endorsement' in her disgraced son. Former BBC royal correspondent Jennie Bond told The Express: 'This was her way of quietly showing "OK, he messed up really badly, this was a disgrace, but he is my son".' Peter Hunt, another ex-royal correspondent for the broadcaster, said it was a sign of the Queen 'endorsing' Andrew, adding: 'It didn't happen by chance. He could have sat in the congregation with others, with his relatives, but they actively decided that he would have this role of supporting her. 'She's very clearly stating that he has a role at family occasions. 'It's one thing to accept that he should attend his father's memorial service, it's quite another thing to then give him quite a prominent role so it was an active choice to give him such a prominent role.' The service of thanksgiving saw around 1,800 people gather at Westminster Abbey, including many representatives of the hundreds of charities that Prince Philip championed, including the Duke of Edinburgh Awards. It was in marked contrast with his funeral last year, when Covid restrictions meant only 30 people could attend and the Queen was forced to sit alone and masked as she mourned. The monarch, 95, had been determined to make her appearance at yesterday's service in honour of the man she described as her 'strength and stay'. But her recent ill health and increasing frailty meant that it was confirmed by Buckingham Palace only yesterday morning. It was the Queen's first major official engagement outside one of her homes for nearly six months. She last appeared to open the Welsh Senedd in Cardiff on October 14. The Queen listened intently yesterday as the Dean of Windsor paid tribute to Philip's intellect, work ethic, sense of humour and devotion to his family. The Right Reverend David Conner pointed out that the duke could be 'abrupt', and suggested that at times he could forget 'just how intimidating he could be'. Philip's granddaughter Princess Beatrice was seen to give a small chuckle as the dean remarked: 'He could be somewhat sharp in pricking what he thought to be bubbles of pomposity or sycophancy.' But all eyes were on Andrew sitting in the front row with the other senior family members. It is understood that the 'issue' of his presence was being 'kicked about' by senior royals and their households at the end of last week. As there was such a strong family element to the service, there was an understanding and acceptance that he would attend as he had a right to both mourn, and publicly celebrate, his father. But it seems that the prince also pushed forward with his plan to accompany her as she left Windsor by car. Andrew lives only minutes from the Queen at Royal Lodge in Windsor Great Park. He departed shortly after 10am yesterday in a Range Rover with his mother, both sitting on the back seat together, for the 22-mile drive to Buckingham Palace. There they switched vehicles, travelling on to Westminster in the monarch's Bentley limousine. A guard of honour saluted as the Queen drove past the main west door, where she would normally enter, in favour of Poet's Yard. Staff parked the car as close as possible in order to minimise the distance she needed to walk. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge left the Abbey with two of their children, Prince George and Princess Charlotte A sombre Prince Charles leaves the church with his wife Camilla, who also looked moved by the celebration of Prince Philip's life Timothy Laurence and Anne, Princess Royal, arriving ahead of the Service of Thanksgiving for the life of Prince Philip Thousands of supporters gathered outside the Service Of Thanksgiving For The Duke of Edinburgh at Westminster Abbey Andrew is said to be determined to honour his father despite fears his presence could dominate coverage of the service Prince Andrew is seen driving near Windsor Castle yesterday morning ahead of the memorial service for his late father today A graphic shows the plan for the service to remember Prince Philip at Westminster Abbey taking place this morning She exited leaning heavily on her now familiar walking stick, holding onto her son's arm as they moved towards her seat in the abbey. They separated only at the end of the aisle, with Andrew giving a last glance at his mother as she turned right. He took his place in a front row seat as befitting one of Philip's four children but on the other side of the aisle from the Prince of Wales and Princess Anne, who was with her husband Sir Tim Laurence. Normally Andrew, who is still ninth in line to the throne, would have taken precedence over his sister. Sources said his decision to take such a central role in the event by walking in with his mother on his arm has caused 'consternation', although nobody was blaming the Queen herself for his actions. 'Some feel it was inappropriate,' said one. 'The issue of the duke's role had been aired and batted around late last week. It was accepted, perhaps reluctantly, that he would be accompanying her to the abbey from Windsor by car. It is fair to say there have been raised eyebrows at him being so front and centre.' Asked whether any members of the family knew Andrew would help his mother down the aisle, one insider said: 'There was no suggestion beforehand that he would be supporting her in that way. It hadn't been discussed specifically but it was hoped that common sense would intervene [and Andrew would not accompany her to the front of the abbey]. 'Clearly it didn't. There is dismay. I think people accept that this doesn't look good.' Another source revealed: 'No one was given a say. Andrew will have insisted and no one would have found out until it was too late. The Prince of Wales will be despairing at the decision. And I don't think the Duke of Cambridge will be too happy either. But that's Andrew all over.' Andrew also walked the Queen back out of the building after the service as other senior royals left by the front entrance. Among those attending were Charles, the Duchess of Cornwall, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, the Countess of Wessex, the Princess Royal, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie. Prince George and Princess Charlotte were also present in honour of their great-grandfather the first time they have attended a major public church service. The dignified Queen, who looked fragile and slightly watery-eyed but kept her composure throughout, was heavily involved in arrangements for the service, which featured elements Philip planned for his own funeral but were forbidden due to pandemic restrictions. A rousing rendition of the popular hymn Guide Me, O Thou Great Redeemer also known as Bread of Heaven was one of his particular requests, but congregational singing was banned at the time of his death. Special arrangements were put in place for the Queen's comfort, with the service limited to 40 minutes and the monarch sitting in one of the familiar 'Canada' chairs but with an additional cushion. Afterwards the Queen drove with Andrew back to Windsor where she hosted a reception for members of her late husband's German family who had flown over for the occasion. She was expected to pop in briefly. Another reception was held in London for almost 30 foreign royals who had flown over to pay tribute to the duke. RICHARD KAY: Fears of Prince Andrew's 'mission creep' back to royal life In all her 70 years on the throne, was this perhaps the most challenging decision she has had to make as Queen? That it would have to be taken on a day brimming with such personal significance as the memorial service for her beloved Philip surely only added to its complexity. The question itself was a relatively simple one: should she take Prince Andrew's arm for the short walk from her car to her seat in Westminster Abbey's South Lantern? And if not Andrew's whose? Because for all the simplicity of her choice, the consequences would reverberate far beyond the perimeter of the ancient Abbey. That the Duke of York should have every right to pay homage to his father at yesterday's service was never in doubt. What was uncomfortable for other senior family figures, we understand, was how close he should be to the heart of the action. In all her 70 years on the throne, was this perhaps the most challenging decision she has had to make as Queen? That it would have to be taken on a day brimming with such personal significance as the memorial service for her beloved Philip surely only added to its complexity The question itself was a relatively simple one: should she take Prince Andrew's arm for the short walk from her car to her seat in Westminster Abbey's South Lantern? That the Duke of York should have every right to pay homage to his father at yesterday's service was never in doubt. What was uncomfortable for other senior family figures, we understand, was how close he should be to the heart of the action Sitting with his daughters in the largely anonymous second tier of family members was one thing, striding centre stage as his mother's liegeman was potentially perilous. Here, remember was a man who had been banished from royal life, stripped of his honorary military titles and other patronages, and forced to relinquish the style 'His Royal Highness' in any official capacity. Exiled, in effect, after reportedly paying 12million to settle his sex-abuse lawsuit. And as the Mail reports today, his proximity to the Queen at yesterday's thanksgiving has provoked dismay at the Palace. Officials are wary of any softening of the position of no return to royal duties for the Duke of York. One insider spoke of a fear of 'mission creep' that having taken so prominent a position at the memorial, Andrew might start appearing at other national events such as June's Jubilee celebrations. So what should we make of the prince's enhanced position yesterday? Certainly he appeared at times to cut an uncomfortable figure, jaw clenched and eyes flickering from side to side as he slowed to match the unhurried pace of the Queen. Officials are wary of any softening of the position of no return to royal duties for the Duke of York. One insider spoke of a fear of 'mission creep' that having taken so prominent a position at the memorial, Andrew might start appearing at other national events such as June's Jubilee celebrations Such a powerful and public endorsement would also suggest that she wanted to remind people he had not admitted any wrongdoing and, for all the repulsiveness of the Jeffrey Epstein affair, he had not been found guilty of anything but gross misjudgment On the surface it appeared the Queen had made a gesture of extraordinary maternal graciousness. It showed that her love for her favourite son was undimmed and that she believed in him. Such a powerful and public endorsement would also suggest that she wanted to remind people he had not admitted any wrongdoing and, for all the repulsiveness of the Jeffrey Epstein affair, he had not been found guilty of anything but gross misjudgment. Perhaps this was the Queen putting motherhood ahead of monarchy. Over the years she has been criticised for placing her duties to the Crown ahead of her family. Here then was the most powerful of reminders that, for all her devotion to service, being a mother is a higher purpose. But this does present a danger for the royals: one of misunderstanding. Andrew's appearance alongside his mother comes only weeks after the Queen publicly expressed her wishes that the Duchess of Cornwall should in time be made Queen Consort. People now know that the crowning of Camilla is the will of the Queen. It is entirely possible that, in the same way, people will accept her approval of Andrew. Naturally some wonder if this shows a road to a future redemption for Andrew. If, at her request, people can accept the idea of Camilla as Queen, was this the monarch's way of asking people to show a measure of forgiveness for her son? But the optics of the occasion yesterday have prompted some expressions of unease. After watching the duke accompany his mother, Nazir Afzal, former chief crown prosecutor for north-west England, bitingly commented: 'I'm all for rehabilitation but it starts with facing justice, accepting responsibility and working to rebuild victims' confidence. None of that is present here so far.' Perhaps, but this fails to take into account the special place Andrew has in the Queen's life and heart. Both she and Prince Philip were immensely proud of his long Royal Navy service and, in particular, his bravery in the Falklands War 40 years ago, when he flew helicopter decoy missions, luring Argentine missiles away from the British fleet. He has also been the most steadfast of sons. During the long months of Covid bubbles and the decline and death of Philip, Andrew was his mother's most consistent supporter. When her own health suffered, he was regularly in attendance at Windsor Castle, not far from his own home of Royal Lodge. For months his brothers and Princess Anne were grateful for his attentiveness and that his proximity to the castle meant he could spend time with their mother. There was one other significant factor in yesterday's royal tableau. Had it not been Andrew at her side, and the Queen wanted a family member to escort her, the choices were either Prince Charles, Prince William or Prince Edward. But all three princes had their own families at the Abbey, while the divorced Andrew in the absence of his ex-wife was unaccompanied. According to the order of service, he was due to take his seat alongside his daughters, Beatrice and Eugenie, who arrived with their husbands. This indicates his role may not have been planned or even widely known. Aides suggested the Queen would have been content for a member of the Abbey clergy to guide her to her seat. But it is entirely characteristic of her to prefer the familiarity of her own family for such a task. What yesterday demonstrated above all was the Queen's remarkable will. Her will to be at the service, her refusal to use a wheelchair or to be hidden away from view. And if it was her will to have Andrew at her side, then so be it. In Edinburgh green they honoured Prince Philip through his official colour: ROBERT HARDMAN observes a poignant day as loved ones can finally pay tribute to the Duke of Edinburgh Normally, a discreet word would ensure that there was no wardrobe clash between the senior royal ladies and the Monarch at a major state occasion. Not so yesterday. Very touchingly, it was a case of the opposite. For there, in the royal front row at Westminster Abbey, we saw the Princess Royal, the Duchess of Cornwall and the Queen herself all dressed in what is known as 'Edinburgh green'. It had been the Duke's official colour on everything from staff liveries to cars (and even the old London taxi he used to drive around the capital). Here was just one of so many delightful homages to the great man yesterday as loved ones, friends and admirers from every facet of his extraordinary life were finally able to come together and pay the full tribute denied him at his funeral. Ahead of this service, there had been one question on all their minds: would Her Majesty feel up to joining them? Right on time came the answer as the state trumpeters of the Household Cavalry marched out on to the High Altar to announce that the Sovereign had drawn up outside. Front L to R: The Queen stands with Prince Charles, Camilla Duchess of Cornwall, Anne Princess Royal, Vice Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence, Prince Andrew Duke of York, Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex, his wife Sophie, Countess of Wessex, Lady Louise Mountbatten-Windsor, James, Viscount Severn. Behind is L to R: Prince William, Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, Peter Phillips, Isla Phillips, Savannah Phillips, Mia Tindall, Zara Tindall and Mike Tindall. They were attending a service of thanksgiving for late Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh She entered by the shortest possible route, walking up the South Transept with the aid of a stick, as had been expected. What had not been expected was that, of all those to whom she might turn for support, she would be escorted by the Duke of York. He was making his first public appearance since paying off his US courtroom accuser and his subsequent ostracism from royal and public life. No one, of course, could begrudge him his place at the heart of a family service to salute his late father. However, despite the best efforts of senior royal officials to ensure that the Duke stuck to the original plan, arriving with his daughters and his siblings, he had apparently been dead set on this revised arrangement. If it was bound to distract attention from the main focus of the ceremony, no one was going to countermand what had clearly been agreed with the Queen. , As it was, she seemed in little need of physical support anyway. She moved at a stately pace up the aisle, before taking her seat next to the Prince of Wales. She then parked her stick to her right and her handbag to her left. During all the hymns, she rose unaided, knew all the words and, by the end, had dispensed with her spectacles. Gleaming out from her lapel was her beloved 'scarab brooch', the one the Duke gave her in 1966. Just behind her were five of her great-grandchildren, all enchantingly wide-eyed at their first experience of a state occasion. Historians may later record this as the first official greeting line for a future King. The Queen at her husband Prince Philip's memorial service Prince George and Princess Charlotte handled the long line of fully robed clergy with aplomb as well as a smile, eye contact and a firm handshake. To the Queen's front and left were all those international royal houses to whom the Duke was not just a much-loved ally but, in many cases, directly related (as a former Prince of Greece and Denmark). Four kings, five queens (not including our own) plus assorted crown princes and princesses were a reminder of the old joke that the Duke was 'more royal than the royals'. Opposite the royal pews were the Duke's more immediate family, the grandchildren of his sisters. They included Prince Philipp and Princess Xenia of Hohenlohe-Langenburg, Bernhard, the Hereditary Prince of Baden and assorted members of the House of Hesse. Alongside them were British political leaders, including the Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, and the Foreign Secretary, Liz Truss. With the Defence Secretary on Ukraine duty, his place was taken by the MoD Minister of State, Jeremy Quin, who is also a member of the Admiralty Board. All in all, more than 1,500 guests packed the Abbey for the event that never was in 2021. They ranged from the Kings of Spain and Holland to representatives of bodies including the Scottish Youth Hostels Association, the Pakistan Society and the Caravan Club. The prevailing Covid restrictions, famously, had reduced last April's funeral to that majestically pared-down gathering of just 30 at St George's Chapel, Windsor. It could include none of the 992 organisations from all over the world of which the Duke had been a proud patron or member. True, the Duke had never been keen on a memorial service, always believing that his achievements should be left to speak for themselves. However, the pandemic had also stripped his funeral of several important ceremonial elements which he himself had planned so carefully. It meant that some of his favourite music had been forcibly omitted, including one of his favourite hymns, Guide Me O Thy Great Redeemer. And it precluded any role for some of the local clergy at the royal estates, whom the Duke had come to know so well. So they were all thrown back in the mix, along with something the Duke had certainly not wanted but which the Queen most certainly did: a eulogy. In fact, there were two of them. The first was an upbeat and moving tribute from Doyin Sonibare, 28, whose life had been transformed thanks to the best-known of the Prince Philip's many legacies. Doyin Sonibare, pictured, 28, who took part in the Duke of Edinburgh's Award scheme Having embarked on the Duke of Edinburgh's Award scheme as a 15-year-old East London schoolgirl, she had completed her gold award by 18. The experience, which included voluntary work in Gambia, had given her the self-confidence to aim high in the job market, despite not having a degree. 'On reflection, I never thought I could do half of the things I have done in the last decade, yet I've been able to do so because of the opportunities presented to me,' she explained. Today, she is not only an advertising account executive but also studying for a PhD at Brunel University. She was wearing the Gold Award brooch which she had received from the Earl of Wessex and was also loyally dressed in Edinburgh green, although she insisted afterwards that this was just a 'crazy coincidence'. The formal address came from the Dean of Windsor, the Rt Rev David Conner. 'I am not sure that Prince Philip had much time for the theological controversies that divide people. His faith was a heartfelt trust in a loving God,' he said, 'such trust, such hope, as could unite people in a common endeavour.' The Duke had known successive Deans of Windsor as old friends. One of them, Robin Woods, had helped him build his theological retreat, St George's House, in the heart of Windsor Castle. Another, Michael Mann, had enjoyed such enthusiastic theological jousting with the Duke that their long letters to one another were eventually published as a book called 'A Windsor Correspondence'. Having been in post now for 24 years, David Conner could be said to have known the Duke as well as any of them. 'Like the rest of us,' he went on, 'he was part of flawed humanity. Unlike most of us however, he was one of those rare people who remained true to, and guided by, what you might call 'an inner spiritual compass'.' Ms Sonibare talking to the Queen at Prince Philip's memorial service One of the first duties which the Queen had given the Duke on her accession was running all the royal estates. Though he never said so, he was always proud of the job he did with all of them. So, the clergy from all of them had been invited to say a prayer yesterday. Unfortunately, a last-minute Covid diagnosis meant that the poor rector of Sandringham was stuck at home. The music especially the hymns was every bit as sublime as the Duke had wanted. And afterwards, the Queen left in manifestly good spirits. She paused, with a big smile, to thank Miss Sonibare for her kind words before returning directly to Windsor, accompanied yet again by the Duke of York. The various family groups then boarded a fleet of buses. The European royals were taken to St James's Palace for a reception with the Prince of Wales and other members of the family. The German cousinhood who had assembled before the service at Buckingham Palace were bussed down to Windsor Castle for lunch with the Dean. The Duke's sisters, who had all married German nobility, had all been debarred from the Duke's wedding in 1947, on the grounds that it was too soon after the end of the Second World War. He had remained devoted to them and their offspring, however. All the royal children and grandchildren have grown up close to their network of little-known continental cousins. Just three representatives of this broad diaspora had been able to attend his funeral. Yesterday, there were 31. As well as lunch, they were all given their chance, at long last, to pay their respects at the spot where Uncle Philip now rests beneath St George's Chapel. The Prince of Wales was then due to join them all for tea. Like everyone else in the Abbey, they found yesterday to be a glorious completion of that sad, unfinished business, left over from April 2021. 'A very special occasion beautifully enacted,' reflected Commodore Anthony Morrow, the last captain of the Royal Yacht, on his way out of the Abbey. 'We all just felt very honoured to be a part of it.' The White House and Pentagon suggested Tuesday that Russian President Vladimir Putin was bluffing after Russia announced a drawdown of troops near the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv. 'I think we should be clear eyed about the reality of what's happening on the ground and no one should be fooled by Russia's announcements,' said White House communications director Kate Bedingfield, standing in for press secretary Jen Psaki and deputy press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, who both tested positive for COVID-19. 'We believe any movement of forces around here is a redeployment and not a withdrawal, and the world should be prepared for a major offensive against other areas of Ukraine,' Bedingfield added. Pentagon spokesman John Kirby sang a similar tune saying Tuesday, 'We ought not be fooling - and nobody should be fooling ourselves by the Kremlins now recent claim that it will suddenly reduce military attacks near Kyiv or any reports that its going to withdraw all of its forces.' Earlier, President Joe Biden asserted a wait-and-see approach when asked about Russia's announcement during a 'press statement' alongside Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. White House Director of Communications Kate Bedingfield said 'nobody should be fooled by Russia's announcement' as she subbed in at Tuesday's press briefing for press secretary Jen Psaki and her deputy Karine Jean-Pierre, who are both out with COVID-19 The Pentagon was also skeptical of Russia's announcement that there would be a drawdown of forces near Ukraine's capital of Kyiv. Russian President Vladimir Putin is photographed in Moscow last week Ukrainians wait to board a train as they leave the western parts of the country Tuesday, amid Russian President Vladimir Putin's assault on their country 'We'll see, I don't read anything into it until I see what their actions are. We'll see if they follow through with what they're suggesting,' Biden answered. He noted that negotiations were continuing throughout Tuesday, as he spoke with European leaders, including U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi earlier in the morning. 'There seems to be a consensus that - let's just see what they have to offer,' Biden said. 'We'll find out what they do, but in the meantime we're going to continue to keep strong the sanctions, we're going to continue to provide the Ukrainian military with their capacity to defend themselves, and we're going to continue to keep a close eye on what's going on.' Biden's comments to the press came one day after he tried to explain what he meant when he said Saturday in Warsaw that Russian President Vladimir Putin 'cannot remain in power.' That Q&A session led to more head-scratching, as Biden said he was expressing his 'moral outrage' when he made the unscripted remark, but clarified he wasn't calling on regime change. President Joe Biden took one question from a reporter during a 'press statement' he made alongside Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong (left) and President Joe Biden (right) participated in a press statement event Tuesday afternoon at the White House Reporters pointed out that Biden's comments could inadvertently be used by Russia to justify further escalation. 'Nobody believes I was talkinga bout taking down Putin ... nobody believes that,' Biden answered Monday. 'I was expressing my outrage at the behavior of this man.' Biden kept his appearance alongside Lee Tuesday in the Oval Office short and scripted, keeping a notecard balanced on his lap. 'The rules-based order is facing unprecedented challenges,' Biden said, seated alongside the Singaporean leader. 'Russia's unprovoked and unjustifiable war against Ukraine is an urgent threat to both Europe and I believe the Indo-Pacific as well.' Biden noted that 'borders can't be changed by force' and said every nation, large and small, had the 'rights to their sovereignty.' 'I want to thank you, Mr. Prime Minister, for Singapore's principled leadership in supporting the people of Ukraine,' the American president continued. 'I know it's not easy, but I want to thank you for it. You're a man of principle and you've stepped up every time that you've had to.' Singapore stands out in the region by joining the United States and Western allies in sanctioning Russia for its actions against Ukraine. Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong (left) meets with President Joe Biden (right) Tuesday in the Oval Office President Joe Biden (pictured) entertains Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on an unseasonably cold day in March Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong of Singapore speaks at the top of his meeting with President Joe Biden Tuesday in the Oval Office Biden - sitting in front of a blazing fire, as Tuesday was an unseasonably cold day for March in D.C. - said the two leaders would discuss the U.S.-ASEAN relationship, 'freedom of the seas' - code for China's claims in the South China Sea - promoting a return to democracy in Burma and sustainable economic growth between the two nations. Lee thanked Biden for receiving him at 'this special moment in world affairs.' 'I'm sure you're completely seized with what's happening in Europe right now,' Lee said. Lee called Singapore a 'very good partner' to the United States. 'And our relations are doing very well,' the prime minister added. 'We will, of course, exchange views also on Ukraine and what that means for Asia Pacific region,' Lee said. After the meeting, as they appeared together in the East Room, the leaders made clear that Ukraine and Russia dominated the conversation, but other issues -including North Korea's latest weapons testing - were also discussed. 'Today with the prime minister's visit and Singapore's strong leadership on this issue, it's clear that Putin's war is unacceptable to nations in every region of the world - not just Europe but every region of the world,' Biden said. 'We cannot condone any country arguing that another country's independence is a result of historical errors and crazy decisions,' Singapore's Prime Minister Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said Tuesday from the East Room He also said of Lee: 'Both you and Singapore punch way above your weight - way above your weight.' In return Lee thanked Biden for the 'very warm welcome.' 'Singapore's a staunch supporter of international law and the U.N. charter, which prohibits acts of aggression against a sovereign state. And that's why we've strongly condemned the unprovoked attack by Russia on Ukraine,' Singapore's prime minister said. He called Russia's intrusion into Ukraine 'unacceptable.' 'We cannot condone any country arguing that another country's independence is a result of historical errors and crazy decisions,' Lee said. Lee also talked about how the conflict in Ukraine could have repurcussions in the Asia-Pacific, where certain territorial disputes could 'escalate to open conflict.' 'Countries with interests in the region need to pursue all efforts to settle disagreements through peaceful means so that we can avoid reaching a point of no return,' Lee said, encouraging 'open chanels of dialogue' between countries, including at the leader level. To Biden he said there were 'many friends in the region who want you to stay actively and consistently engaged.' Lee was the first leader of a member nation of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations to visit Biden's White House. Biden was supposed to travel to Asia later this spring for an ASEAN meeting, but that trip is now delayed due to scheduling conflicts. 'We're disappointed but we are very committed to looking for ways in which we can find a good time to schedule this,' the official said. Biden will, however, host a summit of ASEAN leaders at the White House later in the spring. Vice President Kamala Harris visited Singapore in August. Lee will also visit with Harris Tuesday. Lee spent time Monday at the Pentagon with Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin. Biden and Lee last met on the sidelines of the G20 in Rome in October. Scott Morrison has been grilled in a tense interview on morning TV with Allison Langdon taking him to task over his big spending budget and accusations by one of his own female Senators that he's a 'bully'. The Today show host asked if last night's Budget is more about 'winning' the upcoming election than addressing skyrocketing cost of living pressures. The Prime Minister awkwardly fended off the pointed question as he gets set to call a federal election within days. At the centre of Mr Morrison's generous Budget was a major cut to fuel excise tax - set to save motorists about $300 on average over the next six months, a $420 handout for low and middle-income earners and a $1500 tax break for anyone earning under $126,000. The government is also shelling out about $21billion on extra road, rail, communications and business support for regional Australia. Scott Morrison has been grilled in a tense interview on morning TV with Allison Langdon (pictured) taking him to task over his big spending budget and accusations by one of his own female Senators that he's a 'bully' 'This is about the cost of living pressures that Australians are facing and they need support now,' Mr Morrison said on Wednesday. Langdon replied: 'With this budget are you addressing the cost of living or just the cost of winning?' 'These fixes are temporary,' she went on to say. 'Youve got this one-off payment and the six-month time frame on the fuel excise cuts. Are you expecting fuel and grocery prices to be affordable in six months time when the relief runs out? 'No. its about the cost of living,' the Prime Minister responded. At the centre of Mr Morrison's generous Budget was a major cut to fuel excise tax - set to save motorists about $300 on average over the next six months. Pictured: A Sydney motorists at the bowser 'The Treasury papers shows in the Budget 'we are expecting the cost of fuel to drop over that six months.' He said, it doesn't need to be election time for the government to offer economic relief, citing the implementation of the JobKeeper subsidy payment scheme to ease cost of living pressures during the Covid pandemic. 'Right now there is a need because of what has happened with fuel prices. When fuel prices go up, the cost of food goes up.' Mr Morrison was also put on the spot after a Liberal Senator launched an extraordinary attack on the nation's leader describing him as unfit to be PM, a bully and an autocrat. The Prime Minister said rising fuel prices are driving the cost of food up for Australians. Pictured: A Sydney shopper Concetta Fierravanti-Wells laid into Mr Morrison during a late night appearance on the Senate floor on Tuesday evening, hours after the Budget was handed down. 'One of your own slammed you last night.. Basically saying you're a bully,' Langdon said. The PM did his best to tip-toe around the 'brutal' claims. 'I dont agree with that. She has been similarly disappointed in the past with my predecessors,' Mr Morrison said. 'There were 500 people who turned up from the Liberal Party on the weekend who made their choice about who they wanted to endorse for their Senate ticket in NSW. 'She was disappointed and when people are disappointed they will say things and I understand that.' Mr Morrison was also put on the spot by Allison Langdon (left) after a Liberal Senator launched an extraordinary attack on Mr Morrison (right) describing him as unfit to be PM, a bully and an autocrat Speaking under the protection of parliamentary privilege, Ms Fierravanti-Wells said: 'He (the Prime Minister) is adept at running with the foxes and hunting with the hounds, lacking a moral compass and having no conscience. 'In my public life, I have met ruthless people. Morrison tops the list, followed closely by (party powerbroker and Immigration Minister Alex) Hawke. 'Morrison is not fit to be Prime Minister and Hawke is certainly not fit to be a minister.' Ms Fierravanti-Wells was recently dropped to an unwinnable spot on the Coalition's Senate ticket for the Federal election. The election date is expected to be announced in days, meaning her 17-year parliamentary career is rapidly coming to an end - at least for now. During her spray, the senator claimed Liberal supporters are despairing at the party's prospects, 'and they blame Morrison for this'. The senator's speech was an unwelcome surprise for Prime Minister Scott Morrison (above, watching Josh Frydenberg's Budget speech) 'It is his way or the highway - (he's) an autocrat, a bully who has no moral compass,' she said. The outgoing Liberal also told Parliament Mr Morrison made racist comments during his preselection for the seat of Cook in 2007. 'I'm advised that there are several statutory declarations to attest to racial comments made by Morrison at the time that we "can't have a Lebanese person in court".' Ms Fierravanti-Wells also claimed there is a 'putrid stench of corruption emanating from the NSW division' of the party. She alleged Mr Morrison and Mr Hawke had deliberately contrived a crisis in the NSW branch of the Liberal party for the past year so they could have their own candidates installed. 'I am appalled (party president Philip Ruddock) has allowed Morrison to bully his way to a situation where the next election has been put at risk all to save Hawke's career.' Mr Hawke was facing a preselection challenge for his own seat of Mitchell but was re-endorsed. Tasmanian Greens Senator Peter Whish-Wilson was left stunned by the MP's evening tirade. 'Holy smokes,' he said. Senator Fierravanti-Wells' Senate spray cast a pall over the government on an evening where the Earlier this week, Senator Fierravanti-Wells took aim at the 'Liberal sisterhood' for failing to speak out against toxic parliamentary culture. She referenced the death of Labor senator Kimberley Kitching to a heart attack at age 52 and how she was ostracised by Labor's so-called 'mean girls'. 'We both had factional enemies who desperately wanted to see us defeated and they worked very hard at it,' she said. 'We were both outspoken and not constrained by prevalent groupthink within our political parties.' A Russian-owned superyacht worth 38million was detained yesterday by the UKs anti-kleptocracy unit. The 192ft vessel, which boasts a freshwater swimming pool and an infinite wine cellar, was boarded by officers from the National Crime Agency hours before it was due to leave Canary Wharf, in east London. UK investigators believe the boat, called Phi, belongs to a Russian businessman named Sergei Georgievich Naumenko. The NCA said Phi, which was in London for an awards ceremony, is registered to a company registered in the Caribbean islands of St Kitts and Nevis, and carried Maltese flags to deliberately hide its origins. It is the first ever yacht to be detained in UK waters due to sanctions. Seized: Officials board Phi, pictured, in Canary Wharf yesterday, which is owned by a Russian businessman The 192ft vessel, pictured, which boasts a freshwater swimming pool and an infinite wine cellar, was boarded by officers from the National Crime Agency hours before it was due to leave Canary Wharf, in east London UK investigators believe the boat, called Phi, belongs to a Russian businessman named Sergei Georgievich Naumenko. Pictured: The National Crime Agency during the seizure Will it fit in my super marina? Price: 38million Delivered: December 2021 Length: 192ft Weight: 499 tonnes Decks: 3 Top speed: 25mph Range: 4,600 miles Guests: 12 Crew: 11 Features: 23ft 16-tonne capacity fresh-water pool 300-bottle infinite wine cellar, external lighting powered by lasers and a mile of optical fibre cables Two speedboat tenders and a Smart car carried on separate 118ft shadow vessel, Phi Phantom Advertisement Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said the move turned an icon of Russias power and wealth into a clear and stark warning to Putin and his cronies. She features a freshwater swimming pool and a 300-bottle infinite wine cellar, so-called because the reflection between two mirrors gives the effect of looking down an endless corridor of wine bottles. The Greek letter Phi is used to indicate a mathematical theory called the golden ratio, which is said to appear in nature and, some believe, represents beauty. But mystery remained over the precise reason Phi had been detained because Mr Naumenko does not appear on sanctions lists. Phi was first identified as being potentially Russian owned on March 13. Investigators were left questioning how the wealth of the small fry businessman, who is understood to work in property, matched the value of the custom-built superyacht. But a source said the boat had been impounded over concerns a wealthy oligarch was actually being shielded by a pretend owner. The boats captain Guy Booth, from Worthing, West Sussex, has previously said that the owner is an experienced yachtsman and told friends on Facebook that Phi did not have a Russian owner. A Government source said: This yacht detention is the product of weeks of enquiries, spanning the world. It is the oligarch equivalent of the Russian matryoshka doll where each layer conceals another, and then another. Yesterday officials in Sardinia seized a 500,000 bullet and explosive-proof Mercedes Maybach limousine, owned by Alisher Usmanov, the former Arsenal shareholder. A superyacht owned by sanctioned Russian Alexei Mordashov has sailed 5,000 miles from the Seychelles and will soon reach Russias eastern port of Vladivostok, 80 miles from the border with North Korea. White House communications director Kate Bedingfield said that the press office has no way of controlling what comes out of President Biden's mouth, prompting their efforts to backtrack after he said that Vladimir Putin 'cannot remain in power.' The president alarmed allies and partners on Saturday when he said at the end of a speech in Warsaw: 'For God's sake, this man cannot remain in power.' The White House quickly tried to walk back the comments, saying the president meant Putin could not continue to wield power over neighbors. Asked why the White House put out a statement walking back Biden's remarks just 45 minutes later, Bedingfield offered: 'I can tell you from working for President Biden for seven years that only President Biden decides what President Biden is going to say.' 'The statement was only a confirmation ... that that statement did not represent an official policy change,' she added. After Biden's shock remarks other Western leaders said they feared that any hint of regime change might make it harder for Putin to dial back his deadly war in Ukraine. Biden was asked about the comments after he unveiled his 2023 budget at the White House on Monday afternoon. 'Number one, I'm not walking anything back,' he said. 'The fact of the matter is, I was expressing the moral outrage I felt toward the way Putin is dealing ... and the actions of this man, which is just brutality.' Biden, 79, said he was not concerned that his comments would escalate tensions over the war in Ukraine. 'This is just stating a simple fact, that this kind of behavior is totally unacceptable,' he said. Asked why the White House put out a statement walking back Biden's remarks just 45 minutes later, Communications Director Kate Bedingfield offered: 'I can tell you from working for President Biden for seven years that only President Biden decides what President Biden is going to say.' But he faced a barrage of questions from reporters attempting to clarify his position and whether he had blundered. Eagle-eyed photo and video journalists spotted the president holding a cue card where anticipated questions and the appropriate answers had been typed up for him. The notes read: 'If you weren't advocating for regime change, what did you mean? Can you clarify? 'I was expressing the moral outrage I felt towards the actions of this man. 'I was not articulating a change in policy.' He was asked whether he had misspoken repeatedly by at one stage sounding as if he was telling U.S. troops they were about to go to Ukraine, as if he was suggesting the U.S. might use chemical weapons, and as if he was calling for regime change. 'None of the three occurred,' he said. Biden's cue card had also anticipated a question about the reaction from the French president, Emmanuel Macron. Macron said on Sunday that he would not have used Biden's words, adding that he saw his task as 'achieving first a ceasefire and then the total withdrawal of [Russian] troops by diplomatic means'. He told broadcaster France 3: 'If we want to do that, we can't escalate in either words or actions.' Biden's notes read: 'Is this now threatening to splinter unity with your NATO allies?' The president on Monday was seen holding a cue card in his left hand as he addressed reporters President Joe Biden refused on Monday to walk back his Saturday comments about not allowing President Vladimir Putin of Russia to stay in power, but faced a barrage of questions from reporters The answer Biden had ready stated: 'No. NATO has never been more united.' On Friday Biden told U.S. troops in Poland that they would see the courage of Ukrainians 'when you're there' - prompting a White House official to make clear to reporters that he was not suggesting Americans were about to be deployed to the war-torn country. Biden's comments were seized on by the Kremlin and President Vladimir Putin's allies. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters: 'This is a statement that is certainly alarming' And last week, Biden said N.A.T.O. would respond 'in kind' if Russian forces used chemical weapons - forcing another official to clarify that the U.S. had no intention of using chemical weapons. On Monday Biden also rejected the idea that his words could have escalated tensions over Ukraine. 'Nobody believes... I was talking about taking down Putin,' he said, adding: 'The last thing I want to do is engage in a land war or a nuclear war with Russia." Instead he insisted he was expressing an 'aspiration' rather than a goal of American foreign policy. 'People like this shouldn't be ruling countries. But they do,' he said. 'The fact they do doesn't mean I can't express my outrage about it.' The White House had already tried clean-up. It said the crucial nine words were not part of his scripted speech. 'The president's point was that Putin cannot be allowed to exercise power over his neighbors or the region. He was not discussing Putin's power in Russia, or regime change,' a White House official said. Joe Biden was mocked online on Monday for using a printed 'cheat sheet' of answers to expected questions when he faced the media to discuss the Ukraine war. Biden was in Poland on Saturday and declared in Warsaw that Vladimir Putin 'cannot remain in power' before flying back to Washington, DC. Asked on Monday about his remarks, which many saw as advocating for regime change, the 79-year-old president referred to a typed cue card for hints. He said he made 'no apologies' for his remarks, made off the cuff and not part of his prepared speech. 'It's more an aspiration than anything. He shouldn't be in power. There's no I mean, people like this shouldn't be ruling countries, but they do. The fact is they do, but it doesn't mean I can't express my outrage about it,' he said as he held the cheat sheet in his left hand. 'I was talking to the Russian people. The last part of the speech was talking to the Russian people, telling them what we thought.' The notes read: 'If you weren't advocating for regime change, what did you mean? Can you clarify? 'I was expressing the moral outrage I felt towards the actions of this man. 'I was not articulating a change in policy.' Biden had also anticipated a question about the reaction from the French president, Emmanuel Macron. Macron said on Sunday that he would not have used Biden's words, adding that he saw his task as 'achieving first a ceasefire and then the total withdrawal of [Russian] troops by diplomatic means'. He told broadcaster France 3: 'If we want to do that, we can't escalate in either words or actions.' Biden's notes read: 'Is this now threatening to splinter unity with your NATO allies?' The answer Biden had ready stated: 'No. NATO has never been more united.' Biden regularly uses cue cards, and was photographed frequently with them on the campaign trail and in office. He often took from his pocket the daily totals of COVID cases, which he referenced regularly. He also used them to give precise details at a Town Hall before the election, as he fielded a question about taxes. 'I carry this card with me,' Biden said, referencing the card. He used several cheat sheets during his first presidential press conference, including one with the headshots and names of reporters he planned to call on. Biden also utilized notes during a 2021 summit with Putin, while touring the damage of Hurricane Ida in Louisiana and while calling on reporters at the G20 summit in Rome. 'I'll take your questions, and as usual, folks, they gave me a list of the people I'm going to call on,' Biden told the assembled media at the November forum. Biden delivered his controversial remarks right at the end of his three-day trip to Europe, at the end of a speech in the Polish capital Warsaw on Saturday. The White House then had to walk back his comments and insisted he wasn't advocating for regime change On Monday, Kentucky Senator Rand Paul took issue with Biden's use of the cue cards, and his off-the-cuff remarks about Putin. Paul questioned Biden's acuity, saying the aging president's remarks were a threat to national security. 'A lot of times when you're around somebody who's in cognitive decline, you find yourself trying to help them with a sentence, trying to help them complete it - but we shouldn't have to do that for the commander-in-chief,' he told Fox News. 'And, it is actually a national security risk because he's sending signals that no one in their right mind would want to send to Russia at this point. 'We aren't trying to replace Putin in Russia. We aren't trying to have regime change. We're not sending troops into Ukraine, and we're not going to respond in kind with chemical weapons.' Some have fled the bombs while others have sheltered in basements, but when you have a disability, neither is an easy option. For wheelchair user Vitaly, getting to safety came with added challenges especially since he refused to leave his cat behind. But he has now escaped from the hell of Ukraine, with help from the Red Cross, whose work is partly funded by donations from generous Daily Mail readers. Vitaly, his fiancee Valentyna, her mother Svitlana and their cat Timosha come from the city of Chernihiv in northern Ukraine. Ukrainian wheelchair-user Vitaly, his fiancee Valentyna her mother Svitlana and cat Timosha (pictured together in Italy) found refuge in Italy with the help of the Mail Force Ukraine Appeal which has raised 9.1million They lived on the fifth floor but the electricity supply was cut, stopping the lifts from working. While other residents sheltered from bombardments in the basement, Vitaly was not always able to join them, although sometimes kind neighbours would carry him to the underground refuge. But with no water or heating, the family eventually decided it was too risky to stay in Chernihiv. Humanitarian groups helped them to move to Kyiv, where they spent two days, before moving to Lviv in western Ukraine. Firefighters putting out a fire after Russian missiles strikes to infrastructure including a fuel storage facility on the western Ukrainian city of Lviv on March 26 Ukrainian servicemen take cover behind a military armored vehicle as they walk towards the battlefield east of Kyiv From there, the Red Cross organised transport for evacuation to Italy. Millions of refugees, mostly women and children, have now fled Ukraine and are being given temporary new homes in countries across Europe. The Mail Force Ukraine Appeal was launched a month ago and has raised 9.1million. The first 500,000 came from a donation by DMGT, the Mail's parent company, at the request of Lord and Lady Rothermere. Since then, donations have flooded in from readers, firms and philanthropists. Stanley Solts, of Bromley, south-east London, wrote a cheque for 100, and wrote: 'I was horrified to see the children in the shelter. 'It reminded me of the time in my childhood when I was taken by my mother and grandparents to the London Tube to avoid the Blitz in 1940. Keep up the good works.' Senior ministers are to hold daily crisis meetings to get Britains beleaguered schemes for Ukrainian refugees back on track. Priti Patel, the Home Secretary, and Michael Gove, the Communities Secretary, will chair the sessions with senior officials running the widely criticised Homes for Ukraine programme. More than 200,000 kind-hearted British families have volunteered to open their homes to Ukrainians fleeing the war, but many have been left angered and frustrated by swathes of red tape. Home Secretary Priti Patel will begin holding crisis meetings after UK's schemes to take in refugees from Ukraine have been constricted by red tape Michael Gove, the Communities Secretary, will chair the sessions alongside Priti Patel, after 200,000 families volunteered their homes to house Ukrainian refugees - but very few visa have been granted for them Although the number of completed applications is thought to have topped 30,000, just 2,000 visas have been handed out to Ukrainians by the Home Office, latest figures show. It comes as the new refugees minister Lord Harrington is due to appear before MPs in the Commons today with an update on progress. A Government source said that 300 officials were now working on processing the deluge of applications including night shifts and weekend working. Meanwhile, an extra 200 high-security Firecrest computer terminals needed to process the sensitive details have also been deployed. The process of approving applications has also been redesigned to make it quicker, Whitehall sources said. The Home Office is working flat out to streamline processes while maintaining vital security checks to make it easier for Ukrainians to come to the UK, the source said. The number of visas being granted under Homes for Ukraine should start to ramp up at the end of this week. New refugee minister, Lord Harrington (pictured) told MPs two weeks ago that he thought thousands of evacuees would have already arrived by now Combining Homes for Ukraine with a separate scheme for refugees who have family links to the UK, more than 25,000 people have now been offered sanctuary here. It means the Government has set up one of the fastest and biggest visa programmes in British history, the source said. Earlier this week the Daily Mail reported widespread frustration and growing panic in Whitehall at the slow pace of the Homes for Ukraine programme. Now most of that irritation is being directed at Miss Patels department, which processes refugees visas and oversees the vetting of applicants. One source said ministers were clear they have to start delivering on this, or risked alienating thousands of British voters who are desperate to help. Max Fox, 32, welcomed Ukrainian refugee Vlad, 26 - who he met while helping with humanitarian aid efforts in Poland - to the UK as he landed at Manchester Airport this week Lord Harrington told MPs two weeks ago that he expected thousands of evacuees would have arrived through the Homes for Ukraine scheme by now. The number to have actually made it here has not yet been released by the Government, but is thought to be in the hundreds. The Home Secretary has repeatedly stressed the importance of maintaining a rigorous visa application system for national security reasons. Although the vast majority of people fleeing Ukraine are women and children, Miss Patel has said that it would be naive and misguided to think Russian agents could not be among them. A full Government-backed system to match hosts with evacuees is due to be announced soon. But until then, volunteers can pair up informally with Ukrainians and include those details in the Homes for Ukraine online application form. Hosts have been offered a 350-a-month, tax-free thank you from the Government in exchange for taking in refugees for a minimum of six months. The UKs other visa programme, the Ukraine Family Scheme, allowing families to be reunited in Britain, saw a slow start but has now handed out more than 22,000 visas to evacuees. When Ukrainian forces won back control of Rudnytske, a small village 40 miles east of Kyiv, the Russians left them a gift: Three tanks and an armoured personnel carrier. On the other side of the capital, as Ukraines troops pushed to recapture the bitterly contested town of Irpin, they collected a highly-prized BMD-4M: An amphibious infantry fighting vehicle among the pride of Moscows military. The Ukrainians have bragged in recent days of also seizing a secretive advanced electronic warfare system, sophisticated missiles, tanks and other armoured personnel carriers, as well as rocket launchers and scores of rifles. President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Russia has become one of the main suppliers of arms to their enemy We have a lack of supplies but the Russians are providing us with many weapons, said Mamuka Mamulashvili, leader of a group of foreign fighters who participated in Sundays Rudnytske assault alongside local forces. His words echo the mischievous claim of President Volodymyr Zelensky that Russia has become one of the main suppliers of arms to their enemy. They could not imagine such a thing in a nightmare, he said. In a weekend interview, he pleaded with Western allies for more aeroplanes, tanks and armoured personnel vehicles but admitted that his forces were taking a lot from the Russians. Mr Zelensky told The Economist that Ukraine had commandeered 12 or 17 tanks the previous day alone and astonishingly, thanks to this battlefield booty, the defenders may now have more tanks and armoured vehicles than at the wars outset despite their own heavy losses. Yuri Butusov, a well-known Ukrainian military journalist, believes the country is gaining more tanks than it is losing. Putin is supplying Ukraine with more military hardware than the West, he says. Butusov says Ukrainians have captured more than 1,000 pieces of military equipment, including at least 120 tanks, that were either undamaged or are reasonably easy to repair. Butusov says Ukrainians have captured more than 1,000 pieces of military equipment, including at least 120 tanks Some of the equipment needs small repairs, but a lot of the vehicles are fine and our soldiers just take them and drive away, said the journalist, who has posed on social media with a captured Kornet anti-tank guided missile. Other analysts documenting the conflict, using photographic or video evidence to verify equipment losses, believe that Ukraine is capturing almost three times as many tanks and armoured vehicles as the invading forces. But such data is difficult to confirm. And of course, Russia is also pushing propaganda about using weapons captured from Ukraine. Certainly, Ukraine is fighting back fiercely against an army that started with far greater firepower including more than four times as many tanks in its armoury. Ukraine is fighting back fiercely against an army that started with far greater firepower As part of the national resistance effort, from major industrial factories through to small car workshops, many Ukrainian companies are adapting sites and refocusing staff in order to repair and repurpose military equipment captured from Russian forces. To fight, the country has to work, everyone in their place, said defence minister Oleksii Reznikov. Then, finally, the enemy will be killed by their [own] weapons. Yesterday, state-owned defence firm Ukroboronprom claimed to have mastered the repair of Russian trophy equipment with factories now working around the clock to get anti-aircraft missile systems and multiple rocket launchers back onto the battlefield. It is also offering a $1million reward for any aircraft it receives. In cities such as Kyiv and Zhytomyr, mounted machine guns have been stripped from damaged armoured vehicles and handed to car repair shops for conversion into mobile weaponry that can be used by Ukrainian infantry troops. We will remake the weapons so the barrels will be directed at the enemys side, not ours, said Oleksandr Fedchecnko, a garage owner in the capital. A special unit of the territorial defence force is also repairing captured equipment in a Kyiv junkyard, painting the Ukrainian flag over Russian insignia. Yuri Golodov, the units deputy commander, claims to have been responsible for 24 Uragan missiles fired back at Russian forces. Everything that we take away from the Russian army, we transfer to the armed forces of Ukraine, he says. Such battlefield scavenging has long been a feature of wars. In both the Second World War and Falklands War, British soldiers turned captured heavy machine guns on the enemy. More recently, Islamic State captured substantial quantities of US-made equipment after the 2014 fall of Iraqs second-largest city, Mosul. Ben Barry, senior fellow for land warfare at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, said: The Ukrainian military seems to be celebrating their success at being able to seize armoured vehicles and rapidly press them back into service. Yuri Butusov, a well-known Ukrainian military journalist, believes the country is gaining more tanks than it is losing Barry, a former British army brigadier, says such tactics are common when troops in combat use the same equipment. Although Russia has spent heavily to modernise its military under Putin, both sides often still rely on Soviet-era equipment. Captured artillery and military vehicles can also be cannibalised for spare parts and ammunition, relieving pressure on hard-pressed supply chains. Ukrainians have also taken great delight in sharing videos of farmers towing away Russian tanks. Last week, meanwhile, it emerged that retreating Russian forces from Kyivs outskirts failed to destroy a Krasukha-4 command module, which can jam drones and low-orbit satellites as well as track Nato aircraft. Reports said it would be flown to the US for examination. The Ambassador of the European Union, Vincent Degert and a group of experts from the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) currently in Mauritius have handed over the Regulatory Impact Assessment handbook to the Minister of Finance, Economic Planning and Development, Dr Renganaden Padayachy for consideration and approval by the Government. The handbook is a key document for an evidence-based approach to policymaking. The Ambassador of the European Union to the Republic of Mauritius, H.E. Mr Vincent Degert, said: The Regulatory Impact Assessment Handbook developed by the OECD will support the Government in enhancing the efficiency and effectiveness of regulations assessing their effect and reinforcing their implementation. The RIA is a request from the public as well as from the private sector that will have to work together on this process. Last week, an OECD mission is in Mauritius, together with peers from the governments of Germany, Portugal and South Africa, for an extensive capacity-building exercise targeting public officers on how to undertake the Regulatory Impact Assessment (RIA) process. The mission have noted a strong interest and engagement from the public officers in this exercise that also includes peer review and exchanges of experience in implementing RIA systems. The OECD have now finalised their report with clear recommendations on establishing RIA in the national administration as well as a handbook containing practical guidance on how to implement RIA. The Government of Mauritius announced the intention to introduce a RIA framework in Mauritius in the 2019/2020 National Budget, with a view to improving the business environment and promoting Mauritius as an attractive base for trade and investment. The European Union (EU) in partnership with the Government of Mauritius entrusted the OECD with supporting the Government in the development of a Regulatory Impact Assessment (RIA) framework as part of the action under the Economic Partnership Agreement support programme funded by the EU. Consultations with the Government and private sector stakeholders started in early 2019. In order to provide strategic oversight of the project and ensure that the future RIA framework is embedded across the Mauritian administration, a Core Team was established at the outset of the project. The team consists of high-level experts from various ministries, regulatory organisations, public bodies as well as representatives from business and academia. The OECD has also facilitated several workshops to spread awareness amongst policy administrators about the need to develop a whole-of-government instrument for regulatory policy. Following the recommendations of the OECD, the Government announced the implementation of RIA in Mauritius and the setting up of a dedicated RIA Office in the 2021/2022 National Budget. The Honourable Minister of Finance, Economic Planning and Development, Dr Renganaden Padayachy, said: Government is working on the recommendations made by the OECD, including alternatives, and will propose the most appropriate mechanism for establishing a RIA system in Mauritius for better business-related rule making. Any system proposed will have to be approved by the Cabinet. The ultimate aim is to ensure that proper consultation mechanism is put in place and that several options are considered in the policy and rulemaking process, in the interest of the business community and the Mauritian economy. The final decision on Government policies, though, will always be that of the Cabinet. The Economic Partnership Agreement Support Programme : As part of its support programme for the implementation of the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA), the European Union is providing funding to the amount of EUR 11 million (approximately MUR 500 million) to reform and modernise the economy of Mauritius. Under this programme, several key activities have already been successfully launched: i) Set up of an electronic business licensing platform (NELS operated by the Economic Development Board) to allow the private sector operators to receive licenses and permits more quickly, in a single location and at lower costs; ii) Revision of the intellectual property framework that have resulted in the proclamation of the Intellectual Property Act in January 2022. Partager et informez vous aussi...... 0 shares Share Tweet LinkedIn Articles similaires In all her 70 years on the throne, was this perhaps the most challenging decision she has had to make as Queen? That it would have to be taken on a day brimming with such personal significance as the memorial service for her beloved Philip surely only added to its complexity. The question itself was a relatively simple one: should she take Prince Andrews arm for the short walk from her car to her seat in Westminster Abbeys South Lantern? And if not Andrews whose? Because for all the simplicity of her choice, the consequences would reverberate far beyond the perimeter of the ancient Abbey. That the Duke of York should have every right to pay homage to his father at yesterdays service was never in doubt. What was uncomfortable for other senior family figures, we understand, was how close he should be to the heart of the action. Sitting with his daughters in the largely anonymous second tier of family members was one thing, striding centre stage as his mothers liegeman was potentially perilous. Here, remember was a man who had been banished from royal life, stripped of his honorary military titles and other patronages, and forced to relinquish the style His Royal Highness in any official capacity. Exiled, in effect, after reportedly paying 12million to settle his sex-abuse lawsuit. Britain's Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Andrew, right, arrive for a Service of Thanksgiving for the life of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, at Westminster Abbey in London on Tuesday And as the Mail reports today, his proximity to the Queen at yesterdays thanksgiving has provoked dismay at the Palace. Officials are wary of any softening of the position of no return to royal duties for the Duke of York. One insider spoke of a fear of mission creep that having taken so prominent a position at the memorial, Andrew might start appearing at other national events such as Junes Jubilee celebrations. So what should we make of the princes enhanced position yesterday? Certainly he appeared at times to cut an uncomfortable figure, jaw clenched and eyes flickering from side to side as he slowed to match the unhurried pace of the Queen. On the surface it appeared the Queen had made a gesture of extraordinary maternal graciousness. It showed that her love for her favourite son was undimmed and that she believed in him. Such a powerful and public endorsement would also suggest that she wanted to remind people he had not admitted any wrongdoing and, for all the repulsiveness of the Jeffrey Epstein affair, he had not been found guilty of anything but gross misjudgment. Perhaps this was the Queen putting motherhood ahead of monarchy. Over the years she has been criticised for placing her duties to the Crown ahead of her family. Here then was the most powerful of reminders that, for all her devotion to service, being a mother is a higher purpose. But this does present a danger for the royals: one of misunderstanding. Andrews appearance alongside his mother comes only weeks after the Queen publicly expressed her wishes that the Duchess of Cornwall should in time be made Queen Consort. People now know that the crowning of Camilla is the will of the Queen. It is entirely possible that, in the same way, people will accept her approval of Andrew. Naturally some wonder if this shows a road to a future redemption for Andrew. If, at her request, people can accept the idea of Camilla as Queen, was this the monarchs way of asking people to show a measure of forgiveness for her son? But the optics of the occasion yesterday have prompted some expressions of unease. After watching the duke accompany his mother, Nazir Afzal, former chief crown prosecutor for north-west England, bitingly commented: Im all for rehabilitation but it starts with facing justice, accepting responsibility and working to rebuild victims confidence. None of that is present here so far. Perhaps, but this fails to take into account the special place Andrew has in the Queens life and heart. Both she and Prince Philip were immensely proud of his long Royal Navy service and, in particular, his bravery in the Falklands War 40 years ago, when he flew helicopter decoy missions, luring Argentine missiles away from the British fleet. He has also been the most steadfast of sons. During the long months of Covid bubbles and the decline and death of Philip, Andrew was his mothers most consistent supporter. Britain's Queen Elizabeth II is helped into her car by her son Prince Andrew, right, after attending a Service of Thanksgiving for the life of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh at Westminster Abbey in London When her own health suffered, he was regularly in attendance at Windsor Castle, not far from his own home of Royal Lodge. For months his brothers and Princess Anne were grateful for his attentiveness and that his proximity to the castle meant he could spend time with their mother. There was one other significant factor in yesterdays royal tableau. Had it not been Andrew at her side, and the Queen wanted a family member to escort her, the choices were either Prince Charles, Prince William or Prince Edward. But all three princes had their own families at the Abbey, while the divorced Andrew in the absence of his ex-wife was unaccompanied. According to the order of service, he was due to take his seat alongside his daughters, Beatrice and Eugenie, who arrived with their husbands. This indicates his role may not have been planned or even widely known. Aides suggested the Queen would have been content for a member of the Abbey clergy to guide her to her seat. But it is entirely characteristic of her to prefer the familiarity of her own family for such a task. What yesterday demonstrated above all was the Queens remarkable will. Her will to be at the service, her refusal to use a wheelchair or to be hidden away from view. And if it was her will to have Andrew at her side, then so be it. Scotland Yards failure to investigate two serial liars who made false claims of sex abuse is to be probed by watchdogs. The move follows a Daily Mail investigation in January that revealed how the men escaped criminal charges despite clear evidence that they had made up stories about innocent VIPs. A 2016 review of the Mets shambolic Operation Midland sex abuse inquiry found that the pair known as Witnesses A and B should be considered for offences of perjury. Sal Naseem of the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) watchdog said: Our investigation follows the referral of complaints from two individuals who were adversely affected by the allegations made by Witnesses A and B. We have reviewed a report from Merseyside Police, who previously investigated a similar complaint and finalised its report in June 2021, but have decided it is still necessary to investigate these complaints. Given the significant shortcomings in Operation Midland... it is important for those affected to understand what steps were taken by the Met, following the recommendation that offences of perverting the course of justice be considered for Witnesses A and B. Last month the Mail revealed that former Tory Cabinet minister Jonathan Aitken was targeted by Witness A, a fraudster and paedophile whose allegations were taken seriously by police as they desperately tried to prove VIP sex claims by the fantasist Carl Nick Beech. Last month the Mail revealed that former Tory Cabinet minister Jonathan Aitken (pictured) was targeted by Witness A, a fraudster and paedophile whose allegations were taken seriously by police as they desperately tried to prove VIP sex claims by the fantasist Carl Nick Beech Mr Aitken, now an Anglican vicar, joined calls from across the political divide for an independent police probe into Operation Midland. He was not one of those who made complaints about A and B to the IOPC. He accused Metropolitan Commissioner Cressida Dicks force of an institutional cover-up. Witness A used Aitken family belongings believed to have been stolen in a burglary as proof of an underage gay assignation with the former MP. Scotland Yard did not tell Mr Aitken that he was under investigation. Nor have the stolen items, including his late fathers passport, been returned to him. Unlike Beech, who was jailed for 18 years, Witness A has not been prosecuted for perverting the course of justice. The Met has refused to say why. Westminster paedophile accuser Carl Beech, sentenced at Newcastle Crown Court, after being convicted in 2016 of 12 counts of perverting the course of justice and one of fraud Demanding a full inquiry into the scandal after being told by the Mail that false allegations had secretly been made against him, Mr Aitken said: This has been one of the most disgraceful episodes in the history of modern policing. I am appalled to learn that the Mets cover-up is still continuing. His accuser, a paedophile with an appalling criminal record, told a tissue of lies about alleged abuse by the ex-minister in charge of defence procurement and by others including former PM Edward Heath, ex-Tory home secretary Leon Brittan and former Tory MP Harvey Proctor. Yet the Met failed to investigate Witness A and another VIP abuse fantasist known as Witness B, who also has a shocking criminal background and a history of telling untruths. This was despite being asked to do so by Sir Richard Henriques, the former High Court judge who wrote the damning 2016 report. Mr Aitken, now an Anglican vicar (pictured outside St Paul's Cathedral after being ordained as a Chaplin), joined calls from across the political divide for an independent police probe into Operation Midland. He was not one of those who made complaints about A and B to the IOPC Dame Cressida and her force have repeatedly refused to explain why the pair were not referred to another force as was the case with Beech, who is now serving 18 years in jail for his VIP abuse lies and other offences. Operation Midland is widely regarded as one of the worst police investigations in modern times but despite an official report identifying 43 major blunders, and alleging police searches broke the law, not one officer has been held to account. The probe was set up in November 2014 on the claims of paedophile Beech, who alleged that he was a child abuse victim of VIPs. His claims were lies and the 16-month, 2.5million police operation was closed in March 2016. Scotland Yard has declined to answer six questions from the Mail about the false allegations made against Mr Aitken, its failure to investigate A and B and Dame Cressidas role. The probe is expected to investigate the decision-making of ex-Met deputy assistant commissioner Steve Rodhouse. Patients are more dissatisfied than ever with GP services as appointments grow harder to secure, a study has found. Just 38 per cent are happy with the service from family practices with more unsatisfied than satisfied for the first time. The approval rating for GP services plummeted during the pandemic, from 68 per cent in 2019 to the lowest level since polling began in 1983. The findings come from the 2021 British Social Attitudes survey, which also found public satisfaction with the NHS as a whole has fallen to the lowest level in a quarter of a century. The above graph shows estimates of public satisfaction with GP services up to last year. It reveals a sharp drop off when the pandemic began, and there were more remote appointments The above graph shows estimates for satisfaction with the NHS in the UK, based on 3,000 interviews. It shows after a 'halo effect' at the beginning of the pandemic, satisfaction levels are plummeting while the proportion dissatisfied is rising rapidly The above graph shows the reasons people gave for being dissatisfied with the NHS. Top of the list was it taking too long to see a GP or hospital doctor More patients are dissatisfied than satisfied with their GP services for the first time ever as it has become increasingly difficult to get an appointment, a study has found (stock photo) GP receptions should be more welcoming, ministers urged GP receptions should be more user friendly and welcoming to patients, ministers were urged today. The call was made by former social services watchdog Lord Laming, who told Tory frontbencher Lord Kamall he would be 'hugely popular in the country' for taking action. It came as the minister acknowledged the return of health services, such as hospital visiting and doctors appointments, to pre-pandemic levels was 'very patchy'. Lord Kamall was responding to questions in Parliament on the restoration of NHS facilities to normal in the wake of the public health crisis. He told peers: 'NHS services are open to patients and numbers of general practice appointments have returned or are returning to pre pandemic levels.' But he added: 'We are very aware that this idea of returning to normal is very patchy in different parts of the country. 'Some people have told me to visit their GP or visit a hospital its fine. Others are telling me theyve had real trouble.' He said: 'Theres clearly an issue of capacity. But also some people are trying to get face-to-face appointments with their GPs. At the same time, some practices are trying to move to offering a more technology-based service.' Advertisement Polling of 3,112 adults reveals just 36 per cent of the public are satisfied with the health service down by a third since 2020 with more people now dissatisfied for the first time in 20 years. Dan Wellings, senior fellow at the Kings Fund, which analysed the results along with the Nuffield Trust think-tank, said the NHS enjoyed a halo effect during the pandemic with patients supportive but unsatisfied but this fell away last year as other parts of society opened up. Waiting lists stand at a record 6.1million after the public was told to limit its use of the health service so it could prioritise Covid patients. Swathes of operations were postponed and GPs slashed the number of face-to-face appointments, as consultations were largely switched to phone or video. GP surgeries are historically the NHS service with the highest patient satisfaction level. The top reasons for dissatisfaction in 2021 were concerns about waiting times (65 per cent), staff shortages (46 per cent) and inadequate government funding (40 per cent). Satisfaction with social care remains far lower at just 15 per cent. Professor John Appleby, chief economist at the Nuffield Trust, described the results as shocking. He said: Against a backdrop of record waiting lists for surgery, disruption to services and difficulties getting appointments with a GP, people are concerned about what the NHS can deliver. Mr Wellings said: People are often struggling to get the care they need and identified access to general practice, waiting times for hospital care and staff shortages as areas that need to improve. The public do not seem to want a different model they just want the one they have to work. Professor Martin Marshall, chairman of the Royal College of GPs, said: We are extremely disappointed and saddened by these findings, which reflect a service working under crippling staffing and resource pressures during the pandemic. Professor Stephen Powis, national medical director of NHS England, said staff have worked flat out treating 300,000 patients in hospital with Covid, administering vaccines and delivering routine care for millions of people. This graph shows estimates of public satisfaction in the NHS by political party. It reveals support has plunged among both Conservative and Labour voters A glamorous Melbourne woman allegedly caught dealing methamphetamines, cocaine, speed and cannabis is hoping to avoid jail by dobbing on her boyfriend. Illi Glover, 25, appeared in the Melbourne Magistrates Court on Tuesday via videolink where it was revealed she had negotiated a plea deal that will see her plead guilty to just two out of 15 drug charges. Glover had been charged with trafficking a commercial quantity of the deadly drug ice and handling more than $300,000 in dodgy cash. Illi Glover was busted with a large amount of the deadly drug ice and wads of cash Illi Glover will plead guilty to drug possession and negligently dealing with the proceeds of crime in exchange for ratting on her partner in crime She was busted by Victoria Police detectives at Doncaster East, alongside partner Jonade Hamidi, 24, the Herald Sun reported on March 1. While those charges still remain, her lawyer Chris Hooper told Magistrate Donna Bakos his client had agreed to dob Hamidi in, in exchange for a deal that would see her plead guilty to drug possession and negligently dealing with $68,810 believed to be the proceeds of crime. Mr Hooper said Glover would only agree to the deal if her remaining two matters were dealt with in the magistrates' court rather than the County Court of Victoria, which has the power to impose harsher sentences. Drug squad detectives had originally alleged Glover had possession of $327,820 suspected of being the proceeds of crime. Illi Glover, 25, hopes to plead guilty to just two charges She had previously faced court alongside her co-accused Hamidi, who also faces charges of trafficking meth, cocaine, speed, cannabis and possessing dodgy cash. During that hearing, Hamidi's lawyer Richard Jakobson had suggested it was his client who had been in 'deep' resolution discussions with prosecutors. The court heard Glover had been quick to blow the whistle on her lover, with contents of a phone call between Glover and Hamidi gleaned from her police interview. However, criminal lawyer Zarah Garde-Wilson, who represented Glover during that hearing, suggested any deal between Glover and prosecutors would be unlikely. 'I would be optimistic that (Glovers) matter would resolve given the contents of her record of interview,' Ms Garde-Wilson said at the time. Glover remains free in the community on bail and will return to court on May 23. While most children stop napping at around the age of two or three, a new study suggests that a daytime snooze may be beneficial to children right up until the age of five. Researchers from Macquarie University in Australia found that daytime naps can benefit children's ability to map letters to sounds an important indicator of early reading skills. 'Having a nap after learning might facilitate the capacity to utilize newly learned information in a new task,' said Hua-Chen Wang, Lecturer in the School of Education at Macquarie University. 'We found a positive nap effect on children's learning of letter-sound mappings, and in particular, using that knowledge to read unfamiliar words.' Researchers from Macquarie University in Australia found that daytime naps can benefit children's ability to map letters to sounds an important indicator of early reading skills (stock image) Why are girls better than boys at reading? Research shows that girls typically score better than boys in standardised literacy tests. The trend is seen as early as age 10 and continues until the age of 18. Previous research has shown women and men use their brains differently. Girls use both brain hemispheres for reading and writing, while boys typically rely on just one. Boys are also exhibit more disruptive behaviours than girls in the classroom. They are more likely to be inattentive and interrupt teachers. Scientists also suggest that reading and language are seen as feminine skills, even from a young age. This means boys are less likely than girls to push to improve these skills. Advertisement While previous research has shown that letter-sound mapping in preschool is linked with later reading success, until now, little has been known about the relationship between sleep and literacy skills. In the new study, 32 three-to-five-year-old children from two daycare centres in Sydney were studied. The children napped regularly and were not formally taught letter names or sounds at the daycare centre. Each child participated in seven sessions over two to four weeks, starting with a pre-test to establish their baseline levels of letters and sounds. Following this initial analysis, the children were given letter-sound mapping training, held a week apart under both 'nap' and 'no-nap' conditions. To assess their learning, the children were tested both after a nap and following a period of wakefulness with questions such as 'Which sound does the letter C make?' and 'Here's Tav and Cav, which one is /kav/?' The results revealed that children performed better on the tests following a daytime nap, with the effect maintained through to the following day. While the study was carried out at daycare centres to make the children feel more comfortable, the researchers acknowledge that this does mean that they were unable to measure physiological factors, such as rapid eye movement (REM) in the youngsters as the slept. While previous research has shown that letter sound mapping in preschool is linked with later reading success, until now, little has been known about the relationship between sleep and literacy skills (stock image) In future studies, the team hopes to assess these factors to see how they are related to the sleep benefits. 'The research provides initial evidence that naps facilitate the acquisition and application of letter-sound mappings, abilities that are crucial to early reading development,' said Anne Castles, Professor of Psychological Studies at Macquarie University. 'These findings may have implications for creating the optimal conditions for the acquisition of this fundamental literacy skill in preschool children.' Advertisement Pompeii archaeological park has enlisted a four-legged robot called Spot to inspect the ancient Italian city's streets and tunnels instead of humans. Acting as a robotic guard dog, Spot will patrol Pompeii at nighttime or whenever the site is closed to tourists, providing a live feed for human officials situated off-site. Part of Spot's job is to investigate tunnels dug by illegal relic hunters, which are causing structural issues but would be dangerous or too tight for officials to access safely. Spot, which is the product of US firm Boston Dynamics, is using its cameras and sensors to provide a feed of hard-to-reach Pompeii structures. It's capable of inspecting 'even the smallest of spaces', gathering and recording data useful for planning interventions to fix safety and structural issues. Pompeii archaeological park has enlisted Spot the robot dog (pictured) to inspect the ancient city's streets and tunnels for safety and structural issues Spot, which is suited for indoor or outdoor use, can map its environment, sense and avoid obstacles, climb stairs and open doors Today, the ruins of Pompeii are a popular tourist attraction, drawing a million visitors a year. Located on the west coast of Italy, Vesuvius is the only active volcano in continental Europe SPOT THE ROBOT DOG Creator: Boston Dynamics Price: $75,000 (about 60,000) Length: 43.3 inches (100cm) Max speed: 1.6 metres per second Operating temperature: -4F to 113F (-20C to 45C) Battery capacity: 605 Wh Typical runtime: 90 minutes Cameras: 5 (frontleft, frontright, left, right, back) Advertisement Pompeii is an ancient city that was buried under volcanic ash and pumice by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD 79. Today, its archaeological ruins cover around 440,000 square meters, but they face degradation from natural forces and human activity. It's unclear what all the structural issues are that Spot is looking for, although one is related to the tunnels dug by illegal relic hunters. MailOnline has contacted Pompeii archaeological park for more information. 'We wish to test the use of these robots in the underground tunnels that were made by illegal excavators and which we are uncovering in the area around Pompeii,' said Gabriel Zuchtriegel, director of Pompeii archaeological park. 'Often the safety conditions within the tunnels dug by grave robbers are extremely precarious, as a consequence of which the use of a robot could signify a breakthrough that would allow us to proceed with greater speed and in total safety.' Spot, which is suited for indoor or outdoor use, can map its environment, sense and avoid obstacles, climb stairs and open doors. It can undertake hazardous tasks in a variety of inhospitable environments such as nuclear plants, offshore oil fields and construction sites. Spot isn't the only cutting-edge technology in use in Pompeii. Pompeii archaeological park is also using Leica BLK2FLY, a flying laser scanner capable of autonomously conducting 3D scans. Spot can undertake hazardous tasks in a variety of inhospitable environments such as nuclear plants, offshore oil fields and construction sites Spot will also investigate tunnels dug by illegal relic hunters, which would be dangerous for officials to access Today, Pompeii's archaeological ruins cover around 440,000 square meters, but they face degradation from natural forces and human activity, such as illegal digging Spot the robot dog was announced by Boston Dynamics back in 2016 but was under development for years before being released in June 2020 for a whopping $75,000 (about 60,000). Spot can be used for a range of heavy duty applications, including inspecting rocket launch test sites, as demonstrated by SpaceX. It's also being deployed in the French army, helping military school personnel to complete training scenarios. Spot has specifically been designed for business use in fact, when a business buys a Spot unit, they have to acknowledge a stipulation in the terms and conditions that 'it's not certified safe for in-home use or intended for use near children'. Pompeii, the preserved ancient Roman city, Italy, is situated 14 miles (23 km) southeast of Naples Spot was announced by Boston Dynamics back in 2016 and underwent various trials before being released commercially on June 17, 2020 However, Boston Dynamics founder Marc Raibert previously said that Spot will soon be available for home use. 'We also have a project that I'm sure many of you are going to be very interested in, and that's cleaning up your house,' he said in 2020. 'Now, Spot isn't available yet for home use, but someday it will be. 'I think you're going to love the idea that the robot can be put in a room and use its vision system to identify your kids' clothing that's been lying around.' The robot dog is also routinely featured in Boston Dynamics promotional videos dancing to musical numbers, such as 'Uptown Funk'. Last year, Spot even challenged K-pop boy band BTS to a dance-off. Giant 10ft-tall Mongolian camels were killed and eaten by archaic humans before going extinct 27,000 years ago, a study shows. Scientists have studied fossils of the extinct species (Camelus knoblochi) from Tsagaan Agui Cave in the Gobi Altai Mountains of southwestern Mongolia. One of the bones shows signs of both butchery by humans, likely to extract protein-rich marrow, and 'hyenas gnawing on it'. While the main cause of C. knoblochi's extinction seems to have been climate change, hunting by archaic humans may also have played a role. These archaic humans would not only have been Homo sapiens, but also Neanderthals and Denisovans. Standing nearly 10 foot tall and weighing more than a metric ton (2,200 pounds), Camelus knoblochi would have dwarfed Camelus ferus, a modern-day camel species. Standing nearly 10 foot tall and weighing more than a metric ton (2,200 pounds), Camelus knoblochi would have dwarfed Camelus ferus, a modern-day camel species Pictured are bones of the extinct giant Mongolian camel (Camelus knoblochi) from Central Asia A fragment of bone (proximal metacarpal) once belonging to Camelus knoblochi, found fromin Tsagaan Agui Cave, Mongolia THE EXTINCT GIANT MONGOLIAN CAMEL The giant Mongolian camel (Camelus knoblochi) is an extinct species of camel from the Pleistocene era (from about 2.6 million years ago to 11,700 years ago). It may have been double the size of the camels that exist today. Humans may have contributed to its demise about 27,000 years ago through hunting. In Mongolia, the last of the species coexisted with anatomically modern humans and maybe the extinct Neanderthals or Denisovans. Advertisement Neanderthals were a close human ancestor that lived in Europe and Western Asia from about 400,000 to 40,000 years ago. Less is known about the Denisovans, another population of early humans who lived in Asia at least 80,000 years ago and were distantly related to Neanderthals. 'Here we show that the extinct camel, Camelus knoblochi persisted in Mongolia until climatic and environmental changes nudged it into extinction about 27,000 years ago,' said study author Dr John W Olsen at the School of Anthropology, University of Arizona. 'C. knoblochi fossil remains from Tsagaan Agui Cave, which also contains a rich, stratified sequence of human Paleolithic cultural material, suggest that archaic people coexisted and interacted there with C. knoblochi. The new study describes five C. knoblochi leg and foot bones found in Tsagaan Agui Cave in 2021, and one from Tugrug Shireet in today's Gobi Desert of southern Mongolia. They were found along with bones of wolves, cave hyenas, rhinoceroses, horses, wild donkeys, ibexes, wild sheep and Mongolian gazelles. Today, southwestern Mongolia is home to Camelus ferus (pictured), one of the last two wild populations of the critically endangered wild Bactrian camel 'A C. knoblochi metacarpal bone from Tsagaan Agui Cave, dated to between 59,000 and 44,000 years ago, exhibits traces of both butchery by humans and hyenas gnawing on it,' said study author Dr Arina M Khatsenovich at the Russian Academy of Sciences' Institute of Archeology and Ethnography in Novosibirsk, Russia. 'This suggests that C. knoblochi was a species that Late Pleistocene humans in Mongolia could hunt or scavenge. 'We don't yet have sufficient material evidence regarding the interaction between humans and C. ferus in the Late Pleistocene, but it likely did not differ from human relationships with C. knoblochi as prey, but not a target for domestication.' Map shows the principal finds of fossilised camels in eastern Eurasia. The giant Mongolian camel (Camelus knoblochi) is marked in with red circles. Camelus ferus, which still exists today, is marked with black squares NEANDERTHALS AND DENISOVANS Neanderthals were very early (archaic) humans who lived in Europe and Western Asia from about 400,000 years ago until they became extinct about 40,000 years ago. Denisovans are another population of early humans who lived in Asia and were distantly related to Neanderthals. Much less is known about the Denisovans because scientists have uncovered fewer fossils of these ancient people. The precise way that modern humans, Neanderthals, and Denisovans are related is still under study. However, research has shown that modern humans overlapped with Neanderthal and Denisovan populations for a period, and that they had children together (interbred). As a result, many people living today have a small amount of genetic material from these distant ancestors. Source: National Institutes of Health Advertisement The collection indicates that C. knoblochi lived in mountainous and lowland steppe environments less dry habitats than those of its modern relatives, such as the critically endangered wild Bactrian camel (Camelus ferus). The authors conclude that C. knoblochi finally went extinct primarily because it was less tolerant of desertification than C. ferus, as well as the domestic Bactrian camel (Camelus bactrianus) and the domestic Arabian camel (Camelus dromedarius). In the late Pleistocene era, much of Mongolia's environment became drier and changed from steppe to dry steppe and finally desert. 'Apparently, C. knoblochi was poorly adapted to desert biomes, primarily because such landscapes could not support such large animals,' say the authors in their study, published in the journal Frontiers in Earth Science. 'But perhaps there were other reasons as well, related to the availability of fresh water and the ability of camels to store water within the body, poorly adapted mechanisms of thermoregulation, and competition from other members of the faunal community occupying the same trophic niche.' Towards the end of C. knoblochi's existence, the last of the species may have lingered in the milder forest steppe grassland interspersed with woodland further north in neighbouring Siberia. But this habitat likely wasn't ideal either, so it could have sounded the death knell for C. knoblochi. C. knoblochi is known to have lived for approximately a quarter of a million years in Central Asia. The camel's last refuge was in Mongolia, until approximately 27,000 years ago. Denisovans are a group of extinct hominins that diverged from Neanderthals about 400,000 years ago. Pictured, a reconstruction of a juvenile female Denisovan who lived sometime between 82,000 and 74,000 years ago Neanderthals went extinct around 40,000 years ago but have a reputation as being hulking, brutish beings who were tough and fearless Today, southwestern Mongolia is home to C. ferus, one of the last two wild populations of the critically endangered wild Bactrian camel. The new results suggest that C. knoblochi coexisted with C. ferus during the late Pleistocene period in Mongolia. Competition between the two species 27,000 years ago may have been a third cause of C. knoblochi's extinction. Elon Musk-owned SpaceX has ended production of new Crew Dragon astronaut capsules, two years after the firm flew humans to space for the first time. There are now four Crew Dragons in the SpaceX fleet, primarily aimed at taking astronauts to the International Space Station, and then returning them to Earth. Crew Dragon was the first privately operated and built spacecraft to take humans into orbit, and the first to take astronauts to the ISS from US soil since the end of the Space Shuttle program in 2011. Since its debut in 2020, the Crew Dragon spacecraft have taken humans into space five times, including the first fully commercial crew to orbit the Earth. Work will continue on building new components, and spare parts for the existing Dragon fleet, which includes: Endeavour, Resilience, Endurance and Freedom. SpaceX executives say the shift is to move resources into the next-generation spaceship program, known as Starship - that will include a lunar lander. Elon Musk-owned SpaceX has ended production of new Crew Dragon astronaut capsules, two years after the firm flew humans to space for the first time There are now four Crew Dragons in the SpaceX fleet, primarily aimed at taking astronauts to the International Space Station, and then returning them to Earth Starship's debut launch has been delayed for months by engine development hurdles and regulatory reviews, but the first orbital flight is due this year. It is the rocket, and spacecraft, that Elon Musk says will be used to make humanity a multi-planetary species, allowing for the establishment of a colony on Mars. The shift away from producing new Crew Dragon capsules poses new challenges for SpaceX, as the company learns how to maintain a fleet and quickly fix unexpected problems without holding up a busy schedule of astronaut missions. 'We are finishing our final (capsule), but we still are manufacturing components, because we'll be refurbishing,' SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell said. She added that SpaceX would retain the capability to build more capsules if a need arises in the future, but contended that 'fleet management is key.' A key aspect of SpaceX success has been the ability to save money by re-using components, including the first stage of rockets, and it appears the spacecraft will become part of that frugal approach. Crew Dragon was the first privately operated and built spacecraft to take humans into orbit, and the first to take astronauts to the ISS from US soil since the end of the Space Shuttle program in 2011 Since its debut in 2020, the Crew Dragon spacecraft have taken humans into space five times, including the first fully commercial crew to orbit the Earth It was inevitable the company would cease production at some point, shifting to managing the fleet it had, and arranging launches around the four spacecraft. But the timing was not known, nor was his strategy of using the existing fleet for its full backlog of missions. SPACEX CREW DRAGON FLIGHTS PAST AND FUTURE Mission Spacecraft Launch Demo-2 Endeavour 30 May 2020 Crew-1 Resilience 16 November 2020 Crew-2 Endeavour 23 April 2021 Inspiration4 Resilience 6 September 2021 Crew-3 Endurance 11 November 2021 Axiom-1 Endeavour 3 April 2022 Crew-4 Freedom 19 April 2022 Crew-5 TBA 25 October 2022 Advertisement Crew Dragon has flown five crews of government and private astronauts to space since 2020, when it flew its first pair of NASA astronauts and became the U.S. space agency's primary ride for getting humans to and from the ISS. It ended nearly a decade of NASA's reliance on Russia to get its crew to the space station - flying on the Soyuz spacecraft from Baikonur in Kazakhstan. After each flight, the capsules undergo refurbishment at SpaceX facilities in Florida, which the company calls 'Dragonland.' 'There's lifetime cycle issues, where once you start using it the third, fourth, fifth time, you start finding different things,' said retired NASA astronaut and former SpaceX executive Garrett Reisman, who consults on spaceflight issues. 'SpaceX is really good about identifying these issues quickly and then acting quickly to fix them,' he added, giving the example of an investigation in 2021, in which SpaceX discovered and fixed within months a toilet leak aboard a Crew Dragon capsule that had flown humans twice. NASA has given SpaceX $3.5 billion to develop and use Crew Dragon for six flights to the space station. It added three more missions to fill in for delays with the Boeing Starliner capsule. When it awarded the contract to NASA, it also gave another contract to Boeing, and the two firms were scheduled to share ISS trips. So far only SpaceX has flown crew. SpaceX has flown four crews of astronauts to the space station under its NASA contract at roughly $255 million per flight. Work will continue on building new components, and spare parts for the existing Dragon fleet, which includes: Endeavour, Resilience, Endurance and Freedom The company carried out a fully private mission last year with four passengers, including a billionaire entrepreneur who funded the flight, for a three-day trip in Earth orbit, known as Inspiration4. At least four more private astronaut missions on Crew Dragon are planned with Houston-based space station builder and spaceflight manager Axiom Space. The first so-called Ax-1 mission is scheduled for April carrying four entrepreneurs to the space station to conduct scientific research. American real estate investor Larry Connor, Canadian businessman Mark Pathy, and Israeli former fighter pilot and entrepreneur Eytan Stibbe are paying to stay on the ISS, and will be joined by former NASA astronaut Michael Lopez-Alegria. SpaceX is placing its future on the massive Starship spacecraft and rocket, that it hopes will land humans on Mars by the end of the decade SpaceX is also developing a modified version of Starship that will dock with the NASA Orion capsule in orbit around the moon, and take astronauts to the surface The widely reported ticket price for the three business magnates is $55 million each, a figure that hasn't been disputed by Axiom Space. Musk, SpaceX's founder and chief executive, has focused intensely in recent years on the company's hasty development of a re-usable Starship, the centerpiece of Musk's aim to eventually colonize Mars. Like Crew Dragon, SpaceX's workhorse reusable rocket, the Falcon 9, and its more powerful variant Falcon Heavy are also refurbished after each flight, and not every component is able to fly to space more than once. 'The goal is to get more and more like aircraft operations, where you can take the vehicle after it lands, fill it back up with gas and oxygen, and go again very rapidly,' Reisman said. 'Starship, if it achieves its design objectives, would be able to affordably replace everything that Falcon 9, Falcon Heavy and Dragon can do. Many people believe they can easily spot fake news online, but a new report suggests we may not be as good at identifying misinformation as we think. Online regulator Ofcom surveyed more than 13,000 UK people who use the internet about their breadth of internet habits, device use and attitudes to social media. Although seven in 10 adults (69 per cent) said they were confident in identifying misinformation, only one in five (22 per cent) were able to correctly identify the tell-tale signs of a genuine post, without making mistakes. The pattern was even more striking among older children aged 12-17, with 74 per cent claiming they were confident but only 11 percent able to decipher fact from fiction. Overall, the study found that 30 per cent of UK adults who go online (14.5 million) are unsure about, or dont even consider, the truthfulness of the information they see online. A further 6 per cent, or about one in every 20 internet users, believe everything they see online. More than a third of internet users are unaware that online content might be false or biased, according to new Ofcom research (file photo) TIPS TO HELP SPOT MISINFORMATION 1. Check the source. This isn't necessarily who shared the information with you, but where it originated from. 2. Question the source. Are they established and trustworthy, or might they have a reason to mislead? 3. Take a step back. Before you take something at face value, think about your own motives for wanting to believe it. Source: Ofcom Advertisement Ofcom warned that the 'sheer volume' of information available online means having the critical skills and being able to identify information that may be false or biased has 'never been more important'. Every minute 500 hours of content are uploaded to YouTube, 5,000 videos are viewed on TikTok and 695,000 stories are shared on Instagram. Both adults and children overestimate their ability to spot misinformation on various social media platforms, Ofcom found. 'In a volatile and unpredictable world, it's essential that everyone has the tools and confidence to separate fact and fiction online whether it's about money, health, world events or other people,' said Ofcom chief executive Melanie Dawes. 'But many adults and children are struggling to spot what might be fake. So we're calling on tech firms to prioritise rooting out harmful misinformation, before we take on our new role helping to tackle the problem.' Ofcom has offered tips on what to consider when determining fact from fiction online, including, crucially, checking the source, and thinking about your own motives for wanting to believe it. For the research, Ofcom conducted three surveys of people aged 16 and over, each focused on different aspects of online use. One sample consisted of 3,660 people, another 6,566 people and another 3,095 people totalling 13,321 different people. For each survey response, percentages were calculated based on one of the three survey totals, rather than the cumulative 13,321 total. Ofcom has offered tips on what to consider when determining fact from fiction online, including, crucially, checking the source In one survey, participants were shown social media posts and profiles to determine whether they could verify their authenticity. Although 69 per cent of adults and 74 percent of children aged 12-17 said they were confident in identifying misinformation, only 22 per cent and 11 per cent respectively were able to correctly identify signs of a genuine post, without making mistakes. IMPACT OF SOCIAL MEDIA VARIES ACROSS ADOLESCENCE The negative impact of social media on young people's mental health has long been known, but a new study suggests that the age at which they are most susceptible differs between girls and boys. Researchers asked adolescents about their use social media sites such as Instagram and Twitter and their level of 'life satisfaction', and then looked for a link between the two factors. They found girls experience a negative link between social media use and life satisfaction when they are 11-13 years old and boys when they are 14-15 years old. Sensitivity to social media use might be linked to developmental differences, like changes in the structure of the brain, or puberty, which occurs later in boys than in girls although the exact mechanisms require further research. Sadly, the team also found that lower life satisfaction can drive increased social media use, contributing to a viscous circle. Read more: Social media negatively affects female teens before males, study finds Advertisement Similarly, 24 per cent of adults and 27 per cent of children who claimed to be confident in spotting misinformation were unable to identify a fake social media profile. The study also found that 33 per cent of parents of five to seven-year-olds and 60 per cent of parents of eight to 11-year-olds reported their children having a social media profile, despite them being under the minimum age requirement of 13 for most sites. TikTok, in particular, is growing in popularity, even among the youngest age groups. Amazingly, 16 per cent of three to four-year-olds and 29 per cent of five to sevens using the platform, even though the app is supposed to be for people aged 13 and over. Ofcom warned that many children could be 'tactically' using other accounts or 'finstas' fake Instagrams to conceal aspects of their online lives from parents. The study found 64 per cent of eight to 11-year-olds had multiple accounts or profiles. Among these, 46 per cent have an account just for their family to see. More than a third of children (35 per cent) reported engaging in potentially risky behaviours, which could hinder a parent or guardian keeping proper checks on their online use. A fifth (21 per cent) used the internet in 'incognito mode' and 19 per cent deleted their browsing history, while 6 per cent circumvented parental controls put in place to stop them visiting certain apps and sites. Meanwhile, children are seeing less video content from friends online and more from brands, celebrities and influencers, according to Ofcom. 'Feeds full of slick professionalised content seem to be encouraging a trend towards scrolling instead of sharing,' the regulator said. TikTok is a Chinese social media app where users can live stream, create short videos and music videos and Gifs with a host of functions (file photo) Also, 88 per cent of adults and 91 per cent of children are three times as likely to watch videos online than to post their own videos (30 per cent and 31 per cent respectively). Meanwhile, 81 per cent of adult internet users want to see tech firms take responsibility for monitoring content on their sites and apps. Two thirds (65 per cent) also want protection against inappropriate or offensive content. Interestingly, children feel positive about the benefits of being online, and many use social media as a force for good. 53 per cent of 1317-year-olds said they feel that being online is good for their mental health, compared with 17 per cent of the same age range who didn't. As we make our way up the narrow, windowless, wooden stairway, we hear the jangly opening beats of The Rolling Stones' '2120 South Michigan Avenue' playing from a portable speaker behind us. Our tour guide encourages us to 'rub a little mojo' from the banister as we make our way up. We're visiting Chess Records on Chicago's South Side, climbing the same set of stairs Mick Jagger and the rest of the band ascended during two days of recording in June 1964. 'This place changed music and the world,' says Janine Judge, the 60-year-old executive director of Willie Dixon's Blues Heaven, the nonprofit foundation that owns and offers tours of Chess Records since it opened to the public in 1997. 'I still feel them all here every day.' By 'them all', Judge essentially is referring to the canon of Chicago blues. Pictured above is the back cover of the rare Rolling Stones album 'From 2120 To 1000', which shows the band in the studio at Chess Records. Track 16, '2120 South Michigan Avenue' was named after the address of the renowned studio and was reportedly recorded as an instrumental because Mick Jagger was so nervous performing in front of his musical idols that he forgot the lyrics Janine Judge, executive director of Willie Dixon's Blues Heaven, the nonprofit foundation that owns and offers tours of Chess Records, sits in the sound booth at Chess Records, overlooking the studio where some of the biggest names in blues recorded their hits Some of the biggest, most influential artists and hits were recorded at Chess: Muddy Waters, 'I'm Your Hoochie Coochie Man'; Chuck Berry, 'Johnny B. Goode'; Bo Diddley, 'Who Do You Love'; and Howlin Wolf, 'Smokestack Lightning,' just to name a few. The blues originally moved north with Blacks fleeing the Jim Crow South during the Great Migration. The style found a home in this industrial, working-class city. Berry and Chess gave each other their first big break. Berry originally signed with Chess. Then, when he met Waters, he suggested he audition for Chess, and the label quickly rose to prominence as the go-to blues record label. The Stones, who named their band after a Muddy Waters song, were steeped in that history when they made the studio a mandatory stop during their first U.S. tour nearly 60 years ago. They recorded 14 songs here, including the hit 'It's All Over Now', the first-ever recorded acoustic version of 'Satisfaction', and '2120 South Michigan Avenue', which reportedly was recorded as an instrumental-only because Mick Jagger was so nervous performing in front of his musical idols that he forgot the lyrics. The Rolling Stones album 'From 2120 To 1000' (album cover pictured above) is a collection of three studio sessions recorded at Chess Studios between 1964 and 1965 LEFT: Blues legend Mckinley Morganfield, known as Muddy Waters, recording at Chess Records in 1952. RIGHT: The exterior of Chess Records on Michigan Avenue in Chicago as it looks today Judge weaves these and other stories into her nearly three-hour tour. On a recent crisp, mid-winter day, she was conserving by keeping the heat turned down low, nearly off. As a nonprofit, she primarily relies on tours and gift shop sales to keep the building, designated in 1990, operational. She urges visitors to wrap up. Polish-Jewish immigrant brothers Phil and Leonard Chess (born Fiszel and Lejzor Czysz) were drawn to gospel music at a young age - their dad caught them sitting outside Black churches listening to the choirs inside. As young entrepreneurs, they first bought a liquor store on Chicago's predominantly Black South Side and then, in 1946, they bought a nearby nightclub called the Macomba Lounge. They soon realised there was a huge and hungry market for recordings by these Black musicians, so they invested in and then bought Aristocrat Records. In 1950, they renamed it Chess Records. They were based at several South Side locations, but their most famous home was here at 2120 South Michigan, from 1956 until 1967. LEFT: Chuck Berry was among the many blues icons to record at Chess Records. He's pictured here in the Chicago studios in 1960. RIGHT: Judge (pictured) offers tours of Chess Records. As director of the nonprofit, she primarily relies on tours and gift shop sales to keep the building operational Much of the building itself remains unchanged. The front door, the lobby that served as a waiting room for musicians, the California redwood paneling it's all original. The front window needed replacing after Little Walter, Muddy Waters' harmonica player reportedly got angry and intentionally rammed his car into the front of the building, Judge says. The building changed hands a few times after the Chess brothers moved out, but Marie Dixon, the widow of bassist and songwriter Willie Dixon, bought it in 1993. She died in 2016. Willie Dixon, namesake of the foundation and the studio's longtime right-hand man who brought in many of the artists and set up recording sessions, died in 1992 at age 76. Much of the building remains unchanged, with original front door, lobby, and California redwood paneling. Pictured are framed album covers from some of the best-known artists to record at the studio The couple envisioned a space to house a museum, recording studio and classes for young people, Judge said. 'The foundation was set up to protect, promote and preserve the blues,' she added. Willie Dixon wrote about 6,000 songs, more than 600 for Chess Records. An entire second-floor room is set up to pay homage to Dixon. Hand-written lyric sheets, clothing, awards, even his beat-up bass is on display. But the highlight of the tour is the recording studio itself, which remains in use today. There's Dixon's baby grand piano, guitars and other equipment, but Judge's passion shines through when she explains the details included by 23-year-old engineer Jack Sheldon Wiener, who originally designed the space, and how she spent 15 years trying to figure out exactly how the acoustic panels were assembled. 'Not a day goes by that I don't recognise what an honour and a privilege it is to be here every day,' she says as she steps into the darkened sound booth. Muddy Waters, 'I'm Your Hoochie Coochie Man'; Chuck Berry, 'Johnny B. Goode'; Bo Diddley, 'Who Do You Love'; and Howlin Wolf, 'Smokestack Lightning,' were all recorded at Chess Studios. Pictured is the piano and some framed album covers at the renowned studios She asks visitors to sit in one of the metal folding chairs and imagine a day in 1960 when a 23-year-old Etta James stepped up to a microphone. The Chess brothers believed her bluesy voice had crossover pop appeal, so they brought in an orchestra ensemble for her debut studio album. Judge requests that visitors not sing along, but she encourages dancing. As the lofty string intro of 'At Last!' fills the space, it's easy to feel transported back in time. 'It's the only song I play all the way through because she'd be p****d if I didn't,' Judge says. 'What would Chess Records have been without her?' Beginning April 1, Chess Records will be open for tours Tuesdays through Saturdays at noon, 1, 2 and 3pm. A donation of $15 (11.40) is suggested. Le ministre de LAgro-Industrie a repondu au depute de la majorite Salim Abbas Mamode sur ce sujet lors de la seance parlementaire du 29 mars 2022. The Honourable Second Member for Port Louis Maritime and Port Louis East (Mr Abbas Mamode) To ask the Honourable the Attorney-General, Minister of Agro-Industry and Food Security Whether, in regard to stray dogs, he will state if his attention has been drawn to a proliferation thereof in public places, including roads, beaches and hospitals and, if so, indicate if urgent remedial actions have been/are being taken in relation thereto? Mr Speaker, Sir, The overpopulation of stray dogs has indeed become an issue of serious concern for our countriy for many years now. I would like to reassure the House that remedial actions are being taken and I can inform the House as follows: Following various representations from a number of institutions, non-governmental organizations as well as individuals, both locally and internationally, the Mauritius Society for Animal Welfare (MSAW) has, since January 2021, moved away from the previous Catch and Kill policy to adopt a comprehensive nation-wide Dog Population Management Program. Mr Speaker, I am informed by the MSAW that more than 15,000 dogs have been sterilized since September 2015 and the MSAW is continuing the free mass sterilization program with the support of the National Environment and Climate Change Fund (NECCF). With a view to giving a boost to this program, the MSAW has had consultative meetings with private veterinary surgeons to find a sustainable dog population management program. I am informed that the MSAW has also had working sessions with the Beach Authority to look at sustainable solutions regarding control of stray dogs on public beaches. I am also informed that the MSAW has a continuous sensitization program whereby staff of institutions in strategic locations are kept informed about animal welfare including control of stray dogs. Mr Speaker, Sir, The House will appreciate that as responsible citizens, we are all concerned with the stray dog issue. I take this opportunity to invite the dog owners to have their dog sterilized. Partager et informez vous aussi...... 0 shares Share Tweet LinkedIn Articles similaires Aljaz Skorjanec has announced that he is set to leave Strictly Come Dancing following nine years on the show as a Professional Dancer. And his wife Janette Manra - who announced her own departure from the pro lineup last year as she moved into the presenter role for spin off show It Takes Two - has broken her silence following the news. The professional dancer, 38, who has been married to Aljaz, 32, since 2017, took to Instagram on Monday to express how much she 'admired him' and revealed she is 'excited' to see what his future holds. Strictly Come Dancing stars: Janette Manra, who has been married to Aljaz Skorjanec since 2017, took to Instagram on Monday to express how much she 'admired him' and revealed she is 'excited' to see what his future holds The reality TV host felt a mixture of emotions as her husband - who she met on the show - followed in her footsteps: Alongside a photo of her husband, Janette penned: 'I cannot express the sadness in my heart to see @aljazskorjanec say goodbye to @bbcstrictly, but at the same time there is so much joy in my heart for what he has brought to the show these past 9 years. 'I have admired him from the day I met him for his passion for dancing, but more than anything for his kindness towards anyone he encounters. 'As his wife and best friend, I could not be happier to know that he made so many smile during his time in Strictly; not just those who were watching from home, but also those who work behind the scenes. She added: 'He makes every single person he encounters feel absolutely special; ask any of his partners throughout the years. Unexpected news: Janette - who announced her own departure from the pro lineup last year as she moved into the presenter role for spin off show It Takes Two - has broken her silence following the news Sad news: The reality TV host felt a mixture of emotions as her husband - who she met on the show - followed in her footsteps Janette - who was a professional dancer on Strictly Come Dancing for eight years - went on to say: 'He IS STRICTLY and what Strictly is all about; taking someone who wants to learn to dance, and making them truly fall in love with it. 'All good things come to an end, but with every ending comes new beginnings. 'I cannot wait for the exciting adventures life will have for him in the future because I know at the center of all of his endeavours will be kindness and love for whatever he does. She finished off the lengthy post by thanking fans for their support and expressing how much she loves her husband: 'Thank you for giving him all of the love and support you have these past 9 years. 'And thank you @aljazskorjanec for always being my biggest inspiration in any and everything that I do. May that long continue. I love you, and you and I will forever and always keep dancing ' Saying goodbye: Aljaz has announced that he is set to leave Strictly Come Dancing following nine years on the show as a Professional Dancer In a statement released earlier this morning via social media, Aljaz said: 'On a beautiful sunny day in May 2013 one phone call changed my life forever!' It went like this... we would like to offer you a position on @bbcstrictly as a professional dancer. A dream became a reality and it was the biggest opportunity for a 23 year old boy from Slovenia' 'It didn't matter how many beautiful ballrooms I performed in during my competitive career, stepping onto the sacred Strictly floor was the most nervous I had ever been. A little while ago I made the tough decision that Strictly 2021 would be my last. The show has given me an opportunity and freedom to create and express myself in front of millions of people every weekend for the last 9 years. Popular: The pro dancer joined the show in 2013, with his most recent partner being Dragons Den star Sara Davies 'The love and support I got from the team of producers was second to none. Jason Gilkison, Sarah James, Kim Winston, Jack Gledhill are just a few of the unsung heroes behind the success of the show - I am forever grateful to them! 'Being a part of a group of professionals that inspire and push you to be better every step of the way is humbling and I will carry that inspiration with me forever. Every year the lineup of dancers would change but one thing stayed the same, WE WERE THE BEST! And this is one thing that I know will never change on Strictly!' 'Strictly also has the BEST backstage team - the hair and make-up team, costume department, lighting, sound, props and special effects, camera operators THANK YOU!' Couple: He follows in the footsteps of his wife Janette Manrara , who announced her own departure from the pro lineup last year as she moved into the presenter role for It Takes Two (pictured performing on the show in 2021) Alijaz, who won the Glitterball trophy in his first year on the BBC competition, went on to pay tribute to the nine celebrity partners he has danced with on the show, writing: 'My beautiful partners - Abbey Clancy, Alison Hammond, Helen George, Daisy Lowe, Kate Silverton, Gemma Atkinson, Emma Weymouth, Clara Amfo and Sara Davies. It's hard to put into words how many beautiful memories we have had. I LOVE YOU ALL!' He also had sweet words for his wife Janette, gushing: 'To my bucka.. from picking songs, creating stories and choreographing steps we always did it as a team. Your talent and selflessness knows no bounds.' 'We were dating when we started together on the show and now we are husband and wife. We got to perform with Andrea Bocelli, Michael Buble, Ed Sheeran, Taylor Swift, BBC Symphony Orchestra.. moments I will keep in my heart forever. I LOVE YOU!' Jess and Eve Gale showcased their incredible figures as they stepped out for a girls' night on Monday evening. The Love Island duo, 22, looked sensational in their sizzling skintight ensembles as they headed to sophisticated Mayfair eatery Nobu hand-in-hand. Eve put on a busty display in a black bodysuit while Jess opted for a figure hugging high neck sleeveless top. Stunners: Jess and Eve Gale showcased their incredible figures as they stepped out for a girls' night on the town on Monday in sizzling skintight co-ords as they headed to sophisticated eatery Nobu in Mayfair Eve looked flawless in a pair of knitted high waisted leggings and transparent heeled sandals. She wore her long ombre tresses down in loose waves while upping the glam with a swipe of red lipstick and sported a radiant pallet of makeup The former Love Islander contestant carried a black Prada logo plaque chain shoulder bag and layered up with a faux fur coat to complete her look. Gorgeous: Eve looked flawless in a pair of knitted high waisted leggings and transparent heeled sandals Meanwhile, her twin Jess looked flawless in her nude co-ord. She wore her bright blonde locks in classy voluminous curls and added fluttery false lashes and a slick of pink lip gloss. The bombshell competed her look with a pair of clear heeled mules and a nude Dior saddle handbag. Beauty: She wore her long ombre tresses down in loose waves while upping the glam with a swipe of red lipstick and sported a radiant pallet of makeup Their outing comes after Jess and Eve were among six reality stars who have been named and shamed for breaking Instagram advertising rules. The Advertising Standards Authority revealed Anna Vakili, Belle Hassan, Jodie Marsh and Francesca Allen have also been reprimanded after ignoring 'repeated warnings and help and guidance on sticking to the rules'. Influencers who are paid to promote products on their pages are supposed to declare when it is an advertisement with #ad, to ensure consumers are not being misled. In a new approach, the ASA is now taking out their own ads against these influencers on Instagram, alerting consumers to their failure to follow the rules. Naming and shaming each celeb, the Instagram post reads: 'NAME has been sanctioned by the UKs ad regulator for not declaring ads on this platform. 'Be aware that products and services recommended or featured by this influencer may have been paid for by those brands. 'Our non-compliant social media influencer page at asa.org.uk is regularly updated to inform consumers of those who break these rules.' The nude photo scandal on Married At First Sight has escalated into a legal matter after Domenica Calarco spoke with NSW Police for several hours last Monday. The makeup artist, 29, was supported by her lawyer as she arrived at Newtown police station, where she is believed to have spoken to officers about her nudes being leaked and shared among her castmates during filming last year. Calarco, who dressed casually in a blue jacket and jeans, spent nearly three hours inside the station before emerging with her lawyer looking strained. The nude photo scandal on Married At First Sight has escalated into a legal matter after Domenica Calarco (right, with a lawyer) spoke with NSW Police for several hours last Monday She was supported by a lawyer as she arrived at Newtown police station, where she is believed to have spoken to officers about her nudes being leaked and shared among her castmates NSW Police last week confirmed two complaints had been made regarding incidents that allegedly occurred during production of MAFS in late 2021. The first complaint, made to Inner West Police on March 19, two days before Calarco was pictured at Newtown station, regarded 'the alleged distribution of an image without consent'. A second complaint was lodged on February 24 in relation to the 'glass-smashing' incident that occurred during the couples' retreat in Bargo, NSW, in November 2021 and aired on the show earlier this month. Calarco, 29, who dressed casually in a blue jacket and jeans, spent nearly three hours inside the station before emerging with her lawyer looking strained Calarco's lawyer placed his hand supportively on her back as they arrived at the police station NSW Police last week confirmed two complaints had been made regarding incidents that allegedly occurred during production of MAFS in late 2021 The first complaint, made to Inner West Police on March 19, two days before Calarco was pictured at Newtown station, regarded 'the alleged distribution of an image without consent' A NSW Police spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia on Tuesday 'investigations are continuing' into the report made regarding the intimate image. However, they said 'no further action will be taken' in regard to the Bargo incident. A Channel Nine spokesperson previously said of the investigations: 'Nine and Endemol Shine takes its obligations in respect to the safety, health and wellbeing of the participants of this program extremely seriously. 'We would always cooperate with any police matter.' Daily Mail Australia has contacted the network for further comment. A second complaint was lodged on February 24 in relation to the 'glass-smashing' incident that occurred in Bargo, NSW, in November 2021 and aired on the show earlier this month A NSW Police spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia on Tuesday 'investigations are continuing' into the report made regarding the intimate image. However, they said 'no further action will be taken' in regard to the Bargo incident A Channel Nine spokesperson previously said of the investigations: 'Nine and Endemol Shine takes its obligations in respect to the safety, health and wellbeing of the participants of this program extremely seriously. We would always cooperate with any police matter' Married At First Sight hit new levels of drama this month when Calarco smashed a wine glass in anger after clashing with Olivia Frazer, 28, at the couples' retreat. This altercation, also the subject of a police complaint, led to an even bigger scandal when Frazer got her revenge by 'outing' Calarco as an OnlyFans model. Frazer reportedly asked her friends to 'dig up dirt' on Calarco, which resulted in the discovery of a nude photo she had posted on Twitter on January 2, 2021. Married At First Sight hit new levels of drama this month when Calarco smashed a wine glass in anger (pictured) after clashing with Olivia Frazer, 28, at the couples' retreat This altercation, also the subject of a police complaint, led to an even bigger scandal when Frazer got her revenge by 'outing' Calarco as an OnlyFans model Calarco had shared the image on her public Twitter profile to promote her OnlyFans account, which has since been deleted. The photo quickly spread through the MAFS cast via WhatsApp, and was addressed at the first dinner party following the couples' retreat. Calarco was humiliated to learn her co-stars knew about her OnlyFans account and had seen her naked, and eventually broke down in tears. Frazer (pictured) reportedly asked her friends to 'dig up dirt' on Calarco, which resulted in the discovery of a nude photo she had posted on Twitter on January 2, 2021 The photo quickly spread through the MAFS cast via WhatsApp, and was addressed at the first dinner party following the couples' retreat. Calarco was humiliated to learn her co-stars knew about her OnlyFans account and had seen her naked, and eventually broke down in tears Frazer refused to apologise for discovering and sharing the photo. While the distribution of the image was described by many viewers on Twitter at the time as 'revenge porn', it does not appear to meet this legal definition because the nude photo was posted publicly on Twitter by Calarco for promotional purposes. Married At First Sight continues Tuesday at 7:30pm on Channel Nine and 9Now She broke up with her last boyfriend, Jay Bruno, in November. And former Home and Away star Sam Frost revealed on Tuesday she has a new man in her life. When asked about her love life on Nova FM's Fitzy and Wippa, the notoriously private actress, 32, said: 'Yeah, look I'm seeing someone.' She's taken! Former Home and Away star Sam Frost revealed on Fitzy and Wippa on Tuesday she has a new man in her life, about five months after her split from ex-boyfriend Jay Bruno 'You're about as red as a beetroot, so you must really like him,' radio host Ryan 'Fitzy' Fitzgerald replied, before asking her how she met her new boyfriend. 'I actually met him he's friends with my brother,' she said. Sam's brother Alex Frost, who was a contestant on Australian Survivor this year, is 26. 'I called my brother up and I said, "So, is he single or what?" He's like, "Oh, don't be weird that's so embarrassing,"' she added. Siblings: Sam's brother Alex Frost, who was a contestant on Australian Survivor this year, is 26 Meanwhile, Radio host Ryan 'Fitzy' Fitzgerald (pictured) then asked if her new man was the same age as her brother, to which she responded: 'He's younger!' Fitzy then asked if her new man was the same age as her brother, to which she responded: 'He's younger!' Sam's last known relationship was with Instant Hotel star Jay Bruno. They reportedly moved in together during Sydney's Covid lockdown, but had split by November last year, according to Emerald City. 'They are still close, Jay just lives in Melbourne and she is still in Sydney for work,' a spokesperson for Sam said at the time. Ex: Sam's last known relationship was with Instant Hotel star Jay Bruno (pictured). They reportedly moved in together during Sydney's Covid lockdown, but had split by November Before dating Jay, her last relationship was with navy diver Dave Bashford. Sam was briefly engaged to Blake Garvey after he chose her as his winner on The Bachelor in 2014, but things fell apart for them after a few months. She later dated Sasha Mielczarek, her winning suitor on The Bachelor 2015, for about 18 months. Nicole Kidman looked absolutely stunning as she stepped on the red carpet at the Oscars on Sunday dressed in a pale blue Armani Prive gown. But it seems Today Extra host Sylvia Jeffreys, 35, and media personality-turned-fashion commentator Accordian Hans were not fans of her look. During a 'fashion police' segment on the show, the pair laughed hysterically as they discussed her dress, comparing the peplum skirt to a 'lifebuoy for the Titantic' and a TV tray table. Scathing: Nicole Kidman looked absolutely stunning as she graced the red carpet at the Oscars on Sunday in Los Angeles, but it seems Today Extra host Sylvia Jeffreys, 35, and media personality-turned-fashion commentator Accordian Hans were not fans of her look 'I love the colour and the design of this? What do you think?' Sylvia's co-host David Campbell asked. Hans said he didn't like the peplum design of the dress. 'Look, I love the dress part of it. The lifebuoy I wasn't too sure about it. Are you going to the Oscars or trying to survive the Titanic?' he cheekily quipped. Snarky: During a 'fashion police' segment on the show, the pair laughed hysterically as they discussed her blue Giorgio Armani gown, comparing the peplum skirt to a 'lifebuoy for the Titantic' and a TV tray table 'If she did win, she would have had somewhere to place the award, which I like. Somewhere for the drinks, for the food,' he added as the hosts laughed. 'It's like one of those easy TV things, where you can eat your food,' David said. Sylvia added through laughter: 'A stable table! For your TV dinner... anyway!' Hans, whose real name is Matt Gilbertson, is best known for his appearance on America's Got Talent. He goes by the stage name and fake German persona, Accordian Hans. Savage: Sylvia added through laughter that Nicole's peplum skirt looked like a 'stable table! For your TV dinner' Nicole looked incredible in her classic-style frock, paying homage to old Hollywood glamour. The actress revealed that her custom Giorgio Armani Prive gown was dyed a special shade just for her, now referred to by the designer as 'Nicole Kidman blue'. 'They dyed it,' the 54-year-old told E! Online on Sunday. 'I was like, "I really want to wear blue.'" So this was the colour; They made this colour.' Nicole missed out on the Best Actress award at this year's Oscars for her role as Lucille Ball in Being The Ricardos. But the Boy Erased star was a winner on the night thanks to her show-stopping frock. Flawless: Nicole looked incredible in her classic-style frock, paying homage to old Hollywood glamour. The actress revealed that her custom Giorgio Armani Prive gown was dyed a special shade just for her, now referred to by the designer as 'Nicole Kidman blue' The beauty teamed the dress with stunning Harry Winston diamond jewels - including an intricate collar necklace with a rare yellow diamond. The piece is crafted from 33.42 carats and set in 18k yellow gold and platinum. It features a 5.87 carat pear-shaped fancy yellow diamond centre stone set as a necklace with winged detail made from 250 pear-shaped, marquise and round brilliant diamonds weighing a total of 27.55 carats. While Hollywood is still processing Will Smith slapping Chris Rock live at the Oscars, Entourage creator Doug Ellin is weighing in on the controversy. The 53-year-old writer-producer spoke about the controversy with TMZ, where he didn't pull any punches, calling Smith a 'classic narcissist.' He also added that he didn't think Oscar presenter Chris Rock knew that Smith's wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, suffered from the autoimmune disease alopecia that lead to her losing her hair. Speaking out: While Hollywood is still processing Will Smith slapping Chris Rock live at the Oscars, Entourage creator Doug Ellin is weighing in on the controversy Narcissist: The 53-year-old writer-producer spoke about the controversy with TMZ , where he didn't pull any punches, calling Smith a 'classic narcissist' Ellin made it clear he didn't think Chris Rock did anything wrong, adding, 'Chris Rock just did his job, whether you liked his joke or not.' He also admitted that he first thought it was 'fake,' adding, 'I'm watching this thing, I don't know what the hell is happening, the sound goes off and I think there's something very strange happening. The writer-director added he's, 'trying to be careful in 2022, because mental health is a real thing,' adding that Smith, 'needs help.' Nothing wrong: Ellin made it clear he didn't think Chris Rock did anything wrong, adding, 'Chris Rock just did his job, whether you liked his joke or not' Help: The writer-director added he's, 'trying to be careful in 2022, because mental health is a real thing,' adding that Smith, 'needs help' 'If you're that out of control at the Oscars on the biggest night of your career, there's something severely wrong,' Ellin added. He also admitted that he didn't know Jada Pinkett Smith suffered from alopecia, and he believes that Chris Rock didn't know about it either. 'Chris Rock is one of the greatest comedians of the past 100 years and this show is the Oscars that is celebrating artistic expression... and you basically have Will Smith trying to cancel him live,' Ellin said. Out of control: 'If you're that out of control at the Oscars on the biggest night of your career, there's something severely wrong,' Ellin added Didn't know: He also admitted that he didn't know Jada Pinkett Smith suffered from alopecia, and he believes that Chris Rock didn't know about it either He added that Smith is 6'3" and he has fight training for his role in Ali and, 'he's smacking little 60-year-old Chris Rock,' though Rock's actual age is 57. Ellin also mentioned that Rock, 'didn't move, by the way,' adding he was, 'a little shocked that Will Smith didn't put him a little further back.' He also called out The Academy, stating he found it, 'horrifying' that they 'sat there' and did nothing, and then minutes later, 'gave him a standing ovation... the whole thing is horrifying to me.' Training: He added that Smith is 6'3" and he has fight training for his role in Ali and, 'he's smacking little 60-year-old Chris Rock,' though Rock's actual age is 57 Shocked: Ellin also mentioned that Rock, 'didn't move, by the way,' adding he was, 'a little shocked that Will Smith didn't put him a little further back' When asked why Smith, 'got the pass he did,' Ellin mentioned it was, 'a foregone conclusion that he was winning the Academy Award,' for his performance in King Richard, which he had already won the Golden Globe, Screen Actors Guild, BAFTA and other awards for. 'I'm not condoning any behavior, but I think they were so stunned by what happened, nobody knew what the hell to do,' Ellin said. He added that if someone less famous had slapped somebody on live television like, 'a cinematographer or a makeup artist, they would have arrested them immediately or taken them out of there.' Conclusion: When asked why Smith, 'got the pass he did,' Ellin mentioned it was, 'a foregone conclusion that he was winning the Academy Award,' for his performance in King Richard, which he had already won the Golden Globe, Screen Actors Guild, BAFTA and other awards for Stunned: 'I'm not condoning any behavior, but I think they were so stunned by what happened, nobody knew what the hell to do,' Ellin said Just minutes after the slap, Smith did in fact win Best Actor for King Richard, as he struggled through an awkward acceptance speech. 'I think his speech was even worse. The speech was worse than the slap, this gaslighting bulls**t about, "I'm a protector of people and a lover of people." Chris Rock was standing with his hands behind his back, and a guy twice his size slaps him across the face at the Oscars,' Ellin added. The slap happened just before Rock presented the award for Best Documentary, which Questlove won for his critically-acclaimed film Summer of Soul, with Ellin mentioning it was 'tragic' that his amazing speech will largely be forgotten. Awkward: Just minutes after the slap, Smith did in fact win Best Actor for King Richard, as he struggled through an awkward acceptance speech Tragic: The slap happened just before Rock presented the award for Best Documentary, which Questlove won for his critically-acclaimed film Summer of Soul, with Ellin mentioning it was 'tragic' that his amazing speech will largely be forgotten 'Questlove made this amazing speech about a movie that is so much more important than King Richard. That movie, Summer of Soul, is a really important documentary and Questlove gave a great speech that no one was listening to,' Ellin said. He also mentioned CODA star Troy Kotsur, who became just the second deaf actor to win an Oscar, adding, 'nobody's thinking about that.' 'I think it's really said and it's a classic narcissist who made the entire event about himself rather than anyone else,' Ellin concluded. She relocated from Los Angeles to Sydney last year with her billionaire husband Lachlan Murdoch and their children. And Sarah Murdoch was pictured boarding her AU$90million private jet on Monday as she prepared to travel to Canberra with News Corp heir Lachlan. The former Australia's Next Top Model host, 49, looked effortlessly chic in a black top and matching flared pants for the short-haul flight. High-flying chic: Sarah Murdoch (pictured) looked effortlessly stylish in an all-black ensemble as she boarded her $90million private jet with her husband Lachlan on Monday Sarah completed her look with a pair of black sandals and secured her blonde locks in a low bun as she boarded the plane. Lachlan also looked dapper in a navy tuxedo, white shirt and black shoes. The Murdochs relocated from Los Angeles to Sydney in March 2021. Style: The former Australia's Next Top Model host, 49, wore a black top and matching flared pants for the short-haul flight from Sydney to Canberra It seems the couple, along with their three children, sons Kalan Alexander, 16, and Aidan Patrick, 14, and daughter Aerin Elisabeth, 10, may be here to stay. In April last year, the Sydney Morning Herald reported the Murdochs will be in Australia 'for years, not months, as initially believed'. The family, who are based in their Bellevue Hill compound, known as Le Manoir, have settled into life in Sydney after Sarah was seen at the Royal Easter Show in Olympic Park with her children. Final touches: Sarah completed her look with a pair of black sandals and secured her blonde locks in a low bun as she boarded the plane Dapper: Lachlan also looked dapper in a navy tuxedo, white shirt and black shoes New home: The Murdochs relocated from Los Angeles to Sydney in March 2021 The publication also confirmed the Murdoch kids were enrolled in Sydney schools. While no reason was given for the family's return to Australia, a report claimed it was the political climate in the U.S. that inspired them to leave LA in favour of Sydney. Despite having spent years in LA, where Lachlan is Executive Chairman and CEO of Fox Corporation, the couple have always maintained their Bellevue Hill home. Relocating: In April last year, the Sydney Morning Herald reported the Murdochs will be in Australia 'for years, not months, as initially believed' It's hard to believe this weekend marks the first time he's played the the O2 arena. And Stormzy certainly didn't disappoint as he gave the home crowd a night to remember during his first time as a headliner at Londons iconic venue. The rapper, 28, put on a showstopping display as he took to the stage for his much-delayed Heavy is the Head Tour. Showman: Stormzy gave the home crowd a night to remember during his first time as a headliner at Londons O2 arena The Croydon-born star, real name Michael Ebenezer Kwadjo Omari Owuo Jr., made the very most of the opportunity, delivering a homecoming show to remember. Featuring crowd-pleasers including Know Me From and Audacity, the performer was typically incendiary on the night and delivered a blistering performance that was two years in the making. A giant crowd hovered over the stage throughout, as the one of the UKs most celebrated rappers put on a performance of a life time with his kinetic energy. Factual: This weekend marked the first time Stormzy played the the O2 arena On form: Featuring crowd-pleasers including Know Me From and Audacity, the performer was typically incendiary on the night Showman: The Croydon-born star, real name Michael Ebenezer Kwadjo Omari Owuo Jr., made the very most of the opportunity, delivering a homecoming show to remember Legend: A giant crowd hovered over the stage throughout, as the one of the UKs most celebrated rappers put on a performance of a life time with his kinetic energy The charismatic rapper gave a commanding performance Ready to go! He delivered a blistering performance that was two years in the making It comes after Stormzy's wealth shot up to 4.2 million despite the previous cancellation of his biggest tour to date. His firm Stormzy Limited rose 400,000 in value up to 3.4 million and the Hashtag Merky Touring Limited made a 860,000 profit in the 12 months up to the end of April last year. He paid himself 850,000 after the bumper year in dividend payments from the touring company. Showtime: It was a 'storming' performance Stormzy was due to play a massive month-long tour in April 2021 which was shelved because of lockdown restrictions. The Heavy is the Head Tour was rescheduled to begin in March this year. It includes three nights at the London O2 Arena as well as two nights in Dublin and other arenas around the UK. Revenue in Hashtag Merky Touring is believed to include earnings from the tour as the gigs were due to take place during the year covered by the accounts. The tour is to back up his best selling 2019 album Heavy is the Head, his second best-selling album release. Beyond Reasonable Doubt: Britain's Rape Crisis Rating: HMP Wakefield: Evil Behind Bars Rating: The BBC is routinely accused of flaunting a liberal metropolitan bias, and of missing no chance to give us the benefit of its opinions. But Beyond Reasonable Doubt: Britain's Rape Crisis (BBC1) showed that the corporation's journalists can still examine a highly charged and politically sensitive issue with rigour and detachment. This Panorama special set out to examine why only one per cent of reported rapes result in a conviction. There was no lecturing and no finger pointing, although the Crown Prosecution Service might be feeling a little uncomfortable today. The main obstacle to a higher conviction rate was identified early on by a Derbyshire detective, whose force gave the BBC access to a handful of investigations: 'You've got two people of good character. How are you expected to believe one over the other?' Beyond Reasonable Doubt: Britain's Rape Crisis set out to examine why only one per cent of reported rapes result in a conviction As if the crime itself were not bad enough, the investigation can also be painful and emotionally fraught. There was heart-breaking footage of a bespectacled little girl, ten or 11 years old, twisting her hand- kerchief nervously and weeping uncontrollably as she told officers how she'd been sexually abused by her father. Her sister had also been raped, but the CPS twice rejected the case because that sister initially denied that anything had happened. Thinking sex in families was normal, she didn't want to upset her dad. It took nearly four years from the initial claim before he was sentenced to 40 years. We also followed the case of Sam (not her real name) who reported in a tearful and distressing 999 call that she'd been raped on a canal path by a stranger. Yet a swab revealed no stranger's DNA, and CCTV footage of the scene showed no evidence of anybody else in the vicinity. 'We can never say it never happened,' said the officer in charge of the case, diplomatically, 'but we have no evidence to say it did.' It was powerful television, and perhaps some reassurance that the justice system has learned a thing or two since the early 1980s, when I heard an Old Bailey judge ask a young rape victim: 'Tell me, Miss, do you know what a penis is?' If you've ever complained that the prison system is soft, you might have been reassured by HMP Wakefield: Evil Behind Bars (C5). There were grim interior shots showing peeling paint, small airless cells, and gloomy corridors. It made Porridge look like the set of Downton Abbey. If you think that's bad, meet the neighbours. Wakefield is home to some of the most dangerous men in the country, including serial killers Jeremy Bamber and Robert Maudsley, who once murdered a fellow prisoner by stabbing him in the ear with a sharpened plastic spoon. Legend has it that the word 'nonce' was coined at Wakefield, where the initials were chalked outside the cells of sex offenders: 'Not On Normal Communal Exercise'. To lift the gloom, there were occasional moments of Porridge-like humour. Retired prison officer Mick O'Hagan was once in charge of F Wing, home to the prison's most dangerous residents. He recalled meeting 'incredibly arrogant' Jeremy Bamber for the first time. O'Hagan: What are you in for? (He already knew, of course.) Bamber said he had been convicted of killing five members of his family. 'Oh,' said O'Hagan. 'Think of the money you save at Christmas.' She's the Married At First Sight alumni who was once given the nickname 'Kmart Kim Kardashian'. But according to Martha Kalifatidis, she may very well have more in common with Kim's older sister Kourtney. Posting to her Instagram on Tuesday, the 33-year-old drew comparisons of herself and fiance Michael Brunelli to the Keeping Up With The Kardashians star and her Blink-182 rocker fiance, Travis Barker. High aspirations! Married At First Sight star Martha Kalifatidis has compared herself and fiance Michael Brunelli (left) to Kourtney Kardashian and Travis Barker (right) Martha proudly reshared a fan's post which showed the Hollywood stars at this year's Oscar Awards with the caption: '@marthaa__k @mbrunelli in 10 years.' Meanwhile, Martha wrote, 'Lol but go watch his stories.' In reference to Travis' stories, the couple can be seen enjoying decadent foods and taking lift selfies, proving uncanny similarities between the posts she and Michael share online. Travis, 46, and Kourtney, 42, are almost a decade older than the Australian reality TV stars. Do you see it? Martha proudly reshared a fan's post which showed the Hollywood stars at this year's Oscar Awards, captioning it: '@marthaa__k @mbrunelli in 10 years' Just like us! Martha wrote, 'Lol but go watch his stories'. In reference to Travis' stories, the couple can be seen enjoying decadent foods and taking lift selfies, proving uncanny similarities between the posts she and Michael share online Seeing double? Travis plants a cheeky kiss on her Kourtney's neck while getting ready for the Oscars (left). Martha and Michael posed for a similarly affectionate snap in September last year (right) The real deal: Martha and her fiance Michael regularly share PDA-filled Instagram photos The post comes three years after Martha addressed being compared to Kourtney's younger sister Kim. From their identical brunette waves to their plump pouts and bronzed complexions, the similarities between Martha and Kim are endless. 'At first I thought it (being likened to a Kardashian) was a compliment, but now I feel like everyone's saying it in a horrible way and I just think, like, "OK, so anybody with dark hair and dark eyes and that wears makeup is a Kardashian?"' Martha said in 2019. She continued: 'I'm a wog, I look like a wog, like any wog girl that wears makeup and is groomed now just wants to be a Kardashian, I don't get it, but it's a compliment I guess, sure.' 'At first I thought it (being likened to a Kardashian) was a compliment, but now I feel like everyone's saying it in a horrible way': The post comes three years after Martha (left) addressed being compared to Kourtney's younger sister Kim (right) 'I don't get it, but it's a compliment I guess, sure': From their identical brunette waves to their plump pouts and bronzed complexions, the similarities between Martha and Kim are endless Outside of her physical appearance, the MAFS bride also seems to take style cues from the famed American star. Martha appears to recreate many of Kim's iconic looks on social media, with the pair appearing so similar in some photos that it's often difficult to tell them apart. Speaking to NW magazine in the past, Martha revealed she has had extensive surgery including a boob job, nose job, Botox and fillers. Botox, fillers, a boob job and more: Martha (left) has previously revealed her plastic surgery transformation. Kim is pictured on the left 'I don't have fillers in my lips but I do have them in other places on my face... and I've had my boobs done ... like 10 years ago now,' said Martha. Martha, who is of Greek heritage, told A Current Affair in January 2019 that she was flattered by comparisons to Kim Kardashian. 'Everyone's inspired by Kim... She's hot!' she said. Karl Stefanovic and wife Jasmine Yarbrough are struggling to sell their sprawling pad in the idyllic Noosa. The couple's home was up for auction this week, but failed to sell. The home, dubbed Villa Isabelle, is located in Sunshine Beach, features five bedrooms and five bathrooms and has a huge $7million plus price tag. Still on the market! Karl Stefanovic and wife Jasmine Yarbrough's stunning $7million holiday house in Noosa has failed to sell at auction - despite its beach views, pool and wine cellar The Daily Telegraph reports that the pair were hoping to make a huge profit with the sale, having first purchased the stunning pad back in 2020 for $3.6million. Despite the home not selling, they still rent it out to holidaymakers for $3,700 per night during peak holiday periods. According to the publication, Karl and Jasmine don't use the pad as much as they hoped they would and will buy another property in Noosa soon. Still available: The couple's home was up for auction this week, but failed to sell Cashing in! The pair were hoping to make a huge profit with the sale, after first purchasing the stunning pad back in 2020 for $3.6million The home features a stunning pool, incredible beach views, a modern kitchen and even its own wine cellar. It recently had a chic makeover by Jasmine's sister Jade Yarbrough. Karl, 47, confirmed the listing of the property earlier this month. Paradise! The home features a stunning pool, incredible beach views, a modern kitchen and even its own wine cellar Luxe: It recently had a chic makeover by Jasmine's sister Jade Yarbrough 'The reality though is I can't get away from work in Sydney nearly enough and the logistics of coming in and out of Queensland have been challenging,' the Today show host told The Courier Mail. 'Eventually we will come back to Noosa when we have more time. If we can afford it. It's the best beach community anywhere,' he added. Karl said the couple had lovingly renovated the home to suit their needs. Time to sell: Karl, 47, confirmed the listing of the property earlier this month, revealing he and Jasmine weren't using it enough to justify ownership 'We've added a teenage retreat, a bathroom and a wine cellar. It's a really beautiful slice of Sunshine Beach paradise,' he said. Karl and Jasmine have strong links to Queensland and often celebrate important holidays with their families in Noosa. Karl studied journalism in the Sunshine State and started his career in Rockhampton. Meanwhile, Jasmine's family still lives in Brisbane. Channel Nine has announced Love Island Australia will be returning for season four. The network confirmed the news on Tuesday, and revealed it will be filmed in Mallorca, Spain, later this year. Sophie Monk is also set to return as host of the Channel Nine show. It's back! Channel Nine has confirmed Love Island Australia WILL return for season four - with Sophie Monk (pictured) coming back as host 'I'm so excited to be back as host of Love Island, and with overseas holidays finally coming into view I can't wait to return to beautiful Mallorca to see what's in store for our brand-new Islanders,' Sophie said. Last year, Love Island Australia was filmed in Queensland due to restrictions halting overseas travel and production. Its previous two seasons were filmed in Spain and Fiji. Coming soon: The network confirmed the dating series is returning on Tuesday, and revealed it will be filmed in Mallorca, Spain, later this year Casting is now open for hopeful singles wanting to find 'the one' in the luxurious villa on 9Now. Sophie shot to fame in 2000s girl band Bardot, and went on to feature in Hollywood films before returning to Australia to host Love Island and Beauty and the Geek. After failing to find love on The Bachelorette, Sophie became engaged to Joshua Gross in December 2020 but they waited until January the next year to announce the news. 'I'm so excited to be back as host of Love Island, and with overseas holidays finally coming into view I can't wait to return to beautiful Mallorca to see what's in store for our brand-new Islanders,' Sophie said The couple met in August 2018 when they were seated together on a flight. In July, Sophie lifted the lid on her baby plans, telling The Sunday Telegraph: 'We would love a family if we are lucky enough. 'You just never know but we would love to.' Cara Delevingne let loose on Monday night as she attended the Bilt Rewards x Wells Fargo Private Launch Event party at One Vanderbilt in Manhattan. The 29-year-old model was spotted gripping a bottle of Della Vite Prosecco which she and her sisters Poppy and Chloe partner with as she danced up a storm and hung out with New York City Mayor Eric Adams and A$AP Rocky, among other stars. The Suicide Squad star pulled a series of animated facial expressions on the night, with the worse for wear star showing off her dance moves in the club. Not holding back: Cara Delevingne, 29, was partying hard on Monday night at the Bilt Rewards x Wells Fargo Private Launch Event party in Manhattan, New York Cara opted for an edgy all-black ensemble, teaming a skintight base layer with a cropped blazer featuring wide lapels. She paired the jacket with high-waisted leggings held up with slim suspenders that crisscrossed her torso. The model stayed on theme with a figure-hugging black top, and accessorized with several necklaces, statement rings and bracelets. After plenty of partying and dancing, the catwalk star's honey brown shoulder-length hair got progressively dishevelled. But she didn't seem to mind as she had a blast while imbibing from her personal Prosecco bottle, along with other beverages. Friends in high places: Cara was seen partying alongside New York City mayor Eric Adams Pour it up: The model was never without a drink in her hand as she hit the dancefloor Simple: Cara paired the jacket with high-waisted leggings held up with slim suspenders that crisscrossed her torso All over the place: After plenty of partying and dancing, the catwalk star's honey brown shoulder-length hair got progressively dishevelled Having a blast: But she didn't seem to mind as she had a blast while imbibing from her personal Prosecco bottle, along with other beverages A video of Cara dancing next to Adams while A$AP Rocky could be heard rapping for the crowd, was a hit on social media. She grinned ear-to-ear and even flashed her tongue playfully while showing off her sleepy eyes. During the party, which was a promotional event for a Wells Fargo credit card, Mayor Eric Adams took to the microphone to urge people who had moved away from New York City in recent years to return to the Big Apple. 'So everyone who moved to Florida, get your butts back to New York City because New York City is where you want to be,' he said, according to the New York Post. The Wells Fargo credit card, which offers reward points when using it for paying rent, is an attempt to move Americans away from paying rent via checks, Bloomberg reported. Contrast: A video of Cara dancing next to Adams while A$AP Rocky could be heard rapping for the crowd was a hit on social media She's dancing for two: Several users joked about how animated Cara was, whereas the mayor was reserved and merely bobbed his head while she was dancing all about Family label: Cara and her sisters introduced their Prosecco to the UK last year after partnering with the Biasiotto family, a third-generation winemaking family, according to Forbes Della Vite Prosecco Cara Delevingne and her sisters Poppy and Chloe are partners of the drink brand. They introduced their Prosecco to the UK last year after partnering with the Biasiotto family, a third-generation winemaking family, according to Forbes. Based in Northern Italy's Prosecco region of Valdobbiadene, the Biasotto's winery, Foss Marai, grows the Glera grapes on 40-year-old vines that are hand-picked to produce every bottle of fizz. Della Vite Prosecco is the Italian term for of the vine. The alcoholic beverage is notable for following sustainable practices and producing a 100 percent vegan product. The Treviso bottle of Della Vita Prosecco has an RRP of 19.95 while the Superiore variety retails at 25.95. Advertisement Cara and her sisters introduced their Prosecco to the UK last year after partnering with the Biasiotto family, a third-generation winemaking family, according to Forbes. The alcoholic beverage is notable for following sustainable practices and producing a 100 percent vegan product. It's just one of many ventures for Cara, who remains an in-demand model. She's also ventured into acting, with roles in Suicide Squad and the romance Paper Towns, along with a recently announced guest role on Hulu's acclaimed comedy series Only Murders In The Building. Throwing shapes: Cara was seen dancing up a storm with Wyclef Jean inside the club Loving life: She seemed in high spirits as she cosied up for snaps with entrepreneur Ankur Jain Actor Ezra Miller is in trouble with the law once again, following a late Sunday evening arrest in Hawaii. The 29-year-old Fantastic Beasts actor was at a karaoke bar in Hilo on Sunday evening, where they were harassing a number of patrons with belligerent behavior. The police were called at 11:30 PM on Sunday evening and arrested the actor on charges of disorderly conduct and harassment. Mug shot: Actor Ezra Miller has found themself in trouble with the law once again, following a late Sunday evening arrest in Hawaii The incident happened at a karaoke bar on Silva Street in Hilo, where Miller was reportedly hurling obscenities at a 23-year-old woman singing karaoke. The actor also tried to grab the microphone from the woman while she was in mid-song. Later on in the night, they lunged at a 32-year-old man who was playing darts at the bar. Incident: The incident happened at a karaoke bar on Silva Street in Hilo, where Miller (seen above in 2017) was reportedly hurling obscenities at a 23-year-old woman singing karaoke The bar owner reportedly asked them to calm down numerous times, though that tactic seemingly didn't work, when the police were called. The police arrived at the karaoke bar around 11:30 PM and placed Miller under arrest and took them into custody. It's unclear how long Miller was in custody for, though they posted $500 bail and was ultimately released. Calm: The bar owner reportedly asked them to calm down numerous times, though that tactic seemingly didn't work, when the police were called This isn't Miller's first brush with the law, or controversy, with the actor having been arrested for drug possession in June 2011. The actor was the passenger in a vehicle in Pittsburgh, when they were pulled over and cops discovered 20 grams of marijuana. A judge would later drop the drug possession charge, but they were charged with two citations of disorderly conduct and ordered to pay a fine of $600. Not the first: This isn't Miller's (seen above in 2019) first brush with the law, or controversy, with the actor having been arrested for drug possession in June 2011 The actor found themselves in hot water once again in April 2020 when a video surfaced of them appearing to choke a woman and slam her to the ground in Reykjavik, Iceland. A bar employee identified the person in the video as Miller and they were removed from the premises. He also made headlines this past January, when they posted a video on Instagram that was later deleted, where they threatened members of the Ku Klux Klan operating in Beulaville, North Carolina. Advertisement The Real Housewives of New Jersey stars Melissa Gorga and Jackie Goldschneider looked absolutely incredible as they arrived to the Bilt Rewards x Wells Fargo Private launch event in New York City on Monday evening. While Gorga, 43, flashed her toned midriff in chic two-piece jumpsuit, her 45-year-old castmate opted to wear a skintight black latex jumpsuit with a silver belt, a Chanel handbag and a number of silver bangles. The TV personality, married to Evan Goldschneider, completed her sexy ensemble with a pair of sky-high booties, diamond earrings and a glossy nude lipstick. Bravo stars: The Real Housewives of New Jersey's Melissa Gorga and Jackie Goldschneider looked absolutely incredible as they arrived to the Bilt Rewards x Wells Fargo Private launch event in New York City on Monday She wore her golden blonde tresses in loose beachy waves and sported a natural makeup look, consisting of a luminizing foundation that gave her a gorgeous glow, blush and lavender smokey eye. Dorinda Medley, who starred on six seasons of The Real Housewives of New York City, was also in attendance. The 57-year-old Manhattanite wowed in a plunging shiny cream jumpsuit, which she styled with a colorful layered necklace. Glamorous: Gorga commanded attention in her midriff-baring look, which she paired with several gold necklaces and dramatic eyelash extensions Smiling: The mother-of-three appeared in high spirits as she shot a peace sign at the camera Wild side: Meanwhile Margaret Josephs wore a low-cut black cheetah print blouse with a risque keyhole in the front and leggings Meanwhile Margaret Josephs wore a low-cut black cheetah print blouse with a risque keyhole in the front and leggings. The fashion designer, 54, also rocked a pair of sparkly silver open-toed pumps, drop earrings and 'upgraded' wedding ring. Writer Carrie Berk and Wyclef Jean also made appearances at the bash, where model Cara Delevingne partied and ASAP Rocky performed. Cool girl: Writer Carrie Berk also made an appearance at the bash, where model Cara Delevingne partied and ASAP Rocky performed Quit the fashion statement: Wyclef Jean cut an edgy figure in a distressed black leather jacket, red trousers and a matching pair of sneakers Happy couple: Later, Melissa Gorga was joined by her husband Joe Gorga White hot: After getting her photo taken, Melissa bundled up in a grey and white patterned jacket and cork heels Delevingne seemed to be having a blast as she held onto a bottle of Della Vite, created by her and sisters Poppy and Chloe as the Everyday hitmaker, 33, hit the stage. ASAP Rocky, who is expecting his first child Rihanna, sang into a microphone while rocking a patterned hoodie under a varsity jacket. Following his performance, he was seen mingling and posing for photos with Floyd Mayweather Jr and NY Mayor Eric Adams. Popping bottles: Delevingne seemed to be having a blast as she held onto a bottle of Della Vite, created by her and sisters Poppy and Chloe as the Everyday hitmaker, 33, hit the stage Partying it up: During the star-studded bash, the Paper Towns star commanded attention in a pair of black suspenders and cropped jacket Performer: ASAP Rocky, who is expecting his first child Rihanna, sang into a microphone while rocking patterned a hoodie under a varsity jacket Pleasing the crowd: A$AP Rocky played a number of his hits for the audience Rapping: A$AP Rocky got the crowd on their feet while performing Chatting away: ASAP Rocky mingled with Floyd Mayweather Jr during the event Advertisement Betty White's longtime home has been put on the market for quite a heavy-price just three months after her death at 99. The comedy legend and her husband Allen Ludden had originally built the three-story beach-front home in Carmel Valley, California together, in the early eighties. Unfortunately Ludden died shortly after the property - which is built in a village north of Los Angeles and south of San Francisco - was completed in 1981. Simply stunning: Betty White's longtime home has been put on the market for quite a heavy-price just three months after her death at 99 Views: Betty's home can be seen in an aerial view from over the Pacific Ocean Icon: White died as a result of a stroke she suffered on Christmas Day, according to her death certificate The 3,600-square-foot-property includes four bedrooms and four and a half bathrooms and has been set at the asking price of $7.95million. The power couple had only paid $170K originally for the then-empty quarter-acre plot according to Dirt. Nicole Truszkowski of Truszkowski Freedman & Associates, Sotheby's International Realty - Carmel Brokerage, who holds the listing alongside Zak Freedman, told People on Monday: 'The home embodies the spirit of Betty and Allen. It was eloquently understated with the focus on nature and the natural beauty surrounding the home. Stunning: The 3,600-square-foot-property includes four bedrooms and four and a half bathrooms and has been set at the asking price of $7.95million Gorgeous: No doubt sunrises and sunsets look incredible Comforts of home: The primary bedroom is shown as the future homeowner can enjoy the epic ocean views Bond: The comedy legend and her husband Allen Ludden had originally built the three-story beach-front home in Carmel Valley, California together, in the early eighties (The couple are pictured together in 1974) 'Spending time in Carmel was one of Betty's favorite things to do. She enjoyed many treasured moments with her family and close friends.' The town of Carmel, which is also known as Carmel-by-the-sea, is situated near other celeb-favorite enclaves like Monterey and Big Sur. Truszkowski said that despite Betty being one of the most well-known comediennes in the world 'she was a private person. Betty's home in Carmel was her special sanctuary and it was one of her favorite places to recharge and rejuvenate.' Tragic: Unfortunately Ludden died shortly after the property - which is built in a village north of Los Angeles and south of San Francisco - was completed in 1981 Whoa: The power couple had only paid $170K originally for the then-empty quarter-acre plot according to Dirt Nicole Truszkowski of Truszkowski Freedman & Associates, Sotheby's International Realty - Carmel Brokerage, who holds the listing alongside Zak Freedman, told People on Monday: 'The home embodies the spirit of Betty and Allen. It was eloquently understated with the focus on nature and the natural beauty surrounding the home' The property also features panoramic ocean views of the Point Lobos Nature Reserve, Ribera Beach, and Monastery Beach from nearly every room. According to the listing, the home was designed by architect Richard Hicks, as he 'Infused with an effervescent energy, this three-story manor offers a parade of serene moments from outdoor decks, discrete spaces lush with blooms, and through generous windows that showcase the majesty of land meeting sea.' White died as a result of a stroke she suffered on Christmas Day, according to her death certificate. The beloved Golden Girls and Mary Tyler Moore Show actor died six days later on December 31 at her home in the Brentwood section of Los Angeles as the result of the stroke, according to the LA County death certificate. Never get sick of that: The property also features panoramic ocean views of the Point Lobos Nature Reserve, Ribera Beach, and Monastery Beach from nearly every room Comfortable: The town of Carmel, which is also known as Carmel-by-the-sea, is situated near other celeb-favorite enclaves like Monterey and Big Sur The 99-year-old was cremated and her remains were given on Friday to Glenn Kaplan, the man in charge of Whites advanced health care directive. Jeff Witjas, Whites long-standing agent and friend, who first confirmed her death to the AP, said she had been staying close to her Los Angeles home during the pandemic. The document lists Whites legal name of Betty Marion Ludden. She took the last name of her husband Allen Ludden. She was married to him from 1963 until his death in 1981. Truszkowski said that despite Betty being one of the most well-known comediennes in the world 'she was a private person. Betty's home in Carmel was her special sanctuary and it was one of her favorite places to recharge and rejuvenate' Interesting: According to the listing, the home was designed by architect Richard Hicks He 'Infused with an effervescent energy, this three-story manor offers a parade of serene moments from outdoor decks, discrete spaces lush with blooms, and through generous windows that showcase the majesty of land meeting sea' Simply stunning: The beach looks absolutely gorgeous by the property The information from Whites death certificate was first reported by TMZ. White, whose comic skills and up-for-anything charm made her a television mainstay for more than 60 years, died less than three weeks before her 100th birthday. US president Joe Biden, director Mel Brooks and many other celebrities and prominent leaders paid tribute to the star after her death. Amanda Holden has revealed her daughter Lexi, 16, will finish her education first before she emarks on her burgeoning modelling career. The Britain's Got Talent judge, 51, revealed earlier this month that her eldest daughter has signed with Storm modelling agency as she follows in her mother's showbusiness footsteps. Speaking to The Sun, Amanda, revealed Lexi wants to balance her modelling career with university and has 'so many ambitions'. Future: Amanda Holden has revealed her daughter Lexi, 16, will finish her education first before she emarks on her burgeoning modelling career She said: 'Lexi was approached last year and obviously we were waiting until she was 16 to sign anything. It's something she actually wants to do, so I'm taking the lead from her. 'She's a very quiet girl but she knows her own mind. She's very bright and wants to continue her studies. 'There's no pressure and we'll just see what happens. But finishing her education is very much her plan, she'll have our support whatever she decides to do.' It comes after Amanda, who is also mother to Hollie, 10, with husband Chris Hughes, 49, previously spoke to MailOnline about Lexi signing with Storm, the agency that represented Kate Moss for 28 years. Career: The Britain's Got Talent judge, 51, revealed earlier this month that her eldest daughter has signed with Storm modelling agency She said: 'They came after her and they're very lovely and nurturing and it will be a soft, slow thing and she won't do anything until she's 18 but they want her and that's what she wants to do. 'I have to say there was quite a number of them and there's such a different mindset to how you might think modelling agencies look after the young, but they are very nurturing and very caring, all of them. 'They came after her and they're very lovely and nurturing and it will be a soft, slow thing and she won't do anything until she's 18 but they want her and that's what she wants to do. 'I have to say there was quite a number of them and there's such a different mindset to how you might think modelling agencies look after the young, but they are very nurturing and very caring, all of them.' She said: 'Lexi was approached last year and obviously we were waiting until she was 16 to sign anything. It's something she actually wants to do, so I'm taking the lead from her' Lexi's beautiful looks have been inherited from her TV star mum, who says maintaining her glamorous appearance even now she's in her 50s is 'part of her DNA.' She said: 'It's rare that I've not got any makeup on. 'It's self-preservation, dignity, pride in how you look, and I've never knowingly been understated in any situation. Whenever I have been photographed or on a run or anything like that, I will always have mascara and a lip on, if not a lash, always. 'When I'm on holiday I will strip it back a little bit but even then I'll have a tinted moisturiser on and some sort of shimmery body lotion so I still look half decent while I'm roasting in the sunshine, which I love. 'I don't get sick of it it is part of my DNA I have to say that.' The Coronation Street characters broke up last year. And in scenes filmed for a future episode, Fizz Stape (played by Jennie McAlpine) showed ex Tyrone Dobbs (played by Alan Halsall) around the house that she's considering moving into with her new boyfriend. Fizz was photographed on set with Tyrone and boyfriend Phill Whittaker (played by Jamie Kenna) as they took a look around up-market the property. While the new couple might be moving away from the cobbles, Coronation Street denied recent reports that Jennie is set to leave the soap, telling MailOnline: 'Her character is still very much in the show.' Big move! In scenes filmed for Coronation Street, Fizz (Jennie McAlpine) showed ex Tyrone (Alan Halsall) around the new house she's considering moving into with her new boyfriend Fizz looked stylish in a black dress covered in sketches of leopards all over, and she teamed it with a burgundy cami beneath. She went property hunting in black leggings and heeled ankle boots, while keeping warm with an indigo denim jacket. Tyrone wore a green 'Michigan State' T-shirt and dark purple hoodie with his dishevelled jeans, to see where his ex might be moving to. Fizz's boyfriend Phill was also with the pair on the set location to film scenes for Corrie, looking smart in a shirt and grey suit jacket. House hunting: Fizz looked stylish in a black dress covered in sketches of leopards all over, and she teamed it with a burgundy cami beneath Wow! Their faces spoke a thousand words after looking around inside the house Soap style: Fizz went property hunting in black leggings and heeled ankle boots, while keeping warm with an indigo denim jacket, while Tryone wore jeans and a T-shirt Good times: Fizz's boyfriend Phill was also with the pair on the set location to film scenes for Corrie, looking smart in a shirt and grey suit jacket Cobbles long-timer Jennie McAlpine, 38, Fiz made her first appearance in the soap 21 years ago as Roy and Hayley Cropper's foster daughter. And as rumours of her new home storyline emerged, reports also began swirling that the actress may be leaving Coronation Street. However, when contacted by MailOnline, ITV confirmed: 'Jennie is absolutely not leaving the soap. People have reported that her character Fiz is leaving the street as in she may be moving away from the street as part of a storyline but her character is still very much in the show.' Happy lady: Fiz looked delighted as she strolled around outside the swanky house Keeping it casual: Tyrone wore a green 'Michigan State' T-shirt and dark purple hoodie with his dishevelled jeans, to see where his ex might be moving to Loving it: Fiz and Tyrone flashed a wide smile after showing her ex around the property A word in progress: The property was in the middle of a renovation Last summer, Jennie McAlpine admitted on This Morning that she was 'gutted' her character Fizz broke up with Tyrone [Alan Halsall] earlier in the year. She said: 'It gutted me and Alan because we love working together,' she explained before likening their familiar working relationship to 'putting on a nice comfy pair of slippers'. She continued: 'The thoughts of not seeing him was awful. But then we got the script and all the scenes of the family breaking up they were gorgeous and chuffed the writers gave us that to do.' So, what d'ya think? Fizz and Tyrone chatted about the place after having a nosey around The boyfriend and the ex: Fiz stood between her boyfriend Phill and her ex Tyrone Different reactions: At one point, Fiz looked pensive while Tyrone seemed impressed Wow! The semi-detached red brick property had scaffolding outside What could have been: If Tyrone hadn't cheated on Fiz with Alina, perhaps they would be house hunting for a place for themselves Fiz and Tyrone split after he had an affair with Alina Pop, played by Ruxandra Porojnicu. After the two characters kissed, Tyrone dumped his long-term partner and declared his love for Alina - but that relationship didn't last long. Hour long episodes of Coronation Street air on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 8pm on ITV. The old and the new: Fiz used to be with Tyrone but is now in a relationship with Phill Animated: The exes had a lively conversation outside the property Quick check: The pair checked messages on their mobile phones Taking a moment: Tyrone leaned onto the blue car as they chatted For weeks Married at First Sight's Tamara Djordjevic has been accused of belittling her groom Brent Vitiello's career after she told her co-stars he just 'waits tables'. And now footage of her husband, Brent, 33, serving drinks at Sydney hot spot Sinaloa has gone viral. In the video shared to TikTok, the tattooed hunk is seen working his day job walking over a tray of what appears to be alcoholic drinks for a group of girls. Cheque, please! Married At First Sight groom Brent Vitiello has gone viral on TikTok after footage emerged of him waiting tables in Sydney 'This is a happy birthday message to Emma from Jane all the way from Melbourne,' he says in the footage before placing a tray of drinks on the table. 'Throwback to my birthday when Brent served us birthday shots! He's way too good for Tamara,' the fan captioned the video, which has amassed over 187,000 views. 'Hey Tamara - he's not just a waiter!' the fan cheekily commented under the video before adding: 'He's also a bartender by the looks of it.' Fans were quick to flood the post with comments supporting Brent's decision to work in hospitality. 'Maybe now Tamara will understand this work,' another commented. Another chimed in, 'Wishing I lived in Sydney so I could support where he works.' Spotted: In the video shared to TikTok, the tattooed hunk is seen working his day job Daily Mail Australia understands that while Brent occasionally tends to orders, he acts as the venues day-to-day manager while assisting with their marketing, social media and PR. It comes after Tamara and Brent clashed at the final dinner party after he learned that she was telling her fellow brides that he was 'just a waiter'. 'I have no f**king idea. I think he makes s**t up to sound good, to be honest. I'm so over it. I have no idea,' she told Ella. Ouch: Tamara took a swipe at 'husband' Brent's work during a girls' night out last week Her revelation left both Ella, 27, and Domenica Calarco shocked, as Tamara laughed it off and made a comment about his 'ego'. Both Ella and Domenica, 29, stared wide-eyed at Tamara as she continued to complain about Brent. 'I honestly have no idea what he does. Nah, no idea. I think he's just a hospo [hospitality] person,' she continued. Married At First Sight continues Sunday at 7pm on Channel Nine An Australian TV and radio host has revealed what really happened after Will Smith slapped Chris Rock at the Oscars in Los Angeles on Sunday. Hit FM's Dean McCarthy was at the awards show, and described the mood in the room moments after the now infamous incident. 'How I would describe it, you know when you're at school and the teacher goes really angry at a student, and then everyone's really quiet afterwards, it's like that,' he said. Behind the scenes: An Australian TV and radio host has revealed what really happened after Will Smith (right) slapped Chris Rock (left) at the Oscars in Los Angeles on Sunday 'Everyone went quiet, everyone's super freaking out, in total disbelief. Bodyguards came running out, the energy shifted, everyone was in pure shock.' Will, 53, stunned the star-studded audience and movie fans alike when he walked onto the stage and smacked Chris, who was presenting the award for Best Documentary. The 57-year-old comedian had made a joke about Will's wife of 25 years, actress Jada Pinkett Smith, suffering alopecia and losing her hair when the actor took offence. On the ground: Dean McCarthy (pictured) was at the awards show, and described the mood in the room moments after the now infamous incident 'Jada, I love ya. G.I. Jane 2, can't wait to see ya,' Chris told the crowd, referring to the 1997 film, G.I. Jane, which starred Demi Moore with a shaved head. As Will turned and made his way back down to his seat in the front row, a shell-shocked Chris told the audience: 'Oh, wow. Will Smith just smacked the s**t out of me.' After sitting down again, a furious Will repeatedly warned Chris to 'keep my wife's name out your f**king mouth,' as the audience sat in stunned silence. 'How I would describe it, you know when you're at school and the teacher goes really angry at a student, and then everyone's really quiet afterwards, it's like that,' he said A happier Will later returned to the stage to accept the award for Best Actor for his role in King Richard, in which he portrayed Venus and Serena Williams' father. The tearful actor apologised for his earlier behaviour without directly addressing Chris in his acceptance speech. 'I want to apologise to the Academy. I want to apologise to all my fellow nominees. This is a beautiful moment and I'm not crying for winning an award,' he began. Smackdown: Will, 53, stunned the star-studded audience and movie fans alike when he walked onto the stage and smacked Chris, who was presenting the award for Best Documentary He added: 'I'm being called on in my life to love people and to protect people and to be a river to my people. 'I know to do what we do, you got to be able to take abuse. You got to be able to have people talk crazy about you. 'In this business you got to be able to have people disrespecting you. And you got to smile and you got to pretend like that's okay.' Taking out the prize: A happier Will later returned to the stage to accept the award for Best Actor for his role in King Richard, in which he portrayed Venus and Serena Williams' father Will addressed the attack on Instagram a day later, where he issued an apology to Chris and admitted he was 'embarrassed' by his behaviour. 'Violence in all of its forms is poisonous and destructive. My behaviour at last night's Academy Awards was unacceptable and inexcusable,' he wrote. 'Jokes at my expense are a part of the job, but a joke about Jada's medical condition was too much for me to bear and I reacted emotionally. 'Everyone went quiet, everyone's super freaking out, in total disbelief. Bodyguards came running out, the energy shifted, everyone was in pure shock,' said Dean 'I would like to publicly apologise to you, Chris. I was out of line and I was wrong. I am embarrassed and my actions were not indicative of the man I want to be.' He added: 'There is no place for violence in a world of love and kindness.' The Aladdin actor then went on to apologise to The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which hosts the Oscars. What just happened? As Will turned and made his way back down to his seat in the front row, a shell-shocked Chris told the audience: 'Oh, wow. Will Smith just smacked the s**t out of me' Will also acknowledged that his actions had 'stained' the prestigious awards show. 'I would also like to apologise to the Academy, the producers of the show, all the attendees and everyone watching around the world,' he continued. 'I would like to apologise to the Williams Family and my King Richard Family. I deeply regret that my behaviour has stained what has been an otherwise gorgeous journey for all of us. I am a work in progress.' Storming the stage: The 57-year-old comedian had made a joke about Will's wife of 25 years, actress Jada Pinkett Smith, suffering alopecia and losing her hair when the actor took offence Meanwhile, The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences said they would launch a formal review into the incident amid speculation Will could be stripped of his Oscar. 'The Academy does not condone violence of any form,' The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences wrote on Twitter on Monday. 'Tonight we are delighted to celebrate our 94th Academy Awards winners, who deserve this moment of recognition from their peers and movie lovers around the world.' Advertisement Will Smith slapping Chris Rock after he poked fun at the actor's wife Jada Pinkett Smith is no doubt the most talked about moment of the Oscars on Sunday - however it has emerged he once vowed to never joke about his pals. But it seems the trio's 26-year friendship is more turbulent than fans initially realised, with Jada, 50, having worked alongside her new foe in the Madagascar trilogy. The comedian, 57, also appeared in a 1996 episode of The Fresh Prince Of Bel Air, in which Will, 53, starred, and years later joked that The Matrix star hadn't even received her own invite to the Academy Awards, which he was hosting in 2016. Wow! Chris Rock's turbulent 26-year friendship with Jada and Will includes co-star billings in Madagascar and The Fresh Prince before making digs at her fame... despite vowing to NEVER joke about the power couple (Chris and Jada are pictured at the 2005 Kids' Choice Awards) The physical assault occurred after he quipped about the 'GI Jane' shaven haircut of Jada - who suffers from alopecia - leading her husband to furiously stride on-stage and slap him. Only years prior to the humiliating dig, Chris and Jada appeared to be close friends as they travelled the world together for press junkets, movie premieres and red carpet appearances to promote three Madagascar films between 2005 and 2012. Hopes of a fourth installment, which was set to be released in 2018 before being postponed, appear to have been shattered by the public brawl at the Oscars. Chris lent his voice to Marty the Zebra while Jada became Gloria the Hippo in the animated franchise, and although they didn't physically feature together on-screen, they certainly put on friendly displays while promoting their movies. Hilarious: The comedian, 57, (right) also appeared in a 1996 episode of The Fresh Prince Of Bel Air, in which Will, 53, (left) starred The pair even presented the gong for Favorite Voice From An Animated Movie at the 2005 Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards, where Will also performed. During the promo tour for Europe's Most Wanted, the Grown Ups star complimented Will and Jada's daughter Willow's 2011 track, 21st Century Girl. He told the couple, according to Fuse, 'Hey, my kids listen to your kids!' In the previous decade, the former SNL star worked with the Gettin' Jiggy Wit It hitmaker for the very first time in his NBC sitcom. Throwback: His appearance included cameos as a fictional comedian named Maurice Perry as well as his sister Jasmine, who soon enjoyed a date with Will (pictured in 1996) His appearance included cameos as a fictional comedian named Maurice Perry as well as his sister Jasmine, who soon enjoyed a date with Will. Chris' friendship with the power couple was so firm that he once claimed his near-the-mark jokes would never be directed towards Will, as well as Barack Obama and Brad Pitt. He told CNN in 2009: '(Obama's) just one of those guys, you know, like Will Smith. There's no Will Smith jokes. There's no Brad Pitt jokes. 'You know, what are you going to say? "Ooh, you used to have sex with Jennifer Aniston. Now you have sex with Angelina Jolie. You're such a loser." The feud appears to have begun during Chris' Oscars hosting gig in 2016 when Will and Jada skipped the ceremony. Pals: But it seems the trio's turbulent 26-year friendship is more turbulent than fans initially realised, with Jada, 50, having starred alongside her new foe in the Madagascar trilogy It marked the second consecutive year where people of colour had not been nominated, which sparked the #OscarsSoWhite movement hashtag. Chris joked on stage of Jada being her husband's plus-one: 'Jada boycotting the Oscars is like me boycotting Rihanna's panties. I wasn't invited.' Two years later, when Will posted an Instagram birthday tribute to his ex-wife Sheree Zampino, Chris continued the feud by commenting: 'Wow. You have a very understanding wife.' He did not receive a reply. Will slapping Chris around the face for making a joke about his wife Jada's bald head at the Oscars sent shockwaves around the world on Sunday. The jaw-dropping moment took place moments after Rock arrived on stage to present the award for Best Documentary Feature. Former pals: Chris and Jada travelled the world together for press junkets, movie premieres and red carpet appearances to promote three Madagascar films (pictured in 2008) It all kicked off when Chris pointed to Will and his wife, quipping: 'Jada, I love ya. G.I. Jane 2, can't wait to see it.' The joke was in reference to the 1997 film G.I. Jane, a role that actress Demi Moore famously shaved her head for. At that point, the camera turned to Smith, who at first was seen visibly laughing at the gag and even clapped his hands, a gesture that seemed to suggest he saw the funny side. But as Smith laughed while still seated, Pinkett Smith - who has been open about her struggle with hair loss and alopecia - visibly rolled her eyes, looking furious. 'That was a nice one!' Rock then said on stage, justifying his joke as a mild one. Happier times: Chris' friendship with the power couple was so firm that he once claimed his near-the-mark jokes would never be directed towards Will (Jada and Chris pictured in 2012) However, in the seconds that the camera had cut-away, Smith then jumped from his seat and stormed the stage as Rock was heard saying: 'Uh-oh...' This is when the world saw King Richard star Smith - who would later collect an Oscar for Best Actor - approach Rock and promptly slap him across the face. 'Wow,' Rock could be heard saying after the assault. 'Will Smith just smacked the s**t out of me.' In footage that had been uncensored, Smith was heard saying: 'Keep my wife's name out your f***king mouth.' Actress Lupita Nyong'o, who was sitting near Smith, could be seen visibly confused at what had just happened as some audience members were left wondering if it had been part of some pre-arranged skit. Throwback: Chris lent his voice to Marty the Zebra while Jada became Gloria the Hippo in the franchise, and they put on friendly displays while promoting their movies (pictured in 2008) But as Will made his foul-mouthed tirade, Nyong'o's expression quickly turned serious. The exchange was muted on a delayed telecast in much of the US, but was aired in full to some international audiences. After being slapped, Rock appeared shocked and flustered as he tried to resume presenting the best documentary feature category. 'That was the greatest night in the history of television,' Rock said, before awkwardly returning to presenting best documentary, which went to Questlove's 'Summer of Soul (...or When the Revolution Was Not Televised).' Rapper Diddy was the next person on stage to acknowledge the fall-out as he said: 'Will, Chris, we are gonna solve that like a family at the gold party. For now, we will move on with love.' Ouch: Years later, Chris joked that The Matrix star hadn't even received her own invite to the Academy Awards, which he was hosting in 2016 Later, Smith opened his acceptance speech with an emotional defense of his assault on Rock for mocking the short hair of Pinkett Smith, who suffers from a medical condition that causes hair loss. 'Richard Williams was a fierce defender of his family,' Smith said in his first remarks. He continued: 'I'm being called on in my life to love people and to protect people and to be a river to my people.' Smith went on to issue a tearful partial apology for his emotional outburst, but did not apologize to Rock. 'I want to apologize to the Academy, I want to apologize to all my fellow nominees. This is a beautiful moment,' he said. 'Art imitates life. I look like the crazy father' said Smith. 'But love will make you do crazy things.' Late Sunday night, the LAPD issued a statement saying that Rock had not filed a police report against Smith, but that if he chooses to do so, police will investigate. 'LAPD investigative entities are aware of an incident between two individuals during the Academy Awards program,' the statement said. 'The incident involved one individual slapping another.' It was not immediately clear whether the Academy would penalize Smith in any way for his outburst. Holby City fans were left devastated when it was revealed the show had been axed after 23 years. Now David Ames - who plays Dominic Copeland in the Casualty spin-off - has revealed not even the cast were aware the show was coming to an end before the announcement was made. Speaking on Tuesday's episode of Lorraine, the actor, 38 admitted he had 'absolutely no idea' the series was coming to an end. End of an Era: David Ames,38, who plays Dominic Copeland in the Casualty spin-off, has revealed the actors had 'absolutely no idea' the series was coming to an end When asked on if the cast got a 'feeling' it was going to happen, the actor - who joined the soap in 2013 - said: 'We had absolutely no idea. Absolutely none. 'I remember I had a brief text chat with Russell T Davies about this, and he said, "Normally you hear a little rumbling somewhere. Somebody will know something." No one knew a thing. It was just one of those things.' Show host Lorraine Kelly admitted the Holby's axing 'doesn't make any sense whatsoever', but she suggested the show could be re-run from the beginning after the final episode. Shock: When asked on if the cast got a 'feeling' it was going to happen, the actor said: 'We had absolutely no idea. Absolutely none (pictured in character) Sad: Show host Lorraine Kelly admitted the Holby's axing 'doesn't make any sense whatsoever', but she suggested the show could be re-run from the beginning after the final episode David also revealed Tuesday night's final episode will be a 'massive tribute' to the NHS, saying: 'Loose ends will be tied, stories will be rounded off nicely. 'What we can look forward to is a really heartfelt... just a massive tribute to what it's about, which is the NHS and what they do for us.' Since he finished filming the medical drama, David has been starring in play Steve in the West End, but he has also set his sights on TV presenting. Thank you: David admitted Tuesday night's final episode will be a 'massive tribute' to the NHS: 'Loose ends will be tied, stories will be rounded off nicely Your job please: Since he finished filming the medical drama, David has been starring in play 'Steve' in the West End, but he has also set his sights on TV presenting When asked by Lorraine if he has ever thought about presenting, he said: 'I have absolutely thought about things like that. 'I'm friends with Gok [Wan] and Richard Arnold, and I admire what they do massively. And you, but the whole live thing kind of scares me.' David also admitted it would be 'a dream' to take part in Strictly Come Dancing, but he has 'two left feet'. Dancing shoes? David also admitted it would be 'a dream' to take part in 'Strictly Come Dancing', but he has 'two left feet' This revelation comes after David's co-star Jaye Jacobs revealed the extent of her despair as the 'most diverse show on terrestrial TV' coming to an end. The actress, 39, who joined the medical soap as Donna Jackson in 2004, has revealed she had always been a fan and watched the show 'for the black and brown faces'. Jaye, who left the show between 2011 and 2017 to star in Waterloo Road, told The Mirror: 'Holby changed my life'. Tragic: This revelation comes after David's co-star Jaye Jacobs revealed the extent of her despair as the 'most diverse show on terrestrial TV' coming to an end 'My agent called me, and he said, 'Where are you? Because you will remember this moment.' Holby was massive then. It was the most diverse show on terrestrial TV. 'That's why I watched it, because there were so many black and brown faces in it. It was brilliant in every way.' Jaye's character enjoyed her own set of scandals, including sleeping with her friend Mickie Hendrie [Kelly Adams], an affair with Michael Spence [Hari Dhillon] and taking cocaine with Mark Williams [Robert Powell]. Talented: Jaye, who left the show between 2011 and 2017 to star in Waterloo Road, said: 'Holby changed my life (pictured in-character) Meanwhile Rosie Marcel, who has played Jac Naylor for 16 years, confessed she would 'love to be the next Ann Widdecombe' on Strictly. She claimed that she will 'absolutely stay in contact' with her co-stars, adding that she 'thought she would be playing Jac for the rest of her life'. The BBC announced it would scrap Holby City last year as it continues its drive to appear more northern, sparking a furious backlash among fans. Weeping: Meanwhile Rosie Marcel, who has played Jac Naylor for 16 years, confessed she would 'love to be the next Ann Widdecombe' on Strictly (pictured in 2019) The long-running medical drama has been filmed at the corporation's London Elstree Studios for the last 22 years. 'I find the BBC axing Holby City so they can have a soap in the north ridiculously misguided,' wrote one fan. They added that the north of England already has three of the country's biggest soaps with Hollyoaks, set in Chester, Coronation Street in Manchester, and Emmerdale in Yorkshire. They added: 'To make out that representation is part of the decision when you are now leaving only one soap in the south is so hypocritical.' Tobias Oliver added that Holby City already has big diversity credentials 'championing the NHS, a show that had a history of strong roles for LGBT and BAME actors and could reflect all corners of the UK through challenging storylines.' The final episode of Holby City airs on BBC One at 7.50pm Danniella Westbrook kept up with her fitness routine as she went for an outdoor workout in London on Monday. The former EastEnders star, 48, displayed her fit figure as she donned a blue crop top along with a pair of matching joggers. The actress also sported a pair of dark trainers as she was seen stretching ahead of her workout in a park. Casual: Daniella Westbrook displayed her fit figure as she donned a blue crop top as she went for a workout in London on Monday The former Celebrity Big Brother star styled her blonde locks into a bob while she also wore a pair of sunglasses. The outing comes after Danniella showed off the results of a year's worth of face surgery, filler and Botox in a glamorous snap as it's revealed she's set to go under the knife to have part of her rib put in her cheek. The actress opened up on her upcoming operation which she hinted may take its 'toll' on her, with the star having the procedure after her cheek was left damaged by botched dental work. Danniella, who looked amazing in new images, also shared that she's currently going through 'a lot of operations at the moment' as she told of her ongoing treatments to restore her face. Outfit: The actress also sported a pair of dark trainers as she was seen stretching ahead of her workout in a park The mum-of-two had previously undergone the rib procedure in 2018, after osteoporosis rotted away her cheekbones and gums. Speaking to OK! magazine about her latest bout of facial reconstruction, she explained: 'I'm going through a lot operations at the moment. They're good but they're very hard.' She continued: 'The first two of my operations haven't taken a toll on me but the next lot will do. I'm seeing a bone surgeon next who is going to be removing a rib.' MailOnline have contacted Danniella's rep for further comment. The actress has spent the last year getting lip filler and Botox, in addition to surgery on her face as she works hard to get back to her best. And it appears the hard work has paid off as Danniella looked stunning in glamorous new snaps. Transformation: The outing comes after Danniella showed off the results of a year's worth of face surgery, filler and Botox in a glamorous snap as she's set to go under the knife to have part of her rib put in her cheek The former Celebrity Big Brother star sported a white robe and a sleek palette of make-up as she lay down on a fancy bed in lovely new images. She was seen smiling away while posing for the camera, no doubt excited for what's to come in 2022. Last month, Danniella revealed that she was looking forward to her upcoming set of surgery. Sharing a throwback snap of herself on Instagram, she penned: 'Cant wait for all my surgery to be done will be back too my best and fighting fit and next year I will be 50! Bring it on Im ready. More than ready , Im ready for a full transformation physically. Danniella previously discussed first undergoing the procedure four years ago during an appearance on Good Morning Britain. The way she was: The actress' battle with drugs has been well-publicised, and she famously had her nose reconstructed after her septum collapsed from excessive cocaine use in 2002 She explained: 'When I was doing excessive amounts of drugs and lost my nose I would have got it then, not after being 13 years clean. I wouldn't have just got it in the last three years." On her dental work that went wrong, she said: 'The screws, which they have left in, the bone didn't close around them when I had implants, which led to blood getting into the bone so it just died. 'That gave me the septicaemia which gave me the bone disease and started rotting away and it's all down to that. 'They were going to have to take some of my skull but they're going to use a floating rib.' Surgery: Danniella opened up on her upcoming operation which she hinted may take its 'toll' on her, with the star having the procedure after her cheek was left damaged by botched dental work 9pictured in 2021) Touching her cheek, she went on: 'I have no cheek bone here at all where it's just gone from osteoporosis, nothing to do with cocaine at all. 'If it was I would openly say that it was, like I did before with my nose.' The news of her upcoming procedure comes months after she underwent surgery for a sinus infection. The actress previously told her fans that she was waiting to go to theatre at Aintree University Hospital, after doctors feared the nasty infection, which saw her end up in ICU, could 'reach her brain'. The following day, the former EastEnders star announced that the surgery had been a 'huge success' and she came bearing more good news for her concerned Twitter followers. Looking ahead: Last month, Danniella revealed that she was looking forward to her upcoming set of surgery as she shared a throwback snap from 2009 (pictured) Open: Danniella previously discussed first undergoing the procedure four years ago during an appearance on Good Morning Britain She wrote in November: 'Thanks for all the messages of support for my operation. It was a huge success and Im so happy thank you to @LivHospitals and the best staff surgical team and cleanest hospital ever x #NHS #Liverpool,' she said. Her hospitalisation comes after she vowed to turn her life around following years of drug abuse and relapsing onto 'cocaine and champagne' earlier in 2021. The actress' battle with drugs has been well-publicised, and she famously had her nose reconstructed after her septum collapsed from excessive cocaine use in 2002. At the height of her use, it was reported she would take up to five grams of cocaine a day, blowing close to 250,000 on the drug. The star has since embarked on multiple rehab stints in order to battle her demons - and revealed she was finally clean in June 2020, after attending a clinic in Mijas, Spain. Recovery: The news of her upcoming procedure comes months after she underwent surgery for a sinus infection Matt Smith has been seen filming scenes for his anticipated new movie Starve Acre. The British actor was spotted shooting in the Yorkshire countryside on Monday, where crew members had to fake stormy weather during the sunny day. Leading man Matt was seen getting soaked by a hose to simulate rain as filming got underway under blue skies. Action! Matt Smith has been seen filming scenes for his anticipated new movie Starve Acre in the Yorkshire countryside this week The actor, dressed in black, dried himself off with a towel after the soaking from the crew. During a break from filming a driver was seen bringing Matt his pet dog out of a car before the actor enjoyed a brisk walk along the fields. The movie was announced in January with BAFTA-nominated writer and director Daniel Kokotajlo at the helm. The thriller is based on Andrew Michael Hurley's novel of the same name. Leading man: Matt was seen enjoying a brisk walk with his pet dog during a break from filming According to Variety the film explores 'inherited trauma and loss within a world ruled by supernatural folklore.' Matt and Lord Of The Rings actress Morfydd Clark play a disconnected couple worried about their son. Set in their family estate, Starve Acre, in 1970s England, Richard (Smith) and Juliette (Clark) find their family life shattered when their son Ewan starts acting strangely. Why does it always rain on me? Leading man Matt was seen getting soaked by a hose to simulate rain as filming got underway under blue skies on Monday Soaked: The actor was soaked from head to toe whilst the crew around him basked in the sunshine New project: According to Variety the film explores 'inherited trauma and loss within a world ruled by supernatural folklore' The couple grow farther apart when Richard buries himself in local folklore including the myth that an ancient tree set on their estate possesses mystical powers while Juliette seeks comfort in their local community. While Matt keeps busy with his latest movie project, it has also been reported this month that he could make a Doctor Who comeback for a special 60th anniversary celebration of the show. Rumours have been rife amongst fans that the current Time Lord, Jodie Whittaker, 39, is set to hand the baton back to David Tennant, 50, who played the 10th incarnation of the Doctor from 2005 to 2010, when she leaves the sci-fi series after three special episodes air this year. Drying off: Matt clutched a towel in between takes of the action scene Star: Matt was helped by wardrobe as he dried off before later donning a brown waistcoat for another scene Action scene: Matt was also seen collapsed on the grass behind a stone wall Horror: Matt and Lord Of The Rings actress Morfydd Clark play a disconnected couple worried about their son But, when the programme returns in 2023, David and Matt, 39, who himself appeared from 2010 to 2014, as well as Christopher Eccleston, 58, who starred in 2005, and Peter Capaldi, 63, who played the title role from 2013 to 2017, could all appear again if showrunner and dedicated Doctor Who fan Russell T Davies, 58, realises his dream. A TV insider told The Sun: 'The BBC wanted something unique to mark six decades of Doctor Who and while getting all the former time lords together will be a challenge, its one Russell might just achieve. Thriller: Set in their family estate, Starve Acre, in 1970s England, Richard (Smith) and Juliette (Clark) find their family life shattered when their son Ewan starts acting strangely 1970s set: The couple grow farther apart when Richard buries himself in local folklore including the myth that an ancient tree set on their estate possesses mystical powers Stunning setting: The production has set up home in the Yorkshire countryside for the shoot Man's best friend: Matt's beloved pet pooch has joined him for the shoot 'After all, he was the man responsible for signing up Christopher and David back in 2005, and he is one of the few people who might convince them to be a part of the show again. 'It remains to be seen if he can achieve an exact copy of The Five Doctors, but he will certainly want to capture some of the spirit of that landmark episode in these specials.' MailOnline has contacted the BBC for comment. All go: Crew members milled around with one in charge of the powerful hose Getting stuck in: The production did its best to simulate rainy weather during the sunshine Domenica Calarco and Jack Millar got their happily ever after on Tuesday's episode of Married At First Sight. The Sydney-based makeup artist, 29, admitted that she wouldn't be able to forgive herself if she didn't give her relationship with Jack, 26, a shot on the outside world. As the rain fell, an ecstatic Jack began: 'I think it's safe to say that throughout all this, I felt pretty much felt every emotion possible.' So sweet! Married At First Sight's Domenica Calarco and Jack Millar appeared to get their fairytale ending on Tuesday night 'I knew that no matter what you were there by my side, you have shown me time and time again. 'You have made this experiment one of the most incredible experiences of my life. Not anything else.' 'Domenica. I would love to continue this relationship on the outside world because I truly do believe we have something great,' he said with a smile. As the rain fell, an ecstatic Jack began: 'I think it's safe to say that throughout all this, I felt pretty much felt every emotion possible' Domenica couldn't contain her excitement as she revealed she wanted to also give their experiment a go on the outside world. 'Jack, what a bloody incredible journey it is that we've been on from day one,' she said. 'We bonded. It was instant chemistry, You said in your wedding vows that you wanted a challenge. And I know I did just that. 'There was never a point in the experiment where I gave up.' Cute! Domenica couldn't contain her excitement as she revealed she wanted to also give their experiment a go Taking a chance: Domenica explained that while she hoped her feelings towards her partner would be much more stronger than they are, she was willing to give it a go Domenica explained that while she hoped that her feelings towards her partner would be much more stronger than they are, she was willing to give it a go. 'I know what it feels like to walk away,' she said. 'It's a consuming decision that can completely change the course of your life throughout the entire experiment. 'I never gave up hope even through the toughest of times because I wanted to believe that the chemistry was shared from day one meant something. 'I don't want to walk away from you leaving any stone unturned. You are a one in a million guy.' Fairytale ending: 'I don't want to walk away from you leaving any stone unturned. You are a one in a million guy,' she said It comes after Jack confirmed he and Domenica don't make it after he was spotted eating at a chicken shop on January 13. The financial worker was photographed looking downcast without his wedding ring just hours before filming the show's anticipated reunion episode. Jack was spotted spending time with co-stars Ella Ding and her 'husband' Mitch Eynaud in Sydney's Coogee, and his bride was nowhere to be seen. Trouble in paradise? Jack Millar has all but confirmed he and bride Domenica Calarco don't last after he was spotted eating at a chicken shop without his wedding ring. Pictured with Ella Ding Alec Baldwin has been pictured preparing for a new movie, five months on from the death of Halyna Hutchins, the cinematographer who was shot and killed on the set of his film Rust. The actor was seen studying a script for a new movie he is due to start filming in Rome in the coming days. Sitting outside a bar in the Italian city, Alec, 63, looked disheveled as he ate alone while reading his annotated script. Working: Alec Baldwin has been pictured preparing for a new movie, five months on from the death of Halyna Hutchins, the cinematographer who was killed on the set of his film Rust Alec wore an oversized black t-shirt, with a mask around his chin and sunglasses on top of his greying hair. In between studying his lines, he was seen sharing a conversation with a group at a neighbouring table, cheerfully showing them something on his phone. He was later spotted being collected by a female member of staff to head to rehearsals. Alec is working on two Italian films, Kid Santa and Billie's Magic World, according to Variety. Back to movies: The actor was seen studying a script for a new movie he is due to start filming in Rome in the coming days The films, which are being produced by Alec and his brother Daniel Baldwin, who is also starring in the two movies, will soon begin shooting in Rome. Kid Santa and Billie's Magic World are both by Italian director Francesco Cinquemani, who previously worked with Alec on the 2015 film Andron. He also directed the 2021 film The Christmas Witch, which starred Alec's brother William Baldwin. The two films are being billed as 'live-action/animation family Christmas comedies', according to Variety. Solo lunch: Sitting outside a bar in the Italian city, Alec, 63, looked disheveled as he ate alone while reading his annotated script Smiling: He was later seen being collected by a female member of staff to head to rehearsals, looking in good spirits as he prepared for a day at work Calling home? At one point the star was joined by a male friend as he studied his phone intently Gianluca Curti, the chief of Italy's Minerva Pictures, told the site the Baldwin brothers will be in Rome for four weeks shooting the two movies' live action scenes. Curti also said Alec's participation in the two films preceded the fatal shooting on the set of Rust. Deadline, meanwhile, reports the brother working with Alec is not Daniel but William. According to the site, the brothers will be doing both live-action acting and voice work. In Rome: Alec wore an oversized black t-shirt, with a mask around his chin and sunglasses on top of his greying hair Leading man: Alec was seen reading a heavily annotated script over his lunch Back to back movies: Alec is working on two Italian films, Kid Santa and Billie's Magic World, according to Variety Back at work: The Hollywood star has taken on the heavy workload just months after the tragic shooting on the set of his movie Rust Alec has been dealing with an ongoing wrongful death lawsuit over the on-set shooting death of Hutchins. The cinematographer, 42, died on October 21 last year when a prop gun used in the film Rust was fired by Alec after he was told it wasn't loaded, shooting her in the chest. Director Joel Souza was also injured from Baldwin's prop gun, though he survived his injuries. Family affair: The films, which are being produced by Alec and his brother Daniel Baldwin, who is also starring in the two movies, will soon begin shooting in Rome Intense shoot: It's been reported Cuti that the Baldwin brothers will be in Rome for four weeks shooting the two movies' live action scenes. Committed: Alec's participation in the two films preceded the fatal shooting on the set of Rust Earlier this month, lawyers for the film's armorer, Hannah Gutierrez, released a statement condemning the actor for pointing his firearm at crew members despite that being a violation of safety protocol. 'Mr. Baldwin knew that he could never point a firearm at crew members under any circumstances and had a duty of safety to his fellow crew members,' attorney Jason Bowles said in a statement obtained by ABC. 'Yet he did point the gun at Halyna before the fatal incident against all rules and common sense.' Bowles added that the monitor on set was broken on the day of the fatal shooting which 'further prevented Hannah from knowing what was going on inside the Church,' ABC reported. This statement was in response to new documents in the wrongful death lawsuit against Baldwin and the production filed by Hutchins family. Popular: At one point during his meal Alec was seeing sharing something on his phone with the table behind his Keeping busy: The actor has left wife Hilaria and their children behind in the US to head back to work in front of the camera Tough time: Alec has been dealing with an ongoing wrongful death lawsuit over the on-set shooting death of Hutchins Baldwin appeared to pass the blame onto the victim in an arbitration demand and claimed that his contract shielded him from any financial responsibility related to Hutchins' death. Despite the tragedy, Baldwin had attempted to convince cast and crew to finish filming Rust in Hutchins' honor in the weeks after the shooting and have the proceeds from the movie go toward a settlement with the woman's husband, Matthew Hutchins, and nine-year-old son, according to the filing. The filing also revealed that Baldwin and Matthew had been exchanging text messages. The Hutchins lawyer, Brian Panish, hit back at the actor: 'Alec Baldwin once again is trying to avoid liability and accountability for his reckless actions before and on October 21st that resulted in the death of Halyna Hutchins,' Panish told Deadline. Shooting: The cinematographer, 42, died on October 21 last year when a prop gun used in the film Rust was fired by Alec after he was told it wasn't loaded, shooting her in the chest 'Baldwin's disclosure of personal texts with Matt Hutchins is irrelevant to his demand for arbitration and fails to demonstrate anything other than Hutchins' dignity in his engagement with Baldwin. 'It is shameful that Baldwin claims Hutchins' actions in filing a wrongful death lawsuit derailed the completion of Rust,' Panish added. 'The only action that ended the film's production was Baldwin's killing of Halyna Hutchins.' The Emmy-winning actor also claimed that he was following Halyna Hutchins' directions when he pointed what turned out to be a gun loaded with live rounds at her on the set of the movie Rust and pulled the trigger, killing the cinematographer. Blame: Earlier this month, lawyers for the film's armorer, Hannah Gutierrez, released a statement condemning the actor for pointing his firearm at crew members Staying busy: Alec has been keeping a low profile in recent weeks after an intirial burst of interviews and public discourse after the shooting Baldwin has been named as a defendant in multiple lawsuits that have been filed in connection with the fatal shooting. In an interview with George Stephanopoulos for ABC, the actor claimed the gun went off while he was practicing his blocking for the scene, with Hutchins instructing him to point the gun to the side of the camera in her direction. 'And I cock the gun, I go, 'Can you see that? Can you see that? Can you see that?' And she says ... and then I let go of the hammer of the gun, and the gun goes off. I let go of the hammer of the gun, the gun goes off,' he said. The shooting is currently under investigation, and a search warrant was issued in late December for Baldwin's cellphone, which he was seen talking on shortly after the shooting. The warrant give police permission to go through all text messages and photos he might have, along with stored location data. His latest court filings doubled down on his assertion that, while the death was tragic, he is not responsible. Legal matters: Baldwin has been named as a defendant in multiple lawsuits that have been filed in connection with the fatal shooting 'This is a rare instance when the system broke down, and someone should be held legally culpable for the tragic consequences. That person is not Alec Baldwin,' according to the filing. 'October 21 was also the worst day in Alec Baldwin's life. That day has and will continue to haunt Baldwin.' The filing repeatedly argued that the actor was not responsible for the cinematographer's death because he had been assured that the gun he was using in the scene did not contain live bullets, and also because he was not responsible for checking the ammunition, as New York Times first reported. 'An actor cannot rule that a gun is safe,' the filing said. 'That is the responsibility of other people on the set.' According to the document, Hutchins instructed Baldwin how to hold the gun. His say: In an interview with George Stephanopoulos for ABC, the actor claimed the gun went off while he was practicing his blocking for the scene 'She directed Baldwin to hold the gun higher, to a point where it was directed toward her,' the filing stated. 'She was looking carefully at the monitor and then at Baldwin, and then back again, as she gave these instructions. In giving and following these instructions, Hutchins and Baldwin shared a core, vital belief: that the gun was 'cold' and contained no live rounds.' Baldwin then asked Hutchins if she wanted him to pull back the hammer on the Colt, and she allegedly said yes. The actor pulled back the hammer 'but not far enough to actually cock the gun,' the filing said. When Baldwin let go of the hammer, the gun discharged. Betty White championed for animals throughout her decades long career, and her legacy lived on Sunday evening when John Travolta's son, Ben, adopted the dog that was brought on stage by Jamie Lee Curtis at the Oscars during White's moving tribute. Travolta shared an adorable snap of Ben cradling the cute puppy and wrote: 'Ben adopted this dog from last nights Oscar tribute to Betty White.' He tagged Jamie Lee Curtis and the Paw Works rescue organization. Curtis first brought the pup adorably named Mac N Cheese in her arms onto the Dolby Theatre stage at the 94th Academy Awards during the in memoriam segment where she gave a few words about the on-screen legend and highlighted her work for the rescue animal community. Happy home: Betty White championed for animals throughout her decades long career, and her legacy lived on Sunday evening when John Travolta's son, Ben, adopted the dog that was brought on stage by Jamie Lee Curtis at the Oscars during White's moving tribute Sweethearts: Curtis first brought the pup adorably named Mac N Cheese in her arms onto the Dolby Theatre stage at the 94th Academy Awards during the in memoriam segment where she gave a few words about the on-screen legend and highlighted her work for the rescue animal community Travolta proudly stood behind his youngest son in the social shared posted to his nearly four million followers, which garnered more than 214,000 likes in less than 24 hours after it was published online. 'On a night of winners and losers, we think Mac N Cheese is the biggest winner of all,' the nonprofit wrote while sharing the same picture of John and Ben. 'We know @BettyWhite was shining down last night. Happy life little lady.' The Travoltas' smiled while showing off the newest addition to the family, who joins a host of well-loved and taken care of pets which are regularly seen on the Grease star's Instagram account. On Sunday night, Jamie sparkled wearing a gorgeous Stella McCartney gown as she brought the golden brown pooch with her to memorialize the comedian, who died at 99 on New Year's Eve. Star of the show: On Sunday night, Jamie sparkled wearing a gorgeous Stella McCartney gown as she brought the golden brown pooch with her to memorialize the comedian, who died at 99 on New Year's Eve Best co-star: Curtis couldn't help but brag about the beautiful puppy before taking the stage for a moving tribute to Hollywood icon Betty White, who was known just as much for her comedic presence as she was for tireless campaigning for animal rescue organizations 'She was a woman who cared so much for not just her two-legged friends but for animals just like this one,' she said. 'So, the greatest gift you could give Betty White is to open your heart and your home and adopt a rescue dog just like Mac N Cheese from Paw Works' 'She was not only a Golden Girl, she was a legend,' Curtis said of White. 'She brightened every room she walked in and brought a smile to all who watched her on the screen day in and day out, for almost a century.' 'She was a woman who cared so much for not just her two-legged friends but for animals just like this one. So, the greatest gift you could give Betty White is to open your heart and your home and adopt a rescue dog just like Mac N Cheese from Paw Works. She gave a nod to the iconic Golden Girls theme song and said: 'Thank you, Betty, thank you for being a friend to us all.' 'Thank you, Betty, thank you for being a friend to us all,' Jamie said while paying tribute to the Golden Girls theme song Later on Instagram, Jamie wrote of 'A MAGICAL ending to the story from last night. At the Oscars I reconnected with my friend, John Travolta' She added: 'We starred together in the movie PERFECT back in 1984. I had already left the Dolby theater last night after honoring Betty White and was on my way home when someone texted me a photo of John holding little mac & cheese in the green room before his presentation of the best actor Oscar. Later on Instagram, Jamie wrote of 'A MAGICAL ending to the story from last night. At the Oscars I reconnected with my friend, John Travolta.' She added: 'We starred together in the movie PERFECT back in 1984. I had already left the Dolby theater last night after honoring Betty White and was on my way home when someone texted me a photo of John holding little mac & cheese in the green room before his presentation of the best actor Oscar. 'I thought it was so beautiful to see him with her and then today I found out that he and his son, Ben have adopted beautiful little mac & cheese and are taking her home today. It is an emotional end and a perfect tribute to Betty White and it shines a light and AMPLIFIES the message that heroes who, like Betty, and Chad from @pawworks and Nancy from @perfect_pet_rescue and the team at @maedayrescue and the hundreds of thousands of other rescues, who love and support ANIMALS, that rescuing animals and offering them shelter from the storm of life and a warm and loving home is one of life's most important actions we humans can take!' The reunions were plentiful on Sunday evening as John presented the Best Actor award with the cast from the classic '94 Quentin Tarantino film Pulp Fiction, and even reenacted an all-time favorite dance scene with Uma Thurman as Samuel L. Jackson pretended to play the keys to Chuck Berry's You Never Can Tell. He's understood to be a single man after dumping fiancee Katie Price over allegations of infidelity. And Carl Woods appeared to be taking his mind off the former glamour model following a two hour gym session in Hertford on Monday. The luxe car dealer, 33, chatted on his phone while dressed casually in a blue and black tracksuit, rounded off with white Nike trainers. Time for himself: Carl Woods de-stressed with a two-hour gym session in Hertford on Monday, amid dumping Katie Price 'in a string of angry texts' after accusing her of cheating On Sunday, it was reported that reality star Carl allegedly sent former glamour model Katie, 43, a string of angry text messages calling her 'a cheat and a player'. A source claimed Carl ended his 11-month engagement to Katie as he could no longer trust her, adding to The Sun: 'Carl believes Katie went behind his back with another man. 'He lashed out in a series of texts and accused her of lying to him and using her pals to hide the phone number of the man he thinks shes been seeing. 'He branded her "a cheat and a player" and told her he has had enough. He feels he can no longer trust her and its the end of the road.' Self-care: The luxe car dealer, 33, looked as though he was taking his mind off recent relationship woes Keeping busy: Carl dressed casually in a dusty blue and black tracksuit, which was rounded off with white Nike trainers Call: The star maintained on the phone after grabbing a reenergising coffee Speaking out? At times, the conversation appeared tense as Carl walked and talked Leaving: Carl was then seen getting into his car MailOnline has contacted representatives for Katie and Carl for comment. The split comes just a day after Katie ditched the engagement ring which Carl gave her, while he has now deleted all trace of their romance from his social media account. Sources told The Sun: 'Katie and Carl have decided to split up. It's been a difficult couple of months and their ongoing court cases have just added even more stress to the situation. Drama: On Sunday, it was reported that reality star Carl allegedly sent former glamour model Katie, 43, a string of angry text messages calling her 'a cheat and a player' Disloyal? A source added to The Sun: 'Carl believes Katie went behind his back with another man' 'It really seems to be over for now and they are both very sad about it. But of course no one would be surprised if they got back together.' While Carl deleted all photographs of the pair from his Instagram account, he and Katie still follow each other on the social media platform. It comes after Carl appeared before Colchester Magistrates' Court on Wednesday after being charged with 'abusive and threatening behaviour'. Turbulent: 'He lashed out in a series of texts and accused her of lying to him and using her pals to hide the phone number of the man he thinks shes been seeing,' the source said Trouble in paradise: The reported split comes just a day after Katie ditched the engagement ring which Carl gave her, while he has now deleted all trace of their romance from his social media account The court case was referenced in the comments section of one of Carl's social media posts, as one follower questioned: 'Thought you said you didn't hit her? But up in court today.' While Carl, who was charged with threatening behaviour, replied: 'Why don't you read what the charge is ACTUALLY for.' One fan who was heavily defensive of Carl, wrote: 'He's in court for being threatening, not violence. Price admitted she lied about the bruise and getting punched. She should be charged for lying and wasting police time. Charges: Carl appeared before Colchester Magistrates' Court on Wednesday after being charged with 'abusive and threatening behaviour' 'It's disgusting to falsely accuse a man (or woman) of domestic violence, makes a mockery of the whole system and genuine victims. They added: 'I feel sorry for Carl Woods he has been tangled into such a horrible mess. If he leaves her, we all know how vindictive she is and she could lie again to the police. 'If he stays, it's a permenant reminder of being with the person who falsely accued you and dragged your name through the mud. Romance: Carl was arrested after Katie was allegedly punched in the face on August 22, 2021 'People are even questioning his dog owning skills because of HER track record with animals, even though it's clear he looks after Sid very well. 'Guilt by association and all that. Wouldn't want to be in his shoes, I tell you. Appearing to appreciate the supportive comments, Carl tagged the user and posted a couple of praising hands emojis. The male model was seen arriving at court hand-in-hand with Katie after the pair recently returned from their recently holiday in Thailand. Carl was arrested last year after Katie was allegedly punched in the face on August 22, 2021. He was subsequently charged under Section 4 of the Public Order Act following an incident at his home in Little Canfield, Essex last year. The maximum sentence he faces is up to six months. Video has resurfaced of Will Smith slapping a reporter who attempted to kiss him on the red carpet during the Moscow premiere of Men In Black 3 in 2012. Ukrainian prankster Vitalii Sediuk embraced Smith on the red carpet and kissed him on both cheeks. Smith, 53, promptly pushed Sediuk away and then slapped him on the cheek. 'What the hell is your problem?' Video has resurfaced of Will Smith slapping a reporter who attempted to kiss him on the red carpet during the Moscow premiere of Men In Black 3 in 2012 'Hey man, what the hell is your problem?' Will asked Sediuk. Recounting the incident as he approached the next reporter moments later, Smith said: 'He tried to kiss me on the mouth. 'He's lucky I didn't try to sucker punch him... Sorry, I said that on camera,' he added. Smith addressed the kissing incident during an interview on The Late Show With David Letterman where he called it 'awkward.' Smith turned his cheek to both kisses, promptly pushed Sediuk away and then slapped him on the cheek 'He's lucky I didn't try to sucker punch him... Sorry, I said that on camera,' he added 'We're doing an interview. He's a reporter, he says, "I'm your biggest fan, can I have a hug?" So I go to give this joker a hug and he tries to lean in to kiss me... it's just awkward Dave!' Smith said. 'That's what they were saying, they were like "Oh no, we're sorry, it's just his schtick." And I said that's why his a** got schtuck!"' he added. Sediuk, who has pranked a slew of celebrities, later apologized for kissing Will and admitted it was 'too much'. 'I apologise for my behaviour... I think it was too much. I just wanted to do something extraordinary to impress him,' he said in a video on Hip Hollywood. Sediuk, who has pranked a slew of celebrities on the red carpet including Kim Kardashian and Madonna, later apologized for kissing Will and admitted it was 'too much' Smith, 53, promptly pushed Sediuk away and then slapped him on the cheek Meanwhile, back in November, Smith taught a young boy how to do a fake slap for the camera during a Q&A at a Variety-sponsored King Richard screening. The youngster, named Chris, wanted to know exactly how Will 'fakes being hit and beat up' in the movies. 'Alright, come here. C'mon. Come on up!' Smith said. 'I'm going to [clap my hands together] and you just turn your head when I go. And don't fall down the steps.' Will also demonstrated his slapping technique on a little boy named Chris during a Q&A at a Variety-sponsored King Richard screening back in November After a practice run of the fake slap, Smith said: 'And then you just put it in a scene. So I need you to say, "Man, where's my money?"' The child repeated: 'Man where's my money?' Smith then pretended to slap Chris and then gave him a high five and a fist bump. Controversy erupted over the weekend after Will smacked Chris Rock on stage after the comedian cracked a joke about his wife Jada Pinkett Smith's appearance. After a few times practicing the stage combat, Smith said: 'And then you just put it in a scene. So I need you to say, "Hey man, where's my money?"' Smith's meltdown continued when he returned to his seat as he repeatedly screamed: 'Keep my wife's name out of your f***ing mouth'. The crowd then fell into stunned silence - and any questions over whether the altercation was genuine were answered when just over half an hour later Smith was given the Best Actor award and apologized for the assault. The actor released a statement on Monday, saying his behavior was 'unacceptable and inexcusable' and left him 'embarrassed'. Scandal: Will smacked Chris Rock on stage after the comedian cracked a joke about his wife Jada Pinkett Smith's appearance He wrote in an Instagram post that he was 'embarrassed' by his actions, which shocked the ceremony attendees, producers and viewers. 'Violence in all of its forms is poisonous and destructive,' he wrote. 'My behavior at last night's Academy Awards was unacceptable and inexcusable. Jokes at my expense are a part of the job, but a joke about Jada's medical condition was too much for me to bear and I reacted emotionally. 'I would like to publicly apologize to you, Chris. I was out of line and I was wrong. I am embarrassed and my actions were not indicative of the man I want to be. There is no place for violence in a world of love and kindness.' Smith then went on to say sorry to the organizers and the producers of the show. Rock has not responded to Smith's apology, or commented on the Sunday night incident. They have been a rumored couple for several months and now Kate Bosworth and Justin Long have taken their romance public. The 39-year-old Blue Crush star was spotted out in Los Angeles riding shotgun with her 43-year-old actor beau on Monday. Kate and Justin - who are reportedly already living together - appear to have gotten quite comfortable with one another as they ticked items off their to-do list while running errands. It's official: Kate Bosworth and Justin Long have taken their romance public after months of dating speculation and were spotted out in Los Angeles running errands Stepping out at Whole Foods, Justin was seen in black slacks, a T-shirt and an army green bomber jacket with a facemask. He scoped out a display of fresh greenery and selected a small potted plant to bring home. After picking up provisions, Long headed back with a bag of groceries to meet Kate who was waiting in the passenger seat of her Audi SUV. Their outing comes several months after the He's Just Not That Into You actor revealed that he was off the market, gushing about his mysterious new girlfriend on a podcast. Casual day: The 39-year-old Blue Crush star was spotted out riding shotgun with her 43-year-old actor beau on Monday Rumor has it: Kate and Justin reportedly got together in 2021 after they met filming a movie together and have been quietly dating ever since Shortly after, PageSix uncovered that the new lady in his life was actress Kate Bosworth, whom he made a movie with in 2021. Earlier that year, the blonde beauty announced her split from 51-year-old husband Michael Polish. PageSix said that 'the two met while filming a movie in Fayetteville, Ark., [in 2021]' In May she talked up Justin on Instagram when they wrapped the movie: 'Holy moly @justinlong you are a truly spectacular / fun / funny / kind / rare / thoughtful / totally. f*kn. rad human being.' To do list: Stepping out at Whole Foods, Justin was seen in black slacks, a T-shirt and an army green bomber jacket with a facemask Easy breezy: After picking up provisions, Long headed back with a bag of groceries to meet Kate who was waiting in the passenger seat of her Audi SUV In love: Their outing comes several months after the He's Just Not That Into You actor revealed that he was off the market, gushing about his mysterious new girlfriend on a podcast She added, 'THANK YOU for lifting us up you kept it light & full of laughter daily, even through the toughest moments. You gnome how much I love ya (sorry had to ;).' And an insider told the site that this autumn he went with the beauty on her trip to Padaste Manor in Estonia. They reportedly had a 'romantic weekend.' Justin then confirmed his relationship status during his podcast a in December while discussing the controversial pizza topping of pineapple with comic Fortune Feimster. Speaking on his 'Life is Short with Justin Long' podcast, the 41-year-old actress said when asked to give her favorite topping: 'This is controversial: pineapple.' So cute: PageSix said that 'the two met while filming a movie in Fayetteville, Ark., earlier this year.' In May she talked up Justin on Instagram when they wrapped the movie: 'Holy moly @justinlong you are a truly spectacular / fun / funny / kind / rare / thoughtful' To which, Justin replied: 'People have been saying that lately. It's funny, my girlfriend said hers is she loves the pineapple, too. I've never been with anyone who likes pineapple on pizza.' A source later told Us Weekly: 'They've been dating for a few months now. They secretly have been on a few getaways together. They both love to travel.' Adding that the couple is 'not hiding the fact that they're together', rather they're 'just staying low-key and private about their relationship.' Long has previously been linked to Amanda Seyfried, Kirsten Dunst and Drew Barrymore. Kate and her ex Michael were last photographed together in January of 2021. The couple met in 2011 during the making of the adventure drama Big Sur, which she starred in and he directed. Kate and Michael announced their engagement in August 2012 and married on August 31, 2013 at The Ranch at Rock Creek in Philipsburg, Montana. Advertisement Eddie Redmayne was every inch the suave screen hero as he led the star-studded arrivals for the premiere of Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets Of Dumbledore at London's Royal Festival Hall on Tuesday. The actor, who plays the heroic wizard Newt Scamander in the Harry Potter spin-off series, cut a dapper figure as he graced the red carpet alongside his co-stars Jude Law and Mads Mikkelson. Fantastic Beasts' release has been marred by a string of controversies in recent months including Johnny Depp being dropped from the film in the wake of his legal woes, writer JK Rowling facing heavy criticism for her comments about the transgender community, and star Ezra Miller's arrest at a bar in Hawaii. Leading men! Eddie Redmayne (left) was every inch the suave hero as he joined co-star Jude Law (right) leading the star-studded arrivals for the premiere of Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets Of Dumbledore at London 's Royal Festival Hall on Tuesda Eddie opted for a sharp black suit with a slightly longer jacket, teamed with a crisp white shirt and an enlarged white flower pinned on his lapel. The star was accompanied by his wife Hannah Bagshawe for the red carpet, with the brunette opting for a dramatic pale blue dress with a layered skirt, teamed with chunky black lace-up boots. Meanwhile Jude opted for a more casual ensemble, opted for a pale pink suit jacket and grey trousers, teamed with a camel scarf and a white t-shirt. Date night: The star was accompanied by his wife Hannah Bagshawe for the red carpet, with the brunette opting for a dramatic pale blue dress with a layered skirt, teamed with chunky black lace-up boots Smart: Eddie opted for a sharp black suit with a slightly longer jacket, teamed with a crisp white shirt and an enlarged white flower pinned on his lapel Jovial: After arriving for the red carpet, both Eddie and Jude were seen chatting and posing for snaps together, as fans await the moment they team up on-screen to fight the villainous Grindewald Simple: Meanwhile Jude opted for a more casual ensemble, opted for a pale pink suit jacket and grey trousers, teamed with a camel scarf and a white t-shirt The NEW leading man! Mads Mikkelson, who has taken over the role of Grindewald from Johnny Depp, was seen posing up a storm as he made his way along the red carpet Ready to see the film? Dressed in Giorgio Armani, the Danish star was in high spirits as he posed for photographers on the red carpet Dapper: Mads looked ready to continue the evening's celebrations as he rocked for the after party at Somerset House The third film in the Fantastic Beasts series sees Newt Scamander assemble a motley crew of wizards and witches to try and save the world. The team Newt and Dumbledore have put together to include Newt's brother Theseus Scamander (Callum Turner), professor Eulalie 'Lallie' Hicks (Jessica Williams), Minerva McGonagall (Fionna Glascott), and Muggle baker Jacob (Dan Fogler). The motley crew will be joining forces to take on the powerful dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald, who seeks domination over the wizarding world. Exciting: Eddie is set to reprise his role as the titular hero Newt Scamander in the Fantastic Beasts film series Jovial: He and Jude were in high spirits as they posed on the red carpet together Standing: Meanwhile the film's female cast members didn't disappoint, with Katherine Waterstone, who plays witch and Newt's love interest Porpentina 'Tina' Goldstein, opting for a sartorial chic-inspired two-piece SO much colour! Fiona Glascott opted for a fun pink and red jumpsuit with an oversized bow detailing as she arrived for the premiere Flawless: The actress, who plays a younger incarnation of Professor Minerva McGonagall in the series teamed the playful look with pointed-toe black heels While The Secrets Of Dumbledore's male cast certainly caught fans' attention thanks to their beloved roles, the film's leading ladies didn't disappoint with their glamorous red carpet looks. Leading the pack was Katherine Waterstone, who plays witch and Newt's love interest Porpentina 'Tina' Goldstein, and she opted for a sartorial chic-inspired two-piece, consisting of a sophisticated peplum top and flared trousers. The star styled her glossy brunette tresses into a sleek up-do as she showed off her simple and stylish ensemble. Fiona Glascott, who plays a younger incarnation of Professor Minerva McGonagall, in the series, opted for a fun pink and red jumpsuit with an oversized bow detailing. Busty: Maria Fernanda Candido, who stars as Brazil's Minister Of Magic Vicencia Santos, put on a busty display in a plunging black silver and gown Bring the drama! She styled her brunette tresses into a voluminous half-up half-down style as she arrived at the famous London venue for the premiere Maria Fernanda Candido, who stars as Brazil's Minister Of Magic Vicencia Santos, put on a busty display in a plunging black silver and gown. Alison Sudol, who has played Queenie Goldstein in the Fantastic Beasts series, was a vision in an eye-catching yellow gown that boasted an array of dramatic frills. The American actress' Regency-inspired dress boasted an eye-catching print with a matching sheer scarf, puffed sleeves and belted waist. Sweeping her blonde tresses into a sleek updo, Alison added to her look with a slightly darkened lip as she arrived for the premiere. Hard to miss! Alison Sudol, who has played Queenie Goldstein in the Fantastic Beasts series, was a vision in an eye-catching yellow gown that boasted an array of dramatic frills What a colour! The American actress' Regency-inspired dress boasted an eye-catching print with a matching sheer scarf, puffed sleeves and belted waist Bringing the drama! Jessica Williams, who plays Professor Eulalie 'Lally' Hicks, donned a dramatic pink frilled gown adorned with an oversized black frill and a floral overlay, which she paired with Vince Camuto shoes The premiere comes mere hours after the film's star Ezra Miller was arrested at a karaoke bar in Hilo on Sunday, where they were harassing a number of patrons with belligerent behaviour. The police were called at 11:30 PM on Sunday evening and arrested the actor on charges of disorderly conduct and harassment. The incident happened at a karaoke bar on Silva Street in Hilo, where Miller was reportedly hurling obscenities at a 23-year-old woman singing karaoke. Elegance! Maja Bloom left little to the imagination in a perilously plunging pale blue gown with a floral overlay, teamed with sparkly silver heels Afterparty: Maja looked just as sensational for the celebrations post premiere, which were held at Somerset House Dramatic: The third film in the Fantastic Beasts series sees Newt Scamander assemble a motley crew of wizards and witches to try and save the world Anticipated: Jude will once again reprise his role as a younger incarnation of Dumbledore Moving on: Mads Mikkelsen (left in the film's trailer) is set to replace Johnny Depp (right) in the film series as the villainous Grindewald, after the actor was dropped from the series in the wake of his legal battle with ex-wife Amber Heard The police arrived at the karaoke bar around 11:30 PM and placed Miller under arrest and took them into custody. It's unclear how long Miller was in custody for, though they posted $500 bail and was ultimately released. Tom Felton was among one of the first stars arriving on the red carpet, as he hosted proceedings. The actor, best known for his role as Draco Malfoy in the Harry Potter film series, grabbed a quick selfie with fans as he arrived to front the red carpet coverage. Sporting a midnight blue suit from Giorgio Armani, Tom was greeted by an army of fans as he arrived to present the star-studded red carpet event, briefly pausing to snap a selfie with a fan. Suited and booted: Tom Felton was among one of the first stars arriving to host the premiere for Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets Of Dumbledore on London's Royal Festival Hall on Tuesday Entrance: The actor, best known for his role as Draco Malfoy in the Harry Potter film series, took to the red carpet as he prepared to host the star-studded event Dapper: Ahead of the premiere, Tom was seen making his way to the red carpet to host the live launch for Harry Potter fans Say cheese! Sporting a midnight blue suit from Giorgio Armani, Tom was greeted by an army of fans as he arrived to present the star-studded red carpet event, briefly pausing to snap a selfie with a fan Safety first: Tom sported a face covering as the evening progressed to the after party at Somerset House Also in attendance was JK Rowling, who penned the iconic book series which sparked the Fantastic Beasts spin-off series, and she cut a glamorous figure in a form-fitting navy blue gown. The dress boasted a sparkling silver diamante neckline and a dramatic thigh-high split, and flowed into a matching cape, with JK among the first stars to arrive for the red carpet. In recent months, JK's statements on transgender issues were branded transphobic by some fans. Stunning: Also in attendance was JK Rowling, who penned the iconic book series which sparked the Fantastic Beasts spin-off series, and she cut a glamorous figure in a form-fitting navy blue gown Stunning: The dress boasted a sparkling silver diamante neckline and a dramatic thigh-high split, and flowed into a matching cape, with JK among the first stars to arrive for the red carpet Outrage: In recent months, JK's statements on transgender issues were branded transphobic by some fans Backlash: The controversy surrounding her began after she tweeted about biological sex, criticising an opinion piece that used the term 'people who menstruate' instead of women The controversy surrounding her began after she tweeted about biological sex leading to backlash and a subsequent 'cancellation' from the trans community. In June 2020, she took to Twitter to criticise an opinion piece that used the term 'people who menstruate' instead of women. She then continued with a thread discussing biological sex. She later clarified that she respects 'every trans person's rights to live any way that feels authentic and comfortable to them,' and went on to say she would march 'if you were discriminated against on the basis of being trans. Speaking out: She later clarified that she respects 'every trans person's rights to live any way that feels authentic and comfortable to them,' and went on to say she would march 'if you were discriminated against on the basis of being trans' Claims: 'At the same time, my life has been shaped by being female,' she said, the Associated Press reported at the time. 'I do not believe it's hateful to say so' 'At the same time, my life has been shaped by being female,' she said, the Associated Press reported at the time. 'I do not believe it's hateful to say so.' Then, in September 2020, she faced renewed calls of transphobia after it was revealed the the villain in her latest book, Troubled Blood - written under Rowling's pseudonym Robert Galbraith - is a male serial killer who dresses as a woman to slay his victims. In the wake of these remarks, Harry Potter actors Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma and Eddie Redmayne, who stars in her Fantastic Beasts films, criticised the author. Sharp: The Secrets Of Dumbledore's director David Yates also put on a sharp display as he arrived for the star-studded red carpet launch, ahead of the film's UK release on Friday, April 8 Family trip: Producer David Heyman was joined by his wife Rose Uniacke, and their son, for the film's premiere In December, Rowling was once again forced to deny that she is transphobic as she argued for sex, not gender identity, to be the 'basis of decisions on safeguarding'. Last week, Rowling also accused Labour of cancelling women on International Women's Day after their Shadow Equalities Minister refused to give the Party's definition for 'female'. Anneliese Dodds said it 'depends on what the context is' when asked for the definition by BBC presenter Emma Barnett on Woman's Hour. Reacting to the comments, Rowling, 56, posted: 'Someone please send the Shadow Minister for Equalities a dictionary and a backbone. #HappyInternationalWomensDay' She continued in a series of tweets: 'Apparently, under a Labour government, today will become We Who Must Not Be Named Day.' Alongside criticising Dodds' comment, Rowling also tweeted a picture of SNP MP Joanna Cherry alongside the caption: 'This is what a woman who owns a dictionary and a backbone looks like.' Marilyn moment! Tallia Storm channelled her inner Hollywood starlet by donning a dangerous high-split red gown with a plunging front and black platform heels Flaunt it! The singer showed off her cleavage in the perilously plunging red gown Family: Phillip Schofield cut a dapper figure on Tuesday evening as he joined a string of showbiz stars, arriving with his oldest daughter Molly and her boyfriend Will Grieveson Dapper: Phillip posed up a storm for the cameras in a light grey wool blazer which he teamed with a navy top and black trousers Mads Mikkelsen is set to take over the villainous role of Grindewald after replacing Johnny Depp. It was announced in 2020 that the 56-year-old Danish actor would be replacing Johnny, 58, as the dark wizard after he was denied permission to appeal his libel loss in the High Court, after they found a story that he assaulted ex-wife Amber Heard to be 'substantially true.' Masrecently admitted he regrets not speaking to Johnny before taking over the role, adding that he didn't know if his treatment had been fair. Dapper: James Argent continued to exhibit his astonishing 13 stone weight loss, flashing a thumbs up to evidence his good spirits at the premiere All smiles: The former Only Way Is Essex star showed off his finery on the red carpet, getting suited and booted in a grey buttoned-up blazer, white shirt and black tie Couples night! Josh Denzel looked dashing on Tuesday evening as he attended the red carpet with his girlfriend Ruby Wong Stylish: Josh dressed to impress in a velvet burnt orange blazer while Ruby wowed in a vibrant green coat In an interview with The Sunday Times, he said: 'I don't know what happened [in his private life] and I don't know if it was fair, him losing the job, but I just knew that the show was going on. 'And I would've loved to have talked to him about it if I had the chance, but I just don't know him in that sense.' Going on to reveal he would be putting his own spin on the iconic role, he added: 'My take is different, and the look is a little different, but we'll have to wait for the film's release to find out.' The Danish star officially replaced Johnny as Gellert in the third Fantastic Beasts movie after the latter took to Instagram to reveal he had 'been asked to resign by Warner Bros'. Chic: Vicky Pattinson looked effortlessly chic for the evening, teaming her beaded corset dress with silver strappy heels Poser: The former Geordie Shore star looked stunning in a beaded corset dress from Suzanne Neville as she posed up a storm for the cameras All smiles: She accessorised with elegant earrings and a tasteful bracelet as she flashed a fresh manicure Date night! Love Island couple Faye Winter and Teddy Soares enjoyed a couples' outing together at the Fantastic Beasts premiere Queen of style: Love Island star Faye, 26, flashed her toned midriff in a black cropped blazer and a matching pair of cut-out trousers as she hit the red carpet Flawless: Faye looked incredible as she opted for a bronzed palette of makeup with a glossy nude lip while letting her blonde locks fall in loose curls to her shoulders Stunner: Lady Amelia Windsor put on a stunning display in a glamourous glittering gown with a 90s-inspired neckline and towering golden heels just hours after she attended the memorial service for Prince Philip Mads was said to be the top choice of director David Yates as the studio had waited to see how Johnny's defamation lawsuit against The Sun would pan out. When a British judge ruled in favor of the publication - which Johnny had sued for referring to him as a 'wife-beater' in regards to his relationship with ex-wife Amber Heard - Warner Bros. decided to sever ties with the veteran actor. The Edwards Scissorhands star had only shot one scene of the sequel, though his 'pay-or-play' contract allows him to keep the full $10 million he was paid for the role. The actor also has a defamation lawsuit against Amber in Virginia, which required him to be in court for three consecutive days in November, and would have also altered the project's shooting schedule. The studio notified the production that the Kentucky-native was taken off the schedule on November 5, according to The Hollywood Reporter, a day before Depp made his resignation public. The studio released a brief statement shortly thereafter, indicating that the role of Gellert Grindelwald will be re-cast. Suited and booted: Suki Waterhouse's sister Maddi flashed a hint of her cleavage in a perilously plunging red blazer and matching oversized trousers Perfection: The blonde beauty accessorised her look with chunky gold earrings Stars in attendance: Robert Rinder (left) attended the red carpet following his trip to Poland in the midst of Ukraine's war with Russia, while Jordan Stephens (right) was also among the celebrities at the premiere 'Johnny Depp will depart the Fantastic Beasts franchise. We thank Johnny for his work on the films to date,' the statement began. 'Fantastic Beasts 3 is currently in production, and the role of Gellert Grindelwald will be recast. The film will debut in theaters worldwide in the summer of 2022,' the statement concluded. Johnny debuted as Grindelwald with a surprise cameo at the end of 2016's Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. He returned to star alongside Eddie Redmayne's Newt Scamander and Jude Law's Albus Dumbledore in 2018's Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald. Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore is set to hit UK cinemas on April 8, 2022 with a US release following a week later on April 15. Miles Teller was put through 'Tom Cruise boot camp' for his role in Top Gun: Maverick. The 35-year-old actor plays Bradley 'Rooster' Bradshaw in the long-awaited sequel to the 1986 blockbuster Top Gun and revealed how the Oscar-nominated actor put all of the cast through intense training to help them prepare for the project. 'We were all mini Toms making this movie. He put us through... I'll just call it a "Tom Cruise boot camp". We were getting in killer shape,' he told Total Film magazine. Boot Camp: Miles Teller was put through 'Tom Cruise boot camp' for his role in 'Top Gun: Maverick'. The Only the Brave star said, 'We were all mini Toms making this movie. He put us through... I'll just call it a "Tom Cruise boot camp". We were getting in killer shape' Almost here: A new poster was shared on Tuesday for the May 25 film The Offer star explained there was a lot of detail going into the performance: 'For the stunts and stuff that Tom does in movies, it's usually a very specific type of training.' 'You're not just going into the gym and lifting some weights. We did flight training for three months before we started filming... We got put through the wringer.' Tom, who will reprise his role as Captain Pete 'Maverick' Mitchell in the movie, said the goal was to help his co-stars learn to get in the cockpit of the Boeing F/A-18 Superhornet jets. Put through the wringer: The 35-year-old actor says he and all his co-stars endured a specific kind of training to prepare for the highly anticipated film The Mission: Impossible actor, who is known for his in depth preparation, said, 'I developed a program for the actors, and how we could get them in the fighter jets. It was every step of the way.' The action star created his own sort of flight school. 'I had to teach them how to fly. I had to teach them how to handle Gs (acceleration forces). I had to get them confident in the airplane.' Picture perfect: The Oscar nominated actor said when he originated the role of Maverick in the 1986 film he wanted to make the fighter pilot experience as authentic as possible for movie goers and was determined to replicate it for the sequel, which will be released May 27 The big screen icon recalled how he wanted to make the fighter pilot experience as authentic as possible in the original Top Gun and was determined to replicate it for the sequel, which will be released May 27. The 59-year-old star recollected, 'When I first committed to the first Top Gun, I did it based on the fact that I'd be filmed in the F-14, and I'd get to fly in the F-14. 'I wanted to give the audience that experience of what it's like being a fighter pilot, and what that world is like, and the culture of it.' Josh Denzel looked dashing on Tuesday evening as he attended the Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets Of Dumbledore premiere with his girlfriend Ruby Wong. The former Love Island contestant, 30, dressed to impress in a velvet burnt orange blazer as he hit the red carpet at The Royal Festival Hall. The influencer looked dapper in a black shirt and trousers which he teamed with a pair of stylish loafers as he put his harm around Ruby. Looking good: Josh Denzel looked dashing on Tuesday evening as he attended the Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets Of Dumbledore premiere with his girlfriend Ruby Wong Meanwhile, Ruby showcased her sensational sense of style in a vibrant green trench coat which she donned over a black minidress. The model teamed the outfit with a pair of fishnet tights and heels while accessorising with a simple silver necklace. The natural beauty wore her short caramel tresses pinned back and sported a glam makeup look with a glossy nude lip. Stylish: Josh dressed to impress in a velvet burnt orange blazer while Ruby wowed in a vibrant green coat as they hit the red carpet at The Royal Festival Hall Couple goals: Josh surprised his influencer girlfriend with the luxury getaway as they posed in front of a private jet. Ruby captioned the snap: 'Very special surprise from my very special someone' It comes after the loved-up couple - who went Instagram official back in August 2020 - recently returned from a ski trip in the French Alps. Josh surprised his influencer girlfriend with the luxury getaway as they posed in front of a private jet. Ruby captioned the snap: 'Very special surprise from my very special someone' The LADbible star rose to fame on the 2018 edition of the ITV2 dating series, where he forged romances with Georgia Steel and Kaz Crozzley. Josh made his relationship with Ruby public 18 months after splitting from his ex girlfriend Kaz - who he came third with in Love Island's 2018 series. Cute: The loved-up couple - who went Instagram official back in August 2020 - recently returned from a ski trip in the French Alps Ex: The LADbible star rose to fame on 2018's Love Island, where he forged romances with Georgia Steel and Kaz Crozzley (pictured), dating the latter from July 2018 until January 2019 Also in attendance was JK Rowling, who penned the iconic book series which sparked the Fantastic Beasts spin-off series, and she cut a glamorous figure in a form-fitting navy blue gown. In recent months, JK's statements on transgender issues were branded transphobic by some fans. The controversy surrounding her began after she tweeted about biological sex leading to backlash and a subsequent 'cancellation' from the trans community. In June 2020, she took to Twitter to criticise an opinion piece that used the term 'people who menstruate' instead of women. She then continued with a thread discussing biological sex. She later clarified that she respects 'every trans person's rights to live any way that feels authentic and comfortable to them,' and went on to say she would march 'if you were discriminated against on the basis of being trans. Stunning: Also in attendance was JK Rowling, who penned the iconic book series which sparked the Fantastic Beasts spin-off series, and she cut a glamorous figure in a form-fitting navy blue gown In the wake of these remarks, Harry Potter actors Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma and Eddie Redmayne, who stars in her Fantastic Beasts films, criticised the author. The third film in the Fantastic Beasts series sees Newt Scamander assemble a motley crew of wizards and witches to try and save the world. The team Newt and Dumbledore have put together to include Newt's brother Theseus Scamander (Callum Turner), professor Eulalie 'Lallie' Hicks (Jessica Williams), Minerva McGonagall (Fionna Glascott), and Muggle baker Jacob (Dan Fogler). The motley crew will be joining forces to take on the powerful dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald, who seeks domination over the wizarding world. Mads Mikkelsen is set to take over the villainous role after replacing Johnny Depp. Advertisement Rose-Ayling Ellis, Nikki Sanderson and AJ Odudu led the glamour at The Royal Television Society Programme Awards on Tuesday evening. Strictly Come Dancing's 2021 champ, 27, and the Hollyoaks actress, 37 took Mayfair's Grosvenor House Hotel by storm as they stunned in their respective attire. Rose, who plays Frankie Lewis in EastEnders, looked sensational in a white cut-out dress, which she vibrantly teamed with orange heels. Event: Rose-Ayling Ellis (left) Nikki Sanderson (centre) and AJ Odudu (right) led the glamour at The Royal Television Society Programme Awards on Tuesday evening at Mayfair's Grosvenor House Hotel Smiling wide for the cameras, Rose exuded radiance owing to her bold eyeliner and swept back locks. She was accompanied by her Strictly dance partner Giovanni Pernice, who looked typically dapper in a fresh suit complete with a bowtie. Nikki, who plays Minnie Minniver in the Channel 4 soap, cut a sophisticated figure in a gorgeous gold gown, which hugged her frame and boasted a plunging neckline. They're back! Rose was accompanied by her Strictly dance partner Giovanni Pernice, who looked typically dapper in a fresh suit complete with a bowtie Simply stunning: Strictly Come Dancing's 2021 champ, 27, looked sensational in a white cut-out dress Looking good: Rose, who plays Frankie Lewis in EastEnders, vibrantly teamed her dress with orange heels Playful: The glitterball holders put on an animated display for the cameras and looked as though they were having a whale of a time The gown also boasted asymmetrical and draping features, with Nikki parting her chocolate tresses to one side for an elegant coiffure. Her makeup was applied effortlessly, with a generous sweep of blush giving her a glow in the blue carpet snaps. Nikki was joined by a string of Hollyoaks stars including Emma Lau, Matthew James Bailey, Harvey Virdi and Kelle Bryan. Making her own entrance at the event, AJ Odudu stunned in a glittering silver dress that accentuated her slender physique as she made her way across the blue carpet. She added to her look with a pair of black strappy heels, while statement earrings rounded things off. Glowing: Hollyoaks actress Nikki, 37, cut a sophisticated figure in a gorgeous gold gown, which hugged her frame and boasted a plunging neckline Glam: Nikki, who plays Minnie Minniver in the Channel 4 soap, parted her chocolate tresses to one side for an elegant coiffure Leggy: BBC Radio 1 star Vick Hope, 32, paraded her lithe legs in a striking black mini dress, which featured long sleeves, a pleated skirt and lace detailing on the back Beauty: Like Nikki, she too styled her ringlets to one side and kept some strands back with a pearl turquoise clip Soap cast: Nikki was joined by a string of Hollyoaks stars including (from second left to right: Emma Lau, Matthew James Bailey, Harvey Virdi and Kelle Bryan) Showstopping: Kelle looked magnificent in an off-the-shoulder ensemble which included standout elements Meanwhile BBC Radio 1 star Vick Hope paraded her lithe legs in a striking black mini dress, which featured long sleeves, a pleated skirt and lace detailing on the back. Like Nikki, she too styled her ringlets to one side and kept some strands back with a pearl turquoise clip. Embracing coordination, the Amnesty International Ambassador wore complementary earrings and carried her belongings in a sparkling clutch. Also in attendance were Strictly stars Claudia Winkleman and Shirley Ballas, with runner-up John Whaite also hitting the blue carpet. Speaking to MailOnline at the event, John admitted he may well be reuniting with ballroom partner Johannes Radebe for a holiday when they both have a gap in their schedules. He said: 'Johannes and is my best friend. Well Ive not seen him for a while because hes doing his own tour now. We went for dinner a couple of weeks ago in London. I saw rehearsals for his tour, it looks amazing. 'I think were gonna have a little holiday together at some point in the next few months, well be friends for life now.' Here they are! Also in attendance were Strictly stars Claudia Winkleman (right) and Shirley Ballas (left) Awards: Last year's Strictly runner-up John Whaite also hit the blue carpet Look at her go! AJ Odudu put on a glittering display in a tasselled dress Strictly stars: Rhys Stephenson (left) and Kai Widdrington (right) also arrived in support of the BBC dancing show Elegant: Gaby Roslin looked wonderful in white, which comprised a blazer, subtly bejewelled top and trousers Photo central: Elsewhere, Keeley Hawes (l) and Steph McGovern (r) added splashes of colour with their chosen dresses Sweet: John and Steph embraced for a fun snap on the blue carpet Elsewhere, Keeley Hawes and Steph McGovern added splashes of colour with their chosen dresses, with Packed Lunch Steph going all out in a pair of neon yellow heels. BBC veteran Graham Norton also rocked up, wearing a bold gold suit with coordinating shoes. And Chelsee Healey - aka Hollyoaks' Goldie McQueen - left little to the imagination in a cut-out black dress which flashed her taut tummy. What an entrance: BBC veteran Graham Norton also rocked up, wearing a bold gold suit with coordinating shoes Jaw-dropping: Chelsee Healey - aka Hollyoaks' Goldie McQueen - left little to the imagination in a cut-out black dress Standing out: The Hollyoaks star made a bold statement with her racy look Captivating: Sophie Willian wore an eye-catching shade of royal blue Amazing: Haiesha Mistry had lace and velvet incorporated within her ensemble From the cobbles to the carpet: Mollie Gallagher (left) and Tanisha Gorey (right) stopped for a photograph together Debonair: Melvin Odoom (left) and Tom Allen (right) got suited and booted for the celebratory evening The RTS Programme Awards span all the genres of television programming, from soaps to history, children's fiction to comedy performance. They recognise exceptional actors, presenters, writers and production teams as well as the programmes themselves. The BBC leads the way with 30 nominations across the 24 categories, followed by Channel 4 with 28, Sky with 10 and ITV with eight. Big night: The RTS Programme Awards span all the genres of television programming, from soaps to history, children's fiction to comedy performance (Lorraine Ashbourne and Andy Serkis pictured) Faye Winter and her boyfriend Teddy Soares put on a stylish display on Tuesday evening as they attended the Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets Of Dumbledore premiere in London. Love Island star Faye, 26, flashed her toned midriff in a black cropped blazer and a matching pair of cut-out trousers as she hit the red carpet at The Royal Festival Hall. The blonde beauty donned a pair of small heels with a bow details and beamed as she cosied up to boyfriend Teddy. Adorable: Faye Winter and her boyfriend Teddy Soares put on a stylish display on Tuesday evening as they attended the Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets Of Dumbledore premiere in London Faye looked incredible as she opted for a bronzed palette of makeup with a glossy nude lip while letting her blonde locks fall in loose curls to her shoulders. Meanwhile, Teddy showcased his quirky style in a taupe utility vest which he wore over a beige t-shirt and matching cargos. The Love Island contestant, 26, stood out from the crowd as he sported a pair of black wellies on the red carpet. The couple came second on last year's series of the ITV2 dating show and have been inseparable ever since they moved in together after just three months of dating. Stunning: Faye flashed her toned midriff in a black cropped blazer and a matching pair of cut-out trousers as she hit the red carpet at The Royal Festival Hall The blonde beauty donned a bronzed palette of makeup with a glossy nude lip as she beamed and cosied up to boyfriend Teddy The outing comes after the couple recently revealed they had to quit Instagram due to receiving vile racist abuse from online trolls. Teddy opened up about why the couple had to come off Instagram for a while during a recent episode of Vicky Pattinson's The Secret To podcast. During the conversation with the Geordie Shore host, Teddy said: 'She [Faye] gets quite a lot of racism thrown at her for being with me. 'And I was experiencing the same thing, over a kind of Q&A I think, but not to go into too much detail there, it was just something that I've never really expected to have any kind of trolling at all. Meanwhile, Teddy stood out from the crowd as he sported a pair of black wellies on the red carpet He added: 'It's just there. You delete it, but you've got so much coming your way and I think any kind of hate, any kind of jealousy, any kind of toxicity in the world is just nasty. 'I like to keep it positive, I love to keep good energy, always. So when I saw it, it was like, 'What am I supposed to do?' The couple had no option but to take a break from social media. Teddy said: 'I just came off Instagram, Faye did the same, and we just went to Devon. Love Island: The influencers came second on last year's series of the ITV2 dating show and have been inseparable ever since they moved in together after just three months of dating JK Rowling was also at the premier, who penned the iconic book series which sparked the Fantastic Beasts spin-off series, and she cut a glamorous figure in a form-fitting navy blue gown. In recent months, JK's statements on transgender issues were branded transphobic by some fans. The controversy surrounding her began after she tweeted about biological sex leading to backlash and a subsequent 'cancellation' from the trans community. In June 2020, she took to Twitter to criticise an opinion piece that used the term 'people who menstruate' instead of women. She then continued with a thread discussing biological sex. She later clarified that she respects 'every trans person's rights to live any way that feels authentic and comfortable to them,' and went on to say she would march 'if you were discriminated against on the basis of being trans. Stunning: Also in attendance was JK Rowling, who penned the iconic book series which sparked the Fantastic Beasts spin-off series, and she cut a glamorous figure in a form-fitting navy blue gown In the wake of these remarks, Harry Potter actors Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma and Eddie Redmayne, who stars in her Fantastic Beasts films, criticised the author. The third film in the Fantastic Beasts series sees Newt Scamander assemble a motley crew of wizards and witches to try and save the world. The team Newt and Dumbledore have put together to include Newt's brother Theseus Scamander (Callum Turner), professor Eulalie 'Lallie' Hicks (Jessica Williams), Minerva McGonagall (Fionna Glascott), and Muggle baker Jacob (Dan Fogler). The motley crew will be joining forces to take on the powerful dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald, who seeks domination over the wizarding world. Mads Mikkelsen is set to take over the villainous role after replacing Johnny Depp. She has been having a ball in Dubai during a loved-up trip with her boyfriend Conner Thompson. And the fun times kept on rolling for Married At First Sight star Jessika Power on Tuesday. The 30-year-old Australian TV star went sandboarding in the desert and even got to hold a falcon. Surf's up! Married At First Sight's Jessika Power goes braless in tight activewear as she goes sandboarding and holds a falcon during trip to Dubai with boyfriend Connor Thompson The blonde bombshell wore revealing activewear for the day trip. She went braless in a crop top by popular label Stax, along with matching bike pants. Makeup free, she also wore a scarf wrapped around her head. Dressed for the occasion: The blonde bombshell wore activewear for the day trip. She went braless in a crop top by popular label Stax with matching bike pants British hunk Connor, host of the Erasing the Bar podcast, got behind the wheel of a sand buggy during the day trip while Jessika filmed the excursion with a GoPro on her head. It comes after Jessika sparked speculation that she faked being single in order to appear on series 10 of Celebs Go Dating, after she recently moved in with her boyfriend Connor. Jessika - who is said to have signed a 40,000 ($70,227 AUD) deal to be on the E4 dating series - has reportedly enraged bosses for 'wasting everyone's time'. Wheelie good time! British hunk Connor, host of the Erasing the Bar podcast, got behind the wheel of a sand buggy during the day trip while Jessika filmed the excursion with a GoPro on her head A source told The Sun: 'Everyone thinks Jessika has been with Connor the whole time. She has now moved him into her apartment and they are no longer hiding their romance. 'The whole 'split' was very convenient so she could cash her cheque but not surprisingly she didn't meet anyone on the show. It's wasted everyone's time really and bosses aren't happy.' Stars who sign up for the show have contracts which stipulate they must be single throughout the process. Stacking it! Jessika stacked it in the sand as she took to the board with bare feet It was previously claimed that Jessika moved to the UK for Conner back in October, but split after just eight days when she signed up to do the reality show. Just last month, Jessika was claiming to be single while going on dates with numerous men while being filmed for the E4 show. The former Married At First Sight Australia star even took one potential love match away on the mini-break, before heading straight back to podcaster Connor. Still going strong: It was previously claimed that Jessika moved to the UK for Conner back in October, but split after just eight days when she signed up to do the reality show, but the pair are still clearly together I'm A Celebrity winner Georgia Toffolo was said to have split up with financier 'Posh George' Cottrell, who was once jailed for fraud. But I can reveal that the pair are very much back together. Former Made In Chelsea star 'Toff', 27, is pictured here enjoying a long, leisurely lunch at Italian restaurant Scalini in West London, with the 28-year-old who was an aide to Nigel Farage when he was the UKIP leader. A fellow diner tells me: 'They sat at a table in the street and chatted to passers-by.' Former Made In Chelsea star 'Toff', 27, is pictured here enjoying a long, leisurely lunch at Italian restaurant Scalini in West London Posh George is said to have a 300 million fortune. But he played up to his wide-boy reputation by paying for lunch with a wad of notes. Georgia has always been cagey about her relationship with Cottrell, who spent eight months in jail in the U.S. in 2016 in connection with a money-laundering conspiracy. Earlier this year, she came under fire herself for a new partnership with a controversial cryptocurrency business. Posh George is said to have a 300 million fortune. But he played up to his wide-boy reputation by paying for lunch with a wad of notes Toff, who is a friend of senior Conservative figures including the Prime Minister's father Stanley Johnson, announced a tiein with fintech group Mode, which was criticised for allegedly misleading investors. She told her Instagram followers that she had been investing in cryptocurrency for 'quite a long time'. Mode claimed it had affiliate tie-ins with companies including Boots, Ocado and Homebase. But all three swiftly denied having anything to do with the company, and shares in Mode plummeted by 14 per cent. Posh George is said to have a 300 million fortune. But he played up to his wide-boy reputation by paying for lunch with a wad of notes Fracking is the future, says MP Former Environment Secretary Andrea Leadsom says she's in favour of fracking as a solution to the energy crisis only don't call it that. 'I am a big fan of shale gas extraction, because 'fracking' sounds like something you wouldn't do at home,' she says. 'I'd hope the Government would look kindly on communities who want to in return for free gas enjoy shale gas extraction.' Incidentally, wouldn't she boost her green credentials by changing her name from Leadsom to Leadfree? Talk about the houses of Windsor! An 'exciting new opportunity' has arisen for an experienced lettings manager on the Queen's private Sandringham Estate in Norfolk. The successful applicant will be paid a 'competitive' salary for the position, which includes undertaking annual property inspections and rent reviews 'on our 370 residential let properties'. It also includes overseeing the lettings of the estate's holiday cottages. Mother of God! Audience members at an arts event got a surprise when the daughter of Line Of Duty star Adrian Dunbar started breastfeeding her baby while she was on stage. Madeleine Dunbar breastfeeding onstage 'Here I am breastfeeding and hosting at the same time,' explained Madeleine Dunbar, who compered the Mum's The Word show in South London which featured live music, poetry, and DJs. The actress, 34, (pictured left with her dad), who gave birth to daughter, Zephyr, before Christmas, did put her baby down before launching into a particularly energetic dance number. The Great British Bake Off's former presenter Mel Giedroyc is worried she didn't bring up her teenage daughters well because they have tattoos but now she's getting one herself. Talking about her girls, she says: 'They've both got tattoos. That's probably bad somewhere along the line I didn't do my job correctly. But I'm going to have one done [a seahorse] in two weeks, bigger and better than theirs.' Dancer Neil Jones, who was partnered with Mel for last year's Strictly Christmas Special, is training to be a tattoo artist and she has agreed to be his guinea pig. A controversial former boss of the Royal Mail has won the stamp of approval for his new 5 million dream mansion. Adam Crozier, 58, who oversaw the closure of 5,800 Post Office branches, spent 3 million on a five-bedroom house on a private estate in Surrey. The 700,000-a-year chairman of BT has just been given local council permission to demolish the 1960s-built property and build a five-bedroom 'Arts & Crafts'-style mansion with special provision for his learning disabled adult daughter. The house will also feature a snug, verandah, and a comms and electrics room. The day Joanna gave the Queen Ab Fab surprise Dame Joanna Lumley is used to receiving an absolutely fabulous welcome wherever she goes. But the actress, who was a friend of Prince Philip, was thrilled when the Queen recognised her at a boat party for yachtsman Pete Goss. Joanna Lumley had a surprise encounter with the Queen Speaking at an event at Mayfair bookshop Heywood Hill to mark the publication of A Queen For All Seasons, her biography of Elizabeth II, the Ab Fab star reveals: '[Goss] invited me to be a part of this line-up. This is what astonished me: she came down the row and looked at me and said: 'What are you doing here?' 'I muttered my excuse of why I was there, but inside I was thinking: 'She knows I shouldn't be here.' ' Americana Festival returns in 2022plans to expand with more live music, street vendors and family-friendly experiences. Americana Festival Celebrates 50 Years, Returns with Expanded Event Vendors Encourage to Apply Online Now through Updated Website The Centerville-Washington Township Americana Festival will return to the streets of Centerville on Monday, July 4, 2022! This years festival will be an expanded event including more live music, street vendors and family-friendly experiences. After the pandemic impacted the festival for the past two years and forced us to cut back on activities, we are excited to be back with a full festival. We are seeing great response from our vendors and sponsors and look forward to "Celebrating 50 Years of Americana" with the biggest and best festival ever. The Street Fair has been the heart and soul of the Americana Festival for 50 years, and we have really missed it, Americana Festival Committee Executive Director Keith Weiskittle said. This years Americana Festival celebrates 50 years and looks ahead to the future of this rich tradition. The festival is proudly Ohios largest one-day festival, boasting more than 75,000 guests each year. Interested food and craft vendors are encouraged to register now. For the first time, the Americana Festival Committee is accepting applications online, making it more convenient to sign up. Follow the new Americana Festival website and social media pages (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter) for new details as theyre planned. A water cannon salute is given to an Indigo flight on its arrival at Mangaluru International Airport. (Photo by arrangement) Mangaluru: The maiden IndiGo flight from Pune arrived at the Mangaluru International Airport at 12.42 am on Monday. The inaugural flight with 82 passengers landed 38 minutes ahead of its scheduled arrival of 1.20 am, marking the entry of Pune as the newest destination to be ever served from this coastal city. The flight departed for Pune with 124 passengers at 2.40 am. The introduction of this flight saw a late-night buzz at the Mangaluru Airport. The airline held small celebration with passengers and other stakeholders, the airport spokesperson said. As the aircraft landed and taxied into the parking stand, the airport arranged for a traditional water cannon salute. Captain Aman Gupta acknowledged the gesture by making an onboard flight announcement to this effect on behalf of his six-member crew. The passengers have expressed their happiness at the beginning of the flight. The flight that leaves Mangaluru reaches Delhi at 6.55 am after a layover of half an hour. The other option to fly to Delhi is a time-consuming one as of now, S N Bhat, a senior professional working in Delhi and a native of Mangaluru said. The flight starts from Delhi and flies to Mangaluru via Pune. Hyderabad: London-based art expert Dr Cleo Roberts-Komireddi has a strong India, and in particular Hyderabad, connection, through marriage with the author and critic Kapil Komireddi, but her interest in art from Asia at large, and specifically India, stretches further back. This interest pushed her to undertake her PhD in 2013, a joint project between the universities of Liverpool and Jadavpur in Kolkata with a research stint at Cambridge, on Indian arts. My first trip had me travelling straight away to Kolkata for my research, said Dr Roberts-Komireddi, on a Zoom call from her London home-office. I was struck by the proliferation of art and artists and at Jadavpur my colleagues combined exceptional intelligence with artistic inclinations. I spent the next three years visiting India, with a base in Delhi, but traveling to Goa, with a strengthening interest in contemporary art. I value rigour, and so to further my understanding of art away from libraries and archives, I began working with the School of Design, Sushant University, Delhi. We organised an art exhibition at one of Delhis most prominent malls, Select CityWalk. It was an unusual context, with the work shown right in the centre so no one could miss it. The exhibition closed with an awards ceremony where the prizes were judged by a board of artists, academics and curators from England and India. Im interested in the possibility of bridging art worlds and creating visibility for artists in a field that is dominated by the markets overseas, she said. Before she went back to England to finish her PhD, Dr Roberts-Komireddi met several artists in India, including Nikhil Chopra at his performance residency space, Heritage Hotel. On returning home, she began chronicling her observations and interactions, and writing about Indian arts and artists. The intense writing resulting from conversations and interactions led to a mission to help make art more accessible, and increase awareness of art among non-specialist audiences. She began reaching out to artists across south Asia, which she described as an exciting and varied art scene but sadly and mystifyingly not necessarily as well known in the west. How is South Asian and Indian art different, what are its peculiar characteristics, I ask. It is for instance, more political, I offer to point out. I have always been struck by how politically aware people in India are. The artists here are unapologetically engaged either with politics directly, or with how it influences or affects the lives of people. But when you try to understand or study contemporary Indian art and artists, however tempting, it is unproductive and artificial to try to find a single grand common theme. Artists are individuals after all, she reflected. They have a holistic view of the world and are often critical about the workings of the world, but there is more to their art than politics or a solitary specific theme, she explains. Expounding on the evolution of Indian art, she says, the art before Independence was predominantly shaped by pressure from a colonial sense of aesthetics. And Indianor so-called nativeartists were, in the large part, undervalued. The slew of Company School images without a named artist speaks to this. In Kolkata, Rabindranath and Abanindranath Tagore recognized that artistic agency, and recognition had to be fought for. And so The Bengal School reclaimed Indian culture and creativity. We can see that this was a precursor to post-independence art, which would bring out aspirations of a new nation. Today, Indian art continues to thrive. Isnt art rather abstract and elite? Does it have any meaning or pragmatic purpose, I quiz. She acknowledges the perception of art as a somewhat elitist preoccupation. Art needs certain resources at your disposal, including financial soundness. For a young person to go to an art school, he or she needs a certain financial ability. But art and creativity are important for every individual. For humanity as a whole, historically art has mattered. Theres been a visceral human need to be creative, whether it is a tool for social cohesion in the Upper Paleolithic or used to articulate faith. Artists are indispensable for their ability to expose the cracks and gaps in society and to bring them to the publics notice. I tend to think that artists think sideways. Of course, it is important to make efforts to enhance engagement with art and make it reach, and speak to, more people. Speaking of her own preferences, Dr Roberts-Komireddi says, I enjoy art which sees and projects stories we miss, work that supplies provocative ideas and draws out different ways of understanding the world. This isnt to say I dont find pleasure in art works that are, in my opinion, aesthetically beautiful. Her own role, she sees as straddling two diverse positions; where on one dimension she tries to understand art and artists, and strives to penetrate their abstract theoretic language, and on the other, to make it easily available to people. India is such a visually complex and rich country. And in its diverse images, which can cut across a formidable range of barriers, art is a great unifier, she explains. Currently, besides her podcasts on Asian art (@artworldspodcast), she is involved with the Museum of Art and Photography in Bengaluru who are compiling an innovative new encyclopedia of Indian art. As a member of the advisory board for the project, she is aiding the ambitious task of creating a compilation in simple language of an otherwise unfathomable volume of information on Indian art. Its a challenge but perhaps the biggest challenge and most exciting part remains informing people about how important art can be, how intrinsic it is to society and therefore how valuable artists are, she says passionately. In a larger way, every bit of human art is connected to some degree, but within those different histories, contexts and underlying motivations make the difference. I constantly explore the nuance and I am reticent to use catchall terminology, she said. There is a danger of people, especially those from the art world, using a standard or evaluation in one country or society and imposing that to other regions and countries. There is absolutely no need for Indian art to seek western validation, she says. Art has gone beyond the traditionally defined art world of galleries and institutions she says. Digital technologies have recalibrated the arts. Instagram is now at the forefront and a platform she herself uses engagingly, connecting with artists around the world. Let us celebrate this democratization of art, with people spreading awareness using social media over those sitting in old school ivory towers. Art needs a lot more fluid conversations about itself, involving those who are not artists but love art. Are there great artists today, I question, a bit naively, a bit churlishly. The only good artists are the dead ones, she says in jest and laughs. I was very taken by Mrinalini Mukherjee, an amazing artist based in New Delhi who worked with jute and hemp to create astounding biomorphic hanging sculptures. Only now, post her death is she becoming a more internationally known name. Henri Matisses work was originally considered shockingmost critics were repulsed by his colour paletteand now he is hugely revered. This is to say that opinions change, were fickle. We would have to travel to the future in a time machine in that sense to discover the greatest artists of our times. But let us brush aside hyperboles and focus on the art we have today, the artists of today, and understand, if not appreciate, their work, she said. Dismissing the commercial appraisal of value of art as a measure of intrinsic artistic worth, she said, prices of a piece or collection of art in London or Delhi or Hyderabad may not always reflect the truest artistic worth. Artists, like everyone else, need commercial success but that is just one criteria. Art is more than its price label. How should a common man buy art? She smiles before explaining, the commercial side of art is very important, especially for an artist to keep producing art. The purchase of art is therefore very important. Today, online portals like Artsy sell a lot of art. Beyond exhibitions and museums, there are initiatives like Art Chain India so people can buy directly from artists, and they have an income that helps them keep the focus on the art. But how should one appraise art? It is hard to judge art, there is not an easy formula. Like music, theres a kind of alchemy. Look at as much art as possible and see whose works speak to you. Build your own taste. I must be having a quizzical look, because she further explains, it is not very different from other arts, like reading a book or listening to a song. Certain words, sentences or tunes may appeal to you more, or maybe certain moods. Something will resonate, if not today maybe later. Some aspects of the visual will leave an effect. Maybe it is the different angles and perspectives explored, or the light, or shading, some moments, mood or emotion. In summation, when asked about some of the exciting Indian artists on the scene, she says, there are many. Shilpa Gupta is a very established name. Others I appreciate and admire would be Sajan Mani, and Priyanka D'Souza. Nikhil Chopras work is perpetually fascinating, his work enthrals. Speaking on the need for formal recognition for artists, she adds, artists are tenacious people, with lots of patience. It is needed to make it to this world. Grants and awards, and other forms of public recognition, are rare. For example, Feroze Gujral, who heads the Gujral Foundation, is introducing an art prize in India. Hopefully it will help throw light on and bring fame to some. Inviting artists and art enthusiasts to connect with her best on her instagram (@cleo__robertskomireddi), she ends the conversation by sharing news of many exciting projects ahead in India next month, where she hopes to tour different art centers to discover more artists. When asked about advice to artists, she says, keep your day job and let some money flow in to supplement your art career. For example, Agnes Martin had multiple jobs to support her in the early days. Cindy Sherman was a receptionist, while Claes Oldenburg, an important artist of our times, was a library assistant. But since there is no clear success path in this area, just keep the faith in what you are doing, apply for residencies and fellowships, meet people, talk about your art and keep working. The world needs you. Vijayawada: The Special Enforcement Bureau sleuths carried out raids on places where cheap liquor was being brewed illegally under Operation Parivartan 2.0 in the state and booked 3,403 cases and arrested 2,066 people from March 10 to 26. The SEB which was formed in October, 2020 has been carrying out raids in coordination with local police, excise and revenue officials in the state to identify places where ID liquor was being brewed to book cases under relevant laws and provide counselling to the bootleggers to give up such illegal practice. The SEB authorities seized 44,058 litres of ID liquor, 155 vehicles, seized 73,734 kg of black jaggery and destroyed 16,04,741 litres of fermented jaggery wash. They also booked four persons under Preventive Detention Act in which three were from West Godavari and one from Guntur. In total, 17 people were booked under PD Act in the state with five from West Godavari, four from Chittoor, three each from Krishna and Guntur and two from Anantapur. Hyderabad: In a special drive, the Nalgonda police seized 15 bags of gutka worth Rs 5 lakh and 30 kilos of cannabis worth Rs 3.5 lakh from interstate smuggler gangs in raids at different places. Nalgonda SP Rema Rajeshwari said cops have been conducting the drive as directed by state DGP Mahender Reddy to prevent the smuggling of illicit tobacco, gutka and pan masala. Surveillance was kept on gangs dealing with banned substances. On Monday morning, the Kethepalli and Kattangur police teams seized a stock of marijuana and caught two persons one from Uttar Pradesh and a transgender from Odisha. Police said ganja smuggler Katravath Raju alias Shiva of Mahabubnagar got in touch with Abu Bakar, a native of Bijnor, UP. On word from Shiva, Abu went to Malkangiri, Odisha and purchased ganja. He was transporting it to Hyderabad and aiming to go to Uttar Pradesh for further sale. In the early hours, during a vehicle check at Korlapad toll plaza, police caught him. Shiva is absconding and a search is on to arrest him. In the second case, transgender Govardhan Darli alias Sonali alias Sonu form Bodigada, Malkangiri, was caught. She used to purchase marijuana from her native place in Malkangiri and sold it in Hyderabad for a higher rate. During one such trip, she was caught by the police near Nalgonda cross road in Kattangur area. In another case, on Tuesday, the Nalgonda task force, in coordination with Nalgonda II Town Police, nabbed Bapanapally Anjaneyulu and seized 15 bags of banned gutka. He admitted that he was taking gutka from Irlapati Yadagiri. The two said a consignment was dumped in Tata water godown. The taskforce and local police seized 15 bags of banned gutka worth about Rs 5 lakh and the two are being sent to judicial remand, the SP said. VIJAYAWADA: From November 2021 to March 2022, Andhra Pradesh has witnessed 9,412 fire incidents within its forests, which have burnt 4,606.45 hectares of jungles. Forest authorities say in March alone, 7,466 fires have been reported due to scorching heatwave conditions, mainly in Kadapa, Anantapur, Atmakur, Markapur, Giddalur, Proddatur, Nandyal, Rajampet and other forest divisions of Rayalaseema area. Officials say as several regions, including Anantapur, Kadapa and other areas in the Rayalaseema region, witnessed heavy rainfall last year; it resulted in heavy growth of grass. With the rise in day temperatures, this grass has dried up and caught fire, burning down huge swathes of forest cover. Authorities fear forests in parts of East and West Godavari and Visakhapatnam districts may witness fire incidents in ensuing April and May. Fires subside once monsoon enters the state in June. Rains also help regenerate forest cover. Officials say firelines of three-meter width have been formed in vulnerable areas based on five-years of experience. These will serve as fire barriers in case accidental fires break out. Controlled burning of dried vegetation is also undertaken in early hours of the day for a few hours to control spread of forest fires. Trenches of varied sizes are dug based on need, which serve as breakers of forest fires. These turn into percolation tanks to help boost up groundwater tables when it rains. Forest authorities say with help of AP State Disaster Management Authority and NGOs, they are taking up awareness drives among villagers within and around forests to sensitise them about fires. Rallies are taken out and Burra Katha and folk songs sung on preventing and controlling forest fires. Foresters say the biggest threat emerges from local villagers, who collect firewood from forests and also cattle grazers. These people tend to be careless about throwing burning cigarette and beedi butts, which end up causing forest fires. Some people even deliberately light fires to clear forest areas for cultivation of the burnt-down land subsequently. AP Fire Monitoring Cell nodal officer and DFO M. Ravi Shankar Sharma said, Though the number of fire incidents being reported this season is relatively less when compared with the last season, scorching heat is causing more fire incidents; mainly in parts of Rayalaseema region as of now. We are fully geared up to control and prevent fire incidents in the state by all means. The reluctance of schools has hit the districts coverage of vaccination in the age group. PTI Hyderabad: Several private schools are resisting vaccines for students and not letting health officials conduct vaccination drives for the 12-14 age group fearing untoward incidents. As a result, the District Medical Health Officer (DMHO), Hyderabad, asked officials from the education department to convince schools to allow vaccination drives on campus. The reluctance of schools has hit the districts coverage of vaccination in the age group. As on Monday, the coverage for teens in the 12-14 age group in the district with the first dose is 33 per cent. In comparison, the average coverage in the state is 56 per cent. Among all districts, Hyderabad has the third lowest coverage, with only Kumaram Bheem (28 per cent) and Medchal (25 per cent) districts recording lower figures. Hyderabad DMHO J. Venkati said managements of many private schools want to first check with the parents of students on giving the jabs for their wards. To resolve the issue, a meeting was held on Friday attended by the DMHO, District Education Officers (DEOs), Deputy DEOs, Additional Collector and Collector of Hyderabad. During the meeting, Venkati submitted a list of schools that did not allow the drives. The DMHO also pointed that even in schools allowing the drives only 40-50 per cent students were getting the jabs. The state had issued an order to regularise the services of contract employees in February, 2016. (Representational image) Hyderabad: The finance department has initiated the process to regularise the services of contract employees in various departments. Over 11,000 contract employees are all set to be regularized, officials said. Special chief secretary, finance, Ramakrishna Rao issued an order on Tuesday to all departments to forward names of eligible persons by duly following rules of reservation and roster points. This follows an announcement made by chief minister Chandrashekar Rao in the recent budget session of the assembly to fill over 91,000 vacancies in various departments. These included 81,000 posts through direct recruitment and 11,000 posts through regularisation of contract employees, officials said. The state had issued an order to regularise the services of contract employees in February, 2016. The process got stuck after petitions were filed against this in the high court and it stayed the order, in 2017. The high court dismissed the petition in December 2021. Adilabad: The Narepa tree that grows straight to a long height without curves is considered sacred. It was used as the Dwajasthambham erected at Yadadri Narasimha Swamy temple. Narepa tree wood is considered top-quality, pest resistant and highly sustainable. It grows straight. These trees are found in the forests of Kotapalli and Vemanpalli mandals in Chennur area of Mancherial district. Locals say temple priests recommend Narepa trees for Dwajastambham and people from across the state come and take these for the purpose. However, the number of Narepa trees has drastically come down due to deforestation. Locals of Chennur area have appealed to the state government to protect the sacred Narepa trees for the purpose of future temple rituals. Its not the ghar wapsi that some Indians love to celebrate. Archbishop Visvaldas Kulbokas, the papal envoy to Kyiv, is urging suffering Ukrainians to convert not to a religion but to a cause. Conversion means to become a real human person, living the solidarity and fraternity among people. That includes the followers of all religions as well as the thunderingly aggressive Russians who are now devastating Ukraine. Mikhail Gorbachev, who started it all, lamented 10 years after the Cold War that the opportunity of building a new world order had been squandered. He squarely blamed the United States. Every US President has to have a war. The question now is: Will Joe Bidens need to prove himself prevent Ukraines President Volodymyr Zelenskyy making peace as the Turkish and Israeli mediators grapple with Vladimir Putins demand for a neutral, demilitarised Ukraine that abjures Nato membership, recognises the fait accompli in Crimea, makes concessions to Russophile Donbass and agrees to de-Nazification? What cannot be overlooked is that despite the nostalgia for Catherine the Greats Greater Russia in Mr Putins essay On the Historical Unity of the Russians and Ukrainians, Ukraine has always been fiercely independent. Waiting at Kiev (as it was spelt then) airport in the Soviet era, I had to suffer a lecture from a man who had stopped to admire my elastic-sided boots -- a luxury in the USSR -- because I assumed he was Russian. Russians, he repeated, placing both palms side by side on his left, Ukrainians, and he repeated the gesture on his right. I had forgotten my fathers friend Obaidur Rahman, whose Russian wife always insisted that she was something called Ukrainian which no one in Calcutta (as it was then) had heard of, and whose daughter, I learnt accidentally many years later, had married the well-known journalist Willie Lazarus. Mr Bidens For Gods sake, this man cannot remain in power only confirmed that, like George W. Bush and Saddam Hussain, he seeks regime change. As for evidence of Mr Putins misdeeds, one recalls US secretary of state Colin Powell solemnly telling UN Security Council members of incontrovertible proof about Saddams nuclear bomb. The frantic denials of White House officials only mean he hopes God will be the executioner. We dont know what God thinks of the assignment but an exhausted Almighty supposedly murmured during the Second World War: God save England, God save the King. God this and God that, and God the other thing. Oh God! says God, my works all cut out! Its the Cold War all over again, the Great Game that never ceases day and night. The silver double-headed eagle stopper of a cut-glass bottle that I picked up in a European antique shop says it all. The 15th century Tsar Ivan III had adopted the design as his coat of arms. Russias Presidents, ardent nationalists and monopoly capitalists, made it their own in 1992. Republican qualms obliged them to first plead the emblem was unofficial; then, that the imperial crown joining the two eagles would be removed. However, it became official and the crown in all its glory is Mr Putins insignia. He, too, has a penchant for larger-than-life statuary and has promised Muscovites a giant figure of Volodmyr the Great, the Kyivan Rus monarch whose 988 baptism was an epochal event in Slav history. US Presidents have nursed hopes of regime change ever since the Soviet Unions collapse prompted Richard Nixon to crow that the time had come for America to reset its geopolitical compass because we have a historic opportunity to change the world. The attempts to grab that opportunity by drawing Ukraine into the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation and the European Union turned the Breadbasket of Europe into a haggling bazaar. When the EU dangled a $838 million loan, Russia promised Ukraine $15 billion. When the EU demanded major changes in rules and regulations, Russia offered cheaper gas. When Nato made overtures, Russia invaded Georgia. Coups, mass demos, revolutions and leader-toppling, the Crimeas annexation and Moscows recognition of breakaway Donetsk and Luhansk warned of the perils ahead. Used to Arab and Asian refugees, Europe is for the first time besieged by destitute white, Christian women and children. God not having helped out, the US in its lofty concern for democratic government and human rights turned to the probably more powerful and certainly more amenable Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia. Forgotten is the American intelligence report that he personally approved the 2018 murder of the Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Forgotten, too, is the March 12 execution of 81 people -- the largest mass execution in modern history -- provoking worldwide outrage. The revered Franklin D. Roosevelt had famously made it obligatory to treat our son of a bitch differently from anyone elses. Saudi Arabias oil and gas will reduce dependence on Russian fuel as another coalition of the willing challenges the evil empire, this time from a safe distance. The Crown Prince has already promised to invest even more in American arms so that the US doesnt feel the pinch of imposing sanctions. Mr Biden restored relations with Venezuela (oil again) and upped ties with Cuba. True, Saturdays tirade dredged up Tiananmen Square, but an awareness that sanctions against China would hurt American voters far more than the Chinese persuades him to look away while Xi Jinping plays footsie with Mr Putin. With the Crown Prince and God on his side, Mr Biden might even accuse Prime Minister Narendra Modi of being more than somewhat shaky if he doesnt reciprocate Chinese foreign minister Wang Yis recent overtures. Sadly, some dyed-in-the-wool pseudo-secularists in the Madras high court may have cramped Gods style with a recent judgment cutting divinity down to size. Courts cannot be hoodwinked by encroaching and constructing a temple in the name of God, intoned the learned judge, whose literal interpretation of the injunction to render unto Caesar the things that are Caesars, and unto God the things that are Gods ignored Winston Churchills warning that every law has loopholes. Any rustic mahant knows that the trick is to parcel property into little plots and register each in the name of the 33 million deities in the Hindu pantheon. Gods in His heaven, (and) alls right with the world!, as Browning said, when land ceilings are respected. But even God knows that peace will remain elusive until Russian demands are conceded. Ukraines Russian-speaking Jewish President may not have too much difficulty agreeing to most of them. But his mentors? After topping the Indian smartphone market, it expanded successfully to smart TVs, smart wearables; but, for reasons unknown, the Chinese company never really tried to tap the potential of the tablet segment. Currently, Samsung and Apple dominate the lucrative tablet business and reportedly made a good fortune during the Covid-19 pandemic, as online classes became the norm around the country. Now, Xiaomi, though a bit late to the party, has posted a teaser hinting at the imminent launch of the new tablet. It has even opened a webpage with a countdown but does not mention any details of the tablet. However, rumour has it that Xiaomi may launch the affordable Mi Pad 5 series. The latter actually made its global debut way back in September 2021 in China and in India, it will be retailed as Xiaomi Pad 5. It should be noted that the company let go of the 'Mi' branding with Xiaomi 11 series phones in late 2021. Xiaomi Pad 5 is said to come with 11-inch WQXGA(2560 x 1600p) LCD display with support 120Hz refresh rate, and 240Hz touch sampling rate. Xiaomi Pad 5 series tablet. Credit: Xiaomi Inside, it is expected to feature a 7nm class 2.96GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 860 chipset with Adreno 640 GPU, Android 11-based MIUI 13 OS, 6GB LPDDR4X RAM with 128GB / 256GB UFS 3.1 storage, main 13MP on the back, an 8MP sensor on the front and an 8,720mAh battery with 33W charger support. It can power up the device from zero to 100 per cent in around 90 minutes. Depending on the RAM + storage configuration, Xiaomi Pad 5 is expected to price around Rs 23,000 and Rs 28,000. Xiaomi is slated to reveal more details on the new tablet on April 1. No, it is unlikely to be an April fool's day prank. The new device is coming. Get the latest news on new launches, gadget reviews, apps, cybersecurity, and more on personal technology only on DH Tech. Explosions rocked Ukraine's Lviv, which borders Poland, amid a recent visit by US President Joe Biden and Poland's suggestion to send a NATO peacekeeping force to Ukraine. The war of words between the White House and Kremlin intensified as Biden called Putin a 'butcher' and called for his removal. The Kremlin responded swiftly saying that Russians decide on their leader and it was not for Biden to decide. Stay tuned to DH for live updates. Pakistan's embattled Prime Minister Imran Khan on Tuesday strictly directed his party lawmakers to either abstain or not attend the National Assembly session on the day of voting on the no-confidence motion against him, which is likely to be held in the first week of April. The instructions came a day after Pakistan's opposition on Monday tabled the no-trust motion in the National Assembly against Khan, who is facing his toughest political test since assuming office in 2018 as defections in his party and cracks in the ruling coalition appeared to have made his position fragile. In a letter to the PTI lawmakers, Prime Minister Khan, who is the party's chairman, said: "All the members of the (PTI) in the National Assembly shall abstain from voting/not attend the meeting of the National Assembly on the date when the said resolution is set out on the agenda," Geo News reported. Also Read | Voting on no-confidence motion by Opposition against Pakistan PM Imran Khan to be held on April 3: Minister All members are "required to adhere to his directions in true letter and spirit" and should keep in mind the "intention behind the provision of Article 63(A) of the Constitution of Pakistan," he said. Khan also warned the party lawmakers that "every or any" violation of the directions would be treated as an "express defection" in terms of Article 63(A). No prime minister in Pakistan's history has ever been ousted through a no-confidence motion, and Khan is the third premier to face the challenge. The lower house will convene on Thursday to debate the motion. Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid has said that the voting on the no-confidence motion will be held on April 3. "There will be a debate on the no-confidence motion on March 31, followed by voting on April 3," he said, adding that Khan would emerge victorious. Also Read | Time has come for the final push: Maryam Nawaz to Imran Khan Prime Minister Khan needs 172 votes in the house of 342 to foil the bid to topple his government. Since Khans allies are still not committed to support him and about two dozen lawmakers from within the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf have revolted, the situation was still fluid. Meanwhile, the government said on Tuesday that it was willing to share a "letter" with the chief justice of the country which the prime minister waved at a rally as proof of a foreign "conspiracy" to topple him. In a massive show of strength, Khan on Sunday addressed a mammoth rally in the national capital where he claimed that foreign powers were involved in a conspiracy to topple his coalition government. He pulled a document from his pocket to exhibit it for the charged crowd, saying it was the letter sent to threaten him. Addressing a press conference along with Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry, Minister for Planning Asad Umar claimed that he saw the letter himself and said that the prime minister was ready to share with the chief justice. "Obviously, it is the highest office of justice in Pakistan, it is a huge position that has respect in this country. Personally too, the chief justice has a very good reputation. The prime minister said that if necessary, and for the people's satisfaction, he is ready to present the letter to the chief justice of the Supreme Court," Umar said. Umar said that the letter was written before the no-confidence motion submitted against the prime minister on March 8 but it clearly mentioned the no-trust move which makes it a matter of concern. "So it is clear that the foreign hand and no-confidence motion are linked. These are not two separate things and we see a clear connection between them," said Umar. He, however, refused to make the contents public and even sharing it with the opposition as demanded by its leaders. But he said that the letter had been shared with the top civil and military leadership and a few members of the cabinet. Umar also said that former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, who is living in London, was one of the "characters" mentioned in the letter that was a testimony of the conspiracy to topple the government. Information minister Chaudhry claimed that Sharif had held meetings with Israeli diplomats. "This is why I was saying that he should not be allowed to go abroad, because when such people go abroad they become a stooge, a weapon of the international establishment," he said. The presser by the two ministers came after the opposition accused the prime minister for faking up the letter and asked the government to share it. "If there is real threat from abroad to the security of the country, then we are with the government," Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Ahsan Iqbal said. Former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi asked the government to summon a session of parliament on Wednesday and share the letter with the lawmakers. "A threat has been made to our country and we have to respond to it collectively. This is not just about Imran Khan and his two ministers, he said. He asserted that the prime minister should either take the parliament into confidence over the letter or apologize. The development comes a day after the opposition alliance in a power show on Monday night vowed to bring down the government of Khan. The Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM), which among others include PML-N and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Fazl (JUI-I), organised a big rally on the Srinagar Highway in Islamabad. PML-N vice president Maryam Nawaz, daughter and heir of former premier Nawaz Sharif, accused Khan of putting down his most trusted Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar to save his power after the government decided to replace him with Chaudhry Pervez Elahi to win the support of his Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid party, which has five lawmakers in the lower house. Khan came to power in 2018 with promises to create a Naya Pakistan but miserably failed to address the basic problem of keeping the prices of commodities in control, giving air to the sails of opposition ships to make war on his government. No Pakistani prime minister has ever completed a full five-year term in office. Check out DH's latest videos: The voting on the no-confidence motion against Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan will be held on April 3, Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid said on Tuesday. Rashid was addressing the media here in the federal capital over the latest political situation after the Opposition parties submitted a no-confidence motion against Khan on Monday during a session of the National Assembly. There will be a debate on the no-confidence motion on March 31, followed by voting on April 3, he said, adding that Khan would emerge victorious. Also Read | Time has come for the final push: Maryam Nawaz to Imran Khan He predicted that all estranged allies would come back to support the government headed by Khan as already done by Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q). He also said all roads have been cleared and there was no blockade in part of the city after the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and the Opposition parties held separate political rallies on Sunday and Monday. Rashid also said at least four terrorists were arrested by the security agencies, saving the capital from a huge disaster. The remarks came as the Pakistan opposition alliance in the last midnight power show vowed to bring down the beleaguered government of Prime Minister Khan. Also Read | PML-N president Shehbaz Sharif tables no-trust motion against PM Khan in Pakistan Parliament The Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM), which among others include Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Fazl (JUI-I), organised a big rally on the Srinagar Highway in Islamabad. PML-N vice president Maryam Nawaz and leader of the opposition in Punjab Assembly Hamza Shehbaz who had started the rally from Lahore on March 26, arrived two days later in Islamabad to join the supporters of JUI-F and other PDM parties who had already set up a camp. Maryam, daughter and heir of former three-time premier Nawaz Sharif, castigated incumbent premier Khan for using the religious card to save his tottering throne. I challenge you to have 172 MNAs with you on the voting day on the no-trust motion, she said. She accused Khan of putting down his most trusted Punjab Chief Minister, Usman Buzdar, to save his power after the government decided to replace him with Chaudhry Pervez Elahi to win the support of his Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid party. You pushed your most trustworthy man [Buzdar] into the water to save your own rule. We have not seen such an ungrateful man in our whole lives, she said. She also said that Khan claimed a foreign conspiracy to topple him and blamed him for showing a fake letter at the rally a day earlier. She said Khan had lost peoples confidence, as proved by the ruling partys defeat in 15 out of 16 by-elections in recent months. Several other PDM leaders also addressed the gathering and they also announced to change their rally into a sit-in and the workers would be camping until the vote of no-confidence was held. Khan, 69, is heading a coalition government and he can be removed if some of the partners decide to switch sides. The PTI has 155 members in the 342-member National Assembly and needs at least 172 lawmakers to retain power. Khan came to power in 2018 with promises to create a Naya Pakistan but miserably failed to address the basic problem of keeping the prices of commodities in control, giving air to the sails of opposition ships to make war on his government. Check out latest DH videos here West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday wrote to all Opposition leaders and chief ministers "expressing concern over BJP's direct attacks on democracy" with the use of central agencies. "Central agencies are jolted to action when elections are round the corner," Mamata wrote. "I urge that all of us come together for a meeting to deliberate on the way forward at a place as per everyone's convenience and suitability," she said in her letter to Opposition leaders. Our Hon'ble Chairperson @MamataOfficial writes to all Opposition leaders & CMs, expressing her concern over @BJP4India's direct attacks on Democracy. BJP has repeatedly attacked the federal structure of our country and now, it's time to unitedly fight this oppressive regime. pic.twitter.com/Ib3VbuSdbK All India Trinamool Congress (@AITCofficial) March 29, 2022 She called on all "progressive forces" to join hands to fight the "oppressive BJP regime". "I am writing to you to express deep concern over direct attacks on this country's institutional democracy by the ruling BJP," the letter dated March 27 said. It was shared with the media on Tuesday morning. "Let us commit to the cause of a unified and principled opposition that will make way for the government that our country deserves," she added. Check out the latest DH videos here: Profile: Chinese translator conquers bipolar disorder with undaunted spirit Xinhua) 09:28, March 29, 2022 HANGZHOU, March 28 (Xinhua) -- In the face of critical health challenges such as visual impairment and bipolar disorder, Jin Xiaoyu has remained unfazed, translating 22 foreign-language works into more than 6 million Chinese characters over a decade. The 50-year-old translator lives with his father Jin Xingyong who is 86 years old. Jin's heart-wrenching yet inspiring story, which was recently published online by Hangzhou Daily, has touched the hearts of millions of Chinese. "I felt very lonely and hoped that someone would hear our story," the father said reacting to the news article that gained widespread attention, adding that he lost his wife recently. The article captured Jin's emotional tale in great detail, describing how his parents created a safety net to assure his proper upbringing. CONQUERING ADVERSITIES The family has lived in a 60-square-meter apartment since 1988 in Hangzhou, capital of east China's Zhejiang Province. Jin's bedroom is narrow, with books and dictionaries scattered on the shelves. The average-looking man, with black-rimmed glasses and a sparse beard, spends most of his time on the computer, hammering the keyboard incessantly. Jin's right eye crystal sustained damage in an accident when he was six. He later dropped out of high school and was diagnosed with bipolar disorder, a mental illness characterized by extreme mood swings. His mental health deteriorated to the point where he attempted suicide for many times. Almost every year since 1992, Jin has had to go to the hospital for treatment. Losing an eye severely dented his confidence as a child, and he became reserved, confining himself to reading books at home. He even refrained from taking the national college entrance examinations. With the advent of adult life, Jin took up work at a factory and used to work part-time at bookstores. He avoided speaking with people and would bury himself in books to learn foreign languages on his own. In 2017, Jin's mother was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease and after a prolonged illness she passed away recently. TRANSLATION AS A PROFESSION Bipolar disorder can trigger bouts of extreme anger in Jin to the extent that he would go around smashing things in the house. Surprisingly, even during such frantic moments, he won't harm his computer -- for he understands its significance. Early this year, when Jin was undergoing treatment in the mental hospital his father gave him a Chinese-version sample copy of the book "The Correspondence of Walter Benjamin." He spent two years translating the German book, writing with 530,000 Chinese characters. Jin taught himself German and Japanese and he believes that the experience of learning languages is the same. He read German language textbooks first, then professional books related to translation, and finally, original novels. "I read at least 20 original novels to learn a foreign language," Jin said. One of his most frequently visited places is the library of Zhejiang University. He has read almost all the textbooks on German and Japanese learning available in the library. Jin takes translation seriously. During the translation work of "Andrei Tarkovsky: Elements of Cinema," he watched every film of the director at least twice and would compare repeatedly the details of the film mentioned in the book. He can work some eight hours a day, swinging into action straight away after breakfast. To maintain good physical strength, he walks for an hour every day as his daily exercise. Complimenting Jin's work one of his readers said, these words are "accurate and delicate, even better than the original text." Jin's father is always the first reader of his manuscripts. And he has only discovered one error to date. The 22 books that Jin translated cover different genres including novels, movies, music and philosophy, among others. The translation fee is not high -- usually 50 or 60 yuan (about 8 or 9.5 U.S. dollars) for 1,000 words. "If I was not sick, I might waste my time. I will do translation job well, so don't feel sorry for me," Jin told his father, assuring him that he enjoys his work. MOTHER -- THE "WHEELBARROW" OF LIFE "My mother played a big role in my translation career," said Jin, adding that it was she who first found him a translation opportunity on a trial basis. Jin's elder brother graduated from Shanghai's Fudan University and currently lives in Australia. So, naturally, Jin became the reason for concern of his parents owing to his health condition. Jin said his mother was strict with him and, like most Chinese parents, always kept a close eye on his studies. Jin's translated books are stacked on a sewing machine that belonged to his mother in the living room. Reminiscing about the bygone days, Jin deems the clothes made by his mother as the coziest and likens her stepping on the sewing machine pedal to a lullaby. Neither the sewing machine nor the clothes were touched by Jin when he was "out of control." During the three years of his mother's battle with Alzheimer's disease, Jin never lost his temper with her. He would bring her food, wash her face and help his bedridden mom use the toilet. "Keep pushing a wheelbarrow as long as it does not turn over," Jin always bears this Chinese adage in his mind and deems his mom the wheelbarrow in his life. FATHER -- THE GUIDING FORCE Jin's father gave the editor his own suggestions on the sample of "The Correspondence of Walter Benjamin" -- in terms of wording, binding design and the size of the format. "My father is a very patient man and has played a significant role in my life. He helped me contact the editor of the publishing house and proofread my manuscripts very carefully," Jin said. His father, a former pharmaceutical researcher, is also a bibliophile who loves the works of the legendary Russian novelist Ivan Turgenev. The news article has suddenly brought the father and son under huge public attention. A motorcade volunteered to provide free rides for the elderly, but the father declined the offer, expressing his gratitude and saying that he was used to taking the bus. "I have enough to eat and drink, and I'm satisfied. I'm not in a difficult state so I won't ask others for help. I feel comfortable this way," he said. Jin values his bond with his dad. He hopes to complete the translation of Walter Benjamin's "The Arcades Project" before his father reaches 88. Following that, he intends to take a break from work and devote himself to learning Spanish. "I'm not a genius, and I have to work hard," Jin said, while his father chimes in to say "Love is the most precious thing." (Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun) What are some of the highlights of your professional life? After qualifying to practice law in Ireland, I worked as a solicitor in the Private Client department of a corporate law firm in Dublin. My work included advising clients on trusts, estate planning, tax planning, and non-profit law. After 10 years abroad, I moved home to eastern Iowa in 2009, where my sister had recently taken a faculty position at St. Ambrose University. I initially worked as an AmeriCorps volunteer in the service learning office at St. Ambrose. I then stepped into the International Student Advisor role on campus. I quickly realized that I'd found my professional home! St. Ambrose had a small international student population, and I was responsible for advising international students from their initial admission inquiries all the way to graduation. It was a remarkable opportunity to combine my interest in law with my love of international education, and I appreciated the opportunity to make an impact in students' lives. After a few years at St. Ambrose, I moved to the University of Iowa, where I worked with a much larger international student population at the Tippie College of Business, creating programming and initiatives to support international students and connect the international and domestic student populations. Again, the students were a tremendous source of energy and inspiration. What brought you to your new role at Miami? Over the years at Iowa, my work evolved from direct work with international students to more academic advising for both international and domestic students. I was delighted to have the opportunity to return to work focused on international students on the ISSS team at Miami. It was also a chance to jump back into immigration regulation advising, which I had really enjoyed at St. Ambrose. Regulation advising is really a world unto itself, and I appreciate the chance to be challenged by my work and to gain knowledge that helps students navigate the complicated immigration system in the US. Painting mugs at exchange student orientation, Jan. 2022 What are some of the things you like about working with international students at Miami? In addition to international student advising, I oversee the admissions process for our exchange students and provide support to them while they are here. It's a relatively small number of students, and I enjoy the opportunity to get to know them and learn from their unique perspectives. I recently completed mid-semester check-ins with them and am so impressed with all they have done so far this semester - from joining Global Buddies and Global Neighbors programs to trying out an escape room in Cincinnati. A number of them have just returned from a spring break trip to New York City. Their enthusiasm is infectious! Do you have any "fun facts" to share with us? When I moved home to Iowa in 2009, I had a strong desire to reconnect with home. While living abroad, I found that I spent lots of time reflecting on my culture and thinking about what made me "me." In April 2009, I started at the Missouri River on the western side of Iowa and walked across the state in 28 days, averaging about 12 miles per day. I ended at the Mississippi River in Muscatine. I camped, stayed in strangers' homes, and met up with family along the way. Except for the perpetual blisters, it was a remarkable opportunity to live life at a slower pace, talk to people without any sense of urgency, and appreciate the understated beauty of the Midwest. Renewing attempts for a common front against the BJP, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has written to Opposition Chief Ministers and leaders, seeking a meeting to "deliberate on the way forward" to hold the ruling party accountable for their actions and resist the "stifling" of voices of dissent. The Trinamool Congress chief said the meeting could be organised "at a take place as per everyone's convenience and suitability", as the need of the hour is for all progressive forces in the country to come together to fight the "oppressive force". In the letter, she expressed "deep concern over the direct attacks" on the country's institutional democracy and the use of central investigating agencies like ED, CBI, Central Vigilance Commission and Income Tax Department to "target, harass and corner the political opponents across the country for vendetta". Let us commit to the cause of a unified and principled Opposition that will make way for the government that our country deserves, she said. Also read: Democracy being 'murdered' under Mamata's rule, alleges BJP Sources said the meeting could take place only after the Budget Session of Parliament concludes. NCP supremo Sharad Pawar said he and his party associate with the issues raised by the party. "We are yet to decide the venue and date for when this meeting will be. It is likely to be in Delhi or Mumbai," he said. Mamata's letter to Opposition leaders came a fortnight after she accused the Congress, after the latter's poor show in the Assembly elections, of not being interested in Opposition unity and said that they cannot depend on the Grand Old Party as it is losing credibility. In the letter to the leaders and Chief Ministers, she reminded the leaders about the Modi government passing bills to extend the tenure of Directors of the CBI and the Enforcement Directorate in "blatant violation" of a Supreme Court order. "We all must resist the ruling BJP's intention to misuse these central agencies with the sole intent of suppressing Opposition leaders. Central agencies are jolted to action just when elections are round the corner. It is amply clear that the BJP-ruled states get a free pass from these agencies to paint a rosy picture of their hollow governance, she said. Time and again, the BJP is trying to attack the federal structure of this country by attempting to influence a certain section of the judiciary. As the Opposition parties, it is our Constitutional responsibility to hold this government accountable for their actions, to resist the stifling of voices of dissent, she said. Mamara said the entire Opposition believes in transparency and accountability in governance but they would not tolerate the vindictive politics of the BJP that has led to a political witch-hunt. It pains me to see that the Chief Ministers of the BJP-ruled states have been consistently flouting directives of the judiciary, she said. Check out DH's latest videos In early 2020, Italy was the first member of the European Union to suspend flights to and from China, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus. At the time, relations between Italy and China were at an all-time high, hence this decision was followed by appeasing gestures by the Italian leadership towards the Chinese. One of these included the Hug a Chinese campaign announced by the Mayor of Florence on February 1, 2020. This was a well-intentioned campaign calling for Unity in this common battle! Many Italian netizens responded by posting photos of themselves hugging a Chinese national. It was to have a disastrous fallout as this led to the rapid spread of the virus. This is an example of what happens when government decisions involving public health are taken without understanding the nuances of a subject matter as complex and technical as health. India had an Indian Medical Service in British-ruled India, a military medical service, which was abolished when India got independence in 1947. Ever since, multiple committees and commissions have recommended the re-introduction of this service. In fact, the All-India Service Act of 1951 mentions The Indian Medical and Health Service as an All-India Service, but for some reason, it was never implemented. Given the inter-State disparity in the availability of health resources, the plethora of healthcare schemes, the need for uniformity of implementation of these flagship schemes across the country, national health programmes management, organ transplant management, pandemic management, to quote a few, not to mention the fast-evolving nature of the subject per se, it is essential to constitute an All-India Medical and Health Service, as is envisaged under Section 2A of the All-India Services Act, 1951. The 15th Finance Commission has also recommended that an All-India Medical and Health Service be established. Furthermore, the Covid pandemic has led to a renewed demand for the constitution of the Indian Medical & Health Service (IMHS). A purely generalist service like the IAS, or a purely technical service like a pool of doctors (like the central pool of doctors selected through the combined medical service exam, or the state-level cadres of doctors), may have outlived their roles in managing healthcare in todays environment. However, a word of caution here. It may be pedestrian to think that an All-India Medical Service can be like the IAS or the IPS in its structure and functioning. The IAS and IPS are services that have no formal specialisation within them. This may not work in the Indian Medical Service. To explain this point further, note that in India, there are not just allopathic doctors but also doctors of the alternative systems of medicine, commonly known as AYUSH doctors. In fact, there is also a separate Ministry of AYUSH, and even Indian missions abroad have AYUSH facilitation centres. These systems of medicine have entirely different concepts of disease causation and cure. Further, within each of these systems of medicine, there will be graduates in medicine and post-graduates in medicine. The point here is that a common entrance exam to the Indian Medical Service will lead to the selection of a very diverse group whose existing skillsets will have to be fully utilised, and new skillsets added, if the true potential of such a service is to be realised. So, while we can select IAS and IPS officers through a competitive exam and after two years of training, they are all set to handle their job (with periodic refresher courses), we may have to structure the selection, training, and deployment of an Indian Medical Service differently. It may also be worthwhile to consider the existing services in the states and the central government and their integration into IMS and eventual phasing out. The training of such officers, selected through a competitive exam, should include an intensive hands-on module to hone clinical skills in a high-occupancy hospital in their zone/state of allocation. Top clinicians from the private sector could also be roped in for this. Additionally, the curriculum should include healthcare and general management. They should also be taught by the leading healthcare management faculty. Case study-based approach should also be included in their training, as also the latest developments in medical jurisprudence, ethics, telemedicine, artificial intelligence, soft-skills training. General management training with a focus on healthcare administration would be ideal. Periodic refresher trainings are imperative as healthcare management is a fast-evolving field. These should form part of performance reviews. These officers should be responsible for healthcare delivery in the public sector hospitals, for implementation of the various healthcare schemes, for healthcare administration, and policy inputs. Administrative posts of public hospitals, government medical colleges and public health institutes should be manned by officers of the health management stream of the Indian Medical Service. The health secretaries of the state and the central governments may be officers of such a service. There should be a strict cooling-off period in case an officer of the IMS wants to resign and go into private practice; s/he should not be allowed to practice in the last two areas of posting for a period of two years. The remuneration and service conditions should be attractive to draw the best talent to this service. It is time to rethink how we administer healthcare in the country. In the current scheme of things, neither the career bureaucrats (even if some of them have a medical degree) nor the career government doctors have the requisite training or insight into the myriad hues of the complex issues that healthcare throws up. Perhaps creating a cadre of technically qualified and well-trained force will help to overcome that. We must look at the idea of an IMS with fresh eyes. The world is changing very fast, and we cannot explore a new world with old maps. (The writer is Senior Consultant, Niti Aayog, Government of India. Views expressed are personal) A few Muslim girls who wished to appear for their Class 10 board examination wearing hijab were denied entry in Karnataka on Monday citing the recent High Court verdict. However, a majority of Muslim students chose to write the exam without hijab, saying that the exam was more important for them than wearing the headscarf in exam halls, sources said. Authorities of an exam center in a school in Hubballi sent back Muslim girls, who came to write exams sporting the hijab. A similar scene was witnessed in a government school in Ilkal town of Bagalkote district where Muslim students were denied entry to write the SSLC board exams. Also Read | 'Travesty of justice': Muslim Personal Law Board moves Supreme Court against Karnataka HC verdict on hijab In Bengaluru, a Muslim supervisor was suspended for wearing a hijab on duty. The full bench of Karnataka High Court had recently ruled that hijab is not an essential religious practice and everyone should abide by the uniform dress rule. The Karnataka government had made it clear that everyone has to follow the High Court ruling or else they will not be allowed to write the exam. According to the Karnataka Secondary Education Examination Board (KSEEB), over 8.69 lakh students had enrolled for the exam but 20,994 students did not turn up. Last year, the absentees were only 3,769. Last year, the attendance was 99.54 per cent, which came down to 97.59 per cent this year. Among the 8.48 lakh students who appeared for the exam, 8.11 lakh were fresh candidates, 35,509 were private fresh ones and 1,701 were repeaters. Karnataka Primary and Secondary Education Minister B C Nagesh said the exam took place smoothly in the state. After two years, full-scale SSLC exams took place. Children came to the exam centers excited and wrote the exam. Parents too happily sent their children to write the exam while teachers too were happy to conduct the exam, Nagesh said in a statement. Check out the latest videos from DH: Social Democratic and Labour Party Leader, Colum Eastwood MP, has welcomed 3 million in funding from SDLP Infrastructure Minister, Nichola Mallon, for City of Derry Airport. Mr Eastwood said the money would secure the airports future and help to facilitate growth. Mr Eastwood said: Far too often in recent years doubt has been cast over the future of City of Derry Airport. "This merry-go-round not only causes serious worry for staff about their futures, but the uncertainty scares off potential investment in the airport and airlines are hesitant to commit to new routes in the absence of guarantees. This funding from SDLP Infrastructure Minister Nichola Mallon will help to secure the airport's future and allow it to make concrete plans going forward. "There is huge potential for City of Derry to expand and grow, it is the only major airport in the entire north-west of this island and we need to focus on attracting new routes and airlines so that it can establish itself in its own right as a choice for travellers alongside Belfast and Dublin. For decades Derry and the wider north-west has suffered from a lack of investment and one of the reasons most often cited for this is the lack of proper transport links. "A properly resourced airport would make it easier for people to visit our city and create new opportunities for Derry. Id like to thank SDLP Minister Mallon for her efforts in securing City of Derrys future. "This is the latest in a long line of positive announcements she has made for our city including a fleet of zero emissions buses and progress on upgrading the Derry to Coleraine train line. "Throughout her time as Minister she has shown a real determination to deliver on the projects that matter to local people. Please allow ads as they help fund our trusted local news content. Kindly add us to your ad blocker whitelist. If you want further access to Ireland's best local journalism, consider contributing and/or subscribing to our free daily Newsletter . Support our mission and join our community now. Irish Foreign Minister and Mayors of Greater Manchester and Liverpool City Region look forward Press release Irish Foreign Minister and Mayors of Greater Manchester and Liverpool City Region look forward to strengthening cooperation during major mission to Dublin Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Coveney, TD, Mayor Andy Burnham and Mayor Steve Rotheram agreed to further develop the partnership between Ireland and the Manchester and Liverpool city regions during a meeting in the Department of Foreign Affairs, Dublin, on 29 March. The meeting was part of major joint mission to Ireland led by the two mayors, involving business delegations and civic leaders, which is backed by the UK Department of International Trade. The mission will advance the respective International Strategies of Liverpool City Region and Greater Manchester Combined Authorities, both of which identify Ireland as a priority strategic partner and commit to strengthening mutually beneficial trade and innovation linkages, centred on the Irish Sea. The mission to Dublin also supports Irelands objective of developing its partnership with the North of England. It follows the official opening by Minister Coveney of Irelands new Consulate General for the region in October 2021, recent visits to the region by Ministers Robert Troy and Sean Fleming and the establishment of an Enterprise Ireland Office in Manchester in 2019. In welcoming the mayors, Minister Simon Coveney spoke of his determination to continue to build up Irelands engagement with the North of England: The development of our partnership with the North of England is a key part of Irelands strategy for strengthening relations with Great Britain post-Brexit. We have unique heritage and community ties right across the North of England and there is great potential for Irish firms to develop partnerships with the dynamic Northern Powerhouse region. I know from Team Irelands Consulate General and Enterprise Ireland operation on the ground that our commercial, environmental, civic and cultural objectives are aligned with those of many of the regions powerful new Combined Authorities. Mayor Andy Burham and Mayor Steve Rotherham worked with me on the opening of our Consulate General for the North of England last year and this weeks mission is another important step forward. Our respective commitments to the relationship are clear. As part of our strategy for the North of England, my Department and our new Consulate will continue to explore opportunities for further strategic engagement in the tourism, academic, sustainability, cultural and sporting sectors, and in particular promote two-way commercial opportunities across the Irish Sea. We will encourage greater collaboration between town, city and other local, regional and community organisations on areas of shared interest for the mutual benefit to our people and places. High-level visits such as these are important and will continue to be supported. Mayor of the Liverpool City Region Steve Rotheram said: It is fantastic to be in Dublin, where we have been given a typically warm Irish welcome. It is clear from our conversations so far that our regions special relationship with our nearest neighbour is as strong as ever. Andy and I arrived here with the ambition to lay the foundations to ensure that the latest chapter in our long shared history is a prosperous one. All the conversations we have had so far this week indicate that this feeling is very much mutual. The North West has enjoyed a long, successful trading partnership with Ireland. Looking to the future, we share many of the same aims in things like renewable energy, innovation, trade, and manufacturing. There is still so much potential to unlock and we want Ireland to be near the front of that queue. Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham said: Ireland holds deep significance for people across the North West which is why Im so pleased to be leading this first joint Mayoral mission, together with Mayor Steve Rotheram. There are so many opportunities for us to work together on vital issues like recovering from the pandemic and cutting emissions to meet our net zero goals. Together our businesses can grow, invest, and create good jobs on both sides of the Irish Sea Minister Coveney shares our determination to deepen collaboration and cooperation between our places and this agreement will help us to take that next step forward. ENDS Press Office 29 March 2022 Notes to editors The partnership between Ireland and the North of England has intensified significantly in recent years. In 2019, the President of Ireland, Michael D. Higgins, undertook an official visit to Liverpool, the then-Taoiseach, Leo Varadkar, TD, visited Manchester, and Enterprise Ireland opened an office in Manchester. The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Simon Coveney, TD, officially opened Irelands new Consulate General for the North of England in October 2021, during a visit to Manchester and Liverpool. In the course of their visit to Dublin this week, the two mayors have called on the President of Ireland, Michael D. Higgins, at Aras an Uachtarain. They were joined by UK Minister for Exports, Mike Freer, MP, for discussions with the Tanaiste and Minister for Enterprise Trade and Employment, Leo Varadkar, TD, and in hosting a Greater Manchester Liverpool City Region Business and Innovation Summit in Dublin. Irelands Minister for Financial Services Sean Fleming, TD, addressed the Summit and the Mayors are also meeting with Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Minister Darragh OBrien during the visit. Irelands new Consulate General for the North of England is led by Consul General Sarah Mangan. She is accompanying the mayors during this weeks visit. The new Consulate General is helping Ireland to upgrade partnerships with regional and local Governments in the North West, the North East, Yorkshire and the Humber. The North of England is a dynamic region of one million businesses. There is great potential for building up commercial ties between this region and Ireland. The scale and enduring influence of Irelands diaspora in the North of England is well known. It is said that approximately 35% of population of the City of Manchester has some Irish ancestry, while Liverpool claims to have the strongest Irish heritage of any British city. The Department of Foreign Affairs provides over 1 million annually to 26 organisations serving the Irish community in the North of England though its Emigrant Support Programme. Previous Item | Next Item Minister Coveney meets Mayors of Manchester and Liverpool Press release Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Coveney, TD, Mayor Andy Burnham and Mayor Steve Rotheram agreed to further develop the partnership between Ireland and the Manchester and Liverpool city regions during a meeting in the Department of Foreign Affairs, Dublin, on 29 March. The meeting was part of major joint mission to Ireland led by the two mayors, involving business delegations and civic leaders, which is backed by the UK Department of International Trade. The mission will advance the respective International Strategies of Liverpool City Region and Greater Manchester Combined Authorities, both of which identify Ireland as a priority strategic partner and commit to strengthening mutually beneficial trade and innovation linkages, centred on the Irish Sea. The mission to Dublin also supports Irelands objective of developing its partnership with the North of England. It follows the official opening by Minister Coveney of Irelands new Consulate General for the region in October 2021, recent visits to the region by Ministers Robert Troy and Sean Fleming and the establishment of an Enterprise Ireland Office in Manchester in 2019. In welcoming the mayors, Minister Simon Coveney spoke of his determination to continue to build up Irelands engagement with the North of England: The development of our partnership with the North of England is a key part of Irelands strategy for strengthening relations with Great Britain post-Brexit. We have unique heritage and community ties right across the North of England and there is great potential for Irish firms to develop partnerships with the dynamic Northern Powerhouse region. I know from Team Irelands Consulate General and Enterprise Ireland operation on the ground that our commercial, environmental, civic and cultural objectives are aligned with those of many of the regions powerful new Combined Authorities. Mayor Andy Burham and Mayor Steve Rotherham worked with me on the opening of our Consulate General for the North of England last year and this weeks mission is another important step forward. Our respective commitments to the relationship are clear. As part of our strategy for the North of England, my Department and our new Consulate will continue to explore opportunities for further strategic engagement in the tourism, academic, sustainability, cultural and sporting sectors, and in particular promote two-way commercial opportunities across the Irish Sea. We will encourage greater collaboration between town, city and other local, regional and community organisations on areas of shared interest for the mutual benefit to our people and places. High-level visits such as these are important and will continue to be supported. Mayor of the Liverpool City Region Steve Rotheram said: It is fantastic to be in Dublin, where we have been given a typically warm Irish welcome. It is clear from our conversations so far that our regions special relationship with our nearest neighbour is as strong as ever. Andy and I arrived here with the ambition to lay the foundations to ensure that the latest chapter in our long shared history is a prosperous one. All the conversations we have had so far this week indicate that this feeling is very much mutual. The North West has enjoyed a long, successful trading partnership with Ireland. Looking to the future, we share many of the same aims in things like renewable energy, innovation, trade, and manufacturing. There is still so much potential to unlock and we want Ireland to be near the front of that queue. Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham said: Ireland holds deep significance for people across the North West which is why Im so pleased to be leading this first joint Mayoral mission, together with Mayor Steve Rotheram. There are so many opportunities for us to work together on vital issues like recovering from the pandemic and cutting emissions to meet our net zero goals. Together our businesses can grow, invest, and create good jobs on both sides of the Irish Sea Minister Coveney shares our determination to deepen collaboration and cooperation between our places and this agreement will help us to take that next step forward. ENDS Press Office 29 March 2022 Previous Item | Galaxy A73 5G starts at 41,999 the Galaxy A33 5G India pricing is yet to be revealed. Update: Samsung Galaxy A73 5G pricing in India has been announced at 41,999 for the 8+128GB model and 44,999 for the 8+256GB unit. Galaxy A73 5G and Galaxy A33 5G are the new Samsung Galaxy A-series phones in the Indian market. They were announced globally a few weeks back along with Galaxy A53 5G. Although the latter phone has already launched earlier last week, the A73 5G and A33 5G have come out today. Similar to the A53 5G, the Galaxy A33 5G is also running on an Exynos 1280 chip, a 5000 milliamp battery, an FHD+ AMOLED screen, and Android 12 with OneUI 4.1 software. There is the promise of 4 years of OS updates on the Galaxy A73 5G and 3 years on the Galaxy A33 5G. Well, the Galaxy A73 5G also shares some of these perks but has got a Qualcomm Snapdragon 778G 5G engine inside. Samsung Galaxy A73 5G Specs and Features Samsung has outfitted the Galaxy A73 with a 6.7-inch FHD+ 120Hz sAMOLED+ panel with an Infinity-O cutout. Within this punch hole lies a 32MP selfie camera. The back cameras of the A73 5G are a 108MP main sensor (OIS), a 12MP ultrawide, a 5MP depth shooter, and a 5MP macro module. Its internal anatomy consists of Snapdragon 778G 5G, up to 8GB RAM, 256GB storage, and a 5000mAh battery. There is support for 25W fast charging but the charger is sold separately. Speaking of which, there is no bundled earphones or even a 3.5mm jack for the same on the phone. Anyways, the phone also packs Android 12 based One UI 4.1 software with 4 years of platform upgrades and 5 years of security updates. It also comes with 5G, USB-C 2.0, up to 1TB micro-SD card slot, WiFi 6, Bluetooth 5.0, and IP67 dust and water resistance. Samsung Galaxy A33 5G Specs and Features Galaxy A33 5Gs front is a 6.4-inch 90Hz FHD+ AMOLED screen with Gorilla Glass 5 protection and an Infinity-U notch for housing a 13MP camera. Flip to the other side, and there you find a 48MP primary shooter, an 8MP ultrawide snapper, a 5MP macro clicker, and a 2MP depth sensor. The processor is Exynos 1280 aided by 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. A 5000mAh battery keeps the lights on with support from a 25W charging brick, although this adapter has to be purchased separately. No 3.5mm port or bundled earphones. What you get though are Android 12 based One UI 4.1 software with 3 years of OS upgrades, 4 years of security patches, WiFi, Bluetooth 5.1, USB-C 2.0 port, and IP67 ingress protection. Galaxy A73 5G, A33 5G India Price and Availability Samsung Galaxy A73 5G pricing in India is set at 41,999 for the 8+128GB variant and 44,999 for the 8+256GB unit. There is an introductory discount offer of up to 3000 if you use ICICI debit/credit cards, SBI credit card, or Samsung Finance+. The company is also offering the Galaxy Buds Live worth 6,990 for 499, if you pre-book the Galaxy A73 5G. Moreover, you may check out a live Samsung event on April 8 to know about other benefits assosiated with the device purchase. Samsung hasn't disclosed the pricing and the exact sale date of Galaxy A33 5G yet. It just tells that the Galaxy-A series handset will go on pre-booking in the coming days through Samsung.com, major online and offline outlets. * 25W travel adapter sold separately; # In-box travel adapter with 15W support Meanwhile, the Galaxy A53 5G is available in India at 34499 for 6GB+128GB and 35,999 for the 8GB+128GB model. Then there is Galaxy A23 costs 19,499 for a 6GB+128GB unit and 20,999 for an 8GB+128GB model. Finally, the Galaxy A13 is priced at 14999 for 4GB+64GB, 15,999 for 4GB+128GB and 17,499 for a 6GB+64GB unit. For more news, reviews, feature stories, buying guides, and everything else tech-related, keep reading Digit.in. Subscriber content preview KITTERY, Maine (AP) Maines congresswoman is a member of a new caucus that will focus on the countrys public shipyards. Democratic Rep. Chellie Pingree said Friday the caucus was created to provide support to the nations four public shipyards, including Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Maine. The others are Norfolk Naval Shipyard in Virginia, Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility in Washington and Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility in Hawaii. . . . Subscriber content preview DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) A fire broke out Monday at an under-construction new terminal at Kuwait International Airport, authorities said, causing damage but no casualties. Firefighters struggled to control the flames for hours in Kuwait City, Interior Ministry spokesman Tawheed al-Kandari told The Associated Press. . . . KAMPALA, March 28 (Xinhua) -- Having taught at Uganda's prestigious Makerere University for decades, retired Andrew Tumusiime made a bold decision to enter forestry business in his hometown in the southwestern part of the country. Returning to Kabale, Tumusiime planted a bamboo nursery bed, hoping that people would buy the seedlings from him. However, finding clients was challenging, so he decided to plant the seedlings himself. "At first, I took it as a joke, but then I realized it was good business. I turned my energy to researching until I landed on websites which explained the impact of bamboo growing in China," Tumusiime told Xinhua in a recent interview. To obtain further information about bamboo planting, Tumusiime joined the Uganda Bamboo Association, some of whose members had acquired knowledge about bamboo farming from China. The association, according to one of its leaders Flavia Munaba, brings related organizations and community members together to share information, resources and technology in growing and adding value to bamboo. Munaba, who joined the bamboo industry after a trip to China in 2011, said the association has more than 300 members. The association organizes demonstrations for members on how to plant bamboo and also sensitizes them about the economic benefits of the plant. "This association of bamboo growers has great people. They are not selfish when it comes to sharing the great knowledge they learnt from China," Tumusiime said. After a decade-long endeavor, Tumusiime's bamboo business has thrived. He was one of the exhibitors at the Harvest Money Expo 2022 in Kampala, one of Uganda's largest agricultural exhibitions. During the expo, Tumusiime's booth showed various bamboo products such as toothpicks, chairs, tables, mortars and pestles. He said many customers who came to his exhibition stand were awed by the products made out of bamboo. "This is amazing. The toothpicks I have known all my life are made in China. I like innovation and maybe in the future I will consider planting bamboo," Ritah Nanyonjo, one of the customers told Xinhua after visiting Tumusiime's stall at the expo. "I have also seen some liquid soap and other herbs made out of bamboo. This is great news for our country," Nanyonjo said. James Kariuki, a Kenyan national who attended the exhibition, said he was inspired by Tumusiime's work. "He has told us that once you plant bamboo, you can start harvesting after three to four years. This harvesting goes on for the next 50 years and even more," Kariuki said. "I will definitely use part of my land to grow bamboo. Tumusiime has also referred me to some websites which talk about the importance of bamboo and how the Chinese have done wonderful things out of this plant," Kariuki added. In those years Bologna was going through an unparalleled season of social change and creativity, the culmination of an artistic zeitgeist that saw the city become an open-air laboratory of post-77 Italy. It was home to the collective squathouse Traumafabrik, to the raw and hallucinated comics of Andrea Pazienza, and to the impossible hairstyles of Orea Malia. The city, though, was also a hub where the New York street art avant-garde introduced by Francesca Alinovi flirted with the No Wave sound of Italian Records, while on the riviera the clubs pulsated to the beat of Italo Disco. Two books capture the disillusionment mixed with the neon-lit hedonism of this new generation: A Post-Modern Weekend by Pier Vittorio Tondelli where Kinki is mentioned and Fluo by Isabella Santacroce, on whose cover one can spot Micaela herself posing as part of a group of girls with sonic outfits. Dundalk Institute of Technology are absolutely thrilled to report two prestigious wins for their BA(Hons) Film and Television Production students at the 2022 Royal Television Society Awards. The Royal Television Society is a world-renowned educational charity for the discussion, and analysis of television in all its forms, past, present, and future. It is the oldest television society in the world and this years awards which were attended by DkIT students and staff were held in the famous Studio 4 in RTE this week. Bullet Casings in The Graveyard won the prominent Best Factual Film Award. This film was created in 2021 during the students final year and was made as part of their 4th year Major Project module on the BA (Hons) in Film & Television Production in DkIT. The students who were involved in this production were Kate Breen Director, Adam Daly & Lauren Reilly - Co-Producers & Product Designers, Ciara Lawe -Director of Photography, Philip Clarke - Sound Editor. All development and pre-production on this film was carried out remotely as there were no on campus classes for most of the academic year 20/21. This included weekly production meetings, fund raising, sourcing & organising locations, casting, sourcing props, dressing, costumes, script readings, risk assessments, etc. The Film was shot over 6 days at the end of April/start of May 2021 under strict Covid 19 filming protocols and was completed with a mix of on campus and remote activity to complete the project by mid-June 2021. Chloe O'Reilly was the second winner of the night for DkIT and won an award for Best Editing for the film Unravel which was also created in 2021 under the same challenging Covid 19 restrictions. Both awards were an amazing achievement and testament to the DkITs students dexterity and resilience during such unprecedented times. Dundalk Institute of Technology (DkIT) have been granted planning permission for redevelopment at the former Carroll's Factory Building on the Dublin Road campus. The former PJ Carroll's Factory Building is a protected structure, listed as reference number D182 in Louth County Council's Record of Protected Structures. The planned development consists of the conversion of part of the building and the associated former Energy Centre building into 1,231 square metres of Apprenticeship Teaching Facilities. The planned works in the Carroll's building include modifying the interior, stripping out of internal walls and the formation of plumbing and electrical apprenticeship areas and a new mezzanine office area. It also includes the removal of two brick faced bays on the south facade and insertion of new glazing, doors and ramps. The works to the Energy Centre building works consist of striping off the existing roof covering and replacing with new membrane roofing system; new fall arrest system; access hatch and services; insertion of new entrance doors; exit doors; new ramps; stripping out of redundant services; modification to floor; and new roof access ladder. Brickwork walls to the refurbished area are to be cleared and a cill added below glazing. The application includes plans for works to the Research Lab, which include a 2.4m high partition. Works in the service compound area include installation of a 4.2m high tank. Permission was also granted for eight cycle parking spaces and all associated site development works. A Dublin man who was convicted in his absence, after Dundalk district court was told he had used abusive language towards a Garda after being informed that his vehicle was about to be seized, was last week sentenced to two months. Jim Cash (37) of Boot Road, Clondalkin, Dublin 22 was charged with using threatening, abusive or insulting behaviour on June 22nd 2020. In February, when Mr. Cash failed to appear for the case which was listed for a contested hearing, the garda involved told the court the defendant had been a passenger in the vehicle in the car park at Lidl, St. Helenas, Dundalk . After he was informed that it was going to be seized, he allegedly told the garda Get out of the way you big f***ing thick you. The Garda also claimed the accused told him You look like Supermans son and added "F*** off guard Im leaving". The court heard when the public order charge was put to him after caution Mr. Cash replied I did no such thing and I have it on video. A bench warrant was issued for sentencing after Judge Eirinn McKiernan was told he had 84 previous convictions including 12 for public order offences. Last Wednesday the defence solicitor explained that the married father of five had been confused about the adjourned date and added without prompting he had apologised to the garda that morning. He acknowledged his clients extensive previous convictions but stressed that Mr. Cash has been engaging with the Coolmine treatment centre and has been undergoing weekly urine tests. However, Judge McKiernan said the defendant had taken a hearing date and didnt turn up and had been very abusive to the garda. She imposed a two month sentence but fixed recognizance in the event of an appeal. Minister for Public Expenditure Michael McGrath has said the costs of housing Ukrainian refugees will be "high", with estimates claiming it could cost close to 2.5bn next year. The Government estimates that this will be the cost to look after 100,000 Ukrainian refugees in 2023. Minister for Public Expenditure Michael McGrath is due to brief the Cabinet this morning on the projected expenditure of hosting refugees from Ukraine. "The costs will be high, but these are costs that have to be met. It is the right thing to do," Minister McGrath said on his way to that meeting earlier this morning. "Much depends on the nature of the accommodation that is provided," Minister McGrath said. Initially, accommodation will be provided in hotels "and there is a certain level of cost associated with that," Minister McGrath said. "It is the case, to cater for 100 refugees, the cost to cater for all their needs over the year is 4-500 million," Minister McGrath said. "We do anticipate that many refugees coming here will want to work, and there are many opportunities in the Irish economy," Minister McGrath said. He added that some refugees will want to return to Ukraine as soon as they can. "There will be some high costs but there is also a degree of uncertainty on how many refugees will come here, how many will stay, and how many will want to work," he said. He said they will fund these costs through the contingency reserve which had been put aside for Covid. Thubten Gyaltsen (R) talks with his family in Xigaze, southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region on May 11, 2021. (Xinhua/Sun Ruibo) LHASA, March 28 (Xinhua) -- On a moonless night, two scrawny, exhausted boys frantically escaped their fates of becoming Nangsans, or house slaves, by slipping out of Shannan, southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, and journeying to the present-day regional capital Lhasa. The orphaned boys, 13-year-old Thubten Gyaltsen and his younger brother, staggered on blistered feet and begged for three days to reach Lhasa. "What I thought then was to live on," said the now 82-year-old man. Although the escape took place 69 years ago, the night is still burned into Thubten Gyaltsen's memory. Years after their escape, democratic reform led by the Communist Party of China (CPC) was launched and feudal serfdom was finally abolished in Tibet. A million serfs and slaves including Thubten Gyaltsen were emancipated and started to embrace a new life. Thubten Gyaltsen and his family now live in a two-story house with 13 rooms and a garage in the city of Xigaze. Five in his family of six enjoy wages or pension, and three have college degrees. Ahead of Serfs' Emancipation Day, which falls on Monday, Thubten Gyaltsen looked back on the extraordinary history he has witnessed in Tibet. HELL ON EARTH Thubten Gyaltsen hailed from the present-day Nedong District, Shannan City, which was once a manor owned by a feudal lord. Serfs here could barely fill their stomachs, wore tattered clothes and engaged in a life-and-death struggle. "My parents were serfs. My mother died when I was 9, and my father passed away when I was 12," he recalled. "As orphans, we could not afford to pay the head tax, and were forced to be Nangsans in the manor." In old Tibet, governmental officials, aristocrats and senior lamas, who represented merely 5 percent of the population, had a monopoly on almost all cultivated land, pastures, mountains, rivers and most livestock. The other 95 percent, comprised of serfs and slaves, had no personal possessions nor personal freedom, let alone human rights. Nangsans were the most miserable of serfs and could be sold by their owners as cattle. Thubten Gyaltsen's uncle was a Nangsan. He delivered a message to his nephew: "If you become a Nangsan, your life will be hell on earth. Try to escape." Thubten Gyaltsen and his younger brother fled for their lives in April of that year. Life in Lhasa was not much better. They slept on the streets and had no one to depend on. To survive, Thubten Gyaltsen became a servant for a wealthy family. "I was 13 years old then. The steward made me work as an adult. I did not have enough to eat, and slept beside an earthen stove at night," he said. Two years later, he decided to return to Shannan to look for his uncle. "I heard that my uncle was not a Nangsan anymore, and he worked for the CPC. I was looking forward to finding him." SECOND CHANCE AT LIFE Once Thubten Gyaltsen finally joined his uncle, a CPC official told him: "You have suffered a lot. If you want to lead a happy life, you must learn to read and be literate." He was then sent to a cadre academy in Lhasa to study. "I was full of excitement. I did not feel like a human being during serfdom. The CPC gave me a second life," he said. The second time he visited Lhasa, he wore new clothes, a pair of leather shoes and rode in on the back of a horse. On March 28, 1959, the central government led the people in Tibet to launch the democratic reform, abolishing Tibet's feudal serfdom under a theocracy. Thubten Gyaltsen returned to Lhasa from a school in Xianyang City of northwest China's Shaanxi Province and participated in the campaign. The democratic reform gave new life to Tibet. Serfs and slaves were given land, domestic animals and houses of their own. They have become the masters of the nation, Tibet and their own fates, and turned themselves into grassroots cadres, students, teachers and doctors. Thubten Gyaltsen became a local cadre in Xigaze and joined the CPC in 1980. He spent most of his time serving people at the grassroots level. Today, hunger and poverty are a thing of the past for people of all ethnic groups in Tibet. By the end of 2019, all registered poor residents in Tibet had shaken off poverty, marking the elimination of absolute poverty in the region for the first time in history. "Our lives couldn't be happier, and we are experiencing a totally different world compared with the old days," Thubten Gyaltsen said. "I have no regrets following in the steps of the CPC, and luckily, my choice was correct." The Taoiseach has said the UK Government should honour its commitment to introduce new legislation around the Irish language in Northern Ireland. During leaders questions in the Dail, Micheal Martin also said that respect and esteem for the Stormont institutions had been weakened because of the repeated collapse of the powersharing Executive. There had been an expectation that the Westminster Government would introduce cultural legislation for Northern Ireland before the elections in May. It fell to the Northern Ireland Office after the Stormont parties were unable to agree to introduce cultural and language legislation in the Northern Ireland Assembly which was part of the New Decade New Approach (NDNA) deal. The plans include an Office of Identity and Cultural Expression to promote respect for diversity as well as an Irish Language Commissioner and a commissioner to develop language, arts and literature associated with the Ulster Scots/Ulster British tradition. Northern Ireland Secretary Brandon Lewis said this week he did not believe it would be right to introduce Irish language legislation during an election period However, Northern Ireland Secretary of State Brandon Lewis told the Northern Ireland Affairs committee this week he did not believe it would be right to introduce legislation during an election period. The Taoiseach was questioned on the issue on Tuesday by Aontu leader Peadar Tobin, who said the Good Friday Agreement had been gutted. He added: Brandon Lewis has said he will not bring forward Irish language legislation at Westminster before Mays assembly election. The Irish Language Act has been promised for 15 years. Sinn Fein returned to Stormont in January 2020 after previously collapsing it, because they said, they had achieved an Irish Language Act. In a combination of bad faith by London and naivety from Sinn Fein, we find out that that commitment was hocus pocus all along. Aontu leader Peadar Tobin said the Good Friday Agreement had been gutted Mr Martin said: The Secretary of State did commit to Sinn Fein that he would bring it in in the Westminster parliament. It is my view that promise should be fulfilled. When agreements are made, agreements should be honoured. The Stormont powersharing Executive collapsed earlier this year when the DUP withdrew Paul Givan as First Minister in protest at the post-Brexit Northern Ireland Protocol. Mr Martin said a lot of work would be needed to restore the institutions following the Stormont elections in May. He added: The institutions should never be undermined, they should never be collapsed by any political party. If the people elect you to an Assembly, one should discharge your duties on behalf of the people for the full duration of that parliamentary cycle. Unfortunately the history of the Good Friday Agreement and of the Assembly and Executive is too often the default position has been to either withdraw from the Executive, to collapse the Executive when different crises emerges. That, I think, has been a fairly significant problem in terms of the institutions of the Good Friday Agreement which in turn has weakened peoples respect and esteem for the institutions. If you compare consistent surveys in terms of opinion of the Assembly versus the Scottish Assembly, there is a marked difference. I put forward the basis of that is that in Scotland there hasnt been a similar interruption; the government is perceived to be working for its people. In the north it has just been interrupted too much by collapse and this recent collapse is unacceptable. Ukraine's Foreign Affairs Minister has expressed gratitude towards Ireland for taking care of Ukrainian citizens. Minister Dmytro Kuleba made the comment yesterday evening (Monday March 28) through social media after speaking with Irish Minister for Defence and Foreign Affairs, Simon Coveney. Ireland has provided millions of euro in humanitarian assistance to war-torn Ukraine as well as non-lethal resources since the beginning of Russia's invasion. Minister Kuleba stated, "Spoke with Irish [Foreign Minister] SimonCoveney. Ireland remains our dedicated partner and friend. Grateful for Irelands active stance and comprehensive support within the EU, as well as taking care of Ukrainian citizens. Discussed efforts to put an end to Russias brutal war against Ukraine." Spoke with Irish FM @SimonCoveney. Ireland remains our dedicated partner and friend. Grateful for Irelands active stance and comprehensive support within the EU, as well as taking care of Ukrainian citizens. Discussed efforts to put an end to Russias brutal war against Ukraine. Dmytro Kuleba (@DmytroKuleba) March 28, 2022 Minister Coveney confirmed he had spoken to Minister Kuleba and said, "Good conversation with [him] this morning. He updated me on the current situation and the new round of Peace talks in Turkey. He thanked Ireland for our ongoing strong support on all levels." Minister Coveney released a statement this afternoon (Tuesday March 29) confirming four senior Russian officials have been asked to leave the State. This is reportedly due to activities "which have not been in accordance with international standards of diplomatic behaviour". The Russian Ambassador to Ireland, Yury Filatov, was informed of same by the minister at Iveagh House today. In the statement, the government re-iterated their stance that diplomatic channels between Ireland and Russia should remain open. Around 750,000 employees, aged between 23 and 60, will be automatically enrolled into a national retirement fund after the Government cabinet signed off on the pension plan. The auto-enrolment pensions plan will see those who earn more than 20,000 automatically signed up to make contributions for their retirement fund. The automatic enrolment scheme is a new savings and investment scheme for employees which will see the State and employers contribute towards employee pensions. Approximately 750,000 employees who are aged between 23 and 60, earning over 20,000 across employments, and who are not already enrolled in an occupational pension scheme will be affected. Matching contributions will be made by employers to those contributions made by employees up to a maximum of 80,000 of earnings. For every 3 saved by a worker, a further 4 will be credited to their pension savings account, including a government top up. The auto-enrolment was initially meant to start this year but due to the pandemic the roll out was delayed. The scheme is now set to come into effect in January 2024. The final infrastructure is expected to be in place in late 2023. Minister for Social Protection Heather Humphreys said: "We all know that people are living longer. While this is very positive, we also want people to be able to enjoy their retirement years with some financial security. "However, for many people retirement seems a long way away and they think they have a lot of time before they need to think about a pension," she said. SHANGHAI, March 29 (Xinhua) -- The number of 5G connections in China is expected to reach 892 million by the end of 2025, according to a recent analysis by GSMA, an international association of mobile operators. This figure is higher than GSMA's forecast around half a year ago at the World Internet Conference Wuzhen Summit, despite the fact that some Chinese provinces and cities are currently combating COVID-19 outbreaks. Strong 5G demand on the Chinese mainland has made it the single largest 5G market in the world, with 5G connections accounting for over 75 percent of the global total at the end of 2021, according to the association's latest report "The Mobile Economy China 2022." "China is one of the leading markets for 5G and has been playing an important role in accelerating the digital transformation of industries," said Sihan Bo Chen, head of Greater China for GSMA. By early March, China had around 1.43 million 5G base stations and over 500 million 5G users. The country will work to ensure the number of 5G base stations tops 2 million this year, official data showed. PHNOM PENH, March 29 (Xinhua) -- The Lancang-Mekong Cooperation (LMC) has helped bolster the economies and social development of the sub-regional countries and enhance the well-being of their people, Cambodian officials said on Tuesday. Kem Gunawadh, secretary of state at the Ministry of Information, said the six LMC countries, namely China, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam, share cultural similarities, enjoy profound traditional good neighborliness and friendship, and have closely intertwined security and development interests. "The LMC has also supported the building of the ASEAN (the Association of Southeast Asian Nations) community and promoted the implementation of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development," he said during the opening ceremony of a hybrid forum on the Role of Journalists on Shared River, Shared Future. The LMC focuses on three cooperation pillars, namely public policy and security, economic and sustainable development, and people-to-people exchanges, Gunawadh said, adding that the LMC's five priority areas are connectivity, production capacity, cross border economic cooperation, water resources, and agriculture and poverty reduction. Mam Dathalineth, an advisor to the Ministry of Information, said 2022 marks the sixth anniversary of the LMC and that this regional mechanism has played an important role in building a community with a shared future of peace and prosperity in the sub-region. Sponsored by the LMC Special Fund, the half-day forum was physically and virtually attended by some 50 people. Originating from the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau in China, the river is called the Lancang River in China and the Mekong River when it flows through the lower reaches before emptying into the sea. Consolidated financial statement of the Eurosystem as at 25 March 2022 In the week ending 25 March 2022 the net position of the Eurosystem in foreign currency (asset items 2 and 3 minus liability items 7, 8 and 9) increased by EUR 0.3 billion to EUR 328 billion. As a result of the Eurosystems open market operations and standing facilities, net lending to credit institutions (asset item 5 minus liability items 2.2, 2.3, 2.4, 2.5 and 4) decreased by EUR 176.7 billion to EUR 1,434.9 billion. This was due primarily to the change in the level of the deposit facility (liability item 2.2). Claims on non-euro area residents denominated in euro (asset item 4) rose by EUR 1.8 billion to EUR 12.4 billion, mainly owing to Eurosystem operations providing euro liquidity to non-euro area central banks (further details can be found on the ECBs website under Central bank liquidity lines). Base money (liability items 1, 2.1 and 2.2) increased by EUR 26 billion to EUR 6,174.5 billion. The table below provides the detailed breakdown of securities held for monetary policy purposes (asset item 7.1) into the different portfolios. All portfolios are accounted for at amortised cost. FORMER Ireland rugby prop Mike Ross has conquered a six-day Arctic survival challenge but said it was trivial compared to the struggles of those battling a horrific skin disease. The Cork man endured temperatures of -27C and had no electricity or running water during the trek in aid of Butterfly Skin charity, Debra Ireland. It supports people in Ireland living with epidermolysis bullosa (EB), a condition where the skin blisters at the slightest touch, requiring excruciating bandage changes which can last hours. Ross was among 18 people to face the wilderness challenge deep inside the Arctic Circle, learning the skills necessary to survive in one of the worlds harshest environments. The aspect of life I missed most was definitely running water - you dont appreciate the benefits of it until you dont have it, said the 42-year-old. But his temporary break from home comforts made him realise that every challenge they faced was fairly trivial compared to living with EB. After two days training, the group headed off on a two-day trek into Finlands Yllastunturi National Park, where they camped outdoors overnight. Their initial accommodation was a woodcutters lodge with no electricity or running water. Ross, who retired at the end of 2017 after a 12-year professional career, said that using the skis on the trek was the most difficult part. For those who donated to help me with the fundraising for this trip, the impact of their donation is massive. Theres so much cost associated with EB, every cent counts and there is also some very promising research into treatments that the donations will directly impact. There is no known cure for the genetic condition and the only treatment is the constant, bandaging of the skin. Money raised from the challenge will be used to continue increasing the quality of care Debra Ireland provides to patients as well as funding critical medical research. Each Arctic Challenge participant had to raise a minimum of 5,500 and Rosss fundraising page is still open for donations at: https://justgiving.com/fundraising/debrairelandarcticmr By Neil Lancefield and Nina Lloyd, PA A second P&O ferry is being detained, the UK's Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) has said after undertaking a safety inspection. The firm sparked outrage after sacking 800 seafarers without notice on March 17th, amid plans to bring in cheaper agency staff. P&O boss Peter Hebblethwaite will appear before a Scottish parliament committee on Tuesday, after he was heavily criticised over the job cuts. The MCA said it was in the process of holding The Pride of Kent on Monday. A spokesperson for the MCA said: Our surveyors are in the process of detaining the Pride of Kent. We are awaiting confirmation of all the detainable items. UK transport secretary Grant Shapps confirmed the news in a tweet, adding that the ship was being held following an inspection and that safety will not be compromised. UPDATE The @MCA_media have informed me tonight that they have carried out an inspection on a ship belonging to P&O Ferries. As a result, the #PrideOfKent ship has now been detained. Safety will not be compromised & further checks will continue. Rt Hon Grant Shapps MP (@grantshapps) March 28, 2022 It follows the detention of another P&O vessel which was held in the Northern Ireland port of Larne on Friday due to failures on crew familiarisation, vessel documentation and crew training. The Rail, Maritime and Transport union said it believed the MCA acted because of multiple safety and operational breaches, including the wearing of breathing apparatus. The union repeated its demand that the government seize P&Os entire fleet and take action to get them back in service with the sacked crew reinstated. General secretary Mick Lynch said: The seizing of the Pride of Kent by the MCA this evening should be adequate evidence for the government that the gangster capitalist outfit P&O are not fit and proper to run a safe service after the jobs massacre. Its rare enough for the MCA to impound a ferry, but P&O have now had two in a week after the jobs carve up which speaks volumes about the dire state of their operation. Its now high time for these important vessels to be taken over under public control with the sacked crews reinstated as the only way to get these crucial ferry routes back running safely. The MCA said another of the firms vessels, European Causeway, remains under detention in Larne. Mr Shapps wrote to Mr Hebblethwaite earlier on Monday threatening to bring a package of measures to parliament to block the company from paying below minimum wage. Through that package, I intend to block the outcome that P&O Ferries has pursued, including paying workers less than the minimum wage, he said. The measures could be unveiled on Wednesday. The minimum wage in the UK for people aged 23 and above is 8.91 (10.60) per hour. Mr Hebblethwaite, whose basic annual salary is 325,000, told MPs on March 24th the average pay of the agency crew is 5.50 per hour. He will face the Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee on Tuesday after he appeared before a Westminster committee last week. Peter Hebblethwaite, Chief Executive, P&O Ferries whose basic annual salary is 325,000 told MPs on March 24 the average pay of the agency crew is 5.50 per hour (House of Commons/PA) Irish Ferries began operating on the Dover to Calais route in June 2021 in competition with P&O Ferries. Irish Ferries did not immediately respond to a request for a comment on Monday. A P&O Ferries spokesman said: We fully welcome the governments commitment to increasing the minimum wage for all seafarers working in British waters. From the outset, we have called for a level playing field when it comes to pay and conditions on British ferry routes. Our announcement is not about reducing seafarers wages, it is to enable us to have a fully flexible crewing model that allows us to meet the demands of our customers. The predicted savings we announced are not solely coming from the reduction in wages, but from removing job duplication and the benefits we will see from increased flexibility. The UKs loudest bird is making a vocal comeback. Bitterns are a type of marsh bird in the same family as herons and egrets, according to the Natural History Museum. They were driven to extinction in the UK in the 1870s when their habitat was drained for agriculture, according to BBC News. Hunting put additional pressure on the birds. However, the species was reintroduced, and the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) announced they had a record-breaking year in 2021, with 228 males counted. Bitterns are one of [the UKs] most charismatic birds, RSPB senior conservation scientist Simon Wotton told the Natural History Museum. Their astonishing recovery from the brink of extinction is a real conservation success story and example of what is possible through targeted efforts to restore wildlife habitat. Bitterns are famous for being hard to see but easy to hear. Their speckled brown coloring camouflages them easily in the reeds where they live, according to The Guardian. However, the males make a booming call that can be heard from three miles away. In fact, the noise is as loud as a jet taking off, the Natural History Museum said. The males make the foghorn-sounding noise during their breeding season, which is how scientists are able to count them, according to BBC News. The birds make this noise by using the muscles around their windpipe to puff up their gullets into an echo chamber. Its a delight to hear their distinctive booming call echoing across the reedbeds every year as more and more bitterns are making new or restored wetlands their home, Wotton told the Natural History Museum. The species current success is hard won. After going extinct in the late 19th century, the birds returned to Norfolk in the early 1900s and there were around 80 males by the 1950s, according to the Natural History Museum. However, when annual surveys started in 1990, the number of the birds was once again low, BBC News reported. In 1997, their numbers dipped to 11. However, wetland restoration enabled them to recover in the decades since, and their population has more than doubled in the last 10 years. The restoration of wetlands has been a boon to other species as well. Weve invested millions in restoring and creating wetlands and thats meant species like cranes, spoonbills, little egrets and great egrets have returned too, ornithologist Dr. Alex Lees told BBC News. Wetland birds are probably the biggest conservation success story of the last 40 years its the group of species thats really bucking the trend of nature loss. Today, there are bitterns all over England in Lancashire, Lincolnshire, Yorkshire, East Anglia, Kent, the West Country and London, according to The Guardian. In 2020, the first breeding pairs in at least 200 years were sited in Wales. They now visit Scotland and Ireland in the winter on an occasional basis and may settle there permanently as their recovery continues, the Natural History Museum said. RABAT, March 29 (Xinhua) -- The Moroccan navy has foiled an attempt to smuggle more than 12 tonnes of cannabis off the Atlantic coast of El Jadida, the military said Tuesday. The operation on Monday led to the arrest of six smugglers, including three Spanish citizens, according to a statement by the Moroccan Armed Forces. The smuggling operation was foiled after a maritime surveillance plane spotted artisanal fishing boats suspected of illicit trafficking transferring their cargos onto three other boats offshore, according to the statement. The smugglers, equipment and cargos were handed over to the Royal Gendarmerie at the port of El Jadida, it added. Despite efforts to crack down on cannabis cultivation during the past decade, Morocco remains one of the world's largest producers of the narcotic plant, according to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. A judge has ordered Activision Blizzard to pay $18 million to settle a federal lawsuit accusing the company of fostering a sexist, discriminatory workplace. The US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission filed the suit in September and that same afternoon, Activision Blizzard agreed to set up an $18 million fund for employees who experienced sexual harassment and gender-based discrimination at the studio. Today's ruling approves this plan. The fund will be distributed among people who worked at Activision Blizzard from September 1st, 2016, to today. Eligible employees and former employees have to opt-in to receive a payout, and they can submit claims relating to sexual harassment, pregnancy discrimination and retaliation. Today's ruling isn't the end of the legal issues for Activision Blizzard, and it may even complicate efforts still underway by other agencies. California's Department of Fair Employment and Housing first sued the studio in July 2021 following a two-year investigation into allegations that sexism, gender-based harassment and a "frat boy culture" pervaded the Activision Blizzard offices. That state-level lawsuit is still in progress, while the $18 million ruling today applies only to the federal case filed by the EEOC. Anyone who signs on as a claimant in the EEOC suit will not be eligible to participate in the state's case, at least when it comes to harassment, retaliation or pregnancy discrimination. If they have additional claims, such as pay inequities, they can bring those to the DFEH lawsuit. The DFEH and EEOC have been battling for dominance with their lawsuits against Activision Blizzard. Lawyers for the California agency have expressed concern that a federal settlement might prevent them from pursuing additional damages at a state level. The DFEH case is scheduled to go to trial in February 2023. "The DFEH will continue to vigorously prosecute its action against Activision in California state court, spokesperson Fahizah Alim said last week. Additionally, the DFEH, activists and Activision Blizzard employees have argued the $18 million figure is far too low to properly compensate all potential claimants, which could add up to hundreds of people. Communications Workers of America, the labor union backing Activision Blizzard employees during this time, called the sum "woefully inadequate" in a letter to the EEOC in October. "This would provide the maximum settlement for only 60 workers," the CWA letter reads. "If any significant number of workers received the maximum under federal law, there would be little available for many other workers adversely affected. We are concerned about how the EEOC got to that number and how it believes that number will be fairly distributed. Please explain." California's DFEH fought against a similar ruling in the case of Riot Games. Following a 2018 class-action lawsuit claiming rampant sexual harassment and discrimination at the studio, Riot was originally ordered to pay $10 million to eligible employees. The DFEH blocked that payout, arguing it was much too small, and the amount was eventually increased to $100 million. A spokesperson for the EEOC provided the following statement to Engadget following today's federal ruling: "We are pleased that the judge has indicated her intent to sign the consent decree. The consent decree not only provides monetary relief to potential claimants that were impacted by sexual harassment, pregnancy discrimination and related retaliation at Activision Blizzard throughout the United States, but also puts in place significant injunctive relief at Activision Blizzard to prevent and address discrimination, harassment, and retaliation." French audio maker Devialet is best known for speaker collaborations, unique designs and often heady prices. Having experimented with UK broadcaster Sky, the sound company is ready to launch its first solo soundbar for TVs, the Dione. And its huge. Devialet pitches the Dione as a high-end soundbar, offering Dolby Atmos 5.1.2, as well as the ability to upscale stereo content into an approximate 5.1.2 audio signal, offering a richer sound stage and augmented spatial effect even if what youre watching isnt primed for Atmos. During a preview event in London, I got to listen to the new soundbar, with its eye-catching orb detail and well, it sounds deeper, crisper and outright louder than the mid-range soundbars Ive owned myself. And pretty much any other soundbar Ive heard. Theres also the reality that its likely as wide as your new 4K TV. And as deep too. Thats because it houses 17 speaker drivers including eight subwoofers, all custom-built to Devialets specifications. This means, according to the company, that theres enough oomph to sidestep a separate subwoofer unit, with the built-in woofers reaching bass levels as low as 24Hz, and attempting to fill the companys aim of, as CEO Franck Lebouchard told me, bringing everything to one object. As is the case for most modern soundbars, there are increased processor demands, and Devialet is using a Qualcomm SoC (System on a chip), which helps with room calibration and several of the companys proprietary sound engineering features, like adaptive volume level (AVL), which automatically adjusts sound levels to help you hear speech, or avoid getting blasted by loud ads in the middle of quieter programs. The most impressive trick is still the upmixing. I watched a nature documentary, first in stereo, then in Devialets SPACE upmixed mode, which attempts to add the richness and breadth of 5.1.2 audio to stereo audio. It works even if this might not be true 5.1.2 audio. I could hear a richer soundstage, with the background rustles of the jungle, and the separate tweets of two birds in the midst of a courtship dance. Switching back to stereo, and everything sounds narrower, tighter. Besides this movie mode, which is available when connected through HDMI or optical input, theres also spatial mode, which attempts to upgrade audio from wireless sources (Spotify Connect, AirPlay or Bluetooth) and a voice mode which boosts, well, voices. This is aimed at news programming and podcasts. You can switch between the modes through the companion app, as well as use the app for volume controls. Theres also a standalone controller from Devialet sold separately which looks like a smart thermostat. Because of course. Mat Smith/Engadget The companys new Advanced Dimensional Experience (ADE) is its take on beamforming audio. According to the companys white paper on the tech, this helps to optimize the surround audio, boosting soundwaves from certain angles and rejecting other soundwaves in an attempt to optimize audio for the listener in front of the soundbar. The Dione can be laid beneath a TV or mounted on the wall. The aforementioned orb rotates to match this, but the bar can detect its orientation with its built-in gyroscope. The soundbar has specific audio profiles for either orientation. The orb, a nod to its Phantom speaker, also houses one active speaker and two passive radiators. Devialet wants the attention of audiophiles as well as those not looking to place multiple speakers around their living space. Its difficult to compare to most of the smaller, cheaper products. The best comparison may be Sennheisers Ambeo, a $2,500 6.1.2 Atmos bar with plenty of tricks of its own. The Dione is a substantial investment, priced at $2,400 in the US, or 1,800 in the UK. Its another all-in-one solution, but at these specs, size and price, its for those interested in upgrading their entire viewing experience. Whats the point of a 4K OLED TV if everything doesnt sound as good as it looks? MOMBASA, March 29 (Xinhua) -- Sub-Saharan African countries that have enacted policies and legislation to boost sustainable use of dryland plant species have been able to cope with climatic stresses better in addition to creating new revenue streams for indigenous communities, experts said Tuesday. Ben Chikamai, the executive secretary of the Network for Natural Gums and Resins in Africa, said the continent's vast dryland resources have been at the heart of its transition to a climate-resilient future. "The vast Africa's dryland ecosystem, if sustainably managed, has the potential to accelerate green growth while providing employment and incomes to communities," said Chikamai at an African Forest Forum conference underway in the Kenyan coastal city of Mombasa. Citing a study that was conducted recently by international scientists in partnership with the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations, Chikamai said that robust resins and gum value chains contribute about 0.1 percent to the gross domestic product (GDP) of several African countries. In addition, value addition on the two dryland tree species has provided new revenue streams for nomadic women and youth, besides promoting cross-border trade, said Chikamai. He believed that communities in the Sahel and Horn of Africa regions require capacity development, training, awareness and enhanced market linkages to ensure they benefit from harvesting dryland plant species that have aesthetic and medicinal value. Chikamai said that value addition on dryland species like gums, resins, myrrh and frankincense will boost their demand in the local and overseas markets besides strengthening the resilience of communities affected by climate change. He called for fiscal incentives, sensitization, research and adoption of innovations to help regenerate dryland resources amid threats linked to climatic stresses, over-exploitation, pest infestation and invasive species. Charity Munyasya, the deputy chief conservator of forests at Kenya Forest Service, said that the enactment of policies to guide prudent utilization of dryland resources has revitalized action on Africa's climate crisis while tackling rural poverty, food insecurity and desertification. Xiaomi has come a long way since the launch of its budget Redmi line back in 2013, and while the latter has since extended its coverage across a wider price range, it isn't about to abandon the budget market. Ahead of its 12th anniversary on April 6th, Xiaomi announced a new Redmi 10 5G which, starting from $199, happens to be the company's and some markets' cheapest 5G smartphone to date. To put things into perspective, the OnePlus Nord N200 5G costs $240, and Samsung's recently-launched Galaxy A13 5G is priced at $250. The Redmi 10 5G not to be confused with the 4G-only Redmi 10 or 10A is powered by an octa-core MediaTek Dimensity 700 processor with dual 5G standby, and it runs on MIUI 13 based on Android 11. You get a reasonably-sized 6.58-inch 2,408 x 1,080 LCD with up to 90Hz refresh rate, along with a generous 5,000mAh battery which supports 18W fast charging (interestingly, the phone comes with a 22.5W charger), a side-mounted fingerprint sensor and a 3.5mm headphone jack. Redmi 10 5G in "Aurora Green." Xiaomi There's not much going on in terms of design just a plastic body with a grooved concentric circle texture and flat edges. Likewise with photography: just a 50-megapixel main camera paired with a 2-megapixel depth camera on the back, plus a 5-megapixel "dot drop" selfie camera above the screen. As with all Xiaomi phones these days, the Redmi 10 5G won't be headed to the US, but a spokesperson confirmed that we can expect it to land in most of Xiaomi's global markets, including the UK, Europe, South East Asia, Middle East and more. You'll have two options: the $199 model comes with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage, whereas the $229 version bumps the storage up to 128GB. These will come in "Graphite Gray," "Chrome Silver" and "Aurora Green." Redmi Note 11 Pro+ 5G in "Forest Green." Xiaomi Also announced for the international markets are the higher-end Redmi Note 11 Pro+ 5G and Redmi Note 11S 5G, both of which also pack a MediaTek processor (Dimensity 920 and Dimensity 810, respectively) with dual 5G standby, a side-mounted fingerprint reader, an IR blaster, a 3.5mm headphone jack and dual speakers (with JBL tuning on the Pro+). The Redmi Note 11 Pro+ 5G has been available in China since October, and it's all about its 15-minute fast charging on its 4,500mAh dual-cell battery, thanks to Xiaomi's 120W HyperCharge tech. You also get a 6.67-inch 2,400 x 1,080 AMOLED screen, which delivers up to 120Hz refresh rate and up to 360Hz touch sampling rate for some slick scrolling, as well as a high brightness mode of up to 700 nits for outdoor usage. With its 108-megapixel main camera (Samsung HM2 sensor), 8-megapixel ultra-wide camera, 2-megapixel telemacro camera and 16-megapixel punch-hole selfie camera, you should be able to get some nice photos out of this device. Prices range from $369 (6GB + 128GB) to $449 (8GB + 256GB), and you can pick "Graphite Gray," "Star Blue" or "Forest Green." Redmi Note 11S 5G in "Midnight Black," "Twilight Blue" and "Star Blue." Xiaomi The marginally cheaper Redmi Note 11S 5G is a slight variant of China's earlier Redmi Note 11 5G, with the main difference being the extra 2-megapixel macro camera on the back. The rest appears to be identical: 6.6-inch 2,400 x 1,080 LCD (90Hz refresh rate, 240Hz touch sampling rate), 5,000mAh battery with 33W fast charging, 50-megapixel main camera, 8-megapixel ultra-wide camera and 13-megapixel punch-hole selfie camera. Prices range from $249 (4GB + 64GB) to $299 (6GB + 128GB), with color options including "Midnight Black," "Twilight Blue" and a sparkly "Star Blue." If a startup from New Jersey has its way, the next Ray Kroc will be a robot. In the last week, a company called RoboBurger installed an autonomous burger chef in Jersey Citys Newport Centre Mall. Over on its website, RoboBurger breathlessly describes its vending machine as the biggest innovation in hot food vending since the invention of the microwave. Inside of a frame that occupies about 12 square feet, the RoboBurger features everything it needs to make a complete if somewhat visually unappealing burger in approximately six minutes. And while there may not be any humans involved, the machine uses the same five-step cooking process employed by many quick-service restaurants. An automated griddle grills the patty at the same time the machine toasts the bun. When you order your burger, you can decide whether you want ketchup, mustard and cheese on it. Theres even a built-in cleaning system that is up to the standards of the National Sanitary Foundation. Oh, and you can pay for your burger with both Apple Pay and Google Pay. Handy that. And while we cant speak to the taste of the burger, RoboBurger claims it only uses the best ingredients possible. The patty is made from grass-fed Angus beef that isnt subjected to antibiotics. As for the bun, its a potato one that comes from a local bakery. If you cant make it to New Jersey for a taste test, fret not. RoboBurger says it plans to bring its automated burger chef to airports, malls, colleges and other similar venues across the country in the coming weeks and months. Your TikTok habits may vary, but Ive sometimes pulled myself out of a fugue of lengthy viewing, hopping and browsing on the social app, barely recalling what I just spent 15 minutes doing. For me, and possibly you, a new watch-history feature could offer some insight to exactly what were wasting our time on. According to Hammond Oh, TikTok is testing a watch-history tool to show you a list of videos that previously appeared in your For You feed, making it easier to rediscover clips (and creators) you may have not liked or followed. There are other ways to seek out your TikTok watch history, but theyre not exactly easy to use. One method involves navigating to the Discover page, tapping search, entering an asterisk and toggling on the watch videos option in the search filters tab. As is the case with random feature tests on TikTok, Instagram and others, this might not make its way to all users, but keep an eye on your For You feed just in case. Mat Smith The biggest stories you might have missed The company is chasing mainstream appeal. OnePlus began as a startup making smartphones with high-end specs at relatively reasonable prices. In an age of black slabs, the company was able to forge an identity for itself, backed by devoted fans and a strong online presence. But now, after 10 generations of flagship phones, Sam Rutherford feels like the OnePlus we knew is gone, and it's probably not coming back. Continue reading. You can control smart home devices using the 32-inch 4K display. Samsung Samsung's latest Smart Monitor is now available to pre-order. The kinda-familiar-looking Smart Monitor M8 has support for streaming services including Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Disney+ and Apple TV, as well as cloud gaming platforms. You won't necessarily need to connect to external speakers, with two built-in 5W speakers and a tweeter that delivers 2.2-channel audio. The Smart Monitor M8 starts at $700 for the white model. The spring green, sunset pink and daylight blue models will cost you a little extra at $730. Continue reading. Just after finally achieving some success with 'Lost Ark' and 'New World.' The Amazon Games struggle bus was finally going somewhere, but now studio head Mike Frazzini is stepping down. On LinkedIn, Frazzini cited the desire to spend more time with family. "While theres never really a perfect time to step away from a great role, now is a good time," he wrote. Amazons MMORPG New World was one of 2021's biggest moneymakers on Steam. Continue reading. This follows the drama with Joe Rogan's podcast. Getty Spotify has finally acted on its promise to add a COVID-19 content advisory label. You'll now see a tab for a COVID-19 Guide when you visit podcasts and other content discussing the coronavirus. Tap it and you'll visit a section that points you to authoritative sources (such as the World Health Organization and the UK's National Health Service) as well as trustworthy content from the likes of The Guardian and the BBC. Continue reading. Guess the speed force couldn't get Ezra Miller out of trouble this time. The star of the upcoming The Flash movie landed himself in a bit of hot water on Sunday when he was arrested for Disorderly Conduct and Harassment while drinking at a bar in Hawaii. As per a statement released by police, "On Sunday, March 27, at 11:30 p.m., South Hilo patrol officers responded to a report of disorderly patron at a bar on Silva Street. During the course of their investigation, police determined that the man, later identified as Ezra Miller, became agitated while patrons at the bar began singing karaoke. Miller began yelling obscenities and at one point grabbed the microphone from a 23-year-old woman singing karaoke (disorderly conduct offense) and later lunged at a 32-year-old man playing darts (harassment offense). The bar owner asked Miller to calm down several times to no avail." Miller was arrested and booked on the two charges only to later be released on $500 bail. This isn't the first time Miller has shown erratic behavior for the public to see. Back in January, the 29 year old actor took to Instagram in order to send a threat to the members of The Ku Klux Klan with the message, "This is a message for the Beulaville chapter of the North Carolina Ku Klux Klan," Miller said in the video, which was uploaded to Instagram. "Hello, first of all. How are y'all doing? It's me. Look, if y'all wanna die, I suggest just killing yourselves with your own guns, OK? Otherwise, keep doing exactly what you're doing right now -- and you know what I'm talking about -- and then, you know, we'll do it for you if that's really what you want. OK, talk to you soon, OK? Bye!" The post has since been removed. A staff member tests samples of the COVID-19 inactivated vaccine at a vaccine production plant of China National Pharmaceutical Group (Sinopharm) in Beijing, capital of China, April 11, 2020. (Xinhua/Zhang Yuwei) by Xinhua writer Yuan Quan BEIJING, March 29 (Xinhua) -- Many clinicians have referred to a COVID-19 drug developed by Zhang Linqi as a "miracle medicine" after seeing their patients' lasting fever symptoms diminish quickly following an injection of the drug. A virologist at China's Tsinghua University, Zhang led his team to create a cocktail therapy of monoclonal antibodies BRII-196 and BRII-198, which cut hospitalizations and deaths by 80 percent in human trials and appears to work well against all existing variants. It took just 18 months for the Chinese drug to be developed and receive regulatory approval. "In less than two years, we finished a job that would otherwise take at least 10 years," Zhang said. His latest research uses a deep learning approach to help his team obtain antibodies that can neutralize the coronavirus and its variants at a faster pace. Zhang Linqi introduces his research to Xinhua reporters at Tsinghua University on March 2, 2020. (Xinhua/Meng Jing) Anti-COVID-19 research results from Chinese institutes, universities and enterprises have been published in international academic journals every two or three days since January. Chinese scientists are contributing their wisdom, experience and painstaking efforts to enhance the human capacity to cope with the deadly virus. While the Academy of Military Medical Sciences presented an mRNA COVID-19 antibody that provided lasting immunity in mice, Fudan University created an adenovirus vaccine candidate designed to give dual protection against both COVID-19 and influenza viruses. Researchers at the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), China's top academic institute, are working on an inhalable antibody with low cost and large-scale production advantages, while pharmaceutical companies in Shanghai and Suzhou have commenced global trials of a co-developed oral drug for moderate and severe COVID-19 cases. Speaking to press at the fifth session of the 13th National People's Congress earlier in March, Minister of Science and Technology Wang Zhigang said that China has had fruitful beginning to its development of COVID-19 vaccines and drugs, with several candidates being granted market approval or undergoing clinical trials. "The more tools to tackle COVID-19 that science and technology can provide, the better our anti-pandemic measures can become," the minister said. None of this progress has come easily. China's impressive pace of medical research is the result of the long-term hard work of Chinese scientists. Wang Qihui is a CAS virologist. Since January 2020, when Wang first volunteered to work on COVID-19, she has been racing against the clock to find ways to defeat the virus. Tasked with finding effective antibodies in a short time, Wang led her team to conduct experiments day and night. She once stayed in her laboratory for two weeks, sometimes forgetting food and sleep. Five months after the initial outbreak of the novel coronavirus, her team announced that JS016, a COVID-19-neutralizing antibody that they had developed, could be administered to healthy people in clinical trials. In November last year, the antibody was granted emergency-use authorization in 15 countries, including the United States and several European countries. Lots of sacrifices were made in this process. Right before the results of the COVID-19 antibody study came out, Wang Qihui experienced neurological deafness because of high stress, which led to temporary hearing loss in her left ear. She was hospitalized for five days after a doctor warned her that, in the absence of timely treatment, she could develop permanently impaired hearing. Wang Qihui carries out experiments at a lab in the Institute of Microbiology under the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing. (Chinese Academy of Sciences/Handout via Xinhua) The scientist has since recovered and is determined to make greater contribution to the fight against the pandemic. She has resumed her COVID-19 research, working to develop a nasal spray antibody drug and an mRNA vaccine. Wang Qihui attributes her achievements largely to her previous experience in the field of viral infectious diseases, such as Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) and the Zika virus. Zhang Linqi and his team, like Wang, have used their determination and wealth of experience in responding to new pathogens to deal with the pandemic. Zhang has devoted 30 years to the study of HIV-1 pathogenesis and vaccine development, and to emerging and re-emerging human viral pathogens such as MERS, Ebola and the Zika virus. "The development of a treatment drug and a vaccine sounded lighting fast, even to me, but it benefited from years of research on antibody drugs and HIV vaccine development," Zhang said when asked how the COVID-19 antibody drug he developed was created so quickly. Inspired by the "AIDS cocktail," a combination treatment of three or four different medicines for people with HIV/AIDS, Zhang and his team selected 206 monoclonal antibodies and whittled the number down to two, creating their COVID-19 cocktail therapy. It has demonstrated an improved performance in resisting virus mutations and maintained longer activity in the human body compared to similar therapies consisting of only one antibody. Xiamen University, which has also accumulated significant experience in vaccine development, is a major research force in the fight against COVID-19. It was also one of the first institutions to receive global virus research donations. Staff members work at the inactivated COVID-19 vaccine quality inspection lab of Sinovac Life Sciences Co., Ltd. in Beijing, capital of China, Dec. 23, 2020. (Xinhua/Zhang Yuwei) Emerging technologies are involved in COVID-19 research. Tech giant Baidu has licensed its mRNA sequencing algorithm to French vaccine maker Sanofi for use in the design of COVID-19 vaccines and therapeutic products. According to the Chinese company, the algorithm can accelerate the research. Zhang also stressed that interdisciplinary collaboration is very important in his work. He collaborated with Tsinghua biologists to decipher the structure of the virus, and with Shenzhen clinicians to isolate monoclonal antibodies in convalescent patients. These partnerships accelerated the development of China's first COVID-19 antibody drug. "Scientific research is to explore the unknown in blind zones. We scientists not only need strong hearts and big brains, but also partners to support us. Even if we fail, we are not alone, as there are many people supporting us," Zhang said. Zimbabwean Gideon Chinamatira, grantee of the Lightsources for Africa, the Americas, Asia, Middle East and Pacific (LAAAMP) project, has spent two months on beamline BM05 learning all the ins and outs of working on a beamline. And all that, with a croc in tow. Wow, I am really going to the ESRF now, thought Gideon Chinamatira when he finally got his visa to fly from South Africa. It had been a complicated process due to COVID-19 and all the variants that kept locking the world down in the last months. But finally, he was on his way. And with him, a unique crocodile specimen from the Early Jurassic, protected inside a box. You walk around airports with this case and every time you get stopped you need to explain that you are carrying a precious fossil and that you are going to scan it at the ESRF. It makes you feel special, says Chinamatira. Chinamatira is a post-graduate student at Wits University (South Africa) and a LAAAMP grantee. LAAAMP aims to train scientists from countries where synchrotron sources are not available in the use and applications of synchrotrons. The ultimate goal is that whenever there will be a light source available in their area, they will be key to its construction and development. The LAAAMP FA-ST grant was requested by Kudakwashe Jakata, post-doctoral researcher in tomography at beamline BM05 and originally from Wits University. He supervised Chinamatira during his stay at the ESRF. The LAAAMP project is great for allowing students to discover what a synchrotron is and how it differs from a lab-based computed-tomography apparatus, explains Jakata. When you get here, you realise this is the next step of tomography, adds Chinamatira, who, is in charge of the CT-lab at Wits University in an acting capacity. When I go back, Ill be able to better guide the scientists that come to the lab on proposal applications to take their samples to the ESRFs tomography beamlines. The aim of LAAAMP is to open exciting research and training opportunities in crystallography and utilization of synchrotron light sources in developing regions of the world. Sekazi K. Mtingwa, member of the LAAAMP executive committee, explains: "Since 2017, LAAAMP has awarded 102 researchers with the opportunity to train for two months at many of the world's leading synchrotron light source facilities. This will prove particularly impactful for Africa, which is currently experiencing a movement to construct a synchrotron light source somewhere on the continent as a Pan-African facility, using the models of the ESRF and SESAME in the Middle East". South Africa is an Associate Member of the ESRF and contributes to the budget in 1%. This enables the scientific community to apply for beamtime and do experiments at the facility. Text by Montserrat Capellas Espuny Russian President Vladimir Putin has brought Europe back to a place we thought had been consigned to an unrepeatable past. We find ourselves confronting an irrational leader whose foreign policy has been degenerating since the day, in 2001, when US President George W. Bush looked him in the eye and said he had found a man he could trust. The risk of a third world war is no longer within the realm of the impossible. Russia is now staging attacks just a few kilometers from NATOs borders, and, given Putins unpredictability, we cannot dismiss the possibility of a direct confrontation between Russia and the Alliance. That would raise the almost unimaginable possibility of a nuclear conflict, which our leaders have the duty to avoid. Because Russia and Europe are part of an uninterrupted land mass, stability at the edge of the continent is fundamental to regional peace. But diplomatic barriers between Russia and NATO are multiplying. Rarely have the post-World War II international organizations been so absent, or even helpless, in the face of conflict. Even the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, which was established with the aim of guaranteeing stability between Russia, the United States, and Europe, is proving to be inadequate to todays challenge. The European Union has responded firmly to Russias aggression, demonstrating its unity by imposing severe financial and economic sanctions. But the war in Ukraine has shown that Europe is insufficiently prepared to address its most immediate challenges. The EU must now sharpen its focus on four priorities. First, the EU must expand its security and defense capabilities, and the Strategic Compass currently being drawn up should serve to guide policy in this domain. While Europe clearly must invest in its military capabilities, this means not only spending more money but also undertaking such efforts as Europeans rather than as individual states. According to the European Defense Agency, EU member states spend a total of about 200 billion annually on defense, more than India, Russia, and the United Kingdom combined. The task now is to improve efficiency rather than merely increasing military spending at the national level. And this requires adopting a European vision in national military planning. Second, the EU must rethink its energy dependence on Russia. Europe has been relying on Russian gas for too long and may have to pay a price for turning off the tap, as Germany has begun to do by suspending the Nord Stream 2 pipeline. As Nathalie Tocci of the Istituto Affari Internazionali says, no economic calculation should trump what is needed for European unity. Third, Europe must develop a common migration policy with a geographic division of responsibility for accepting refugees from our respective neighborhoods to the east or south. Starting in 2015, then-German Chancellor Angela Merkel unilaterally accepted hundreds of thousands Syrian refugees, while the rest of Europe mostly looked the other way. Today, EU member states must show a common willingness to help those fleeing war. The exodus of two million Ukrainians to Poland since the war began has highlighted the incongruities of European migration policy. Europes solidarity with the Ukrainian refugees is a positive gesture that has shown our citizens at their best; but it should also make us reflect on our far less welcoming attitude toward refugees from other parts of the world. Lastly, Europe must help to mitigate the wars effects on global food security. Because Ukraine and Russia together supply 19% of the worlds barley, 14% of its wheat, and 4% of its corn, the conflict is also affecting many other economies. For example, Kenya, with a population roughly the same size as Ukraines, sources half of its wheat imports from Russia and Ukraine. With 276 million people globally suffering from severe hunger, poorer regions in particular will suffer as a result of the current conflict. As the EU tackles these immediate priorities, the Unions founding mission of building peace and preventing war must remain at its core. A world that is still suffering from the Covid-19 pandemic and its fallout, and currently seems unable to reverse the consequences of climate change, cannot afford a conflict of this type. Europe must therefore use the means at its disposal, including sanctions, to try to change Putins behavior. Above all, it must play a key role in preventing the hostilities in Ukraine from escalating into a war between major powers. The role of China, which is allegedly considering selling arms to Russia to help Putins war effort, will likely be crucial to averting a global conflict. The most recent meeting between Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping, on the eve of this years Winter Olympics in Beijing, seemed to suggest a near-alliance between the two powers. Many have drawn parallels with US President Richard Nixons 1972 visit to China, which heralded a Sino-American rapprochement aimed at countering the threat posed by the Soviet Union. But while China may be tempted to form an alliance with Russia, a world war would not suit Xi, and becoming part of such a conflict even less so. Preventing a China-Russia alliance from taking root is fundamental to preserving the current balance in international relations. Europe can and must urge China to play a role in seeking a negotiated end to the Ukraine conflict. To that end, it is vital that the US, the EU, and NATO not be perceived as weak and divided in either domestic or foreign policy. Despite the tragedy of the Ukraine war, I feel proud of what Europe has done over the past few weeks. The responses in Brussels, Paris, Berlin, Warsaw, and Madrid have been unanimous: Putins aggression must not go unpunished. A more assertive, decisive EU must reflect not only resonance between national governments, but also citizens awareness that their security, interests, and principles are being threatened. Only with this mindset will Europe realize its aims. Europe Must Sharpen Its Aims Commentary by Javier Solana Project Syndicate. The Commentary can be downloaded here Moda Olga Moreno, el extravagante look con el que ha sorprendido en la Feria de Abril: "Estoy como una tabla" In todays edition of the e4m Pride of India series, Abhinav Tyagi, SVP-Marketing, Urban Company, shares with us the firms vision, expansion & advertising strategy It took just six years for Urban Company to expand its operations not only across the country but also to Australia, Singapore, the UAE and Saudi Arabia. We at, exchange4media, caught up with Abhinav Tyagi, SVP Marketing, Urban Company, to trace the firms journey as part of the e4m Pride of India series. Abhinav Tyagi The Beginning Launched in Delhi in November 2014 as UrbanClap, the company was started with a handful of service professionals. Over the past 7 years, it expanded to 5 countries, built a fleet of 32,000+ trained professionals and served over 5 million households. Two years ago, it was rechristened Urban Company. The new umbrella brand captures the companys ambition to be a horizontal gig marketplace, with a global footprint and leadership position across service categories, beauty & wellness, and home repairs & maintenance. As part of the new branding, Urban Company took a step closer towards its vision - empowering millions of professionals worldwide to deliver services at home. Working on Visibility We use a mix of channels to reach out and engage with our consumers - each channel playing a different role. Advertising on digital or TV, and increasingly on OTT, has always played a big role in driving salience and consideration of our services. It is particularly useful in visually demonstrating the way our services are delivered as well the impact they can make in the consumers lives, Tyagi said. Performance marketing plays a key role in informing and attracting consumers to the companys latest offerings and sale campaigns, he noted. We do not use performance marketing to drive app installs but actual conversions. The companys strategy for Instagram, YouTube and Twitter has been unique to each platform. On Instagram, we curate multiple interest-based handles. For those interested in beauty content, we have the Urban Company Beauty handle that showcases our services, beauty hacks and curated content. For those interested in interior decor, we have Urban Company Homes, a community-led handle that champions people and the way they style their homes. On YouTube, we have the brand handle for showcasing our service professionals, TV ads, and services. We have also collaborated with established and upcoming influencers to create slice-of-life content channel The Urban Guide. We use Twitter to disseminate information with respect to company developments. We do, however, often engage in conversations on Twitter. Urban Company recently roped in IPG Media to manage its branding responsibilities. We reach out to our target audience through a mix of traditional and digital mediums. Our TVCs are supported by digital campaigns on YouTube, Facebook and Instagram. Being the best Tyagi also spoke about focusing on delivering superior experience and outcomes for consumers and not denting or hurting someone elses revenue. We want to outdo, rethink, reimagine all our services and push the envelope when it comes to service experience and customer delight, he asserted. Investments in tech According to Tyagi, Urban Company is a tech-first company and is constantly innovating and investing in tech. It is essential to better customer experiences, app experience or making the business scalable. Tech enables us to be data-driven and get insights about accurate consumer data, behaviour, and customer expectations, he further said. Organizations can leverage tech to enhance and improve their businesses, optimize resources and grow their business. Long-term Goals Enumerating Urban Companys vision, Tyagi said: Our main aim is to empower millions of professionals worldwide to deliver services at home like never experienced before. We are constantly striving towards this. Read more news about (internet advertising India, internet advertising, advertising India, digital advertising India, media advertising India) Commentary From Crisis Management Expert Edward Segal, Bestselling Author of the Award- Winning Book "Crisis Ahead: 101 Ways to Prepare for and Bounce Back from Disasters, Scandals, and Other Emergencies " (Nicholas Brealey) The discovery this month of the EnduranceAntarctic explorer Ernest Shackleton's ship that sank almost two miles beneath the ice more than 100 years agoreminds us of Shackleton's leadership lessons that resonant with and are still relevant for today's business executives. As recounted by the New York Times, Shackleton "never made it to the pole or beyond, but his leadership in rescuing all his crew and his exploits, which included an 800-mile open-boat journey across the treacherous Southern Ocean to the island of South Georgia, made him a hero in Britain." Michael Smith is an authority on the history of polar exploration. He recalled on a website about Shackleton that his "skills as a leader were best demonstrated during the Endurance expedition when his management was crucial in saving the lives of the 28-strong party after the ship was crushed by ice. "He was an inspiration who instilled a belief that the marooned men would survive and get home. It was a simple message that Shackleton frequently reinforced to ensure the men never lost sight of the goalsafety and survival," he said. Assume Responsibility In a New York Times essay, Harvard Business School professor and historian Nancy Koehn observed that, "Shackleton assumed ultimate responsibility for his team. Perhaps he recognized that he was partly to blame for the crisis that befell the Endurance. Perhaps his naval training instilled in him a deep sense of loyalty and obligation to his fellow crew members. The men themselves understood this, and most, in turn, offered him their commitment. "Shackleton's sense of responsibility and commitment came with a great suppleness of means. To get his men home safely, he led them across ice, sea and land with all the tools he could muster. This combinationa credible commitment to a larger purpose and flexible, imaginative methods to achieve a goalis increasingly important in our tumultuous times," she said. Provide Encouragement David Reid, sales director for VEM Tooling, said that "Constant tumult seems to be a new reality, and strong leadership is key to management. The toughest aspect of leadership is providing ideas and encouragement to the team and self. Shackleton rose above significant challenges to reach his goal. "When his mission ran into serious problems, he had to reassess the team's objectives. This trait is especially important in our age when leaders must frequently alter the direction in the middle of a project, discarding previous benchmarks of success and redefining their goals and strategies," he commented. Defy Challenges Entrepreneur and travel blogger Jenny Ly pointed out that, "Shackleton managed to defy the physical and mental challenges that he and his team faced. His ability to push through and guide the souls responsible under his doomed expedition, his unshakable faith in his abilities managed to keep confidence high and the fear away. "In this time of crisis and whatever we face ahead, having a leader like Shackleton can be the difference between sinking with the ship or surviving against all odds," she concluded. Lead In Trying Times Jawad Nayyar is the co-founder and chief vision officer of DAO PropTech. He said that "Shackleton, like most disruptors, bootstrapped his way through Antarctica and chose courageous actions in the midst of a crisis, highlighting the skills all leaders need to guide themselves and others through challenging times. "He faced an inhospitable landscape, limited resources, a shifting landscape, and limited visibility. Yet he chose to stay the course, adjust to paths that made the most sense for his final goal and made the tumultuous journey to save the lives of all his crew. He [is] remembered today for saving lives in the face of impossible odds, despite his failed expeditions." Michael Miller, CEO of VPN Online Multimedia, thought that one of the key leadership lessons business leaders can learn from Shackleton "is to never ask your people anything you wouldn't do yourself. As the leader, you need to be willing to put in the same effort as everyone else on the team and lead by example." "Shackleton was known for his self-sacrifice and dedication to his crew. He never gave up, even when things were at their worst. And his philosophy was that if he could keep going, so could they. This attitude helped him inspire his team and kept them going through thick and thin." Have The Right Priorities Matthew Paxton, founder and owner of gaming company Hyperni said that "Simply put, he knew his men's talents and shortcomings, as well as what drove them. "He also possessed an unusual ability to detect danger and always minimized risk. Perhaps his most admirable trait was that he prioritized the welfare of his men above all else," he commented. Turn Lemons Into Lemonade "Great leaders always know how to turn lemons into lemonade," according to Josh Pelletier, the chief marketing officer of Bar Bend. "When faced with unbelievably difficult challenges, they find a way to rise to the occasion and get the job done. "Ernest Shackleton was one of the greatest explorers of all time, and he provides us with plenty of leadership lessons that we can apply in our own lives." Maintain A Positive Attitude Pelletier said that "One of the most important leadership lessons that business leaders can learn from Shackleton is the importance of having a positive attitude in times of adversity. "When his ship was crushed by pack ice, and his crew was stranded in the middle of nowhere, he refused to give up. He kept everyone's spirits high by telling them jokes and stories and making sure they never lost sight of their ultimate goal." Be Optimistic Moshe Cohen is a senior lecturer at Boston University's Questrom School of Business where he teaches Shackelton's story. He said that "Throughout the many months on the ice, Shackleton never showed disappointment, despite being denied his goal of crossing Antarctica and facing terrible odds. "Optimism is a choice and a lifestyle, and Shackleton was the quintessential optimism. Optimism doesn't mean pretending that everything's okay when it's not, but instead examining the terrible reality of the situation and believing that you might still win against all odds. "Shackleton's optimistic resilience and calm manner built trust and loyalty with his team. They followed his lead and remained hopeful for survival, even when things looked very grim. They executed his plans and worked collaboratively to survive. To them, he was 'The Boss.' Leaders need to remember that their teams are looking to them not just for vision but also as role models and that their demeanor impacts their organizations," Cohen counseled. Plan And Delegate Dmitriy Bobriakov is the founder and CEO of the media company SEO Analytics Pro. He said that "Shackleton was an expert in planning, and he always made sure that his team was well prepared for whatever challenges they might face. "He also believed in delegation and letting his team members take on responsibilities according to their skillsets. This allowed him to focus on the big picture and keep everyone moving forward towards their goals." ### Tuesday, March 29, 2022 Insurgent Strategy at War I've told you (over and over and over, I'm sure) how important insurgent strategic principles are in thinking, planning and acting in our information economy. For thirty-some years I've been preaching the effectiveness of insurgent strategy in business and politics, particularly against entrenched incumbents in markets or in government. Every year, I claim those principles are more important now than ever before. And for thirty-some consecutive years of this information age year after year I've been right (along with the many others who have supported this doctrine, most importantly for me Steven Jobs and Mike Murray at Apple Computer). Now, in vivid reality and with still untold humanitarian consequences, we are seeing the effects of entrenched incumbent versus relentless insurgent in Ukraine on a digital world stage. The Strategic Context of this War. I want to address the overarching strategic contrasts and I'll be as brief as I can; I just want to offer a framework through which to view the daily events in Ukraine and Russia. And this framework may reinforce your own strategic instincts. To be clear, "entrenched incumbent" is not only a definition of a leadership position (the political context), but also a matter of mindset, values and institutional religion summed in the incumbent exhortation: "Think Big!" Indeed, in most global markets, in addition to the one or two market leading businesses, we see scores more who act like/quack like the entrenched incumbent as if imitating them were the path to success. In NASCAR slip-streaming the leader benefits the following car, allowing it to save gas in the wake of the leader. In business slip-streaming the leader has the effect of pushing the leader ahead by narrowing the differences in consumers' decisions. Sameness in any category makes the leader's brand definition the category definition. Think different! This war is a classic a case of insurgent versus entrenched incumbent. It's David versus Goliath once again. And once again, there is predictability in the entrenched incumbent's actions. The insurgent's actions seem unplanned, yet they follow the form of successful insurgents through the ages. The entrenched incumbent believes in the inevitable force of its power, scope and superior material resources. The insurgent necessarily puts its faith in speed, mobility and its moral/emotional resources. Putin was sure that the intimidation of 150,000 Russian troops massed on the Ukrainian border and his own vicious Chechen thug battalions as the point of the attacking spear would freeze the Ukrainians in fear and convince them to fold early in the fight. This is typical of the entrenched incumbent. They always believe that bigness will decide the contest. For starters, Putin has vastly overestimated the power of his Russian army. After all, though, he's not a military leader but a murderous spook. While he may have dedicated ten billion dollars to military modernization, credible western sources estimate that about 75% of that money was swallowed up by corruption it was basically stolen. As a result, his is an army of confused and poorly trained conscripts with iffy weaponry and tangled supply lines. Further, Putin vastly overestimated the military prowess of the Chechen mercenaries he had intended to lead the invasion. In attempting to take control of Antonov International Airport northwest of Kyiv as a key staging area in the first days of the invasion, a battalion of Chechen fighters were almost immediately wiped out by the Ukrainians and the Chechen General Magomed Tushayev was killed. At first, the Chechens predictably denied Tushayev's death. Then their terrorist leader, Ramzan Kadyrov, posted a video of him and fellow henchmen laughing and saying they would soon be, "Knocking on your door in Kyiv." The Ukrainians quickly posted proof that the bravado was actually posted to Telegram from the safety of a bunker in Chechnya. In its use of broad-scale force, the incumbent often loses its sense of moral authority. The insurgent must use moral force to compromise the incumbent's size and resource advantages. And the world loves the underdog. The incumbent's actions, because they are so broad, speak much louder than words (the value of propaganda communications, or fake news, in this digital age is still overestimated by strategists, pundits and the media). The world, outside of Russia and China, is watching the wanton destruction of Ukraine's cities and towns and murder of civilians. And the watching world is not stupid. The moral call for action for this war was not made by Putin or his generals. It was made by Volodymyr Zelenskyy in rebuffing President Biden's offer of sending a rescue plane for him as the Russians poured over the border. "I don't need tickets. I need ammunition." It was a moral take-down of the attacking Russians and establishing the fierce insurgent spirit of the Ukrainians not as victims, but rather as freedom fighters, spoiling for this fight. It had a magnetic effect on those who would have sympathized with the Ukrainians, but now could be cheering them on, joining in emotionally. Indeed, the Zelenskyy presidency has been an assault on the incumbent corruption in his government and the existing image of the country. One of his first acts was to remove the immunity from legal prosecution government members had previously enjoyed. A next measure was for all cabinet members to remove his portrait from their office walls and replace them with pictures of their kids: "This is who we're fighting for!" This is a war for Ukraine to redefine itself for its own citizens and for the world. And, as Napoleon said, "Moral resources are three times as important as material resources in war." For his part, Putin made a meandering speech about his personal view of Russian history as a mandate for this "special military operation" that left most people scratching their heads. When was Ukraine ever a part of Russia? Khrushchev was too much of a softie? Huh? Incumbents are heritage-driven. Their future strategy and sense of destiny are set in the past and in their past glory ("That's the way we do it, because that's the way we've always done it."). Insurgents are vision-driven with strategy designed to attain that vision of a better world. In an autocracy, as Russia has been for at least twelve of Putin's twenty-two years in power, the leader grows more and more impatient with disagreement. It's an irritant. So, the autocrat winnows down his advisory circle to the "yes men," the sycophants who will not only agree with but celebrate his every idea and action. We've all seen this same situation elsewhere in politics and in business over the years. Of course, eliminating contrarian thought creates incredible vulnerability for any institution. Clarity seldom emanates from a bunker. Unadulterated bad news seldom finds its way safely to the BIG GUY's office. The autocrat is eventually surrounded by dimwits and removed further and further from reality. In an autocracy and in most entrenched incumbencies, attitudes and values trickle down from the ultimate leader. Vladimir Putin has stolen more money than anyone in the history of the world. Therefore, Russia has a kleptocratic culture that permeates government and society. At every step down the precisely-defined organizational lines of the bureaucracy, Russian "leaders" aim to get their share of the goods. Through this disastrous war, the Russian army has relied more and more on mercenaries. This rent-an-insurgent concept has failed throughout history true insurgents require a just fight, a moral war. The stunningly high mortality of Russian commanders in the first month of the war can be first attributed to this lack of moral purpose for their army. Russia's conscripts are kept in the dark about their commanders' objectives and strategies rather, they are expected to carry out every order without question. In autocratic organizations workers at the lowest level seldom understand the institution's overall goals or strategies or their role in them. Those young soldiers have had no idea what they were getting into or how to get out. That draws their commanders dangerously closer to the front lines to provide the intimidation to keep them in the fight. These conscripts had been picked for this war from disparate and distant parts of Russia, so that the country wouldn't suffer the same degradation of public morale and support as in the Afghanistan debacle as the body bags came home (part of the "modernization" of the military has also been deployment of mobile crematoriums no body bags). The entrenched incumbent uses the bureaucracy as a form of institutional religion charting the precise steps to advance, but also putting too much time and distance between detecting problems and devising solutions. Insurgents create an organization that is as flat and fast as possible, contributing to the insurgent advantages of speed and mobility. The bureaucratic maze of the Russian army is such that all strategic decisions must be passed up through the system; many, all the way to Putin. Ukrainian troops can generally make important spot decisions to answer to quickly arising challenges or opportunities. When they see a tank convoy, trap it and kill it. When they saw a tank transport ship portrayed on Russian TV as news of Russian advances in Berdyansk, they promptly set out to successfully sabotage and sink it. Although Russia has invaded Ukraine, a sovereign nation, the autocrat Putin believes this is fighting to rid mother Russia of a separatist insurgency and a key step in the restoration of Imperial Russia. This is the mindset of the classic incumbent domination is its heritage and, therefore, its destiny. The belief is what was, will be. "We are better than you. That's why we will win." It is fair to say that the United States has suffered this incumbent hubris a few times in its recent history. And each time, it has led to failure and humiliation. That is where Putin and Russia are headed now; and they don't have the U.S.' Scrooge McDuck vault of vast piles of gold to absorb the losses. The Russian economy, even pre-Ukraine war, was no larger than that of Italy. Putin continues to define this war as not a war, but a "special military operation" to restore Ukraine to Russia; in his mind, "Back to the Future." The ferociously courageous Volodymyr Zelenskyy sees this as a definitive battle between two systems: democracy and autocracy. He is vision-driven. He refuses to let this be seen as a "proxy war" of the great powers. Rather, he defines this battle as the first front of a new war for the survival of European democracy and the survival of Western political order and liberal democratic values. He is fighting for the future, not for the past. The most fundamental contrast between entrenched incumbent and determined insurgent is the attitude toward change. Incumbents hate change. They see it as a threat and work to stamp it out internally and externally. True insurgents love change. Change means opportunity with the molecules of the current order heated up and in motion. As I write this, Russia is making a pivot in the form of restating its goals for the invasion, a tactical retreat. Now, they see "victory" as securing their already established gains in the eastern and southern parts of Ukraine. Of course, these changes destabilize Putin. I know, I know, this cornered rat is desperate and has a nuclear arsenal at hand. Still this particular rat is a narcissist and unlikely suicidal. It is impossible to say what the Ukrainians will do now and how or how much the West will help them. Still, I hope and fervently pray that they can hold out for the unconditional surrender of Russia in this war. If they can last, they will win. God help them to last. SM 33,000 Feet Over Somewhere: Preaching and Practicing the Discipline of Insurgent Strategy Scott Miller 1-888-882-8499 This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate The owners of downtowns historic Aztec Theatre want to turn several floors of long-vacant offices into a boutique hotel and add a rooftop restaurant and bar. Aztec Family Group LLC, which includes local restaurateur Sam Panchevre, has a 40-year lease agreement with Dallas-based Shreem Capital, an investment firm that focuses on buying, developing and managing hotels. They would turn four floors of current office space at the live music and event venue into about 77 guest rooms and suites, according to materials submitted to the citys Historic and Design Review Commission. The roof would get a kitchen, bar and outdoor dining area overlooking the River Walk. On ExpressNews.com: Former CPS Energy building to undergo multimillion-dollar renovation Courtesy of Overland Partners The HDRC recently gave conceptual approval to the designs, which would have to go back to the commission for a final green light. Panchevre said the designs, hotel brand and concept were still being finalized and declined to discuss the plans further. He said he expects to return to the HDRC in late April or May. The theater opened in 1926. The next year, it showed San Antonio its first talking picture, Don Juan with John Barrymore. The Aztec has changed hands and undergone multiple renovations since then and at one point was at risk of being razed. The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1992. Aztec Family Group LLC bought it in 2014. Its previous plans for the underused offices have included apartments and a hotel. Demand for office space downtown has declined during the coronavirus pandemic as companies have adopted remote and hybrid work models. Hotels have also struggled due to the areas reliance on business travel and conventions. Courtesy of Overland Partners Apartments with services Two complexes will offer lower-priced apartments along with food pantries, parenting classes and financial literacy assistance. Cohen-Esrey is partnering with the San Antonio Housing Trust and SA Hope Center to build 212 units at 363 N. General McMullen Drive, across from Rosedale Park on the West Side. All units at the $42 million complex will be for residents earning up to 60 percent of the area median income, which is $31,140 annually for one person and $44,460 for a family of four. SA Hope Center will provide a food pantry, parenting classes, case management and workforce development and financial literacy services. Providing transformational programs in close proximity to affordable housing creates direct access for those seeking to become economically mobile and build strong healthy families, said Megan Legacy, the nonprofits CEO. Prospera Housing Community Services is also working with the housing trust to reconstruct and renovate 234 apartments at 3815 West Ave. on the North Side. Courtesy San Antonio-based Prospera will combine two complexes into one dubbed Arbors at West Avenue, a $51.2 million project that will include 43 units using housing assistance payments, according to the housing trust. Ninety-eight units will be for residents earning up to 50 percent of the area median income, or $25,950 a year for one person and $37,050 for a family of four. Sixty units will be for residents earning up to 60 percent of the area median income and 33 units for residents making up to 80 percent of the area median income, or $41,520 annually for one person and $59,280 for a family of four. Prospera will offer services that address social determinants of health factors such as food insecurities, economic stability, health and wellness programs, educational programs for youth resident(s) and social and community engagement, said Scott Ackerson, executive vice president at Prospera. Under state law, apartments built with a public facility corporation arm of the housing trust receive a full property tax exemption and developers also do not have to pay sales tax on construction purchases. In exchange, at least half of the units must be reserved for people with below-median incomes. Another arm of the trust also issues bonds for housing projects. madison.iszler@express-news.net This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate The son of deceased trucking magnate Bill Hall Jr. lost a court battle to wrestle control of his fathers estate away from his estranged mother, whos serving a two-year prison sentence for murdering her late husband. Justin Hall, 30, asked Bexar Probate Judge Tom Rickhoff to give him and his sister, Dominique Hall, their fathers half of the couples estate. Bill died without a will, so his share of the estate passed to his wife Frances A. Hall. Dominique, 34, sided with her mother in opposing Justins request to place their fathers share of the business in constructive trust. Rickhoffs ruling confirms Frances claim to 100 percent of the Bill Hall Jr. Trucking companies and other assets. Dominique has been running the trucking empire while Frances, who co-owned the businesses with her husband, serves out her remaining time in prison. She is scheduled to be released in September. At a court hearing Thursday, Mark Braswell, a lawyer for Justin, argued that Frances should be disqualified from receiving Bills half of their estate because she shouldnt benefit financially from her criminal act. A Bexar County District Court jury in September 2016 found Frances guilty of murder and aggravated assault. Prosecutors said Frances wanted to kill her husbands longtime paramour for ruining her marriage but ended up killing her husband instead. Frances, 54, was accused of killing Bill by knocking his motorcycle off the road with her Cadillac Escalade, then hitting another SUV driven by his lover, Bonnie Contreras all in a highway chase Oct. 10, 2013, 2013, on South Loop 1604. Bill was 50. The jury, though, handed Frances the lightest possible murder sentence, agreeing with her defense lawyers that she acted out of sudden passion. The jurys finding of sudden passion thus negates the intent necessary to establish the willful taking of a life under the Texas Estates Code provisions dealing with forfeiture of property, said Keith Miller, a probate lawyer for Frances. Its a shame that Frances Hall, after suffering the loss of her husband, is now being sued by her son. Rickhoff agreed in a brief written ruling denying Justins request to put his fathers half of the estate into a constructive trust. The conviction relied upon by (Justin) does not meet the predicate for imposing a constructive trust, Rickhoffs ruling reads. Ronald S. Schmidt, who represents Dominique, who also is the estates independent administrator, said she opposed Justins legal fight even though she could have financially benefited. Shes always believed that her mother is the rightful heir and beneficiary, having survived her husband and not having been involved in an intentional act that ended her husbands life, Schmidt said. Braswell said he disagrees with the judges ruling. We will decide our next step after we finish reviewing his decision, Braswell said. Bill and Frances estate was valued at $15.5 million in a 2014 court filing in the probate case. At one time, Bill Hall Jr. Trucking had a fleet of more than 100 trucks. Bills share, which was about $7.7 million, has dwindled by $6 million, Braswell has said, blaming Dominique for selling off assets and ruining the businesses. Two of the family trucking companies are in bankruptcy. Rickhoff has previously awarded the proceeds from multiple life insurance policies on Bills life to Frances after Justin indicated he wanted the money to go to his mother. Braswell said Justin was being advised at the time by a lawyer who was conflicted because he also was representing Frances, Dominique and the estate. Justin is suing the lawyer for legal malpractice. Patrick Danner is a San Antonio Express-News staff writer. Read more of his stories here. | pdanner@express-news.net | @AlamoPD This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate The May death of 79-year-old W. Marvin Rush II, the founder of what is today the largest commercial truck dealership chain in North America, has sparked a new feud this one between one of his sons and his widow. Son W.M. Rusty Rush III, the chains chairman, CEO and president, and Marvins third wife, Barbara Rush, have filed dueling wills over the family patriarchs estate. Among the assets at stake is most of Marvins stock in New Braunfels-based Rush Enterprises Inc., the business he started, expanded and later took public. The company now has more than 100 Rush Truck Centers in 22 states. The shares in question were worth almost $74 million at the close of the stock market Friday. Rusty, 60, contends those shares belong to him based on his fathers wishes memorialized in a 2006 will. Barbara, 58, says that her husband of 26 years revoked that will when he made a new one in May 2013 and then another in November 2013. The 2013 wills contain no specific bequest of Marvins shares. Therefore, Barbara says, the shares are part of Marvins residuary estate of which shes the sole beneficiary. Rusty is opposing both wills even though Barbara is only asking the court to declare the November 2013 will valid. He alleges that Marvin suffered from dementia when he signed the 2013 wills. Barbara disagrees. The drama has just begun to unfold in Guadalupe County Court of Law, where Judge Robin Dwyer will oversee the contested probate case. The value of Marvins entire estate has yet to be determined. The new battle follows a lawsuit Rusty filed against his father in 2016 accusing him of reneging on an oral agreement to give him all of his company stock in Rush Enterprises. A judge in February refused Marvins request to toss the case. That case had been set to go to trial Sept. 10 in Bexar County District Court but was postponed due to Marvins death. A representative for Marvins estate will have to be appointed so the case can proceed. While the amount of stock in dispute is significant, its not enough to sway control or impact the operation of Rush Enterprises which has a market value of about $1.7 billion. The two sides, though, even disagree on the reason for the squabbling. Joyce Moore, Rustys lawyer, called it a family fight over Marvins stock. Ricardo Cedillo, Barbaras lawyer, said the fight is about defending and honoring Barbaras husbands name and legacy. Rusty has made disparaging and hurtful allegations about his fathers capacity in the probate case that malign Marvins integrity, generosity, and hard-earned reputation, Cedillo said in an email. Marvin deserves far better treatment after all he accomplished and provided to his family, friends and community in his lifetime. Moore countered, This is purely a fight over Marvins stock. Its what Marvin had promised his son his entire life. We do not wish to malign Mr. Rushs name. Rusty loved his dad. I dont think theres anything, quite frankly in my (court papers) that has disparaged him, Moore added. We tried to be very accurate and careful about the condition he was suffering from. We actually got that information from Barbara and Mr. Cedillo. The probate fight Marvin Rush, who lived in Seguin, died May 17. Rush Enterprises roots sprang from a GMC truck dealership Marvin launched in 1965 in Houston. Marvin eventually bought out two partners, expanded the business and in 1996 made it the first automotive or truck dealership to trade its shares on the open market. The company posted $172 million in profit on $4.7 billion in revenue last year. It employed 6,875 workers as of Dec. 31. Marvin served as Rush Enterprises president until 1995, when he became chairman and CEO. He resigned as CEO in 2006 and Rusty took over. Marvin kept the chairmans title until 2013, when he became chairman emeritus essentially an honorary post that he held until August 2016. Though his affiliation with the company eventually ended, Marvin continued to own Rush Enterprises shares both individually and with Rusty through a partnership called 3MR Partners. Marvins obituary revealed that in his last few years he battled Lewy Body Dementia. The disease can present a range of symptoms, including problems with thinking, memory, moving, and changes in behaviors, according to the Lewy Body Dementia Associations website. On June 4, 18 days after Marvins death, Rusty filed court papers in Guadalupe County seeking to validate the will his father executed in 2006. The will gives Rusty all of Marvins Rush Enterprises Class B shares and his partnership interest in 3MR Partners which was formed decades ago for the purpose of owning and holding certain assets, including shares in Rush Enterprises. The companys latest proxy statement lists Marvin and Rusty as the general partners of 3MR Partners, which held almost 30 percent of the Class B shares voting power. Then, on June 29, Marvins widow Barbara entered her opposition to Rustys application to probate the 2006 will. She says her husband redid his will twice in 2013 revoking the 2006 will. Barbaras filing included a copy of the November 2013 will, which was water-damaged by a flood that inundated the file room of the Houston law firm FizerBeck during Hurricane Harvey. The will was professionally restored, Barbaras filing says. Marvin completely disinherited Rusty in the 2013 wills. I do not wish to make any provision hereunder for my son William Maurice Rush, III, or any of his descendants, Marvin states in both 2013 wills. The November 2013 will indicates Marvin had set up trusts for the benefit of some of his other children and his grandchildren. Even before Marvin made the new wills, he signed a First Codicil in late 2012, according to a copy of the document filed by Barbara in the probate case. In the document, Marvin struck from the 2006 will his intentions to bequeath $2 million to each of four of his other children, citing gifts he had made to them during his life. Marvin was survived by six children. Barbara was named the executor of Marvins estate in the 2006 will and in each of the 2013 wills. Mental capacity On July 9, Rusty filed his opposition to probating either of the 2013 wills arguing that the onset of his fathers dementia was at least five to eight years prior to his death, thus placing Mr. Rushs mental capacity in doubt from May 2010 onward. Cedillo, Barbaras lawyer, disagreed with Rustys assertion that Marvin lacked testamentary capacity. I think his family, friends and business associates who knew him and cared about him would disagree, Cedillo said in an email. But, I also think people who didnt know him personally but had the opportunity to interact with him would disagree. Cedillo provided a link to a YouTube video of a March 22, 2013, presentation Marvin gave to business students at Texas Lutheran University in Seguin. Adjunct professor Dave Sather, who invited Marvin to speak to the students, didnt notice anything wrong with the businessman. I think Marvin was well aware of his surroundings, Sather said in a phone interview. Not only was the presentation clear and well-presented, I think he answered the (students) questions very well. Marvin came back to the university a couple of months later around the time he executed the May 2013 will to have lunch with some of the students, Sather said. He recalled Marvin driving his Rolls Royce on campus. Marvin let my student drive his Rolls Royce down I-10, Sather said. And Marvin goes, Quit driving it like an old woman. Get on it. Marvin was just very engaging that way. Rusty, though, remembers his father differently in his final years. In his July court filing, Rusty says his father ceased being involved in the day-to-day business of Rush Enterprises in 2010. Marvin complained of not being able to concentrate and was often unable to remember recent events. Marvin told the companys board that he intended to step down as its chairman in favor of Rusty in 2011, but subsequently changed his mind, Rusty says in the filing. But in late 2012 and early 2013, it was made clear to (Marvin) by the Board that his resignation was required. The two 2013 wills, which cut Rusty out of any inheritance, represented a dramatic departure from (Marvins) long-standing estate plan of leaving his shares of Stock in Rush Enterprises to his son Rusty, Rustys filing adds. These wills were also executed shortly after Mr. Rush, apparently with the encouragement of his wife, Barbara, had formed an irrational belief that his son Rusty was somehow at fault when the Board of Directors insisted that Mr. Rush step down as Chairman of the Board in May of 2013, Rustys filing continues. Barbara disputes Rustys take, noting the 2013 wills were prepared by the FizerBeck law firm and signed by two witnesses. Jerry Scroggins, one of the FizerBeck lawyers involved, did not respond to a request for comment. If Marvin lacked capacity or was susceptible to undue influence at the time the May 2013 will was made, Barbara wonders how Rusty as Rush Enterprises CEO and president could have entered into a Retirement and Transition Agreement with his father just four days later. Rustys own course of conduct lends itself to the conclusion that (his father) did not lack capacity and was not susceptible to undue influence in 2013, Barbara says in her filing. Otherwise, it means that (Rusty) knowingly engaged in conduct designed to take advantage of his fathers alleged condition to a gross degree. Moore had no comment on the allegation. According to the retirement agreement, Rush Enterprises agreed to pay Marvin $8 million in severance and allowed him free use of the corporate jet and company ranch for four years. He also was provided an office at Rush Enterprises headquarters and an administrative assistant for four years. Dueling wills Dueling wills are not uncommon, according to Dayla S. Pepi, a St. Marys University clinical professor of law who has practiced in estate-planning. She is not involved in Marvins probate case. The court is going to presume that the most recent will from November 2013 is the valid, controlling will, Pepi said. But then the court will make an inquiry into whether Marvin had capacity to execute the will. Just because someone has dementia does not mean they lack capacity, she added. She said its her practice to videotape a client with diminished capacity at a will-execution ceremony. She asks a slew of questions to determine whether the client is competent. If I have that video, it will stave off allegations that he was incapacitated and he didnt know what he was signing, Pepi said. Cedillo did not say whether Marvin was recorded signing the 2013 wills. Moore is expecting a contentious battle over Marvins estate. I imagine it will be a pretty tough fight in probate court, she said. Im assuming it will be. Whatever the outcome, the skirmish may not end in probate court given the pending litigation in Bexar County. I cannot predict what ends Rusty will go to oppose his fathers express testamentary intent, but I am currently left to assume that he will continue the district court lawsuit he filed against his father regardless of the outcome of the probate case, Cedillo said. Moore, though, said she was unsure whether the lawsuit would proceed if Rusty prevails in the probate case. We dont want to get more than what his daddy promised him, she said. Patrick Danner is a staff writer in the San Antonio and Bexar County area. Read him on our free site, mySA.com, and on our subscriber site, ExpressNews.com. | pdanner@express-news.net | Twitter: @AlamoPD Click here to read the full article. Diddy told Page Six that Will Smith and Chris Rock settled their feud after an altercation at the 94th Academy Awards. Rock made a joke about Jada Pinkett Smiths bald head while presenting the documentary feature category (the comedian said he could not wait to see Pinkett Smith star in G.I. Jane 2, a reference to the 1997 film where Demi Moore appears with a shaved head), which resulted in Smith taking to the stage to slap Rock. Smith returned to his seat and yelled at Rock, Keep my wifes name out of your fucking mouth! Thats not a problem, Diddy told Page Six, referencing Smith and Rocks feud. Thats over. I can confirm that. Its all love. Theyre brothers. Diddy was the presenter who appeared on the Oscar telecast right after the altercation between Smith and Rock. Diddy took the stage to introduce the Oscars celebration of the 50th anniversary of The Godfather and addressed the situation that had just played out. Will and Chris, were going to solve this like family, Diddy said on stage. Right now were moving on with love. Everybody make some noise. TMZ spoke to an alleged close friend of Rocks who said the comedian was unaware that Pinkett Smith had alopecia. The source also said that Rock and Smith had not settled their feud and that there has been no communication between them. Smith was spotted after the ceremony at the Vanity Fair Oscar Party dancing with his Oscar statue in hand. Smith was given the Academy Award for best actor thanks to his performance in King Richard. As reported by Variety: The DJ played a medley of Smiths biggest 90s hits while the actor sang along to Gettin Jiggy Wit It and Miami. He shimmied in the middle of a mosh pit of his fans at the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts in Beverly Hills, swinging his gold statue in the air. Varietys senior culture and events editor Marc Malkin asked Will Smith how he was doing after the slap and his Oscar win, to which the actor replied, Its all love. During his best actor acceptance speech, Smith apologized to the Academy and his fellow nominees for his behavior. Smith did not apologize to Rock during the speech. The Academy issued its own statement following the ceremony in which it said it does not condone violence of any form. Sign up for Varietys Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Photo taken on March 9, 2022 shows people at the China-Laos Railway's Muangxay Station in Muangxay, northern Laos. (Photo by Kaikeo Saiyasane/Xinhua) The fourth doses will be offered to frontline workers, people with immunodeficiency or chronic disease, and people over the age of 60 in Laos. VIENTIANE, March 29 (Xinhua) -- The Lao Ministry of Health plans to offer fourth doses of COVID-19 vaccines to healthcare workers and people at risk of serious illness starting in April to shield vulnerable groups from the Omicron variant. Booster shots will be used to ramp up levels of antibodies to the virus, which will reduce the risk of severe illness, the local daily Vientiane Times reported on Monday. The fourth doses will be offered to frontline workers, people with immunodeficiency or chronic disease, and people over the age of 60, according to the report. A man receives a dose of China's Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine at a vaccination center in Vientiane, Laos, June 17, 2021. (Photo by Kaikeo Saiyasane/Xinhua) Additional vaccinations will also be rolled out in provinces that are heavily reliant on tourism or where infection rates are high. The Pfizer and AstraZeneca vaccines will be offered to people who received their third dose at least three months ago. Second in line for a fourth vaccination will be police, officials working at border crossings, diplomats, and incoming workers. The next group to get booster shots will be people working in crowded places such as banks, tourism-related businesses and factories, followed by the general public. People who have already contracted COVID-19 can get a first, second or third vaccination two months after recovery. A fourth dose will be given to people who had a first booster shot more than three months ago. The health authorities are concerned that the Omicron may spread throughout the country, especially among the unvaccinated 12 to 17-year-olds. According to the Center of Information and Education for Health, 75.72 percent of the eligible population have had a first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, 60.4 percent have had a second dose, and 16 percent have had three doses. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Let me be clear: Will Smith was wrong, and love likely had nothing to do with it. The star of King Richard won the Oscar for best actor for his portrayal of the tough father of tennis greats Venus and Serena Williams on Sunday night. But hell probably be remembered for slapping Chris Rock in the face onstage after the comedian made a joke about his wife Jada Pinkett Smiths bald head. Rock said he was excited to see her in a potential sequel of the movie, G.I. Jane, in which the lead character has a shaven head. Pinkett Smith has alopecia and has been open about her hair loss journey, sharing it on her popular Facebook Watch series, Red Table Talk, in 2018. She completely shaved her head in December. A few days before the Oscars, Pinkett Smith talked about her hair loss on TikTok: I feel the freedom today. I don't give two craps what people think of this bald head of mine. Because guess what? I love it. When the cameras panned to the couple at the Oscars, Smith initially laughed at Rocks joke, while Pinkett Smith rolled her eyes. 'IT COMES WITH THE TERRITORY': A timeline of Will Smith and Chris Rocks beef What happened on the Oscar stage Sunday night isnt just about Pinkett Smiths hair loss. It also isnt about Smiths professed love for his wife that he spoke of in his tearful apology while accepting the Oscar. Rock has declined to press charges, according to Los Angeles Police Department. There are many layers, some of which we may never know, to what triggered Smith to walk onto a very public stage and slap a Hollywood colleague. An ongoing beef between Smith and Rock? Maybe. Defending his wifes honor? Possibly. A boiling point after years of jokes about his marriage with Pinkett Smith, who has admitted to having an entanglement with her sons 22-year-old friend in 2015? Perhaps. But lets not forget that Smith grew up in a household of extreme domestic violence, watching his father beat his mother. He talks about it in his best-selling memoir, Will, which published in November and quickly became a New York Times best seller. Humor became his way of coping. Its one of the major defense mechanisms in dealing with trauma, says Dr. Kathy Flanagan, a psychiatrist in private practice. Domestic violence can manifest itself in so many ways in a childs development into adulthood, she says. Sometimes those who have been traumatized have a basic mistrust of others. We also can see mental conditions that can develop, like bipolar, substance-use disorder and clinical depression and anxiety. There are many layers and complexities to domestic violence. According to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, nearly 20 people every minute are physically abused by an intimate partner in the U.S., totaling more than 10 million and women. For an adult who experienced domestic violence as a child and likely felt unprotected, there can be a hyper-sensitivity to protecting his own family. In his apology, Smith used that as the reason for his violent act. HE COULD HAVE KILLED HIM': Celebrities weigh in on Will Smith slap Perhaps he was triggered from his childhood trauma and the feeling of not being protected as a child in a household with violence, Flanagan says. Some on social media claim that if Rock had been a white comedian, Smith would not have acted in such a manner in a public forum. Some say the incident between two Black men might set the Oscars back. In 2015, the hashtag #OscarsSoWhite began trending and ultimately forced the award show to make a concerted effort to be more inclusive. Sundays night awards roster seemed to represent strides. Then others claim had it been two white men, it would be viewed as an altercation between men, not an implication about a race of people. Still, a night that should have been a celebration for Smith, King Richard, the Williams sisters and the Black actors involved in the award-winning movie was overshadowed by violence. Also lost in the chaos of the night was a celebration for Samuel L. Jackson, who received his first ever Oscar - an honorary Academy Award for lifetime achievement. Smith apologized to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and his fellow nominees for the disruption. I look like the crazy father, just like they said about Richard Williams, Smith said, referring to the character he played in King Richard. But love will make you do crazy things. Love doesnt make you do crazy things. But being a victim of domestic violence with unresolved healing might. Two Fort Hood soldiers were sentenced to prison for their roles in a human smuggling operation involving several military members, the Department of Justice said. U.S. Army soldiers Isaiah Gore, 21, and Denerio Williams, 22, pleaded guilty in December 2021 to conspiring to transport undocumented individuals. Gore was sentenced to 30 months in prison, and Williams received a 24-month sentence. Both will serve three years of probation after their sentences. Fellow soldier Ivory Palmer, 21, pleaded guilty on Jan. 10 to participating in the human smuggling operation, and soldiers Emmanuel Oppongagyare and Ralph Gregory Saint-Joie pleaded guilty in August 2021. All three are awaiting sentencing. On ExpressNews.com: Authorities arrest 9, discover 15 immigrants near Somerset amid uptick in violent crime in the area Homeland Security Investigations agents were alerted to the smuggling scheme on June 13, 2021, after Oppongagyare and Saint-Joie were arrested at the Hebbronville Border Patrol checkpoint for transporting two undocumented people. When questioned by authorities, the two said that Gore recruited them to smuggle the people for $2,000 per person. Authorities learned that Gore had approached numerous people with the same offer: to pick people up from the border while wearing their Army uniforms to avoid detection and drive them to Gore in North Texas, a federal complaint said. Williams participated in a smuggling run on June 11 with Oppongagyare. Authorities said they picked up someone in McAllen and drove the person, in the trunk of their vehicle, to an apartment complex in the San Antonio area. Also on June 11, Palmer and Saint-Joie made another trip south from Fort Hood in Killeen before they were informed that there was no longer anyone to pick up. On ExpressNews.com: Police detain more than 20 people seen exiting 18-wheeler parked at Westover Hills shopping plaza Gore later told authorities that he was recruited by members of a human smuggling operation and was paid on delivery. Gore and Williams were permitted to surrender voluntarily to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility at a later date. Gore has since been discharged from the Army. U.S. District Judge Marina Garcia Marmolejo, who sentenced the two soldiers, said that as military members, they were not the average citizen, which justified a tougher sentence, the DOJ said. taylor.pettaway@express-news.net | @TaylorPettaway When the recent wildfire in Medina County crept up on the High Mountain Ranch neighborhood on Saturday, Eric Collins was taking a nap with his five dogs and one cat. His wife was out of the house, so when a neighbor called to tell him what was heading their way, he leaped up and started packing the car. He crammed his three German shepherds, one border collie, one wiener dog and a cat named Milkshakes into his Chevrolet EV Bolt, and peeled out of the driveway. Smoke and ash clouded the sky, and the glow from the fire was just over the bend. The exit was blocked by emergency vehicles, so a first responder led him to the opposite side of the neighborhood to wait in his car. I had terrible (phone) reception, and so did my wife, so I knew she was safe and out of the neighborhood, but she didnt know I was OK, the 39-year-old said. It was really stressful. His pets reacted to that stress. The wiener dog vomited in his lap, the German shepherds barked, and the cat meowed anxiously. It was nearly two hours before he could leave and find his wife, Amy. Meanwhile, the fire got right up to our fence, Collins said. It was so close to burning it down. At 9 a.m. Tuesday, people like the Collinses who evacuated while firefighters battled the blaze were able to return home to scorched land and empty houses. The Medina County Office of Emergency Management opened County Road 2615, which had been blocked due to the fire, while the entrance to High Mountain Ranch, a development that was most severely affected by the fire, was opened for residents only. Some people who were evacuated were able to return home over the weekend, but emergency management personnel instructed others to wait until the county road was cleared. Im feeling much better today than this weekend. Thats for sure, Amy Collins said. Itll be really nice to go home finally. On ExpressNews.com: Medina fire largely contained after burning nearly 1,100 acres The wildfire, which officials are calling the Das Goat Fire, ripped through nearly 1,100 acres after a car caught fire. Dry conditions and wind fed the fire until it blazed out of control Saturday afternoon, prompting the county to issue an evacuation alert at 4:40 p.m. Most evacuated families were able to go to familys or friends homes on short notice, while 10 to 15 people found shelter at Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church in Helotes. Collins and his wife were able to stay with her sister in Devine, Texas, 45 minutes south of their home. But while the fire is controlled, high winds and dry conditions will increase this week, and officials are advising residents to stay cautious and vigilant about fire starters. Cigarettes, metal and any kind of flammable liquid should be properly discarded, and residents should report any unattended fire. A red flag warning was in effect through 8 p.m. Tuesday for much of South and Central Texas, with another issued for 10 a.m. through 8 p.m. Wednesday. Dry periods like this could also be more prevalent in the future. John Nielsen-Gammon, a climatologist with Texas A&M Universitys department of atmospheric sciences, said the last time wildfires occurred this frequently was in 2011, but this year is even drier than that year. Humidity will increase as we get into the summer, but it could indeed be a relatively dry summer, Nielsen-Gammon said. It really depends on how much rain we get over the next few months, but as the summer goes on, things tend to get drier. West Texas is far drier than San Antonio, but fires in grasslands tend to be easier to contain than fires in forests and woodlands because of how accessible they are. In Texas Hill Country, there is more fuel for wildfires, which humidity usually prevents. Under normal circumstances, Hill Country gets enough moisture that fires arent a problem, Nielsen-Gammon said. But this year, weve got the dry conditions to start with, and then its a matter of whether you get the weather and wind, which can allow for rapid fire spread. Laura, an area resident who declined to give her last name, was evacuated from her home in Mico, a town by Medina Lake, on Saturday and returned Tuesday morning with her husband and two children. Their quickly packed bags, which included sentimental items and important documents, will remain ready to go this week in case the fire reemerges. While their home wasnt too close to the fire, she said it was hard to breathe when they left. Her children reacted to the ash and smoke. We want to be prepared because what if we have to leave like that again, Laura said. You have to think about whats important in such a short amount of time. In the High Mountain Ranch neighborhood, large swaths of woody areas were burned, leaving white ashy cedar and oak trees and charred cacti. Three homes were destroyed in the fire, and others were damaged. One family lost part of its deck and a chunk of their yard. Another came home to a devastated storage garage and a melted metal shed. Some power lines were torn down, and fire retardant easily spotted by its pink color layered homes and streaked gravel driveways. But the damage could have been a lot worse, said Clint Cooke, Medina Countys fire chief. This is going to be a dry year, he said. But Id like to think we are always prepared and will be ready for it. Wildfires and charred neighborhoods may become more common in the San Antonio area. Extreme weather due to climate change will cause more intense weather patterns in Texas during the next few decades, Nielsen-Gammon said. We are seeing gradual increases in temperature, which means that things dry out faster when it doesnt rain, he said. Itll be drier longer than it used to be on average. But rainfall can be so variable, so the next decade is still uncertain. For now, families are happy to be home again. Collins, who is selling his home at the ranch neighborhood, was cheerful as he packed his chair to head back four dogs in one car, two dogs and a cat in the other. He tossed a ball with the border collie for a bit. Theyll be happy to be home, he said. Elena Bruess writes for the Express-News through Report for America, a national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms. ReportforAmerica.org. elena.bruess@express-news.net A known San Antonio gang member was convicted of multiple federal drug and firearm charges, the Department of Justice said. Kenton Maurice Haynes, 27, after a four-day jury trial, was found guilty of one count of receipt of a firearm under indictment, one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime and one count of possession with intent to distribute. Police arrested Haynes on March 26, 2020, after they observed him and 29-year-old Kevin Johnson Jr. driving in circles in an empty parking lot in San Antonio. Officers watched Haynes park and reposition the vehicle several times before another car parked next to Haynes. On ExpressNews.com: Leader of violent drug cartel indicted in San Antonio; arrest is one of the most important ... of the past decade When the other driver got into Haynes backseat, officers arrested all three for a drug transaction taking place, the DOJ said. Haynes had a loaded handgun with a high-capacity magazine and $2,700 in cash. Johnson also had a loaded handgun and $10,000 in cash. Almost 3 pounds of marijuana, ecstasy and cocaine were also in the car. At the time of the arrest, Haynes was a known member of the Bloods and Neighborhood Piru gangs, the DOJ said. He was also wanted on multiple felony warrants for drug and weapons offenses and was under a felony indictment for state charges. On ExpressNews.com: Authorities bust meth network stretching from Hondo to Mexico He is scheduled to be sentenced in August. He faces up to five years in prison for the receiving a firearm under indictment and drug charges, as well as a mandatory minimum of five years for the firearm possession charge. Johnson, meanwhile, pleaded guilty to multiple drug and weapons charges and will be sentenced in July. taylor.pettaway@express-news.net | @TaylorPettaway The San Antonio area remains under a red flag warning as weather conditions heightened the risk of fire across the region. The National Weather Service has issued the red flag warning until 8 p.m. Tuesday, in addition to a wind advisory from 1 p.m. Tuesday through 4 p.m. Wednesday. The warning and advisory are likely to continue Wednesday. As court fights continue over the constitutionality of Gov. Greg Abbotts mass arrests of migrants at the Texas-Mexico border, new legal filings describe an ongoing and consistent pattern of men being illegally detained for a month or more as their cases stagnate in overwhelmed courts. Nearly eight months after the state began arresting migrants and prosecuting them on trespassing charges under Abbotts order, a group of defense attorneys told the states highest criminal court that some men are still locked up for months before the courts give them an attorney or prosecutors file misdemeanor charges against them, in violation of state laws. Texas laws require that criminal defendants be assigned an attorney within three days of asking for one, and misdemeanor defendants be released from jail pending trial if prosecutors do not file charges within 30 days after arrest. Those deadlines are regularly surpassed, according to the legal briefing from Texas RioGrande Legal Aid, which represents hundreds of migrant men accused of trespassing on private property. Two men were detained in a state prison for nearly five months, unable to post bonds of $1,500, without being assigned lawyers or having any charges filed against them, defense lawyers said. And efforts to fix the due-process violations and get the men out of prison, attorneys say, have been met with further delay by court officials in rural Kinney County, where the majority of Abbotts trespassing arrests have occurred. Those unlawfully incarcerated in Kinney County have become pawns in the larger political debate about whether the Biden administration is adequately addressing border crossings, defense attorney E.G. Morris wrote to the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals last week. The claims were raised in a legal fight now before the Court of Criminal Appeals, in which Kinney County is seeking to prevent a Travis County judge from ruling on the legality of hundreds of migrants trespassing arrests. The same judge in January found one migrants arrest under Abbotts Operation Lone Star border initiative unconstitutional, and defense attorneys are hoping to leverage that ruling to help more than 400 other men. Kinney County is asking the high court to find that Travis County courts have no jurisdiction over Kinney County cases. It is apparent that these, and other, applicants are foregoing the functioning courts of Kinney County and seeking more agreeable counties and/or courts for their complaints, David Schulman, acting assistant Kinney County attorney, wrote to the high court. In legal briefings, Kinney County representatives did not respond to the allegations of unlawfully detained migrants and instead focused on the jurisdiction challenge. Neither the Kinney County judge nor the county attorney, who prosecutes misdemeanor crimes, responded to questions about the defense attorneys filings. In July, Abbott ordered state troopers along parts of the border to arrest men suspected of crossing into the country illegally on state charges, most often trespassing on private property. The aggressive law enforcement tactic was the governors latest response to a rise in illegal border crossings. But the new arrests quickly resulted in a flurry of legal missteps as Kinney County officials failed to keep up with the flood of defendants. By September, a local state district judge had ordered the release of nearly 250 men after they sat in prison for more than a month without having any criminal charges filed against them. Dozens had not been assigned a lawyer. There wasnt the prosecutorial capacity to keep up with the number of arrests that DPS was making, plain and simple, Department of Public Safety director Steve McCraw said at a legislative hearing on the operation three weeks ago. Its one thing to say, Oh yeah, we can handle that. Its another thing all of a sudden when youve got large numbers being booked into jail. The state brought in judges, prosecutors and defense attorneys to help with the caseload, and court hearings soon picked up speed. From October to February, Kinney County reported holding nearly 1,700 court hearings for the trespassing cases, resulting in nearly 500 men pleading guilty. But the problem, the defense attorneys say, is far from over. DPS has reported more than 3,000 criminal trespassing arrests, the large majority of which have occurred in Kinney County. Those who cant afford to post bond still typically linger in prison between three and four months before they are able to go before a judge, the legal aid group said. At this first court hearing, men are offered immediate release from prison in exchange for a guilty plea. If they plead not guilty, they remain in jail indefinitely. The county has yet to schedule a trial for a trespassing arrest. And getting courts to release men who have been detained beyond legal deadlines is hard to do in the conservative border county, the lawyers said. Such delays have only worsened, they said, after Kinney County Judge Tully Shahan dismissed state-assigned judges who had been hearing such cases and releasing unlawfully imprisoned men, swapping them out with five judges of his own choosing. The legal group said the new judges either simply refuse to hear the cases now or do so with lengthy delay. In late February, the lawyers filed for the release of men held too long. Attorneys were told it would be late April before a hearing was held. The delays, defense attorneys argue, are what prompted the men to seek relief from their due-process violations outside of Kinney County, the focus of the lawsuit before the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals. County representatives call the move forum shopping, as the defense groups sought out more liberal counties to rule against arrests ordered by the Republican governor, and asked the high court to halt other counties from ruling on their arrests. The migrants lawyers counter that the move was necessary to follow Texas laws on due process, a constitutional right that applies to migrants as well as U.S. citizens. Once they start watering down these protections, theyre watered down for all of us, Kristin Etter, an attorney with Texas RioGrande Legal Aid, told The Texas Tribune. Its designed to safeguard individual freedoms over overreaching government power, and its a sacred pillar of jurisprudence. The Texas Tribune is a nonprofit, nonpartisan media organization that informs Texans about public policy, politics, government and statewide issues. Nearly 500,000 people have traded in a different states license and registered as a Texas driver since the pandemic began suggesting that hundreds of thousands of people moved to Texas since March 2020. Specifically, 468,426 people from the other 49 states and the District of Columbia have registered a drivers license in one of Texas 254 counties as of January 2022. About 20% of these people are from California. More than 92,560 former Californians forfeited their drivers license in Texas during the pandemic. Thats nearly three times the number of Floridian drivers the second largest group. In Bexar County, 19% of surrendered licenses were from California, followed by Florida at 8.4%. This is in line with state trends. Travis County home to Austin attracted the largest group of Californians. Comal County had the highest ratio of licenses surrendered compared to population. This is aligned with U.S. census data that show the population in that region exploding in recent years. The number of surrendered licenses peaked in October 2021 when 29,555 people officially became Texas residents. That doesn't necessarily mean they moved in October, however many people blow past the state's 90-day deadline to surrender. Only 40 people surrendered a license in Bexar County during April and May 2020, which drops the monthly average during COVID to 1,441 people every month. But in 2021 alone, an average of 1,695 people forfeited their previous states license in Bexar County every month. About the data The Texas Department of Public Safety requires new Texas drivers to register their vehicle within 30 days of moving to the state and get a new drivers license within 90 days. Of course, not all new residents complete this task. The data does not account for new residents who do not drive or those who have opted to keep their license from a previous state. The data includes people whose previous states drivers license has expired, and though they may have lived in Texas for years, they were late to obtain a Texas driver's license. Work on China-funded auditorium building begins at Cambodia's Army Institute Xinhua) 09:29, March 29, 2022 KAMPONG SPEU, Cambodia, March 28 (Xinhua) -- The construction work of a China-funded auditorium building began at the Army Institute here in Phnom Sruoch district on Monday. Vong Pisen, commander-in-chief of the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces, and Colonel Zhu Shuaifei, deputy military attache of the Chinese Embassy to Cambodia, presided over the groundbreaking ceremony for the five-story building, which was attended by hundreds of military students and teachers. Speaking at the event, Pisen thanked China for its assistance to Cambodia's socio-economic development, saying the building caters to Cambodia's need for a better training facility. "When completed, this auditorium building will be an important venue for training human resources in the national defense," he added. Zhu said the building will not only provide a better training facility for military students, but also contribute to further deepening the fraternal friendship between the two armies. (Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun) People wearing face masks get off a train at Union Station in Chicago, the United States, on Feb. 28, 2022. (Photo by Vincent D. Johnson/Xinhua) The seven-day average of vaccine doses of all types given in the United States fell to 127,000 per day this week, according to data tracked by The Hill. That marks a steady decline since January, when more than 1 million shots per day were being administered. LOS ANGELES, March 28 (Xinhua) -- The number of COVID-19 vaccinations per day in the United States has fallen to the lowest level since the early days of the inoculation campaign in 2020, while new Omicron subvariant led to rise in infections in country. The seven-day average of vaccine doses of all types given in the country fell to 127,000 per day this week, according to data tracked by The Hill. That marks a steady decline since January, when more than 1 million shots per day were being administered. The seven-day average number of administered vaccine doses over the past week was a 27.1 decrease from the previous week, according to data of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). As of March 23, about 255 million people, or 76.8 percent of the total U.S. population, have received at least one dose of vaccine. About 217.2 million people, or 65.4 percent of the total U.S. population, have been fully vaccinated, CDC data show. However, less than half of the total booster-eligible population has not yet received a booster dose. About 96.9 million booster doses have been reported in people who have been fully vaccinated, according to CDC data. Experts said booster shots are particularly important in the face of the Omicron variant, which has a greater ability to evade the protection from two doses of the vaccine. The lagging rates in COVID-19 vaccinations and boosters left the United States more vulnerable to a potential new increase in cases, as is starting to happen in Europe, even with higher booster rates in many countries. A woman jogs by the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool in Washington, D.C., the United States, on March 4, 2022. (Photo by Ting Shen/Xinhua) "Periodic reminder that U.S. booster coverage is terrible, especially considering most in this group are not opposed to vaccines in general and many are high risk (age or otherwise)," tweeted Jason Schwartz, a professor at the Yale School of Public Health. Amid the slowdown in vaccinations, the BA.2 sub-lineage of the Omicron variant is steadily gaining its ground in the country, with infections almost doubling each week in February, CDC data show. The BA.2 variant now makes up over one third of new COVID-19 infections in the United States. This data is up from 22.3 percent a week prior, and 15.8 percent two weeks before. In the northeastern part of the country, BA.2's prevalence has surpassed 50 percent in the latest week. The rapid spread of the variant coincided with the start of the allergy season, which may complicate symptoms and delay timely distinction. With COVID-19 cases rising in parts of Europe and Asia due to BA.2's rapid spread, scientists worry that the variant may soon push cases up in the United States too. Anthony Fauci, the nation's top infectious disease expert, said he expects "an uptick in cases" due to BA.2, but not necessarily a massive surge like other variants have caused. A snarling pack of white male Republicans ripping apart a poised, brainy Black woman at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing, using sordid innuendoes and baseless claims about race and porn to smear her as her pained family sat behind her. It has been 31 years since I watched this scene, disgusted, when Anita Hill was questioned during confirmation hearings for Justice Clarence Thomas. Now Ketanji Brown Jackson has been cast into the same medieval torture chamber on Capitol Hill, with Democrats once more struggling to shield their witness from being mauled. This time, the male Torquemadas were joined by a female inquisitor, Marsha Blackburn. The Tennessee Republican is all magnolia Southern charm until she spits venom. Can you provide a definition for the word woman? Blackburn asked Judge Jackson, invoking the controversy over a transgender swimmer from the University of Pennsylvania. Blackburns question inspired Tucker Carlson to later hold up a graphic of a womans reproductive system, along with a silhouette of a woman so shapely that Roger Ailes would have approved. What is a woman? Jackson shows that a woman is someone who stays cool in the face of calumny and is headed for the Supreme Court. And that will be justice for Justice Jackson. A better question might be: What is a senator? Is it a dolt who cares more about boosting unrealistic presidential ambitions with distorted information than making the Senate, for once, look like a dignified body? Feral Republicans took an exemplary record and twisted it to make Jackson look like an enabler of pedophiles. Tom Cotton all but accused her of lying, just as Arlen Specter accused Hill of perjury based on nothing. Less than a year ago, Lindsey Graham voted to confirm Jackson for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, calling her qualified. Now he berates her with odd questions and seems to blame her for Brett Kavanaughs grilling. If only John McCain could appear to him like Hamlets fathers ghost and slap him into shape. Perhaps Joe Biden sees his selection of Jackson as a sort of expiation for his dismal performance as committee chair for the Hill-Thomas hearings. Biden allowed the Republicans to run wild, and then he shut down the hearings before Hills backup witnesses testified. He cleared the path for Clarence Thomas, a liar and sexual harasser, to ascend to a lifetime appointment on the Supreme Court and impose his far-right views on the country. As Jill Abramson wrote in the Times Opinion section, the courts 6-3 majority now seems to be reshaping itself in Justice Thomas image. In a speech at Notre Dame last year, Thomas lamented, We have lost the capacity, even I think as leaders, to not allow others to manipulate our institutions when we dont get the outcomes we like. And yet manipulating institutions is exactly what his wife, Ginni, tried to do. As Bob Woodward and Robert Costa reported in a Washington Post-CBS News bombshell, the conservative activist worked frantically to overturn the results of the 2020 election, calling it an obvious fraud, as Donald Trump and his allies were vowing to go to her husbands court to nullify Bidens win. Ginni Thomas has had a chip on her shoulder since the Hill-Thomas hearings she shamelessly left Hill a voice message in 2010 asking for an apology and no doubt she thought if she could help claw back the presidency from Biden, that would be sweet revenge. In a cascade of text messages, she urged Trumps chief of staff, Mark Meadows, to get Trump back into the Oval. Help This Great President stand firm, Mark!!! she pleaded, adding, The majority knows Biden and the Left is attempting the greatest Heist of our History. Ginni who attended the Jan. 6 rally before the raid on the Capitol started urged Meadows to Release the Kraken. The Republicans badgering Jackson arent asking a single question about the explosive revelations regarding Ginni Thomas and nor are the rest of their party. Did the justice know what his wife was doing? Was he OK with it? Does he accept that he must recuse himself from cases dealing with Jan. 6 and the election? Apparently not. Justice Thomas has already participated in two cases related to the 2020 election and its aftermath, despite his wifes direct involvement in the so-called Stop the Steal efforts, Jane Mayer reported in The New Yorker. When the court rejected Trumps request to prevent the Jan. 6 committee from getting his records relating to the attempt to overturn the election results, Thomas was the sole dissenter. Do the records implicate Ginni? Stephen Gillers, a judicial ethicist, told Mayer that it was Clarence Thomas duty to know about Ginnis crusade: Dont ask, dont tell is not an acceptable strategy for the Thomases marriage. Thomas should never have been on the court. Now that we know his wife was plotting the overthrow of the government, he should get off or be thrown off. You cant administer justice when your spouse is running around strategizing for a coup. Homeowners dread going to the mailbox in the first quarter of the year and seeing that letter from the Bexar Appraisal District because that means its property tax season. Every year we are shocked at how much our property taxes have increased. Property taxes are the largest tax assessed in Texas. They are critical to help pay for police, firefighters, EMS and other municipal needs, but we must strike a balance that does not further burden homeowners. In 2017, I spearheaded the first-ever city homestead tax exemption, and in 2019 it became reality. The exemption was for the states minimum allowed $5,000. While this was a milestone to provide property tax relief to San Antonio homeowners, more should be done. Bexar County just followed the citys lead and passed a $5,000 homestead exemption, and I challenge other taxing authorities to enact or increase a homestead exemption to provide real relief to homeowners. City Council will debate raising our homestead exemption as we begin our annual budget discussions. During last years budget discussions, Councilman John Courage and I proposed an increase but were not supported by our colleagues. While council members agreed we need to provide relief to homeowners, they ultimately were concerned with the potential impact on the citys operating budget. One of the arguments against increasing the homestead exemption was that the savings a homeowner would receive were not worth the revenue the city would forgo. Opponents are quick to state that this loss in revenue would impact our emergency services budget, but that is not the case. Every year our budget increases by approximately $15 million due to increasing property taxes. To move to a 5 percent exemption would only cost an additional $8.6 million, which is well within the total property tax increase for the city. The goal is to eventually reach the states maximum allowed amount of 20 percent, similar to what other Texas cities provide. City Council recently passed a CPS Energy rate increase with the justification that it was only a few dollars extra to the ratepayer. Why is it when we speak about saving homeowners a few dollars, it is dismissed? New census data shows that San Antonio is among the poorest cities in the nation. We cannot allow San Antonians to be priced out of their homes. A recent letter from the Texas Association of Appraisal Districts stated that regions around the state have seen increases in values between 20-50 percent since last year. Based on the repeat home sale index in the San Antonio-New Braunfels metropolitan area, housing prices have risen 18.37 percent. With such astronomical increases, we cannot solely rely on the Legislature to provide relief. We must do our part. Our community continues to suffer and needs tax relief now. Council will continue this conversation during the budget goal-setting session April 13. If you think the city and other taxing authorities should do more to help our residents, I urge you to contact your council member to express concerns over rising taxes and encourage increasing the homestead exemption. Then call all the other taxing entities such as school districts, Alamo Colleges District and the San Antonio River Authority and tell them the same. This is a community effort. The homestead exemption is not the only solution; however, it is a tool we have available to keep our neighbors in their houses. Now is the time to make this happen. City Councilman Clayton Perry represents District 10. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate As oil production is booming in Texas, Gov. Greg Abbott on Monday was putting a big focus on the states growing renewable energy sector during a speech in Austin. You can have fossil fuels while at the very same time be leaders in renewable energy, Abbott told a group with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, touting the states growing wind and solar energy production. Weve got to be very clear that all forms of energy are essential. Abbott called Texas an international leader in wind power and predicted it will be the No. 1 state for solar energy by the end of the year. It was a very different tone from a year ago when Abbott appeared to blame renewable energy sources specifically wind turbines for failing during the 2021 winter storm that left millions of Texans without power and resulted in more than 200 cold-related deaths. This shows how the Green New Deal would be a deadly deal for the United States of America, Abbott said in an interview on Fox News Channel with host Sean Hannity last February. Our wind and our solar got shut down, and they were collectively more than 10 percent of our power grid, and that thrust Texas into a situation where it was lacking power on a statewide basis. While some wind farms were down, others remained in operation. The states bigger problem during the 2021 winter storm was fossil fuel disruptions and electricity providers that had not winterized their facilities as detailed by a Houston Chronicle investigation. FAILURES OF POWER: Texas politicians knowingly blew 3 chances to fix the failing power grid It wasnt just Abbott. Republicans in the Texas Legislature have loudly criticized federal policies in the aftermath of the storm for giving tax incentives to solar and wind production that they say have tilted the energy market too much to benefit renewables. But Abbott on Monday sounded more like an advocate for the states growing renewable energy sector. Oil and gas are going to continue to remain necessary for national security, for daily usage, but at the same time you can promote renewables, which Texas is both a national and international leader in, he told the U.S. Chamber of Commerces Committee of 100. Abbott also touted the states booming oil industry, which will help cut prices at the pump. And he pushed back against those who have tarnished fossil fuels. ALSO MONDAY: Texas oil and gas jobs make biggest leap in over a decade Abbotts focus on renewable energy comes as his Democratic opponent for re-election, Beto ORourke, has been talking about the same issue. Just moments before Abbott spoke in Austin, ORourke was on social media talking about the need for diversifying the energy sector. Texas can leverage our oil and gas expertise to lead on new energy sources like geothermal power, offshore wind and hydrogen, he said. We can create jobs and make America more energy independent. Climate scientists have said the world must shift quickly away from fossil fuels to avoid the worst impacts of climate change. But 60 percent of U.S. electricity still comes from carbon-based fuels. Some estimates show the nation would have to double or triple wind and solar capacity over the next few years to meet aggressive fossil fuel reduction plans touted by the Biden administration. jeremy.wallace@chron.com NFU Scotland is calling on the Scottish government to increase the agri-environment budget to fund the levels of investment required for farmers to comply with new slurry storage rules. The Scottish governments Water Environment Amendment Regulations 2021 came into force on 1 January 2022. The rules require minimum slurry storage of 22 weeks for housed cattle and 26 weeks for housed pigs across Scotland. But NFU Scotland said the the regulations "deliver nothing" for the Scottish economy or for rural communities dependent on agricultural production. Funding for slurry storage investment must be ring-fenced within the Agri-Environment Climate Scheme (AECS), the union said. The grant rate available per project must also be increased and for the funding to be made more widely accessible. From a total AECS budget of some 290m since 2016, figures show that less than 2% has been allocated to slurry storage, with only 134 slurry storage applications approved. In addition, while the focus of investment through the Sustainable Agricultural Capital Grant Scheme (SACGS) has shifted to precision slurry applications and slurry store covers, NFU Scotland said the limited 5m earmarked for this year "falls short of the funding required". To be effective in reducing emissions and enhancing the environment, the union said SACGS must be expanded in terms of overall available funding, eligible expenditure, funding per business and grant rates. NFU Scotland President, Martin Kennedy said: Transformational funding needs to be made available in addition to the backstop of regulatory compliance. The financial impacts of compliance with new regulations on slurry on some farms and crofts may threaten their economic viability. "A proportionate solution is required that delivers the desired environmental outcomes without excessive or business threatening costs to individual farms and crofts." He added: A significantly enhanced support package is crucial to delivery of the new regulations and vital if production levels from some Scottish livestock farms is to be maintained. Farmers have been urged to turn their farms into 'fortresses' to protect against diesel and fertiliser thieves amid a surge in prices. Concerns have been raised due to a combination of high prices and shortages which could lead to a surge in farmers red diesel tanks and fertiliser stores becoming targets. Despite reductions in fuel duty following the Chancellors spring statement last week, white diesel is still costing over 1.75 a litre at many service stations. Farmers are also chasing supplies of red diesel to keep their tractors working. Although it is subject to lower tax, the fuel is almost double the cost it was a year ago. Meanwhile, fertiliser prices have increased up to four-fold in the last year and supplies have dried up as high gas prices mean it is not economic for manufacturers to keep production going. While some farmers are unable to get hold of fertiliser and others are refusing to order stocks at current prices, others who bought early have increasingly valuable stocks in their farm buildings. Responding to these issues, NFU Mutual said over the years it had found that criminals 'react very quickly' to target goods which have become expensive and in short supply. Rebecca Davidson, rural affairs specialist at the insurer said: Together the price rises and shortages are threatening future food supplies. Police are reporting an increase in thefts from fuel tanks. We are urging farmers to review security measures and make plans to reduce the risk of diesel being taken, when tractors and combines are left out in the fields." She added: In the past, fertiliser thefts have been rare and farmers havent needed to put security in place to protect stocks. "However, the huge swing in prices makes it possible that thieves will be on the lookout for stored fertiliser and may even try to use farms own machinery to load it up to lorries. Every farm is different, and needs security measures appropriate to its location, layout and operation but with normal trading hugely disrupted, everyone needs to up their game. In recent weeks, some farmers have started to plan increased on-farm red diesel storage tanks because of fears of shortages and even higher prices through harvest. Over the last decade, many farmers have reduced the amount of fuel they store on farm because of the theft risk. Ms Davidson said: "If its now good planning to keep more diesel on farm, care needs to be taken to place the tanks out of public view and put security measures in place. As well as the loss of expensive fuel, thieves often damage tanks leaving fuel running into the ground where it can cause horrendous pollution." How can I bolster security? NFU Mutual has issued security tips for farmers with fuel tanks: Record the number, location, tank storage capacity and the date/times when tanks are filled and regularly check levels. Where possible locate the tank where it can be viewed from the farmhouse. Ideally tanks should be within an enclosed compound with secured access. Fit a fuel tank alarm to notify you of an attack on fuel tanks. Make sure that the tank is suitably bunded to prevent release into the ground, causing pollution. And for fertiliser stores: Keep field and farmyard gates closed and locked, and block exit points that arent used. Install and use intruder alarm systems, which may have a local sounder or remotely monitored signalling. Install security lighting to illuminate any suspicious activity and consider CCTV. Keep fertiliser stocks out of sight in locked buildings. If storing of AN exceeds 25 tonnes, display appropriate warning signs and notify the HSE and Fire Authority. Only subscribers with PAID Print or E-Edition subscriptions please enter here to gain access. If you are not already a Paid subscriber do not go through this portal. Please return to the subscription page to purchase one of our offers. Thank you! Medical workers from Zhejiang Province carry out nucleic acid tests for residents at a COVID-19 testing site in Pudong District of east China's Shanghai, March 28, 2022. A team of testing personnel from neighboring province of Zhejiang on Monday arrived in Shanghai to support a new round of nucleic acid testing in the city. (Photo by Jiang Aishan/Xinhua) A medical worker from Zhejiang Province takes a swab sample from a resident for nucleic acid test at a COVID-19 testing site in Pudong District of east China's Shanghai, March 28, 2022. A team of testing personnel from neighboring province of Zhejiang on Monday arrived in Shanghai to support a new round of nucleic acid testing in the city. (Photo by He Zhongming/Xinhua) A medical worker from Zhejiang Province takes a swab sample from a resident for nucleic acid test at a COVID-19 testing site in Pudong District of east China's Shanghai, March 28, 2022. A team of testing personnel from neighboring province of Zhejiang on Monday arrived in Shanghai to support a new round of nucleic acid testing in the city. (Photo by Jiang Aishan/Xinhua) A medical worker from Zhejiang Province takes a swab sample from a resident for nucleic acid test at a COVID-19 testing site in Pudong New Area of east China's Shanghai, March 28, 2022. A team of testing personnel from neighboring province of Zhejiang on Monday arrived in Shanghai to support a new round of nucleic acid testing in the city. (Xinhua) Medical workers from Zhejiang Province prepare to carry out nucleic acid tests for residents at a COVID-19 testing site in Pudong New Area of east China's Shanghai, March 28, 2022. A team of testing personnel from neighboring province of Zhejiang on Monday arrived in Shanghai to support a new round of nucleic acid testing in the city. (Xinhua) A medical worker from Zhejiang Province takes a swab sample from a resident for nucleic acid test at a COVID-19 testing site in Pudong District of east China's Shanghai, March 28, 2022. A team of testing personnel from neighboring province of Zhejiang on Monday arrived in Shanghai to support a new round of nucleic acid testing in the city. (Photo by Jiang Aishan/Xinhua) A medical worker from Zhejiang Province takes a swab sample from a resident for nucleic acid test at a COVID-19 testing site in Pudong District of east China's Shanghai, March 28, 2022. A team of testing personnel from neighboring province of Zhejiang on Monday arrived in Shanghai to support a new round of nucleic acid testing in the city. (Photo by Jiang Aishan/Xinhua) Next Story : Celebrating The Art & Business Of Indian Hairdressing At IHA 2021 Megan Thee Stallion, the American rapper, made her Oscars debut at the 94th Academy Awards today. She wore an icy-blue gown with a sweetheart neckline bodice, featuring rows and rows of intricately embroidered tube beads and a bottom half consisting of structured ruffles that trailed behind her for at least 4 feet. One has to be far removed from the world of fashion and maybe even social media itself to not recognise the leitmotif and know that it is the signature of designer Gaurav Gupta. I had tears of joy. That was my first reaction when I saw the dress on the red carpet, says the designer and creator of the now-iconic dress that will forever be associated with Megans first Oscars red carpet appearance.Megans stylist, Eric Archibald, was on the hunt for something that would shake things out of predictability for the rapper on the red carpet. He wanted something extremely out of the ordinary, to make a proper statement for Megans Oscar debut, says Gupta. They approached our PR, Hemakshi Bose, in Los Angeles with just 10 days to go for the Oscars, and they always want something new but also something that reflects the brands sensibilities of making art couture.Gaurav Gupta thinks of Megan Thee Stallion as almost other-worldly. So when it came to inspiration for her outfit, the designer married figments of his imagination with his love for the ocean and the fantastical animals it houses in its depth (for the uninitiated, his demi-couture collection at last seasons Lakme Absolute Grand Finale was inspired by the underwater world in Andamans) . We call it the Fantasy Biomorphic Gown that is inspired by a mystical sea creature. The dress, especially at the back, sculpts the body just hugs it and then opens out in multiple fins, he says, talking about his design that has brought biomorphism to life.Between the sketching, discussions with Megans team, and finally zeroing in on the concept, Gupta and his team only had five days to make the outfit. To ensure there are no unwarranted delays, the gown, once ready, was flown with members of Guptas team and hand delivered. It was only after the fittings were done that he felt at peace.On a red carpet usually dominated by actresses in Valentino, Versace, Gucci, and Armani, Megan Thee Stallion turned up in a dramatic Gaurav Gupta number and made it to best-dressed lists not only in India but across the world. For the first time, the Gaurav Gupta brand is on the Oscars red carpet, and so is she. I loved the joining together of these two forces to create concept couture and newer cultural movements, says the designer whose hyper-structured ecru-coloured gown was worn by Cardi B for her new music video, No Love, not too long ago. It is really nice that Indian couture is being represented in such a beautiful global way, he adds. We couldnt agree more.Also Read: We're Obsessed With Megan Thee Stallion's Next Level OTT Nail Art Looks Category Select Category Apparel/Garments Textiles Fashion Technical Textiles Information Technology E-commerce Retail Corporate Association Press Release SubCategory Select Sub-Category WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Luxury electric car maker Tesla Inc. (TSLA) CEO Elon Musk said on Monday that he has 'supposedly' tested positive for Covid-19 for the second time, but has no major symptoms. 'Covid-19 is the virus of Theseus. How many gene changes before it's not Covid-19 anymore? I supposedly have it again (sigh), but almost no symptoms,' he tweeted on Monday. The Ship of Theseus is a thought experiment that raises the question of whether an object that has had all of its components replaced remains fundamentally the same object. The concept is one of the oldest in Western philosophy, having been discussed by Heraclitus and Plato by c. 500-400 BC. Several coronavirus variants have emerged throughout the world since the coronavirus first emerged in 2019 in Wuhan, China. According to Johns Hopkins University, over 976,000 people have died in the US from Covid-19. Last year, Musk had questioned the accuracy of Covid-19 tests after claiming results showed he tested positive twice then negative twice on the same day. However, Musk has been in support of vaccination. 'To be clear, I do support vaccines in general & covid vaccines specifically. The science is unequivocal,' he tweeted back in April of last year. Copyright(c) 2022 RTTNews.com. All Rights Reserved Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann. CANBERA (dpa-AFX) - Japan will on Tuesday release February figures for unemployment, highlighting a light day for Asia-Pacific economic activity. The jobless rate is expected to hold steady at 2.8 percent, while the jobs-to-applicant ratio is also expected to be unchanged at 1.20. Australia will provide preliminary February numbers for retail sales; in January, sales were up 1.8 percent on month. Singapore will see February data for import, export and producers prices. In January, import prices were up 15.7 percent on year, while export prices rose an annual 21.0 percent and producer prices spiked 22.7 percent on year. Copyright(c) 2022 RTTNews.com. All Rights Reserved Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann. AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) praised today President Biden's steadfast support for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria following the release of the President's fiscal year 2023 budget request to Congress. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220328005907/en/ (Graphic: Business Wire) The Administration has pledged $6 billion for the approaching Global Fund Seventh Replenishment in October, which covers three years. As part of that commitment, President Biden has asked Congress to appropriate $2 billion for the upcoming fiscal year. "Given the Global Fund's track record of saving millions of lives while doing so in a transparent and accountable manner, the US investment in the Fund is some of the best development dollars spent on global health security and public health in terms of effectiveness," said AHF's Chief of Public Affairs and General Counsel Tom Myers. "We thank President Biden for this request and hope Congress will meet or exceed it in appropriations." Because pledges to the Global Fund are made in three-year increments, the rest of the pledged funds will need to be appropriated by Congress in subsequent years. Traditionally, the United States matches $1 for every $2 committed to the Global Fund by other donor countries. The overall target for the Seventh Replenishment has been set at $18 billion. AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF), the largest global AIDS organization, currently provides medical care and/or services to over 1.6 million clients in 45 countries worldwide in the US, Africa, Latin America/Caribbean, the Asia/Pacific Region and Europe. To learn more about AHF, please visit our website: www.aidshealth.org, find us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/aidshealth and follow us on Twitter: @aidshealthcare and Instagram: @aidshealthcare View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220328005907/en/ Contacts: US MEDIA CONTACT: Ged Kenslea,Senior Director, Communications, AHF +1.323.308.1833 work +1.323.791.5526 mobile gedk@aidshealth.org Denys Nazarov, Director of Global Policy Communications, AHF +1 323.308.1829 denys.nazarov@ahf.org Hitachi Solutions Asia Pacific deployed Dynamics 365 Finance and Supply Chain Management to streamline ADA's financial processes and support its digital transformation initiatives to boost business expansion. KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia, March 29, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Hitachi Solutions Asia Pacific (HSAP), a leading provider of global industry solutions powered by Microsoft Azure, is delighted to highlight its successful D365 Finance and D365 Supply Chain Management (SCM) implementation with Axiata Digital Advertising (ADA). ADA is a Malaysia-based data and artificial intelligence company known for developing and executing integrated digital, analytics, and marketing solutions with operations across ASEAN and South Asia. To help ADA achieve its strategic growth in the region, they realized the need to replace their legacy ERP systems. Previously using Dynamics NAV on-premises, the company has long outgrown the capabilities of the platform and had to heavily customize it just to suit their business needs. Other legal entities were also using different legacy systems or manual operations. ADA partnered with HSAP to implement D365 Finance and SCM across 11 legal entities in 9 countries within South and Southeast Asia. HSAP developed a global template and rolled out the new system in a big bang approach unifying ADA's business financial practices into one platform. Dynamics 365 Finance helped enable its users to seamlessly work on their day-to-day activities and has improved financial consolidation and month-end close processes. ADA is now able to complete closing faster as compared to the previous 12 to 15 days after month-end close, audit requirements are satisfied. Utilizing Azure cloud, ADA plans to further expand their use of D365 Finance and SCM as they gear for business expansion, both in terms of geography and scope of business. "Dynamics 365 armed us with all the necessary capabilities to help simplify our operations and eliminate manual processes across our entities," said Stephen Tan, ADA's Head of Program Management. "Our partnership with Hitachi Solutions Asia Pacific and Microsoft enabled us to remain competitive in this rapidly evolving industry landscape by helping us better serve our clients while empowering our employees in utilizing a powerful cloud ERP platform." This deployment displayed HSAP's established partnership with ADA by swiftly delivering value through its best practices and expertise despite the pandemic. The project also marks a huge milestone for HSAP as this is its first implementation in the advertising industry and the team's first ERP project in newly touched base regions such as Bangladesh, Cambodia, and South Korea. "Our team is thrilled to support ADA in digitizing its financial processes with D365 which resolved its business pains in the best way possible," said Bimal Pandya, Vice President of Hitachi Solutions Asia Pacific. "With this successful implementation, we continue to provide ADA impactful guidance in helping its operation thrive towards transformation." About Axiata Digital Advertising ADA is a data and artificial intelligence company that designs and executes integrated digital, analytics, and marketing solutions. Operating across 10 markets in South and Southeast Asia, ADA partners with leading brands to drive their digital and data maturity and achieve their business goals. ADA complements its unique digital expertise with deep proprietary data of 375 million consumers. About Hitachi Solutions Asia Pacific Pte. Ltd. Hitachi Solutions Asia Pacific helps its customers successfully compete with the largest global enterprises using powerful, easy-to-use, and affordable industry solutions built on the Microsoft Cloud. Hitachi Solutions provides global capabilities with regional offices in the United States, Canada, Europe, India/Middle East, Japan, and Asia Pacific. For more information, please visit: https://global.hitachi-solutions.com/. Media Contact: Nina Gonzales Associate Director - Marketing Hitachi Solutions Asia Pacific info@hitachisolutions.com Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1774643/Hitachi_Logo.jpg LONDON, March 29, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Sungrow, the global leading inverter solution supplier for renewables, announced that the Company partners with Statera Energy, a market leader in the provision of flexibility to the UK grid, to supply a 362 MW/391 MWh energy storage project in the UK. The first phase of the project was grid-connected in Q1, 2022, while the rest will be brought online this year as well. The independent power producer Statera Energy will adopt Sungrow's ST3727kWh-3450UD-MV high-efficiency turnkey energy storage system solution with enhanced safety to develop subsidy-free energy storage capable of discharging power at times of peak demand or under-production in multiple suburbs across the UK. More importantly, the project will help the UK meet its Capacity Market objective of achieving long-term security of supply and contribute to the offsetting of the risk of its increasing reliance on wind generation by strengthening the National Grid's Dynamic Containment frequency response service. With UK's electricity system currently experiencing lower inertia and larger, more numerous losses than ever before. Faster acting frequency response products are needed because system frequency is moving away from 50 Hz more rapidly as a consequence of imbalances. On January 27 of 2021, UK electricity system operator National Grid began allowing the stacking of revenues in parts of the Balancing Mechanism which has been of significant importance to battery asset owners. The National Grid expects the additional flexibility and revenue stacking to increase the efficiency of battery assets delivering the service, and increase competition which would, in turn, reduce costs to the consumer. "We have partnered with Sungrow because of its proven track record, the quality and the integrated nature of its product offering. Statera believes that battery storage will play a pivotal role in facilitating the transition to low carbon generation and will continue to work with Sungrow on coming projects in the UK in 2022," said Tom Vernon, Managing Director of Statera Energy Limited. Since opening its Milton Keynes branch in 2014, the local team of Sungrow UK, a subsidy of Sungrow, has realized significant traction in the United Kingdom with tens of energy storage applications. In addition, Europe's largest energy storage project, the 100 MW/100 MWh Minety plant with Sungrow's 1500V energy storage system solutions has been operating stably and efficiently for about one year. About Sungrow Sungrow Power Supply Co., Ltd. ("Sungrow") is the world's most bankable inverter brand with over 224 GW installed worldwide as of December 2021. Founded in 1997 by University Professor Cao Renxian, Sungrow is a leader in the research and development of solar inverters with the largest dedicated R&D team in the industry and a broad product portfolio offering PV inverter solutions and energy storage systems for utility-scale, commercial & industrial, and residential applications, as well as internationally recognized floating PV plant solutions, NEV driving solutions and EV charging station solutions. With a strong 25-year track record in the PV space, Sungrow products power installations in over 150 countries. Last year, Sungrow shipped 3 GWh ESS worldwide, ranging from islands and high altitude plateaus to ports and residential installations. Learn more about Sungrow by visiting: www.sungrowpower.com. About Statera Statera Energy Limited, is market leader in the provision of flexibility to the UK power market. It develops, owns, and operates assets that will are required to balance a future high renewables electricity system. To date that has been via the development of over 500 MW of battery storage and 150 MW of flexible gas generations projects. Going forward, it has a pipeline of 2.5 GW under-development which includes batteries, thermal generation, pumped storage and hydrogen technologies. Statera Energy Limited is majority owned Infrared Capital's Infrastructure Fund V and its offices are located in Notting Hill, London. Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1774587/image.jpg Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1344575/Logo.jpg by Xinhua writers Li Rui, Tian Ye CAIRO, March 29 (Xinhua) -- Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Qatar, key members of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), have remained hesitant to increase oil and gas exports, though the United States and the European Union (EU) are urging the Gulf states to do so. The West's move is aimed at stabilizing the global energy market, as energy prices remain high with the U.S. and EU ban on Russia's energy exports following the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Analysts say that the Gulf states are trying to strike a balance between the United States and Russia, as their relations with the United States are tested by the impending revival of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, which may pose a threat to them, while they are unwilling to cut off ties with Russia, as the military and energy ties with Russia have become stronger in the past few years. U.S., EU MOVES The United States recently sent a large shipment of Patriot anti-missile interceptors to Saudi Arabia, which the kingdom had requested since late last year to counter drone and missile attacks by the Houthi militia in Yemen, according to U.S. media. The move came as the Biden administration tries to convince Riyadh to pump more crude oil to help contain soaring prices spurred by the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Prices of fuel oil and gas have skyrocketed in the EU after the United States and some EU countries imposed sanctions on Russia's exports. Senior British and German officials recently traveled to the Gulf countries to persuade the oil-rich nations to expand their spare energy capacity to fill the void left by Russia's import ban. On March 16, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson visited the UAE and Saudi Arabia to discuss the stability of the global energy market. Johnson's tour to the Middle East was followed by Germany's Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Climate Action Robert Habeck, who visited Qatar and the UAE last week to search for alternatives to the Russian gas supply following the U.S.-led sanctions on Russia. GULF RESISTING INCREASING EXPORTS Although leaders of the UAE and Saudi Arabia have reiterated the importance of global energy security and energy market stability, they have not increased output. On March 23, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan once again emphasized that "the UAE is keen on global energy security and the stability and balance of the energy market." On March 24, the Saudi government said in a statement that the OPEC+ agreement has an essential role in maintaining the balance and stability of the oil market. Neither country, however, has increased its output. "It is in the Gulf states' interests to keep energy costs high," said Sun Xia, associate researcher with the Institute of International Relations at China's Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences. Since 2017, the Gulf states and Russia have forged a stable energy alliance under the umbrella of OPEC+. After their successful collaboration in stabilizing oil prices, the Gulf states no longer want to be led by American politicians and financial elites, Sun noted. STRIKING BALANCE BETWEEN U.S., RUSSIA The Biden administration has been disregarding the Gulf states' biggest security concern -- Iran's Shiite-dominated government, Sun said. If Washington and Tehran clinch a nuclear deal, Iranian oil will return to the international market and compete with Gulf oil. Moreover, expanding Iranian influence in Yemen, Lebanon, Iraq and Syria would pose a severe danger to the Sunni sphere of influence, Sun added. The Gulf states' strategy to strike a balance between the United States and Russia reflects their attitudes toward the two countries' dominance in the Middle East, said Zou Zhiqiang, researcher of the Center for Middle Eastern Studies at China's Fudan University. The United States retains a great influence in regional politics in the Middle East with the help of its allies. However, its recent strategic withdrawal from the Middle East, as well as a series of irresponsible behaviors, has made some of its allies nervous and start to question the U.S. capability to ensure their safety, said Zou. The U.S. geopolitical retreat has stood in sharp contrast with Russia's active involvement in the Middle East, said Zheng Rong, associate researcher of the Center for Arab Studies at China's Zhejiang International Studies University. Russia has carried out cooperation with the Gulf states in oil and gas exploitation, military equipment technology, use of nuclear energy and other fields, and has also become an indispensable force to solve the crises in Syria and Libya, making it a strategic partner for several countries in the Middle East, Zheng added. When it comes to financial interests and vital national interests of oil and gas, the Gulf states won't budge easily, Sun said. The Gulf states will not cooperate with the United States in a meaningful way if the Biden administration does not change its Middle East policy, Sun added. Fort St. John, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - March 28, 2022) - MACRO ENTERPRISES INC. (TSXV: MCR) (the "Corporation" or "Macro Enterprises") is providing the following update on its previously announced going private transaction (the "Transaction" or the "Arrangement") whereby each common share in the capital of Macro Enterprises (a "Macro Enterprises Share") would be acquired by 1325996 B.C. Ltd. ("AcquireCo") for consideration of $4.00 per share, in accordance with the terms of an arrangement agreement dated February 14, 2022 among Macro Enterprises, AcquireCo, Frank Miles, Jeff Redmond and Ken Mastre (the "Arrangement Agreement"). Update to Transaction As announced on March 20, 2022, Mr. Ken Mastre ("Mastre"), the former Vice-President, Pipelines of Macro Enterprises suddenly and unexpectedly passed away in hospital recovering from an operation. Mr. Mastre, along with Frank Miles, the President, Chief Executive Officer and director of Macro Enterprises ("Miles") and Jeff Redmond, the Chief Financial Officer of Macro Enterprises ("Redmond" and together with Mastre and Miles, the "Participating Shareholders") had proposed to effect the Transaction through AcquireCo, an entity jointly owned by such persons and to be controlled by Mr. Miles. As a result of Mr. Mastre's passing, AcquireCo has requested that the Corporation and AcquireCo amend the Arrangement Agreement and plan of arrangement to provide that Mastre's estate will not be a "Participating Shareholder", a "Participating Class B Shareholder" or a "Participating Incentiveholder", but that the estate will participate in the Transaction on the same terms as the non-participating holders of Macro Enterprises Shares ("Macro Enterprises Shareholders") who are not Participating Shareholders and holders of options to purchase Macro Enterprises Options ("Macro Enterprises Optionholders") who are not Participating Incentiveholders. In addition, Mr. Mastre would be removed as a party to the Arrangement Agreement and would no longer be a "Guarantor" pursuant to the Arrangement Agreement. Upon careful consideration and in light of the circumstances, the Corporation has agreed to proceed with such amendments and the parties are preparing an updated version of the Arrangement Agreement and plan of arrangement to be approved by the Supreme Court of British Columbia in connection with the Final Order. All other terms and conditions of the Arrangement Agreement, including the transaction price of $4.00 per Macro Enterprises Share, remain the same. As a result of the amendments to the Arrangement Agreement, all securities of Macro Enterprises owned by Mr. Mastre (or his estate) will participate in the Transaction in the same manner as all other Macro Enterprises securityholders, other than the remaining Participating Shareholders and Mr. Mastre (or his estate) will no longer be a "Participating Shareholder" or "Participating Incentiveholder" for the purposes of the Arrangement. The text of the special resolution proposed to be considered by Macro Enterprises Shareholders and Macro Enterprises Optionholders at the special meeting (the "Meeting") of Macro Enterprises Shareholders and Macro Enterprises Optionholders to be held on Monday, April 4, 2022 at 10:00 a.m. (Vancouver time) will be remain the same as set forth in Appendix "A" to the management information circular of Macro dated February 28, 2022 (the "Circular") and available under Macro Enterprises' SEDAR profile at www.sedar.com,. Background to the Transaction As a result of the matters set forth above, below is a summary of the background to the Transaction, which is substantially as set forth in the Circular, and updated for certain other developments and matters, including for those matters described above. Capitalized terms used below and not otherwise defined have the meaning ascribed thereto in the Circular. In recent years, changes in the commercial landscape in which the Corporation operates, due in part to COVID-19, the fluctuation of oil and gas prices and the cancellation of a major pipeline project, have had an impact, directly and indirectly, on the Corporation's business. In addition, the pipeline industry has also faced uncertainty due to ongoing environmental, Indigenous and political matters in Canada, the United States and internationally. Given the evolving commercial landscape and competition in its industry, the Board has engaged in regular discussion and evaluation of the strategic outlook of the Corporation. The Corporation is primarily in the business of providing pipeline and facilities construction and pipeline maintenance services to companies in the oil and gas industry in Western Canada through its wholly owned subsidiaries, Macro Industries Inc. ("Macro Industries"), Macro Pipelines Inc. ("Macro Pipelines") and Macro Pipeline Joint Venturer Inc. ("MPJV") and their respective subsidiaries. In February 2021, the Corporation (through Frank Miles and Bob Fedderly) was approached by Redmond and Mastre to seek the provision of certain non-public information to their advisors and potential financiers regarding a potential transaction involving the Corporation. At this time, Mr. Fedderly (an independent director of the Corporation and ultimately the Chair of the Special Committee) and Frank Miles, on behalf of the Corporation, retained independent legal counsel in order to negotiate the terms of such agreement. On April 5, 2021, the Corporation entered into a confidentiality agreement (the "Confidentiality Agreement") with Redmond and Mastre pursuant to which such individuals were entitled to share certain non-public confidential information pertaining to the Corporation with third party financing sources for the purposes of facilitating a potential purchase of Macro Enterprises as part of a potential going-private transaction. Following the entering into of the Confidentiality Agreement, in the summer of 2021 Redmond and Mastre held discussions with Miles regarding a potential transaction and were advised that Miles was not at that time interested in participating in such a transaction. Following those initial discussions, Redmond and Mastre continued to explore the possibility of a proposed transaction with their financial advisors and financing sources. In October, 2021, Miles advised that he had given additional consideration to the opportunity and was open to considering the possibility of taking part in a potential transaction, subject to finalization of terms. Following such discussion, Redmond and Mastre continued to explore opportunities and, taking into account the best interests of the Corporation, including all stakeholders of the Corporation, Redmond and Mastre prepared an expression of interest which included a conceptual rollover of a portion of Miles' interest in Macro. Following discussions between Redmond and Mastre and Miles, Miles indicated that subject to the receipt of support from the Board, he would be willing to proceed as suggested. On October 8, 2021, the Board received an unsolicited non-binding expression of interest (the "EOI") from AcquireCo with respect to a potential acquisition of all of the issued and outstanding shares of the Corporation, excluding certain shares held by the Participating Shareholders, at a price per Macro Enterprises Share of $3.75. The EOI was delivered and signed by Redmond and Mastre (but not Miles as his participation was contingent on the support of the Board) and at such time Redmond and Miles were the sole directors, officers and shareholders of AcquireCo. Immediately following receipt of the EOI, the Board sought the advice of legal counsel on the appropriate steps to be taken and then held a meeting of the Board at which Miles disclosed his potential interest and the interest of the other Participating Shareholders (being Redmond and Mastre) in the proposed transaction to the Board and the Board acknowledged the potential conflicts of interest arising from the participation of the Participating Shareholders in the proposed transaction. While Mr. Fedderly was aware of the existence of the Confidentiality Agreement (and the context to the same), none of the other directors of the Corporation, including Miles, were apprised of the same at the time it was entered into, and accordingly, on the receipt of the EOI the other directors of the Corporation expressed their initial surprise to the EOI. However, they agreed that if the transaction had merit, it would be worth investigation and consideration, and, following a discussion regarding the best course of action and in light of the conflicts of interest, the Board determined that it was appropriate to establish the Special Committee, comprised of Robert (Bob) L. Fedderly and William McFetridge, each of whom are non-interested directors with respect to the proposed transaction and independent directors of the Corporation (as determined in accordance with MI 61-101), to evaluate and consider whether such proposed transaction was in the best interests of the Corporation, including the effects of the proposed transaction on Macro Enterprises Shareholders and other stakeholders of the Corporation. At the meeting, the Board authorized the Special Committee to engage independent counsel to the Special Committee. Following the formation of the Special Committee, on October 14, 2021, the Special Committee engaged Burnet, Duckworth & Palmer LLP ("BD&P") to act as independent counsel to the Special Committee. Following the engagement of BD&P, the Special Committee conducted a series of interviews with potential financial advisors to assist the Special Committee in evaluating and, if deemed advisable, negotiating the proposed transaction and considering alternatives. Following a comprehensive assessment of such advisors, the Special Committee determined that it would be appropriate for the Special Committee to engage CIBC World Markets Inc. ("CIBC") to provide financial advice in connection with its consideration of the proposed transaction. Concurrently with the assessment of the financial advisors, the Special Committee, together with BD&P, carefully considered and prepared and considered a broad mandate for the Special Committee authorizing the Special Committee to, among other things, review and consider the proposed transaction, and make recommendations to the Board on whether such proposed transaction, or other transactions, is in the best interests of the Corporation and fair to Macro Enterprises Shareholders and other stakeholders of the Corporation. After the receipt of the EOI, counsel to the Special Committee sent correspondence to counsel to AcquireCo seeking further details and clarifications on the proposal reflected in the EOI. As part of such inquiries, the correspondence sought to confirm, among other things, the identity of any director, officer, shareholder of Macro Enterprises or other party with an interest in, or acting as a financing party to, the proposal or the pro forma entity, and provide details of that interest or involvement. Counsel to AcquireCo in turn responded through email correspondence on November 3, 2021 confirming that, in addition to Redmond and Mastre, Miles had expressed his intention to participate in the transaction with the bidding group through AcquireCo, thus officially confirming to the Special Committee his involvement in the proposed transaction. Notwithstanding the Special Committee formally being apprised of this development in November 2021, no discussions, proposals or other correspondences were had between the bidding group (being Redmond, Miles and Mastre) and the Corporation (including the Board) from the time of entering into the Confidentiality Agreement and the receipt of the EOI, and immediately upon receipt of the EOI, the Special Committee was formed. Accordingly, all matters, discussions and negotiations in respect of the Transaction were conducted at arm's length, without any prejudice to the integrity of the process by the Special Committee. At no point in time after the execution of the Confidentiality Agreement and the receipt of the EOI were strategic matters (such as acquisitions, dispositions, financings or otherwise) discussed or considered by the Board (including with Miles). During this time, the Board only discussed and considered the ongoing operations of the Corporation and its quarterly financial results. Miles had no involvement or presence in any of the discussions and deliberations by the Special Committee after its formation. As part of preparing and considering the Special Committee mandate, and with the input and advice of BD&P and CIBC, the Special Committee determined that any decision as to whether the potential transaction, or any strategic alternative to the potential transaction (including maintaining the status quo or seeking other transactions that would enhance value to minority securityholders of the Corporation), is in the best interests of the Corporation should be preceded by an analysis of the relevant facts, issues and potential alternatives available to the Corporation. Following the selection of CIBC and the preparation of the mandate, the Board approved the mandate prepared by the Special Committee, without modification, and authorized the Special Committee to engage financial and other advisors on the terms negotiated by the Special Committee. As part of such approvals, Mr. Fedderly was appointed to act as Chair of the Special Committee. On November 4, 2021, the Corporation formalized the engagement of CIBC by entering into an engagement letter with CIBC pursuant to which CIBC agreed to provide financial advice to the Special Committee in connection with its consideration of the proposed transaction and if requested, to provide an opinion as to the fairness of the consideration to be received by Macro Enterprises Shareholders in connection with a transaction. Following the engagement of CIBC, the Special Committee, together with CIBC, conducted a comprehensive assessment of reasonable alternatives to the proposed transaction and engaged in ongoing negotiations with AcquireCo and its financial advisor. As part of its engagement, CIBC undertook an evaluation of the Corporation, including conducting a comprehensive review of the Corporation's budgets, forecasts and other financial and business information. As part of such inquiries, representatives of CIBC met numerous times with management of the Corporation and the Participating Shareholders' financial advisor. On November 15, 2021, after completing its detailed financial review and analysis of the Corporation, CIBC made a presentation to the Special Committee with respect to a preliminary analysis, strategic considerations and the scope of other potential counterparties in the context of a change of control of the Corporation. After careful consideration of the analysis and information provided by CIBC, a thorough discussion and review of the terms of the proposed transaction and after receiving advice from its legal and financial advisors, the Special Committee noted that they considered the price noted in the initial offer to not adequately reflect the value of the Corporation's current business, operations and prospects, and, accordingly, were not in a position to support proceeding with a transaction on such terms. Subsequent to such meeting, the Special Committee informed the Participating Shareholders of their position. As a result, between mid November 2021 and early December 2021, further discussions took place between the Corporation and AcquireCo and their respective legal and financial advisors. During this period, the Participating Shareholders and the Special Committee had various discussions on price and value, and the Special Committee, with the assistance of CIBC, and based upon their collective knowledge of the business, operations, financial condition, earnings and prospects of the Corporation, as well as their collective knowledge of the current and prospective environment in which the Corporation operates (including economic and political conditions), continued a dialogue with the Participating Shareholders with respect to a potential improved offer. During such period, the Special Committee continued to consider alternatives to the proposed transaction (including the status quo) and also considered the effects of potential business development activities with respect to the Corporation, including with respect to winning construction services contracts from new and existing clients, in each case considering the overall benefits to stakeholders, adjusted for time value, risk and various other factors. In addition, the Special Committee continued to negotiate the price offered by AcquireCo and to seek a means to compare the benefits of the proposed transaction against other alternatives. On November 24, 2021, the Special Committee received correspondence on behalf of AcquireCo which confirmed that AcquireCo was not prepared to participate in an auction process (and would revoke their bid in such an event), but was prepared to increase the offer price to $4.00 per Macro Enterprises Share, representing a 6.7% increase to the original offer price of $3.75 per Macro Enterprises Share previously offered in the EOI, provided that such offer was AcquireCo's final offer. As part of such discussion, Miles, also confirmed that (in his capacity as a shareholder) he would be unwilling to support any alternative transaction. After receipt of the revised offer, members of the Special Committee met with representatives of CIBC and its legal advisors and considered and deliberated over the revised offer. As part of such process, CIBC provided financial advice as to their assessment of the revised offer and, subsequently, after careful consideration of the relevant circumstances and facts, the Special Committee determined it would be appropriate to proceed to negotiate a non-binding letter of intent with AcquireCo that set out the revised offer price, as well as other proposed terms and conditions of a potential transaction. As part of this process, the Special Committee, with the assistance of its legal advisors, provided comments on the EOI initially submitted by AcquireCo, in the form of a letter of intent, reflecting the revised offer price of $4.00 per Macro Enterprises Share, as well as various other proposed deal terms, including providing for an "expense reimbursement" concept (subject to maximum amounts) in the event of a termination of the Arrangement Agreement, as opposed to the payment of a break fee, which was expected to be for a higher amount than an expense reimbursement. Furthermore, as part of their negotiations in respect of the Transaction, the Special Committee sought to negotiate a "go-shop" provision, where the Corporation could solicit and entertain alternative transactions after the Transaction was announced. As part of this, the Special Committee was again advised that Miles would not support an alternative transaction (in his capacity as shareholder) which would effectively preclude the ability of the Corporation to complete an alternative transaction as a result of his significant shareholdings, and such a construct was refused. On December 7, 2021, after the various negotiations and discussions between the Special Committee on behalf of the Corporation and AcquireCo, and their respective financial and legal advisors, the final terms of the letter of intent (the "Proposal Letter") were finalized and agreed to. Pursuant to the Proposal Letter, AcquireCo proposed to acquire (directly or indirectly) all of the outstanding Macro Enterprises Shares, other than certain Macro Enterprises Shares owned or controlled by the Participating Shareholders, for the increased consideration of $4.00 per Macro Enterprises Share (the "Common Share Cash Consideration"). As a result of the Arrangement, the Corporation would become a wholly owned subsidiary of AcquireCo and de-list from the TSXV. The Proposal Letter contained confirmation that the entering into of the definitive Arrangement Agreement would be subject to AcquireCo obtaining binding commitments for the requisite financing in respect of the proposed transaction. The Proposal Letter also contained certain customary terms and conditions, including a binding period of exclusivity until January 20, 2022, and the entry into of Support Agreements by certain directors and officers of the Corporation, as well as the Participating Shareholders. The Proposal Letter also provided for the Macro Enterprises Expenses Reimbursement, the AcquireCo Expense Reimbursement and that AcquireCo would be responsible for expenses incurred relating to the Valuation, up to a maximum of $125,000. In determining the $4.00 per share consideration prior to the receipt of the Valuation, the Special Committee considered a number of factors including that CIBC, the financial advisor to the Special Committee, was mandated to, if requested by the Special Committee, provide an opinion as to the fairness, from a financial point of view, of the consideration to be received by disinterested shareholders in connection with the Transaction (or any alternative transaction, if applicable). With this in mind, prior to agreeing to the $4.00 share price, CIBC noted to the Special Committee that it would be reasonable to continue to proceed with the proposed transaction at a price of $4.00 per share (it being noted that CIBC did not render any opinion or complete any valuation at this time) and with the understanding that the Special Committee would engage an independent valuator to complete a formal valuation. With the benefit of this, the Special Committee agreed to explore the transaction and negotiate the definitive agreement based on an offer price of $4.00 per share and this price was reflected in the non-binding Proposal Letter. The Proposal Letter noted that, as a condition to proceeding with the Transaction (including entering into a definitive agreement with respect to the same), the Special Committee was required to be satisfied with the conclusions set out in both the fairness opinion and the formal valuation that it intended to receive prior to making its recommendations with respect to the Transaction. In the event the formal valuation concluded a valuation range above the price of $4.00 per share, the Special Committee would be unwilling to proceed with the legally binding definitive agreements or otherwise proceed with and support the Transaction. Following an assessment of the terms and conditions of the Proposal Letter, upon the recommendation of the Special Committee, the Board (with the abstention of the Miles (in such capacity, the "Participating Director")) authorized the Corporation to enter into the Proposal Letter with AcquireCo with respect to the Arrangement. On December 9, 2021, the Corporation entered into the Proposal Letter with AcquireCo. Subsequent to the execution of the Proposal Letter, throughout December 2021, the Special Committee conducted a series of interviews with potential valuators to assist the Special Committee in conducting the Valuation. The Special Committee determined that, notwithstanding any exemptions from the requirements to obtain a formal valuation for the transaction that may be available to the Corporation under MI 61-101, the Special Committee concluded it would be advisable to obtain a formal valuation, and that the proposed offer price would need to be within the ranges set forth in any valuation in order to proceed with any definitive agreement. In early January 2022, following the Special Committee's assessment of potential valuators, the Special Committee engaged Deloitte LLP ("Deloitte") to act as independent financial advisor and to prepare an independent fairness opinion and a formal valuation in the manner prescribed by MI 61-101 (the "Valuation"). Pursuant to the engagement agreement with Deloitte, Deloitte would be compensated based on time spent, subject to an agreed upon cap, for the preparation of the Valuation and an independent fairness opinion. No part of any fee payable to Deloitte is success-based or based on the conclusions reached in the Valuation. From January 2022 through to signing of the Arrangement Agreement, Deloitte undertook extensive due diligence investigations regarding the Corporation, including its assets, business and operations, its existing business plan, the Proposal Letter and relevant industry and economic factors. Deloitte was given full access to members of the Special Committee, the Corporation's management and confidential information, including management's forecast of future financial performance. As part of its independent review, Deloitte made certain adjustments to management's forecasts based on its own independent analysis and professional judgment. During this period, the Special Committee met on multiple occasions to discuss Deloitte's analysis. For further details regarding the Valuation, see "The Arrangement - Independent Valuation and Deloitte Fairness Opinion" in the Circular. In the afternoon of December 31, 2021, Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP ("Fasken"), legal counsel to AcquireCo, circulated an initial draft of the Arrangement Agreement to Norton Rose Fulbright and BD&P. In the afternoon of January 11, 2022, Fasken circulated an initial draft of the voting support agreements (the "Support Agreements"). Norton Rose Fulbright and BD&P, with input from the Special Committee by video conference and written comments, reviewed the draft Arrangement Agreement and the Support Agreements during the course of the following weeks and ultimately provided comments back to Fasken in the early morning of January 13, 2022. Over the course of the following weeks, the Parties continued to negotiate the draft Arrangement Agreement, the Plan of Arrangement and the terms of the Support Agreements. The Special Committee met regularly with legal counsel and CIBC to discuss the terms and conditions of the Arrangement Agreement and, in connection with such meetings, continued to assess the relative benefits and risks of various alternatives to the Arrangement, including continued execution of the Corporation's existing strategic plan. In considering potential alternatives, the Special Committee concluded that the Common Share Cash Consideration is likely to represent greater value than would reasonably be expected from the continued execution of the Corporation's existing strategic plan, in light of the ongoing uncertainty surrounding energy infrastructure construction projects, including pipeline construction projects, and it was not reasonable to expect that the Corporation could consummate an alternative change of control transaction on terms that were more favourable to Macro Enterprises Shareholders than the Arrangement, including given that the Participating Shareholders (and specifically Miles) control a sufficient number of Macro Enterprises Shares to effectively resist any alternative transaction, combined with the indication that he will not support any alternative transaction. The Special Committee continually assessed each of these alternatives throughout the process of evaluating and negotiating the Arrangement and, ultimately, concluded that entering into the Arrangement Agreement was the most favourable alternative reasonably available. Throughout the entire process, many discussions ensued with CIBC, counsel and the Special Committee, including with respect to the potential to canvass the market to consider alternative transactions to the insider proposal and, as part of this, CIBC initially identified a group of potential third parties. However, upon confirming the role of Miles in the bidding group including being advised that he would not support an alternative transaction (in his capacity as a shareholder) and after being advised by the bidding group that they would revoke their offer in the event alternative transactions were explored, the Special Committee determined that canvassing the market for alternative transactions would not be in the best interests of the Corporation, as the Special Committee believed that the proposal presented by the bidding group had merit and was worth exploring and pursuing on appropriate terms. In addition, the Board would not be precluded from accepting a Superior Proposal at any time prior to obtaining the approval by Macro Enterprises Shareholders and Macro Enterprises Optionholders of the Arrangement Resolution and, in the view of the Special Committee and the Board, the AcquireCo Expense Reimbursement (based on actual reasonable expenses and costs incurred by AcquireCo in connection with the Arrangement) would not preclude the possibility of a third party making a Superior Proposal. See "Considerations of the Special Committee and the Board in Making their Recommendation - Reasons for the Recommendation" in the Circular. Commencing on January 13, 2022, Norton Rose Fulbright and the Special Committee commenced an in-depth review of the Financings. With input from CIBC, Norton Rose Fulbright and BD&P, the Special Committee conducted an assessment of the Financing Agreements. The Corporation and Norton Rose Fulbright conducted a comprehensive review of the Financing Agreements and entered into negotiations with the Financing Sources and their legal advisors. On January 20, 2022, the Parties entered into an extension letter to the Proposal Letter to extend the exclusivity period until January 28, 2022, in order to provide the financial advisors time to adequately prepare, as applicable, the Fairness Opinions and the Valuation. Deloitte, at various stages, provided updates with respect to its investigations in preparing the Valuation. The Parties and their respective legal counsel continued to concurrently negotiate the terms of the Financings. On January 26, 2022, AcquireCo received draft binding letters of commitment from the Financing Sources, subject to a number of conditions, including the completion of the Arrangement. During the week of January 23, 2022, the respective legal counsels to the Parties continued to negotiate the draft Arrangement Agreement and members of the Special Committee continued discussions with the Participating Shareholders, both with and without their respective legal and financial advisors, to discuss the terms and conditions of the Arrangement Agreement. During this time, the Parties further agreed: (i) with respect to certain tax treatment relating to the sale of the Macro Enterprises Shares pursuant to the Arrangement; (ii) the terms of the Financings (including the removal of certain conditions included in the Financing Agreements); and (iii) to certain other concessions. Over the course of January 2022, the Special Committee became aware of certain operational challenges facing the Corporation. These challenges included unforeseen costs and possible delays under one of its ongoing construction contracts that were anticipated to have a negative impact on the financial results of the Corporation. On January 28, 2022, the Special Committee continued consultation with CIBC and Deloitte. Later that day, the Corporation (and, through it, the Special Committee) was informed of a new potential construction services contract award to Macro Pipelines (the "February Pipeline Construction Services Contract"), with the estimated gross revenue of the construction services to be provided under the Contract being $160 million. Given the potential effect of the February Pipeline Construction Services Contact and certain operational challenges on the valuation of the Corporation, the Special Committee requested that both Deloitte and CIBC conduct additional analysis to incorporate the possibility that the February Pipeline Construction Services Contract would be awarded, as well as the impacts of unforeseen costs and delays under the Corporation's other services Contracts. On January 28, 2022, the Parties entered into a second extension letter to the Proposal Letter to extend the exclusivity period until February 3, 2022, to allow CIBC and Deloitte to conduct additional financial analysis with respect to the Corporation's financial position as a result of the February Pipeline Construction Services Contract as well as other recent negative developments in respect of the Corporation's business, which could mitigate certain of the potential positive financial effects of the February Pipeline Construction Services Contract. At the same time, the Parties settled on the form of the Support Agreements. On January 31, 2022, CIBC, Norton Rose Fulbright and BDP met with the Special Committee to discuss the potential impact of the February Pipeline Construction Services Contract, certain other recent negative developments in respect of the Corporation's business and overall timing considerations. During the week that followed, the Parties and their respective advisors continued to contemplate and analyze the impact of the February Pipeline Construction Services Contract and the other recent negative developments on the value of the Corporation and the proposed Arrangement, and the Special Committee authorized continued negotiations among the legal and financial advisors of the Parties. As the week progressed, it became reasonably apparent that the Corporation would enter into the February Pipeline Construction Services Contract and the Special Committee instructed CIBC and Deloitte to account for this and other recent negative developments in their respective analysis, including, in the case of Deloitte, the Valuation. On February 3, 2022, the Parties entered into a third extension letter to the Proposal Letter to extend the exclusivity period until February 11, 2022. During such period, CIBC and Deloitte continued to review and consider the potential impact of the February Pipeline Construction Services Contract and other recent negative developments in respect of the Corporation's financial position and outlook, and as part of the same, reviewed and considered the Corporation's updated budgets and forecasts and met with the Corporation's senior management to further understand and consider the impact of the same. On the evening of February 7, 2022, Deloitte verbally delivered its preliminary valuation assessment with respect to the Macro Enterprises Shares. After market hours on February 8, 2022, the Corporation entered into the February Pipeline Construction Services Contract and before the opening of markets on February 9, 2022, the Corporation publicly announced it had entered into the February Pipeline Construction Services Contract. In early February 2022 through to the signing of the Arrangement Agreement, as part of the Special Committee's review process, the Special Committee specifically considered a number of matters as its relates to proceeding with the Arrangement, including whether the Common Share Cash Consideration is likely to represent greater value than would reasonably be expected from the continued execution of the Corporation's existing strategic plan, in light of the ongoing uncertainty surrounding energy infrastructure construction projects, including pipeline construction projects, and whether it was reasonable to expect that the Corporation could consummate an alternative change of control transaction, on terms that were more favourable to Macro Enterprises Shareholders than the Arrangement, including given that the Participating Shareholders (and specifically Miles) control a sufficient number of Macro Enterprises Shares to effectively resist any alternative transaction to the Arrangement. See also "The Arrangement - Considerations of the Special Committee and the Board in Making their Recommendations" in the Circular. As of February 11, 2022, AcquireCo entered into the Financing Agreements with the Financing Sources. Late in the morning of February 12, 2022, the Special Committee met with representatives of each of Norton Rose Fulbright, BD&P, CIBC and Deloitte. Norton Rose Fulbright reviewed the proposed final terms of the Arrangement Agreement, the Arrangement, the Financings and related matters. At such meeting, Deloitte and CIBC each delivered to the Special Committee the applicable verbal Fairness Opinions. Deloitte also delivered the verbal Valuation, which valuation is in the range of $3.75 to $4.65 per Macro Enterprises Share. See "The Arrangement - Independent Valuation and Deloitte Fairness Opinion" and "The Arrangement - CIBC Fairness Opinions" in the Circular. Having undertaken a thorough review of, and having considered, the Arrangement, following the Special Committee's review and assessment of the Arrangement Agreement and the Arrangement and the receipt of advice from legal counsel, CIBC and Deloitte, including the receipt of the verbal Fairness Opinions and the Valuation, and, after considering the potential benefits and risks in proceeding with the Arrangement (including as further described under "The Arrangement - Considerations of the Special Committee and the Board in Making their Recommendations" in the Circular) the Special Committee unanimously recommended that the Board approve the entering into of the Arrangement Agreement and proceed with the proposed Arrangement on the basis that the Arrangement is fair, from a financial point of view, to the Macro Enterprises Shareholders (excluding the Participating Shareholders) and the Macro Enterprises Optionholders (excluding the Participating Incentiveholders) and is in the best interests of the Corporation. The Board subsequently met in the evening of February 12, 2022, following the Special Committee meeting and engaged in a discussion of the Arrangement and the terms and conditions of the Arrangement Agreement. Following the Board's discussion, and the receipt of the recommendation of the Special Committee, the Board, with the abstention of the Participating Director, following careful consideration of the recommendation of the Special Committee, among other things, unanimously determined that the Arrangement (including the Common Share Cash Consideration) is fair to the Macro Enterprises Shareholders (excluding the Participating Shareholders) and the Macro Enterprises Optionholders (excluding the Participating Incentiveholders) and that the Arrangement is in the best interests of the Corporation; unanimously authorized the Corporation to proceed with the Arrangement and enter into of the Arrangement Agreement, and determined to unanimously recommend that Macro Enterprises Shareholders (excluding the Participating Shareholders) and the Macro Enterprises Optionholders (excluding the Participating Incentiveholders) vote in favour of the Arrangement Resolution. See "The Arrangement - Considerations of the Special Committee and the Board in Making Their Recommendation" in the Circular. Before the opening of markets on February 14, 2022, the Parties entered into the Arrangement Agreement and AcquireCo entered into the Support Agreements with parties holding or controlling approximately 31.8% of the total number of issued and outstanding Macro Enterprises Shares, 32.0% of the total number of issued and outstanding Macro Enterprises Shares and Macro Enterprises Options, 31.9% of the Macro Enterprises Shares and 97.3% Macro Enterprises Preferred Shares, and the Parties publicly announced the execution of the Arrangement Agreement and the transactions contemplated by the Arrangement. On March 20, 2022 the Corporation announced the passing of Mr. Mastre, one of the Participating Shareholders and the Vice-President, Pipelines of the Corporation. As a result of Mr. Mastre's passing, the parties were required to confirm and review certain details of the Transaction, including (upon consultation with Mr. Mastre's family) to exclude the securities held by Mr. Mastre from the Transaction as a "Participating Shareholder" and "Participating Incentiveholder" and accordingly, on March 28, 2022, the parties agreed to amend the Arrangement Agreement and plan of arrangement. As a result of the amendments to the plan of arrangement, all securities of Macro Enterprises owned by Mr. Mastre (and his estate) would participate in the Transaction in the same manner as all other Macro Enterprises securityholders, other than the remaining Participating Shareholders and Participating Optionholders and Mr. Mastre (and his estate) will no longer be a "Participating Shareholder" or "Participating Optionholders" for the purposes of the Arrangement. Description of Collateral Benefits Macro Enterprises is a reporting issuer or equivalent in British Columbia, Alberta, Manitoba and Ontario and, accordingly is subject to Multilateral Instrument 61-101 - Protection of Minority Security Holders in Special Transactions ("MI 61-101"). MI 61-101 is intended to regulate certain transactions to ensure equality of treatment among securityholders, generally requiring enhanced disclosure, approval by a majority of securityholders excluding certain interested or related parties and their joint actors and, in certain instances, independent valuations and approval and oversight of the transaction by a special committee of independent directors. The protections of MI 61-101 apply to, among other transactions, "business combinations", as defined in MI 61-101. A "business combination" includes, for an issuer, a transaction (including an arrangement) (a) as a consequence of which the interest of a holder of an equity security of the issuer may be terminated without the holder's consent, and (b) where a person who is a "related party", as defined in MI 61-101, of the issuer at the time the transaction is agreed to is entitled to receive, directly or indirectly, as a consequence of the transaction, a "collateral benefit", as defined in MI 61-101. The Arrangement is a business combination under MI 61-101 since, as described below, certain related parties of Macro Enterprises, at the time the Arrangement was agreed to (a) would, as a consequence of the Arrangement, directly or indirectly acquire Macro Enterprises or the business of Macro Enterprises, or combine with Macro Enterprises, through an amalgamation, arrangement or otherwise, whether alone or with joint actors, or (b) will be entitled to receive a "collateral benefit" as a consequence of the Arrangement. A collateral benefit includes any benefit that a related party of Macro Enterprises (which includes the directors and "senior officers", as defined under MI 61-101, of Macro Enterprises) is entitled to receive, directly or indirectly, as a consequence of the Arrangement, including, without limitation, an increase in salary, a lump sum payment, a payment for surrendering securities, or other enhancement in benefits related to past or future services as an employee, director or consultant of Macro Enterprises or another person. However, MI 61-101 excludes from the meaning of collateral benefit certain benefits to a related party received solely in connection with the related party's services as an employee, director or consultant of an issuer or an affiliated entity of the issuer or a successor to the business of the issuer if, among other things, (a) the benefit is not conferred for the purpose, in whole or in part, of increasing the value of the consideration paid to the related party for securities relinquished under the transaction; (b) the conferring of the benefit is not, by its terms, conditional on the related party supporting the transaction in any manner; (c) full particulars of the benefit are disclosed in the disclosure document for the transaction; and (d)(i) at the time the transaction was agreed to, the related party and its associated entities beneficially own or exercise control or direction, over less than 1% of the outstanding securities of any class equity securities of the issuer, or (ii) an independent committee, acting in good faith, determines that the value of the collateral benefit, net of any offsetting costs to the related party, is less than 5% of the value of the consideration the related party expects to receive under the terms of the transaction and this determination is disclosed in the disclosure document for the transaction. The Participating Shareholders, being Miles, Redmond, and, prior to his passing, Mastre, were "related parties" of the Corporation pursuant to MI 61-101. AcquireCo is also a "related party" of the Corporation pursuant to MI 61-101 because Miles, Redmond and Mastre, each a "related party" of the Corporation, beneficially own, in the aggregate, more than 50% of the securities of AcquireCo. Pursuant to the terms of the Arrangement, each of the Participating Shareholders will continue to have an interest in the amalgamated entity formed through the amalgamation of AcquireCo and the Corporation following the completion of the Arrangement and is entitled to receive shares of such amalgamated entity in connection with the Arrangement. As noted above, it is the intention of the parties to amend the Arrangement Agreement and the plan of arrangement provide that Mastre will no longer be treated as a Participating Shareholder or Participating Incentiveholder. Additionally, the Macro Enterprises Options are held by certain related parties of Macro Enterprises, including each of the directors of Macro Enterprises. In connection with the Arrangement, (a) the Macro Enterprises Options held by Miles and Redmond (as Participating Incentiveholders) will be terminated immediately prior to the Effective Time in accordance with his Macro Enterprises Participating Incentiveholder Option Agreement; and (b) as approved by the Board (subject to the abstention of the Participating Director), (i) the vesting of all outstanding Macro Enterprises Options will be accelerated to immediately prior to the Effective Time, subject to, and conditional upon, completion of the Arrangement, and (ii) each Macro Enterprises Option will be surrendered by the Macro Enterprises Optionholders to Macro Enterprises in consideration for such Macro Enterprises Optionholders receiving the Option Consideration from Macro Enterprises. See "The Arrangement - Treatment of the Macro Enterprises Options" in the Circular. Accordingly, the directors and senior officers of Macro Enterprises may have interests in the Arrangement that are, or may be, different from, or in addition to, the interests of other securityholders of Macro Enterprises. The Board is aware of these interests and considered them, among other matters, when recommending that Macro Enterprises Shareholders and Macro Enterprises Optionholders vote FOR the Arrangement Resolution. Each of the related parties of Macro Enterprises and their respective associates and affiliated entities beneficially own, or exercise control or direction over, less than 1% of each class of voting shares (assuming in each case the exercise of Macro Enterprises Options held by them), other than: Miles, who beneficially owns, or exercises control or direction over, approximately 29.4% of the outstanding Macro Enterprises Shares, Mike Nielson, who beneficially owns, or exercises control or direction over, approximately 1.2% of the outstanding Macro Enterprises Shares and Bill McFetridge, who beneficially owns, or exercises control or direction over, approximately 1.0% of the outstanding Macro Enterprises Shares. As at the date of the Arrangement Agreement, each of Mr. Nielsen and Mr. McFetridge, are each entitled to receive a cash payment in exchange for the surrender of their "in-the-money" Macro Enterprises Options which will be cancelled in connection with the Arrangement. The cash payment will be equal to the difference between the exercise price and the $4.00 per share to be paid in connection with the Arrangement and could be considered to be a "collateral benefit" as each of Mr. Nielsen and Mr. McFetridge beneficially own or exercise control or direction over 1% or more of the Macro Enterprises Shares. However, in accordance with the provisions of MI 61-101, the independent directors, acting in good faith, has determined that the value of the benefit to each of Mr. Nielsen and Mr. McFetridge (i.e., the cash payment in respect of their Macro Enterprises Options), net of any offsetting costs, is less than 5% of the value of the consideration that each of Mr. Nielsen and Mr. McFetridge, respectively, is expected to receive under the terms of the Arrangement in respect of their Macro Enterprises Shares. Consequently, neither Mr. Nielsen nor Mr. McFetridge is entitled to receive a "collateral benefit" in connection with the Arrangement and Miles is the only related party to receive a "collateral benefit" in connection with the Arrangement. The following table sets out the names of the directors, officers and insiders, the number of outstanding securities of the Corporation beneficially owned, or over which control or direction is exercised, by each of them and, where known after reasonable inquiry, by their respective associates or affiliates, as of the Record Date, and the estimated consideration to be received in respect of such securities as a result of the Arrangement: Name Securities Consideration Frank Miles Chief Executive Officer, Chief Operating Officer and Director 9,253,428 Macro Enterprises Shares $23,013,712 (in exchange for 5,753,428 Macro Enterprises Shares) 14,000 Amalco Class A Shares (in exchange for 3,500,000 Macro Enterprises Shares) 2,100 Macro Enterprises Preferred Shares $5,600,028 $2,991.78, representing the accrued cumulative dividend to be paid on the Macro Enterprises Preferred Shares in accordance with the Plan of Arrangement(2)(5) 70,000 Macro Enterprises Options $0 Jeff Redmond Chief Financial Officer 115,000 Macro Enterprises Shares 460 Amalco Class B Shares 30,000 Macro Enterprises Options $0 Michael Nielsen Director 376,100 Macro Enterprises Shares $1,384,400 330 Macro Enterprises Preferred Shares (1) $880,004.40 $470.14, representing the accrued cumulative dividend to be paid on the Macro Enterprises Preferred Shares in accordance with the Plan of Arrangement(3)(5) 40,000 Macro Enterprises Options $34,000 William McFetridge Director 244,700 Macro Enterprises Shares $980,000 50 Macro Enterprises Preferred Shares (1) $133,334 $71.23, representing the accrued cumulative dividend to be paid on the Macro Enterprises Preferred Shares in accordance with the Plan of Arrangement(4)(5) 50,000 Macro Enterprises Options $42,500 Robert (Bob) L. Fedderly Director 13,000 Macro Enterprises Shares $65,000 50,000 Macro Enterprises Options $2,500 Kenneth Mastre Vice President, Pipelines 35,000 Macro Enterprises Shares $140,000 100,000 Macro Enterprises Options $85,000 Notes : Following the conversion of the Macro Enterprises Preferred Shares into Macro Enterprises Shares. Represents accrued cumulative dividends for the period of April 1 to April 8, 2022, based on: (i) an assumed Effective Date of April 8, 2022; and (ii) the anticipated payment on March 31, 2022 of accrued cumulative dividends in the amount of $34,125.00 for the period of January 1, 2022 to March 31, 2022. Represents accrued cumulative dividends for the period of April 1 to April 8, 2022, based on: (i) an assumed Effective Date of April 8, 2022; and (ii) the anticipated payment on March 31, 2022 of accrued cumulative dividends in the amount of $5,362.50 for the period of January 1, 2022 to March 31, 2022. Represents accrued cumulative dividends for the period of April 1 to April 8, 2022, based on: (i) an assumed Effective Date of April 8, 2022; and (ii) the anticipated payment on March 31, 2022 of accrued cumulative dividends in the amount of $812.50 for the period of January 1, 2022 to March 31, 2022. Should the Effective Date occur following the assumed Effective Date of April 8, 2022, additional dividends will accrue in accordance with the terms of the Macro Enterprises Preferred Shares. Voting at Meeting of Securityholders The special meeting of Macro Securityholders at which Macro Securityholders will consider and, if deemed advisable, pass, with or without variation, a special resolution to approve the Arrangement in the form attached as Appendix "A" to the Circular will be held on Monday, April 4, 2022 at 10:00 a.m. (Vancouver time) at the offices of Norton Rose Fulbright Canada LLP at 510 West Georgia Street, Suite 1800, Vancouver, British Columbia, V6B 0M3. Pursuant to MI 61-101, the Macro Enterprises Shares and the Macro Enterprises Preferred Shares held by each of Miles, Redmond and the estate of Mastre, together with the Macro Enterprises Shares held by each of their respective associates and affiliated entities, being 9,403,428 Macro Enterprises Shares and 2,100 Macro Enterprises Preferred Shares, will be excluded in determining whether minority approval has been obtained in accordance with MI 61-101. For details of such parties ownership of securities of Macro Enterprises, please see "Description of Collateral Benefits" above. Macro has sent the Circular and other Meeting materials to Macro Securityholders. These documents contain comprehensive information with respect to how Macro Securityholders may vote in advance of the Meeting. The Circular is also available on the Company's profile at www.sedar.com and on its website at http://www.macroindustries.ca. The record date for determining Macro Securityholders eligible to vote at the Meeting is February 23, 2022. Recommendations In view of the advice from Acquireco that it remains fully committed to complete the Transaction and on the basis that the transaction price of $4.00 per Macro Enterprises Share will remain the same, that requisite financing arrangements are still expected to be in place to fund the full cash consideration of the Arrangement and that, as a result of the minimal securityholding of Mr. Mastre (and his estate) and Mr. Mastre ceasing to be a "Participating Shareholder" or "Participating Incentiveholder", the likelihood of completing the Arrangement will remain the same as before the amendments, the Special Committee has unanimously reconfirmed their recommendation to the Board, and the Board, upon the recommendation of the Special Committee, subject to abstention by Miles, has unanimously determined that the Arrangement is fair to the holders of Macro Enterprises Shares (excluding the Participating Shareholders), Macro Enterprises Preferred Shareholders (excluding the Participating Shareholders) and Macro Enterprises Optionholders (excluding the Participating Incentiveholders) and is in the best interests of Macro Enterprises. The Board, subject to abstention by Miles, has unanimously reconfirmed its recommendation that the holders of Macro Enterprises Shares and Macro Enterprises Preferred Shares (other than the Participating Shareholders) and Macro Enterprises Optionholders (other than Participating Shareholders) vote in favour of the Arrangement Resolution. About Macro Enterprises Inc. Macro's core business is providing pipeline and facilities construction and maintenance services to major companies in the oil and gas industry in northeastern British Columbia and northwestern Alberta. The Company's corporate office is in Fort St. John, British Columbia. Macro's common shares are listed on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol "MCR". Information on the Company's principal operations can be found at www.macroindustries.ca. For further information, please contact: Frank Miles President and C.E.O. Phone: (250) 785-0033 Bob Fedderly Special Committee Phone: (250) 787-0398 Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/118476 Boca Raton, Florida--(Newsfile Corp. - March 28, 2022) - Sanctuary Healthcare , Florida's premier psychedelic therapy clinic and clinical research organization, will be participating in the Benzinga Psychedelics Capital Conference, which will take place on April 19 at the Fontainebleau Miami Beach. Dr. Evan Peskin will be speaking at 4:20 PM ET on April 19th. Interested parties can register to attend here. Members of the Sanctuary Healthcare management will also be holding one-on-one investor meetings throughout the day. "We're glad to welcome the burgeoning psychedelics industry into Benzinga's growing ecosystem of events. We've seen cannabis businesses raise hundreds of millions of dollars at our Cannabis Capital Conferences and it's our pleasure to open this possibility to businesses working to develop and establish psychedelics as the new paradigm-shift in mental health treatment," said Chief Zinger Jason Raznick. To register and access please follow this link. About Sanctuary Healthcare Sanctuary Healthcare is a fully-accredited and AHCA-licensed psychedelic therapy clinic and clinical research organization located in Boca Raton, Florida. Our healing sanctuary is designed to optimize your mindset and provide the best setting for your psychedelic experience! Our world-class team consists of physicians, psychiatrists, psychologists, advanced practice nurses, integration specialists, former special forces operators, clinical researchers, chemists, pharmacists, and health-tech software engineers - all dedicated to advancing the field of psychedelic medicine and improving lives! Visit SanctuaryHealthcare.org to learn more, today. About The Benzinga Psychedelics Capital Conference The premier gathering of psychedelic entrepreneurs and investors in North America is debuting in Miami. The debut of the Benzinga Psychedelics Capital Conference will gather the biggest players in the psychedelics industry on April 19 in Miami. Attendees can expect a full day of company presentations, insider panels and networking. The Benzinga Psychedelic Capital Conference is guaranteed to offer participants a chance to connect with the people driving the psychedelics industry forward. Join live in Miami or online anywhere to participate in this Psychedelics industry conference with top industry players. For further information: Andy Edelson Chief Development Officer 18473379436 andy@findyoursanctuary.org Sydney, Australia--(Newsfile Corp. - March 28, 2022) - Austral Gold Limited (ASX: AGD) (TSXV: AGLD) ("Austral" or the "Company")is pleased to announce the positive results of updated Mineral Reserve and Mineral Resource Estimates prepared by SLR Consulting (Canada) Ltd. ("SLR") in accordance with CIM Definitions 2014, National Instrument 43-101 ("NI 43-101") and Joint Ore Reserves Committee Code, 2012 (JORC 2012) for the Company's 100% owned Guanaco-Amancaya Operation in Chile. The Guanaco-Amancaya Operation consists of the Guanaco Mine (Guanaco) and Inesperada satellite deposit (Inesperada), the Amancaya Mine (Amancaya), and the Guanaco heap leach pads (Heap Reprocessing project). The updated Mineral Reserve and Mineral Resource estimates will be supported by a technical report prepared in accordance with NI 43-101 that will be filed on SEDAR (www.sedar.com) within 45 days of this news release (the "Technical Report"). Highlights: Proven and Probable Mineral Reserves for the Guanaco-Amancaya Operation are estimated to be 12.1 Mt grading 0.84 g/t Au and 4.89 g/t Ag and containing 0.326 million ounces (Moz) Au and 1.91 M oz Ag. The Heap Reprocessing material provides the majority of the increase from previous estimates. Measured and Indicated Mineral Resources for the Guanaco-Amancaya Operation are estimated to be 14.9 million tonnes (Mt) grading 1.03 g/t Au and 5.89 g/t Ag Inferred Mineral Resources are estimated to be approximately 2.4 Mt grading 1.18 g/t Au and 3.93 g/t Ag After-Tax Net Present Value (NPV) at 6.89% discount rate is US$77.0 million Undiscounted pre-tax free cash flows of US$132.7 million (post tax US$102.6 million) All-in Sustaining Cost (AISC): US$1,050/oz Au The mine life is 12 years, based on Mineral Reserves. Combined estimated annual average production of 17,400 ounces recovered for gold and 52,800 ounces recovered for silver Mine life capital totals US$20.9 million, consisting of installation of a new crusher and heap leach pad for heap reprocessing, capitalized waste stripping, and closure costs (offset by salvage value). Average operating cost over the mine life is $17.51 per tonne milled. Metallurgical recovery averages 60.4% for gold and 31.7% for silver over the LOM (the average is highly influenced by the Heap Reprocessing material, higher-grade feed has higher recoveries). Metal prices: Life of Mine ("LOM") average of US$1,686/oz gold and US$22.88/oz silver, based on consensus of independent forecasts for annual prices. *See tables below for assumptions used in the estimates. Chief Executive Officer of Austral, Stabro Kasaneva, commented, "We are excited at the prospect of continuing to increase shareholder value by extending the mine life of Guanaco-Amancaya. The Heap Reprocessing project is expected to utilize excess processing capacity to provide a solid long-term basis for mine operations, covering costs and providing a return at current financial inputs. Opportunities for higher-grade ore sources from exploration or acquisition could be easily integrated into the Life of Mine plan, and would benefit from lower unit costs." The updated estimates are based on Company infill drilling and exploration activities since the December 31, 2016 Technical Report filed on SEDAR, as well as metallurgical testwork and engineering studies on the Heap Reprocessing project. Mining at Guanaco was discontinued in February 2020. Amancaya is currently in production, while Guanaco Heap Reprocessing and Inesperada are new projects that are anticipated to commence operations in 2023. Amancaya's Mineral Reserves are expected to be exhausted in 2023 when Inesperada commences production. It is anticipated that the Inesperada open pit Mineral Reserves will be exhausted by the end of 2025. Reprocessing of the heaps is scheduled to commence in 2023 and continue through to the end of mine life in 2033. Heaps I, II, and III are expected to be reprocessed in reverse order of their numbering, beginning with Heap III, continuing with Heap II, and finishing with Heap I. Approximately 15% of the Mineral Reserve contained ounces comes from Amancaya, 68% from Heaps Reprocessing, and 17% from Inesperada. Summary of Mineral Resources - December 31, 2021 Austral Gold Limited- Guanaco-Amancaya Operation Classification Tonnes (000 t) Grade Contained Metal (g/t Au) (g/t Ag) (000 oz Au) (000 oz Ag) Guanaco Underground Measured 581 2.61 12.67 48.7 236.6 Indicated 868 2.31 17.67 64.5 492.9 M + I 1,448 2.43 15.67 113.3 729.5 Inferred 250 3.42 6.26 27.6 50.4 Amancaya Underground Measured 49 7.96 16.60 12.6 26.4 Indicated 249 6.32 15.96 50.6 127.9 M+I 299 6.59 16.06 63.3 154.3 Inferred 61 5.05 11.02 9.9 21.5 Amancaya Julia and Cerro Amarillo Projects Underground Measured - - - - - Indicated 72 5.36 9.50 12.4 21.9 M+I 72 5.36 9.50 12.4 21.9 Inferred 91 5.80 13.04 16.9 38.0 Inesperada Open Pit Measured - - - - - Indicated 1,682 1.05 14.38 56.7 778.0 M+I 1,682 1.05 14.38 56.7 778.0 Inferred 74 0.91 12.40 2.2 29.5 Heap Leach Pads Measured 11,417 0.67 3.10 247.5 1,139.1 Indicated - - - - - M+I 11,417 0.67 3.10 247.5 1,139.1 Inferred 1,907 0.55 2.64 33.6 161.8 Total Measured 12,047 0.80 3.62 308.9 1,402.1 Total Indicated 2,871 2.00 15.39 184.2 1,420.7 Total M+I 14,918 1.03 5.89 493.0 2,822.8 Total Inferred 2,383 1.18 3.93 90.1 301.3 Notes: Mineral Resources followed CIM (2014) definitions and are compliant with the JORC Code. Mineral Resources are reported on a 100% ownership basis. Mineral Resources are inclusive of Mineral Reserves. Mineral Resources that are not Mineral Reserves do not have demonstrated economic viability. Mineral Resources are estimated at the following cut-off grades: Amancaya and Guanaco underground Mineral Resources: 2.90 g/t AuEq and 1.50 g/t AuEq, respectively. Inesperada open pit Mineral Resources: 0.38 g/t Au. Heap Leach Pads Mineral Resources: zero cut-off grade - the entire volume is included. Mineral Resources at Guanaco and Amancaya are estimated using a long-term gold price of US$1,750/oz and a silver price of US$22/oz. Mineral Resources at Inesperada and Heap Leach Pads are estimated using a long-term gold price of US$1,750/oz. Gold equivalency (AuEq) was calculated as follows: Guanaco: AuEq = Au + 0.0106 x Ag based on a gold and silver price of $1,750/oz and $22/oz respectively and recoveries of gold and silver of 95% and 80%, respectively. Amancaya: AuEq = Au + 0.0107 x Ag based on a gold and silver price of $1,750/oz and $22/oz respectively and recoveries of gold and silver of 93% and 79%, respectively. Metallurgical recoveries are 93% for gold and 79% for silver for Amancaya, 95% for gold and 80% for silver for Guanaco, 80% for gold for Inesperada, and 54%, 70%, and 46% for gold for Heaps I, II, and II, respectively. A minimum mining width of 1.5 m is used for resource underground shapes for the Amancaya and Guanaco mines. Bulk densities are 2.5 t/m3 for Amancaya and Guanaco, 2.44 t/m3 for Inesperada, and 1.77 t/m3 for Heap I, 1.50 t/m3 for Heap II, and 1.70 t/m3 for Heap III, respectively. Numbers may not add due to rounding. Guanaco-Amancaya Operation Mineral Reserves - December 31, 2021 Austral Gold Limited- Guanaco-Amancaya Operation Category Tonnes (000 t) Grades Contained Metal (g/t Au) (g/t Ag) (000 oz Au) (000 oz Ag) Underground (Amancaya) Proven 47 5.74 11.51 9 17 Probable 251 5.01 12.95 40 105 Subtotal Underground 298 5.13 12.72 49 122 Open Pit (Inesperada) Proven - - - - - Probable 1,607 1.05 14.39 54 744 Subtotal Open Pit 1,607 1.05 14.39 54 744 Guanaco Heap Leach Pads Proven 10,240 0.68 3.17 223 1,043 Probable - - - - - Subtotal Heap Leach Pads 10,240 0.68 3.17 223 1,043 Total Proven Total 10,287 0.70 3.21 232 1,060 Probable Total 1,859 1.58 14.2 95 848 Total Proven + Probable 12,146 0.84 4.89 326 1,909 Notes: Mineral Reserves follow CIM (2014) definitions and are compliant with the JORC Code. Mineral Reserves are reported on a 100% ownership basis and estimated at the following cut-off grades: Amancaya: break-even cut-off grade of 3.04 g/t AuEq, and marginal cut-off grades of 2.37 g/t AuEq and 1.37 g/t AuEq for SLS stopes and drifts respectively. Inesperada - pit discard cut-off grade of 0.40 g/t Au. Heap Leach Pads - Marginal cut-off grades for Heap Reprocessing have been estimated as 0.20 g/t Au and 0.15 g/t Au for Heaps I and Heap II respectively, and at zero cut-off for Heaps III. Mineral Reserves are estimated using an average long term gold price of US$1,700/oz and silver price of US$22/oz. Amancaya AuEq was calculated as AuEq = Au + 0.0110 x Ag, based on prices of US$1,700/oz Au and US$22/oz Ag and recoveries of Au and Ag of 93% and 79%, respectively. The following parameters were used for the Amancaya Mineral Reserve estimate: A minimum mining width of 1.5 m was used for SLS stopes and 3.5 m for drifts. Stope dilution: 0.5 m in the hanging wall and 0.5 m in the footwall (1.0 m total). Drift dilution: 0.25 m in each of the side walls (0.5 m total). Metallurgical recovery is 93% for gold and 79% for silver. Bulk density is 2.5 t/m3. The following parameters were used for the Inesperada Mineral Reserve estimate: Dilution and mining recovery factors of 0% and 100% respectively were applied. Metallurgical recovery is 80% for gold. Bulk density is 2.44 t/m3. The following parameters were used for the Mineral Reserve estimate for the Guanaco Heaps: Heap Leach Pad I: maximum of 5% dilution. The average dilution over the LOM is 3.5%. Dilution grades are 0.18 g/t Au and 1.50 g/t Ag. Heap Leach Pad II: maximum of 5% dilution. The average dilution over the LOM is 2.5%. Dilution grades are 0.13 g/t Au and 1.40 g/t Ag. Heap Leach Pad III: All internal dilution within the heap limits was included. Metallurgical recoveries for Heaps I, II, and II are 54%, 70%, and 46% for gold respectively. Bulk density is 1.77 t/m3 for Heap I, 1.50 t/m3 for Heap II, and 1.70 t/m3 for Heap III. Numbers may not add due to rounding. There are no known legal, political, environmental, or other risks that could materially affect the potential development of the mineral resources or mineral reserves. TECHNICAL CONTENT AND QUALIFIED PERSONS The Technical Report for the Guanaco-Amancaya Operation referenced in this news release was prepared under the supervision of the following persons, each an Independent "Qualified Person" as defined by NI 43-101: Orlando Rojas, MAIG, SLR Associate Principal Geologist, Rodrigo Barra, MAIG, SLR Associate Principal Geologist, Stephan R. Blaho, MBA, P.Eng., SLR Principal Mining Engineer, Varun Bhundhoo, ing., SLR Project Mining Engineer, Andrew P. Hampton, M.Sc., P.Eng., SLR Principal Metallurgist, and Luis Vasquez, M.Sc., P.Eng, SLR Senior Environmental Consultant and Hydrotechnical Engineer The technical content of this news release has also been reviewed and approved by the above Qualified Persons. The Technical Report to support the updated Mineral Reserve and Mineral Resource estimates for the Guanaco-Amancaya Operation, prepared in accordance with NI 43-101, will be filed on SEDAR (www.sedar.com) within 45 days of this news release. About Austral Gold Austral Gold Limited is a growing gold and silver mining, development and exploration company whose strategy is to expand the life of its cash generating assets in Chile, restart its Casposo mine in Argentina and build a portfolio of quality assets in Chile, the USA and Argentina organically through a Tier 1 or 2 exploration strategy and via acquisitions and strategic partnerships. Austral owns a 100% interest in the Guanaco/Amancaya mine in Chile and the Casposo Mine (currently on care and maintenance) in Argentina, a non-controlling interest in the Rawhide Mine in Nevada, USA and a non-controlling interest in Ensign Gold which holds the Mercur project in Utah, USA. In addition, Austral owns an attractive portfolio of exploration projects in the Paleocene Belt in Chile (including those acquired in the 2021 acquisition of Revelo Resources Corp), a non-controlling interest in Pampa Metals and a 100% interest in the Pinguino project in Santa Cruz, Argentina. Austral Gold Limited is listed on the TSX Venture Exchange (TSXV: AGLD) and the Australian Securities Exchange. (ASX: AGD). For more information, please consult Austral's website at www.australgold.com. Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Release approved by the Chief Executive Officer of Austral Gold, Stabro Kasaneva. For additional information please contact: David Hwang Company Secretary Austral Gold Limited info@australgold.com +61 (2) 9698 5414 Ben Jarvis Director Austral Gold Limited info@australgold.com +61 413 150 448 Forward-Looking Statements Statements in this news release that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical and consist primarily of projections - statements regarding future plans, expectations and developments. Words such as "expects", "intends", "plans", "may", "could", "potential", "should", "anticipates", "likely", "believes" and words of similar import tend to identify forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements in this news release include the intention to file the Technical Report within 45 days of the news release; the expectation of increased shareholder value from the extension of mine life; the expectation that the Heap Reprocessing project is expected to utilize excess processing capacity for stated benefits; and that stated opportunities can be integrated into the Life of Mine plan that would benefit from lower unit costs. These forward-looking statements are subject to a variety of known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events or results to differ from those expressed or implied, including, without limitation, business integration risks; uncertainty of production, development plans and cost estimates, commodity price fluctuations; political or economic instability and regulatory changes; currency fluctuations, the state of the capital markets especially in light of the effects of the novel coronavirus, uncertainty in the measurement of mineral reserves and resource estimates, Austral's ability to attract and retain qualified personnel and management, potential labour unrest, reclamation and closure requirements for mineral properties; unpredictable risks and hazards related to the development and operation of a mine or mineral property that are beyond the Company's control, the availability of capital to fund all of the Company's projects and other risks and uncertainties identified under the heading "Risk Factors" in the Company's continuous disclosure documents filed on the ASX and on SEDAR. You are cautioned that the foregoing list is not exhaustive of all factors and assumptions which may have been used. Austral cannot assure you that actual events, performance or results will be consistent with these forward-looking statements, and management's assumptions may prove to be incorrect. Austral's forward-looking statements reflect current expectations regarding future events and operating performance and speak only as of the date hereof and Austral does not assume any obligation to update forward-looking statements if circumstances or management's beliefs, expectations or opinions should change other than as required by applicable law. For the reasons set forth above, you should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/118479 Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - March 28, 2022) - Railtown Capital Corp. (TSXV: RLT.P) ("Railtown" or the "Company") and Selten Metal Corp. ("Selten Metal"), an arm's length private company incorporated under the laws of British Columbia, announced today that they have signed a non-binding letter of intent dated March 17, 2022 to effect a transaction that will result in a reverse takeover of Railtown by Selten Metal (the "Transaction"). Trading in the common shares of the Company (the "Common Shares") has been halted in accordance with the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange (the "TSXV") and will remain halted until such time as all required documentation has been filed with and accepted by the TSXV. The Transaction is not a Non-Arm's Length Qualifying Transaction under TSXV Policy 5.4. Accordingly, Railtown will not be required to obtain shareholder approval of the Transaction. About Selten Metal Corp. Selten Metal was incorporated in May of 2021 and, pursuant to an option agreement (the "Option Agreement") with NexOptic Technology Corp. ("NexOptic") dated December 15, 2021, as amended on February 17, 2022 and March 17, 2022, holds an option to acquire up to a 100% interested in the THOR heavy and light rare earth project ("THOR" or the "THOR Project"), consisting of roughly 2,170 hectares located in Clark County, Nevada. German for "rare," the word "Selten" represents Selten Metal Corp's desire to become a leading producer of heavy and light rare earth elements in the United States-as US sourced rare earths are becoming increasingly critical to the climate economy, modern technologies and for global geopolitical stability. The THOR Heavy & Light Rare Earth Project The THOR Project is situated 120km from Las Vegas in an active mining region in Southern Nevada, 26 kilometres from what was once the largest rare-earth element ("REE") mine in the world, Mountain Pass. In 2017, Mountain Pass reopened as the largest REE mine in the Western Hemisphere, and the only REE mine in North America (operated by MP Materials Corp). Reference to mineralization on any properties beyond THOR isn't necessarily indicative of mineralization on the THOR Project. Selten Metal is focused on sustainable exploration and development for the THOR Project. Selten is in the process of having a current technical report on the THOR Project commissioned and further and more fulsome disclosure will be provided in subsequent news releases. The technical report will be filed on the Resulting Issuer's (as defined below) SEDAR profile on completion of the Transaction. Pursuant to the Option Agreement, in order for Selten to acquire an initial 75% interest in and to the THOR Project, Selten must: (a) make a cash payment of $1,100,000 to NexOptic by May 15, 2022 (the "Option Cash Payment"), (b) issue to NexOptic such number of common shares in its capital as will represent 9.5% of the issued and outstanding Selten shares post-issuance (on a pre-Transaction basis), (c) issue to NexOptic an additional 500,000 shares on the date which is 12 months following the date on which Selten is listed on a Canadian securities exchange (the "Listing Date") and (d) issue to NexOptic a further additional 500,000 shares on the date which is 24 months following the Listing Date. If a Listing Date does not occur within 24 months of the date of the Option Agreement, the option contemplated thereunder will terminate. The Option Agreement provides that, upon the exercise of the initial option, Selten Metal will have the right (the "Second Option") to acquire the remaining 25% interest in the THOR project, by issuing to NexOptic an additional 5,000,000 common shares, which issuance shall occur upon the date which is either 36 months following the Listing Date or 48 months following the Listing Date, at the discretion of Selten. For greater certainty, any and all share issuance obligations of Selten Metal under the Option Agreement will be satisfied through the issuance of an equal number of common shares of the Resulting Issuer, in the event the Transaction is consummated. Resulting Issuer Board of Directors and Management Upon completion of the Transaction, the board of directors and senior management of the Resulting Issuer is expected to be drawn largely from the current Selten Metal team and will be comprised of individuals with extensive experience in the development, financing and growth of public resource companies. The following sets out the backgrounds of the persons who are currently expected to be directors and officers of the Resulting Issuer following completion of the Transaction. Jenny-Claire M. Ganasi, CEO and Director, is a Chartered Professional Accountant with more than 15 years experience working with public companies. Prior to joining Selten Metal, Jenny-Claire spent six years on secondment in Norway supporting Teekay Offshore Partners (L.P. (now Altera Infrastructure L.P. owned by Brookfield Business Partners) (NYSE: ALIN) with corporate, management reporting and finance, planning and analysis for the executive leadership team and board of directors. Prior to this, Jenny-Claire spent four years with Teekay LNG Partners (NYSE: TGP) in Vancouver in corporate reporting and four years with PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP in Vancouver in both audit and assurance and tax groups. Jenny-Claire holds a bachelor of Technology in Accounting and a diploma in Financial Management, Advanced Taxation from British Columbia Institute of Technology, and a certificate in Sustainability Management from University of British Columbia. Paul McKenzie, Director, is the CEO and a director of NexOptic and was the CEO of NexOptic's predecessor Elissa Resources, the company that made the original rare earth discoveries on the THOR Project. Paul's experience includes founder, co-founder, CEO, CFO and director roles for several successful public companies in the strategic minerals sector (including discoveries through to feasibility stage, green energy, and battery metals) and the technology sector (including software solutions and artificial intelligence). Paul has assisted in raising approximately USD $120 million in working capital for his affiliated corporations and has managed subsidiaries and projects in Canada, the United States, South Korea, Mongolia, and China. Paul has been directly involved in partnerships, joint ventures, asset sales, license agreements and mergers and acquisitions between his companies and numerous corporations ranging from start-ups to multinationals with market capitalization exceeding USD $600 billion. Jim Guilinger, Director and Lead THOR Consultant, is a geologist with extensive REE expertise spanning more than 40 years. This includes project management and being a technical lead on rare earths projects throughout the USA including Wyoming, Nevada, and Arizona. Jim has completed numerous industrial and strategic minerals market studies, analysis, and investigations for clients and companies around the world. Jim is the Chief Operating Officer at Bradda Head Lithium and has been a private consultant for more than 20 years through World Industrial Minerals ("WIM"). Prior to forming WIM, Jim was a director of Exploration and Development in Mexico for Eldorado Gold and managed numerous industrial minerals, precious and base metal projects. Jim is a "qualified person" as such term is defined by National Instrument 43-101 - Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects. Jessie Friend, Director, has overseen brand and business direction from start-ups to divisions of multinationals including Panavision and has assembled sales and marketing teams that continue to work globally. Jessie is also a fleet advisor for Boom & Bucket, a modern marketplace for everything heavy equipment for the mining industry, renewable energy companies, pipelines and more. Jessie brings to Selten Metal exceptional negotiating, business management, budgeting, financial reporting, and team building skills. Jason Felsman, THOR Project Manager, is a geologist with over a decade of experience working as a consulting geologist and project manager to companies such as Agnico Eagle (NYSE: AEM), Newmont (NYSE: NEM) and others. His extensive REE experience includes senior geologist with Rare Element Resources (OTCQB: REEMF). Jason is an expert in project management including drill program planning and management and has extensive skills and experience in mineral property evaluation, project mapping and sampling. Jason is highly proficient in GIS: ArcGIS & QGIS and experienced in Petrographic and Micro-Analytical Techniques (SEM, LA-ICPMS, CL). Jason completed his geological studies at University of Arkansas: B.S., and University of Idaho: M.S. James Clark, Senior Project Consultant, has more than 30 years of experience as an exploration geologist for a variety of commodities, including REE's, industrial minerals, precious, base, and other specialty metals. James has extensive REE experience that includes working on 33 REE prospects across three continents. In 1998, James founded Applied Petrographics to provide petrographic and microanalytical services to the mining industry and clients include Barrick Gold (NYSE: GOLD), Newmont (NYSE: NEM), Hecla (NYSE: HL), AngloGold (NYSE: AU), CVRD, Quest Rare Minerals, and Rare Element Resources. Prior to this, James worked for a variety of mining companies, including Molycorp, Hecla, Newmont, and Rare Element Resources. During his time at Hecla he played a key role in identifying Rare Element Resources' current Bear Lodge rare earth resource and the property's underlying gold mineralization potential. While at Rare Element Resources, James served as VP of Exploration. In addition, it is also anticipated that one of the current directors of Railtown will be appointed to the Resulting Issuer's board of directors and a CFO and a corporate secretary will be appointed for the Resulting Issuer. Once determined, the identify of these individuals will be disclosed in a subsequent news release. The Transaction It is intended that the Transaction will constitute the "Qualifying Transaction" of Railtown, as such term is defined in the policies of the TSXV. Upon completion of the Transaction, the shareholders of Selten Metal will become shareholders of Railtown, a publicly traded company listed on the TSXV. The resulting company after completion of the Transaction (the "Resulting Issuer") will carry on the current business of Selten Metal and intends to be listed on the TSXV as a Tier 2 resource issuer. The Transaction is proposed to be effected by way of a "three-cornered" amalgamation under which securityholders of Selten Metal will exchange their shares of Selten Metal for Common Shares. Shareholders of Selten Metal will be issued one Common Share at a deemed price of $0.20 per share for each common share held of Selten. In addition, upon completion of the Transaction, the Resulting Issuer will assume Selten Metal's obligation to issue common shares to NexOptic pursuant to the terms of the Option Agreement. On completion of the Transaction, Selten Metal will be a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Resulting Issuer. On closing (the "Closing") of the Transaction, the Resulting Issuer's name will be changed to "Selten Metal Corp." or another name acceptable to Selten Metal. Closing of the Transaction is subject to certain conditions, including but not limited to: (a) the completion of satisfactory mutual due diligence; (b) the receipt of all necessary approvals of the boards of directors of Railtown and Selten Metal; (c) the receipt of all required consents and approvals, including without limitation, approval of the Transaction by the TSXV as Railtown's Qualifying Transaction; (d) the Resulting Issuer satisfying the initial listing requirements set by the TSXV for a Tier 2 mining issuer; (e) the entry into of a definitive agreement; (f) approval of the shareholders of Selten Metal; and (g) the completion of the Financing (defined below). The Company also intends to issue 475,000 Common Shares to Canaccord Genuity Corp. at a deemed price of $0.20 per share in connection with the Transaction. The payment of the finder's fee is subject to TSXV acceptance. Further details regarding the Transaction and any finder's fees payable will be included in a subsequent news release once additional details become available. Sponsorship Railtown will be seeking an exemption from the sponsorship requirements of the TSXV pursuant to the provisions of section 3.4(a)(ii) of TSXV Policy 2.2. Proposed Financing In connection with the Transaction, Selten Metal intends to complete a private placement (the "Financing") of 15,000,000 common shares at a price of $0.15 per share, for aggregate gross proceeds of $2,250,000. Finder's fees may be paid to qualified finders in accordance with the Financing. It is anticipated that $1,100,000 of the net proceeds from the Financing will be used towards the Option Cash Payment. Further details regarding the Financing will be included in a subsequent news release once additional details become available. Pro Forma Share Capital of the Resulting Issuer Assuming the sale of all 15,000,000 shares pursuant to the Financing, it is anticipated that, on Closing of the Transaction, there will be 50,911,602 common shares of the Resulting Issuer issued and outstanding (52,711,602 common shares on a fully diluted basis), assuming the exercise of all outstanding options and warrants. It is expected that following the completion of the Transaction and the Financing, but assuming no exercise of the Second Option, existing Railtown shareholders will hold approximately 25.5% of the common shares of the Resulting Issuer, former shareholders of Selten Metal will hold approximately 35.5% of the common shares of the Resulting Issuer and NexOptic will hold approximately 9.5% of the common shares of the Resulting Issuer. It is anticipated that a portion of the issued and outstanding Common Shares of the Resulting Issuer will be subject to the escrow and resale restrictions pursuant to the policies of the TSXV. Selected Financial Information The following table sets out selected financial information with respect to Selten as at and for the period noted. This information information has not been audited, and may be subject to adjustment: As at December 31, 2021 and for the period from incorporation on May 26, 2021 to December 31, 2021 (unaudited) Total Revenues Nil Net Income (Loss) $(117,842) Total Assets $130,305 Total Liabilities $28,147 Further financial information will be included in the listing application to be prepared in connection with the Transaction. About Railtown Railtown is publicly listed on the TSXV under the symbol RLT.P. Railtown was formed as a Capital Pool Company in accordance with policies of the TSXV in order to identify and evaluate businesses and assets for acquisition and financing. The address of the Company's registered and records office is 2200 - 885 West Georgia St., Vancouver, BC, V6E 3E8. For further information, please contact: Railtown Capital Corp.: Cameron White, Chief Executive Officer Phone: 604-765-2601 Email: railtowncapital@gmail.com Selten Metal Corp.: Jenny-Claire Ganasi, Chief Executive Officer Email: invest@seltenmetal.com www.seltenmetal.com Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Information This news release includes certain "forward-looking statements" under applicable Canadian securities legislation that are not historical facts. Forward-looking statements involve risks, uncertainties, and other factors that could cause actual results, performance, prospects, and opportunities to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements in this news release include, but are not limited to, statements with respect to the terms and conditions of the proposed Transaction; the Company's objectives, goals or future plans; Selten Metal's objectives, goals or future plans; statements regarding issuing subsequent news releases; completion of the Financing; payment of the Option Cash Payment; statements regarding the Second Option; the composition of the board of directors and management of the Resulting Issuer; statements regarding obtaining a waiver to the sponsorship requirements of the TSXV; further financial information being included in the listing application to be prepared in connection with the Transaction; the receipt of the requisite approvals with respect to the Transaction and the business and operations of the Resulting Issuer following the completion of the Transaction. Forward-looking statements are necessarily based on a number of estimates and assumptions that, while considered reasonable, are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause actual results and future events to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such factors include, but are not limited to: general business, economic and social uncertainties; litigation, legislative, environmental and other judicial, regulatory, political and competitive developments; delay or failure to receive board, shareholder or regulatory approvals; those additional risks set out in Railtown's public documents filed on SEDAR at www.sedar.com; and other matters discussed in this news release. Although Railtown believes that the assumptions and factors used in preparing the forward-looking statements are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on these statements, which only apply as of the date of this news release, and no assurance can be given that such events will occur in the disclosed time frames or at all. Except where required by law, Railtown and Selten Metal disclaim any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise. Reader Advisory Completion of the Transaction is subject to a number of conditions, including but not limited to TSXV acceptance and, if applicable pursuant to TSXV requirements, majority of the minority shareholder approval. Where applicable, the Transaction cannot close until the required shareholder approval is obtained. There can be no assurance that the Transaction will be completed as proposed or at all. Investors are cautioned that, except as disclosed in the management information circular or filing statement to be prepared in connection with the Transaction, any information released or received with respect to the Transaction may not be accurate or complete and should not be relied upon. Trading in the securities of a capital pool company should be considered highly speculative. The TSXV has in no way passed upon the merits of the proposed Transaction and has neither approved nor disapproved the contents of this press release. Neither the TSXV nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSXV) accepts responsibility of the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Not for distribution to U.S. news wire services or dissemination in the United States To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/118485 Ad hoc Announcement pursuant to Art. 53 LR NOT FOR PUBLICATION OR DISTRIBUTION IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, AUSTRALIA, CANADA, JAPAN, OR THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AREA, OR IN ANY OTHER JURISDICTION IN WHICH SUCH PUBLICATION OR DISTRIBUTION WOULD NOT BE IN COMPLIANCE WITH APPLICABLE LAWS AND REGULATIONS. BAAR, Switzerland, March 29, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Talenthouse facilitates collaboration between its community of +14m members with some of the world's leading brands, including the United Nations (UN), Facebook, Snapchat, Warner Bros, Bacardi and Universal Music members with some of the world's leading brands, including the United Nations (UN), Facebook, Snapchat, Warner Bros, Bacardi and Universal Music Talenthouse drives the distribution of quality, on-demand creative content, through its platforms globally Talenthouse empowers its Creatives by providing the necessary tools and services to build and monetise their creative businesses Talenthouse AG ("Talenthouse" or "the company"), a leading technology platform connecting creatives and brands globally, has today listed 418,337,210 registered shares on SIX Swiss Exchange (ticker THAG) in response to an exceptional demand for digital content creation1. Talenthouse, with its operational headquarters in London, captures the "zeitgeist" of a new era of diverse, decentralised, international, creative content. As leaders in the global Creator Economy, it empowers and connects its community of over 14 million members with world-renowned brands including Warner Bros., Snapchat and the UN to develop authentic culturally-relevant digital content. The Creator Economy generates US$2,250 billion annually, employing 30 million people worldwide, according to UNESCO. It is an ecosystem that comprises a wide range of occupations distinguished by the generation of wealth and jobs through individual creativity. It is seeing huge demand as audiences are increasingly requesting quality, unique, engaging creative work that resonates with them. Smartphone usage, streaming and social media have revolutionised digital photography and videography consumption, while digital games and the metaverse have led to a demand for augmented reality (AR) and 3D graphic content. With its skilled international community, Talenthouse is well positioned to provide its clients with this dynamic fresh content. The company's business model, which is built on the two current pillars of content creation and content monetisation, has been strongly underpinned by both acquisitive and organic growth through product development. A third pillar, community empowerment, is expected to be built up in 2022. With pioneering, robust and diversifiable patented technology, Talenthouse has a strong history of innovation. As the business expands, its goals are to democratise and nurture the creative community and to upskill individuals enabling them to better source additional, flexible income through the platform. The company is focussed on empowering creatives and providing them with the tools to grow, learn and promote themselves. Meanwhile, the company's core blue chip clients are seeking to develop bespoke, authentic, culturally-nuanced content for each region in their worldwide operations. Having a truly global community of creatives in 195 countries, Talenthouse's community is well-placed to develop this content. This was recently highlighted by the company's groundbreaking work with the UN . In this campaign Talenthouse received over 16,700 submissions from 142 countries, verifying over 4,000 for all to share to help fight the Covid-19 pandemic. Roman Scharf, Co-Founder of Talenthouse says, "We set up Talenthouse with the goal of democratising economic opportunity for creatives whilst improving and authenticating brand messaging. Around the world there are abundantly talented people looking for better ways to earn a living and through our diverse offerings they can work for some of the world's most influential brands. The public listing enables us to further grow our community; to nurture and develop our creative members, so that we can provide our brand partners with an even more complete, international and bespoke content service. With our highly-skilled management team, supported by an experienced Board, I am confident that we will continue our strong growth and allow many more creatives to participate in the networks which define the outcome of their lives." Clare McKeeve, CEO of Talenthouse says,"Our community is at the heart of everything we do. At Talenthouse our goal is more than just offering creatives access to incredible household brands, we want to empower our community and set each and every creative up for success. We've acquired and developed brilliant companies within our portfolio so that our creatives have the tools to be part of an active community whilst successfully monetising their skills. Ultimately they are the lifeblood of Talenthouse - the brilliant minds that constantly inspire our clients and build relevant, authentic content." The company also announces that yesterday its board of directors has adopted a stock option plan and approved to grant an aggregate of 69,035,000 options to certain employees, members of the board of directors and consultants to purchase the same number of shares in Talenthouse AG at an exercise price of CHF 0.10 per share. The options include new options and legacy options of former option-holders in group companies of Talenthouse AG. The new options are subject to a tranched vesting over four years and, as concerns Talenthouse AG's board and executive team members, the shares received upon the exercise of new options are subject to a holding period (lock-up) of 5 (five) years upon granting of the options. The shares received upon the exercise of legacy options are, as a rule, subject to a holding period (lock-up) of 3 (three) years upon granting of the options. The stock option plan provides incentives for high levels of performance and encourages long term stock ownership in Talenthouse AG. Furthermore, Talenthouse AG was informed by its chairman that he intends to further commit to Talenthouse AG and purchase additional shares on the market in the coming days. Stock exchange listing: SIX Swiss Exchange (www.six-swiss-exchange.com) Ticker symbol: THAG (CH) Security number: 1 081 986 ISIN: CH0010819867 Contact: Talenthouse AG, Zugerstrasse 8a, CH-6340 Baar, Switzerland Media Relations: Brigitte Kaps Phone +41 43 344 38 38 or Mob +41 79 289 2042 Brigitte@talenthouse.com About Talenthouse AG Talenthouse AG is a technology platform company, working with the world's largest creative community of over 14m members, to produce the highest quality digital content for many of the largest companies globally, including Netflix and Nike. Talenthouse AG, which unites the creative platforms of Talenthouse, EyeEm, Ello, Zooppa and Jovoto, is leading a structural shift in the way that creative content is produced, employing a platform business model to source content at the scale and quality required to keep pace with consumer demand in the digital age. In doing so, it is also opening up opportunities for a much larger pool of creative talent. The company is registered in Switzerland and operationally headquartered in London with offices in LA, NYC, Berlin, Milan and Philadelphia. For more information visit: www.business.talenthouse.com 1. Note to editors The listing of shares of Talenthouse AG takes place in the context of the concurrent change of the company's name from New Value AG to Talenthouse AG, with a related amendment of company purpose from an investment to an operating company, with the creation of a single class of shares, with the change of the symbol "NEWN" to "THAG" and with the change from the Investment Company Standard to the International Reporting Standard on SIX Swiss Exchange, i.e. with the implementation of the conditional resolutions of the shareholders' meeting of 24 November 2021. As from today, 421,624,443 registered shares with a nominal value of CHF 0.10 each are listed. For details see the prospectus in accordance with Article 35 et seqq. of the Swiss Federal Act on Financial Services which is available on invest.talenthouse.com. Disclaimer This media release serves informational purposes and constitutes neither an offer to sell nor a solicitation or an advertisement to buy any shares of Talenthouse AG in any jurisdiction. This media release does not constitute a prospectus within the meaning of Article 35 et seqq. of the Swiss Federal Act on Financial Services. Such prospectus is published exclusively for the purposes of the listing of shares of Talenthouse AG on SIX Swiss Exchange. Such prospectus is not published for the purposes of a share offering. It can be downloaded on invest.talenthouse.com or is available free of charge at Talenthouse AG, Zugerstrasse 8a, 6340 Baar, Switzerland (e-mail: invest@talenthouse.com; phone: +41 43 344 38 38). This media release and the information contained therein are not being issued in the United States of America, Australia, Canada, Japan, or the European Economic Area and must not be distributed within or to such countries or via publications with a general circulation in such countries. In the United Kingdom, this media release is only directed (i) to investment professionals falling within Article 19(5) of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Financial Promotion) Order 2005 (the "Order"), or (ii) high net worth entities, and other persons to whom it may lawfully be communicated, falling within Article 49(2)(a) to (d) of the Order. This media release contains forward-looking statements such as projections, forecasts, and estimates. Such forward-looking statements are subject to certain risks and uncertainties which may cause actual results, performance, or events to differ materially from those anticipated in this media release. The forward-looking statements contained in this media release are based on the views and assumptions of Talenthouse AG as of this date and Talenthouse AG does not assume any obligation to update or revise this media release. Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1774373/Talenthouse_CEO.jpg Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1774374/Talenthouse_AG_Logo.jpg Solutions30, the European leader in solutions for new technologies, today announced LightSpeed Broadband, a full fibre internet service provider based in Lincolnshire, has selected the company for a second phase of ultra-fast roll out. The need to reduce the digital divide is greater than ever in the UK. LightSpeed are on a mission to bring ultra-fast 1 gigabit full fibre connectivity to homes and businesses throughout the East of England. Following an initial rollout of its full fibre network across 10 towns in South Lincolnshire and West Norfolk, this second phase aims to address a further 22 towns in Norfolk, Suffolk and Essex. In this context, LightSpeed has awarded Solutions30 UK a large part of its second phase deployment contract. . Having already partnered in phase one, this new contract is a recognition of the productivity and professionalism of the Solutions 30 UK Teams. Dave Axam, Chief Operating Officer, at LightSpeed Broadband stated: "Our ambitious plans for 1 gigabit full fibre connectivity in the East of England means that finding trusted partners is vital. Having worked with Solutions30 in our first phase, we had seen their efficiency, quality and speed firsthand, and knew we wanted to expand our collaboration." Paul Garston, CEO of Solutions30 UK, applauded this new contract: "We've thoroughly enjoyed working in collaboration with LightSpeed, and are pleased that this new contract has come to fruition as a direct result of our performance and commitment. The UK is a high-potential market for Solutions 30 where we intend to play a key role in supporting our clients deploying fibre networks." About LightSpeed Broadband LightSpeed Broadband is based at?Fulney?Hall in Spalding, South Holland, Lincolnshire, creating 55 locally based jobs. Managed by a highly experienced team of broadband experts from across the telecoms industry, including BT and TalkTalk, LightSpeed's mission is to unlock the full digital potential of communities underserved by their existing broadband infrastructure. It plans to bring its fibre network to 200,000 homes and businesses across the?East of England by 2022 expanding to reach 1 million homes by 2025 to become a leading provider in the market. LightSpeed Broadband is backed by 115 million investment with the opportunity to raise 300 million. Investors include AtmosClear?Investments, Kompass?Kapital, Sequoia and Thesaurium who focus on economic infrastructure debt and sustainable infrastructure projects.??? To find out more about LightSpeed Broadband, visit www.lightspeed.co.uk About Solutions 30 SE The Solutions 30 group is the European leader in solutions for new technologies. Its mission is to make the technological developments that are transforming our daily lives accessible to everyone, individuals and businesses alike. Yesterday, it was computers and the Internet. Today, it's digital technology. Tomorrow, it will be technologies that make the world even more interconnected in real time. With more than 30 million call-outs carried out since it was founded and a network of more than 15,700 local technicians, Solutions 30 currently covers all of France, Italy, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, the Iberian Peninsula, the United Kingdom, and Poland. The share capital of Solutions 30 SE consists of 107,127,984 shares, equal to the number of theoretical votes that can be exercised. Solutions 30 SE is listed on Euronext Paris Contact Individual Shareholders: Investor Relations - Tel: +33 1 86 86 00 63 | shareholders@solutions30.com Analysts/Investors: Nathalie Boumendil - Tel: +33 6 85 82 41 95 - nathalie.boumendil@solutions30.com Press - Image 7: Leslie Jung - Tel: +44 7818 641803 - ljung@image7.fr Charlotte Le Barbier - Tel: +33 6 78 37 27 60 - clebarbier@image7.fr Attachment NEW YORK, March 29, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, ritestream, the NFT content funding platform, has signed a deal with Stealing McCloud, the upcoming heist movie based on controversial U.S. tech tycoon John McAfee, to create and issue the film characters' NFTs. ritestream users will be able to purchase these unique NFT's using their RITE coin, the platform's new crypto currency for investing in Hollywood productions from the comfort of their living room. As global NFT sales hit $25 billion last year, the spectacle of non-fungible tokens is revolutionizing the film industry. Every day, customers can become film financiers by acquiring a share in a film or series through pre-sale NFTs. Today, the films' characters of Ian, played by Alex Hgh Andersen (Vikings), Javier, played by Darko Peric (Money Heist) and Elin played by Alex Essoe (Doctor Sleep) have agreed to be released as NFTs. The upcoming film, in collaboration with Samizdat Pictures, charts the fictional escape to freedom of John McAfee, after his imprisonment in Spain. Filming in Barcelona in April, the movie will be shopped to buyers at Cannes International Film Festival in May, before its widespread release. Riaz Mehta, founder and CEO of ritestream, comments: "This deal signifies an awesome moment in history where we will give fans the opportunity to own a piece of the movie as an NFT even before its release. " Riaz continues: "John McAfee is an icon amongst the crypto community and with NFTs booming in popularity, I believe the NFT's from Stealing McCloud will become a treasured collectible for any NFT aficionado. This partnership marks the beginning of a string of amazing film and TV projects that we are bringing to the ritestream platform and connecting fans with their favorite content." ritestream ritestream is the platform for the creation and monetization of film and TV NFTs from allrites, the global marketplace. As a curated filmverse in Web3, it acts as a launchpad for film and TV content. The ritestream ecosystem encompasses an existing content marketplace for global film, TV, and live sports rights that provides streaming platforms flexible access to thousands of hours of content at a low monthly subscription fee. The ritestream launchpad provides creators with a revolutionary platform to fund, monetize and distribute content leveraging the technology of NFTs. The ritestream app provides a distribution mechanism for consumers to watch and interact with content, in addition to supporting their favorite celebrities and actors by purchasing limited edition NFTs. The entire ecosystem is fuelled by RITE coin, a native token used to invest in independent film projects, purchase NFTs and watch content. Consumers can earn RITE coins by rating content on the ritestream app. Thousands of Leading Experts on Thrombosis and Hemostasis Expected to Convene Onsite at Annual International Meeting Hosted by the ISTH to Present Latest Science and Research CHAPEL HILL, N.C., March 29, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The International Society on Thrombosis and Haemostasis (ISTH) announces today that the ISTH 2022 Congress will move forward as planned on July 9-13, 2022 at ExCel London in the U.K. with the first in-person component, in addition to hybrid and virtual options, since 2019 due to the two-year long Covid-19 pandemic. For over 50 years, this international meeting hosted by the ISTH has been attracting thousands of the world's leading experts on thrombosis, hemostasis and vascular biology to come together to present the most recent advances, exchange the latest science, learn about the diagnostic advances, therapeutic solutions and discuss the newest clinical applications designed to improve patient care. More than 8,000 clinicians, researchers and educators are expected to participate in an extensive 5 day lineup of educational sessions, poster and oral presentations, state-of-the-art lectures, medical industry exhibits, Scientific and Standardization Committee (SSC) subcommittee sessions, and professional networking opportunities. The ISTH Congress, the largest in the field of thrombosis and hemostasis, promotes important scientific discourse and advancement to improve the lives of patients in more than 110 countries around the world. The meeting will also feature a large scientific exhibition with industry sessions by prominent pharmaceutical, laboratory equipment manufacturers, diagnostic and biotechnology companies to share important updates about their latest products, treatments and solutions. "The local organizing committee is really excited to welcome those working in the field of thrombosis and hemostasis from around the world to join us in-person for the first time since 2019 and online at the global leading scientific event in this area," said Prof. Beverley Hunt, M.D., O.B.E., Chair, ISTH 2022 Local Organizing Committee (LOC)."The ISTH 2022 Congress will be a must-attend international meeting that features groundbreaking research and innovative advancements, as well as provides invaluable professional connections for those attending. While we were very successful in facilitating virtual education and scientific exchange during the pandemic, we are looking forward to incorporating in-person interactions again as they provide an addition level of engagement that we have all come to value as an important part of accelerating research." In addition to the in-person meeting, ISTH 2022 will feature a robust online platform for those unable to join onsite in an effort to include global participation. Hosted live from London, it will feature all aspects of the Congress both live and recorded for virtual attendees. "We are excited to engage and connect clinicians, scientists and researchers from around the world with an interest in thrombosis and hemostasis as part of the in-person ISTH 2022 Congress," said ISTH President Jeffrey Weitz, M.D. "We are proud of our scientific community that has continued to make ground breaking discoveries and advances even through the pandemic, which will be shared during the ISTH Congress in London. We look forward to seeing and connecting will all of our colleagues from around the world as we encourage everyone to register to participate." ISTH 2022 received more than 2,035 scientific abstracts that cover the most important scientific topics in thrombosis and hemostasis such as arterial thromboembolism, coagulation and natural anticoagulants, diagnostics and OMICs, fibrinolysis and proteolysis, hemophilia and rare bleeding disorders, pediatric bleeding and clotting disorders, platelets and megakaryocytes, role of the hemostatic system in cancer, inflammation and immunity, thrombotic microangiopathies, vascular biology, venous thromboembolism, and women's health. The ISTH is continually evaluating global events and the state of the COVID-19 pandemic around the world, and updating the safety and security protocols as needed. To ensure the safety of all in-person attendees, proof of COVID-19 vaccination will be required. Registrants will be able to conveniently upload their documentation prior to attending the meeting. Additional information about vaccination verification, onsite safety protocols and travel tips will be posted as they become available. To learn more about the ISTH 2022 Congress, please visit www.isth2022.org to get started. About the International Society on Thrombosis and Haemostasis (ISTH) Founded in 1969, the ISTH is the leading worldwide not-for-profit organization dedicated to advancing the understanding, prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of conditions related to thrombosis and hemostasis. ISTH is an international medical-scientific professional membership organization with more than 7,500 clinicians, researchers, and educators working together to improve the lives of patients in more than 110 countries around the world. Among its highly regarded activities and initiatives are education and standardization programs, research activities, meetings and congresses, peer-reviewed publications, expert committees, and World Thrombosis Day on 13 October. Visit ISTH online at www.isth.org. Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/454627/ISTH_Logo.jpg Investment at its German plant will establish new decoration hub and increase production capacity International beauty packaging manufacturer and provider Quadpack is investing over 6 million at its German manufacturing facilities in Kierspe, to meet increased market demand. The investment will go towards the creation of a decoration centre and the expansion of its injection-moulding and assembly capacity. Already a reference in thick-walled PET injection, Quadpack aims to become an industry standard for sustainable manufacture and decoration. Skincare is predicted to grow 10% in 2022, amid signs of optimism across the industry. Market studies indicate growth potential in 'clean beauty' skincare and haircare, and business segments like dermocosmetics. Quadpack's Kierspe plant is being expanded to meet increased demand, in particular for airless packaging, while bringing decoration services in-house to accelerate time to market. 2022 sales from the plant are expected to increase in line with 2021, which was up 25% over the previous year. The investment is dedicated to staff expansion, new moulds, and injection machines and assembly equipment optimised through Industry 4.0. A manufacturing enterprise system (MES) is being installed to improve lead times, efficiency and supply chain agility, while gaining greater control of manufacturing operations. The MES will connect to SAP S4/HANA Cloud in 2023 as part of the company's digital transformation. Once complete, production capacity will grow across all popular product categories, with airless capacity receiving the biggest boost. With the acquisition of decoration specialist Stefan Wicklein Kunststoffveredelung GmbH in Steinbach am Wald in 2021, Quadpack will be able to offer specialist decoration services and know-how at both the Steinbach and Kierspe plants, where a 900m2 facility will be dedicated to decoration. To ensure sustainable production, Quadpack's manufacturing facilities run on 100% renewable energy and operate a continuous programme to reduce waste. The Kierspe plant holds an EcoVadis Silver Medal and is ISCC-certified. SAN and SMMA production is being gradually shifted to PET and rPET for greater recyclability. Quadpack is also testing different decoration techniques and working with ink, varnish and foil suppliers to research more sustainable materials. "Our Kierspe plant is already a centre of expertise for PET injection to meet our sustainability goals. Now, we can add decoration expertise, cutting down on transportation, improving Scope 3 CO2 emissions and speeding up lead times," said Quadpack COO Fabrice Revert. "As the market recovers and environmental consciousness grows, there is greater demand for our 'Made in Europe' solutions. Our investment in Germany brings production closer to home for the majority of our client base. Our goal is always to improve our service to customers, while ensuring a positive impact on the planet." -ENDS- ------------------------ This publication embed "Actusnews SECURITY MASTER ". - SECURITY MASTER Key: m5yfZZRnYpqVmW5plJdpb2KVmptox5KblmmammSdlsyUaGmWlG+Xm5acZnBknGds - Check this key: https://www.security-master-key.com. ------------------------ Copyright Actusnews Wire Receive by email the next press releases of the company by registering on www.actusnews.com, it's free Full and original release in PDF format:https://www.actusnews.com/documents_communiques/ACTUS-0-73726-qp-german-factory-expansion.pdf Ranking calculated on cost and time efficiencies United States most efficient jurisdiction on speed of business Brazil, South Korea and China score less favorably The Netherlands has been identified as the best jurisdiction to base pharma-industry entities when taking into account cost and time efficiencies, according to data compiled by the global entity portfolio management (GEPM) leader Mercator by Citco, in its Pharmaceutical GEPM: Special Report. The pandemic has accelerated the way pharmaceutical companies streamline their operations and Mercator's granular data found that most of the businesses it looked at were organizationally agile with robust business continuity plans in place. The figures show the United States is the most efficient jurisdiction for the timely completion of tasks and Luxembourg the most cost effective but, when combining these factors together, the Netherlands had the best metrics on cost and completion time. The country's status as a European financial center and its historic links to international trade have created an environment that allows multinational pharmaceutical companies to manage entities there with relative ease. Singapore and Belgium both scored highly when combining the two characteristics, while Brazil, South Korea and China had the lowest ranking overall. Europe remains the hub for a significant portion of pharmaceutical companies outside of North America, primarily led by renowned life sciences hubs in Switzerland, Germany and France with India performing a similar role within the APAC region. Kariem Abdellatif, Head of Mercator, said: "The world is a global village, but this report shows that there are still huge differences between countries. However, the insights revealed by this report are not a recommendation of where pharmaceutical multinationals should base their entities or subsidiaries as that will always be driven by demand and necessity. Rather, it is an exercise in setting expectations and providing pharmaceutical General Counsels and Company Secretaries with foresight on the relative cost and time it takes to manage entities and their activities in each jurisdiction. "It is interesting to see the Netherlands top the rankings in this instance, but forward-thinking multinational companies should be embracing technology platforms that let them do business seamlessly across borders and jurisdictions." Many of the projects Mercator helped facilitate for its pharma clients over the past two years have involved high-impact corporate initiatives to optimize value chains, minimize the commercial impacts of the ongoing disruptions and control costs. To read the full report, please visit: https://mercator.net/our-thinking/publications/pharmaceutical-gepm-special-report/. This report follows the Mercator Entity Management (MEM) Report which outlined the challenges that multinationals across a variety of sectors face when managing a global portfolio of entities. - ENDS - Notes to editors: This report provides direct insight into the practice and dynamics of Global Entity Portfolio Management (GEPM) within the pharmaceuticals sector based on real-life data when these businesses have been at the epicenter of one of the most significant global disrupters in modern times. This data is drawn directly from Mercator's proprietary GEPM technology platform Entica which individually records all the activities undertaken for clients. Mercator's data from the pharmaceutical sector represents more than $600bn in market capital, with entities spread across 70 jurisdictions worldwide. As such, Mercator is uniquely positioned to analyze data on a highly detailed level; unlike survey-driven reports, this analysis is specific to the overseas entities of multinational pharmaceutical companies. About Mercator by Citco A pioneer in Global Entity Portfolio Management (GEPM), Mercator creates lasting partnerships with its clients to understand their individual needs and offer ease, efficiency and visibility through a clear layer of oversight. Mercator's unrivalled knowledge of GEPM and proprietary technology Entica is evolving the way companies view and manage their portfolio of entities, helping them navigate an increasingly complex regulatory environment. Mercator is named after Gerardus Mercator (1512-1594), a cartographer most famous for the "Mercator Projection" regarded as the greatest advance ever made in marine cartography; it facilitated navigation on trans-oceanic voyages and played a significant role in shaping global trade today. As the trans-oceanic merchants of the past are the multinational conglomerates of the present, Mercator aims to provide them with the metrics they require to manage their global portfolio of entities. About the Citco group of companies (Citco) The Citco group of companies (Citco) is a network of independent companies worldwide. These companies are leading providers of asset-servicing solutions to the global alternative investment industry. With over $1.8 trillion in assets under administration and 8,200 staff deployed across 40 countries, Citco's unique culture of innovation and client-driven solutions have provided Citco's clients with a trusted partner for more than four decades. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220323005663/en/ Contacts: Barney McCarthy Mike Nicholls: Instinctif Partners: Mercator@instinctif.com Airport workers unload the packages of Sinovac COVID-19 vaccine from a plane at the Phnom Penh International Airport in Phnom Penh, Cambodia on March 29, 2022. A plane carrying another batch of China-donated Sinovac COVID-19 vaccine arrived in the capital of Cambodia on Tuesday amid the country's booster shots vaccination drive. (Photo by Ly Lay/Xinhua) PHNOM PENH, March 29 (Xinhua) -- A plane carrying another batch of China-donated Sinovac COVID-19 vaccine arrived in the capital of Cambodia on Tuesday amid the country's booster shots vaccination drive. The arrival of the new batch was livestreamed on Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen's official Facebook page, the state-run National Television of Cambodia (TVK), and the country's online news provider Fresh News. Ministry of Health Secretary of State Yok Sambath and Wu Guoquan, economic and commercial counselor of the Chinese Embassy in Cambodia, welcomed the arrival at the Phnom Penh International Airport. "Today, we received more than 1.5 million doses of Sinovac vaccine, and tomorrow (Wednesday), another batch of nearly 3.5 million doses will arrive in Cambodia through two planes," Sambath told reporters. Sambath expressed her profound gratitude to China, saying that the new donation was another testament to the ironclad friendship between Cambodia and China. "China is our major vaccine supplier," she said. "This new vaccine will be used to support our booster shot campaign and to vaccinate our children aged from 3 to 5 years old." She said vaccines are highly effective against both infection and serious illness as well as death. Wu said the donation highlights the ironclad friendship and all-weather relationship between China and Cambodia. "As long as COVID-19 is not over, China's support for Cambodia's fight against the pandemic will not end," he said. The southeast Asian nation has so far received a total of almost 50 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines from three sources through bilateral procurement, the World Health Organization (WHO)'s COVAX Facility, and donations. Of the total, about 84 percent were bought from or donated by China. To date, Cambodia has administered one dose of COVID-19 vaccines to 14.8 million people, or 92.5 percent of its 16-million population, the Ministry of Health said. Of them, 13.99 million, or 87.4 percent, have been fully vaccinated with two required shots, 7.91 million, or 49 percent, have taken a third dose or booster shot, and 1.15 million, or 7.2 percent, have got a fourth dose, the ministry added. Director-general and spokesman of the Health Ministry Hok Kim Cheng said Chinese vaccines have helped Cambodia to achieve strong herd immunity and to revive its economy. "Chinese vaccines are essential for Cambodia to save people's lives and to stabilize our health system," he told Xinhua. With its high vaccination rates, Cambodia has fully resumed its socio-economic activities and reopened its borders to vaccinated travelers without quarantine since November last year. An airport worker transports the package of Sinovac COVID-19 vaccine at the Phnom Penh International Airport in Phnom Penh, Cambodia on March 29, 2022. A plane carrying another batch of China-donated Sinovac COVID-19 vaccine arrived in the capital of Cambodia on Tuesday amid the country's booster shots vaccination drive. (Photo by Ly Lay/Xinhua) Airport workers upload the package of Sinovac COVID-19 vaccine onto a refrigeration vehicle at the Phnom Penh International Airport in Phnom Penh, Cambodia on March 29, 2022. A plane carrying another batch of China-donated Sinovac COVID-19 vaccine arrived in the capital of Cambodia on Tuesday amid the country's booster shots vaccination drive. (Photo by Phearum/Xinhua) Photo taken on March 29, 2022 shows packages of Sinovac COVID-19 vaccine at the Phnom Penh International Airport in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. A plane carrying another batch of China-donated Sinovac COVID-19 vaccine arrived in the capital of Cambodia on Tuesday amid the country's booster shots vaccination drive. (Photo by Ly Lay/Xinhua) Second Ireland site to support care initiatives with Expanse integrated patient record Mater Private Network (Dublin, Ireland) has selected MEDITECH Expanse to provide a connected Electronic Health Record (EHR) throughout its hospitals, departments, and care settings. The new system will integrate care by replacing the organisation's current combination of paper records and systems used across its specialties and locations. Mater Private Network includes two acute hospitals (Dublin and Cork), two Day Hospitals in North and South Dublin, two advanced specialist Radiotherapy Centres in Limerick and Liverpool (UK), and several regional outpatient clinics. The organisation is recognized as a national leader in cancer and cardiac care. "The successful implementation and rollout of our Electronic Health Record across Mater Private Network is a key pillar of our digital strategy," said Mater Private Network CEO John Hurley. "The ultimate beneficiary is the patient, and building our system around patient's needs. The Electronic Health Record will provide an extra level of seamless care for our patients, as well as the unique opportunity to increase patient safety and outcomes. We will also be able to optimise operational benefits, providing a solid foundation for the growth of our network." Mater Private Network plans to leverage Expanse as part of their focus on patient-centred care. Tools such as Expanse's ePrescribing, real-time decision support, and analytics will help reduce many patient safety risks like medication errors and hospital-acquired conditions. The organisation is also looking to Expanse to improve its management of chronic disease protocols as well as early identification and treatment of sepsis. Additionally, the efficiencies of the system will help to reduce documentation time, so physicians and nurses will be able to focus more on the needs of their patients. "Our Electronic Health Record will have a significant impact on efficiency, quality of care and most importantly patient safety, with particular advantages to clinicians practicing across multiple sites," said Prof. Robert Byrne, Director of Cardiology, Mater Hospital. "What's exciting is that patient information can be shared across multiple systems, bringing all patient information together and making it accessible in real time, in one place." As part of the implementation, Mater Private Network will also launch Expanse Oncology. This full outpatient solution enables oncologists to use specialty-specific workflows that provide mobile access to patient data, decision support, and one centralized patient record for safer, more coordinated care. "The introduction of a fully integrated Electronic Health Record is a hugely important development for theMater Private Network both in terms of patient care, and the staff who work here," said Dr. Jerome Coffey, Oncology. "It will benefit patients and staff through immediate access to clinical information. In addition, it will support and facilitate our clinical pathways and workflows, and it will provide a platform for mobile devices withoffsite and cross site access." "Mater Private Network is a leader in leveraging technology and innovation to provide exceptional care in Ireland," said Helen Waters, MEDITECH Executive Vice President and COO. "We are honoured that they have selected Expanse as the foundation for the next phase of their digital journey. It will be very exciting to see how they benefit from a one patient, one record web-based system." Find out more about MEDITECH customer successes in Ireland and the United Kingdom. About MEDITECH MEDITECH has driven EHR innovation during every stage of the industry's evolution. Today, our Expanse EHR is setting new standards for usability, efficiency, and clinician satisfaction. Our software is deployed in numerous private healthcare facilities in Ireland and the UK as well as NHS Trusts, paediatric, women, and cancer centre speciality facilities. Our EHR is used in 23 countries, nearly half of all Canadian hospitals, and in a quarter of all US facilities. We help power the best care possible in every setting, from acute Trusts and clinics, to general practitioner and community environments. See why KLAS rates MEDITECH Expanse the #1 EHR in three categories, and the #2 Overall Software Suite. Visit ehr.meditech.com, find MEDITECH Podcasts on your favorite podcast app, and follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220329005115/en/ Contacts: Media Contact Robin Montville, public and media relations manager, MEDITECH rmontville@meditech.com 29 March 2022 Not for distribution, directly or indirectly, in or into the United States or any jurisdiction in which such distribution would be unlawful. EFSF /ISIN TBD Pre-stabilisation Period Announcement Landesbank Baden-Wurttemberg (contact: Torsten Zittlau; telephone: +49 711 74640) hereby gives notice, as Stabilisation Coordinator, that the Stabilisation Manager(s) named below may stabilise the offer of the following securities in accordance with Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2016/1052 under the Market Abuse Regulation (EU/596/2014). Securities Issuer: European Financial Stability Facility ("EFSF") Moody's: Aa1 (stable) / S&P: AA (stable) / Fitch: AA Guarantor(s) (if any): Unconditionally and irrevocably guaranteed by the Guarantors, on a several basis as specified in the Deeds of Guarantee Aggregate nominal amount: EUR Benchmark Description: []% Sep-2028 EUR BMK, RegS, Bearer, off the EFSF Debt Issuance Programme, Regulated Market of Luxembourg Stock Exchange Offer price: [XX.XXX] Other offer terms: NA Stabilisation: Stabilisation Manager(s): BNPP, Deutsche Bank and LBBW Stabilisation period expected to start on: 29 March 2022 Stabilisation period expected to end no later than: 30 days after the proposed issue date of the securities Existence, maximum size and conditions of use of over?allotment facility: The Stabilisation Manager(s) may over?allot the securities to the extent permitted in accordance with applicable law Stabilisation trading venue(s): Over the counter (OTC) In connection with the offer of the above securities, the Stabilisation Manager(s) may over?allot the securities or effect transactions with a view to supporting the market price of the securities during the stabilisation period at a level higher than that which might otherwise prevail. However, stabilisation may not necessarily occur and any stabilisation action, if begun, may cease at any time. Any stabilisation action or over?allotment shall be conducted in accordance with all applicable laws and rules. This announcement is for information purposes only and does not constitute an invitation or offer to underwrite, subscribe for or otherwise acquire or dispose of any securities of the Issuer in any jurisdiction. This announcement and the offer of the securities to which it relates are only addressed to and directed at persons outside the United Kingdom and persons in the United Kingdom who have professional experience in matters related to investments or who are high net worth persons within Article 12(5) of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Financial Promotion) Order 2005 and must not be acted on or relied on by other persons in the United Kingdom. If and to the extent that this announcement is communicated in, or the offer of the securities to which it relates is made in, any EEA Member State before the publication of a prospectus in relation to the securities which has been approved by the competent authority in that Member State in accordance with Regulation (EU) 2017/1129 (the "Prospectus Regulation") (or which has been approved by a competent authority in another Member State and notified to the competent authority that Member State in accordance with the Prospectus Regulation), this announcement and the offer are only addressed to and directed at persons in that Member State who are qualified investors within the meaning of the Prospectus Regulation (or who are other persons to whom the offer may lawfully be addressed) and must not be acted on or relied on by other persons in that Member State. This announcement is not an offer of securities for sale into the United States. The securities have not been, and will not be, registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933 and may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration or an exemption from registration. There will be no public offer of securities in the United States. GDANSK, March 29, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- SentiOne , an AI-company specializing in social media listening, analyzed over 57 million online opinions to rank 345 brands and products to release the 2021 Social Index Report . It includes key data on trends and consumer preferences and brands popularity based on online reach and discussion sentiment. Five sectors -automotive, consumer electronics, e-commerce, fashion, finance and banking- were analyzed by the online listening company to find out which brands perform best online. Out of all 345 brands Apple became the most popular, with second and third place taken by Amazon and SONY. Samsung or Apple? The eternal battle in consumer electronics The most popular brand of consumer electronics is Apple, which not only dominates this category but is also the most popular out of all 345 brands SentiOne monitored. Sony is in second place and Nintendo is in third. The most popular topic in the field of consumer electronics revolves around gaming. Continued interest in VR gaming and the Metaverse space contributed to a strong showing from Oculus, which landed at sixth place. The unusual marriage of fashion and gaming At the forefront of fashion is Nike, with Gucci in second place, and Adidas in third. High fashion loves K-pop and K-pop loves high fashion. Brands like Louis Vuitton, Chanel, and Gucci all collaborated with various Korean stars this year. The latter brand is also not afraid of mingling with the video game world - in January, Pokemon Go players could dress up their in-game characters in several North Face x Gucci clothes for a limited time. Automotive industry, K-pop and Twitter The most popular brands online are Tesla, Toyota, and BMW. Collaborating with Korean stars is also beneficial to the car industry. The top hashtag last year was carofinstagram, yet Instagram wasn't become the number one platform in the automotive sector. Why? This year, car brands emphasized collaborations with K-pop idols and their fans prefer Twitter. Fintech over traditional banks PayPal became the most popular brand in the finance sector. It is followed by CashApp and then by Deutsche Bank. The news.bitcoin.com has become one of the most popular discussion hubs in the field of finance and banking. It is clear that online discussions are dominated by emerging fintechs and cryptocurrencies, not traditional banks. Pandemic and DIY in E-commerce It has been growing steadily for some time, but online shopping started soaring in the last two years. Amazon is still the most popular online platform. Etsy - in third place - proves that there is still a great deal of interest in craft stuff. Etsy's domination of the e-commerce sector is also confirmed by its Community Forum being the top source of discussions in the entire category - Organic growth and the incorporation of the French group Allard Emballages have been key factors in the 50% increase in turnover compared to 2020. VALENCIA, Spain, March 29, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Hinojosa Packaging Group has closed 2021 with a turnover of 644 million, 49.7% higher than the previous year, when the company achieved sales of 430 million. Increased demand for consumer goods, customer preference for sustainable packaging and the steady rise of e-commerce have been key factors in this year. In a year characterised by significant cost increases in all industries and economic recovery, Hinojosa has continued to stimulate specialisation, innovation and sustainability, the key drivers of its growth. Commitment to international expansion One of Hinojosa's main milestones in 2021 is the progress of its international expansion with the acquisition of the French group Allard Emballages. This will bring 4 new plants and more than 400 employees to the group, which will contribute to covering most of the demand of its customers in France, ensuring a flexible, agile and close service. In addition to Graphicsleader joining the group in 2020, this milestone is part of the group's international vocation to become a major player in the sustainable packaging sector in Southern Europe. Sustainability throughout the value chain Hinojosa promotes a positive impact on the environment and the communities in which it operates through a Circular Economy model. In 2021, the company reduced its carbon footprint by 40%. The installation of the first solar photovoltaic plant for self-consumption at its Cordoba plant and the implementation of a biogas treatment system and a biomass boiler at its paper mill in Sarria de Ter contributed to this. Hinojosa was also the first Spanish company in both the packaging and paper sectors to receive 'Zero Waste' certification in two of its plants: Hinojosa Paper Alqueria and Hinojosa Packaging Xativa, whose waste recovery is over 98%. The group is moving to extend its decarbonisation and certification programme to other plants. Innovation as a response to uncertainty Hinojosa Packaging Group endured its commitment to innovation during 2021, with the development of Barket, a heat-sealable cardboard tray for the agricultural market recognised by the WorldStar Awards for the lower environmental impact it offers; and Ecogrip, an alternative corrugated cardboard solution to the plastic wrap used to bundle bottles. The group has also innovated in promoting a pioneer Dual Professional Training Course specialising in Graphic Printing in Spain. This initiative aims to professionalise the packaging sector through specific training and to promote the immediate employment of the 25 students currently enrolled in the course. 75 years adding value to what we carry inside us In 2022, Hinojosa will celebrate 75 years of history with a commitment to sustainable excellence with each customer, providing packaging solutions with flexibility and agility, adding value to their business and maximum satisfaction with their products. Hinojosa's shared purpose is to increase the common welfare with sustainable packaging solutions, driven by values such as a commitment to continuous innovation, closeness and a relationship of trust with the customer and excellence in all its activities. Further information: Maria de los Angeles Besoain Public Affairs Experts abesoain@paeconsultoria.com (+34) 683505648 Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann. LONDON, March 29, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The Craft Irish Whiskey Co. has been crowned World's Best Irish Single Malt across all categories at The World Whiskies Awards with its inaugural release, The Devil's Keep. The industry's finest gathered together at the Honourable Artillery Company in London on Thursday, 24 March to celebrate the 2022 Whisky Magazine Awards. Returning to London as an in-person event, the global awards ceremony saw the announcement of the World Whiskies Awards and the Icons of Whisky global winners, as well as four new inductees to Whisky Magazine's renowned Hall of Fame. The Whisky Magazine Awards seek to honour the very best in the industry, across its people, places and products. The Devil's Keep beat off stiff competition from five other Irish Single Malt whiskeys across five different categories including Teeling Whiskey 30 Years Old Single Malt in the 21 years and over category, Knappogue Castle 12 Years Old in the Single Malt 12 years and under, Teeling Whiskey Brabazon Series 4 in the Single Malt 13-20 year category, Clonakilty Distillery O'Hara's Cask Finish Special Limited Edition in the Small Batch Single Malt category and The Irishman 17 Years Old in the Single Cask Single Malt 13-20 years category. Jay Bradley, Founder and CEO of The Craft Irish Whiskey Co., is a true student of whiskey and spent years researching the chemistry of what separates good from great in the category. Resting in the cask, the liquid is a living, breathing organism which peaks and troughs repeatedly through the year. A standout whiskey, he found, isn't determined by an arbitrary measurement of age. It's arrived at only by quality cooperage and precise organoleptic observation. With The Devil's Keep, Bradley would carefully pull samples each day as the expression matured in a finish of fine Hungarian Oak. Ultimately, he opted to bottle it at 29.9 years-just shy of a coveted 30 year age statement-because from a taste perspective he knew the time was right. Commenting after being crowned winner of Best Single Malt across all categories in Ireland, Jay Bradley, Founder and CEO of The Craft Irish Whiskey Co. said: "I am ecstatic and equally humbled that The Devil's Keep was crowned World's Best Irish Single Malt, beating some fantastic competition including two stellar whiskeys from the Teeling stable. For the first whiskey we ever entered to go on to be crowned best single malt in all of Ireland in year one-that's unheard of and an amazing achievement. After years of research devoted to building more flavour into our whiskeys, The Devil's Keep is the culmination. And this accolade reinforces to me that what we are doing is working and that the critics and experts are enjoying what we are creating. We have so much more to do and winning this award makes me hungrier than ever to keep this momentum going and to bottle more phenomenal whiskeys." This is the ninth award for The Devil's Keep 2020 Inaugural Edition, a rare triple distilled, Single Malt whiskey and one of the finest whiskeys that Ireland has ever created. The launch of The Devil's Keep in November 2020 saw just 333 bottles released. It was the most expensive inaugural first release in history, selling at auction for USD $60,000 (almost 46,000 and 51,000 Euros), and the oldest triple distilled Irish whiskey in existence, only to be topped by The Craft Irish Whiskey Co.'s second release in February 2021 of the 30-year-old The Emerald Isle Collection. Amongst its other accolades is a Gold award from the world-renowned International Wine & Spirit Competition (IWSC) 2021 and a Gold from the Global Luxury Spirit Masters 2021. The 2022 Second Edition release of The Devil's Keep is due very soon but The Craft Irish Whiskey Co. only releases a whiskey when it has reached perfection in the barrel, so the number of bottles and date of release is still to be determined. As with all of the company's rare releases, this second edition will be available to loyal clients before being released to the general public. For something truly special, Bottle number 88 of the 2020 Inaugural Edition of The Devil's Keep will be auctioned at Bonhams on 20 May 2022. For more information on The Devil's Keep and other whiskeys from The Craft Irish Whiskey Co. visit www.craftirishwhiskey.com Click here for supporting imagery of Jay Bradley (Founder & CEO of The Craft Irish Whiskey Co.& Ian Duignan (Managing Director) as well as some imagery of The Devil's Keep Interviews with Jay Bradley available on request For further information, please contact: Sharon McHugh - sharon@craftirishwhiskey.com / +44 7881 248 215 About The Craft Irish Whiskey Co. The Craft Irish Whiskey Co. is on a mission to reinvent Irish whiskey, elevating its potential as a luxury product and restoring Ireland's reputation for crafting the finest whiskeys in the world. Formed in 2018 by Irish entrepreneur Jay Bradley, The Craft Irish Whiskey Co. was born from a desire to return Irish whiskey to the heights it once enjoyed. To achieve such a goal has taken a complete reimagining of the craft; honouring centuries of tradition but questioning convention and adding scientific understanding to reinvent the maturation of the whiskey. No expense is spared, no corners are cut. To elevate Irish whiskey's potential, The Craft Irish Whiskey Co. has looked to the past, revisiting the art of whiskey-making perfected by the country's master distillers. While the rise of mass production and blends has pushed this art to one side, the company is invested in restoring it by adding scientific knowledge and a willingness to push boundaries. Underfilling the barrels allows maturation to start at once. Adding water before maturation, or before finishing, allows the water and whiskey to marry over time and avoids the need to dilute the single malt before bottling. The whiskeys are bottled at cask strength to preserve the complex flavour profiles and rich viscosity. Using ultra-premium finishing barrels to mature the single malt delivers rich, rounded notes, while a deep understanding of barrel craft ensures the barrels are moved, rotated and the whiskey disgorged into new ones to create a bespoke journey. The whiskeys are accompanied by skilfully designed and scientifically-perfected accessories that deliver a whiskey experience worthy of the liquid. In 2021, The Craft Irish Whiskey Co. became the most awarded new company of the year amassing a total of seventeen awards across both Taste and Design for four of its ultra-rare whiskey releases. The Craft Irish Whiskey Co. is the exclusive Michelin Plaque Distribution Partner for The Michelin Guide Star Revelation Great Britain and Ireland 2022. For more information visit www.craftirishwhiskey.com The Devil's Keep - Tasting Notes Colour: 1.4 Tawny Characterised by its distinctive tawny, amber colour Nose: The Devil's Keep opens with a nose of the rich aromas of a traditional Christmas cake and Vermont maple syrup, followed by powerful notes of ripe banana, sherry-soaked raisins and hints of 70% dark chocolate adding depth. Palate: The sweetness of golden honey combines with Amarone and accents of dark cherries to add a velvet softness balanced beautifully by a dusting of rich dark chocolate to round off the palate. Rich and warming yet fresh and well-balanced, with supple sweetness and a rich texture. Finish: Beautifully constructed, long and viscous with remanence of maple syrup and chocolate which opens up the liquid to a fine balance of smooth and rich flavours. Rich and oily on the palate, but not overwhelmingly so, and underpinned with a slightly dry finish, providing an indulgent and inimitable taste that will remain on the taste buds. Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1775179/The_Craft_Irish_Whiskey_Co.jpg DER applications, including storage, solar, and EV charging infrastructure, will enable companies in the region to meet their sustainability goals, finds Frost & Sullivan SAN ANTONIO, March 29, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Frost & Sullivan's recent analysis of the Asia-Pacific power and energy market reveals that a growing number of traditional utilities and oil & gas companies will venture into distributed energy resources (DER) applications over the next five to 10 years. DER applications, including storage, solar, and EV charging infrastructure, and the hydrogen economy are expected to accelerate the energy transition toward net-zero emissions. Most countries in the region, such as Vietnam, South Korea, Japan, and Australia, have initiated their energy transitions and show significant potential to scale up renewables. In line with these trends and the rising demand for power, overall investments in power generation capacities are expected to grow from $59.66 billion in 2021 to $73.26 billion in 2030. For further information on this analysis, Asia-Pacific Power and Energy Outlook, 2022, please visit: https://frost.ly/75n "Oil incumbents are venturing into the power sector through partnerships and acquisitions of renewable energy companies, DER companies, and utilities," noted Rajalingam Arikaarampalayam Chinnasamy, Industry Principal, Energy & Environment at Frost & Sullivan. "They are also likely to leverage their offshore expertise to tap into the offshore wind market in Asia-Pacific." Chinnasamy added, "The rapid expansion of power generation capacities will drive strong investments in transmission and distribution networks. Among the emerging energy technologies, Japan, South Korea, and Australia have identified hydrogen as the most promising in accelerating their net-zero energy transition." Companies looking to invest in the regional energy and power market can seize growth opportunities by: Adopting the everything-as-a-service (XaaS) model for accelerated DER uptake : Manufacturers and solution providers need to develop comprehensive plans that cover data access and gathering, flexibility, and innovation. : Manufacturers and solution providers need to develop comprehensive plans that cover data access and gathering, flexibility, and innovation. Partnering with strategic competitors to leverage market synergies : Global OEMs can collaborate with local partners that specialize in the local production of components or with well-established domestic suppliers to penetrate public utility projects and commercial and industrial (C&I) customer segments. : Global OEMs can collaborate with local partners that specialize in the local production of components or with well-established domestic suppliers to penetrate public utility projects and commercial and industrial (C&I) customer segments. IoT-enabling generation and grid equipment to strengthen power network resilience and reliability: Solution providers have to create comprehensive plans and innovation roadmaps for customers to leverage the data generated from digital systems. Asia-Pacific Power and Energy Outlook, 2022 is the latest addition to Frost & Sullivan's Energy & Environment research and analyses available through the Frost & Sullivan Leadership Council, which helps organizations identify a continuous flow of growth opportunities to succeed in an unpredictable future. About Frost & Sullivan For six decades, Frost & Sullivan has been world-renowned for its role in helping investors, corporate leaders and governments navigate economic changes and identify disruptive technologies, Mega Trends, new business models, and companies to action, resulting in a continuous flow of growth opportunities to drive future success. Contact us: Start the discussion Asia-Pacific Power and Energy Outlook, 2022 PCAC Contact: Melissa Tan Corporate Communications T: +65 6890 0926 E: melissa.tan@frost.com http://www.frost.com Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1775552/Transition_to_Net_Zero_Emissions_Catalyzes_Asia_Pacific_Utilities__Adoption_of_Distributed_Energy_Re.jpg BioCred listed among devices in compliance with the federal agency's most demanding fingerprint-related standard Panini S.p.A., a global payments technology provider, has received certification from the Federal Bureau of Investigation FBI to the Next Generation Identification (NGI) Image Quality Specifications (IQS), according to the Appendix F standard, for its new fingerprint-based biometric authentication system. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220329005053/en/ Panini's fingerprint biometric system obtains Appendix F certification from the FBI. (Photo: Business Wire) Appendix F, according to the Bureau's Electronic Biometric Transmission Specification (EBTS), is the most demanding standard for fingerprints issued by the FBI. It requires rigorous image quality conditions, focusing on the human fingerprint comparison and facilitating one-to-many matching operations by large-scale machines. Appendix F certified fingerprint scanners must meet and exceed stringent specifications in reproducing the fingerprint pattern, such as gray range, signal-to-noise ratio and geometric accuracy. The certification ensures that certified products meet or exceed minimum FBI interoperability standards meaning that fingerprints collected by using one device can be compared with those collected on another certified device and will work with the NGI System, considered the world's largest and most efficient electronic repository of biometric and criminal history information. More specifically, Panini has chosen this technology for in-person customer authentication, to guarantee secure transactions while meeting user expectations for speed and convenience. Appendix F FAP 45 level allows the detection of multiple fingerprints simultaneously, reducing the likeliness of possible sequencing mistakes. The process also certifies that the scanner has successfully tested the sunlight effect on image quality. The achievement of this certification is a strategic initiative for Panini, who has been broadening its focus from check imaging (and related anti-fraud elements) to secure identity applications. This accomplishment is a milestone in the R&D team's journey to advance new technologies which can be integrated into future products, as testified by the BioCred concept unveiled in late 2021 in Trustech (Paris). With a unique and patented approach, BioCred combines convenience, security and privacy, and does not force users to hastily discard any identification and authentication methods they may have been previously using. "Our company is positioned to address a growing market opportunity with innovative applications, so we are working closely with certification bodies, making sure we do things the right way from the very start to quickly earn the legitimacy our brand deserves. The FBI certification ensures that our upcoming solutions in fingerprint biometrics comply with the highest standards and fully meet market expectations in terms of quality and reliability" states Pierpaolo Bubbio, R&D Director at Panini. About Panini Founded in Turin, Italy, Panini has enabled clients to capitalize on shifts in the global payments processing market for over 75 years. Panini has a rich history of innovation, resulting in market leading solutions based on state-of-the-art engineering and ISO 9001 quality certified production. Panini improves customer efficiency and fraud prevention via trusted and innovative technologies for check truncation and secure identity. The company's scalable check imaging systems address the complete range of distributed capture opportunities, resulting in the world's largest deployed base of scanners, and their expanding portfolio of secure identity technologies includes reliable, user-friendly options for identity verification and authentication. Panini operates on a global scale and has a direct subsidiary in Dayton (OH), USA to cover strategic North American markets. For more information visit: www.panini.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220329005053/en/ Contacts: Chiara Mattone, Marketing Communications chiara.mattone@panini.com 1 +39 011 8176011 The partnership will empower students with on-the-job training through internships and facilitate industry-academia collaboration DUBAI, UAE, March 29, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Bahwan CyberTek (BCT) Group, a global provider of digital transformation solutions announced that it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with BITS Pilani, Dubai. Under the strategic partnership, BCT and BITS Pilani will work together to expand their understanding of digital technologies and collaborate to build future-fit solutions. The MoU opens avenues for students of BITS Pilani to explore internships at BCT helping them curate EdTech solutions. Additionally, the partnership promotes joint seminars and workshops, knowledge sharing, and review of academic materials. Welcoming the MoU, Mr. Vish Srinivasan, Executive Vice President, BCT, said, "We are excited about this partnership and looking forward to deepening our ties with the student community in the Middle East. We're always exploring ideas, insights, and innovation that help our clients build future-fit businesses equipped with solutions for better experiences. This MoU is a step forward in that direction, sharing knowledge and transforming abstract ideas into reality." Dr. Srinivasan Madapusi, Senior Professor Director, BITS-Pilani Dubai Campus, said, "This MoU will strengthen collaboration between industry and academia. Both parties aim to bring together their respective capabilities, resources and expertise and collaborate on advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence and machine learning. Our primary focus will be on developing applications that will aid in the resolution of real-world problems. We look forward to a mutually beneficial and synergistic partnership between the two institutions." BCT has played an active role in creating knowledge pools to tackle the growing demands for emerging technologies like AI, ML, and IoT. In the past, BCT partnered with Anna University, Chennai, and set up the AU-BCT Kalam Centre of Excellence in the university's campus to train students in emerging technologies. About Bahwan CyberTek Established in 1999, Bahwan CyberTek (BCT) is a global provider of IP-based digital transformation solutions leveraging its portfolio of innovative IP in the areas of Digital Experience, Predictive Analytics, and Digital Journey Management across North America, the Middle East, Far East, Africa, and Asia. Driving innovation through outcome-based business models, proven and powerful IP solutions, BCT is a trusted partner for over 1000+ customers, including Fortune 500 companies. With strong capabilities in digital technologies, BCT has over 3,000 associates with technical and domain expertise, delivering solutions to the Oil & Gas, Telecom, Power, Government, Banking, Retail, and SCM / Logistics verticals. Learn more about Bahwan CyberTek at www.bahwancybertek.com About BITS Pilani BITS Pilani, Dubai Campus, established in the year 2000, is the only offshore campus of Birla Institute of Technology & Science, Pilani (BITS Pilani), India, the most reputed and top ranking private university in India. It also has campuses at Goa and Hyderabad, apart from the flagship campus at Pilani, Rajasthan. BITS Pilani is identified and recognized by the Ministry of Human Resources and Development (MHRD) of Govt. of India as an Institute of Eminence (IOE) in 2018. BITS Pilani is accredited by National Assessment & Accreditation Council (NAAC) in 2016 with 'A' Grade. The Institute offers Bachelors of Engineering (B.E.) Degree in Computer Science, Civil Engineering, Electrical & Electronics Engineering, Electronics and Communications Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, and Biotechnology. It also offers post-graduate degrees in Microelectronics, Electrical Engineering with specialization in Power Electronics & Drives, Design Engineering, Software Systems, and MBA, and Doctoral degree in all disciplines. The department of Biotechnology, established in 2007 at Dubai Campus, offers B.E. Biotechnology and doctoral degree program. Learn more about BITS Pilani, Dubaihttps://universe.bits-pilani.ac.in/dubai/ Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1775579/Bahwan_CyberTek_signs_MoU.jpg LHASA, March 29 (Xinhua) -- Despite compelling and apparent evidence of widespread progress in southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, naysayers continue to level groundless, and sometimes even fictitious, accusations involving the plateau region. Out of ulterior motives, some Western media and individuals have launched unscrupulous attacks on Tibet over so-called human rights and other issues, based on what appeared nothing but rumors and lies. The latest examples include a report published by the U.S. government-funded Radio Free Asia news service accusing China of "rights violations" in Tibet. Such acts can be dubbed a "political virus" and are sometimes even more detrimental than the raging novel coronavirus that has already infected hundreds of millions worldwide. Tibet's effective COVID-19 containment exemplifies how it is upholding human rights. There have been no new confirmed or suspected cases for more than two years, with the region reporting only one case and zero deaths from the coronavirus in total. Despite that, there's no room for slacking. The region, with a population of just 3.65 million, has been constantly widening its coverage of COVID-19 vaccination with more than 8 million vaccine doses having been administered as of mid-January. It is fair to say that Tibet is one of the world's safest places on the planet, if not the most. Such an achievement in protecting people's health and safety is merely one of the examples of China's respect for human rights, and its efforts to improve the well-being of all people, regardless of their ethnic backgrounds. Remarkable feats have been achieved in Tibet over the past decades. Since its peaceful liberation in 1951, Tibet has embarked on a path from poverty to prosperity, from autocracy to democracy, and from isolation to openness. Under the strong leadership of the Communist Party of China, hunger and poverty have become a thing of the past with Tibet's regional GDP soaring. People are seeing fatter wallets, with the per capita disposable income of rural residents maintaining double-digit growth for 19 consecutive years. Average life expectancy in Tibet has increased from 35.5 years in 1951 to 72.19 years last year, and Tibet is the first provincial-level region in China to provide 15 years of publicly funded education, from kindergarten to senior high school. The population of ethnic Tibetans has been on the rise. Official data show that the permanent population of Tibetans in Tibet stood at 3.14 million in 2020, up nearly 16 percent from 2010, or 30 percent from 2000. Meanwhile, the freedom of religious beliefs is fully protected in Tibet, just like anywhere else in the country. All religions and sects, as well as believers and non-believers, are equal in Tibet. There are more than 1,700 sites for Tibetan Buddhism activities, four mosques and one Catholic church. Lies will forever be without any shred of reality, and people can always distinguish right from wrong. While a few Western countries have been obsessed with interfering in the internal affairs of other countries and stifling their development under the pretext of human rights, all such attempts are doomed to fail. Slanders and falsehoods will never stop the all-around progress in Tibet, but will only expose the hypocrisy of certain Western countries, institutions and individuals. It is high time for such forces to look squarely at the plain facts and truth about Tibet and the rest of China, as mud-slinging and buck-passing tricks will not solve their domestic woes -- particularly those induced by the pandemic. PAFnow Capabilities to Debut in Celonis Experiences at the Celonis World Tour 2022 Celonis, the global leader in execution management, announced the acquisition of Process Analytics Factory GmbH (PAF), a leading provider of process mining insights for Microsoft Power BI. This acquisition will enable millions of Microsoft Power Platform users to utilize Celonis' market leading Execution Management System (EMS) for process mining, automation, and collaboration. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220329005245/en/ Celonis acquires PAF to support Execution Management Everywhere. (Graphic: Business Wire) The acquisition of PAF is part of Celonis' strategy to enable companies everywhere and in all industries to use process mining within the Celonis EMS to reveal and fix process inefficiencies. Celonis is committed to empowering users of the top automation, collaboration, and workflow platforms to run their businesses using Celonis' unique process insights and intelligent, targeted actions. The PAFnow process mining product is completely integrated into Microsoft Power BI and Microsoft Office 365 for the analysis, visualization and optimization of almost any process. 97 percent of the Fortune 500, and over 260,000 companies globally, use Microsoft Power BI. The Celonis EMS combines, in one integrated cloud platform, real-time data, process intelligence, and targeted action to impact top, bottom, and greenline business performance at speed. Customers looking to get full clarity on how their business processes are running whether across supply chains, shared service centers, or system landscapes can now benefit from the unique and advanced capabilities of the Celonis EMS within their familiar Microsoft environments. Maximilian Gerbert, project lead at Mercedes-Benz Management Consulting, said: "We the Digital Accelerator of Mercedes-Benz are a data-driven department with a business intelligence strategy built over years, but once we brought process mining into our BI infrastructure we were able to see the full picture and identify process inefficiencies throughout our company that we never could before. When supply chain issues come up, we use insights from process mining within BI to pinpoint the bottlenecks and take action to fix them before they impact our cash flow and our customer experience. We are excited by the news of the Celonis acquisition and the ability to leverage the powerful capabilities of the Celonis EMS within our Microsoft environment." "It's great to see Celonis and PAF join forces," said Linus Linder, Head of IT at Muller Die lila Logistik Service GmbH. "Now we can benefit from the real-time data, process intelligence, and targeted action in the Celonis EMS within our familiar Microsoft Power BI environment." The rapid adoption of the Celonis EMS comes on the heels of a generational shift to use process insights and intelligence to change how businesses are run. According to Gartner the market for hyper-automation software will reach nearly $860 billion by 20251. But many businesses do not maximize the value of their digital investments because they lack insight into outdated processes holding back business operations. According to a Forrester report commissioned by Celonis, process mining has hit an inflection point in 2022 as decision makers demand better execution by finding and fixing process inefficiencies. "Since we started 11 years ago, the Celonis mission has always been the same to help our customers reach the full potential of their business performance by removing process inefficiencies and that requires Celonis to be everywhere," said Alex Rinke, co-CEO and co-founder of Celonis. "The PAF acquisition enables the millions of users of the Microsoft Power Platform to use Celonis' unique data and intelligent insights to power analytics, automation, and collaboration." "This combination leverages the strength of Celonis market leadership with the foundation that PAF has created in the Microsoft Power Platform. This allows our companies to build the bridge between the Microsoft Power Platform and the Celonis Execution Management System," said Tobias Rother, CEO and founder of PAF. "We are thrilled to help put Celonis into the hands of such a large and fast-growing community of business leaders." "In our inaugural HFS SaaS XXV 2022 report we ranked Celonis as the top private SaaS company in Overall Rank, Business Value Creation, Partner Engagement, and OneOffice Alignment," said Phil Fersht, CEO and Chief Analyst of HFS Research. "The acquisition of PAF demonstrates why Celonis is ranked alongside Microsoft, Salesforce, Amazon, Adobe, and Google for shaping the future of native automation, data, and process design. Celonis is strategically moving its unique process data and intelligent insights into the world's largest work, automation, and analytics platforms." "The purpose of process mining is to gain a fact-based understanding of business process variance and inefficiency to systematically improve processes to maximize performance while aligning with the overall goals of a business. Embedding process mining into common analytics platforms makes it easier for teams to work together using familiar tools," said Maureen Fleming, Program Vice President for the IDC Intelligent Process Automation Market Research and Advisory Service. The PAFnow software capabilities will debut in Celonis Experiences at Celonis World Tour 2022. Celonis Experiences will showcase how customers can seamlessly integrate Celonis EMS with Microsoft Power BI reporting, collaborate with Microsoft Teams, and trigger flows in Microsoft Power Automate. About Celonis Celonis helps organizations to execute on their data. Powered by its market-leading process mining core, the Celonis Execution Management System provides a set of applications, a developer studio and platform capabilities for business executives and users to eliminate billions in corporate inefficiencies, provide better customer experience and reduce carbon emissions. Celonis has thousands of implementations in global customers and is headquartered in Munich, Germany and New York City, USA with 20 offices worldwide. 2022 Celonis SE. All rights reserved. Celonis, Execution Management System, EMS and the Celonis "droplet" logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Celonis SE in Germany and other jurisdictions. All other product and company names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners. 1 Gartner, Forecast Analysis: Hyperautomation of Enablement Software, Worldwide, Cathy Tornbohm, Fabrizio Biscotti, Rachel Chippendale, March 22, 2021. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220329005245/en/ Contacts: Isabell Horvath, VP, Comms press@celonis.com Newly announced ESG sessions feature industry leaders from Kerlink, Microshare, Microsoft, CBRE and the EU Commission; Speakers also added from Tata Communications and the Helium Foundation (Helium) The LoRa Alliance, the global association of companies backing the open LoRaWAN standard for the internet of things (IoT) low-power wide-area networks (LPWANs), today announced the expanded program for the LoRaWAN World Expo, taking place at the Palais des Congres in Paris, July 6-7, 2022. New additions to the program focus on why LoRaWAN is the leading LPWAN to support businesses' environmental, social and governance (ESG) practices while delivering a strong return on investment (ROI). This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220329005269/en/ (Graphic: Business Wire) "Global demand for LoRaWAN solutions has exploded-in part to address ESG requirements," said Donna Moore, CEO and chairwoman of the LoRa Alliance. "Automated alerts triggered by analysis of the data LoRaWAN collects is creating significant opportunities for resource conservation, predictive maintenance, and safety, as well as waste reduction, to improve efficiencies and effectiveness of our resources. LoRaWAN is the most widely deployed LPWAN solution because the market trusts the technology, which has global network availability, the ability to roam globally, and delivers considerable cost savings." LoRaWAN's growth has been driven in large part by the acceleration of digital transformation, which moved from nice-to-have to a necessity among enterprises and cities globally, spurred on by the lessons learned from COVID-19. In short, digitization has become critical to providing safe environments, for the health welfare and safety of our citizens and planet. Moore continued, "Whether you are just starting your IoT journey or deeply engaged in deployments, join us to see how LoRaWAN positively impacts our lives and the health of the planet, and drives businesses' efforts in these areas. The LoRaWAN World Expo is the best opportunity in 2022 to hear from the brightest minds in the IoT industry and network with LoRaWAN market leaders. With a focus on social responsibility, attendees will discover how LoRaWAN is profitable for their companies, beneficial to the global community, and a means to become better corporate citizens." While LoRaWAN is already supporting people, planet, and profits, the LoRa Alliance recognizes its growth potential and is excited to have leveraged this theme across many of the sessions during the Expo. According to the World Economic Forum's Internet of Things Guidelines for Sustainability report, 84% of IoT deployments currently address, or have the potential to address, the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The Expo's environmental sustainability sessions cover a broad range of topics around smart agriculture and irrigation, smart buildings and cities, climate change and its environmental impact, disaster prevention and the green new deal, as well as wildlife preservation. A number of sessions will focus on societal considerations, such as healthcare, elder care, workforce safety, heritage preservation and more. Finally, representatives from think tanks and governmental organizations like Arcep, ITU-T and the European Union Commission for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth will address key considerations for LoRaWAN and how it relates to governance. New featured speakers and sessions announced today include: Daniel Mes, Member of the Cabinet of Executive Vice-President on the European Green Deal Laure de la Raudiere, Regulatory Authority for Electronic Communications, Postal and Print Media Distribution Mariya Gabriel, EU Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth Scott Sigel, Helium Foundation, The Value of Community Networks Sandra Lopez, GM/VP/CMO of Microsoft Advertising, on Inclusive Product Design: At the Center of a Better World Mysore Madhusudhan, Executive Vice President, Collaboration and Connected Solutions, Tata Communications, Scaling Hyperconnectivity with LoRaWAN William Gouesbet, Kerlink, LoRaWAN-enabled IoT use cases driving sustainability and CSR Ulrich Rousseau of Wi6labs, The Smallest Smart City in the World Najwa Hamzeh, Red Sea Development Project, Red Sea Giga Project Speakers from the WBA, DLMS on multi-RAN Approaches to IoT Speakers from Microshare, Microsoft, CBRE discuss How Smart Building solutions bring sustainability and ESG data metrics to the Built World Speakers from GetWireless and Oxit on Going to Market with LoRaWAN Speakers from Actility; Birdz; Helium; NNNCo, Semtech and SenRa on the Diversity of Network Business Models Speakers from MachineQ, a Comcast Company, on Enterprise LoRaWAN Adoption Speakers from EDF, Nortegas, Semtech and Veolia on LoRaWAN for Utilities Premier Sponsors Platinum Level: Semtech Silver Level: Actility, Birdz, Kerlink, RAKwireless, STMicroelectronics Bronze Level: Browan Communications, ControliX, Digi, Ivanti, MultiTech, MClimate, Murata Manufacturing, OrbiWise, TEKTELIC Speaker Sponsor: Kiwi technology; MachineQ, a Comcast Company Don't miss out on your chance to experience the LoRaWAN World Expo Sponsorship and exhibition opportunities are still available; contact events@lora-alliance.org for details. Book your exhibition space Register now Media and analysts are invited to attend LoRaWAN World Expo at no cost. Contact lora-alliance@kiterocket.com for registration details. About LoRa Alliance The LoRa Alliance is an open, nonprofit association that has become one of the largest and fastest-growing alliances in the technology sector since its inception in 2015. Its members closely collaborate and share expertise to develop and promote the LoRaWAN standard, which is the de facto global standard for secure, carrier-grade IoT LPWAN connectivity. LoRaWAN has the technical flexibility to address a broad range of IoT applications, both fixed and mobile, and a robust LoRaWAN Certification program to guarantee that devices perform as specified. The LoRaWAN standard has been deployed by more than 165 major mobile network operators globally, with connectivity available worldwide. More information: lora-alliance.org LoRa Alliance, LoRaWAN and LoRaWAN CertifiedCM are registered marks. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220329005269/en/ Contacts: Kiterocket Stephanie Quinn, LoRa Alliance PR +1 408 529 9685 squinn@kiterocket.com BRUSSELS/FRANKFURT/PARIS (dpa-AFX) - U.K. stocks rose on Tuesday, with commodity and consumer staple stocks gaining ground amid hopes for Russia-Ukraine peace talks. Negotiators began face-to-face talks in Istanbul today after Ukraine said it is willing to become neutral and compromise over the status of the eastern Donbas region as part of a peace deal. The benchmark FTSE 100 jumped 70 points, or 0.9 percent, to 7,543 after declining 0.1 percent the previous day. AstraZeneca advanced 1.4 percent after the European Commission granted marketing authorization to Evusheld, a Covid-19 vaccine alternative. Bellway fell 2.4 percent. After reporting increases in revenue and profit, the housebuilder has warned over potentially significant costs on building safety. Mulberry Group shares surged 4.2 percent. After a solid trading update for the second half, the luxury handbag maker said that full-year profit and revenue were set to be 'moderately ahead' of expectations. Copyright(c) 2022 RTTNews.com. All Rights Reserved Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann. VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / March 29, 2022 / Kingfisher Metals Corp. (TSXV:KFR)(FSE:970)(OTCQB:KGFMF) ("Kingfisher" or the "Company") announces results from its 100% owned Thibert Project. Thibert is located 50 km north-northwest of the town of Dease Lake and west of the Stewart-Cassiar Highway 37, British Columbia. Highlights The 130 km 2 Thibert Project has seen placer gold production since the 1870s with ~200,000 oz of gold production within the Thibert-Dease Placer Camp. Placer gold is typically sourced from nuggety high grade gold in veins. Thibert Project has seen placer gold production since the 1870s with ~200,000 oz of gold production within the Thibert-Dease Placer Camp. Placer gold is typically sourced from nuggety high grade gold in veins. Kingfisher completed a property-wide (688-line km) airborne magnetic and radiometric survey which highlights the northwest trending crustal scale Thibert Shear Zone as well as easterly and northerly trending cross structures which may be responsible for gold mineralization. Property-wide stream sediment sampling (n = 103) was completed to infill gaps in historical and government RGS sampling. Stream sediment sampling identified highly anomalous streams up to 1535.5 ppb Au (1.53 g/t Au) in the headwaters of two placer bearing streams. Highly anomalous stream sediments (26.9 and 243.3 ppb Au) from an area with no placer production identifies a new area prospective for bedrock hosted gold. The Company is operating under a communications agreement with the Tahltan Central Council and intends to renew the agreement this spring. "Although Goldrange remains our near-term priority, we are very encouraged by the prospectivity of the Thibert Project. The geological, geochemical, and geophysical signatures of this historical placer camp support our hypothesis that Thibert has the potential to host significant orogenic gold systems. This, coupled with historical placer gold production and anecdotal highlights, increases our confidence in this exciting project." Stated Dustin Perry, CEO, who explains the contents of this release in more detail in video format. The 130 km2 Thibert Project covers an area of significant historical and contemporary placer gold production from Thibert Creek and several tributaries for which the bedrock source has not yet been discovered. The majority of placer production from Thibert and its tributaries occurred in the late 1800's to early 1900's with ~200,000 ounces of gold estimated to be produced from Thibert-Dease placer district. The Thibert Project spans 27 km of strike length along the Thibert Shear Zone - a major crustal scale terrane bounding fault system separating the island arc Quesnel and oceanic Cache Creek Terranes. The project is prospective for Cretaceous-aged mesozonal orogenic gold mineralization similar to that found within the Juneau Gold Belt in Alaska and the Motherlode District in California. While no bedrock source to the placer gold has been discovered through drilling, records from historical work provide compelling clues that it may be within in the current tenure: Keystone Prospect: in 1931 stripping and open cutting exposed a zone of quartz stringers in quartz porphyry returned 9.1 g/t Au over 12.2 m. This exposure was believed to have been covered by placer workings and has not been exposed since (BC Annual Mines Report, 1931).* Ficklin Prospect: anecdotal reports of prospector Homer Ficklin discovering a 100 lb angular quartz boulder from which he recovered ~60 oz Au (J.E. Wallis, 1989).* Defot Creek Placer Prospect: reports of multiple gold nuggets over 10 oz and up to 22 oz (BC Annual Mines Report, 1878).* *Historical results from the Keystone, Ficklin, and Defot Prospects has not been verified by the Company and should not be relied upon. Figure 1: Thibert Project location, placer workings, and gold occurrences. In 2021, 103 stream sediment samples were collected across the Thibert Project (Figure 2). The goal of property-wide geochemical sampling program was to infill gaps within the project not covered by the BC Regional Geochemical Survey or sampling from historical assessment reports. Combined 2021 and historical stream sediment samples total 131 (Table 1). GOLD (ppb) All Data (n = 131) 2021 Data (n = 103) Min. Value 1 0.8 Max. Value 1535.5 1535.5 Ave. Value 24 22.4 Median Value 3.8 3.5 75th %tile 7.2 5 90th %tile 12.6 9.9 95th %tile 51.5 25.4 Table 1: Summary statistics for the 2021 and historical stream geochemistry. Several new anomalous drainages were identified by the 2021 stream sediment survey. Additionally, some of the anomalous drainages identified by the historical stream sediment surveys are strongly supported by the 2021 survey. The most significant 2021 sample assayed 1535.5 ppb Au and was collected from Defot Creek, a productive placer drainage. This sample was collected in close proximity and slightly down stream from the historical Ficklin Prospect where anecdotal reports describe 60 oz of "spectacular free gold" coming from an angular 100 lb boulder. This site was located in the pass separating Defot Creek from Porcupine Creek where Homer Ficklin built a cabin and dug trenches in an attempt to locate the source of this boulder in the late 1920s (J.E. Wallis, 1989). Additionally, BC Annual Mine Reports from several years note the presence of large gold nuggets up to 22 oz in this area. Two of the 2021 samples and two of the historical samples draining into Adsit Lake (Figure 2) at the Thibert Project are highly anomalous in Au. The 2021 samples assayed 26.9 and 243.3 ppb Auand are located at Adsit Lake (26.9 ppb Au) and at a drainage located northwest of the lake (243.3 ppb Au). A 2021 sample collected from a tributary draining into Mosquito Creek (Figure 2), an area of placer production, assayed 47.8 ppb Au. Northeast of Mosquito Creek an anomalous sample was collected that assayed 32.1 ppb Au. Figure 2: Thibert Project stream geochemistry and magnetic susceptibility. Precision Geosurvey Ltd. was contracted to fly a heliborne magnetic and radiometric survey during summer 2021 (Figure 3). Lines were flown at a 200 m spacing across the Thibert Project for a total of 688-line km surveyed. The magnetic survey was successful in providing a structural framework for the 27 km-long project. The crustal scale Thibert Shear Zone is highlighted by a series of mapped ultramafic intrusions that have exploited the favourable pathway of this terrane bounding fault. Magnetic anomalies stretch across the length of the project that correlate with mapped ultramafic intrusions. A large percentage of the project is masked by glacial till and therefore ultramafic intrusions have only been mapped where they outcrop. The results of the magnetic survey indicate that these favourable host rocks may be more extensive than was previously known. One significant area of interest outlined in the magnetic survey occurs near the Keystone Prospect where carbonate altered and serpentinized ultramafic rocks have been observed. This area is located on a significant flexure point within the regional structural trend. Inflections in structural trends are known to be important locations for orogenic gold mineralization. Another broad area of interest is the northwestern portion of the project where ultramafic rocks have been mapped but are associated with a subdued magnetic response. Given the consistency of highly anomalous gold in stream sediment samples, there is potential for a large-scale magnetically destructive alteration system. Further geophysical analysis and ground truthing will be required to further this target area. Figure 3: Thibert Project magnetic susceptibility and geology. Future Work The Company continues to analyse data collected in 2021 and is in the process of formulating plans for a field program that will be completed in early fall 2022. With a previously completed surficial geology map as well as the geochemical and geophysical programs detailed in this news release, the Thibert Project is now ready for more focused exploration work. The targets that will be the focus of future work include the Adsit Lake area, the Porcupine and Defot drainages, and the Keystone Prospect further down Thibert Creek. Future programs will likely include more focused soil and till geochemical programs as well as ground-based geophysical programs. The objective of these programs will be to further refine targets for initial scout drilling. Sampling Protocol Transported silt often found in side pools and back eddies were targeted for stream sediment samples. Silt was collected from moss matts where no side pool or back eddies were readily accessible. Samples were collected in labelled cloth Hubco bags, which also contained an analytical tag with the sample ID. Stream sediment samples weighing approximately 1000 grams per sample were delivered by Company personnel to Acme Labs located in Vancouver, BC, an ISO9001:2008 accredited laboratory. The stream sediment samples were prepared using the SS80 method by drying them at 60C and sieving to less than 180 m (80 mesh). A 30 gram split of the sieved stream sediment sample was then subjected to a modified aqua regia digestion (1:1:1 HNO3:HCl:H2O) and analyzed for 37 major and trace elements using ICP-ES/MS (method code AQ252). Qualified Person Dustin Perry, P.Geo., Kingfisher's CEO, is the Company's Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101, Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects, and has prepared the technical information presented in this release. About Kingfisher Metals Corp. Kingfisher Metals Corp. (https://kingfishermetals.com/) is a Canadian based exploration company focused on underexplored district-scale projects in British Columbia. Kingfisher has three 100% owned district-scale projects that offer potential exposure to high-grade gold, copper, silver, and zinc. The Company currently has 84,673,300 shares outstanding. For further information, please contact: Dustin Perry, P.Geo. CEO and Director Phone: +1 236 358 0054 E-Mail: info@kingfishermetals.com Neither the TSX-V nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX-V) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements Mineralization hosted on adjacent and/or nearby properties is not necessarily indicative of mineralization hosted on the Company's property. This news release contains forward-looking statements, which relate to future events or future performance and reflect management's current expectations and assumptions. Such forward-looking statements reflect management's current beliefs and are based on assumptions made by and information currently available to the Company. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, are forward-looking statements or information. Forward-looking statements or information in this news release relate to, among other things: formulation of plans for drill testing; and the success related to any future exploration or development programs. These forward-looking statements and information reflect the Company's current views with respect to future events and are necessarily based upon a number of assumptions that, while considered reasonable by the Company, are inherently subject to significant operational, business, economic and regulatory uncertainties and contingencies. These assumptions include; success of the Company's projects; prices for gold remaining as estimated; currency exchange rates remaining as estimated; availability of funds for the Company's projects; capital, decommissioning and reclamation estimates; prices for energy inputs, labour, materials, supplies and services (including transportation); no labour- related disruptions; no unplanned delays or interruptions in scheduled construction and production; all necessary permits, licenses and regulatory approvals are received in a timely manner; and the ability to comply with environmental, health and safety laws. The foregoing list of assumptions is not exhaustive. The Company cautions the reader that forward-looking statements and information involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results and developments to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements or information contained in this news release and the Company has made assumptions and estimates based on or related to many of these factors. Such factors include, without limitation: risks related to the COVID-19 pandemic; fluctuations in gold prices; fluctuations in prices for energy inputs, labour, materials, supplies and services (including transportation); fluctuations in currency markets (such as the Canadian dollar versus the U.S. dollar); operational risks and hazards inherent with the business of mineral exploration; inadequate insurance, or inability to obtain insurance, to cover these risks and hazards; our ability to obtain all necessary permits, licenses and regulatory approvals in a timely manner; changes in laws, regulations and government practices, including environmental, export and import laws and regulations; legal restrictions relating to mineral exploration; increased competition in the mining industry for equipment and qualified personnel; the availability of additional capital; title matters and the additional risks identified in our filings with Canadian securities regulators on SEDAR in Canada (available at www.sedar.com). Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated, described, or intended. Investors are cautioned against undue reliance on forward-looking statements or information. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date hereof and, except as required under applicable securities legislation, the Company does not assume any obligation to update or revise them to reflect new events or circumstances. SOURCE: Kingfisher Metals Corp. View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/695022/Kingfisher-Highlights-High-Grade-Gold-Potential-at-Thibert-Project-with-Airborne-Geophysical-and-Property-Wide-Stream-Sediment-Surveys-Returning-Anomalies-up-to-15355-ppb-Gold The funding will accelerate the AI-driven healthcare company's market expansion into the global market and support new product development COPENHAGEN, Denmark and MUMBAI, India and NEW YORK, March 29, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Qure.ai (Qure) one of the leading health tech firms using Artificial Intelligence (AI) for medical imaging diagnostics, today announced that it has secured $40 million in a funding round led by Novo Holdings and HealthQuad, supported by existing investor MassMutual Ventures. Qure.ai will use the new investment to extend and strengthen its global reach, especially in the US and Europe, and intensify product development for critical care and community diagnostics. Qure.ai has created a niche for itself with advanced technology that reads and interprets medical images like X-rays, CTs, and Ultrasounds in less than a minute, making equitable and high-quality healthcare a reality across the globe. Qure's AI solutions are FDA-approved, CE-certified, and evaluated by the World Health Organization. Qure.ai's automated medical imaging tools can shorten the time to diagnosis while enabling physicians to triage medical cases more effectively, especially in time-sensitive situations. This helps healthcare providers identify critical scenarios within minutes - versus hours - to avert fatalities and improve the quality of patient care. In other settings, where adequate, skilled specialists may not be available, Qure's technology is used as the first level of screening for many infections and non-communicable conditions. Dr Amit Kakar, Senior Partner, Head of Novo Holdings Equity Asia, said: "We are very pleased to join the outstanding team at Qure.ai and to contribute to their efforts of providing world-class AI solutions in the imaging space, for the benefit of patients worldwide. Qure.ai is at the forefront of transforming diagnostics in both acute and chronic ailments, which is fully aligned with our mission of advancing high-quality and accessible healthcare using innovation and digitization. Further, we are excited to connect Qure.ai to our portfolio partners as we see several promising synergies." Novo Holdings is a world-leading healthcare and life sciences investor with a focus on creating long-term, sustainable value. Headquartered in Copenhagen, with offices in San Francisco, Boston, London and Singapore, Novo Holdings has a portfolio of more than 150 companies. Charles - Antoine Janssen, Chief Investment Officer, HealthQuad said: "We are thrilled to be part of the Qure team. Their world-class AI technologies adhere to the most stringent international standards, and have made high-quality, accessible care a reality. We remain committed to collaborating with innovative firms that work to improve global healthcare infrastructures." "It's no accident that Qure is one of the leading startups thriving in the health tech sector. Through noteworthy collaborations with ministries of health and government entities like the NHS, pharmaceuticals like AstraZeneca, and international advocacy groups like StopTB, amongst others, Qure has already built a network of global commercial partnerships. The pandemic has also accelerated the shift to digital transformation, and we are proud to back their growth," added Ajay Mahipal, Director, HealthQuad. HealthQuad is India's leading digital health focused venture capital fund with assets under management of USD 200 Mn across two funds. Its focus is to nurture innovative models which radically improve healthcare access and affordability leveraging technology. Prashant Warier, CEO and Founder, Qure.ai, said: "Every year our technology helps more than four million people across 50 countries. Our goal is to continue being bullish in our market expansion, especially in the US and Europe. We are committed to aiding healthcare professionals in diagnosing illnesses faster and with more detail and accuracy while automating most of the routine work. This is a win for all involved in healthcare, especially for patients across the globe who will benefit from vastly improved health outcomes." Ryan Collins, Managing Director, MassMutual Ventures said: "We have been incredibly impressed with Qure's progress since we first invested over two years ago. The team is exceptional and the progress on product development, now across many different imaging modalities and use cases, as well as global expansion, has been outstanding. We are very happy to continue supporting Qure and welcome Novo Holdings and HealthQuad as partners." Existing investors include Fractal analytics and Sequoia Capital. About Qure.ai Qure.ai is a breakthrough Artificial Intelligence (AI) solution provider that is disrupting the radiology 'status quo' by enhancing imaging accuracy and improving health outcomes with the assistance of machine-supported tools. Qure.ai taps deep learning technology to provide automated interpretation of radiology examinations like X-rays, CTs, Ultrasounds and MRI scans for time and resource-strapped medical imaging professionals-enabling faster diagnosis and speed to treatment. Qure.ai is helping to make healthcare more accessible and affordable to patients worldwide. About Novo Holdings A/S Novo Holdings A/S is a private limited liability company wholly owned by the Novo Nordisk Foundation. It is the holding company of the Novo Group, comprising Novo Nordisk A/S and Novozymes A/S, and is responsible for managing the Novo Nordisk Foundation's assets. Novo Holdings is recognised as a leading international life science investor, with a focus on creating long-term value. As a life science investor, Novo Holdings provides seed and venture capital to development-stage companies and takes significant ownership positions in growth and well-established companies. Novo Holdings also manages a broad portfolio of diversified financial assets. About MassMutual Ventures (MMV) MMV is a multistage, global venture capital firm investing in digital health, financial technology, enterprise software, and cybersecurity companies. We help accelerate the growth of the companies we partner with by providing capital, connections and advice. MMV's sole limited partner is MassMutual, a Fortune 500 financial services company with assets under management of $460 billion (Dec. 2021). WHITE ROCK, BC / ACCESSWIRE / March 29, 2022 / TDG Gold Corp. (TSX-V:TDG) (the "Company" or "TDG") is pleased to report a 34.0 metre ("m") drill intercept of 7.19 grams per tonne ("g/t") gold ("Au") and 105 g/t silver ("Ag") [8.49 g/t AuEq*] in hole SH21-040B (Figure 1) located in the Creek Zone, contained within a broader interval of 76.3 m of 3.33 g/t Au and 51 g/t Ag [3.97 g/t AuEq*] at TDG's former producing Shasta project in the Toodoggone District, B.C (Figure 2). DDH SH21-040B intersected: 34.0 m of 7.19 g/t Au and 105 g/t Ag from 59.0 m depth Figure 1. Schematic Cross section of Drillhole SH21-040B. *Gold equivalent (AuEq) is used for illustrative purposes, to express the combined value of Au and Ag as a percentage of Au. Calculations are uncut and no allowances have been made to accommodate potential recovery losses that would occur in a mining scenario. AuEq is calculated using 80:1 silver to gold ratio. Composite results were built using a 0.1 g/t AuEq cut-off, although there are intervals within the composites below 0.1 g/t AuEq. Figure 2. Plan view of drillholes SH21-040 and SH21-040B, Creek Zone. Steven Kramar, TDG's Senior Geologist and B.C. Program Lead, commented: "SH21-040 and SH21-040B were designed to drill into the central part of the mineralized target area within the Creek Zone, stepping back away from the historical mine workings. These results demonstrate that high-grade material has been left in situ by previous operators. It also gives us the opportunity to track this style of grade and thickness at Shasta to the west of SH21-040B and parallel along strike of the Shasta Fault." SH21-040 was originally designed to confirm continuity of grade in historical holes in proximity that were drilled to shallow depths and under-assayed. Hole SH21-040 was not completed to depth as it terminated in a void, interpreted to be mine workings likely due to inaccurate information from a series of historical collar locations, and which hole SH21-040 has now helped to rectify. Hole SH21-040B was drilled ten degrees steeper and achieved the objective of passing through to the target depth of 120 m. Assay results returned precious metal concentrations significantly higher than anticipated based on historical neighbours, with mineralization persisting beyond the modelled target depth. Other key intercepts in the 2021 drilling within the section window (+/- 10 m slice) are summarised in Table 1 and presented on section, along with drillholes SH21-040 and SH21-040B; Figure 3. Drill results for remaining 2021 drillholes are pending analytical results. Table 1. Significant Results from the 2021 Drilling within the Creek Zone. Drillhole From To Length Au Ag AuEq* (m) (m) (m) (g/t) (g/t) (g/t) SH21-040 47.9 63.3 15.4 3.35 104 4.65 incl 55.5 60.0 4.5 8.61 215 11.30 SH21-040B 50.7 127.0 76.3 3.33 51 3.97 incl 59.0 93.0 34.0 7.19 105 8.49 and 142.6 149.9 7.3 0.57 3 0.61 *Gold equivalent (AuEq) is used for illustrative purposes, to express the combined value of Au and Ag as a percentage of Au. Calculations are uncut and no allowances have been made to accommodate potential recovery losses that would occur in a mining scenario. AuEq is calculated using 80:1 silver to gold ratio. Composite results were built using a 0.1 g/t AuEq cut-off, although there are intervals within the composites below 0.1 g/t AuEq. **Intervals are core-length weighted. True width is estimated between 75 to 95 % of core length, and core recovery is estimated to be > 90 %. ***Calculated composites are truncated to significant 2 digits for Au/AuEq and the nearest whole number for Ag. Photo 1 presents an example of near-surface vein style and mineralization; in this case, higher concentrations of precious metals correlate to intensity of quartz veining/brecciation (from 88.5 m to 93.0 m; 13.22 g/t Au and 34 g/t Ag; 13.66 g/t AuEq*). Photo 1. Mineralization encountered in drillhole SH21-040B from 89.53 - 95.75 m; calculated composite (absolute, no cut off) through 88.5 to 93.0 m (4.5m) 13.22 g/t Au and 34 g/t Ag [13.66 g/t AuEq*] . Mineralization occurs in SH21-040B as disseminated sulphides (pyrite) and quartz-carbonate vein/stockwork and vein-breccia hosted acanthite in potassic/sericite/chlorite altered plagioclase phyric crystal and ash volcaniclastic rocks. Generally, increasing potassic alteration and quartz-carbonate vein density is indicative of increased precious metal concentrations, but is not diagnostic in all cases. All 2021 drillholes were HQ sized drill core, and historical core are NQ/BQ core size. Particulars for 2021 drillholes (location, depth, etc.) are presented in Table 2. Assay results were received from SGS Labs Canada ("SGS"). Internal QA/QC review by TDG, working with Moose Mountain Technical Services ("MMTS"), is ongoing and therefore results are still considered preliminary. Figure 3. Cross section of Drillholes SH21-040 and SH21-040B. Table 2. 2021 Drillhole Particulars. HOLE UTME (NAD83) UTMN (NAD83) Azimuth() Dip() Final Depth (m) SH21-040 620,910 6,347,429 90 -70 57 SH21-040B 620,910 6,347,429 240 -80 177 QA/QC Samples for the Shasta 2021 drill program followed chain of custody between collection, processing and delivery to an SGS laboratory in Burnaby, B.C. The drill cores were delivered to the core shack at TDG's Baker Mine site, and processed by geologists who inserted certified reference materials, blanks and duplicates (pulp and coarse) into the sampling sequence. The 2021 drill core was cut in half (1/2 HQ core) and placed in zip-tied polyurethane bags, then in security-sealed rice bags before being delivered directly from the Baker Mine site, to Bandstra Transportation Systems in Prince George, B.C., and ultimately to the SGS laboratory in Burnaby, B.C. Samples were prepared and analyzed following procedures summarized in Table 3, where information about methodology can be found on the SGS Canada Website, in the analytical guide (here). Table 3. Au and Ag Analytical Methods. Drillhole Prep Method Au Method Ag Method Au-Overlimit Method Ag-Overlimit SH21-040 PRP89 GO_FAI50V10 GE_IMS40Q12 N/A N/A SH21-040B PRP89 GO_FAI50V10 GE_IMS40Q12 N/A GO_FAG37V Quality assurance and control ("QAQC") is maintained internally at the lab through rigorous use of internal certified reference materials, blanks, and duplicates. An additional QAQC program was administered by TDG Gold through the use of certified reference materials ("CRMs"), duplicate samples and blank samples that were blindly inserted into the sample batch. If a QAQC sample returns an unacceptable value an investigation into the results is triggered and when deemed necessary, the samples that were tested in the batch with the failed QAQC sample are re-tested. For the purposes of this press release, results are 'preliminary' and thus have not undergone TDG's comprehensive QAQC investigations. Qualified Person The technical content of this news release has been reviewed and approved by Steven Kramar, MSc., P.Geo., a qualified person as defined by National Instrument 43-101. This news release includes historical drilling information that has been reviewed by the Company's geological team. The Company's review of the historical records and information reasonably substantiate the validity of the information presented in this news release; however, the Company cannot directly verify the accuracy of the historical data, including the procedures used for sample collection and analysis. Therefore, the Company encourages investors to exercise appropriate caution when evaluating these results. Further data review is underway, in order to verify the validity of the data for the anticipated NI 43-101 compliant mineral resource estimate. About TDG Gold Corp. TDG is a major mineral claim holder in the historical Toodoggone Production Corridor of north-central British Columbia, Canada, with over 23,000 hectares of brownfield and greenfield exploration opportunities under direct ownership or earn-in agreement. TDG's flagship projects are the former producing, high grade gold-silver Shasta, Baker and Mets mines, which are all road accessible, produced intermittently between 1981-2012, and have over 65,000 m of historical drilling. In 2021, TDG advanced the projects through compilation of historical data, new geological mapping, geochemical and geophysical surveys, and, for Shasta, drill testing of the known mineralization occurrences and their extensions. TDG currently has 78,361,085 common shares issued and outstanding. ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD Fletcher Morgan Chief Executive Officer For further information contact: TDG Gold Corp., Telephone: +1.604.536.2711 Email: info@tdggold.com Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. This news release contains forward-looking statements that are based on the Company's current expectations and estimates. Forward-looking statements are frequently characterized by words such as "plan", "expect", "project", "intend", "believe", "anticipate", "estimate", "suggest", "indicate" and other similar words or statements that certain events or conditions "may" or "will" occur. Such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from estimated or anticipated events or results implied or expressed in such forward-looking statements. Such factors include, among others: the actual results of current exploration activities; conclusions of economic evaluations; changes in project parameters as plans to continue to be refined; possible variations in ore grade or recovery rates; accidents, labour disputes and other risks of the mining industry; delays in obtaining governmental approvals or financing; and fluctuations in metal prices. There may be other factors that cause actions, events or results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. Any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date on which it is made and, except as may be required by applicable securities laws, the Company disclaims any intent or obligation to update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or results or otherwise. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and accordingly undue reliance should not be put on such statements due to the inherent uncertainty therein. SOURCE: TDG Gold Corp. View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/695033/TDG-Gold-Corp-Intersects-340-Metres-of-849-GT-Gold-Equivalent-in-the-Creek-Zone-Shasta-Project-Toodoggone-District-BC HIGHLIGHTS 2022 drill program at Elizabeth to focus on expansion of Blue Vein as well as the development of other vein targets including the Main Vein, West Vein and Ella Zone The 2022 drill program builds on the success of initial 39 drill-hole (9,826 metres) Phase 1 program completed by Tempus at the Elizabeth project since drilling began in November 2020 The 2022 program is planned to include approximately 30 drill-holes (for approximately 8,500 metres) including: Blue Vein - the Blue Vein was discovered in 2021 (EZ21-12 including 1.0m at 33.7g/t Au) with a total of 7 holes intersecting the vein to date (including three holes with 'bonanza' grade intersections, i.e., greater than 1oz per tonne), high-grade gold mineralisation identified over a strike length of over 80 metres (see Figure 1 and Figure 3) Approximately fifteen (15) holes have been planned to target the expansion of the Blue Vein high-grade gold mineralisation along strike and depth. The drilling will test the Blue Vein gold mineralisation over a total strike length of approximately 300 metres and to a depth of approximately 150 metres Main and West Veins - the West and Main Veins have minimal historic drilling and high-grade gold mineralisation was identified in surface trenching completed in 2003 (West Vein 55g/t Au over 20 metres and Main Vein 14g/t over 20 metres) Approximately ten (10) holes have been planned to target the potential extension of the Main and West Veins to the south of the surface trenching (see Figure 4 and Figure 5). Drilling will test the potential veins to a depth of approximately 200 metres Ella Zone - identified by trenching completed in 2003, Tempus completed one drill hole in 2021 (EZ21-21 with intersected 1g/t gold mineralisation over 2 metres within a 4 metre vein system) Three (3) holes have been planned to test the potential of the Ella Zone Exploration Holes - An additional 2 to 5 holes have been planned to test for the discovery of additional vein sets Potential for new vein discoveries north east of the Blue Vein and in the unexplored zone between the South West Vein and the West Vein (see Figure 1) Tempus targeting the completion of an updated NI43-101 Resource estimate for the Elizabeth project following the completion of the 2022 drill program PERTH, AUSTRALIA / ACCESSWIRE / March 29, 2022 /Tempus Resources Ltd ("Tempus" or the "Company") (ASX:TMR)(TSX.V:TMRR)(OTCQB:TMRFF) is pleased to announce the 2022 exploration plan for the Elizabeth Gold Project located in Southern British Columbia. Tempus President and CEO, Jason Bahnsen, commented "The 2022 exploration program at Elizabeth will focus on further delineation of the new Blue Vein and the expansion of the overall mineralisation for the project in advance of preparing a resource estimate. We have executed a contract with our drilling contractor, Full Force Drilling, and we plan to begin mobilisation to the site in May with drilling targeted to begin early June." Elizabeth Gold Project - 2022 Exploration Program The 2022 exploration program at Elizabeth will build on the success of the 2021 drill program and focus on expansion of the overall resource for the project. A total of 28 drill diamond core drill holes (approximately 7,820 metres) were completed at the Elizabeth Gold Project in 2021. Combined with drilling completed in 2020, Tempus has now completed 39 drill holes (approximately 9,826 metres) in total on the Elizabeth Gold Project. In 2022, Tempus is planning to complete an additional 25-30 diamond core drill holes (approximately 8,500 metres) at the Elizabeth Gold Project. The key target areas in the 2022 drill program include the Blue Vein, West and Main Veins, the Ella Zone. The overall exploration drilling strategy for the Elizabeth Project is focused on increasing the size and confidence level of the historic inferred resource of approximately 206,139 ounces of contained gold (522,843 tonnes @ 12.26 g/t gold - SRK 2009). Apart from a few infill drill holes intended to convert inferred resources to the indicated category, the majority of the drill holes completed by Tempus to intersect the gold vein structures are outside of the 2009 resource block model. The results of the 2022 drill program will contribute to the completion of an updated NI43-101 Resource estimate for the Elizabeth Project. The Company is not currently planning to do any exploration field work at the Blackdome Gold Mine in 2022. Blue Vein The Blue Vein is located approximately 150 metres to the northwest, near vertical in dip, and parallel, to the SW Vein (See Figure 1). This previously unknown vein has now been intersected by 7 drill-holes (EZ-21-09, EZ-21-12, EZ-21-19, EZ-21-24, EZ-21-25, EZ-21-26, EZ-21-27) demonstrating an initial strike length of 380 metres (see Figure 3). The Blue Vein structure has been intercepted to approximately 100 metres depth and remains open along strike and down dip. (See Figure 1, Figure 3). Three of the seven drill holes completed at Blue Vein intersected grades of greater than 1 oz per tonne of gold. The high-grade mineralization at the Blue Vein has been delineated over an initial strike length of approximately 80 metres within the overall 380 metre of vein structure that has been identified through drilling. Highlights from the Blue Vein drilling completed in 2021 include. Drill hole EZ-21-12 with an intersection of visible gold returning 33.7 g/t gold over 1.0 metre from 117.8 metres Drill hole EZ-21-25 with an intersection of quartz veining that assayed 13.4 g/t gold over 2.7 metres from 111.0 metres including 71.3 g/t gold over 0.50 metres from 111.5 metres Drill hole EZ-21-26 intersected 9.13 g/t gold over 1.25 metres from 121.5 metres, including 45.1 g/t gold over 0.25 metres from 121.5 metres Drill hole EZ-21-27 intersected 14.3 g/t gold over 1.4 metres from 152.2 metres, including 19.2 g/t gold over 1.00 metres from 152.2 metres The strike distance of high-grade results from the Blue Vein between drill-holes EZ-21-27 and EZ-21-25 is approximately 80 metres and encompasses the discovery hole EZ-21-12 and EZ-21-26 (See Figure 3). Assay grades for these holes range from 9.13 g/t gold to 71.3 g/t gold over widths ranging from 0.50 m to 2.70 metres. These results show the continuity of the high grades within the Blue Vein over a strike distance of more than 80 metres. The Blue Vein structure has been identified over a total strike length of 380 metres. The 2022 drill program will target the southern and northern extension to the current high grade gold mineralisation. A total of 15 drill holes are planned that target the Blue Vein (see Figure 3). South West Vein Tempus has completed a total of twenty three (23) drill holes that have intersected the South West Vein (SW Vein). The gold mineralisation of the SW Vein has now been defined to extend approximately 400 metres in strike and up to 200 metres in depth. The SW Vein remains open at depth and along strike. The drilling results to date are showing consistent structure. Tempus has drilled deeper at Elizabeth than any of the historic drilling completed on the project. The deep intersections of the SW Vein are encouraging and geologically very significant as the vein continues at depth, as does the alteration and associated mineralization as identified in other high-grade intercepts from the SW Vein. This mineralization at depth is consistent with typical Mesothermal/Orogenic gold deposits, such as the Bralorne-Pioneer Gold mine 30km to the south of Elizabeth and is confirmed with the ICP-OES assay analysis which indicates elevated arsenic, antimony, silver, and mercury when intersecting the SW Vein at depth. Significant intersections from the SW Vein include: EZ-21-04 - 31.2 g/t gold over 4.00m from 122.0m, including; 52.1 g/t gold over 1.50m from 123.0m, and including; 72.0 g/t gold over 0.50m from 124.0m EZ-20-06 - 61.3 g/t gold over 5.0m at from 116.5m, including 186.0 g/t gold over 1.5m from 118.0m EZ-20-10: 28.1 g/t gold over 3.2m from 184.0m, including 178.0 g/t gold over 0.5m from 184.5 EZ-21-23 intersected a 4.10 m quartz vein zone at 1.83 g/t gold from 145.0m, including 4.98 g/t gold over 0.70m from 147.5m. Drilling completed in 2021, completes the initial phase of drilling on the SW Vein. Mineralisation remains open at depth and along strike. Tempus will plan to complete future drilling on the SW vein from the underground portal access that is pending permitting. Main Vein / West Vein Zone The Main Vein and the West Vein are largely unexplored and no drilling has been done to the southern extension of these vein structures. Historic trenching at Elizabeth on the West Vein (above the West Vein underground drift) in 2003 returned 55.1 g/t gold over a strike length of 20.0m and 14.2 g/t gold over a strike length of 20.0m and from the Main vein (above the Main Vein underground drift). Note, historic trenching results are historic in nature and are not compliant with NI 43-101 standards and should not be relied upon and are to be used as a reference only. In 2021, Tempus completed one drill hole intersecting the West Vein (EZ-21-05). The vein was intersected at 554.8m downhole depth with mesothermal type mineralization and anomalous gold. Drill hole EZ-21-05 was a sizable ~450m step out to the SW, along strike from any previous drilling on the West Vein. Tempus is planning to complete ten (10) drill holes targeting the Main and West Veins in the 2022 exploration drill program at Elizabeth. Ella Zone In 2021, Tempus completed one exploration drill hole at the Ella Zone (EZ-21-21) targeting quartz veining identified from 2003 trenching in the area. This first drill hole in this target returned encouraging results with up to 1.03 g/t gold over 2.0m from 184.0m within a 4.0m veining zone. The geochemistry supports a mesothermal style mineralized vein with assay results retuning highly anomalous arsenic and antimony. At least two drill holes are planned to target the Ella Zone in 2022 Elizabeth drill program. Other Exploration Targets The Elizabeth project is a multi-vein epithermal/orogenic system with historic 'bonanza' grade intercepts in drill core and surface trenching. There are more than 9 known vein systems on the property hosting gold mineralisation. There is potential for new vein discoveries north east of the Blue Vein and in the unexplored zone between the South West Vein and the West Vein (See Figure 1). Figure 1 - The Elizabeth Project - Plan View Showing 2022 Proposed Drill Holes Figure 2 - Southwest Vein Drill Hole Intersections Figure 3 - Blue Vein Longitudinal Section Showing 2022 Proposed Drill Holes Figure 4 - West Vein Longitudinal Section Showing 2022 Proposed Drill Holes Figure 5 - Main Vein Longitudinal Section Showing 2022 Proposed Holes This announcement has been authorised by the Board of Directors of Tempus Resources Limited. Competent Persons Statement Information in this report relating to Exploration Results is based on information reviewed by Mr. Sonny Bernales, who is a Member of the Engineers and Geoscientists British Columbia (EGBC), which is a recognised Professional Organisation (RPO), and an employee of Tempus Resources. Mr. Bernales has sufficient experience which is relevant to the style of mineralisation and type of deposit under consideration and to the activity which he is undertaking to qualify as a Competent Person as defined by the 2012 Edition of the Australasian Code for reporting of Exploration Results, Mineral Resources and Ore Reserves, and as a Qualified Person for the purposes of NI43-101. Mr. Bernales consents to the inclusion of the data in the form and context in which it appears. For further information: TEMPUS RESOURCES LTD Melanie Ross - Director/Company Secretary Phone: +61 8 6188 8181 About Tempus Resources Ltd Tempus Resources Ltd ("Tempus") is a growth orientated gold exploration company listed on ASX ("TMR") and TSX.V ("TMRR") and OTCQB ("TMRFF") stock exchanges. Tempus is actively exploring projects located in Canada and Ecuador. The flagship project for Tempus is the Elizabeth-Blackdome Project, a high-grade gold past producing project located in Southern British Columbia. Tempus is currently midway through a drill program at Elizabeth-Blackdome that will form the basis of an updated NI43-101/JORC resource estimate. The second key group of projects for Tempus are the Rio Zarza and Valle del Tigre projects located in south east Ecuador. The Rio Zarza project is located adjacent to Lundin Gold's Fruta del Norte project. The Valle del Tigre project is currently subject to a sampling program to develop anomalies identified through geophysical work. Forward-Looking Information and Statements This press release contains certain "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. Such forward-looking information and forward-looking statements are not representative of historical facts or information or current condition, but instead represent only the Company's beliefs regarding future events, plans or objectives, many of which, by their nature, are inherently uncertain and outside of Tempus's control. Generally, such forward-looking information or forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "plans", "expects" or "does not expect", "is expected", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "intends", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", or "believes", or variations of such words and phrases or may contain statements that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will be taken", "will continue", "will occur" or "will be achieved". The forward-looking information and forward-looking statements contained herein may include, but are not limited to, the ability of Tempus to successfully achieve business objectives, and expectations for other economic, business, and/or competitive factors. Forward-looking statements and information are subject to various known and unknown risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond the ability of Tempus to control or predict, that may cause Tempus' actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from those expressed or implied thereby, and are developed based on assumptions about such risks, uncertainties and other factors set out herein and the other risks and uncertainties disclosed under the heading "Risk and Uncertainties" in the Company's Management's Discussion & Analysis for the quarter and half-year ended December 31, 2021 dated February 14, 2022 filed on SEDAR. Should one or more of these risks, uncertainties or other factors materialize, or should assumptions underlying the forward-looking information or statements prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those described herein as intended, planned, anticipated, believed, estimated or expected. Although Tempus believes that the assumptions and factors used in preparing, and the expectations contained in, the forward-looking information and statements are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on such information and statements, and no assurance or guarantee can be given that such forward-looking information and statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such information and statements. The forward-looking information and forward-looking statements contained in this press release are made as of the date of this press release, and Tempus does not undertake to update any forward-looking information and/or forward-looking statements that are contained or referenced herein, except in accordance with applicable securities laws. All subsequent written and oral forward-looking information and statements attributable to Tempus or persons acting on its behalf are expressly qualified in its entirety by this notice. Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Service Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Appendix 1 Table 1: Drill Hole Collar Table Hole ID Target UTM Easting (NAD83 Z10) UTM Northing (NAD83 Z10) Elevation (m) Length (m) Azimuth Dip EZ-21-01 SW Vein 531203 5653771 2400 105 121 -52 EZ-21-02 SW Vein 531203 5653771 2400 132 146 -55 EZ-21-03 SW Vein 531203 5653771 2400 111 158 -47 EZ-21-04 SW Vein 531203 5653771 2400 135 168 -58 EZ-21-05 SW Vein 531078 5653776 2400 561 123 -48 EZ-21-06 SW Vein 531078 5653776 2400 255 110 -55 EZ-21-07 SW Vein 531203 5653771 2400 126 115 -75 EZ-21-07b SW Vein 531203 5653771 2400 186 115 -75 EZ-21-08 SW Vein 531195 5653839 2427 231 115 -68 EZ-21-09 SW Vein 531200 5654020 2330 360 120 -48 EZ-21-10 SW Vein 530953 5653772 2390 354 127 -50 EZ-21-11 SW Vein 530953 5653772 2390 381 136 -50 EZ-21-12 SW Vein 530953 5653772 2390 375 125 -45 EZ-21-13 SW Vein 530919 5653596 2300 261 94 -45 EZ-21-14 SW Vein 530919 5653596 2300 261 108 -55 EZ-21-15 SW Vein 530919 5653596 2300 330 100 -55 EZ-21-16 SW Vein 530919 5653596 2300 330 83 -48.5 EZ-21-17 SW Vein 530919 5653596 2300 414 98 -63 EZ-21-18 SW Vein 530919 5653596 2300 351 128.5 -63 EZ-21-19 SW Vein 530953 5653772 2390 417 129 -58 EZ-21-20 SW Vein 530849 5653432 2260 300 129 -45 EZ-21-21 East Veins 531695 5653463 2120 357 90 -45 EZ-21-22 SW Vein 531195 5653839 2427 188 75 -45 EZ-21-23 SW Vein 531695 5653463 2120 165 91 -45 EZ-21-24 Blue Vein 530953 5653772 2390 219 84 -54 EZ-21-25 Blue Vein 530953 5653772 2390 201 105 -58 EZ-21-26 Blue Vein 530953 5653772 2390 198 95 -45 EZ-21-27 Blue Vein 530953 5653772 2390 195 150 -60 EZ-21-28 No.9 Vein 530953 5653772 2390 321 300 -55 Table 2: Significant Interval Table Hole ID From (m) To (m) Interval (m) True Thickness (m) Gold Grade MET Screen Grade Vein EZ-21-01 94.00 96.60 2.60 2.21 4.60 5.12 SW Vein and 83.50 84.00 0.50 0.43 20.50 pending SW Vein EZ-21-02 102.40 109.00 6.60 5.61 8.40 pending SW Vein including 105.40 106.50 1.10 0.93 46.30 pending SW Vein EZ-21-03 88.60 95.00 6.40 5.44 7.22 pending SW Vein including 89.30 91.90 2.60 2.21 11.80 pending SW Vein and 90.00 91.30 1.30 1.11 19.80 pending SW Vein and 34.70 35.20 0.50 0.43 3.15 pending SW Vein EZ-21-04 122.00 126.00 4.00 3.40 31.20 34.40 SW Vein including 123.00 124.50 1.50 1.28 52.10 68.30 SW Vein including 124.00 124.50 0.50 0.43 72.00 87.30 SW Vein EZ-21-05 134.00 135.00 1.00 0.85 1.38 Not Preformed 7 Vein 217.55 218.25 0.70 0.59 1.74 1.67 SW Vein and 256.00 256.50 0.50 0.43 1.03 0.89 SW Vein and 554.85 555.35 0.50 0.43 0.24 Not Preformed West Vein EZ-21-06 134.50 136.00 1.50 1.28 1.10 1.71 7 Vein and 245.00 246.00 1.00 0.85 2.05 2.45 SW Vein EZ-21-07 Hole lost EZ-21-07B 40.10 41.10 1.00 0.85 4.88 Not Preformed 7 Vein and 51.50 52.20 0.70 0.60 9.06 Not Preformed 7 Vein and 160.00 165.75 5.75 4.89 0.53 0.70 SW Vein EZ-21-08 196.25 202.40 6.15 5.23 0.65 0.66 SW Vein and 226.60 227.10 0.50 0.43 1.54 1.85 SW Vein EZ-21-09 58.60 59.10 0.50 0.43 0.31 Not Preformed Blue Vein and 270.90 272.90 2.00 1.70 2.56 Not Preformed SW Vein and 355.88 357.00 1.12 0.95 0.85 Not Preformed SW Vein EZ-21-10 223.00 223.50 0.50 0.43 4.04 Not Preformed 7 Vein and 347.70 349.20 1.50 1.28 0.22 0.21 SW Vein EZ-21-11 326.90 327.40 0.50 0.43 0.55 0.44 SW Vein EZ-21-12 117.80 118.80 1.00 0.85 47.6 33.7 Blue Vein and 130.70 131.20 0.50 0.43 26.4 Not Preformed Blue Vein and 163.90 164.40 0.50 0.43 5.50 8.41 Blue Vein and 344.90 347.00 2.10 1.79 0.78 1.22 SW Vein EZ-21-13 230.70 232.60 1.90 1.62 0.76 0.71 SW Vein Hole ID From (m) To (m) Interval (m) True Thickness (m) Gold Grade MET Screen Grade Vein EZ-21-14 224.00 224.90 0.90 0.77 1.63 1.15 SW Vein EZ-21-15 318.40 320.80 2.40 2.04 0.31 Not Preformed SW Vein including 320.30 320.80 0.50 0.43 1.14 Not Preformed SW Vein EZ-21-16 305.00 306.90 1.90 1.61 0.55 Not Preformed SW Vein EZ-21-17 171.00 171.50 0.50 0.43 0.14 0.57 Vein and 204.00 204.60 0.60 0.51 0.53 Not Preformed vein and 254.60 256.85 2.25 1.91 1.40 1.58 7 Vein and 350.13 350.75 0.62 0.53 1.01 Not Preformed SW Vein and 379.47 382.00 2.53 2.15 0.63 0.64 SW Vein EZ-21-18 299.50 299.90 0.40 0.34 1.53 Not Preformed SW Vein EZ-21-19 127.50 128.00 0.50 0.43 4.52 Not Preformed Blue Vein and 129.00 130.50 1.50 1.28 4.25 Not Preformed Blue Vein and 167.80 168.70 0.90 0.76 4.50 6.14 Blue Vein and 351.80 354.90 3.10 2.63 0.34 Not Preformed SW Vein EZ-21-20 NSI** EZ-21-21 184.00 186.00 2.00 1.70 1.03 Not Preformed unknown and 263.45 264.30 0.85 0.72 1.34 Not Preformed unknown EZ-21-22 175.55 176.70 1.15 0.98 1.60 2.50 SW Vein EZ-21-23 145.00 149.10 4.10 3.48 1.11 1.83 SW Vein including 147.50 148.20 0.70 0.59 1.08 4.98 SW Vein EZ-21-24 139.80 141.00 1.20 1.02 0.58 0.58 Blue Vein and 181.70 182.65 0.95 0.81 0.85 0.84 Blue Vein EZ-21-25 111.00 113.70 2.70 2.30 13.4 Not Preformed Blue Vein including 111.50 112.00 0.50 0.43 71.3 Not Preformed Blue Vein EZ-21-26 121.45 122.70 1.25 1.06 9.13 Not Preformed Blue Vein including 121.45 121.70 0.25 0.21 45.1 Not Preformed Blue Vein and 159.06 160.25 1.19 1.01 1.35 1.45 Blue Vein EZ-21-27 152.20 153.60 1.40 1.19 12.1 14.31 Blue Vein including 152.20 153.20 1.00 0.85 16.3 19.19 Blue Vein and 157.00 157.40 0.40 0.34 1.27 1.28 Blue Vein EZ-21-28 245.60 246.85 1.25 1.06 0.67 Not Preformed No.9 Vein Appendix 2: The following tables are provided to ensure compliance with the JORC Code (2012) requirements for the reporting of Exploration Results for the Elizabeth - Blackdome Gold Project Section 1: Sampling Techniques and Data (Criteria in this section apply to all succeeding sections.) Criteria JORC Code explanation Commentary Sampling techniques Nature and quality of sampling (eg cut channels, random chips, or specific specialised industry standard measurement tools appropriate to the minerals under investigation, such as down hole gammasondes, or handheld XRF instruments, etc). These examples should not be taken as limiting the broad meaning of sampling. Include reference to measures taken to ensure sample representivity and the appropriate calibration of any measurement tools or systems used. Aspects of the determination of mineralisation that are Material to the Public Report. In cases where 'industry standard' work has been done this would be relatively simple(eg 'reverse circulation drilling was used to obtain1 m samples from which 3 kg was pulverised to produce a 30 g charge for fire assay'). In other cases more explanation may be required, such as where there is coarse gold that has inherent sampling problems. Unusual commodities or mineralisation types (eg submarine nodules) may warrant disclosure of detailed information. HQ (63.5 mm) sized diamond core using standard equipment. Mineralised and potentially mineralised zones, comprising veins, breccias, and alteration zones were sampled. Samples were half core. Typical core samples are 1m in length. Core samples sent to the lab will be crushed and pulverized to 85% passing75 microns. A 50g pulp will be fire assayed for gold and multi-element ICP.Samples over 10 g/t gold will be reanalysed by fire assay with gravimetric finish Drilling techniques Drill type (eg core, reverse circulation, open-hole hammer, rotary air blast, auger, Bangka, sonic, etc) and details (eg core diameter, triple or standard tube, depth of diamond tails, face-sampling bit or other type, whether core is oriented and if so, by what method, etc). Diamond Drilling from surface (HQ size) Drill sample recovery Method of recording and assessing core and chip sample recoveries and results assessed. Measures taken to maximise sample recovery and ensure representative nature of the samples. Whether a relationship exists between sample recovery and grade and whether sample bias may have occurred due to preferential loss/gain of fine/coarse material. Detailed calculation of recovery was recorded, with most holes achieving over 95% No relationship has yet been noted between recovery and grade and no sample bias was noted to have occurred. Criteria JORC Code explanation Commentary Logging Whether core and chip samples have been geologically and geotechnically logged to a level of detail to support appropriate Mineral Resource estimation, mining studies and metallurgical studies. Whether logging is qualitative or quantitative in nature. Core (or costean, channel, etc) photography. The total length and percentage of the relevant intersections logged. Detailed geological and geotechnical logging was completed for each hole. All core has been photographed. Complete holes were logged. Sub- sampling techniques and sample preparation If core, whether cut or sawn and whether quarter, half or all core taken. If non-core, whether riffled, tube sampled, rotary split, etc and whether sampled wet or dry. For all sample types, the nature, quality and appropriateness of the sample preparation technique. Quality control procedures adopted for all sub- sampling stages to maximise representivity of samples. Measures taken to ensure that the sampling is representative of the in situ material collected, including for instance results for field duplicate/second-half sampling. Whether sample sizes are appropriate to the grainsize of the material being sampled. Half core was sampled, using a core saw. Duplicate samples of new and historical core are Quarter core or half core where not previously sampled Sample sizes are considered appropriate for the grain size of the material being sampled. It is expected that bulk sampling will be utilised as the project advances, to more accurately determine grade. Quality of assay data and laboratory tests The nature, quality and appropriateness of the assaying and laboratory procedures used and whether the technique is considered partial or total. For geophysical tools, spectrometers, handheld XRF instruments, etc, the parameters used in determining the analysis including instrument make and model, reading times, calibrations factors applied and their derivation, etc. Nature of quality control procedures adopted (eg standards, blanks, duplicates, external laboratory checks) and whether acceptable levels of accuracy (ie lack of bias) and precision have been established. Core samples that have been sent to the lab for analysis include control samples(standards, blanks and prep duplicates) inserted at a minimum rate of 1:5 samples. In addition to the minimum rate of inserted control samples, a standard or a blank is inserted following a zone of mineralization or visible gold Further duplicate samples were analysed to assess variability Verification of sampling and assaying The verification of significant intersections by either independent or alternative company personnel. The use of twinned holes. Documentation of primary data, data entry procedures, data verification, data storage (physical and electronic) protocols. Discuss any adjustment to assay data. Re-assaying of selected intervals of historic core have been sent for analysis. Criteria JORC Code explanation Commentary Location of data points Accuracy and quality of surveys used to locate drill holes (collar and down-hole surveys), trenches, mine workings and other locations used in Mineral Resource estimation. Specification of the grid system used. Quality and adequacy of topographic control. All sampling points were surveyed using a hand held GPS. UTM grid NAD83Zone 10. A more accurate survey pickup will be completed at the end of the program, to ensure data is appropriate for geological modelling and Resource Estimation. Down hole surveys have been completed on all holes. Data spacing and distribution Data spacing for reporting of Exploration Results. Whether the data spacing and distribution is sufficient to establish the degree of geological and grade continuity appropriate for the Mineral Resource and Ore Reserve estimation procedure(s) and classifications applied. Whether sample compositing has been applied. Most drilling is targeting verification and extension of known mineralisation. It is expected that the data will be utilised in a preparation of a Mineral Resource statement. Additional drilling is exploration beneath geochemical anomalies, and would require further delineation drilling to be incorporated in a Mineral Resource. Orientation of data in relation to geological structure Whether the orientation of sampling achieves unbiased sampling of possible structures and the extent to which this is known, considering the deposit type. If the relationship between the drilling orientation and the orientation of key mineralised structures is considered to have introduced a sampling bias, this should be assessed and reported if material. In general, the aim was to drill perpendicular to the mineralised structures, to gain an estimate of the true thickness of the mineralised structures. At several locations, a series (fan) of holes was drilled to help confirm the orientation of the mineralised structures and to keep land disturbance to a minimum. Samples Security The measures taken to ensure sample security. Samples from Elizabeth were delivered to the laboratory by a commercial transport service. Audits or Reviews The results of any auditor reviews of sampling techniques and data. An independent geological consultant has recently visited the site as part of preparing an updated NI43-101Technical Report for the Project. Section 2: Reporting of Exploration Results (Criteria listed in the preceding section also apply to this section.) Criteria JORC Code explanation Commentary Mineral tenement and land tenure status Type, reference name/number, location and ownership including agreements or material issues with third parties such as joint ventures, partnerships, overriding royalties, native title interests, historical sites, wilderness or national park and environmental settings. The security of the tenure held at the time of reporting along with any known impediments to obtaining a licence to operate in the area. The Blackdome-Elizabeth Project is comprised of 73 contiguous mineral claims underlain by 14 Crown granted mineral claims and two mining leases. The Property is located in the Clinton and Lillooet Mining Divisions approximately 230 km NNE of Vancouver Tempus has exercised the option to acquire the Elizabeth Gold Project and has completed an addendum to the original Elizabeth Option Agreement (refer to ASX announcement 15 December 2020) A net smelter royalty of 3% NSR (1% purchasable) applies to several claims on the Elizabeth Property. No royalties apply to the Blackdome Property or Elizabeth Regional Properties. There are currently no known impediments to developing a project in this area, and all tenure is in good standing. Exploration done by other parties Acknowledgment and appraisal of exploration by other parties. In the 1940s, placer gold was discovered in Fairless Creek west of Blackdome Summit. Prospecting by Lawrence Frenier shortly afterward led to the discovery of gold-bearing quartz veins on the southwest slope of the mountain that resulted in the staking of mining claims in 1947. Empire Valley Gold Mines Ltd and Silver Standard Resources drove two adits and completed basic surface work during the 1950s. The Blackdome area was not worked again until 1977 when Barrier Reef Resources Ltd. re-staked the area and performed surface work in addition to underground development. The Blackdome Mining Corp. was formed in 1978 and performed extensive surface and underground work with various joint venture partners that resulted in a positive feasibility study. A 200 ton/day mill, camp facilities and tailings pond were constructed and mining operations officially commenced in 1986. The mine ceased operations in 1991, having produced 225,000oz of Au and 547,000oz of Ag from 338,000tons of ore (Godard et al., 2010) After a period of inactivity, Claimstaker Resources Ltd. took over the project, reopening the mine in late 1998. Mining operations lasted six months and ended in May of 1999. During this period, 6,547 oz of Au and 17,300 oz of Ag were produced from 21,268 tons of ore. Further exploration programs were continued by Claimstaker over the following years and a Japanese joint venture partner was brought onboard that prompted a name change to J-Pacific Gold Inc. This partnership was terminated by 2010, resulting in another name change to Sona Resources Corp. Gold-bearing quartz veins were discovered near Blue Creek in 1934, and in 1940-1941 the Elizabeth No. 1-4 claims were staked. Bralorne Mines Ltd. optioned the property in 1941 and during the period 1948-1949, explored the presently- named Main and West Veins by about 700 metres of cross-cutting and drifting, as well as about 110 metres of raises After acquiring the Elizabeth Gold Project in 2002, J- Pacific (now Sona) has conducted a series of exploration programs that included diamond drilling 66 holes totalling 8962.8 metres (up until 2009) Other exploration work by Sona at the Elizabeth Gold Project has included two soil grid, stream sediment sampling, geological mapping and sampling, underground rehabilitation, structural mapping and airborne photography and topographic base map generation Geology Deposit type, geological setting and style of mineralisation. The Blackdome property is situated in a region underlain by rocks of Triassic to Tertiary age. Sedimentary and igneous rocks of the Triassic Pavilion Group occurring along the Fraser River represent the oldest rocks in the region. A large, Triassic age, ultramafic complex (Shulaps Complex) was emplaced along the Yalakom fault; a regional scale structure located some 30 kilometres south of the property. Sediments and volcanics of the Cretaceous Jackass Mountain Group and Spences Bridge/Kingsvale Formations overlie the Triassic assemblages. Some of these rocks occur several kilometres south of Blackdome. Overlying the Cretaceous rocks are volcanics and minor sediments of Eocene age. These rocks underlie much of Blackdome and are correlated with the Kamloops Group seen in the Ashcroft and Nicola regions. Geochemical studies (Vivian, 1988) have shown these rocks to be derived from a "calc-alkaline" magma in a volcanic arc type tectonic setting. Eocene age granitic intrusions at Poison Mountain some 22 kilometres southwest of Blackdome are host to a gold bearing porphyry copper/molybdenum deposit. It is speculated that this or related intrusions could reflect the source magmas of the volcanic rocks seen at Blackdome. There is some documented evidence of young granitic rocks several kilometres south of the mine near Lone Cabin Creek. The youngest rocks present are Oligocene to Miocene basalts of the Chilcotin Group. These are exposed on the uppermost slopes of Blackdome Mountain and Red Mountain to the south. Transecting the property in a NE-SW strike direction are a series of faults that range from vertical to moderately westerly dipping. These faults are the principal host structures for Au- Ag mineralisation. The faults anastomose, and form sygmoidal loops. The area in which the Elizabeth Gold Project is situated is underlain by Late Paleozoic to Mesozoic rock assemblages that are juxtaposed across a complex system of faults mainly of Cretaceous and Tertiary age. These Paleozoic to Mesozoic-age rocks are intruded by Cretaceous and Tertiary-age stocks and dykes of mainly felsic to intermediate composition, and are locally overlain by Paleogene volcanic and sedimentary rocks. The Elizabeth Gold Project is partly underlain by ultramafic rocks of the Shulaps Ultramafic Complex, which include harzburgite, serpentinite and their alteration product listwanite. The gold mineralisation found on the Elizabeth Gold Project present characteristics typical of epigenetic mesothermal gold deposits. The auriferous quartz vein mineralisation is analogous to that found in the Bralorne- Pioneer deposits. Gold mineralisation is hosted by a series of northeast trending, steeply northwest dipping veins that crosscut the Blue Creek porphyry intrusion. The Main and West vein systems display mesothermal textures, including ribboned-laminated veins and comprehensive wall rock breccias. Vein formation and gold mineralisation were associated with extensional- brittle faulting believed to be contemporaneous with mid- Eocene extensional faulting along the Marshall Creek, Mission Ridge and Quartz Mountain faults Criteria JORC Code explanation Commentary Balanced reporting Where comprehensive reporting of all Exploration Results is not practicable, representative reporting of both low and high grades and/or widths should be practiced to avoid misleading reporting of Exploration Results. Where broader low-grade intervals are reported the high-grade intercepts are reported as 'including' within the reported interval Other substantive exploration data Other exploration data, if meaningful and material, should be reported including (but not limited to): geological observations; geophysical survey results; geochemical survey results; bulk samples - size and method of treatment; metallurgical test results; bulk density, groundwater, geotechnical and rock characteristics; potential deleterious or contaminating substances. Tempus recently completed an airborne magnetic and radiometric survey over the Elizabeth Gold Project (refer to ASX announcement 02 August 2021) by completing 97 lines for a total of 735 line-kilometres. Flight lines are oriented east-west with north-south tie lines and spaced 200 metres across the entire 115km2 Elizabeth property. Line spacing of 100 metres was flown over the Elizabeth Main and Elizabeth East Zones. The airborne magnetic survey data was reviewed and interpreted by Insight Geophysics Inc. using 3D magnetization vector inversion (MVI) modelling. The geophysical surveys identified the Blue Creek Porphyry, which is the known host of the high-grade Elizabeth gold-quartz veins, as a relative magnetic low anomaly within the Shulaps Ultramafic Complex. From this correlation of geology and geophysics it was determined that the Blue Creek Porphyry, originally explored / mapped to approximately 1.1km2 in size, is likely much larger. The airborne magnetic survey and MVI 3D modelling interpret the Blue Creek Porphyry to be at least four-times the size at approximately 4.5km2. This interpretation of the Blue Creek Porphyry is also extensive at depth extending to at least 2km deep Further work The nature and scale of planned further work (eg tests for lateral extensions or depth extensions or large- scale step-out drilling). Diagrams clearly highlighting the areas of possible extensions, including the main geological interpretations and future drilling areas, provided this information is not commercially sensitive. Tempus plans to update historical NI43-101 foreign resource estimates to current NI43-101 and JORC 2012 standards Tempus is also seeking to expand the scale of the mineralisation at the project through further exploration. SOURCE: Tempus Resources Ltd View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/695002/Elizabeth-Exploration-2022-Focus-on-Mineralisation-Expansion Education is one of the core pillars of our Erbe Group vision. The Erbe Academy program is one of our company's success stories. It provides a network for doctors, nurses and our company's global sales team to gain new knowledge and experience and share it with peers. In addition, we qualify our employees to act as reliable partners for healthcare professionals and institutions worldwide. We do not merely want to offer products, but also holistic solutions for our customers. Now we are taking the next step and starting to enhance the success story of the Erbe Academy. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220329005477/en/ Erbe Academy in Singapore (Photo: Business Wire) "Expanding our network of academies and partner centers is an important milestone and a crucial step in our efforts to enlarge knowledge and confidence for better patient outcomes and to facilitate exchange of experience between experts and users," Mariuccia Zambelli, Vice President Global Marketing, explains. Erbe launched its second hub of the Erbe Academy at the German Centre in Singapore with an opening ceremony on March 11th, 2022. The German Centre offers us the flexibility we require to adapt our office space needs to our business development. The intent of the Erbe Academy is to qualify and empower Erbe sales teams worldwide and to support physicians and OR nurses through hands-on training on high-end applications and comprehensive lectures on Erbe technologies. Our company contributes to patient safety and to the exchange of experience among experts and users in this way. Christian O. Erbe: "At the Erbe Academy, we offer many courses and trainings. We share our experience and our know-how and train the participants in using our technologies. We do this for our own employees in sales, technical service and marketing. And we do this for external parties like doctors, nurse technicians and many others working in various medical disciplines. Erbe Academy in Singapore will be the first academy abroad and the German Centre is the perfect place for it." About Erbe Erbe Elektromedizin GmbH develops, manufactures and distributes surgical instruments and devices worldwide, while providing services for professional use of these products in a diverse range of medical disciplines. Surgeons, OP teams and patients around the world rely on Erbe medical technology. The surgical instruments and devices find use in almost all specialist areas. They are based on electrosurgery combined with other Erbe technologies. Hybrid solutions enable us to provide new, innovative applications in medicine. Fields of activity Imaging Endoscopy Electrosurgery Plasma surgery Thermofusion Hydrosurgery Cryosurgery An international network 16 subsidiaries in Europe, America and Asia 1 representative office Erbe is active in 110 national markets The Erbe workforce Over 1,200 employees worldwide Some 700 of them in Germany View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220329005477/en/ Contacts: Erbe Elektromedizin GmbH David Malecki Tel +49 7071 755-316 david.malecki@erbe-med.com info@erbe-med.com www.erbe-med.com MOSCOW (dpa-AFX) - As the next round of ceasefire talks between Russia and Ukraine kicked off in Istanbul Tuesday, Ukrainian forces have started counterattacks in parts of Kyiv in response to overnight shelling of reclaimed territory of Irpin. It marks the first face-to-face talks in more than two weeks, but hopes of progress are reportedly slim. Addressing the delegates, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the talks need to yield 'concrete results'. In an appeal he made overnight, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called on world powers to toughen sanctions on Russia, including an oil embargo. A senior US defense official confirmed that Ukraine has managed to retake the town of Trostyanets near the northern region of Sumy and that Russia's advance on Kyiv has stalled amid a shift in focus towards the eastern Donbas region. The British Defense Ministry said in its latest assessment of the fighting that Ukrainian forces have conducted localised counter attacks north west of Kyiv with some success, forcing the Russians to step back from multiple positions. 'In Kyiv region, after the village of Lukianivka, where there were very fierce battles a few days ago, we liberated Rudnytske village,' Vadym Denysenko, an adviser to the Interior Minister of Ukraine, said on television. Meanwhile, talking to the media after presenting the Fiscal Year 2023 Budget, President Joe Biden said he is not trying to walk back on the remarks he made about Vladimir Putin, but was expressing the moral outrage he felt toward the way the Russian leader is dealing the war in Ukraine. 'I want to make it clear: I wasn't then, nor am I now, articulating a policy change. I was expressing the moral outrage that I feel, and I make no apologies for it,' he told reporters. Biden's earlier statement that Putin should be removed from power had turned controversial. 'I just was expressing my outrage. He shouldn't remain in power. Just like, you know, bad people shouldn't continue to do bad things. But it doesn't mean we have a fundamental policy to do anything to take Putin down in any way,' Biden added. In another development, the U.S. Navy has sent six EA-18G Growler aircraft to the Spangdahlem Air Base in Germany. Pentagon Press Secretary John F. Kirby clarified that they are not being deployed to be used against Russian forces in Ukraine. 'They are being deployed completely in keeping with our efforts to bolster NATO's deterrence and defense capabilities along that eastern flank.' Copyright(c) 2022 RTTNews.com. All Rights Reserved Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX Kostenloser Wertpapierhandel auf Smartbroker.de KABUL, March 29 (Xinhua) -- A batch of humanitarian supplies, provided by China's South-South Cooperation Assistance Fund, in cooperation with the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR), was handed over to Afghanistan on Sunday. Speaking at a handover ceremony in Kabul, Chinese Ambassador to Afghanistan Wang Yu said the Chinese government has been highly concerned about the Afghan people who are suffering from the COVID-19 pandemic, unrest and drought. Last year, the South-South Cooperation Assistance Fund approved in time a request from the UNHCR on providing the vulnerable groups in Afghanistan with emergency shelter supplies and education support, and offered fund support, the Chinese ambassador said. With the efforts from the UNHCR, all the supplies have been purchased, and now are distributed in Kabul, Kandahar, Baghlan and Nangarhar provinces, among others, Wang said, adding the needy Afghans will get relief with the supplies. The UNHCR's acting representative in Afghanistan Yumiko Takashima appreciated the South-South Cooperation Assistance Fund for providing the fund support, saying the timely assistance will benefit more than 90,000 displaced Afghans and school children. Produced by Xinhua Global Service Only vendor to get a 100% recommendation rating for the second year in succession BANGALORE, India, March 29, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Indusface, a Tata-funded Application Security SaaS company, has been recognized as a Customers' Choice globally. It is the only vendor to also be a Customers' Choice in all the segments of the Gartner Peer Insights 'Voice of Customer': Web Application & API Protection (WAAP) report. Indusface has also achieved the rare feat of becoming the only company to get a 100% recommendation rating from the customers for the second consecutive year. This reaffirms the reputation and place that Indusface has built in the WAAP market globally. The "Voice of the Customer" is a document that synthesizes Gartner Peer Insights' reviews into insights for IT decision-makers. This aggregated peer perspective, along with the individual detailed reviews, is complementary to Gartner's expert research and can play a key role in your buying process, as it focuses on direct peer experiences of implementing and operating a solution. In this document, only vendors with 20 or more eligible published reviews during the specified 18-month submission period are included. Reviews from end-users of companies with less than $50M in revenue are excluded from this methodology. See the full "Voice of the Customer" methodology here. Having topped all the segments is an unprecedented feat for an Indian SaaS Company, and it augurs well for the sector's rise as a global supplier of top-quality technologies. "Our cutting-edge solutions, round-the-clock monitoring, and management of application security needs ensure complete peace of mind for clients and the freedom to scale their business. It is this unmatched combination that has led Indusface to be acknowledged as the only vendor to be named Gartner Peer Insights Customers' Choice' in all the 7 segments for Web Application and API Protection," said Ashish Tandon, CEO and Founder, Indusface. "We remain committed to protecting our clients through our constant innovation and ability to understand and resolve the application security needs of enterprises across the world." Indusface achieved the stellar position of being the only vendor to be a Customers' Choice in all the 7 segments of the Gartner VOC 2022 Peer Insights WAAP report: Gartner Peer Insights "Voice of the Customer" Web Application and API Protection 1. Global Deployment Region Segment 2. Asia Pacific 3. Europe, the Middle East and Africa 4. North America Company Size Segment (by Annual Revenue) 5. Large Enterprises (1B - 10B USD) 6. Mid-Market Enterprises (50M - 1B USD) Industry Segment 7. Services Venkatesh Sundar, CMO and Co-Founder, Indusface, said, "To be ranked as a customers' choice in all the segments in the report is a matter of great pride for us. As a company, Indusface has always innovated and built its product roadmap by taking a customer-first approach and it is quite encouraging and humbling to get this acknowledgement from clients across the world. We are grateful and reassure all our clients with consistent and superior tech support and we will strive even harder to sustain and get better in the years to come with our product capabilities." Indusface serves diverse and renowned clientele globally and a sample of end-user reviews submitted includes: "Complete Peace Of Mind For Application Security" - Global Head Infra & Security in the Travel industry. (Full Review) "Application Context-Specific Bot Mitigation Was Provided By AppTrana" - GM Applications in the Services industry (Full Review) "Proactive And Fully Featured API Protection" - Product head in the Finance Tech industry (Full Review) "Excellent Service That Allows A Transparent And Easy Implementation Of WAF In A Short Time" - Manager in the Media and Publishing industry (Full Review) "Excellent Product That We Want To Use Multi-Year - CIO in the Healthcare industry (Full Review) About Gartner Peer Insights: Gartner Peer Insights is an online platform of ratings and reviews of IT software and services that are written and read by IT professionals and technology decision-makers. The goal is to help IT leaders make more insightful purchase decisions and help technology providers improve their products by receiving objective and unbiased feedback from their customers. Gartner Peer Insights includes more than 350,000 verified reviews in more than 340 markets. For more information, please visit www.gartner.com/reviews/home. Gartner Peer Insights content consists of the opinions of individual end-users based on their own experiences with the vendors listed on the platform, should not be construed as statements of fact, nor do they represent the views of Gartner or its affiliates. Gartner does not endorse any vendor, product, or service depicted in this content nor makes any warranties, expressed or implied, with respect to this content, about its accuracy or completeness, including any warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. Gartner and Gartner Peer Insights are registered trademarks of Gartner, Inc. and/or its affiliates in the U.S. and internationally and are used herein with permission. All rights reserved. About Indusface: Indusface is a leading application security SaaS company that secures critical Web, Mobile, and API applications of 3000+ global customers using its award-winning fully managed platform that integrates web application scanner, web application firewall, DDoS & BOT Mitigation, CDN, and threat intelligence engine. Indusface has been funded by Tata Capital Growth Fund II, is the only vendor to be named Gartner Peer Insights Customers' Choice' in all the 7 segments for Web Application and API Protection Report 2022, is a "Great Place to Work" certified SaaS product company, is PCI, ISO27001, SOC 2, GDPR certified and has been the recipient of many prestigious start-up awards such as the Economic Times Top 25, NASSCOM DSCI Top Security Company, Deloitte Asia Top 100, among others. Contact: Venkatesh Sundar venkatesh.sundar@indusface.com Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1598108/Indusface_Logo.jpg VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / March 29, 2022 / Orchid Ventures, Inc. (the "Company" or "Orchid") (CSE:ORCD)(OTC PINK:ORVRF), a multi-state cannabis innovation company, announced today it has terminated a licensing agreement for Orchid Essentials with Orechid, LLC, also known as Tine Trading Co., signed on May 11, 2020 with cause. Immediately thereafter, Orchid has entered into a new licensing deal with JHMR, Inc., also known as Nimble Distribution, signed on March 15, 2022. Per the terms of the contract, JHMR, Inc. will pay Orchid a $0.75USD royalty on all cartridges sold and a $0.50USD royalty on all batteries sold. JHMR, Inc. must purchase all vaporizer hardware and terpenes from Orchid, as well as maintain strong brand standards and elevate the brand within the Oregon market. JHMR, Inc. must also meet minimum monthly sales and quarterly sales growth requirements to maintain exclusivity within the Oregon market. "We are excited to announce that Nimble Distribution will be our new licensee for the Orchid Essentials brand in the state of Oregon. Nimble is highly respected in the industry and has had tremendous success with their KITES brand and business portfolio. Though our previous licensee was unable to deliver on growth objectives, the Orchid brand remains well positioned in the market and the opportunity to accelerate growth is significant. The leadership team at Nimble is extremely passionate about the Orchid brand, as they've been loyal customers over the years and have followed the brand's progress. They are a high growth operator in the state and we've been impressed with their leadership and the quality of their operations." said Rick Brown, President of Orchid Ventures. "We are confident that the Orchid Essentials brand will be well positioned to fully realize its growth potential under the leadership of the Nimble team." "All of us at NIMBLE are passionate about the Orchid brand. As consumers over the years, the NIMBLE team has enjoyed Orchid products and been excited to see the brand and products in the market. NIMBLE believes that Orchid's products and technologies will be a great fit with Nimble's growth plans. The two companies have many similarities, with the same standards for excellence, a clear passion for the business and the discipline and professional leadership necessary to win. We are confident that this partnership will enable both Nimble and the Orchid Essentials brand to flourish and reach their combined potential in the Oregon market." said Joy Hudson , Founder and COO. ABOUT JHMR, INC. JHMR, Inc (Nimble Distribution) is an Oregon based, industry leading, cannabis product developer, manufacturer and distributor that also offers contract manufacturing and co-packing. Its underlying focus on social justice provides a unique incentive to build consumer engagement and sales. With NIMBLE's commitment to mechanization and efficiency, the company has seen benefits to quality, consistency, and COGS while dramatically increasing production volumes. NIMBLE launched its signature house pre roll brand, KITES, in September of 2021. KITES has grown to 70 points of distribution in its first 6 months and has donated $10,494 to NuProject. NuProject programs increase success outcomes for cannabis entrepreneurs and professionals of color. NIMBLE represents a catalog of indoor farms as well as product offerings beyond flower and pre-rolled cannabis to include Oshihana, a line of cannabis-infused skincare products. Plans for a premium single-packed pre-roll and an edible product, are also underway. https://www.nimbledistro.com/ ABOUT ORCHID VENTURES Orchid Ventures is a California-based cannabis innovation company that has developed a mass-market brand and loyal consumer following with its premium cannabis products and unique vape hardware delivery systems. Orchid also owns 100% of PurTec Delivery Systems, a company that produces, markets and sells clean vaporizer hardware that has been emissions tested against the most stringent standards in the world set forth by the EU, and has unrivaled product quality and value pricing. Orchid's management brings significant branding, product development and distribution experience with a proven track record of scaling businesses and building sustainable revenue growth through value-generating partnerships and innovation that creates enterprise value. Learn more at https://purtecdesigns.com/ ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS - ORCHID VENTURES, INC. Corey Mangold Founder, CEO and Chairman investors@orchidventures.com Investor Relations Corey Mangold 1-949-357-5818 corey@orchidventures.com The CSE does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Safe Harbor Statement Except for historical information contained herein, statements in this release may be forward-looking and made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Words such as "anticipate", "believe", "estimate", "expect", "intend" and similar expressions, as they relate to Orchid Ventures, Inc. and Orchid Essentials any of its affiliates or subsidiaries (collectively, the "Company") or its management, identify forward-looking statements. These statements are based on current expectations, estimates and projections about the Company's business based, in part, on assumptions made by management. These statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve risks, uncertainties, and assumptions that are difficult to predict. Therefore, actual outcomes and results may, and probably will, differ materially from what is expressed or forecasted in such forward-looking statements due to numerous factors, including those described above and those risks discussed from time to time in the Company's Canadian securities regulatory filings with sedar.com, Factors which could cause actual results to differ materially from these forward-looking statements include such factors as (i) the development and protection of our brands and other intellectual property, (ii) the need to raise capital to meet business requirements, (iii) significant fluctuations in marketing expenses, (iv) the ability to achieve and expand significant levels of revenues, or recognize net income, from the sale of our products and services, (v) the Company's ability to conduct the business if there are changes in laws, regulations, or government policies related to cannabis, (vi) management's ability to attract and maintain qualified personnel necessary for the development and commercialization of its planned products, and (vii) other information that may be detailed from time to time in the Company's Canadian securities regulatory filings with sedar.com. The Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. SOURCE: Orchid Ventures, Inc. View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/695014/Orchid-Ventures-Announces-Termination-and-Signing-of-a-New-Licensing-Agreement-for-Orchid-Essentials-in-Oregon TORONTO, ON / ACCESSWIRE / March 29, 2022 / Forward Water Technologies Corp. ("Forward Water" or the "Company") (TSXV:FWTC) announces that Mr. Howie Honeyman, President and CEO will be a panelist at the upcoming 57th Central Canadian Symposium on Water Quality Research at York University, Toronto, Ontario on April 4th. Date: April 4, 2022 - April 5, 2022 Location: York University, Toronto, Ontario Link: https://www.cawq.ca/en/ The Company has been invited to sit on a panel at the 57th Central Canadian Symposium on Water Quality Research 2022. The 2-day symposium will promote the research and expertise of those engaged in water quality research in Canada. The CAWQ is a non-governmental, non-profit organization focused on water quality research and on the control or treatment of water pollution. The mission of the CAWQ is to establish and maintain a national network, composed of scientists, engineers, technologists, administrators, practitioners, and students, dedicated to the development and communication of knowledge to preserve, and enhance the water quality environment. The Company is proud to attend the event as a panel member, President and CEO, Mr. Honeyman commented "I am excited and humbled to participate in the CAWQ panel discussions and share my passion and vision for the water industry with some of the future leaders of the water treatment sector". About Forward Water Technologies Corp. Forward Water Technologies Corp. is a publicly traded Canadian company dedicated to saving the earth's water supply using its patented Forward Osmosis technology. The Company was founded by GreenCentre Canada a leading technology innovation centre, supported by the government of Canada. The Company's technology allows for the reduction of challenging waste streams simultaneously returning fresh water for re-use or surface release. The Company's mandate is to focus on the large-scale implementation of its technology in multiple sectors, including industrial wastewater, oil and gas, mining, agriculture and ultimately municipal water supply and re-use market sectors. For more information, please visit www.forwardwater.com . About CAWQ The Canadian Association on Water Quality is a non-governmental, non-profit organization, volunteer organization for scientists, engineers, technologists, administrators, practitioners, and students engaged in or interested in research on water quality or on the control or treatment of water pollution. The mission of the Canadian Association on Water Quality (CAWQ) is to create and foster a nationwide network of professionals dedicated to the development and communication of knowledge to preserve and enhance the water quality environment. For more information, please visit https://www.cawq.ca/en/. Mr. Howie Honeyman, Ph.D., President & Chief Executive Officer Forward Water Technologies Corp. howie.honeyman@forwardwater.com 416-451-8155 For further information please contact: Kayla.ferderber@forwardwater.com Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release. Forward Looking Statements Certain statements contained in this news release constitute "forward-looking information" as such term is used in applicable Canadian securities laws. Forward-looking information is based on plans, expectations and estimates of management at the date the information is provided and is subject to certain factors and assumptions, including, that the Company's financial condition and development plans do not change as a result of unforeseen events and that the Company obtains any required regulatory approvals. Forward-looking information is subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties and other factors that could cause plans, estimates and actual results to vary materially from those projected in such forward-looking information. Some of the risks and other factors that could cause results to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements include but are not limited to the need to obtain required approvals from regulatory authorities; stock market volatility as well as the other risks and uncertainties applicable to the Company as set forth in the Company's continuous disclosure filings filed under the Company's profile at www.sedar.com. The Company undertakes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements, other than as required by applicable law. SOURCE: Forward Water Technologies Corp. View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/694889/Forward-Water-Technologies-to-participate-as-panelist-in-CAWQ-Symposium-in-Toronto-ON BOSTON, MA / ACCESSWIRE / March 29, 2022 / Nurse-1-1 , the first conversational marketing company for healthcare, today announced the close of its $2.3 million seed funding round led by Argon Ventures with participation from York IE and Hyperplane . The company will use the financing to expand its team, accelerate its go-to-market efforts, and scale its current partnerships with publicly traded and nationwide digital health, at-home testing, and pharma companies. Through a nationwide network of over 2,000 NPs, RNs, PAs, and MDs and a complete customer service platform, Nurse-1-1 educates patients and drives adherence at all patient touch points within the digital health and pharma markets. Embedding its HIPAA-compliant live chat widget into any digital health experience allows Nurse-1-1's network of nurses and advanced practice providers to proactively engage and influence patients to make the right health decisions and properly utilize digital health offerings. In 2021, Nurse-1-1 had over 10,000 patient consultations through its partnerships with digital health, at-home testing, and pharma companies. Medication adherence is a public health concern. Pre-pandemic, non-adherence to medications cost the healthcare system $300 billion annually, according to Healthcare Finance Report . Out of every 100 prescriptions sent, only 50 to 70 are ever picked up and paid for at the pharmacy, 25 to 30 taken properly, and about 15 to 20 refilled as prescribed. OMJ reports that the biggest barriers that patients face when using their medications effectively include poor provider-patient communication, inadequate knowledge about a drug and its use, not being convinced of the need for treatment, and fear of adverse effects of the drug-all topics that nurses are uniquely positioned to address. "Non-adherence not only costs the healthcare system, but also can cause long-term health effects to the patient," said Kimberly Liner, Chief Nurse Practitioner at Nurse-1-1, RN, MSN, CPNP. "Nurse-1-1 provides reliable sources of information from credible, trusted nurses." For each of the past 20 years, the Gallup poll has rated nursing as the most trusted profession in America. Nurse-1-1 is bringing this trust into the growing digital health market, pioneering a new category in healthcare with its patient-centric and dialogue-driven approach to care. Nurse-1-1 also works with many at-home testing companies, navigating their patients through their at-home testing journey. In recent years, at-home testing has become a key tool in early detection of many health care issues, and studies have shown that testing adherence jumps significantly when a patient has a provider they can talk to. "Patient adherence-whether to medications, at-home testing, or other digital health treatments-is a major issue to tackle," said Michael Sheeley, Co-founder and CEO of Nurse-1-1. "Our embedded nurse chat provides an on-demand experience with patients waiting fewer than 8 seconds on average to connect with a nurse-bridging an essential gap in care when patients need it the most." "As more and more of our healthcare transitions to digital, we can't lose the thing that really works in the current system: patients interacting with nurses," said Joe Raczka, Managing Partner, York IE. "Mike, Kimberly and the whole crew at Nurse-1-1 are the right team to bring nurses to the front lines of digital healthcare - a mission that will have a positive impact on all of our lives." Interested in helping Nurse-1-1 achieve this mission? Visit nurse-1-1.com/careers to learn more. About Nurse-1-1: Nurse-1-1 is the first conversational marketing company for healthcare. Through a growing nationwide network of over 2,000 nurses and a HIPAA-compliant complete customer service platform, Nurse-1-1 offers a live nurse chat tool that can be embedded directly into other digital platforms. As a result, clients receive data-driven insights, improve adherence, and help their patients where they need extra support. Nurse-1-1 is based in Greater Boston and founded by Michael Sheeley, who previously founded RunKeeper, and Kimberly Liner, a pediatric nurse practitioner formerly of Boston Children's Hospital. Today, the Nurse-1-1 platform is embedded into the patient experience with publicly traded digital health companies and nationwide telemedicine provider groups. We're hiring! If you're passionate about building a world where every human has the right to easily accessible, compassionate healthcare, we'd love to hear from you. You can check out open roles at nurse-1-1.com/careers or feel free to reach out to us at careers@nurse-1-1.com. About Argon Ventures: Argon Ventures is a venture fund with a mission to amplify the energy of founders to launch breakthrough products to build impactful, global businesses. The firm's Intelligent Industry Solutions investment thesis is centered on cutting-edge software platforms that accelerate productivity & drive top-line revenue, transform markets through radical efficiency and create enterprise value through data at scale. Argon's portfolio spans a number of markets, including digital health, future of work, manufacturing, and others. The founding General Partners collectively bring over four decades of experience as successful operators, investors, advisors, founders and C-level executives of global companies. About York IE: York IE is a vertically integrated strategic growth and investment firm helping reshape the way companies are built, scaled and monetized. Through Fuel, its SaaS platform for market and competitive intelligence, hands-on advisory services and selective early stage B2B SaaS investments, York IE supports ambitious entrepreneurs, operators and investors on their quest to scale startups and disrupt markets. Play the long game at York.IE . About Hyperplane Venture Capital: Hyperplane Venture Capital is an early stage investment firm based in Boston, Massachusetts. The firm partners with exceptional founders who are harnessing machine intelligence, sensor technology, and cloud computing to design solutions at the nexus of perception, communication, and insight. Hyperplane's portfolio covers a wide array of industries including financial technologies, robotics, digital health, industrial automation, and others. Media Contacts: Bailey Carroll Nurse-1-1 bailey@nurse-1-1.com Kate Campbell York IE Kate@york.ie SOURCE: York IE View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/694936/Nurse-1-1-Raises-23-Million-in-Seed-Funding-Pioneering-Conversational-Marketing-for-Healthcare Cypherpunk Realizes 268% profit in 5 months Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - March 29, 2022) - Cypherpunk Holdings Inc. (CSE: HODL) (OTC Pink: CYFRF) ("Cypherpunk" or, the "Company"), a sector leader for blockchain, privacy and cryptography focused investments, is pleased to announce that it has disposed of further shares of Animoca Brand Corporation Limited ("Animoca Brands"), through secondary market trades. To date, Cypherpunk Holdings has sold 1.5M shares in Animoca Brands for a VWAP of CAD $3.81 ($4.05 AUD). This translates to a 268% ROI over a 5 month holding period and total proceeds of CAD $5,401,149 from the sales. Cypherpunk retains 500K ordinary shares in Animoca Brands which it expects to hold leading into the company's anticipated IPO. About Cypherpunk Holdings Inc. Cypherpunk was established to invest in currencies, companies, technologies and protocols, which enhance or protect privacy. Its strategy is to make targeted investments in businesses and assets with strong privacy attributes, often within the blockchain ecosystem, including select cryptocurrencies. Current equity investments include Bitcoin, Ethereum, Samourai Wallet, Wasabi Wallet, Chia, NGRAVE, and Animoca Brands. Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Information This news release contains "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Generally, any statements that are not historical facts may contain forward-looking information, and forward-looking information can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "plans", "expects" or "does not expect", "is expected", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "intends", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", or "believes", or variations of such words and phrases or indicates that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will be" taken, "occur" or "be achieved". Forward-looking information includes, but is not limited to the Company's expectation or belief regarding its investment in shares of Animoca Brand and Animoca Brand's future performance or business. There is no assurance that the Company's plans or objectives will be implemented as set out herein, or at all. Forward-looking information is based on certain factors and assumptions the Company believes to be reasonable at the time such statements are made and is subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. There can be no assurance that such forward-looking information will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such information. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information. Forward-looking statements are made based on management's beliefs, estimates and opinions on the date that statements are made and the Company undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking statements if these beliefs, estimates and opinions or other circumstances should change, except as required by law. Investors are cautioned against attributing undue certainty to forward-looking statements. Officer/Director Contact: Jeffrey Gao Chief Executive Officer jeff@cypherpunkholdings.com Office: 1-647-946-1300 Investor Relations Contact: Veronika Oswald Investor Relations veronika@cypherpunkholdings.com Office: 1-647-946-1300 To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/118399 Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - March 29, 2022) - NINE MILE METALS LTD. (CSE: NINE) (the "Company" or "Nine Mile") is pleased to announce it has signed an agreement to engage industry leading EarthEX Geophysical Solutions Inc. ("EarthEX") of Selkirk, Manitoba, utilizing their proprietary technology and methodology for a complete reprocessing and 3D interpretive analysis of the flagship Nine Mile Brook VMS Project and the 100% owned Canoe Landing Lake West VMS Projects in the world-famous VMS Bathurst Mining Camp, New Brunswick. EarthEX is an industry leader in this cutting-edge field in defining targets in the exploration of VMS (Copper-Lead-Zinc-Silver & Gold) projects around the world. Figure 1: (Nine Mile Brook Project) Plan view with Anomaly Axes overlying EM response. To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/7335/118428_4a551a6a643a2952_002full.jpg Figure 2: (Nine Mile Brook Project) 3D Inclined Overview displaying target zones with VMS-style Conductive signatures detected in the MegaTEM Data, overlying 3D magnetic models. To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/7335/118428_4a551a6a643a2952_003full.jpg The wealth of public MegaTEM data in the Bathurst Mining Camp ("BMC") coupled with other high resolution historical surveys available on the properties make for an ideal candidate for this type of analysis. EarthEX will be reprocessing and interpreting all available geophysical data including the use of new proprietary algorithms for both projects (Nine Mile Brook & Canoe Landing Lake West), including the regional Aerodat and MegaTEM surveys conducted over the BMC. This data output, when modeled and interpreted with the geological and geochemical data will allow us to identify and prioritize target areas, streamlining the exploration process. Upon receipt of the 3D model, the technical committee, working with EarthEX, can finalize the second phase of exploration program including survey grids for proprietary cutting-edge UAV (Drone Technology) magnetics and ground-based Time Domain Electro-Magnetics ("TDEM") over priority conductors. The aim is to define and prioritize all Volcanogenic Massive Sulphide ("VMS")(Cu-Pb-Zn-Ag & Au) targets, in addition to locating the primary source of the Willett Lens mineralization and any related satellite deposits along trend. Of the targets generated, their priority ranking is primarily based on the results of the TDEM surveys, and magnetic domain. Conductors that exhibit favourable geological and magnetic settings, as well as late time conductance, which is a common signature of VMS mineralization, will be top priority for drilling. In comparison, early and mid-time signatures which may still be prospective, but have a larger range of potential geological sources, will be treated as second-priority follow-up targets. Patrick J Cruickshank, MBA, Director, states, "We look forward to receiving this proprietary cutting-edge technology analysis, over our two VMS Projects. The source deposit of our High-Grade Willett VMS Lens should not be far and, if typical of other VMS deposits, may consist of multiple stacked Lens'. The EarthEX proprietary technology will identify the possible hosts, which we believe is up ice in the Spruce Lake Formation of the California Lake Group where a majority of the BMC Deposits are hosted. This area has been underexplored and is a terrific section of the Spruce Formation without a deposit. There are 95 VMS occurrences and 46 Deposits in the BMC and we believe we are in the prime location of the folding geology. We look forward to our analytical results shortly." The disclosure of technical information in this news release has been prepared in accordance with Canadian regulatory requirements as set out in National Instrument 43-101 - Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects ("NI 43-101") and reviewed and approved by Gary Lohman, B.Sc., P. Geo. who acts as the Company's Qualified Person and as the COO of Fiddlehead Mining Corp. and is not independent of the Company. About Nine Mile Metals Ltd.: Nine Mile Metals Ltd. is a Canadian Public Mineral Exploration Company focused on VMS (Cu, Pb, Zn, Ag and Au) exploration in the world-famous Bathurst Mining Camp. The Company's primary business objective is to explore its two properties located in Bathurst, New Brunswick, Canada: 100% owned Canoe Landing Lake West and 50% owned Nine Mile Brook. Nine Mile is Focused on Exploration of Minerals for Technology (MFT), positioning for the boom in EV & Green Technologies requiring Copper Silver Lead & Zinc with a hedge with Gold. ON BEHALF OF NINE MILE METALS LTD. "Charles MaLette" CEO, President, Director & Secretary T: 604-428-5171 E: info@ninemilemetals.com Forward-Looking Information: This press release may include forward-looking information within the meaning of Canadian securities legislation, concerning the business of Nine Mile. Forward-looking information is based on certain key expectations and assumptions made by the management of Nine Mile. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by the use of words such as "will," "may," "would," "expect," "intend," "plan," "seek," "anticipate," "believe," "estimate," "predict," "potential," "continue," "likely," "could" and variations of these terms and similar expressions, or the negative of these terms or similar expressions. Forward-looking statements in this press release include that (a) . EarthEX is the industry leader in this cutting-edge field in defining targets in the exploration of VMS (Copper-Lead-Zinc-Silver & Gold) projects around the world, (b) EarthEX will be reprocessing all available geophysical data with New Proprietary Algorithms for both projects (Nine Mile Brook & Canoe Landing Lake West), (c) data output, when modeled with the geological and geochemical data will allow us to identify and prioritize target areas, streamlining the exploration process, (d) the technical committee can finalize the second phase of exploration program including survey grids for magnetics and ground-based TDEM over priority conductors, (e) the source deposit of our High-Grade Willett VMS Lens should not be far and, if typical of other VMS deposits, may consist of multiple stacked Lens', (f) the EarthEX proprietary technology will identify the possible hosts, which we believe is up ice in the Spruce Lake Formation of the California Lake Group where a majority of the BMC Deposits are hosted, and (g) there are 95 VMS occurrences and 46 Deposits in the BMC and we believe we are in the prime location of the folding geology. Although Nine Mile believes that the expectations and assumptions on which such forward-looking information is based are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on the forward-looking information because Nine Mile can give no assurance that they will prove to be correct. The Canadian Securities Exchange (CSE) has not reviewed and does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or the accuracy of the contents of this release. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/118428 Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - March 29, 2022) - ALX Resources Corp. (TSXV: AL) (FSE: 6LLN) (OTC: ALXEF) ("ALX" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that a diamond drilling program is underway at its Electra Nickel Project located 35 kilometres northwest of Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada. 2022 Exploration Program On March 10, 2022 ALX received an exploration permit from the Ontario Ministry of Energy, Northern Development and Mines for a diamond drilling program consisting of eight holes totaling approximately 1,750 metres, good until March 2025. The duration of the 2022 winter drilling program is weather dependent; however, the network of established forestry roads within Electra provides good access to the drill sites. Certain of the drill sites may be accessible for drilling in the spring or summer of 2022. Electra 2022 Drill Hole Plan with Down Hole EM Loops To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/3046/118465_ae6180ae5441f991_001full.jpg To view maps and photos of Electra click here About Electra Electra is located near Thunder Bay, Ontario, in a fertile exploration district well-linked to highways, roads and trails, and lies near a powerline and the Canadian National Railroad. The Project consists of 190 cell units totaling approximately 4,066 hectares (10,047 acres) and is prospective for nickel-copper-cobalt, platinum group elements, and gold. ALX has the option to earn a 100% interest in Electra after fulfilling payment obligations of cash and common shares, and exploration expenditures (see ALX news release dated December 31, 2020 ) . In the fall of 2021, ALX developed new drill targets at Electra from the integration of the results of a 2021 VTEMTM airborne survey with a follow-up prospecting and geological mapping program. Geophysical programs consisting of downhole and ground electromagnetic surveys remain in application. The Company is pleased with the successful engagement that occurred with local First Nations and Metis communities during the permitting process and looks forward to a good working relationship with stakeholders in the Project area. The technical information in this news release has been reviewed and approved by Jody Dahrouge, P.Geo., a Director of ALX, who is a Qualified Person in accordance with the Canadian regulatory requirements set out in National Instrument 43-101. About ALX ALX is based in Vancouver, BC, Canada and its common shares are listed on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol "AL", on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange under the symbol "6LLN" and in the United States OTC market under the symbol "ALXEF". ALX's mandate is to provide shareholders with multiple opportunities for discovery by exploring a portfolio of prospective mineral properties, which include uranium, nickel-copper-cobalt and gold projects. The Company uses the latest exploration technologies and holds interests in over 200,000 hectares of prospective lands in Saskatchewan, a stable Canadian jurisdiction that hosts the highest-grade uranium mines in the world, a producing gold mine, and production from base metals mines, both current and historical. ALX is an active explorer with interests in a number of uranium exploration properties in northern Saskatchewan, including 100% interests in the Gibbons Creek Uranium Project, the Sabre Uranium Project and the Javelin and McKenzie Lake Uranium Projects, a 40% interest in the Black Lake Uranium Project (a joint venture with UEX Corporation and Orano Canada Inc.), and a 20% interest in the Hook-Carter Uranium Project, located within the uranium-rich Patterson Lake Corridor with Denison Mines Corp. (80% interest) as operator of exploration since 2016. ALX also owns 100% interests in the Firebird Nickel Project (now under option to Rio Tinto Exploration Canada Inc., who can earn up to an 80% interest), the Flying Vee Nickel/Gold and Sceptre Gold projects, and can earn up to an 80% interest in the Alligator Lake Gold Project, all located in northern Saskatchewan, Canada. ALX owns, or can earn, up to 100% interests in the Electra Nickel Project and the Cannon Copper Project located in historic mining districts of Ontario, Canada, the Vixen Gold Project (now under option to First Mining Gold Corp., who can earn up to a 100% interest in two stages), and in the Draco VMS Project in Norway. For more information about the Company, please visit the ALX corporate website at www.alxresources.com or contact Roger Leschuk, Manager, Corporate Communications at: PH: 604.629.0293 or Toll-Free: 866.629.8368, or by email: rleschuk@alxresources.com On Behalf of the Board of Directors of ALX Resources Corp. "Warren Stanyer" Warren Stanyer, CEO and Chairman FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS Statements in this document which are not purely historical are forward-looking statements, including any statements regarding beliefs, plans, expectations or intentions regarding the future. Forward-looking statements in this news release include: ALX's plans to undertake exploration activities at the Electra Nickel Project, and to expend funds on the Project. It is important to note that the Company's actual business outcomes and exploration results could differ materially from those in such forward-looking statements. Risks and uncertainties include that ALX may not be able to fully finance exploration on our exploration projects, including drilling; our initial findings at our exploration projects may prove to be unworthy of further expenditures; commodity prices may not support further exploration expenditures; exploration programs may be delayed or changed due to any delays experienced in consultation and engagement activities with First Nations and Metis communities and the results of such consultations; and economic, competitive, governmental, societal, public health, environmental and technological factors may affect the Company's operations, markets, products and share price. Even if we explore and develop our projects, and even if nickel, uranium, gold or other metals or minerals are discovered in quantity, ALX's projects may not be commercially viable. Additional risk factors are discussed in the Company's Management Discussion and Analysis for the Nine Months Ended September 30, 2021, which is available under the Company's SEDAR profile at www.sedar.com. Except as required by law, we will not update these forward-looking statement risk factors. Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/118465 MINNETONKA (dpa-AFX) - Optum and LHC Group (LHCG) have reached an agreement which calls for the acquisition of LHC Group's common stock for $170 per share in cash. LHC Group is a national patient-focused provider of in-home health care services. Optum is an information and technology-enabled health services business which is part of UnitedHealth Group (UNH). The LHC leadership will continue forward as part of Optum Health. Co-founders Keith and Ginger Myers will personally invest $10 million in UnitedHealth Group stock following the close of the merger. The acquisition is anticipated to be neutral to UnitedHealth Group's outlook for adjusted net earnings per share in 2022, modestly accretive in 2023, and advancing strongly in subsequent years. Copyright(c) 2022 RTTNews.com. All Rights Reserved Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann. Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - March 29, 2022) - Viscount Mining Corp. (TSXV: VML) (OTCQX: VLMGF) ("Viscount Mining") announces it has received approval from the State of Colorado for the fourth phase drill program at their Silver Cliff property in Colorado. Viscount has commenced drilling at Silver Cliff, Colorado. The aim of this phase is to increase the defined resource available at the Kate Deposit. Tenneco Minerals leased the Kate property in 1987. They had previous drill data available to them, which was the results from 11,930 meters in 249 drill holes that had been done since 1968.The following two years Tenneco drilled an additional 143 holes totaling 7,949 meters. Based on the accumulated data and feasibility study, Tenneco Minerals made the decision with silver at $5.00 USD an ounce to construct at that time a $35,000,000 USD milling operation for the extraction of the silver reserves at Silver Cliff as an open pit mine. The primary deposit, Kate Silver Resource (KSR), hosts a historical estimate of 50M oz silver (not NI 43 - 101 compliant). Shortly thereafter Tenneco's parent company was sold, and the planned milling operation was abandoned. Jacob Hooker, Viscount Exploration Manager, commented: "The fourth phase of this year's exploration program is heavily weighted towards expanding the current mineral resource at the Kate. The previous drill results from the Kate East Zone has demonstrated the deposit to be open ended in all directions. This next phase of drilling will allow us continue to step out drilling on two sides of the deposit which will allow us to expand NI 43-101 resource." The success of phase 2 and 3 in terms of expanding the previous Kate Silver Resource has prompted Viscount Mining to conduct another round of drilling with the intention again of increasing the known ore body size. As shown on the map below, phase 4 includes ten expansion drill holes, with six positioned to the west of the current KSR boundary. The other four drill holes are located vastly to the northeast and will test the areas extension of the drilling closer to the KSR that was done during phase 3. Part of the strategy behind Viscounts' drill campaigns is to confirm historic drilling in the KSR and use the results of Viscount's drilling, soil, geophysical and rock chip surveys to expand the KSR. This was necessary, since the core and RC chips from the previous drilling had been lost, and only incomplete assay results are known. While historic drilling near the northeast target locations has been sparse, soil samples collected during phases 2 and 3 display strong trends to the northeast. Two surface samples gathered in the vicinity during phase 3 tested at 98 G/T and 1330 G/T silver, prompting the placement of the final four phase 4 drill hole locations. Jim MacKenzie, Viscount CEO, stated: "As Viscount transitions into the fourth phase of the drill program, we will focus on testing the limits of the previously defined ore body in promising directions. The success of the step - out drilling since 2020 has given us the indication of a much larger resource at the KSR. Our next NI 43-101 in Q2 2022 will contain an updated resource calculation based on the drilling done by Viscount, and selected historic drilling documents. After compiling all drill results, an updated 3D drilling model will be created, depicting a more accurate version of the KSR." Fig 1. The 10 Planned Drill Hole Locations for Phase 4 of Viscount's 2020/2022 Program To view an enhanced version of Figure 1, please visit: https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/2736/118425_9614a887e4c159ba_002full.jpg Table 1 To view an enhanced version of Table 1, please visit: https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/2736/118425_table1.jpg The report titled Mineral Resource Estimate for the Silver Cliff Property, Custer County, Colorado, USA dated April 15, 2018 was prepared by Dr. Gilles Arseneau, Ph.D., P. Geo of Arseneau Consulting Services ("ACS") in accordance with the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum ("CIM") Definition Standards incorporated by reference in National Instrument 43-101 ("NI 43-101") for its Silver Cliff property in Colorado. Quality Assurance/Quality Control ("QA/QC") Measures, Chain of Custody: All Viscount's drilling to date has been core. The company has implemented a rigorous quality assurance/quality control program at the Silver Cliff project. Core is retrieved from the drill site to a locked storage facility, where it is logged and then cut by independent geologists. Half of the core is bagged, and standards, blanks and duplicates are frequently inserted in to the sample stream. These are then boxed and then shipped via USPS to Skyline Labs in Tucson, Arizona. Pulps and rejects will then be retrieved, and stored with the split core at our locked facility. Qualified Persons The scientific and technical information contained in this news release has been reviewed and approved by Harald Hoegberg PG, an independent consulting geologist who is a "Qualified Person" (QP) as such term is defined under National Instrument 43-101 - Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects ("NI 43-101"). About Viscount Mining (TSXV: VML) (OTCQX: VLMGF) Viscount Mining is a project generator and an exploration company with a portfolio of silver and gold properties in the Western United States, including Silver Cliff in Colorado and Cherry Creek in Nevada. The Silver Cliff property in Colorado lies within the historic Hardscrabble Silver District in the Wet Mountain Valley, Custer County, south-central Colorado. It is located 44 miles WSW of Pueblo, Colorado, and has year-around access by paved road. The property consists of 2,319.48 hectares where high grade silver, gold and base metal production came from numerous mines during the period 1878 to the early 1900's. The property underwent substantial exploration between 1967 and 1984. The property is interpreted to encompass a portion of a large caldera and highly altered sequence of tertiary rhyolitic flows and fragmental units which offers potential to host deposits with both precious and base metals. This has been demonstrated in the mineralization historically extracted from the numerous underground and surface mining operations. Drilling in the 1980s by Tenneco resulted in a historical pre-feasibility study on which basis it was planned to bring the property to production. The plan was abandoned following a takeover by another company. The Cherry Creek exploration property is in an area commonly known as the Cherry Creek Mining District, located approximately 50 miles north of the town of Ely, White Pine County, Nevada. Cherry Creek consists of 578 unpatented and 17 patented claims as well as mill rights. Cherry Creek includes more than 20 past producing mines. In January 2021, Viscount entered an exploration earn - in agreement with a wholly owned subsidiary of Centerra Gold Inc. Centerra Gold Inc. is a Canadian-based gold mining company focused on operating, developing, exploring and acquiring gold properties in North America, Turkey, and other markets worldwide. For additional information regarding the above noted property and other corporate information, please visit the Company's website at www.viscountmining.com ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS "Jim MacKenzie" President, CEO and Director For further information, please contact: Viscount Investor Relations Email: info@viscountmining.com FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS This news release includes certain statements that may be deemed "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. Forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements with respect to Viscount Mining's operations, exploration and development plans, expansion plans, estimates, expectations, forecasts, objectives, predictions and projections of the future. Specifically, this news release contains forward looking statements with respect to the potential of the Kate Deposit and the success of the Phase 4 drill program as its relates to a new resource found in a 43-101. Generally, forward-looking statements can be identified by the forward-looking terminology such as "plans", "expects" or "does not expect", "is expected", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "projects", "intends", "anticipates", or "does not anticipate", or "believes", or "variations of such words and phrases or state that certain actions, events or results "may", "can", "could", "would", "might", or "will" be taken", "occur" or "be achieved". Forward-looking statements are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements of Viscount Mining to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements, including but not limited to: risks related to the exploration and development and operation of Viscount Mining's projects, the actual results of current exploration, development activities, conclusions of economic evaluations, changes in project parameters as plans continue to be refined, future precious metals prices, as well as those factors discussed in the sections relating to risk factors of our business filed in Viscount Mining's required securities filings on SEDAR. Although Viscount Mining has attempted to identify important factors that could cause results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause results to be materially different from those anticipated, described, estimated, assessed or intended. There can be no assurance that any forward-looking statements will prove accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Viscount Mining does not undertake to update any forward-looking statements that are incorporated by reference herein, except in accordance with applicable securities laws. THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE INC. HAS NEITHER APPROVED NOR DISAPPROVED THE CONTENTS OF THIS PRESS RELEASE. NEITHER THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE NOR ITS REGULATION SERVICES PROVIDER (AS THAT TERM IS DEFINED IN THE POLICIES OF THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE) ACCEPTS RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THIS RELEASE. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/118425 Song Bao (front) and Song Chen return to the watchtower after cleaning the snow in its yard on Mangshan Mountain in Beijing, capital of China, March 19, 2022. Coming from the same village in Yixian County of Baoding City in Hebei Province, Song Chen and Song Bao are currently working as forest rangers stationed at the watchtower of Mangshan Mountain in the forest adjacent to the Ming Tombs, a major tourist site in Beijing's suburb. The two forest rangers, grown up as childhood friends, are now work partners since they landed on this job a few years ago. They are collaboratively responsible for maintaining the 886.7 hectares of national key non-commercial forest. Working and living in the mountain all the time, Song Chen and Song Bao need to take turns to buy food and other daily supplies by riding an electric motorcycle down the hill. After work, they entertain themselves mainly with television and smartphones. They are also happy to chat with tourists who occasionally pop in at the observation tower. As the fire prevention and control work should never be taken lightly, Song Chen and Song Bao stay vigilant on guard all the time against any potential risks threatening the safety of the forest resources. (Xinhua/Chen Zhonghao) Aerial photo taken on March 19, 2022 shows Song Chen up for work at the watchtower on Mangshan Mountain in Beijing, capital of China. Coming from the same village in Yixian County of Baoding City in Hebei Province, Song Chen and Song Bao are currently working as forest rangers stationed at the watchtower of Mangshan Mountain in the forest adjacent to the Ming Tombs, a major tourist site in Beijing's suburb. The two forest rangers, grown up as childhood friends, are now work partners since they landed on this job a few years ago. They are collaboratively responsible for maintaining the 886.7 hectares of national key non-commercial forest. Working and living in the mountain all the time, Song Chen and Song Bao need to take turns to buy food and other daily supplies by riding an electric motorcycle down the hill. After work, they entertain themselves mainly with television and smartphones. They are also happy to chat with tourists who occasionally pop in at the observation tower. As the fire prevention and control work should never be taken lightly, Song Chen and Song Bao stay vigilant on guard all the time against any potential risks threatening the safety of the forest resources. (Xinhua/Li He) Song Bao (L) and Song Chen prepare dinner at the kitchen in the watchtower on Mangshan Mountain in Beijing, capital of China, March 18, 2022. Coming from the same village in Yixian County of Baoding City in Hebei Province, Song Chen and Song Bao are currently working as forest rangers stationed at the watchtower of Mangshan Mountain in the forest adjacent to the Ming Tombs, a major tourist site in Beijing's suburb. The two forest rangers, grown up as childhood friends, are now work partners since they landed on this job a few years ago. They are collaboratively responsible for maintaining the 886.7 hectares of national key non-commercial forest. Working and living in the mountain all the time, Song Chen and Song Bao need to take turns to buy food and other daily supplies by riding an electric motorcycle down the hill. After work, they entertain themselves mainly with television and smartphones. They are also happy to chat with tourists who occasionally pop in at the observation tower. As the fire prevention and control work should never be taken lightly, Song Chen and Song Bao stay vigilant on guard all the time against any potential risks threatening the safety of the forest resources. (Xinhua/Chen Zhonghao) Song Bao observes the forest on the watchtower of Mangshan Mountain in Beijing, capital of China, March 19, 2022. Coming from the same village in Yixian County of Baoding City in Hebei Province, Song Chen and Song Bao are currently working as forest rangers stationed at the watchtower of Mangshan Mountain in the forest adjacent to the Ming Tombs, a major tourist site in Beijing's suburb. The two forest rangers, grown up as childhood friends, are now work partners since they landed on this job a few years ago. They are collaboratively responsible for maintaining the 886.7 hectares of national key non-commercial forest. Working and living in the mountain all the time, Song Chen and Song Bao need to take turns to buy food and other daily supplies by riding an electric motorcycle down the hill. After work, they entertain themselves mainly with television and smartphones. They are also happy to chat with tourists who occasionally pop in at the observation tower. As the fire prevention and control work should never be taken lightly, Song Chen and Song Bao stay vigilant on guard all the time against any potential risks threatening the safety of the forest resources. (Xinhua/Chen Zhonghao) Song Chen has his finger accidentally slashed by a snow shovel while cleaning the snow in the yard outside the watchtower on Mangshan Mountain in Beijing, capital of China, March 19, 2022. Coming from the same village in Yixian County of Baoding City in Hebei Province, Song Chen and Song Bao are currently working as forest rangers stationed at the watchtower of Mangshan Mountain in the forest adjacent to the Ming Tombs, a major tourist site in Beijing's suburb. The two forest rangers, grown up as childhood friends, are now work partners since they landed on this job a few years ago. They are collaboratively responsible for maintaining the 886.7 hectares of national key non-commercial forest. Working and living in the mountain all the time, Song Chen and Song Bao need to take turns to buy food and other daily supplies by riding an electric motorcycle down the hill. After work, they entertain themselves mainly with television and smartphones. They are also happy to chat with tourists who occasionally pop in at the observation tower. As the fire prevention and control work should never be taken lightly, Song Chen and Song Bao stay vigilant on guard all the time against any potential risks threatening the safety of the forest resources. (Xinhua/Li He) Song Chen (L) checks his cellphone while Song Bao watches television at the dormitory in the watchtower on Mangshan Mountain in Beijing, capital of China, March 18, 2022. Coming from the same village in Yixian County of Baoding City in Hebei Province, Song Chen and Song Bao are currently working as forest rangers stationed at the watchtower of Mangshan Mountain in the forest adjacent to the Ming Tombs, a major tourist site in Beijing's suburb. The two forest rangers, grown up as childhood friends, are now work partners since they landed on this job a few years ago. They are collaboratively responsible for maintaining the 886.7 hectares of national key non-commercial forest. Working and living in the mountain all the time, Song Chen and Song Bao need to take turns to buy food and other daily supplies by riding an electric motorcycle down the hill. After work, they entertain themselves mainly with television and smartphones. They are also happy to chat with tourists who occasionally pop in at the observation tower. As the fire prevention and control work should never be taken lightly, Song Chen and Song Bao stay vigilant on guard all the time against any potential risks threatening the safety of the forest resources. (Xinhua/Li He) Aerial photo taken on March 19, 2022 shows the watchtower blanketed with snow on Mangshan Mountain in Beijing, capital of China. Coming from the same village in Yixian County of Baoding City in Hebei Province, Song Chen and Song Bao are currently working as forest rangers stationed at the watchtower of Mangshan Mountain in the forest adjacent to the Ming Tombs, a major tourist site in Beijing's suburb. The two forest rangers, grown up as childhood friends, are now work partners since they landed on this job a few years ago. They are collaboratively responsible for maintaining the 886.7 hectares of national key non-commercial forest. Working and living in the mountain all the time, Song Chen and Song Bao need to take turns to buy food and other daily supplies by riding an electric motorcycle down the hill. After work, they entertain themselves mainly with television and smartphones. They are also happy to chat with tourists who occasionally pop in at the observation tower. As the fire prevention and control work should never be taken lightly, Song Chen and Song Bao stay vigilant on guard all the time against any potential risks threatening the safety of the forest resources. (Xinhua/Li He) Aerial photo taken on March 19, 2022 shows the watchtower perched on Mangshan Mountain in Beijing, capital of China. Coming from the same village in Yixian County of Baoding City in Hebei Province, Song Chen and Song Bao are currently working as forest rangers stationed at the watchtower of Mangshan Mountain in the forest adjacent to the Ming Tombs, a major tourist site in Beijing's suburb. The two forest rangers, grown up as childhood friends, are now work partners since they landed on this job a few years ago. They are collaboratively responsible for maintaining the 886.7 hectares of national key non-commercial forest. Working and living in the mountain all the time, Song Chen and Song Bao need to take turns to buy food and other daily supplies by riding an electric motorcycle down the hill. After work, they entertain themselves mainly with television and smartphones. They are also happy to chat with tourists who occasionally pop in at the observation tower. As the fire prevention and control work should never be taken lightly, Song Chen and Song Bao stay vigilant on guard all the time against any potential risks threatening the safety of the forest resources. (Xinhua/Li He) Song Bao (front) waves goodbye to Song Chen as he departs for patrolling the forest at the watchtower on Mangshan Mountain in Beijing, capital of China, March 19, 2022. Coming from the same village in Yixian County of Baoding City in Hebei Province, Song Chen and Song Bao are currently working as forest rangers stationed at the watchtower of Mangshan Mountain in the forest adjacent to the Ming Tombs, a major tourist site in Beijing's suburb. The two forest rangers, grown up as childhood friends, are now work partners since they landed on this job a few years ago. They are collaboratively responsible for maintaining the 886.7 hectares of national key non-commercial forest. Working and living in the mountain all the time, Song Chen and Song Bao need to take turns to buy food and other daily supplies by riding an electric motorcycle down the hill. After work, they entertain themselves mainly with television and smartphones. They are also happy to chat with tourists who occasionally pop in at the observation tower. As the fire prevention and control work should never be taken lightly, Song Chen and Song Bao stay vigilant on guard all the time against any potential risks threatening the safety of the forest resources. (Xinhua/Chen Zhonghao) Song Bao cleans the snow in the yard outside the watchtower on Mangshan Mountain in Beijing, capital of China, March 18, 2022. Coming from the same village in Yixian County of Baoding City in Hebei Province, Song Chen and Song Bao are currently working as forest rangers stationed at the watchtower of Mangshan Mountain in the forest adjacent to the Ming Tombs, a major tourist site in Beijing's suburb. The two forest rangers, grown up as childhood friends, are now work partners since they landed on this job a few years ago. They are collaboratively responsible for maintaining the 886.7 hectares of national key non-commercial forest. Working and living in the mountain all the time, Song Chen and Song Bao need to take turns to buy food and other daily supplies by riding an electric motorcycle down the hill. After work, they entertain themselves mainly with television and smartphones. They are also happy to chat with tourists who occasionally pop in at the observation tower. As the fire prevention and control work should never be taken lightly, Song Chen and Song Bao stay vigilant on guard all the time against any potential risks threatening the safety of the forest resources. (Xinhua/Chen Zhonghao) Song Chen (1st R) shows tourists the way in front of the watchtower on Mangshan Mountain in Beijing, capital of China, March 19, 2022. Coming from the same village in Yixian County of Baoding City in Hebei Province, Song Chen and Song Bao are currently working as forest rangers stationed at the watchtower of Mangshan Mountain in the forest adjacent to the Ming Tombs, a major tourist site in Beijing's suburb. The two forest rangers, grown up as childhood friends, are now work partners since they landed on this job a few years ago. They are collaboratively responsible for maintaining the 886.7 hectares of national key non-commercial forest. Working and living in the mountain all the time, Song Chen and Song Bao need to take turns to buy food and other daily supplies by riding an electric motorcycle down the hill. After work, they entertain themselves mainly with television and smartphones. They are also happy to chat with tourists who occasionally pop in at the observation tower. As the fire prevention and control work should never be taken lightly, Song Chen and Song Bao stay vigilant on guard all the time against any potential risks threatening the safety of the forest resources. (Xinhua/Li He) Song Chen cleans the snow in the yard outside the watchtower on Mangshan Mountain in Beijing, capital of China, March 19, 2022. Coming from the same village in Yixian County of Baoding City in Hebei Province, Song Chen and Song Bao are currently working as forest rangers stationed at the watchtower of Mangshan Mountain in the forest adjacent to the Ming Tombs, a major tourist site in Beijing's suburb. The two forest rangers, grown up as childhood friends, are now work partners since they landed on this job a few years ago. They are collaboratively responsible for maintaining the 886.7 hectares of national key non-commercial forest. Working and living in the mountain all the time, Song Chen and Song Bao need to take turns to buy food and other daily supplies by riding an electric motorcycle down the hill. After work, they entertain themselves mainly with television and smartphones. They are also happy to chat with tourists who occasionally pop in at the observation tower. As the fire prevention and control work should never be taken lightly, Song Chen and Song Bao stay vigilant on guard all the time against any potential risks threatening the safety of the forest resources. (Xinhua/Li He) Photo taken on March 18, 2022 shows the night view of the watchtower on Mangshan Mountain in Beijing, capital of China. Coming from the same village in Yixian County of Baoding City in Hebei Province, Song Chen and Song Bao are currently working as forest rangers stationed at the watchtower of Mangshan Mountain in the forest adjacent to the Ming Tombs, a major tourist site in Beijing's suburb. The two forest rangers, grown up as childhood friends, are now work partners since they landed on this job a few years ago. They are collaboratively responsible for maintaining the 886.7 hectares of national key non-commercial forest. Working and living in the mountain all the time, Song Chen and Song Bao need to take turns to buy food and other daily supplies by riding an electric motorcycle down the hill. After work, they entertain themselves mainly with television and smartphones. They are also happy to chat with tourists who occasionally pop in at the observation tower. As the fire prevention and control work should never be taken lightly, Song Chen and Song Bao stay vigilant on guard all the time against any potential risks threatening the safety of the forest resources. (Xinhua/Chen Zhonghao) Song Bao walks back to the watchtower on Mangshan Mountain after patrolling the forest in Beijing, capital of China, March 19, 2022. Coming from the same village in Yixian County of Baoding City in Hebei Province, Song Chen and Song Bao are currently working as forest rangers stationed at the watchtower of Mangshan Mountain in the forest adjacent to the Ming Tombs, a major tourist site in Beijing's suburb. The two forest rangers, grown up as childhood friends, are now work partners since they landed on this job a few years ago. They are collaboratively responsible for maintaining the 886.7 hectares of national key non-commercial forest. Working and living in the mountain all the time, Song Chen and Song Bao need to take turns to buy food and other daily supplies by riding an electric motorcycle down the hill. After work, they entertain themselves mainly with television and smartphones. They are also happy to chat with tourists who occasionally pop in at the observation tower. As the fire prevention and control work should never be taken lightly, Song Chen and Song Bao stay vigilant on guard all the time against any potential risks threatening the safety of the forest resources. (Xinhua/Chen Zhonghao) Song Chen (R) writes a log at his dormitory in the watchtower on Mangshan Mountain in Beijing, capital of China, March 18, 2022. Coming from the same village in Yixian County of Baoding City in Hebei Province, Song Chen and Song Bao are currently working as forest rangers stationed at the watchtower of Mangshan Mountain in the forest adjacent to the Ming Tombs, a major tourist site in Beijing's suburb. The two forest rangers, grown up as childhood friends, are now work partners since they landed on this job a few years ago. They are collaboratively responsible for maintaining the 886.7 hectares of national key non-commercial forest. Working and living in the mountain all the time, Song Chen and Song Bao need to take turns to buy food and other daily supplies by riding an electric motorcycle down the hill. After work, they entertain themselves mainly with television and smartphones. They are also happy to chat with tourists who occasionally pop in at the observation tower. As the fire prevention and control work should never be taken lightly, Song Chen and Song Bao stay vigilant on guard all the time against any potential risks threatening the safety of the forest resources. (Xinhua/Li He) Song Bao patrols the forest on Mangshan Mountain in Beijing, capital of China, March 19, 2022. Coming from the same village in Yixian County of Baoding City in Hebei Province, Song Chen and Song Bao are currently working as forest rangers stationed at the watchtower of Mangshan Mountain in the forest adjacent to the Ming Tombs, a major tourist site in Beijing's suburb. The two forest rangers, grown up as childhood friends, are now work partners since they landed on this job a few years ago. They are collaboratively responsible for maintaining the 886.7 hectares of national key non-commercial forest. Working and living in the mountain all the time, Song Chen and Song Bao need to take turns to buy food and other daily supplies by riding an electric motorcycle down the hill. After work, they entertain themselves mainly with television and smartphones. They are also happy to chat with tourists who occasionally pop in at the observation tower. As the fire prevention and control work should never be taken lightly, Song Chen and Song Bao stay vigilant on guard all the time against any potential risks threatening the safety of the forest resources. (Xinhua/Chen Zhonghao) Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - March 29, 2022) - PesoRama Inc. (TSXV: PESO) ("PesoRama" or the "Company"), a Canadian company operating single price-point dollar stores in Mexico under the JOi Canadian Stores brand, announces that it has received approval by the TSX Venture Exchange (the "TSXV") for the listing of up to 13,904,858 of its previous issued common share purchase warrants (the "Warrants"). These Warrants are expected to commence trading on the TSXV effective at market open on Wednesday, March 30, 2022 under the ticker symbol "PESO.WT". The Warrants are governed by supplement warrant indenture (the "Supplemental Indenture") between the Company and TSX Trust Company dated March 21, 2022, which amends: (i) the Company's supplement warrant indenture between the Company and TSX Trust Company dated March 8, 2022 amending the warrant indenture between the Company and TSX Trust Company dated February 8, 2022; (ii) the Company's supplemental warrant indenture between the Company and TSX Trust Company dated February 8, 2022 amending the second amended and restated warrant indenture dated March 30, 2021; and (iii) the Company's supplemental warrant indenture between the Company and TSX Trust Company dated February 8, 2022 amending warrant indenture between the Company and TSX Trust Company dated November 19, 2021. Each Warrant issued pursuant to the Supplemental Indenture shall bear the ISIN CA7157921155. For further information regarding the Warrants, the holders of the Warrants shall refer to the Supplemental Indenture on the Company SEDAR profile at www.sedar.com. About PesoRama Inc. PesoRama, operating under the JOi Canadian Stores brand, is a Mexican value, single price-point dollar store retailer. PesoRama launched operations in 2019 in Mexico City and the surrounding areas targeting high density, high traffic locations. PesoRama's 18 stores offer consistent merchandise offerings which include items in the following categories: household goods, pet supplies, seasonal products, party supplies, health and beauty, snack food items, confectionery and more. For further information please contact: Rahim Bhaloo Founder & Executive Chairman rahim@rahimbhaloo.com 416-816-3291 Erica Fattore President & Chief Executive Officer erica@joi.mx Alyssa Barry Investor Relations investors@pesorama.ca Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/118467 New line of credit will be used for future acquisitions, scaling up operations and growing the Business Warrior team PHOENIX, AZ / ACCESSWIRE / March 29, 2022 / Business Warrior Corp. (OTC PINK:BZWR), the source for small businesses in America to get more customers, today announces it has signed a letter of intent for a $25 million equity line of credit with Keystone Capital. The Company expects to use the funds from the line of credit to facilitate future acquisitions, continue to scale operations, and contribute to more growth opportunities. "We are very grateful for the support we've received from the financial community for Business Warrior's long-term vision," states Company CEO Rhett Doolittle. "Thanks to this new line of credit, Business Warrior is well-positioned to support small businesses and local communities with our products and solutions." Keystone Capital has agreed to enter into a $25 million equity line of credit agreement with the Company to further support its growth strategy. The equity line agreement will allow Business Warrior to draw up to $25 million over 24 months. The Company will file a registration statement on Form S-1 to register its common shares under the equity line. "This equity line of credit represents the investment community's long-term belief in the value of what we're doing at Business Warrior," explains Doolittle. "More importantly, it's a win-win-win situation; a win for us, a win for our investors, and a win for small businesses across the United States." About Business Warrior Business Warrior is an open source technology company providing Small Businesses in the United States with a suite of data driven marketing and next-generation funding solutions to boost local market dominance. Founded in 2014, Business Warrior is singularly focused on offering locally-targeted lead generation marketing and funding solutions that fuel small business growth. By using next generation machine-learning and native software, Business Warrior has made growth funding and conversion marketing accessible for thousands of under-resourced and under-funded small business owners. For more information, visit BusinessWarrior.com. Forward Looking Statements: This press release and the offering materials may contain forward-looking statements and information relating to, among other things, the company, its business plan and strategy, and its industry. Forward-looking statements are neither historical facts nor assurances of future performance. They are based on the current beliefs of, assumptions made by, and information currently available to the company's management regarding the future of the company's business, future plans and strategies, anticipated events and trends, the economy and other future conditions. When used in the offering materials, the words "aim," "estimate," "project," "believe," "anticipate," "intend," "envision," "estimate," "expect," "future," "goal," "hope," "likely," "may," "plan," "potential," "seek," "should," "strategy," "will" and similar references to future periods are intended to identify forward-looking statements, which constitute forward looking statements. These statements reflect management's current views with respect to future events and are subject to inherent risks, uncertainties and changes in circumstances that are difficult to predict (many of which are outside of the company's control) and could cause the company's actual results to differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking statements. Investors are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date on which they are made. All subsequent written and oral forward-looking statements concerning the company, the offering or other matters, are expressly qualified in their entirety by the cautionary statements above. The company does not undertake any obligation to revise or update these forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after such date or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events. Investor Relations: Tanner Otts Investors@BusinessWarrior.com (855) 884-5805 SOURCE: Business Warrior Corporation View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/695024/Business-Warrior-Secures-25-Million-Equity-Line-of-Credit-from-Keystone-Capital NOT FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE U.S. OR THROUGH U.S. NEWSWIRES VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / March 29, 2022 / Franchise Global Health Inc. ("Franchise Global" or the "Company") (TSXV: FGH) is pleased to announce that the Company's shares will commence trading at market open today on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol "FGH". In addition, Clifford Starke, Executive Chairman and CEO of Franchise Global and his team will celebrate the Company's new listing on the TSX Venture Exchange and open the market. Franchise Global Executive Chairman and CEO, Clifford Starke, said: "We are extremely pleased to have successfully completed the Company's Qualifying Transaction last week and to be opening the TSX Venture Exchange today. After an extensive period of preparation, we are now a publicly-traded, fully-integrated cannabis company which has a clear focus on the European opportunity. "As we enter this next stage of growth as a public company, we are confident in the prospects of the business. We would like to thank our shareholders for their continued support and we look forward to the road ahead and continued shareholder value creation." The listing of the common shares of the Company follows the completion of its "Qualifying Transaction", as such term is defined under the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange, on March 25, 2022. About Franchise Global Franchise Global, through its subsidiaries, is a multi-national operator in the medical cannabis and pharmaceutical industries, with principal operations in Germany and with operations, assets, strategic partnerships and investments internationally. Franchise Global's business objective is to develop a fully-integrated, leading European medical cannabis business, with the goal of providing high-quality pharmaceutical grade medical cannabis to distribution partners and, ultimately, to patients, at competitive prices. For further information, please contact: Franchise Global Health Clifford Starke, Executive Chairman and CEO Via Buchanan www.franchiseglobalhealth.com Media Enquiries Buchanan Jamie Hooper / Ariadna Peretz Tel: +44 (0) 20 7466 5000 FGH@buchanan.uk.com NEITHER THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE NOR ITS REGULATION SERVICES PROVIDER (AS THAT TERM IS DEFINED IN THE POLICIES OF THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE) ACCEPTS RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THIS PRESS RELEASE. This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any securities in any jurisdiction, including in the United States. The securities described herein have not been and will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "U.S. Securities Act") or any state securities laws and may not be offered or sold within the United States or to U.S. persons unless registered under the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities laws or an exemption from such registration is available. Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Information This news release contains "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable securities laws, including without limitation statements regarding the business of Franchise Global and its prospects. Often, but not always, forward-looking information can be identified by the use of words such as "plans", "expects", "is expected", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "intends", "anticipates", or "believes" or variations (including negative variations) of such words and phrases, or statements formed in the future tense or indicating that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will" (or other variations of the foregoing) be taken, occur, be achieved, or come to pass. Forward-looking information is based on management's current expectations, estimates, beliefs and/or opinions and is based on information currently available to them (including information obtained from third party industry analysts and other third-party sources) and on assumptions they believe not to be unreasonable in light of all of the circumstances. By its nature, forward-looking information is subject to both known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking information. Such risks and uncertainties include, without limitation, risks relating to general economic conditions, counterparty risk, regulatory factors, the financial markets generally and risks associated with growth and competition. Accordingly, readers are cautioned to not place undue reliance on forward-looking information. Please refer to the filing statement of the Company available on the Company's SEDAR profile at www.sedar.com for more details on the risks and uncertainties faced by Franchise Global. Any and all forward-looking information contained in this news release is expressly qualified by this cautionary statement, and the Company undertakes no obligation, and does not intend, to update any forward-looking information contained in this news release, whether as a result of new information, future developments, or otherwise, except as otherwise required by applicable law. This information is provided by Reach, the non-regulatory press release distribution service of RNS, part of the London Stock Exchange. Terms and conditions relating to the use and distribution of this information may apply. For further information, please contact rns@lseg.com or visit www.rns.com. SOURCE: Franchise Global Health Inc. View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/695052/Franchise-Global-Health-Inc-Announces-First-Day-of-Trading-Market-Opening Known for its cloud innovation MariaDB has earned Database of the Year in the LinuxQuestions.org Members Choice Awards MariaDB Corporation today announced that MariaDB has received recognition as "Database of the Year" in the LinuxQuestions.org Members Choice Awards poll. This marks the ninth consecutive year MariaDB has earned this recognition. Additionally, MariaDB has been named a finalist for Cloud Product of the Year by the UK National Technology Awards for its cloud database SkySQL. LinuxQuestions.org Members Choice Awards recognize Linux open-source vendors, solutions, and products voted as top performers by end users. Receiving almost half of all votes, MariaDB led the pack of nine top databases, outstripping its nearest competitors by a wide margin. The National Technology Awards, organized by National Technology News, are "the most comprehensive celebration of technology in the year." Shortlisted for the Cloud Product of the Year, SkySQL is capable of scaling to millions of transactions per second with ease and can deploy modern data warehouses for interactive, ad hoc analytics on massive data sets to meet enterprise demands, while saving customers up to 90% of their legacy database cost. "MariaDB SkySQL has been rock solid for us since day one," said Sasa Skoko, CTO at Campus Cloud. "We used to self-host on multiple servers. But as our business grew, we started experiencing performance issues and found it very difficult to handle the failovers. We offer all of our customers 100% uptime at any given time. Since migrating to SkySQL on Google Cloud Platform (GCP), we've ditched our own servers completely. It has worked beautifully for us. We've never experienced any issues, no downtime or latency issues." MariaDB SkySQL has received additional recognition, earning a spot on the: InsideBIGDATA IMPACT 50 List, for companies that exhibit technology leadership, the strength of offering, proven innovation, and more; and 2022 Constellation ShortList for Hybrid-Cloud and Multicloud Analytical Relational Database Management Systems, marking its second consecutive year of recognition. Additional Resources Explore MariaDB SkySQL and get started now Learn about SkyDBA benefits Visit mariadb.com Follow @mariadb on Twitter Read MariaDB's blog Earlier this year MariaDB announced the intent to become a publicly traded company via combination with Angel Pond Holdings Corporation (NYSE:POND). To learn more, go to https://mariadb.com/IPO. About MariaDB Corporation MariaDB frees companies from the costs, cloud lock-in, constraints, and complexity of proprietary databases, enabling them to reinvest in what matters most rapidly developing innovative, customer-facing applications. MariaDB uses pluggable, purpose-built storage engines to support workloads that previously required a variety of specialized databases. With complexity and constraints eliminated, enterprises can now depend on a single complete database for their needs, whether on commodity hardware or their cloud of choice. Deployed in minutes for transactional, analytical, or hybrid use cases, MariaDB delivers unmatched operational agility without sacrificing key enterprise features, including real ACID compliance and full SQL. Trusted by organizations such as Bandwidth, DigiCert, InfoArmor, Oppenheimer, Samsung, SelectQuote, SpendHQ MariaDB meets the same core requirements as proprietary databases at a fraction of the cost. No wonder it's one of the fastest-growing database management systems companies. Real business relies on MariaDB. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220329005530/en/ Contacts: James Meredith pr@mariadb.com Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - March 29, 2022) - Ophir Gold Corp. (TSXV: OPHR) (OTCQB: KPZIF) (FSE: 80M) ("Ophir" or the "Company") is pleased to announce the appointment of Mr. Jeffrey Reeder as a Technical Advisor for the Company's Breccia Gold-Silver Property (the "Property"), Idaho. "Jeff brings decades of experience as an advisor in conceptual geological modeling, as well as planning exploration programs for resource companies. Jeff is a great fit for Ophir, as we continue to unlock the gold and silver potential at Breccia. 2022 should be a very exciting year for Ophir, as we build upon the data collected from the 2021 high-grade gold-silver drill results and CSAMT survey," comments Shawn Westcott, CEO of Ophir Gold Corp. Jeffrey J. Reeder, P. Geo., has a B.Sc. from the University of Alberta and since 1992 has been registered as a professional geologist with the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of British Columbia. Mr. Reeder has over 30 years of exploration experience both in British Columbia and Latin America. Mr. Reeder has spent most of his career working and managing junior resource companies. Early in his career, he worked on all the major porphyry deposits explored and developed by the HDI group. These deposits included Mt. Milligan, Fish Lake, Kemess, and the Casino Cu-Au deposit in the Yukon. Mt. Reeder later relocated to Latin America and worked in Venezuela, Peru and Brazil. He was responsible for identifying and acquiring both Aguila Copper-Moly being developed by Mexican mining company Industrias Penoles and Pinaya Copper-Gold project currently being explored by Kaizen Discovery. Mr. Reeder also identified a new style of gold mineralization in the Tapajos Region in Brazil previously not recognized by previous operators and regional geologists. Mr. Reeder is currently the CEO of Peruvian Metals which successfully achieved positive cash flow from its operations in 2020. Mr. Reeder is responsible for acquiring all the Peruvian assets by application and continues to acquire new properties in South America. Mr. Reeder's conceptual modeling and geological theories attracted and successfully negotiated several joint ventures with companies such as Silver X Mining, IAMGOLD, Rio Alto Mining, Rio Tinto, Cambior, and First Quantum. Ophir also announces that, pursuant to its stock option plan, it has granted an aggregate of 200,000 options to purchase common shares in the capital of the Company to certain consultants of the Company, exercisable at a price of C$0.10 per share for a period of five (5) years from the date of grant. About the Breccia Gold Property The Breccia Gold Property consists of 102 claims covering approximately 1,836 acres (743 ha) within the Blackbird Mining District, in Lemhi County, approximately 40 kilometres southwest of Salmon, Idaho, USA. The Property is accessible by paved highway and a network of well-maintained gravel roads and is host to the historical Gahsmith Gold Mine. Exploration and development activity on the Property dates back to the 1930's and has been exploited by at least eight adits, with several thousand tons of mineralized quartz veined material extracted. In the 1980s, a bulk sample of 4,621 tons was completed with an average grade of 0.335 oz/t Au reported. The current Property includes the Meadows Fault Zone and the lesser explored, parallel Musgrove Mine Trend. Recent exploration carried out in 2018, 2019, and 2020 included the remapping and sampling of the Meadows Fault Zone and the results are suggestive of the existence of a significant low-sulfidation, epithermal gold system. Surface results include 57.6 g/t Au and 19.6 g/t Ag in outcrop, and 69 g/t Au and 27.5 g/t Ag in float. About the Company Ophir Gold Corp. is a gold exploration company focused on the exploration and development of its flagship property, the past producing Breccia Gold Property located in Lemhi County, Idaho. The Company has an option to earn a 100% interest in the Property over a three-year period from Canagold Resources Ltd. (formerly Canarc Resource Corp.) and DG Resource Management Ltd. On behalf of the Board of Directors "Shawn Westcott" Ophir Gold Corp. For further information, please contact: Shawn Westcott, CEO Phone 1 (604) 365 6681 swestcott@ophirgoldcorp.com Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Cautionary Note The information contained herein contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of applicable securities legislation. Forward-looking statements relate to information that is based on assumptions of management, forecasts of future results, and estimates of amounts not yet determinable. Any statements that express predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, assumptions or future events or performance are not statements of historical fact and may be "forward-looking statements." Forward-looking statements are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties which could cause actual events or results to differ from those reflected in the forward-looking statements, including, without limitation: risk related to the failure to obtain adequate financing on a timely basis and on acceptable terms; risks related to the outcome of legal proceedings; political and regulatory risks associated with mining and exploration; risks related to the maintenance of stock exchange listings; risks related to environmental regulation and liability; the potential for delays in exploration or development activities or the completion of feasibility studies; the uncertainty of profitability; risks and uncertainties relating to the interpretation of drill results, the geology, grade and continuity of mineral deposits; risks related to the inherent uncertainty of production and cost estimates and the potential for unexpected costs and expenses; results of prefeasibility and feasibility studies, and the possibility that future exploration, development or mining results will not be consistent with the Company's expectations; risks related to commodity price fluctuations; and other risks and uncertainties related to the Company's prospects, properties and business detailed elsewhere in the Company's disclosure record. Should one or more of these risks and uncertainties materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those described in forward-looking statements. Investors are cautioned against attributing undue certainty to forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date hereof and the Company does not assume any obligation to update or revise them to reflect new events or circumstances, except in accordance with applicable securities laws. Actual events or results could differ materially from the Company's expectations or projections. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/118483 LONDON, March 29, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Den in Tokyo has secured the No.1 spot at the Asia's 50 Best Restaurants 2022 awards ceremony, sponsored by S.Pellegrino & Acqua Panna. The prestigious list was revealed today at simultaneous events across Asia in Bangkok, Macau and Tokyo. For the full 1-50 list, please view here. Now in its 10 th year, the 2022 list welcomes a record 16 new entries. Japan leads with 11 entries, followed by Thailand with nine and Singapore with seven year, the 2022 list welcomes a record 16 new entries. leads with 11 entries, followed by with nine and with seven Debuting on the list at No.14, Villa Aida in Wakayama, Japan , claims the Highest New Entry Award, sponsored by Aspire Lifestyles in Wakayama, , claims the Rising 14 places to No.13, Ode in Tokyo wins the Highest Climber Award in wins the David Lai of Hong Kong's Neighborhood claims the peer-voted Inedit Damm Chefs' Choice Award of claims the peer-voted Odette in Singapore is this year's recipient of the Gin Mare Art of Hospitality Award in is this year's recipient of the Mume in Taipei wins the Flor de Cana Sustainable Restaurant Award in wins the Maira Yeo from Cloudstreet in Singapore earns the title of Asia's Best Pastry Chef, sponsored by Valrhona In claiming the No.1 spot, Den earns the dual titles of The Best Restaurant in Asia, sponsored by S.Pellegrino & Acqua Panna and The Best Restaurant in Japan. Opened in 2007, Den reflects the personality of its chef-owner, Zaiyu Hasegawa. Taking a playful, personal approach to kaiseki cuisine, Hasegawa and his team delight diners with creative presentations and surprising twists on traditional dishes. After entering Asia's 50 Best Restaurants list in 2016 at No.37, Den first appeared on The World's 50 Best Restaurants list the following year, rising to No.11 in 2021. Den is joined in the top three by Bangkok'sSorn (No.2), which claims the title of The Best Restaurant in Thailand for the first time, and Florilege (No.3) in Tokyo, Japan. After taking the No.1 spot in 2021, The Chairman in Hong Kong moves to No.5, retaining the title of The Best Restaurant in China for a third year. William Drew, Director of Content for Asia's 50 Best Restaurants, says: "This year, Den has been crowned No.1 in Asia in recognition of its unique blend of tradition, innovation and playfulness. We are delighted to showcase all the restaurants on the 2022 list and the individual award winners, who inspire us with their creativity, resilience and skill." Media Centre: https://mediacentre.theworlds50best.com/ Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1775729/50_Best_Zaiyu_Hasegawa.jpg PDF - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1773495/50_Best_Asia.pdf Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1746199/50_Best_Asia_2022_Logo.jpg Johannesburg, March 29, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Team South Africa celebrated their overall success by hosting the last National Day at the World Expo 2020 Dubai. Expo 2020, which started in October 2021, saw almost 200 countries come together to display their offerings, while scouting networking opportunities, drawing investments, and solidifying relationships and future partnerships. The Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (dtic), together with MultiChoice as the official broadcast partner, set out to introduce the diverse economic value that South Africa has to offer. The six-month participation was closed out with a national ceremony hosted by the Honourable President Cyril Ramaphosa, followed by a high-level panel discussion on the successes of Team SA's participation - most notably the MultiChoice Accelerator Programme. In partnership with the dtic, social enterprise agency, C3 (Companies Creating Change), and financial advisory firm, Galelo Africa, the MultiChoice Accelerator Programme initially identified 20 promising South African start-ups for participation in a business incubator. Six finalist companies then had the opportunity to participate in an intense virtual bootcamp and pitch to venture capitalists in the UAE. "Through Team SA's participation at Expo 2020, we have built lasting relationships, partnerships and networks by taking South Africa to the world. The most tangible success can be seen through our Accelerator Programme where our finalists have gone on to secure more than USD10 million in investment from the UAE," said Imtiaz Patel, MultiChoice Non-Executive Chairman. Speaking at the Accelerator Programme Roundtable, President Cyril Ramaphosa, addressed the entrepreneurs saying: "You are truly trailblazers, and are flying our flag high here at Dubai Expo 2020. What is most energising about this programme is that you are showing the world that South Africa has a vibrant start-up culture, as well as advanced innovation ecosystems. "Innovation in science and tech is key to our country's industrialisation, especially in the post-COVID-19 recovery period," the President added. Team South Africa participated in the Expo under the theme Think South Africa, Think Opportunity. Attachment Firm has hired recognized leaders from Jefferies, Fidelity Investments, and Credit Suisse NEW YORK, NY / ACCESSWIRE / March 29, 2022 / Clear Street , a fintech building better access to capital markets, today announced its expansion into the Dallas market. The expansion will complement Clear Street's growing Prime Brokerage Sales & Trading team currently led by industry veteran and Head of Sales & Trading at Clear Street, Joseph Ricciardi. The following seasoned professionals join the Sales & Trading team: Dan Mele, Managing Director, Sales & Trading (Dallas Branch Manager) Mele joins Clear Street after more than four years as an equity trader at National Securities Corporation. He previously held roles in trading at Jefferies, WFG Investments, Inc, and Esposito Securities, LLC. Mark Hall, Managing Director, Sales & Trading Hall brings more than 27 years of experience to Clear Street, previously serving as an equity trader at firms including Fidelity Investments, Capital Institutional Services, WFG Capital Markets, and National Securities Corp. Danny Shapiro, Director, Sales & Trading Shapiro joins Clear Street with more than seven years of experience in equity sales. Prior to his role at Clear Street, Shapiro held roles in equity sales at Citi, Credit Suisse and Stephens Inc. These new hires will report directly to Ricciardi. With more than two decades of experience in equity trading for both buy-side and sell-side clients, Ricciardi continues to oversee the Sales & Trading team's growth across the U.S. "We are pleased to welcome Dan, Mark and Danny to the Clear Street team as we build our presence in the fast-growing Dallas metro area," said Ricciardi. "We are at a pivotal moment in Clear Street's journey as we expand our network and bring new products and services to market. Bringing on top sales and trading talent is essential in helping us continue to provide exceptional service to our diverse customer base." "In the past 12 months, we have made significant strides in building out our prime brokerage platform, providing a best-in-class, technology-first experience to our clients," said Chris Pento, Co-Founder and CEO of Clear Street. "Expanding our operations into Dallas, and bringing on top industry talent, continues to give Clear Street an edge in supporting our rapidly growing roster of prime brokerage clients." Most recently, Clear Street announced the addition of prime services expert Patrick Travers as the company's new Head of Distribution, among seven additional hires to its sales team strengthening the company's commitment to deliver a best-in-class experience for its clients well into the future. About Clear Street: Launched in 2018 by industry veterans, Clear Street is a financial technology company building better infrastructure for capital markets. Clear Street's first offering is its proprietary, cloud-based prime brokerage platform, which offers institutions, professional traders, and brokerages everything they need to trade U.S. equities and options. The platform is built on native cloud infrastructure that is flexible, scalable, secure, and reliable. Clear Street clients are able to trade sooner and smarter - processing more than $3 billion in trades every day. In the future, Clear Street will offer a suite of services to meet the needs of all market participants, across geographies and asset classes. For more information visit https://clearstreet.io/ . Press Contact: Elizabeth Connerat press@clearstreet.io Clear Street does not provide investment, legal, regulatory, tax, or compliance advice. Consult professionals in these fields to address your specific circumstances. These materials are: (i) solely an overview of Clear Street's products and services; (ii) provided for informational purposes only; and (iii) subject to change without notice or obligation to replace any information contained therein. Products and services offered by Clear Street LLC, member FINRA and SIPC. Additional information about Clear Street is available on FINRA BrokerCheck (https://brokercheck.finra.org/firm/summary/288933), including its Customer Relationship Summary. Copyright 2022 Clear Street LLC, all rights reserved SOURCE: Clear Street View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/695006/Clear-Street-Expands-North-American-Operations-to-Dallas-Area-in-Support-of-Growing-Sales-Trading-Team VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / March 29, 2022 / Lucky Minerals Inc.(TSX-V:LKY)(OTC PINK:LKMNF)(FRA:LKY) ("Lucky" or the "Company") is pleased to announce it has received Terraspec analysis results for the soil samples from its ongoing work at the Wayka high sulfidation epithermal gold discovery at its 100% owned Fortuna Property ("Fortuna") in southern Ecuador. A total of 1,027 soil samples were taken along a 50 x 50 metre grid at Wayka. The total grid area covered approximately 2.43 km2. Alteration at surface now identified over a kilometric scale Soil samples were submitted for Terraspec analysis. This work was done in order to complement the information from the alteration mapping of rock chip samples. It is important to note that outcrop availability is relatively low over the area. The added information from the soil alteration mapping now confirms that the scale of the system at surface is approximately 2.4 km by 1.4 km at surface along a northeast trend. If we include the areas where only rock chip sampling was done, the scale expands to 3.2 km by 1.8 km which is also along a northeast trend. Surface alteration mapping - Wayka Francois Perron, CEO of Lucky Minerals comments, "Wayka's alteration footprint at surface continues to expand and confirms the significant potential of the project. Our team of geologists is integrating all this information with the balance of the data that it has been gathering over the recent months. There are still a few pieces of information to integrate, and we expect target definition to be ready in the coming week or two. While the target areas are being defined by the geology team, work on logistics and socialization continues in order to start the drilling program." Wayka - Next Steps Work including drill hole targeting continues in preparation for the upcoming first 3,000 m phase of drilling. Targeting will be informed by the following: Soils (just completed); Alteration mapping of Wayka project area (just completed); Geophysics (just completed, finalizing inversions); Trenches (ongoing); Structural analysis of Wayka area (field work completed awaiting final report); Prospecting on anomalous areas. Preparation work for mobilization of drilling equipment is underway. QA/QC Protocols All exploration work is completed following QA/QC protocols and include the insertion of a coarse blank, a standard and duplicate sample on every batch of 25 samples. A total of 191 soil samples were submitted to ALS Chemex Labs in Quito for preparation work, and the analytical work was completed at their lab facility in Lima, Peru. ALS Chemex is an ISO certified and accredited laboratory. A total of 836 soil samples were submitted to Bureau Veritas Labs in Quito for preparation work, and the analytical work was completed at their lab facility in Lima, Peru. Bureau Veritas is an ISO certified and accredited laboratory. Further analytical results will be released as they are received. ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD "Francois Perron" Chief Executive Officer About Lucky Lucky is an exploration and development company targeting large-scale mineral systems in proven districts with the potential to host world class deposits. Lucky owns a 100% interest in the Fortuna Property. The Company's Fortuna Project is comprised of twelve contiguous, 550 km2 (55,000 Hectares, or 136,000 Acres) exploration concessions. Fortuna is located in a highly prospective, yet underexplored, gold belt in southern Ecuador. COVID-19 Safety Protocols Lucky has strict rules in place for all workers arriving to and from field sites. All personnel are tested upon arriving and leaving and are tested every two weeks. All personnel are following COVID protocols with permanent disinfection procedures in place and are following correspondent social distancing while being isolated from the surrounding communities. Qualified Person Victor Jaramillo, M.Sc.A., P.Geo., Lucky's Exploration Manager and a qualified person in accordance with National Instrument 43-101, is responsible for supervising the exploration program at the Fortuna Project for Lucky Minerals and has reviewed and approved the technical information contained in this news release. Further information on Lucky can be found on the Company's website at www.luckyminerals.com and at www.sedar.com, or by contacting Francois Perron, President and CEO, by email at investors@luckyminerals.com or by telephone at (866) 924 6484. Or by contacting: Renmark Financial Communications Inc. Kerry Schacter: kschacter@renmarkfinancial.com Tel: (416) 644-2020 or (514) 939-3989 www.renmarkfinancial.com Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Cautionary Statement Regarding Adjacent Properties and Forward-Looking Information This news release contains forward-looking statements relating to the future operations of the Company and other statements that are not historical facts. Forward-looking statements are often identified by terms such as "will", "may", "should", "anticipate", "expects" and similar expressions. All statements other than statements of historical fact, included in this release, including, without limitation, statements regarding the future plans and objectives of the Company are forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Such factors include, but are not limited to: uncertainties related to exploration and development; the ability to raise sufficient capital to fund exploration and development; changes in economic conditions or financial markets; increases in input costs; litigation, legislative, environmental and other judicial, regulatory, political and competitive developments; technological or operational difficulties or inability to obtain permits encountered in connection with exploration activities; and labor relations matters. This list is not exhaustive of the factors that may affect the Company's forward-looking information. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the Company's expectations also include risks detailed from time to time in the filings made by the Company with securities regulators. The reader is cautioned that assumptions used in the preparation of any forward-looking information may prove to be incorrect. Events or circumstances may cause actual results to differ materially from those predicted, as a result of numerous known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors, many of which are beyond the control of the Company. The reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking information. Such information, although considered reasonable by management at the time of preparation, may prove to be incorrect and actual results may differ materially from those anticipated. Forward-looking statements contained in this news release are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement. The forward-looking statements contained in this news release are made as of the date of this news release and the Company will not update or revise publicly any of the included forward-looking statements unless required by Canadian securities law. SOURCE: Lucky Minerals Inc. View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/695016/Soil-Alteration-Mapping-Expands-Southern-Alteration-Zone-at-Wayka SHERMAN OAKS, CA / ACCESSWIRE / March 29, 2022 / Petroteq Energy Inc. ("Petroteq" or the "Company") (TSXV:PQE)(OTC PINK:PQEFF)(FSE:PQCF), an oil company focused on the development and implementation of its proprietary oil-extraction and remediation technologies, announces that it has been advised by its Founder, Former Chairman and CEO, Mr. Alex Blyumkin, that he has tendered shares in respect to the tender offer (the "Offer") by 869889 Ontario Inc. (the "Offeror"), an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of Viston United Swiss AG ("Viston"), to purchase all of the issued and outstanding common shares of Petroteq. The Offer remains open for acceptance until 5:00 p.m. (Toronto time) on April 14, 2022, unless the Offer is further extended, accelerated or withdrawn by the Offeror in accordance with its terms. Recognizing that Mr. Blyumkin holds a significant number of shares, his tender will assist the Offeror with acquiring the majority needed to complete their Offer. The Board of Directors has already recommended to shareholders to tender to the Offer. For More Information and How to Tender Shares to the Offer Shareholders who hold Common Shares through a broker or intermediary should promptly contact them directly and provide their instructions to tender to the Offer, including any U.S. dollar currency election. Registered shareholders that hold Common Shares in their own name need to complete a Letter of Transmittal and send, along with share certificates or DRS statements to the Depositary at the address listed on the Letter of Transmittal. For assistance or to ask any questions, Shareholders should visit www.petroteqoffer.com or contact Kingsdale Advisors, the Information Agent and Depositary in connection with the Offer, within North America toll-free at 1-866-581-1024, outside North America at 1-416-867-2272 or by e-mail at contactus@kingsdaleadvisors.com. The value of the Company has been thoroughly examined this year by third parties and appropriate news releases have been issued, and the Company wishes to reiterate the results from those studies. The details of those studies are shown below, and investors can refer to the original series of news releases on these items. The Company believes it has established a strong and substantial value for its shareholders. On December 23, 2021, Petroteq issued a news release regarding a reserve and economic evaluation report (the "Chapman Report") which defines bitumen reserves on the bitumen properties covered by three Utah state mineral leases located in the Asphalt Ridge Northwest area of Uintah County, Utah (the "Asphalt Ridge NW Leases"). The Company's acquisition of the Asphalt Ridge NW Leases is pending completion. The Company's acquisition of the Asphalt Ridge NW Leases is pending completion. As disclosed in its news release dated November 29, 2021 and described in more detail in its most recent annual report on Form 10-K, Petroteq, acting through its subsidiaries, Petroteq Oil Sands Recovery, LLC ("POSR") and TMC Capital, LLC ("TMC Capital"), has entered into an agreement with Valkor Energy Holdings, LLC ("Valkor") dated October 15, 2021 (the "Exchange Agreement"), under which (a) TMC Capital/POSR agreed to assign to Valkor all of their respective rights and interests in the certain oil sands leases collectively referred to as the "Temple Mountain Leases", and (b) Valkor agreed to assign to TMC Capital all of its rights and interests in the Asphalt Ridge NW Leases, which cover or encompass approximately 3,458.22 acres. The Chapman Report was prepared by Chapman Petroleum Engineering Ltd. ("Chapman") of Calgary, Alberta, Canada, an independent qualified reserves evaluator, with an effective date of November 30, 2021. Portions of the Chapman Report (the "Canadian Evaluation") were prepared in accordance with definitions, standards, and procedures contained in the Canadian Oil and Gas Evaluation Handbook ("COGE Handbook") and National Instrument 51-101 - Standards of Disclosure for Oil and Gas Activities ("NI 51-101"). Portions of the Chapman Report (the "US Evaluation") were also prepared in accordance with Rule 4-10(a) of Regulation S-X, as adopted by the United States Securities and Exchange Commission. Both the Canadian Evaluation and US Evaluation were calculated in United States dollars. Based on the Chapman Report, the reserve profile of the Asphalt Ridge NW Leases as at November 30, 2021 is summarized below: Canadian Evaluation : 26 million stock tank barrels ( "MMSTB" ) of Proved Undeveloped bitumen reserves ) of Proved Undeveloped bitumen reserves 82 MMSTB of Proved Plus Probable Undeveloped bitumen reserves US$265 million before-tax net present value ( "NPV" ) of future net revenue for Proved Undeveloped bitumen reserves, discounted at 10% ) of future net revenue for Proved Undeveloped bitumen reserves, discounted at 10% US$1,017 million before-tax NPV of future net revenue for Proved Plus Probable Undeveloped bitumen reserves, discounted at 10% US Evaluation : Proved Undeveloped valuation US$213 million at 10% discount (BIT) Proved Plus Probable valuation US$790 million at 10% discount (BIT) The bitumen reserves for the Asphalt Ridge NW Leases were evaluated using Chapman forecast pricing as at December 1, 2021. The NPV is prior to provision for interest, debt service charges, and general and administrative expenses. It should not be assumed that the NPV of future net revenue estimated by Chapman in the Chapman Report represents the fair market value of the reserves. The bitumen reserves for the Asphalt Ridge NW Leases were evaluated using Chapman forecast pricing as at December 1, 2021. The NPV is prior to provision for interest, debt service charges, and general and administrative expenses. It should not be assumed that the NPV of future net revenue estimated by Chapman in the Chapman Report represents the fair market value of the reserves. The difference between the Canadian Evaluation and the US Evaluation is the oil price used, which under the Canadian Standards price forecasts are the norm compared to the SEC Standards where a specified procedure is used to determine the appropriate Constant price for the project life. Accordingly, the Canadian evaluation uses escalated operating and capital costs and the US evaluation does not. All other technical factors in the Chapman Report are identical for the Canadian and US evaluations. Under the terms of the Exchange Agreement, Valkor has executed an assignment to TMC Capital of the record lease title and all of the operating rights (working interests) under the Asphalt Ridge NW Leases, and TMC Capital has in turn executed assignments transferring to Valkor all of TMC Capital's rights and interests in the Temple Mountain Leases. However, the reciprocal assignment under the Exchange Agreement of certain leases under the jurisdiction of Utah's School and Institutional Trust Land Administration ("SITLA"), including the assignment of the Asphalt Ridge NW Leases to TMC Capital, will not constitute final and completed transactions until the assignments have been reviewed and approved by SITLA. The Company filed a statement of reserves data and other oil and gas information (the "Statement") on www.sedar.com on December 14, 2021 as required by NI 51-101. The effective date of the Statement is August 31, 2021. As of August 31, 2021, there were no oil or natural gas reserves attributed to the Company's properties. As such no reserve report was prepared for the year ended August 31, 2021, and no bitumen reserves were disclosed in the Company's most recent annual report on Form 10-K. The Statement included an updated evaluation of, among other things, estimates of the Company's contingent resources, effective August 31, 2021, for its working interest in all of its properties located in Utah, USA, including (A) the Asphalt Ridge area and (B) the PR Springs area. The Statement did not include an evaluation of the reserves or resources of the Asphalt Ridge NW Leases. If the Company had completed the acquisition of the Asphalt Ridge NW Leases on or prior to the effective date of the Statement (which acquisition is still pending completion, as described above), the Company's reasonable expectation of how such acquisition would have effected such Statement is that the estimates related to resources for its Asphalt Ridge area and PR Springs properties would have remained unchanged and the estimates related to reserves for the Asphalt Ridge NW Leases would have been included. On February 14, 2022, Petroteq Announced Peak Value IP, LLC Valuation of Company's Intellectual Property (IP) A valuation study (the "Valuation Study") prepared by Peak Value IP, LLC ("Peak Value") of Petroteq's CORT indicated a fair market value (FMV) ranging from $229 Million to $326 Million. The analysis of investment value (IV) ranging from $598 Million to $850 Million. The analysis assumed a proposed production facility to be operated in Utah that produces 5,000 barrels of oil per day. The Valuation Study also encompasses the value of the separated sand as salable to third-parties, providing additional value to the IP beyond the market of oil. The valuation conclusions are based on certain practices, methods and assumptions as detailed in the Valuation Study. Peak Value utilized data provided by Petroteq, along with public information and industry knowledge of intellectual property licensing. In addition, Peak Value reviewed the historical costs as well as expected future revenue as it relates to the assets. On February 15, 2022, Petroteq Announced Economic Evaluation of Sands By-Product from Oil Extraction Petroteq announced the completion of a third-party economic evaluation report dated February 10, 2022 (the "Broadlands Report") in relation to sands anticipated to be produced as by-products of petroleum products from oil sands at the Asphalt Ridge NW Leases. The Broadlands Report was prepared by Broadlands Minerals Advisory Services Ltd. ("Broadlands"), a U.S. based, independent mineral advisory company, with input from Q4 Impact Group, LLC ("Q4 Impact"), under engagement to Broadlands, on markets and prices for the sand products. The Broadlands Report is premised on the completion by Petroteq of an extraction plant capable of producing 5,000 barrels of high-grade oil per day (bpd) on the Asphalt Ridge NW Leases. The Company believes that the sands are suitable for use as (a) silica flour, (b) fracking sand, and (c) bulk construction sands and aggregates (including road base). Accordingly, Broadlands economic analysis focused on the markets available for the sale of the three categories of by-product sands. Broadlands noted that an extraction plant producing 5,000 bpd is estimated by Petroteq to be capable of yielding 6,000 tons of sand per day or 1,860,000 tons per year (based on 310 operating days per year and operating 24 hours per day), and that silica flour is postulated to be 15 percent of the saleable product, fracking quality sand 55 percent, and bulk sand 30 percent. The economic forecast is based on 20 years of sales from such a 5,000 bpd operation, following two years for construction and start-up of the extraction plant and sands processing facility and related infrastructure. The cash flow analysis was run on a pre-income tax basis, at discount rates of 0.0, 7.5 and 15 percent; the results show potential economic benefit in the base case of a Net Present Value (NPV) of $1,285, $602, and $341 million, respectively. The base case cash flow used a selling price of $40 per ton for the unprocessed dry, clean by-product sand. Q4 Impact provided market sale price analysis to arrive at a reasonable selling price for the cash flow forecast. Broadlands notes the economic model and base case numbers may not be realized due to market factors. Broadlands based their economic analysis on information orally conveyed to them and no testing of sands from the Asphalt Ridge NW Leases has been performed by Broadland or by the Company. Broadlands confirmed that they performed their analysis in general accordance with acceptable mineral industry standards, and that technical issues discussed in the Report are in accordance with the standards of Subpart 1300 of Regulation S-K ("SEC S-K 1300") promulgated by the Securities and Exchange Commission. In particular, Broadlands confirmed that they consider the sands at the Asphalt Ridge NW Leases to be Material of Economic Interest, as defined in SEC S-K 1300, and that Broadlands is required to expressly note that, as such, there is no assurance that the sands at the Asphalt Ridge NW Leases will be converted to saleable material. Broadlands also indicated that they have relied on reports prepared for Petroteq by other parties, discussions with Petroteq and Valkor, reviews of publicly available information, and information gathered during a visit to the oil sands around Venal, Utah on December 21, 2021, which, due to illness of the party that Broadlands was to meet, was perfunctory and limited in scope. Broadlands also visited Petroteq's existing plant and examined stockpiles of raw material. Meanwhile, the Company continues with business as usual, awaiting the results of the Offer. About Petroteq Energy Inc. Petroteq is a clean technology company focused on the development, implementation and licensing of a patented, environmentally safe and sustainable technology for the extraction and reclamation of heavy oil and bitumen from oil sands and mineable oil deposits. The versatile technology can be applied to both water-wet deposits and oil-wet deposits - outputting high-quality oil and clean sand. Petroteq believes that its technology can produce a relatively sweet heavy crude oil from deposits of oil sands at Asphalt Ridge without requiring the use of water, and therefore without generating wastewater which would otherwise require the use of other treatment or disposal facilities which could be harmful to the environment. Petroteq's process is intended to be a more environmentally friendly extraction technology that leaves clean residual sand that can be sold or returned to the environment, without the use of tailings ponds or further remediation. For more information, visit www.Petroteq.energy. Unless otherwise specified, all dollar amounts in this press release are expressed in U.S. dollars. Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Oil and Gas Advisories The reserves estimates contained in this news release represent the net reserves of the Asphalt Ridge NW Leases as at November 30, 2021. The acquisition of the Asphalt Ridge NW Leases is pending completion, as described above. Reserves included herein are stated on a company net basis (working interest share after deducting the amounts attributable to royalties owned by others). Reserves are estimated remaining quantities of crude oil and natural gas and related substances anticipated to be recoverable from known accumulations, as of a given date, based on the analysis of drilling, geological, geophysical, and engineering data; the use of established technology; and specified economic conditions, which are generally accepted as being reasonable. Reserves are classified according to the degree of certainty associated with the estimates as follows: Proved reserves ("1P") are those reserves that can be estimated with a high degree of certainty to be recoverable. It is likely that the actual remaining quantities recovered will exceed the estimated proved reserves. Probable reserves ("2P") are those additional reserves that are less certain to be recovered than proved reserves. It is equally likely that the actual remaining quantities recovered will be greater or less than the sum of the estimated. Each of the reserves categories (proved, probable and possible) may be divided into developed and undeveloped categories. Developed reserves are those reserves that are expected to be recovered from existing wells and installed facilities or, if facilities have not been installed, that would involve a low expenditure (e.g., when compared to the cost of drilling a well) to put the reserves on production. Undeveloped reserves are those reserves expected to be recovered from known accumulations where a significant expenditure (e.g., when compared to the cost of drilling a well) is required to render them capable of production. They must fully meet the requirements of the reserves category (proved, probable, possible) to which they are assigned. It should not be assumed that the present worth of estimated future net revenues presented in the above represents the fair market value of the reserves. There is no assurance that the forecast price and cost assumptions will be attained and variances could be material. The recovery and reserves estimates of the bitumen reserves for the Asphalt Ridge NW Leases provided herein are estimates only and there is no guarantee that the estimated reserves will be recovered or the acquisition of such leases will be completed. Actual bitumen reserves may be greater than or less than the estimates provided herein. All future net revenues are estimated using forecast prices arising from the anticipated development and production of reserves, net of the associated royalties, operating costs, development costs, and abandonment and reclamation costs and are stated prior to provision for interest and general and administrative expenses. Future net revenues have been presented on a before tax basis. Forward-Looking Statements Certain statements contained in this press release contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the U.S. and Canadian securities laws. Words such as "may," "would," "could," "should," "potential," "will," "seek," "intend," "plan," "anticipate," "believe," "estimate," "expect" and similar expressions as they relate to the Company, including: statements concerning SITLA's pending review and approval of the assignment of the Asphalt Ridge NW Leases to TMC Capital; and management's expectation that the reserves identified in the Chapman Report should help to unlock access to funding from investors and financial institutions; the plan to proceed with construction of a 5,000 bpd extraction plant sands processing facility and related infrastructure; the expectation that the plant, once completed would be capable of yielding 6,000 tons of sand per day or 1,860,000 tons per year; the expectation that the Company will be successful in developing sales channels for sand for as silica flour, fracking sand, and bulk and aggregate sand, with a view towards maximizing the value of the clean sand tailings; and that the projected prices for the sand by-products on which the economic analysis are premised are achievable and sustainable; are intended to identify forward-looking information. Readers are cautioned that there is no certainty that SITLA will approve the assignment of the Asphalt Ridge NW Leases to TMC Capital, or that it will be commercially viable extract oil from the identified reserves. All statements other than statements of historical fact may be forward-looking information. Such statements reflect the Company's current views and intentions with respect to future events, based on information available to the Company, and are subject to certain risks, uncertainties and assumptions, including, without limitation: the technology performing as expected; availability of labor and parts; adequate capital raising efforts; and Petroteq's ability to execute on its operational plans. Material factors or assumptions were applied in providing forward-looking information. While forward-looking statements are based on data, assumptions and analyses that the Company believes are reasonable under the circumstances, whether actual results, performance or developments will meet the Company's expectations and predictions depends on a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause the actual results, performance and financial condition of the Company to differ materially from its expectations. Certain of the "risk factors" that could cause actual results to differ materially from the Company's forward-looking statements in this press release include, without limitation: the risk that SITLA will not approve the assignment of the Asphalt Ridge NW Leases to TMC Capital; that full scale commercial production may engender public opposition; changes in laws or regulations; the ability to implement business strategies or to pursue business opportunities, whether for economic or other reasons; status of the world oil markets, oil prices and price volatility; oil pricing; litigation; the nature of oil and gas production and oil sands mining, extraction and production; uncertainties in exploration and drilling for oil, gas and other hydrocarbon-bearing substances; unanticipated costs and expenses; loss of life and environmental damage; risks associated with compliance with environmental protection laws and regulations; and directors; risks related to COVID-19 including various recommendations, orders and measures of governmental authorities to try to limit the pandemic, including travel restrictions, border closures, non-essential business closures, quarantines, self-isolations, shelters-in-place and social distancing, disruptions to markets, economic activity, financing, supply chains and sales channels, and a deterioration of general economic conditions including a possible national or global recession; and other general economic, market and business conditions and factors, including the risk factors discussed or referred to in the Company's disclosure documents, filed with United States Securities and Exchange Commission and available at www.sec.gov (including, without limitation, its most recent annual report on Form 10-K under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended), and with the securities regulatory authorities in certain provinces of Canada and available at www.sedar.com. Should any factor affect the Company in an unexpected manner, or should assumptions underlying the forward-looking information prove incorrect, the actual results or events may differ materially from the results or events predicted. Any such forward-looking information is expressly qualified in its entirety by this cautionary statement. Moreover, the Company does not assume responsibility for the accuracy or completeness of such forward-looking information. The forward-looking information included in this press release is made as of the date of this press release, and the Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking information, other than as required by applicable law. CONTACT INFORMATION Petroteq Energy Inc. Vladimir Podlipsky Interim Chief Executive Officer Tel: (800) 979-1897 SOURCE: Petroteq Energy Inc View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/695048/Petroteq-Announces-That-Its-Founder-Former-Chairman-and-CEO-Mr-Alex-Blyumkin-Supports-the-Takeover-Bid-and-Has-Tendered-Shares-To-Takeover-Bid-From-Viston-Swiss-United-AG Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi holds a video conference with Josep Borrell, the European Union's high representative for foreign affairs and security policy, in Tunxi, east China's Anhui Province, March 29, 2022. (Xinhua/Zhou Mu) HEFEI, March 29 (Xinhua) -- Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Tuesday held a video conference with Josep Borrell, the European Union's high representative for foreign affairs and security policy, in Tunxi, east China's Anhui Province. Wang said that China and the EU, as two major forces in a multipolar world, should maintain regular strategic communication, keep enhancing mutual understanding, constantly expand cooperation consensus, and jointly address various global challenges. He called on the two sides to make good preparations for high-level exchanges so as to provide strategic guidance for bilateral cooperation and send a positive signal to the world. Borrell said the EU remains committed to improving bilateral relations with China. He reiterated the EU's adherence to the one-China principle, noting that the EU as a whole and all member states will not and should not deviate from this position. On the Ukraine crisis, Borrell said it has brought severe impact on the EU as well as on the world, and the EU is calling for an early ceasefire. For his part, Wang said China is ready to work with the international community to continue to call for a ceasefire and peace talks, avoiding a large-scale humanitarian crisis, and opening the door to peace. TORONTO, ON / ACCESSWIRE / March 29, 2022 / (CSE:ROO) (OTC PINK:JNCCF) (Frankfurt:5VHA) - RooGold Inc. ("RooGold" or the "Issuer"). RooGold is pleased to announce that it has signed Land Access Agreements at its top two ranked concessions, the Gold Belt (EL9226) and Gold Star (EL9215) properties that cover numerous historic gold workings, which are located adjacent to the Peel-Manning Suture Zone. Highlights Land Access Agreement (LAA) signed with NSW Forestry permitting exploration prospecting within areas of State Forest at Gold Belt (EL 9226). Land Access Agreement (LAA) signed with landholder permitting exploration prospecting at the northern end of Gold Star (El 9215). Landholder negotiations at other properties including Trilby (EL9242) and Lorne (EL9232) are continuing. Strategic field sampling to commence in the near term at historic mine workings. Carlos Espinosa, Chief Executive Officer and a Director of RooGold comments, "obtaining land access at Gold Belt and Gold Star is a key step in the progression of Roo Gold's exploration work. Access has been granted over key areas of historic gold mining activities. Exploration reconnaissance work will commence soon." About RooGold Inc. ROOGOLD is a Canadian based junior venture mineral exploration issuer which is uniquely positioned to be a dominant player in New South Wales, Australia, through a growth strategy focused on the consolidation and exploration of high potential, mineralized precious metals properties in this prolific region of Australia. Through its announced acquisitions of Southern Precious Metals Ltd., RooGold Ltd. and Aussie Precious Metals Corp. properties, RooGold commands a portfolio of 13 high-grade potential gold (9) and silver (4) concessions covering 1,380 km2 which have 137 historic mines and prospects. For further information please contact: Ryan Bilodeau 416-910-1440 info@roogoldinc.com Forward-Looking Statements This press release may contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of applicable securities law. Forward-looking statements are frequently characterized by words such as "plan", "expect", "project", "intend", "believe", "anticipate", "estimate" and other similar words, or statements that certain events or conditions "may" or "will" occur. Although the Issuer believes that the expectations reflected in applicable forward-looking statements are reasonable, there can be no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. Such forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results, performance or developments to differ materially from those contained in such statements. NEITHER THE CANADIAN SECURITIES EXCHANGE NOR ITS REGULATION SERVICES PROVIDER ACCEPTS RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THIS RELEASE. SOURCE: RooGold Inc. View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/695050/Roogold-Signs-Land-Access-Agreements-At-Gold-Belt-And-Gold-Star BUFORD, GA / ACCESSWIRE / March 29, 2022 / MasterBeat Corporation (OTC PINK:MSTO), a company specializing in hard, tangible asset acquisitions with an intense focus on real estate, collectible classic automobiles, and other tangible assets, is pleased to announce that it is commencing its Multi-Family Unit strategy as part of its real estate business model. The Company is evaluating qualified potential building sites to develop its initial 300-unit multi-family asset. Back in 2019, the Company launched SBQ Holdings, LLC to acquire, build and develop multiple types of real estate assets, including multi-family rental units. Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic and government backed rental payment abatement and eviction moratoriums, SBQ and several of its partners decided to place the multi-family segment of its business model on the back burner. Now that things are getting back to normal, SBQ has been diligently working to restart the multi-family segment to further expand and diversify its real estate model. SBQ Holdings, LLC is currently evaluating multiple real estate market locations for its multifamily developments. This secondary element of SBQ's model will include land parcel acquisitions, similar to its vacation rental asset strategy, but for larger multi-family unit developments. SBQ will leverage its broad range of experience and relationships, of the Company and its CEO, to significantly help with the acquisition, construction, development, management, and future placement / divestment of these assets. SBQ plans to continue its focus on the Florida market due to the growth the state is experiencing. Florida is expected to have an additional 8 million people moving to the state by the year 2030 which will further increase demand for housing in an already supply-strained Florida real estate market. SBQ's first multi-family land acquisition is being completed utilizing company funds, strategic investors and traditional bank financing. Similar to its Vacation Rentals business segment, the land acquisition will go towards the equity portion requirement to secure the construction loan. This financing model is not only scalable, but sustainable and allows responsible growth while mitigating risk. SBQ plans to develop multi-family assets with approximately 300 units with amenities such a resort style pool, clubhouse, garages, etc. Its goal is to build, develop, lease up with the option to sell the asset to a REIT, private equity group or similar. The ideal number of units for this model divestiture is about 300 units. An all-in build cost on a project this size is estimated to be around $60M total with a future sale target in the $90-100M range. The development time is approximately 18 months once ground is broken with a 6-12 month lease up period. SBQ has willing and eager equity, financing, construction, development and management partners to start its 300-unit multi-family asset development. The diversity of SBQ's assets, traditional, vacation rentals and multi-family developments, will help to mitigate seasonality and ensure consistent, sustainable revenue and income streams, in addition to asset appreciation. The diversification of these elements in SBQ's business model and asset portfolio, delivers comfortability and demonstrates strength for its shareholders, traditional lenders and investors. "Now that our vacation rental business segment is off and running with proven asset development complete with revenues and significant realized gains, combined with the waning of the COVID restrictions and uncertainty, we know this is the right time to diversify our business model to include multi-family assets. Since the beginning, we intended and identified the multi-family development to be an integral part of the SBQ model," stated Mr. Tannariello, Masterbeat's CEO. "Our diversified, targeted aggressive but structured business model utilizes substantial experience, relationships, traditional bank financing and equity risk mitigation. We believe our model will create rapid, but responsible, growth and deliver value, including dividends, to our shareholders." About MasterBeat Corp. MasterBeat Corporation (OTC: MSTO), incorporated under the laws of Delaware, is a publicly traded company specializing in hard, tangible asset acquisitions with an intense focus on real estate, precious metals, and other tangible assets. The company believes its progressive approach to an old school model, especially in this market based on fragile earnings multiples and uncertainty, to acquire hard, tangible assets will not only offer long term capital appreciation but also deliver revenues, profits, and self-sustainability. www.masterbeatcorp.com info@masterbeatcorp.com Safe Harbor Statement This release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Act of 1934 that are based upon current expectations or beliefs, as well as a number of assumptions about future events. Although we believe that the expectations and assumptions upon which they are based are reasonable, we can give no assurance that such expectations and assumptions will prove to have been correct. Some of these uncertainties include, without limitation, the company's ability to perform under existing contracts or to procure future contracts. The reader is cautioned not to put undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, as these statements are subject to numerous factors and uncertainties, including without limitation, successful implementation of our business strategy and competition, any of which may cause actual results to differ materially from those described in the statements. We undertake no obligation and do not intend to update, revise or otherwise publicly release any revisions to these forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date hereof or to reflect the occurrence of any unanticipated events. Although we believe that our expectations are based on reasonable assumptions, we can give no assurance that our expectations will materialize. Many factors could cause actual results to differ materially from our forward-looking statements. Contact: Josh Tannariello 561-570-7050 josh@masterbeatcorp.com SOURCE: MasterBeat Corporation View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/695058/SBQ-Holdings-LLC-Evaluating-Locations-to-Build-300-Unit-Multi-Family-Development-with-100-Million-in-Revenue-and-Resale-Potential Clients will realize enhanced performance, innovation and management in their contingent workforce programs through the combined global companies PRO Unlimited, an Integrated Workforce Management (IWM) platform provider, today announced that it will acquire Geometric Results, Inc. (GRI), a leading independent, outsourced workforce management expert, owned by funds managed by Bain Capital Private Equity Europe. This acquisition will increase the value of PRO's IWM platform by adding GRI's proven Managed Services Program (MSP) capabilities to its robust portfolio of SaaS, Talent Intelligence and Professional Services solutions. The proposed GRI transaction continues PRO's organic and M&A growth journey. The addition of GRI's services includes SOW optimization, proactive sourcing, market intelligence, and supplier engagement. This will reinforce PRO's offering for customers including Fortune 1000 and mid-market organizations across multiple industry verticals. It will further enhance the PRO client experience by broadening and deepening the services it offers companies in the areas of strategic talent acquisition, cost savings and growth goals related to their contingent workforce management programs. "Our number one priority is providing organizations with the most innovative and client-centric solutions to accelerate how they acquire, manage and optimize talent," said Kevin Akeroyd, CEO, PRO Unlimited. "GRI shares this same strategic approach for its customers. Combining two leading contingent workforce management companies allows us to reimagine and transform the future of work." Akeroyd added, "With GRI's team of experts and ours, we have a new opportunity to innovate, anticipate and solve future workforce management challenges. Our existing and new clients will be able to rely on us for greater management, performance and financial control over their workforce and talent supply chains." GRI is currently owned by MSX International, a portfolio company of funds managed by Bain Capital Europe that provides technology-enabled business process outsourcing. GRI offers customized MSP solutions to over 150 global clients, with over $4 billion in spend under management. Its presence in both the UK and India further extends PRO's established operations in these countries and increases its vast supplier network of over 10,000 agencies. With the proposed acquisition, the combined client spend under management for PRO will reach over $22 billion. "GRI continues to exceed growth expectations due to the contributions of our team and partners at Bain Capital Private Equity, our ability to remain aligned with clients and our commitment to over-deliver with a broad suite of capabilities," said Mike Wachholz, CEO of GRI. "Their strategic and operational expertise has helped us build a highly scalable model to support further market penetration and diversification, and we're incredibly excited to continue our growth journey in concert with PRO Unlimited." "PRO is set to be a great home for the future of our employees and our customers, who will now benefit from a broad portfolio of services via the comprehensive PRO platform," said Fred Minturn, Chairman of MSX International. "Over the last five years, the business has grown tremendously under Mike and Fred's leadership through the introduction of new services (including Statement of Work and Direct Sourcing), investment into its state-of-the-art EnvisionTM analytics platform and transformative M&A. We want to thank the whole team for the shared success," said David Danon, a Managing Director at Bain Capital Private Equity Europe. The transaction is subject to customary conditions and approvals. Sidley Austin LLP, Morgan Lewis, PwC and Alvarez and Marsal advised PRO Unlimited. William Blair served as exclusive financial advisor, Kirkland Ellis LLP served as legal advisor and PwC served as accounting and tax advisor to GRI and Bain Capital Private Equity. About PRO Unlimited Serving hundreds of the world's most recognizable brands, PRO Unlimited offers modern workforce management and a partner ecosystem supported by data, software, intelligence and services to meet your flexible workforce needs. PRO's Integrated Workforce Management platform can adapt quickly to regional or industry economic shifts, and provides the speed, scale, flexibility, transparency and expertise to serve as the holistic platform for the modern workforce. Headquartered in Burlingame, California, PRO has helped global brands and organizations achieve operational and financial success for more than 30 years. http://www.prounlimited.com About Geometric Results, Inc. (GRI) GRI, a portfolio company of funds managed by Bain Capital Private Equity Europe, manages billions of dollars of contingent workforce spend across the globe. They provide cost-effective, innovative Managed Services Program (MSP) solutions to drive workforce visibility, deliver material cost savings and attract better talent. With over two decades of experience supporting some of the world's most recognized brands, GRI's model is proven and forward thinking. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220329005258/en/ Contacts: Media: PRO Unlimited Christian Barbato, Vice President of Corporate Marketing cbarbato@prounlimited.com 215.527.6616 GRI MSXI Bain Capital Julia Tilley Violet Wilson baincapital@camarco.co.uk +44 (0)7815 068 387 +44 (0)7875 841 477 LAS VEGAS, NV / ACCESSWIRE / March 29, 2022 / Triad Pro Innovators, Inc. (OTC PINK:TPII) is delighted to provide a status update on the ongoing EEL Diesel Hybrid Genset field tests. As the company has detailed recently, a test unit is currently with a major oil company undergoing rigorous field testing with a view to replacing the oil company's current fleet of diesel generators. Oil sands operator sees immediate maintenance benefits Central to the EEL Diesel Hybrid Genset is the control circuitry. This is primarily involved in regulating the charge and discharge of the company's ultra-rapid charging eCell energy storage units. In addition to this, the control circuity is also responsible for checking the system's overall health and stability, including external components on which the EEL Genset depends. Already, throughout the oil sands trial, the EEL's control circuitry has proved its value, saving the operator considerable costs by alerting it to critical preventative maintenance needed in a battery system external to the EEL Diesel Hybrid Genset. "We're pleased to see the EEL is delivering added value beyond its stated features. It's a real credit to the company's engineers that, in addition to the EEL's fuel and maintenance savings, it is also able to deliver early warnings about the health of an operator's overall power generation and supply systems," said TPII CEO, Murray Goldenberg. New operators lined up for EEL Diesel Hybrid Genset tour The current EEL Diesel Hybrid Genset tour comes on the back of demonstrations conducted in partnership with Frontier Power Products in Canada. The demonstrations were held in November and December of last year and saw company representatives from companies like Syncrude, Ledcor, Westgen Technologies, Surepoint Group, Proline Pipe Equipment, CEDA, Cermaq Canada, Ekati Mines, and Cooper Rentals. Several of these companies have requested TPII deliver demonstration units for independent field tests and application-specific evaluation. Delivering these units forms the next phase of the tour and the company will continue to provide updates as new operators accept test units. About Triad Pro Innovators, Inc. (OTC PINK:TPII): Triad Pro Innovators, Inc. has developed a proprietary device to be utilized in a variety of circumstances to store electricity. The newly developed Triad Pro power supply provides our storage system with tremendous operational flexibility. Using our propriety hardware and software solution, our eCell can be configured to store energy at a rate limited only by the network providing it, and then release that energy in a regulated way based upon the application, which allows for flexibility unknown in current chemical battery-based storage systems. Triad Pro creates and designs renewable energy solutions including Co-Generation and the patent pending eCells that can be used stand alone or modular as energy demands increase. FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS The statements contained in this release that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Words such as "may," "will," "could," "should," "expect," "plan," "project," "intend," "anticipate," "believe," "estimate," "predict," "potential," "pursuant," "target," "continue," and similar expressions are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. The statements in this press release that are not historical statements, including statements regarding TPII's plans, objectives, future opportunities for TPII's services and products, future financial performance and operating results and any other statements regarding TPII's future expectations, beliefs, plans, objectives, financial conditions, assumptions or future events or performance that are not historical facts, are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws. These statements are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to numerous risks, uncertainties, and assumptions, many of which are beyond TPII's control, and which could cause actual results to differ materially from the results expressed or implied by the statements. These statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions that are difficult to predict, and include, without limitation, results of litigation, settlements and investigations; actions by third parties, including governmental agencies; volatility in customer spending; global economic conditions; ability to hire and retain personnel; loss of, or reduction in business with, key customers; difficulty with growth and integration of acquisitions; product liability; cybersecurity risk; anti-takeover measures in our charter documents; and, the uncertainties created by the ongoing outbreak of a respiratory illness caused by the 2019 novel coronavirus that was recently named by the World Health Organization as COVID-19. These and other important risk factors are described more fully in our reports and other documents filed with OTC Markets Group in satisfaction of the company's obligations as an alternative reporting company. Undue reliance should not be placed on the forward-looking statements in this press release, which are based on information available to us on the date hereof. Except as otherwise required by applicable law, we undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether because of new information, future events, or otherwise. Investor Relations Contact: info@triadpro.com 714.790.3662 SOURCE: Triad Pro Innovators, Inc. View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/695047/TPII-EEL-Diesel-Hybrid-Genset-Continues-to-Deliver-in-Independent-Field-Tests Andersen Global continues to cultivate its platform in East Asia through a Collaboration Agreement with Eiger, a full-service law firm headquartered in Taipei, Taiwan. Founded in 2003, Eiger has expertise in areas including tax, corporate, employment, dispute resolution, intellectual property and energy matters. With offices in both Taipei and Shanghai, Eiger advises clients at the local and international levels. The firm is consistently recognized by Chambers Asia-Pacific, The Legal 500 Asia Pacific and IFLR 1000 as a top-performing law firm. "Our team understands the needs of our clients and is committed to providing best-in-class service," said Partner and Office Managing Director John Eastwood. "Collaborating with Andersen Global will allow us to drive our firm's development efforts forward as we continue to build long-lasting client relationships and deliver comprehensive, integrated solutions." "John and his team have a strong reputation in the market and their addition is part of our strategy to build out our presence in the region and enhance our global capabilities," said Mark Vorsatz, Andersen Global Chairman and Andersen CEO. "The firm's service offerings complement the services provided by our existing member and collaborating firms, and allow us to best serve clients with operations in Taiwan." Andersen Global is an international association of legally separate, independent member firms comprised of tax and legal professionals around the world. Established in 2013 by U.S. member firm Andersen Tax LLC, Andersen Global now has more than 10,000 professionals worldwide and a presence in over 336 locations through its member firms and collaborating firms. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220329005035/en/ Contacts: Megan Tsuei Andersen Global 415-764-2700 - Connected Capital leads investment in Creative Automation platform that saves graphic design professionals time and brings agencies and tech partners new business CHICAGO and BRUSSELS, March 29, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- CHILI publish, the Creative Automation software market leader, today announces it has raised 10 million in a new round of funding led by Connected Capital with participation from existing investors Group MC, Pamica, and PMV. The new financing will be used to accelerate solution and community development, attract new talent, and boost the company's go-to-market and sales operations in the United States and Europe. CHILI publisher is a cloud-based Creative Automation platform that enables brands and agencies to create, edit, and share visual content through secure graphic templates - in accordance with brand guidelines - that can be used across in-house teams and agency partners. Agencies large and small and such Fortune 500 brands as Carrefour, Coca-Cola, and Mars in a variety of industries such as retail, FMCG, real estate, automotive, and more depend on CHILI publisher to streamline automated personalization at scale. CHILI publisher is also utilized by MarTech vendors like Sitecore, 4AllPortal, Akeneo, Horizontal, Pimcore, and others to create new revenue streams and offer new value-adding connectors between content platforms. Creative Tech - future-proofing visuals designed by professionals for professionals "Consumers increasingly look for compelling visual content across touchpoints, as they navigate through online, social, and on-site marketplaces. Brands and agencies struggle to reach the right people with the right content on the right channel because all too often their design adaptation process takes time, is error-prone and not data-driven," said Kevin Goeminne, CEO at CHILI publish. "CHILI publisher lets brands and agencies simplify and automate on-brand graphic production at scale, saving them time and money in the end-to-end production of that content for both online and offline channels. This investment allows us to grow our solution, team, and community so every professional in any market can create and repurpose professional, on-brand visuals." "Creative tech is the rapidly evolving space to watch. Brands and agencies are striving to become more productive, adaptive, and scalable. CHILI publish delivers just that by empowering them with a powerful and tailored platform. It gives brands the control and the speed they need to rapidly react to consumer demand trends, both in-store and online," said Geert van Engelen, Managing Partner at Connected Capital, who will join CHILI publish's board of directors. "CHILI publish's relationships with MarTech integration partners and creative service providers, their attention to data security with recent ISO 27001:2017 certification, and a result-focused, solution-driven team makes us excited to contribute to their accelerated expansion." Read the complete press release at www.chili-publish.com/press/10M-investment About CHILI publish CHILI publish was founded in 2010 with a single vision: make graphic versioning productive, adaptable, and scalable. Today, hundreds of customers around the globe use CHILI publisher to produce digital and print content at scale and create better customer experiences. With a team of over 75 people, a global ecosystem of integration partners, and offices in Aalst, Belgium, and Chicago, USA, CHILI publish is succeeding in becoming a trusted innovation partner in building the future of creative technology for brands and agencies worldwide. About Connected Capital Connected Capital is a leading investor in growth and buy-out stage European B2B SaaS companies. It provides capital and expertise in pure-play SaaS to entrepreneurs in order to accelerate the growth of their businesses. Based in Amsterdam and backed by institutional investors, Connected Capital operates across Europe with over 200 million of capital under management. For more information, please visit www.connectedcapital.nl. More information at: www.chili-publish.com Press contacts Laura Baxter VP Marketing T: +32 2 888 65 11 E: laura@chili-publish.com Maya Staels PR Manager M: +32 477 49 24 26 E: maya@chili-publish.com Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1773164/CHILI_publish.jpg Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1773166/Kevin_Goeminne_and_Bram_Verniest.jpg Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1773165/CHILI_publish_Logo.jpg VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / March 29, 2022 / Silver Elephant Mining Corp. ("Silver Elephant" or "the Company") (TSX:ELEF)(OTCQX:SILEF)(Frankfurt:1P2N) announces diamond drilling results from the Paca deposit ("Paca") within its 100%-controlled Pulacayo silver project ("Pulacayo") in the Potosi department of Bolivia. A total of 8 holes were drilled at Paca, totaling 1,717 meters. PND 119, 120, 121 & 122 were drilled to test induced polarization ("IP") geophysical anomalies located to the east of the current Paca resource. PND 123, 124, 125 & 126 were drilled to test potential northern extension of the Paca resource. The results are summarized in the following table: Paca East Discovery Hole ID From To Width (m) Ag (g/t) Pb % Zn % AgEq (g/t) PND119 360.0 399.0 39.0 5 0.40 0.49 37 incl 377.0 379.0 2.0 31 1.14 1.15 112 PND120 39.0 75.0 36.0 12 0.08 0.51 33 incl 68.0 75.0 7.0 14 0.21 0.94 56 PND120 184.0 187.0 3.0 28 2.18 0.64 126 PND120 280.0 284.0 4.0 6 0.52 0.60 46 PND121 50.0 68.0 18.0 2 0.65 0.81 56 incl 57.0 59.0 2.0 1 1.25 2.64 147 PND121 75.0 79.0 4.0 56 0.16 0.12 60 PND122 34.0 56.0 22.0 1 0.56 0.46 38 Paca North Oxide Discovery Hole ID From To Width (m) Ag (g/t) Pb % Zn % AgEq (g/t) PND123 3.0 30.0 27.0 159 0.28 0.05 154 incl 7.5 9.0 1.5 565 0.30 0.08 518 PND123 37.5 45.0 7.5 68 0.11 0.07 67 PND124 0.0 28.5 28.5 22 0.42 0.73 63 incl 15.0 27.0 12.0 21 0.54 1.29 88 PND125 0.0 18.8 18.8 33 0.20 0.52 56 incl 10.4 15.4 5.0 80 0.40 1.13 130 PND126 0.0 31.0 31.0 31 0.22 0.09 39 incl 29.0 31.0 2.0 78 0.27 0.08 82 Note: Reported widths are intercepted core lengths and not true widths, as relationships with intercepted structures and contacts vary. Based on core-angle measurements, true widths range from 75% to 85% of the reported core length. Please see note on AgEq calculation in preceding paragraphs. Sulphide zone metal recoveries of 89.2% for Ag, 91.9% for Pb, and 82.9% for Zn were used in the Silver Equivalent (Recovered) equation and reflect metallurgical testing results disclosed previously for the Pulacayo Deposit. Silver equivalents are noted where "AgEq"=Silver Equivalent (Recovered) and is equal to (Ag g/t*89.2%)+((Pb%*(US$0.95/lb. Pb/14.583 Troy oz./lb./US$17 per Troy oz. Ag)*(10,000*91.9%))+((Zn%*(US$1.16/lb. Zn/14.583 Troy oz./lb./US$17 per Troy oz. Ag)*(10,000*82.9%)). Notable results include PND 123, collared at the northern edge of the Paca resource and drilled further to the north. The hole intercepted 27 meters of 159 g/t silver from near-surface, including 1.5 meters of 565 g/t silver. PND 123, 124, 125 & 126 are step-out holes and all intercepted silver mineralization demonstrate the northern extension of Paca oxide resource that is open to the north and to the northeast by at least 100 meters. The company plans to conduct further drilling to expand the Paca oxide resource in 2nd half of 2022. Paca north's shallow oxide expression and flat-tabular morphology may be well suited for a potential open-pit operation, which the company will announce the commissioning of a prefeasibility study shortly and provide an update on its environmental permitting efforts enabling an open-pit mining, leach processing operation at Paca. John Lee, the Company's Chairman, states: "Silver Elephant's 2022 priority is all about Paca: expanding oxide resource, completing environmental permitting and a prefeasibility study. Our goal is to accelerate Paca development to reach a mine construction decision in early 2023." PND 119, 120, 121 & 122 are exploration holes that tested IP anomalies located east and southeast from the Paca resource. All 4 holes encountered metal-bearing sulphide mineralization and the results confirm Paca hydrothermal mineralizing systems continue eastward beyond what was previously known. The Company is incorporating all available drill data, mapping, sampling, and geophysical data to better understand the geological and resource models to generate new drill targets. The Paca resource was prepared by Mercator Geological Services Limited with an effective date of October 13, 2020 with details provided in the Company's news release dated October 13, 2020. Paca Deposit Pit-Constrained Mineral Resource Estimate - Effective Date October 13, 2020** Cut -off Grade Zone Category Rounded Tonnes Ag g/t Zn % Pb % Ag Moz Zn Mlbs Pb Mlbs *AgEq Moz *AgEq g/t 50 Ag g/t Oxide In-Pit Indicated 1,095,000 185 6.5 Inferred 345,000 131 1.5 30 *AgEq g/t Sulfide In-Pit Indicated 20,595,000 46 1.07 0.67 30.5 485.8 304.2 70.2 106 Inferred 3,050,000 46 0.76 0.65 4.5 51.1 43.7 9.2 94 Total: Indicated 21,690,000 37 485.8 304.2 70.2 Inferred 3,395,000 6 51.1 43.7 9.2 Paca Deposit Pit-Constrained Cut-Off Grade Sensitivity Report for Oxide Zone Cut -off Grade Category Rounded Tonnes Ag g/t Ag Moz 30 Ag g/t Indicated 1,805,000 128 7.4 Inferred 500,000 102 1.6 45 Ag g/t Indicated 1,225,000 170 6.7 Inferred 375,000 124 1.5 90 Ag g/t Indicated 800,000 231 5.9 Inferred 235,000 159 1.2 200 Ag g/t Indicated 420,000 311 4.2 Inferred 55,000 285 0.5 400 Ag g/t Indicated 80,000 493 1.3 Inferred 5,000 459 0.1 Note: Cut-off grade for pit-constrained oxide Mineral Resources is 50 g/t Ag. Summaries of each hole and their target rationale are provided in the discussion below. Paca East Discovery PND119 was the first hole to test a large semi-circular IP anomaly approximately 160 meters southeast of the known Paca resource. The hole was planned to intercept the anomaly and also drill under a historic artisanal mining trench. The anomaly was targeted between 325-350 meters downhole. The hole encountered 2 meters of 31 g/t Ag, 1.14% Pb, 1.15% Zn, 112 g/t AgEq within a larger interval 39 meters of 5 g/t Ag, 0.40% Pb, 0.49%, 37 g/t Ag. PND120 was designed to test a potential down-dip extension of the 39 meters of mineralization encountered in PND119 and to ascertain any potential increase in concentration of this mineralization. A 36 meter interval was intercepted from 39-75 meters of 12 g/t Ag, 0.21% Pb, 0.08%, 0.51% Zn, 33 g/t AgEq including 7 meters of 14 g/t Ag, 0.21% Pb and 0.94% Zn, 56 g/t AgEq and encountered sulphides from 184-187 meters at 28 g/t Ag, 2.18% Pb, 0.64% Zn, 126 g/t AgEq. Both these intercepts precede the expected down dip portion of PND119. An intercept in the target area at 280-284 meters returned 6 g/t Ag, 0.52% Pb, 0.60% Zn, 46 g/t AgEq. PND121 was planned to test strong IP anomaly 280 meters south of the Paca resource and cross cut faulted structures indicated from surface mapping. A 2 meter interval of sulphide mineralization was encountered at 57-59 meters grading 1 g/t Ag, 1.25% Pb, 2.64% Zn, 147 g/t AgEq nested within a wider interval of 18 meters (50-68 meters) of 2 g/t Ag, 0.65% Pb, 0.81% Zn, 56 g/t AgEq. Another 4 meter interval shortly downhole of this interval from 75-79 meters grades 56 g/t Ag, 0.16% Pb, 0.12% Zn, 60 g/t AgEq. PND122 was designed to test an IP anomaly 240 meters southeast of the Paca resource. Disseminated sulphides were encountered from 34-56 meters (22 meters) grading 1 g/t Ag, 0.56% Pb, 0.46% Zn, 38 g/t AgEq, and a silver-bearing interval from 66-69 meters (3 meters) grading 76 g/t Ag, 0.03% Pb, 0.09% Zn, 72 g/t AgEq. Lightly mineralized sulfide bearing sediments were encountered at a depth ~200m redefining the shape of previously interpreted andesite dome and significantly extending the area of exploration interest. Paca North Oxide Discovery PND123 was drilled immediately outside of the resource limits to the north and encountered 27 meters of 159 g/t Ag, 0.28% Pb, 0.05% Zn, 154 g/t AgEq starting at 3.0 meters depth, including 1.5 meters of 565 g/t Ag, 0.30% Pb, 0.08% Zn, 518 g/t AgEq. A second 7.5 meter interval at 37.5-45.0 meters with 68 g/t Ag, 0.11% Pb, 0.07% Zn, 67 g/t AgEq was encountered. PND124 was drilled 80 meters north of the resource and hit mineralization starting at surface encountering 28.5 meters of 22 g/t Ag, 0.42% Pb, 0.74% Zn, 63 g/t AgEq. PND125 was drilled 25 meters east of the resource and also encountered mineralization starting at surface to 18.8 meters of 33 g/t Ag, 0.2% Pb, 0.52% Zn, 56 g/t AgEq including 5.0 meters of 80 g/t Ag, 0.40% Pb, 1.13% Zn, 130 g/t AgEq from 10.4-15.4 meters. PND126 was collared just outside the resource drilling west into the resource and encountered mineralization from surface to 31.0 meters of 31 g/t Ag, 0.22% Pb, 0.09% Zn, 39 g/t AgEq, including 78 g/t Ag, 0.27% Pb, 0.08% Zn, 82 g/t AgEq. Please visit www.silverelef.com to see maps pertaining to this release. Qualified Person The technical contents of this news release have been prepared under the supervision of Danniel Oosterman, VP Exploration. Mr. Oosterman is not independent of the Company in that he is employed by it. Mr. Oosterman is a qualified person as defined by the guidelines in NI 43-101. Quality Assurance and Quality Control Silver Elephant adopts industry-recognized best practices in its implementation of QA/QC methods. A geochemical standard control sample and a blank sample are inserted into the sample stream at every 20th sample. Duplicates are taken at every 40th sample. Standards and duplicates, including lab duplicates and standards, are analyzed using scatterplots. Samples are shipped to ALS Global Laboratories in Ururo, Bolivia for preparation. They are then shipped for analysis to ALS Global laboratories in Lima, Peru. Samples are analyzed using Intermediate Level Four Acid Digestion. Silver overlimits ("ore grade") are analyzed using fire assay with a gravimetric finish. ALS Laboratories sample management system meets all the requirements of the International Standards ISO/IEC 17025:2017 and ISO 9001:2015. All ALS geochemical hub laboratories are accredited to ISO/IEC 17025:2017 for specific analytical procedures. All samples are taken from HQ-diameter core were split in half by a diamond-blade masonry saw. One half of the core is submitted for laboratory analysis and the other half is preserved for reference at the Company's secured core facility. All the core is geotechnically analyzed and photographed and then logged by geologists prior to sampling. About Silver Elephant Silver Elephant Mining Corp. is a premier silver mining and exploration company which also owns 39% of Battery Metals Royalties Corp. Further information on Silver Elephant can be found at www.silverelef.com. SILVER ELEPHANT MINING CORP. ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD "John Lee" Executive Chairman For more information about Silver Elephant, please contact: +1.604.569.3661 ext. 101 info@silverelef.com www.silverelef.com Neither the Toronto Stock Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the Toronto Stock Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements Certain statements contained in this news release, including statements which may contain words such as "expects", "anticipates", "intends", "plans", "believes", "estimates", or similar expressions, and statements related to matters which are not historical facts are forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Such forward-looking statements, which reflect management's expectations regarding Company's future growth, results of operations, performance, and business prospects and opportunities, are based on certain factors and assumptions and involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties which may cause the actual results, performance, or achievements to be materially different from future results, performance, or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. These factors should be considered carefully, and readers should not place undue reliance on the Company's forward-looking statements. The Company believes that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements contained in this news release and the documents incorporated by reference herein are reasonable, but no assurance can be given that these expectations will prove to be correct. In addition, although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual actions, events, or results to differ materially from those described in forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause actions, events, or results not to be as anticipated, estimated, or intended. The Company undertakes no obligation to publicly release any future revisions to forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this news or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events, except as expressly required by law. SOURCE: Silver Elephant Mining Corp. View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/695073/Silver-Elephants-Paca-North-Discovery-Drills-27-Meters-of-159-gt-Silver-from-Near-Surface-Oxides-Including-15-Meters-of-565-gt-Silver-in-Bolivia VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / March 29, 2022 / Silver Elephant Mining Corp. ("Silver Elephant" or "the Company") (TSX:ELEF)(OTCQX:SILEF)(Frankfurt:1P2N) announces regional exploration drilling results from its 100%-controlled Pulacayo silver project in the Potosi department of Bolivia. A total of 9 holes were drilled, totaling 3,251 meters to test several induced polarization ("IP") geophysical targets within a 3km radius from the San Leon tunnel entrance accessing the east-west trending Tajo Vein System ("TVS") that comprises the Pulacayo deposit. The TVS is where all of the historic Pulacayo silver production took place from the early 1800's until 1952. This modest drill program covering an area of 3.5km by 2km is the largest regional drill campaign outside of the Pulacayo and Paca deposits (Paca is 7km north of Pulacayo). 3 of the 9 holes encountered multiple intersections of mineralization, including 2 meters grading 299g/t silver, 0.75% lead and 0.44% zinc at PUD292 (Pacamayo target). PUD291 and PUD292 prematurely ended in mineralization at depths of 717meters and 562 meters respectively due to drill rig capability, while PUD 293 was abandoned due to poor ground conditions. The results demonstrate that silver and base metals have been deposited in areas distant to the main TVS, providing encouraging signs of possibly existing, yet-to-be-discovered, parallel or conjugate vein systems to TVS, which was formed in a large hydrothermal system given its depth extends to 1,000 meters or more from surface. Also notable are the similarly strong IP signatures exhibited at the TVS versus the drilled targets. The TVS (i.e. Pulacayo deposit) features increasing grades and thickness with depth that may be related to lithological contrasts with changing structural behaviour where these contrasts occur. This combination may have led to dramatic changes in the pressure-temperature conditions that induce precipitation of favorable metals. The Company plans to further rehabilitate the San Leon tunnel and adits to provide a platform for future underground drilling to reach deeper targets beneath the pyrite caps while conserving drill meterage. The Company will examine the drill assays and core to reconstruct the geological model for the district where no information other than surface mapping was previously available. Incorporating these results with isopach and isochore modeling, geological mapping, geochemistry and geophysics will enhance the Company's understanding in order to refine and inform the next round of exploration drill targets towards the end of 2022. The results are summarized in the following table: Hole ID Target From To Width (m) Ag (g/t) Pb % Zn % AgEq (g/t) PUD 291 El Abra 391.0 393.0 2.0 6 0.14 0.36 24 PUD 291 426.0 428.0 2.0 7 0.39 0.81 51 PUD 291 628.0 636.0 8.0 2 0.08 0.27 16 PUD 291 693.0 699.0 6.0 4 0.22 0.50 31 PUD 291 711.0 717.5 6.5 10 0.29 0.56 41 PUD-292 Pacamayo 38.0 52.0 14.0 6 0.13 0.23 19 PUD-292 86.0 98.0 12.0 2 0.06 0.27 14 PUD-292 151.0 173.0 22.0 2 0.06 0.21 11 PUD-292 175.0 212.0 37.0 2 0.06 0.24 13 PUD-292 291.0 303.0 12.0 6 0.05 0.14 12 PUD-292 356.0 364.0 8.0 3 0.13 0.39 23 PUD-292 486.0 520.0 34.0 22 0.26 0.22 37 Incl 495.0 497.0 2.0 299 0.75 0.44 310 PUD-292 526.0 537.0 11.0 2 0.09 0.50 25 PUD-292 541.0 562.0 21.0 4 0.11 0.53 28 PUD 293 Pero 114.0 123.0 9.0 12 0.17 0.42 33 PUD 293 165.0 171.0 6.0 18 0.09 0.06 22 Note: Reported widths are intercepted core lengths and not true widths, as relationships with intercepted structures and contacts vary. Based on core-angle measurements, true widths range from 75% to 85% of the reported core length. Please see note on AgEq calculation in preceding paragraphs. Sulphide zone metal recoveries of 89.2% for Ag, 91.9% for Pb, and 82.9% for Zn were used in the Silver Equivalent (Recovered) equation and reflect metallurgical testing results disclosed previously for the Pulacayo Deposit. Summaries of each hole and their target rationale are provided in the discussion below. Silver equivalents are noted where "AgEq"=Silver Equivalent (Recovered) and is equal to (Ag g/t*89.2%)+((Pb%*(US$0.95/lb. Pb/14.583 Troy oz./lb./US$17 per Troy oz. Ag)*(10,000*91.9%))+((Zn%*(US$1.16/lb. Zn/14.583 Troy oz./lb./US$17 per Troy oz. Ag)*(10,000*82.9%)). The Pulacayo project consists of the Pulacayo and Paca deposits which received over 94,000 meters of drilling since the late 1990's with a combined indicated mineral resource of 106.7 million oz of silver, 1,384.7 million pounds of zinc, and 693.9 million pounds of lead, and an Inferred Mineral Resource of 13.1 million oz of silver, 122.8 million pounds of zinc and 61.9 million pounds of lead (prepared by Mercator Geological Services Ltd, details provided in the Company's news release dated October 13, 2020.) The Pulacayo deposit mineral resource estimate is provided in the following tables. Pulacayo Deposit Combined Pit-Constrained and Out-of-Pit MRE - Effective Date October 13, 2020 Cut -off Grade Zone Category Rounded Tonnes Ag g/t Zn % Pb % Ag Moz Zn Mlbs Pb Mlbs *AgEq Moz *AgEq g/t 50 Ag g/t Oxide In-Pit Indicated 1,090,000 125 4.4 Inferred 25,000 60 0.0 30 *AgEq g/t Sulfide In-Pit Indicated 24,600,000 76 1.63 0.70 60.1 884.0 379.6 123.4 156 Inferred 745,000 82 1.79 0.61 2.0 29.4 10.0 3.9 164 100 *AgEq g/t Sulfide Out-of-Pit Indicated 660,000 268 1.35 0.44 5.7 19.6 6.4 6.5 307 Inferred 900,000 179 2.14 0.42 5.2 42.4 8.3 7.4 257 Total: Indicated 26,350,000 70.2 903.7 386.0 133.4 Inferred 1,670,000 7.2 71.8 18.4 11.4 Pulacayo Deposit Pit-Constrained Cut-Off Grade Sensitivity Report for Sulfide Zone Cut -off Grade Category Rounded Tonnes Ag g/t Zn % Pb % Ag Moz Zn Mlbs Pb Mlbs *AgEq Moz *AgEq g/t 30 AgEq g/t Indicated 24,600,000 76 1.63 0.7 60.1 884 379.6 123.4 156 Inferred 745,000 82 1.79 0.61 2 29.4 10 3.9 164 45 AgEq g/t Indicated 23,715,000 78 1.67 0.72 59.5 873.1 376.4 122 160 Inferred 735,000 83 1.81 0.61 2 29.3 9.9 3.9 166 90 AgEq g/t Indicated 13,700,000 121 2.17 0.99 53.3 655.4 299 100 227 Inferred 290,000 154 3.62 0.97 1.4 23.1 6.2 2.9 312 200 AgEq g/t Indicated 5,385,000 249 2.75 1.54 43.1 326.5 182.8 66.3 383 Inferred 180,000 230 4.57 1.22 1.3 18.1 4.8 2.5 426 400 AgEq g/t Indicated 1,860,000 387 3.62 2.25 23.1 148.4 92.3 33.8 565 Inferred 105,000 297 5.29 1.46 1 12.2 3.4 1.8 521 Summaries of each hole and their target rationale are provided in the discussion below. PUD288 was a hole completed in early 2021 in conclusion of a drilling program at the Pero area, southeast of the TVS. This program successfully identified mineralization in that area, including encountering 4 meters of 518 g/t AgEq (PUD286; 393 g/t Ag, 0.88% Pb, 3.79% Zn; see Company's press release dated January 27, 2021). No significant results are reported from PUD288. PUD289 was drilled 330 meters north of the western TVS trend to test a shallow IP anomaly. No significant silver mineralization was encountered, and the anomaly was explained by the presence of pyrite in the hole which is a highly chargeable iron-sulphide. PUD290 was drilled to test an IP anomaly drilling north-to-south in what is called the El Abra area. The El Abra area is host to a weakly mineralized hydrothermal breccia pipe on the property approximately 900 meters north of the TVS on the western side. An IP anomaly at depth was noted as a target that may have represented an increase in the amount of mineralization observed at surface at the noted target depth. The hole encountered 6 meters of weak mineralization from 270 to 276 meters grading of 8 g/t AgEq (1 g/t Ag, 0.04% Pb, 0.15% Zn). PUD291 was designed to test IP targets on the south portion and directly underneath the El Abra breccia. The first target was projected between 375 and 425 meters, the second target at 575-625 meters The hole encountered silicified pyrite-bearing rocks early in the hole and encountered 24 g/t AgEq mineralization at 391-393 meters (6 g/t Ag, 0.14% Pb, 0.36% Zn) and 51 g/t AgEq at 426 to 428 meters (7 g/t Ag, 0.39% Pb, 0.81% Zn). For the second target, three mineralized intervals were encountered (8 meters from 628-636 meters @ 2 g/t Ag, 0.39% Pb, 0.89% Zn, 16 g/t AgEq; 6 meters from 693-699 meters @ 4 g/t Ag, 0.22% Pb, 0.50% Zn, 31 g/t AgEq; 6.5 meters from 711-717.5 meters @ 10 g/t Ag, 0.29% Pb, 0.56% Zn, 41 g/t AgEq). The hole ended in this mineralization at 717.5 meters. PUD292 was drilled to test the Pacamayo area (approximately 1.5 km north of the TVS), the most prospective and advanced target of this campaign underneath the northern portion of the San Leon tunnel, which is the adit for the historic Pulacayo mine. This underground area was mapped by Silver Elephant in 2020 which discovered a strong alteration envelope coinciding with chips samples of 0.6-1m intervals that returned high-grade assays of over 1,500 g/t Ag (beyond detection limit), up to 3.1% copper, up to 17.6% lead and up to 6.9% zinc. PUD292 tested an IP target below this zone. A total of 9 mineralized intervals were encountered in the hole with varying amounts of modest grades with the exception of a 2 meter interval of 299 g/t Ag, 0.75% Pb, 0.44% Zn, 310 g/t AgEq from 495-497 meters, nested in a wider interval of 34 meters of 22 g/t Ag, 0.26% Pb, 0.22% Zn, 37 g/t AgEq from 486-520 meters. The hole ended in modest mineralization at 562 meters. PUD293 and PUD294 were both designed to test IP anomalies in and around the Pero area, below what is believed to be a thrusted block of sandstone. Holes were designed to test several clustered anomalies. PUD293 was abandoned at 233 meters due to ground conditions and tested the shallower portion of this anomaly. Several intervals of mineralization were encountered including 9 meters of 12 g/t Ag, 0.17% Pb, 0.42% Zn, 33 g/t AgEq from 114-123 meters, and 6 meters of 18 g/t Ag, 0.09% Pb, 0.06% Zn, 22 g/t AgEq from 165-171 meters. No significant results are reported from PUD294 which tested the deeper portions of the same anomaly and crossed several smaller anomalies at depth. Maps are available at www.silverelef.com Qualified Person The technical contents of this news release have been prepared under the supervision of Danniel Oosterman, VP Exploration. Mr. Oosterman is not independent of the Company in that he is employed by it. Mr. Oosterman is a qualified person as defined by the guidelines in NI 43-101. Quality Assurance and Quality Control Silver Elephant adopts industry-recognized best practices in its implementation of QA/QC methods. A geochemical standard control sample and a blank sample are inserted into the sample stream at every 20th sample. Duplicates are taken at every 40th sample. Standards and duplicates, including lab duplicates and standards, are analyzed using scatterplots. Samples are shipped to ALS Global Laboratories in Ururo, Bolivia for preparation. They are then shipped for analysis to ALS Global laboratories in Lima, Peru. Samples are analyzed using Intermediate Level Four Acid Digestion. Silver overlimits ("ore grade") are analyzed using fire assay with a gravimetric finish. ALS Laboratories sample management system meets all the requirements of the International Standards ISO/IEC 17025:2017 and ISO 9001:2015. All ALS geochemical hub laboratories are accredited to ISO/IEC 17025:2017 for specific analytical procedures. All samples are taken from HQ-diameter core were split in half by a diamond-blade masonry saw. One half of the core is submitted for laboratory analysis and the other half is preserved for reference at the Company's secured core facility. All the core is geotechnically analyzed and photographed and then logged by geologists prior to sampling. About Silver Elephant Silver Elephant Mining Corp. is a premier silver mining and exploration company which also owns 39% of Battery Metals Royalties Corp. Further information on Silver Elephant can be found at www.silverelef.com. SILVER ELEPHANT MINING CORP. ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD "John Lee" Executive Chairman For more information about Silver Elephant, please contact Investor Relations: +1.604.569.3661 ext. 101 info@silverelef.com www.silverelef.com Neither the Toronto Stock Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the Toronto Stock Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements Certain statements contained in this news release, including statements which may contain words such as "expects", "anticipates", "intends", "plans", "believes", "estimates", or similar expressions, and statements related to matters which are not historical facts are forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Such forward-looking statements, which reflect management's expectations regarding Company's future growth, results of operations, performance, and business prospects and opportunities, are based on certain factors and assumptions and involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties which may cause the actual results, performance, or achievements to be materially different from future results, performance, or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. These factors should be considered carefully, and readers should not place undue reliance on the Company's forward-looking statements. The Company believes that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements contained in this news release and the documents incorporated by reference herein are reasonable, but no assurance can be given that these expectations will prove to be correct. In addition, although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual actions, events, or results to differ materially from those described in forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause actions, events, or results not to be as anticipated, estimated, or intended. The Company undertakes no obligation to publicly release any future revisions to forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this news or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events, except as expressly required by law. SOURCE: Silver Elephant Mining Corp. View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/695071/Silver-Elephant-Drills-2-Meters-of-299gt-Silver-15km-North-of-Tajo-Vein-System-at-Pulacayo-Project-in-Bolivia The SEMI Foundation partners with Foothill College, Ignited Education, and Krause Center for Innovation to develop microelectronics career training program. MILPITAS, Calif., March 29, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- SEMI, the global industry association representing the electronics manufacturing and design supply chain, today announced that, in partnership with Ignited Education, Foothill College and Krause Center for Innovation, it has won a $1 millionCalifornia Apprenticeship Initiative (CAI) New and Innovative Grant for the development of a semiconductor pre-apprenticeship and apprenticeship program to expand the pathway to careers in the microelectronics industry. The SEMI Foundation and its partners will develop the industry career training program to be offered by California community colleges and ultimately schools in other states. The program will connect CAI partners with SEMI member companies to define job competencies that shape the coursework. The CAI funding will support the SEMI Foundation's work to build the SEMI Career and Apprenticeship Network (SCAN), aimed at helping overcome the U.S. microelectronics industry's talent shortage as the federal government continues to invest in apprenticeships. The grant also supports the foundation's efforts to promote a more inclusive workforce. SCAN will offer training that equips workers with the technical skills needed to enter high-demand, entry-level jobs in the microelectronics industry. It will also expand the pool of skilled workers for hiring companies. "Securing the CAI funding is a key step in building out SCAN as we work to develop a national apprenticeship network, recruit more people of color and women to the industry, and create industry credentials recognized nationwide," said Shari Liss, executive director of the SEMI Foundation. "We look forward to continuing the vital work with our partners to expand access to jobs across the semiconductor industry and enable more people to enter rewarding careers." CAI New and Innovative Grants fund the development of pre-apprenticeship and apprenticeship programs to strengthen sectors that drive economic growth while creating opportunities for workers in underserved communities to enter high-wage professions. CAI funds workforce development projects across 20 sectors including advanced manufacturing, global trade and logistics, agriculture, energy and life sciences to help build connections between students and employers. Foothill College will develop coursework covering the competencies for various high-need positions in the microelectronics industry. Complementing the work of Foothill College to reach students early in their education, Ignited and the Krause Center for Innovation will create middle school foundations and high-school pathways pre-apprenticeship programs featuring engaging student experiences and teacher-training workshops. The SEMI Foundation will ensure the programs meet the industry's workforce needs. "Talent pipelines are powerful," said Jeff Schmidt, Chief Executive Officer of Santa Clara, Calif.-based Ignited. "They open new doors, offer experiences that shape us, and provide role models that inspire our career choices. SCAN will build a strong, compelling pre-apprenticeship and apprenticeship pipeline that will change the lives of students and families that need it most. We're proud to support the SEMI Foundation and this amazing group of partners who are doing such critical work for the microelectronics industry." "Foothill College is proud to partner with SEMI," said Chris Allen, Dean of Apprenticeship Programs at Foothill College, based in Los Altos Hills, Calif. "This is an exciting opportunity for our faculty to collaborate with the microelectronics industry to help align work competencies with curriculum development. We look forward to building this new and innovative apprenticeship pathway at this crucial time in the redevelopment of the U.S. semiconductor manufacturing industry." SEMI member companies, government agencies and other industry stakeholders interested in developing or participating in microelectronics apprenticeship programs can contact the SEMI Foundation at semifoundation@semi.org. About the SEMI Foundation The SEMI Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit charitable organization founded in 2001 to support economic opportunity for workers and the sustained growth of the microelectronics industry. The Foundation works to attract, develop, and retain a well-trained and innovative workforce through educational programs, diversity initiatives to support women, veterans, and people of color, and member engagement. The Foundation's longest-running program, SEMI High Tech U, inspires high-school students to pursue STEM college educations and careers. Since 2002, High Tech U programs in Austria, France, Japan, Korea, Netherlands, Singapore, Taiwan and the United States have directly influenced and inspired more than 8,200 students and teachers. About SEMI SEMI connects more than 2,500 member companies and 1.3 million professionals worldwide to advance the technology and business of electronics design and manufacturing. SEMI members are responsible for the innovations in materials, design, equipment, software, devices, and services that enable smarter, faster, more powerful, and more affordable electronic products. Electronic System Design Alliance (ESD Alliance), FlexTech, the Fab Owners Alliance (FOA), the MEMS & Sensors Industry Group (MSIG) and SOI Consortium are SEMI Strategic Technology Communities. Visit www.semi.org to learn more, contact one of our worldwide offices, and connect with SEMI on LinkedIn and Twitter . Association Contact Michael Hall/SEMI Phone: 1.408.943.7988 Email: mhall@semi.org Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/469944/Semi_Logo.jpg HONG KONG, Mar 29, 2022 - (ACN Newswire) - Genertec Universal Medical Group Company Limited (the "Company" or "Universal Medical", and together with its subsidiaries, the "Group"; Stock Code: 2666.HK) is pleased to announce annual results for the year ended 31 December 2021.FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS-- For the year ended 31 December 2021, the revenue amounted to approximately RMB9,914.3 million, representing an increase of 16.3% as compared with that of approximately RMB8,521.2 million for 2020.-- For the year ended 31 December 2021, the profit before tax amounted to approximately RMB2,691.8 million, representing an increase of 13.8% as compared with that of approximately RMB2,365.0 million for 2020.-- For the year ended 31 December 2021, the profit for the year attributable to owners of the parent amounted to approximately RMB1,835.2 million, representing an increase of 11.4% as compared with that of approximately RMB1,647.5 million for 2020.-- As at 31 December 2021, the total assets amounted to approximately RMB69,899.8 million, representing an increase of 13.6% as compared with that of approximately RMB61,511.0 million as at 31 December 2020.-- As at 31 December 2021, the equity attributable to owners of the parent amounted to approximately RMB13,104.0 million, representing an increase of 21.7% as compared with that of approximately RMB10,770.5 million as at 31 December 2020.-- For the year ended 31 December 2021, the return on equity was 15.37%, and the return on total assets was 3.09%.2021 was the opening year of the "14th Five-Year Plan". The Group fulfilled the responsibilities as a central enterprise, adhered to serving the "Healthy China" strategy, and firmly moved forward in the field of medical and healthcare. In 2021, the Group steadily promoted business and improved overall operating performance with a revenue of RMB9,914.3 million, representing an increase of 16.3% as compared to the previous year; net profit of RMB2,030.5 million, representing an increase of 11.9% as compared to the previous year; net profit attributable to owners of the parent of RMB1,835.2 million, representing an increase of 11.4% as compared to the previous year; return on total assets (ROA) of 3.09%, and return on equity attributable to ordinary shareholders (ROE) of 15.37%.Hospital Group Improved Quality and Efficiency, with Net Profit Increasing by 39.5%.In 2021, the Group continued to consolidate the accounts of medical institutions into its own hospital group, and in the context of normalized pandemic prevention and control, the Group orderly advanced the post-investment management of medical institutions, and continuously enhanced the three core capabilities of "discipline", "operation" and "service", to build the overall advantages of the hospital group in terms of safety, effectiveness, accessibility, and humanities as a way to achieve steady progress in operating efficiency. As of 31 December 2021, the number of consolidated medical institutions increased to 45 (including 3 Grade III Class A hospitals and 20 Grade II hospitals), with a total of 10,376 beds. The hospital group launched a total of 372 construction projects, including 10 new outpatient and inpatient multifunction building projects, with a planned number of new beds exceeding 4,000 in total. In 2021, the hospital group contributed a revenue of RMB4,608.4 million to the Company, representing an increase of 27.2% as compared to the previous year, and its proportion in the total revenue from the business of the Group increased from 42.5% in 2020 to 46.5%. Without taking into account the hospital investment platform, the hospital group achieved a total gross profit of RMB585.0 million, representing an increase of 53.9% as compared to the previous year, a total net profit of RMB214.3 million, representing an increase of 39.5% as compared to the previous year, a gross profit margin from operations of 12.7% and a net profit margin of 4.65%.From the perspective of operation, in the post-pandemic era, the number of beds and the overall operation of its medical institutions have shown a recovery growth. Meanwhile, with the implementation of group management and control of hospitals, the core capabilities of disciplines, operations and services have been gradually improved to lay the groundwork for sustainable growth trends in the healthcare business. Income per bed steadily increased from approximately RMB380,000 in 2019 to approximately RMB420,000 in 2021, and the efficiency of bed use was further improved; the volume of outpatient and emergency businesses increased significantly, overall outpatient and emergency visits in 2021 increased by 945,800 as compared to that of 2019, with a growth rate of 19.9%, which exceeded the market average rate; the structure of hospital expenses was optimized, and the average inpatient expenses of Grade II hospitals increased organically, with an increase of 10% as compared to that of 2019.The Expansion of the Industrial Chain Achieved Initial Results, and the Advantages of Large-scale Development was Gradually EstablishedFocusing on the core resources of the hospital group, the Group consolidated the business foundation in various fields such as Internet-based healthcare, equipment maintenance, and medical testing over the past year. While efficiently serving the Group's internal hospitals, the Group actively expanded external customers and gradually established advantages from scalable development. For instance, in terms of Internet-based healthcare, the Internet-based healthcare platform "Universal Healthcare" became a unified Internet portal for the healthcare group, the core carrier of the healthcare industry chain business, and provided support and assistance for the digital management of specialties. As of 31 December 2021, "Universal Healthcare" was officially launched for 34 internal and external medical institutions with more than 3,000 online doctors and 750,000 registered users, and served more than 2 million people. It has developed an online + offline service model, and realized a one-stop medical treatment for patients covering the whole process; in terms of equipment maintenance, the Group actively promoted an advanced business model of "managing medical equipment for a full life cycle" to provide hospitals with standardized maintenance service and comprehensive equipment operation and management services. As of 31 December 2021, the Group maintenance business recorded an annual revenue of RMB36.96 million, representing an increase of 194.8% as compared to 2020; in terms of medical testing, relying on clinicians and medical teams from subordinate medical institutions, the Group has carried out medical testing business to provide more accurate and professional testing services to local medical institutions nearby. Among them, the testing center of Xi'an XD Group Hospital recorded an annual revenue of RMB89.96 million, representing an increase of 48.3% as compared to 2020.Financial Business Developed Steadily, with an Increase of 15.6% in Gross Profit of Interest MarginWith years of experience in the industry, the Group has built efficient market capabilities, flexible financing capabilities, and professional risk control capabilities to provide customers in public hospitals, public utilities and other fields with comprehensive financial solutions centered on financial leasing, as well as industry, equipment and financing consulting, department upgrade and other services, which has fully guaranteed the continuous profitability of the Group as the hospital group grows. In 2021, as the regulatory system for the financial business of central enterprises was further improved, we further enhanced operation and management capabilities on the basis of sound risk prevention and mitigation to steadily advance financial business. The Group recorded interest income of finance services of RMB4,469.0 million, representing a year-on-year increase of 8.3%, and the gross profit of interest margin of RMB2,640.6 million, representing a year-on-year increase of 15.6%. The net interest spread was 3.56%, and the net interest margin was 4.05%. All of the aforesaid business indicators remained at a leading position in the industry.While its financial business continues to expand steadily, the asset quality remains at an industry-leading level. As of 31 December 2021, its net interest-earning assets reached RMB61,127.6 million, representing an increase of 11.9% from the beginning of the year; the non-performing asset ratio was 0.98%, representing a decrease of 0.02 percentage point from the end of 2020; the overdue ratio (30 days) was 0.76%, representing a decrease of 0.18 percentage point from the end of 2020; and the provision coverage ratio was 238.29%, representing an increase of 32.77 percentage points from the end of 2020.Prospect for the FutureIn next year, following the overall deployment of the "14th Five-Year Plan", the Group will continue to actively carry out the mission of safeguarding life and health with quality medical care, give full play to the advantages of group-based management and control to comprehensively improve the lean management, and build a digital hospital management group. The Group will build core capabilities in pursuing integrated development of featured specialties such as oncology and nephrology, and extend industrial chain services around the core resources of the hospital group to make breakthroughs in the high-quality development of the entire group, and create greater returns for all Shareholders!About Genertec Universal Medical Group Company Limited (2666.HK)Genertec Universal Medical Group Co., Ltd ("Universal Medical") is a publicly listed state-owned enterprise committed to China's healthcare industry. China General Technology (Group) Holding Co Ltd., one of the backbone SOEs directly supervised by the central government is the controlling shareholder of the Company. Universal Medical focuses on the fast-developing healthcare industry in China, with medical services as the core and financial business as the foundation. The Company harvests modern management concepts, professionals, quality medical resources with solid financial strength, and an inclusive corporate culture. Altogether strives to build a reliable healthcare conglomerate and develop a healthcare ecosystem that all can mutually share and benefit. The Company owns 62 medical institutions, distributed in 14 provinces and municipalities such as Shaanxi, Shanxi, Sichuan, Liaoning, Anhui, Hebei, Beijing, and Shanghai, including 5 Grade III Class A hospitals and 30 Grade II hospitals, with a total of more than 16,000 beds. In the future, Universal Medical will continue to grasp opportunities posed by China's healthcare sector, actively respond to the "Health China" program and make contributions to China's public health industry. www.universalmsm.com.This press release is released by PEANUT MEDIA LIMITED on behalf of Genertec Universal Medical Group Company Limited.For further information, please contact:PEANUT MEDIA LIMITEDLu Jing / Jing GaoDirect Line: +0755-61619798+8210Email: hswh@czgmcn.comSource: Genertec Universal Medical Group Company LimitedCopyright 2022 ACN Newswire . All rights reserved. UNITED NATIONS, March 29 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese envoy on Tuesday warned that indiscriminate sanctions over the Ukraine conflict will bring about new humanitarian problems. "The ever-escalating sweeping and indiscriminate sanctions have hit global energy, food, economics and trade, and financial markets, and will continue to do so, affecting the lives and livelihoods of the general public, and giving rise to new humanitarian problems," Dai Bing, China's deputy permanent representative to the United Nations, told a Security Council meeting on the humanitarian situation in Ukraine. Developing countries, which make up the majority of the world, are not parties to this conflict, and should not be drawn into the confrontation and forced to suffer the consequences of geopolitical clashes and sparring among major powers, he said. Right now, global food security is being seriously challenged, which warrants due attention. Sanctions and economic blockades will only artificially exacerbate food shortages and price distortions, further disrupt food production and food supply chain across the world, push up food prices, and put burdens on developing countries, he said. "We call for enhanced international coordination to stabilize food supply and food prices, refrain from unjustified export restrictions, keep the market working in a stable manner, and ensure global food security." The United Nations, the World Food Programme, the Food and Agriculture Organization, the World Trade Organization and other agencies should actively contribute to coordinating food production and trade among countries, and helping developing countries tide over the shocks, said Dai. As the conflict in Ukraine is persisting, effectively protecting civilian lives and meeting their humanitarian needs is a must. China calls for respect for international humanitarian law to avoid civilian casualties, protect civilian facilities, provide safe passage for evacuation and humanitarian access, and ensure a continuous supply of basic necessities. Protection of vulnerable groups such as women and children must be strengthened, he said. If the crisis continues and escalates, further damage is on its way, a situation not in the interests of any party. The most conclusive way toward a cease-fire to end hostilities is dialogue and negotiation, he said. The international community should encourage and support continued direct negotiations between Russia and Ukraine until a positive outcome is achieved and peace is restored, he said. Security is indivisible. Seeking absolute security by pitting one bloc against another is the recipe for insecurity. The United States, NATO and the EU should also engage in dialogue with Russia, accommodate the legitimate security concerns of all parties, and build a balanced, effective and sustainable regional security architecture. China will continue to work toward and play a constructive role in easing the situation and resolving the crisis, he said. GURNEE, IL / ACCESSWIRE / March 29, 2022 / Brightrock Gold Corp. (OTC PINK:BRGC) the purchaser of 100% interest in the Midnight Owl Mine is delighted to announce its strategic location. Approximately 13 miles east of Wickenburg, Arizona, our past producing lithium property sits dormant. This positioning was nearly perfect as Arizona welcomes both KOREPOWER and LG Energy Solutions a mere one hour from our mining property. KOREPOWER located in Buckeye, Arizona approximately 45 miles from our mine continues the construction of their KOREPlex facility. This will be the first US owned lithium-ion battery manufacturing facility and it's right in our backyard. "The KOREPlex facility will be a sizable one million square feet in size, capable of producing up to 12 gigawatt-hours (GWh) of battery cell production to suffice the clean energy needs of the US. KOREPlex will be able to power around 3.2 million households annually, with KORE Power planning to start the facility's construction by the end of the year, with KOREPlex estimated to commence production in early 2023." https://www.innovationnewsnetwork.com/koreplex-the-first-us-owned-lithium-ion-battery-manufacturing-facility/13741/ In addition, LG Energy Solutions (373220.KS) (LGES), a supplier for electric car makers Tesla and Lucid, said on Thursday their plans for a 1.4 billion dollar investment in Queen Creek, Arizona approximately 70 miles from our mine. Their plans include the first-ever cylindrical-type battery manufacturing plant in North America : "Construction on the plant is expected to begin in the second quarter, the South Korean company announced, and mass production will begin in the second half of 2024. Batteries produced at the plant will be supplied to electric vehicle manufacturers. The facility will have the production capacity of 11 gigawatt hours." https://www.abc15.com/news/business/lg-confirms-queen-creek-facility-will-be-battery-plant-for-electric-vehicle-industry Mr. Mac Shahsavar, President of the Company is quoted in saying, "This is an exciting moment for us, a confirmation that our new corporate vision and direction for Brightrock Gold Corp. is gleaming with potential. Two industry giants in battery production within a short driving distance of our lithium target. Our doors will be open for both companies as we progress the revival of the historic Midnight Owl Mine." CONTACT: BrightRock Gold Corporation Phone 866-600-5444 FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS: This press release contains forward-looking statements as defined within Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. These statements relate to future events, including our ability to raise capital, or to our future financial performance, and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause materially different from any future results, levels of activity, performance or achievements expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. You should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements since they involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which are, in some cases, beyond our control and which could, and likely will, materially affect actual results, levels of activity, performance or achievements. Any forward-looking statement reflects our current views with respect to future events and is subject to these and other risks, uncertainties and assumptions relating to our operations, results of operations, growth strategy and liquidity. We assume no obligation to publicly update or revise these forward-looking statements for any reason, or to update the reasons actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements, even if new information becomes available in the future. For a discussion of these risks and uncertainties, please see our filings with the OTC Markets Group Inc. Our public filings with the OTC Markets Group Inc are available from commercial document retrieval services and at the website maintained by the OTC Markets at https://www.otcmarkets.com/stock/BRGC/disclosure SOURCE: BrightRock Gold Corp. View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/694970/BrightRock-Gold-Corp-Announces-Strategic-Location-as-Arizona-Welcomes-Two-Industry-Leaders-in-Battery-Production City of Bristol selects Ameresco and subcontractor Vattenfall Heat UK, for large multi-pronged approach to build the city's future smart energy system Ameresco, Inc., (NYSE: AMRC), a leading cleantech integrator specializing in energy efficiency and renewable energy, today announced that its subsidiary, Ameresco Ltd., has been selected as a partner in the Bristol City Leap project, a 20-year concession to decarbonize the city. In partnership with numerous City of Bristol stakeholders, Ameresco, in collaboration with Vattenfall Heat UK, will work through a unique public private partnership structure to provide services including energy efficiency upgrades, wind and solar services, project financing, long-term operation and maintenance and more. The Bristol City Leap project is intended to operate over a 20-year term, targeting net zero goals through a series of energy and infrastructure investment opportunities, attracting approximately 1 billion of inward investment. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220329005416/en/ City of Bristol selects partnership with Ameresco for large multi-pronged approach to take action on climate change and achieve carbon neutrality by 2030. (Photo: Business Wire) The project will span the 34 ward areas that make up the City of Bristol. Services will address all sectors of the built environment, including public sector facilities like hospitals, universities, and schools, as well as industrial, commercial and residential buildings throughout the Bristol community. The City Leap program is designed to enable Bristol to experience lower energy costs, cleaner air, improved energy infrastructure and a boost to the local economy through the city-wide decarbonization effort. Councillor Craig Cheney, Deputy Mayor with responsibility for Finance, Governance and Performance said: "City Leap means large investment in Bristol's energy systems and our ambitious carbon targets. We are creating a long-term partnership on a scale that will bring investment into the much-needed decarbonization of our energy system." "City Leap will have a real impact for Bristol residents including the way people move around the city and the ways that we power and heat our homes. It will help us to move much more quickly towards carbon neutrality, creating a cleaner, greener and healthier city that is truly fit for the future. With City Leap, Bristol will become a focal point for new low carbon technologies and smart energy systems whilst creating thousands of jobs and ensuring a just transition. I'm pleased to see a potential partner that shares our vision for a better, zero-carbon Bristol." Ameresco, in partnership with Vattenfall, will work with energy groups, city stakeholders and local Bristol businesses to install a full range of technologies aimed at optimizing city-wide electrical infrastructure. Over the first five years of the partnership, the project is expected to deliver c140,000 tonnes of carbon savings, and c182MW of zero-carbon energy generation. Additionally, the partnership is expected to deliver a wealth of social and economic benefits for the residents and businesses of Bristol, including c61m of estimated social value, c55m of contracts to be delivered by local suppliers including an increase in local jobs, apprenticeships and work placements. The development and implementation of ongoing low-carbon, energy resilient investments will help Bristol reach its carbon neutrality goals. "Our team is thrilled to be a part of such an incredible initiative taken by the City of Bristol that will hopefully open the eyes of neighboring areas to the possibilities that exist within city-wide decarbonization projects," said Britta MacIntosh, Senior Vice President of Ameresco. "The announcement of the Bristol City Leap project is the first time that a UK city has embarked on such a comprehensive, transformative plan to decarbonize an entire city's energy system by 2030. We applaud their leadership, innovation and steadfast focus on this plan." Mike Reynolds, Managing Director of Vattenfall Heat UK said, "We are very excited to be able to build upon the strong foundations established by Bristol City Council in getting the first district heating networks installed in Bristol. We have big plans to roll out the heat network quickly and at scale to serve the people of Bristol with reliable, affordable low carbon heat. Our partnership with Ameresco means we are able to apply the right technology in the right area of the city-bringing district heating to where it is best suited, as well as individual heat pumps where they are more cost-effective." The final award is subject to approval by the City of Bristol Mayor and Cabinet, which is expected on April 5, 2022. To learn more about the energy efficiency solutions offered by Ameresco, visit www.ameresco.com/energy-efficiency/. About Ameresco, Inc. Founded in 2000, Ameresco, Inc. (NYSE:AMRC) is a leading cleantech integrator and renewable energy asset developer, owner and operator. Our comprehensive portfolio includes energy efficiency, infrastructure upgrades, asset sustainability and renewable energy solutions delivered to clients throughout North America and the United Kingdom. Ameresco's sustainability services in support of clients' pursuit of Net Zero include upgrades to a facility's energy infrastructure and the development, construction, and operation of distributed energy resources. Ameresco has successfully completed energy saving, environmentally responsible projects with Federal, state and local governments, healthcare and educational institutions, housing authorities, and commercial and industrial customers. With its corporate headquarters in Framingham, MA, Ameresco has more than 1,000 employees providing local expertise in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. For more information, visit www.ameresco.com. About Vattenfall Heat UK Vattenfall Heat UK delivers on low-carbon heating, cooling and power solutions through a commitment to enable fossil free living within one generation. We're an energy partner at the forefront of affordable and reliable low-carbon heating in the UK. The growth of our district heating business is accelerating in line with our purpose of powering climate smarter living. Vattenfall Heat UK is part of the wider Vattenfall Group, one of Europe's largest producers and retailers of electricity and heat with approximately 20,000 employees. heat.vattenfall.co.uk www.vattenfall.com/uk About Bristol City Leap City Leap is a long-term (20 year) partnership between the Council and a private sector organization to accelerate green energy investment in Bristol and help the council achieve its net zero carbon ambitions. City Leap's projects and investments will have an impact on many aspects of life for Bristol residents including the way people move around the city (e.g. EV charging points) and the way we power and heat our homes (e.g. mass roll out of solar panels, expanding the city's heat network and decarbonizing our social housing stock). Our partner will bring investment into the city to deploy solutions which are (or become) commercially viable and deliver significant social value for Bristol's communities. For initiatives which require government funding, City Leap will demonstrate the ability to move at pace, making Bristol a natural partner to government and an example for other cities and regions to follow. For the citizens of Bristol, City Leap has the potential to deliver a better quality of life by improving the warmth and comfort of homes, improving air quality and creating thousands of jobs in energy and related supply chains. For investors and partners, City Leap will offer a competitive return on investments, the chance to create and test new energy propositions and business models which are replicable at a national and international scale. Like all cities Bristol's energy system is set to undergo a transformation. City Leap has the potential to facilitate this change by use of real time data, investment in energy storage and distributed energy generation to create a genuinely smart energy system for Bristol. The council has delivered over 92m worth of low-carbon projects in the last five years and City Leap takes this learning to date, leveraging our expertise to create a much larger and more ambitious program. Forward Looking Statements Any statements in this press release about future expectations, plans and prospects for Ameresco, Inc., including statements about the future award of and metrics for the Bristol City Leap project and other statements containing the words "projects," "believes," "anticipates," "plans," "expects," "will" and similar expressions, constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Actual results may differ materially from those indicated by such forward looking statements as a result of various important factors, including whether the Bristol City Leap project is finally awarded to Ameresco and whether Ameresco can reach agreement governing the project on favorable terms (or at all) and other factors discussed in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2021, filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on March 1, 2022. The forward-looking statements included herein represent our views as of the date hereof. We anticipate that subsequent events and developments will cause our views to change. However, while we may elect to update these forward-looking statements at some point in the future, we specifically disclaim any obligation to do so. These forward-looking statements should not be relied upon as representing our views as of any date subsequent to the date hereof. The award was received after December 31, 2021, but this award is not expected to have a material impact to Ameresco's financial results for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2022. Ameresco is evaluating the expected effect of the agreement on its future financial results and will provide an update on impact of this program as it is contracted over the coming years. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220329005416/en/ Contacts: Media: Ameresco: Leila Dillon, +1 508-661-2264, news@ameresco.com Vattenfall: Emily Faull, +447816060507, emily.faull@vattenfall.com City of Bristol: James Sterling, +447772441759, james.sterling@bristol.gov.uk Always available, always the right version, ready to be used at scale: More and more companies are aiming to introduce cloud-based data management to get data on the fly and make decisions based upon it. Now, Stibo Systems offers the solution for these enterprises: Data as a Service (DaaS). The Danish software company, a global leader with its innovative Multidomain Master Data Management (MDM) solutions, launches DaaS as a cloud-based data distribution service focused on the delivery of data to high-volume data-consuming applications. Through its configurable API and serverless architecture, Stibo Systems Multidomain MDM features a DaaS extension that delivers a near real-time version of master data. This data can be used for numerous applications like websites, call centers, and at the point of sale. "As a single, centralized master data service, the DaaS extension removes the need for companies to create multiple copies of data for each application to deliver data at scale to applications," explains Neda Nia, Chief Product Officer of Stibo Systems. "Our Data as a Service is offering always-on data delivery. The "as a service" also means that companies are not required to build an API to deliver the data. All this means that they save time for maintenance and don't need to worry about duplicate databases becoming inconsistent. Instead, they can just let their applications look up data synchronously or receive events on data asynchronously." One of the first companies to test the new Stibo Systems offering has been Danfoss, a leader in heating and cooling technology. "In Danfoss Digital Customer Experience we are applying an API-first strategy to all data integrations," explains Bent Werner Laursen, Head of Product Information Digital Asset Management at Danfoss. "Stibo Systems' DaaS will help us apply the API-first strategy to integrations for internal data consumers and, going forward, we will be able to offer our external data consumers the same smooth API integration. In the first project phase, DaaS will deliver real-time data synchronization to our B2B product store and our public product websites." About Stibo Systems Stibo Systems, the master data management company, is the trusted enabler of data transparency. Our solutions are the driving force behind forward-thinking companies around the world that have unlocked the strategic value of their master data. We empower them to improve the customer experience, drive innovation and growth and create an essential foundation for digital transformation. This gives them the transparency they require and desire a single, accurate view of their master data so they can make informed decisions and achieve goals of scale, scope and ambition. Stibo Systems is a privately held subsidiary of the Stibo A/S group, founded in 1794, and is headquartered in Aarhus, Denmark. More at stibosystems.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220329005692/en/ Contacts: Katherine Hahn Stibo Systems Public Relations Manager (North America) khah@stibosystems.com Cloud DX chosen as Virtual Care Platform for the Ontario Paramedical Service provider, replacing existing hardware and services KITCHENER, ON / ACCESSWIRE / March 29, 2022 / Cloud DX (TSXV:CDX)(OTCQX:CDXFF) is pleased to announce a new 24-month contract with an Ontario Paramedic Service Provider enabling the client to provide Remote Patient Monitoring (RPM) across its serviceable area. Cloud DX will provide its award-winning Connected Health platform and support the client as it transitions from its previous remote care tools to Cloud DX's Virtual Care Platform. The client showcases how beneficial 'Remote Care Monitoring' is for Paramedical Service providers, enabling providers to establish deeper community roots and maintain funding levels, while community members benefit from greater access to much-needed care. The client has purchased 223 Connected Health kits totalling ~$145,000 CAD with additional recurring fees for subscription software services. Funding for the program comes from the $82.5M Community Paramedicine for Long-Term Care program announced by the Ontario government on October 22, 2021. The Paramedical client will provide Cloud DX's biometric monitoring equipment to clients in their homes to monitor vital signs including weight, blood pressure, heart rate, oxygen level, temperature, and blood glucose. Daily monitoring allows the client and health care providers to make informed decisions and enables the Paramedic to connect with the client if a metric is out of range. The paramedical care provider seeks to keep individuals on the long-term care bed waitlist and individuals who are medically complex or isolated comfortable and safe in their homes. In turn, Remote Care Monitoring is expected to reduce 911 calls, emergency room visits, and hospital admissions. Cloud DX COO and co-founder, Anthony Kaul, states "At-home remote monitoring is critical to improving the health of vulnerable populations, such as community members with chronic conditions or seniors who wish to live independently for as long as possible. By bringing Remote Care Monitoring directly to the community our client is forging a new path in paramedicine. This modern approach improves community health and enables significantly earlier intervention for those with deteriorating health, in turn reducing hospitalizations. Cloud DX is well known for our high user satisfaction ratings, so we are confident this initiative will be well received by the community. Of course, with our Headquarters in Ontario, we're always extremely happy to support our neighbouring communities." About Cloud DX Accelerating virtual healthcare, Cloud DX is on a mission to make healthcare better for everyone. Our Connected Health TM remote patient monitoring platform is used by healthcare enterprises and care teams across North America to virtually manage chronic disease, enable aging in place, and deliver hospital-quality post-surgical care in the home. Our partners achieve better healthcare and patient outcomes, reduce the need for hospitalization or re-admission, and reduce healthcare delivery costs through more efficient use of resources. Cloud DX is the co-winner of the Qualcomm Tricorder XPRIZE, a 2021 Edison Award winner, a Fast Company "World Changing Idea" finalist, and was named a "New Innovator 2022" by Canadian Business magazine. Cloud DX is an exclusive virtual care partner to Medtronic Canada and Equitable Life. Cloud DX Investor Site https://ir.clouddx.com/overview/default.aspx Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Social Links Twitter https://twitter.com/CloudDX Facebook https://www.facebook.com/clouddxinc/ LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/cloud-dx/ Instagram https://www.instagram.com/cloud.dx/ For media inquiries please contact: Janine Scott Marketing Lead 888-543-0944 janine.scott@CloudDX.com For investor inquiries please contact: Jay Bedard Cloud DX Investor Relations 647-881-8418 jay.bedard@CloudDX.com SOURCE: Cloud DX Inc. View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/695075/Cloud-DX-Signs-Contract-with-Paramedical-Service-Provider-for-Remote-Patient-Monitoring Worldwide Partners and Members join in supporting their colleagues in need SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico, March 29, 2022has provided over $1 million in aid through its Ukrainian Relief program, giving direct economic assistance to its Ukrainian Partners and Members. In addition to the company donation, contributions have been received from fellow Partners, Members, and Employees worldwide. One hundred percent of these donations provide immediate financial support for Ukrainian colleagues to purchase food, secure transportation and lodging, buy medicine and other necessities. To ensure the money was dispersed immediately to those in need, the inCruises team worked around the clock to fulfill requests. "The foundation of inCruises is our valued Members and Partners in over 190 countries. We've come together to help our Ukrainian colleagues with urgent humanitarian support," said inCruises Co-CEO Frank Codina. "Our hearts are with everyone impacted by the war in Ukraine, and we admire all those trying to assist them. We pray for peace, love, and understanding." "We stand with the people of Ukraine as their lives are being torn apart. We applaud our colleagues' actions. We know our financial contributions and our team's efforts will directly help the people of Ukraine during this humanitarian crisis," said inCruises Co-CEO Michael Hutchison. About inCruises International Since launching its flagship membership in 2016, inCruises International has become the premier cruise membership club with Members and Partners in over 190 countries. inCruises is making a measurable difference in its Members' lives and is committed to ethically providing a business ownership opportunity to its growing Partner team. The company is also committed to positive global corporate citizenship by supporting Mercy Ships, 4Ocean, and the Make-a-Wish Foundation. To share the experience, please visit our Business and Membership opportunity at https://www.incruises.com . The "Deodorant and Antiperspirant Market, By Product Type, By Region Size, Share, Outlook, and Opportunity Analysis, 2021 2028" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. This report provides in-depth analysis of the deodorant and antiperspirant market, and provides market size (US$ Million Million Units) and compound annual growth rate (CAGR%) for the forecast period (2021-2028), considering 2020 as the base year Deodorant and antiperspirant are commonly confused with each other. However, they are actually two separate products. The purpose of a deodorant is to cover up bad smells from the body's sweat or perspiration and prevent body odor from being detected by others. The second class of deodorant, also known as antiperspirants, prevents sweating by blocking sweat pores themselves, usually by physically blocking sweat glands. Growing awareness regarding personal hygiene and increasing disposable income of the consumer is driving growth of the deodorant and antiperspirant market. Moreover, rapid urbanization and the increasing launch of the innovative product by key players to cater to growing demand is again fostering growth of the market. For instance, in February 2019, Unilever Launches Deodorant Wipes. Its new deodorant wipes offer people a smart way to stay feeling fresh as they go from one activity to the next. However, environmental concerns and slowdown of the economy due to pandemic is expected to restrict growth of the market. Key features of the study: It elucidates potential revenue opportunities across different segments and explains attractive investment proposition matrices for this market This study also provides key insights about market drivers, restraints, opportunities, new product launches or approval, market trends, regional outlook, and competitive strategies adopted by key players It profiles key players in the global deodorant and antiperspirant market based on the following parameters company highlights, products portfolio, key highlights, financial performance, and strategies Key companies covered as a part of this study include Unilever Company, Procter Gamble Company, Godrej Consumer Products Ltd., Beiersdorf AG, Avon Products Inc., Henkel AG Company, KGaA and CavinKare Pvt. Ltd. Insights from this report would allow marketers and the management authorities of the companies to make informed decisions regarding their future product launches, type up-gradation, market expansion, and marketing tactics The global deodorant and antiperspirant market report caters to various stakeholders in this industry including investors, suppliers, product manufacturers, distributors, new entrants, and financial analysts Stakeholders would have ease in decision-making through various strategy matrices used in analyzing the global deodorant and antiperspirant market Detailed Segmentation: Global Deodorant and Antiperspirant Market, By Product Type: Antiperspirant Aerosol Sticks or Solid Antiperspirants Roll On Deodorant Aerosol Sticks or Solid Antiperspirants Roll On Cream Wipe Deodorant Global Deodorant and Antiperspirant Market, By Region: North America Canada U.S. Europe U.K. France Germany Rest of Europe Asia Pacific China India ASEAN Australia Rest of Asia Pacific Latin America Brazil Argentina Mexico Rest of Latin America Middle East Africa By Sub-Region Middle East Africa Company Profiles Unilever Company Company Overview Product Portfolio Key Strategies Recent Developments Future Plans Procter Gamble Company Godrej Consumer Products Ltd. Beiersdorf AG Avon Products Inc Henkel AG Company, KGaA CavinKare Pvt Ltd. For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/xigixs View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220329005794/en/ Contacts: ResearchAndMarkets.com Laura Wood, Senior Press Manager press@researchandmarkets.com For E.S.T. Office Hours Call 1-917-300-0470 For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call 1-800-526-8630 For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900 Regulatory News: Ikonisys SA (ISIN Code: FR00140048X2 Mnemonic: ALIKO) (Paris:ALIKO), a company specializing in the early and accurate detection of cancerous diseases with a unique fully automated solution for medical analysis laboratories, announces its participation in the Investor Access forum in Paris on April 4, 2022. Alessandro Mauri, Chief Financial Officer of Ikonisys, will represent the company at this event. Investor Access events bring together more than 150 companies to foster and maintain strong relationships with investors. This will be an opportunity for Ikonisys to meet new investors but also to meet again with investors met during the IPO. For more information on Investor Access: click on this link About Ikonisys Ikonisys SA is a cell-based diagnostics company based in Paris (France), New Haven (Connecticut, USA) and Milan (Italy) specialized in the early and accurate detection of cancer. The company develops, produces and markets the proprietary Ikoniscope20 platform, a fully-automated solution designed to deliver accurate and reliable detection and analysis of rare and very rare cells. Ikonisys has received FDA clearance for several automated diagnostic applications, which are also marketed in Europe under CE certification. Through its breakthrough fluorescence microscopy platform, the company continues to develop a stream of new tests, including liquid biopsy tests based on Circulating Tumor Cells (CTC). For further information, please go to www.Ikonisys.com Disclaimer This press release contains forward-looking statements about the Company's prospects and development. These statements are sometimes identified by the use of the future tense, the conditional tense and forward-looking words such as "believe", "aim to", "expect", "intend", "estimate", "believe", "should", "could", "would" or "will" or, where appropriate, the negative of these terms or any other similar variants or expressions. This information is not historical data and should not be construed as a guarantee that the facts and data set forth will occur. This information is based on data, assumptions and estimates considered reasonable by the Company. It is subject to change or modification due to uncertainties relating to the economic, financial, competitive and regulatory environment. This information contains data relating to the Company's intentions, estimates and objectives concerning, in particular, the market, strategy, growth, results, financial situation and cash flow of the Company. The forward-looking information contained in this press release is made only as of the date of this press release. The Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking information contained in this press release, except as required by applicable law or regulation. The Company operates in a competitive and rapidly changing environment and therefore cannot anticipate all of the risks, uncertainties or other factors that may affect its business, their potential impact on its business or the extent to which the materialization of any one risk or combination of risks could cause results to differ materially from those expressed in any forward-looking information, it being recalled that none of this forward-looking information constitutes a guarantee of actual results. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220329005755/en/ Contacts: Ikonisys Alessandro Mauri CFO investors@ikonisys.com NewCap Olivier Bricaud Louis-Victor Delouvrier Investor Relations Ikonisys@newcap.eu Tel.: +33 (0)1 44 71 94 92 NewCap Nicolas Merigeau Media Relations Ikonisys@newcap.eu Tel.:+33 (0)1 44 71 94 98 Experienced Digital Executive to Drive Next Phase of XWP's Global Growth Plans MELBOURNE, Australia, March 29, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- XWP, a global web development provider, announces the appointment of Myles Lagolago-Craig as its new global chief executive. Lagolago-Craig will guide Melbourne-headquartered XWP in its mission to tackle the biggest technological challenges in digital publishing, onboard digital and engineering talent from around the globe, and enable the business' industry-leading clients to tell their story in new and exciting ways. The experienced digital leader has worked at News Corp Australia for the past 20 years and served as the Director of Publishing Technology and Services since June 2020. During his tenure, he led the development of the platforms that enabled some of Australia's most high-traffic websites, including brands such as news.com.au, Fox Sports, and The Australian. He also delivered the largest WordPress enterprise installation in Australia to more than 15 News Corp websites, involving more than 1,000 internal staff. Lagolago-Craig was also responsible for the development of numerous technical projects with key partners including Google, Facebook and Apple. Speaking on the appointment, founder of XWP Dave Rosen said, "For some time now, we've been looking at taking XWP to the next level and, after a period of unprecedented growth, we're delighted to have Myles on board as CEO. The breadth of his experience really speaks for itself, having worked on some amazing projects that have dramatically shaped the landscape of the web over the course of his career. I look forward to XWP's continued growth under his direction." "The global talent at XWP combined with the world-leading projects we deliver around the world for great brands is why I'm excited to be joining XWP as CEO," says Lagolago-Craig. "The opportunity is to build on the phenomenal growth over the past few years, bring my passion for scaling high-performing digital teams, and continue XWP's commitment to building an open and performant web." Lagolago-Craig said he was looking forward to the challenge of accelerating the growth of XWP, founded in 2013 by Dave Rosen. The company has employees in more than 30 countries, and its customers include notable brands such as Automattic, Rolling Stone, Google,and many more. "I have worked with XWP as a partner for many years and I have always been impressed with their culture and expertise in digital publishing," said Lagolago-Craig. "Storytelling has never been more important for brands and publishers. Enterprises rely on experts to navigate this at scale and this is what XWP is positioned for." About XWP XWP is a fully remote web agency, with a team of experts around the globe. Together, they work with the biggest names in technology, publishing, and media to make storytelling easier with modern editorial tools, improve ownership through cleverly personalized workflows, boosting conversions with lightning-fast user experiences. Through the power of reliable tooling, and the elimination of technical debt, XWP helps businesses to own their platform and their goals, smashing KPIs and enabling their digital teams to go further. As outspoken advocates for the open web, they actively contribute to a number of the technologies that underpin their offering. With a team of experienced experts spanning every touchpoint of the development lifecycle, they create digital opportunities that have an international impact. For more information about how XWP is creating the tools for businesses to do more, visit www.xwp.coor follow @XWP on Linkedinand Twitterfor the latest news and updates. Contact Information for further comments or an interview with a representative from XWP: Scott Batchelor scott.batchelor@xwp.co Related Images Image 1: Myles Lagolago-Craig XWP, a global web development provider, has announced the appointment of Myles Lagolago-Craig as its new global Chief Executive. This content was issued through the press release distribution service at Newswire.com. Attachment CAMBRIDGE, MA / ACCESSWIRE / March 29, 2022 / IIOT-OXYS, Inc. (OTC PINK:ITOX) (the "Company") announces the execution of a Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) with an EU based Electrical Technology Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM). This NDA is the first step of the engagement process with this strategic partner. "This private EU-based OEM has a decades-long reputation for supplying high quality electrical & electronic components and systems for the automation industry. They are an excellent technology partner candidate for our Smart Manufacturing industry business. This potential partner has interesting power sensing technology combined with integrated edge-based computing capability that is particularly suited for distributed AI and Machine Learning enabled Smart Manufacturing applications," Cliff Emmons, CEO of the Company, stated. Several business texts and industry reports on AI & Machine Learning propose they are transforming all industries and all functions within corporations. It's also creating a new generation of corporate leaders and laggards. The leaders have similar best practices, such as focusing on similar use cases, including Predictive Maintenance and Process Optimization in their Manufacturing Operations. "Our goal is to democratize these business accelerators for small and medium sized enterprises in the Biotech, Pharma, and Medical Device industries, and their associated supply chains," stated Mr. Emmons. The worldwide Industry 4.0 market was estimated at $64.9 billion in 2021 and is expected to grow at 20.6% CAGR to $165.5 billion by 2026.1 "Our success in this market will come from leveraging sensor and edge computing technology from partners like this, combined with our proprietary AI and Machine Learning algorithms. In the coming months we'll explore prototype evaluations and collaborate on specifications for commercial versions with this potential technology partner. With our strong technology & business partnerships, successful pilots and use cases, and extensive network and prospects, we expect these agreements and new technology will lead to new business in due time," continued Mr. Emmons. 1https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/industry-4-market-102536746.html About IIOT-OXYS, Inc. IIOT-OXYS, Inc. (OTC PINK: ITOX) is a technology company at the intersection of IIoT, AI & Machine Learning, Edge Computing and Manufacturing Operations. We provide actionable mission-critical insights for the Medical/Pharmaceutical, Manufacturing, Agriculture, Defense, and Structural Health, and other industries. IIOT-OXYS's edge computing open-source hardware and proprietary ML algorithms employ our Minimally Invasive Load Monitoring (MILM) technology to simply gather data and gain insights to monitor, scope, move from preventive to predictive maintenance, and even optimize development and manufacturing processes. For additional information visit www.oxyscorp.com. Forward-Looking Statements This news release contains forward-looking statements that reflect Management's current views about future events and financial performance. Forward-looking statements often contain words such as 'expects,' 'anticipates,' 'intends,' or 'believes.' Our forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results and events to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. Risks and uncertainties that could adversely affect us include, without limitation, the loss of major customers, our failure to obtain new contracts, our inability to patent products or processes, our infringement of patents held by others, our inability to finance our business and the other risks and uncertainties that are discussed in our most recent filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The forward-looking statements in this news release are made only as of the date of this news release. We undertake no obligation to update our forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Contact Information: IIOT-OXYS Inc. Clifford L. Emmons CEO contact@oxyscorp.com www.oxyscorp.com SOURCE: IIoT-OXYS Inc. View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/695091/IIOT-OXYS-Inc-Signs-NDA-with-EU-Electrical-Technology-Original-Equipment-Manufacturer Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid (L) welcomes Bahraini Foreign Minister Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani in Sde Boker, southern Israel's Negev desert, on March 27, 2022. (Ilan Assayag/JINI via Xinhua) The first gathering of Israel-Arab foreign ministers has helped boost Israel's ties with certain Arab countries as they share concerns about reviving the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, said experts. by Tamara Traubmann-Santos JERUSALEM, March 29 (Xinhua) -- The first gathering of Israel-Arab foreign ministers has helped boost Israel's ties with certain Arab countries as they share concerns about reviving the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, said experts. The two-day conference that ended on Monday brought together Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid and his counterparts from four Arab states, including the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain, Morocco and Egypt, to the Israeli resort of Sde Boker in the southern Negev desert. "What we are doing here is making history. Building a new regional architecture based on progress, technology, religious tolerance, security, and intelligence cooperation," said Lapid, who initiated the meeting which was also attended by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken. Lapid announced that the conference would become a yearly event in the future, hosted by the participating countries in turns every year. Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid (L) welcomes Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry in Sde Boker, southern Israel's Negev desert, on March 27, 2022. (Ilan Assayag/JINI via Xinhua) "Just a few years ago, this gathering would be impossible to imagine," Blinken said, hailing the meeting as the latest indication of how the new ties could expand across the region. UAE Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan praised the strengthened ties between his country and Israel. "If we are curious sometimes, and we want to know things and learn, it's because although Israel has been part of this region for a very long time, we've not known each other. So it's time to catch up," he said. LANDMARK MEETING "The most important achievement of the summit was the fact that it took place," said Yoel Guzansky, a senior research fellow at the Institute for National Security Studies, a Tel Aviv-based think tank. When Israel signed in 2020 the U.S.-brokered Abraham Accords with the UAE and Bahrain, and later with Morocco, it was unclear how substantial the ties could be. In less than two years, the first summit of top diplomats became a symbol of unity. Egypt, the first Arab state which signed a peace treaty with Israel in 1979, also took part in the conference, though Jordan, the second Arab state which made peace with Israel in 1994, was absent. Jordan declined the invitation. During the six-party conference, Jordanian King Abdullah II chose to visit Ramallah in the occupied West Bank to meet Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, underscoring his solidarity with the Palestinians. Guzansky said that the conference highlighted the "importance of Israel" in the region and sent signals to Israel's enemies, mainly Iran, Hezbollah in Lebanon, and Hamas which rules the Palestinian enclave of Gaza Strip. Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid (L) welcomes Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita in Sde Boker, southern Israel's Negev desert, on March 27, 2022. (Ilan Assayag/JINI via Xinhua) He noted that the regional defense system, which is "gradually being built," is heavily reliant on Israel and the Gulf Arab countries. "However, there are pieces missing in this puzzle -- mainly Saudi Arabia, which is unlikely to normalize ties with Israel before the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is resolved," Guzansky said. EMERGING NUCLEAR DEAL Israel initiated the gathering amid tensions between the U.S. and its Middle Eastern allies. Israel and the Gulf Arab countries share concerns over the possible revival of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, under which the U.S. eased sanctions in exchange for Iran's commitment to curb its nuclear program. The previous U.S. administration under President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew from the pact in 2018 and reimposed sanctions on Iran. However, the current U.S. government under President Joe Biden seeks to restore the deal through talks held in the Austrian capital of Vienna. The Vienna talks, which have been held for eight rounds so far, are reportedly nearing an agreement. Israel, Iran's arch foe in the region, has been steadfast against renewing the deal, fearing that it would enable Iran to obtain nuclear weapons without the burden of U.S. sanctions. In a bid to soothe the worries of Israel and Arab states, Blinken vowed that the U.S. will continue to work together with its allies to confront "common security challenges and threats, including those from Iran and its proxies." Ori Goldberg, an Israeli expert on Iran from the Lauder School of Government, Diplomacy and Strategy at the Reichman University in Herzliya, said that the U.S. intention to restore the nuclear deal prompted Israel to hold the meeting. Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid (R) welcomes Foreign Minister of the United Arab Emirates Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan in Sde Boker, southern Israel's Negev desert, on March 27, 2022. (Ilan Assayag/JINI via Xinhua) "Israel wants a gesture of keeping the option for a regional action (against Iran)," Goldberg said, adding that Israel practically has no tangible support for such an action as the conference issued no clear statement on the Iranian issue. Chen Kertcher, a lecturer in the Department of Middle Eastern Studies at the Ariel University in the West Bank, said the meeting came amid growing discontent between the U.S. and Gulf Arab countries. Gulf Arab countries wish to receive more support from the U.S. in countering the attacks from the Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen, while Washington urges them to produce more oil to calm the oil market following the Russia-Ukraine conflict, said Kertcher. So far, the Gulf Arab states, mainly Saudi Arabia and the UAE which boast spare capacity, have given Washington the cold shoulder by refusing to abruptly increase oil output. Instead, they insist on sticking to the plan for slowly increasing oil production as set by the OPEC+, of which Russia is a part. Guzansky believed that, in view of the rising tensions, Israel "is emerging as the go-between for the United States and Gulf countries." Finsbury Growth & Income Trust Plc - Transaction in Own Shares For immediate release 29 March 2022 FINSBURY GROWTH & INCOME TRUST PLC (the "Company") MARKET PURCHASE OF COMPANY'S OWN SHARES The Company announces that it has today purchased 25,000 of its own shares ("Ordinary Shares") at a price of 840.82p per Ordinary Share. Such shares will be held in treasury by the Company. The transaction was made pursuant to the authority granted at the Annual General Meeting of the Company held on 9 February 2022. Following this transaction, the total number of Ordinary Shares held by the Company in treasury is 1,560,421; the total number of Ordinary Shares that the Company has in issue, less the total number of Ordinary Shares held by the Company in treasury following such purchase, and therefore, the total number of voting rights in the Company is 223,430,882. The figure of 223,430,882 may be used by shareholders as the denominator for calculations of interests in the Company's voting rights in accordance with the FCA's Disclosure Guidance and Transparency Rules. For and on behalf of Frostrow Capital LLP Company Secretary For further information, please contact: Victoria Hale Frostrow Capital LLP Tel: 020 3 170 8732 ODD follows positive results in two compassionate use cases Published data from compassionate use cases demonstrated for the first time that bio-HDL therapy can reduce lipid deposits in the kidney, slow the decline of kidney function while eliminating the need for dialysis, beneficially remodel lipoproteins, and improve visual impairment due to corneal lipid deposits Orphan designation provides a new strategy for clinical development of bio-HDL in kidney diseases and ophthalmologic diseases in the US Regulatory News: ABIONYX Pharma (FR0012616852 ABNX PEA PME eligible) (Paris:ABNX), a new generation biotech company dedicated to the discovery and development of innovative therapies for patients, today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted orphan-drug designation (ODD) to the Bio-HDL CER-001 for the treatment of lecithin-cholesterol acyltransferase (LCAT) deficiency. The designation covers both partial LCAT deficiency, presenting as Fisheye Disease, and complete LCAT deficiency presenting with renal symptoms and corneal opacities. Progression of LCAT deficiency, for which there is no approved treatment, can ultimately lead to renal failure requiring dialysis or kidney transplant, and/or to complete corneal opacification requiring transplant. The European Medicines Administration (EMA) granted ODD status to CER-001 for the treatment of LCATdeficiency in July 2021. Positive clinical results from CER-001 in LCAT disease have previously been published. In the Annals of Internal Medicine in March 2021, a case study of a patient who was about to undergo dialysis due to the rapid decline in renal function was described. The patient was able to avoid the need for dialysis during her treatment with CER-001 and in addition, lipid deposits in her corneas which had caused significant visual blurring, improved with treatment. The improvement in visual function was still observed after 1 year of follow-up. A second case was described in the Journal of Internal Medicine in November 2021 and showed that CER-001 reduced glomerular lipid deposits and slowed the patient's decline in renal function. Furthermore, CER-001 remodeled his plasma lipoproteins by reducing the level of LpX, large abnormal lipid complexes known to be renally toxic. "We are pleased to have received ODD for CER-001 just eight months after the ODD in Europe and one week after the first positive clinical results in COVID-19. These OD designations from the FDA underscore the importance of bringing this important therapeutic option to patients with LCAT Deficiency both as a kidney disease and as an ophthalmic disease," commented Cyrille TUPIN, CEO of ABIONYX Pharma. "We look forward to presenting new clinical results in the coming months and providing additional insight into the potential of our Bio-HDL therapy platform in both kidney diseases and ophthalmologic diseases. The ODD paves the way for ABIONYX Pharma to launch a new strategic clinical development of the bio-HDL in kidney diseases and ophthalmologic diseases in the US." Orphan-drug designation is granted by the FDA to a drug or biologic intended to treat a rare disease or condition, which generally includes a disease or condition that affects fewer than 200,000 individuals in the U.S. Supporting the development and evaluation of new treatments for rare diseases is a key priority for the FDA. The designation is granted based on the mechanism of action of the drug or biologic taken into consideration with the pathogenesis of the disease or condition, its course and prognosis as well as the availability of treatments and/or resistance to available treatments. Orphan drug designation qualifies sponsors for incentives including: tax credits for qualified clinical trials, exemption from user fees, and a potential for seven years of market exclusivity after approval. Next financial press release : Annual Results, April 28th 2022 About the Bio-HDL CER-001 CER-001 is the first-in-class bio-HDL mimetic that directly targets a key underlying metabolic defect of LCAT deficiency. The bio-HDL is one of the most advanced biomedicines and is a potential novel treatment for kidney diseases, sepsis or COVID-19, but also for ophthalmologic diseases involving lipid abnormalities. These abnormalities could be modified by pharmacological agents that increase plasma ApoA-I and HDL levels, but more importantly increase the number of functional HDL. The antiinflammatory properties and/or the increase in the Reverse Cholesterol Transport (RCT) of CER-001 can prevent decline in kidney function and improve vision in LCAT patients. Bio-HDL as a biomedicine was found to be completely safe and very well tolerated by more than 600 patients involved in all previous clinical studies. About ABIONYX Pharma ABIONYX Pharma is a new generation biotech company that aims to contribute to health through innovative therapies in indications where there is no effective or existing treatment, even the rarest ones. Thanks to its partners in research, medicine, biopharmaceuticals and shareholding, the company innovates on a daily basis to propose drugs for the treatment of renal and ophthalmological diseases, or new HDL vectors used for targeted drug delivery. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220329005838/en/ Contacts: NewCap Investor relations Louis-Victor Delouvrier abionyx@newcap.eu +33 (0)1 44 71 98 53 NewCap Media relations Arthur Rouille abionyx@newcap.eu +33 (0)1 44 71 00 15 Now accepting nominations of homegrown business leaders in the Gulf who perform well in the media Supported by the Dubai chapters of the Asia Pacific Association of Communications Directors (APACD), and the Public Relations Communications Association (PRCA) DUBAI and MANAMA, Bahrain, March 29, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Exceptional and impactful storytelling and communication skills are being recognised through a new award. The Media Savvy Awards will recognise business leaders within the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) for their excellent traditional and new media skills. The Awards recognise GCC business leaders who take a proactive, strategic and targeted approach, and deliver their message with impact and clarity. It showcases best practice examples of customer, shareholder, staff, supplier and other stakeholder communication. "We want to recognise those business leaders who through their presentation style are able to attain and retain their audience's attention, and inspire them to act, interact and transact," said Mark Laudi, Awards Convenor, former CNBC anchor and Managing Director of Hong Bao Media. The Media Savvy Awards are endorsed and supported by the Dubai Chapters of the Asia Pacific Association of Communications Directors (APACD), and the Public Relations Communications Association (PRCA). "You cannot lead in a communications vacuum, and we must recognize and applaud executives who are able to communicate effectively with the public and other key stakeholders," said Alex Malouf, APACD's Gulf Co-Chair and PRCA MENA Board Member. "The Media Savvy Awards are an opportunity for the industry to push home the message that clear, impactful communications helps organizations build relationships and fosters trust. "We should encourage executives and officials to better communicate with their stakeholders, especially in a region where everyone is online and always looking to engage with brands and organizations," he said. The Awards are celebrating their fifth year in Singapore and Malaysia, adding a new Best Webcast/Hybrid Event Presentation category, in line with the changing times. "As economies reopen post-COVID, communication skills are now more important than ever. We forecast senior business leaders will not go back to an offline environment, presenting only to audiences physically present before them - nor are they going to remain in a purely virtual environment where they speak to audiences only through a video conferencing platform. We will see a hybrid model emerge where both face to face and virtual communication skills are essential," Mr Laudi said. "Storytelling skills, the ability to inspire and motivate as well as crisis communications will be critical as this hybrid environment poses even more challenges for senior business leaders." "Our new category of Best Webcast/Hybrid Event Presentation recognises those business leaders who retain the attention of both in-person and virtual audiences, and get their message across." This is in addition to the existing criteria of Best Broadcast Interview for interviews first carried on traditional radio and television stations, and Best Online Interview for interviews posted on the websites and channels of online-only and traditional print publications. "Internal communications, sales briefings, and conference presentations have all moved to video conferencing platforms. Together with virtual Annual General Meetings, live webcasting has become the norm and brought exceptional talent to the fore," Mr Laudi concluded. Nominations are now open at www.mediasavvyawards.com until Saturday, April 30, 2022. Video resources: Past winners include Tony Fernandes , CEO of AirAsia, who gave this interview to accept the award: https://vimeo.com/658053737/59ce020d34 Ms Maryam AlJowhari (+973) 3689 8916 maryam.aljowhari@mediasavvyawards.com Mr Mishal AlNajjar (+973) 3384 5638 mishal.alnajjar@mediasavvyawards.com Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1774364/Mark_Laudi_Studio_2019.jpg Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1774363/Alex_Malouf_high_res.jpg Christchurch, New Zealand--(Newsfile Corp. - March 29, 2022) - The Ruby Play Network is pleased to announce the launch of staking and farming opportunities for the RUBY token, in partnership with blockchain gaming counterparts - Strawberry. The $RUBY token can now be staked and farmed through a variety of third party platforms, with attractive APR and APY available, depending on number of coins, staked terms and the users' staking platform of choice. At time of writing, the current APY for Rubies on ApeSwap is 281%. The partnership with Strawberry allows for defi and blockchain gaming opportunities to be realised, with Strawberry providing liquidity to all DeFi markets. With how compliant the initial RUBY private sale needed to be, the opening of DeFi markets through Strawberry provides further passive income options for investors, without the Ruby Play Network offering the staking facility directly. Ruby Play Network partner Strawberry launches Staking & Farming Options To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/8342/118490_7b75eae0548aeaee_001full.jpg Ruby Vault, ApeSwap & ACY: RUBY Staking Options The $RUBY token is a decentralized cryptocurrency that relies on Proof-of-Stake consensus in order to facilitate the movement of money on the blockchain. Therefore, staking tokens can be a way for investors to "lock" up their tokens for a chosen period of time, and earn crypto rewards based on the amount of transactions their tokens have helped facilitate. The Ruby Vault provides a staking option within the platform interface. Users are given the ability to connect their chosen wallet, and then choose from a variety of staking periods. There are a few options available here, with staking APY doubled for the first 30 days on the platform. Further staking periods of 90, 180 and 360 days can be selected in line with user choice. Although the terms are in place, users can unstake at any time with complete flexibility. ApeSwap Finance, provides more a "degen" option, with some decent APYs available through its Jungle Farms. Using these options, users can either stake RUBY tokens, or LPs. In terms of centralized exchanges, Bitrue is offering 8% APR through its PowerPiggy proposition - allowing users of the CEX to stake a certain amount of RUBY per day before the cap is fulfilled. The 8% APR offered on Bitrue is one of the highest APR's amongst the staking offerings on Bitrue Power Piggy at present. Why does Strawberry provide Staking and Farming for $RUBY? Whilst having a plethora of crypto casino-style games and features ready-to-play, Strawberry Sweeps is also a vital partner to the Ruby Play Network within DeFi markets. When looking at compliance, and particularly, securities offerings, a lot of legal precedent whereby projects are caught foul of securities law is due to direct staking offerings. Think Coinbase Lend, whereby the platform itself offered the staking facility. Enter Strawberry, who have provided liquidity to both PancakeSwap and Apeswap, in order to give further accessibility to the $RUBY token. This allows the Ruby Play Network to comply with the New Zealand Government rules, as it does not directly offer staking of its token. Strawberry purchased a large amount of RUBYs, with the view to then use these RUBYs as liquidity for DeFi markets. Post Launch Plans for the Network Since its launch on the 15th of March, the $RUBY token has seemingly found support at around the 0.0068 mark. Going forward, major focus will be placed into establishing daily utility of the $RUBY token - outside just buying and selling. The staking and farming options should be just the start, with further gaming options including the rollout of Strawberry Sweeps to international markets - soon to take place. In line with this, the website will be refreshed with user-focused content, moving away from the institutional and platform-based messaging from months prior. New pages for staking, farming, how to buy, and a complete homepage redesign are soon-to-be released, as driving holders and volume is now the main aim. Notable success has already been achieved in a short time, with the Ruby Play Network now appearing on Page 1 of Google Search for "Play To Earn" searches. The Ruby Play Network will soon be upgraded to feature new games, some P2E and some pay to play, as the proposition looks to increase its gaming offering to international markets. Twitter: https://twitter.com/RubyPlayNetwork Telegram: https://t.me/RPNDiscuss_Public Discord: https://discord.com/invite/dr3tntuwNh Media Contact: Liam Quinlan-Stamp info@coinpresso.io To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/118490 Researchers to receive mentoring support from AstraZeneca Life science researchers can explore new ideas for genome engineering technology through a newly announced post-doctoral research program launched by Promega with mentoring support from AstraZeneca. The program gives researchers the unique opportunity to work on groundbreaking projects in an emerging field while collaborating with scientists at a global pharmaceutical company and a manufacturer of life science research tools. "At AstraZeneca we are committed to accelerating innovation in targeted genome editing," says Steve Rees, Vice President of Discovery Biology at AstraZeneca. "As part of our mentoring role in this exciting post-doctoral research program, we will welcome researchers to our labs who combine natural curiosity with technical ability to generate fresh ideas and challenge the way things are traditionally done." Genome editing is a powerful tool for studying endogenous biology in physiologically relevant systems. With access to the genome editing capabilities of AstraZeneca and the bioluminescent reporter technology at Promega, these researchers will aim to develop new technologies for understanding and modulating cellular physiology in a multitude of clinically significant cellular backgrounds. Their work will support global efforts to detect, cure and treat disease. Initially the researchers will collaborate to develop the technology recently published by Perterka et al., in Nature Communicationsto enable the highly efficient precise insertion of DNA sequences into the genome, expanding into other aspects of genome engineering as the projects progress (Nat. Comms 13, 1240; 2022). "These researchers will enhance our ability to look inside living cells," says Thomas Machleidt, Director of Research in the Promega Advanced Technologies Group. "We're thrilled to invest directly in people dedicated to outcomes beneficial to science and human health. The collaborative approach allows us to leverage our respective strengths alongside our colleagues at AstraZeneca and provide unparalleled access to tools and expertise that will expand what is possible with genome editing." The researchers will begin their work with the Genome Engineering team at the AstraZeneca R&D Center in Gothenburg, Sweden. They will later move to the Kornberg Center in Madison, Wisconsin to join the Advanced Technologies Group at Promega. Applications are open for the first position, Postdoc Fellow Development of advanced genome editing methods at AstraZeneca. About Promega Corporation Promega Corporation is a leader in providing innovative solutions and technical support to the life sciences industry. The company's portfolio of over 4,000 products support a range of life science work across areas such as cell biology; DNA, RNA and protein analysis; drug development; human identification and molecular diagnostics. For over 40 years these tools and technologies have grown in their application and are used today by scientists and technicians in labs for academic and government research, forensics, pharmaceuticals, clinical diagnostics and agricultural and environmental testing. Promega is headquartered in Madison, WI, USA with branches in 16 countries and over 50 global distributors. For more information, visit www.promega.com View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220329005881/en/ Contacts: Penny Patterson VP, Corporate Affairs Promega Corporation Phone: (608) 274-4330 E-mail: penny.patterson@promega.com Regulatory News: Pershing Square Holdings, Ltd. (LN:PSH) (LN:PSHD) (NA:PSH) (the "Company") today issued the PSH annual report and financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2021, which are now available on PSH's website, https://www.pershingsquareholdings.com/company-reports/financial-statements/. PSH also announced that its Annual General Meeting of Shareholders ("AGM") will be held on Thursday, May 5, 2022, at 9:00 AM BST. Although the States of Guernsey removed all travel restrictions on February 17, 2022, visitors to Guernsey are still advised to test before travel, and there are reporting and isolation requirements should one develop symptoms or test positive for COVID-19 while in Guernsey. The board of directors of PSH therefore encourages shareholders to submit proxy votes in electronic form. The results of the voting will be announced as soon as practicable after the conclusion of the AGM. At the AGM, shareholders will consider the receipt of the annual report and the financial statements, the renewal of PSH's share buy-back authority, the re-appointment of PSH's auditor, the approval to disapply pre-emption rights for any share issuance of 10% or less, and the re-election of PSH's current directors. The specific resolutions can be found in the Notice of Annual General Meeting available on PSH's website, https://www.pershingsquareholdings.com/company-reports/notices-shareholders/. About Pershing Square Holdings, Ltd. Pershing Square Holdings, Ltd. (LN:PSH) (LN:PSHD) (NA:PSH) is an investment holding company structured as a closed-ended fund. Category: (PSH:FinancialReporting) This is a disclosure according to Article 17 of the EU Market Abuse Regulation (Regulation 596/2014/EU). The document will shortly be available for inspection on the National Storage Mechanism website: https://data.fca.org.uk/#/nsm/nationalstoragemechanism. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220328005888/en/ Contacts: Media Camarco Ed Gascoigne-Pees Julia Tilley +44 (0)20 3781 8339, media-pershingsquareholdings@camarco.co.uk SHENZHEN, China, March 29, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- ICCPP, producer of the globally renowned vape brand VOOPOO, and a global leader in vaping technology solutions, has announced it will invest CNY200 million to upgrade its factory automation this year. Building on current automatic production strengths, ICCPP's investment will bolster the upgrade and transformation of equipment automation while integrating advanced technologies, new materials, streamlined processes and refreshed standards. This strategic investment is based on ICCPP's long-term development plans to promote the development of diversified cooperation with customers. At the same time, it is also a symbol of pushing ICCPP's modern manufacturing strengths to even greater heights. The Company's factory automation construction upgrade will create an efficient and high-quality "ICCPP Intelligent Production System." The investment will be used to realize automatic production for the whole chain, covering multiple automatic production lines, while eliminating ineffective labor and waste, and excessive production. Resources will be fully and effectively utilized, costs will be significantly reduced, and quality will continue to improve. ICCPP hopes to bring higher quality products and services to market and strives to reach the top level of the industry within six months. ICCPP's existing smart factory that covers a total area of over 120,000 square meters is equipped with six production workshops, top-level production hardware and a Good Manufacturing Practices(GMP) standard production environment. This is supported by a 7S management model, an ISO9001 quality management system, integrating an advanced supply chain software system, so as to realize quality traceability and intelligent control of the complete production process. ICCPP has full ownership of its advanced R&D technology, strong manufacturing capacity, product design, and sales and service system and is a top science and technology enterprise in China and a key manufacturing enterprise. It ranks among the top 300 manufacturing enterprises in Guangdong Province, China, together with Huawei, GREE, Foxconn and other enterprises. VOOPOO has also won "best brand" and "best pod" awards. Presently, ICCPP has a complete set of industry-leading disposable vaping solutions including automation of the atomizer core and coated cotton, automated atomizer assembly, and outer box packaging automation. ICCPP's Disposable product has attracted a lot of attention in the market as it adopts VOOPOO's Mod products' unique production technology, and successfully transfers the ultimate taste of VOOPOO's Mod products to the Disposable product. Additionally, the Pod system and GENE TREE Nano-Microcrystalline Ceramic Core also establishes a complete set of vaping solutions. About ICCPP ICCPP is a global technology group with nearly a decade of experience in technology research and development, product design, manufacturing, brand building and other fields. Its products and services are distributed in more than 70 countries and regions, with approximately 30 million users. Contact: Website: www.iccpp.com Email: odmbusiness@voopoo.com Address: 19/F, Block A, Coolpad Building, High-tech Industrial Park (North Zone), Nanshan District, Shenzhen Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1775611/VOOPOO_Vape_Brand_Owner_ICCPP.jpg Founded by Ukrainian-born London -based entrepreneur Irra Ariella Khi Volunteer-led organisation providing on-the-ground support, tech and operational expertise Sunflower will plug the gap in citizen access to urgent services and aid LONDON, March 29, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Tech entrepreneurs, tech investors and creative industry leaders have come together to launch Sunflower Relief, a not-for-profit social enterprise founded to provide essential humanitarian relief in Ukraine. Connecting the immediate needs of the Ukrainian people to the practical solutions at hand, the organisation is working to facilitate and link foreign aid looking for a way deeper into Ukraine, while supporting the current on-the-ground relief efforts. Spearheaded by Ukrainian-born, London-based entrepreneur Irra Ariella Khi, CEO of Zamna and backed by an extensive network of entrepreneurs, tech investors and organisations, Sunflower Relief is a grassroots, volunteer-led network focused on providing Ukrainian locals with humanitarian relief. Directing humanitarian relief more effectively Sunflower Relief aims to help direct and distribute Ukrainian humanitarian relief more effectively - from providing logistics assistance to foreign aid agencies trying to reach deeper into Ukraine beyond the border, to getting medical supplies, hygiene products, camping equipment and food out to the millions of citizens who remain stranded or displaced in a war zone, as the Russian invasion continues. To co-ordinate its efforts, the organisation has partnered with operations and logistics personnel in Ukraine to connect with local support organisations. Alongside this, it is organising a tech team of Ukrainians both on the ground, and abroad to source and share eyewitness accounts from citizens. This team will also moderate local language communication channels with real-time intelligence and information sharing. Elsewhere, Sunflower Relief is building a network of Ukrainian, Russian and Polish speakers to help coordinate the efforts between regions. It has already signed up more than 200 part-time, and four full-time volunteers based in Ukraine, London and across Europe. It is now on a global recruitment drive to encourage further Ukrainian and Russian speakers to join its network, particularly those who can commit six or more hours a day in its West London HQ, as well as recruiting dedicated full time support in order to ensure process integrity across the organisation, and effectively coordinate volunteer shifts. Irra Ariella Khi was compelled to launch Sunflower Relief after hearing about the challenges on the ground in a series of eyewitness accounts, since the day the war started, from her immediate family in Ukraine. She realised foreign organisations were struggling to communicate with local networks already serving their own communities, leading to unhelpful assumptions about the type of aid and direction of support needed. This was also causing logistical difficulties getting supplies beyond the border or major cities, and into the depths of Ukraine. "Most Ukrainians don't want to get up and leave," said Khi. "They've lived in these modern cities and built beautiful homes spending their lives in a culture they love, but with a lengthy and protracted conflict now highly likely, and with limited humanitarian corridors available, it's crucial they have immediate access to supplies, services and support in their precise location. "We're rapidly scaling our grassroots operation to ensure that this support doesn't just stop at the Ukrainian border, while we're also making a huge communications effort to ensure citizens understand how and where support can be accessed. This can only be achieved through a combination of local language capabilities, deep local networks and local knowledge." Collective action Sunflower Relief is backed by partners including Phoenix Court Works, Seedcamp, Point 9 Capital, Lightspeed Venture Partners, UKBAA, Firstminute Capital, Founders Forum and Accel. Commitments of more than 300,000 initial funding have been secured from companies and individuals across the tech sector, with more support coming from the creative and tech communities. Sherry Coutu, serial entrepreneur and tech investor; Samir Desai,founder of Funding Circle; Mei Wen founding partner at Yinvest, Check Warner partner at Ada Ventures, Ella Goldner co-founder and general manager at Zinc VC, Paul Murphy, partner at Lightspeed; Ben Marrel, managing partner at Breega, Jenny Tooth OBE chief executive at UKBAA, Lyuba Guk, founding partner of Blue Lake VC; Grace Cassy and Jonathan Luff cofounders at CyLon/Epsilon; Rajeeb Dey MBE CEO of Learnerbly; Gary Stewart, founder and CEO of FounderTribes and Brent Hoberman, co-founder and chairman at Founders Factory/Founders Forum are also supporting Sunflower, either financially or with resources and access to their networks. Sunflower Relief is currently speaking with other VCs and partners to secure additional financing for its operations. The organisation is also partnering with initiatives and events to augment its support efforts. The first of these initiatives was Night for Ukraine, a collaboration with Secret Cinema founder Fabien Riggall. Night for Ukraine was held at London's Roundhouse on Wednesday 9 March. The live event showcased artists from Ukraine and the wider world, with the aim of kickstarting an ongoing events programme that keeps humanitarian efforts top of mind in the months ahead. Irra Ariella Khi, CEO of Zamna and founder of Sunflower Relief says: "I felt a moral imperative to act when I heard first hand about how organisations were struggling to communicate with locals in Ukraine. If not me, then who? Through immediate family and the network of personal contacts on the ground, myself and the volunteers at Sunflower Relief are able to connect people in need with the organisations and groups best suited to help. This means that useful aid stands a chance of getting into the right hands. The grass-roots, local-level support Sunflower Relief can provide is there to complement the astounding and unrelenting work of the large aid agencies to ensure everyone who needs support gets access to it." Remus Brett, Partner at LocalGlobe & Latitude, says: "The impact Irra has made since the invasion began has been phenomenal. When you apply tech knowhow and an entrepreneurial mindset to a crisis, you can drive instant support to those who need it most. This is why I am so passionate about backing people like Irra and her network of partners, who have direct insight into what's happening on the ground, along with the necessary skills and connections to make an immeasurable difference. We're working to ensure Sunflower has the right people, operational prowess and grassroots connectivity to positively affect the lives of citizens across Ukraine. If we can provide one person with resources to get out of a war zone, or give supplies and shelter to one person whose home has been destroyed, then what we are doing is 100% worth it." Brent Hoberman, Executive chairman and co-founder, Firstminute Capital, says: "It is a privilege to be able to support founders delivering real impact, and rarely more so than in the case of Irra and the team of volunteers at Sunflower Relief, carrying out urgent work in Ukraine. We look forward to helping scale this with full support from Founders Forum and Firstminute capital." Anyone interested in joining Sunflower Relief as a volunteer or making a donation can contact Irra and her team at www.sunflower.in.ua or complete the Sunflower volunteer form at the following link. About Sunflower Relief Sunflower Relief is a London-headquartered not-for-profit social enterprise committed to connecting the immediate needs of Ukrainian locals with immediate local solutions, supplies and support. Through a 200+-strong volunteer network of operations and logistics personnel, translators, media and tech experts, and fundraisers, Sunflower Relief exists to align ongoing humanitarian efforts with the specific needs of citizens living in, or attempting to exit Ukraine. Sunflower Relief was founded by Ukrainian-born, London-based Irra Ariella Khi, an entrepreneur based in London. The organisation is supported by Phoenix Court Works, Seedcamp, Point9 and Founders Forum amongst others. More can be found at: www.sunflowerrelief.org Additional Quotes: Julia Morrongiello, Venture Partner at Point Nine said: "The Ukrainian humanitarian crisis is of utmost importance to the team at Point Nine. Sunflower has a key role to play in this context and we are proud to support it by committing our time and resources." The Seedcamp team added: "At this point in time, it is critical we leverage the resources of the entire startup community to assist those affected by the crisis. We are supportive of the effort led by Irra and her team to bring assistance to the Ukrainian people, and look forward to continuing to help where we can." Penny McCormick, CEO of MyHealthChecked Plc commented: "We were keen to help Irra in her efforts to support at ground level, and have seen from collaborating with Irra and the team how advanced digital platforms can create accessibility and connection at pace, and overcome significant logistical barriers. We are fully behind Irra and the team in supporting humanitarian relief at pace, whilst channelling funds and essential suppliers right into the heart of the community." Flair Airlines, Visit Tucson, and Tucson International Airport announce long-term partnership to connect more Canadians to Arizona Service to Tucson begins in November and December from five Canadian airports, including Edmonton, Fort McMurray, Lethbridge, Prince George, and Windsor The Tucson winter base furthers Flair's mission of providing affordable leisure travel to Canadians To celebrate its first week of sales, one-way fares on Flair flights to Tucson, including taxes and fees, begin at $99 EDMONTON, AB / ACCESSWIRE / March 29, 2022 / Flair Airlines, Canada's everyday low fare airline, is excited to announce a long-term partnership with Tucson, Arizona to connect underserved Canadian communities with affordable, non-stop, winter flights to sunshine and warmth. As the first step in the partnership, Flair will overnight an aircraft in Tucson next winter and today is opening sales for five new routes: Edmonton International Airport, Fort McMurray International Airport, Lethbridge Airport, Prince George Airport, and Windsor International Airport to Tucson International Airport. "Basing winter operations in Tucson, Arizona offers an exciting new option for Canadians. We know that Canadians in communities across the country will be keen to soak up the winter sun in Tucson. With consistent service for years to come, we think this is the beginning of an excellent yearly tradition for Canadians," said Garth Lund, Chief Commercial Officer, Flair Airlines. "For too long, many communities in Canada have been without service to warm weather destinations. Flair is looking forward to stimulating new demand with our everyday low fares." Tucson, Arizona "We are excited about the many benefits to our community through this relationship with Flair," said Danette Bewley, President and CEO of the Tucson Airport Authority. "Not only have we found a way to achieve a long-time goal of adding nonstop flights to and from Canada, TUS will be the only Arizona - or U.S., for that matter - destination from four of those airports. We look forward to welcoming and introducing Canadians to our beautiful region." Bewley added, "In addition to new air service, there is tremendous added economic potential for Southern Arizonans and Canadians to develop new connections and relationships." Edmonton, Alberta "Flair's continued growth and success is a great story for aviation and for the Edmonton Metropolitan Region. Adding another non-stop sunny destination and a US winter base in Tuscon is a great complement to Flair's headquarters at Edmonton International Airport," said Myron Keehn, Vice President, Air Service and Business Development, Edmonton International Airport. "Congratulations on your continued growth and we look forward to the service starting later this year." Fort McMurray, Alberta "This announcement is one we're extremely excited about, and are confident the community will be too," said RJ Steenstra, President & CEO, Fort McMurray Airport Authority. "We're pleased to welcome back Flair Airlines to YMM and will continue exploring new destination opportunities as we work to rebuild route capacity." Lethbridge, Alberta "The City of Lethbridge has been proactively investing in our Airport to position us for an opportunity just like this and we are thrilled to welcome Flair Airlines to our community," said Lethbridge Mayor Blaine Hyggen. "We've heard from our residents that they want a sun destination from the Lethbridge Airport and Arizona was one of the top places they want to visit. I'm excited for this new partnership and I'm certain this will be a hot ticket for all southern Albertans." Prince George, British Columbia "We are very excited to see this air service option for both Canadian and American travelers" says Prince George Airport Authority's President and CEO Gordon Duke. "Tucson offers a warm getaway for Canadians during the winter and also provides an opportunity for Americans to experience 'Bucket List' winter activities here in and around Prince George. We are looking forward to continuing to develop our relationship with Flair and connecting the world to our region." Windsor, Ontario "We are excited to welcome Flair Airlines to YQG - Windsor International Airport," said Mark Galvin, CEO, Windsor Airport "and are thrilled to add a direct flight from Windsor to the Sun Corridor of the United States." All flights to Tucson are non-stop and offer a quick and easy way to explore Arizona. There is no shortage of national parks, such as Saguaro National Park, and natural attractions to explore around Tucson, as well as vibrant nightlife and trendy restaurants. To celebrate its first week of sales, one-way fares on Flair flights to Tucson, including taxes and fees, begin at $99 from Edmonton, Fort McMurray, Lethbridge, Prince George, and Windsor. There are limited seats and availability for the fares. All routes are available for booking at https://www.flyflair.com. Flair looks forward to further connecting communities in Canada with non-stop service to exciting leisure destinations. Stay tuned as Flair releases further information about its upcoming winter schedule. About Flair Airlines Flair Airlines is Canada's leading low-fare airline and its greenest airline, on a mission to provide affordable air travel that connects them to the people and experiences they love. With an expanding fleet of Boeing 737 aircraft, Flair is growing to serve over 30 cities across Canada, the U.S., and Mexico. For more information, please visit www.flyflair.com. Media enquiries, please contact: Flair Airlines Jamina Kotak 780.887.9209 Jamina.kotak@flyflair.com New Winter Routes Tucson (TUS) - Edmonton (YEG): 2x weekly, effective November 30, 2022 - March 24, 2023 Tucson (TUS) - Fort McMurray (YMM): 2x weekly, effective November 30, 2022 - March 22, 2023 Tucson (TUS) - Lethbridge (YQL): 1x weekly, effective December 1, 2022 - March 23, 2023 Tucson (TUS) - Prince George (YXS): 1x weekly, effective December 2, 2022 - March 24, 2023 Tucson (TUS) - Windsor (YQG): 1x weekly, effective December 1, 2022 - March 23, 2023 SOURCE: Flair Airlines View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/695118/Flair-Airlines-Establishes-Winter-Base-in-Tucson-Arizona-Bringing-Non-Stop-Sun-at-Affordable-Prices-to-Underserved-Canadian-Markets HOUSTON, March 29, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Ascend Performance Materials has reached an agreement to acquire the compounding division of Formulated Polymers Limited, a leading engineered materials manufacturer in Chennai, India. This acquisition will establish Ascend's first manufacturing base in the subcontinent and strengthen Ascend's global reach in the electrical and e-mobility application space. The deal includes a world-scale manufacturing facility in Chennai as well as warehouses throughout India. Formulated Polymers, which has operated over three decades as a polyamide compounder in India, is currently a licensee of Ascend's Starflam flame-retardant polyamides. "Demand for our materials in India is strong and growing," said Phil McDivitt, Ascend's president and CEO. "The team at Formulated Polymers has built an excellent, diversified business with a proven track record of technology development in polyamides. We are excited to build on their expertise to drive additional value-added growth in India and beyond." Ascend, a fully integrated producer of durable engineered materials, has grown its global production footprint with five acquisitions over the last four years, each focused on specific synergies with the company's core business. This acquisition provides a significant growth opportunity for Ascend in India, one of the highest growth economies in the world. "Being customer-focused is one of our values," said John Saunders, Ascend's vice president for Europe, the Middle East, North Africa and India. "We look forward to supporting our customers in a fast-growing market by continuing to invest in capacity, technical resources and product development to meet their needs." The deal is expected to close on May 1, after receiving necessary approvals. Terms of the agreement were not disclosed. About Ascend Performance Materials Ascend Performance Materials makes high-performance materials for everyday essentials and new technologies. Our focus is on improving quality of life and inspiring a better tomorrow through innovation. Based in Houston, Texas, and with regional offices in Shanghai, Brussels and Detroit, we are a fully integrated material solutions provider with global manufacturing facilities in North America, Europe and Asia. Our 2,800-person global workforce makes the engineered materials, fabrics, fibers and chemicals used to make safer vehicles, cleaner energy, better medical devices, smarter appliances and longer-lasting apparel and consumer goods. We are committed to safety, sustainability, inclusion and diversity, and to the success of our customers and our communities. Learn more about Ascend at www.ascendmaterials.com. Contact: Alison Jahn, +1 713-210-9809 ajahn@ascendmaterials.com Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1775982/FPL_plant_crop.jpg Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1326397/ASCEND_Logo.jpg Washington should not dump Cold War garbage in the Pacific Ocean By Global Times editorial (Global Times) 09:38, March 29, 2022 Indo-Pacific Illustration: Liu Rui/GT The US and the Philippines kicked off their 12-day "shoulder-to-shoulder" joint exercises across the Luzon island on Monday, involving nearly 9,000 troops. This year's exercise is "one of the largest-ever iterations," the US Embassy in the Philippines said in a news release. In this regard, the US side is particularly excited. Maj. Gen. Jay Bargeron, 3rd Marine Division Commanding General, said the drills will "strengthen our response capabilities and readiness for real-world challenges." Western media said the exercises will "show off the two countries' strong defense ties in the face of growing Chinese assertiveness." But it was also noted that the Philippine side only emphasized the bilateral security relationship with the US before the exercise started. It is in stark contrast to the US' high-profile manner. This joint military exercise, which was announced long ago by the US and dubbed the "largest-ever" in history, has greater political significance than a military one. Before the pandemic, about 8,000 soldiers participated in the exercise in 2018. The figure was 7,500 in 2019. The number this year, 9,000, is thus not a breakthrough. It is however the first time in many years that the number of US military personnel (5,100) exceeds that of the Philippines (3,800). This mirrors US eagerness to stage a "big show" to make itself look good. The reason behind it is easy to understand. The US attempts to realize what Kurt Campbell, the US National Security Council's coordinator for Indo-Pacific affairs said: The US will keep its focus on the Indo-Pacific despite the Ukraine crisis. Yet as the situation in Ukraine has been stuck in a stalemate and the energy of the US is inevitably distracted by it, Washington can realize its so-called "focus" on the Indo-Pacific region through provoking controversial topics and launching joint military exercises, moves that are provocative at relative low cost. Washington is so good at such moves to fan the flame. From the "Asia-Pacific rebalancing strategy" under the Obama administration, to the "Indo-Pacific strategy" under the Trump and Biden administrations, Southeast Asia has been seen as a strategic pivot for the US to play geopolitics. But Washington simply does not understand the logic of development here. ASEAN countries have a larger population than the EU, but most of them have a weak economic base and face urgent development tasks, while some of them have not yet escaped from the turmoil. Their thirst for peace and development is overwhelming, which is highly compatible with China's attitude, but the opposite of the path the US takes. On the same day that the US-Philippine military exercises began, China announced that at the invitation of Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi, the foreign ministers of the Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand and Myanmar will each visit China between March 31 and April 3. Meanwhile, the US-ASEAN special summit, scheduled for March 28 in Washington, has been postponed indefinitely, with the White House unilaterally announcing the date and then changing the date proposed by ASEAN leaders again and again. It is not difficult to see who respects ASEAN countries, and who is using Southeast Asian countries as pawns. Since Ukraine crisis broke out, there are some voices of reflection in the Philippines. They argue that the country needs to avoid the fate of Ukraine, reject Washington's warmongering, and avoid at all costs becoming a "proxy" or a pawn of any major power to encircle another one. The recent situation in Ukraine is a warning to the rest of the world that the security of one country cannot be guaranteed at the expense of undermining security of others, and that regional security cannot be guaranteed by strengthening or even expanding military blocs. Asian countries are not willing to repeat the troubles Washington made in Europe. Peace and stability in Asia are hard-earned and cannot be sabotaged by extraterritorial countries. Washington wants to forcefully peddle its old security concept in Asia, dumping "Cold War garbage" into the Pacific Ocean, even trying to create an "Indo-Pacific version of NATO." In the end, its dream will be crushed by the hard rocks of the Pacific Ocean. (Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun) LAGOS, March 29 (Xinhua) -- Nigeria is becoming safer every day with the string of successes being recorded in the fight against Boko Haram, bandits, and other criminal elements, according to the country's information minister Lai Mohammed. Addressing a news conference Monday in Abuja, the nation's capital, Mohammed said the security forces had taken the battle to the bandits and put them on the run, and their ranks were being decimated. "I am proud of our security forces, our men and women in uniform. Despite a myriad of security challenges, they are living up to the billing," Mohammed told reporters. "As the terrorists and their camps are being decimated, thousands of terrorists and their families are surrendering in droves," he said. The minister attributed the success to the procurement of modern platforms for the armed forces. He said the modern platforms had gone a long way in raising the level of their operational readiness and efficiency, in addition to boosting their capabilities. The minister also commended the implementation of the community policing initiative, which he said led to the training of 25,000 constabularies in several police colleges across the country. He said the administration approved the review and upgrade of police personnel's salaries by 20 percent and enhanced the duty tour allowance of police officers to boost their morale. SEOUL, South Korea, March 29, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- NEXEN TIRE, a leading global tire manufacturer, recently unveiled a commemorative 80th Anniversary emblem to observe the Company's eight decades in the tire manufacturing sector. The new commemorative emblem incorporates NEXEN TIRE's legacy and history, symbolizing the importance of the Company's long-term commitment to its consumers. The overall design of the emblem resembles a moving tire, demonstrating NEXEN TIRE's initiatives of meeting the different mobility needs of its consumers. NEXEN TIRE will celebrate its formal 80th anniversary on May 1, 2022, which will mark the company's incorporation. Founded in 1942, NEXEN TIRE has played a pivotal role in the tire manufacturing business. Eight decades later, the Company is still a cutting-edge brand known for its quality, innovative products, and, manufacturing competitiveness. "I'm honored to introduce this commemorative emblem and kick off our 80th anniversary celebration," stated Travis Kang, Global CEO of NEXEN TIRE. "I am truly proud of what we have accomplished. The significance of this milestone demonstrates that our clients and workers value our efforts. I've also had the good fortune to work with a remarkable group of colleagues that have been making great strides toward ensuring the Company's success." Through the end of the 2022 anniversary year, the new 80th Anniversary emblem will be used across marketing and communications. The NEXEN TIRE 80th Anniversary commemorative emblem can be found at www.nexentire.comor follow us on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/nexen-tire. About Nexen Tire Nexen Tire, established in 1942, is a global tire manufacturer headquartered in South Korea. Nexen Tire, one of the world's fastest growing tire manufacturers, currently interacts with approximately 150 countries around the world and owns four manufacturing plants - two in Korea (Yangsan and Changnyeong) and one in Qingdao, China. Another plant in Zatec, the Czech Republic has also begun operation in 2019. Nexen Tire produces tires for passenger cars, SUVs, and light trucks with advanced technology and excellence in design. Nexen Tire supplies OE tires to global car makers in various countries around the world. In 2014, the company achieved a grand slam of the world's top 4 design awards for the first time amongst the various tire makers in the world. For more information, please visit http://www.nexentire.com/international/ A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/bc750b8e-880e-464b-93b0-56269423eaba JACKSONVILLE, FL / ACCESSWIRE / March 29, 2022 / ParkerVision, Inc. (OTCQB:PRKR) ("ParkerVision"), a developer and marketer of technologies and products for wireless applications, today announced results for the year ended December 31, 2021. Year End 2021 Summary and Recent Developments Patent license and settlement agreements were reached with Zyxel Communications Corporation and Buffalo, Inc. in 2021, resulting from the Company's patent enforcement campaign initiated in the Western District of Texas in 2020. The U.S. District Court in the Middle District of Florida (Orlando Division) issued a summary judgment order on March 22, 2022 ruling that Qualcomm does not infringe the claims of the three patents in ParkerVision's patent case against Qualcomm. ParkerVision intends to appeal this ruling along with the same court's March 9, 2022 ruling excluding the opinions of ParkerVision's experts regarding infringement and validity issues. Two infringement cases against Intel in the Western District of Texas were reconfigured to include cellular products in the first case and WiFi and Bluetooth products in the second. First Intel trial date against cellular products was moved from June 2022 to October 2022 as a result of this case reconfiguration and subsequently moved to December 5, 2022 due to discovery delays. Second Intel trial date against Intel WiFi and Bluetooth products currently scheduled for May 2023. Favorable Markman decisions received in both Intel cases during 2021. One of the two IPRs filed by Intel related to patents in these cases was decided in the Company's favor by the PTAB in January 2022. Third IPR filed by Intel pertaining to patent in second case is awaiting PTAB decision. Additional enforcement actions pending in the Western District of Texas also include Hisense, TCL and LG with trials scheduled in December 2022 and April 2023. Favorable Markman recommendations issued in Hisense and TCL cases in October 2021; Markman hearing scheduled for April 2022 in LG case. IPR petitions were filed by Hisense and TCL against two of the ten patents asserted in these cases; LG has filed a request to join these pending proceedings. Decisions expected in November 2022. Infringement cases against Qualcomm and Apple in the Middle District of Florida (Jacksonville) and LG in the District of New Jersey are stayed pending outcomes in other cases. Jeffrey Parker, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, commented, "We are pleased to have resolved our outstanding patent actions with Zyxel and Buffalo aslicensees of our technologies. We are hopeful that additional parties will join Zyxel and Buffalo and become licensees of our patented technologies in the near future under comparable royalty rates. The Texas court continues to move efficiently, and we believe the claim construction rulings to date demonstrate the merits of our claim construction positions. Our first of two infringement actions against Intel is scheduled for trial in approximately eight months and three additional trials are scheduled in Texas within five months following this first Intel trial. We look forward to presenting the facts of our cases to Texas juries." Mr. Parker continued, "Recent rulings from the district court in Orlando are substantial blows to our pending action against Qualcomm as the court first excluded the opinions of our experts and subsequently issued a summary judgment ruling of non-infringement on the three remaining patents in the case. The next step is an appeal that we intend to vigorously pursue. We are hopeful that the appellate court will give proper weight to our positions which we feel are strongly supported by legal precedence. At a recent public hearing in the Orlando case against Qualcomm, I was surprised to hear the court comment, 'We all know the jury isn't going to follow 99% of what you all are talking about in this trial. They're going to come up with a rough idea of who deserves to win, but the nuances of a patent case, there's no way a jury understands this which is why this shouldn't be tried to a jury, in my opinion. They will never understand. It should be PTAB 100%.' The fact is that district courts with Article 3 judges represent the only venue available to patent holders for enforcing our patented rights. This case has been pending in the district court in Orlando since 2014. It has survived multiple IPR challenges, a motion to move venue to California, and numerous other delays. We are disappointed with the additional delays these recent rulings will create; however, we remain confident in the merits of our case, and we are steadfast in our goal to hold Qualcomm accountable for their unauthorized, and we believe willful, use of our technologies." Financial Results Net loss for 2021 was $12.3 million, or $0.17 per common share, compared to a net loss of $19.6 million, or $0.42 per common share for 2020. The 37% decrease in year-to-date net loss is a primarily the result of a $2.3 million decrease in litigation fees and expenses largely related to our case against Qualcomm in Jacksonville, Florida which is currently stayed. the recognition in 2020 of approximately $2.2 million in noncash charges related to the modification of equity-related agreements with third parties. a $4.0 million decrease in the loss related to the change in fair value of our contingent payment obligations. An offsetting $2.1 million increase in share-based compensation expense. We used cash for operations of approximately $7.7 million in 2021 compared to approximately $4.8 million in cash used for operations in 2020. The increase is the result of a significant decrease in accounts payable and other current liabilities in 2021, resulting in a $3.7 million improvement in working capital. Our use of cash in 2021 was funded by $6.2 million in net proceeds received from the sale of debt and equity securities and $1.0 million in proceeds received from the exercise of outstanding options and warrants. About ParkerVision ParkerVision, Inc. invents, develops and licenses cutting-edge, proprietary radio-frequency (RF) technologies that enable wireless solution providers to make and sell advanced wireless communication products. ParkerVision is engaged in a number of patent enforcement actions in the U.S. to protect patented rights that it believes are broadly infringed by others. For more information, please visit www.parkervision.com. (PRKR-I) Safe Harbor Statement This press release contains forward-looking information. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on any such forward-looking statements, each of which speaks only as of the date made. Such statements are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that are disclosed in the Company's SEC reports, including the Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2021. These risks and uncertainties could cause actual results to differ materially from those currently anticipated or projected. Cindy French Chief Financial Officer ParkerVision, Inc. cfrench@parkervision.com (TABLES FOLLOW) ParkerVision, Inc. Balance Sheet Highlights December 31, (in thousands) 2021 2020 Cash and cash equivalents $ 1,030 $ 1,627 Prepaid expenses and other current assets 599 607 Intangible assets, net 1,785 2,170 Other noncurrent assets, net 26 52 Total assets 3,440 4,456 Current liabilities 1,646 5,989 Contingent payment obligations 43,063 38,279 Convertible notes 2,895 3,018 Other long-term liabilities 613 991 Shareholders' deficit (44,777 ) (43,821 ) Total liabilities and shareholders' deficit $ 3,440 $ 4,456 ParkerVision, Inc. Summary Results of Operations Year Ended (in thousands, except per share amounts) December 31, 2021 2020 Licensing revenue $ 144 $ - Cost of sales (5 ) - Gross margin 139 - Selling, general and administrative expenses 8,088 10,664 Total operating expenses 8,088 10,664 Interest and other income 242 - Interest expense (251 ) (547 ) Change in fair value of contingent payment obligations (4,372 ) (8,367 ) Total interest and other (4,381 ) (8,914 ) Net loss $ (12,330 ) $ (19,578 ) Basic and diluted net loss per common share $ (0.17 ) $ (0.42 ) Weighted average shares outstanding 71,299 47,019 ParkerVision, Inc. Summary of Cash Flows Year Ended (in thousands) December 31, 2021 2020 Net cash used in operating activities $ (7,702 ) $ (4,777 ) Net cash used in investing activities (3 ) (1 ) Net cash provided by financing activities 7,108 6,348 Net (decrease) increase in cash & cash equivalents (597 ) 1,570 Cash & cash equivalents - beginning of year 1,627 57 Cash & cash equivalents - end of year $ 1,030 $ 1,627 SOURCE: ParkerVision, Inc. View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/694891/ParkerVision-Reports-2021-Results A new dawn for peace in the Middle East dominated talks at the World Government Summit 2022 (WGS2022) today as the UAE president's diplomatic adviser stressed the need to work with all countries in the region. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220329005967/en/ H.E. Dr. Anwar Gargash said the UAE was promoting regional prosperity and stability at WGS 2022 (Photo: AETOSWire) The UAE will work with all nations to promote prosperity and stability in the Middle East, His Excellency Dr. Anwar bin Mohammed Gargash, Diplomatic Advisor to the UAE President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, said. "We are reaching out to friends and also adversaries and rebuilding bridges. We are not going to agree with everything they want to do," he said on the first day of WGS2022. Kristalina Georgieva, Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), said Russia has not been suspended from the IMF. Speaking at a plenary session at WGS 2022, she said: "The board can only suspend them if the membership of the Fund says we do not recognise this particular government anymore. There has to be dialogue." Umm Al Quwain launched the Sustainable Blue Economy Strategy, which aims to contribute 40% to the emirate's GDP by 2031. This includes meeting a net-zero emissions target by 2031 and dedicate a fifth of Umm Al Quwain's land area to nature reserves. His Highness Sheikh Majid bin Saud bin Rashid Al Mualla, Chairman of the Umm Al Quwain Department of Tourism and Archaeology, announced the intention to establish the Umm Al Quwain Centre for Entrepreneurship and the Blue Economy that will deliver eight transformative projects. Umm Al Quiwain has seen GDP rise by 34% in the past decade, foreign direct investment nearly double in eight years, and exports increase threefold since 2017. With "astronomical" demand for flights, Emirates President Sir Tim Clark promised renovation of the airline's iconic fleet of A380s, which have produced 80% of the Dubai carrier's profits. "We're going to refurbish them, refresh them, put more innovation into them, and they're going to be something really special," he said. *Source: AETOSWire View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220329005967/en/ Contacts: Raneen Nasrallah rnasrallah@apcoworldwide.com MOUNTAIN VIEW (dpa-AFX) - The U.S Justice Department is supporting a bipartisan Senate Bill, which would prevent big tech companies like Apple and Google from favoring their products over competitors'. This latest move is being seen as an effort to control the power and clout enjoyed by Big Tech firms. In a letter addressed to top lawmakers on the Senate Judiciary Committee, a senior most Department of Justice official extended support for the American Innovation and Choice Online Act and its companion bill in the House. In January, the Senate panel had voted to send the bill for a full-floor vote, inspite of there being stiff opposition from the tech leaders, who were of the opinion that the Bill could have inadvertent consequences. In the letter signed by Acting Assistant Attorney General Peter S. Hyun, the Justice Department said, 'The Department views the rise of dominant platforms as presenting a threat to open markets and competition, with risks for consumers, businesses, innovation, resiliency, global competitiveness, and our democracy.' The Senate bill is mostly likely to target biggest tech firms like Apple, Amazon, Google, Facebook and Microsoft, based on market valuation and user base. The bill will prevent tech companies from promoting their own products and services in search results. These are some of the other protective measures the Bill suggests with the aim of promoting competition. The letter said, 'If enacted, we believe that this legislation has the potential to have a positive effect on dynamism in digital markets going forward. Our future global competitiveness depends on innovators and entrepreneurs having the ability to access markets free from dominant incumbents that impede innovation, competition, resiliency, and widespread prosperity.' Even though President Joe Biden has always supported action against companies, which are engaged in anti-competitive business practices across several sectors, the letter is the first time his Government has supported a certain legislation against major tech companies. The companies are of the opinion that the anti-trust bill and other proposals may have negative impact on national security and user privacy. According to reports, before the panel vote in January, Apple CEO Tim Cook and Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai had personally talked with members of the Senate Judiciary Committee in a move to stop the Bill. While the panel voted to send the bill forward, many senators said that the final legislation will need changes before they put their approval stamp on it. Copyright(c) 2022 RTTNews.com. All Rights Reserved Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX Kostenloser Wertpapierhandel auf Smartbroker.de Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - March 29, 2022) - Los Andes Copper Ltd. ( TSXV: LA) (OTCQX: LSANF) ("Los Andes" or the "Company") provides the following update on its Vizcachitas Copper project in Chile and provides corporate milestones for 2022. Summary Milestones -Report assay results from the completed 8,297 meters of drilling April to June 2022 -Updated Resource Estimation including 2022 drilling results August 2022 -Continued drilling operations, provided injunction is lifted Q3 2022 -Completion of a Pre-Feasibility Study ("PFS") Q4 2022 R. Michael Jones, CEO, said: "We have sufficient new drill intercepts completed that a resource update is warranted as soon as the assays are in, and we can finalize an updated mine plan and the Pre-Feasibility Study in the next few months There is further resource potential from additional step out drilling which is planned for a further 10,000 meters." The Company estimates that the current resource and additional intercepts are sufficient for a full PFS mine plan. The Company's plan is to resume drilling as soon as possible since a number of areas are not closed off. A request to lift the injunction for drilling to stop (announced recently) is being prepared. Details Los Andes Copper has completed 8,297 meters of diamond drilling and has reported the results for the first hole, CMV-001B, of 1,177 meters of 0.50% copper equivalent near the northwest edge of the deposit. Two further holes have been completed approximately 100 meters west and 200 meters west of the CMV-001B intersection. A total of 4,221 meters in 5 holes are sampled and awaiting assay results and a further 2,811 meters of drilling from 5 holes are in the logging and sampling process. Results are expected to become available in the coming weeks. Los Andes Copper sees significant exploration potential at Vizcachitas and believes that further drilling to define the full potential of the property will benefit all stakeholders. Considerable work has been completed over the past two years towards a PFS, including updates in metallurgy and engineering designs, capital and operating cost estimates. The final parts of the PFS are the updated resource model and the mine plans. The completed drilling will allow for this to be finalized with a focus on optimizing the initial years of the mine plan. Further, the Company announces the appointment of Eduardo Covarrubias as Executive Chairman of the Company with immediate effect. Mr. Covarrubias is the representative of Turnbrook Mining Ltd. that owns 53% of the company's common shares and he has been involved in the project for decades. Fernando Porcile, the former Executive Chairman of the Company, has announced his retirement effective as of 25 March 2022, and will be devoting his time to personal matters. Mr. Covarrubias and the Board of Directors and management of the Company thank Mr. Porcile for his years of invaluable contribution directing the advancement of the Vizcachitas Copper project to a Tier 1 Copper mining project. About Los Andes Copper Ltd. Los Andes Copper Ltd. is an exploration and development company with an 100% interest in the Vizcachitas Project in Chile. Los Andes Copper Ltd. is listed on the TSX-V under the ticker: LA. The Project is a copper-molybdenum porphyry deposit, located 120 kilometres north of Santiago, in an area of very good infrastructure. The Company's Preliminary Economic Assessment (the "PEA"), delivered in June 2019, highlights that the Project has a post tax NPV of $1.8 billion and an IRR of 20.77%, based on a $3 per pound copper price. It also has a Measured Resources of 254.4 million tonnes having a grade of 0.439% copper and Indicated Resource of approximately 1.03 billion tonnes having a grade of 0.385% copper. Mineral resources that are not mineral reserves do not have demonstrated economic viability. Please refer to the technical report dated June 13, 2019, with an effective date of May 10, 2019 and titled "Preliminary Economic Assessment of the Vizcachitas Project", prepared by Tetra Tech. The PEA is preliminary in nature, it includes inferred mineral resources that are considered too speculative geologically to have the economic considerations applied to them that would enable them to be categorized as mineral reserves, and there is no certainty that the PEA will be realized. Qualified Person ("QP") and Quality Control and Assurance Antony Amberg CGeol FGS, the Company's Chief Geologist, is the qualified person who has reviewed and approved the scientific and technical information contained in this news release. The QP has validated the data by, supervising the sample collection process, through chain of custody records and inspecting the detailed technical data and quality control and assurance information. For more information please contact: R. Michael Jones , P.Eng CEO rmj@losandescopper.com Tel: +44 203 4407982 BlytheRay, Financial PR Megan Ray Rachael Brooks Tel: +44 207 138 3203 E-Mail: info@losandescopper.com or visit our website at: www.losandescopper.com Follow us on twitter @LosAndesCopper Follow us on LinkedIn Los Andes Copper Ltd Certain of the information and statements contained herein that are not historical facts, constitute "forward-looking information" within the meaning of the Securities Act (British Columbia), Securities Act (Ontario) and the Securities Act (Alberta) ("Forward-Looking Information"). Forward-Looking Information is often, but not always, identified by the use of words such as "seek", "anticipate", "believe", "plan", "estimate", "expect" and "intend"; statements that an event or result is "due" on or "may", "will", "should", "could", or might" occur or be achieved; and, other similar expressions. More specifically, Forward-Looking Information involves known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company, or industry results, to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such Forward-Looking Information; including, without limitation, Spinnaker's ability to raise capital, target and attract institutional and retail investors and focus on developing and expanding the network of investors, analysts and financial intermediaries who are interested in Los Andes. Such Forward-Looking Information is based upon the Company's assumptions regarding global and Chilean economic, political and market conditions and the price of metals and energy, and the Company's production. Among the factors that have a direct bearing on the Company's future results of operations and financial conditions are changes in project parameters as plans continue to be refined, a change in government policies, competition, currency fluctuations and restrictions and technological changes, among other things. Should one or more of any of the aforementioned risks and uncertainties materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from any conclusions, forecasts or projections described in the Forward-Looking Information. Accordingly, readers are advised not to place undue reliance on Forward-Looking Information. Except as required under applicable securities legislation, the Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise Forward-Looking Information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/118546 St. Paul, Minnesota--(Newsfile Corp. - March 29, 2022) - PolyMet Mining Corp. (TSX: POM) (NYSE American: PLM), today announced the resignation of Richard Lock, senior vice president and project director, who was appointed chief executive officer of Canadian-based Oroco Resource Corp. "We are grateful for Richard's leadership and technical contributions in advancing studies and optimizing NorthMet's mine plan, positioning the project to be a safe, efficient, productive and profitable operation," said Jon Cherry, chairman, president and CEO. "We wish him well in his new endeavor." Mr. Lock joined the company in January 2020. A search for his successor is underway. In the interim, he will continue to provide advisory services to PolyMet. * * * * * About PolyMet PolyMet is a mine development company that owns 100% of the NorthMet Project, the first large-scale project to have received permits within the Duluth Complex in northeastern Minnesota, one of the world's major, undeveloped mining regions. NorthMet has significant proven and probable reserves of copper, nickel and palladium - metals vital to infrastructure improvements and global carbon reduction efforts - in addition to marketable reserves of cobalt, platinum and gold. When operational, NorthMet will become one of the leading producers of nickel, palladium and cobalt in the U.S., providing a much needed, responsibly mined source of these critical and essential metals. Located in the Mesabi Iron Range, the project will provide economic diversity while leveraging the region's established supplier network and skilled workforce and generate a level of activity that will have a significant effect in the local economy. For more information: www.polymetmining.com. For further information, please contact: Media Bruce Richardson, Corporate Communications Tel: +1 (651) 389-4111 brichardson@polymetmining.com Investor Relations Tony Gikas, Investor Relations Tel: +1 (651) 389-4110 investorrelations@polymetmining.com PolyMet Disclosures This news release contains certain forward-looking statements concerning anticipated developments in PolyMet's operations in the future. Forward-looking statements are frequently, but not always, identified by words such as "expects," "anticipates," "believes," "intends," "estimates," "potential," "possible," "projects," "plans," and similar expressions, or statements that events, conditions or results "will," "may," "could," or "should" occur or be achieved or their negatives or other comparable words. These forward-looking statements may include statements regarding the ability to receive environmental and operating permits, job creation, and the effect on the local economy, or other statements that are not a statement of fact. Forward-looking statements address future events and conditions and therefore involve inherent known and unknown risks and uncertainties. Actual results may differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements due to risks facing PolyMet or due to actual facts differing from the assumptions underlying its predictions. PolyMet's forward-looking statements are based on the beliefs, expectations and opinions of management on the date the statements are made, and PolyMet does not assume any obligation to update forward-looking statements if circumstances or management's beliefs, expectations and opinions should change. Specific reference is made to risk factors and other considerations underlying forward-looking statements discussed in PolyMet's most recent Annual Report on Form 40-F for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2021, and in our other filings with Canadian securities authorities and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. The Annual Report on Form 40-F also contains the company's mineral resource and other data as required under National Instrument 43-101. No regulatory authority has reviewed or accepted responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/118548 The Prize's 44th session awards eminent figures in each of its Arabic Language & Literature and Service to Islam categories Riyadh, March 29, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Two mathematicians and a scientist were among this year's King Faisal Prize's seven laureates who received their prizes on 29 March in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, for having enriched humanity with key and invaluable achievements and discoveries, and excelled in the fields of Medicine, Science, Arabic Language & Literature, and Serving to Islam. The Medicine Prize was awarded to Professor David Liu, Richard Merkin Professor and Director of the Merkin Institute of Transformative Technologies in Healthcare, who invented the first gene "base editor" in 2016. This technology laid the foundation for possibly treating thousands of genetic diseases like sickle cell disease and muscular dystrophy. Professor David Liu used "base editors" in mice to correct the genetic mutation behind progeria, a rare condition characterized by premature aging, retarded development, and early death. Still, more work needs to be done before gene "base editors" can be used in humans. Initiating a revolution in genome editing, "base editors" have received great global demand. They were distributed over 9,000 times to more than 3,000 laboratories around the world. Scientists were able to publish more than 300 papers on this technique, used in different organisms ranging from bacteria to mice. "Base editing" is a precise genome editing method; like a genetic pencil, that rewrites DNA base letters, which cause genetic mutations and potentially genetic diseases. This technology, which is in constant development, chemically rewrites one DNA base to another by rearranging the atoms of one DNA base to resemble a different base. In 2019, Professor David Liu created with his team "prime editing" which offers more targeting flexibility and greater editing precision. With over 75 issued U.S. patents, Professor Liu was referred to as the "Gene Corrector" by Nature magazine topping its list of "Ten People Who Mattered This Year" in 2017 and was included in the "Foreign Policy Leading Global Thinkers list". He is also a biotech entrepreneur, cofounding "Editas Medicine", which uses CRISPR therapies (tool for editing genomes) to "discover, develop, manufacture, and commercialize transformative, durable, and precise genomic medicines for a broad class of diseases". The Science Prize (Mathematics) was awarded jointly to Professor?Martin Hairer, Chair in Probability and Stochastic Analysis at Imperial College's Department of Mathematics, and to Professor?Nader Masmoudi, a distinguished Professor of Mathematics at the New York University of Abu Dhabi and head of his Research Center on Stability, Instability and Turbulence. Professor Martin Hairer developed the theory of regularity structures which gave a precise mathematical meaning to several equations that were previously outside the scope of mathematical analysis. He published his theory in 2014 providing tools and manuals for solving many previously incomprehensible equations called the stochastic partial differential equations (SPDEs). These equations involve chance and describe how randomness throws disorder into different phenomena like coin tossing, stock price changes, wind movement in a tunnel, or forest fire growth. He transformed the area of SPDEs by introducing fundamental new techniques and was able to solve equations like KPZ equation which describes the evolution of the boundary at which two substances meet over time. Professor Hairer is a world leader in probability theory and analysis and has authored a monograph and over 100 research articles. His work has been distinguished with several prizes and awards, most notably the LMS Whitehead and Philip Leverhulme prizes in 2008, the Fermat prize in 2013, the Frohlich prize and the Fields Medal in 2014, a knighthood in 2016, and the Breakthrough prize in Mathematics in 2020. As for Professor Nader Masmoudi, he was able to unlock the mystery around many physics problems which remained unsolved for centuries. He found a flaw in "Euler's" mathematical equations which for more than two centuries described the motions of fluids under any circumstance. He discovered that Euler's equations do not apply to all circumstances, as previously thought, and proved that they could break or fail under certain conditions related to fluids. His work helped solve and understand many problems related to fluid-modeling like weather predictions and airplane turbulence. For the past 20 years, Professor Masmoudi's research has been at the forefront of Partial Differential Equations, Fluid Mechanics, and Dynamical Systems. He has been cited by more than 8000 papers for his works in pure and applied mathematics. He has been recognized with numerous awards, including the Best Scientific Paper Award in Annales de l'Institue Henri Poincare, a Chair from the Fondation Sciences Mathematiques de Paris, The Fermat Prize, and the Chair Schlumberger from the IHES in Paris. In addition to Medicine and Science, King Faisal Prize recognized this year the achievements of outstanding thinkers and scholars in the field of Arabic Language & Literature, and honored exemplary leaders who played a pivotal role in serving Islam, Muslims, and humanity at large. The Arabic Language and Literature Prize about "Arabic Literature Studies in English" was awarded to Professor Suzanne Stetkevych, Chair of the Department of Arabic & Islamic Studies at Georgetown University, and to Professor Muhsin Al-Musawi, Professor of Arabic and Comparative Literary Studies at Columbia University. Professor Suzanne Stetkevych was awarded the prize for her extensive research and work analyzing Arabic literature with unmatched depth from the pre-Islamic period to the revivalist period. Her research approach resulted in the renewal of the critical perspective and methods of studying classical Arabic poetry. Professor Muhsin Al-Musawi received the prize for being a well-established authority in the field of Arabic literature demonstrating his encyclopedic knowledge in both classical and modern Arabic literature. His research and studies have made great impact on students and researchers in the field of Arabic studies, both in the Arab world and the West. He handled Arabic literature as a world literature. The Service to Islam Prize was awarded to the former Tanzanian President His Excellency Ali Hassan Mwinyi and to Professor Hassan Mahmoud Al Shafei. His Excellency Ali Hassan Mwinyi actively participated in Islamic advocacy, spreading the spirit of religious tolerance, educating Muslims, and translating many Islamic resources and references into Swahili language. In parallel, Professor Hassan Mahmoud Alshafei served Islamic sciences through teaching, writing, authenticating, and translating, and has contributed to the establishment of the International Islamic University in Islamabad and the development of its colleges' curricula. The Islamic Studies Prize for this year on "Islamic Heritage of Al- Andalus" was withheld because the nominated works did not meet the criteria of the prize. Since 1979, King Faisal Prize in its 5 different categories has awarded 282 laureates from 44 different nationalities who have made distinguished contributions to different sciences and causes. Each prize laureate is endowed with USD 200 thousand; a 24-carat gold medal weighing 200 grams, and a Certificate inscribed with the Laureate's name and a summary of their work which qualified them for the prize. Attachments Credit cards are useful, and many adults have one, if not several. You can use them to purchase services and goods all over the world. However, credit card breaches sometimes occur. A breach is when a hacker gets ahold of your credit card information. They can use that to commit identity theft or fraud. There are ways to protect yourself from credit card breaches, though, and well talk about some of them right now. Before we jump into these though, its important to mention that you should always try to use credit cards responsibly. Theyre just tools, like finance software or a debt consolidation loan calculator. Youll get the most out of them if you dont misuse them. 1. Check Your Account Daily Now, on to our tips for how to protect yourself from credit card breaches. The first thing you might do is to get in the habit of checking your credit card accounts daily. You can do it in the morning before you leave for work or in the evening before you go to bed. If this is a habit for you, youll immediately recognize it when you see a charge that you didnt make or dont remember making. If you see one, it doesnt necessarily mean a breach has occurred. It could be a mistake. Either way, checking your credit card account status every day means youll notice if anything looks out of the ordinary. 2. Report Unauthorized Transactions The next thing youll want to do is report any unauthorized transactions without delay. Again, seeing a charge you dont recognize doesnt always mean theres something fraudulent going on. You wont know until you look into it, though. You can reach out to the credit card company and ask them to look into the matter for you. They can launch an investigation and get back to you with the results. If you dont feel like the results of their investigation are satisfactory, you can also get your bank involved. If the credit card company seems unable to help you, the bank to which you attached the payment account might be able to assist you. 3. Monitor Your Credit Report Monitoring your credit card accounts can tell you whats happening with them, but you can also watch out for fraud by monitoring your credit report. Lets say that you suspect someone hacked your credentials. Maybe your login and password showed up on a report of a larger data breach. If so, its possible that fraudsters could try to purchase things in your name. You can combat this by contacting credit agencies and asking them to freeze your credit report. You can take this temporary action until you order new credit cards and change the passwords on all your bank accounts. Even once you have new cards and passwords, you should still monitor your credit report for a while afterward to make sure no one is impersonating you. Protecting Yourself from Breaches is Possible Protection from credit card breaches can start when you get in the habit of checking your accounts every day. Doing so is like an early warning system so that you can detect any potentially fraudulent charges and contest them immediately. If you see any unauthorized transactions on your account, contact the credit card company and ask them to investigate. If their investigation doesnt satisfy you, you can reach out to the bank to which youve attached that card. You should also ask for a temporary freeze of your credit report if your name shows up as part of a larger company data breach. Sometimes, nothing will come of these breaches, but its best to order new credit cards and change your bank account login information, just in case. These actions can protect you from possible credit card breaches and minimize any damage if one occurs. Cloaked, a Boston, MA-based consumer-first privacy company, raised $25M in Series A funding. The round was led by Lux Capital and Human Capital. Bilal Zuberi, Partner at Lux Capital, will be joining the board. The company intends to use the funds to continue to improve its technology and exit beta, scale its team, and establish meaningful partnerships within the industry. Founded by two brothers, Arjun and Abhijay Bhatnagar, Cloaked is a consumer-first privacy company dedicated to enabling individuals to take control of their personal data in real time with unlimited, unique identities. Through Cloaked, individuals can choose when, where and with whom they share personal data from their browser extension or mobile device. Instead of sharing personal information like a phone number, email, or credit card with websites, the app and browser extension enables individuals to use unlimited, unique identities. Cloaked creates instant identifiers and smart settings to make it easy for individuals to choose what, when, where and with whom they share information. When browsing online or in-person, the system automatically generates unique email addresses, phone numbers, credit cards, passwords, and other account information. FinSMEs 29/03/2022 QunaSys, a Tokyo, Japan-based developer of algorithms in chemistry focused on accelerating the development of quantum technology applicability, raised $10M in Series B funding. The round was led by JIC Venture Growth Investments, with participation from ANRI, Fujitsu Ventures Fund, Global Brain, HPC Systems, JST SUCCESS Program, MUFJ Capital, Shinsei Corporate Investment Limited, and Zeon Corporation. The company intends to use the funds to accelerate the development of more usable quantum computing chemical software and expand current business overseas to open a European base. Led by Tennin Yan, CEO, QunaSys enables maximization of quantum computing through Qamuy, its cloud-accessible quantum computing development software solution, which runs on multiple platforms with applicability in all chemical-related industries. Since 2019, the company has grown its R&D and business development activities and achieved record business growth. In July 2020, QunaSys established QPARC, a Japanese consortium to study quantum computing applicability of quantum computers. Since then, more than 50 companies have participated in QPARC and the consortium has explored different quantum computing use cases, such as new energy analysis, molecular structure optimization, or sustainable material manufacturing, from ENEOS Holding and JSR Corporation. In conjunction with the funding, QunaSys has announced that it has come to an agreement with Zeon Corporation, Fujitsu Limited, and HPC Sytems Inc. for a capital tie-up and a business alliance. FinSMEs 29/03/2022 JAKARTA, March 29 (Xinhua) -- Two new bird species have been identified in the forest of the isolated Meratus mountains range at Indonesia's second-largest island of Kalimantan, the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) said on Tuesday. The BRIN recommends that the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List classify both species as "vulnerable." A researcher from the BRIN's Biosystematics and Evolutionary Research Center, Mohammad Irham, said that one of them is Zosterops Meratusensis, with the local name Kacamata Meratus, in olive green with a yellowish pattern on the lower body. The other one is Cyornis Kadayangensis, or locally known as Sikatan Kadayang, in a blue upper body and a combination of brown, orange, and white on the bottom. Surrounded by lowland secondary forests that were degraded by land conversion for agriculture, the isolated Meratus mountains range forms a unique fauna community as seen in bird groups, Irham said. He emphasized the importance of conserving animals in the Meratus mountains range, which are threatened by extinction due to habitat changes and hunting activities by humans. ANKARA, March 28 (Xinhua) -- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Monday he will meet with the negotiation teams of Ukraine and Russia on Tuesday before their next round of talks in Turkey's Istanbul city. "We will have a short meeting with the delegations tomorrow morning," Erdogan said at a press conference after a cabinet meeting. Turkey is "almost the only country that makes sincere efforts to resolve the ongoing crisis between Ukraine and Russia through dialogue," he said. Erdogan emphasized that his talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky are "progressing positively." He also suggested that some circles were trying to make Turkey a side of the conflict between Ukraine and Russia. "One will not be able to prevent Turkey, which has fair and sincere stance, from becoming a bridge of peace, tranquility and trust in its region and the world," Erdogan said, without naming any party or country. "We know that those who work to make our country a side of the war in the Russia-Ukraine crisis are watching the bridge of peace we have built with a squeeze of heart," he added. In a phone call on Sunday, Erdogan and Putin agreed to hold the next round of Ukrainian and Russian talks in Istanbul. The delegations will hold the face-to-face negotiations on March 29-30, Vladimir Medinsky, head of Russia's negotiation team, said on Sunday. Since Feb. 28, Russia and Ukraine have held three rounds of face-to-face peace talks and then a series of online discussions but have failed to reach a major agreement. AT least 100 Zimbabweans are stranded in Oman after being trafficked to the Middle East country on false job promises, a top government official has said. Secretary for Home Affairs, Aaron Nhepera told a media briefing in Harare yesterday that 18 cases had been reported so far. This followed reports that several Zimbabwean women were trapped in the Middle East after going there in search of jobs as domestic workers under the Kafala visa sponsorship in Oman and other countries. Reports showed that the Kafala system of employment ties domestic workers to employers who facilitate their travel to Oman and ensure that they do not move to other jobs before the end of their contracts. The female domestic workers are also allegedly sexually abused and treated as slaves, while their passports are withheld to stop them from escaping. Our prosecution pillar which involves the police and the courts were handling 18 cases. But we do know that there could be more people that have not reported, but by way of estimation, we think we could be having as many as 100 people in Oman currently, Nhepera said. He said government was in the process of engaging the Oman government over the issue. He, however, could not disclose the exact date when the 18 victims, whose cases were reported, would be repatriated to Zimbabwe. We are just starting our engagement with the government of Oman. We are doing that through the Foreign Affairs ministry which happens to be part of our committee. The other resolution we have made is to dispatch an investigation committee to Oman as soon as possible so that they can talk to the 18 victims. As soon as we have engaged the Oman government to deliberate on these issues, we will start repatriating our people home. I cannot give you a date. It depends on the progress we make through the engagements. Nhepera said the 18 victims were still stranded at their workplaces despite reporting their ordeals. They are in their respective workplaces. What they have done is to communicate with their relatives here about their situation and through their relatives, we have come to know that there are such people who are there and need our assistance. Nhepera admitted that government was to blame for the trafficking of its citizens. The reason why our people are in this situation is because of poverty, not having good jobs and not being well settled in their housesothers are going there because they would have heard of good job opportunities without necessarily scrutinising these places. We urge Zimbabweans to scrutinise job offers from abroad so that they cannot fall victim to human trafficking. We also urge citizens to consult our law enforcement agents with regards to information about foreign countries that would have offered jobs to them, he said. Newsday Sweet Home is set to receive more than $30 million in federal funds to bring its aging wastewater treatment plant in line with federal law. The city's current system dates back to the 1940s, and the construction of a new wastewater treatment plant is slated to start soon. The city has been cited by Oregon Department of Environmental Quality a number of times over the years for violating the federal Clean Water Act. U.S. Rep. Peter DeFazio, whose district includes Sweet Home and Linn County, announced on Monday, March 28 that the city of Sweet Home will receive the $30.06 million to help the plant comply with the federal law. "Clean water is a basic, human right," DeFazio said in a statement. "I'm proud to help secure funding to enhance water infrastructure and better health in our community." Sweet Home was cited for various violations of the Clean Water Act on Oct. 13, 1998, based on a state Department of Human Services letter. The city received two administrative orders and multiple extensions to comply with the law, which it finally did on Dec. 2, 2009. Sweet Home was under orders to develop a plan to upsize and improve its wastewater treatment plant. A plan was drawn up in 2015, and the city has spent years finding a contractor and budgeting for the project. Built in the 1940s, the Sweet Home wastewater treatment plant has been upgraded several times in its history. It's needed dozens of renovations to better serve the city of 10,000 people and meet air quality regulations. In 2020, the Sweet Home City Council voted to stop outsourcing and bring overplant operations in-house to save taxpayers some $176,000 per year. The costs of the wastewater plant's major renovations totaled $28.2 million in 2019, millions of which would have come from state grants and city coffers. Quality journalism doesn't happen without your help Support local news coverage and the people who report it by subscribing to the Corvallis Gazette-Times. According to Sweet Home Public Works Director Greg Springman, the plant has struggled with managing excess capacity during rainy seasons. He said the federal funds allow the city to avoid taking out a loan and burdening taxpayers. "It's not just about we're going to fix this. We're going to build this new plant that we've been designing for three years, and it's going be paid for, and the customers don't have to pay for" it, Springman said. Springman said the city plans on breaking ground as soon as late July or early August. Portland-based Murraysmith & Associates Inc. has the contract. The new money comes from the Environmental Protection Agency's Clean Water State Revolving Fund program, a federal-state partnership offering low-cost financing to communities for water projects. Tim Gruver covers the city of Albany and Linn County. He can be contacted at 541-812-6114 or Tim.Gruver@lee.net. Follow him on Twitter via @T_TimeForce. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. TEACHERS Unions yesterday scoffed at President Emmerson Mnangagwas promise to reintroduce free basic education in public schools next year, describing it as vote-buying gimmick. Mnangagwa claimed in his weekly column in The Sunday Mail that his government would roll out the programme starting next year. Amalgamated Rural Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (Artuz) president Obert Masaraure said State-funded education was already a constitutional mandate, which Mnangagwa was supposed to implement since 2018. The provision of State-funded education is a constitutional obligation on the shoulder of every government of the day. The politician in Mnangagwa should not appear to be doing anyone a favour by promising to move in that direction, his government should be ashamed for failing to adhere to the Education Act and section 75 of the Constitution. Zimbabwe Teachers Union (ZTU) chief executive officer Manuel Nyawo said: We raise the question of commitment which demands a practical and pragmatic approach to achieving these earmarked developments on the part of government. We also wonder how this is going to be achieved when government is failing to pay its workers reasonable salaries. Manuel Nyawo-general Tapedza Zhou said: The cost of providing free education will be largely felt by teachers and the rest of civil servants. The reality then is that in an attempt to provide free education, teachers will demand payment for extra lessons. It will be made more expensive as the burden will finally be shouldered again by parents, who had been promised free education. Political analyst Vivid Gwede said Mnangagwa was not selling the free education mantra for the first time, describing it as a hopeless gimmick. If allocation of resources to education was prioritised, free primary and secondary education would have been achieved as part of the sustainable development goals (SDGs), Gwede said. During the run-up to the 2018 general elections, Mnangagwa promised free education but failed to deliver. Another political analyst Effie Ncube said: Although free education is desirable and necessary, it is not sustainable under an economy that is in a vegetative state and bleeding under the weight of corruption and mismanagement. Therefore, for Zanu PF, which has been in power for 42 years, this is another electioneering gimmick. Newsday Welcome to my genealogy blog. Genea-Musings features genealogy research tips and techniques, genealogy news items and commentary, genealogy humor, San Diego genealogy society news, family history research and some family history stories from the keyboard of Randy Seaver (of Chula Vista CA), who thinks that Genealogy Research Is really FUN! Copyright (c) Randall J. Seaver, 2006-2021. New Delhi, March 28, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Rising technological advancement in diagnostic devices, automation, rising companion animal population, coupled with the increasing trend of pet insurance, is the key factor anticipated to propel the demand of the veterinary infectious disease diagnostics market in the forecast period A recent study by the strategic consulting and market research firm; BlueWeave Consulting revealed that the Global Veterinary Infectious Disease Diagnostics Market was worth USD 1,552.8 million in 2021 and is projected to reach up to USD 2.636.8 million by the year 2028, growing at a CAGR of 8.7 % over the analysis period of 2022-2028. Rising technical advancement in diagnostic instruments, automation, rising companion animal population, and the increasing trend of pet insurance are expected to drive demand for the veterinary infectious disease diagnostics market during the forecast period. Furthermore, rising investment in animal healthcare, rising zoonotic disease incidence, and rising disposable income in emerging nations would drive the worldwide veterinary infectious disease diagnostics market. Increase in Incidence of Rabies Across Some Nations is driving the Global Veterinary Infectious Disease Diagnostics Market There is a growing incidence of people getting infected with rabies worldwide. The disease, which has been found to have a 100% mortality rate, is rising. Dogs and bats happen to be the main source of human-led rabies deaths and contribute to more than 99% of all transmissions that were carried forward to humans. According to the National Travel Health Network and Centre, By 2019, Over four imported rabies cases got reported across European travelers. In May 2019, Norway announced its confirmation for one rabies-related mortality, followed by an infection in the Philippines. In December 2019, over three fatalities associated with rabies were confirmed. Since rabies has been found to have an incubation period of 2-3 months, it spreads slowly but reduces the chances for that particular infected human to survive. As a result, these cases have spurred a growing demand for diagnosis and disease prevention across some nations, positively impacting the growth of the infectious disease diagnostics market. Request for Sample Report @ https://www.blueweaveconsulting.com/report/veterinary-infectious-disease-diagnostics-market/report-sample Higher costs across some middle- and low-income nations are hindering the growth of the Global Veterinary Infectious Disease Diagnostics Market Although the number of pet ownership has been on the rise, there is an equal if not a better upward trend in the costs associated with the veterinary treatment of domesticated animals. Some of the primary services offered by vets include clinical services (treatment-related to diseased animals and controlling production), preventive services (averting any disease outbreak), provision of drugs, vaccines, and other pharmaceuticals, and human health protection (comprising inspection of animal products). Such high costs with some amounting close to the annual per capita of some middle and low-income countries demonstrate the higher costs of veterinary service prices around the world, which have kept the diagnostic test and routine checkup of animals out of the picture for a long time, negatively contributing to the demand of veterinary infectious disease diagnostics, thereby hindering the growth of the market. Impact Of COVID-19 On The Global Veterinary Infectious Disease Diagnostics Market The advent of newer biotechnological techniques, including gene cloning, immunohistochemistry procedures, and immunogen overexpression assays, has demonstrated that it is becoming increasingly possible to generate specific spike proteins, which could revolutionize the present generation of immunoassays. The techniques could augment the sensitivity and specificity capabilities of assays by offering an improved antibody binding target and reducing volatility found across intra-kit incorporation. For instance, In April 2020, IDEXX Laboratories, Inc. announced that the company is making its IDEXX SARS-CoV-2 RealPCR Test available for pets. IDEXX stated that they were launching the test regarding the growing customer demand and evidence found across pets living with COVID-19 positive owners. The test was only made available for veterinarians across the North American region; however, it was made available to the rest of the world in the next few months. Please visit press release of Veterinary Infectious Disease Diagnostics Market: https://www.blueweaveconsulting.com/press-release/veterinary-infectious-disease-diagnostics-market-projected-to-reach-worth-usd-2-636-8-million-in-2028 Europe is Growing at a Significant Rate in The Global Veterinary Infectious Disease Diagnostics Market. In terms of regional analysis global veterinary infectious disease diagnostics market is classified into North America, Europe, The Asia Pacific, Latin America, The Middle East, and Africa. The growing number of Zoonoses in the region, rising awareness towards regular checkups of poultry and pets, and growing penetration of animal insurances has supported the growth of the veterinary infectious disease diagnostics market in the European region. Additionally, the support from the government to control the frequent outbreaks of veterinary infectious disease in the region has further supported the growth of the market. The advancements in the ELISE tests and PCR tests is expected to present growth opportunities during the forecast period. Competitive Landscape The Global Veterinary Infectious Disease Diagnostics Market is characterized by the presence of many local, regional, and global vendors. The market for veterinary infectious disease diagnostics is partially consolidated, with fierce competition among the leading players. The leading market players of the global veterinary infectious disease diagnostics market are Biomerieux S.A., Heska Corporation, IDEXX Laboratories, Inc., IDVet, Neogen Corporation, Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica, Inc., Dechra Pharmaceuticals PLC, Ceva Sante Animale, Bayer AG, Vetoquinol S.A, HESKA Corporation, Demeditec Diagnostics GmbH, and other prominent players. Dont miss the business opportunity of the Global Veterinary Infectious Disease Diagnostics Market. Consult our analysts to gain crucial insights and facilitate your business growth. The report's in-depth analysis provides information about growth potential, upcoming trends, and the Global Veterinary Infectious Disease Diagnostics Market statistics. It also highlights the factors driving forecasts of total market size. The report promises to provide recent technology trends in the Global Veterinary Infectious Disease Diagnostics Market, along with industry insights to help decision-makers make sound strategic decisions. Furthermore, the report also analyses the market's growth drivers, challenges, and competitive dynamics. Scope of Report: Attribute Details Years Considered Historical data 2018-2021 Base Year 2021 Forecast 2022 2028 Facts Covered Revenue in USD Million Market Coverage United States, Canada, Germany, United Kingdom, France, Italy, Spain, China, India, Japan, South Korea, Brazil, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, South Africa Product/Service Segmentation By Technology, By Animal Type, By End-Users, By Region Key Players The leading market players of the global veterinary infectious disease diagnostics market are Biomerieux S.A., Heska Corporation, IDEXX Laboratories, Inc., IDVet, Neogen Corporation, Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica, Inc., Dechra Pharmaceuticals PLC, Ceva Sante Animale, Bayer AG, Vetoquinol S.A, HESKA Corporation, Demeditec Diagnostics GmbH, and other prominent players. By Technology Immunodiagnostics Lateral Flow Assays ELISA Tests Other Immunodiagnostic Technologies Molecular Diagnostics Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) Tests Microarrays Other Molecular Diagnostic Tests Others By Animal Type Companion Animals Food Producing Animals By End-User Reference Laboratories Veterinary Hospitals and Clinics Point of Care / In House Testing Research Institutes and Universities By Region North America Europe Asia Pacific Latin America Middle East and Africa Please Find Below Some Related Report: Sustained Release Coatings Market, Opportunity and Forecast, 2018-2028 Oxygen Therapy Device Market, Opportunity and Forecast, 2018-2028 Oxygen Conserving Device Market, Opportunity and Forecast, 2018-2028 Pulse Oximeters Market, Opportunity and Forecast, 2017-2027 Antibody Drug Conjugates (ADC) Market, Opportunity and Forecast, 2017-2027 About Us Blue Weave Consulting provides all-inclusive Market Intelligence (MI) Solutions to businesses regarding various products and services online & offline. We offer comprehensive market research reports by analyzing qualitative and quantitative data to boost your business solution's performance. BWC has built its reputation from the scratches by delivering quality inputs and nourishing long-lasting relationships with its clients. We are a promising digital MI solutions company providing agile assistance to make your business endeavors successful. Contact Us: BlueWeave Consulting & Research Pvt. Ltd +1 866 658 6826 | +1 425 320 4776 | +44 1865 60 0662 info@blueweaveconsulting.com Mount Juliet, March 28, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Mount Juliet, Tennessee - Nashville, TN based Real 3d Space is pleased to offer their community a comprehensive suite of photography services designed specifically for real estate projects. The company has utilized the advantages of modern technology and marketing techniques to create an all-inclusive solution for virtually every challenge the real estate industry could present. To anyone keeping up with the breakneck pace of the modern world, Real 3d Space states, it is obvious that marketing tools are fast becoming more accessible for businesses and members of the general public alike. However, realizing this is not the same as being able to identify which aspects are able to work synergistically and then putting in the work to create said solution. Fortunately for our clients, Real 3d Space has done just that. The result of the agencys work is that anyone involved in the real estate industry can boost their marketing efforts by using Real 3d Spaces solution and the company has taken several measures to ensure that adoption is an extremely painless process. Their goal was to make marketing as simple as possible without nullifying any of the tools capabilities, and they have largely succeeded at this goal. With Real 3d Spaces help, a real estate agent can successfully list and sell any property as well as improve their brand and grow their business all at a highly affordable price. To begin with, the agency deploys a professional real estate photographer (outfitted with the latest capture technology) to record the site in question. The data they collect will eventually be compiled into floor plans, listing presentations, 360 photos, print-ready flyers and more. Real 3d Space will also create a customized website that hosts all relevant information, such as a comprehensive online gallery. However, Real 3d Space points out that these options pale in comparison to their most popular products: Immersive 3d and Drone Video. As the company explains, Matterport 3d virtual tours are fast becoming a staple of the real estate industry thanks to their unparalleled ability to give buyers a virtual tour of the property without even having to visit in person. Since scheduling conflicts, travel expenses and even simple inconvenience may deter some buyers from giving a property the attention it deserves, these virtual tours can be used to host an open house around the clock and multiple viewings can be conducted simultaneously. Previously, the closest analog to this product was the video walkthrough, but this was often a limited affair that did not allow the customer to explore in such a dynamic fashion. The versatility of the virtual tour, it then follows, also serves to build excitement about the property, thereby increasing the odds of a successful sale. Similarly, drone video can give buyers an immediate overview of the property as a whole from a variety of vantage points, and there are few types of media as spell-binding as those taken by drone. The companys clients have already discovered how much easier it is to work with these tools, and they tend to appreciate the lengths the Real 3d Space team goes to provide assistance. James P. says in their Google review that the company is, Always helpful, punctual and professional. Real 3D Space is the best value around, the quality of work done and the minimal amount of time needed to produce the product is quite amazing. The price is perfect for new agents in the industry, and the process is streamlined for seasoned agents with multiple properties. Reviews generally praise how many services are attached to each package, giving clients across a range of budgets access to virtually every service they need to market themselves effectively. The company explains that each package was designed to suit a certain aspect of the market, and this effectively means that clients will always find they have everything they need for the property in question. Larger properties, for instance, require a great deal of work to document all their features and be made presentable, and Real 3d Space has taken the time to ensure clients will receive all the coverage they want with a correspondingly expansive package. https://youtu.be/PyMvhxstBRI Those interested in learning how real estate photography can be combined with digital marketing may direct their inquiries to Shane Atwell of Real 3d Space. Further details, along with samples of the products and tools on offer, can be found on the companys official website. ### For more information about Real 3d Space, contact the company here: Real 3d Space Shane Atwell (615) 355-1000 info@real3dspace.com 30 Burton Hills Blvd STE 400, Nashville, TN 37215 SOLDOTNA, Alaska, March 28, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- On Wednesday, March 30 at 7:30 AM, Alaska Grand Jury Rights supporters will rally at the Kenai Courthouse to protest public officials attempting to stop Grand Juries from investigating evidence of systemic crime and corruption by public officials. Alaska's Constitution guarantees that Alaskan citizens can report such evidence to the Grand Jury and that the Grand Jury can investigate and write a report with recommendations on such evidence. The Kenai Peninsula Borough, City of Homer, and local community councils support this issue through unanimously approved Resolutions. See Resolutions and evidence here: https://alaskagrandjuryrights.com Alaska Constitution, Article 1, Section 8 The power of grand juries to investigate and make recommendations concerning the public welfare or safety shall never be suspended. AS 12.40.030 Duty of inquiry into crimes and general powers. The grand jury shall have the power to investigate and make recommendations concerning the public welfare or safety. AS 12.40.040 Juror to disclose knowledge of crime. If an individual grand juror knows or has reason to believe that a crime has been committed that is triable by the court, the juror shall disclose it to the other jurors, who shall investigate it. Alaska Constitutional Convention (1307-1409): The grand jury is preserved, for all purposes, particularly for investigation of public officials. The grand jury can be appealed to directly, which is an invaluable right to the citizen. Alaska Grand Jury Handbook, Page 16: Can a grand juror ask the grand jury to investigate a crime that the district attorney has not presented to them? Yes. The Alaska Statutes state: "If an individual grand juror knows or has reason to believe that a crime has been committed that is triable by the court, the juror shall disclose it to the other jurors, who shall investigate it." Alaska Grand Jury Handbook, Page 26: It will be up to the grand jury to decide whether to investigate. Evidence that public officials are violating the law and constitutional rights can be viewed at: https://alaskagrandjuryrights.com Demonstrate at the Kenai Courthouse on Wednesday, March 30 at 7:30 AM to demand that Grand Juries be allowed to see and lawfully act on evidence of felony crimes and corruption by public officials. Alaska Grand Jury Rights David Haeg 907-398-6403 cell/text haeg@alaska.net https://alaskagrandjuryrights.com Related Images Image 1 This content was issued through the press release distribution service at Newswire.com. Attachment Washington, D.C., March 28, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- President Joseph R. Biden released his FY 2023 budget request today, seeking to make good on his State of the Union promise to sufficiently fund historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs). After studying the budget, UNCF (United Negro College Fund) announces its support, and on behalf of all our member-institution HBCUs we ask Congress to accept the HBCU investments wholly, making no reductions in their annual appropriations process this year. We made this request on the first day of the week-long series of meetings where HBCU leaders joined with the Bipartisan HBCU Caucus co-chaired by Rep. Alma Adams, UNCF and Thurgood Marshall College Fund (TMCF) officials to ask for Congress' support for their priorities via the HBCU STEAM Days of Action. "Once again, I note President Biden following up on his intentions," said Dr. Michael L. Lomax, president and CEO of UNCF. "For the second year in a row, the president's budget to Congress makes strong investments in HBCUs and the students that we serve. I call on every congressional leader who values education to take every single investment proposed by the president and make sure it is included in the final law. These investments are needed, and it is past time they should be signed into statute." "For the second year in a row, President Biden has asked that the Department of Education dedicated funding to HBCUs is well funded," said Lodriguez V. Murray, UNCF senior vice president for public policy and government affairs. "Earlier this month when Congress passed its FY 2022 appropriations bills, many HBCU and UNCF priorities were increased, but Congress did not meet President Biden's aspirational increases. We were on the path to finally receiving our long due and proper level of Education funding last year; and despite the congressional increase we did receive, we did not meet the mark in President Biden's budget for FY 2022. We are asking Congress to make no reductions but live up to the President's funding numbers this year. Our institutions deserve it, and so do our students. "UNCF supports the President's call to increase the Department of Education by 15%," Murray continued. "As part of that, the administration is calling for the HBCU funding which all 100-plus HBCUs share to be increased by $65 million to finally meet the authorized level of funding. This is UNCF's top priority. Additionally, the request for the Pell Grant to be increased by $2,000 in the upcoming year is nothing short of landmark. If Congress follows through on President Biden's UNCF supported request, it would be the largest single year increase to the Pell Grant, put us on course to double the Pell Grant this decade, and be one of the biggest game changers for low to moderate income students in our country in modern times." UNCF and their HBCU presidents met today with House Majority Whip James E. "Jim Clyburn as part of the STEAM Days of Action. This week other meetings will include House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, House Appropriations Committee Chairwoman Rosa DeLauro and many more. The goal will be to ensure congressional leaders understand the needs of HBCUs from a funding perspective as well as how the chambers can better equip the institutions to respond to the bomb threats which have plagued them in 2022. ### About UNCF UNCF (United Negro College Fund) is the nations largest and most effective minority education organization. To serve youth, the community and the nation, UNCF supports students education and development through scholarships and other programs, supports and strengthens its 37 member colleges and universities, and advocates for the importance of minority education and college readiness. UNCF institutions and other historically Black colleges and universities are highly effective, awarding nearly 20% of African American baccalaureate degrees. UNCF administers more than 400 programs, including scholarship, internship and fellowship, mentoring, summer enrichment, and curriculum and faculty development programs. Today, UNCF supports more than 60,000 students at over 1,100 colleges and universities across the country. Its logo features the UNCF torch of leadership in education and its widely recognized trademark, A mind is a terrible thing to waste. Learn more at UNCF.org or for continuous updates and news, follow UNCF on Twitter at @UNCF. Washington, March 28, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- In its FY23 budget proposal, President Biden and his administration have once again demonstrated their commitment to investing in Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) in an historic fashion. The Presidents FY23 recommended budget includes a record total $2,175 increase to the maximum Pell award, setting it on a path to meet the Presidents goal of doubling Pell by 2029; significant increases Title III funding to HBCUs, Predominantly Black Institutions (PBIs) and other Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs), and includes $450 million for four-year HBCUs, PBIs and MSIs to expand research and development infrastructure at these institutions. Increasing research capacity and opportunity at our schools is of critical importance to the long-term sustainability and growth of our institutions, and to the overall research capacity of our nation as a whole. We are delighted that President Biden has recognized the importance of schools having an active role in this effort as was first demonstrated in the American Jobs Plan, then in the Build Back Better Act and now in the Presidents FY 23 recommended budget. TMCF looks forward to working with Congressional leadership, the Congressional Black Caucus and the Bipartisan HBCU Caucus to adopt these historic proposals for the betterment of our institutions and their students. English French QUEBEC CITY, March 29, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- LeddarTech, a global leader in providing the most flexible, robust and accurate ADAS and AD sensing technology, is pleased to announce its participation at Automotive Tech.AD Berlin at the Titanic Chaussee Hotel Berlin as an exhibitor and keynote speaker. April 4-5, 2022: LeddarTechs LeddarVision Demonstrator Space (live and virtual) Join the LeddarTech team for real-world demonstrations of LeddarVision. The only sensor fusion and perception software using raw data fusion that simplifies complex sensor sets eliminates the dependency on hardware and provides customers the flexibility to quickly scale solutions across vehicle models, delivering greater ADAS and AD performance. Meet the CTO of LeddarTech, Pierre Olivier, a pioneer in sensing with over 30 years of experience presenting at these events during the conference: Sunday, April 3, 2022, 19:45 23:00 CET: Icebreaker Session Topic: The Road to Full Automation - Progress and Challenges Monday, April 4, 2022, 10:00 10:30 CET: Presentation Topic: Sensing and Perception Technology Solutions That Solve Critical Sensing Challenges Learn about LeddarVision, a raw-data sensor fusion and perception platform that generates a comprehensive 3D RGBD environmental model with multi-sensor support for camera, radar and LiDAR configurations. This software-centric solution delivers superior perception performance exhibited through path planning, free space detection and enhanced object detection, tracking and classification. About Automotive Tech.AD Berlin Tech.AD Europe fuels you with new ideas, connections and inspiration. This event is directed at advanced engineers and automotive experts from OEMs, Tier 1s, automotive suppliers, solution providers and leading research institutes focusing on AI + machine learning, sensor and perception technologies, software architectures and AV platforms, testing and validation, commercial vehicles and early deployment, connectivity and 5G, infrastructures and smart cities, safety and security and more. Join over 500 of the most influential technical autonomous vehicle experts and executives in Berlin and online! Join LeddarTech either in person or digitally by registering today at https://www.autonomous-driving-berlin.com/ . About LeddarTech Founded in 2007, LeddarTech is a comprehensive end-to-end environmental sensing company that enables customers to solve critical sensing, fusion and perception challenges across the entire value chain. LeddarTech provides cost-effective perception solutions scalable from Level 2+ ADAS to Level 5 full autonomy with LeddarVision, a raw-data sensor fusion and perception platform that generates a comprehensive 3D environmental model from a variety of sensor types and configurations. LeddarTech also supports LiDAR manufacturers and Tier 1-2 automotive suppliers with key technology building blocks such as LeddarSteer digital beam steering and the LiDAR XLRator, a development solution for automotive-grade solid-state LiDARs based on the LeddarEngine and core components from global semiconductor partners. The company is responsible for several innovations in cutting-edge automotive and mobility remote-sensing applications, with over 100 patented technologies (granted or pending) enhancing ADAS and autonomous driving capabilities. Additional information about LeddarTech is accessible at www.leddartech.com and on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and YouTube. Contact: Daniel Aitken, Vice-President, Global Marketing, Communications and Investor Relations, LeddarTech Inc. Tel.: + 1-418-653-9000 ext. 232 daniel.aitken@leddartech.com Investor Relations contact : InvestorRelations@leddartech.com https://investors.leddartech.com/ Leddar, LeddarTech, LeddarSteer, LeddarEngine, LeddarVision, LeddarSP, LeddarCore, LeddarEcho, VAYADrive, VayaVision, XLRator and related logos are trademarks or registered trademarks of LeddarTech Inc. and its subsidiaries. All other brands, product names and marks are or may be trademarks or registered trademarks used to identify products or services of their respective owners. English French Solutions30, the European leader in solutions for new technologies, today announced LightSpeed Broadband, a full fibre internet service provider based in Lincolnshire, has selected the company for a second phase of ultra-fast roll out. The need to reduce the digital divide is greater than ever in the UK. LightSpeed are on a mission to bring ultra-fast 1 gigabit full fibre connectivity to homes and businesses throughout the East of England. Following an initial rollout of its full fibre network across 10 towns in South Lincolnshire and West Norfolk, this second phase aims to address a further 22 towns in Norfolk, Suffolk and Essex. In this context, LightSpeed has awarded Solutions30 UK a large part of its second phase deployment contract. . Having already partnered in phase one, this new contract is a recognition of the productivity and professionalism of the Solutions 30 UK Teams. Dave Axam, Chief Operating Officer, at LightSpeed Broadband stated: Our ambitious plans for 1 gigabit full fibre connectivity in the East of England means that finding trusted partners is vital. Having worked with Solutions30 in our first phase, we had seen their efficiency, quality and speed firsthand, and knew we wanted to expand our collaboration. Paul Garston, CEO of Solutions30 UK, applauded this new contract: Weve thoroughly enjoyed working in collaboration with LightSpeed, and are pleased that this new contract has come to fruition as a direct result of our performance and commitment. The UK is a high-potential market for Solutions 30 where we intend to play a key role in supporting our clients deploying fibre networks. About LightSpeed Broadband LightSpeed Broadband is based at Fulney Hall in Spalding, South Holland, Lincolnshire, creating 55 locally based jobs. Managed by a highly experienced team of broadband experts from across the telecoms industry, including BT and TalkTalk, LightSpeeds mission is to unlock the full digital potential of communities underserved by their existing broadband infrastructure. It plans to bring its fibre network to 200,000 homes and businesses across the East of England by 2022 expanding to reach 1 million homes by 2025 to become a leading provider in the market. LightSpeed Broadband is backed by 115 million investment with the opportunity to raise 300 million. Investors include AtmosClear Investments, Kompass Kapital, Sequoia and Thesaurium who focus on economic infrastructure debt and sustainable infrastructure projects. To find out more about LightSpeed Broadband, visit www.lightspeed.co.uk About Solutions 30 SE The Solutions 30 group is the European leader in solutions for new technologies. Its mission is to make the technological developments that are transforming our daily lives accessible to everyone, individuals and businesses alike. Yesterday, it was computers and the Internet. Today, its digital technology. Tomorrow, it will be technologies that make the world even more interconnected in real time. With more than 30 million call-outs carried out since it was founded and a network of more than 15,700 local technicians, Solutions 30 currently covers all of France, Italy, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, the Iberian Peninsula, the United Kingdom, and Poland. The share capital of Solutions 30 SE consists of 107,127,984 shares, equal to the number of theoretical votes that can be exercised. Solutions 30 SE is listed on Euronext Paris (ISIN FR0013379484- code S30). Indexes: MSCI Europe Small Cap | Tech40 | CAC PME | SBF 120 | CAC Mid 60. Visit our website to learn more: www.solutions30.com Contact Individual Shareholders: Investor Relations - Tel: +33 1 86 86 00 63 | shareholders@solutions30.com Analysts/Investors: Nathalie Boumendil - Tel: +33 6 85 82 41 95 - nathalie.boumendil@solutions30.com Press - Image 7: Leslie Jung - Tel: +44 7818 641803 - ljung@image7.fr Charlotte Le Barbier - Tel: +33 6 78 37 27 60 - clebarbier@image7.fr Attachment NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO U.S. NEWSWIRE SERVICES OR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES TORONTO, March 29, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Water Ways Technologies Inc. (TSXV: WWT) (FRA: WWT) ("Water Ways" or the "Company"), a global provider of Israeli-based agriculture technology, providing water irrigation solutions to agricultural producers, announces that the Companys Chinese subsidiary (in which the Company hold 73% interest), IRRI-AL TAL (Shanghai) Agriculture Technology Company Ltd. ("IAT Shanghai"), has received an order to install a 250,900 Square Meters (2,700,000 Square Feet) turnkey blueberries irrigation project in the People's Republic of China. IAT Shanghai is expected to deliver and install the project during Q3 of 2022. The total value of the project is approximately C$730,000. The order was received from a Chinese blueberries cultivator following the successful implementations of several blueberries irrigation projects in China and Mexico. The Company expects to recognize revenues from the project during Q2 and Q3 of 2022. Ohad Haber, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, commented: "We focus our business on high value crops given that the profits to the Company are higher especially in the growing worldwide blueberries business. We are developing a reputation for being a leader in delivering irrigation systems that are tailor-made for enhancing yield and crop quality for high value crops. This is our third project in China, and our fourth blueberries irrigation project". About Water Ways Technologies Inc. WWT through its subsidiaries, is a global provider of Israeli-based agriculture technology, providing water irrigation solutions to agricultural producers. WWT competes in the global irrigation water systems market with a focus on developing solutions with commercial applications in the micro and precision irrigation segments of the overall market. At present, WWTs main revenue streams are derived from the following business units: (i) Projects Business Unit; and (ii) Component and Equipment Sales Unit. WWT is capitalizing on the opportunities presented by micro and smart irrigation, while also making a positive mark on society by making these technologies more widely available, especially in developing markets such as Africa and Latin America and developed markets such as China and Canada. WWTs irrigation projects include vineyards, Cotton fields, Apple and Orange orchards, Blueberry, Medical Cannabis growers, fresh produce cooling rooms and more, in over fifteen countries. For more information, please contact Ronnie Jaegermann Dor Sneh Dr. Eva Reuter Director CFO Investor Relations - Germany T: +972-54-4202054 T: +972-54-6512500 +49 69 1532 5857 E: ronnie@waterwt.com E: dor@irri-altal.com E: e.reuter@dr-reuter.eu https://www.water-ways-technologies.com/ https://www.hg-wwt.com/ Twitter: @WaterWaysTechn1 Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Forward-Looking Statements Certain statements contained in this press release constitute "forward-looking information" as such term is defined in applicable Canadian securities legislation. The words "may", "would", "could", "should", "potential", "will", "seek", "intend", "plan", "anticipate", "believe", "estimate", "expect" and similar expressions as they relate to Water Ways Technologies Inc. (Water Ways). All statements other than statements of historical fact may be forward-looking information. Such statements reflect Water Ways' current views and intentions with respect to future events, and current information available to Water Ways, and are subject to certain risks, uncertainties and assumptions. Material factors or assumptions were applied in providing forward-looking information. Many factors could cause the actual results, performance or achievements that may be expressed or implied by such forward-looking information to vary from those described herein should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize. Should any factor affect Water Ways in an unexpected manner, or should assumptions underlying the forward-looking information prove incorrect, the actual results or events may differ materially from the results or events predicted. Any such forward-looking information is expressly qualified in its entirety by this cautionary statement. Moreover, Water Ways does not assume responsibility for the accuracy or completeness of such forward-looking information. The forward-looking information included in this press release is made as of the date of this press release and Water Ways undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking information, other than as required by applicable law. Water Ways' results and forward-looking information and calculations may be affected by fluctuations in exchange rates and its own share prices. All figures are in Canadian dollars unless otherwise indicated. A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/6c3480ac-1709-4cfd-b588-c86426e5074a NEW YORK, March 29, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Today, sparks & honey, Omnicoms (NYSE:OMC) cultural intelligence consultancy, known for its global network of culture and trend experts, announced the newest members of its Advisory Board. Three new professionals have been added to the fold, Aspen Institutes Judy Samuelson, Gen-Z Historian Kahlil Greene, and youth culture expert Maarten Leyts. They join over 67 seasoned leaders including Indra Nooyi, former CEO and Chairman of PepsiCo, Dr. Brian Pierce, former Director Information Innovation Office of DARPA and Lynne Greene, former Group President of Estee Lauder across technology, organizational development, education, retail, government, media and more that form the consultancys now 70-person strong brain trust. The newest Board members introduced themselves at the companys special 10th Anniversary Culture Briefing last week titled, Cultivating a Cultural Brain Trust. The briefing discussed sparks & honeys unique Learning Organization model through the lens of the Advisory Board. Their expertise will guide sparks & honey work and perspective on emerging trends, especially as it relates to the companys two new consulting practices that have been rolled out this year tied to Youth Culture and Policy & Philanthropy. For example, they will help brands understand how Gen Z shape the futures consumer and political landscapes. We curate our Board of Advisors very deliberately for depth and breadth of experience, commercial acumen and a range of diversity factors and we are so thrilled that these three exceptional thought leaders will add tremendous range to our new practices, says Annalie Killian, sparks & honeys Vice President of Strategic Partnerships. Judy Samuelson is the founder and executive director of the Aspen Institute Business and Society Program and a vice president at the Aspen Institute. Signature programs under Samuelsons leadership include a ten-year campaign to disrupt Milton Friedmans narrative about corporate purpose, a multi-year dialogue to produce the Aspen Principles of Long-Term Value Creation, and a partnership with Korn Ferry to rethink executive pay. "I couldn't be more excited to join sparks & honey's advisory board at this critical juncture. I've long admired sparks & honey for having a finger on the pulse of trends in business and society, and that's especially been the case during the extraordinary disruptions of the pandemic. Samuelson continues, "There's so much important work to be done on addressing the inequities laid bare by recent years, and I'm thrilled to roll up my sleeves and get to work with sparks & honey." Kahlil Greene, also known as the Gen-Z Historian, is a New York Times recognized digital educator with over 500,000 followers and 15mm views across his TikTok, Instagram and LinkedIn profiles. One week after his 19th birthday, he was elected the first Black student body president in Yale's 318-year history. Working as an independent consultant, Greene uses his unique leadership experiences and Gen-Z perspective to provide a youthful, forward-looking, and much-needed intervention to antiquated workplace strategies, with a focus on what young employees need to succeed. Greene says, "sparks & honey is at the forefront of uncovering and analyzing culture that drives trends across industries. As a young person investigating culture and how it shapes society, I'm excited to both advise on and learn from their wealth of data." Maarten Leyts is a pioneer in studying youth culture, creators, and emergent trends. With Trendwolves, the company he founded in 2006, he has been translating insights around youth trends and young families into products, strategies and value for European brands - from banking to the cultural investments of the European Union. The immense strength of an organization such as sparks & honey lies in its unconditional eagerness to continuously reinvent itself and thereby be miles ahead as a strategic intelligence partner. Collaborating with incredible knowledge experts from very different sectors is an enormous added value for any company, brand or government. Leyts continues, I am particularly happy to add my nearly 20 years of knowledge of youth culture, marketing and communication and am confident that together with the experienced and driven sparks & honey group, we can tackle the most complex challenges. These new collaborators will help sparks & honey answer the questions that are on the minds of every executive right now. How should my company show up? Are we relevant to young consumers? How do we function in a more equitable fashion? This work will be reflected sin new practice areas, intelligence reports, client work, culture briefings and more. For more information on sparks & honey, its Advisory Board and work, visit: https://www.sparksandhoney.com/. About sparks & honey sparks & honey is a cultural intelligence consultancy helping organizations understand explosive and immediate cultural shifts, as well as cultural movements that develop over time. They leverage their custom SaaS platform, called Q, in combination with a powerful human network to quantify culture, decode the future, and ignite transformation for brands and their consumers. Produced in conjunction with the World Economic Forum, sparks & honeys recent intelligence report, Precision Consumer 2030, was presented from the stage at Davos in 2020. sparks & honey is a part of the Omnicom Precision Marketing Group. About Omnicom Group Inc.: Omnicom Group (omnicomgroup.com) is a leading global marketing and corporate communications company. Omnicom's branded networks and numerous specialty firms provide advertising, strategic media planning and buying, digital and interactive marketing, direct and promotional marketing, public relations and other specialty communications services to over 5,000 clients in more than 70 countries. Follow us on Twitter for the latest news. Media Contact: Courtney Sims DiGennaro Communications courtney.sims@digennaro-usa.com Photos accompanying this announcement are available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/dd9b3eab-3fea-4c3d-a66f-5db512e51ce2 https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/cdbb04f4-ce58-4d05-991d-8e60f56617b1 https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/a05b7728-6f4d-49ed-b878-1a07109008f3 Dallas, March 29, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The national corporate defense law firm Oberheiden P.C. is expanding to include crisis management to its suite of legal services. The addition fills an important need for corporate clients who are facing potential legal action. By providing crisis management services, the crisis management lawyers at Oberheiden P.C. can help their clients in the immediate aftermath of a crisis. Whether a top executive is being accused of wrongdoing, an investigation into the company has been announced, or a business investment has publicly gone sour, crisis management attorneys from Oberheiden P.C. can be on the ground to deal with the fallout from the news within 24 hours. As Dr. Nick Oberheiden, the law firms founding partner, explains, When there is a potential crisis or a crisis occurs, companies need to respond quickly. Since these situations can happen suddenly or without warning, it is generally best to get outside crisis management attorneys on call sooner rather than later. Having a team of experienced lawyers on hand in the moments after a crisis occurs not only helps to mitigate the short-term damage of the situation; it also puts the business in a better position to control the long-term effects, as well. This is especially important when the story will likely get picked up by local or national media. After years representing clients facing federal investigations, expanding the firm to include crisis management services was an easy one to make for Oberheiden P.C.: It had already been providing them for clients accused of wrongdoing or fraud. These allegations were a crisis of their own, and part of Oberheiden P.C.s defense strategy included managing and mitigating the fallout from the investigation. In many cases, this has included public relations work revolving around the media coverage of the event. The crisis management lawyers at Oberheiden P.C. have been able to ensure that the coverage is fair and that the target of the scrutiny has had the opportunity to present its side of the story. In some cases, Oberheiden P.C. has been able to persuade major media outlets not to cover the story at all. Oberheiden P.C.s status as a national law firm helps to bring these crisis management services to the client immediately. The firms national footprint means that attorneys from a local law office can be on site within 24 hours in many cases. These are the most crucial hours in the crisis, and Oberheiden P.C. can be there for them. For more information about Oberheiden P.C.s expansion to become a crisis management law firm, in addition to a defense firm for corporations and white collar defendants, call them at 888-680-1745. https://thenewsfront.com/leading-corporate-defense-firm-will-now-provide-crisis-management-services/ ORLANDO, Fla., March 29, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- For years, Shay Rowbottom has helped her legions of followers on LinkedIn and Instagram learn the broad strokes and finer points of digital marketing. Dom Leroux, founder of Venice, Florida's Lucky Penny Candles, credits his success in part to Shay's insights, and sponsoring her Orlando appearance was a natural way to express his gratitudeand to show Shay how far he's run with her words of wisdom. The event highlighted Lucky Penny's recently launched line of corporate gifts. To mark the occasion, Dom designed a custom candle and a special scent to match. Attendees received a free #shayshine candle as a memento of their experience, and as a way to remember what they learned at the event every time they turned down the lights and warmed up a room with the soft glow of a natural, eco-friendly Lucky Penny candle. "Corporate gifts reinforce people's opinion of your company one way or another," notes Dom. "If they are cheap and cliched, that's what people will remember about you. If they're well crafted and thoughtfully customized, though, they make recipients proud to be associated with your brand. That's what we set out to do with our corporate line, and that's why Shay's event was the perfect time to launch it to the world." When Dom learned that Shay was scheduled to appear in Orlando, he immediately reached out to her event-marketing agency, Foureva Media. Their conversation quickly blossomed into a full-fledged sponsorship, and Dom got a direct impression of how Shay's insights translated into business practice. "Jamar Jones, who owns Foureva Media, and Randy Wilinski, the project manager we worked with, are absolutely amazing. The entire team at Foureva was completely dedicated to making this event a success, and it felt great to sponsor a team that's as hard-working and focused as we are here at Lucky Penny Candles." The sponsorship included more than 100 candles customized with Shay's logo and brand color scheme. The candles were a major hit, and compliments poured in from attendees, along with Shay, Jamar, and their team. Lucky Penny is already keeping an eye out for future sponsorship opportunities. In the meantime, Lucky Penny's corporate-gifts division is off to a flying start, thanks in part to the exposure made possible by Shay's Orlando appearance. For a video overview of Lucky Penny's participation at the event, please visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SJM_u3pGh6s. To learn more about Lucky Penny Candles, please visit luckypennycandles.com. For press-related inquiries, please email the shop at hello@luckypennycandles.com. ### Lucky Penny Candles Lucky Penny Candles crafts unique, personalized, eco-friendly candles in the United States and distributes them through its online store. Shay Rowbottom Shay Rowbottom is a LinkedIn influencer and digital marketing entrepreneur, specializing in creating social media video content to attract attention and bring more eyeballs to businesses. To learn more Shay Rowbottom visit: https://www.shayrowbottom.com Foureva Media Foureva Media has divisions that specialize in different areas in our agency including sales and marketing, video production, and speaker agency. Our team is results and we make all our decisions to drive revenue and brand awareness. To learn more about Foureva Media visit: https://www.fourevamedia.com Related Images Image 1: Lucky Penny Candles is proud to celebrate its sponsorship of Shay Rowbottom's recent 2's Day event From left to right: Shay Rowbottom, Jonathan Palmar, Dom LeRoux, Jamar Jones This content was issued through the press release distribution service at Newswire.com. Attachment London, United Kingdom, March 29, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- via NewMediaWire -- Argentum 47, Inc. ( www.arg47.com ) (OTC: ARGQ) is extremely delighted to announce that management have fully executed a legally binding letter of intent to acquire UK based company, The Data Source (UK) Limited (TDS). Management has been in negotiations with several parties since late 2021 in order to bring value and a long-term future to the Company and its shareholders by way of a merger or acquisition. The basis of the proposed transaction is for Argentum 47 Inc. to acquire 100% of The Data Source (UK) Limited ( https://www.thedatasource.co.uk/ ) by way of management relinquishing their personal right, title and interest in (i) 40,000,000 shares of Argentums issued and outstanding Series B Preferred Stock, (ii) 4,378,888 shares of Argentums issued and outstanding Series C Preferred Stock and (iii) 21,500,000 shares of Argentums issued and outstanding Common Stock, which shares of Series B and C Preferred Stock and Common Stock constitute precisely 51% of the voting stock of Argentum on fully diluted and converted basis (Control Block). Additional shares of Argentum 47, Inc. Common Stock will be issued to the TDS shareholders post-closing. TDS is a data driven B2B and B2C solutions provider utilizing artificial intelligence with lead generation, automation, and analytics. TDS provides its clients with world class data with the aim of becoming a one-stop-shop for all things data. Reuters, Vodafone, Revolut, Honda and American Express are just a few of the companies they have worked with. The next stage of development for TDS is within North America, where they are already making inroads into the real estate and capital markets sectors, offering services including business intelligence and research, demographic, market data and public data. TDS is also examining several complimentary acquisitions in Europe and in the United States and sees the potential acquisitions as a defined path for the combined companies in the years to come; hence, TDS is poised to increase its organic revenue substantially in the coming 12 months. Management of Argentum 47, Inc. expects to close the acquisition of The Data Source (UK) Limited in April 2022. Mr. Peter Smith, sole Director of Argentum 47, Inc., said: This has been a long road for us at Argentum and I know it has been a long road for many of our shareholders too. This agreement with TDS is a major milestone for the Company and all of its shareholders, as the agreement sees TDS become the controlling element of the Company with a new and exciting direction. TDS has many blue chip clients and a phenomenal amount of activity within the artificial intelligence sector. They are a well managed company with a seasoned board of high profile people. We have been very impressed with TDS from the outset and look forward to supporting them through this exciting transaction. About Argentum 47, Inc. and Subsidiaries. Argentum 47, Inc. (Argentum) is a full service Financial Intermediary, Corporate Consultancy, Retail and Corporate Financial Services Company. Through its wholly-owned foreign subsidiaries, it advises both business and retail customers with their most critical decisions and opportunities pertaining to growth, capital needs, structure and the development of their financial plans. With offices in the United Kingdom, Argentum has developed significant relationships in the U.S., U.K., Central Europe, the Middle East and South East Asia to assist clients in realizing their full value and potential. Bringing business to external capital and resources, and retail customers to a suite of secure effective financial solutions. Furthermore, as Argentum has offices in key financial centers of the world, they are able to introduce their clients to the right financial partner without geographical constraints. Safe Harbor Statement This press release may include forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including statements related to anticipated revenues, expenses, earnings, operating cash flows, the outlook for markets and the demand for products. Forward-looking statements are no guarantees of future performance and are inherently subject to uncertainties and other factors which could cause actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking statements. Such statements are based upon, among other things, assumptions made by, and information currently available to, management, including managements own knowledge and assessment of the Companys industry and competition. The Company refers interested persons to its most recent Annual Disclosure and other disclosure documents uploaded to OTC Markets for a description of additional uncertainties and factors, which may affect forward-looking statements. The Company assumes no duty to update its forward-looking statements. Contact details: Mr. Peter Smith Sole Director of Argentum 47, Inc. Tel. + (44) 1482 289 591 Email: peter@arg47.com Washington, DC, March 29, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- This Wednesday at 12:00 EDT, EMET is hosting Gabriel Noronha to speak. Noronha previously served on the Iran desk at the State Department and maintains contacts there and in the National Security Council and European Union who are directly involved in the negotiations. His colleagues were so appalled at the concessions the US gave Iran that they asked him to leak details, about which his Twitter thread can be found here. During the webinar, he will go over what we know so far and what this new agreement would look like. Register for the event here. Bipartisan opposition to returning to the nuclear deal is growing. It is clear that this new deal is shorter and weaker, giving huge concessions to Iran. Recently, a bi-partisan letter from House members highlighted these concerns. Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ) has also been extremely vocal, giving an hour-long presentation in the Senate in February regarding the threat of an Iranian nuclear program and urging the administration not to allow Iran to force us into a deal. In Menendezs own words: Our goal must be the right deal, not just any deal. 49 Republican senators signed a letter expressing their disapproval of the new deal and reiterating that this new deal was far weaker, did not solve the Iranian nuclear problem, and would perpetuate their violent activity in the region. A similar letter in the house led by Rep. Gallagher (R-Wisc.) gathered around 200 signatures. Here is some background information: This is a recent interview with Russias lead negotiator in the Vienna talks, who also served as the water carrier between the US and Iran. LIMERICK, Pa., March 29, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Victory Bank is proud to announce the promotion of Shelly Stockmal to Senior Vice President. Stockmal has over 30 years in the banking industry with 21 years in consumer and commercial lending and nine years in Human Resources. She has been an essential part of Victory Banks team from the very beginning, joining the Bank in 2008 and moving to the Banks leadership team in 2013. Through those years, Shelly demonstrated her commitment to our clients, employees, and the community. She has consistently and admirably represented Victory Bank in every facet of her responsibilities. Shelly recently managed the challenges of keeping the Bank open and keeping our clients and team members safe from COVID. She has worked long hours, made countless decisions, large and small, and adapted to changing conditions in doing her various jobs, stated Joseph W. Major, Bank Leader and CEO of The Victory Bank. In January 2020, Stockmal completed the SHRM-SCP (Society for Human Resource Management Senior Certified Professional) Certification and completed the Certified Professional Certification in July of 2019. Stockmals many duties include managing retail banking delivery, leading all HR functions, including hiring and training, serving as a critical community liaison, and analyzing a broad list of performance metrics. She also serves as Treasurer to the Board of the Greater Pottstown Society for Human Resources Management (GPSHRM), which holds monthly meetings focused on educating local professionals involved in Human Resources. GPSHRM recently won the prestigious EXCEL Platinum Award for its accomplishments in 2020. She also serves as Vice-Chair of the Board of the Bankers Health Care Consortium of PA, which provides unique health care funding for banks and affiliate members. Stockmal has demonstrated a lifelong commitment to her community, including over fifteen years of service as a Girl Scout Leader. She was honored as the Volunteer of the year in 2016 by the Manatawny Service Unit. The Victory Bank is a locally owned and operated commercial bank headquartered in Limerick, Pennsylvania. The Bank was founded to optimize the financial lives of businesses, professionals, government/public entities, and consumers. For more information, call 610-948-9000 or visit VictoryBank.com. Member FDIC. About SHRM (Society for Human Resource Management) SHRM, the Society for Human Resource Management, creates better workplaces where employers and employees thrive together. As the voice of all things work, workers, and the workplace, SHRM is the foremost expert, convener, and thought leader on issues impacting todays evolving workplaces. With 300,000+ HR and business executive members in 165 countries, SHRM impacts the lives of more than 115 million workers and families globally. Learn more at SHRM.org and on Twitter @SHRM. Media Contact: Kelly Taylor Executive Assistant Investor Relations 610-948-9000 ktaylor@victorybank.com A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/9ffb9f08-a9fa-45c6-8309-f2569c7cd836 Dublin, March 29, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Europe Online Payment Fraud and Security 2022" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. Fraudulent digital banking transactions in many different forms are more frequent across Europe As online payment transactions become more numerous, so do the forms of potential fraudulent activities. B2C E-Commerce losses due to online payment fraud were expected to increase by over 10% worldwide in 2021. Card fraud in E-Commerce comprises more than two-thirds of all card fraud in the UK, and many institutions are implementing increased online security precautions to address consumer concerns. For example, payment habits in the UK and Germany have been influenced by this need for more security and its lack of security discourages many Spanish shoppers from making purchases on social networks. Online-payment-related fraud on the rise Losses incurred from online payment fraud are on the rise worldwide and are projected to have more than doubled in the five-year span between 2018 and 2023. In the European region, and most prominently in the UK, consumers are altering their payment habits post-COVID-19 in search of greater security. In Germany, two out of every three E-Commerce companies have identified a noticeable rise in fraudulent activities. Over 85% of online retailers in Switzerland reported having been victims of fraud. Countries Covered: Austria France Germany Italy Spain Switzerland United Kingdom Key Topics Covered: 1. Management Summary 2. Global Developments Overview of Online Payment Fraud Trends, February 2022 Overview and Updates of Payment Authentication Solutions, February 2022 Breakdown of Digital Banking Fraudulent Transactions, by Channel, incl. Mobile App, in %, Q3 2019 - Q2 2021 Value of B2C E-Commerce Losses to Online Payment Fraud, in USD billion, 2020 & 2021e Value of Consumer Losses To Fraudulent Robocalls, in USD billion, 2021e & 2022f Top Important Factors in Consumers' Online Experience, in % of Consumers, September 2021 Number of Users Making Online Payment With Facial Recognition, in billions, 2020 & 2025f Number of Users Who Will Be Confirming Transactions With Voice Recognition, in millions, 2020 & 2025f Attitudes Towards Interaction With Business Online, incl. Purchasing, in % of Adult Consumers, January 2021 3. Regional Reasons for Changed Payment Habits During COVID-19, in % of Consumers, by Austria, Bulgaria, Germany, Italy and the UK, April 2021 Share of Online Retailers Who Experienced Fraud/Attempted Fraud in the Past 12 Months, in %, March 2021 4. UK E-Commerce Fraud Loss on UK-Issued Cards, in GBP million, and Share of Total Card Fraud, in %, 2015 - 2020 Value of Fraud Losses Committed on a UK-Issued Credit, Debit or Charge Card, by UK and International Location, in GBP million, H1 2018 - H1 2021 Top Reasons For Changes in Payment Method Habits Changes Amid COVID-19, in % of Consumers, April 2021 Share of Adult Consumers Who Use More Security Steps While Online, in %, January 2021 5. Germany Share of E-Commerce Companies Who Stated that Fraud Had Risen Sharply/Very Sharply, in %, March 2021 Share of E-Commerce Companies Who Stated That Fraud Had Risen Due To COVID-19, in %, March 2021 Top Reasons For Payment Method Habits Changes Amid COVID-19, in % of Consumers, April 2021 6. France Most Trusted Payment Methods, by Degree of Confidence, in % of Adults, October 2021 Fraud Risks in Payment Methods, by Type, and by Importance Degree, in % of Adults, October 2021 Top Situations of Being a Victim of Fraud, by Degree of Fear, in % of Adults, October 2021 7. Spain Breakdown of Reasons for Never Purchasing on a Social Network, in % of Online Shoppers, 2020 & 2021 8. Italy Top Reasons For Payment Method Habits Changes Amid COVID-19, in % of Consumers, April 2021 9. Austria Share of Respondents Who Have Been Victims of Internet Fraud, in %, November 2020 Top Internet Fraud Types Experienced, in % of Respondents, November 2020 Top Important Factors When Shopping Online, in % of Respondents, September 2021 Top Reasons For Payment Method Habits Changes Amid COVID-19 Pandemic, in % of Consumers, April 2021 10. Switzerland Share of Online Retailers Who Have Been Affected by Fraud, in %, 2021 Companies Mentioned American Express Discover Financial Services JCB Mastercard Inc UnionPay Visa Inc For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/flvmrm TORONTO, March 29, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Dickeys Barbecue Restaurants, Inc. CEO Laura Rea Dickey announced today that the worlds largest barbecue concept has signed a franchise agreement with operators Anand Desai and Sharmistha Ghosh to bring the brands Legit. Texas. Barbecue. to Toronto! With this addition, Dickeys Barbecue continues to move Texas-style BBQ into the international cuisine category. This announcement comes on the heels of Dickeys recent agreement to open its first Canada location in Alberta. Torontos first Dickeys is slated to open this summer, bringing Texas-style BBQ further across the northern border. Anand Desai, a 15-year veteran in the governance, risk and control space, was driven towards the restaurant business by his passion to serve the members of his local community. Anand is joined by his partner, Sharmistha Ghosh, who brings a plethora of experience managing and running a successful restaurant in Toronto. Currently, Sharmistha works for a local brand in the city, where she is responsible for day-to-day operations and serves as a franchise coordinator. The duo credits their decision to partner with Dickeys to the tremendous support system offered during the initial phases of franchise operations along with the brands proven success with international franchising. Were excited to partner with Anand and Sharmistha to help grow our presence in Canada, Laura Rea Dickey said. Toronto has an amazing dining scene, but it lacks a true, authentic barbecue experience, which we cant wait to provide. Its always exciting to debut our Legit. Texas. Barbecue. in a new community, but its particularly exciting when our brand crosses borders. We look forward to introducing our tastes of Texas to Toronto and more Canadians across the country. To learn more about Dickeys, follow Dickeys Barbecue Pit on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Download the Dickeys Barbecue Pit app from the Apple App Store or Google Play. About Dickeys Barbecue Restaurants, Inc. Dickey's Barbecue Restaurants, Inc., the worlds largest barbecue concept, was founded in 1941 by the Dickey family. For the past 80 years, Dickeys Barbecue Pit has served millions of guests in 44 states Legit. Texas. Barbecue. At Dickeys, all our barbecued meats are smoked onsite in a hickory wood burning pit. Dickeys proudly believes theres no shortcut to true barbecue and its why our name isnt BBQ. The Dallas-based, family-run barbecue franchise offers eight slow-smoked meats and 12 wholesome sides with 'No B.S. (Bad Stuff)' included. Dickeys Barbecue has 550 locations across the United States and eight other countries. Dickeys was named to Newsweeks 2022 Americas Favorite Restaurant Chains list and USA Today 2021 readers choice awards. Dickeys won first place on Fast Casuals Top 100 Movers and Shakers list, been named a Top 500 Franchise by Entrepreneur and named to Hospitality Technologys Industry Heroes list. Led by CEO Laura Rea Dickey, who was named among the countrys 50 most influential women in foodservice in Nations Restaurant News, was recognized by Fast Casuals Top 100 Movers and Shakers list and honored by Dallas Business Journal. Dickey's Barbecue Pit has also been recognized by Fox News, Forbes Magazine, Franchise Times, The Dallas Morning News, The Wall Street Journal, People Magazine and QSR Magazine. Dickeys Barbecue is part of Dickeys Restaurant Brands which has more than 700 restaurants nationwide including brands Wing Boss, Trailer Birds, Big Deal Burger and bbqathome.com. DRB is led by CEO Roland Dickey Jr. For more information, visit www.dickeys.com. # # # Attachment Chicago, March 29, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- According to Ariztons latest research report, incorporation of big data across Europe events and exhibitions market is gaining high traction. Big players in the market are establishing their businesses by using big data as their core asset. For instance, Cvent, one of the leaders in meetings, events, and travel technology, has launched a free tool called Group Business Trends to provide a customizable, in-depth report by benchmarking the performance of business with qualifying competitors using their big data. Europe Events and Exhibitions Market Report Scope Report Attributes Details Market Size (Revenue) $10 Billion (2027) Market Size (Unit Shipment) 296 Million Sq. Ft (2027) CAGR (2022-2027) 3% Base Year (2021-2027) 2021 Forecast Year 2022-2027 Market Segments Exhibition Type, Revenue Stream, Industry Type, and Country Geographical Analysis Europe Countries Covered Germany, France, UK, Turkey, Italy, Spain, Russia, Sweden, and Netherlands Click Here to Download the Free Sample Report Rising Demand for Digital Marketplace During COVID-19 pandemic, the exhibitions and events industry paused globally. In 2020 and 2021, exhibition companies in the European region canceled numerous in-person events and alternatively explored digital platforms. Around 69% of exhibition organizations in Spain and 56% in UK upgraded their existing exhibition to digital platforms. Businesses in Europe are anticipating that events would integrate more digital fundamentals in the coming years to meet consumer and industry requirements. It is an opportunity for the enterprises and trade promotion organizations to leap forward the method of offline entity promotion and expand the market with new intellectual and new means. Emerging Trend of Big Data Exhibition organizers are looking for big data to provide valuable business intelligence to help them stay ahead in the competition by delivering better logistics planning, increasing sponsorships and exhibition participation. Several event and exhibition organizations are increasing efficiency and reducing the cost of acquiring information by using big data. Exhibitors can identify various mediums that are best suited for reaching their target audience. It even allows them to check advertisements that have worked for them in the past, thereby increasing their return on investment. Analytics is increasingly being used to improve revenues and attendance at exhibitions, and this has given rise to companies such as SmartXpo, which offer solutions to provide actionable insights. Reed Exhibitions is one of the worlds leading trade show companies, which uses big data analytics to identify the unique needs of exhibitors and find innovative ways of enhancing customer experience and retention. Success Of Covid-19 Vaccination Programs Within the admittance to COVID-19 tools accelerator (ACT Accelerator), WHO partners, together with vaccine manufacturers, formed the COVAX facility, focusing on quickening reasonable access to COVID-19 vaccines. Due to high success rate of vaccination campaign in Europe, the region has announced new measures to lessen and streamline COVID restrictions. Events and exhibitions in Barcelona have revitalized with a boom after the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the Swedish Exhibition & Congress Center and Gothia Towers, the countrys largest trade fair organizer has taken a certification procedure to protect the superiority of their infection control procedures for COVID-19. The ease in COVID-19 restrictions and the increasing number of vaccination doses administered are anticipated to accelerate the exhibitions and events market during the forecast period. Fairs have been a very important part of European trade B2B exhibition has developed from a long historical tradition, which mainly influenced the economic rise of modern Europe and the increase of trade between Europe and the East. Companies are widely using B2B fairs for marketing their products and services around the world. Which in turn, has helped them to expand their business domestically and internationally. Governments in open economies are encouraging trade between countries, and this is the best platform to showcase what they have for other countries. Moreover, companies can establish strong networks, which can help them in the future. The B2B exhibitions & events market in Europe is expected to reach $5 billion by 2027. Competitive Analysis In recent years, the economic situation in exhibition market in Europe is intensified. Rapid competitive development and new entrants are adversely affecting the competitiveness of the existing vendors. The current scenario is pushing vendors to adapt and improve their unique value propositions and deliver competitive contracts to their customers to maintain a strong market presence. Large vendors are actively fighting for the leading position in the market, with sporadic competitive spurts coming from other local vendors. Arizton believes global players will inorganically develop in the future by acquiring national or local players. Also, rivalry among enterprises is anticipated to intensify in the future. These players will compete on various factors such as size, quality of service, availability of capacity, and brand. Click Here to Download the Free Sample Report Read some of the top-selling reports: About Arizton: Arizton Advisory and Intelligence is an innovation and quality-driven firm, which offers cutting-edge research solutions to clients across the world. We excel in providing comprehensive market intelligence reports and advisory and consulting services. We offer comprehensive market research reports on industries such as consumer goods & retail technology, automotive and mobility, smart tech, healthcare, and life sciences, industrial machinery, chemicals and materials, IT and media, logistics and packaging. These reports contain detailed industry analysis, market size, share, growth drivers, and trend forecasts. Arizton comprises a team of exuberant and well-experienced analysts who have mastered in generating incisive reports. Our specialist analysts possess exemplary skills in market research. We train our team in advanced research practices, techniques, and ethics to outperform in fabricating impregnable research reports. Click Here to Contact Us Call: +1-312-235-2040 +1 302 469 0707 Jerome, Idaho, March 29, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Idaho Milk Products will present Episode 5 in their Formulating with Milk Proteins webinar series on High Protein Yogurts: Principles, Challenges & Options. In this upcoming free webinar, attendees will delve into the importance of taste, texture and how to use the different components of milk to maximize consumer preference. They will gain knowledge on how to choose the best proteins for their products, and what equipment and expertise are available to help formulate set, stirred and drinkable yogurts. Guest speakers will be Hari Meletharayil, PhD., Vice President of Product Research at Dairy Management, Inc., Florian Middelhuis, MBA, Vice President of Sales & Marketing and Pratishtha Verma, Research and Development Scientist at Idaho Milk Products. Hari Meletharayil leads product research programs in cheese, fermented products and dairy beverages. Hari coordinates activities across different innovation labs as part of the nationally coordinated network of technical centers to drive dairy innovation. Florian Middelhuis joined the Idaho Milk Products team in 2020 as Vice President of Sales & Marketing. Florian came to Idaho Milk Products from Meggle in Germany, as Business Unit Manager for their Dairy Ingredients group. Previously he was working with Friesland Campina, where he was based in Singapore as Regional Sales Manager for the Asia Pacific market. Florian received his bachelor's degree in Marketing and International Trade from Hogeschool Enschede and an MBA from the University of Liverpool. Pratishtha Verma joined Idaho Milk Products in 2020 as Research & Development Scientist. She is working on ingredient applications aimed at increasing the protein load as well as developing new application areas for milk ingredients. Pratishtha completed her MS in Dairy Manufacturing at South Dakota State University. This fifth webinar will be cast on April 14, 2022, and be hosted by Global Food Forums, Inc. Those wishing to register can contact our team at marketing@idahomilk.us. ### About Idaho Milk Products Idaho Milk Products is a privately held, vertically integrated international milk processing leader, supplying Milk Protein Isolate (MPI), Milk Protein Concentrate (MPC), Milk Permeate, and Cream derivatives to customers around the globe. Owned by local Idaho dairy farmers, Idaho Milk Products has a dedicated consistent milk supply and delivers reliable, quality dairy ingredients. For more information, visit idahomilkproducts.com. Attachments HARTSVILLE, S.C., March 29, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Sonoco (NYSE: SON), one of the largest global sustainable packaging companies, announced that Ernest Haynes has been appointed to the role of President of Sonoco Metal Packaging, one of the leading manufacturers of sustainable metal packaging for food and household products and the largest aerosol can producer in North America. In this new role, Haynes will lead Sonocos newly acquired Metal Packaging business, reporting directly to Howard Coker, Sonoco President and CEO. Haynes will replace Jim Peterson who will be transitioning from the business after more than 15 years of leadership. Haynes will work closely with the Metal Packaging team to continue delivering best-in-class solutions for customers and with the integration team to ensure the business achieves its financial and operational goals. Our Metal Packaging business is positioned for future success with Ernest at the helm, said Coker. We are working to ensure the integration of the Metal Packaging business will be a seamless transition for all stakeholdersand we are committed to maximizing continuity for our teams, customers and suppliers. We congratulate Ernest on his new role, and we also thank Jim Peterson for his leadership and his continued support during the transition. Haynes previously served as Division Vice President and General Manager of Rigid Paper Containers, North America since 2018. Prior to that, he served as Division Vice President of Operations, Tubes and Cores, U.S. and Canada since 2015. He is an alumnus of The Wharton Schools Executive General Management Program (WMP20) and a 1997 graduate of Clemson University with a B.S. in Industrial Engineering. In his 25 years with Sonoco, hes held numerous leadership roles within both the Consumer and Industrial segments. Haynes also leads Sonocos Corporate Quality Council. He joined the Company in 1997. I feel honored to accept this exciting role leading Sonoco Metal Packaging. In my 25 years at Sonoco, I have had the opportunity to hold leadership roles across the organization, and I look forward to this new opportunity, said Haynes. I have already had a chance to travel to many Metal Packaging locations and meet the teams, and it is really the people who make this business so special. Together, I am confident we will achieve great success. About Sonoco Founded in 1899, Sonoco (NYSE: SON) is a global provider of consumer, industrial, healthcare and protective packaging. With net sales of approximately $5.6 billion in 2021, the Company has 20,500 employees working in approximately 300 operations in 32 countries, serving some of the worlds best-known brands in some 85 nations. Sonoco is committed to creating sustainable products, services and programs for our customers, employees and communities that support our corporate purpose of Better Packaging. Better Life. The Company ranked first in the Packaging sector on Fortunes Worlds Most Admired Companies for 2022 as well as being included in Barrons 100 Most Sustainable Companies for the fourth consecutive year. For more information, visit www.sonoco.com . A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/45ba39a6-552e-4906-9ce0-d4a1007ff712 Bellevue, Washington, March 29, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Seattle Humanes new Chief Operations Officer Libby Jones is helping the 125-year-old nonprofit realize its five-year strategic vision developed last year, which relies heavily on first investing in the people that power the organizations mission and purpose. I went to school for zoology and wildlife conservation, said Jones, who recently relocated to the Pacific Northwest from North Carolina with her family and two rescue dogs. Ive always been passionate about animals and their wellbeing. Seattle Humanes five-year strategic vision, which was spearheaded by CEO Christopher Ross shortly after joining the organization in January 2021, reflects the evolving landscape in animal welfare and recognizes a community-focused approach is necessary in supporting pets and their owners. Libbys record of building and elevating teams in the animal welfare space and her focus on maximizing operational excellence made her an obvious choice for this critical role within Seattle Humane, Ross says. We are excited to see how she applies her skills and experience to set Seattle Humane up for another 125 years of success. Jones joins Seattle Humane after three years as Vice President of Operations at the Humane Society of Charlotte. Prior to her work in Charlotte, Jones was a veterinary hospital manager at Battleground Veterinary Hospital in Greensboro/Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and then shelter manager for Guilford County. Operation management just became my passion, it became something that Im deeply invested in, Jones says, and I want to make sure that our teams grow and thrive and experience all of the wonderful things that the organization can provide to them. Seattle Humanes strategic vision rests in five key pillars, one of which is to invest in their people by promoting fulfilling careers and livable wages in animal welfare. Lifting up the staff at the forefront of serving pets inside the shelter and out in the community is just the beginning of executing this ambitious five-year strategy. The people who are dedicated to animal welfare are passionate, lovely, strong people, but they have never really had the support system that they need in order to thrive, Jones said. And so, really supporting our people, our veterinarians, our technicians, our care staff and helping them thrive, not only here at work, but also in their lives, is just so critical, and its critical to the success of animal welfare organizations. Jones will also oversee investments across multiple departments in order to continue offering critical programs and services as Seattle Humane provides not only access to adoptable pets, but also support systems that keep them happy and healthy with their people for a lifetime. About Seattle Humane Seattle Humane is celebrating 125 years of proudly promoting the human-animal bond by saving and serving pets in need. We are more than a shelter Seattle Humane is a community resource center, providing adoption services, a pet food bank and support for pet owners, low-cost spay/neuter surgeries and wellness exams, humane education for all ages and more. Visit Seattle Humane at 13212 SE Eastgate Way in Bellevue or SeattleHumane.org. Attachment Beverly Hills , March 29, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- In this interview, Tricia Turner talks with Mission Matters about her journey in the real estate industry and her thoughts on how to ensure success in a competitive environment. Listen to the complete interview of Tricia Turner with Adam Torres on the Mission Matters Money Podcast. What mission matters to you? Turner says her mission revolves around building better lives by building better agents. A self-proclaimed optimist, she says the real estate industry is a tough one in which you have to have self discipline, grit, and be hungry to achieve success. Thats why, she explains, shes passionate about developing fellow real estate agents to their fullest potential. How did you get into real estate? Realizing early on that college wouldnt fulfill her goals, Turner went straight into apartment management at a young age as a leasing agent. She eventually got her real estate license and married a real estate agent as well, but in 2008, that marriage ended. Raising three small children on her own led her into what she calls some of the darkest days of her life, but her own focus and determination led her to pull herself through those challenges, obtaining her brokers license and opening her own brokerage, Tricia Turner Properties, to ensure more long-term success and economic stability. Tell us more about your company, the Tricia Turner Group with eXp realty. Turners company, Tricia Turner Properties, joined EXP Realty in 2018 and is now classified as a mega team within the brokerage. The Tricia Turner Group is a group of real estate professionals selling a high volume of homes all over the greater Houston area with their main office located in Fulshear Texas. She says her vision is to reach $135 million in sales volume and complete 400 transactions in 2022. Whats your advice for people just starting their careers in the field? Turner says she believes the real estate industry will continue to be disrupted, which is why you always need to pay attention to who youre paying attention to. In other words, Align (yourself) with people who are out to make a difference and then go all in, she advises. Many believe that 2022 will be defined in the real estate industry as survival of the fittest and that is because the market is extremely difficult and has been now since the pandemic. With fewer homes on the market to sell, the average agent that typically only sells a couple of homes a year, may find themselves looking for a new path within the next 12 -24 months. Turner believes in working hard, living in abundance and building a life on purpose. Her vision to teach others and help them to rise up, is only a fraction of what she plans on doing in the future. She believes that we are better togetheralways. To learn more about Tricia Turner and her vision, visit http://www.triciaturner.work Media Communications Inquiries: adamtorres@missionmatters.com Publicist for Adam Torres and Mission Matters Media KISS PR Brand Story PressWire Brand Publicity Partners KissPR.com For more details, visit Kisspr.com. KISS PR Digital PR & Marketing powers the Mission Matters Business podcast with brand storytelling. T: 972.437.8942 Via KISS PR Distribution - Media Contact: Az@kisspr.com Attachment Riyadh, March 29, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Two mathematicians and a scientist were among this years King Faisal Prizes seven laureates who received their prizes on 29 March in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, for having enriched humanity with key and invaluable achievements and discoveries, and excelled in the fields of Medicine, Science, Arabic Language & Literature, and Serving to Islam. The Medicine Prize was awarded to Professor David Liu, Richard Merkin Professor and Director of the Merkin Institute of Transformative Technologies in Healthcare, who invented the first gene base editor in 2016. This technology laid the foundation for possibly treating thousands of genetic diseases like sickle cell disease and muscular dystrophy. Professor David Liu used base editors in mice to correct the genetic mutation behind progeria, a rare condition characterized by premature aging, retarded development, and early death. Still, more work needs to be done before gene base editors can be used in humans. Initiating a revolution in genome editing, base editors have received great global demand. They were distributed over 9,000 times to more than 3,000 laboratories around the world. Scientists were able to publish more than 300 papers on this technique, used in different organisms ranging from bacteria to mice. Base editing is a precise genome editing method; like a genetic pencil, that rewrites DNA base letters, which cause genetic mutations and potentially genetic diseases. This technology, which is in constant development, chemically rewrites one DNA base to another by rearranging the atoms of one DNA base to resemble a different base. In 2019, Professor David Liu created with his team prime editing which offers more targeting flexibility and greater editing precision. With over 75 issued U.S. patents, Professor Liu was referred to as the Gene Corrector by Nature magazine topping its list of Ten People Who Mattered This Year in 2017 and was included in the Foreign Policy Leading Global Thinkers list. He is also a biotech entrepreneur, cofounding Editas Medicine, which uses CRISPR therapies (tool for editing genomes) to discover, develop, manufacture, and commercialize transformative, durable, and precise genomic medicines for a broad class of diseases. The Science Prize (Mathematics) was awarded jointly to Professor Martin Hairer, Chair in Probability and Stochastic Analysis at Imperial Colleges Department of Mathematics, and to Professor Nader Masmoudi, a distinguished Professor of Mathematics at the New York University of Abu Dhabi and head of his Research Center on Stability, Instability and Turbulence. Professor Martin Hairer developed the theory of regularity structures which gave a precise mathematical meaning to several equations that were previously outside the scope of mathematical analysis. He published his theory in 2014 providing tools and manuals for solving many previously incomprehensible equations called the stochastic partial differential equations (SPDEs). These equations involve chance and describe how randomness throws disorder into different phenomena like coin tossing, stock price changes, wind movement in a tunnel, or forest fire growth. He transformed the area of SPDEs by introducing fundamental new techniques and was able to solve equations like KPZ equation which describes the evolution of the boundary at which two substances meet over time. Professor Hairer is a world leader in probability theory and analysis and has authored a monograph and over 100 research articles. His work has been distinguished with several prizes and awards, most notably the LMS Whitehead and Philip Leverhulme prizes in 2008, the Fermat prize in 2013, the Frohlich prize and the Fields Medal in 2014, a knighthood in 2016, and the Breakthrough prize in Mathematics in 2020. As for Professor Nader Masmoudi, he was able to unlock the mystery around many physics problems which remained unsolved for centuries. He found a flaw in Eulers mathematical equations which for more than two centuries described the motions of fluids under any circumstance. He discovered that Eulers equations do not apply to all circumstances, as previously thought, and proved that they could break or fail under certain conditions related to fluids. His work helped solve and understand many problems related to fluid-modeling like weather predictions and airplane turbulence. For the past 20 years, Professor Masmoudis research has been at the forefront of Partial Differential Equations, Fluid Mechanics, and Dynamical Systems. He has been cited by more than 8000 papers for his works in pure and applied mathematics. He has been recognized with numerous awards, including the Best Scientific Paper Award in Annales de lInstitue Henri Poincare, a Chair from the Fondation Sciences Mathematiques de Paris, The Fermat Prize, and the Chair Schlumberger from the IHES in Paris. In addition to Medicine and Science, King Faisal Prize recognized this year the achievements of outstanding thinkers and scholars in the field of Arabic Language & Literature, and honored exemplary leaders who played a pivotal role in serving Islam, Muslims, and humanity at large. The Arabic Language and Literature Prize about Arabic Literature Studies in English was awarded to Professor Suzanne Stetkevych, Chair of the Department of Arabic & Islamic Studies at Georgetown University, and to Professor Muhsin Al-Musawi, Professor of Arabic and Comparative Literary Studies at Columbia University. Professor Suzanne Stetkevych was awarded the prize for her extensive research and work analyzing Arabic literature with unmatched depth from the pre-Islamic period to the revivalist period. Her research approach resulted in the renewal of the critical perspective and methods of studying classical Arabic poetry. Professor Muhsin Al-Musawi received the prize for being a well-established authority in the field of Arabic literature demonstrating his encyclopedic knowledge in both classical and modern Arabic literature. His research and studies have made great impact on students and researchers in the field of Arabic studies, both in the Arab world and the West. He handled Arabic literature as a world literature. The Service to Islam Prize was awarded to the former Tanzanian President His Excellency Ali Hassan Mwinyi and to Professor Hassan Mahmoud Al Shafei. His Excellency Ali Hassan Mwinyi actively participated in Islamic advocacy, spreading the spirit of religious tolerance, educating Muslims, and translating many Islamic resources and references into Swahili language. In parallel, Professor Hassan Mahmoud Alshafei served Islamic sciences through teaching, writing, authenticating, and translating, and has contributed to the establishment of the International Islamic University in Islamabad and the development of its colleges curricula. The Islamic Studies Prize for this year on Islamic Heritage of Al- Andalus was withheld because the nominated works did not meet the criteria of the prize. Since 1979, King Faisal Prize in its 5 different categories has awarded 282 laureates from 44 different nationalities who have made distinguished contributions to different sciences and causes. Each prize laureate is endowed with USD 200 thousand; a 24-carat gold medal weighing 200 grams, and a Certificate inscribed with the Laureates name and a summary of their work which qualified them for the prize. Attachments Beverly Hills , March 29, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Dara Wheeler talks with Mission Matters about the growing demand for employee holistic health and safety. Listen to the complete interview of Dara Wheeler with Adam Torres on the Mission Matters Innovation Podcast. What mission matters to you? Driven by a passion for keeping people healthy, Wheeler says shes committed to delivering the tools and resources necessary to ensure employees are mentally, physically, and financially supported. "When we listen carefully to our employees - we find out where their true passion lies and how we can inspire them," she adds. How did it all start? Wheeler is a veteran of the healthcare industry; although her first ambition was to be a teacher, after spending some time in the business world, the trajectory of her career changed dramatically. She pursued and earned an MBA and spent time in a variety of roles spanning HR, business development and finance. Today, shes a tenacious Chief Marketing Officer and has been with Axiom Medical for 16 years. Tell us about Axiom Medical. Axiom Medical specializes in providing complete occupational health services for the total life cycle of its clients employees. Axiom Medical employs experts in the fields of workers compensation, disability case management, and OSHA-mandated medical programs. While the companys competitors may manage programs using inexperienced associates, Wheeler says Axiom guarantees the most qualified, top-level professionals to perform the work. Axiom Medical partners with large and medium-sized companies to create systemic programs, managing employee health through a user friendly tech ecosystem paired with compassionate nurse case managers. What are some takeaways for employee health? "Recognizing where we can grow as an organization and have opportunities to encourage and maintain optimal employee health in the entire workplace," Wheeler says, noting that most industries only pay attention to employees' physical health and injuries, disregarding internal factors like mental wellness and behavioral health. Mental health IS health. Embracing innovation in the employee health space, makes holistic health manageable and efficient for the employer, and boosts employee wellbeing. she says. Whats next? Axiom Medical is dedicated to creating a company culture and environment that normalizes the importance of employee mental health, furthering its mission to provide outstanding, innovative, and effective work-related healthcare services to employees, positively impacting their lives, and providing meaningful return on investment to employers. As for the prospect of employers considering something akin to first aid for mental health in the same way they accept the importance of first aid for physical injuries and ailments, she says, "This would be a total game-changer and would provide an opportunity to see (employee wellness) from a more holistic perspective. Its our responsibility as business leaders to create an environment where our employees can thrive knowing that they are fully supported in their well-being." To learn more, visit https://www.axiomllc.com/ online. Media Communications Inquiries: adamtorres@missionmatters.com Publicist for Adam Torres and Mission Matters Media: KISS PR Brand Story PressWire Media Relations for Dara Wheeler and Axiom Medical: autumn.brennan@axiomllc.com Brand Publicity Partners KissPR.com For more details, visit Kisspr.com. KISS PR Digital PR & Marketing powers the Mission Matters Business podcast with brand storytelling. T: 972.437.8942 Via KISS PR Podcast Distribution - Media Contact: Az@kisspr.com Attachment VANCOUVER, British Columbia, March 29, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Gold Standard Ventures Corp. (NYSE AMERICAN: GSV) (TSX: GSV) (Gold Standard or the Company) announces the Company's audited consolidated financial results for the year ended December 31, 2021. For details of the audited consolidated financial statements, Management's Discussion and Analysis, Annual Information Form, and Form 40-F for the year ended December 31, 2021, please see the Company's filings on SEDAR and EDGAR. Jason Attew, President and CEO, commented, "Gold Standard had a very productive year in 2021, culminating in the recent release of the South Railroad Project Feasibility Study last month. The study outlined peer leading returns for undeveloped gold projects, and we are excited to continue de-risking the asset in 2022 with an exploration program focused on oxide resource expansion at Pinion, oxide definition drilling at the LT target, sulphide resource step out drilling at North Bullion, and inaugural drilling at the Ranch sulphide target to the north of Dark Star. Our exploration program, combined with the advancement of our permitting application and commencement of our construction capital financing process, will lead to plenty of news flow in 2022 as we advance towards our goal of becoming Nevadas low-cost junior producer of choice. 2021 and Recent Highlights At the end of 2021, Gold Standard staff had worked 3,627 consecutive days without a lost time accident. On January 5, 2021, announced the reconstitution of the senior leadership team with the appointments of a Chief Operating Officer; a new Chief Financial Officer; and a Vice President, Corporate Development & Investor Relations. Combined with the CEO change, four senior executives were appointed, and four senior executives departed. On February 1, 2021, announced the Companys Plan of Operations had been deemed complete by the BLM. On February 17, 2021, completed a bought deal financing of 39,215,000 common shares at a price of C$0.88 per share for gross proceeds of C$34.5 million. On March 9, 2021, engaged Cutfield Freeman & Co. as construction capital financial advisor to assess all avenues of construction funding for the South Railroad Project (SRP). In April, August, September, and November 2021, announced drill results at the Pinion, Dark Star and POD / Sweet Hollow deposits, as well as the LT target. Highlights included step out drilling at the Pinion SB Zone with the goal of expanding mineralization at Pinion to support mine life extension, deeper RC drilling at Dark Star to define the transitional and sulphide ore directly below the contemplated oxide pit boundary, and definition drilling at the near-surface oxide gold LT target located near the Plan of Operations boundary of the SRP. On November 10, 2021, announced an update to the SRP permitting process, including the engagement by the BLM of SWCA Environmental Consultants to manage the Environmental Impact Statement process. On February 23, 2022, announced the results of the Feasibility Study for the SRP outlining a 10.5-year operating life producing an after-tax NPV 5 of US$315 million, an IRR of 44%, and a 1.9 year payback period at a gold price of US$1,650 per ounce. At Spot Gold Price of US$1,899 per ounce as of February 18, 2022, after-tax NPV 5 increases to US$487 million, IRR increases to 62%, and the payback period drops to 1.6 years. of US$315 million, an IRR of 44%, and a 1.9 year payback period at a gold price of US$1,650 per ounce. Financial Results for the Year Ended December 31, 2021 The Company reported a net loss of $11.0 million for the twelve months ended December 31, 2021, compared to a net loss of $10.7 million for the twelve months ended December 31, 2020. Form 40-F The Companys Form 40-F has been filed with the SEC on EDGAR (www.sec.gov) together with the Companys Audited Consolidated Financial Statements, Managements Discussion and Analysis and Annual Information Form for the year ended December 31, 2021. The Companys shareholders may, upon request, receive a hard copy of the Companys complete audited financial statements free of charge. To review these documents on the Companys website, please see www.goldstandardv.com/investors/filings-financials/financial-statements/. Qualified Persons Richard Yancey, Geology Manager of the Company, is the Companys Qualified Person (QP) as defined by National Instrument 43-101 and has reviewed and approved the technical contents of this news release. About Gold Standard Gold Standard is developing the South Railroad Project, an open pit, heap leach gold project located in Elko County, Nevada. The project is part of a +21,000 hectare land package on the Carlin Trend, and is 100% owned or controlled by Gold Standard. The goal of the Company is to become the low-cost junior producer of choice in Nevada, one of the premier mining jurisdictions in the world. Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements This news release contains forward-looking statements, which relate to future events or future performance. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, included herein including, without limitation, statements regarding the SRP project economics, including NPV, IRR and payback of the SRP; the timing and availability of construct financing for the SRP; the ability of the Company to extend mine life and expand the Mineral Reserves and Resources at the SRP; the timing and completion of the permitting process; and the goal of becoming a low-cost producer in Nevada. Such forward-looking statements reflect managements current beliefs and are based on assumptions made by and information currently available to the Company, including that that the geology of the ore in the area of Mineral Resources and Mineral Reserves at the SRP will conform to that set out in the Feasibility Study for the SRP; that operations at the SRP will conform to the mine plan and schedule set out in the Feasibility Study for the SRP; that the Company will be successful in the financing and construction of the SRP; that the Company completes the necessary permitting process; and that operating and capital costs, and commodity prices, will conform to the costs and prices set out in the SRP. By their nature, forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause our actual results, performance or achievements, or other future events, to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. These risks, uncertainties and other factors include, among others: that the pit and the area of demonstrated Mineral Resources and Mineral Reserves at the SRP will be different than that set out in the Feasibility Study for the SRP, that the Company may not be successful in financing and constructing the SRP; that the SRP may never be placed into production; global financial conditions and volatility of capital markets, uncertainty regarding the availability of additional capital, fluctuations in commodity prices; title matters; and the additional risks identified in our filings with Canadian securities regulators on SEDAR in Canada (available at www.sedar.com) and with the SEC on EDGAR (available at www.sec.gov/edgar.shtml). These forward-looking statements are made as of the date hereof and, except as required under applicable securities legislation, the Company does not assume any obligation to update or revise them to reflect new events or circumstances. For further information contact: Michael McDonald Vice President, Corporate Development & Investor Relations Phone: 1-604-687-2766 E-Mail: info@goldstandardv.com RADNOR, Pa., March 29, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The law firm of Kessler Topaz Meltzer & Check, LLP (www.ktmc.com) informs investors that a securities class action lawsuit has been filed in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York against New Oriental Education & Technology Group Inc. (New Oriental) (NYSE: EDU). The action charges New Oriental with violations of the federal securities laws, including omissions and fraudulent misrepresentations relating to the companys business, operations, and prospects. As a result of New Orientals materially misleading statements to the public, New Oriental investors have suffered significant losses. Kessler Topaz is one of the worlds foremost advocates in protecting the public against corporate fraud and other wrongdoing. Our securities fraud litigators are regularly recognized as leaders in the field individually and our firm is both feared and respected among the defense bar and the insurance bar. We are proud to have recovered billions of dollars for our clients and the classes of shareholders we represent. CANNOT VIEW THIS VIDEO? PLEASE CLICK HERE CLICK HERE TO SUBMIT YOUR NEW ORIENTAL LOSSES. YOU CAN ALSO CLICK ON THE FOLLOWING LINK OR COPY AND PASTE IN YOUR BROWSER: https://www.ktmc.com/edu-class-action-lawsuit?utm_source=PR&utm_medium=link&utm_campaign=edu LEAD PLAINTIFF DEADLINE: April 5, 2022 CLASS PERIOD: April 24, 2018 through July 22, 2021 CONTACT AN ATTORNEY TO DISCUSS YOUR RIGHTS: James Maro, Esq. (484) 270-1453 or Email at info@ktmc.com NEW ORIENTALS ALLEGED MISCONDUCT New Oriental provides educational programs, services and products to students across the Peoples Republic of China (China) and delivers online courses through its online learning platforms. On June 1, 2021, Chinese regulators announced they had fined 15 off-campus training institutions, including New Oriental, for illegal activities such as false advertising and fraud. Among the violations were reportedly fabricating teacher qualifications, exaggerating the effects of training, and fabricating user reviews. Following this news, the price of New Oriental American Depository Shares (ADSs) dropped from $11.09 on June 1, 2021, to $9.32 on June 3, 2021, a 16% decline over the two-day period. Then, on July 23, 2021, China unveiled a sweeping overhaul of its education sector, banning companies that teach the school curriculum from making profits, raising capital or going public. This drastic measure effectively ended any potential growth in the for-profit tutoring sector in China. Following this news, the price of New Oriental ADSs fell from $6.40 on July 22, 2021 to just $1.94 by market close on July 26, 2021, a nearly 70% decline. WHAT CAN I DO? New Oriental investors may, no later than April 5, 2022 seek to be appointed as a lead plaintiff representative of the class through Kessler Topaz Meltzer & Check, LLP or other counsel, or may choose to do nothing and remain an absent class member. Kessler Topaz Meltzer & Check, LLP encourages New Oriental investors who have suffered significant losses to contact the firm directly to acquire more information. CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR THE CASE WHO CAN BE A LEAD PLAINTIFF? A lead plaintiff is a representative party who acts on behalf of all class members in directing the litigation. The lead plaintiff is usually the investor or small group of investors who have the largest financial interest and who are also adequate and typical of the proposed class of investors. The lead plaintiff selects counsel to represent the lead plaintiff and the class and these attorneys, if approved by the court, are lead or class counsel. Your ability to share in any recovery is not affected by the decision of whether or not to serve as a lead plaintiff. ABOUT KESSLER TOPAZ MELTZER & CHECK, LLP Kessler Topaz Meltzer & Check, LLP prosecutes class actions in state and federal courts throughout the country and around the world. The firm has developed a global reputation for excellence and has recovered billions of dollars for victims of fraud and other corporate misconduct. All of our work is driven by a common goal: to protect investors, consumers, employees and others from fraud, abuse, misconduct and negligence by businesses and fiduciaries. At the end of the day, we have succeeded if the bad guys pay up, and if you recover your assets. The complaint in this action was not filed by Kessler Topaz Meltzer & Check, LLP. For more information about Kessler Topaz Meltzer & Check, LLP please visit www.ktmc.com. CONTACT: Kessler Topaz Meltzer & Check, LLP James Maro, Jr., Esq. 280 King of Prussia Road Radnor, PA 19087 (484) 270-1453 info@ktmc.com Marijuana plants on Nov. 11, 2021. The cannabis industry has ramped up to meet demand in Illinois. Cannabis production in Illinois is dominated by several large, wealthy multistate operators that obtained medical licenses years ago. After a dramatic race in Bahrain, Red Bull Racing was able to smile again in Saudi Arabia after Max Verstappen' s win and Sergio Perez's pole position. Red Bull does have stiff competition from Ferrari, but according to Helmut Marko the RB18 will improve from Imola. Red Bull gets a lot lighter In the program Talk im Hangar-7 on Austria's ServusTV, Helmut Marko is the guest to talk about the battle between Red Bull and Ferrari. The Red Bull advisor sees a Ferrari that is fast in all conditions, regardless of temperature or tires. Even when it comes to the engine, the Italians have an advantage according to the Austrian. From Imola onwards, however, Red Bull should start to gain the upper hand, Marko reveals. This is because the team is working on a number of new parts that will significantly reduce the weight of the car. "This should result in a significant gain in lap times," the 78-year-old reveals. Melbourne similar to Jeddah Before Formula 1 heads to Imola, the Australian Grand Prix will be held. For that race, Marko predicts another exciting battle between Ferrari and Red Bull. "I think Melbourne will be about the same as Jeddah," he said. Earlier, Marko revealed that the RB18 is a "Prima Donna. A more difficult car, but if you can manage it there is potential in it. Chinese FM to chair 3rd meeting of foreign ministers of countries neighboring Afghanistan Xinhua) 09:39, March 29, 2022 BEIJING, March 28 (Xinhua) -- Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi will host the third meeting of foreign ministers of the countries neighboring Afghanistan in Tunxi, Anhui Province, from March 30 to 31. Foreign ministers or representatives of Pakistan, Iran, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan will attend the meeting, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin announced on Monday. Later, Wang will chair the "Afghanistan's neighbors + Afghanistan" foreign ministers' dialogue. Acting Foreign Minister of the Afghan Interim Government Amir Khan Muttaqi will be invited to attend the dialogue. The foreign ministers of Indonesia and Qatar will be invited as guests, the spokesperson said. By hosting this third foreign ministers meeting, China hopes to build further consensus among Afghanistan's neighboring countries on the Afghan issue, discuss the "neighbors' plan" to jointly promote the stability of the situation in Afghanistan, support the Afghan people, and convey the voices of Afghanistan's neighbors to the international community, the spokesperson said. "We hope that by hosting the 'Afghanistan's neighbors + Afghanistan' foreign ministers' dialogue, we can better understand the difficulties and appeals of the Afghan people, convey the concerns of Afghanistan's neighboring countries about the Afghan issue, encourage Afghanistan to build an open and inclusive political architecture, pursue moderate and prudent domestic and foreign policies, and effectively combat terrorism," Wang said. "At the same time, we hope the international community will provide greater support to Afghanistan, and we call on the United States to take the primary responsibility for Afghanistan's economic reconstruction," Wang said. (Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun) LG Energy Solution will invest 1.7 trillion won (US$1.39 billion) in Queen Creek, Arizona to build a new cylindrical battery plant with a total capacity of 11 GWh. Construction is scheduled to start in the second quarter of this year and mass production is targeted for the second half of 2024. The Arizona plant will be LGES second standalone facility in the US after one in Holland, Michigan. LGES earlier announced $1.7 billion to quintuple the capacity of its base plant in Holland by five times. (Earlier post.) Among Korean battery makers, LG Energy Solutions is the first to build an independent production plant for cylindrical batteries in the North American market. LG Energy Solution plans to supply major customers such as electric vehicle startups that have adopted cylindrical cell formats and power tool companies in the United States through the new plant. LGES is a supplier to Tesla and Lucid. In October 2021, LGES also signed a long-term battery supply contract with Nikola, which has an electric truck factory in Coolidge near Phoenix. With LGs plant in Michigan and JV plants with GM (earlier post, earlier post) and Stellantis (earlier post), the companys total capacity in North America will reach more than 200 GWh. NEW HAVEN Federal investigators probing a $40 million embezzlement scheme at Yale School of Medicine discovered an administrator used thousands of orders to circumvent a $10,000 purchasing cap so she could buy electronics that she later sold, court documents show. Jamie Petrone, 42, of Naugatuck, appeared Monday in federal court where she admitted to wire fraud charges stemming from scheme, officials said. Petrone, who was director of finance and administration for the schools Department of Emergency Medicine, has accepted responsibility for her actions, her attorney, Frank Ricco, said. In announcing the guilty plea, federal authorities said the prestigious medical school lost more than $40 million in computers and electronics that Petrone used to purchase luxury cars, fund real estate improvements and pay for travel. Court documents show that an anonymous tip alerted Yale officials to the scheme. The person reported a suspiciously large amount of computers being ordered by Petrone, who was also seen loading some of the electronics into her personal car, according to court documents. While a full extent of the scheme was not highlighted in arrest documents, federal authorities used a series of laptop and tablet purchases to show how Petrone diverted those items to another business to make money, records show. Since 2018, Petrone drafted thousands of purchase orders, each less than $10,000, which was the amount at which additional management approvals wouldve been required, according to court records. The amount of the purchases is estimated by investigators to be in the tens of millions of dollars. Since January 2021, court records show, Petrone arranged for Yales purchase of about 8,000 iPads and Surface Pro tablets. Court records indicate that between May 27, 2021, and Aug. 19, 2021, Petrone ordered about $2.1 million in computer equipment on behalf of Yale. She placed an additional order on Aug. 24, 2021, for equipment that investigators said totaled $144,000. On May 26, 2021, Petrone asked her assistant to prepare documentation for an order of 100 Microsoft Surface Pro tablet computers, which she claimed were for a new study to be launched during Memorial Day weekend. Her assistant prepared 12 purchase orders for eight Surface Pros, totaling over $9,000, and one purchase order for four Surface Pros, totaling over $4,500, documents showed. Documents said that many of the devices Petrone purchased with Yale money were sold and shipped to a purported business in New York. Emails revealed transactions between Petrone and various entities that purchased the items, court documents showed. When investigators traced the tracking numbers on the packages, they determined they were shipped from Orange on June 3, 2021, and delivered to a Williston Park address in New York on June 4, 2021. In one of Petrones emails, she attached bank statements from a business located at her residential address in Naugatuck, documents showed. State records list the status of the business as dissolved due to failure to file annual reports. Bank statements from February through May of last year show hundreds of thousands of dollars in incoming wire transfers to Petrone from entities that purchased the computer equipment, according to the court documents. In early June 2021, documents showed, Petrone applied for a PayPal business loan and was asked to submit four months of bank statements. Courts records show Petrone sent bank statements to PayPal using her Yale email address, which law enforcement reviewed. Yale officials notified law enforcement on Aug. 25, 2021 after they received an anonymous tip about the apparent embezzlement scheme, documents showed. Court documents indicate the tip was received by word of mouth sometime over the last year. Its unclear when exactly Yale officials were alerted, but court documents indicated the university was not able to mount a concerted investigative effort until about July 1, 2021, for various reasons. Those reasons were not detailed in the court documents. Yale officials did not respond Tuesday to questions about the tip and the schools investigation. In a statement, Karen Peart, director of university media relations at Yale, said the school alerted authorities to evidence of suspected criminal behavior last year and fully cooperated throughout the investigation. Unrelated to the anonymous tip, court documents show, Petrone was questioned in June 2020 about a budget variance and a high volume of computer equipment purchases for her department. The documents do not state who questioned Petrone. During that inquiry, court records show, Petrone said her department was updating its equipment and was working with Yale New Haven Health on a new program. During the week of Aug. 16, 2021, Yale auditors inquired with a high-ranking Yale School of Medicine official, who court records indicate had no knowledge of the program Petrone referenced. Yale auditors reviewed purchase orders and Petrones school emails, among other things, and reported their findings to law enforcement, court documents show. Investigators said in court records that Petrone used the funds obtained through the scheme to pay for home improvements for her Connecticut residence and to buy about $25,000 in jewelry. On Aug. 31, 2021, law enforcement executed a federal seizure warrant on her account, seizing $560,421.14. Investigators also seized a 2014 Mercedes-Benz G550, a 2017 Land Rover/Range Rover, a 2015 Cadillac Escalade Premium, a 2020 Mercedes-Benz E450A, a 2015 Cadillac Escalade and a 2018 Dodge Charger, federal prosecutors said. Officials said three properties in Connecticut were also liquidated. Petrone, who is free on a $1 million bond, is scheduled to be sentenced June 29. Asus expects GPU prices to fall by up to 25%, UK retailer also predicts prices will go down Finding a graphics card at MSRP has been basically impossible for the last couple of years, but there are signs that the GPU drought is coming to an end. According to 3DCenter, GPUs are the cheapest they have been since it started tracking their prices in January 2021 (note: 3DCenter focused on prices in Germany and Austria). Nvidia RTX 3000 and AMD RX 6000 cards are just 25% over MSRP. It doesnt sound great, but this is the lowest level in the last 15 months. And there are encouraging comments from OEMs and retailers. 3DCenter's price chart for GPUs over the last 15 months (in Germany and Austria) Asus told PCGamer that it has already started dropping its MSRPs across all SKUs. This may be an attempt to get ahead of other OEMs and secure orders as the average prices of cards start to drop. Thats not all, TechRadar spoke with a representative of one of the UKs biggest retailers, Box, who said By the end of April, beginning of May, we should start to see things return to a more attractive price. Things are looking up in the US as well. During the US-China trade war, taxes were slapped on imports from China, though GPUs were given an exemption. That expired at the beginning of 2021 and brought on a 25% tax. The US is reinstating the exemption until the end of this year, which should help bring prices back down. Nvidia GeForce RTX 3090 Ti Founders Edition and OEM versions As a result of all this, the Nvidia GeForce RTX 3090 Ti Founders Edition launched at $2,000. This number would have been higher if the 3090 Ti launched earlier this year as originally planned. Of course, the 3090 Ti will be the last hurray for the 3000 series and the RTX 4000 generation is on the horizon. This means that cards currently in stock will soon become a generation older, making them less attractive to buyers. GPU prices have also been affected by crypto mining. To combat this, Nvidia released GPUs whose mining abilities have been intentionally cut down. These Low Has Rate (LHR) cards saw low demand initially, but it soon picked up. The Box representative explains this as a combination of actual demand from gamers as well as crypto miners thinking they can circumvent the hash rate restrictions. Even so, GPU prices are expected to keep falling. Long story short, this spring may be the best time in two years to buy a new GPU. Source 1 (in German) | Source 2 | Source 3 | Source 4 | Source 5 The island's indoor mask mandate will continue for at least 28 days after our community COVID level is rated as "low," the governor announced in an executive order Tuesday. The community level, which takes into account new cases, hospital admissions and the number of staffed hospital beds occupied by people with COVID, is currently "moderate." The executive order states that 14 days after the "low" rating is recognized by the Department of Public Health and Social Services and certified by the governor, people will not have to wear masks outdoors. Fourteen days after the outdoor mask requirement is lifted, masks will no longer be required indoors. However, Public Health guidance will specifically address restrictions on facilities and activities including schools, sports, and graduations. Businesses can also impose tougher restrictions, including requiring masks and social distancing. Under guidelines set by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, community risk level is "low" when, in the last seven days, the number of new cases is below 200 per 100,000 people, there are fewer than 10 new COVID-19 hospital admissions per 100,000 people, and on average, fewer than 10% of hospital beds are occupied by people with COVID-19. The CDC does not recommend masks be worn indoors by everyone when the community level is medium, which corresponds to Guam's moderate level. However, local and state governments are able to set stricter requirements. The governor's executive order also states that the public health emergency will not be lifted. Students dont have to be enrolled in a public school in order to learn about CHamoru language and culture the lessons go on in both private and charter schools on Guam. Although not all Catholic private schools require students to take CHamoru language, two teachers have made it their goal to continue the survival of the CHamoru language and culture. Mount Carmel At Our Lady of Mount Carmel Catholic School, CHamoru language teacher Ryan Leon Guerrero said he uses whats called the sandwich method a way of teaching in which he introduces a word or phrase in CHamoru, says it again in English, and then repeats the phrase back in CHamoru. The reason I do it that way is because my students are in the middle school level, and theyre not accustomed to speaking or hearing the CHamoru language very often. Really, its a support system because English is their first language, and theyre fluent in English, Ryan Leon Guerrero said. I utilize the dominant language in the sandwich method to introduce Chamorro phrases and sentences and words. Ryan Leon Guerrero also explained that he encourages his students to practice what they learn with family members, school staff and especially amongst their peers, as he believes it is one of the best ways to learn the language. Father Duenas Memorial School For Cody Lizama, who teaches CHamoru language at Father Duenas Memorial School, he incorporates family involvement and even technology. One assignment Lizama has for his students is to text CHamoru words and phrases to grandparents and family members and take screenshots of responses. Lizama said some students family members reply in CHamoru while others say, Sorry I dont speak CHamoru. Guahan Academy Charter School And beyond private schools, local charter schools also are engaging students in the CHamoru language. Dominic Leon Guerrero not only teaches the class but has started a dance group at his school, Guahan Academy Charter School called Aniten I Pution Tasi. As an active member of the cultural dance group, Guma Aniten I Taotao Tano, Dominic Leon Guerreros background in the arts helped him integrate his knowledge with the way he conducts his lessons. It helped give the kids a more centered cultural identity ... I have students who are not even CHamoru that take so much pride in learning the cultural language that it brings a warmth to my heart, Dominic Leon Guerrero said, explaining that his lessons about CHamoru legends involve chants and songs. While these teachers are proud to keep the CHamoru language alive, they also stress that they want all students from all cultures to remember and practice their native languages as well. Residents can weigh in on legislation that would end Guam's public health emergency after more than two years. A public hearing is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Guam Congress Building for Resolution 291, which would terminate the public health emergency. Senators have the power to end the emergency by majority vote at any time, under the 2003 Islan Guahan Emergency Health Powers Act, provided the illness that caused the emergency no longer poses a high probability of a large number of deaths a large number of incidents of serious permanent or long-term disability or a significant risk of substantial future harm. More Information To provide written or verbal testimony contact the Office of Speaker Therese Terlaje at 671-472-3586 or senatorterlajeguam@gmail.com. Hearings broadcast on GTA TV Channel 21, Docomo Channel 117/112.4, and the Guam Legislature Media YouTube channel. Resolution 291 was introduced this month by Republican minority leader Sen. Chris Duenas with the support of Sens. James Moylan, Frank Blas Jr., Tony Ada, Joanne Brown and Telo Taitague. The measure states that since Gov. Lou Leon Guerrero invoked the emergency health powers through executive order on March 14, 2020, she has promulgated 33 more executive orders and has unprecedented authority over procurement and hiring during an election season. The governor and officials from the Department of Public Health and Social Services have said that the state of emergency is needed to access certain resources from the federal government, such as payment of National Guard troops assisting with COVID response and the recruitment of off-island nurses. If the emergency ended, treatments that fight COVID infections, like monoclonal antibodies and antiviral pills, could not be used because they only have emergency use authorization from the Food and Drug Administration. Haiti - Politic : Fed up of Civil Society, petition sent to the PM Different sectors of civil society, representing the living forces of the Nation, in a non-partisan citizens' initiative, sent a petition to Prime Minister Ariel Henry to protest against the taking of the population on hostage by criminal organizations, and the inaction of authorities. They propose a roadmap with recommendations that are simple to implement, effective in the short term and likely to contain insecurity in the medium term, all of these measures being able to be taken immediately. Civil Society Petition to the Prime Minister "Mr. Prime Minister, This petition is a citizen initiative, non-partisan, by which we, the undersigned representatives of different sectors of Haitian society, signify to you once again the deep dismay of all social strata of national life in relation to the accelerated degradation of the security situation in Haiti. We strongly protest against the taking on hostage of the entire population by criminal organizations, and the inaction or even tolerance of the authorities who are failing in their primary obligation to ensure the safety of citizens. Cases of murder, kidnapping against ransom, rape, armed robbery and organized looting are countless. Businesses close, families live with lumps in their throats, everyone waiting in terror for their turn. The National Police, for lack of visibility of its action and support from the political authorities, gives the image of a weakened institution with insufficient staff. This situation makes the Police appear as accomplices and infiltrated by the gangs. Although declaring that it wants to do everything possible to protect and serve the population, it lacks adequate means. The customs service, the first point of entry into the territory, is unable to curb the scourge of arms and ammunition smuggling and allows other goods to pass without the checks and taxation necessary to finance public expenditure. This situation causes a deep deficit for the coffers of the State and contributes to feed the gangs across the country. While the state of emergency, the mobilization of public resources to fight organized crime, and austerity measures should have been in force, as required by the standards of good governance and transparency, equipment orders necessary for the Forces of Order, sleep in the drawers of the Ministries concerned. The latter declare that they do not have the means to acquire it and prefer to beg for help from international organizations and embassies of friendly countries. However, useless expenses are incurred, further draining the scarce resources of the State. Public funds finance futile trips and ceremonies and acquisitions that in no way alleviate the misery of the people. This administrative mismanagement is unacceptable. The country is in the process of suffocating economically. Generalized insecurity does not benefit the country and plunges it into indescribable chaos. Some even suggest that the team in place seems to prolong the illegitimate enjoyment of power without control, and this, in defiance of the suffering of the population. Prime Minister, the entire Nation is fed up ! Public security experts have clearly established a roadmap with recommendations that are simple to implement, effective in the short term and likely to stem insecurity in the medium term, all of these measures can be taken immediately, namely: 1. Declare a state of emergency; 2. Declare war on armed gangs who sow mourning and desolation in the population; 3. Crack down on customs fraud to prevent the diversion of revenues and impose control measures to eliminate the trafficking of arms and ammunition; 4. Classify armed gangs as terrorist organizations; 5. Adequately equip, as a priority, the Armed Forces of Haiti and the National Police, including the Scientific Police; 6. Recruit experts to supervise the PNH in its efforts to track down and put out of harm's way all bandits; 7. Isolate criminal groups and besiege them in their entrenchment; 8. Publicly identify and prosecute all persons and entities that finance and supply these gangs with weapons and ammunition; 9. Adopt a decree ordering the immediate freezing and confiscation of the assets of all persons and entities who finance and supply these gangs with arms and ammunition; 10. Require telephone companies to provide mandatory identification for any mobile number operating in the territory and disconnect any unidentified telephone number within a reasonable time; 11. Cancel and promptly return all old plates IT or SE or LOCATION in circulation. These plates are used by gangs. Strictly control new license plate issues; In a second phase: 12. Check the records of all police officers (vetting), including investigations for cases of illicit enrichment or money laundering; 13. Modify the uniforms of all Police units; 14. Clearly identify the vehicles assigned to the service of the State in relation to the institutions to which they belong; 15. Occupy the reconquered territories by ensuring an effective socio-political and administrative presence of the State at all levels. Mr. Prime Minister, it is imperative to adopt these urgent measures without delay. Any delay in the implementation of this plan will have serious consequences that could culminate in a desperate and blind popular revolt that could sweep away everything in its path. History and the Nation will hold you, as well as your Government and your collaborators, mainly responsible for the descent into hell of our Country. The signatories are ready to meet you as soon as possible for the follow-up. List of Signatories: Caroline Hudicourt, Executive Director Consortium of Private Sector Education Organizations (COSPE), bringing together 12 organizations and 8,000 member schools; Marie Alice BELISAIRE, Lesly ALPHONSE, President, Vice-President Union of Notaries of the Jurisdictions of Haiti (SNJH) bringing together 186 members and 7 Chambers; Marie Marguerite B CLERIE, President Professional Association of Private Schools APEP/ FEV 44 member schools; Laurent SAINT-CYR, Chairman of the Board of Directors Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Haiti, representing the 9 departmental Chambers of Commerce of the country; Wilhelm LEMKE, Chairman of the Board of Directors Association of Industries of Haiti (ADIH, 90 companies; Jean Philippe BOISSON Chairman of the Board of Directors American Chamber of Commerce in Haiti (AMCHAM HAITI) 120 Members; Raina FORBIN President of the Board of Directors Tourist Association of Haiti (ATH) 56 Members; Rosny DESROCHES Executive Director Civil Society Initiative (ISC); Carl Fred BEHRMANN President Association of Motor Vehicle Importing Agents (AAIVM) 11 Members; Rudolf DEROSE coordinator National Network of Solidarity Tourism Promoters (RENAPROTS) 20 members spread over the 10 departments; Christon SAINT-FORT, Executive Director Federation of Protestant Schools of Haiti (FEPH) 3,000 affiliated schools; Michelle MOURRA, President Canadian-Haitian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCICH); Marie France PETOIA, President Haitian Association of Travel Agencies (ASHAV) 12 members; Pierre Hugues SAINT JEAN President Association of Pharmacists of Haiti (APH) 305 members; Regine ROCHE, President Haitian Society for Training and Pain Management (SOHAD) 84 member health professionals; Myriam GOUSSE, President Haitian Association of Surgery ASCHAC more than 80 members; Jean Jumeau BATSCH, President Haitian Society of Obstetricians Gynecologists (SHOG); Richard HASPIL, President National College of Haitian Engineers and Architects (CNIAH); Natacha ANTOINE, Secretary General Association of former students of the Faculty of Medicine of Notre Dame University of Haiti (AFMU) 251 members; Dimitri HENRYS, President Haitian Society of Emergency Medicine and Disaster (SHAMUC) 34 Members; For the transport sector comprising 31 organizations: Mehu CHANGEUX, General Coordinator Association of Haitian Owners and Drivers (APCH); Benissoit DUCLOS, General Coordinator United Movement of Haitian Transporters (MUTH); Montes JOSEPH, General Coordinator United Front of Transporters and Workers of Haiti (FUTRAH). This petition, shared on social networks, collects other signatures. She was received on March 28 by the Primature. HL/ HaitiLibre Haiti - NOTICE : Mobile consulate in Mexicali, documents and service fees The Embassy of Haiti in Mexico informs the compatriots living in the Mexicali region (Baja California) that consular services through a mobile consulate will be offered in this region on April 9, 2022. Compatriots may request the following administrative documents : Haitian passport (valid for 10 years) adults: US$145.00 Passport (valid for 5 years) minors: US$120.00 Certificate of Nationality: US$ 20.00 Identity certificate: US$ 20.00 Mandates: US$ 70.00 Certificate of celibacy: US$ 40.00 Note that charges for these services will only be received in US dollars. See alos : https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-27150-haiti-mexico-successful-haitian-migration-integration-in-tijuana-and-mexicali.html HL/ HaitiLibre Haiti - Environment : La Francophonie grants 260,000 euros for 79 projects of young Haitians The Institute of La Francophonie for Sustainable Development (IFDD), a subsidiary body of the International Organization of La Francophonie (OIF), will finance 79 projects of young Haitians at the service of public governance of the environment and sustainable development in Haiti. These excellent projects were selected by a jury made up of multidisciplinary experts and professionals, following a call for proposals. "IFDD is convinced that young people are the spearhead of growth that is inclusive, sustainable and resilient to climate change and natural disasters. We are delighted with the commitment and the spirit of innovation shown by young Haitians through these funded projects and hope that they will stimulate a favorable ecosystem for participation in the governance of sustainable development," said Cecile. Martin-Phipps, director of the IFDD. The 259,500 euros financial support granted will make it possible to support : 10 youth organizations committed to the protection of the environment, to structure the participation of young people within the framework of the national mechanisms of governance of sustainable development in Haiti for an amount of 10,000 euros each; 4 media managed by young people for the dissemination of content in favor of citizenship, the environment and sustainable development for an amount of 10,000 euros each; 65 self-employment projects in favor of environmental protection and sustainable development for an amount ranging from 500 to 3,000 euros each. Set up within the framework of the Action "Objective 2030 - Support for the participation and action of Haitian youth in favor of the environment and sustainable development", financed by the Delegation of the European Union in Haiti, the financial mechanism will be supplemented by technical support measures for the beneficiaries. This national approach is implemented by a multidisciplinary team within the OIF composed of the IFDD, the Youth, Sport and Citizenship Unit (UJSC) and the Regional Representation in the Caribbean and Latin America (REPCAL). This approach aims to support the participation of Haitian youth in a targeted manner in the public governance of sustainable development and also contributes to improving the employability of young people through non-formal education, vocational training, guidance, and support for innovation and entrepreneurship. A second call for projects, which will aim to select 35 new entrepreneurship projects, will be organized in the summer of 2022 HL/ HaitiLibre Haiti - Diaspora Covid-19 : Daily Bulletin #739 GLOBAL SITUATION 2019-2022: Tuesday March 29, 2022 the number of people infected worldwide with the Covid-19 coronavirus and its variants since the start of the pandemic (March 11, 2020) amounts to 483,830,677 cases (+1,643,654 in 24 hours ), the day before (+881,743) Number of infected countries: 225 *Healings: 418,034,671 people have been cured of Covid-19 worldwide (+1,419,643), the day before (+1,088,686) *Deaths: 6,152,218 people have died of Covid-19 worldwide since the start of the pandemic (+3,701 in 24 hours), the day before (+2,122) *Active cases (less deaths and recoveries) in the world is currently 59,643,788 cases (-220,310 in 24 hours), the day before (+209,065) Average cure rate in the world: 86.40% (=) Average mortality rate in the world: 1.27% (=) World: Active cases trend: (minus recoveries and deaths) (Day-1) Vaccination: 11.26 billion doses of vaccine injected (+20 million doses injected in 24 hours. Update March 28, 2022 (latest data available). HAITI: Warning: The Ministry of Public Health and Population (MSPP) did not make available after March 22, 2022 daily data on the Covid-19 situation in Haiti. Accordingly, the data below on the situation in Haiti are the latest available. According to the Ministry of Public Health, +13 new cases of Covid-19 and its variants have been confirmed in Haiti as of March 22, 2022 (latest partial data available ) for a total of 30,522 confirmed cases throughout the national territory (48.7% women and 51.3% men), since the first case (March 19, 2020 https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-30319-haiti-health-origin-of-the-first-2-cases-of-covid-19-in-haiti.html ). Previous update (+15 cases as of March 18, 2022). Healings: 27,960 (+468) Cure rate: 91.60% (+) Deaths: 833 deaths (+6) (West +2, Center +1, South-East+1, Artibonite +2) Death rate: 2.72% (+) 5th Wave (Omicron Dominant): Total of the 5th wave (starting December 27, 2021) 4,528 confirmed cases and 67 deaths Haiti: Active Cases Trend: (less recoveries and deaths) Screening since the start of the pandemic: 186,638 tests (+1,350 in 4 days) since March 19, 2020, latest data available. Note that the very small number of people screened every day at the national level out of a population estimated at 11.6 million citizens, does not statistically allow us to make a representative estimate of the situation in Haiti, which translates into a < B>number of daily confirmed cases largely underestimated. TOP 5 of the most affected municipalities in the West (2022): Delmas: 739 (+1); Petion-ville 620 (+2); Port-au-Prince 406 (+0); Tabarre 287 (+0); Cross-Bouquets 238 (+1) Confirmed cases by department (2022 / 2021 / 2020): West: 2022: 2,546 cases; (2021: 9.890); (2020: 6,945 cases) North: 2022: 267 cases; (2021: 664); (2020: 677 cases) Center: 2022: 226 cases; (2021: 1.001); (2020: 508 cases) Artibonitis: 2022: 181 cases; (2021: 855); (2020: 593 cases) Northeast: 2022: 148 cases; (2021: 404); (2020: 314 cases) Southeast: 2022: 254 cases; (2021: 768); (2020: 274 cases) South: 2022: 214 cases; (2021: 891); (2020: 262 cases) North West: 2022: 249 cases; (2021: 383); (2020: 229 cases) Grand'Anse: 2022: 173 cases; (2021: 861); (2020: 176 cases) Nippes: 2022: 39 cases; (2021: 249) (2020: 149 cases) Cumulative deaths by department (2022-2021): West: 295 deaths (2020: 104 deaths) North: 54 deaths (2020: 34 deaths) Center: 79 deaths (2020: 13 deaths) Artibonite: 42 deaths (2020: 39 deaths) North East: 7 deaths (2020: 6 deaths) South: 51 deaths (2020: 6 deaths) Southeast: 15 deaths (2020: 9 deaths) North West: 15 deaths (2020: 12 deaths) Grand'Anse: 7 deaths (2020: 13 deaths) Nippes: 27 deaths (2020: 5 deaths) Distribution of deaths by age (since the start of the epidemic): 0-9 years: 15 deaths 10-19 years: 10 deaths 20-29 years: 31 deaths 30-39 years: 56 deaths (+2) 40-49 years: 80 deaths (+2) 50-59 years: 134 deaths (+1) 60-69 years: 187 deaths (+1) 70-79 years: 183 deaths 80 years and over: 137 deaths Vaccination: 163,369 Haitians (1.4% of the population) +2,205 in 6 days have received a 1st dose of vaccine since July 16, 2021, date of the first injection through 149 open vaccination centers and 111,914 Haitians are fully vaccinated (2 doses, 0.96% of the population) +1.585 in 6 days. Update March 22, 2022 latest information available (source MSPP). List of the 149 Vaccination Centers open in Haiti (and hours) by department: (updated October 20, 2021, latest information available) https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-35051-haiti-covid-19-list-of-149-vaccination-centers-open-in-the-country.html DIASPORA: Epidemiological situation: USA: *Cases since the first case (February 29, 2020): 81,658,973 cases (+37,085 in 24 hours), the day before (+4,952) *Healings: 64,683,169 healings (+226,143), the day before (+188,050) National Cure Rate: 79.21% (+) *Deaths: 1,004,244 deaths (+777), the day before (+42) National death rate: 1.22% (=) *Active cases (minus deaths and recoveries): 15,971,560 (-189,835), yesterday (-183,140) USA: Trend active cases: (minus recoveries and deaths) (Day-1) Vaccination: 560.13 million doses of vaccine injected since December 14, 2020, date of the first injection in the United States (+160,000 doses in 24 hours). Updated March 28, 2022 (latest data available). DOMINICAN REPUBLIC: Confirmed cases since March 1, 2020: 577,880 cases (+39 in 24 hours) the day before (+100 in 24 hours). First case (March 1, 2020) Healings: 573,254 healings (+48 in 24 hours), the day before (+165) National Cure Rate: 99.19% (-) Deaths: 4,375 deaths (+0), previous (+0) Death rate: 0.75% (=) Positivity rate over 4 epidemiological weeks: 1.12% (+) Active cases: (excluding deaths and recoveries) 251 cases (-13 in 24 hours) the day before (+35) Dominican Republic: Trend of active cases: (minus recoveries and deaths) (Day-1) TOP 5 Provinces with the most new cases in the last 24 hours: La Altagracia: +23 new cases in 24 hours () Santiago: +12 new cases in 24 hours (+) Maria Trinidad Sanchez: +2 new cases in 24 hours () Santo Domingo: +1 new cases in 24 hours (-) Peravia: + 1 new cases in 24 hours () Vaccination: 15.48 million doses of vaccine injected since February 16, 2021, date of the first injection in the Dominican Republic (+10,000 doses injected in 24 hours). Updated March 27, 2022 (latest data available). QUEBEC: Confirmed cases since the first case (February 27, 2020): 959,212 (+5,714 in 72 hours), previous (+2,203 in 24 hours Healings: 926,395 people (+3,997 in 72 hours) previous (+1,458 in 24 hours) Cure rate: 96.57% (-) Deaths: 14,325 (+25 in 72h) previous (+12 in 24h) Death rate: 1.49% (=) Active cases: (excluding death and recovery) 18,492 cases (+1,692 in 72 hours), previous (+733 in 24 hours) Quebec: Trend of daily confirmed cases: (average weekly trend) Vaccination: 18,617,904 doses of vaccine injected since December 14, 2020, date of the first injection (+25,755 doses in 72 hours), latest data available - MSSS as of March 28, 2022) FRANCE: *Confirmed cases since the first case (January 24, 2020): 25,059,028 cases (+29,455 cases in 24 hours), previous (+110,174) *Healings: 23,023,051 healings (+92,901), previous (+14,388) National Cure Rate: 91.87% (+) Deaths: 141,821 (+149 in 24h), previous (+41) Death rate: 0.56% (=) Active Cases: 1,894,156 (+63,595), previous (+95,745) France: Trend of active cases: (minus recoveries and deaths) (Day-1) Vaccination: 141.67 million doses of vaccine injected since December 27, 2020, date of the first injection in France (+30,000 doses injected in 24 hours. Update March 28, 2022 (latest data available) Previous bulletin : https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-36289-haiti-diaspora-covid-19-daily-bulletin-738.html See also : https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-30319-haiti-health-origin-of-the-first-2-cases-of-covid-19-in-haiti.html https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-30165-haiti-flash-first-case-of-covid-19-in-the-dominican-republic.html HL/ HaitiLibre Published on 2022/03/28 | Source Actors Lee Min-ho and Gong Hyo-jin have confirmed their appearance in Seo Sook-hyang's new drama "Ask the Stars". Advertisement "Ask the Stars" is a full-fledged space romantic comedy between the space station and the Earth. It is written by Seo Sook-hyang and directed by Park Shin-woo. The shooting will begin next month. It is Korea's first drama set at a space station with a five-year production preparation period. In the drama, Lee Min-ho plays the role of Gong Ryong, a missionary obstetrician and gynecologist who leaves for the space station as a space tourist, and Gong Hyo-jin plays the role of Korean-American astronaut Eve Kim, giving an unprecedented chemistry. Against the new backdrop of 'universe' the two are highly anticipated among K-drama fans around the world as well as domestic fans to see what kind of fateful encounter they will draw. With the news of Lee Min-ho and Gong Hyo-jin's confirmation of appearance, "Ask the Stars" which has signaled full-fledged production, will begin filming in earnest with the aim of simultaneous air on domestic channels and global OTT in 2023. Published on 2022/03/28 | Source New posters added for the upcoming Korean movie "Take Care of My Mom" (2021) Advertisement Directed by Park Kyung-mok With Kim Young-ok, Kim Young-min, Park Sung-yeon, Kim Hye-na, Lee Jung-eun, Kim Tae-baek,... Synopsis Stranger like family, family like stranger What is 85-year-old Mrs. Jeong Mal-im's choice? Mrs. Jeong Mal-im, an 85-year-old lady enjoys living alone with her longtime friend's dog in an old Western-style house in Daegu. Her only son, Jong-wook, will visit from Seoul after a long time, and while preparing here and there, her arm broke, and through the accident, a caregiver named Mi-seon was hired. She really hates being indebted to her children, and she doesn't feel comfortable with others so she insists on sending Mi-seon away, and Jong-wook who installed CCTVs due to his worries for her mother is frustrated at what's happening. Meanwhile, Mrs. Jeong seems to disappear from objects and side dishes after Mi-seon came, but there is no physical evidence, and Mi-seon, who takes care of her more gently than her real son, is proud of her, and the two become like real mothers and daughters. Then, one holiday, when Jong-wook's family suddenly visited, the conflict in the relationship that had been buried, bursts when they saw Mi-seon wearing the clothes of Mrs. Jeong, which was a gift from her daughter-in-law Yoo-jin... What's wrong with this family? We'll live together now so "Take Care of My Mom". Release date in Korea : 2022/04/13 Overall, 51% of Hawaiis public school graduates from the Class of 2021 went on to college in the first fall after graduation. This is a slight increase from the 50% enrollment rate seen from the Class of 2020, but is still down from the pre-pandemic rate of 55%. The Class of 2021 enrolled in four-year institutions at rates comparable to pre-pandemic levels, but enrollments at two-year institutions remained stagnant. The Class of 2021 also matched the all-time high on-time graduation rate of 86%, with more students achieving honors in academic achievements, STEM, career and technical education (CTE), and in earning the Seal of Biliteracy. More DOE graduates entered the University of Hawaii (UH) enrolling in college-level English and mathematics or having already earned these credits. "It's encouraging to see our college enrollment rates starting to recover and our graduation rate hitting an all-time high. This is a testament to the resiliency of our students who continue to prioritize their education and strive for excellence," Interim Superintendent Keith Hayashi said. "We know there is more work to do to support our future graduates. Hawaii P-20's report is a vital assessment tool for our public schools to identify strengths and areas for improvement to equip our students with the knowledge and skills theyll need to be successful in their futures after high school. Erika Lacro, Vice President of Community Colleges at UH noted, We see some positive trends and some that are concerning. Dual credit has opened doors for our high school students to continue to develop the knowledge and skills needed for our workforce. At the same time, we must systematically improve connecting students with programs at the community colleges that can lead to new opportunities in Hawaiis workforce. The seven community colleges are excellent options to meet students needs within their communities and provide pathways to high-wage and high-demand careers. Data published in the College and Career Readiness Indicators (CCRI) Report also identified areas where support and monitoring will be needed in upcoming years. Statewide Smarter Balanced Assessment (SBA) data had plateaued and began showing a downward trend prior to the pandemic. Due to disruptions in 2020, the SBA in English/Language Arts and Mathematics were not administered. The lack of data underscores the need for close monitoring of these indicators in coming years to identify trends and to plan possible interventions. Consistent with trends across the United States, enrollment in two-year colleges for the Class of 2021 fell to the lowest levels in recent years. The Youth Voice Hawaii Report from the Harold K.L. Castle Foundation offers insights and may provide some context for these trends. The report summarizes the thoughts and impressions shared by students and staff on their views of education and aspirations for the future. Academic relevance, life skills preparation, and exposure to pathways and access to information were three areas highlighted in the core findings as highly important areas where school system partners have a lot of influence. Industry is eager to support our students through education and workforce training partnerships and collaboration to leverage resources that will benefit our states economic and workforce needs. The College and Career Readiness Indicators give everyone timely access to quality information that can be used to prepare our students to take their next steps into the workforce of Hawaii, said Leslie Wilkins from the Maui Economic Development Board. This is an opportunity for all stakeholders to continue supporting the creation and alignment of CTE programs, career pathways that start in high school and lead to meaningful credentials offered at our Hawaii colleges; continued creation and coordination of dual credit door-opener opportunities that expose students to the benefits of post-secondary training in all forms, and continued investment in opportunities for students to be ready to succeed once they arrive in college. It is an opportunity to reflect on the work that has been done and use data to identify additional need areas to best prepare students for continued success on the pathway from high school into the workforce. LIGHTNING EDITORIAL: Cawthorn defames area's version of apple pie If everyone who supports the Ecusta Trail votes against Madison Cawthorn in the May 17 primary, maybe thatll mean curtains for the 26-year-olds audacious performance as a congressman. The latest startling statement by our colorful freshman came last week at a Buncombe County Republican gathering when he suggested the Hendersonville-to-Brevard greenway is some kind of communist plot. The comment came after Chad Nesbitt, a right-wing podcaster from Asheville, surprised state Sen. Chuck Edwards with a question about why he supports a communist organization." I refuted that it was a communist organization, Edwards said in an interview. That sparked Cawthorns unsolicited seconding of Nesbitts baseless assertion. I was looking at (Cawthorn) in the eye when he said, It is, it is. Its super communist, Edwards told the Lightning. I was looking at him in the eye as he said those words. (After the Lightning published the story about the remark, Cawthorn's office said the congressman "criticized the organization 'Rails to Trails,' not the Ecusta Trail project. His office said he supports bike paths and parks but is concerned about a report alleging that the rail-trail program confiscates private land.) Wild comments and conspiracy theories are not unusual from the mouth of Cawthorn, a Trump champion for the Turning Point USA demographic. At Saturdays Republican forum for the 11th Congressional District, Cawthorn pledged that his party when it retakes the House will use the Jan. 6 committees investigative power to expose the FBIs role in fomenting the insurrection, promised to throw Anthony Fauci in jail and vowed to work for a forensic audit to figure out what really happened in the 2020 election. A serial violator of state laws against carrying weapons on school property in Cawthorns case a hunting knife the congressman draws headlines but no negative consequences from his loyal base for his unorthodox behavior. He announced in November he was moving east to run in a newly draw district that was even safer than the reliably red 11th Congressional District, then demurred when the Legislature transformed it into a swing seat. Next, a state Supreme Court-ordered map eliminated it altogether. In saner times Cawthorns flipflop would be a risk but in our hyper-partisan era probably wont matter. His loony condemnation of the rails to trails program was all the more startling because it, too, marked a flipflop. Last July, Cawthorn pledged his support for the trail during a meeting with Brevards city manager, its mayor and a council member and Sen. Edwards. He actually said make sure that we let him know when there would be the ribbon cutting so he could be there and celebrate it, Mac Morrow, the council member, told the Lightning. He was just animated about it, you know, the way he is. How can you trust somebody that tells you hes all in, that Brevard and Hendersonville are his two favorite places and connecting them with a trail was fantastic? Contrary to being a communist project, the Ecusta Trail is starting to look more like a capitalist plot to generate economic development. Major signs are emerging already that the trail is going to draw bigtime private investment in Henderson and Transylvania counties, as this weeks Page 1 story reveals. The greenway is endorsed by many businesses and business organizations in the two counties and by the all-Republican Henderson County Board of Commissioners and has support in the Republican-controlled General Assembly. By needlessly casting it in a false light, Cawthorn doesnt help himself in any way we can fathom. Whats more, by making the spurious comment he ill-serves the economic interest of the 11th District and disrespects the many constituents across party lines who have worked hard to make the trail a reality. Tibet to maintain prolonged stability, high-quality development: official Xinhua) 09:40, March 29, 2022 A flag-raising ceremony is held to celebrate the Serfs' Emancipation Day at the square in front of the Potala Palace in Lhasa, capital of southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, March 28, 2022. (Xinhua/Jigme Dorje) LHASA, March 28 (Xinhua) -- Tibet will maintain prolonged stability and high-quality development, said Yan Jinhai, chairman of the people's government of southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region. Over the past 63 years, Tibet has witnessed great progress after suffering so much, which fully demonstrates the incomparable superiority of the system of socialism with Chinese characteristics, said Yan on Sunday night during a local televised speech to mark the anniversary of emancipation of 1 million serfs. In 1959, the magnificent democratic reform completely destroyed Tibet's feudal serfdom under theocracy and liberated over 1 million serfs in the region. Those serfs gained freedom and dignity, becoming masters of the country, region and their own destiny, he said. The Communist Party of China (CPC) has united and led the people of all ethnic groups in Tibet in founding the Tibet Autonomous Region, establishing the socialist system, carrying out socialist construction, reform and opening up, and eliminating absolute poverty, he added. Official data shows that in 2021, the GDP of Tibet exceeded 200 billion yuan (about 31.4 billion U.S. dollars), an increase of about 7 percent over the previous year. Urban and rural per capita disposable personal incomes in Tibet increased by 13 percent and 14 percent respectively in 2021. A total of 693,300 local farmers and herders found jobs in 2021, generating overall incomes of 5.81 billion yuan. The average life expectancy in Tibet in 2021 rose to 72.19 years, and as of last year, the total length of operational roads in the region exceeded 120,000 km. The region will continue to give high priority to ecological conservation and boost green development, he added. Implementing the guidelines of the CPC for governing Tibet in a new era and the decisions and plans of the central authorities, Tibet is certain to embrace a brighter future through concerted efforts, innovation and reform, the regional chairman said. (Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun) Set i n an enviable location on the edge of Vienna's famous Leopoldstadt district Radisson RED Vienna is a new-build, design-focused hotel and home to Istros, a unique rooftop bar overlooking the city and the Danube Canal. Radisson RED Vienna is the first Radisson RED hotel in Aust ria as Radisson Hotel Group introduces the city to this upscale, art and design-focused brand . A full-service hotel with a twist on the conventional, Radisson RED Vienna occupies a landmark building whose white metal facade, gold-tinted windows and glass house on the rooftop set it apart from the rest of the buildings in the neighborhood. The hotel's 179 rooms and suites feature a modern design with exposed-concrete ceilings, a series of paintings with red highlights, and large bay windows that double as comfortable seating where guests can enjoy the view of the canal and the inner city. Housed in a greenhouse-like structure with its terrace cantilevering over the floor below, the hotel's Istros rooftop bar is set to become Vienna's new place to be for drinks with a view. The exceptional space offers a cozy yet extravagant lounge feel, which blurs the boundaries between indoors and outdoors with a 360-degree panoramic view of Vienna. Viennese locals and hotel guests alike can enjoy expertly crafted cocktails, a great selection of wines and spirits, beer on tap and barista coffees while watching the sun set over the bustling city below and the Vienna Woods in the distance, listening to the DJ playing smooth tunes. The ground floor of Radisson RED Vienna is home to Sarai restaurant and its eclectic cuisine inspired by the Silk Road offering dishes from East Asia, India, the Middle East and Europe. Sarai is the social hub of the hotel with co-working spaces, a bar, and a comfortable lounge where guests and locals meet, work, eat and drink. On warm days, the inner courtyard offers al-fresco dining beneath the giant eye-catching mural by Viennese visual artist David Leitner, which mirrors the district's urban surroundings. Flexible meeting spaces include a fully-equipped meeting room with natural light, and a private boardroom with video-conferencing technology which connects to the courtyard and Sarai restaurant, extending the options for interactive and creative meetings. Radisson RED Vienna's location makes the hotel a great base for business and leisure travelers with easy access on foot or by public transport to the Schottenring metro stop just outside the hotel. Situated just outside the busy inner city, Radisson RED Vienna offers easy and convenient connections to the city's business hubs, the main station, and the airport. Vienna, the home of the Habsburg monarchy for more than six centuries, boasts an immense variety of palaces, museums, musical venues, gourmet destinations and shops to enjoy the finer things in life. From the Habsburg Palace complex in the center to the sprawling Schonbrunn palace, from the grand collections of the former emperors to the innovative MuseumsQuartier, cultural highlights abound. The 'City of Music' was home to composers like Mozart, Beethoven, Strauss and Haydn, and is still to this day a thriving live-music stage for the Vienna Philharmonic, the State Opera and the Musikverein concert hall. Radisson RED Vienna is the fourth hotel of the group in Vienna, joining Radisson Blu Style Hotel, Vienna in the first district, Radisson Blu Park Royal Palace Hotel, Vienna near Schonbrunn Palace and Hotel Rathauspark, a member of Radisson Individuals close to Vienna City Hall. Hotel website BWH Hotel Group announced today that it has promoted Ron Pohl to serve as the company's President of International Operations and President of WorldHotels. Pohl joined the organization in 2007 and previously served as Senior Vice President and Chief Operations Officer. In his new role, Pohl will be responsible for further strengthening the organization's presence around the world and enhancing the company's operations on a global level. With the acquisition of WorldHotels in 2019, BWH Hotel Group expanded the company's global offerings and reach, adding brands in the upper upscale and luxury segments in key destinations. WorldHotels is comprised of four unique collections, each with its own personality and style to appeal to the needs of the modern traveler. The collections include: WorldHotels Luxury, WorldHotels Elite, WorldHotels Distinctive and WorldHotels Crafted. As President of WorldHotels, Ron will be responsible for ensuring the organizations strategic goals are met to include increasing scale, driving exceptional revenue to hoteliers, and enhancing the brand's image. Prior to joining Best Western, Pohl spent 25 years with Boykin Management Company and Marriott Corporation. With Boykin, he served in a number of senior-level positions and, ultimately, Senior Vice President of Operations. He currently serves on the American Hotel & Lodging Association's Board of Directors, the Advisory Board for Grand Canyon University and previously served on the board of directors for the Convention & Visitors Bureau of Greater Cleveland. Throughout his career, Pohl has earned a number of awards. In 2017, he was named a silver winner in the Executive of the Year - Large Companies category by the Best in Biz Awards. Pohl received the award as result of his commitment to excellence, innovative vision, and investment in employees' professional development. Pohl was also named the 2017 gold winner in the Executive of the Year category by One Planet Awards, the world's premier awards program honoring the best in business and professional excellence in every industry from around the globe. Finally, Pohl received the prestigious American Hotel & Lodging Educational Institute Arthur Landstreet Award in 2016. Accor, the largest hotel operator in Australia and New Zealand with over 380 hotels, apartments and resorts, is delighted to announce the appointment of Shelley Perkins to the role of Senior Vice President of Talent and Culture, from 28th March 2022. With over two decades of experience, Shelley joins Accor Pacific from the Rosewood Hotel Group, where she was based in Hong Kong for the past three years as Chief Talent and Culture Officer. Prior to this role, Shelley worked for Accor in Paris as Global Senior Vice President-Talent Management, with a focus on global talent acquisition and development for Fairmont, Raffles and Swissotel (FRHI). This followed her position as Vice President at FRHI from 2014; where Accor retained Shelley's services after acquiring the group in 2016. Shelley previously spent 18 years with The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, where she started her career in operational roles, before she moved across into human resources and was appointed as Group Director of Human Resources for Shangri-La Hotels & Resorts in 2011. Shelley holds a graduate certificate in management from Central Queensland University and is a member of the Society of Human Resources Management. National real estate investment, management and development firm Lowe today announced that Terri A. Haack has been named Senior Vice President of Lowe and CoralTree Hospitality. Haack, a 20-year veteran of the firm and a member of its shareholder group, will continue to play an integral role in the senior leadership of Lowe and its operating company, CoralTree Hospitality, as she works with the firm's hospitality teams on their many new ventures around the country. Haack's experience in the firm and multiple hospitality industry leadership roles will assist Lowe in the pursuit of acquiring and developing luxury resort and hotel assets and will benefit CoralTree Hospitality's hotel, resort and vacation rental portfolio across the country. For the last15 years, Haack has served as President of Terranea Resort, a 102-acre Southern California coastal resort developed and co-owned by Lowe and managed by CoralTree Hospitality. Haack led Terranea through predevelopment to its 2009 opening and on to national recognition as one of the premier resorts in America. She was instrumental in fostering Terranea's commitment to the environment and the community. Under her leadership, the resort and its team have garnered an extensive list of awards, recognitions and accolades. An active industry and community leader Haack serves on the board of several organizations and has garnered numerous awards. Haack is currently a board member of the American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA), was the first woman to receive its coveted "Resort Executive of the Year"award, was recognized with AHLA's 2020 Stars of the Industry "Paving the Way" Award and with its national award for General Manager of the Year. Haack was the 2019 recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award by Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association International (HSMAI) Los Angeles and nationally recognized by HSMAI as one of the Top 25 Minds in Sales, Marketing, and Revenue. She is Chairman of the AHLEF Educational Foundation Scholarship Committee, Past Chairman and Member of the Board of the California Hotel & Lodging Association (CHLA) and a founding Board Member and Past Chairman of the ForWard Executive Council. Haack is also a member of the strategic planning board for Marymount California University, member of the President's Advisory Council of Palos Verdes Peninsula Land Conservancy, on the Board of Directors and Executive Committee for Habitat for Humanity of Greater Los Angeles, and Past Chairman and Board member for the Palos Verdes Chamber of Commerce. With a distinguished career spanning more than 40 years in hotel and resort operations management, prior to Terranea, Haack was Executive Vice President and Managing Director at Lowe's Wild Dunes Resort in Charleston, SC. Prior to joining the company, Haack was Executive Vice President and Managing Director of Kingsmill Resort in Williamsburg, VA. Haack holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration and a Master of Arts in Organizational Management Self-service technologies (SSTs) have simplified many aspects of everyday life. However, their relatively recent introduction means that the pros and cons of SST adoption in the hotel industry are still being explored. The potential advantages of SSTs notwithstanding, hotels in China seem to have some reservations, say Professor Kam Hung of the School of Hotel and Tourism Management (SHTM) at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University and her co-researcher. Without a clear understanding of how preferences for SSTs over human staff are formed, hoteliers are perhaps right to be wary. Moving beyond previous work, this ambitious study integrates individual-level and organisational-level data on the construction of SST preferences. The researchers comprehensive findings offer a starting point for hoteliers wishing to effectively introduce SSTs. SSTs allow customers to enjoy services completely free of interaction with service providers. They are high-tech and low-touch interfaces, explain the researchers, in contrast with traditional interpersonal encounters, which are generally high-touch and low-tech. Self-check-in systems, robots, smart speakers and self-ordering gadgets are becoming increasingly common in hotels. Some are even testing AI-based SSTs such as facial recognition check-in kiosks. In China (and beyond), the pandemic has undoubtedly also accelerated hotels SST adoption in attempts to limit customeremployee contact. As of October 2020, more than 3000 hotels in China were equipped with robots from Yunji Technology, a service robot provider, report the authors. SST interfaces allow hoteliers to provide services in the physical absence of service employees, with the clear benefits of reducing operating costs and increasing profits. Whilst some have predicted a continuing boom in these technological trends, SST adoption in hotels has remained surprisingly low, perhaps because it all but eliminates customeremployee interaction. As a people-oriented service industry, hotels face difficult decisions regarding whether to introduce SSTs, say the researchers. For hotels to make more informed decisions, it is crucial to discover what influences SST preferences. This new knowledge could in turn help ease the technological transition to SSTs for both hoteliers and guests. Most research on SST adoption has focused on the individual-level factors that underpin technology acceptance, such as a persons thoughts, feelings and behaviours. However, this completely overlooks the possible consequences of external or managerial actions. Most technology adoption situations involve phenomena at multiple levels, including individuals, organisations, industries, and societies, stress the authors. Yet theories based on individual-level data have often been applied to organisational contexts. To tackle this problem, the researchers built a hierarchical framework to better reflect the multi-level situation of SST adoption and bridge the micromacro divide. The researchers conducted in-depth qualitative interviews with 30 hoteliers who had implemented innovative SSTs in their hotels and 29 customers who had used hotel SSTs. The SSTs discussed included robots, check-in and check-out kiosks, mobile tablets, and smartphones. The majority of the 59 face-to-face interviews were conducted in Shenzhen, Hangzhou and Hong Kong. The interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed, allowing the researchers to conduct a thorough content analysis to identify and categorise major themes contained within the interviews. The four major themes that influenced customers and hoteliers SST preferences were environmental factors, the organisational context, service task attributes, and customer experiences. Environmental factors included public familiarity with SSTs, government regulations, and concerns about environmental protection. The organisational context included the relationships between hotels, technology companies, and other hotel stakeholders. The theme of service task attributes reflected how customers co-produced services with the service channel, be that SSTs or service employees. Finally, customer experiences during service encounters included aesthetic, affective, cognitive, actional, and social experiences. As an initial finding, the interviews revealed that for both hoteliers and guests, the preference for SSTs was swayed by the belief that SSTs are environmentally friendly. However, another environmental factor posed a problem for hoteliers. The Chinese government mandates that hotels upload guests identifying information in real time, the researchers explain, making self-check-in impossible without government approval. Both the hoteliers and the customers were sceptical about introducing technologies to the service industry. Many commented that hotel service is a human-oriented business, say the researchers. The use of emotionless technologies may result in indifference. Within the theme of organisational context, both hoteliers and customers spoke of the economic benefits of SSTs for hotels, such as decreased workload and enhanced efficiency. They considered SSTs to be better suited to new, business-focused and non-luxury hotels with more rooms, especially in the case of check-in and check-out kiosks. Moreover, SSTs were seen as conducive to brand marketing, report the researchers. For example, both hoteliers and customers agreed that innovative SSTs such as robots can be a selling point to attract guests. Concerning service task attributes, both hoteliers and customers criticised SSTs for their lack of customisation and personalisation. Both groups also noted instances in which SSTs fell short of human-delivered services, largely owing to the lack of any two-way communication. That said, both groups regarded SSTs as reliable, punctual, available 24/7, and less likely to make mistakes than service employees. Hoteliers stated that SSTs do not need rest, cannot fall ill, and cannot resign; rather, they are always on call, enabling hotel guests to receive service at any time, add the researchers. Within the theme of customer experiences, the preferences of both hoteliers and customers were influenced by whether the SST experience was superior to that of human services. Customers preferences were also guided by the devices appearance and voice, its usefulness, convenience, and cleanliness, as well as its ability to evoke pleasure, surprise, and relaxation. Respect, trust, safety, and privacy were also major contributors to SST preferences in both groups, although customers opinions on this were more divergent. In some cases, they felt relieved and safer when tackling problems on their own rather than depending on service employees, the researchers explain. Others, however, worried about their personal safety or the privacy of their information. In pinpointing differences between customers and hoteliers, the researchers were able to provide critical observations that might be instrumental for efficient SST introduction. In some cases, hoteliers placed importance on factors not even mentioned by customers. Moreover, hoteliers paid more attention to environmental and organisational factors, such as incompatibility with existing features and technology company contributions. Guests tended to focus on customer differences and the importance of consistency far more than hoteliers did. Hoteliers wishing to deliver desirable consumer experiences should pay more attention to guests' opinions, the authors conclude. Armed with this formidable body of data, the researchers then developed a hierarchical framework that integrated both individual- and organisational-level variables to explain the development of SST preference. This framework reflected the interplay between the external environment, the organisational context, internal service encounters, and core customer experiences in the development of preferences for SSTs over human staff. The findings can help hotel practitioners make more rational SST adoption decisions, conclude the authors, such as collaborating with technology companies, involving other hotel stakeholders in SST promotion, thoroughly testing SSTs before procuring them, and giving consideration to the time needed to introduce SSTs. This innovative study could support the introduction and implementation of SSTs in the hospitality industry in China. Its findings call for hoteliers to promote SST features that are desirable and important to their guests. The novel framework presented by the authors provides a springboard for hotel managers to better market SST-infused hospitality services and promote customer acceptance. Certainly, if service management can successfully consider customers SST-based experiences, this will contribute to organisational profitability and success in a competitive marketplace, note the authors. Beyond that, the proposed hierarchical framework is the first attempt to explain the multi-level determinants of technology adoption, and could potentially be adapted to specific innovations and individual or organisational situations. Liu, Chun and Hung, Kam (2021). A Multilevel Study on Preferences for Self-service Technology versus Human Staff: Insights from Hotels in China. International Journal of Hospitality Management, Vol. 94, 102870. About PolyU's School of Hotel and Tourism Management For over 40 years, PolyU's School of Hotel and Tourism Management has refined a distinctive vision of hospitality and tourism education and become a world-leading hotel and tourism school. Rated No. 1 in the world in the "Hospitality and Tourism Management" category according to ShanghaiRanking's Global Ranking of Academic Subjects 2020, placed No. 1 globally in the "Commerce, Management, Tourism and Services" category in the University Ranking by Academic Performance in 2019/2020 and ranked No. 1 in the world in the "Hospitality, Leisure, Sport & Tourism" subject area by the CWUR Rankings by Subject 2017, the SHTM is a symbol of excellence in the field, exemplifying its motto of Leading Hospitality and Tourism. The School is driven by the need to serve its industry and academic communities through the advancement of education and dissemination of knowledge. With a strong international team of over 70 faculty members with diverse cultural backgrounds, the SHTM offers programmes at levels ranging from undergraduate degrees to doctoral degrees. Through Hotel ICON, the School's groundbreaking teaching and research hotel and a vital aspect of its paradigm-shifting approach to hospitality and tourism education, the SHTM is advancing teaching, learning and research, inspiring a new generation of passionate, pioneering professionals to take their positions as leaders in the hospitality and tourism industry. The School is driven by the need to serve its industry and academic communities through the advancement of education and dissemination of knowledge. With more than 70 academic staff drawing from 21 countries and regions, the SHTM offers programmes at levels ranging from undergraduate degrees to doctoral degrees. Through Hotel ICON, the School's groundbreaking teaching and research hotel and a vital aspect of its paradigm-shifting approach to hospitality and tourism education, the SHTM is advancing teaching, learning and research, inspiring a new generation of passionate, pioneering professionals to take their positions as leaders in the hospitality and tourism industry. Pauline Ngan Senior Marketing Manager +852 3400 2634 Hong Kong Poly London - Bourne Leisure, the leader in the UK domestic holiday market, today announces that its brands Butlins, Haven, and Warner Leisure Hotels, have partnered with fast-growing talent attraction technology provider, inploi, as it upgrades its recruitment marketing function and enhances the applicant experience. Competition for workers in the hospitality sector is at an all-time high, due to a decrease in the workforce supply as a result of the recent pandemic and other market pressures. Lou Thomas, People Director for Haven commented on the partnership saying that It has become more important than ever to be able to not only reach the hospitality workforce, but also retain their engagement when it comes to the application process. Having that visibility of the hiring pipeline, and ensuring that the applicants are nurtured from first interaction with a brand to completed application, is now possible thanks to inplois data-driven approach to reaching these key audiences. Anne Blyth, Talent Director at Haven, also noted that our partnership with inploi has been crucial in accelerating our recruitment strategy at Haven. We have seen a real increase in our ability to attract the best talent, underpinned by inplois excellent real-time data and reporting, which allows us to directly measure return on investment. The tailor-made campaigns they have built for Haven are testament to their ability to really understand our recruitment needs. Liz Lloyd, People director at Butlins commented working with the team at inploi has been an amazing partnership which has really helped us develop our reach externally through targeted recruitment campaigns and utilising other paid media and social platforms. They are a creative fast-paced business which goes out of their way to innovate and bring new ideas and approaches in a challenging recruitment market. inploi co-founder and CTO Alex Hanson-Smith adds, Our ability to access and monitor key data from the initial candidate pool to a completed hire allows us to offer our clients unparalleled visibility when it comes to the recruitment process. In the current competitive landscape, it is vital to be able to add real value when it comes to the cost - and time - of talent attraction, and we are excited to be continuing our partnership with Butlins, Haven and Warner Leisure Hotels to help them attract talent and enhance their existing recruitment marketing processes. We continue to attract high-profile clients with our unique SaaS platform that integrates seamlessly with the systems they already have in place. Were thrilled to be renewing and expanding our work together with Bourne Leisure in 2022. About Bourne Leisure Bourne Leisure is a leader in the UK domestic holiday market, employing over 16,000 team members, hosting 25,000 holiday-home owners, and attracting 4.5 million guests to 56 sites across the UK every year. It operates through its three brands, Haven, Butlins and Warner Leisure Hotels. Haven is the largest UK caravan operator with 41 holiday parks and 2.5 million visitors a year. About inploi inploi is uk-based talent attraction technology startup, on a mission to rebuild the infrastructure of online talent attraction. inploi's suite of SaaS products delivers candidate journey modernisation as a service, seamlessly integrating with existing HR systems to help companies attract, engage, and convert the future of their workforce, with extensive data and reporting underpinning their solutions. OTAs showed welcome recovery in 2021, buoyed by continued strength in domestic travel. After ending 2020 down 58%, U.S. OTA bookings nearly doubled despite the ups and downs of another pandemic year. According to Phocuswrights latest travel research report on the segment U.S. Online Travel Agency Market Report 2021-2025, OTAs delivered $65.2 billion in gross bookings in 2021, reaching 82% of pre-pandemic levels (2019). Three key developments in the U.S. OTA market: Full-service stands alone no more Expedia has long offered a near-full spectrum of travel products via its flagship Expedia.com site, allowing customers to book multiple products for a trip, while its U.S. competitors have heavily skewed toward one product line. Booking.com and HotelTonight have been rooted in accommodations, Hopper and CheapOair in flights. However, Booking.com and Hopper both made great strides in expanding into full-service OTAs, putting new pressure on Expedia. Money talks: sales, acquisitions and investments 2021 was a year for OTAs to examine portfolios and either slim down or supplement their offerings. For Expedia Group, the focus was simplifying business to operate more efficiently as a family of brands, and investing in businesses where they are best positioned to win. Conversely, Booking Holdings opened its wallet wide, spending more than $3 billion on acquisitions and investments in 2021. Hopper, which plays on a much smaller scale compared to Expedia and Booking but has big ambitions, also joined in the acquisition game, while raising $345 million in 2021 between its March Series F and August Series G rounds. Tours, activities & attractions: the remix Not long ago, the tours, activities and attractions segment was dubbed the next big source of growthin the travel industry. The category flourished in 2018, and OTA giants, including Booking and Expedia, were vying to position themselves as leaders. Since then, both OTAs have changed their approach to offering activities. Rather than sourcing all supply directly, Expedia and Booking have largely turned to partnerships with activities-focused travel companies. While changes had already been in play pre-pandemic, the OTAs have further enforced the partnership approach in 2021. Hopper, in contrast, entered into the space with its PlacePass acquisition. PlacePass was most notable as the supply source of Marriott's tours and activities booking platform, which Hopper will now power. OTAs continue to regain share of the total online market during travel's recovery in 2021. However, its important for travel companies to know that supplier websites maintained their majority stake in the U.S. online travel market with a 63% share of online gross bookings. This report helps companies understand how suppliers and OTAs compete, differentiate themselves and offer new value for travelers. Phocuswrights U.S. Online Travel Agency Market Report 2021-2025 provides a comprehensive view of the U.S. OTA landscape, including detailed market sizing and projections, distribution trends, key developments and more. For further intelligence for you and your entire company, subscribe to Phocuswright Open Access. This subscription puts the entire Phocuswright research library and powerful data visualization tools at your fingertips. Theres a reason executives around the world trust and reference Phocuswright research and data on a daily basis. See the benefits here. ABOUT PHOCUSWRIGHT INC. Phocuswright is the travel industry research authority on how travelers, suppliers and intermediaries connect. Independent, rigorous and unbiased, Phocuswright fosters smart strategic planning, tactical decision-making and organizational effectiveness. Phocuswright delivers qualitative and quantitative research on the evolving dynamics that influence travel, tourism and hospitality distribution. Our marketplace intelligence is the industry standard for segmentation, sizing, forecasting, trends, analysis and consumer travel planning behavior. Every day around the world, senior executives, marketers, strategists and research professionals from all segments of the industry value chain use Phocuswright research for competitive advantage. To complement its primary research in North and Latin America, Europe and Asia, Phocuswright produces several high-profile conferences in the United States and Europe, and partners with conferences in China, Singapore and the United Arab Emirates. Industry leaders and company analysts bring this intelligence to life by debating issues, sharing ideas and defining the ever-evolving reality of travel commerce. The company is headquartered in the United States with Asia Pacific operations based in India and local analysts on five continents. Phocuswright is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Northstar Travel Media, LLC. (116 32nd Street, 14th Floor, New York, NY 10001 United States). www.phocuswright.com ABOUT NORTHSTAR TRAVEL GROUP Northstar Travel Group is the leading provider of business-to-business news, information, data, transactions and custom content solutions for the travel, meetings and hospitality industries. Brands under the Northstar umbrella include Travel Weekly, Travel Weekly China, Travel Weekly Asia, TravelAge West, Business Travel News, Phocuswright, Meetings & Conventions, M&C China, Web in Travel and Inntopia. Northstar is the industry leader in marketing solutions, custom content communications, content licensing and database management serving the travel and meetings industries. The company produces more than 52 face-to-face events, taking place in North and South America, Europe, Asia and the Middle East. Northstar is based in Secaucus, NJ, and is a portfolio company of EagleTree Capital. www.northstartravelgroup.com J. Scott Applewhite/Pool/AFP, HO / TNS Oil slumped as Russia said it was taking steps to de-escalate the conflict in Ukraine, while floating the possibility of a meeting between Vladimir Putin and his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskiy. West Texas Intermediate erased earlier gains to trade down as much as 7.1 percent, below $100 in New York. Moscow said it would sharply cut military operations near the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv, though troops had already been bogged down there for weeks. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate People age 50 and older now are eligible to get a second COVID-19 booster, following authorization by federal regulators on Tuesday. But the action poses a tricky question for millions of Americans: Should they get that fourth shot and when? Until now, the recommendation of public health officials has been straightforward: Get all three shots two vaccinations and a booster as soon as you can. But now that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has given older adults the option of a second booster of Pfizer-BioNTech or the Moderna COVID-19, it is suddenly up to people and their doctors to decide what to do. The new step also expands on earlier federal approval of that added protection just for certain immunocompromised individuals, who under the action Tuesday were made eligible for a fifth shot. Current evidence suggests some waning of protection over time against serious outcomes from COVID-19 in older and immunocompromised individuals, Dr. Peter Marks, director of the FDAs Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, said in a statement explaining the FDAs action. He noted that a second booster could help increase protection levels for these higher-risk individuals. A fourth dose now can be administered to people over 50 at least four months after receipt of a first booster dose of any authorized or approved COVID-19 vaccine, the FDA announced. But with coronavirus infections down in the Bay Area, and with recognition that vaccines power wanes over time, its up to individuals to calculate the most strategic time to get that next jab once the four months are up. Its very likely that a fourth dose will be needed not if, but when, said Dr. John Swartzberg, an infectious disease expert at UC Berkeley said in advance of Tuesdays announcement. As for when to get it, he said, Im not sure. Fortunately, the third jabs immunity is waning when the number cases is going down. So the urgency is not there. The vaccine will become available after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention gives guidance on who should get it. The CDC typically does that within a couple days after the FDA acts. This time, the agency may not issue a formal recommendation on whether to get a fourth dose, but rather state it as an option, according to news reports. In its decision, the FDA, which typically authorizes vaccines after hearing expert testimony before an advisory panel, skipped that panel in greenlighting a fourth dose for older adults and fifth dose, or third booster, for people whose immune system is compromised by a conditions that reduce the effectiveness of the vaccine, such as an organ transplant or cancer. Public health experts in the Bay Area say they were neither surprised nor alarmed by the idea that FDA would bypass the advisory-panel in its decision. Consider the annual flu shot, which is reconfigured each year and doesnt go through a full approval process, said Arnab Mukherjea, chair of Cal State East Bays Department of Public Health. If we use that framework, and weve gone through two rounds of the (COVID) vaccine, plus the booster, its not likely the safety profile of the fourth shot would change, he said. Mukherjea said trying to properly time a fourth shot is not worth stressing over. Just get it when you can, he said, because a new, dangerous variant can emerge at a moments notice. He pointed to the fast-spreading omicron variant, which showed up in the U.S. less than two weeks after it surged in South Africa. Other experts advise playing it more strategically. On Monday, Dr. Bob Wachter, UCSFs chief of medicine, posted a question on Twitter that he said was typical of those hes been asked lately: I'm over 50, had my 3 shots, AND had Covid in past 3 months. Should I get 2nd booster? In this case, with little data to go on, Wachter said hed hold off and rely on any immunity the persons past infection might provide, then get the second booster in a month or two if cases climb. Yet Wachter who turns 65 this year and has not had COVID also tweeted Monday that hell get the second second booster when he can, citing a new Israeli study of more than half a million people. The study, not yet peer reviewed, showed the COVID death rate falling 78% in people 60 to 100 years old who got a fourth Pfizer shot. The FDA in its announcement Tuesday cited the Israeli study to underpin its decision, saying it had revealed no new safety concerns with the fourth dose. Of course, in people who already had a single booster, the 78% represented a decline from one very low death rate to an even lower one, less than 0.1%, said Dr. Peter Chin-Hong, an infectious disease expert at UCSF. Because another surge can show up suddenly, Chin-Hong said it was a good idea for the FDA to approve the second booster for older adults. Having all the ducks in a row by allowing a fourth shot now in those under 50 years old is reasonable, he said. Not everyone agrees. Dr. Celine Gounder, an infectious disease specialist and editor at Kaiser Health News said the Israeli study offers no evidence for how long the extra protection lasts. From a scientific perspective, we still don't have definitive evidence that giving a second booster dose is the right way to go in older people, she told NPR this week. In any event it is unlikely that year after year additional boosters will be necessary for everyone, according to Dr. Monica Gandhi, a UCSF infectious disease expert. Thats because COVID vaccines generate something called cellular immunity, which is much longer lasting and protect many in an enduring fashion against severe disease, Gandhi wrote in an opinion piece last week for The Chronicle. COVID vaccines have so far shown that their greatest strength is in protecting people from severe illness and death, and that most people hospitalized for COVID are unvaccinated. Yet, most people arent racing to the vaccination clinic for the initial booster. Just 39% of eligible Californians have gotten their third shot, according to a new analysis from Dr. George Lemp, a retired University of California epidemiologist who regularly analyzes state coronavirus data. Jeffrey Anderson, a retired maintenance manager for the San Francisco Water Department is one of those who not only got a third shot, but also a fourth. I think its prudent of me to get as many vaccines as I can, said Anderson, who said hes mystified by peoples reluctance to protect themselves. He got his fourth shot on Thursday, qualifying because hes got a cancer called multiple myeloma that attacks the immune system. Im kind of obsessed with not getting COVID, he said. Meanwhile, the fate of $15.6 billion for pandemic needs including vaccination is in question after Democrats pulled it from a $1.5 trillion spending package approved by the House last week amid Republican objections. The idea that Congress would pull back on funding for vaccines, testing, treatment and fighting coronavirus variants just when the country may be getting the upper hand on COVID leaves California health experts shaking their heads. We have an opportunity now to prepare for the unknown and to not prepare for it because things are unknown would be foolhardy, said Swartzberg of UC Berkeley. Without funding to ensure availability of vaccines, all of this discussion will be moot, said Chin-Hong of UCSF. This will ensure that pandemic disparities will only widen in our country. As people continue to debate whether and when to continue with booster shots against COVID, the vaccine itself may change. By the winter, we may have an alternative, universal COVID vaccine available that may be more potent against future variants, Chin-Hong said. Many are working on this at this time. Nanette Asimov is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: nasimov@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @NanetteAsimov This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate 3 1 of 3 Jay L. Clendenin, MBR / TNS Show More Show Less 2 of 3 Evan Agostini, INVL / Associated Press Show More Show Less 3 of 3 Frazer Harrison, Staff / Getty Images Show More Show Less A disease that causes hair loss is at the center of the most talked-about moment at Sundays Oscars ceremony. Actress Jada Pinkett Smith disclosed four years ago that she has alopecia and its the reason she has shaved her head or worn turbans in public. Its unclear if comedian Chris Rock knew that when he joked about her baldness during Sunday nights ceremony, but Smith grimaced and her husband, actor Will Smith, strode to the stage, smacked Rock in the face and profanely told him not to talk about his wife. Two Fort Hood soldiers were sentenced to prison for their roles in a human smuggling operation involving several military members, the Department of Justice said. U.S. Army soldiers Isaiah Gore, 21, and Denerio Williams, 22, pleaded guilty in December 2021 to conspiring to transport undocumented individuals. Gore was sentenced to 30 months in prison, and Williams received a 24-month sentence. Both will serve three years of probation after their sentences. Fellow soldier Ivory Palmer, 21, pleaded guilty on Jan. 10 to participating in the human smuggling operation, and soldiers Emmanuel Oppongagyare and Ralph Gregory Saint-Joie pleaded guilty in August 2021. All three are awaiting sentencing. Homeland Security Investigations agents were alerted to the smuggling scheme on June 13, 2021, after Oppongagyare and Saint-Joie were arrested at the Hebbronville Border Patrol checkpoint for transporting two undocumented people. When questioned by authorities, the two said that Gore recruited them to smuggle the people for $2,000 per person. Authorities learned that Gore had approached numerous people with the same offer: to pick people up from the border while wearing their Army uniforms to avoid detection and drive them to Gore in North Texas, a federal complaint said. Williams participated in a smuggling run on June 11 with Oppongagyare. Authorities said they picked up someone in McAllen and drove the person, in the trunk of their vehicle, to an apartment complex in the San Antonio area. Also on June 11, Palmer and Saint-Joie made another trip south from Fort Hood in Killeen before they were informed that there was no longer anyone to pick up. Gore later told authorities that he was recruited by members of a human smuggling operation and was paid on delivery. Gore and Williams were permitted to surrender voluntarily to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility at a later date. Gore has since been discharged from the Army. U.S. District Judge Marina Garcia Marmolejo, who sentenced the two soldiers, said that as military members, they were not the average citizen, which justified a tougher sentence, the DOJ said. taylor.pettaway@express-news.net | @TaylorPettaway A Houston Police Department officer chasing a vehicle linked to a catalytic converter theft collided with another car early Tuesday, injuring the driver, authorities said. An officer in the North Shepherd area observed a suspicious vehicle around 1 a.m. and ran its license plate, linking it to prior catalytic theft case, according to Houston police. The officer initiated a traffic stop after the driver ran a red light, HPD added. After the driver pulled over, he rolled his windows down partially but fled when the officer approached him. More on HoustonChronicle.com: Houston to consider ban on e-cigarettes, vaping and hookahs in public areas After a six-minute chase, the police cruiser struck a sedan traveling northbound at the intersection of West Little York and Fairbanks North Houston roads, Houston police said. The officer received minor injuries and the 53-year-old woman driving the sedan was taken to Ben Taub Hospital. She is expected to survive. The cruiser caught on fire after the collision and the officer was able to get out, according to HPD. Investigators are attempting to locate the vehicle involved in the chase and are reviewing body camera footage, HPD added. Police are not releasing the description of that vehicle, saying it would jeopardize the investigation, according to HPD Asst. Chief Thomas Hardin. Anyone with information should contact HPD at 713-247-4072 or Crimes Stoppers at 713-222-8477. No other information is available at this time. This scene is breaking and updates will be added. Joel.Umanzor@chron.com A business owner was shot in the head Monday night during a home invasion in east Houston. The man was shot about 11:10 p.m. at his home in the 12700 block of Coulson Street near the Greens Bayou community. Police said they believe the man, who operates a trucking businesses, was targeted. He was taken to a local hospital in an unknown condition but was still conscious, police said. Four attackers kicked in the front door of the man's home while he was with his teenage son, HPD Lt. Ronnie Willkens said. More on HoustonChronicle.com: Houston to consider ban on e-cigarettes, vaping and hookahs in public areas The attackers put the son into the shower while they demanded money from his father before four shots rang out, HPD added. The attackers fled through the back of the home, taking expensive items. Detectives were attempting to gather video footage from the area late Monday to identify the attackers and find a motive, HPD said. Anyone with information on the shooting is encouraged to contact Houston police at (713) 884-3131 or Crime Stoppers at 713-222-8477. No other information is available at this time. Joel.Umanzor@chron.com A Klein Oak High School student has won a $90,000 settlement from a former teacher following a lawsuit in which she said several teachers harassed and disciplined her for sitting out the Pledge of Allegiance, according to a Tuesday release from the civil rights organization American Atheists. The nonprofit Texas Association of School Boards, which has a fund that provides liability coverage for member school districts, paid to resolve the case before it went to trial in Houston federal court, per the release. The student also sued the district but a representative said the district was was dismissed from the case, a decision that was later affirmed by a federal appeals court. LAWSUIT: Klein ISD staff failed to report sexual assault of sixth-grader by a classmate to police The 2017 suit brought by an attorney from American Atheists and a Houston civil rights lawyer says a minor identified by the initials "M.O." endured discrimination and harassment for declining to participate in the pledge because she objected to the words under God and believed that liberty and justice for all is not guaranteed for people of color. She said several Klein Oak teachers harassed her over several school years for failing to stand for the pledge and that several counselors, administrators and then-Principal Brian Greeney failed to take adequate measures to protect her rights. M.O. also states that she was repeatedly bullied by other students. Most of the teachers and administrators M.O. sued were dismissed based on qualified immunity, her lawyer said. The court found Klein ISD was not liable for the wrongful acts of its employees because it had not shown deliberate indifference to the students rights. TASB issued a statement Tuesday stressing that it was not involved in the settlement of the case, but noting that it oversees a risk management fund that provides liability coverage for member districts such as Klein ISD. In that capacity, the Fund helped Klein ISD and their employee, Mr. Arnold, with a legal defense when they were sued, TASB said. Its notable that most of the claims filed against the district were dismissed. The defendant who settled is sociology teacher, Benjie Arnold. He is accused of repeatedly harassing the student during two consecutive school years. Arnold threatened he would fail students who refused to participate in the pledge, telling them, What youve done is leave me no option but to give you a zero, and you can have all the beliefs and resentment and animosity that you want, according to the release. Arnold was also reportedly captured on audio offering to pay for students to move to Europe if they didnt like living in the U.S. Emotional distress caused by the harassment led the student to withdraw from Klein ISD. She returned to the district after being homeschooled for some time, but the discrimination continued and intensified, the suit says. The harassment led the student to suffer panic attacks that greatly interfered with her education. Her family invested more than $10,000 in costs related to homeschooling, the lawsuit states. On HoustonChronicle.com: Civil rights case by Cy-Fair student expelled after sitting for Pledge of Allegiance gets nod for trial A key decision on this matter is West Virginia Board of Education v. Barnette, a 1943 case in which the Supreme Court ruled students who objected to the pledge for religious reasons could not be forced to participate. Students may opt out of standing or reciting the pledge if their parent requests it in writing, according to Geoffrey Blackwell, of American Atheists, who represented M.O. in the lawsuit. He added that exempted students must stand or sit quietly during the pledge and must not disrupt the classroom in any way. Representatives for the former student said the financial settlement is a reminder that all students have a First Amendment right to free speech. It is incredible the time and money spent by the Klein Independent School District to stop a students free speech, Texas civil rights attorney Randall Kallinen said in a statement. School staff need to teach the Constitution not violate it. rebecca.hennes@chron.com This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate The gag order restricting some communications in litigation surrounding the fatal Astroworld festival came front and center Monday as lawyers argued whether the courts decision should stand. Concerns over the publicity order signed last month by 11th District Court Judge Kristen Hawkins surfaced soon after rapper Travis Scott in early March publicized the debut of Project HEAL, a nonprofit partially aimed at addressing security at large-scale events. The initiative is also expected to fund scholarships at historically Black colleges and mental health treatment in low income communities of color. Plaintiff lawyers in early March argued for more restrictions and said that while Scotts project is designed to garner goodwill, it could prejudice the family of Astroworlds youngest casualty: 9-year-old Ezra Blount. He was among 10 people who died from compression asphyxia following a crowd surge at the NRG Park festival. Blount and the other plaintiffs herein do not have the high profile ability to sway public opinion as Defendant Scott an international music star and his sophisticated media team do, Texas-based lawyer Robert Hilliard wrote in a motion. Plaintiffs lawyers do, but they are prohibited from doing so under the Publicity Order as currently worded. Hawkins issued the gag order Feb. 15, preventing attorneys on both sides from making extrajudicial statements, soon after hundreds of Astroworld cases were consolidated into one filing. In a recent court setting, the civil jurist said attorneys were allowed to discuss the court proceedings and filings in the case. Lawyers for ABC News Laura Lee Prather and former U.S. Attorney Ryan Patrick asked Hawkins in the ceremonial courtroom to either clarify the order or vacate it entirely. To date, litigants and participants in this proceeding have treated the Order as a complete prohibition against talking to the media even about the underlying events that transpired that are of grave concern, stated Prather and Patricks letter to the judge. Hawkins ultimately asked lawyers on both sides to work together to propose changes if any to the publicity order. She would make a decision at a later conference, she continued. There does not have to be an agreement, Hawkins said. In court, Neal Manne for Live Nationthe concerts promoter said the judges publicity order is not as restrictive as interpreted. Theres nothing that prevents the public from attending or reporting on what happens in the courtroom, Manne said. The media is free to report on anything they want. Besides the gag order, the judge on Monday approved a motion sealing the autopsy reports of those killed during the concert. In addition to Blount, the others killed in the concert are Mirza Baig, 27; Rodolfo Pena, 23; Madison Dubiski, 23; Bharti Shahani, 22; Franco Patino, 21; Jacob Jurinek, 20; John Hilgert, 14; Axel Acosta, 21; and Brianna Rodriguez, 16. nicole.hensley@chron.com This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate City Council on Wednesday will consider a proposal to bar the use of e-cigarettes and any kind of vaping in public spaces under Houstons smoking ordinance. The move would update the citys rules for public smoking, which were written before electronic cigarettes existed, Health Department spokesman Porfirio Villarreal said. Houston currently bars tobacco smoking in enclosed public places and seating areas and within 25 feet of any building. Smoking in covered bus stops and light rail stops also is prohibited. The proposal would add all forms of vaping including electronic cigars, pipes and hookahs to the smoking ban, enacted in 2007 to reduce public secondhand smoke exposure. It would not affect hookah bars or other private areas where smoking is permitted, Villarreal said. On HoustonChronicle.com: Council OKs new Houston police contract that gives officers 10.5 percent raises E-cigarettes, sometimes called e-cigs, vaporizers or vape pens, are filled with a liquid nicotine derived from tobacco that becomes an aerosol when the user inhales. Some also contain flavorings that critics say are aimed at attracting kids and teenagers. Health Department officials began researching the possibility of including e-cigarettes in the citywide smoking ban last year and brought the proposed amendment to the councils Quality of Life Committee, which took up the cause. The amendment arrives before the council at a time of rising e-cigarette use among middle and high school students, with Health Department data showing that as many as 1 in 10 Houston middle school students vape. The committee chairman, District I Councilmember Robert Gallegos, on Tuesday urged his colleagues to support the proposal Wednesday. While scientists do not have a full picture of the long-term health effects of using e-cigarettes, research suggests the ultra-fine particles within the vapor can increase a persons risk of cardiovascular disease and cancer, said Ronald Peters Jr., a retired professor at the University of Texas at Houstons School of Public Health who studied teen vaping behavior. Banning public e-cigarette use is a common-sense way to reduce the risk of exposing children and vulnerable people to those potentially harmful vapors, he said. In addition to removing vaping aerosols from public settings, the ban would have the added benefit of reducing kids exposure to all forms of nicotine use, he said. I think it makes a lot of sense because of the social norms involved, Peters said. Some people may say, Whats the harm in vaping in front of kids? The bottom line is, kids watch adults. If they see people vaping, they may want to do it, too. A growing body of evidence shows vaping as a teen can be a gateway to developing a lifelong nicotine addiction. Dr. Lindy McGee, a pediatrician and assistant professor at Baylor College of Medicine, said local smoking ordinances can and should play a major role in preventing kids from getting hooked on the stimulant. Ten years ago, all of us in public health were celebrating the decline of cigarette use in teens, she said Tuesday during City Councils public comment session. Little did we know the vaping industry would emerge and, using social media, youth-enticing flavors and highly addictive nicotine, they hooked this new generation on their product. On HoustonChronicle.com: Mayor Turner names new Houston housing director after contract scandal Under the citys smoking ordinance, businesses are required to post no smoking signs and enforce the ban on their premises, with violations fined up to $2,000. Most restaurants support including e-cigarettes in the ban, said Melissa Stewart, executive director of the Greater Houston Chapter of the Texas Restaurant Association. Health officials consulted the chapter on the proposed amendment in December, she said. Many restaurants have already been enforcing a no-vaping rule at their own discretion, Stewart said Tuesday. Overall, what we have seen is most restaurants have treated vaping like cigarettes. They have not allowed it. Where others see a public health opportunity, Lisa Aburumman, the owner of Union of Humanity Smokeshop, sees the ban as a frivolous local ordinance unlikely to deter vape users. These laws are for optics, said Aburumman, 55. What ends up happening is the laws are primarily enforced on poor people taking buses and standing in public places next to buildings. Aburumman, whose customers primarily are students at the nearby University of Houston, said vaping is too discreet and too widespread to regulate. Despite suffering from asthma, she believes smoking and vaping should be a matter of personal choice. I dont smoke and I dont advocate for smoking, she said. I advocate for adults doing what they want. Many vape users seemed not to know about the proposal. Ron Obert, an employee at Eado Glass and Smoke, said he had not heard about the upcoming vote, but he questioned the wisdom of limiting vaping, which he said is less harmful than traditional smoking. If its all really about health, just let people keep doing the healthier option, Obert said. nora.mishanec@chron.com Several weeks after severing ties with Russia, Texas A&M University System Chancellor John Sharp has offered direct aid to current students from Ukraine. The system has identified at least 14 students who will qualify for free tuition, fees and limited living expenses, Associate Vice Chancellor Tim Eaton said. Those students will receive funding under the Regents Grant Program, which was created after Hurricane Harvey in 2017 and is offered to students who have significant hardships. Sharp said he is also opening some university facilities for displaced professors and students from Ukraine to continue their research in the wake of Russian President Vladimir Putins invasion of their country. We must strive to help those at our universities who have been affected by Putins abhorrent actions, Sharp said in a letter Tuesday to presidents across the system. Our students from Ukraine are in a unique, sad and difficult position as their homeland is under attack, their family members are either fleeing to safety or fighting to save their countrys sovereignty. In many cases, our students from Ukraine will no longer have homes to return to, and their parents remain unable to work or worse. By this author: Texas A&M students to weigh in on newspapers future as some raise censorship concerns Serhii Kryvenko, a fourth year Ph.D. candidate in petroleum engineering, said his family has been fortunate compared with other Ukrainians. He is from Ivano-Frankivsk in western Ukraine not in the border regions where many of the Russian attacks have been centered and some of his family members have remained home while his mother, younger brother and grandmother fled to Austria. But he has still heard from friends who sat in basements as Russian bombardments sounded overhead, and others whose homes were destroyed, Kryvenko said. Its sometimes a little bit hard to focus, because this occupies all of your mind, he said. Im trying to basically distract myself, not to even read news because sometimes its very terrifying. Kryvenko said he is encouraged by the unity of the Ukranian people and support from the U.S. But he said he hopes the aid to Ukraine will continue, even if news coverage eventually dwindles. The economic boost is a relief, he said. Its definitely very helpful, and Im very grateful to Texas A&M, he said. Hopefully they can be a good example to other universities. The Texas A&M University System has 11 campuses, eight state agencies, a health science center and a research campus in Bryan. In early March, Sharp directed school leaders to sever ties with Russian entities by immediately dissolving all agreements related to academics, research and intellectual property. Sharp has now asked the presidents to compile lists of students who can apply for the hardship grant. Tuition would cover the next semester and potentially more if the war continues. samantha.ketterer@chron.com Nearly 500,000 people have traded in a different state's license and registered as a Texas driver since the pandemic began suggesting that hundreds of thousands of people have moved to Texas since March 2020. Specifically, 468,426 people from the other 49 states and the District of Columbia have registered a driver's license in one of the 254 Texas counties, as of January 2022. About 20% of these people are from California. More than 92,560 former Californians forfeited their driver's licenses in Texas during the pandemic. That's nearly three times the number of Florida drivers, the second largest group who surrendered their licenses. The largest percentage of people (14.9%) who surrendered their licenses in Harris County are from California. Similar to state trends, the next highest group of people were former Floridians. They made up about 9.5% of new Harris County residents during the pandemic. Throughout all of Texas, the largest percentage of new residents surrendered their licenses in Harris County. Although Travis County had only 41,375 people trade in their old driver's licenses, 20,000 fewer people than in Harris County, the highest percentage of Californians who traded in their licenses (around 12.5%) did so in Travis County. Comal County, located just north of San Antonio, had the highest ratio of licenses surrendered in the county to the county population. The number of surrendered licenses peaked in October 2021, when 29,555 people officially became Texas residents. Though they surrendered their licenses in October, they did not necessarily move to Texas in October or within 90 days of the date they traded in their licenses. Only 13 individuals surrendered their licenses in Harris County during April and May 2020, which drops the monthly average during Covid to 2,616 people every month. But in 2021 alone, an average of 3,371 people forfeited their previous state's licenses in Harris County every month. About the data The Texas Department of Public Safety states that new Texas drivers register their vehicle within their first 30 days in the state and get a new driver's license within the first 90 days. Though people who do not meet this deadline may go scot-free, obtaining a Texas driver's license (rather than keeping their old one) can help the new resident vote in the state. Not all new residents may complete this task, but those who do must prove their residency in the state and are likely new residents. The data could also include people whose previous state's driver's licenses have expired, and though they may have lived in Texas for years, they must now have a license in the state in which they reside. The United States Postal Service also provides data on moving based on people who arrange to forward their mail to a specific location. However, not all people who move complete this task and their forwarding information may not address every member of their household. Plus, in a state where about 79% of workers drive to work by themselves and 10% carpool, new residents likely need to drive and choose to certify residency and ability to vote by securing a license. The data does not account for new residents who do not drive and thus have no need for a license nor does it account for people who have opted to keep their licenses from a previous state. During a rush of travelers returning from spring break and other major weekend events, lines at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport wrapped outside the entrance, and rental cars were left abandoned at the drop-off area Monday morning. Never seen anything like this, said Kelly Williams Nagel, who posted an image of a long line of abandoned rental cars at the airport. TSA lines are 3K deep, wrapped outside ridiculous. On HoustonChronicle.com: We dont want people to needlessly kill them: Texas park officials urge people not to kill rattlesnakes In an emailed statement, an airport spokesperson said the rental car issue began with one stalled-out car blocking the drop-off curb. Rental car staff instructed the customer to go ahead and leave the vehicle with the keys in it, the spokesperson said. This caused other passengers with rental cars to follow suit, and leave their rental cars alongside the curb. Regarding TSA security lines, the spokesperson said more travelers were attempting to fly out of Austin than normal before 8 a.m. Security officials screened 8,252 passengers before 8 a.m., well above their typical 6,600 passenger screening level. The higher follow likely came from spring break travelers leaving Texas and others who attended events such as the Texas Relays, Dell Masters and NASCAR over the weekend. Passengers took to social media to express their frustration. Joey Dillion, who posted about his experience on Twitter, called his experience leaving Austin Monday morning an apocalypse. Dillion included an image that showed several travelers unloading suitcases from their vehicles well ahead of the drop-off gate. Closer to the security checkpoint, and a day earlier, Alex Wild said on Twitter that he spent 90 minutes at the TSA checkpoint on Sunday. He shared photos of the line snaking around outside the terminal. Made my flight by just 2 minutes but there were a lot of ppl in line with me who missed theirs, he said in his tweet. To address the issue, the spokesperson said the airport would work to fill staff vacancies and help expedite future airport expansion plans. While operations have returned to normal, we continue to ask passengers to arrive a minimum of two hours in advance now through early April, the spokesperson said. timothy.fanning@express-news.net A 21-year-old man is facing multiple charges after an alleged hours-long crime spree ended in a physical altercation with the owner of a pickup truck he was trying to take from a Buc-ee's in New Braunfels. Austin Graham Neely attempted to take two vehicles from the Buc-ee's parking lot in the 2400 block of Interstate 35 North after 2 a.m. on Sunday, according to police spokesman David Ferguson. Ferguson said that after Neely's first attempt to steal a vehicle was unsuccessful, he then went inside the store and took two bottles of energy drinks and a soda. On HoustonChronicle.com: Klein ISD student wins $90K settlement after being harassed for sitting out the Pledge of Allegiance He then wrestled away a set of keys from a man at a gas pump and tried to ride off in the man's pickup, Ferguson said. The owner of the truck, however, managed to open the passenger-side door and get inside the vehicle. The pair fought inside the pickup truck before Neely exited the vehicle and attempted to flee, Ferguson said. The truck's owner, however, tackled Neely and held him down until police arrived. During their investigation, Ferguson said they found a damaged 2016 Nissan that had been taken from a nearby home Friday night. Police believe Neely was responsible for burglarizing a home from which he took the Nissan. On HoustonChronicle.com: See Houston as it was 30 years ago in photos of celebrities, AstroWorld and the Goodyear blimp Police said Neely was taken to a local hospital to treat his injuries from the fight. Ferguson said the 21-year-old also attempted to fight investigating officers. According to Comal County Jail records, Neely has been charged with burglary, robbery three counts of vehicle theft and assault on a peace officer. His bail has been set at $45,000, records show. timothy.fanning@express-news.net This article was originally published by The Texas Tribune. NUEVO LAREDO, Mexico The COVID-19 vaccine shot that went into Nohemi Lima Eusebios arm as she sat on a dusty yellow school bus at the U.S. border checkpoint in Laredo was just days away from going in the trash in Dallas. The dose had been in a batch earmarked for Texas residents, but it was about to expire at a clinic nearly 500 miles away because nobody used it. Instead, it turned out to be a potential lifesaver for Lima Eusebio, a 44-year-old single mom whose job in the close quarters of a factory across the border in Nuevo Laredo put her at risk for the virus and made her fear for the safety of her loved ones. I was worried a lot because my elderly mom lived with me, and I was worried that going to work was a risk of contracting the virus, and I would infect my mom and my [15-year-old] daughter, she said. Getting a shot in her hometown where persistently high demand and low supply meant long lines at places that had vaccines took hours and made her miss too much work. Thats how Lima Eusebio wound up in a secure area of the Gateway to the Americas International Bridge on a cloudy weekday morning earlier this month, sitting on the bus with her sleeve rolled up, surrounded by her factory coworkers. As the bus idled on the Laredo side of the bridge, Mexican and U.S. health care workers traipsed down the aisle carrying vaccine doses stacked in buckets hanging around their necks the kind that children use to sell gum to tourists on the corners near the mercado in downtown Nuevo Laredo. They injected Lima Eusebio, signed her vaccine card and then the bus turned around and took them all back into Mexico. The dose Lima Eusebio received, flown down on a private plane piloted by the attorney son of Laredos local top health official, was among nearly 200,000 that have been administered to Nuevo Laredo residents since last summer part of a unique binational vaccination program thats credited with bringing up vaccine rates and fighting the virus on both sides of the Rio Grande. This is a very essential humanitarian effort because, in order to get herd immunity in our area, we need to make sure everybody's vaccinated to avoid variants and to avoid cross-border transmission, said Victor Trevino Jr., who oversees the program and whose father, Dr. Victor D. Trevino, is the Laredo Health Authority. Launched last June as the state grappled with both a rising wave of deaths related to the delta variant and a sharp drop in demand for the vaccine in Texas and nationally, the cross-border vaccination program aimed to address a dismally low vaccine rate an estimated 7% at the time in Nuevo Laredo that was creating problems in highly vaccinated Laredo, which was reporting 10 times that vaccination rate, among the highest in the state. It was also a good way, organizers said, to use up doses that had suddenly become a surplus in the U.S., where nearly 50% of the population were fully vaccinated by the time the Laredo program was up and running. Meanwhile, Mexicos early vaccine rollout was painfully slow because the countrys government had prioritized people in rural areas where social distancing was easier. The rollout was also hampered by logistical issues, with some people reportedly waiting in line for up to 12 hours for their first dose. By the time the cross-border vaccination program launched in June, Mexico was reporting only a 10% vaccination rate. About 10 months after its launch, the program is still giving about 2,000 doses per day, Trevino Jr. said which means the buses going back and forth across the bridge represent roughly 10% of the total doses being administered across Texas on a daily basis. Nuevo Laredo, which has nearly half a million residents, has seen its vaccination rate soar to about 50% now, by most estimates still far below Laredos 96.5% rate but seven times more than when the program began. Its now one of the most highly vaccinated cities in Mexico, Trevino Jr. said. Shots arrive by car, plane and 18-wheeler The doses used by the Laredo program are donated by providers like doctors, hospitals and pharmacies who would rather give away their excess supplies than throw them out, the senior Trevino said. Theyre picked up by car, plane and truck any secure way they can find, organizers said. Sometimes there are 18-wheelers that are coming from other states passing through Dallas or San Antonio or somewhere, and we coordinate with trucking companies and if they can pick them up, they do that, Trevino Sr. said. So its quite a show. But its worth the effort. A provider that donated nearly 20,000 doses this week had initially tried to give them back to the state because they said demand completely stopped, said Trevino Jr., who frequently picks up the doses in his plane or car. But they said to use them or transfer them. The state stopped warehousing doses months ago after supplies exceeded the demand, so providers now order them directly from the federal government, which purchases them and allocates them at no cost to the providers. Its a bedrock public health principle that reducing an infectious disease on one side of a border will help reduce that disease on the other side, especially when there is a lot of cross-border traffic, said Chris Van Deusen, spokesperson for the Texas Department of State Health Services. Texas health officials say the state is not directly involved in the program, other than to track the doses donated by Texas providers to the binational effort. But they say that addressing the virus on both sides of the border is an effective approach for this vibrant and close-knit border community. The program is slated to continue at least through April, when it will be reevaluated to see if its still needed. A look at the numbers shows that theres still very much a demand: Last week, Trevino Jr. said he picked up 10,000 doses in his car from a provider in San Antonio. This week, hell be picking up 17,000 more. A spin class sparks a solution Laredo and Nuevo Laredo have been linked for the better part of two centuries, their downtowns separated by only a narrow slice of river. Its one city. It just happens to be in two countries, said state Rep. Richard Pena Raymond, a Laredo Democrat and early proponent of the program. Adults and children in Nuevo Laredo often go to work and school every day in Laredo, and a large number of Laredoans have family on the other side of the river. Traveling back and forth for shopping, medical care and celebrations is the norm. We work hand in hand, and we feel like we have the same purposes because we cross the bridge daily, said Estefania Araiza, a Nuevo Laredo nurse who administers doses on the bus for the program. Last summer, Trevino Sr. was disturbed by the vaccination numbers. Laredo had one of the highest vaccination rates in the state, but the hospitals were still getting patients every day who were close to death, many of them Nuevo Laredo residents. Trevino, who is also a family doctor, said he had patients from Nuevo Laredo whose family members weren't yet vaccinated. Doctors and nurses across the river were dying at an alarming rate, he said, because they couldnt get vaccinated. Trevino knew that there was no way to truly protect both cities unless both sides of the border were highly vaccinated. One day in late May, Trevinos son was brainstorming the problem with a friend while they pedaled side by side in a spin class at a Laredo gym. They talked about collecting expiring doses and delivering them to Nuevo Laredo, but that idea came with a raft of logistical issues, the biggest of which was that the U.S. government had no authorized program to donate those doses. And even if the U.S. government approved cross-border donations, the doses would likely end up mired in the same kinds of logistical problems that were bogging down Mexicos vaccination effort. It was almost impossible to get a shot in Mexico at the time, recalled Araiza, the nurse who helps administer the vaccine on the buses. Trevino Jr. and his friend discussed administering the shots to Mexican citizens in Laredo, but dismissed the idea because at the time, the bridge was closed to all but essential workers from Nuevo Laredo. What if we vaccinate them on the bridge? Trevino Jr. suggested. That way, people who did not have essential worker status wouldnt technically be entering the U.S. as long as the buses didnt leave the secured checkpoint area, which would work as long as border officials agreed to the plan. The friend was enthusiastic and, while they pedaled in the spin class, placed a call to Carmen Lilia Canturosas, a relative who was running for mayor of Nuevo Laredo at the time she won the election a few weeks later. She used her connections to get the program rolling her father and brother were both former mayors, so she knew everyone, Trevino Jr. said. After winning her election, Canturosas called the Mexican Consulate in Laredo, who reached out to U.S. Customs and Border Protection, which runs the checkpoints on the U.S. side of border bridges. CBP officials agreed to let them vaccinate people in the secure area of the bridge only if the Nuevo Laredo residents stayed on the buses. A few weeks later, the factory workers and their families arrived at the bridge on factory-owned school buses for shots. Trevinos father, meanwhile, reached out to a prominent doctors association in Nuevo Laredo and began getting groups of front-line health workers vaccinated on buses owned by hospitals. Modern buses owned by Mexican bus lines soon joined the effort as more people signed up for shots. Then in November, the international bridges reopened to all visitors on the U.S.-Mexico border just in time for the Christmas holiday, and popularity of the program exploded, Trevino Jr. said. For Fabiola Escobar, a 32-year-old factory worker, getting the opportunity to get her booster shot on the bus with her coworkers rather than miss another day of work trying to get one in Nuevo Laredo was a game changer. She can be less fearful, she said. And she can start getting back to normal life. When the pandemic first started, we were all worried wed get sick and for it to get more serious, Escobar said. But now that we have our boosters, I feel like we can be less worried and work more comfortably. In late November, Nuevo Laredo city officials honored the senior Trevinos efforts to vaccinate their residents, which included several programs in addition to the buses, by awarding him the keys to their city in a unanimous decision. It is a monumental effort were doing, Trevino Sr. said. And hopefully itll go down in history. Sergio Flores and Uriel J. Garcia contributed to this story. The Texas Tribune is a nonprofit, nonpartisan media organization that informs Texans about public policy, politics, government and statewide issues. Texas Parks and Wildlife Department WICHITA, Kan. (AP) One of two flamingos that escaped from a Kansas zoo during a storm 17 years ago has been spotted on the coast of Texas, wildlife officials said. The Coastal Fisheries division of Texas Parks and Wildlife confirmed Tuesday to The Associated Press that the African flamingo known as No. 492 because of the number on its leg band was captured on video shot March 10 by an environmental activist near Port Lavaca, Texas, at Rhodes Point in Cox Bay. Officials were able to make out the bird's leg band on the video. Over the next seven days, around 2,000 tenants and their families in Houston are at risk of being evicted in court. The vast majority of these residents will not have a lawyer or even a volunteer knowledgeable about tenants rights by their side when the justice of the peace rules on their case. That ought to change, and it has begun to, thanks to a pandemic-era order by the Texas Supreme Court that has since September 2021 required justices of the peace to permit tenants to bring legal representation or volunteers from legal aid groups to their eviction trials. Not every tenant has that help available, thanks mostly to funding challenges, but prior to the Supreme Courts rule, it was up to each JP whether they allowed the representation even when it was available. Thats a problem because some of the most consequential decisions being made in Harris County happen in JP courtrooms, where JPs have an incredible amount of discretion. Evictions can mean a lot more than having to simply pack up and find a new home. Sociologist Matthew Desmond has spent years detailing how eviction sets off a hard-to-escape cycle that harms children and adults and can serve as a cause, and not merely a symptom, of poverty. Landlords have a right to collect the rents owed to them, but when a tenant is facing a consequence as serious as eviction, no court should disallow as much help as possible to navigate the often tangled legal proceedings. Before someone is set to lose [their] housing, I think its a basic right for them to be able to represent themselves in court, and not just on their own, but with legal representation, explains Dana Karni, managing attorney for Lone Star Legal Aids Eviction Right to Counsel Project. Its different than: Theres a form at the end of the hallway, go fill it out and good luck, adds Karni. We actually argue before a judge for our clients. The Supreme Courts order is set to expire in May, and after that it will be up to the justices of the peace to decide on a courtroom-by-courtroom basis whether to permit tenants or landlords, for tht matter - to bring counsel to the hearings. The court should extend the order, as it has other pandemic protections and gives justices of the peace time to formalize a policy for Harris County that will welcome legal representation indefinitely. Texas has comparatively few protections for tenants. But the pandemic changed that, thanks to rental assistance programs and measures meant to prevent or mitigate the impacts of eviction. Though many tenants and landlords struggled to access assistance, at least in Harris County the numbers suggest that these measures had a collective impact. After a steep drop in eviction filings in the early months of the pandemic, the numbers have crept steadily upward. In February 2020, just before the pandemic hit, there were some 5,556 eviction cases filed in Harris County compared to 1,894 one year later. Now, two years on, cases are up above pre-pandemic levels, with 6,833 cases filed in February 2022. And the total amount of rent being requested has jumped as well, from $7,460,957 for the month of February 2020 to $18,714,346 for February 2022, according to a dashboard created by data science firm January Advisors. Its no surprise that evictions are back up. Pandemic housing assistance has mostly dried up, and even the landlords who were most patient during the worst of the COVID lockdowns, have begun to seek back rent and evict those who cant or wont pay. But with the number of cases rising, theres never been a more important time to allow tenants who have access to legal help to use it when they need it most. The help has been effective for those who got it. Of the 1,788 clients helped by Lone Star Legal Aid since the pandemic began, 80 percent remained housed. When cases did go to litigation, the majority were dismissed, according to Lone Star. Avoiding an eviction doesnt suddenly create a stable housing situation, though. Howard Bookstaff, general counsel for the Houston Apartment Association, said generally tenants are given plenty of time before evictions are begun. And he said the association welcomes the role lawyers can play in helping establish errors in the record that could mean the difference between an eviction or remaining in ones home. Lawyers can present evidence to show tenants did, in fact, pay rent, or that they completed repairs that should be deducted from their rent. We applaud that, thats good, Bookstaff said. But if the tenant remains in arrears, or fails to pay new rent, he adds, the landlord will simply refile meaning that the eviction was delayed but not prevented. Even so, days can make a difference for tenants living paycheck to paycheck, for example, or working to secure a stable place to live. Requiring JPs to let lawyers or other help in the room wont address the underlying issues that have so many local households on the brink of eviction in the first place. But it will help make sure that the system is as fair as possible. Regarding Sorry, Ted. Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson weathered storm of inane questions, insinuations from GOP, (March 24): In the summer of 1967, I was an 18-year-old in Beaumont, getting ready for my first year of college. That summer, President Lyndon Johnson nominated Thurgood Marshall as a justice to the U. S. Supreme Court. Overjoyed, I discussed this with attorney Elmo Willard. Willard had served as a student aid for Marshall's team as they prepared their presentation for the Supreme Court case, Brown v. Board of Education. He told me stories about their trials and tribulations in preparing the case. Willard encouraged me to go to law school and to be ready when and if my time to stand up came. Each evening during Justice Marshall's confirmation hearing, I would consume all the reports from the three national news networks and read all the articles from the Houston Post and Chronicle and the Beaumont Enterprise and Journal. For the last two days, I have watched the confirmation hearing of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson. It made me recall the confirmation hearings of Justice Marshall. Dixiecrats (Anti-civil rights southerners, conservatives and their sympathizers) tried to paint Justice Marshall as soft on crime and as someone whose thoughts and beliefs were out of line with most Americans. The same tactics used against Justice Marshall are being regurgitated at Judge Brown Jacksons confirmation hearing. I am proud that Judge Jackson went high with her responses when her detractors went low. As Black Americans, we must continue to believe in the letter and spirit of the Bill of Rights and the Constitution and not let pessimism win. We must not let these new Dixiecrats steal our joy, as the nation moves forward. Clayton E. Mayfield, Beaumont Having been alive long enough to experience 10 presidents, Ive certainly seen changes in our country. The influence on the evolution of our government that each of these presidents and their political parties has had has been extensive. Personal opinion aside, its safe to say that in todays climate, the general public would say the effectiveness of our government is at a low point, maybe more than ever before. Todays political processes and politicians do not inspire trust. That is, with one glowing exception: the Supreme Court. I think it remains a beacon of honesty and fair play. I still believe it fully maintains its original design and intention. Before we talk about Ketanji Brown Jackson, we must hold a mirror up and view the quality of the questions asked. Few questions havent been completely self-serving. Im shocked at what comes out of the mouths of some of our elected politicians. Instead of complaining about computerized sentencing for crimes, a better suggestion might be a computerized report card for politicians. What, if anything, have they achieved during their tenure? Id like to see that each year. Now to Ketanji Brown Jackson. She has done a remarkable job. The definition of grace under fire. The quality of her answers were not only bright, fair, completely knowledgeable and honest but easily demonstrated her strength of character as well. I would be proud to have her be part of the last bastion of honesty and integrity in American government. Keep up the good work. Keep our countrys moral standards high. Martin Weiner, Houston Watch your tone, Cruz Regarding Ted Cruz shouts in SCOTUS hearing, asks Ketanji Brown Jackson to define woman, (March 23): Sen. Ted Cruz is too young to have been exposed to World War II-era racism against Asians, which Broadway famously staged in its 1950 Pulitzer Prize-winning drama, South Pacific. Hearing its brutal lyrics You've got to be taught to hate and fearbefore its too lateTo hate all the people your relatives hate You've got to be carefully taught! as a teenager in the 1960s, helped me understand the careful teachings of the Southern Baptist Church to love, not hate, your neighbor as yourself; to be kind to one another; and to be forgiving (seventy times seven) in our living. The Texas junior senator is right to pose every possible question to Judge Jackson, but a kinder, gentler tone would have honored the Republican traditions of presidents Bush and Reagan. Yolanda Ramirez Moore, Humble Regarding Editorial: Ted Cruz leads pack of presidential preeners in spectacle at Supreme Court hearings, (March 25): During the Senate confirmation hearings for Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, Sen. Cruz repeatedly interrupted Judge Jackson as she attempted to respond to his comments, at times cutting off her responses mid-sentence. I hope Judge Jackson knows (and I imagine she does) that Cruzs interruptions had both everything to do and nothing to do with her brilliant, succinct responses throughout the hearings. I hope all the young people watching the hearings to learn about civics and our system of government recognize what Cruzs interrupting says about his character, and they vote accordingly. I also hope all the interrupters take stock and realize that interrupting is not persuasion: its total jackassery (to borrow from Sen. Ben Sasse talking about mugging for the cameras during the hearings). Maxine Goodman, Houston Texas taxpayers are on the hook for more than $43,000 so far in legal defense for Attorney General Ken Paxton as he attempts to ward off multiple complaints to the State Bar over his failed lawsuit seeking to overturn the 2020 presidential election at the U.S. Supreme Court. Paxton faces at least three professional misconduct complaints that have been filed against him since the December suit, which the high court swiftly dismissed for lack of jurisdiction. The election case involved disputed presidential election ballots in Pennsylvania, Georgia, Michigan and Wisconsin. Two complaints one filed in June by a Democratic Party activist, consolidated with a few others, and another in July filed by the nonprofit Lawyers Defending American Democracy and 16 Texas lawyers, including four former presidents of the State Bar alleged the Supreme Court suit was frivolous and that it included pleadings that Paxton knew to be false. The Lawyers Defending American Democracy complaint is moving forward and will be heard by either a district court judge or an administrative panel, the complainants say. Another complaint filed in February took issue with a pressure campaign by Paxton to sway appellate court judges in his favor on a major case involving election fraud prosecutions. The state constitution does not make bar membership a requirement to hold the office. This is about his individual license, which is irrelevant to his position in office, so why shouldnt he pay for it? said Jim Harrington, one of the lawyers who filed a complaint against Paxton and a retired founder of the Texas Civil Rights Project, a nonprofit that advocates for voting rights. He gets to do this game on Jan. 6, this unconstitutional Supreme Court action, and then turn around and have us pay twice for it? Its outrageous. TEXAS TAKE: Get political headlines from across the state sent directly to your inbox Records obtained by Hearst Newspapers through an open records request show the office hired outside counsel to handle the bar complaints at least in part. Everyone including Gov. Abbott and Lt. Gov. Patrick knows that this witch hunt is a sham, Paxton said in a statement. So Im fighting back. And Im authorized to do so by law: The acts that the bar and the liberal complainers are crying about were done in my official capacity as Texas Attorney General, and I may use state resources to defend my and my teams state actions. Period. Attorneys with the Austin-based Gober Group and College Station-based West, Webb, Allbritton & Gentry billed almost 90 hours at various rates for work related to the bar complaints. Chris Gober, a GOP election lawyer known for his work defending the states political maps, had the highest rate at $525 an hour. Some of the work described in the invoices included reviewing documents related to the complaints, discussing strategy and considering options, preparing for meetings with the Texas State Bar and reviewing and revising correspondence with the agency. However, a response to the June batch of bar complaints against Paxton, which the office posted on its website, was signed by Deputy First Assistant Attorney General Grant Dorfman; none of the outside attorneys names appear on the filing. Its unclear why both in-house and outside counsel appear to have been engaged in Paxtons defense. Paxton has been in this position before: In 2015, after the Supreme Court made its landmark Obergefell v. Hodges decision legalizing same-sex marriage, he faced a State Bar complaint for issuing a legal opinion that said Texas county clerks, charged with officiating over weddings, could refuse to do so for gay couples if the clerk had religious objections to them. The bar tossed the original complaint and again dismissed it when complainants appealed the decision, finding no professional misconduct occurred. It is clear that taxpayers also provided at least some of Paxtons defense in that case. The response filed by the attorney generals office at the time was also signed by state lawyers, though its unclear whether outside attorneys may have provided additional legal services. Paxtons spokesman did not respond to questions asking for clarification. Steve Fischer, elected State Bar director for the Western District of Texas and one of the attorneys who filed the 2015 complaint, said Paxtons remedy is that he would recoup legal fees if a complaint eventually went to district court and he won. In the meantime, taxpayers shouldnt have to bear the cost, he said. People elect an attorney general to do child support, whatever not for that, Fischer said. To turn his office into his defense team, it just doesnt sit right with me. According to a response to some of the latest complaints by the Attorney Generals Office in July, the State Bar Disciplinary Counsel received 81 grievances against Paxton and three against First Assistant Brent Webster related to the 2020 Supreme Court suit. All were dismissed upon initial review. Some were reinstated after appeals. The second-term Republican in recent years has warred with the State Bar, as he repeatedly accuses it of partisan overreach in legal filings and public statements. In July, in response to the latest bar complaints, he condemned the agency for convening a partisan panel comprised of six unelected, left-leaning lawyers and non-lawyer activists strategically drawn from Travis County. A spokeswoman for the agency declined to comment. It is no surprise that a cabal of President Biden donors and voters are finding a way to retaliate against the work of my office for the State of Texass challenge to the constitutionality of the 2020 elections, Paxton said in a statement at the time. Nearly half the nation joined Texass cause and two Supreme Court Justices voted to take up the case. I stand by our lawsuit. This is a total misuse of the Bars power and responsibility. While the Attorney Generals Offices role in fighting bar complaints may be a legal gray area, the agency is statutorily required to defend state officials and state agencies in court. Yet Paxtons office has declined to represent those state agencies on several recent occasions, typically when it conflicts with his political inclinations. In 2018, for example, his office refused to defend the Texas Ethics Commission as one of his largest political donors sued to dismantle the agency. Then again, in January 2020, the office abandoned the State Commission on Judicial Conduct when it was sued by a Waco judge whom the agency disciplined for refusing to perform same-sex marriages. taylor.goldenstein@chron.com Court-appointed monitors of Texas foster care system say the state rushed its investigation into The Refuge, a Bastrop facility where employees were accused of sex trafficking foster kids, and produced an exonerating report that was at best, premature. The monitors found ample evidence of abuse, neglect and exploitation at the state-contracted center, which was established to care for survivors of sex trafficking. The accusations of misconduct at the facility surfaced in court documents earlier this month, as state officials detailed multiple reports of abuse and a January incident in which a former employee allegedly sold nude photos of two residents in exchange for drugs. Gov. Greg Abbott immediately ordered the Texas Rangers to investigate the facility. Steve McCraw, the director of the Department of Public Safety, penned a letter to Abbott six days later confirming the photo allegations and describing additional claims that staff members helped two residents escape from The Refuge. Still, the Rangers initial investigation found no evidence that any of the residents at the Refuge shelter have ever been sexually abused or trafficked while at the shelter, McCraw wrote. BACKGROUND: Texas foster care home was supposed to help sex trafficked kids. Instead it was trafficking them. Now, the court monitors say that probe was incomplete, and their own review came to the opposite conclusion. The watchdogs found that DPS officials had not interviewed one of the reported victims until well after the DPS letter became public, and the girl was upset by the Rangers conclusions. The evidence of serious risks to child safety at The Refuge includes, but is not limited to, a strong possibility of human trafficking based on staffs inducement of children to see nude photographs in exchange for drugs, the monitors wrote in a Monday night memo. The managerial lapses at The Refuge which permitted serious risks to child safety to recur over time were not isolated and require a comprehensive, monitored plan to address safety threats. The monitors said they also found evidence that The Refuges leaders failed to report separate accusations of abuse in January 2021. A DPS spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment; Abbotts office deferred to the agency. At a state House hearing last week, McCraw said he believes the nude photo incident absolutely constitutes sexual abuse, but the legal terminology muddles the issue. He said the department investigated the allegations in the context of rape, of trafficking for pay or rape of the minors at the particular facility. In a Tuesday statement, DPS stressed that its findings were preliminary, and they remain the same, as we have not identified any additional evidence of sexual abuse or human trafficking occurring at The Refuge. The investigation by the Texas Rangers is still ongoing, and they are committed to pursuing each and every allegation to its end and interviewing all persons necessary before concluding the investigation, an agency spokeswoman said. Brooke Crowder, the founder and CEO of The Refuge, said the monitors report seems to consist largely of allegations from former employees, many of whom were terminated for behavior that violated our standard. She denied that the organization failed to report any allegations to state officials. The Refuge has fired all employees involved in the photo and escape allegations, and local law enforcement officials are still pursuing multiple criminal investigations. At least one former employee has been arrested in relation to the escape incident and is accused of lying to the Federal Bureau of Investigation. As multiple parallel investigations advance with our full transparency and cooperation, were confident their conclusions will reveal that weve continually adhered to the highest standard of care for the girls in our care as they advance toward healing from the trauma of trafficking, Crowder said in an email. IN-DEPTH: Texas agency faulted over handling of abuse claims at foster care facility The Texas Department of Family and Protective Services has also terminated multiple employees who handled the abuse accusations at The Refuge. Commissioner Jaime Masters said mid-level managers failed to elevate the allegations, creating a six-week gap between the initial outcry and the removal of the girls from the facility earlier this month. State officials are scheduled to discuss The Refuge situation and other foster care issues at a court hearing Wednesday at 9 a.m. Texas has been embroiled in a decade-long lawsuit over its foster care conditions, and the monitors assess compliance with court-ordered safety reforms. cayla.harris@express-news. School funding will remain level for the school year, Gov. Greg Abbott said Tuesday, allaying fears from many districts that their budgets would shrink because of pandemic-caused attendance declines. The amount of money that public schools receive from the states is based on their attendance and enrollment numbers. Funding is calculated based on dividing the actual attendance and enrollment by the minimum standard set by the state. The Tuesday adjustment moves the minimum standard downward, pushing the overall funding upward. Schools were initially insulated from COVID-19-related drops. State lawmakers added back financial penalties last year to incentivize getting students back to class. Providing this adjustment to the 2021-22 school year will ensure school systems have the funding they need to retain the best and brightest teachers and provide quality education to all public school students across Texas, Abbott said in a statement. We have made tremendous strides to return more of our students back to the classroom, and will continue in our efforts to do so. RELATED: Amid Texas teacher shortage, experts point to better pay, benefits There have been about 700,000 students and school staff infected with COVID-19 this school year, with infections peaking in September and January during the waves caused by the delta and omicron variants. Those numbers dont include absences from COVID-19 exposures, which were particularly high before vaccines became available for children in the fall. Schools have also faced teacher and staff shortages, which began before the pandemic but were exacerbated by it. News reports have highlighted struggles across Texas for schools to find substitute teachers or bus drivers. This led to the TEA founding a task force to study the issue and seek ways to recruit and retain more teachers. Dax Gonzalez, a spokesman for the Texas Association of School Boards, said the announcement will help schools teach all students who come to class. When attendance drops in an emergency, he said, classrooms still need teachers. Cutting funds just hurts their ability to reach students when they eventually return, he said, and it makes the teacher shortage harder to handle. Theres a new normal at some point, and the Legislature maybe wanted it to be last year, but because of the different resurgences of variants of COVID, I think just the reality was that were not there yet, Gonzalez said. Districts had been especially worried that they could lose funding this school year because the state had not announced an adjustment when classes returned last fall. Gonzalez said the delay could have pushed school districts to boost their numbers. Attendance declines amid the pandemic have been a problem nationwide, with many students struggling from family illnesses or financial stress. edward.mckinley@chron.com Mayor's Office PRess Release City of Houston Invites the Public to Attend Annual National Vietnam War Veterans Day Ceremony March 29, 2022 -- The Mayor's Office of Veterans & Military Affairs (MOVMA) and Mayor Pro-Tem Dave Martin will host the Vietnam War Veterans Day ceremony at 11 a.m., Tuesday, March 29, 2022, at Houston City Hall. National Vietnam War Veterans Day is observed annually on March 29 and is an opportunity for all to thank and honor the nation's Vietnam veterans and their families for their service and sacrifice. The event is open to the general public, active-duty personnel, veterans, and elected officials. This year's guest speaker, a decorated Vietnam veteran, will share his experience about his service in Vietnam and his journey through life post-military duties. Active-duty military personnel will present an official Vietnam Veteran lapel pin to each Vietnam War veteran in attendance who served on active duty from November 1, 1955, to May 15, 1975. If you have any questions, please contact the MOVA office at 832.393.0992 or MOVMA@houstontx.gov. As an existing print subscriber it is easy to get FREE access to all our online content. When you click get started below it will walk you through creating an online account to attach your print subscription number to. After your account is created it will ask you to either add a subscription for online access or click on the print subscriber button. Click the print subscriber button header and it will open a dropdown, now click on get started. The page will reload and you will be prompted to enter an account number and a zip code. IT IS VERY IMPORTANT TO USE THE NUMBER OFF OF THE MOST RECENT ISSUE OR ANYTHING AFTER JANUARY 28, 2019 TO GAIN ACCESS! OLD ACCOUNT NUMBERS WILL NOT WORK The account number and zip code are easily available on your most recent issue of the High Plains Journal or Midwest Ag Journal in the address fields as is shown here. Sometimes the account number has extra zero's in front of it, just ignore those. Subscribing to our services is a three step process. First you have to create an account and then you have to pick if you want to subscribe to digital and or print. Some people only want to be a digital subscriber to get access online and others want to also receive the print edition. If you are already a print subscriber and want online access, it is free, you simply have to create an online account and then attach your print subscription account number to the online account you create. iciHaiti - Justice : Dominicans arrest an escapee from Croix-des-Bouquets Members of the intelligence service of the General Directorate of Migration of Dajabon intercepted and detained a Haitian who escaped from the Prison of Croix-des-Bouquets in 2021, who was the subject of a wanted notice from the National Police of Haiti and of the International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL). The detainee identified as Jameson Dorestant aka "Ti Tonton", holder of passport R10938695, with Dominican visa B01708837, with which he attempted to enter Dominican territory was spotted by immigration control inspectors and the intelligence personnel from Dajabon, following an arrest warrant issued by INTERPOL in April 2021. Jameson Dorestant, who was in prison for assault and death threats, was handed over to the Haitian authorities under certification, by the head of immigration control Hipolito Alcantara and the corvette captain of the Dominican navy Manuel Garcia Monterero in charge of the security. S/ iciHaiti US increases presence in S. China Sea By Zhang Zhihao (China Daily) 10:34, March 29, 2022 Fishing boats sail across the Qiongzhou Strait as the summer fishing moratorium ended in the South China Sea, Aug 16, 2021. [Photo/Xinhua] Drills expand in scale and frequency, focus on preparing for real combat, report says From massive military drills to record spy plane activities, the United States military drastically intensified its presence in the South China Sea last year, which serves to undermine China's security interests and increase the risk of friction in the region, according to Chinese experts. A report published on Sunday by the South China Sea Strategic Situation Probing Initiative, a Beijing-based think tank tracking US military operations with open source data, said the US carried out at least 95 military exercises in the South China Sea last year, 10 more than in 2019. In August 2021, the US, along with Australia, the United Kingdom and Japan, carried out "Large Scale Exercise 21", its largest naval exercise in 40 years, involving around 25,000 military personnel operating across 17 time zones from Europe to Asia. Hu Bo, director of the think tank, said the US military has maintained a fairly strong presence near China since 1949, but in recent years it has considerably ramped up its operations in the region and made them more public. These US military drills not only saw expanding scale and frequency, but also focused on preparing for real combat, with China being the clear target, according to the report. Around 1,200 sorties of maritime patrol and reconnaissance aircraft conducted close-in intelligence gathering over the South China Sea last year, the report said. The US set multiple records in November, including 94 sorties, the greatest number in a single month, and 10 flights, which was the highest number in a single day. In addition, November also saw the US reach its closest surveillance distance to China's territorial water baseline at 15.9 nautical miles, or around 29 kilometers, said the report. Twelve nautical miles outward from this baseline is China's territorial sea, while water inside the baseline is considered inland waters. "The US is continuously setting records in terms of the distance between its reconnaissance aircraft and China's territorial sea baseline, which poses increasingly high military risks," the report said. Meanwhile, US ocean surveillance ships and maritime survey vessels carried out operations for a total of 419 sea days. A sea day is a day spent in transit between port calls. This meant that there was always at least one of these vessels operating in the South China Sea throughout the entire year, according to the report. Regarding activities by strategic military forces, the US sent amphibious landing and carrier strike groups to the South China Sea on 12 occasions in 2021, nearly double the previous year's total. Nuclear submarines also made at least 11 transits through the waters, along with 22 sorties by B-1B and B-52H strategic bombers. Hu said the US' "Indo-Pacific strategy" is deeply related to geopolitics and its desire to maintain maritime dominance in the region. As a result, the US will most likely continue to intensify its military activities near China, such as in the South China Sea, the East China Sea and the Taiwan Straits, he added. Meanwhile, the US is also encouraging and coordinating its allies, including Japan and Australia, to bolster their military capabilities and continue to stir up trouble in the South China Sea, he said. This trend is already in motion given the fact that Japan took part last year in 61 joint military drills with the US, while Australia announced it would acquire eight nuclear submarines with help from the US and the UK. "Japan has become the vanguard of the US' 'Indo-Pacific strategy', which will further support US military operations in the South China Sea," the report said. Australia's acquisition of a nuclear submarine capability will "very likely induce a new round of arms race in the region or even across the globe, and cast a shadow over peace and stability in the South China Sea". Hu said one of the ramifications of Washington's drastically increased military activities is that its military hardware and personnel would be severely stretched, leading to a greater risk of accidents and friction in the South China Sea. Recent examples include the USS Connecticut nuclear submarine colliding with an uncharted seamount in the South China Sea last year, and an F-35C fighter jet crashing on an aircraft carrier operating in the region in January. "In an era of peace, if one country maintains such a powerful military presence close to another country, it is hard for the former to convince people that it is doing it for peaceful purposes," Hu said. Washington's increased military operations pose a serious threat to China's sovereignty and national security, he said, China will therefore be forced to take necessary measures in response. Xia Liping, dean of the Institute of International and Public Affairs at Tongji University in Shanghai, said that even as the Ukraine crisis unfolds, the US military has not scaled down its activities in the South China Sea, highlighted by frequent transits of its carrier strike groups and drills in January and February. "The US views China as a long-term competitor, therefore it is willing to focus its maritime forces in the Asia-Pacific region," Xia said, adding that the increased military activities and the subsequent reporting and hype by US officials and media are also aimed at painting China as a regional threat. (Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun) Australian journalist Cheng Lei will be tried in Beijing on March 31 after being detained for 19 months on national security charges. The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and its Australian affiliate, Media, Entertainment & Arts Alliance (MEAA), call on the Chinese government to drop its accusation against Cheng and release her immediately. Cheng, who served as an anchor of the Chinese state media China Global Television Network (CGTN) for eight years until her arrest in August 2020, has been accused of supplying state secrets to an overseas organisation or individual. On March 26, Australian Foreign Minister Marise Paynes office confirmed that Cheng would face trial on March 31, adding we expect basic standards of justice, procedural fairness and humane treatment to be met, in accordance with international norms. It is reported that Chengs case will be heard in a closed court at Beijing No.2 People's Intermediate Court. According to China's criminal law, an individual found guilty of providing state secrets or intelligence overseas faces a sentence of five to ten years, and even life imprisonment if the offence is considered serious. Cheng was born in Yueyang, Hunan Province, in 1975 and emigrated to Australia with her parents at the age of ten. She has two children aged ten and twelve. Both returned to Australia at the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic and are currently being cared for by Chengs family in Melbourne. A member of Chengs family in Australia previously told the media that they believed Cheng would not have done anything intentionally to harm China's state security. The journalists case came at a time of heightened tension between Australia and China, after the Australian government in 2020 called for an independent probe into the origin of Covid-19. Beijing responded by imposing restrictions and punitive measures on Australian exports. The MEAA, which has campaigned for the release of Cheng, an MEAA member since 2009, said her arrest, her detention, and the accusations against her have never been explained. The MEAA said, We urge the Chinese government to drop the charges against our colleague, and to show compassion by allowing her to return home to Australia to be with her young family. The IFJ said, Cheng Lei has been placed under detention for 19 months, and the authorities have not revealed any details of the allegation against Cheng to date. The IFJ expresses concern over the lack of transparency over the case and demands that the Chinese government drop its arbitrary charge against Cheng and release her immediately so she can return home to Australia. New research by the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) reveals that Beijing had stepped up its efforts to influence international perceptions about China through the means of expanding Chinese media networks in international markets. The IFJs new report, The China Network: Inside Chinas Global Media Mission in Asia, Africa and Latin America, seeks to measure Chinas global media outreach based on the findings of an international survey conducted by the IFJ with journalists in Kenya, Peru, and the Philippines three countries where China has had a strong presence with investment and infrastructure projects in recent years. Media engagement and influence is not a new strategy. It remains a popular tool deployed by many major powers globally. But compared to its international peers, Chinas approach is idiosyncratic and subject to unpredictable pivots. For journalists and media workers, this fast-changing approach by China presents critical professional challenges, the report said. Some 90 percent and 83 percent of survey respondents in Kenya and the Philippines, respectively, agreed that China has a visible presence in their media, while only half of the Peruvian journalists polled perceived a visible media presence of China in their country. Despite the high visibility, 88 percent of Philippine journalists viewed Chinas presence in their countrys media as negative, which is significantly higher than those from Peru (54%) and Kenya (16%). Approximately 16 percent of Kenyan respondents said their own media organisations were supported or funded by Chinese capital, according to the report. In the Philippines and Peru, roughly 5 percent and 2 percent, respectively, of journalists reported Chinese interests in the operations of their media organisations. Chinese ownership and financial support to the media sector is a growing area of Chinese influence in Kenya, Peru, and the Philippines, the report noted. The survey data on which the report was based reveals this support took many different forms, including monetary support, training programs, equipment and technical support, and content sharing partnerships. A small portion of journalists noticed changes in the coverage of China from journalists who have participated in trips sponsored by Chinese partners, the report added. The report follows the IFJs previous research released in March 2021, The Covid-19 Story: Unmasking Chinas Global Strategy, which found that China successfully activated existing media infrastructure networks to disseminate positive narratives globally amid the Covid-19 pandemic. The IFJ said, As China has adopted new measures to approach journalists and media organisations in Kenya, Peru, and the Philippines, it is important that journalists in these three countries are supported to identify and mitigate risks intended to influence or pervert professional and ethical journalism. Read the report here. It has been more than two years since the pandemic pushed businesses to transform digitally. However, thriving in the digital world is not an easy feat. As a result, organizations accelerate their digital initiatives to greater heights, making them more vulnerable to cyber threats. Fortinet shares how the Fortinet Security Fabric can address enterprises cybersecurity challenges What are the current trends businesses face in their digital acceleration efforts? And how can they secure their complex and distributed networks from cybercriminals? In a recent webinar, Secure Your Digital Acceleration with Fortinet Security Fabric, organized by Fortinet, a global leader in comprehensive, integrated, and automated cybersecurity solutions, Fortinet Philippines discussed why businesses must leverage a cybersecurity mesh architecture (CSMA) for their digital acceleration initiatives. Trends across organizations amid the pandemic According to Fortinet Philippines, the closures of most workplaces amid the pandemic catapulted employers to adopt a work-from-anywhere setup for their employees. A recent study by the Boston Consulting Group and The Network revealed that this setup is expected to continue as 89 percent of the 208,807 respondents across 190 countries prefer remote or hybrid work post-pandemic. To support this new working environment and even cater to their consumers digital needs, businesses accelerated their digital transformation. For instance, organizations began migrating the applications inside their on-premises data centers onto the cloud environment and so on. Such initiatives further expand digital attack surfaces, increase sophisticated cyber threats, and provide a complex ecosystem for every organization. It puts the cybersecurity skills gap as one of the main concerns of businesses in todays world. Meanwhile, in a report published by Gartner, organizations will spend an estimated $170 billion on cybersecurity by 2022. However, Cybersecurity Ventures revealed that the costs of cybercrimes worldwide will reach $10.5 trillion every year by 2025. Challenges of best-of-breed point products Due to businesses digital acceleration efforts, networks are becoming more complex and distributed. For that reason, detecting and responding to threats is a challenge for organizations. And while businesses can enhance their security posture and strategy with the best-of-breed security tools, it is not enough to secure them. According to Louie Castaneda, country manager of Fortinet Philippines, These point products work in silos and represent a center of focus and expertise. Without integrating these security tools, it can lead to security sprawl that makes management difficult, disrupts visibility, and impedes an organizations ability to act effectively to cyber threats. The webinar discussed that businesses could get solutions, such as Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) and Security Orchestration, Automation, and Response (SOAR), to integrate these best-of-breed security tools. For instance, FortiSIEM unifies data collection and analytics from diverse information sources, including logs, performance metrics, security alerts, and configuration changes. Meanwhile, FortiSOAR centralizes tools and amplifies the efforts of security teams, empowering them to respond rapidly, automate tasks, and execute actions across the businesses security stack. In the advent of more advanced and sophisticated threats, businesses need to adopt a broad, integrated, and automated cybersecurity mesh platform for robust, scalable, and manageable security deployments. Adopting a CSMA According to Gartner, the cybersecurity mesh is defined as a modern conceptual approach to a security architecture that enables the distributed enterprise to deploy and extend security where it is most needed. Elaborating on the mesh concept, Fortinet Philippines explained that the CSMA is not a solution or a product to be integrated. It is an architectural approach that organizations can adopt. It tries to solve long-standing challenges of distinct security tools by integrating them so they can collaborate and dynamically respond to cyberattacks. CSMA has three characteristics. It is agile as it provides a composable architectural approach to integrate security controls. It is distributed because it encourages and enables decentralized security controls to protect all attack surfaces while being collaborative, allowing for an environment to integrate composable security services and teams to interact and work with each other. During this session, CSMA was also described to have four layers to enable collaborative and agile cybersecurity for businesses. The first one is security analytics and intelligence, a layer that combines different security tools data and insight to deliver deep threat analyses and the correct response to cyberattacks. Then, distributed identity fabric, a layer that provides critical identity services to manage increasing assets, devices, and identities. Next is consolidated policy and posture management, a layer enabling organizations to translate central policies to the native configurations of security tools. Finally, it also has consolidated dashboards, a layer that provides a single-pane-of-glass security system. Make CSMA possible with the Fortinet Security Fabric All these are aligned with the Fortinet Security Fabric, the industrys highest-performing cybersecurity mesh platform that integrates all cybersecurity solutions to reduce management complexity and share threat intelligence. It provides broad visibility and protection of all digital attack surfaces to manage risks and delivers automated self-healing networks with AI-driven security for fast and efficient operations. Fortinet provides a wide array of solutions across the Fortinet Security Fabrics four pillars. It includes security-driven networking, zero-trust access, adaptive cloud security, and AI-driven security operations. It has FortiGuard Security Services that enables sharing and distribution of threat intelligence across Fortinets solutions and third-party technology partners. Due to its Fabric Management Center, the security fabric also allows centralized management, logging, and reporting. And as Fortinet has more than 450 third-party technology partners that can integrate with its security fabric, it gives and supports a broad and open ecosystem, which breaks down technology and vendor silos. The CSMA is the proposed strategic security platform of Gartner. At Fortinet, we call this the Fortinet Security Fabric that enables deep visibility across all edges, centralized management of distributed solutions, consistent enforcement of policies, real-time global threat intelligence, automated responses, and open ecosystem, Castaneda concluded. In what's being seen as one of the worst spells of terror attacks - anywhere in the world in recent times - at least five persons were shot dead by a gunman in central Israel late Tuesday. This is the third such attack on Israeli Jews in the past one week. According to reports, the shooter was killed by police on the spot. Israeli media reports suggest that the attacker was a Palestinian from the Occupied West Bank area. The incident took place at two locations in Bnei Brak, an ultra-Orthodox city just east of Tel Aviv. Police told AP that a preliminary investigation found the gunman was armed with an assault rifle and opened fire on passersby before he was shot by officers at the scene. AFP Condemning the latest attack, Prime Minister Naftali Bennet, who is currently suffering from Covid told mediapersons, "Israel is facing a wave of murderous Arab terrorism. The security forces are operating. We will fight terror with perseverance, stubbornness and an iron fist." A video footage aired on Israeli television appeared to show the gunman in a black shirt armed with an assault rifle. #Israel Moment of the attack. Israeli police believe the shooting in Bnei Brak, near Tel Aviv, is a terrorist attack. At least 5 Israelis killed in the attack#TelAviv #BneiBrak #Terrorists #Terrorism pic.twitter.com/qmCaQPl3RG Agencia AJN (@AgenciaAJN) March 29, 2022 Israel Defense Minister Benny Gantz wrote on Twitter that the security forces, "Will work with all means to return security to Israeli streets and the feeling of security to civilians.'' . . - . - ", " - . - Benny Gantz (@gantzbe) March 29, 2022 Palestine condemns the attack Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas condemned the attack. "The killing of Israeli or Palestinian civilians only leads to further deterioration of the situation and instability, which we all strive to achieve, especially as we are approaching the holy month of Ramadan and Christian and Jewish holidays," he said. Abbas said that the incident, "Confirms that permanent, comprehensive and just peace is the shortest way to provide security and stability for the Palestinian and Israeli peoples.'' Meanwhile, Palestinian militant group Hamas praised the attacks as "heroic". Previous two attacks Israel has seen similar recent incidents where several persons were killed in separate attacks. BBC reported that the first such attack was carried out by an Israeli Arab who had planned to join the Islamic State (IS) group in Syria and had served a jail sentence for security crimes. According to reports, he ran over a cyclist then stabbed three people to death outside a shopping centre in the southern city of Beersheba. Later, two other Israeli Arabs opened fire at a bus stop in the northern city of Hadera, killing two 19-year-old police officers. ISIS claimed responsibility of the attack. All three assailants were shot dead. AFP More such attacks are feared in the month ahead, when the Muslim festival of Ramadan, the Jewish festival of Passover and the Christian festival of Easter coincide in a rare convergence. Israel has just finished a high-profile meeting this week between the foreign ministers of four Arab nations and the United States. All four Arab nations - Egypt, Morocco, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates - along with the United States, condemned the killings. For more on news and current affairs from around the world please visit Indiatimes News. A 226-kg bear seen moving about near a university in Tennessee, U.S., was finally captured and relocated by forest officials. The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency had their hands full on Wednesday (March 23) when they were involved in evicting a massive bear from its 'home' near Tusculum University, CNN reported. Facebook/Greeneville Fire Department The bear was knocked unconscious before being taken to a remote area of Cherokee National Forest. The forest is near Great Smoky Mountains National Park, along the North Carolina state line. In a Facebook post, the agency said: "A 500-pound black bear living near Tusculum college in Greeneville had become habituated to human and unnatural foods and was relocated to a remote area of the Cherokee National Forest." The bear had regular access to garbage, birdseed, and pet food and had been in the area for a few years. (It) ramped up its activity and property damage last year," they said. The bear was eventually located on one of the empty lots of a nearby residential neighbourhood, and subdued with a tranquiliser dart. The bear was so large that the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency had to seek help from Greeneville Fire Department in transporting the behemoth. The Wildlife agency said that the fire department was glad to help and even offered some of their gear to help get the job done. The statement concludes by saying that the bear has been relocated to a designated release site in Cherokee National Forest. Reports of bears getting too close to human property or becoming used to eating human food - tend to rise in April, as the bears emerge from their winter dens and search for food, the agency said. For the latest from trending, click here. The world's richest person, Elon Musk, has revealed three 'existential threats' to humanity, as he outlined his biggest fears about the future. In an interview with Mathias Dopfner, the CEO of Axel Springer, Musk spoke extensively about what he believes are the gravest issues that the planet currently faces. Reuters Musk said religious extremism, a declining birthrate, and 'artificial intelligence going wrong', are the biggest threats to humanity's survival. He said the falling birth rate has been troubling [him] for many years, adding that he drives his friends crazy by bringing it up so often. I spent a lot of time talking about the birthrate thing. That might be the single biggest threat to the future of human civilization," Musk said in the interview, as reported by Business Insider. Most people in the world are operating under the false impression that weve got too many people. This is not true. The birth rate has been dropping like crazy. Unfortunately, we have these ridiculous population estimates from the UN that need to be updated because they just dont make any sense," he added. Reuters Musk identified two other leading existential threats: religious extremism and artificial intelligence (AI) spiralling out of control. His fears about AI are well-documented. "As AI gets probably much smarter than humans, the relative intelligence ratio is probably similar to that between a person and a cat, maybe bigger, Musk stated back in 2017. I do think we need to be very careful about the advancement of AI. Meanwhile, Musk has continued to throw gauntlet after gauntlet at Russian President Vladimir Putin. Last Week, Musk responded to those questioning his fighting skills and doubting if he can really take on Russian President Vladimir Putin in single combat. He shared a picture of himself sumo wrestling. Ever since the SpaceX and Tesla boss posted a tweet challenging the Russian president to single combat for Ukraine, he has been sharing his thoughts on how he can really beat Putin. His tweet came in response to Changpeng Zhao, the chief executive of crypto platform Binance. Brother, I wish for you to win of course, but the reality is [a laughing crying emoji]... I havent seen your kong fu videos," he wrote. Musk responded by sharing the image of himself fighting a sumo wrestler. For more trending stories, click here. Yesterday was wild - Will Smith slapped Chris Rock at the Oscars for cracking a joke on Jada Pinkett Smith's alopecia. The Men In Black actor walked up on stage and slapped the comedian in front of a live audience, and millions of online viewers. YouTube Now, just like with everything else, Twitter has a theory about what caused Rock's bad luck. No, it isn't toxic masculinity at its finest (Yes, it is.) According to Twitter users, the Madagascar actor said, "Macbeth". Now, what is the deal with that word? Turns out that according to an old superstition, one must never utter the name of the Shakespeare character in a theatre, except to perform or rehearse a line from the play. Instead, the monarch must be addressed as "the Scottish King" or "the Scottish Lord", and the work itself as "the Scottish play". If these rules are not followed, destruction follows. According to multiple viewers, the moment when Smith slapped Rock (almost sounds like a Friends episode name), happened almost immediately preceded by the comedian mentioning Macbeth. Denzel! Rock said from the stage to Denzel Washington, who appeared last year in Joel Coens film adaptation of the Shakespearean tragedy. Macbeth! Loved it! Will Smith was awarded his first Oscar win moments after the slap for his performance in King Richard. The incident has been the only topic trending on social media since yesterday. While some people condemned Smith for choosing violence, others supported him for defending his wife's honour. Some users on Twitter said that Rock did this to himself. This is why you don't say Macbeth in a theater, @chrisrock. #oscars Jen Crittenden (@JenCrittenden) March 28, 2022 To be fair, Chris Rock put a hex on himself by saying Macbeth in a theater, wrote one user. To be fair, Chris Rock put a hex on himself by saying "Macbeth" in a theater. David Gordon (@MrDavidGordon) March 28, 2022 Keep Macbeths name out of your F***ING mouth, another tweeted. Keep Macbeths name out of your FUCKING mouth pic.twitter.com/T1WOPkxsjo James Topham (@JamesTophamWord) March 28, 2022 Chris Rock has reportedly declined to press charges. CNN The Scottish play has proven to be responsible for a long history of mishaps - in 1849, the audience at one performance in New York City broke into a violent riot and killed at least 20 people. In another fateful incident in 1937, Laurence Olivier was playing the monarch when a weight somehow got loose and fell on the stage, crashing just inches from him. In 1953, Charlton Heston was performing the Scottish King's role, and his tights caught fire, ending in severe burns. For more trending stories, click here. An 'apocalyptic' wildfire has engulfed an uninhabited Scottish island, which was formerly used as a bio-weapon experiment site. Pictures and videos going viral on social media showed flames raging on the island on Saturday night, with a large plume of smoke rising from the blaze, The Independent reported. Twitter/@GairlochMarine The island was used to carry out secret anthrax experiments during World War II before being declared free of it by the Ministry of Defence in April 1990. Witnesses described the scene as 'apocalyptic' as flames ravaged Gruinard Island, off Scotlands northwest coast. "It spread across really slowly, it started on one end until the whole island was engulfed. It looked volcanic," Donna Hopton, who runs Gairloch Marine Wildlife Centre, told The Independent. "Its quite sad theres a lot of wildlife on that island, theres white-tailed eagles, oystercatchers, lots of bird life nest on that island. I could smell the smoke, it was the smell of wood burning, you could see it in the air, it was a really red glow," she added. Taking to Twitter, the Gairloch Marine Wildlife Centre said that the island has never looked like this before after a massive wildfire. Those that visit regularly Gruinard Island (Anthrax Island) will be a familiar sight but its never looked like this before! Muirburn or Arson? We dont know yet, but sad and destructive for the wildlife either way! @BBCNews @BBCNewsScotland #fire #anthraxisland #gruinardisland pic.twitter.com/qeUtjHR4Ch Gairloch Marine Wildlife (@GairlochMarine) March 27, 2022 "Those that visit regularly Gruinard Island (Anthrax Island) will be a familiar sight but its never looked like this before! Muirburn or Arson? We dont know yet, but sad and destructive for the wildlife either way!" they tweeted. The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service said the island did not fall under its remit as it is uninhabited. However, firefighters earlier warned of an increased risk of wildfires in Scotland over the following days. For the latest from trending, click here. From self-driving cars to dancing robots in Super Bowl commercials, artificial intelligence (AI) is everywhere. The problem with all of these AI examples, though, is that theyre not really intelligent. Rather, they represent narrow AI an application that can solve a specific problem using artificial intelligence techniques. And that is very different from what you and I possess. Humans (hopefully) display general intelligence. We are able to solve a wide range of problems and learn to work out those problems we havent previously encountered. We are capable of learning new situations and new things. We understand that physical objects exist in a three-dimensional environment and are subject to various physical attributes, including the passage of time. The ability to replicate human-level thinking abilities artificially, or artificial general intelligence (AGI), simply does not exist in what we today think of as AI. Thats not to take anything away from the overwhelming success AI has enjoyed to date. Google Search is an outstanding example of AI that most people regularly use. Google is capable of searching volumes of information at an incredible speed to provide (usually) the results the user wants near the top of the list. Similarly, Google Voice Search allows users to speak search requests. Users can say something that sounds ambiguous and get a result back that is properly spelled, capitalized, punctuated, and, to top it off, usually what the user meant. How does it work so well? Google has the historical data of trillions of searches, and which results the user chose. From this, it can predict which searches are likely and which results will make the system useful. But there is no expectation that the system understands what it is doing or any of the results it presents. This highlights the requirement for a huge amount of historical data. This works pretty well in search because every user interaction can create a training set data item. But if the training data needs to be manually tagged, this is an arduous task. Further, any bias in the training set will flow directly to the result. If, for example, a system is developed to predict criminal behavior, and it is trained with historical data that includes a racial bias, the resulting application will have a racial bias as well. Personal assistants such as Alexa or Siri follow scripts with numerous variables and so are able to create the impression of being more capable than they really are. But as all users know, anything you say that is not in the script will yield unpredictable results. As a simple example, you can ask a personal assistant, Who is Cooper Kupp? The phrase Who is triggers a web search on the variable remainder of the phrase and will likely produce a relevant result. With many different script triggers and variables, the system gives the appearance of some degree of intelligence while actually doing symbol manipulation. Because of this lack of underlying understanding, only 5% of people say they never get frustrated using voice search. A massive program like GPT3 or Watson has such impressive capabilities that the concept of a script with variables is entirely invisible, allowing them to create an appearance of understanding. Their programs are still looking at input, though, and making specific output responses. The data sets at the heart of the AIs responses (the scripts) are now so large and variable that it is often difficult to notice the underlying script until the user goes off script. As is the case with all of the other AI examples cited, giving them off-the-script input will generate unpredictable results. In the case of GPT-3, the training set is so large that eliminating the bias has thus far proven impossible. The bottom line? The fundamental shortcoming of what we today call AI is its lack of common-sense understanding. Much of this is due to three historical assumptions: The principal assumption underlying most AI development over the past 50 years was that simple intelligence problems would fall into place if we could solve difficult ones. Unfortunately, this turned out to be a false assumption. It was best expressed as Moravecs Paradox. In 1988, Hans Moravec, a prominent roboticist at Carnegie Mellon University, stated that it is comparatively easy to make computers exhibit adult-level performance on intelligence tests or when playing checkers, but difficult or impossible to give them the skills of a one-year-old when it comes to perception and mobility. In other words, often the difficult problems turn out to be simpler and the apparently simple problems turn out to be prohibitively difficult. The next assumption is that if you built enough narrow AI applications, they would grow together into a general intelligence. This also turned out to be false. Narrow AI applications dont store their information in a generalized form so it can be used by other narrow AI applications to expand the breadth. Language processing applications and image processing applications can be stitched together, but they cannot be integrated in the way a child effortlessly integrates vision and hearing. Lastly, there has been a general feeling that if we could just build a machine learning system big enough, with enough computer power, it would spontaneously exhibit general intelligence. This hearkens back to the days of expert systems that attempted to capture the knowledge of a specific field. These efforts clearly demonstrated that it is impossible to create enough cases and example data to overcome the underlying lack of understanding. Systems that are simply manipulating symbols can create the appearance of understanding until some off-script request exposes the limitation. Why arent these issues the AI industrys top priority? In short, follow the money. Consider, for example, the development approach of building capabilities, such as stacking blocks, for a three-year-old. It is entirely possible, of course, to develop an AI application that would learn to stack blocks just like that three-year-old. It is unlikely to get funded, though. Why? First, who would want to put millions of dollars and years of development into an application that executes a single feature that any three-year-old can do, but nothing else, nothing more general? The bigger issue, though, is that even if someone would fund such a project, the AI is not displaying real intelligence. It does not have any situational awareness or contextual understanding. Moreover, it lacks the one thing that every three-year-old can do: become a four-year-old, and then a five-year-old, and eventually a 10-year-old and a 15-year-old. The innate capabilities of the three-year-old include the capability to grow into a fully functioning, generally intelligent adult. This is why the term artificial intelligence doesnt work. There simply isnt much intelligence going on here. Most of what we call AI is based on a single algorithm, backpropagation. It goes under the monikers of deep learning, machine learning, artificial neural networks, even spiking neural networks. And it is often presented as working like your brain. If you instead think of AI as a powerful statistical method, youll be closer to the mark. Charles Simon, BSEE, MSCS, is a nationally recognized entrepreneur and software developer and the CEO of FutureAI. Simon is the author of Will the Computers Revolt?: Preparing for the Future of Artificial Intelligence, and the developer of Brain Simulator II, an AGI research software platform. For more information, visit https://futureai.guru/Founder.aspx. New Tech Forum provides a venue to explore and discuss emerging enterprise technology in unprecedented depth and breadth. The selection is subjective, based on our pick of the technologies we believe to be important and of greatest interest to InfoWorld readers. InfoWorld does not accept marketing collateral for publication and reserves the right to edit all contributed content. Send all inquiries to newtechforum@infoworld.com. PORTLAND, Maine (AP) A trucker was streaming Netflix when his tractor-trailer struck a car, killing a retired couple in Maine, according to a police report. The truck driver acknowledged streaming a Netflix show on his cellphone, but said he was only listening through the trucks audio system before the crash that killed Geoff and Elizabeth Betsy Gattis, of Falmouth. He wasnt watching Netflix. He was listening to audio, defense attorney Robert Andrews said Thursday. The truck driver was not distracted by Netflix, but by a vehicle directly in front of him that abruptly slowed and exited the Maine Turnpike in January 2021 near the Kittery-York town line, Andrews said. The trucker then saw other vehicles had slowed, but it was too late to stop, he said. The Portland Press Herald first reported the driver was streaming a Netflix show about teenage magicians. The drivers story has been consistent from the time of the crash, when he spoke to a state trooper. He said that the screen of his phone was turned away to avoid being a distraction, the newspaper said. The truck driver was indicted on a manslaughter charge last summer. Andrews said hes going to file a motion to dismiss the charges. Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Topics Auto Trucking Maine New Hampshire is looking for a commercial insurance carrier to fully insure and administer the Granite State Paid Family and Medical Leave Plan. The plan provides participating employees in New Hampshire with 60% of their average weekly wage for up to six weeks per year for specified leaves of absence from the workplace. The plan affords an alternative to a mandatory program by providing voluntary access to a benefit for all employees working for a business in New Hampshire. An employer of any size may elect to participate and a business enterprise tax credit equal to 50% of the premium paid by those sponsoring employers is available. A statewide, private-market, truly voluntary paid leave plan does not exist in any other state, and New Hampshire is leading the way, said Governor Chris Sununu as the state released a request for proposal (RFP). After years of talk, we are finally moving forward with a viable paid leave product that is available to anyone who wants it and forced upon no one who does not. With this voluntary plan, New Hampshire has once again shown how innovative approaches to public policy issues can provide viable solutions, said Deputy Insurance Commissioner DJ Bettencourt. Details about the RFP: The winning carrier shall provide coverage to all three participant groups: the state as an employer, private and other public employers of any size and the individual group. Once approved by the Governor and Executive Council, the contract term will extend through December 31, 2027, a period of approximately five years, and may be extended for up to two additional years. Proposals submitted in response to this RFP must be received by the Division of Procurement and Support Services (DPSS) Bureau of Purchase and Property no later than May 9, 2022. The Request for Proposals can be accessed here. Topics Carriers New Hampshire In a high-tech lab on Johns Hopkins Universitys Homewood campus in Baltimore, engineers have been building a robot that may be able to stitch back together the broken vessels in your belly and at some point maybe your brain, no doctor needed. The robot has a high-tech camera on one arm and a high-tech sewing machine on a second arm. Its already reattached halves of a pigs intestines. Its like park-assist in a car, said Axel Krieger, an assistant professor of mechanical engineering in Hopkins Whiting School of Engineering. Performs the procedure autonomously. This kind of suturing is performed more than a million times a year in surgeries around the country, said Krieger, part of a team developing the robot and senior author on a recent paper describing the technology in Science Robotics. The goal is to develop in the next several years a robot that makes the intricate and delicate work of suturing more consistent. Missing a stitch or doing one awkwardly could cause a catastrophic complication for a patient. The robotic procedure is also less invasive as its performed laparoscopically, through small holes in the skin rather than a large opening. The Hopkins engineers expect the robot to be cheaper than existing robotic technology and more portable. They want to develop a mobile version. The Hopkins engineers expect the robot to be cheaper than existing robotic technology and more portable. They want to develop a mobile version that eventually could be used on an ambulance or in the field for emergencies, such as stitching up a major artery to stop bleeding. The robot would advance technology currently in wide use in operating rooms. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration calls them robotically assisted surgical devices. The best known is the da Vinci robot federally approved for general laparoscopic surgical use in 2000. The device has a console where a surgeon can see a 3D image and move several arms with surgical instruments, essentially becoming an extension of the doctor. The device is not actually a robot because it cannot perform surgery without direct human control, the FDA says. The da Vinci robot is now commonly used in gallbladder removal, hysterectomies and prostate removals because it works best on complex tasks in confined areas, according to the FDA. Other robotic machines assisted in surgery before da Vinci was developed but required far larger incisions. The new robot being developed by Hopkins engineers along with collaborators at the Childrens National Hospital in Washington, D.C., known as Smart Tissue Autonomous Robot, or STAR, is different. It does have computer monitors that offer a 3D view, but it doesnt have a joystick or other controls. The STAR is run by a highly advanced, and adaptable-on-the-fly computer program. The algorithm sees and feels through cameras that create 3D images with lasers and sensors that detect pressure from breathing, bleeding and soft tissue. The robot completes about a stitch a minute, a conservative pace slightly slower than a human surgeon. The tests so far have shown more consistency than the humans. How long it takes the public and surgeons to accept such technology remains to be seen. Like autonomous cars. Thats been an issue with robotic technology now in the operating rooms. The current robotic-assisted technology is better at some surgical tasks than others. And outcomes arent always an improvement even if things appear to go smoothly. Such machines also add significantly to the expense of surgery because the cost of the equipment reaches into the millions, though some of that can be made up through shorter hospital stays and fewer complications. But many smaller hospitals and those in less affluent regions or other countries cant afford upfront expenditure. Jin Kang, another STAR developer and a professor in the Hopkins department of electrical and computer engineering, said the STAR requires less machinery and would be cheaper, though the ultimate cost is not determined. It was designed with input from surgeons, who often choose to use technology because it can help them withstand the rigors of their job. Long hours of traditional surgery can cause human hands to twitch and fatigue. He said surgeons and other surgical staff still would perform procedures, such as removing diseased tissue, before handing off to STAR, and would stay in the room in case of an emergency as the robot reconnected intestines or other vessels. Doctors are not being replaced, Kang said. Dr. Michael Awad, the director of the Barnes-Jewish Hospital Comprehensive Robotics Program in St. Louis, was not involved in STARs development but has been following the work at Hopkins. He did his surgical residency at Johns Hopkins Hospital and trained on the first generation of da Vinci robot there. Awad said its still early in the process, but he believes autonomous robots are inevitable in the operating room and the Hopkins researchers work could be a big step forward. How long it takes the public and surgeons to accept such technology remains to be seen, he said. He views it like those autonomous cars. People are ready to adopt the park-assist technology Krieger referenced and other technology to keep people from drifting into other lanes. The fully self-driving cars will prove trustworthy eventually, as well. While driving is high stakes and can result in injury or death, I think people are even more sheepish when it comes to surgery on the human body, he said. There are a lot more variables that make the task more challenging in itself. There is a higher bar to leap. Awad, who is also director at the Washington University Institute for Surgical Education, said there is a lot of training that goes into using existing robotic equipment. Doctors have to learn to use other senses such as their eyes on computer screens, rather than the touch of human tissue, when they use technology. He said the machines are especially helpful in getting to tight and sensitive spots in the body such as the esophagus, behind the rib cage and near the heart. An autonomous robot could advance what doctors are able to do for patients. There also may be less training needed for autonomous robots in the operating room. But that doesnt mean surgeons wont have to know how to perform the same procedures, Awad said. If a human needs to intervene, they need to know how to, he said. But anything that can lessen the learning curve would be welcomed. A position paper from the American College of Surgeons says surgeons need to be appropriately educated and their skills assessed prior to using any new technology. The group also calls for evaluation to establish the value and safety of the technology before wide adoption. The Hopkins team plans to continue perfecting the robot and assessing what it could do beyond connecting two ends of a blood vessel, an intestine or other channels, called anastomosis. Work on the robot has been supported by the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering. A next step is seeking a commercial partner to bring the technology through the development process and approvals from federal regulators to begin testing the robot on humans. We really want to push the boundaries, Krieger said. Top Photo: Jin Kang, from left, professor of electrical and computer engineering, Justin Opfermann, PhD student, Axel Krieger, assistant professor of mechanical engineering and Michael Kam, PhD student look at a SMART robot (Smart Tissue Autonomous Robot) on March 17, 2022, in Baltimore, Md. A team of mechanical engineers from Johns Hopkins University are developing a SMART robot that can perform soft tissue surgeries such as intestinal reconnections. The robot is fully autonomous and can perform delicate suturing of small vessels and nerves. (Barbara Haddock Taylor/The Baltimore Sun via AP) Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. All Irish lessors terminated their Russian airline leases by Mondays European Union sanctions deadline and have so far had limited success in recovering their aircraft, the representative body for the sector in Ireland said. Aircraft Leasing Ireland (ALI), members of which include SMBC Aviation Capital, Avolon, Aircastle and AerCap Holdings, which is the worlds biggest aircraft leasing company, said that all of its members have complied fully with the sanctions. Analysis Aircraft Lessors Lose Hope of Getting Back Russian Planes Worth $10B Brussels gave lessors until Monday to wind up current rental contracts in Russia under tough sanctions imposed after Moscows invasion of Ukraine, leaving them facing heavy potential writedowns or a long insurance battle. Irish lessors own more than 60% of the worlds fleet of leased aircraft, according to its representative body. The events in Russia are unprecedented and continue to evolve, ALIs statement said. It said that recent weeks have been challenging for aircraft leasing companies seeking to recover aircraft and that they had achieved limited success to date. AerCap, which has said that 5% of its fleet by net book value was leased in Russia at the end of 2021, had the largest exposure to Russia when the sanctions were introduced. When the sanctions were imposed, AerCap accounted for 142 of the 515 jets Russian carriers had leased from abroad, consultancy IBA said. A total of 78 planes leased to Russian carriers had been seized while abroad and would not fly back to Russia, Interfax news agency reported last week, quoting Transport Minister Vitaly Savelyev. (Reporting by Padraic Halpin; editing by David Goodman) Topics Russia Aviation Denmarks Orsted said on Monday it had agreed to sell half of the Hornsea 2 project in Britain, which will become the worlds biggest offshore wind farm, to a French consortium for 3 billion pounds ($3.94 billion). The deal is consistent with the Danish energy giants strategy of selling off large stakes in operational wind parks to invest the capital in new projects. AXA Consortium in Talks to Buy Stake in Orsteds UK Offshore Wind Farm The French consortium comprises AXA IM Alts, a unit of Frances biggest insurer AXA, and Credit Agricole Assurances, which will each own 25%, it said. Renewable and low-carbon energy businesses are attracting high valuations from cash-rich investors who expect steady growth in the market as policymakers seek alternatives to fossil fuels. The stake will be funded through a combination of equity and a senior multi-tranche staple financing package, which has been structured by Orsted and is provided by 30 banks including Denmarks export credit agency. Hornsea 2 is located 90 kilometers (56 miles) off the Yorkshire coast in the North Sea with a capacity of 1.3 gigawatts (GW), providing power to more than 1.3 million homes. The park is due to become fully operational in 2022. ($1 = 0.7608 pounds) (Reporting by Stine Jacobsen; editing by Edmund Blair, Kirsten Donovan) Topics Mergers & Acquisitions Agribusiness AXA XL France Russian tankers carrying oil chemicals and oil products are increasingly concealing their movements, a phenomenon that some maritime experts warn could signal attempts to evade unprecedented sanctions prompted by the invasion of Ukraine. In the week ended March 25, there were at least 33 occurrences of so-called dark activity operating while onboard systems to transmit their locations are turned off by Russian tankers, said Windward Ltd., an Israeli consultancy that specializes in maritime risk using artificial intelligence and satellite imagery. Thats more than double the weekly average of 14 in the past year. The dark operations occurred mainly in or around Russias exclusive economic zone, according to Windward, which conducted the research at Bloombergs request. The ships engaging in dark activity include vessels connected to big corporations and multinational shipping firms, as well as small businesses, according to Windward. Commercial vessels are required by international maritime law to have their automatic identification system, or AIS, turned on while at sea. Disabling or manipulating a ships identification system is at the top of deceptive shipping practices cited by the U.S. Treasury Department in an advisory last May to curb illicit shipping and sanctions evasions. Theres no reason why they should have their AIS turned off, said Gur Sender, Windwards program manager who specializes in compliance and risk issues. Investigating if a vessel is engaged in deceptive shipping practices related to specific regimes is crucial to protect your business from dealing with sanctioned entities. Since the Feb. 24 invasion of Ukraine, the U.S., UK and other allies have ramped up sanctions against the Kremlin. U.S. President Joe Biden issued an executive order on March 8 banning imports of Russian oil and gas, while on the same day, the UK said it will phase out oil imports by the end of the year. Both countries, along with Canada, have also barred Russian ships from accessing their ports. As more countries and businesses shun commerce with Russia, the countrys fleet will be under pressure to conduct dark activity and even engage in illicit shipping to stay afloat, said Ian Ralby, chief executive of I.R. Consilium, a maritime law and security consulting firm that works with governments. Russia has quickly become a pariah state so they are obscuring some of their activities because a lot of people on both ends of a transit dont want any association to Russia, said Ralby. Anywhere that Russia appears in the overall management or operation and ownership of the vessel, there are concerns about dark activity right now. Almost anything that they are going to be doing is gaining scrutiny and legal concerns because of all the various sanctions. If the isolation of Russian ships and crew continue, they will have little choice but to take offers that are given to them, making them susceptible to all sorts of criminal and nefarious manipulation, said Ralby. We may see a parallel global market emerge where there is internal trading among all these sanctioned states and their enablers, he said. Satellite Imagery In many of the cases of dark activity, operations are conducted between a Russian-flagged or owned ship and non-Russian vessels, according to Windward. Ships that conduct operations side-by-side exhibit tell-tale patterns of movements and speed, even if their transponders are off. Satellite imagery can also reveal operations. Windwards data shows that the number of ship-to-ship meetings that lasted at least three hours between Russian oil tankers and non-Russian vessels has remained relatively normal. Thats enough time to allow oil tankers to transfer their goods to a third vessel thats not affected by sanctions or bans, said Sender. The occurrences are also happening close enough to ports where ships can potentially load up on clean fuel products, he said. Removing sanctioned vessels & those owned or operated by sanctioned companies = 50 vessels. ESG restrictions = 300 Russian-affiliated tankers off-limits. 1,350 oil/chemical tankers are suspected of #deceptiveshippingpractices + those mentioned in regulatory reports#maritime pic.twitter.com/CTOwo4AZqB Windward (@WindwardAI) March 15, 2022 Windward has also detected some vessels entering Russian territorial waters and visiting its ports for the very first time, even as the overall number of ships making a maiden voyage to Russia falls. Since the outbreak of the conflict, 22 unique vessels some of which are owned or operated by companies registered in the UK, U.S. and Germany have entered Russian territorial waters for the first time, according to Windward. Since the outbreak of the conflict, 22 unique vessels have entered Russian territorial waters for the first time (according to our data). The vessels represent different classes: 12 cargo vessels, 1 container vessel, 6 tankers, 1 service vessel & 6 commercial fishing vessels. pic.twitter.com/25BMjC0rBz Ami Daniel (@AmiDaniel1) March 21, 2022 In one instance, a tanker managed by an American company departed from the Chinese city of Dongying on Feb. 25 and entered Russian waters on March 3, making its first-ever Russian port call in Nakhodka. The tanker departed the port and drifted in Russian waters before calling port on March 19 in a tanker terminal in Vladivostok. The U.S. ban on Russian oil came into effect March 8 for new purchases, but provides a 45-day window for U.S. buyers to wind down their existing contracts. While this voyage is not considered illegal or a violation of sanctions, it still raises questions given current U.S. policies, according to a Windward AI Insights note. It will be interesting to see if this trend continues and how many companies will view these new regulations and restrictions as mere recommendations. Photograph: An ice-class tanker used for shipping liquefied natural gas sit in Sabetta sea port near the Yamal LNG plant, operated by Novatek PJSC, in Sabetta, Russia, on Wednesday, Aug. 8, 2018. Novatek is one of the largest independent natural gas producers in Russia. Photo credit: Andrey Rudakov/Bloomberg. Copyright 2022 Bloomberg. Topics Russia This edition of International People Moves details appointments at the brokers Willis Towers Watson (WTW) and Miller, along with the MGA Tamesis DUAL. A summary of these new hires follows here. WTW Promotes Richardson to Europe Leader for Insurance Consulting & Technology WTW, a leading global advisory, broking and solutions company, announced the appointment of Tammy Richardson as Europe Regional Leader for its Insurance Consulting and Technology (ICT) business. Richardson most recently served as UK & Ireland leader for the same business. In her new role, Richardson will lead a team of over 500 colleagues with responsibility for P&L management and strategy. In addition to becoming the newest member of WTWs global ICT leadership team, Richardson is already a member of its GB Inclusion and Diversity Council and Executive Sponsor of the Young Professionals Network. Richardson has over 30 years of experience in the insurance industry with a diversified background in finance, risk, strategy, sales and business development, leadership and P&L management. Prior to joining WTW in 2012, Richardson held executive and board-level roles at Genworth Financial and GE Capital. *** Miller Launches French Cargo Team Miller, the London-based independent specialist re/insurance broker, announced the expansion of its cargo capabilities across Europe with the launch of a new French team. Nicolas Juge, who brings 30 years shipping and marine experience, is appointed head of Cargo, France, with Gaelle Besnardeau appointed account executive. Murielle Ducamp, who brings significant claims expertise, assumes the role of claims executive, while Melissa Oddoze will take the role of account handler. The new team, which will be based in Marseille, join from Forseas, a Swiss broker company created by Nicolas Juge in 2010. As the growing complexity of modern supply chains increases, the new French team will work closely with colleagues across London, Geneva, Paris and Brussels to broaden Millers European presence and deepen its Cargo capabilities. It is a privilege to have the opportunity to lead this highly skilled team, which will form a core part of a truly integrated European Cargo effort, commented Juge. Miller has established a reputation for excellence in this specialist field and has made a clear commitment to invest in deepening and broadening these core capabilities both technically and geographically. This offers clients access to a unique combination of skills, experience and expertise. Jamie Kearney, head of Cargo at Miller, said the new team is highly complementary to Millers broader cargo presence across Europe. We have outlined Europe as an important part of Millers overall growth objectives and, as we expand our offering across the continent, I am looking forward to working with our teams to take our ability to serve our clients to even greater heights, Kearney said. This investment in France is a clear signal of Millers commitment to deepen its expertise in areas such as commodities, which complement the deep rooted skills we have in areas such as credit and political risks, said Arnaud Froideval, head of CPRI, Europe and Switzerland. *** Tamesis DUAL Hires Argentas Toth as Director of Underwriting Tamesis DUAL announced the appointment of Nicholas Toth as director of Underwriting. Toth will join the business in April 2022, reporting to Tony Lovett, managing director and founder of Tamesis. Based in London, Toth will lead the underwriting, claims and compliance teams and will be responsible for positioning the business for further success as it expands its global footprint. He will work directly with underwriters to develop and manage the companys overall product offerings to support growth. Toth brings a broad knowledge of the reinsurance treaty market, having held a mixture of underwriting roles throughout his 25-plus-year career. He joins Tamesis after five years as head of Treaty and Outwards Reinsurance Manager at Argenta Syndicate Management Ltd. Prior to that, Toth spent 15 years at QBE Reinsurance as a senior underwriter in London, and two years at GE Reinsurance as an underwriter in Munich. Tamesis DUAL Ltd., incorporating Tamesis DUAL Americas LLC, is a global specialty excess of loss treaty reinsurance business operating in the London market, Miami and Cologne. Tamesis offers reinsurance solutions, including blended or composite and retrocessional products, across all asset based classes including marine, offshore energy, onshore energy, property, aerospace, terrorism, and war and political risks. Established in 2011, Tamesis was the first treaty reinsurance MGA and underwrites net written premium in excess of US$250 million. Tamesis is part of DUAL Corporate Risks, a subsidiary of the DUAL Group, a specialist underwriting agency. Topics InsurTech Tech Europe Willis Towers Watson Leadership Trucking France Russian airlines could be frozen out of the aircraft leasing market well beyond the Ukraine conflict, one of the industrys biggest players warned on Tuesday, blaming what executives have described as a default involving hundreds of Western jets. Global leasing companies had until Monday to sever ties with Russian carriers under Western sanctions imposed over Moscows invasion of Ukraine, but executives say only a fraction of the more than 400 jets directly involved have been returned. Analysis Aircraft Lessors Lose Hope of Getting Back Russian Planes Worth $10B Domhnal Slattery, chief executive of Dublin-based Avolon, the worlds second-largest leasing firm, told Reuters its own risk is limited, with a net exposure of below $200 million on 10 jets still blocked in Russia after it recovered four aircraft. But the mainly Ireland-based leasing sector, which accounts for about half of the worlds airline fleet, will be in no hurry to reset relations with Russian airlines even if sanctions against Moscow are lifted, he predicted. From an Avolon perspective it is not material; from a sector perspective it is a problem, unquestionably, Slattery added. In terms of future appetite in a post-war scenario for further business in Russia, I think all players in our sector will think long and hard about the risks of that jurisdiction and the appetite for going back in, he said in an interview. Moscow earlier this month introduced a law allowing airlines to re-register leased planes locally in a move widely seen as encouraging airlines to hold onto planes and avoid a collapse of Russias airline sector, which relies heavily on leasing. Until now, aircraft leased to Russia have been registered in Bermuda or Ireland under an agreement designed to provide security to leasing firms already worried about the willingness of Russian courts to uphold the rights of foreign lessors. Avolon, controlled by Bohai Leasing, a majority-owned subsidiary of Chinas HNA Group, has a gross exposure of just under $400 million to Russia, Slattery said. After deducting the value of four jets that have been recovered, as well as security and letters of credit that have been drawn down, Avolons net exposure is below $200 million. Given our scale that puts it in the realm of a headache rather than a migraine, Slattery said. We believe our aircraft are all appropriately insured, all the leases are terminated and we will continue to try to get them back, he added. Russias airline industry, the worlds 11th largest, had 980 aircraft in its fleet on the eve of the invasion of Ukraine, of which 777 were leased rather than owned by the carriers. Of these, 515 were leased from foreign firms and about 400 of those worth up to $10 billion were most immediately at risk from the crisis, according to aviation data firm Cirium. (Reporting by Tim Hepher; editing by Kirsten Donovan and Alexander Smith) Topics Russia Aviation Ukraine POWERS Insurance & Risk Management Promotes Kate Murphy and Shari Smith at VIAA POWERS Insurance & Risk Management recently promoted Kate Murphy to licensing coordinator and Shari Smith to account manager for sister company Valley Insurance Agency Alliance (VIAA). Murphy will be responsible for licensing and compliance needs across the country. She will handle carrier appointments, license renewals, and arranging continuing education for the companys associates. Murphy previously served as an Administrative Assistant at POWERS for the past four years. Smith was promoted to a newly created position at VIAA where she will manage both commercial and personal lines accounts. She also will assist with quoting and issuing new business policies, as well as work with commercial book roll transfers. Prior to her promotion, Smith served as a commercial account manager at POWERS. She has more than 20 years of customer service experience and is a certified insurance service representative. St. Louis, Missouri-based POWERS provides personal and business insurance, surety, and risk management. TigerRisk Partners Names Bill Tuttle as Partner, Senior Reinsurance Broker TigerRisk Partners LLC, a leading risk, capital and strategic advisor to the global insurance and reinsurance industries, has announced the appointment of Bill Tuttle as partner, senior reinsurance broker. Tuttle will be responsible for guiding key clients through complex property placements in this difficult time in the market cycle. He has over 35 years experience in the Property & Casualty casualty, and joins most recently from Aon, where he was managing director with a focus on property catastrophe clients. Based in Minnesota, Tuttle will report to Dan Miller. Tuttle began his career at E.W.Blanch Co. in 1985, working as a reinsurance broker, where he was also involved in the development of new catastrophe models. He then moved to Risk Management Solutions, Inc. (RMS) in 2000 as Vice President of Product Marketing, helping to improve catastrophe modeling products and develop new exposure management solutions. TigerRisk is a risk, capital and strategic advisor to the insurance and reinsurance industries founded in 2008. Topics Minnesota The Chicago City Council has voted to pay nearly $1.7 million to five people, including a Black woman who said police dragged her from a car by her hair at a shopping mall amid unrest following George Floyds 2020 killing. The council voted 34-13 last week to approve the $1.67 million settlement of a federal civil rights lawsuit Mia Wright and four relatives filed against the city. Wright was a passenger in a car that arrived at the Brickyard Mall on May 31, 2020, amid widespread looting in the days after Floyd, a Black man, was killed by a white Minneapolis police officer. Wright said she and four relatives drove to the mall to go shopping and did not realize it was closed due to the unrest. The lawsuit alleges police officers suddenly surrounded their car, broke the windows with their batons and pulled Wright out of the vehicle by her hair. Wright alleged that the confrontation left her blind in one eye from flying glass caused by police breaking the car windows. Officers said they thought some members of Wrights group were attempting to break into a store at the mall to steal goods, city lawyer Caroline Fronczak has said, but the officers also acknowledged nobody in the group matched the descriptions of the suspected looters. After an investigation, the Civilian Office of Police Accountability recommended eight officers face discipline for their actions in the incident, ranging from firing to reprimands, and Chicago Police Superintendent David Brown agreed with the recommendations, Fronczak said. Under terms of the settlement, Wright will receive $650,000 in damages, while the other four people who were in the car with her will get $243,750 each, WBBM-TV reported. Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Topics Lawsuits A national consumer rights group on Thursday called on state insurance commissioners to investigate racial bias in claims handling after the New York Times reported on discrimination lawsuits filed against State Farm by a Chicago policyholder and a former employee assigned to the insurers special investigations unit in Michigan. The Consumer Federation of America specifically urged regulators to look into whether the algorithms that insurers used to flag potential fraud produce biased results because of racism. Doug Heller, director of insurance for the consumer group, said his organizations research has already shown that insurance pricing models have the effect of discriminating against communities of color. Theres no reason to suspect that systemic bias would somehow stop at the claims handling door, he said. State Farm denied charges that racial bias impacts its claims decisions and said it will vigorously defend itself in court. We will not attempt to litigate these issues in the media, the company said in a statement. At State Farm we believe in fostering an inclusive environment where everyone including our customers feels respected and valued. Well continue to engage in open, honest dialogue to find actionable and meaningful ways to continue advancing diversity and inclusion at State Farm and in neighborhoods and communities. A spokeswoman for the Association of Property and Casualty Insurers said the industry as a whole is proactively committed to promoting and creating a more diverse, equitable and inclusive industry through its employment practices. A March 18 article in the New York Times reported on a lawsuit filed by Carla Campbell-Jackson, a Black woman living in Kalamazoo, Michigan who worked for State Farm for 28 years before she was fired in 2016. The insurer says Campbell-Jackson shared confidential information outside the company, but she denies that charge. Campbell-Jackson filed a complaint with the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission saying that her termination was part of a campaign by State Farm to discredit her after she raised concerns that the insurer was using fraud as a pretext to deny claims by Black policyholders. Her lawsuit alleges that State Farm managers urged investigators to regularly meet with claims adjusters and encourage them to refer more claims to the fraud unit. She says they used the term fill the cups as a means of increasing the number of SIU investigations as a means of denying more claims. Jones said State Farm offered a $175,000 severance payment if she agreed not to discuss her experience with the company. She refused. Last year, the EEOC agreed that State Farm had discriminated against Campbell-Jackson because of her race. The agency recommended that State Farm pay $300,000 in punitive damages, plus back pay, according to her court filing. The EEOC was unable to reach an agreement with State Farm and issued a right-to-sue letter to Campbell-Jackson last year. The Times report noted that one of State Farms policyholders, Darryl Williams of Chicago, had also filed a lawsuit in 2019 accusing State Farm of discrimination. Williams, who is Black, is the former owner of the Connectors Realty Group in South Chicago. He says he filed a claim with State Farm after a pipe burst in a six-unit apartment building in January 2017, forcing him to foot the bill for hotel rooms for his displaced tenants. Williams filed claims seeking more than $400,000, of which State Farm paid only $56,000, the Times reported, citing court filings. Campbell-Jackson has agreed to testify as a witness in Williams lawsuit. State Farm has objected to a discovery request by Williams attorneys that specifically requests emails and documents that use the term fill the cup. The insurers filing says Williams has a personal ax to grind and was not working for State Farm at the time Williams filed his claim, so her deposition has no bearing on the lawsuit. State Farm said the term fill the cup which is no longer used referred to a method of effectively allocating referrals among claim-handling teams. There is nothing nefarious about the fact that State Farm engages in efforts to identify and investigate potentially fraudulent claims, and that those efforts include assigning such claims to a Special Investigations Unit and ensuring that the resources available to that unit are fully utilized, the filing states. State Farms press office did not respond to a request for comment. The Times reported that it had received a video of a presentation that State Farm managers gave to employers. Discrimination played no role in Campbell-Jacksons termination, Michael Trout, the chief human resources officer of State Farm, said in the video, according to the Times. Campbell has filed one other racial discrimination suit. She and her sister, Lisa Campbell, sued the Radisson Hotels & Resorts in 2005, alleging that the chains hotel in Bloomington, Ill. refused to provide proper accommodations to her and other African-American guests when she hosted a womens conference for the Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority in 2001. The case was settled in April 2007. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday authorized a second booster dose of the two most commonly used COVID-19 vaccines for people age 50 and older, given data showing waning immunity and the risks posed by Omicron variants of the virus. The agency said the new boosters a fourth round of shots for most vaccine recipients of the Pfizer Inc/BioNTech and Moderna Inc vaccines are to be administered at least four months after the previous dose. They are intended to offer more protection against severe disease and hospitalization. The FDA also authorized the second booster dose of the vaccines for younger people with compromised immune systems those aged 12 and older for the Pfizer/BioNTech shot and 18 and older for Modernas. The authorization comes as some scientists have raised concerns about the highly contagious and newly predominant BA.2 Omicron subvariant, which has driven new spikes in COVID-19 cases in other countries. COVID-19 cases in the United States have dropped sharply since a record surge in January, but have seen a small uptick over the past week, according to data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Based on an analysis of emerging data, a second booster dose of either the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna COVID-19 vaccine could help increase protection levels for these higher-risk individuals, top FDA official Dr. Peter Marks said in a statement. The FDA said it had looked at data from a relatively small, ongoing clinical trial in Israel to help make its decision. In addition, safety data from more than 700,000 people who received second boosters in Israel revealed no new concerns, the agency said. Scientists and officials have debated for months if and when an additional booster shot would be needed as they parsed data on how long protection from the vaccines and boosters would last. Read full story Its not clear that now is the right time for people to get a fourth dose, Dr. William Moss, executive director of the International Vaccine Access Center at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health said. If there is a surge in cases in late fall or early winter, as is typical for respiratory viruses and influenza, an additional boost may then be needed, he said. The bodys neutralizing antibodies spurred on by a fourth booster given now may decline in just a few months, he said. It is also unclear whether young, healthy people will need a fourth shot. The study of Israeli healthcare workers cited by the FDA suggested that the fourth dose added little additional protection in the age group. Biden administration officials have said that the U.S. government currently has enough doses of the vaccines to meet the demand for another round of booster shots in older Americans, even as funding for the U.S. pandemic response has all but run out. They say that unless Congress approves more spending, the government will not be likely to be able to be pay for future inoculations, if they are needed, particularly if the vaccines need to be redesigned to target new variants. Around two-thirds of fully vaccinated Americans over the age of 65 and just over half of people between the age of 50 and 64 have gotten their first booster dose so far. Photograph: Courtesy of University of Maryland School of Medicine via AP, File Topics COVID-19 A wildfire has burned more an 1,000 acres in South Texas forcing some people to evacuate, destroying three homes and knocking out power to more than 100 others, officials said on March 27. Gov. Greg Abbott declared a disaster in Medina County during a news conference and said the blaze thats forced 40 households to evacuate was only 10% contained. The fire has not caused any reported injuries or deaths, but officials in the county west of San Antonio warned residents remaining in the area that there was still high risk the flames could spread. The wildfire began late afternoon on March 25 and worsened on March 27 because of strong winds and low humidity. More than 200 firefighters are working to combat the blaze and Medina County Judge Chris Schuchart said that they are praying rain. Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Topics Catastrophe Natural Disasters Texas Wildfire NFP has acquired Achilles & Associates, an Austin, Texas-based P&C broker that provides customized commercial P&C, personal lines P&C, and benefits insurance solutions to individuals, small businesses and middle market clients. The acquisition strengthens NFPs capabilities and product offerings in its Central region. Firm principals Jerry Achilles and David Achilles will join NFP as vice presidents and report to Kevin Brown, managing director, Corporate Services. NFP provides specialized property and casualty products, corporate benefits, retirement, and individual coverage through licensed subsidiaries and affiliates. It has some 6,600 employees around the world. Source: NFP Topics Mergers & Acquisitions Texas The Louisiana Department of Insurance (LDI) announced it has established an open-door insurance resource center in Arabi to assist those affected by the tornado that struck the area last week. Meetings will be held at Patricia Park in the Louisiana Workforce Commissions Mobile Workforce Center. The resource center will be open Tuesday, March 29; Thursday, March 31; and Friday, April 1 from 9:30 a.m. 4:00 p.m Trained specialists from the LDIs Office of Consumer Advocacy will offer one-on-one consultations to answer individual questions, help constituents understand their insurance policies and assist them with filing complaints through the LDI. The LDI asks all constituents to bring copies of their insurance policies to the meetings. Navigating the claims process can be difficult for anyone, especially in the aftermath of a devastating storm, said Insurance Commissioner Jim Donelon. If you have questions for the LDI, please grab your insurance policy and come see us. Source: LDI Topics Catastrophe Natural Disasters Louisiana Windstorm Lexington Insurance, an AIG company, is pulling out of the Florida homeowners market, leaving an estimated 8,000 affluent customers looking for coverage. And those homeowners likely wont be able to turn to Citizens Property Insurance Corp., the state-backed insurer of last resort, which insures homes only up to $700,000 in much of the state, the South Florida Sun Sentinel newspaper reported. The Boston-based Lexington, classed as a surplus lines carrier in Florida, specializes in homes with replacement values of $1 million or more. The company appears to be discontinuing its personal lines division nationwide on Aug. 1, the news site said. AIG said in February it plans to move high net worth homeowners to excess and surplus lines in multiple states. The Lexington announcement to local agents may be seen as the latest marker for Floridas struggling property insurance market, beset by hurricane losses, roof claims and litigation. At least six other insurers have stopped writing new homeowner policies in the state or have non-renewed thousands of policies. Two of those companies, St. Johns and Avatar, have been deemed insolvent this year and more liquidations are expected, despite rising premiums for policyholders. A number of stakeholders in Florida have urged the governor and top lawmakers to convene a special session of the Legislature soon to tackle reforms that could limit losses and litigation costs, before many insurers must purchase reinsurance on June 1. Reinsurance costs are expected to increase sharply then, jeopardizing more carriers. The governor has said he is not opposed to a session if legislative leaders will call one. So far, House and Senate leaders have not indicated their intentions. Topics Florida Georgias insurance commissioner has issued a directive to auto insurers to include the full amount of sales tax when settling a total-loss vehicle claim. When calculating taxes to be paid to an insured on a first-party auto claim, insurers should base the tax payment on the agreed-upon cash value of the vehicle, Commissioner John King wrote in the recent directive. An Atlanta TV news report noted that some drivers felt that they had been shorted a few hundred dollars on claim payments after their cars were totaled in accidents. Georgia law requires insurers to pay the vehicles negotiated value, along with 6.6% ad valorem taxes, tag and fees. But one motorist reported that Progressive Insurance paid $25,000 for a 2020 Toyota Corolla, totaled in a collision, but paid only $1,118 in taxes about $500 less than the 6.6%. The reason is that, for the tax amount, the insurer used the state Department of Revenues web-based calculator and estimated the cars value by combining retail and wholesale prices, CBS46 TV news reported. While the insurer and the insured agreed on a $25,000 replacement value, Progressive used the lower value of $16,950 to calculate the tax amount due in the claim. There might not have been clarity in the past, but there is absolute clarity now. And if they continue to engage in this practice, they (the insurance companies) are going to be sanctioned, King told the news outlet. Kings March 11 directive can be seen here. Topics Carriers Georgia Some residents living near an Anchorage suburb were ordered to evacuate Sunday over fears of another avalanche after a slide last week cut off about 100 homes from a main road. Anchorage Mayor Dave Bronson issued the evacuation order for an area near the community of Eagle River, which is within the municipality of Anchorage, the Anchorage Daily News reported. About half a mountains snowpack came down in an avalanche late Thursday. The Anchorage Office of Emergency Management said the slide is up to 450 feet wide and up to 80 feet deep. Officials said it appears no one was trapped in the slide and no homes were destroyed. The mountains remaining snow was in danger of also coming down, and officials were trying to get residents along a 1-mile stretch to evacuate so the city could begin mitigation efforts to bring down the rest of the snowpack. We have to evacuate the area: We cannot perform mitigation if one person remains because were not willing to risk human life, municipal manager Amy Dembowski said. If somebody decides to stay, the road will remain closed until it is safe which could be well into the summer. The city planned to begin mitigation efforts Sunday night, and the process could take several days. Part of the process would include the placement of explosives by helicopters, officials said. Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. The cause of an explosion and fire at an ExxonMobil refinery in southern Montana is under investigation, company officials said Sunday. The fire began at about 10 p.m. Saturday at a refinery in Lockwood, a suburb of Billings. It was extinguished at about 1:15 a.m. Sunday. There were no injuries and all employees and contractors were accounted for, ExxonMobil spokesperson Dan Carter told The Billings Gazette. We are sorry this incident has occurred and apologize for any disruption or inconvenience, Carter said. It isnt clear how much damage was done and ExxonMobil officials didnt respond to questions about how the fire might affect production. A full assessment of any damages and an investigation of the cause will be taking place, Carter said Sunday. The plant can refine up to 2.5 million gallons of crude oil per day and produces about 600 million gallons of gasoline and diesel fuel each year. Other products include asphalt, butane and propane. The refinerys emergency response team fought the fire along with crews from Lockwood, Billings and other area refineries, Yellowstone County officials said. Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. A convicted murderer who dragged his wife by her hair, hit her head off a table, punched her, kicked her and tried to pull her eyelashes off, before finally attempting to suffocate her has once again avoided further time in custody even though the Court of Appeal on Tuesday ruled his original suspended sentence had been unduly lenient. Marius Rucinskas, 45, formerly of Lithuania but now residing in Cork City, had received an 18-month suspended sentence for the three-hour attack, which took place on January 1, 2020, at a house he shared with Renata Rucinskeine on Main Street, Castletownbere, Co Cork. The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) later appealed the sentence handed down by Judge Sean O Donnabhain on the grounds it was unduly lenient. In papers submitted to the Court of Appeal, the DPP said Rucinskas pleaded guilty to a Section 3 assault causing harm against Ms Rucinskeine and a count of criminal damage when he appeared before Judge O Donnabhain at Cork Circuit Criminal Court in September 2021. Brendan Kelly BL, for the DPP, yesterday told the three-judge court that Rucinskas had waited until the day of his trial before entering his guilty pleas. Mr Kelly said the respondent had carried out a sustained assault in a domestic setting which involved punching, kicking, dragging the victim by the hair, hitting her head off a table, and trying to pull her eyelashes off as well as threats to kill against Ms Rucinskeine. When Ms Rucinskeine tried to raise the alarm and phone gardai, Rucinskas grabbed the mobile out of her hand and smashed it, counsel said. Mr Kelly also told the court that Rucinskas had previously served 15 years for murder in his native Lithuania and moved to Ireland in 2015 on his release. Looking at the entirety of the sentence imposed, it was unduly lenient, he said. Delivering judgment, Ms Justice Isobel Kennedy sitting with Court President Mr Justice George Birmingham and Mr Justice Patrick McCarthy said the Court of Appeal agreed with the DPP and was quashing the original sentence. Ms Justice Kennedy said the offending had been at the upper end of the scale. It must have been terrifying for the victim in question, she said. But although the judge increased Rucinskas sentence from 18 months to three-and-a-half years, she suspended the final two years in a judgment which allowed the respondent to leave the court after entering a good behaviour bond, as a result of time previously served in custody. During submissions, Mr Justice Birmingham noted Judge O Donnabhain had imposed sentence on someone who had spent 13 months in custody, which he said was the equivalent of an 18-month sentence at that time. Mr Justice McCarthy, however, said Rucinskas murder conviction meant you couldnt have a worse record for violence. Dermot Sheehan BL, for the respondent, told the court his client was now living in Cork City where he worked in a meat processing plant. Counsel said his client had previously worked as a fisherman and in a fish-processing plant but had left these jobs as result of the adverse publicity surrounding this case. Mr Sheehan added in his submission that Judge O Donnabhain had not erred with his sentence. It was clearly a lenient sentence. I am not saying it wasnt. But there was not an error in principle, Mr Sheehan said. Gardai have launched an investigation following the discovery of the body of a male cyclist in "unexplained circumstances" on a roadside in Co Kerry. The man, aged in his 50s, was found unresponsive at the side of the road at Ardywanig, Milltown near Castlemaine at approximately 10.30am this morning. Gardai and emergency services were alerted and attended the scene, but the cyclist was pronounced dead at the a short time later. His body has since been moved to the mortuary at University Hospital Kerry, and the local coroner has been notified. A garda spokesperson told the Irish Examiner that the results of a post-mortem examination will determine the course of the garda investigation. The road was closed for a time to allow for a technical examination by garda forensic collision investigators, but it has since reopened. Investigating gardai have issued an appeal for witnesses to come forward. Any road users who may have camera footage, including dash-cam, and were travelling between 10am and 10:40am on any local routes around Ardywanig, Milltown, have been asked to make this footage available to gardai. The road in question is a minor road from the junction off of the main Castlemaine to Firies Road (R561) at Rushen heading towards Ardywanig. Anyone with any information has been asked to contact Tralee Garda Station (066) 710 2300, the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111 or any Garda station. If we accept the commentary surrounding the apparent collapse of support for Fine Gael as expressed in the most recent opinion poll, which suggested an approval rate of just 19%, then those critics who say that the party has become too Dublin-centric now have the upper hand. In the online Red C poll carried out for the Business Post, which surveyed 1,001 adults aged over 18 between March 18-23, Sinn Fein remained the most popular party by a considerable distance, coming in at 33%. Support for Fianna Fail sits at 16% and the Green Party, led by Eamon Ryan, remains at 5%. Independents have an 11% share. Gulf Arab states are holding a summit about the war in Yemen but the countrys Houthi rebels are boycotting the talks because they are taking place in Saudi Arabia, their adversary in the conflict. The decision by the Iranian-backed Houthis to skip the summit called by the Saudi-based Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) has immediately called into question the effectiveness of such a gathering. The United Nations, diplomats and others have been pushing for another potential ceasefire to mark the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, similar to efforts for a truce over the past years. Ramadan is likely to start this weekend, depending on the sighting of the new crescent moon. The GCC a six-nation bloc including Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates was to hold closed-door talks on Tuesday in Riyadh. On Monday, the GCCs secretary-general Nayef al-Hajraf held talks with British Ambassador to Yemen Richard Oppenheim and Yemeni officials allied with its internationally recognised but exiled government. A passenger airplane flies over a smoldering fire at a Saudi Aramco oil depot after a Yemen Houthi rebel attack, ahead of the Formula One race in Jiddah, Saudi Arabia (AP) Those talks saw Mr al-Hajraf, a Kuwaiti politician, discuss efforts to stop the war and ways to achieve comprehensive peace to alleviate the human suffering witnessed by Yemeni people, according to the state-run Saudi Press Agency. The Houthis, meanwhile, have rejected the summit because of its venue in Saudi Arabia, as well as the continuing closure of Sanaas airport and restrictions on the countrys ports by the Saudi-led coalition that is waging war on the Houthis. The rebels, who over the weekend attacked an oil depot in the Saudi city of Jiddah ahead of a Formula One race there, have called for the talks to be held in a neutral country. Houthi spokesman Mohammad Abdul-Salam wrote on Twitter: The Saudi regime must prove its seriousness towards peace by responding to a ceasefire, lifting the siege and expelling foreign forces from our country. Then peace will come and it is time to talk about political solutions in a calm atmosphere away from any military or humanitarian pressure. Irans foreign ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh supported the Houthi position in a statement on Tuesday. He also noted Ramadan was soon and that a possible prisoner swap could help ease tensions. The plan proposed by Sanaa in good faith carries a strong message suggesting robust determination to end the war, lift the cruel blockade on people and resolve the Yemen crisis through political means, Mr Khatibzadeh said. Yemeni police inspect a site of Saudi-led airstrikes targeting two houses in Sanaa (AP) US secretary of state Antony Blinken spoke late on Monday with Saudi foreign minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan. The US state department said the two discussed support for the UNs proposal for a Ramadan truce in Yemen and efforts to launch a new, more inclusive and comprehensive peace process. The US under President Joe Biden has pulled back from the Saudi campaign while still supplying the kingdom new air defence missiles. Yemens war began in September 2014, when the Houthis swept into the capital, Sanaa, from their north-western stronghold in the Arab worlds poorest country. The Houthis then pushed into exile the government of President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi, elected in 2012 as the sole candidate after the long rule of Ali Abdullah Saleh. A Saudi-led coalition, including the UAE, entered the war in March 2015 to try and restore Mr Hadis government to power. But the war stretched into long bloody years, pushing Yemen to the brink of famine. More than 150,000 people have been killed in the warfare, according to the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project. Those include both fighters and civilians. The most-recent figure for the civilian death toll in Yemens conflict stands at 14,500. Also, Saudi air strikes have killed hundreds of civilians and targeted the countrys infrastructure. The Houthis have used child soldiers and indiscriminately laid landmines across the country. Meanwhile, gunmen shot and killed a security officer in Yemens southern port city of Aden on Tuesday, security officials said. They identified the slain officer as Capt Karam al-Mashraqi, with the UAE-backed Security Belt militia. Capt al-Mashraqi was the second senior security official killed this month in Aden, the seat of Hadis government. No-one immediately claimed responsibility for the killing. Interview Karen Ethnic Armed Group Tells Myanmar Govt Employees in Its Area to Quit KNLA troops / The Irrawaddy District level Karen National Union (KNU) offices recently called on non-striking government employees working for the regime in KNU-controlled areas to resign. The Papun District KNU, in the area where Battalion 5 of the organizations armed wing, the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA), is based, was the first to issue the notice, followed by Thaton District KNU, where Brigade 1 is based, and Dupalaya District KNU, where Brigade 6 is based. Padoh Saw Taw Nee, the KNUs head of foreign affairs, recently talked to The Irrawaddy about why the KNU is asking government employees to resign and what consequences they will face if they refuse to do so. The Dupalaya District KNU released a notice on March 17 asking regime employees to resign. Why did the KNU release such a notice? It was issued by the Kawkareik Township KNU on March 17. We are pushing to overthrow the military dictatorship, and we cant rely on only one measure. Militarily, we have been fighting them every day. But we also have to target its administrative mechanism. It is collapsing, but it is important to get rid of the entire administrative mechanism if we are to topple the military dictatorship. So, the township and district [KNU branches] are taking their own initiative to implement our policy. This is happening in many places [under the KNUs control]. In some places [local KNU offices] may not release notices, but they are also working in a similar way. The notice says government employees will face consequences if they fail to follow the order. What does that mean? Will they be targeted militarily? We dont have plans to go that far. It is up to them; we just made public our policy. They are our brethren and we would like to urge them to do their fair share in ending the military dictatorship. Even if they can do nothing big, their resignation will be a boost to the people. This is the message I want to send to them. What impact do you think it will have on the ground? Will it really work? We can see clearly that the administrative mechanism has been collapsing since the coup. The regimes administration is not functioning, especially in rural areas. And our three districts have officially issued notices, and we can say that it has had an impact. As far as I know, there are no government employees in Papun now. The administrative mechanism has collapsed there and only junta troops are left. Even the family members of junta troops have fled. What I can say is it is becoming clearer that its administrative mechanism is weakening in all our districts, including those that have not issued warnings to non-striking government employees. What is the situation on the ground in terms of fighting? Do you think the statement of the Dupalaya District KNU will further intensify the fighting in the district? Compared to the military situation before the issuing of the notice on March 17, the fighting has not de-escalated in Kawkareik. On March 7, we issued a statement and asked the regime to withdraw their troops from Lay Kay Kaw so that local people could return home. They responded to our request by heavily reinforcing their presence. So, the fighting has continued. And the Kawkareik Township KNU asked the government employees to resign, 10 days later. Junta troops did not withdraw [from Lay Kay Kaw] but were looting houses there, and people dare not return to their homes. So, we asked them to withdraw. But they did the opposite and reinforced their presence. So, clashes are happening daily. How many people have been displaced by the fighting in Karen State, and what difficulties are they facing now? It is difficult to make an estimate because the situation is not stable. For example, in Lay Kay Kaw, we estimate that around 6,000 to 7,000 people have been displaced. The number could be higher. Some are taking shelter at the houses of their relatives, but some are staying in forests and they might have a hard time because of the rain. Nearly 70,000 have been newly displaced [in KNU-controlled areas] since the coup. Before the coup, we were a signatory to the ceasefire but there were sporadic clashes between us and the military. So, people could not return to their homes and we could not build infrastructure for them. The combined number of internally displaced people from before and after the coup will be more than 200,000 people in all the seven districts controlled by the KNU. The Karen State military regime has formed a negotiation team to prevent fighting in Karen State, and it has invited the KNU to join the team. What is the KNUs response? There have been many ceasefire agreements, [as well as a] bilateral and nationwide ceasefire. [The military] does not follow those agreements, which were signed before international dignitaries, and is doing as it pleases. So, my point is the regime is sending heavy reinforcements while talking about a ceasefire. This is why fighting is taking place. It is totally unacceptable. Far from a ceasefire, it does not even withdraw its troops. It has stopped none of its various forms of violence against the people, like killing innocent civilians and torching their homes. These things are happening across the country, and we are asking it to stop those things. But it has stopped none. Again, we cant just look out for ourselves. We live in the same country. We cant accept their bad habit of ceasing fire only here, and going on the rampage elsewhere in the country. If they want a ceasefire, they should express clearly how they will stop fighting. But they keep on sending reinforcements all the time while speaking of a ceasefire. It appears as if we have to keep our finger on the trigger whenever they talk about a ceasefire. The level of trust is that bad. My understanding is that we should not observe a ceasefire at this time, in this situation. Our objective is clearto overthrow the military dictatorship. And we are undertaking all means toward that end. You may also like these stories: Myanmar Junta Troops Kill Villagers; Hold Schoolkids Hostage Myanmar Democracy Activists Hold Rallies in Support of Ukraine Ukraine Vows No Capitulation at Talks; Putin Orders Nuclear Alert Burma In Solidarity with Coup Leader, Myanmar Ex-Generals Appear at Armed Forces Day Event Coup leader Min Aung Hlaing salutes and his wife pays respect to ex-president U Thein Sein on Sunday. The appearance of ex-generals from the previous Myanmar military regime at the Armed Forces Day commemoration and subsequent ceremony hosted by the current regime on Sunday proves that they are all in solidarity with junta leader Min Aung Hlaing, who staged a coup that has so far killed 1,700 people. As part of events to mark Armed Forces Day, the coup leader paid respects to 25 retired senior military officials who attended the anniversary of the founding of the Myanmar military. Most of the aging former soldiers were senior officials in the former Myanmar military regime that oppressed the country from 1988 to early 2011, when the regime handed over power to a proxy so-called civilian government. At that point, some generals faded from public view while others took higher positions in the proxy administration, fooling the world into thinking that they were reformists who had left military dictatorship behind. Among the 25 attendees to which Min Aung Hlaing paid his respects at the gathering were U Thein Sein, the president of the quasi-civilian government that relinquished power to the Daw Aung San Suu Kyi-led National League for Democracy after his huge loss in the 2015 general election. His appearance at the ceremony hosted by Min Aung Hlaing on Sunday proved that the former general was not a genuinely reform-minded president when he was internationally praised for the democratization process in Myanmar during his presidency from 2011 to early 2016. As if to underscore the point, the former president was among two attendees who gave words of advice to coup leader Min Aung Hlaing, his wife and audience. What he advised on the day is unknown. Pictures of the event show Min Aung Hlaing clasping his hands together and kneeling in front of U Thein Seina traditional Myanmar way of paying respect to eldersbefore giving him some honorary presents. Though the event is said to be held annually, this years one turned out to be significant because Min Aung Hlaing personally attended the gathering, after being absent last year, and due to the former presidents appearance and his words of advice to the coup leader. The ceremony may well have been a way for Min Aung Hlaing to make a pretense of unityeven if only with the old soldierswithin the army, which has been demoralized in the face of public denunciation and growing defections since the coup. Noticeably absent from the event were Myanmars ex-dictator Than Shwe and his former No. 2, Vice Senior General Maung Aye. The duo have rarely appeared in public since their retirement in 2011, not even attending Armed Forces Day commemorations as honored guests. They probably either cant be bothered acknowledging any respect from Min Aung Hlaing, whom Than Shwe picked as his successor, or think the event is beneath them. A few hours before the gathering, retired military officials gathered as VVIPs or VIPs for the Armed Forces Day event in Naypyitaw. Apparently proud of their service during the oppressive former military regime, as the pictures show, the beaming old soldiers clad in their uniforms seemed to be pleased with Min Aung Hlaings coup against the democratically elected NLD government in February last year. Among them, no one seemed happier than U Soe Thane, an ex-admiral under the Than Shwe regime and a powerful minister in the Thein Sein administration, who openly praised the February coup in his book. The other retired military officials present included, unsurprisingly, the chairman of the military proxy Union Solidarity and Development party (USDP), U Than Htay. After the USDPs embarrassingly heavy loss to the NLD in the 2020 general election, he was among those who sought Min Aung Hlaings intervention. The partys former chairman U Htay Oo, who is also a former military officer, appeared too. Other attendees included ex-General U Tin Aye, who used to be the chief of the union electoral body under the U Thein Sein administration, as well as U Nyan Tun, the former commander-in-chief of the Myanmar Navy-cum-vice president from 2012 to 2016. Former USDP lawmakers U Ohn Myint, U Maung Myint, U Hla Htay Win and U Wai Lwinall retired military officersappeared too. Probable new faces at the event were the family of Myanmars first dictator Ne Win, who ruled the country from 1962 to 1988. Daw Khin Sandar Win, the dictators daughter, attended in a military uniform as she used to serve in a medic battalion. She appeared with her three sons Aye Ne Win, Kyaw Ne Win and Zwe Ne Win. They were jailed with their father for high treason for plotting to overthrow Senior General Than Shwes regime in 2002 and released in 2013. You may also like these stories: Myanmar Junta Troops Kill Villagers; Hold Schoolkids Hostage Myanmar Democracy Activists Hold Rallies in Support of Ukraine Ukraine Vows No Capitulation at Talks; Putin Orders Nuclear Alert Burma Myanmar Junta Enacts Law Allowing It to Deploy Police to Front Lines Police are deployed in downtown Yangon amid anti-regime protests in February 2021. / The Irrawaddy The Myanmar military regime has enacted a new law making it compulsory for law enforcement officers to fight alongside soldiers on the front lines, while expanding their powers to restrict citizens civil liberties. The law comes at a time when regime forces are sustaining huge casualties in both urban and rural areas amid fierce anti-regime civilian armed resistance following the coup last year. At the same time, the regime has been struggling with a mounting number of defectors as well as a drop in recruitment as it becomes an object of popular hatred due to the armys brutal crackdowns on anti-regime protesters. So far, the junta has killed more than 1,700 people. The enactment of the Myanmar Police Act could be seen as a sign of desperation by the regime as it resorts to legal measures to solve the armys human resource problems. The fifth provision of the law states: At the necessary time, police must be involved in the states defense and security affairs. Myanmars previous police laws were the Rangoon Police Act, 1899; the Police Act 1945; the Karen State Police Act 1959; and the Kayah State Police Act 1959. There was no word about defending the state in any of these laws, or in the list of the Myanmar Police Forces duties on the website of the Ministry of Home Affairs, which oversees the force. The new Myanmar Police Act abolishes the four previous laws, according to the regimes statement. A striking police officer said the new police law exposes the militarys lack of manpower. So, they are trying to use police to send to the battlefields. After the police, will they use firefighters and civil servants who have completed basic military training? he said. Law enforcement personnel have on occasion been used in non-policing roles: The military used police officers to attack the Arakan Army (AA), an ethnic armed group in Rakhine State, a few years ago. Customarily, the ex-police officer said, it is understood that police should cooperate with the military during state emergencies, but this has always been taken to refer to situations such as civil defense during a foreign invasion. Now, they have enacted a new law so that they can openly use police officers, said the ex-officer, who is among members of the police force taking part in the Civil Disobedience Movement. Furthermore, in attempt to suppress civil liberties like freedom of expression, the new police law gives authority to law enforcement officers to take action without warrant against anyone who bangs pots and pans. The practice of beating pots and pans at night emerged last year as a popular collective method of protesting against the regime. After the military council brutally cracked down on peaceful protesters last year, many people opted to engage in armed revolution, leading to intense fighting between regime forces and a growing resistance, particularly in Chin and Kayah states and Sagaing and Magwe regions. From July 1, 2021 to March 20, 2022, a total of 2,193 battles erupted in parts of Karen State, Kachin State, Kayah State and Chin State, according to ISP Myanmar, an independent monitor group. The growing number of dead and wounded soldiers and defectors has prompted the military to train and arm pro-military militias known as Pyu Saw Htee. A total of 9,008 regime soldiers were killed and about 3,158 injured from June 1, 2021 to Feb. 21, 2022, according to the parallel National Unity Government (NUG)s of Ministry of Defense. The number of army defectors is also increasing, and is believed to number close to 3,000 including some battalion commanders. About 7,000 police officers have defected, according to Myanmar Police CDM channel. Amid these challenges, coup leader Senior General Min Aung Hlaing vowed on Armed Forces Day on Sunday to annihilate the opponents of Myanmars military. You may also like these stories: Junta Forces Massacre 14 People in Upper Myanmar Myanmar Junta Sentences Veteran Activist on his Birthday Junta Court Charges Myanmar Journalist With Incitement Burma Myanmar Junta Helicopter Crashes in Chin State The crashed military helicopter in Hakha on Tuesday. / MRTV A military helicopter crashed and injured five people onboard at Hakha, Chin States capital, on Tuesday morning, according to Myanmars junta. It is the third air force crash since June. Myanmars air force is known for frequent deadly crashes, even during training exercises, due to its largely outdated fleet. The regime blamed Tuesdays crash on instability in the air while the helicopter tried to land at a battalion headquarters in Hakha. Pictures show the tail broken from the body. The regime said the helicopter was carrying exam papers for Thursdays school tests. All three civilian staff and two military personnel on board were injured but not seriously, it added. The junta regularly uses airstrikes to attack resistance forces in Sagaing and Magwe regions and Chin, Karen and Kayah states. The crash was warmly received on social media with comments saying it was one fewer helicopter available to use against resistance fighters. In June last year, 12 people, including one of Myanmars most influential Buddhist monks and several military officers, were killed when a military airplane crashed near Anisakan Airport in Pyin Oo Lwin Township, Mandalay Region. Last month, a jet fighter pilot was killed when his plane crashed into a lake in Sagaing Region due to a technical failure. In 2017, a military plane crashed into the Andaman Sea, killing all 122 people on board. The authorities blamed bad weather. SEO: Chin State, airstrikes, air force, helicopter, peoples war, political prisoners, Peoples Defense Force, PDF, junta, National Unity Government, civilian deaths, crackdown, military regime, State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, coup, military in politics, rule of law, Tatmadaw, National League for Democracy, human rights, democracy, November 8 general election, Min Aung Hlaing, State Administrative Council, civil disobedience movement You may also like these stories: Myanmar Junta Troops Kill Villagers; Hold Schoolkids Hostage Myanmar Democracy Activists Hold Rallies in Support of Ukraine Ukraine Vows No Capitulation at Talks; Putin Orders Nuclear Alert Burma Myanmar Junta Tortures Civilians to Death in Magwe Villages, including Myauk Khin Yan in Gangaw Township, were torched by junta troops in January. / CJ Junta soldiers and allied Pyu Saw Htee militia fighters tortured two civilians to death this month in Gangaw Township, Magwe Region, according to Gangaw Peoples Defense Force (PDF). A Myauk Khin Yan villager on March 18 was doused with hot water before being chained to a vehicle by his neck and dragged around the village until he died. The village is a Pyu Saw Htee stronghold. And Mwe Lel villager on March 24 had his limbs fractured and an eye gouged out before being stabbed to death, said Gangaw PDF on Sunday. They are killing arbitrarily and brutally, said a resident. A resistance fighter was killed by an artillery strike while rescuing more than 300 civilians trapped in villages. Daily clashes have been reported in rural Gangaw this month. Five junta privates were killed and a captain was injured in the fighting on March 21, according to the PDF. Six resistance fighters died the following day when the junta used artillery and snipers. Apart from killing civilians, junta soldiers have vandalized and torched their houses and looted valuables, said Gangaw villagers. Around 150 junta troops in two groups raided villages in Gangaw and have recently merged into a single force. Troops are holding two civilians as human shields, according to residents. You may also like these stories: Funding Revolution Important for the Victory: Prominent Myanmar Activist Regime Artillery Strikes Kill Children and Senior Citizens in Upper Myanmar Yangon Suffers Water Shortages Amid Rolling Blackouts in Myanmar A Miami Federal judge has found that four cruise lines engaged in prohibited tourism to Cuba, profiting billions in doing so. According to a CBS4 News report, first published in the Miami Herald, the four cruise lines are Carnival, Norwegian, Royal Caribbean, and MSC SA. U.S. District Judge Beth Bloom ruled in favor of Havana Docks, ruling that by using the terminal, or one of its piers, the cruise lines committed trafficking acts. For the complete CBS4 News report, click here. Finnish telecommunications equipment provider Nokia has termed as "misleading" claims made by The New York Times about the company's role in Russia's lawful intercept system. The NYT story is a rehashing of a story published by the American tech website TechCrunch back in 2019, where the reporter, Zach Whittaker, said it offered "new insight into the scope and scale of the Russian surveillance system... and how Russian authorities gain access to the calls, messages and data of customers of the countrys largest phone provider, Mobile TeleSystems". A Nokia spokesperson said, in a detailed rebuttal, that the NYT had confirmed that the documents used as source material for the story were the same as those used by TechCrunch. NYT reporters Adam Satariano, Paul Mozur and used emotive language, writing that the system was "most likely being employed at this moment as President Vladimir V. Putin culls and silences anti-war voices inside Russia" although it had no hard evidence to prove this. The Russian lawful intercept system is known as System for Operative Investigative Activities, or SORM. Nokia said the NYT had suggested that its networks play an active part in enabling equipment used for SORM. "This is incorrect. Like any other network infrastructure supplier, Nokia is required to ensure that the networking products we sell have passive capability to interface with lawful intercept equipment of law enforcement agencies," the company said. "This is governed by internationally recognised standards, as well as local regulations. All Nokia deals go through a strict human rights due diligence process that has been externally assessed and vetted by the Global Network Initiative. "We are the first and only telecommunications equipment vendor to have this external assessment in place." The NYT headline was: "When Nokia Pulled Out of Russia, a Vast Surveillance System Remained", but it did not outline whether other companies that had pulled out of war zones in the past had taken their installed equipment with them. The Nokia spokesperson said: "The information that was already published by TechCrunch in 2019 does not show anything more than Nokias product interfaces meeting the standards-based, legal requirements related to lawful intercept. The same standards and legal requirements have governed every other infrastructure supplier which has supplied equipment in Russia. "In fact, Nokia is not even permitted to access SORM equipment or systems whether sitting on an operator or relevant authoritys premises. Additionally, it is a third party which converts the standards-based interface in Nokias products to fit with the legal intercept requirements a fact which is also reflected in the 2019 documents." The Finnish company, one of four that is able to supply end-to-end 5G networks, added: "As Nokia has made clear to The New York Times, Nokia does not manufacture, install or service SORM equipment or systems. Any suggestions that we do, are incorrect. "Lawful intercept is a standard capability that exists in every network in almost every nation. It provides properly authorised law enforcement agencies with the ability to track and view certain data and communications passing through an operators network for purposes of combatting crime." The NYT story was claimed to have been put together after vetting more than 75,000 documents for the story. Aruba, a division of HPE, has unveiled news of Aruba Central NetConductor to automate and simplify the creation, deployment, and management of wired, wireless, and WAN networks all from one place, as well as news about GPS-enabled Aruba WiFi access points to provide greater location capabilities. Aruba South Pacific (ANZ) director Pat Devlin and Aruba category manager Darren Smith spoke to iTWire to explain what the news means. In reality, while today's news offers amazing capabilities for enterprises of all sizes, Aruba has been building to this point for some years with its previous decision and work to relaunch its switching platform to use a single unified operating system end-to-end all the way from devices for small offices to data centres. This unified platform made Aruba the only networking equipment vendor with a single API-driven operating system over its entire spectrum. Aruba Central NetConductor - which will be included in the Central subscription - now places all the device management - whether wired, wireless, or WAN - into one place, allowing administrators to configure all their hardware as if it was one single lump of infrastructure. In fact, some of the enablement is based on the VX LAN standard and, Devlin states, could propagate to handle any VX LAN-compliant connected device, irrespective of it being an Aruba device or not. While it sounds simple - a single pane to manage all your Aruba functionality in one place - Aruba has loaded features and functionality to streamline network administration processes and add smarts. For example, the product can automate actions based on security insights received from something at the edge of the network like, say, a Palo Alto firewall. A firewall rule being triggered can enforce a policy in Aruba Central NetConductor. Or, you might create policies so when a device joins your network Aruba Central NetConductor identifies and opens up ports as appropriate. It could be an IP camera, a smart lightbulb, or an end-user device. Whatever it is, NetConductor can identify the device, confirm its the regular type you use, and configure the device and firewalls so all you need to do is plug it in and let NetConductor handle the rest. Or, perhaps your policy might be to quarantine a new network device so it cannot use the network until youve identified and categorised it. Or, perhaps you may allow it guest Internet access but not corporate network access to start but revoke even the guest access should a firewall or IDS identify its doing bad things. In fact, the product comes with signatures for millions of devices from hardware vendors around the world so the platform can categorise new devices based on what it thinks, allowing you to review later and only need to act if you want to treat something as a special case. There is a lot to like, and Devlin and Smith credit the achievement to Aruba's prior work in unifying its operating system, and to its DevOps culture and agility. Additionally, Aruba has announced GPS capabilities being unlocked in its WiFi access points. Every day companies are installing Wi-Fi access points and struggle enough with channel management, let alone having to deal with installing client devices in proximity to an AP. Devlin explains network administrators and Aruba service and support teams alike are working to optimise configurations based on where the client says the physical location is. If its the wrong information, or devices move, it could well be wrong and provide a bad experience. In fact, Devlin says, some large companies with thousands upon thousands of access points have even lost track of where their assets are located. Another problem is devices may be able to identify where they are in relation to a beacon, but that doesnt identify where it really is. For instance, in a shopping centre, you might receive directions to the wrong store. Or a defibrillator might identify itself as being located outside the wrong operating theatre. GPS location will resolve these and other concerns. It will provide a highly accurate reference point from which many other things can flow - tuning, asset data, site health, and anything based on location. It's not simply a GPS antenna stuck into the AP, Devlin says, but a special version of their chip designed to get better location data over time using GPS data plus information from other devices and combining all this with location policies to share back out using OpenLocate. Aruba has deliberately chosen an open protocol to help improve the community and enable other devices - from other vendors - to similarly benefit from OpenLocate data. The tech does not require new hardware, Smith says. Aruba Wi-Fi 6/6E APs already have this tech on them and it will be only a software update for customers to take advantage of them, and both GPS- and non-GPS APs will benefit from the location data. Aruba Central NetConductor services are available for early access now and will be generally available in July 2022. Central NetConductor services are part of Aruba Central, and are available with an Advanced license. Aruba Wi-Fi 6/6E APs include self-location and are currently shipping, and GPS capabilities are included in existing Aruba Wi-Fi 6E APs and pricing. The Australian Information Industry Association (AIIA) has praised the Federal Governments commitment to invest in the digital economy and support skills in the Federal Budget, but what are its 24 recommendations? The 2022-23 Federal Budget highlighted the Morrison Governments strong focus on the technology sector, bringing in appropriate policy and measures across cyber security, business, digital economy, skills, innovation and low-emissions technologies. A range of other 2022-23 Budget Commentary from some top tech companies is also available here, and more is likely to come. The AIIA CEO, Ron Gauci said: The Australian Information Industry Association (AIIA) welcomes the Federal Government 22-23 Budget announcements. The significant investments in innovation technology proposed by the Government are recognition of the AIIAs previous calls that technology is an essential driver to economic growth creating employment opportunities, improving services, and becoming globally competitive. With one of the Governments previously stated objectives to be a leading digital economy by 2030, the AIIA notes this years budget saw further movement to making this a reality, with technology infrastructure, digital ID and e-invoicing all benefiting as a result. Gauci continued: It is pleasing to see technology take a prime spot on the main stage in this years budget with a broad range of policies and strategies including the release of the Digital Economy Strategy 2022 Update which supports our progress to become a top 10 digital economy by 2030 as we called for in our 2020 White Paper. The AIIA notes its Federal Government Pre-Budget and Pre-Election Policy Submission 2022 details 24 key recommendations, with several of these recommendations included in this years Budget, including investment in the digital economy, ICT skills and technology infrastructure. While the $7 billion total investment in skills and training is welcome, the AIIA would have liked to see more clarity around its allocation to ensure a heavier focus and funding allocation towards Australias ICT industry and business - this is the area that is suffering severely when it comes to skills shortage and is going to be the driver for economic recovery. The AIIA is very pleased, however, to see $3.9M to support women in mid-career transitions to the tech workforce, continued Gauci. Small business is supported in the budget with a bonus 20% tax rebate for investment in digital technology, along with skills and training of staff. Additionally, the AIIA notes the Morrison Government also announced employee share reforms in which people working in start-up businesses will be able to receive more incentives and bonuses. The new form will hope to encourage further innovation in Australia. Employees will be eligible for up to $30,000 in shares per year. Gauci added: The employee share reforms will help skilled innovators attract talent and see innovations move from the R&D stage to commercialisation. Australia is very good at supporting R&D, but we must make steps to improve support to commercialise brilliant Australian IP. We risk continuing to see brilliant Australian innovations sold overseas without better support. Policies such as the changes to the employee share scheme are a great step to supporting Australias future economic prosperity. National security was another major topic addressed in last nights announcement, with cyber security seeing significant investment - with the 1900 new jobs being created leading to extended calls for the industry to work with government on training to fill these highly-skilled and critical roles that are already in high demand. Treasurer Josh Frydenberg referred to the world being a far more dangerous place than it ever has been and the significant investment in cyber shows that the digital dangers are understood by the government and will support national security and see jobs created as a further consequence. The AIIA would also like to see the Cybersecurity measures extended to the SME sector to protect their businesses as well, Gauci concluded. The AIIA reminds us it is a "not-for-profit organisation aimed at fuelling Australias future social and economic prosperity through tech innovation and remains committed to working with all levels of Government to secure Australias digital future." We've already heard from the AIIA, but what is the reaction from a range of top tech companies in Australia? There's money in this year's Australian Federal Budget to skill up Australians, and while only 70,000 skilled migrants have arrived since the borders opened, despite a cap of 160,000, the global competition for talent is sure to continue unabated. The AIIA has also shared its views on the budget, which you can read here. In the budget summary, we read of the Federal Government's desire to connect regional Australians to the "digital economy," stating "Reliable telecommunications are essential to thriving regional and remote communities. Thats why the Governments plan for a stronger future includes $1.3 billion for improved telecommunications. "A $480 million investment will upgrade the NBN Fixed Wireless and Satellite networks, which enables up to one million households and businesses in regional, rural, remote and peri-urban areas to access better quality internet services. This means faster upload and download speeds for fixed wireless users and increased data allowances for satellite users. "A new $811.8 million Connecting Regional Australia initiative will expand mobile coverage, support technology improvements, improve accessibility, and resilience to natural disasters." We're told "these reforms will help regional businesses access global markets, provide greater employment opportunities, improve access to education, and help friends and families stay connected." There's plenty more, and no doubt more commentary will arrive throughout the day, but what are some of the initial takes from top tech leaders? 1. Annie Sheehan, ANZ Lead at the Project Management Institute (PMI) noted: Apprenticeships The $365 million extension of the Boosting Apprenticeship Commencements program and the $2.8bn investment into apprenticeship programs reflects the enormous benefits of upskilling young people and the key role that this plays in addressing chronic workforce shortages, in the long term. The future of Australia relies on upskilling todays youth for the range of jobs that they will undertake in the future. As businesses across all industries become increasing projectised, it is important to ensure that training the future workforce includes a focus on key project management skills such as communication, leadership, time and budget management, empathy and resilience. Upskilling With 75% of Australian CEOs concerned about the availability of key skills, Labors commitment to offer free TAFE places, extra university courses and government support for start-ups demonstrates the urgent need to address the skills gap and introduce new skilled workers to the tech sector. Project management and collaboration between federal and state government, TATE schools, universities and small businesses is essential to ensure that businesses now and in the future are equipped with a strong and skilled workforce. The tech and innovation sector is rapidly growing and boosting jobs to 1.2m by 2030 has the potential to have a significant positive impact on the wider economy. Upskilling young people The federal governments $1.2bn investment into the existing Transition to Work scheme for unemployed young people will be hugely important in addressing the current skills gap and mitigating against this issue in the future. Ensuring that young people are equipped with skills and capabilities for the range of jobs that they will undertake in the future is essential in Australias recovery and building a strong economic future. The future of work is becoming increasingly projectised and an estimated 25 million project professionals will be required by 2030. As such, project management certifications and short courses are some of the best ways for Australians to upskill for a range of jobs. 2. Garry Valenzisi, VP & GM ANZ at Iron Mountain. said: Digital transformation Like many technology vendors, digital transformation is the fastest-growing space in our business and we applaud the government for providing a $120 tax deduction for every $100 small businesses spend on digital technologies. This will help Australia to take important steps towards becoming a leading digitally-driven nation taking the much-needed step in helping Australia become a leading digitally-driven nation. As SMEs, which account for half of Australias workforce, may lack the skills and resources to utilise these emerging technologies and effectively manage the digital transformation and resiliency gap, particularly following the rapid digital transformation of the sector post-pandemic. Whilst its positive to see the government recognise the importance of a national unified digital approach, its critical that the private and public sector assist businesses that struggle with their digital assets, so they can protect and unlock value from their information, which, in turn, will drive meaningful transformation, knowledge and advantage. The government must do its part to empower these vulnerable businesses, as we shift from physical to digital. Tech sector low emissions The federal government's investment from this years Budget into transforming Australias local technology sector to produce the best talent, innovation and new technologies is critical in building the digital economy of tomorrow. But businesses must not lose sight of the environmental impact of digitised data. Todays demand for electronic devices is creating the worlds fastest growing waste stream, e-waste, of which Australia is the fifth highest producer. While we support the governments $60m boost to reduce plastic waste announced in this year's Budget, as well as the recent establishment of the $1b Low Emissions Technology Commercialisation Fund, more government and business support is needed to facilitate extended lifecycles of consumer and business technology devices, driven by appropriate incentives and regulation. 3. Michael Bodle, COO, Mantel Group said: Tech talent shortage "Its no secret there are labour shortages across almost every sector in Australia. For us, the tech talent squeeze is very real and the closure of Australias borders for the past couple of years has only exacerbated this problem. "Whilst weve implemented our own training programs at Mantel Group and are actively widening our pool of talent, taking men and women on from all industries, the government should be investing more in education if Australia is going to be a top ten data and digital economy by 2030. Business and consumer confidence "This years Budget should deliver confidence to businesses and consumers so we can embrace a post Covid world. Many businesses have closed, and people have lost jobs. Now is the time to give the Australian public some confidence, to take on those additional staff or start that business. Its good to see some support for SMEs. It would be great to see more incentives for people to take that leap and start a business." The Australian Attraction Factor "It would have been nice to see the Australian Government make it easier for companies to hire people from overseas. Currently, its too complicated, drawn out, and expensive. Australia needs a marketing campaign to not only get people to come and visit again, but to live and work here. The competition for tech talent is global what will make skilled people come to Australia rather than the U.S or Europe? We must remember that were also going to lose some of our talent to the U.S. and Europe, now our borders are open, so it would be great to see the Budget helping to not only attract skilled people to come and live in Australia but keep them here, over the long-term." 4. Pete Murray, MD, Veritas, believes that the issue of cyber security is not being addressed holistically. He has quoted the below based on the Budget: On security: Given that we have seen many instances in Australia where cyber security has failed, wed like to see greater collaboration between the public and private sectors to increase the ability of businesses to protect their data and their applications once a hacker is in. In the current world of when not if an organisation is going to suffer from ransomware, protecting the front door simply isnt enough. On skills: While the skills incentives will primarily boost young people reskilling and entering tech, we are missing the opportunity to target an enormous untapped talent pool of people those between 40 and 60 who grew up when IT was really taking off and seen as an exciting career choice, but may have been frightened away from the industry by the shadow of outsourcing. Our industry hasnt done enough to educate and excite this group, or the younger technology students of tomorrow, about the value of being part of the IT industry. Theres often a misconception that a career in technology comes with a risk of becoming offshored, when in reality, the technology sector is an incredibly secure and flexible line of work. As an industry, we need to collaborate and get closer to tertiary education institutions to make IT an appealing career path for the youth of today. While a renewed investment in local tech infrastructure such as the $243m in grants for manufacturing projects is strengthening Australias on the map in technology innovation, theres no point if we dont have a local talent pool to get these projects off the ground. The pandemic has been the biggest lesson on IT business agility since the turn of the millennium. Many businesses were unprepared for the sudden need to move employees and operations at the start of the pandemic, and are now scrambling to play catch up as hybrid working is a much required corporate infrastructure capability today. Veritas Technologies, which has approx. 80,000 customers including 87% of the Fortune Global 500, recent research reveals: - Just 43% of Australian leaders believe their current teams have the skills needed to protect organisations in the current cyber environment - Australian organisations now need an additional $2.3m and 27 new IT staff each to shorten the vulnerability lag brought on by COVID and hybrid working, and ensure protection in the next 12 months - 63% of Australian IT leaders say security gaps exist in their technology strategy due to COVID-19 transformation - The average Australian enterprise has been the victim of 1.14 ransomware attacks - Only half of Australian businesses who have been attacked have managed to avoid paying a ransom to the criminals that initiated it. More budget commentary from top tech leaders to come! Smith Brothers Media is a full-service digital agency that is passionate about helping great businesses grow and improve. CEO James Smith spoke with iTWireTV about how businesses of all sizes can make their communication channels work at peak efficiency. James Smith spoke with iTWireTV to explain why - even in this modern age - the telephone is still such an important means of communication and why phone calls are important to businesses in its mix of channels. Yet, many businesses allow their phone to go unanswered which can erode the value of your brand and certainly the value of your marketing spend. James has sage advice for businesses on how they can measure the effectiveness of their communication channels and how they can make their communication channels operate at peak efficiency, particularly on the back of media spending. See James' advice here: Smith Brothers Media has almost 50 staff along with three office dogs. Projects include promoting the Australian marketing campaign for Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, from Disney, as well as work for Bosch, the Italian tourism board, Compton Green, Gut Smart, and more. The company has appeared on the popular Gruen television show. GUEST OPINION: With data dependency at an all-time high for businesses, almost every company is looking to establish themselves as a technology-first company, similar to Amazon or Netflix. Organisations have pushed the button on their digital transformation journey, and now understand that they need to be mindful of how they integrate and manage enterprise data that is distributed, still easily accessible, trusted, and governed. In fact, Gartner predicts a 6.5% growth rate across the board for the IT sector in Australia, with the biggest growth expected to come from the IT services sector. Coupled to that growth, organisations are placing emphasis on their back-end systems in order to get their customer-facing assets working better. In many cases this means migrating to more efficient data solutions, removing siloes, cleansing data and generally making better use of the data assets the company has. This has prompted the advent of modern data integration styles like data virtualisation, as industries of all kinds and sizes look to accelerate change and leverage data more effectively. Expect to see the following five trends make their mark in 2022: 1. Data fabric becomes the foundation for the distributed enterprise. As digital businesses and online sales channels proliferate and remote work becomes the norm, it creates a complex and diverse ecosystem of devices, applications, and data infrastructure. In particular, data infrastructure can span on-premises, single cloud, multi-cloud, hybrid-cloud, or a combination of these, spread across regional boundaries with no single solution to knit all this data together. In 2022, organisations will create a data fabric to drive enterprise-wide data and analytics and to automate many of the data integration, preparation, exploration tasks. Data Fabric unifies the data assets distributed across disparate location, format, and latency using logical, physical, or hybrid approaches. By enabling organisations to choose their preferred approach, these data fabrics will reduce time-to-delivery and make it a preferred data management approach in the coming year. In fact, according to a recent TEI study by Forrester, Data fabric technology takes data virtualisation a step further by automating data management functions using artificial intelligence/machine learning and providing additional semantic capabilities through data catalogue, data preparation, and data modelling. 2. Decision intelligence makes inroads for enterprise-wide decision support. Organisations have been acquiring vast amounts of data and need to leverage that information to drive business outcomes. Decision intelligence is making inroads across enterprises, as regular dashboards and BI platforms are augmented with AI/ML-driven decision support systems. Decision intelligence is the combination of regular BI dashboards enhanced with AI/ML, whereby enterprises can make predictions of outcomes for certain sets of actions and recommend one action over the other, thus helping decision support systems. In 2002, decision intelligence has the potential to make assessments better and faster, given machine generated decisions can be processed at speeds that humans simply cannot. The caveat - machines still lack consciousness and do not understand the implications of the decision outcome. Look for organisations to incorporate decision intelligence into their BI stack to continuously measure the outcome to avoid unintended consequences by tweaking the decision parameters accordingly. 3. Data mesh architectures become more enticing. As organisations grow in size and complexity, central data teams are forced to deal with a wide array of functional units and associated data consumers. This makes it difficult to understand the data requirements for all cross functional teams and offer the right set of data products to their consumers. Data mesh is a new decentralised data architecture approach for data analytics that aims to remove bottlenecks and take data decisions closer to those who understand the data. In 2022 and beyond, larger organisations with distributed data environments will implement a data mesh architecture. As different functional units or domains within larger organisations have a better understanding of how their data should be used, letting the domains define and implement their own data infrastructure results in fewer iterations until business needs are met and are of high quality. This also removes the bottleneck of the centralised infrastructure and gives domains autonomy to use the best tools for their particular situations. Data mesh will create a unified infrastructure enabling domains to create and share data products while enforcing standards for interoperability, quality, governance, and security. 4. Organisations embrace composable data and analytics to empower data consumers. Monolithic architectures are already a thing of the past but we can expect even smaller footprints. As global companies deal with distributed data across regional, cloud and data centre boundaries, consolidating that data in one central location is practically impossible. Thats where composable data architecture, whereby organisations can pick and choose certain tools to build parts of or the entirely of their data infrastructure, becomes paramount and brings agility to data infrastructure. One good example of a composable architecture is a data fabric, which can be created using a data catalogue tool, a semantic tool, a data integration tool and a metadata tool put together. Data management infrastructure is extremely diverse and usually every organisation uses multiple systems or modules that together constitute their data management environment. Being able to build a low-code, no-code data infrastructure provides flexibility and user friendliness, as it empowers business users to put together their desired data management stack and makes them less dependent on IT. In 2022, expect organisations to accelerate building composable data and analytics environments, whereby they can avoid vendor lock-in and attain more flexibility as they put together a data infrastructure stack that meets their needs. 5. Small and wide data analytics begin to catch on. AI/ML is transforming the way organisations operate, but to be successful, it is also dependent on historical data analytics, aka big data analytics. While big data analytics is here to stay, in many cases this old historical data continues to lose its value. In 2022, organisations will leverage small data analytics to create hyper-personalised experiences for their individual customers to understand customer sentiment around a specific product or service within a short time window. While wide data analytics, which entails combining structured, unstructured and semi-structured data from various data sources for analytical purposes, is a comparatively new concept and yet to find widespread adoption - given the pace at which organisations are making use of geospatial data, machine generated data, social media data and various other data types - expect to see small and wide data analytics gaining better traction across organisations as we enter into the New Year. Johnson City, TN (37604) Today Variable clouds with strong thunderstorms. Damaging winds, large hail and possibly a tornado with some storms. High 73F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 90%.. Tonight Rain showers early becoming a steady light rain overnight. Low 53F. Winds WSW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 90%. The fire burning on Buffalo Mountain was up to 75% contained Monday evening, and fire crews have pulled off the scene for the day, according to James Heaton, a forestry technician with the Tennessee Division of Forestry. Heaton said earlier Monday that crews from the state Division of Forestry and the U.S. Forest Service were working to clear pockets of unburnt fuel and snags dead, standing trees without leaves or needles. An interactive map of forest fires in the state operated by the Division of Forestry incorrectly listed the fire as 100% contained overnight, but was updated to show it as 40% contained as of 11:12 a.m. Monday. Were just working those areas, making sure that we have a good solid containment line around the fire, and right now we have a dozer line and hand line in place, were not at 100% containment, said Heaton said Monday morning. Heaton said he was not overly concerned about any potential threat to structures or residences in the area, though there were points on Sunday where the fire was threatening structures near Bill Garland Road. There was also a point where firefighters were concerned about the fire damaging the towers on top of the mountain, but they managed to prevent it. They are forecasting low humidity and high winds today, not as high as yesterday, but still high winds, Heaton said. Theres still a chance that something could happen and, you know, the fire could escape but were not anticipating that but we do need to plan for it. Heaton said the fire was burning within containment lines as of 5:45 p.m. Monday, and said people can expect to see smoke until the fire exhausts all the fuel within those lines. Sign up to Johnson City Press Today! Top stories, delivered straight to your inbox. The National Weather Service in Morristown forecasted low relative humidity at 22% for Johnson City on Monday, with wind gusts possible up to 22 miles per hour. While a red flag warning was not issued for Northeast Tennessee, those conditions are close to meeting the threshold for one. Carter County Emergency Management Agency Director Billy Harrell said state forestry firefighters were brought back to the scene around 11 a.m. Harrell said most of the firefighting wrapped up around 10:30 p.m. Sunday, and said at its peak firefighters from four fire departments were on the scene, including 20 members of the Johnson City Fire Department, 15 members of the West Carter County Volunteer Fire Department, eight members of the Unicoi Volunteer Fire Department and six members of the Central Volunteer Fire Department. That was in addition to state forestry assets, which included two helicopters and two bulldozers. Also taking part in the effort were two deputies from the Carter County Sheriffs Office, the Carter County Emergency Management Agency and the Unicoi County Emergency Management Agency. Harrell said he was also providing updates to the Washington County Emergency Management Agency. The fire is the largest one Buffalo Mountain has seen in nearly 14 years. In May 2008, a fire atop the mountain, fueled by strong winds, burned about 1,500 acres over several days before firefighters were able to gain control of the fire. Portions of Buffalo Mountain Park were closed for months as a result. FOR THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS AND UPDATES, DOWNLOAD THE JOHNSON CITY PRESS APP Today Variable clouds with strong thunderstorms. Damaging winds, large hail and possibly a tornado with some storms. High near 75F. Winds SSE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Tonight Thunderstorms during the evening will give way to partly cloudy skies after midnight. Low near 55F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 80%. Tomorrow Cloudy in the morning, then off and on rain showers during the afternoon hours. High 66F. Winds WNW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 60%. Chinas quest for new ways to handle Omicron By Chen Qingqing, Zhao Yusha and Yu Xi (Global Times) 11:13, March 29, 2022 On Kangding road, Jing'an district of Shanghai, street barriers are placed to manage traffic outside the neighborhood communities. Some residents were jogging, while sanitation workers were busy collecting garbage. Photo: Hu Gong/Global Times As the highly transmissible Omicron variant continues to pose risks and concerns over the social and economic costs of the protracted epidemic grow, several major Chinese cities have embarked on a quest for an improved anti-epidemic approach that can both ensure dynamic zero-COVID targets and minimize disruptions to social and economic activities, with the latest approach of phased closed-off management - instead of citywide measures - imposed by Shanghai, the country' financial hub, starting on Monday. Shanghai's move to divide the city into two parts and impose strict closed-off management in one part first is clearly aimed at minimizing social and economic disruptions, given the city's special status as a main economic, trade and financial hub in China. Shanghai's approach came one day after the tech hub of Shenzhen announced the resumption of normal life and work on Sunday after "hitting the slow button" to stem the spread of the COVID-19 for one week, when differentiated measures were taken in various parts of the city. Meanwhile, Northeast China's Jilin Province, where strict prevention measures have been adopted, continued recording surging infection numbers, underscoring a series of loopholes seen in the city as it handles the latest outbreak. The varying approaches of the country's dynamic zero-COVID strategy by the different cities underlined China's continuous efforts to improve the efficiency and reduce the costs of the anti-epidemic measures, even as many countries around the world have basically given up their efforts. With China's extensive successful experience and its relentless efforts for improvement, the country will be able to adjust its strategy to maximize results and minimize costs in combating the coronavirus, analysts said. Shanghai carried out a staggered seal-off starting from Mondayin Pudong and key areas of Puxi (divided by the Huangpu River) and mass nucleic acid tests will be conducted in the city covering over 6,340 square kilometers and with a population of over 24 million to cut hidden transmission routes in communities. By carrying out China's dynamic zero policy, Shanghai had earlier implemented it in a precise way by allowing the majority of residents to maintain normal life and by targeting only a small part for mass screening for confirmed cases. Zhang Wenhong, one of the Shanghai-based prominent experts, also indicated that a long-term lockdown and seal-off management create trouble to people's daily lives that should be tackled. When local officials explained why Shanghai can't be locked down, Wu Fan, an expert from the city's anti-epidemic leading expert team, highlighted the city's crucial role in the country's and world's economy. And by carrying out a combination of mass nucleic acid tests and antigen self-testing in key areas and non-key areas, local authorities ensured that many residents still could carry out a normal life, enjoy coffee time with their friends and ride bicycles during the weekend. However, new ways have been introduced starting from Monday, as some loopholes have been exposed during the process of implementing precise anti-epidemic measures. Wu told a press briefing on Monday that the current resurgence in COVID-19 cases in Shanghai is characterized by the coexistence of regional clusters and sporadic cases distributed across the city, and "it's necessary to conduct strict measures to reduce people flow and find the hidden transmission routes." Did Shanghai fail in carrying out its precise dynamic zero approach and explore a new way for China to fight Omicron? Is the city re-adopting the strict lockdown and seal-off management measures like Shenzhen? How can Shanghai's experience help China deal with future COVID-19 flare-ups? Shanghai residents were seen buying vegetables at Xikang Road grocery market in Jing'an District, Shanghai on Monday.Photo: Hu Gong Exploring new ways Some senior Chinese experts who closely follow the country's handling of the COVID-19 outbreaks over the past years consider Shanghai's exploration a courageous and necessary one, especially when more suggestions were made by epidemiologists in China and overseas to adjust China's zero tolerance strategy in a more dynamic way in lowering the costs on social development and people's livelihood, striking a balance between the regular anti-epidemic work and economic growth. "There's no such thing as the best method," an expert close to China's CDC who preferred not to be named told the Global Times, noting that what matters is the proper timing for implementing the dynamic zero approach and fixing the loopholes. "Considering the surge in daily infections, which could have spread to neighboring regions, Shanghai is adopting more strict measures, which does not mean its previous precise anti-epidemic work failed," Tao Lina, a Shanghai-based medical expert on vaccines, told the Global Times on Monday. The proper timing of controlling the flare-up could be identifying infections earlier than the severe management loopholes exposed in the city's quarantine hotel Huating Hotel, and when there were fewer cases, the precise anti-epidemic measures could work in fending off the resurgence, Tao noted. While the city could have responded more decisively to nip off earlier infections, it accumulated experiences for other cities including the fast mass screening by antigen self-testing, which helped handle the small-scale Omicron flare-up without heavily weighing on medical resources, experts said. "To some extent, Shanghai conducted a necessary test," Zhuang Shilihe, a Guangzhou-based immunologist, told the Global Times on Monday. As the Omicron sub-variant BA.2 changes, there were secondary issues caused by the anti-epidemic measures. As China's economic center, Shanghai had to strike a balance between economic and social development in anti-epidemic work, so it was necessary to think of a way to lower the cost and achieve the highest benefits, Chen Xi, an associated professor of public health at Yale University, told the Global Times on Monday. Though there have been public debates in China about different anti-epidemic measures, cities across the country have been adopting different approaches, vastly different from the strict lockdown imposed at the early stage of the epidemic in Wuhan. Shenzhen has returned to normal after seven days of strict prevention and control measures that included placing all residential communities under closed management, suspending public transportation and closing stores and businesses, which was seen as much more efficient than previous city lockdowns in the early stages of the pandemic with the much lower social and economic cost. Though many do not agree with an immediate reopening with the world considering the severe rampage of the COVID-19 overseas, almost no one would still prefer major lockdowns and strict measures until the virus is wiped out," Zhuang said. Lessons accumulated While experts agreed that both Shanghai and Shenzhen are accumulating the experiences for China's future handling of the COVID-19 outbreak as they fight the new flare-up, the county indeed has been adjusting its anti-epidemic strategy, for example, recently, by updating its COVID-19 playbook by placing COVID-19 patients with mild symptoms in centralized quarantine facilities instead of in hospitals, and lowering the bar for patients to be discharged from hospital. Some Shanghai residents told the Global Times on Monday that although the city has been making efforts to contain the virus spread, some things still need to be fixed on a community level to ensure that the policy is effectively implemented. For example, a 41-year-old resident surnamed Pan living in Meilong of Minhang district in Shanghai, where three COVID-19 medium-risk areas were classified so far, said the neighborhood committee workers have been working hard including organizing nucleic acid tests as they have been put under closed-loop management for 17 days. "We are concerned if there will be more cases detected in our community. The related information should be announced in a timely manner to mitigate our concerns," Pan said. Several residents in severely-hit Jilin Province told the Global Times there have been problems such as chaotic management in quarantine places as staff workers there have not been properly trained and the daily necessities are not being timely dispatched to each household. "As it's also a long-term test for local officials and the health system, cities should learn from each other on how to be well-prepared in fighting the prolonged epidemic," Chen said, noting that being well-prepared psychologically is equally important. (Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun) Law enforcement agencies of Ukraine did not need to spring into action in the wake of Russias invasion on 24 February 2022: it had already accumulated the experience and know-how of investigating and prosecuting conflict-related crimes in its territory over the preceding eight years. Ukraines General Prosecutors Office (GPO) has set up an online portal to be used for submitting the information about most recent alleged crimes. As of 28 March 2022, it has registered 3,085 crimes involving at least 205 suspects from among Russian ministers, parliamentarians, army high command, state officials, law-enforcement officers, and most notorious Kremlin propagandists. Abhorrent images and footages recorded by the authorities, civil society actors, reporters, and eyewitnesses on the ground and circulating widely on the social media attest to an unimaginable scale of destruction and human suffering. The blitzkrieg has now exceeded tenfold the time its authors thought the installation of a puppet government in Kyiv would take. As the hostilities became protracted, the Russian armed forces turned to the military tactics tested and tried over two decades ago in Grozny, Chechnya and more recently in Aleppo, Syria: laying siege to strategic towns, systematic shelling by heavy artillery of civilian objects and infrastructure (hospitals, schools, and makeshift shelters) and deliberate targeting of ambulances, rescuers, and journalists in double tap strikes. The use of imprecise weapons such as unguided missiles, cluster munitions and, as alleged most recently, phosphorus bombs or incendiary submunitions, in urban settings has reduced the suburbs and residential neighborhoods in Kyiv, Kharkiv, Chernihiv, Mariupol, Volnovakha, Irpin, Mykolaiv, and countless other cities and towns to rubble. The death toll among civilians is on the rise. The besieged Mariupol has been described as a hell on Earth. Over three million of Ukrainians became refugees elsewhere and this number will grow exponentially. Ukraine takes centre-stage Ukraines judiciary intends to investigate violations of the laws and customs of war, planning, preparing or unleashing, and waging an aggressive war, and incitement to war. Via her social media, the Prosecutor-General Iryna Venediktova has highlighted the ongoing investigations into the forcible transfer, under the guise of evacuation, of the Ukrainian civilian population including children from the partly occupied Mariupol, the use of civilians as human shields, and the causing of environmental damage. As the territorial state, Ukraine is best placed to carry out investigations and prosecutions in the cases involving low- and mid-level perpetrators on the ground, insofar as it has access to crime scenes, evidence, and suspects it can apprehend. Some evidence will be located outside of its borders but can be obtained in due course by directly interviewing witnesses from among the refugees or through mutual legal assistance. Although any evidence and suspects located in Russia remain out of reach for the time being, Ukraine can count on evidentiary and operational support by a growing number of other states. Russias aggression has triggered a uniformly strong reaction in the capitals across Europe and beyond. Projections of individual responsibility for conflict-related crimes have been part and parcel of that response from the start and have galvanized practical measures undertaken by states on multiple fronts. National investigations in Europe and beyond The prosecution services in at least eleven other European statesEstonia, France, Latvia, Lithuania, Germany, Norway, Poland, Slovakia, Spain, Switzerland and Swedenhave announced investigations into war crimes and crimes against humanity in Ukraine based on the principle of universal jurisdiction. The list of these countries will grow and soon encompass not only most of the European Union and associated states but also spill over beyond Europe. As the Ukrainian refugees and, at some point, potential suspects from among the former Kremlin functionaries and Russian servicemen settle down elsewhere (think of former USSR states in the Caucasus and Central Asia, Turkey, Israel, US, and Canada), those receiving states may also be prodded to experiment with universal jurisdiction prosecutions of the Ukrainian conflict-related cases the political will, legislative arrangements, and prosecutorial ingenuity and resources permitting. In case of Poland, the current investigation covers the crime of initiation or waging of a war of aggression and war crimes. Rather than looking into specific reported incidents and individuals, Swedish, German and Spanish prosecutors have announced structural investigations into the serious violations of international law in Ukraine. Those do not target specific persons from the outset but are meant to gather evidence in relation to the conflict generally. Thus, the investigators can construct a solid evidentiary foundation to anticipateand pro-actively buildcases for the benefit of future criminal proceedings in domestic, foreign, or international courts, such as the International Criminal Court (ICC). The states in the business of structural investigations have been able to quickly step up to the plate and capitalize on their recent experience of carrying out similar investigations and providing legal assistance in connection with cases involving former members of the Syrian regime, ISIS/Daesh and other categories of perpetrators. States with high intelligence capacity, including non-parties to the ICC Statute ready to support the ongoing accountability efforts, could play a vital role in helping build cases and have some of the suspects arrested in due course. The US State Department has already qualified the conduct of Russias forces in Ukraine as war crimes and pledged to keep tracking reports and pursu[e] accountability using every tool available. As of 28 March, Ukraines General Prosecutors Office has registered 3,085 crimes involving at least 205 Russian suspects during the first month of the war. Ukraines Prosecutor Generals office The unprecedented support for the ICC Many more states have quickly expressed their commitment to criminal accountability through showing support to the ICC. By now 41 States Parties to the Rome Statute the founding treaty of the ICC have referred the situation in Ukraine to the ICC Prosecutor. Such express and wide state support for an ICC investigation is unprecedented, and this time it is more than a symbolic gesture: states have proved eager to commit funds and second national personnel the ICC Prosecutor asked for in his repeated calls for assistance. Lithuaniathe first State Party to refer Ukrainealso became the first to declare its intention to allocate funds (100,000) to support the ICC probe. Several states followed suit soon enough. The UK will donate an additional 1 million and provide military experts in intelligence-gathering. It will also task the war crimes team in the Metropolitan Polices Counter-Terrorism Command with bolstering the ICC efforts. France has announced that it will second magistrates, investigators and experts to the ICC and commit an initial amount of 500,000. Time will tell how many (and how soon) other State Parties will put their money where their mouth is and alleviate the ICCs resource constraints in tangible ways. Focus on and strengthen existing mechanisms The plurality of initiatives to bring the authors of core crimes in Ukraine to justice raises not only the familiar operational questions but also the more fundamental dilemmas of prioritization and coordination among the extant (and any future) accountability avenues with a view to maximizing their overall effectiveness. In an emerging multipolar, multi-tiered and highly dynamic accountability landscape, the success of their shared mission will depend on whether states, international organisations, and advocacy groups will set the right priorities and pursue them in a principled and dogged manner. Moreover, the quality of cooperation between different accountability actors, the degree of interlacing and cross-pollination among the parallel efforts will prove the key determinants of success. They will need to use the full potential of existing mechanisms of cooperation in international crimes cases combined with novel and creative approaches. In terms of prioritization, the issue of a separate international (super ad hoc) aggression tribunal for Ukraine has been widely debated. So much so that it has become something of a red herring in the ongoing road-mapping exercises, even though both the legitimacy and expediency of this option are bound to be questioned. As noted elsewhere, before we venture and invest in a wholly new institution and spread the already limited resources and political attention span even thinner, the option of strengthening the current international and domestic accountability mechanisms must be preferred instead. Much attention has beenand continues to bepaid to the ICCs role in advancing accountability. Its investigative team has been working in the region since early March 2022, and the OTP operates a secure portal through which anyone can contact and provide relevant information to ICC investigators. The ICC Prosecutor undertook a visit to Poland and Ukraine. The presence of his Office in the region and the flurry of activity backed by extraordinary multilateral support cannot but create expectations on the part of Ukrainian citizens and government. One should be careful, however, not to oversell the ICC as the prime accountability avenue. Even with the benefit of seconded staff and extrabudgetary contributions, completing investigations in the fog of war and building credible trial-ready cases will take more time and effort than may be desirable. In its investigation, the ICC Office of the Prosecutor will rely on the information and leads provided by the partners, not least the Ukrainian authorities. In honoring the complementarity principle, it should refrain from taking on cases that Ukraine or other jurisdictions are willing and able to deal with themselves. Instead, the ICC Prosecutor should rather focus on figures from the top political and military echelons of Russia and confidentially seek (sealed) arrest warrants for the time when executing them becomes a possibility. Solidarity justice The fact remains that (much of) the future of international criminal law is domestic and Ukraine is no exception. The accountability record in this situation will consist mostly of cases prosecuted in Ukraine and in other countries where victims and perpetrators will find themselves in the coming years. This is not just new wine in old skins. The situation in Ukraine will become the breeding ground for innovating forms of international cooperation in war crimes cases a coordination framework that can be called solidarity justice. A broader justice coalition of states is being forged to work in concert with partner organisations such as the ICC and Eurojust. The coalition members will not only coordinate their investigative activities, but they will operate together through joint investigative teams. On 25 March 2022, the chief prosecutors of Ukraine, Lithuania and Poland and their Eurojust representatives signed an agreement establishing a joint investigative team (JIT) to collect evidence relating to Russias aggression and war crimes in Ukraine (Lublin Justice Triangle). Although Ukraine is not (yet) a member of the European Union, it has an Agreement with and a Liaison Prosecutor at Eurojust. It has also been involved in the recent consultations within its Genocide Network. Eurojust has been assigned a key coordinating role in part of European Union and partner states investigations into the core crimes in Ukraine, and such coordination will be done in close cooperation with the ICC. In fact, the first JIT team has been put together with the support of Eurojust and is open for participation to other parties. This modality presents major efficiency gains as evidence can be collected by and on behalf of all members to then be placed at the disposal of the represented forum states and shared with other accountability actors. The exact contours of accountability solutions for Ukraine await to be delineated and their outcomes are the known unknowns. But what is certain is while Ukraine cannot and will not be left to travel this road alone, in the spirit of solidarity justice, it will also be firmly at the helm of this quest for accountability. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Tuesday the Russian siege of the port city of Mariupol constituted a crime against humanity. What the Russian troops are doing to Mariupol is a crime against humanity, which is happening in front of the eyes of the whole planet in real time, Zelensky told the Danish parliament in a video address. He accused Russian forces of blowing up shelters despite knowing that civilians were hiding in them. The presidents comments came as Ukrainian and Russian negotiators held face-to-face talks in Istanbul, under the shadow of shock allegations that delegates were poisoned at a previous round of negotiations. Russian forces have encircled the southern Ukrainian city of Mariupol and have embarked on a steady and indiscriminate bombardment, trapping an estimated 160,000 people with little food, water or medicine. At least 5,000 people have already died, according to one senior Ukrainian official who estimated the real toll may be closer to 10,000 when all the bodies are collected. During his address to Danish parliamentarians, Zelensky also said more deaths had been confirmed after a Russian strike hit the regional government building in the southern Ukrainian city of Mykolaiv. As far as we know now seven people were killed, 22 were wounded, and people are still going through the rubble, Zelensky said. There were no military ambitions in Mykolaiv, the people in Mykolaiv presented no threat to Russia. And even then, like all the Ukrainians, they became the targets for the Russian troops, he said. Earlier on Tuesday, AFP journalists on the scene in the aftermath of the attack said the bodies of two people were pulled from debris. The International Criminal Court on March 3 opened an investigation into war crimes in Ukraine. The conditions for carrying out a humanitarian operation sought by France to help citizens in the besieged Ukrainian port of Mariupol are not met at this stage, President Emmanuel Macrons office said after the French leader spoke by telephone with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. Macron outlined to Putin details of the mission that France, Turkey and Greece would oversee, but the Russian leader replied that he was going to think about it before responding, an Elysee Palace official said. In the meantime, relaxing our efforts is out of the question because the situation is catastrophic for Mariupol and its residents, the official said. According to the Kremlin, however, Putin told Macron that Ukrainian nationalists in Mariupol would have to lay down their arms before Russian forces allow any emergency humanitarian assistance. It was the ninth telephone call between the two leaders since Russia invaded its neighbour on February 24, as Macron presses to keep a diplomatic line open in hopes of ending the conflict. He sees his task as achieving first a ceasefire and then the total withdrawal of (Russian) troops by diplomatic means, he told broadcaster France 3 at the weekend. Ukrainian authorities say at least 5,000 people have died in Mariupol since the invasion began, with Ukraines President Volodymyr Zelensky calling the siege of the city a crime against humanity. The Elysee official declined to comment on the latest round of cease-fire talks between Russia and Ukraine in Istanbul, which raised hopes of progress after previous rounds of talks failed to produce any breakthrough. We wish to consult first with the Ukrainians, the source said. For now the war continues and our demands remain the same. Canadian police said Tuesday a new arrest warrant has been issued for a priest accused of sexually abusing Inuit children in the countrys far north decades ago before fleeing to France. Renewed focus was placed on Johannes Rivoire, 93, this week when an Inuit delegation to the Vatican asked Pope Francis to personally intervene in the case, which has remained unresolved for nearly 30 years. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police said in an email to AFP that last September it received a complaint of sexual assaults that occurred approximately 47 years ago, involving a female victim. The RCMP said the warrant for his arrest was issued last month. Rivoire, a priest with the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate, had spent three decades in Canadas far north, before returning to France in 1993. He now lives in Lyon. Canadian police had sought to arrest him in the 1990s on at least three other charges of sexual abuse in the Nunavut communities of Arviat, Rankin Inlet and Naujaat. But those charges, according to Canadian media, were eventually stayed when it became clear to prosecutors that France was unlikely to extradite him. Natan Obed, president of the Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami, told a news conference Monday that he raised the legacy of sexual abuse in the church and asked the pope if he would intervene directly in the Rivoire case. He said he asked the pontiff to press Rivoire to return to Canada to stand trial for the harms he has done, or face a trial in France. The Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate, Obed said, have invited him to discuss the case at a meeting at its office in Rome on Thursday. The 32-member Indigenous, Inuit and Metis delegation was invited to meet with Pope Francis over the recent discoveries of more than 1,300 unmarked graves at Church-run schools in Canada attended by Indigenous children as part of a government policy of forced assimilation. Some 150,000 Indigenous, Metis and Inuit children were enrolled from the late 1800s to the 1990s in 139 of the residential schools across Canada, spending months or years isolated from their families, language and culture. Many were physically and sexually abused by headmasters and teachers, and thousands are believed to have died of disease, malnutrition or neglect. A truth and reconciliation commission concluded in 2015 the failed government policy amounted to cultural genocide. U.S. regulators on Tuesday authorized another COVID-19 booster for people 50 and older, a step toward providing additional protections for the most vulnerable in the event of a resurgence of the coronavirus. The FDA decision provides these people with a fourth dose of Pfizer or Modernas vaccine, which is at least four months after the previous booster. So far, the FDA has only approved a fourth dose for those 12 and older Severely weakened immune systemThis particularly vulnerable group also gets an additional booster, a fifth shot, the agency said. The latest expansion, regardless of peoples health status, presents additional opportunities for millions of Americans the question is whether everyone who qualifies should rush out to receive it. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is expected to be involved. The move comes at a time of uncertainty.After winter surge, COVID-19 cases have dropped to low levels Hyperinfectious omicron variantsCDC data shows that two doses of the vaccine plus a booster dose are still effective in preventing serious illness and death. but an omicron sibling is causing a worrying surge in infections in Europe and spread in the US even if vaccinations have stalled. About two-thirds of Americans are fully vaccinated, while half of those eligible for the first booster immunization are not. Pfizer has asked the FDA to clear the fourth shot for people 65 and older, while Moderna has asked for flexibility for all adults so the government can decide who really needs a shot. There is limited evidence of how much benefit another booster can provide now. FDA made the decision without receiving input from its independent panel of experts wrestling How much data is needed to enlarge the lens. Download the Modern Healthcare app to stay informed as industry news emerges. For older adults and people with other health conditions, there may be reasons to top up the gas tank a bit, said E. John Wherry, an immunologist at the University of Pennsylvania who was not involved in the administrations decision. But while he encourages older friends and relatives to follow the advice, Wherry, 50 who is healthy, vaccinated and boosted isnt about to get a fourth shot right away. With protection against serious illness still strong, Ill wait until it looks like I need it. No COVID-19 vaccine is as resistant to omicron mutants as it is to earlier versions of the virus. Also, protection against mild infections naturally wanes over time. But the immune system builds up a multi-layered defense that prevents the type of serious illness and death that is being held back. The CDC recently reported that during a U.S. omicron wave, two doses were nearly 80 percent effective against needing a ventilator or death, while a booster boosted that protection to 94 percent. The vaccine was least effective (74%) in the immunocompromised population, the vast majority of whom had not received a third dose. U.S. health officials are also concerned about Israel, where a fourth dose was prescribed to people 60 and older at least four months after the last shot during the omicron surge. Preliminary data published online last week showed some benefits: Israeli researchers tallied more than 328,000 people who received the extra vaccine, 92 of whom died, and 232 of the 234,000 who skipped the fourth dose. Whats unclear is how long any additional benefits of another booster will last, and when youll get it. Dr William Moss, of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, said: When is a very difficult part. Ideally we would time the booster dose before the surge, but we dont Always know when that will be. In addition, longer firing intervals help the immune system build stronger, more cross-reactive defenses. If the booster gets too close, it doesnt do any harm you dont get much out of it, Wherry said. The latest booster expansion may not be the last: Next week, the government will hold a public meeting to discuss whether everyone will eventually need a fourth dose (possibly in the fall) of the original vaccine or an updated vaccine. As for the newer vaccine, ongoing studies in humansusing omicron-targeted injections alone or in combination with the original vaccineare underway. The National Institutes of Health recently tested monkeys and found no significant advantage to using a booster that only targeted omicron. PLDT Home Biz Awards Gawad Madiskarte 2022 Mompreneurs No word better can describe moms pouring out their resourcefulness, creativity, and heart to provide their families the best life possible than madiskarte. The pandemic only saw more of our madiskarte moms, many of whom have ventured into online businesses to augment their household income. Recognizing these moms and their invaluable entrepreneurial spirit, PLDT Home Biz held the inaugural Gawad Madiskarte online on March 8, 2022 just in time for International Womens Day. Hosted by PLDT Home Biz ambassadors Dominic Roque and Roxanne Montealegre, with performances from Jed Madela, Fana, and Gigi de Lana and the Gigi Vibes band, the event awarded six mompreneurs whose stories of hard work, tenacity, and success stood out among 327 entries from all over the Philippines. PLDT Home Biz Awards Gawad Madiskarte 2022 Mompreneurs Each Gawad Madiskarte winner received a P100,000 cash prize, a brand-new laptop, and a one-year PLDT Home Biz Asenso Fiber Plan among other major prizes to help further her online business. What turned out to be an unexpectedly emotional tribute to Filipino moms who have moved past adversities and written their own success stories of online entrepreneurship, Gawad Madiskarte 2022 is a landmark project of Madiskarte Moms PH (MMPH) a community of mompreneurs for mompreneurs created in the thick of the pandemic. Providing Filipinos, especially mompreneurs, with the confidence to reach for their dreams and make a difference not only for their families, but also in the community, has always been our mission in Madiskarte Moms PH and PLDT Home Biz," said Patrick S. Tang, Vice President and Head of PLDT Home Customer Management. "We're honored to share the inspiring stories of our Madiskarte Moms and we strive to be their steadfast ally through every challenge and in every success." With hundreds of entries received for this first awarding, Gawad Madiskarte followed a meticulous selection process and commissioned a group of reputable judges to help choose the winners. The judges boasted industry leaders and master entrepreneurs: Butch Jimenez of PLDT Inc., Undersecretary Blesila A. Lantayona of the Department of Trade and Industry, Annette Gozon-Valdes of GMA Films, Prep Palacios of Google Philippines, Issang Ceballos of Facebook Philippines, restaurateur and chef Happy Ongpauco-Tiu, and Potato Corner and Tokyo Tempura founders Jorge and Jenny Wieneke. PLDT Home Biz Awards Gawad Madiskarte 2022 Mompreneurs Meet the Gawad Madiskarte Winners Diskarteng Digital (Best Multi-channel Business) awardee Theresa Carbonel-Buenaflor was already a seasoned entrepreneur even before joining MMPH during the pandemic. She had been running Ellana Mineral Cosmetics a beauty and personal care brand known for its clean, vegan, and cruelty formulas and came to realize the need to pivot digitally given the threat of the pandemic. With the support of fellow mompreneurs and MMPH, Mommy Theresa was able to expand and sell her products across different platforms including physical stores and e-commerce stores. She has now amassed more than 300,000 followers on her online pages, earning her the aforementioned Gawad Madiskarte recognition. This award is so dear to my heart because I joined this group when I was feeling lost doing business during the pandemic. It has not been easy, and Ive been looking for a community to lift my spirit up. Sharing my story in MMPH was very therapeutic. It renewed my hope and it made me realize that I can inspire other mompreneurs, Mommy Theresa said, upon accepting the award. Mommy Lou NeriaPutian of skincare brand SY Glow, winner of Diskarteng Angat (Fastest-Growing Business), shares a similar story. An entrepreneur advocating effective but affordable beauty products, Mommy Lou started her business from scratch and then scaled up her business to include distributors and resellers from the MMPH community. She now registers an average sales revenue of P1.6 million a month. For her efforts toward helping the environment while providing employment in communities across Laguna, Mommy Rosanna Dela Cruz Kabiling of waste management company Something Nice Environmental Corp. won the Diskarteng May Puso award (Best Social Enterprise). With the Gawad Madiskarte prize and recognition, Mommy Rosanna is poised to transform her company into a world-class brand that promotes sustainability. Winning the Diskarteng Eco-friendly (Most Green Business) award, Mommy Kaylynn Adolfo owns The Asian Mommy Facebook page where she sells a variety of reusable cloth diapers. Armed with a background in public health and using her page as a platform to share other parenting tips and tricks, she has made it her advocacy to redirect fellow parents to more eco-friendly household alternatives. MMPH as a community is such a big help because opportunities like these are where we can inspire and motivate other moms to reach for their dreams. To all mommies out there, this is the sign that you can do it, Mommy Kaylynn said at the event. Meanwhile, Diskarteng Solid (Strongest Start-Up Business Model) awardee Mommy Abigael Madrigal started out her online bed linen shop Mommy Matters by selling bedsheets her mother had sewn. With the help of MMPH, she was able to get her first customers and eventually expand her brand. Mommy Matters now boasts more than 100 bed linen designs and keeps a loyal customer base, earning Mommy Abigael the Gawad Madiskarte honors. As the owner of CLARA, an online clothing store whose Filipiniana designs feature detachable butterfly sleeves, Mommy Rachelle Patalud has shown how creativity and flexibility makes a good fashion statement. For her modern and casual take on a formalwear classic, she has earned the Diskarteng Malikhain (Most Innovative Product) trophy awarded to creative minds breathing life to fresh and unique products and services. On top of the winners, PLDT Home Biz also honored Mommy Lou Neria Putian of skincare brand SY Glow with Diskarteng Home Biz (Mompreneurs Choice Award). The brand awarded the special prize to the madiskarte mom, hailed for having the most potential for success in a voting poll among MMPH members on its Facebook community page. Each Gawad Madiskarte awardee also took home a KalyeNegosyo Scholarship courtesy of Mr. and Mrs. KaAsenso - Jorge and Jenny Wieneke and a trophy handcrafted by award-winning sculptor Glenn Cagandahan. Nominees, meanwhile, each won a P25,000 cash prize as consolation. Madiskarte Moms PH, beyond educating moms and equipping them with business tools and resources, has evolved into a support group of women, inspiring and encouraging each other as they tread through their digital adventures together. Were nothing but proud of what MMPH has accomplished in just 17 months, and so we look forward to what more we can accomplish together in the future! Tang shared. Believe me, Madiskarte Moms PH is just getting started. And Gawad Madiskarte 2022 is just the start of a bigger campaign by us here at PLDT Home Biz all in celebration of the Filipinos exceptional entrepreneurial spirit, he added. Giving viewers a glimpse of their much-awaited romance in the upcoming drama "Shooting Stars," Lee Sung Kyung and Kim Young Dae looked daring and sweet in new magazine photos. Lee Sung Kyung and Kim Young Dae for Elle Korea's April Issue Elle Korea collaborated with K-drama stars Kim Young Dae and Lee Sung Kyung for their upcoming April magazine issue. The two who have been exposed to various fashion features and editorials. But, they posed together for the first time in a pictorial. Elle Korea captured the drama's lead stars' chemistry. Now, this is ready to be featured in the magazine's April issue. They also have solo shots where both celebrities introduce their colors. They are enveloped in pieces of branded clothes. YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE: Kim Young Dae Shows Off Natural Allure As Top Actor in New Drama With Lee Sung Kyung Apart from the fun shoot, the magazine will never be complete without the interview portion. The two stars sat down for a short solo interview. Going first, Kim Young Dae started by promoting his forthcoming series "Shooting Stars," where he plays the role of top star Gong Tae Sung. A Sneak Peek in Kim Young Dae and Lee Sung Kyung's Drama He described his character as a silly person. He has high expectations for his drama because it will be his first time portraying such a challenging role as a real celebrity in the story. Lee Sung Kyung, on the other hand, is Oh Han Byul, a PR team leader of a management company. She also has excellent skills in speech and crisis management. They also spoiled each other with compliments about their acting. The "Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo" star shared, "I and Young Dae have good energy on the set. I am more of an energetic person, while Kim Young Dae likes to joke around, which lessen the tension while the camera starts to roll." For the "Penthouse" actor, he chose "Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo'' as his favorite drama among Lee Sung Kyung's masterpieces. He added, "She's quite easygoing and fun to be with." Kim Young Dae revealed that his new on-screen partner always takes good care of the people around her. The "Shooting Stars" couple also opened up about their problems and worries. Lee Sung Kyung said that though he may have a hard time working, she feels healthy when she continues to work. In addition, tvN's Popular drama also stars CN BLUE's Lee Jung Shin, Kwon Han Sol, Na Hee Do, Baek Yi Jin, Safeguard, Lee Seung Hyub, Ha Do Kwon, Kim Yoon Hye, and more. Furthermore, you can watch "Shooting Stars" starting from April 22 at 10:40 p.m. ( KST) IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Kim Young Dae Names Which Character of Lee Sung Kyung Resembles Her Real Personality Are you excited for Kim Young Dae and Lee Sung Kyung's team up in "Shooting Stars"? Share your comments with us! For more K-Drama, K-Movie, and celebrity news and updates, keep your tabs open here at Kdramastars. Kdramastars owns this article. Written by Shai Collins. Amid the hype from the critics and viewers, "Pachinko," which stars Lee Min Ho and newcomer Kim Min Ha sparks doubts due to one particular scene. Premiered globally on March 25, the Apple TV+ series is based on the best-selling 2017 novel written by Min Jin Lee. It boasts a roster of talented stars from South Korea and Japan, including Oscar winner Youn Yuh Jung, Anna Sawai, Jin Ha, Kaho Minami and more. "Pachinko" follows the Korean immigrant Sunja, played by Youn Yuh Jung, who encountered a challenging life during the Japanese occupation in the early 1900s. Another highlight of the series is the star-crossed lovers. Ko Han Su is a wealthy Japanese merchant played by Lee Min Ho. He fell in love at first sight with the young and beautiful Sunja, portrayed by Kim Min Ha. After the first part was released, a particular scene immediately went viral. It showed a love scene between two lead stars. The said part was featured in "Pachinko" episode 2. Han Su and Sunja's passionate lovemaking is set in the woods. Although the scene was delivered in a cinematic way, some viewers were stunned to see Lee Min Ho portraying a daring scene. Due to this, others doubt if the Hallyu star was the one who did it or if he hired a double. Did Lee Min Ho Hire a Stuntman in 'Pachinko'? Over social media, netizens expressed their mixed reactions to Lee Min Ho's intimate scene in "Pachinko." Some viewers pointed out that the side angle does not seem like the actor. According to an outlet, fans think that the production hired a stuntman to perform the particular scene. They noted that the actor looked different from Lee Min Ho. On the other hand, some viewers argued that the Hallyu star does not need a double to perform such passionate and romantic scenes. In addition, others pointed out the extreme chemistry of Lee Min Ho and Kim Min Ha that was illustrated throughout the series. #LeeMinHo is an excellent actor and he doesn't need to prove anything to anyone, his career speaks for itself, for me the repercussion of his performance in #pachinko is enough slap in the face of people who underestimate him, unjustifiable hatred will not change reality pic.twitter.com/l9kHJIblGh RiL (@Rivertinger) March 29, 2022 The chemistry though Soo Hugh was so right about Minho and Minha!#Pachinko #LeeMinHo #KimMinHa pic.twitter.com/KyAUbLfNkR LeeMinHo Hansu Pachinko (@miminholee) March 27, 2022 To recall, Lee Min Ho, who starred in an action K-drama "City Hunter," reportedly refused to hire a stunt double for his action scenes. At the time, he was unbothered despite encountering minor injuries while filming. According to an outlet, the drama's martial arts director Yang Kil Young shared that the actor "puts in a lot of effort" on his scenes despite his height being a disadvantage, adding "his agility and reflexes help him create superb action scenes." Kim Min Ha Admits' Intense scenes' with Lee Min Ho was Quite Challenging During the lead stars' interview with EW, Kim Min Ha spoke about how they delivered emotional and heavy scenes. She explained that they "had a lot of intense scenes that were very emotional, but it's our job to tell the stories to the audience." Moreover, she gets honest and says that it came to a point where it was hard for her to "carry these emotions for a whole day, but I just tried to focus... and be present" by trying "to get rid of that emotion right away." IN CASE YOU MISSED: Youn Yuh Jung Is Taken Aback When Asked to Audition for Pachinko KDramastars owns this article Written by Geca Wills Tracy Striebichs journey to getting an MBA went differently from how she initially imagined it and she wouldnt change a thing. I was thinking about an MBA many, many years before I applied, and I think it just never felt like the right time, she said. I came much later than I thought, and I think it was the perfect timing. A native Midwesterner, Tracy grew up in Cincinnati and obtained her undergraduate degree from Miami University of Ohio, where she studied supply chain management and marketing. She quickly developed a passion for leadership in her early career working in the food and beverage industry, while simultaneously making time to play volleyball, sing a cappella, do community service, and even run an Instagram account where she eats and reviews nachos. Living in Seattle and working for Starbucks, Tracy was initially hesitant to uproot her busy life and leave the job and city she loved; however, she knew that the right MBA opportunity would be an essential asset to her career development. Kellogg was the only school Tracy applied to, and she says the One-Year MBA Program was what truly attracted her. With a degree already under her belt and a desire to remain in the food and beverage industry, the focused one-year program perfectly suited her goals. "You're not trying to squeeze everything into one year. They actually time it out very appropriately," she said. "It was the perfect program for me." Past experience, future goals and where Kellogg fits in Before coming to Kellogg, Tracy worked for Kimberly Clark on the sales team supporting Costco, as well as for Starbucks in a brand manager role. After her years of experience in the food and beverage space, Tracy developed a passion and expertise for the industry that she will continue to pursue after graduation. Healthy, sustainable and convenient food that trifecta is so hard to find. And so my plan is to find a company that is looking to close that gap and scale it, Tracy said. I want to join a small-to-midsize company that shares my same passion in that space. Tracy says with her experience and future plans in mind, she has two main priorities with her studies at Kellogg: gaining a strong technical skill set and becoming more strategic in how she thinks through projects. Shes taken analytics and finance classes that have taught her how to code, and an experiential learning course where she partnered with a client as a consultant to help them expand a new portfolio. She says the One-Year MBA Program has pushed her to maximize her opportunities, both in and out of the classroom. Making Kellogg feel like home Outside of her studies, Tracy has integrated herself into the Kellogg community in a myriad of ways. She has leadership positions in the Retail Club and Kellogg Cares, and she says both organizations have pushed her to think outside the box and helped her meet like-minded peers. This past summer, she participated in a KWEST (Kellogg Worldwide Exploration and Service Trip) trip, where she says she fell in love with Kellogg people. On the trip, participants don't share their backgrounds, which she says helped them form deep bonds over the course of the week. With her fiance here in Evanston and her sister graduating from Kelloggs MMM Program in 2022 alongside her Tracy has truly made the Kellogg family her own. FILE - Polish composer Krzysztof Penderecki conducts the Sinfonia Varsovia orchestra during a special concert in memory of the victims of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in the U.S., at Warsaw's Holy Cross church, Sunday, Dec. 2, 2001. The ashes of Polands award-winning composer and conductor Krzysztof Penderecki were rest during a state funeral Tuesday, March 29, 2022, after a two-year delay brought on by the pandemic. (AP Photo/Alik Keplicz, File) The Most Magical Place on Earth was full of music earlier this month, with school music groups from around the country coming to perform and enjoy the Disney World resort. That included the Central High School Band, which netted several awards for their performance, including the Golden Mickey. The Westosha Central High School Band participated in the Festival Disney competition on March 18-19, performing two pieces before a panel of three adjudicators. They received a rating of Superior, the highest possible, a Best in Class award for their division based on school size and a Golden Mickey for receiving the highest overall band score. They did really well, they seemed to be a lot more prepared, said Adam Scheele, band director at the high school. It was probably the best Festival Disney performance any of my bands have done. During their more than week-long trip to Florida, the group got to enjoy all that Walt Disney World resort had to offer. They also got to go to Universal Studios and spend time at Cocoa Beach. Things went really well, Scheele said. It was probably the best trip weve ever had. Scheele said the group has participated in the competition every other year since 2012, although the 2020 trip had to be cancelled due to the pandemic. He expressed his gratitude for the fantastic behavior by his students and the amazing chaperones who came along. Although Scheele said he was proud of the band for performing so exceptionally this year, what he valued more was the enjoyment the kids got from the trip. The overall reward was seeing the students smiling and having a great time; thats better than any award, Scheele said. Seeing them have a great time was well worth it. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. The University of Wisconsin-Parkside will receive more than $40,000 from the Freshwater Collaborative of Wisconsin to enhance its water-related academic programs. Funding at UW-Parkside includes support for the following projects: Freshwater Camp (Freshwater Career Related University-Introduction Summer Experience) Student Experience for High School Juniors The Root Magazine WATER issue Human Interactions with Lake Michigan Coastal Ecosystems Field-Study Course Principles of Freshwater Informatics Laboratory and Field-Study Course FCW funding is part of a statewide initiative, backed by the Wisconsin State Legislature and Gov. Tony Evers, to tackle 10 grand water challenges and support curriculum development, undergraduate research opportunities, career development, and field-training experiences for students interested in studying water-related subjects at the 13 UW schools. Water is a such a relevant topic across academic disciplines, said Lesley Walker, dean of the College of Arts and Humanities at UW-Parkside. For example, UW-Parkside students who produce The Root magazine may not typically be taking advanced courses in biology or environmental science. Working on the stories, they become more aware of water-related issues and might pursue additional education in these fields. At the same time, the magazine draws in a more diverse community of readers. The Freshwater Camp: The Freshwater Career Related University-Introduction Summer Experience is designed to enrich students understanding of the natural sciences and local environmental issues. Connecting high school students to the Great Lakes and local waterways is particularly important, said Jessica Orlofske, associate professor of biological sciences at UW-Parkside. With partners at UW-Whitewater, the Freshwater Camp will help students become familiar with careers in freshwater, develop scientific skills, and learn about real-world issues with local impact. Human Interactions with Lake Michigan Coastal Ecosystems: A nine-day field study explores the land-sea interface with a focus on urban vs. rural changes. Students will engage with local practitioners and community partners to become more familiar with local Great Lakes water-resource management along the western shoreline of Lake Michigan. Principles of Freshwater Informatics: This is the century of big data, and the water sector is no exception. Technological innovations have made it easier than ever to collect massive amounts of data, said Orlofske. The next generation of freshwater professionals needs to be prepared to make the most of these data. The freshwater informatics course will help address this urgent need. According to Christopher Tyrrell, curator of botany at the Milwaukee Public Museum, the Freshwater Collaborative made this course possible by encouraging new partnerships like the one formed between UW-Parkside biological sciences faculty and the Milwaukee Public Museum research staff. This funding provides an opportunity for UW-Parkside and the Milwaukee Public Museum to develop and deliver a course aimed at teaching students how to use and handle big data as it relates to freshwater, Tyrrell said. This course prepares students for the big-data work environment with the background and skills they need to develop and effectively manage a wide range of data sources. Throughout the UW System, the Freshwater Collaborative of Wisconsin will support 42 grants to further develop water science programs, internships, and research opportunities. High school and undergraduate students will have opportunities to participate in hands-on field and research experiences with faculty throughout the state, allowing them to develop a diverse range of skills. The Collaborative is also partnering with industry, nonprofits, and community organizations to increase career development opportunities for students. Grant descriptions are available at freshwater.wisconsin.edu. Water is one of the fastest growing sectors of our economy, said Marissa Jablonski, executive director of the Freshwater Collaborative of Wisconsin. With these funds, the 13 UW universities can expand training opportunities for students and prepare them to meet the needs of Wisconsins workforce and address our states biggest water challenges. Wisconsin has abundant water resources; however, factors such as invasive species, pollution and climate change could significantly impact water safety and economic growth. The State of Wisconsin and the Freshwater Collaborative have identified 10 grand water challenges facing the state and are currently focusing research efforts on the top two: Agricultural Water Management and Water Quality Safety/Emerging Contaminants. Startup funding for the Freshwater Collaborative was provided in 2019 by the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation and the UW System. In July 2021, the Wisconsin State Legislature and Evers approved $5 million in the current biennial budget to expand the Collaborations ability to train water professionals and establish Wisconsin as a leader in water-related science and economic growth. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 The Court of Appeal has ruled that a consultant gynaecologist who had been suspended from his job over two years ago following allegations of misconduct can immediately return to work. The CoA, however, upheld the lower court's findings that the HSE was entitled to recommend that Prof Ray O'Sullivan be dismissed from his job at St Luke's Hospital in Kilkenny. An investigation into those allegations, which are denied by Prof O'Sullivan, by a committee established by the Minister for Health remains ongoing. Prof O'Sullivan was placed administrative leave on full pay in August 2019, by his employer, the HSE, after complaints were made against him by other members of staff. He allegedly carried out unauthorised and unapproved actions and procedures on five female patients in September 2018. None of the patients were informed about the research or consented to the procedure, nor were they aware of it until afterwards, it is claimed. The court heard the women were not physically harmed by the procedures but on learning what happened were psychologically injured. It is also alleged that Prof O'Sullivan did not obtain clearance from the hospital's ethics committee and had sourced the instruments for the procedures outside of the hospital's usual procurement channels with his own funds. Following an investigation into the complaints Prof O'Sullivan was placed on administrative leave. The HSE's CEO Paul Reid recommended to the ministerial committee that Prof O'Sullivan be dismissed from his role. Prof O'Sullivan has strongly rejected all allegations of wrongdoing against him and says that a report conducted on the HSE's behalf states that he does not pose any risk to patient health and safety. He claims the investigations against him were flawed because he has been an 'outspoken advocate for patients' rights and in particular pregnant women' and has made public remarks critical of St Luke's management. He also claimed that proper reasons had not been given by the HSE why the recommendation that he be dismissed was made. He further claims the recommendations is irrational and unreasonable. Represented by Eoin Clifford SC and Frederick Gilligan Bl Prof O'Sullivan brought judicial review proceedings seeking to have the decision to suspend him and the recommendation quashed. In a judgement last year Mr Justice Anthony Barr dismissed Prof O'Sullivan's action, after holding that the HSE as entitled to take the decisions it had regarding the consultant. That ruling was appealed to the CoA and was opposed by the HSE. In its decision the CoA comprised of Mr Justice Seamus Noonan, Ms Justice Mary Faherty and Mr Justice Brian Murray ruled that Prof O'Sullivan's suspension should be lifted immediately. Giving the court's unanimous decision Mr Justice Noonan said Prof O Sullivan had been suspended for some time, and the process of investigation would 'a considerable' number of months to complete. "By any reasonable standard, this could not conceivably be considered to be an investigation that is taking place expeditiously or with all practicable speed," the judge said. The judge said that the suspension should have been lifted when the HSE received a report in late 2019, which identified no patient safety concerns regarding Prof O Sullivan. "I am quite satisfied, for the reasons I have explained, that the applicant is entitled to an order terminating his suspension and reinstating him with immediate effect." The court also noted the reputational damage that can occur when a suspension gains high profile in the media. In this case the judge said the damage to Prof O'Sullivan by the 'deliberate leaking' of confidential information to the media about the disciplinary process had been 'amplified'. The CoA was not prepared to quash the HSE's recommendation to the Minister. He agreed with the High Court that quashing that decision would be premature and that Prof O'Sullivan's rights will be fully respected protected by the committee. The Ministerial committee he added was not bound by any findings made by Mr Reid and it is 'entirely at large to its own conclusions on these issues', he added. The CoA said that Prof O'Sullivan was entitled to his costs of both the High Court and CoA hearings. The outcome of the CoA's judgement will impact on a second set of judicial review proceedings commenced by Prof O'Sullivan earlier this week. In that action he seeks orders against a decision made by the HSE keeping him on administrative leave. He had asked the HSE to review his suspension. However, the HSE decided last December that Prof O'Sullivan should remain on leave pending the conclusion of a process being currently undertaken by the Ministerial Committee. He claims that decision is flawed and that no proper reasons were given as to why his suspension should be continued. That action, which is aimed at quashing the HSE's decision in December, will return before the High Court in May. [TAP 'NEXT>' ARROW ABOVE FOR NEXT PIC] A spring clean was held in Mullinavat on Saturday last, March 26, with the support of An Taisce and Kilkenny County Council. The initiative, organized by Mullinavat Matters (name adopted by the working group to promote the regeneration of Mullinavat and Bigwood) and blessed by glorious weather conditions, was a huge success. Over thirty groups, including people of all ages from all corners of Mullinavat and Bigwood, came out early on Saturday morning and collected litter off the roadways, retrieved materials indiscriminately dumped and organized their collection at one location to be taken away by the Environment Section of Kilkenny County Council. The turn-out surpassed expectations, showcased Mullinavat and Bigwood at their best and was a great example of civic engagement, community spirit and the pride of place felt locally. By the end of the evening over 90 bags of refuse were collected together with a wide variety of materials including bulky waste, tyres, toilet, cooker, timber, glass, plastics, masonry, furniture, equipment, metal and clothes. Chairperson of Mullinavat Matters, Sarah Dermody, expressed the anger felt locally at the amount of illegal dumping that volunteers came across over the course of the clean-up and stated that Mullinavat Matters would work in partnership with Kilkenny County Council to eliminate dumping black-spots and she encouraged people locally to report any incident of illegal dumping they came across to the free phone number 1800 200 156. Mullinavat Matters would like to thank everyone who participated in the clean-up, those who collected bags of rubbish at various collection points along local roads and who facilitated the storage of the material until its removal by Kilkenny County Council. The next meeting of Mullinavat Matters will be held in the meeting room of Mullinavat GAA Centre at 8.00pm on Tuesday, April 26. The agenda will include a review of the Spring Clean and discussion of other ideas to promote the regeneration of Mullinavat into the future. All welcome to attend. Rabat, Morocco (PANA) - The preparatory meeting of Ambassadors, Permanent Representatives and experts of the 21st Ordinary Session of the Executive Council of the Community of Sahel-Saharan States (CEN-SAD) opened on Monday in Rabat Geneva, Switzerland (PANA) - Officials of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) have expressed deep concern over the deteriorating security situation in Ituri province in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), where an escalation in violence has led to the killing of an estimated 400 civilians and the displacement of over 83,000 people since 1 January 2022 At least 25 vehicles were involved in a crash on a major highway in eastern Pennsylvania during a snow squall on March 28. A serviceman of Ukrainian military forces holds a FGM-148 Javelin, an American-made portable anti-tank missile, at a checkpoint, where they hold a position near Kharkiv on March 23. If you were looking for the Charlestown Democratic Town Committee website and ended up here, try this Got news tips, gossip, suggestions, complaints?E-mail us: progressivecharlestown@gmail.com We strive to avoid errors in our articles. Our correction policy can be found here North Korea's state media reported that the country conducted a test-firing of a Hwasong-17 intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) on March 24, as seen in this Pyeongyang-distributed photo. Yonhap North Korea's intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) launched last week is assessed to be the same type it test-fired in 2017, Seoul's defense ministry told lawmakers here Tuesday, formally dismissing Pyongyang's claim that it was a brand-new one. In a briefing to the National Assembly, the ministry said the ICBM in question is more similar to the Hwasong-15 missile than the newest Hwasong-17. It cited an analysis of the missile's flight characteristics and footage released by the North's state media. The North has claimed success in launching the Hwasong-17 an ICBM dubbed a "monster" for its size. The new missile is known to have a range of around 15,000 kilometers, about 2,000 km longer than the Hwasong-15. "Although the projectile fired on March 24 looks like the Hwasong-17 due to the increase in its top altitude and flight time, our assessment is that it is more similar to the Hwasong-15 than the Hwasong-17," the ministry said. The ministry provided evidence suggesting the North disguised the latest launch as that of the newest missile. It said that directions of shadows seen in the North's footage of Thursday's launch indicated the footage was taken in the morning though the actual launch took place in the afternoon. The ministry also pointed out that the North's photos showed the missile test was conducted under clear weather though it was mostly cloudy at the launch site in Pyongyang at the time of the test. In addition, the ministry said that it would have been difficult to carry out a successful new ICBM test following a botched test eight days earlier. The South Korean military presumes the North's failed projectile launch on March 16 involved the Hwasong-17. Commenting on the North's intentions behind the launch, the ministry said that the North needed to deliver a "message of success" after citizens in Pyongyang witnessed an earlier failure in firing the Hwasong-17. The North also appears to have sought to show progress in its ICBM capabilities, secure status as a military power and raise its leverage in future peace negotiations, the ministry said. The Hwasong-17 was fired from Sunan International Airport in Pyongyang and exploded in midair over the capital. An opposition lawmaker who attended the session said debris of the missile fell in Pyongyang and caused civilian damages. "(The missile) exploded several kilometers above Pyongyang, so it was visible to the naked eye, and debris fell like rain over Pyongyang. Human casualties have not been confirmed, but civilian damage occurred," Ha Tae-keung of the main opposition People Power Party told reporters citing the ministry. The firing of the Hwasong-15 was aimed at assuaging public discontent following the incident, he added. Meanwhile, the ministry reportedly told a closed-door parliamentary session that Seoul is considering "strong" steps to take in the event of another North Korean ICBM launch, including the deployment of U.S. strategic military assets. (Yonhap) President Moon Jae-in, left, and first lady Kim Jung-sook move to their limousine after arriving at Oslo Airport in June 2019. Yonhap Cheong Wa Dae denies allegation that first lady used public funds for clothing By Ko Dong-hwan First lady Kim Jung-sook has been hit with accusations of abusing public funds for clothing and accessories, and for instances of acting as a tourist rather than participating in the customary official events of Korean first ladies during state visits. The sudden emergence of a "wardrobe scandal" has prompted people to scramble online to gather photos of Kim at public events. With the photos showing her in an array of outfits, some raised questions about whether she purchased the clothes using her personal funds. The allegation was first stoked by a March 25 Facebook post made by a lawyer named Shin Pyeong. The lawyer said he had supported President Moon Jae-in's candidacy for the 2017 presidential election, but then turned his back on President Moon later and joined President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol's election camp earlier this year. In the post, Shin raised the allegation that Kim's wardrobe has a jaw-dropping monetary value, and urged her to return her clothes when Moon's tenure ends in early May. Later on the day of the post, a civic group filed a complaint against Kim with the National Police Agency accusing her of embezzlement from the national coffers. On March 2, Cheong Wa Dae appealed a Seoul administrative court decision that had ruled against the presidential office. The court had ordered the presidential office to disclose financial transaction records for Kim's formal participation at public events using Cheong Wa Dae's special activity budget. The Feb. 10 decision was a result of the court's partial acceptance of a 2018 petition by the civic group Korea Taxpayers' Association, which had requested the court to order the presidential office to reveal the details of nominal financial expenses for special activity purposes by the first couple. The association, before petitioning the court, had requested Cheong Wa Dae disclose the information. But the presidential office had declined, saying that the information contained confidential data involving national security and that disclosing it might "compromise the country's critical benefits." First lady Kim Jung-sook and Egypt's first lady Entissar Amer move to a reception hall inside the presidential palace in Cairo, Egypt, Jan 20. Korea Times The court, upon deciding to order Cheong Wa Dae to disclose the details of the transactions related to Kim's formal participation at public events, said it is "illegal for Cheong Wa Dae to hide the information." But Cheong Wa Dae's declining to disclose the information and appeal only prompted more disclosure requests. One of the petitions posted on the presidential office's website has drawn approximately 41,000 signatures as of Tuesday. If the number reaches 200,000 within a month of the posted date of March 15, the presidential office will be required to respond officially. Cheong Wa Dae's appeal has bought some time until Moon's term ends on May 9. After that day, all transaction records related to Cheong Wa Dae's special activities will become part of the presidential archives and be stored undisclosed for as long as 15 years. The appeal has drawn questions about whether the presidential office is reluctant to reveal the information in question. Shin, in his latest Facebook post on March 28, denounced Cheong Wa Dae's appeal as a "sly trick" to keep the information hidden from the public. Main opposition People Power Party member Chung Mi-kyung also added criticism the same day, bringing up a rumor that a Cartier brooch Kim used to wear in public is worth 200 million won ($164,000). "Are the price tags of the first lady's clothes really confidential information of the state? If that's so, then she must return all the clothes, handbags and shoes after Moon's term ends." These allegations against Kim are different from the case of Michelle Obama, the former first lady of the United States (2009-17) who was famous for her style and fashionable clothing worn in public. The White House and Obama's personal aides, according to CNBC's 2014 report, stated that the first lady's formal outfits, some of which were valued at "astronomical prices," were either purchased by her at discounted prices or donated as gifts. The U.S. first lady's press secretary Joanna Rosholm said in a report that for official events of public or historical significance, Obama's clothes were given as gifts by the designers and accepted on behalf of the U.S. government, and then stored by the National Archives. In this photo from Sept. 22, 2015, then-U.S. first lady Michelle Obama (center), then-U.S. President Barack Obama (second from right), their daughters Malia (left) and Sasha (second from left) welcome Pope Francis to the United States upon his arrival at Joint Base Andrews outside Washington, D.C. AFP-Yonhap By Athur Laffer and Patrick Giordano Two recent events have been incredibly troublesome but have finally brought home the energy and climate crises that are plaguing the planet. Russia's unprovoked attack on Ukraine has exposed two follies: Europe's deep dependence on Russia for oil and natural gas and U.S. imports of Russian oil. Meanwhile, the United Nations' recent Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report has expertly documented the dramatic adverse impacts of climate change on people throughout the globe. With bipartisan support, President Joe Biden announced a ban on U.S. imports of Russian energy. But he still continues to demonize North American fossil fuels. After decades of dependence on foreign sources of energy, we achieved energy independence in 2019 and 2020 but have now lost this independence. Recently, Biden acknowledged that we must again achieve energy independence. Biden should eliminate the moratorium on new oil and gas leases on federal lands. Additionally, the U.S. should approve the Keystone XL pipeline so we can significantly increase imports from friendly Canada and thereby limit imports from foreign actors such as Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Venezuela and Iran. These actions are necessary for national security. The U.S. also must implement all policies necessary to dramatically increase liquefied natural gas exports to Europe. We must approve additional export terminals, as well as additional gas pipelines to transport natural gas for processing into its liquefied form. These measures will help expedite Europe's ability to eliminate its reliance on Russia for 40 percent of its natural gas. The European Union and the newly installed German government, with the support of Germany's Green Party, have recently declared that they want to use much more liquefied natural gas and adopt policies to accomplish this. To totally eliminate Russian natural gas without wrecking their economies, however, European countries also should allow fracking. It is undeniable that fracking of natural gas, coupled with deregulation of gas and electricity markets, has enabled the U.S. to keep natural gas and electricity prices very low in comparison to European prices. European natural gas prices have consistently been at least five times higher than U.S. natural gas prices for the past 12 months. These high prices have hammered European consumers and enabled Russia to fund its unconscionable war in Ukraine. Fracking bans also have led to greater European carbon emissions because the high natural gas prices have stymied natural gas replacement of far dirtier coal in their electricity generating plants. In fact, many European power plants have recently switched from natural gas back to coal due to Europe's incredibly high natural gas prices. In contrast, the U.S. has substantially reduced carbon emissions by replacing coal with natural gas at more than 100 power plants. The burning of natural gas for electricity generation produces only half as many carbon emissions as coal burning. At the same time the U.S. and Europe are taking all necessary actions to reestablish U.S. energy independence and eliminate European dependence on Russian energy, all reasonable steps to fight climate change also must be taken. These actions are not inconsistent and are both necessary for the economic and environmental health of the U.S., Europe and the world. Significant strides against climate change are being made in the U.S. thanks to the bipartisan infrastructure law. For example, $65 billion is being spent to support enhancements of the electricity grid, which will allow transmission of electricity produced by renewable energy sources from where it can be produced most cost-effectively. The bipartisan infrastructure law also provides $7.5 billion to accelerate the build-out of a national network of electric vehicle charging stations, and $9.5 billion for green hydrogen initiatives using renewable energy for conversion of water into hydrogen. As Sen. Joe Manchin, chair of the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, recently said: "We must commit to once again achieving energy independence by embracing an all-of-the-above energy policy to ensure that the American people have reliable, dependable and affordable energy without disregarding our climate responsibilities." The same approach to energy and climate policy must be used in Europe. As former world chess champion and Vladimir Putin critic Garry Kasparov succinctly stated in a recent Tribune op-ed: The U.S. should "replace Russian energy exports by increasing production and opening new sources, from fracking to nuclear to renewables. Giving authoritarians so much leverage for extortion is unacceptable. There's no point in saving the planet if you don't save the people on it." Now that the Russian invasion of Ukraine has united Americans, Europeans and many others, let's quickly act together to save the people and the planet. Arthur Laffer is chairman of Laffer Associates, an economics consulting firm. Patrick Giordano is managing director of Giordano & Associates, an energy law firm. This article was published by Chicago Tribune and distributed by Tribune Content Agency. By Lee Sun-ho A gala luncheon forum held at the Westin Josun Seoul Hotel grand ballroom on March 25, organized by the Island Resort The Heaven and co-sponsored by the Far East Broadcasting Company and the Korea Peace Foundation, was an invaluable opportunity for me to listen to a lecture entitled, "Current International Affairs and the ROK-U.S. Alliance." The invited lecturer was Michael Pence (Republican), the 48th U.S. vice president under former President Donald Trump. The timing of his visit to Korea was curious, I thought, because it was during the two-month transitional interval of Korea's president from Moon Jae-in of the ruling liberal Democratic Party of Korea to Yoon Suk-yeol of the main opposition conservative People Power Party, following the presidential election on March 9. Turning to the international front, Russia's brutal attack on Ukraine initiated by autocratic Russian President Vladimir Putin has lasted already over one month since its outbreak on February 24. Threats from North Korea, which has consistently tested missiles eight times during the first quarter of 2022, including the latest suspected first Hwasong-17 ICBM on March 24 (the day before the Pence lecture), breaking its self-imposed moratorium, aiming not only at South Korea but also at the United States, whose troops have been stationed at Camp Humphreys and elsewhere in South Korea. At the forum Pence stressed the importance of freedom, peace, security and human rights in the global village against North Korea's bellicose provocations, Russia's illegal new Cold War invasion of Ukraine, and China's ambitions of invading Taiwan, as Putin has attempted for over a month now on Ukraine. Pence's impressive faith could be felt when he condemned Russia's savage aggression on Ukraine and supported Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's undaunted fighting spirit. Pence visited the Poland-Ukrainian border on March 9, and examined the ongoing situation in which Ukrainians, with unbroken resolve, were bracing for the barbaric Russian invasion, making almost 10 million Ukrainian refugees flee to five neighboring countries other than Belarus and Russia. These unfortunate Ukrainian asylum seekers are now having to escape from their war-ravaged hometowns, even though the demoralized Russian soldiers leading the assault didn't appear too motivated, as Putin's unpopular war crimes have continued and worsened. The lecturer's vision for Korea was encouraging for me to hear. Pence argued that North Korea's capabilities are on the brink of various limitations. Pence reiterated the significance of the 69-year-old ROK-U.S. military alliance "forged in blood." Furthermore, he predicted a prosperous future path for South Korea, anticipating an upgraded and enlarged pivotal role and functions for it in Asia and the Indo-Pacific. As shown by Russia's reckless acts of destruction in Ukraine, I am concerned about the possibility that Xi in China might do the same as Putin (whom Pence met as the U.S. vice president), not only to Taiwan but also to the Korean peninsula the North first and then the South. How terribly the inhabitants of the enemy-occupied regions would suffer in such a case, due to the use of digital weapons. I was fortunate to be persuaded in person by the U.S. ex-vice president's firm conviction regarding the importance of humanitarian efforts and peaceful strategies for humanity at-large. By extending my sense of gratitude to the hosting sponsors of the forum, on their warm hospitality of inviting me, as one of around 300 honored guests to the meaningful Pence lecture program, I wish good luck and blessings to the lecturer couple, Karen and Mike Pence, and mature steps in the foreseeable years to come. The writer (wkexim@naver.com) is a freelance columnist living in Seoul. By Joschka Fischer BERLIN War has returned to Europe. One month ago, a European great power attacked its smaller neighbor which it claims does not have the right to exist as a sovereign nation-state and even threatened to deploy nuclear weapons against those that challenge it. With that, the world was fundamentally changed. Europe must change with it. With his unprovoked aggression against Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin deliberately destroyed the underpinnings of European peace and, to some extent, of the entire post-Cold War international order. Not only has the West's diplomatic and economic relationship with Russia been decimated; direct military confrontation between NATO and Russia is a distinct possibility. The world now must contend with the risk once thought to have been overcome that a war in Europe could quickly escalate into a global conflagration. If World War III were to erupt, it could entail an unprecedented level of destruction, even by European standards, owing to the likelihood that weapons of mass destruction would be used. To be sure, Putin has made some serious miscalculations. His blitzkrieg was supposed to decapitate the democratically elected Ukrainian government and replace it with a puppet regime. But he seems to have overestimated the Russian military's prowess and underestimated Ukrainians' willingness to fight for their country and their freedom. Putin also seems to have underestimated NATO and the European Union. While some pushback was undoubtedly expected, he probably did not anticipate the West's swift, determined, and unified response. Beyond welcoming a large share of the roughly 3.5 million Ukrainians who have been forced to flee their homeland since the start of the invasion, Western countries have sent Ukraine billions of dollars' worth of weapons and other materiel. And they have imposed stringent and intensifying financial and economic sanctions on Russia, Putin, and his supporters. For Europe, this response reflects just how close to home Putin's war of aggression hits. Day after day, on television and social media, Europeans are inundated with stories and images of decimated cities, packed bomb shelters, and ordinary Ukrainians courageously coping with their new reality. This, together with the arrival of refugees in virtually every country across the continent, has made the war a defining feature of Europeans' everyday lives. But the connection runs even deeper. Europeans inside and outside the EU understand that Putin's aggression is not directed only toward Ukraine. Russia has launched an assault on our most deeply held values: democracy, the rule of law, peaceful coexistence, and the inviolability of borders. If the war on Ukraine is an attack on all of us, the only appropriate response is a united one. Yet, while Europe's unity so far merits praise, much more will need to be done. It is not yet clear how the war in Ukraine will unfold, or even whether Ukraine will survive as an independent country. But there is little doubt that Putin's war will have profound longer-term consequences potentially even more profound than those of the watershed years when the Cold War order came crashing down. For starters, mistrust of Russia will be enduring. Given that the West's relationship with Russia has long been a pillar of European peace, this implies that Europe will need to transform its approach to security. In particular, NATO's eastern flank and the EU's eastern border will remain vulnerable, requiring a higher level of military protection. This task, which must be shared equally by NATO and the EU, should transform the EU into a geopolitical player. Until now, the only geopolitical instrument the EU had at its disposal was the promise of membership and the prospect of peace, prosperity, and respect for the rule of law that accession implied. But, as the EU's eastern enlargement at the beginning of this century showed, accession alone is not enough to guarantee that a country will complete the expected geopolitical transformation. Faced with the aspirations of the Western Balkan countries, as well as Turkey, Ukraine, Moldova, and Georgia, the EU needs to develop a more flexible, responsive, and nuanced system or risk collapse. The EU's development into a political, security, and defense union, rather than just an economic and monetary union, offers an ideal opportunity. As this new Europe takes shape, a new journey to EU membership can be mapped out, consisting of several phases, each with its own criteria, rights, and obligations. To move to the next phase, a country must meet pre-determined standards relating to the economy, the rule of law, security, and other domains. Some countries might progress quickly, while others may never reach the highest level of EU membership. But all would benefit from their ties with the bloc. Putin's war has made Europe more united than it has ever been. The challenge now is to uphold this sense of common purpose, and build a stronger, more resilient, and more self-sufficient EU capable of advancing its geopolitical interests in a world of renewed great-power rivalry. Alliances will, of course, be essential, particularly with the United States and Canada. But, as Europeans marvel at the Ukrainians' bravery and mettle, we must also absorb from them a crucial lesson: no one will fight for you for your family, your country, and your future as hard as you will. Joschka Fischer, Germany's foreign minister and vice chancellor from 1998 to 2005, was a leader of the German Green Party for almost 20 years. His article was distributed by Project Syndicate (www.project-syndicate.org). POSCO Chemical is increasing its battery material production capability after securing a stable supply of lithium, an essential material for producing cathodes for electric vehicle (EV) batteries, the company said, Tuesday. The company, which produces cathode and anode materials, said it has greatly increased its battery material business competitiveness thanks to POSCO Group's lithium investment. POSCO Group will secure 93,000 tons of lithium hydroxide per year, which can be used in 2.2 million EVs by 2024. The group's lithium hydroxide plant in Argentina, for which it held a groundbreaking ceremony on March 23, plans to secure an annual production capacity of 50,000 tons by 2024. Also the group's ore lithium plant in Gwangyang, South Jeolla Province, will have an annual production capacity of 43,000 tons as of 2023. With the supply of lithium produced by POSCO Group, POSCO Chemical will be able to procure all 91,000 tons of lithium needed to produce 225,000 tons of cathode materials annually in 2024. The company said its self-sufficiency rate of lithium is expected to reach 102 percent. With the explosive growth of EV market, the price of lithium is also soaring. According to the government's data, the lithium price in the global market was increased to 90,000 won per kilogram this month from 16,000 won last March. Lithium accounts for the largest part when making cathodes; in fact, about 0.46 tons of lithium is needed to produce 1 ton of cathode material. As POSCO Group is the only global cathode material group that has both lithium mining rights and mass production systems of lithium, POSCO Chemical expects it will have unrivaled business competitiveness in the battery materials business. "The winner of raw materials will be the winner of the battery materials business," Min Kyung-joon, CEO of POSCO Chemical, said. "Based on our raw material procurement capability, supported by POSCO Group, we will actively promote our materials production capability to global battery companies." A building destroyed in the course of Ukraine-Russia conflict is seen in the besieged southern port city of Mariupol, Ukraine, March 28. Reuters-Yonhap Ukraine warned Monday that the humanitarian crisis in the pulverized city of Mariupol was now "catastrophic," with thousands dead, as fighting surged around Kyiv ahead of new face-to-face peace talks with Russia in Turkey. A senior Ukrainian official told AFP Monday that around 5,000 people have been buried in the besieged city of Mariupol. But the burials stopped 10 days ago because of continued shelling," Tetyana Lomakina, a presidential adviser now in charge of humanitarian corridors, told AFP by phone, adding that as many as 10,000 people may have died since the start of the Russian invasion. Russian attacks near Kyiv cut power to more than 80,000 homes, officials said, underscoring the peril facing the capital despite an apparent retreat in Moscow's war aims to focus on eastern Ukraine. "The enemy is trying to break through the corridor around Kyiv and block transport routes," Ukraine's deputy defense minister Ganna Malyar said. "To capture Kyiv is essentially a captured Ukraine, and this is their goal." UN chief Antonio Guterres said Monday the global body is seeking a humanitarian ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine, as the civilian toll continues to rise a month after Moscow's invasion of its neighbor. Guterres told reporters he had asked UN humanitarian chief Martin Griffiths "immediately to explore with the parties involved the possible agreements and arrangements for a humanitarian ceasefire in Ukraine." He said he hoped Griffiths would go to both Moscow and Kyiv as soon as possible after he returns from a mission to Afghanistan. About 20,000 Ukrainians have been killed in Russia's month-old invasion and 10 million have fled their homes, according to Kyiv, and several cities are still coming under withering bombardment. Ukraine Prosecutor General Iryna Venediktova said Monday there was proof that Russian forces have used banned cluster bombs in the southern Odessa and Kherson areas. Humanitarian needs are direst in the southern port city of Mariupol, where Ukraine said that about 160,000 civilians remain encircled by Russian forces, desperate for food, water and medicine. Ukraine's foreign ministry said the situation there was "catastrophic" and Russia's assault from land, sea and air had turned a city once home to 450,000 people "into dust." The Ukrainian government also estimated Monday that the economic damage from the Russian invasion had reached nearly $565 billion, including immediate damage plus expected losses in trade and economic activity. Buildings damaged in the course of Ukraine-Russia conflict are seen in the besieged southern port city of Mariupol, Ukraine, March 28. Reuters-Yonhap Ukraine says that one Russian strike on a theatre-turned-shelter in Mariupol is feared to have killed some 300 people. Unburied bodies line streets and residents cowering in basement shelters have been forced to eat snow to stay hydrated, local lawmaker Kateryna Sukhomlynova told AFP. France, Greece and Turkey are hoping to launch a mass evacuation of civilians out of Mariupol within days, according to French President Emmanuel Macron, who is seeking agreement from Russia's Vladimir Putin. Macron warned that any escalation "in words or action" could harm his evacuation efforts, after U.S. President Joe Biden's shock declaration in Poland that Putin "cannot remain in power." Biden himself rowed back on Sunday, denying to reporters that he had been calling for regime change. He said Monday the remark was personal "outrage," not policy. Butler, IN (46721) Today Rain showers early will evolve into a more steady rain for the afternoon. High 53F. Winds ENE at 15 to 25 mph. Chance of rain 70%. Higher wind gusts possible.. Tonight Rain showers this evening with overcast skies overnight. Low 47F. Winds NE at 15 to 25 mph. Chance of rain 60%. Angola, IN (46703) Today Rain showers early becoming a steady light rain for the afternoon. High 54F. Winds ENE at 15 to 25 mph. Chance of rain 70%. Higher wind gusts possible.. Tonight Showers early, then cloudy overnight. Low 46F. Winds NE at 15 to 25 mph. Chance of rain 60%. Kendallville, IN (46755) Today Rain showers early will evolve into a more steady rain for the afternoon. High 53F. Winds ENE at 15 to 25 mph. Chance of rain 70%. Higher wind gusts possible.. Tonight Rain showers this evening with overcast skies overnight. Low 46F. Winds NE at 15 to 25 mph. Chance of rain 60%. Auburn, IN (46706) Today Rain showers early will evolve into a more steady rain for the afternoon. High 53F. Winds ENE at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 70%.. Tonight Showers early, then cloudy overnight. Low 46F. Winds NE at 15 to 25 mph. Chance of rain 50%. BLACKPINK member Rose greeted Lisa late for her birthday and even greeted someone else before her! Keep on reading to learn why. BLACKPINK Rose Greets Lisa Late for Her Birthday On March 27, BLACKPINK's youngest member, Lisa, officially turned 25! Lisa shared photos from her birthday celebration in Thailand to celebrate her birthday. The female idol shared several images of her in a fluffy two-piece outfit, flaunting her Barbie-like visuals. Because it was Lisa's birthday, BLACKPINK's fanbase, BLINKs, eagerly waited for the members' lovely interactions with Lisa. However, people recently discovered that Rose wished another friend happy birthday on her Instagram Story before greeting Lisa. ALSO READ: BLACKPINK Rose Gets Spotted at Dua Lipa Concert With Mystery Man BLACKPINK's main vocalist, Rose, posted a happy birthday message for famous model Park Soo Joo on her Instagram Story. It is known that Rose is exceptionally close with the famous model. It is not surprising that she sent birthday wishes to the model on her social media. Because it was also Lisa's birthday, people patiently waited. However, Rose was a day late to post a greeting for Lisa! ALSO READ: BLACKPINK Rose Draws Attention After Being Spotted Using THIS Item Rose made a birthday post for Lisa on March 28. She shared a photo of them when they were younger alongside the caption, "Happy Birthday, Lisa. Forever my sister from another mis... lol. Love you so so much." Why Did BLACKPINK Rose Greet Lisa Late for Her Birthday? Rose greeted Lisa a day late because she is currently abroad. The time zone is different from Korea. In fact, Park Soo Joo was born on March 26, meaning she was technically also a day late to greet her supermodel friend under the Korean timezone. However, if going by the American timezone, where Rose is now, she greeted the right person on the right day! BLACKPINK is currently one of the most prominent K-pop girl groups globally. They have a considerable fanbase. However, there are often internal fights between BLINKs due to the many "Akgae fans," or BLINKs who only support one member and scrutinize the others. Because of that, many are critical of BLACKPINK members' interaction on their birthdays. Therefore, every move is considered controversial. However, since Rose was only considered late due to timezone difference, many were understanding of the timing of the greeting. What do you think of the situation? Tell us in the comments below! For more K-Pop news and updates, always keep your tabs open here on KpopStarz. KpopStarz owns This Written by Alexa Lewis These 10 K-pop idols looked stunning with pink hair! 1. Girls' Generation Taeyeon Taeyeon had dyed her hair pink two to three times she debuted. Although she has dyed her hair pink several times, she becomes a hot topic every time. One South Korean internet user even said, "Taeyeon looks like she was born with pink hair. She looks like a fairy, so it suits her." One notable time she dyed her hair pink was for her "Weekend" comeback. Taeyeon exuded princess vibes! 2. (G)I-DLE Yuqi Yuqi recently dyed her hair pink for (G)I-DLE's "TOMBOY" comeback. Although it is her first time with pink hair, it definitely suits her style! Paired with the smokey make-up for "TOMBOY" promotions, her hair has made Yuqi a hot topic among internet users. With pink hair, Yuqi looks both cute and charismatic! 3. (G)I-DLE Minnie Minnie, who is also a member of (G)I-DLE, dyed her hair pink for the group's "DUMDi DUMDi" promotions. Because she dyed her hair pink for the summer, Minnie looked as fresh and sweet as strawberry juice! As her hair was dyed rose gold rather than just pink, the hair shined even under harsh lighting. What a beauty! 4. BLACKPINK Lisa Any hair color is suitable for Lisa, but pink is one of the best! Though she dyed her hair pink during a period when she had no musical activities, Lisa still shared several photos of her with the new color. Lisa opted for pastel pink. This is the best shade for those who want to try dying their hair pink as it complements most skin tones. 5. BLACKPINK Rose For BLACKPINK's "Lovesick Girls" promotions, Rose dyed her hair pink! For most of her time as an idol, Rose has stuck with light colors for her hair. The soft pink definitely captivated the audience, causing Rose to stand out among the members. The hair proved to be versatile. Depending on how her hair was styled and what make-up look she wore, Rose would exude different auras. 6. TWICE Nayeon TWICE member Nayeon only dyed her hair pink once, and that was for "SIGNAL" The color did not even last long. In fact, Nayeon only kept the pink hair for a week before going back to her signature brown hair. Although the hair color was shortlived, it left a deep impression on the K-pop community, Many are hoping Nayeon makes a comeback with pink hair again. JYP, let Nayeon dye her hair other colors! 7. TWICE Sana Sana has dyed her hair several colors, but pink left the most lasting impression. The Japanese idol dyed her hair pink for TWICE's "Feel Special" promotions. The color allowed Sana to stand out among the group's nine members. People claimed the pink color made Sana look like a princess! The shade Sana dyed her hair is not easy to pull off, but she did it flawlessly. 8. LESSARAFIM Sakura Just like her name, Sakura dyed her hair the same color as Sakura blossoms during her time in IZ*ONE! Sakura is known for her pink hair, and during her time with the "Produce 48" winner group, she dyed her hair several shades of pink. The color makes Sakura look sweet and dreamy. Even when she returned to Japan, she often kept her hair different shades of pink. It is her representative color! 9. f(x) Sulli Sulli, who is known as "K-Pop's Peach," dyed her hair pink for her solo debut, "Goblin." With her pink hair, Sulli's fairy-like beauty was able to shine even more. The color perfectly matched her plump lips and milky white skin. She looked out of this world! We miss you, Sulli! 10. Red Velvet Yeri During Red Velvet's "PSYCHO" era, Yeri dyed her hair pink. However, the hair color did not last long, as pink is notoriously hard to maintain. As a result, the idol could only have pink hair for teaser photos and a few scheduled activities. After that, her hair faded to a brown. Though short-lived, the color caused a storm among ReveLuvs. People believed the 'do made Yeri look high-class and extravagant. Did we miss anybody? Tell us in the comments below! ALSO READ: 6 Girl Crush Female Idols Who Brought Back Smokey Makeup Trend For more K-Pop news and updates, always keep your tabs open here on KpopStarz. KpopStarz owns This Written by Alexa Lewis BTS fans, ARMYs, are left confused after the group's hashtag became different. Keep on reading to know more. ARMYs Express Confusion After Unknown Box Began Appearing on BTS' Hashtags on Twitter Ahead of the 64th Grammy Awards in Las Vegas on April 4, K-Pop superstars BTS boarded a flight at the Incheon International Airport recently on March 28 to head to the United States. Since then, BTS fans, ARMY, have been expressing their excitement for the seven-member group's appearance at the highly-acclaimed awards ceremony. They will not only perform, but are also nominated for the second time in a row for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance with their 2021 summer single "Butter." IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: BTS Jungkook Departs Ahead of Group to Las Vegas - Why Did He Leave First? ARMY took to social media to show their support for each of the members. Over on Twitter, several keywords and hashtags related to BTS and its members began trending around the world and topping the worldwide trends. However, not long after, ARMYs began noticing an unusual change in several of BTS' hashtags. In particular, many have come to notice that in front of BTS' hashtag, there is a box that goes through BTS, ARMY, and each of the members' Korean names. While on browser, this appears as a crossed out box. In addition, some of the hashtags are also appearing in the color purple for some. This is BTS' representative color. Twitter's hashtags or links are usually in the color blue. Eventually, this addition to BTS' related hashtags has caused a frenzy among ARMY, who took to Twitter to express how confused they are. ARMYs Unable to Find Meaning Behind Hashtags While some usually make theories to explain certain things happening around BTS, it seems fans this time are left clueless as to what the hashtags could possibly mean. It came as a surprise to many. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: BTS Makes Surprise Appearance at Oscars 2022 - Here's What the Group Did In addition, some have also revealed that it does not appear as a box or crossed out box to them, but their boxes include a question mark in it. Some comments from ARMYs read, "NOBODY!!! LITTERLY NOBODY KNOWS WHY THEIR NAMES ARE IN TV SHAPES RN?!?!!!!! SOLVE THE MYSTERY PLZ!!!!!!," "LMAO what's this ARMY?? Why that box around it. Twitter is drunk or are we clowns????," "Waiting for someone to explain what's happening. Everybody asking what's happening but no one knows what it is actually.. whoever started this please explain..," and similar others. Meanwhile, BTS are currently in Las Vegas for their U.S. activities. What do you think this could mean? For more K-Pop news and updates, always keep your tabs open here on KpopStarz. KpopStarz owns this article. Written by Robyn Joan Feature: Retired Ugandan has his way with bamboo farming after acquiring Chinese knowledge Xinhua) 11:35, March 29, 2022 KAMPALA, March 28 (Xinhua) -- Having taught at Uganda's prestigious Makerere University for decades, retired Andrew Tumusiime made a bold decision to enter forestry business in his hometown in the southwestern part of the country. Returning to Kabale, Tumusiime planted a bamboo nursery bed, hoping that people would buy the seedlings from him. However, finding clients was challenging, so he decided to plant the seedlings himself. "At first, I took it as a joke, but then I realized it was good business. I turned my energy to researching until I landed on websites which explained the impact of bamboo growing in China," Tumusiime told Xinhua in a recent interview. To obtain further information about bamboo planting, Tumusiime joined the Uganda Bamboo Association, some of whose members had acquired knowledge about bamboo farming from China. The association, according to one of its leaders Flavia Munaba, brings related organizations and community members together to share information, resources and technology in growing and adding value to bamboo. Munaba, who joined the bamboo industry after a trip to China in 2011, said the association has more than 300 members. The association organizes demonstrations for members on how to plant bamboo and also sensitizes them about the economic benefits of the plant. "This association of bamboo growers has great people. They are not selfish when it comes to sharing the great knowledge they learnt from China," Tumusiime said. After a decade-long endeavor, Tumusiime's bamboo business has thrived. He was one of the exhibitors at the Harvest Money Expo 2022 in Kampala, one of Uganda's largest agricultural exhibitions. During the expo, Tumusiime's booth showed various bamboo products such as toothpicks, chairs, tables, mortars and pestles. He said many customers who came to his exhibition stand were awed by the products made out of bamboo. "This is amazing. The toothpicks I have known all my life are made in China. I like innovation and maybe in the future I will consider planting bamboo," Ritah Nanyonjo, one of the customers told Xinhua after visiting Tumusiime's stall at the expo. "I have also seen some liquid soap and other herbs made out of bamboo. This is great news for our country," Nanyonjo said. James Kariuki, a Kenyan national who attended the exhibition, said he was inspired by Tumusiime's work. "He has told us that once you plant bamboo, you can start harvesting after three to four years. This harvesting goes on for the next 50 years and even more," Kariuki said. "I will definitely use part of my land to grow bamboo. Tumusiime has also referred me to some websites which talk about the importance of bamboo and how the Chinese have done wonderful things out of this plant," Kariuki added. (Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun) Welcome Guest! You Are Here: A veteran board chair facing child porn charges resigned from his post Monday amid repeated calls for his resignation from Democratic Gov. Tony Evers administration and Republican gubernatorial candidate Kevin Nicholson. Prosecutors in Milwaukee charged Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs Board Chair Curtis Schmitt Jr. on Jan. 23 with three felony counts of possession of child pornography. Schmitt, whom Evers appointed in 2019 and the Senate unanimously approved, has pleaded not guilty. According to a criminal complaint, investigators discovered two photos and a video of child pornography had been uploaded to a Dropbox account associated with Schmitts email in December. Schmitt told police that he was addicted to adult pornography and sometimes received and downloaded child pornography. In a letter to Evers on Monday, Schmitt said, It has been an honor to serve on the Board of Veterans Affairs for the past three years. Please let this letter serve as my official resignation, according to a copy Evers spokesperson Britt Cudaback provided to the Wisconsin State Journal. The day after Schmitt was charged in January, an attorney for Evers asked him to do that which is in the best interest of the Board of Veterans Affairs by immediately resigning your unpaid, part-time, citizen-appointment position. He didnt respond, Cudaback said. On Monday morning, Nicholson sent Evers a letter to jump-start the removal process after Schmitt ignored calls to resign. Nicholson laid blame on Evers for not removing Schmitt sooner. Because the Senate confirmed Schmitt, Evers could not simply rescind his appointment. Instead, a taxpayer Nicholson in this instance had to file a complaint to trigger a process through which Evers can remove Schmitt for inefficiency, neglect of duty, official misconduct or malfeasance in office. In his letter sent Monday, Nicholson said Evers dishonored the reputation of the Wisconsin Board of Veterans Affairs and displayed an incomprehensible lack of leadership by refusing to be more proactive in removing Schmitt. After Schmitts resignation, Nicholson said, Schmitt Jr. should have been removed from the Wisconsin Board of Veterans Affairs months ago. Im glad that hes finally resigned, but it should have never come to this. A judge last month bound Schmitt over for trial. Hes due back in court Tuesday for a scheduling conference. The veterans board works with the WDVA secretary to shape benefit programs for Wisconsin veterans by adopting administrative rules. It also approves resolutions and recommendations from state veterans organizations. The nine members serve four-year terms with no pay. Nicholson is facing Republican gubernatorial candidates former Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch and Rep. Timothy Ramthun, R-Campbellsport, in a contest to oust Evers. The Associated Press contributed to this report. A Dane County sheriffs deputy who was fired for undisclosed reasons in November a month after saying she shot at a man who stabbed her in Festge Park likely caused her own injuries with a box cutter while she was intoxicated, according to her termination letter. The Wisconsin Department of Justices Division of Criminal Investigation originally reported the deputy, Sarah Bortz-Rodriguez, said she saw a suspicious person while on routine patrol at the park in the town of Berry near Cross Plains at about 8:15 p.m. on Oct. 21. And Bortz-Rodriguez initially told authorities she approached a man who stabbed her with an edged weapon. The action caused her to fire her gun, and she was later taken to a hospital for treatment. Throughout that night and into the morning, police searched for the alleged assailant. Residents in the immediate area were on lockdown. The investigation turned up no answers, but rather factual inconsistences in Bortz-Rodriguezs initial statement about the incident, according to a nine-page letter the Wisconsin State Journal obtained from the Sheriffs Office about her firing. Bortz-Rodriguez later told authorities after they pointed out the inconsistencies that following an earlier critical incident review at the precinct she drove around to try and calm herself emotionally, according to the letter. The deputy told authorities she then returned to the precinct and traveled to an area near Rileys Tavern where she later consumed a substance that is blacked out in the letter. Bortz-Rodriguez afterward decided she was going to ride out the rest of her shift, the letter states. After not notifying a supervisor of her condition, Bortz-Rodriguez told authorities that upon arrival to Festge Park, she felt the substance she consumed take effect. You stated that you attempted to clear the park and while driving through ... believed you may have seen someone, according to the letter. You stated you believed you really did see someone there but now believe you may have hallucinated this stuff. Despite her impaired condition, Bortz-Rodriguez told authorities that she discharged her firearm once, later thinking she may have shot herself. After authorities asked if she had also caused some cuts to her arm, Bortz-Rodriguez said it was possible, the letter states. Authorities also asked her if a box cutter police found on the ground the night of the incident was likely department-issued from her squad bag and not owned by the alleged assailant. You asked if the box cutter found at the scene was the box cutter from your squad bag, according to the letter. You stated if its not in my squad bag, then its probably on the one on the ground. There was not a box cutter in your squad bag when it was examined after the incident. The letter states Bortz-Rodriguez was found to have violated several policies outlined in the Sheriffs Office Code of Conduct those surrounding truthfulness, unbecoming conduct, ethical behavior, conformance to laws, insubordination and work performance. The deputy also violated work rules surrounding the use of property, work performance and personal actions and appearance. Bortz-Rodriguez, 30, had been with the Sheriffs Office since May 2014. In a separate letter to the State Journal explaining why portions of a 100-page case report about the incident and termination letter are blacked out, the Sheriffs Office said it was not disclosing what the deputy consumed because of the sensitive nature of the investigation and the number of current employees who were interviewed. Release of these records without redactions would undermine the departments ability to manage its workforce and to conduct its business, particularly with respect to investigating future internal matters of a confidential or sensitive nature, the letter from Sheriff Kalvin Barrett and Lt. Brian Hayes states. Certain medical information provided by the deputy has also been redacted. Kochi (Kerala) [India], March 29 (ANI): Crime Branch of Kerala Police interrogated Malayalam actor Dileep for nine and a half hours on Tuesday in the 2017 actress assault case. Dileep, who is the eighth accused, was interrogated for seven hours on Monday. Also Read | Andhra Pradesh Shocker: 3-Month-Old Girl Sold Seven Times in Three Months in Guntur; Eleven Arrested. The Crime Branch also interrogated Malayalam film director Balachandra Kumar, who is the witness in this case on Tuesday. Crime Branch Additional Director General of Police (ADGP) S Sreejith confirmed that they interrogated Dileep and Balachandra Kumar together on Tuesday. Also Read | Rajnath Singh Talks With Israel Defence Minister Benjamin Gantz, Condoles Loss of Lives in Terror Attack. The Crime Branch ADGP said, "The interrogation of Dileep is over now. He will be called later if further clarification is required. Important people will not be questioned tomorrow. Dileep will be questioned again if necessary." Balachandra Kumar, film director and witness said, "I can not disclose the facts that are part of the investigation. They said they would call me again. I think things will go to the steps of questioning Dileep and me together. The police have various evidence that people are unaware of. I believe the investigation can be completed on time." Earlier in November, Balachandra Kumar had leveled a series of allegations against Dileep in connection to the case. He had shared audio recordings which led to new conspiracies in the case against actor Dileep. Further, Dileep was accused of conspiring with others to murder police officials who have been investigating the actor assault case. The actress, who worked in Tamil and Telugu films, was allegedly abducted and molested inside her car by a group of men, who had forced their way into the vehicle on the night of February 17, 2017. (ANI) (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Agartala, Mar 29 (PTI) A 26-year-old man was lynched on Tuesday morning in Tripura's Sepahijala district on the suspicion that he was a cattle thief, police said. Two people were arrested in connection with the killing of Litan Miah, a resident of Tarapukur in Jatrapur police station area of Sonamura subdivision, they said. Information was received in the morning that villagers have detained a youth in Baramura, police said. Also Read | Amazon Glow Now Available for All Customers in the US. A police team rushed to the spot and found him critically injured after being thrashed by a group of youths who claimed that he was a cattle thief, they said. "He was first taken to a local hospital. From there he was referred to GBP Hospital in Agartala as his condition was critical. On the way to that hospital, he died," Officer-in-Charge of Jatrapur police station Nandan Das told PTI. Also Read | Realme Pad Mini Listed on Lazada, Likely To Debut in India Soon. As the news of the incident spread, hundreds of locals blocked the road at nearby Dhanpur -- the constituency of Leader of Opposition Manik Sarkar, demanding immediate arrest of the killers. Union Minister of State for Social Empowerment and Justice Pratima Bhoumik is also a resident of Dhanpur. The father of the deceased, Jamal Miah, lodged a police complaint, following which two people were arrested. Those arrested were Sentu Debnath and Amar Chandra Das, police said. A case has been registered under relevant sections of the IPC, including 302 (murder), they said. (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) New Delhi [India], March 29 (ANI): Uttar Pradesh Government told the Supreme Court that the state has taken all efforts to protect the witnesses and families of victims of the Lakhimpur Kheri incident. Uttar Pradesh government said that all the witnesses are also regularly contacted by the police for appraisal of their security conditions. Also Read | Higher Attrition Rate in Indian Companies Driving Increments, Says Report. The submission of the Uttar Pradesh government came in an affidavit as a reply to the petition seeking to cancel the bail of Ashish Mishra, the son of Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Ajay Mishra Teni. The state government told the Supreme Court that it had opposed the bail plea of Ashish Mishra in the Allahabad High Court and the submission of the petition that the state did not effectively oppose the bail application of the accused Ashish Mishra is completely untrue. Also Read | Russia-Ukraine War: Russia Would Not Supply Gas to Europe for Free, Says Kremlin Spokesperson Dmitry Peskov. "That at the very outset, the Answering Respondent (Uttar Pradesh) takes exception to the averments in the SLP to the effect that State did not effectively oppose the Bail Application of the Accused Respondent No 1 (Ashish Mishra). The same is completely untrue, as is also borne out from a perusal of the Impugned Order itself...." read the affidavit. The affidavit also stated that the same clearly demonstrates that Ashish Mishra's bail application was vehemently opposed by the State in the Allahabad High Court and any averments to the contrary in the special leave petition (SLP) are completely false and merits to be rejected. Uttar Pradesh Government further said that as per the Allahabad High Court's order of February 10, 2022, the limitation period against the same is still running, and the decision to file SLP against the same is pending consideration before the relevant authorities. The government also said that the investigation revealed that the altercation between a witness and the opposite party took place over the throwing of Gulal. Earlier, it was alleged that one witness was attacked by some miscreants. The alleged attackers threatened the witness that Mishra is out on bail and the ruling party had also won the election and they would see to him. According to the affidavit, all the witnesses are also regularly contacted by the police for appraisal of their security conditions. "The witnesses were interviewed telephonically most recently on March 20 2022 and expressed satisfaction with the security provided to them and were informed that if they required any help in relation to their security, they should immediately contact the Superintendent of Police of their respective districts and would receive prompt assistance," UP government assured in the affidavit. Earlier, the Supreme Court had issued notice to Uttar Pradesh Govt and others on plea seeking to cancel bail to Ashish Mishra. On the last hearing advocate Prashant Bhushan, appearing for the petitioner, said that one of the prime protected witnesses was brutally attacked, a few days after bail was granted to Ashish Mishra. Family members of the victims of the Lakhimpur Kheri incident have moved Supreme Court challenging the Allahabad High Court order, which granted bail to Ashish Mishra. In the Special Leave Petition, family members of the deceased have challenged the Allahabad High Court order dated February 10 2022, wherein Ashish Mishra was granted regular bail. The petitioner said that Allahabad HC's order is unsustainable in law. They also said that they have approached the apex court as the State of Uttar Pradesh has failed to prefer any appeal against the impugned order. Ashish Mishra was released from jail in February followed by Allahabad High Court granting him bail. Eight people, including four farmers, had died in violence on October 3, 2020, in Lakhimpur Kheri. (ANI) (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) New Delhi [India], March 29 (ANI): Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday said that the signing of the inter-state agreement between Assam and Meghalaya to resolve the pending border dispute is a "historic day for the northeast" and congratulated the two chief ministers. "Today is a historic day for the northeast. Since 2014, PM Modi has made numerous efforts for the development and promotion of the cultural heritage of the northeast region. Today, I congratulate Assam CM and Meghalaya CM and their teams on the signing of the agreement to resolve their boundary dispute," the Home Minister said. Also Read | Andhra Pradesh Shocker: 3-Month-Old Girl Sold Seven Times in Three Months in Guntur; Eleven Arrested. The Home Minister said that he is assured that in the coming days GDP of the northeastern states will increase and there will be peace, prosperity and development. He said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has continuously worked for the welfare of the people of the northeast. Also Read | Rajnath Singh Talks With Israel Defence Minister Benjamin Gantz, Condoles Loss of Lives in Terror Attack. Amit Shah said that looking at the journey from 2019 to 2022, there have been many big achievements in establishing peace in the northeast. "First of all, in 2019, there was an NLFT agreement. The Bru Reang Agreement was signed on January 16, which benefited more than 34,000 people. Then on January 27, 2020, the historic Bodo Accord was signed. We ended the 50-year-old problem by creating the original form of the state without disturbing the Assam model," he said. The Home Minister said that the Karbi Amlang agreement was signed in 2021 and an agreement had been reached today. Amit Shah said that he had gone to Meghalaya in July last year and met all the chief ministers of the northeast region. "We are continuously moving forward on the path of resolving the border dispute. Today, a 50-year-old pending boundary dispute between Assam and Meghalaya has been resolved. Six out of 12 points of the dispute have been resolved, which comprises nearly 70 per cent of the boundary. The remaining six points will be resolved at the earliest," the minister said. Assam and Meghalaya governments on Tuesday signed a historic agreement here in the national capital to resolve their 50-year-old pending border dispute. The agreement was signed between Assam and Meghalaya two months after a draft resolution was submitted by the chief ministers of the two states to Amit Shah on January 31 for examination and consideration by the MHA. The governments of Assam and Meghalaya had come up with a draft resolution to resolve their border disputes in six of the 12 "areas of difference" along the boundary. (ANI) (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) New Delhi, Mar 29 (PTI) The defence ministry on Tuesday sealed a contract with state-run Bharat Electronics Ltd for the development of an electronic warfare equipment for the Indian Air Force at a cost of Rs 1,109 crore. The ministry described the contract for the development of the Instrumented Electronic Warfare Range (IEWR) as a "significant step" toward enhancing the capabilities of the IAF to prepare for future warfare. Also Read | Cryptocurrency Tax Rules in India: Crypto Assets to be Taxed From April 1; Heres All You Need to Know. "The Ministry of Defence (MoD) of India and Bharat Electronics Ltd, Hyderabad signed a contract for Instrumented Electronic Warfare Range (IEWR) for the Indian Air Force, here today," the ministry said. "The contract is a significant step towards enhancing the capabilities of the IAF to prepare for future warfare. The overall cost of the contract is estimated to be Rs 1,109 crore," it said in a statement. Also Read | Amazon Smbhav Summit 2022 to Be Held on May 18-19. The ministry said the IEWR will be used to test and evaluate airborne electronic warfare (EW) equipment and validate their deployment in an operational scenario. "The project essentially embodies the spirit of Atmanirbhar Bharat (self-reliant India) and will help facilitate realising the journey towards self-reliance," it said. (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) New Delhi, Mar 29 (PTI) A thick blanket of smoke engulfed east Delhi's Ghazipur dumping yard as a fire that broke out on Monday continued to rage on in some pockets even after 19 hours. Two fire tenders have been stationed at the spot, an official of the fire department said. Also Read | Uttar Pradesh Madhyamik Shiksha Parishad: 7.8 Lakh Students Dropout From Class 10 and 12 Examinations in 4 Days. Chief Fire officer Atul Garg told PTI that the firefighting operations are still underway and it might take a few more hours to complete the cooling process. According to the fire department, a call was received at around 2.30 pm about the fire in Khatta at Ghazipur on Monday. No casualty was reported. Also Read | WhatsApp To Soon Allow Users To Share Media Files Up to 2GB in Size: Report. (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) New Delhi [India], March 29 (ANI): India has logged 1,259 new COVID cases in the last 24 hours, Union Health Ministry informed on Tuesday. Following a continuous downward trend, as per the Ministry, India's active caseload has declined to 15,378 today. It constitutes 0.04 per cent of the country's total positive cases. Also Read | Intel Launches Core i9-12900KS Processor, Price Starts at $739. "There has been a sustained fall in the weekly and daily positivity rates too," the Ministry said in an official statement. The weekly positivity rate in the country currently stands at 0.25 per cent and the daily positivity rate is reported to be 0.22 per cent. Also Read | Tina Dabi Engaged: IAS Officer Announces Engagement With Fellow Officer Pradeep Gawande, To Marry on April 22. In the last 24 hours, 1,705 patients have recovered from the virus, taking the cumulative tally of recovered patients since the beginning of the COVID pandemic to 4,24,85,534. Consequently, India's recovery rate stands at 98.75 per cent. As many as 5,77,559 COVID-19 tests have been conducted in the last 24 hours, taking India's cumulative COVID tests to 78.79 crore (78,79,32,913). The provisional reports till 7 am today, show that India's COVID-19 vaccination coverage has exceeded 183.53 crore (1,83,53,90,499). In the COVID-19 vaccination drive for the age group of 12-14 years, which began on March 16, 2022, so far, over 1.36 crore (1,36,84,215) adolescents have been administered the first dose of the vaccine. (ANI) (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) New Delhi [India], March 29 (ANI): The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on Tuesday informed the Lok Sabha that it has rejected a total of 466 licenses of institutions under the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) since 2020. Union Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai informed the Lower House while responding to a query of Congress leader Suresh Kodikunnil. Also Read | The #Kerala Unit of the #CPIM on Tuesday Expressed Its Displeasure over the Latest Tweet by IANS India. On being asked about details of institutions that were refused the renewal of registration under FCRA during the last two years and the current year, Rai said a "total of 466 renewal applications refused under the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act, 2010 (FCRA, 2010) since 2020". Giving a detailed report, the Minister said the number of renewal applications refused in 2020 was 100. Also Read | Hyderabad Shocker: 89-Year-Old Alzheimer Patient Spends 18 Hours in Banks Locker Due to Staff's Negligence. In 2021, the number of refusals of similar licenses increased to 341, said the Minister, adding as of March 21 this year, a total of 25 licenses have been refused. Informing the reason for their rejection, the Minister said, "The refusal of these applications was due to not fulfiling the eligibility criteria in accordance with the provisions of the FCRA, 2010 and rules made thereunder". On being asked "whether the government intends to review the registration guidelines," Rai said, "there is no such proposal". (ANI) (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) New Delhi, Mar 29: Prime Minister Narendra Modi asked BJP MPs on Tuesday to undertake various programmes as part of "samajik nyay pakhwada" (fortnight dedicated to social justice) from its foundation day on April 6, and also asserted that it is the only ruling party which has recognised contributions of every prime minister by building a museum to honour them. With the birth anniversary of B R Ambedkar, architect of the Constitution, falling on April 14, Modi at the BJP's parliamentary party meeting asked party MPs to reach out to people, especially the disadvantaged sections of society like Scheduled Castes, to highlight various government programmes for their welfare. PMAY-G Scheme: PM Narendra Modi to Participate in 'Grih Pravesham' of Over 5 Lakh Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana Beneficiaries in Madhya Pradesh Today. Quoting him, Union Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal told reporters that Modi asked parliamentarians to work to spread awareness about the central government's welfare schemes for housing, nutrition and free grains among others. With a museum dedicated to all former prime ministers of India set to be inaugurated on April 14, Modi noted his address from the ramparts of Red Fort on August 15 in which he had lauded their contributions. "He said we are the only ones to have acknowledged former prime ministers' contributions irrespective of the party they came from," a BJP MP said. The BJP has often accused the Congress, which has ruled the country for much of the period since Independence, of glorifying the prime ministers from its ruling Nehru-Gandhi family while ignoring others. "This is essentially democratisation of national recognition and articulation of popular gratitude towards all of our former prime ministers," BJP MP Vinay Sahasrabuddhe said. That the museum is being inaugurated on Ambedkar's birth anniversary is a recognition of the democratic architecture he bequeathed to the country, another party leader said, referring to Modi's speech. Modi also noted that the birth anniversary of noted social reformer Jyotirao Phule falls on April 11. An exhibition on the movement for India's Independence was also held at Ambedkar International Centre, the meeting's venue, where Modi arrived earlier than its scheduled beginning. The prime minister asked them to hold different measures to help people during the fortnight. He suggested that MNREGA funds can be utilised to build ponds in dedication to the ongoing 'Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav'. (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Gurugram, Mar 29 (PTI) At least 123 workers of a company were taken into custody on Tuesday after they went berserk and set fire to a bus and damaged others in Manesar town here, police said. Workers of JNS instruments limited, a manufacturer of the parts for Maruti, have been on protest for the last few days against the alleged sacking of some of their co-workers by the company and demanding that they be taken back. Also Read | Andhra Pradesh Shocker: 3-Month-Old Girl Sold Seven Times in Three Months in Guntur; Eleven Arrested. Authorities had imposed section 144 of CrPC and barred entry of any protester within 500 meters radius of the company. However, the protesting workers blocked the entry of the company early in the morning, police said, adding they also allegedly threatened other employees of the company. Also Read | Rajnath Singh Talks With Israel Defence Minister Benjamin Gantz, Condoles Loss of Lives in Terror Attack. Police and the duty magistrate reached the spot and warned the protestors of action. As the workers did not leave the premises, the duty magistrate ordered action against them, they said. Subsequently, an FIR was registered against the protesters under sections 147 (riots), 149 (unlawful assembly), 341 (wrongful confinement), 506 (criminal intimidation) of the IPC at IMT, Manesar police station, police said. A police team reached the spot and again asked the workers to leave the spot. When some workers were taken into custody, the others ran away, the police said. It was around 7 pm when they again gathered outside the company and not only damaged windowpanes of a bus but also set another to fire. The fire brigade was called which controlled the flames. After this police nabbed 123 workers, including 70 women, they said. We arrested 123 protesters. We let them off on police bail with a warning, said inspector Subhash Kumar, Station House Officer of IMT, Manesar police station. (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Helsinki [Finland], March 29 (ANI): Seems like HMD Global is ready to provide an Android 12 update to its Nokia XR20 smartphone, which launched last summer with Android 11 on board. According to GSM Arena, reports suggest that users in Finland have received the coveted update to the latest version of Google's mobile operating system. Also Read | Andhra Pradesh Shocker: 3-Month-Old Girl Sold Seven Times in Three Months in Guntur; Eleven Arrested. Labelled V2.300, the new build seems to be rolling out over the air already in some parts of Europe at least. Upon installation, the Nokia XR20 will run Android 12 with the March 2022 security patch level, which is still current for a few more days. Also Read | Alaya F Looks Like the Perfect Bridesmaid in Her Powder Blue Anita Dongre Outfit (View Pics). GSM Arena suggests that this might be a staged rollout, so it could take days (or even weeks) for the notification to pop up on all Nokia XR20 units out there in the wild. (ANI) (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Mexico City, Mar 29 (AP) Gunmen burst into a clandestine cock fight and opened fire, killing 20 people and wounding four, prosecutors in Mexico's western state of Michoacan said Monday. Three women were among the dead after the attack late Sunday near the town of Zinapecuaro. Also Read | China Reports 1,293 New COVID-19 Cases in Past 24 Hours. The attackers apparently planned the attack, and entered in a stolen truck owned by a snack food company, according to prosecutors. The snack food company truck arrived, and several armed people in camoflauge clothing got out, a prosecutors' statement said. At the same moment, a bus that was outside the building was used as a blockade, apparently to prevent victims from escaping or calling for help, it said. Also Read | Joe Biden Proposes USD 1.8 Billion for Indo-Pacific Strategy. Investigators found 15 vehicles that apparently belonged to the victims, one of which bore stickers with the logo of a criminal gang. Prosecutors said drug cartels and other criminal gangs had been fighting in the area. There are indications that the attack involved a confrontation between criminal groups, the federal Public Safety Department said in a statement. It added that a team of federal investigators had been sent to the scene. Michoacan has been the scene of a longstanding turf battle between local cartels and the Jalisco cartel, from the neighboring state of Jalisco. The fighting has included the use of bomb-dropping drones, landmines and home-made armored cars. Cock fighting, while illegal in many areas, remains a popular pastime in parts of Mexico, though the fights are usually held clandestinely. (AP) (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Brussels [Belgium], March 29 (ANI): The European Union on Monday condemned the Taliban's decision to ban girls from receiving secondary education and believes that this lowers the movement's chances to gain the "desired" legitimacy, Sputnik reported. Earlier, on Wednesday, the Taliban regime issued a decree banning female students above grade six from participating in their classes. The girls were further told to stay home until the Islamic Emirate announces its next decision. Also Read | Russian Oligarch Roman Abramovich Experienced Symptoms of Poisoning During Peace Talks in Kiev. "The European Union and its member states, together with international partners, have condemned the decision of the Taliban to deny until further notice secondary level education for over one million Afghan girls. This is a blatant violation of the fundamental right to education for all children, enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and several international human rights instruments, of which Afghanistan is a state party," Sputnik quoted the EU Council statement. The decision by the Islamic Emirate has drawn severe backlash across the world with the Foreign Ministers of Canada, France, Italy, Norway, the United Kingdom, the United States of America, and the High Representative of the European Union issuing a joint statement on Friday to condemn the Taliban's decision to deny so many Afghan girls the opportunity to finally go back to school. (ANI) Also Read | Shahbaz Sharif Tables No-Confidence Motion Against Pakistan PM Imran Khan. (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Beijing [China], March 29 (ANI): The special envoys of Russia, the US, Pakistan and China to Kabul are scheduled to hold a meeting in Beijing this week in the 'extended troika' format, on the sidelines of the Third ministerial conference on Afghanistan, the Chinese Foreign Ministry informed. The 'troika plus' group or the extended troika is a multilateral grouping on Afghanistan consisting of the US, Pakistan, Russia and China. Also Read | Russia-Ukraine War: Russia Would Not Supply Gas to Europe for Free, Says Kremlin Spokesperson Dmitry Peskov. "By agreement of all parties, within the framework of the third meeting of foreign ministers of countries neighbouring Afghanistan, which will be held on March 30-31 in the Tunxi region (Huangshan city) of Anhui province, a meeting of the consultation mechanism of the expanded 'troika' on Afghanistan will be held," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said at a briefing on Tuesday, reported Sputnik News Agency. According to Wang, the special envoys of Russia, the United States and Pakistan in Afghanistan will take part in the consultations, which will be chaired by the special envoy of the Chinese Foreign Ministry for Afghanistan Yue Xiaoyong. Also Read | Worlds Largest White Diamond Ever, The Rock To Appear at Auction: Top 5 White Diamonds Offered at Christie's. Notably, in November last year, Islamabad had hosted a meeting of the extended Troika. China is hosting the third regional meeting between the Foreign Ministers of the neighbouring countries of Afghanistan at the end of this month in Beijing. The meeting will also witness the presence of the acting Foreign Minister of the Taliban regime, Amir Khan Muttaqi. The meeting was discussed during Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi's visit to Kabul where Wang met with the acting Taliban Foreign Minister. Earlier this month, the Taliban regime had confirmed its participation in the meeting after a meeting between Muttaqi and China's ambassador to Afghanistan Wang Yu. The first and second rounds of the meeting were hosted by Islamabad and Tehran respectively. The meeting in Islamabad was held in a virtual format. (ANI) (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) A Place for All Conservatives to Speak Their Mind. New Delhi, March 29: The visit of Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett to India has been postponed and will be rescheduled, Muhamed Heib, spokesperson of the Israel Embassy in India said on Tuesday. On Monday, it was reported that Naftali Bennett had tested positive for COVID-19. Also Read | Dmytro Khilyuk, Ukrainian Journalist, Abducted by Russian Forces: Media Watchdog. Israel had earlier announced Bennett's first India visit after assuming office as Prime Minister last year. Bennett was scheduled to visit India during April 3-5, on the occasion of the commemoration of 30 years of diplomatic relations between India and Israel, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) had said in an official statement. Also Read | Taliban Prevents Beardless Government Employees Entry to Offices in Afghanistan. Bennett had planned to visit India from April 3-5 at the invitation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) had said in the official statement. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Israeli counterpart had earlier met on the sidelines of the UN Climate Change Conference (COP 26) in Glasgow in November last year. They also had a telephonic conversation on August 16, 2021. India and Israel elevated their bilateral relationship to a strategic partnership during the visit of Prime Minister Modi to Israel in July 2017. Since then, the two countries have continued to deepen their strategic partnership, with a focus on innovation and research, read the statement. "The visit by the Prime Minister of Israel is expected to further strengthen our excellent bilateral cooperation in diverse areas, including agriculture, water, trade, education and science and technology," the statement had said. Israel is experiencing a modest increase in COVID-19 infections as an omicron spreads there as in many other countries. Bennett and nearly half of Israel have received three vaccinations, according to the Washington Post. (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) New Delhi [India], March 29 (ANI): The Union Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan on Tuesday met Bahraini Undersecretary for Political Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Sheikh Abdullah bin Ahmed Al Khalifa and discussed bilateral relations and welfare of Indian community. "Happy to receive H.E. Dr Sheikh Abdullah bin Ahmed Al Khalifa, Undersecretary for Political Affairs, MoFA, Bahrain. Discussed various aspects of bilateral relations and the welfare of the Indian community. Thanked Bahrain for taking care of the Indian community," tweeted Muraleedharan. Also Read | Dmytro Khilyuk, Ukrainian Journalist, Abducted by Russian Forces: Media Watchdog. He also received Bahrain's Instrument of Ratification of International Solar Alliance (ISA) from Dr Sheikh Abdullah. MOS thanked the Leadership and Government of Bahrain for taking excellent care of the Indian community, including during the COVID-19 pandemic. "Glad to receive an instrument of ratification from Bahrain for joining the International Solar Alliance. 86 countries including Bahrain have signed and ratified the ISA Framework Agreement so far," tweeted Muraleedharan. Also Read | Taliban Prevents Beardless Government Employees Entry to Offices in Afghanistan. India and Bahrain celebrated the Golden Jubilee of the establishment of diplomatic relations in October 2021. Both sides are looking forward to an early visit of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and Prime Minister of Bahrain to India. Dr Sheikh Abdullah arrived in New Delhi on March 27 and is scheduled to depart today. He came to attend the fifth India - Bahrain Foreign Office Consultations (FOC). During the FOC, both delegations discussed all areas of bilateral cooperation and reviewed the progress made since the 3rd High Joint Commission meeting co-chaired by EAM and FM of Bahrain in April 2021 in New Delhi, read the Ministry of Foreign Affairs press release. (ANI) (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) New Delhi [India], March 29 (ANI): Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday spoke to his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Gantz and wished for the speedy recovery of Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett who recently tested positive for COVID-19. Taking to Twitter, the Defence Minister through telephonic conversation shared his condolences on the loss of innocent lives due to terror attacks in Israel. Also Read | Russia-Ukraine War: Russia Would Not Supply Gas to Europe for Free, Says Kremlin Spokesperson Dmitry Peskov. "Had a telephonic conversation with the Defence Minister of Israel, Mr Benjamin Gantz. Shared my condolences on loss of innocent lives due to terror attacks in Israel. Terrorism is a global menace which has no place in today's civilised world," he Tweeted. "Also, I wished for the speedy recovery of Israeli Prime Mr. Naftali Bennett who recently tested positive for Covid," he said in another Tweet. Also Read | Worlds Largest White Diamond Ever, The Rock To Appear at Auction: Top 5 White Diamonds Offered at Christie's. On Monday, Naftali Bennett had tested positive for COVID-19. The visit of Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett to India has been postponed and will be rescheduled, Muhamed Heib, spokesperson of the Israel Embassy in India said on Tuesday. Israel had earlier announced Bennett's first India visit after assuming office as Prime Minister last year. Bennett was scheduled to visit India during April 3-5, on the occasion of the commemoration of 30 years of diplomatic relations between India and Israel, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) had said in an official statement. Bennett had planned to visit India from April 3-5 at the invitation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) had said in the official statement. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Israeli counterpart had earlier met on the sidelines of the UN Climate Change Conference (COP 26) in Glasgow in November last year. They also had a telephonic conversation on August 16, 2021. India and Israel elevated their bilateral relationship to a strategic partnership during the visit of Prime Minister Modi to Israel in July 2017. Since then, the two countries have continued to deepen their strategic partnership, with a focus on innovation and research, read the statement. "The visit by the Prime Minister of Israel is expected to further strengthen our excellent bilateral cooperation in diverse areas, including agriculture, water, trade, education and science and technology," the statement had said. Israel is experiencing a modest increase in COVID-19 infections as omicron spreads there as in many other countries. Bennett and nearly half of Israel have received three vaccinations, according to the Washington Post. (ANI) (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Washington [US], March 29 (ANI/Sputnik): US Special Envoy for Yemen Tim Lenderking is visiting Gulf states to discuss diplomatic efforts toward a durable and inclusive resolution of the Yemen conflict, the State Department said on Tuesday. "Special Envoy Lenderking will prioritize his engagements in the region on mobilizing additional life-saving humanitarian assistance for Yemen," the statement read. Also Read | Pakistan Authorities See No Evidence of 'Foreign Funded Plot' To Topple Imran Khan Govt Through No-Confidence Motion. Although the US has provided an additional $585 million to Yemen, the country's humanitarian response remains just 30% funded, it added. In addition, the Middle Eastern nation is facing a lack of wheat supplies caused by the crisis in Ukraine. The latter has accounted for over 30% of Yemen's wheat imports, the statement noted. Also Read | Taliban, UN Officials Meet on Humanitarian, Development Assistance for Afghanistan. While in Saudi Arabia, Lenderking will participate in intra-Yemeni dialogue facilitated by the Gulf Cooperation Council. "The United States welcomes opportunities for Yemenis to come together, to represent their diverse experiences and perspectives, and to identify solutions and reforms that can improve the lives of citizens," the statement said. Yemen has been gripped by an internal conflict between the government forces and the Houthi movement. Since 2015, the Saudi-led coalition fighting on the Yemeni government's side has been conducting air, land and sea operations against the rebels. The Houthis often retaliate by firing projectiles and drones toward Saudi territory. (ANI/Sputnik) (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Washington [US], March 29 (ANI): US lawmakers are trying to resolve entrepreneur Elon Musk's business ties to China, which they fear may include the Beijing connections to SpaceX, said a recent Wall Street Journal report. Senator Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) introduced legislation aimed at rectifying the problem, according to The Hill, telling the Wall Street Journal that "any company operating in China is going to be pressured and exploited by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)." Also Read | Dmytro Khilyuk, Ukrainian Journalist, Abducted by Russian Forces: Media Watchdog. Elon Musk comes under criticism early this year for showcasing his new Tesla showroom in the Xinjiang region where China keeps millions of Uyghurs in concentration camps. A major Muslim civil liberties organization in the US had called on Tesla motors CEO Elon Musk to close a recently-opened showroom, saying no American corporation should be doing business in a region that is the focal point of a campaign of genocide targeting a religious and ethnic minority. Also Read | Taliban Prevents Beardless Government Employees Entry to Offices in Afghanistan. The problem is that all Chinese entities are legally obligated to spy for their government, a practice codified in China's National Intelligence Law of 2017, The Hill reported, adding that this may be hard for some Americans to imagine, but it is not insignificant. "No American corporation should be doing business in a region that is the focal point of a campaign of genocide targeting a religious and ethnic minority," said CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper. "Elon Musk and Tesla must close this new showroom and cease what amounts to economic support for genocide." According to media reports, Tesla has said it has begun operations in a showroom in Urumqi, the capital of Xinjiang. This has drawn widespread criticism. US lawmakers accuse China of imprisoning as many as 1.8 million Uyghurs, Kazakhs, Kyrgyz and members of other Muslim minority groups in a system of extrajudicial mass internment camps, where they are forced to produce textiles, electronics, food products, shoes, tea, and handicrafts. Beijing, on the other hand, has repeatedly denied all accusations of being engaged in abuses in Xinjiang. Meanwhile, the White House has urged private companies to oppose the human rights abuses and genocide by China in Xinjiang. (ANI) (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) London, Mar 29 (AP) Western officials say Russia is building up troops in eastern Ukraine, but it's too soon to say whether Moscow's claim to be scaling back operations around Kyiv is true. Officials familiar with the intelligence picture said Tuesday that Moscow is reinforcing troops in the Donbas in an attempt to encircle Ukraine's best-trained and best-equipped forces, which are concentrated in the eastern region. Also Read | Pakistan Authorities See No Evidence of 'Foreign Funded Plot' To Topple Imran Khan Govt Through No-Confidence Motion. Moscow has said gaining control of the Donbas is now its main military goal in Ukraine. A Western official speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss intelligence said it's clear that Russia's tactics and strategies are changing but it's not yet clear what that prefigures. Also Read | Taliban, UN Officials Meet on Humanitarian, Development Assistance for Afghanistan. The British government also expressed scepticism about Russia's claims to be scaling back and its commitment to ending the war through talks. We will judge Putin and his regime by his actions, not by his words, said Max Blain, spokesman for Prime Minister Boris Johnson. --- Washington: The White House is rejecting as false and disinformation assertions by Russia that the U.S. government is launching cyber operations against Moscow that include the theft of personal data and the spreading of false information about the Russian military. The Russian Foreign Ministry made the assertions in a statement Tuesday. It alleged that the U.S. and other NATO members had trained Ukrainian hackers and blamed what it said was an effort by Ukraine to recruit international hackers. Emily Horne, a spokesperson for the White House National Security Council, responded by calling the claims false and said the U.S. government has not engaged in the activity described by Russia. She says Moscow's statements to the contrary amount to disinformation. (AP) (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Indian Naval Air Squadron 316, the second squadron of P-8I maritime reconnaissance aircraft - which were also deployed during the peak of India- China dispute in Ladakh region in 2020 - was commissioned into the Indian Navy on Tuesday. Life as one of Chinas industrial worker ants did not suit Liu Xu: waking up early in factory accommodation, working for 11 hours operating a machine in the tool-making factory, eating all his meals in the factory canteen and going to bed, only to wake up and do it again. His parents spent most of their lives in deadening jobs his father on construction sites and his mother in factories but 23-year-old Liu Xu lasted just a year in a factory in the southern China city of Dongguan. Half of that was the time his company invested in training him to work the machine before he up and quit. Like Liu, a generation of young Chinese is turning its back on the factory jobs that once fueled Chinas growth and they are helping to transform the economy by doing it. Life in the factory was really boring and repetitive, Liu said. Every day I walked into the factory, I felt like this was all there was to my life. I was going to end up in that factory forever. You felt trapped, just walking between three places your whole life: work, the accommodation and the canteen. I couldnt get used to the working conditions. I had to wear a uniform every day. Advertisement Factory bosses, for their part, disparage Chinese millennials as a lazy, coddled generation, more interested in leisure and material goods than their factory fodder forefathers. The bosses complain it is difficult to find enough new young workers to replace the old even as China moves from being the worlds cheap low-wage factory capital to a post-industrial economy based on high-tech industries and consumer-driven services. With an aging population, the workforce is predicted to shrink rapidly by 100 million every 15 years from 2020 according to National Committee of Chinese Peoples Political Consultative Conference. In the meantime, factory bosses are caught short in finding adequate employees, as some factories automate more quickly than others. In an automotive components factory in Taishan city, southern China, the hot, muggy air smells of paint. Vice President Li Na walks briskly, her heels tapping on the factory floor like an efficient machine, passing a small glass-walled room where a worker sits on an upturned bucket, spray-painting metal car components on a trundling conveyor belt. He is an older man, staring out over his breathing mask with dull, bored eyes before turning back to the line. Loyal older workers are becoming harder to find, Li says, as the spoiled children of the past one-child policy generation turn their backs on factory jobs. If they complain to their parents that they dont like working in a factory, their parents just tell them to leave the job, says Li, a perky woman in her 30s whose fingers dance incessantly on her smartphone between answering questions. She says that young workers rarely remain long. Bosses complain that spoiled young Chinese are turning their backs on jobs in factories like this, in Hangzhou eastern China photographed last June. (AFP/Getty Images) For generations, low-skilled factory jobs were the lifeblood of Chinas incredible growth. That improved living standards but also saw changing job expectations. As the government fosters high-tech industries to tackle U.S. global dominance, cheap, high-volume manufacturers are caught facing higher wages and labor shortages, struggling to compete with nations like Cambodia, Thailand and Vietnam. Its almost impossible to find someone born after the 1990s to come and learn how to do the work, said Dai Wei Yan, recruiting for a garment manufacturer at a job fair in Dalang, a city 14 miles southwest of Dongguan. Two decades ago, nearly all its staffers were in their 20s. Now almost none are. Younger people are getting better jobs through higher education, or they are learning specific skills like cooking, or starting up their own businesses, he said. His company now sends products to factories in Vietnam and Cambodia for finishing, to cut labor costs. Dongguan is a sprawling manufacturing hub in the heart of the Pearl River Delta that churns out electronics, computer parts, shoes and furniture, exporting $104 billion in products a year. Red LED signs outside box-like factories beam out siren calls to try to attract workers: We are actively hiring and Join us. Older male job-seekers from out of town squat on the sidewalk outside factories with their bags and suitcases. Some ply the streets dragging their wheeled suitcases, looking for the best wages and conditions. At noon, they throng to cheap cafes with low plastic stools for hot soupy noodles. But while most older workers are looking for permanent work, millennial job-seekers acknowledge they are looking for only a few months of work as a stepping stone to something better such as a start-up small business of their own. Some of the factories are like small towns, with workers accommodations strung with row after row of drying laundry. Others are just small family-run affairs but all are struggling to find enough willing laborers. Chinese workers scan listings at a job fair in Tengzhou, eastern China, as factories struggle to find young workers. (STR / AFP/Getty Images) On a street corner in Dongguans industrial zone, a young couple peppers recruiting agent Huang Wen Cheng with questions about conditions in the factories he represents. You have to stand for 12 hours. You cant sit down. You get used to it after the first week, and then you will be fine, he urges them, but they drift away. Workers are getting really picky. They are asking if they have to stand or if they can sit, Huang says. As far as I know, almost all the factories around here you have to stand at the production line, and its really long hours, from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. or 10 p.m. The term millennials often conjures up the privileged, upwardly mobile university-educated youth of Chinas big cities. But lower-skilled, less-educated young workers are equally important to Chinas shift to an economy geared to domestic consumption and services. Chinese millennials are often surveyed by business consultants and marketers eager to figure out the secrets of the generation driving Chinese consumption: They tend to be entrepreneurial; happiness seekers; and want fulfillment, not just financial stability, in their work. According to business consultancy Brunswick, 97% of Chinese millennials would prefer to work for a company whose values were similar to their own. They live on their smartphones, online shopping, playing video games, browsing social media, ordering e-restaurant deliveries and livestreaming videos. Liu graduated after three years of technical college, and is happy to do low-skilled work as long as he does not have to work in a factory hence his decision to give up his factory job despite six months training to operate precision metal production equipment. He grew up the son of impoverished, rural farmers who left their home village to find work. His father was a construction site laborer, and his mother was a factory worker. The pay was low, but they worked hard and sacrificed everything for him. When he told them he hated his Dongguan factory job, they supported his decision to quit, because no parents want their kids to work in a factory for someone else their whole lives. I felt I was capable of doing something better, he said. Liu sits behind a counter in a courier company, surrounded by stacks of boxes and parcels. The business is piggybacking on Chinas gargantuan, fast-growing online shopping industry. His job, packing and sending parcels, is easy compared with operating a precision metal machine. It pays him $820 a month $74 more than the factory paid. Here, I dont feel so much pressure. The job is really simple, he says. The hours are still long, but he can relax and spend time surfing the internet on his smartphone when its quiet. He sleeps in a room above the shop. If you work in a factory, there are so many tiny rules and regulations you have to obey, he says. This is freedom. Lius shift reflects the growing role that the service sector is playing. The government says that growth in services like e-commerce and finance will flip the nations primary reliance on labor-intensive heavy industry, a tectonic shift already seen in the numbers: Manufacturing accounted for 47% of GDP in 2010 but only 40% in 2017 when services accounted for more than 50%. In the first half of 2018, services contributed 60.5% of Chinas economic growth and accounted for 45% of employment, according to state-owned news agency Xinhua. Liu aims to start his own small business. I want to learn how to do barbecue or how to cook because Im a foodie. Id love to have my own little restaurant. Workers assemble LED lights at a Yushan county factory in central China, the kind of job younger Chinese are increasingly shunning. (Associated Press) Ma Jinhang, 45, resigned his job at a provincial electricity company in Xining city in Qinghai province, central China, drawn by a shoe factory in distant Dongguan advertising jobs at $615 a month. He traveled 36 hours on the slow train, only to find the salary was actually $450. He quit after two months and now hangs disconsolately around outside a low-cost, multistory migrant hostel where small children totter, kittens gambol and a handful of migrant workers chatter. Theyre all liars, Ma says angrily, railing at the shoe factory bosses. I left because the salary was so low too low. It was unbearable. And it was 13 hours a day. The supervisors were always bothering you, Work faster, work faster. The meals were terrible. I felt as if they were raising livestock. Im going back to Xining, he says. Id rather be a street cleaner in my hometown than work in this inhuman environment. Chinas service sector is growing fast, offering new jobs in e-commerce, e-restaurants and the nations gargantuan delivery industry. (STR / AFP/Getty Images) Yang Qiang, 24, zips along on a motor scooter, wearing a yellow helmet, one of an army of deliverymen in a $35-billion e-commerce and food delivery business. He grew up as a farmers son in rural Hunan and arrived in Dongguan after graduating high school, at first working in a shoe factory, pairing and packing shoes for $447 a month. The pay was terrible, he says. It was so repetitive and soul-destroying and boring. If you stayed for a long time in the factory, you might as well be dead. Youd have given up your life for the company. Around him were older workers who did not have the guts to leave, despite the bad working conditions. There was no freedom. As a motorcycle deliveryman, he more than doubled his factory pay, earning $1,194 a month. He is saving to start a business. A job in Chinas $35-billion delivery industry is more attractive to many young unskilled Chinese than the factory jobs their parents did. (Wang Zhao/AFP/Getty Images) Manufacturing wages in China have increased five-fold since 2005 according to the Deloitte 2016 Global Manufacturing Competitiveness Index, while wages remain much lower in nations like Vietnam, Thailand, and Indonesia. Lis factory cut staff from 400 workers to 300 through automation last year. Labor costs are high in China these days, Li says. In the future, greater automation is a must if our company is to continue to grow. Well spend more on new machinery. Our workforce will shrink further. Many other companies in the region are also doing the same. Zhou Qiyin, 33, worked his way up to manager in a large precision tools factory, and started his own small factory two years ago. He cannot interest young people in learning how to operate his precision metal machines. There are many families who are not willing to let their kids work in a factory, he said. Kids these days dont want to work too hard because they can have an easy life and go out for meals. But for China, its all part of the plan. Let someone else be the worlds cheap factory. Its 400-million-strong millennial generation, with better pay and more free time to spend money, is driving the transformation of the economy. Because of the economy going up in recent decades, every family is rich enough to give their one child a good life. Now, young kids want to play, Hayes Lou, head of the Taiwan Business Assn. of Dongguan, says of millennials. They want an easy life, easy money. They dont want to work in a factory. Gaochao Zhang from the Times Beijing Bureau contributed to this story. Talks with China may lead to long-promised deal or all-out trade war robyn.dixon@latimes.com Twitter: @RobynDixon_LAT Will Smith's Oscars win could be asked to be handed back to the Academy, after he slapped Chris Rock on the stage of the awards ceremony when the comedian made a joke about Jada Pinkett Smith. A source confirmed to New York Post on Monday that what Smith did was assault and that everyone in Dolby Theaters in Los Angeles was shocked and felt uncomfortable. The source also predicted what Smith will do once the Academy required him to return his Oscars. "I think Will would not want to give his Oscar back, but who knows what will happen now," the insider noted. Following the slapping incident between Smith and Rock, the Academy took to Twitter to comment on the violence that was witnessed on its stage. The Academy does not condone violence of any form. Tonight we are delighted to celebrate our 94th Academy Awards winners, who deserve this moment of recognition from their peers and movie lovers around the world. The Academy (@TheAcademy) March 28, 2022 "The Academy does not condone violence of any form," the Academy said. It also congratulated the winners whom they call are deserving of recognition from their peers and movie lovers around the globe. READ NEXT: Oscars 2022: This Could Be the Reason Why Will Smith Was Pissed at Chris Rock Oscars 2022 Organizers Condemn Will Smith's Action On Monday, the organizers of the prestigious award ceremony issued a statement condemning Smith's action on Sunday, according to CNN. The Academy also said that it started to formally review the incident and will explore actions based on its Bylaws and Standards of Conduct and California law. A source also revealed to CNN on Monday that they considered doing preemptive measures following Smith's violent reaction to Rock's joke. The insider noted the Academy considered removing Smith from the broadcast last night after what he did. However, the decision-makers of the Academy were seated in different places in the theater, which is why they were not able to agree on what to do. It is known that the Academy has strict guidelines when it comes to its code of conduct. New York Post noted that the Oscars' code of conduct was released in 2017 in light of the sexual misconduct scandal that hit the industry. During that time, AMPAS CEO Dawn Hutson said in a statement that membership in the Academy is a privilege and only offered to a select few within the community of global filmmakers. Hutson also highlighted in the statement that members of the Academy must behave ethically and uphold the organization's values for respect for human dignity, inclusion, and a supportive environment that fosters creativity. Artists, Filmmakers, React to Will Smith's Action in Oscars 2022 Several celebrities and film entities reacted after Will Smith slapped Chris Rock while presenting an accolade at the event on Sunday. In a since-deleted tweet, "Knocked Up" director Judd Apatow said that Smith could have killed Rock, and what he did was out of control rage and violence, per the Post. Let me tell you something, its a very bad practice to walk up on stage and physically assault a Comedian. Now we all have to worry about who wants to be the next Will Smith in comedy clubs and theaters. Kathy Griffin (@kathygriffin) March 28, 2022 Comedian Kathy Griffin also condemned Smith's action, claiming that they now have to worry about who will be the next Will Smith in comedy clubs and theaters. Meanwhile, Director Rob Reiner said that Smith owes Rock an apology claiming that there is no excuse for what he did and that he is lucky because Rock did not file charges against him, per Evening Standard. Meanwhile, Los Angeles Police Department said that there was no police report filed in connection to Chris Rock and Will Smith's incident at the Oscars 2022. However, the department noted that they will be available to complete an investigative report once the involved party files a police report. READ NEXT: Oscars 2022 Highlights: Megan Thee Stallion Wows the Crowd Over Surprise Appearance on Stage Performing 'We Don't Talk About Bruno' With Encanto Cast This article is owned by Latin Post. Written By: Joshua Summers WATCH: Jeremy Piven DEFENDS Chris Rock After Will Smith Oscar Moment - From extratv One Mexico shooting has occurred in a cockfighting pit in Michoacan state, with authorities saying that at least 20 people have been killed and several others wounded. Authorities described the Mexico shooting incident as one of the deadliest attacks in recent years, according to an Aljazeera report. The details of the motive behind the attack were not immediately released. Local media reports noted that gunmen stormed a cockfighting pit and shot at the attendees. President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said that it was a massacre of one group by another, expressing his regret at the deaths. Lopez Obrador blamed criminal gangs for the shooting, adding that a team was dispatched to investigate the Mexico shooting incident. Violent attacks on gatherings of rivals have become increasingly usual. Gunmen in various areas of Mexico have attacked funerals and wakes, as well as bars and clubs in attempt to take out as many of their rivals at one time, according to a BBC News report. Forensic experts noted that all the victims in Las Tinajas were 17 men and three women. READ NEXT: El Chapo Case: Wives of Chicago Twins Who Helped Convict the Sinaloa Cartel Boss Used Drug Money on Lavish Trips, J.Lo Show Michoacan State Violence Michoacan has taken the brunt of the drug war when then President Felipe Calderon's fight against drugs and traffickers started in December 2006, according to a Reuters report. Calderon sent in some 5,000 troops into the state, focusing on Apatzingan. Two years after, the military arrested a suspected La Familia cartel boss Alberto Espinoza Barron. In May 2009, 27 public officials in Michoacan, including 10 mayors, are arrested and accused of having connections with the drug trafficking industry. It was the biggest coordinated crackdown on elected officials during Calderon's drug war. However, judges threw out the charges in 2010. Activists from Michoacan clamored for the government to fight all drug cartels equally and return land to an estimated 35,000 people displaced by fighting. Hipolito Mora, a founder and former leader of the 2013-2014 vigilante self-defense movement, noted that the place is worse than ever in terms of safety, according to an ABC News report. Mora said that a group of activists met with senior government officials and told them that "they have to fight all the cartels, not just one." In addition, the group demanded the authorities take into account the advice and opinions of Michoacan residents in creating a new strategy. Rev. Gregorio Lopez said that drug cartels now essentially control parts of the state. Lopez is a priest once known for wearing a flak vest while celebrating mass, according to an ABC News report. Lopez said that at least 35,000 people have been forced to flee their homes and farms in recent years, adding that the government should return their land and reimburse their losses. The priest noted that warring drug cartels extort money from almost all merchandise passing through Michoacan. Michoacan's armed civilian "self-defense" vigilante movement lasted from 2013 to 2014. However, many vigilante forces were later infiltrated by the cartels. READ MORE: El Chapo's Wife Emma Coronel Could Dismantle Sinaloa Cartel by Cutting Deal With U.S.: Report This article is owned by Latin Post. Written by: Mary Webber WATCH: Cartel violence leaves a trail of ghost towns in Mexico - from Al Jazeera English Peru President Pedro Castillo on Monday faced the members of the country's Congress, ahead of the impeachment votes that can cost him his post. According to France 24, Castillo was not present at the debate, but he was represented by his lawyer. However, he still appeared before and expressed his thoughts among the members of the Peruvian Congress before the debate took place, Bloomberg noted. "I am subject to democratic due process... (and) I will always squarely face the nation," Castillo said at the opening of his hearing. Castillo added that he hoped the issue about his impeachment will be closed today. "We have been democratically elected and in that regard, we are not going to disappoint," Peru's president said earlier on Monday. Al Jazeera noted that lawmakers would need at least 87 votes out of the 130-seat lower house for Pedro Castillo's ouster. However, Norma Yarrow from the Advance Country party, a group that sponsored Castillo's impeachment, said that they currently do not have the votes they need to oust the current Peruvian president, claiming that they only have 76. The voting for Castillo's impeachment is slated to happen after midnight on Monday, per Al Jazeera. READ NEXT: El Salvador Declares State of Emergency After Gangs Killed 62 in Just 24 Hours Peru President Pedro Castillo Defends Himself Ahead of Impeachment Votes Peruvian President Pedro Castillo also defended himself when he spoke before the lawmakers ahead of the debate. Al Jazeera noted that Castillo argued that the motion to impeach him as the president of Peru was baseless. He also added that the accusation slammed against him was only speculation, and he also blamed the biased media for the issue. "Everybody knows that it doesn't contain one element to sustain it," he said of the motion," Castillo pointed out, adding that the allegations against him do not have any "corroboration." The impeachment that Castillo faces came after he was caught in corruption allegations earlier in March. According to France 24, the opposition accuses Castillo, a former rural teacher, of moral incapacity and tolerating alleged corruption in his circle. Castillo denied the said allegation slammed against him and blamed them on the economic groups seeking a "coup" against his administration. Castillo also faced a similar impeachment attempt in December in which he was triumphant against the opposition. Peru: Protests Erupt Ahead of Pedro Castillo's Impeachment Vote The Impeachment debate came a day after thousands of people filled the streets of Lima calling for Castillo to be ousted from his position. Al Jazeera mentioned that protesters held signs with the statements "national embarrassment" and "power based on lies is illegitimate." "People can't take it anymore. We are fed up, the people demand justice and all the corrupt people to be gone," one protester said. On Monday, about 500 protesters also gathered outside the hearing. The said protesters also support Castillo's removal from his post. According to reports, impeachment proceedings are common in Peru due to its constitution that allows one to be brought against a president based on a subjective issue rather than legal wrongdoing. Al Jazeera highlighted that every president in Peru in the last 36 years was caught in corruption allegations, with some of them left imprisoned. READ NEXT: Is Will Smith's Oscars 2022 Best Actor Award Going to Be Taken Back? It's Possible This article is owned by Latin Post. Written By: Joshua Summers WATCH: Peru Congress to Hold Impeachment Trial for President - From Al Jazeera English The Texas wildfire continues to burn with one particular fire named Das Goat Fire, prompting Gov. Greg Abbott declared a state of disaster. Abbott said that the wildfires pose an imminent threat of widespread or severe damage, according to an ABC News report. The Republican governor said that 19 state agencies and over 200 firefighters were currently responding to the disaster. Abbott said that the state of Texas continues to collaborate with local officials on the ground and respond to fire activity to keep Texans safe. Many areas throughout Texas will remain under a high extreme elevated fire risk due to the high winds, dry heat, and drought conditions. There is a shelter currently at Loma Alta Middle School with more shelters soon to be announced for those who may have been displaced or evacuated due to the fire. READ NEXT: Texas Wildfire Destroys 50 Homes, Prompting Evacuation as Severe Fire Continues Texas Wildfire State and local fire officials are currently working on 12 active wildfires in Texas as the possibility of more wildfires this week may hinder suppression efforts. The Texas Wildfire Incident Response System showed a dozen active fires in the state ranging from the Texarkana area and into the Rio Grande Valley, according to an NBC DFW News report. The largest active fire is the Eastland Complex fire, which started burning more than a week ago. The fire has consumed more than 54,000 acres since that time. It is currently 90 percent contained. The Crittenburg Complex fire near Fort Hood is the next largest fire on the list, with the wildfire burning more than 33,000 acres in Coryell County. It is contained 45 percent as of 3 p.m. on Monday. Rich Gray, Texas A&M Forest Service Chief Regional Fire Coordinator, said that state, local, and federal firefighters have been extremely busy attending to the increased wildfire activity. Fire resources are mobilized to areas of concern for quick response to any requests for assistance, according to Gray. The National Weather Service said smoke from the Crittenburg Complex fire was pushing north into DFW. The forest service cautioned that nine out of 10 wildfires in Texas are human-caused, urging the public to avoid outdoor activities that cause a spark while warm, dry, and windy conditions are observed. Texas Wildfire Evacuation Orders The town of Flat, Texas was subjected to evacuation orders earlier. Kiley Moran, Wildland Urban Interface Coordinator with the Texas A&M Forest Service, said that additional evacuation orders were not expected, according to a Fox News report. NASA said last week that the fires are being fueled by "favorable weather conditions" to spur more fires. Last week, evacuation orders were released in parts of Hood, Erath, and Eastland counties. Officials earlier said that two firefighters have been injured since Sunday in Hood County. Hood County Sheriff's Department deputies knocked on every house to advise residents to leave Lipan. One resident, Arnold Thedford, said that the sheriff just come up and said that there was a fire on the way. Thedford said that he has got no place else to go, with his sister being up in Oklahoma. READ MORE: Caldor Fire Moves Closer to Lake Tahoe as Blaze Continues to Spread in Northern Part of California This article is owned by Latin Post. Written by: Mary Webber WATCH: South Texas wildfire destroys 3 homes, Abbott declares disaster - from KXAN January 6 House Panel investigating the Capitol riot on Monday voted to hold former aides of ex-President Donald Trump in Contempt of Congress. The said former aides were identified as Peter Navarro and Dan Scavino, according to New York Post. The House Select Committee voted 9-0 on Monday to issue sanctions on the two former Trump aides after they refused to comply with the subpoenas issued against them. The Post noted that the committee now needs approval from the full House of Representatives before the Justice Department could consider criminal charges against the duo. According to The Daily Mail, Navarro's subpoena was announced on February 9. The subpoena revealed that Navarro worked with Steve Bannon to develop and implement a plan to delay the certification of Congress and change the results of the 2020 presidential elections. Meanwhile, the committee's letter to Scavino accused him of being with former President Trump when he was deliberating on how to pressure members of Congress into objecting to Biden's election. The letter also mentioned that Scavino has materials relevant to his videotaping and tweeting messages on January 6. "In short, these two men played a key role in the ex-president's efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election," House committee Chairman Bennie Thompson said during the session. Thompson added that Scavino strung the committee for months before he made clear that he is above the law. The committee chairman also noted that Navarro also stonewalled the panel, even though he was able to share relevant details on television, podcasts, and his book. According to Representative Jamie Raskin, Navarro indicated in his book "In Trump Time: My Journal on America's Plague Year," how he supported and tried to stop former Vice President Mike Pence from certifying the elections, per the Post. READ NEXT: U.S. Capitol Riots Trial: Rioter Guy Reffitt Guilty, Proud Boys Leader Enrique Tarrio Arrested for Conspiracy in Attack Ex-Donald Trump Aide Claims Executive Privilege 'Tied His Hands' From Participating in the January 6 Probe Earlier in March, Navaro cited executive privilege as the reason why he was not able to participate in the investigation of the House Panel committee on the January 6 riot, per The Daily Mail. "My hands are tied in this matter as the Executive Privilege asserted by President Trump is not my privilege to waive," Navarro pointed out. The former aide then pointed out that the committee should talk to his attorneys before they "bully" and coerce him to cooperate in the bipartisan effort. "If the president waives privilege, I will appear." Navarro underscored. To date, New York Post mentioned that a hundred have already testified before the House panel, including more than a dozen members of Donald trump's staff. Other Donald Trump Aides Who Ignored January 6 House Panel's Subpoena According to the Post, Former White House strategist Steve Bannon and former chief of staff Mark Meadows have also been subject to a House contempt vote, when they ignored the subpoenas issued against them by the panel. In December, the House Select Committee issued a letter to Mark Meadows, saying that they were left with no choice but to advance contempt proceedings against the former official. It can be recalled that Meadow's also used the executive privilege as a reason to not answer the question from the House Select Committee. READ NEXT: Peru: President Pedro Castillo Faces Impeachment Debate Ahead of Votes That Could Oust Him From Office This article is owned by Latin Post. Written By: Joshua Summers WATCH: Jan. 6 Panel Votes To Recommend Contempt Charges For Trump Aides Scavino, Navarro - From MSNBC Do you remember when Republican Sen. Ted Cruz made the headlines after he flew to Cancun, Mexico, with his wife Heidi Cruz, while his home state, Texas, was hit by a huge winter storm that caused freezing temperatures and days-long power outages? At the time, Cruz and his wife were also with their two daughters at Houston International Airport, boarding a flight to a Mexican resort destination, according to Business Insider. Heidi is no stranger to the scrutiny and sacrifices of being a politician's spouse in the public eye. Cruz has been a staunch critic of President Joe Biden. Heidi has talked about her marriage and career during a 2018 interview with The Atlantic. READ NEXT: Salma Hayek Husband: Who Is Francois-Henri Pinault and How Much Is His Net Worth? Ted Cruz's Wife: Heidi Cruz Ted Cruz and Heidi Cruz met while working on George W. Bush's presidential campaign when Heidi was on break from Harvard Business School. In January 2001, they had their first date at a bar in Austin. Heidi said that Cruz asked her a lot of questions about her background, goals in life, 10-year plan, and 20-year plan. They got married that May and the Republican senator's wife said Cruz insisted they play the children's song, "A Whole New World," from the Disney movie "Aladdin" at the end of their wedding ceremony. Heidi objected and wanted to hire a professional violinist instead, but the senator's idea still prevailed. Heidi was born in San Luis Obispo, California in 1972 to two Seventh-day Adventist dentists who worked as missionaries in Kenya, Nigeria, and throughout Asia. She graduated from a liberal arts college, decided to attend Harvard Business School, and worked as a U.S. trade deputy in the White House. Heidi also worked as a director of the Treasury's Latin American desk, wherein she taught herself Spanish, according to the Independent. Heidi has been a managing director at Goldman Sachs since 2012. Reporter Elaina Plott reported earlier that Cruz's wife was working "70-hour weeks not only because she wants to, but also because she has to," Quartz reported. In 2018, Heidi Cruz said her husband's career as a politician, with a public servant's salary, posed financial constraints on their family's lifestyle. Ted Cruz and Heidi Cruz's Earnings Heidi Cruz likely earns over $300,000 a year as a managing director at Goldman Sachs. The earnings do not include an additional bonus yet. On the other hand, Ted Cruz earns an annual salary of $174,000 for his work as a public servant, placing him in the top three percent of American earners. Cruz also had other means of income, which include royalties from his book "A Time for Truth: Reigniting the Promise of America." It came to a minimum of $318,750 in royalty payments in 2015. He was then reported making between $100,001 and $1 million in royalties for the book that year. The couple has assets ranging between $2 million and $5 million from stocks, mutual funds, and his law firm retirement plan. According to Roll Call, Ted Cruz's personal wealth made him the 332nd wealthiest of 530 Congress members. It's unclear whether this includes his wife's earnings. READ MORE: 4 Texas Grid Board Members to Resign After Winter Storm Leaves Millions Without Electricity This article is owned by Latin Post Written by: Mary Webber WATCH: Ted Cruz's Wife Heidi Cruz: 'Ted and I Are Doing This as a Partnership' - From ABC News A Florida toddler was found dead inside a septic tank on Monday, a day after he was reported missing by his family. According to People, the child, identified as one-year-old Jose Lara, went missing while playing in the family's backyard in Crescent City at Putnam County on Sunday afternoon. In a press conference on Monday night, Putnam County Sheriff Gator DeLoach confirmed that the toddler's body was found in the septic area of the property. Wesh 2 reported that authorities looked around an area covered in some brush near where the clean-out for the septic tank was located. Police noted that the Lara was not quickly found because dirt, weeds, and plywood covered the opening to the septic tank. "It's not an uncommon practice in a situation like this when there's a child missing to search the septic tank as well," DeLoach said. The sheriff noted that one of their leadership team members suggested draining the septic tank, and "it was unfortunately when we discovered the child's body." Police said the septic tank was covered with a piece of plywood that was already rotten. DeLoach noted that the Florida toddler may have accidentally stepped on the plywood, prompting him to fall on the septic tank where he met his demise. The sheriff said the investigation is still ongoing. However, he noted that nothing appeared suspicious or indicated foul play in connection to Lara's death. READ NEXT: Donald Trump Ex-Aides Peter Navarro and Dan Scavino Held in Contempt of Congress by January 6 House Panel Florida Toddler Went Missing Before He Died in the Septic Tank Putnam County Sheriff's Office chief deputy, Col. Joseph Wells, said the Florida toddler was playing with his sister in the family's backyard at about 1:15 p.m., Crime Online reported. Authorities said their mother took the girl inside to wash her up, and when she returned, the 18-month-old boy was gone. Reports said the sheriff's deputies have sent out bloodhound tracking teams, search crews, and aviation units to look for Jose Lara. Police also deployed thermal cameras to detect heat as the temperature drops in the area. Crime Online reported that the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission, an aerial crew from Volusia County, and a K-9 unit from St Johns County assisted the Putnam County police in searching for the toddler. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) has canceled the missing child alert after the Florida toddler was found dead. The FDLE also expressed sympathy to the bereaved family. "Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and the Putnam County community," the FDLE noted. This is a cancellation to the Florida Missing Child Alert. With sadness, the child has been found deceased. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and the Putnam County community. If you would like further info, please call the Putnam County Sheriff's Office, 386-329-0801. https://t.co/199YnXDof3 FDLE (@fdlepio) March 28, 2022 Florida Native Claims Adults Also Fall in Septic Tanks A Florida native claimed that the Florida toddler was not the only one who fell in a septic tank. "We've had adults fall in, people riding lawn mowers fall in. Different things like that," Mike Jones told First Coast News. Jones, the owner of Duck Duck Rooter offering septic tank inspections, said plywood and other materials used to temporarily cover the tanks become soft and brittle over time. He then urged the Florida community to be familiar with their septic tank system, adding that the cost of fixing things is cheaper than losing a life. READ MORE: Peru: President Pedro Castillo Faces Impeachment Debate Ahead of Votes That Could Oust Him From Office This article is owned by Latin Post. Written by: Joshua Summers WATCH: Florida 1-Year-Old Found Dead, Appears to Have Fallen Into Septic Tank - From 10 Tampa Bay At least 35 asylum seekers from Russia have been secretly allowed to cross into the U.S. from Mexico following their country's invasion of Ukraine. According to Daily Mail, the Russians were escorted to the border in the predawn hours of March 20 following a deal between Mexican and U.S. authorities. They reportedly crossed at a section of the border where they would not be seen. Mexican immigration officers handed the Russians directly over to U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers. The deal was reportedly put together with the help of officials at the U.S. Consulate in Tijuana and Mexican officials at different levels of government after an encampment of displaced Russians started increasing on the streets near the Tijuana-San Diego border crossing. The group, which included children and a pregnant woman, slept in a makeshift encampment on the street of Tijuana for a week. The site was in full view of a passageway reserved for people who regularly cross the border from Mexico into San Diego on foot every day. READ NEXT: Brent Renaud, U.S. Journalist and Filmmaker, Killed by Russian Forces in Ukraine Russia's Refugees in Mexico Admitted to the U.S. Two days before they were allowed to cross into the U.S., the Russians in Mexico had received an offer from a Russian-speaking man who introduced himself as an American diplomat. According to Vice News, the diplomat told Russia's refugees that they would be taken across the border only if they broke up their growing encampment on the pedestrian crossing. The secret agreement reportedly bypassed Title 42, which allows U.S. officials to send back migrants to Mexico without having a chance to seek asylum or other protections in the U.S. The Title 42 policy has left tens of thousands of migrants stranded on the Mexican side of the border. Some of Russia's asylum seekers were active in opposition to the war in Ukraine and fled the political persecution under Russia's President Vladimir Putin. The group waited for days to enter the U.S. to start their proceedings for asylum. One of the asylum seekers, Irina, was arrested for protesting the war and spent several days at the encampment. Irina, a math teacher from Moscow, told VICE World News that she was grateful for the opportunity to seek asylum in the U.S. However, she was also surprised by the arbitrary and complex nature of the process she and the group experienced. She said it was "completely unpredictable" and was like "Russian roulette." She added that after crossing the U.S.-Mexico border, they do not know if they will be detained and for how long. Refugees From Russia and Ukraine Seek Asylum in the U.S. According to New York Post, more than 30,000 Russians arrived in Mexico during the first two months of the year. The outlet reported that it was nearly 2.5 times the full-year average from 2017 to 2021. According to Wall Street Journal, more than 10,000 Ukrainians visited Mexico as tourists over the same period compared to a full-year average of more than 4,000. Ukrainians do not need a visa to directly fly to Mexico, making it a common stopover point while traveling to the U.S. As Russia planned to invade Ukraine, reports said thousands of citizens of both Russia and Ukraine left Eastern Europe for Mexico with the ultimate goal of claiming asylum in the U.S. The administration of President Joe Biden said earlier that it is planning to welcome up to 100,000 Ukrainian refugees, with those who already have family in America receiving priority for resettlement. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas has already issued guidance reminding authorities that Ukrainian nationals "and everyone else" making so-called "credible fear" claims at the U.S.-Mexico border are exempt from Title 42. Last week, there were reports that Ukrainian migrants were being dealt with haphazardly at the border, with some officials using the Title 42 health protocol to turn asylum-seekers away. READ MORE: Russia-Ukraine Crisis: WHO Advises Ukraine to Destroy Health Lab Pathogens to Curb Spread of Disease This article is owned by Latin Post. Written by: Mary Webber WATCH: Anti-War Russians Gather At U.S.-Mexico Border Seeking Asylum - From NBC News One of the lawyers of Sinaloa cartel boss Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman Loera said they will ask the U.S. Supreme Court to review his case. In an interview with Milenio, Mariel Colon Miro, one of the lawyers who handled the cases of El Chapo and his wife Emma Coronel Aispuro, said they have until next month to file their petition for review in the Supreme Court. After reviewing his case, Colon Miro said they hoped that the high court would overturn the Mexican drug kingpin's conviction. Last January, a federal appeals court in New York has upheld the life sentence of El Chapo after his request for a new trial was dismissed. In their decision, the three judges rejected some of El Chapo's arguments, including jury bias, "deplorable" jail conditions, and the U.S. government selectively targeting him for prosecution. However, Colon Miro noted that the high court should review the case as they believed that El Chapo was really treated unfairly. "They don't take him out into the open air. They don't take him out for a single day. We have a lot of problems because they don't treat him medically if he gets sick," Colon Miro told Milenio. "Requests were ignored. He can't have two 15-minute calls a month... The government claims that they need to have him under those restrictions because he can pass some message," the Puerto Rican lawyer added. Colon Miro further noted that some basic rights, like access to water and toothache treatment, were also violated inside the prison. READ NEXT: Leader of El Chapo's Sinaloa Cartel, 2 Narco Women, Arrested in Mexico's Tourist Paradise of Quintana Roo Sinaloa Cartel Boss 'El Chapo' Appeals 2019 Conviction El Chapo, 64, is serving a life sentence in prison after being found guilty in 2019 of all 10 federal charges he faced. He was accused of illegally importing millions of kilos of cocaine from Mexico to the U.S., along with significant quantities of heroin and marijuana. According to prosecutors, El Chapo allegedly used murder, torture, kidnapping, bribing officials, and "other illegal methods to control territory throughout Mexico and to subdue opposition." El Chapo is currently being held in Colorado's Supermax, the most secure federal prison in the U.S. During oral arguments last October, El Chapo's defense team argued that the conviction of the Sinaloa Cartel boss should be sent back to lower courts for further evaluation or overturned completely for two reasons. First was the conditions and treatment that El Chapo experienced inside the prison. And second was a news report that during deliberations, jurors were exposed to salacious claims barred from the trial. It included a claim that El Chapo had drugged and sexually abused teenage girls he referred to as "vitamins" that gave him energy, which the Sinaloa cartel leader's lawyer, Marc Fernich, has denied. El Chapo's lawyer noted that the Vice News article also mentioned an unnamed juror who said at least five fellow jurors followed media coverage of the trial and lied about it to presiding judge U.S. District Judge Brian Cogan. Fernich said the court should order a new trial or call for a hearing on the alleged jury misconduct. He asked the judges to resist any "punitive impulse" toward a person who was cast as a "public enemy," like gangster Al Capone. As they face the Supreme Court judges soon, Colon Miro noted that the "last card will be played" so El Chapo would avoid spending the rest of his life in prison. Sinaloa Cartel Boss 'El Chapo' Is Very Respectful, Lawyer Says Despite "suffering" inside the prison, Mariel Colon Miro said El Chapo remains very strong. The lawyer noted that the Sinaloa cartel boss now dedicates himself to reading a lot and is optimistic about his last chance to improve the conditions of the remaining years of his life. According to Colon Miro, El Chapo was "very nice and very respectful." "We talk for hours because we both love to talk, so imagine... I'm still with him as a lawyer, so I think he likes me," the lawyer noted. Colon Miro said even El Chapo's wife became her friend. "Mrs. Coronel is not only a client. I consider her a friend. We never imagined that she would be in that situation. And since we are almost the same age, obviously we talk and share many common ideas and spend a lot of time together," the lawyer added. Emma Coronel Aispuro was sentenced to three years in prison on November 30 for helping her husband run his multibillion-dollar drug empire. According to her lawyers, El Chapo's wife could get out of prison four months earlier or in May 2023, as she is allowed by law to serve at least 85 percent of her sentence and has the option to serve the remaining 10 percent of her sentence at home or a place that will help her rejoin society. They added that Coronel Aispuro would also be credited for the months she had already served. The Sinaloa cartel is considered to be one of the most powerful drug-trafficking syndicates in the world. The Mexican drug cartel has been known for carrying out assassinations, murders, and torture to protect its turf. The group was founded in the late 1980s and headed by El Chapo. The Mexican drug kingpin was arrested and sentenced to more than 20 years in prison in 1993. El Chapo escaped from prison in 2001 and was apprehended again in 2014 in Sinaloa, Mexico. The Sinaloa cartel boss again escaped from prison through a tunnel the following year. In January 2016, Mexican officials announced that El Chapo has been captured again. He was extradited to the U.S. the next year. El Chapo was sentenced to spend the rest of his days in the ADX Florence "supermax" prison after being sentenced to life imprisonment in 2019. READ MORE: El Chapo Son's Turf Is Being Invaded by El Mayo's Hitmen as They Battle for Control of Sinaloa Cartel This article is owned by Latin Post. Written by: Adrianna Grant Covid-19 has returned with a vengeance in Laois with the latest figures confirming that there have been more than 1,800 cases of the virus in the county in the past two weeks. The latest official 14 day figures show that there have been 1,807 confirmed cases of the virus in the county up to and including Sunday, March 27. The rate of Covid-19 per 100,000 people in Laois in the past fortnight has surged to 2,133.50 per 100k. There were 96 cases of Covid-19 reported in Laois on Sunday, March 27. The figures put Laois as having the seventh highest infection rate in Ireland. Offaly has the second highest rate behind Sligo. These latest infection rates for Laois and other counties are only based on PCR test results and not antigen test figures. The sharp and rapid rise in cases is confirmed when the March 27 figures are compared with the two weeks to March 22 when there were 1,545 confirmed cases. This gave a rate of Covid-19 per 100,000 people in Laois over the past 14 days of 1,824.1. This is more than double the rate of infection recorded on March 9 when it was 871.3 per 100 k. The rate of infection per population peaked during the Omicron phase at a massive 4,700 per 100k on January 31. It had been falling since until March 9 when cases began to rise again rapidly. The total official number of cases in Laois is 23,752. The official figures show that the total number of Covid-19 confirmed cases in Laois have increased by 3,000 since the start of March. There were just over 21,800 officially recorded cases at the start of the month. The figures for each Local Electoral Area in Laois only run to March 14. In the first two weeks in March there were 403 positive PCR tests in the Portlaoise area with 432 confirmed in the Portarington Graigucullen Municipal District. The Borris-in-Ossory Mountmellick District returned 284 cases. Laois could be getting more high rise apartments but less new rural houses and housing estates, with the intervention of national planners in drawing up the new five year Laois County Development Plan. Laois councillors had changed their plan, going against national policies on housing density and town planning. They had set a limit of three storeys on new apartment blocks on greenfield sites, while many sites around Portlaoise and the county had been zoned for housing by them. Just before the deadline, the Office of the Planning Regulator has informed Laois County Council that it intends to request a Ministerial Direction to reverse many of the changes to the 2021 - 2027 county plan. They said that housing lands zoned were in excess for what is needed in Laois. They intent to revert three sites in Portlaoise from R2 New Residential Development, back to Not Zoned, Strategic Reserve and Transport and Utility, and one in Stradbally to Not Zoned. A two week public consulation on their requested changes ends on April 4, after which CEO John Mulholland will send the OPR his report including public and councillor views. The OPR will then made a recommendation to Minister for Housing Daragh O'Brien on whether to forcibly change back the plan. Director of Service for housing and senior planner is Angela McEvoy. "It is your plan to make but we have to ensure it is consistent with national policy. The only thing is there will be new population statistics for Laois later this year from the Census so it could all change," she said. Laois councillors were disappointed to have their decisions possibly reversed. "It looks like all the ones we wanted didn't go in. It's not the councillors' plan. If it is we should be given professional advice like the executive gets. It's scuppered. We're elected to do a job and then our hands are tied behind our backs," Cllr Willie Aird said. Cllr Caroline Dwane Stanley welcomed just one reversal sought, a piece of land zoned for housing at Rathevan by councillors not from Portlaoise. The zoning is unwanted by residents and by the council. "It's not that we don't want housing, we want the infrastructure in place. "I know areas in Dublin with massive high rise flats and there are so many issues around them. We are dealing with people in two storeys and bungalows who are opposed to high rises looking in on them. You might get away with three or four of them but if we take our foot off the pedal we are looking at serious high rise developments. Who'll live in them? No-one with children will want to live in them," she said. Cllr Aisling Moran said it is unfair. "I don't think they have a right. We are not going to adhere to all the rules they're going to send down. It should be down to us," she said. Cllr James Kelly urged a strong CEO's report. "We voted to ensure we meet our target for Housing for All. Less supply, greater demand, higher prices. I hope the chief executive makes a very strong report, it's very worrying for the supply to Portlaoise and the county," he said. Last January, Laois councillors voted against the OPR's recommendation when drafting up their changes. They also went against Laois County Council CEO John Mulholland's advice and against national planning guidelines. Over 300 generous Laois homeowners have registered to take in Ukrainian refugees. So far 338 people and families in the county have pledged through the Red Cross to give emergency accommodation to the war displaced women and children. Laois County Council has also sent a list of accommodation that may be suitable to the Government. These include hotel beds, empty banks and vacant properties around the county. "There is potential for 150 people on the list of properties we identified. There are 30,000 people expected to arrive to Ireland by the end of April. A lot of families are arriving with only the clothes on their back. It is a dire situation. We are doing what we can for them," Director of Services for housing Angela McEvoy said at the March council meeting. The council has formed a temporary Ukraine Crisis Response Forum to co-ordinate Laois efforts. It includes Laois Partnership, community Gardai, the HSE and a local charity group. She confirmed that these families are not being added to the council's housing waiting list which has some 1,700 names. "We already have a full housing programme. We don't want there to be a displacement effect," she said. Efforts will be made to provide the families with jobs, medical care, dental care, counselling, clothes and food. Council staff worked over the St Patrick's Bank Holidays and on weekends to help people arriving, an effort that was praised by councillors. "I thank the council for their work behind the scenes. It is a dreadful situation these people find themselves in, fleeing their country because of war. Hopefully we will see a cease fire, I have no doubt they will want to return and rebuild their country," said Cllr Caroline Dwane Stanley. Two councillors raised motions about the crisis at the meeting. Cllr Thomasina Connell had asked for the forum to be reestablished and welcomes it. "I suggest that the chamber of commerce might also be a support. These are hugely qualified people able to work immediately," she said. Cllr Padraig Fleming's motion asked that vacant banks in Laois be used as accommodation. "We have seen Bank of Ireland close three branches in Laois, in Mountrath, Rathdowney and Durrow. Ulster Bank are withdrawing from Ireland in the months ahead. I call to them to make these buildings immediately available. It is the least they can do since they made their profits here. Slide show 4 photos "This is an illegal and immoral war. Thousands are arriving in Ireland, mainly women and children. A third of the children are at schoolgoing age. None of us have seen a war in Europe of this scale, it's horrific. I thanks all who donated, people in Laois have thrown open their doors to Ukraine, the least we can do is provide emergency accommodation without delay," he said. The Director Ms McEvoy confirmed that those buildings are on their list sent to the department for possible use. The council Cathaoirleach is Conor Bergin. "We had our first meeting and in fairness all the agencies are involved and very well prepared, there is an eagerness in people to help. I am sure the council won't be found wanting," he said. For answers on Ukraine people coming to Ireland read the Government's factsheet here. Weeks before inauguration of Pradhan Mantri Sangrahalaya, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that the government has taken measures to recognise the contribution of all the former Prime Ministers. Speaking at the BJP parliamentary party meeting here, Modi talked about the Pradhan Mantri Sangrahalaya (PM Museum), which is likely to be inaugurated on April 14. It is learnt that the Prime Minister said that his government has ensured to recognise the contribution of all the former Prime Ministers. "The Prime Minister told us that the BJP government has ensured that the contribution of all the former Prime Ministers must be recognised. He (Prime Minister Modi) also said that it is only the NDA government that has taken necessary steps to recognise the contribution of former Prime Ministers," a BJP MP said. The PM Museum will showcase life and times of all 14 former Prime Ministers of the country so far. Sources said that equal space and importance has been ensured for all the former Prime Ministers as per the duration of their tenures. "The Prime Minister's Office wants this place to celebrate the country's history, irrespective of whichever party is in power," sources said. American comedian Kevin Hart has delighted fans in Belfast with an impromptu walkabout in the city centre. The Philadelphia funnyman is in the Northern Ireland capital to film the new Netflix heist comedy Lift. He has also caused excitement during his stay in the region by announcing a last-minute gig at The Limelight in the city tomorrow night (Wednesday March 30) for which tickets appeared to have sold out within hours on Monday. Earlier this month, Hart caused a stir by taking to the floor during a programme of comedians at another venue, Laverys, before putting on an intimate gig at The Limelight. Yesterday morning (Monday March 28) he was spotted outside the Europa Hotel, a venue at one time notorious as the most bombed hotel in Europe. He took the time to chat to several people as he walked to the nearby Crown Bar. The historic pub, which dates to Victorian times and has welcomed royal visitors in the past, is serving as one of the sets for Lift, which will principally be filmed at Belfast Harbour Studios. It is being directed by F Gary Gray, best known for films including Straight Outta Compton, The Italian Job and Men In Black: International. While no release date for Lift has been announced, it is expected to reach cinemas in early 2023. Minister of Education Norma Foley has announced a significant reform of the Leaving Certificate on Tuesday afternoon. The Education Minister declared that all subjects will be reviewed with 60% of marks awarded for the exam and 40% for continuous assessment. The revision will also include two new subjects - 'Drama, Film and Theatre Studies' and 'Climate Action and Sustainable Development' with fifth years able to partake in these new topics in 2024. Under the new system, other changes will include: An updated curriculum from 2024 with a new marking scheme in the optional subjects of Chemistry, Physics, Biology and Business. Students entering 5th year in September 2023 will sit Paper 1 in English and Irish at the end of 5th year. Oral examinations and the Music practical performance will take place during the first week of the Easter break of 6th year as is the case this year. Leaving Certificate Applied (LCA) students will have improved access to Mathematics and Modern Foreign Languages from September 2022, broadening the options for LCA. A new qualification will be introduced at level one and two on the National Qualification framework to provide an appropriate level of assessment to some students with special educational needs, building on the equivalent programme at Junior Cycle level. A revised Transition Year programme will be established, and greater access to Transition Year for all students will be encouraged. Minister Foley said: "Today I am setting out a new plan for Senior Cycle education in Ireland. "This is an ambitious programme of reform. It will enrich students educational experience by increasing their choices to match their interests and enhancing teaching and learning. "It will reduce the pressure on students that comes from final assessments based primarily on examinations. We will move to a model that uses other forms of assessment, over a less concentrated time period, in line with international best practice." She added: "It will enable us to maintain the high standards and quality that we need to continue to achieve in our schools to serve our students well and support them to take the next steps in their career journey, whatever that may be. "Our current system has many strengths. But we know that it can be improved, to better support our students, to reduce pressure while maintaining standards, to keep pace with the changes in practices internationally and to meet the needs and expectations of our students and of our society in preparing our young people for the world ahead." Four senior Russian officials have been asked to leave Ireland because their activities have not been in accordance with international standards of diplomatic behaviour, the Government has confirmed. It follows security advice received on Monday. The Russian ambassador was summoned to a meeting at the Department of Foreign Affairs on Tuesday. Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Coveney said: This afternoon, the Department of Foreign Affairs summoned the Russian ambassador to Iveagh House to advise him that four senior officials have been asked to leave the state. This is because their activities have not been in accordance with international standards of diplomatic behaviour. This action is being taken under Article 9 of the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations. The Government continues to believe that diplomatic channels between Ireland and the Russian Federation should remain open. This is in the interests of our citizens as well as to ensure that we can continue to have a diplomatic channel of communication between Ireland and the Russian Federation in the future. This channel of communication has been important in the context of conveying our strong views on the Russian Federations war against Ukraine, which we regard as a serious breach of international law. A HIGH Court action brought by convicted murderer Charlotte Mulhall over her inability to have visits from close family after her transfer to Limerick Prison from Mountjoy woman's prison has been resolved. Mr Justice Anthony Barr was informed by Mulhall's lawyers, this Tuesday, that it was no longer necessary to bring the action as she had received several visits with close family in recent months. She had brought High Court judicial review proceedings against the Irish Prison Service, the Governor of Limerick Prison, the Minister for Justice & Equality, Ireland, and the Attorney General claiming that the transfer, in 2018, had adversely impacted visits from family members. Lawyers representing Ms Mulhall had argued that due to the transfer close family, who are based in Dublin, were unable to visit her. In her action, she had sought a mandatory order from the Court requiring the prison service to transfer her to Dublin so she could receive familial visits when necessary. Represented by Conor Power SC, with Cian Kelly Bl, Ms Mulhall claimed that situation had amounted to a disproportionate interference with her family rights. On Tuesday Mr Power said that since the matter was last before the court the situation has changed. Commencing last October, his client had been facilitated with three visits, after being transferred to neutral venues by the prison authorities. The court also heard that another visit has been arranged for an undisclosed location sometime next month. Mr Power said that the practical reality of the situation was that his client had got what she wanted out of the proceedings and that the action did not need to proceed. Counsel submitted his client should be awarded the legal costs of her action. He argued that it was necessary to bring the proceedings for the visits to be arranged. She had received such visits up until mid-2019 but had originally claimed that those were ended without any apparent formal notification to Ms Mulhall. The visits did not resume until last October, well after the proceedings had been commenced, counsel said. The application for costs was opposed by the State bodies. Anne-Marie Lawlor SC, for the respondents, said Limerick Prison had made its facilities available for those wishing to visit the applicant and that the application for costs was based on several misconceptions. Counsel said that it was not responsible for the inability of close family to visit her in Limerick, which she said was due to external factors beyond either of the party's control. Ms Mulhall had been afforded the same rights as every other prison in Limerick Prison, and her rights which the prison authorities were keenly aware of, had not been breached. The respondents did not accept that the bringing of the proceedings had resulted in the prison services making arrangements for Ms Mulhall to visit close family. Counsel said that the issues raised by Ms Mulhall in the action were very significant for her clients, and they opposed the making of any mandatory order compelling the prison service to transfer Ms Mulhall back to Mountjoy women's prison to facilitate visits. Counsel said the established case law in this area is that the courts should "not attempt to micromanage prisons." Visits to prison had also been curtailed over the last two years due to the covid-19 pandemic, counsel added. Following the conclusion of submissions in relation to the issue of costs Mr Justice Barr in adjourned proceedings, said that he would rule on the costs issue on Wednesday. In her action launched two years ago Ms Mulhall claimed she was transferred to Limerick two days after she was seen by a prison officer sitting on another prison officer while performing a beauty treatment. She had always disputed any allegation that anything inappropriate occurred or that she was in an allegedly compromising position with the female prison officer in question. She also claimed she was never given the opportunity to address the prison authorities over what she claimed occurred. She further claimed that the transfer prohibited close family from visiting her. Last year the High Court ruled that Mulhall was not entitled to leave to challenge the decision to transfer her to Limerick, as her action had been brought out of time. However, the court said she was entitled to bring an action over her visiting arrangements. Known as the 'scissors sisters' Charlotte, and her sister Linda Mulhall, were convicted in 2006 of the killing of their mother's boyfriend Farah Swaleh Noor, in March 2005. The dismembered body of Noor, who had a history of being extremely violent towards women, was found dumped in the Royal Canal, near Croke Park, some days afterwards. Following a high-profile trial at the Central Criminal Court Charlotte, who was aged 21 years at the time of the killing, was found guilty of murder. Linda was found guilty of manslaughter and sentenced to 15 years in prison. and has subsequently been released from custody. THE LIMERICK and Clare Education and Training Board has welcomed the announcement that more multi-denominational schools will be available across the country. The reconfiguration process announced by the Department of Education involves existing schools changing their patron and may also mean a change of ethos, for example, a change from a denominational (religious) ethos to a multi-denominational ethos. When a school transfers from one patron to another, the school retains the same roll number with staff and pupils remaining in place. Commenting on the announcement, George OCallaghan, Chief Executive of Limerick and Clare Education and Training Board, said: "The ETB already operates Community National Schools at primary level at three sites in the region. "These are state, co-educational, multi-denominational primary schools underpinned by the core values of Excellence in Education, Care, Equality, Community and Respect. Community National Schools teach the national primary school curriculum as set out by the Department of Education and have a multi-denominational ethos." Mr O'Callaghan continued: "They also celebrate events that are important to the school community such as Christmas, Eid, and Diwali throughout the school year." Ciaran Crowe is the former principal of Patrickswell National School. He currently provides support to the growing network of Limerick and Clare Education and Training Board Community National Schools. He said: "I am very impressed with the structures and procedures in place from the ETB to provide support and advice to CNS school principals, staff, pupils and Boards of Management." A fire broke out in Rajasthan's Sariska Tiger Reserve following which the Indian Air Force (IAF) sent two helicopters to bring the blaze under control, officials said on Tuesday. A fire broke out in Rajasthan's Sariska Tiger Reserve following which the Indian Air Force (IAF) sent two helicopters to bring the blaze under control, officials said on Tuesday. The IAF said that on a request from the Alwar district administration for assistance in controlling the fire that has spread over large areas in Sariska Tiger Reserve, it has deployed two Mi 17 V5 helicopters for the Bambi Bucket operation. "The operation is underway," the IAF said. The fire began on Monday evening. The cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained. Villagers residing in the periphery of the fire-affected areas have been moved to safety. A SECOND Pride Rainbow crossing has been unveiled in Limerick . The new crossing on the Dooradoyle Road, next to the Ballykeefe Roundabout, stretches across both the outbound and inbound lanes. The new crossing comes just six weeks after the first crossing was unveiled on Bridge Street in the city centre by Limerick City and County Councils Active Travel team. Given its prominent position next to the Crescent Shopping Centre, the new crossing will be seen by thousands of people every day. Mayor of the City and County of Limerick, Cllr Daniel Butler said: "I was heartened to see the positive feedback to our first Pride Rainbow crossing on Bridge Street next to Merchants Quay. "A number of people asked at the time why we were doing it. For me, this is about celebrating Limericks diversity and it sends a message to our LGBTQ+ community that Limerick is an inclusive place to live and work." Lisa Daly, Chairperson of Limerick Pride said: "We are really excited to have worked with Limerick City and County Council behind the scenes on providing not one, but now two historic moments with the first rainbow crossing in Limerick near Merchants Quay where our pride parade gathers, and now another has been added. "This is a great moment for our community and county with Limerick showing equality for all, which I am personally proud to see happening and hope it brings as much joy to others. "We are very excited to have a physical Parade this year and welcome everyone in Limerick to come out and fly their colours in support of Pride in Limerick from 4-10 July with our parade taking place Saturday 09 July." FORMER Ryanair executive Conal Henry is set to become the new chairperson of the Shannon Group, Transport Minister Eamon Ryan has announced. Mr Henry, pictured, is expected to be formally appointed to the role following an appearance before the joint Oireachtas committee on transport and communications, which is hoped can be arranged at the earliest opportunity. The founder and chair of telecommunications provider Fibrus, Mr Henry also served as chief executive of infrastructure firm enet. Among the other roles he has held was that of a non-executive director of the Shannon Foynes Port Company. His impending appointment follows the departure of former Senator and Aer Arann chief Padraig O Ceidigh. Mr Ryan said: "Given the important role of Shannon Group to the economy of the Mid-West region and nationally, I am pleased that Conal Henry is willing to accept the position of chairperson of Shannon Group. Conal has 15 years experience at board level in both executive and non-executive positions and his career spans the aviation, telecoms, retail and banking sectors. I am confident that he will play a key role in leading Shannon Group in its continued recovery." The Green Party leader also paid tribute to Mr O Ceidigh, whose departure was confirmed last week. "I have accepted the resignation of Mr OCeidigh and wish to thank him for his dedication and engagement as Chairperson of Shannon Group, particularly given these challenging times for the aviation sector. I would like to wish Mr OCeidigh the best with his future endeavours," he said. Over 1,600 people with Covid-19 are in hospitals across Ireland, fifty of whom are in ICU. That's according to the latest report from the Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC) on Tuesday, March 29 which confirmed 1,605 Covid-positive patients are hospitalised nationwide. HSE boss Paul Reid called on the public this week to "repeat doing the basics" such as mask-wearing due to the rising number of Covid cases. A total of 5,962 PCR-confirmed cases of Covid-19 were registered today, with 8,587 people registering a positive antigen test through the HSE portal yesterday (Monday March 28). According to the HPSC, 51,197 positive cases have been recorded in the last seven days, with 89,102 in the last two weeks. 1,625 Covid positive patients in hospital now is causing huge stress on the healthcare system. We need to turn this tide again asap & repeat doing the basics. Please wear your mask appropriately, come forward for your booster or primary vaccine & isolate if symptoms. @HSELive Paul Reid (@paulreiddublin) March 28, 2022 Fifty four people have died with Covid in the last fourteen days, making up a total of 6,730 across Ireland since the pandemic began. In a tweet yesterday evening, Mr Reid said, "1,625 Covid positive patients in hospital now is causing huge stress on the healthcare system. We need to turn this tide again asap and repeat doing the basics. Please wear your mask appropriately, come forward for your booster or primary vaccine and isolate if symptoms." The Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) has recently called on the government to re-instate Covid measures - which were scrapped at the start of March - such as mask-wearing and the cancellation of elective procedures. The situation in our hospitals is chaotic. ICU numbers arent increasing but we have a high levels of hospital admission that we simply cant cope with and that requires public health measures, to ensure those who are so sick, that are being admitted, can actually get treatment. pic.twitter.com/f8dB5tysBQ Irish Nurses & Midwives Organisation (@INMO_IRL) March 28, 2022 The group tweeted yesterday and called the situation in Irish hospitals "chaotic". The tweet said, "The situation in our hospitals is chaotic. ICU numbers arent increasing but we have a high levels of hospital admission that we simply cant cope with and that requires public health measures, to ensure those who are so sick, that are being admitted, can actually get treatment." Air raid sirens sounded across Ukraine before dawn on Tuesday as Ukrainian and Russian negotiators met in Turkey for the first face-to-face talks in nearly three weeks, with Kyiv seeking a ceasefire without compromising on territory or sovereignty. Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan welcomed delegations from both sides saying that "stopping this tragedy" was up to them. Ukrainian television reported the talks had begun with "a cold welcome" and no handshake between the delegations. Ukraine and the United States hold little hope of an immediate breakthrough. But the resumption of face-to-face talks is an important first step towards a ceasefire in a Russian invasion that is stalled on most fronts but inflicting horrible suffering on civilians trapped in besieged cities. More than a month into the war, the biggest attack on a European nation since World War Two, more than 3.8 million people have fled abroad, thousands have been killed and injured, and Russia's economy has been pummelled by sanctions. In the besieged southern port city of Mariupol nearly 5,000 people have been killed, including about 210 children, according to figures from the mayor. Such figures cannot be verified. Countrywide air raid sirens acros Ukraine were the latest sign of Russia's increasing reliance on long-range strikes, hitting targets far from front lines to try to cripple Ukrainian supply lines. Russia's defence ministry said on Tuesday it had struck a large fuel depot in the Rivne region of western Ukraine overnight, a long distance from any fighting. Ahead of the talks, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said his country is prepared to declare its neutrality, as Moscow has demanded, and is open to compromise on the fate of the Donbas, the contested region in the countrys east. The United Nations chief has launched an initiative to immediately explore possible arrangements for a humanitarian cease-fire in Ukraine" in order to allow the delivery of desperately needed aid and pave the way for serious political negotiations to end the monthlong war. The Pentagon may have to ask Congress for additional money to support Ukraines battle against Russias invasion, including to replenish Americas arsenal for weapons sent to Kyiv, officials said Monday. Rolling out the Defense Departments $773 billion request for fiscal 2023, Pentagon leaders said the budget was finalized before the invasion so it has no specific money for the war. Congress approved a $13.5 billion emergency funding package in early March. Western sanctions have disrupted nearly every part of Russias financial system, but there is one big exception. The domestic-payments system continued to work smoothly after Visa Inc. and Mastercard Inc. pulled out earlier this month. While the card giants exit from Russia was viewed as a significant move by many in the West, the reality on the ground was anything but. Most Russian consumers never lost the ability to use their Mastercard- and Visa-branded cards to pay for things within the country. There were roughly 197 million Mastercard or Visa cards in Russia at the end of 2020, according to the Nilson Report, a trade publication. But behind the scenes, the cards dont rely on the U.S. networks systems to process payments in Russia. For years, they have used a homegrown system overseen by Russias central bank. The National Payment Card Systemknown by its Russian initials NSPKruns the financial plumbing that underpins card transactions in Russia, even for cards bearing Visa and Mastercard logos. The system was part of Moscows eight-year effort to insulate the Russian economy from Western financial pressure. The Kremlin also has aggressively promoted Russias own card company, called Mir, which is built on NSPKs infrastructure. More than 100 million Mir cards have been issued since its launch in 2015, according to Mirs website. The resilience of Russias payments system is a rare win for President Vladimir Putin in his financial war with the West. Russia failed to break its dependence on Western imports, leaving the country in dire need of key parts for manufacturing. Before the war, Russia amassed $630 billion in reserves to ensure it could protect the ruble, but that effort was undermined when the U.S. and European Union froze Russian central-bank assets. We provided for our national security in the payments space," said Alma Obayeva, head of the National Payments Council, a Russian trade association. The retreat of Visa and Mastercard did have one big consequence for Russians: In many cases, their cards now dont work outside the country. The Mir network extends only to a small number of countries besides Russia, most of which are former Soviet republics. Russian officials have been in talks in recent days to expand it to Venezuela and Iran, according to reports from the TASS state news agency. Some Russian banks have said they are exploring partnerships with Chinas UnionPay to issue cards that their customers can use more widely. Still, Russians inability to use their cards to withdraw cash or make purchases abroad is aligned with the Kremlins goal to keep assets in the country. Some Russians who have fled have said Visa and Mastercards cutoff played into Mr. Putins hands. On a February call to discuss potential Russia sanctions, executives from Visa, Mastercard and other payments companies told Treasury Department officials that banning U.S. networks from handling Russian bank transactions wouldnt be especially painful, according to people familiar with the matter. Sanctions, they said, would simply push more transactions onto Mir. Representatives for Visa and Mastercard declined to comment. More countries have developed their own payments infrastructure, limiting the clout of Visa and Mastercard and, by extension, the ability of the U.S. to influence countries behavior through sanctions that target their banking systems. Chinas state-owned UnionPay handles most domestic transactions on cards issued by Chinese banks. Turkey and India started their own networks in recent years to wean the countries banks off Visa and Mastercard. Russia tried to reduce its vulnerability to Western financial pressure after it was stung by sanctions over its 2014 annexation of Crimea. Visa and Mastercard at the time accounted for nearly all card network activity in Russia. Their networks serve as a link between merchants and banks that issue debit and credit cards, and they handle the routing of card transactions. In March 2014, hundreds of thousands of Russians discovered that their cards had been rendered useless overnight. U.S. sanctions over Crimea had prompted Visa and Mastercard to block services to several banks linked to associates of Mr. Putin. For Russian officials, the move highlighted a vulnerability. Within months, Mr. Putin signed a law establishing NSPK. A later amendment to the law effectively forced Visa and Mastercard to transfer processing of transactions to NSPK. The two U.S. companies at first opposed the law and suggested they might leave Russia. But by early 2015, both had agreed to use NSPKs system. Later that year, NSPK launched Mir. The name means both world" and peace" in Russian. It was chosen after an internet naming contest, in which some of the rejected alternatives were Kometa" (Comet) and Patriot." Initially, Russians saw little reason to swap their Visa- and Mastercard-branded cards for Mir cards. Then the Kremlin put its thumb on the scales. In 2017, Russia passed a law requiring banks that handle pensioners payments and salaries of public-sector employees such as teachers and military personnel to make those funds available through Mir cards. Mir usage surged, with card issuance rising to 95 million by the end of 2020 from about 2 million in 2016, according to NSPK. The law also mandated that Mir be accepted at point-of-sale terminals used by many merchants. NSPK invested heavily in marketing Mir, sponsoring the Russian national soccer team and promoting incentives such as cashback programs. By taking over payment processing, NSPK became a moneymaker for Russias central bank, collecting fee revenue that otherwise would have flowed to Visa and Mastercard. In 2020, the payments system earned 8.2 billion rubles in net profit, or about $87 million at current exchange rates, according to its annual report. Issuance of Mir cards has boomed in recent weeks after the exit of the foreign card giants. Russian lender Rosbank has reported that demand for debit cards that run on Mirs network more than doubled between January and March from the same period last year. There is simply a huge, frenzied demand for Mir cards," Ms. Obayeva said. There is a long queue." Click here to read the full article. What hooks and disarms audiences minutes after clicking play on Better Nate Than Ever is its infectious energy. George Bensons funk cover of On Broadway, used decades earlier in All That Jazz, makes for a lively introduction to a spirited, small-statured youths big personality. Writer-director Tim Federle welcomes us into this world with the tantalizing promise of major things to come in a semi-biographical tale of an underdog chasing his dream of becoming a Broadway sensation. But before that can happen, a series of hapless, comedic misadventures has to occur. Funny, vibrant, yet schmaltzy to a fault, this Disney Plus family film can carry a tune, but falters in crafting a runaway hit. Thirteen-year-old Nate (Rueby Wood) loves musicals. That much is clear from the Music Man and Redhead posters that line the walls of his bedroom and the Wicked references he drops in casual conversations with cool-tempered best friend Libby (Aria Brooks). He even keeps a bucket list that features climbing down a fire escape like in West Side Story. He lives and breathes Broadway, which annoys his older jock brother Anthony (Joshua Bassett) and dad Rex (Norbert Leo Butz), though his frazzled working mom Sherrie (Michelle Federer) tolerates it. However, our hero begins to spiral when, due to never having headlined a musical before, hes passed over for the lead role in his middle schools upcoming stage show. Hoping to quell her besties angst, Libby suggests Nate audition in the open casting call for a new musical based on Lilo & Stitch. At first reluctant to travel as unaccompanied minors to Manhattan, Nate reconsiders once the opportunity of a lifetime arises: His parents are going on a weekend trip and Anthony will be gone overnight at a track meet. Under the guise of sleeping over at Libbys, the pair hightail it to New York City. Once there, they must contend with a few conundrums, like navigating demanding tryouts and attempting to rope Nates estranged cool Aunt Heidi (Lisa Kudrow), a struggling actress, into their scheme. Their situation is further complicated when Nate gets an unexpected callback, leaving the two at a crossroads in their friendship. Though the title touts a singular protagonist, and his struggles do take narrative priority, the film also builds out Libby into a three-dimensional character, giving her well-conceived conflicts and clever, clearly-defined stakes, which Brooks plays with assured aplomb. Initially, it seems her characters purpose is both to aid the male arc and to represent a series of sticky tropes. But midway through, her identity blossoms and begins thriving, blessedly uprooting any preconceived notions of the characters development. The end credits finale, which utilizes rousing, radio-friendly single About to Go Awf sung by Brooks and Wood, vacuum-seals the duos rootable interests. That said, Federle struggles to flesh out other character conflicts properly, most notably the familial drama between Sherrie and Heidi, whove let a long-standing feud fracture their sisterly bond. Both pay lip service to it in clunky expository speeches that conveniently arise. While the emotional pull is full of poignant commentary that spite, jealousy and regret lead to major misunderstandings, the film has trouble making this land in the third-act climax. Any resolution is handled off-screen by the time the closing credits run and a reconciliatory hug comes. Other conflicts are forgotten about completely. The father-son strife and cavernous distance between Rex and Nate, lightly hinted at early on, are nonexistent by the climax though there was no opportunity for either to heal from their division. Its left aching, as Wood and Butz are capable performers who could land the drama. Visually, there are many highlights. Federle and editor Katie McQuerrey show great craft and care instilling the picture with a snappy sense of brightness and flexibility. Quick cuts and whip pans help to convey the perspective of the perky protagonist. The filmmakers have clear gifts for mining the most out of a scenes comedic timing. Transitions between sequences that get the characters from point A to point B (like getting to school, New York City and the Natural History Museum) spotlight a witty visual dexterity, while Declan Quinns saturated cinematography shows notable depth. Nates grandiose Guys and Dolls-inspired dream sequences and fantastical asides are polished and pristine. Handheld camerawork during Nates first audition adds to the immediacy, speaking to the pressure hes feeling. Camera positioning and framing, specifically when Nate feels intimidated, also aesthetically augment the subtext. As far as sentiments go, the films heart is in the right place. Its LGBT-positive in terms of representation and acts as a love letter to musical artistic expression. Taking a few tonal cues and ingredients from Ferris Buellers Day Off and Billy Elliot helps guide the narrative without becoming a reductive rehash. Its heaping doses of sincerity make platitudes about finding your light and being true to yourself go down easy, giving hope to those who may be struggling with self-acceptance. Still, without some of the bigger ideas combining perfectly into a powerful crescendo, the song it sings sounds pitchy. Reviewed online, March 27, 2022. Running time: 91 MIN. Running Time: Running time: 91 MIN. MPAA Rating: PG Production A Disney Plus release of a Marc Platt Production. Producer: Marc Platt, Adam Siegel. Executive producers: Tim Federle, Pamela Thur. Crew Director: Tim Federle. Screenplay: Tim Federle, based on his book. Camera: Declan Quinn. Editor: Katie McQuerrey. Music: Gabriel Mann. With Rueby Wood, Aria Brooks, Lisa Kudrow, Joshua Bassett, Michelle Federer, Norbert Leo Butz. Sign up for Varietys Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Click here to read the full article. Blue Note New York has announced the 11th Annual Sony Presents Blue Note Jazz Festival. The festival kicks off on June 1 with a free show in Washington Square Park headlined by Robert Glasper who performed on the Oscars Sunday night in association with Washington Square Park Conservancy. Taking place at major venues across New York City, including Blue Note New York, Sony Hall, The Town Hall, and SummerStage in Central Park, this years festival features performances from George Clinton & Parliament-Funkadelic, Chris Botti, Charles Lloyd, Macy Gray, Kenny G, Jason Moran, Al Di Meola, Madeleine Peyroux, Dave Holland & Kenny Barron, Robert Cray, Kenny Garrett, Jose James, Chief Adjuah (formerly Christian Scott), Bilal, DOMi & JD Beck, Dizzy Gillespie Big Band, Theo Croker and so many more legends, with a major headliner announcement on April 26. The European Sounds Series also returns to the Blue Note Jazz Festival this summer, with weekend brunch shows at Blue Note New York, featuring international acts representing Switzerland, Estonia, Romania, Spain, France, Poland, Austria, Slovakia, Czech Republic, and Finland. The series will kick off with Gregoire Maret and Romain Collin. The European Sounds Series is presented in partnership with the European Union Delegation to the United Nations. Music is an integral part of what makes Washington Square Park so special, says WSPC Deputy Director, Sheryl Woodruff. Generations of New Yorkers have flocked to the Park to listen and play. Were incredibly excited to partner with a beloved Village institution such as the Blue Note on this not-to-miss concert. And theres no better artist to headline than Robert Glasper, who spent his formative years in this very community. We couldnt imagine a better way to celebrate our 10th Anniversary year than to help bring Jazz Fest to Washington Square Park! Blue Notes Steven Bensusan says, The Greenwich Village Jazz Festival was a big part of growing up in New York City, not only for me but for many New Yorkers. Bringing jazz music back to Washington Square Park after so many years under the Blue Note Jazz Festival name is an honor, Im greatly looking forward to a renewed partnership with the Washington Square Park Conservancy and presenting Robert Glasper together in this historic location. Blue Notes Alex Kurland adds, This years Blue Note Jazz Festival in New York presents an unparalleled range and depth of artistry and musical integrity. Were excited and proud to present a diverse lineup of artists in different settings and venues featuring the most established, iconic and influential artists as well as the next generation of cutting edge progressive artists from Washington Square Park, Central Park to the Blue Note Jazz Club in Greenwich Village and more. We are grateful again to bring a tasteful city-wide music festival to the culture of New York City. Sign up for Varietys Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. By Jennifer Egan Scribner. 334 pp. $28 - - - Even in an era of boundless hype, Jennifer Egan's "The Candy House" has a legitimate claim on the title of Most Anticipated Book of the Year. This is, after all, a sequel to "A Visit From the Goon Squad," Egan's astonishing demonstration of literary bravado that swung through 2010, grabbing a Pulitzer Prize, a Los Angeles Times Book Prize and a National Book Critics Circle Award. The Washington Post named "Goon Squad" one of the best books of 2010, and, later, other publications called it one of the greatest novels of the decade. Egan's creativity was so magnificent that commentators focused not on the storyline of "Goon Squad" but its multifarious forms, her confident array of perspectives - first, second and third - ranging through time and around the world, crescendoing with a 70-page PowerPoint presentation! It was a novel of such peacocking swagger that only its knockout triumph saved it from looking obnoxious. Well, here we are more than a decade later, and even if you were a fan - as I was - the intervening years are likely to have beaten those characters from your memory. As someone in that earlier novel observed, "Time's a goon," and unfortunately, Egan is in no mood to help out, which means you're likely to be as baffled as dazzled by "The Candy House." The music that ran through "Goon Squad" and gave the novel its melody is far harder to hear in these new chapters. Also, 12 years later, readers are less likely to be awed by literary experimentation. A chapter of tweets earns no now. A second-person narrator? You shouldn't have. But if "The Candy House" is less uniformly successful than "A Visit From the Goon Squad," it still contains terrific parts. The opening story reintroduces us to Bix Bouton, now a tech mogul whose social media company has made him very rich. Exploiting the discoveries of an anthropologist name Miranda Kline, Bix monetized "algorithms that explained trust and influence" to build a "luminous sphere of interconnection." Now, in his early 40s, despite his fame and vast wealth, Bix worries that he has "no vision beyond the one he'd nearly exhausted." It's a fear that gives him "a haunted, hunted feeling" as he struggles to divine "what should happen next." We eventually learn that Bix went on to invent a program with the ironic name Own Your Unconscious, which completely reshaped human culture. Egan explains: "By uploading all or part of your externalized memory to an online 'collective,' you gained proportionate access to the anonymous thoughts and memories of everyone in the world, living or dead, who had done the same." It's a clever parody of the Faustian bargain we've made with social media, relinquishing our privacy for access to the comments, likes and images of others. "The Candy House" ties this sci-fi brain technology back to Napster, that revolutionary - largely illegal - peer-to-peer file-sharing platform that let people share their song files and their most intimate musical tastes with everyone. "Who," Egan asks, "could resist gaining access to the Collective Consciousness for the small price of making our own anonymously searchable?" In the world she imagines, most people sit down for a painless mind-dump on their 21st birthday, "never fully reckoning, in our excitement over our revelatory new freedom, with what we surrendered by sharing the entirety of our perceptions to the Internet." It's the candy house from Grimms' fairy tales: the sweet, free bounty that comes with a horrible, unforeseen cost. That's the last time we see much of Bix, which is a shame, because he's a singularly fascinating character. Making him a Black man was an interesting element of "Goon Squad," but it's one that Egan seems uninterested in pursuing. What, after all, might America be like if our all-pervasive social media were shaped by the dreams of an African American? Much of "The Candy House" takes place in a future influenced by Bix's revolution, but the novel rarely contends with the implications of that premise for Bix's life, the tech industry or the world shaped by it. Instead, Bix's skin color remains about as relevant as his hair color. Partly, this is simply a matter of the book's structure, which insists on constantly fracturing and abandoning its forms, themes and characters. But as other chapters leap to other lives, we see people who do resist the Web's mind-absorbing candy. Alfred Hollander, for instance, is so desperate for authenticity that he randomly screams just to discombobulate passing strangers for a moment. There's also a whole cadre of "eluders." They're "separatists bent upon hoarding their memories and keeping their secrets." And radicals who can afford it hire fiction writers to impersonate them on the Web so that they can live outside this sphere of supposedly benevolent surveillance. Miranda Kline, the anthropologist whose research on affinity and trust laid the foundations for Bix's social media revolution, may be one of those mysterious radicals. In a chapter narrated in the plural first person, one of Kline's daughters explains, "The omniscience of the Collective Consciousness is what the eluders want to escape so desperately that they're willing to leave their identities behind. Some liken eluders to trapped animals gnawing off their own legs as the price of freedom." While "Goon Squad" gave readers the celebrated PowerPoint chapter, "The Candy House" offers a spy thriller conveyed in aphorisms tweeted in the second person. A decade ago, Egan actually posted this whole thing on Twitter, and then she published it in the New Yorker. The chapter contains such observations as, "The fact that you feel like you're dying doesn't mean that you will die," which reassured me during some particularly frustrating sections of this book. Somewhat more effective is a chapter constructed from a great thicket of nested email conversations. But here again Egan presumes a lot on her readers' ability to know what she's talking about. It would have taken so little additional information to make this more inviting that I can't help feeling the author was overindulged by her editor. The chapters that work best embrace their radical forms more gently - or even mock them. One of the best is about Chris, the adult son of Bennie Salazar, the music producer who served as the axle of "Goon Squad." Now an adult, Chris works at a shadowy software company trying to translate every element of every story into a mathematical formula. Through a series of awkward encounters, Chris falls into a cerebral comedy of absurdity in which he realizes that he has shifted from being the Protagonist to being an Enabling Sidekick: i < (a, b, c . . . ). It's a witty deconstruction of the presumptions of algorithmic insight and a brilliant demonstration of the unquantifiable pleasures of great fiction. Toward the end of "The Candy House," we come back to Bix's 28-year-old son, who rejected his father's work and wealth. He's a struggling fiction writer who knows that we don't need some new development of social media to access each other's minds. We already have these ancient things called books that allow us to feel "the collective without any machinery at all." - - - Ron Charles writes about books for The Washington Post. Meet "I2-U2", the latest entry into the international alphabet soup of acronyms, which stands for India, Israel, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the US. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken used the I2-U2 moniker on Sunday for the four-member grouping that was launched last October at a virtual meeting comprising himself, India's External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and Foreign Ministers Yair Lapid of Israel and Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan of the UAE. I2-U2 even has a populist ring rhyming with R2-D2, a robot in the Star Wars movie franchise. "We have something, for example, called I2-U2, which we launched last October, together with our Emirati and Indian counterparts," Blinken said at a news conference in Jerusalem, referring to the four-member grouping that could be the beginning of a Middle East Quad, but now has an acronym of its own. Blinken praised Lapid for his "remarkable leadership" in "spearheading new areas of cooperation" like the I2-U2. At their I2-U2 meeting, the Ministers had discussed "future opportunities for collaboration in the region and globally" and "expanding economic and political cooperation in the Middle East and Asia, including through trade", according to a US statement after their talks. The group does not have a military angle to it and the Minister only spoke of cooperation in maritime security, which is mostly about preventing piracy and terrorism. It mirrors the beginnings of the Quad, the Indo-Pacific grouping of India, the US, Japan and Australia in the Indo-Pacific region, which has now matured. The I2-U2 meeting had followed the Abraham Accords, through which Israel normalised relations with the UAE, Bahrain, Sudan and Morocco. The Abraham Accords takes its name from the Jewish Patriarch Abraham who is claimed by Judaism, Christianity and Islam as their spiritual fountainhead. India has backed the Abraham Accords reached in the final days of the administration of former President Donald Trump through the efforts of his son-in-law Jared Kushner. President Joe Biden is continuing that diplomatic effort and Israel hosted this week a meeting of the top diplomats of the US, the UAE, Egypt, Morocco and Bahrain. Blinken, Lapid, bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Foreign Ministers Morocco's Nasser Bourita, Abdullatif bin Rashid Alzayani of Bahrain and Sameh Hassan Shoukry of Egypt met for what is called the Negev Summit in the Israeli town of Sde Boker to build a "new architecture" of capabilities, as Lapid described it. But showing a rift with the US that is trying to revive the Iran nuclear deal, Lapid said that it "intimidates and deters our common enemies, first and foremost Iran and its proxies". Israel and the four Sunni states are opposed to Shia Iran and the nuclear deal. Trump had pulled out of the agreement, which was meant to limit Tehran's nuclear weapons capabilities while loosening some of the sanctions imposed on it. Another area of difference also surfaced at the Negev meeting with US and the Arab states pressing Israel to make a deal with Palestinians. Blinken said: "We have to be clear that these regional peace agreements are not a substitute for progress between Palestinians and Israelis." Click here to read the full article. London-based documentary specialists Dogwoof and Danish production company Elk Film have revealed a commercial partnership to develop and produce documentary projects. The deal will involve a project slate of eight to 10 feature documentaries and documentary series where Dogwoof, Elk Film and the Danish Growth Fund Vaekstfonden will co-fund development. This will be The Danish Growth Funds first venture into documentary film development and production. Dogwoof and Elk will co-produce the projects, with Dogwoofs fund T-Dog also acting as financiers on some of them. Dogwoof and Elk previously worked together on The Lost Leonardo, which Elk produced and Dogwoof acted as financiers, EPs, sales agent, striking a multi-territory deal with Sony Pictures Classics, and also distributed the film theatrically in the U.K. Dogwoof CEO Anna Godas said: Dogwoof has been aggressively growing its financing and production arm in the last few years. Elk is the first of several production partnerships were working on. The purpose here is to partner with like-minded entrepreneurs with growth ambitions, open to looking beyond the usual commissioning or co-production models. Its about finding the optimal balance between traditional models and more innovative funding approaches. Oli Harbottle, head of distribution and acquisitions at Dogwoof, said: Our objective is to curate commercial, top quality, truly global projects without being tied to a specific formula. One of our top priorities is to nurture talent and develop stories we believe in. Market demand for documentary content is growing and buyers are increasingly looking for projects that work for audiences across the globe. We are ideally positioned for that. Andreas Dalsgard, CEO, Elk Film, said: With a strong public funding system behind us in Scandinavia, Elk Film has a proven ability to bridge the best of both private and public funding in the rapidly expanding market for reality based storytelling. Dogwoofs position and experience with talent, sales, financing and distribution is a great match with Elk Films extensive experience in developing and producing creative content. Development is high risk, and were proud that Dogwoof and The Danish Growth Fund are ready to bet on Elk Film. Trine Lve, senior relationship manager at Vaekstfonden, added: When Vaekstfonden finances Danish companies, it also has to create a return to society. And creative companies and projects contribute with a return in form of both jobs and cultural value. At the same time, they put Denmark on the world map. A financial return is also a key factor for us in any project, but when both cultural and financial value can be created in combination, it provides an excellent business case. Sign up for Varietys Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. It wasnt long ago that Lara Logan was a correspondent for CBS News, which is a little hard to believe considering the types of conspiracy theories shes been pushing since she left the network. The latest came during an appearance on the right-wing podcast And We Know, during which Logan suggested that the theory of evolution is the result of a wealthy Jewish family paying Charles Darwin to devise an explanation for what gave rise to humanity. Does anyone know who employed Darwin, where Darwinism comes from? Logan, now with Fox News streaming service Fox Nation, asked. Look it up: The Rothschilds. It goes back to 10 Downing Street. The same people who employed Darwin, and his theory of evolution and so on and so on. Im not saying that none of that is true. Im just saying Darwin was hired by someone to come up with a theory based on evidence, OK, fine. Logan rambled for a bit longer, but her point was that evolution is a chicken or the egg debate and you cant answer it scientifically and, while were here, Jews are trying to control the world with their money. Media Matters caught the claim on Monday: Fox Nation host Lara Logan appeared on the QAnon-promoting show And We Know and asked: "Does anyone know when, who employed Darwin? Where Darwinism comes from? Well, I mean, you know, look it up. The Rothschilds." pic.twitter.com/iegwAkByIV Eric Hananoki (@ehananoki) March 28, 2022 The Rothschilds, who Logan says is responsible for the theory of evolution, are a Jewish family that often shows up in anti-Semitic conspiracy theories. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) famously wrote on Facebook that the Rothschilds funded a space laser that started the California wildfires. Logan and Greene share more in common than anti-Semitic comments. Both the Fox Nation host and the bigoted, virulent conspiracy theorist lawmaker have pushed Russian propaganda since Vladimir Putin invaded Ukraine last month. Greene has blamed Ukraine for the invasion, while suggesting the nations military is rife with Nazis. Greene, however, at least made some sort of superficial effort to insist shes not a Putin supporter. Logan made no such effort. Whether you like Putin or dont like him, Putin is not willing to be a part of whatever global governing structure is coming our way, Logan said last week on a right-wing podcast. Vladimir Putin has been very calculating, hes been very careful hes said for 15 years that he would not tolerate NATO expansion. Hes the man standing between us and this New World Order, she added after rambling about Ukrainian biolabs funded by Hunter Biden. The idea of a New World Order constructed by Jews is a trope of anti-Semitic rhetoric. Were starting to notice a pattern in Logans conspiracy theorizing. Click here to read the full article. The sudden passing of the Foo Fighters Taylor Hawkins sent shock waves around the rock world, and radio immediately rose to the occasion in paying tribute to the beloved drummer by playing music, sharing old interviews and airing calls from grieving fans. SiriusXM host Howard Stern honored Hawkins on his channel Monday morning by playing old interviews and clips not only of Hawkins live drum solos, but his vocal performances, particularly his recent rendition of Queens Somebody to Love. Stern took calls from listeners remembering Hawkins performing in his solo band and looked back on interviews that brought Foo Fighters front man Dave Grohl and Hawkins friendship into focus, which he called one of the great partnerships in music. He was a supportive guy, Stern remembered. He wasnt a jealous guy He looked like a rock star. He had everything. He had the talent, he was an excellent drummer [and] had that long blonde hair like a surfer. Hes gone and Im sad. I havent stopped thinking about it. Just a sweetheart, Stern said of Hawkins, who had just appeared on the show one month earlier with Grohl to talk about the movie Studio 666 and the bands recent induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Other stations, like Meruelo Medias KLOS (95.5) and Audacys KROQ (106.7), both in Los Angeles, switched to all-Foo Fighters playlists with tributes interspersed throughout the weekend. When the news broke on Friday night, KLOS sprang into action with hosts Greg Beharrell, Matt Pinfield and Stew Herrera sharing stories, interview clips and audio from Hawkins and his numerous in-studio visits. Taylor became a friend 27 years ago, so for me and so many of us in the rock community, it was a crushing tragedy, PInfield tells Variety. But on the radio, I wanted to celebrate his life, legacy, music spirit and influence. He was one of a kind a bright light with unparalleled energy. We will miss him terribly. KLOS Program Director Keith Cunningham talked of Hawkins and his special relationship with KLOS. He often told us stories about growing up in Southern California and listening to KLOS. And while he was a frequent in-studio guest or even guest host, it was the charitable things he was always willing to help with that show you what a great man he was, like helping us to raise money each year for St. Jude or donating his time and playing for free to raise money to fight cancer in honor of KLOS DJ Bob Coburn, he said. Cunningham said that Hawkins was always in touch. I remember I got a text from Taylor one day because he was so stoked we were playing Van Halens Mean Street. Taylor loved Van Halen, and when Eddie passed, he was the first to call in and share emotional memories of one of his favorite guitar players of all time, he said. The radio station also posted a few videos on social media of when he was at the station, one of which shows him playing a kids drum set and jamming with Sex Pistols guitarist Steve Jones. Who else but Taylor Hawkins would bring a kids drum set to jam on? Cunningham said. KROQ as well as all of Audacys alternative stations, including Alt 923 in New York City spread Foo Fighters songs throughout the weekend as well, and directed listeners to listen to the Foo Fighters station on the Audacy app for more content. KROQ also removed all commercials for an all-hands-on-deck situation with morning host Kevin Klein, KROQ afternoon host Megan Holiday and KROQ MD Miles Anzaldo going live until Saturday. Veteran KROQ midday host Nicole Alvarez played Foo Fighters music, which also included live performances from KROQ and concerts in Los Angeles through the years. That night at 7 p.m., KROQ replayed the Foo Fighters 2017 KROQ Sound Space performance. Sunday night, the station hosted a Locals Only edition of all Taylor Hawkins projects, and Monday morning the Klein and Ally show took calls and played nothing but Foo Fighters music, including an encore of the Foo Fighters 2017 KROQ Sound Space. Im trying not to stay in the sad part of it, Alvarez said on-air Saturday afternoon. I just want to celebrate the fact that we got to share some time on earth with somebody as magnetic and just magnificent as Taylor Hawkins. Immediately after the news broke, KYSR (ALT 98.7) PD Lisa Worden had on-air personalities Booker and Stryker turn their cars around and head back to the radio station. Oddly, I was still in Burbank and turned around when I got the text, Booker said. Stryker and I met up to go live until midnight talking to some very emotional callers, reading their texts and also sharing our interactions with and our own memories with him. We just wanted to be there with the fans that weve stood with at shows countless times. Adds Worden: They played nonstop Foo Fighters music until midnight while taking calls and reading texts from listeners. Stryker has a 20-plus-year history with the band so he had some great personal stories to tell. She continued, The response from listeners was overwhelming; they were thankful to have a place to express their grief and share their own personal stories with people who could relate. We then continued to be live all weekend long while playing tons of Foos music, interview clips, etc. honoring Taylor all weekend long. Tonight we are rebroadcasting their performance from our iHeartRadio ALTer Ego 2021 concert across all iHeartMedia Alternative and Rock stations (about 90 radio stations). On the east coast, iHeartRadios Q1043 aired a produced sweeper honoring Hawkins, playing plenty of music as the news broke and tracks throughout the weekend. Like all iHeartRadio stations, the radio station will replay the Foo Fighters iHeartRadio ALTer Ego 2021 show on Monday night. In Philadelphia, Beasley Broadcast Groups WMMR launched a nearly three-hour tribute hosted by Ryan Shuttleworth and Sydney Taylor, with veteran mid-day jock Pierre Robert dedicating two hours to the drummer Monday. Other stations honored Hawkins as well, including iHeartMedias WXTB Tampa (97.9),WEBN Cincinnati (102.7) and KEGL Dallas (97.1) Cumulus Medias Rock 100.5 WNNX Atlanta, Beasleys WRIF in Detroit, Hearst Televisions WIYY Baltimore, Audacys WXRT (93.1) and Beasleys 95.9 The Rat, Belmar. Sign up for Varietys Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. The Slap discourse continues, as late-night hosts weighed on the shocking Oscars moment between Will Smith and Chris Rock. The responses to the incident at Sunday nights Academy Awards varied in tone, with some, like The Late Late Show, offering a lighthearted take on the Best Actor winners gaffe. Host James Corden parodied Encantos chart-topper, We Dont Talk about Bruno, with a song called, We Dont Talk About Jada. In the clip, Corden and his writers brainstorm what to cover from the Oscars ceremony. Timothee Chalamets shirtless suit is deemed fair game but under no circumstances should anyone write a bit about Jada Pinkett Smith. Jimmy Kimmel also took a comedic approach, delivering a full segment breaking down what took place on the Oscars stage. The old Hitch slap, Kimmel said. Its now a part of our lives forever. We will never stop talking about this. It was shocking. The only thing I can really compare it to is when Mike Tyson bit Evander Holyfields ear. Other late night shows treated the incident like pure news, with Stephen Colbert reacting to Smith slapping Rock as part of his monologue on The Late Show. Jimmy Fallon also opened his monologue on The Tonight Show by addressing the televised moment. America may be divided, but it was kind of nice for all of us to come together and say Holy crap! at the same time, Fallon quipped before also highlighting Questloves win for Best Documentary for Summer of Soul. Smith has since apologized to Rock. Violence in all of its forms is poisonous and destructive, the actor wrote in a statement posted to social media Monday night. My behavior at last nights Academy Awards was unacceptable and inexcusable. Jokes at my expense are a part of the job, but a joke about Jades medical condition was too much for me to bear and I reacted emotionally. Some Academy members, meanwhile, are outraged over the incident, with Producers Guild of Americas president emeritus Marshall Herskovitz saying Smith disgraced our entire community. Click here to read the full article. Plaza Suite practically demands to be played straight. Neil Simons look at three romantic couples facing down the passage of time is sharp and knowing, but it is, crucially, earnest. Each character gives direct and explicit voice to whats on their mind; relationship dynamics are explored with an openness of heart that isnt remotely trying to be cool or distanced. While the emotional truths of this plays trio of vignettes, all set in a single apartment within the Plaza Hotel, can still resonate, the particulars would be impossible to make current without wrecking the whole enterprise. So thank goodness for Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick the two contemporary stars perhaps most apt for an exercise in squareness. To call their work in the new Broadway revival of Plaza Suite at the Hudson Theatre diligent is to suggest a leaden night out. But the real-life married couple bring a serious commitment to the spirit of the work, allowing their own personas to throw some metatextual sparks without overtaking the spirit of Simon. As directed by John Benjamin Hickey, Parker and Broderick provoke, alienate and woo one another, and provide a strong argument for a playwright whose work seems next-to-impossible to subvert. The two stars real-life connection adds extra dimension to Plaza Suites central concern the passage of time. Over the course of three one-acts all set in the late 1960s, Parker and Broderick play, in order, a married couple who have grown apart, high-school sweethearts who reconnect years after graduation, and a married couple who have grown apart. The nature of the separations at either end of the play differ in degree (one is melancholy, the other fractious); in between, theres the pleasure and disorientation of seeing a memory from ones past in the flesh again. In the first part, Parkers Karen is attempting to celebrate an anniversary with her increasingly distant husband Sam (Broderick, of course), having made a special effort to book the suite in which the pair spent their honeymoon. The pair go on to play Muriel, a suburban housewife whos starry-eyed over the success of her old boyfriend Jesse, now a movie producer, as well as Norma and Roy, a married couple attempting to salvage their daughters wedding day even as she wont cooperate. We move from outright sorrowful to farcical to a mixture of the two Norma and Roy have tough things to learn about why their daughter feels the way she does about marriage, and do so through moments of sublime physical comedy. Indeed, a part of the suites floor seems waxed to an ice-rink smoothness, so effortlessly do Parker and Broderick both, at various points, slide across it. Theres a literal-mindedness to the production that grounds its eventual flights of fancy. The set, designed by John Lee Beatty, is a faithful recreation of midcentury glamour as expressed through tasseled lampshades and crystal light fixtures. Its fustily gorgeous, realistically upscale in a way that can alternately seem like an indulgent treat or like a well-upholstered prison cell. Jane Greenwoods costumes are similarly era-appropriate, with one attention-getting hat worn by Parker in the third act splitting the difference between realism and farce. And even as he sends his stars to emotional (and physical) extremes, Hickey keeps them grounded in the characters reality. Broderick, for instance, in both marriage-themed sections plays characters who struggle to express their emotions, or even to understand them; one never senses Brodericks own innate intelligence as a performer getting him ahead of where his character is meant to be. The three pieces vary in tone, but throughout, the two stars share not merely an unmistakable chemistry but a shared willingness to dig into the work on its own terms. They almost entirely resist looking at Plaza Suite through a 2022 lens. That almost is crucial. While neither performer ever winks at the audience, the plays second act features Parker playing a character whos all too aware that her old flame is wooing her but cant admit it for proprietys sake; Parker plays this with a shrewd awareness of just how silly self-delusion can look. (This segment of the play, with Parkers gift for ego-puncturing humor, will likely be the most satisfying for ticket buyers who came to see Parker in Carrie Bradshaw mode.) In the shows two vignettes about married couples, though, the comedy tends to emanate from the ways husbands and wives speak to each other, then and (perhaps) now. The thrill we get from the particular husband and particular wife being these two performers helps buoy moments when the misunderstandings can feel rote, or the scaffolding of the first and third acts arguments, building to one big reveal, can feel too visible. The mere fact that this play is a hard needle to thread that Parker and Broderick stand out among 21st century stars in their ability to conjure the Neil Simon sensibility, with truisms wrapped up in semi-corny patter to which an actor must commit fully or not at all partly accounts for why Plaza Suite hasnt been more frequently revived. Another is that the work itself is uneven, with certain revelations coming long after the audience has gotten there and with both actors occasionally selling material that isnt quite clicking. (The physical comedy in the third act is indeed remarkable. It also comes to feel a bit too load-bearing in a scene with too little else going on.) As a reclamation project for a playwright who, a generation ago, was a defining voice in the American theater, Plaza Suite has mixed results; its perhaps challenging news for the Simon legacy that this production, about as successful as one could hope for, makes it over the line by embracing its identity as a period piece. But as a double act for two talented performers with whom the audience has a long and deep relationship, Plaza Suite can hardly have been better chosen. The show itself is somewhat lost in time. But Parker and Brodericks chemistry, expertly honed, makes it feel timeless. Helen Hayes Theatre; 975 seats; $229 top. Opened March 28, 2022. Reviewed March 25. Running time: 2 HOURS, 45 MIN. Production An Ambassador Theatre Group Productions, Gavin Kalin Productions, Hal Luftig, James L. Nederlander, Douglas L. Meyer, Elizabeth Armstrong, Hunter Arnold, Caitlin Clements, Eilene Davidson Productions, Jeffrey Finn, Terry Schnuck, Smith and Brant Theatricals, Sherry and Kirk Wright and Mike Isaacson presentation of a play in three acts by Neil Simon. Music By Marc Shaiman. Crew Directed by John Benjamin Hickey. Sets, John Lee Beatty; costumes, Jane Greenwood; lights, Brian MacDevitt; sound, Scott Lehrer; hair and wig, Tom Watson; production stage manager, Jason Hindelang. With Matthew Broderick, Sarah Jessica Parker, Danny Bolero, Molly Ranson, Eric Wiegand, Cesar J. Rosado, Laurie Veldheer, Bryan Eng, Olivia Hernandez. Sign up for Varietys Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Click here to read the full article. Of all this seasons limited series based on high-profile incidents of chicanery, The Dropout stands out. More than Showtimes Uber show, Apples WeWork show, or Netflixs Anna Delvey show, Hulus look at the life and career of Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes feels as though it has a certain point-of-view on its subject. And that subject Holmes, as played by Amanda Seyfried, and the culture that made her finds brilliant expression in the series music choices, overseen by music supervisor Maggie Phillips. Rarely in recent memory has a pop soundtrack been leveraged so effectively, and so eerily, to underscore points the show is making. Consider, for instance, a scene in which a pre-fame Holmes is waiting outside the Apple Store on the day of the iPhones release. Holmes, who idolized Steve Jobs, is in a giddy reverie as Feists 1234 plays; the song will, for a certain subset of viewers, instantly conjure memories of the Apple ad campaign in which it featured. Its the theme song of the Apple lifestyle, and recognizing it is a sort of coded handshake between Jobs devotees. Later in the series, Holmes welcomes potential partners from Walgreens to Theranos headquarters while KT Tunstalls Suddenly I See a somewhat vacuous melody of empowerment familiar from its use in The Devil Wears Prada plays. (It had been on the Walgreens executives car radio in-universe, and carries over to underscore their first meeting). Holmes, here, is presenting herself as the star of her own movie, and is about to uncork on the pharmacy execs a pitch that relies vastly more on the charm of an inspiring story (wouldnt it be great if Holmes had the sort of protagonist qualities of a person who could change the world?) than on scientific data. And theyre open to it. The Walgreens episode is a clever depiction of the ways in which Holmes particular characteristics worked on a community of investors hungry for a good narrative; Alan Rucks character, the corporate VP who ends up striking the deal between Walgreens and Theranos, is shown early in the episode listening to Katy Perrys Firework, the inspirational song that, in being about everything, is about nothing at all. Hearing it, by chance, after Holmes has told both Walgreens and fellow potential partner Safeway that they dont understand her vision, Rucks character suddenly attempts to salvage the deal. Wouldnt it be nice to believe Holmes invention could work that, indeed, she was a firework of potential? The crumminess and disposability of much of the music underscoring the series lends a sense of the culture through which Holmes moved, and her fundamental lack of sensibility or taste. In a scene where Holmes is attempting to get back in the good graces of her boyfriend (Naveen Andrews), she cues up Lil Waynes adult contemporary junk-classic How to Love and dances to it. Seyfrieds performance of Holmes ungainly physical presence in this scene is moving and strange all on its own. Holmes, here, is urgently seeking reassurance, expressing her insecurity through an attempt to be endearing for she doesnt trust herself to be seductive that lands in extreme oddity. But the song, with its slightly off vocals and its lyrics about alienation and loneliness, compounds meaning, too, showing Holmes ability to find within the prosaic and the artless a deep human strangeness. Elizabeth Holmes, here, is proudly corny: She wants to be loved, so she plays How to Love (and mimes some vaguely hip-hop-inflected dance moves, making herself the butt of the joke). In another dance she shares with Andrews Sunny Balwani, both parties don paper masks of Holmes face, left over from a party, and rage to Nick Jonas Jealous. The psychodrama of envy for the way Holmes presents as a youthful genius is always implicit between them, but they lean on music to literalize it. Earlier, Holmes is inspired by the music of Alabama and listens, in her teen years, to Steal My Sunshine, and in young adulthood to Passion Pit. Theranos parties play Keshas sleaze anthem Die Young, or MC Hammer. Shes a literalist thinker for whom the world is a place to be conquered, making her an ideal listener for the silliest sort of pop music. Holmes was, from her earliest moments in the public eye, more of a pop figure than a scientist: The thrilling story of her having potentially achieved something was more attention-getting than the boring fact of her not having done so. And The Dropout uses music to depict the vapidity of her world, the blunt-force power of platitudes. Often, so-called needle drops on television can stand in for emotional texture or character development; here, they work in tandem with the rest of what the show is up to. Much about The Dropout is exceptional, starting with Seyfried, who is simply on another level: The star doesnt merely transform but excavates, finding sorrow and loneliness and need within a figure whose obviously outre personal presentation would be where many actors might stop. The writing and direction is clever and deft, avoiding making sweeping statements about What Theranos Means For Our Economy and allowing us to come to those conclusions ourselves. But Phillips a prolific supervisor whos worked on everything from Mr. Robot to Normal People deserves special mention for conjuring a moment, a mood, and a sense of Holmes, all without distracting us from the show Seyfried is putting on. The music here does what its supposed to, drawing out and deepening whats already happening onscreen. The Dropout sidesteps and evades cliche at every turn. Its soundtrack embraces it, to show us the mind of someone who can only understand herself through fiction. Sign up for Varietys Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. A man is facing an array of charges after he taunted Laredo police officers while holding a knife, according to an arrest affidavit. On March 18, Jerry Lewis Johnson Jr., 37, was arrested for allegedly impersonating a security officer outside a local bar. Thats when he was served with multiple arrest warrants in relation to a domestic disturbance reported in January. Regarding the domestic violence incident, officers were dispatched at about 7:16 a.m. Jan. 8 in the 2900 block of East Clark Boulevard. A woman stated that her boyfriend, Johnson, arrived home drunk and that he broke her cellphone while she was calling 911. She met with police officers in the 2200 block of North Arkansas Avenue. She told police that Johnson woke her up. She added that Johnson gets crazy when he drinks. To avoid problems, she called 911 to get Johnson out of the house but the call got cut off. Johnson allegedly told her not to call the police. She told him she only wanted him out of the residence. When Johnson noticed that she was going to call police again, he took the phone away and broke it, according to court documents. Johnson then slapped her on the left side of her face. She stated she did not want to file charges but wanted Johnson out of the residence. Officers went to the apartment on East Clark, where Johnson was in the porch area. He was uncooperative. Johnson locked the gates to prevent officers from getting inside the property. Asked if he had weapons, Johnson allegedly replied, I have a lot of weapons. He then took out a knife and refused to put it down, according to police. Officers drew their service weapons while Johnson kept saying pop it pop it as he was walking toward the officers, court documents state. Johnson continued taunting officers on the street with the knife on his right hand. He then threw the knife to the ground following several commands. Johnson then turned around to walk back toward the residence. Thats when a police officer deployed her Taser, but the Taser failed. Johnson would lock himself inside the home. Mr. Johnson was arguing with us through a black metal door stating he was ready to die today and asked us if we were ready to die today, an officer wrote in the affidavit. Meanwhile, his girlfriend decided to leave him there saying she would go to her parents residence. She further stated that Johnson is a very different person once he is sober up. Officers decided to leave Johnson at the residence because he was by himself and no one was in danger. Police did recover the knife Johnson used to taunt the cops. Authorities presented their case to an assistant district attorney, who approved the issuance of warrants for Johnson. He was charged with three counts of aggravated assault against a public servant, assault family violence, criminal mischief and interference with an emergency request for assistance. A man en route to Guanajuato, Mexico was arrested for attempting to smuggle nine firearms and various ammo magazines, according to an arrest affidavit. Ramiro Garcia Rivera was charged with export and attempt to export from the United States firearms and ammunition. At about 1:30 a.m. March 19, U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers working outbound operations at the Juarez-Lincoln International Bridge inspected two vehicles that were traveling together. The first vehicle was a maroon Dodge Ram pulling a utility trailer. Authorities identified the driver as a legal permanent resident. The driver gave a negative declaration for weapons, weapon parts and ammo. The driver stated that they were traveling from Austin to Guanajuato, Mexico. The driver stated that Garcia Rivera was the owner of the Dodge Ram. CBP officers referred the vehicle and trailer to secondary inspection. CBP officers then inspected the second vehicle which was described as a Chevrolet van. Its driver was identified as Garcia Rivera. He also declared he had no weapons, weapon parts, ammo or more than $10,000 in cash. Garcia Rivera was also referred to secondary inspection. During secondary inspection, (CBP officers) discovered in the utility trailer a blue bin that contained six disassembled AR-15 rifles, three pistols and 13 various caliber magazines, states the arrest affidavit. Homeland Security Investigations special agents responded to the alleged smuggling attempt. In a post-arrest interview, Garcia Rivera stated he was the registered owner of the Ram and claimed to have been traveling together from Austin to Laredo. Garcia Rivera stated he was aware the blue bin contained firearms. Garcia Rivera stated he picked up the blue bin and the firearms near his ranch in Martin Mills, Texas from an unknown person. Garcia Rivera stated he was going to deliver the firearms in Guanajuato, Mexico. Garcia Rivera stated he charged the unknown person $170 to transport the blue bin to Mexico, the affidavit states. China builds solid wall of defense against COVID-19 to protect people's lives, health 13:33, March 29, 2022 By Zhong Sheng ( People's Daily A new batch of medical staff from the Chinese mainland to support the COVID-19 control efforts of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region arrives in south China's Hong Kong, March 14, 2022. (Xinhua/Li Gang) The Omicron variant of COVID-19 is spreading fast globally. Some U.S. media outlets recently sighed in articles that the pandemic is "still killing 1,200 Americans a day," worrying there might be "another surge." However, in a cynical tone, they said the Chinese mainland the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) are having a "bad year", just to smear China's pandemic response policies and achievements, and even defame China's political system. Such a narrow and evil view is a total disregard of facts. It turns the pandemic into a tool and weapon out of ulterior political motives. Facing the pandemic unseen in a century, the Chinese government has always put the Chinese people and their lives in the first and highest place. It has tailored science-based and targeted pandemic control policies according to the spread of the pandemic and the features of the virus, so as to maximumly safeguard people's lives and health, maintain a normal pace of work and life, and ensure the safety of industrial and supply chains. China is in a leading position globally in economic development and pandemic control, which fully demonstrates the strong ability of the country to control the virus and the obvious advantages of the leadership of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the socialism with Chinese characteristics. On the contrary, as the world's largest economy and a country that boasts rich and advanced medical resources, the U.S. has seen rounds of serious COVID-19 resurgence, setting new records in a number of indexes, such as newly confirmed cases, hospitalized cases and children's infections. Nearly a million people have died in the country because of the pandemic. The unscientific, unequal, and irresponsible pandemic response led by the White House, prejudices held by political parties, as well as the reckless dissemination of fake information have traumatized the credibility of the U.S. government, and the rights to life and health of Americans, whose trust in their government has been "bankrupt." This clearly shows who's the top scorer and who's the underachiever in terms of pandemic response. Facing the highly transmissible Omicron variant, the HKSAR experienced a drastic surge in newly confirmed cases and was put in a grave situation. At the critical moment, the HKSAR government acted responsibly and launched a tough battle to safeguard people's lives and health under the assistance from the Chinese central government. Expert teams and nucleic acid testing teams were quickly established and dispatched to Hong Kong. A Fire Eye Laboratory, nucleic acid testing vehicles, and quick testing kits were immediately put into use. The first makeshift hospital of Hong Kong was built within a week, and another six with 20,000 beds in less than a month. New waterways were constantly opened for material supply and freight trains were designated to carry assistance materials from the mainland to the HKSAR. The people in the Chinese mainland, sharing the concerns of their compatriots in Hong Kong, assisted the special administrative region with the fastest speed, highest intensity and widest coverage, to ensure the implementation of the assisting policies of the central government. It has significantly enhanced the Hong Kong citizens resolution and confidence in fighting and defeating the virus, and basically contained the rising trend of the pandemic in Hong Kong. The ongoing battle against the pandemic in Hong Kong vividly mirrors the institutional advantages of China. However, some U.S. media outlets are always making a fuss about the resurgence in Hong Kong, distorting the meaning of "dynamic zero-COVID approach." They said China should relax its pandemic control measures and choose to "coexist with the virus", but this only reflects their evil intentions. Hong Kong is a city with high population density and high passenger mobility, and it's also bothered by an aging society. "Laid-back" approaches will only make the virus spread faster there and seriously threaten the lives and health of the Hong Kong citizens, thus crushing the hope of restoring normal economic and social operation. The Guardians recently pointed out that "We all want the disruption and anxiety to stop, but we wont achieve that with policies that pretend the pandemic is over when it isnt. It said to stop the pandemic, we must learn to spot and contain worrying outbreaks. China's pandemic control practices fully prove that the "dynamic zero-COVID approach" is science-based, necessary, effective and feasible. It is something that must be done by a major country with more than 1.4 billion people, as well as an obligation of a responsible government and society. It puts into practice the people-first philosophy and contributes to the world's efforts to fight the pandemic. According to a recent poll published by Hong Kong-based think tank Bauhinia Institute, over 65 percent of the Hong Kong citizens believe that the "dynamic zero-COVID approach" is in line with the general interests of the Hong Kong society, and more than 80 percent are supportive of the goal raised by the expert team dispatched by the central government to reduce the numbers of deaths, critical cases and infections. The poll also indicated that over 80 percent of the Hong Kong citizens are more confident in defeating the virus because of the central government's assistance. After directing a documentary recording Wuhan's battle against the pandemic, British director Malcolm Clarke said he and his team have witnessed the invincible state strength of China during the pandemic. He said in China, the whole nation fights as one when it wants to achieve something, which is incredible when measured with Western standards. Over the past two years and more, China's institutional advantages and powerful state strength have withstood the test of the pandemic, and will keep contributing to the country's fight against the virus. China will build a solid wall of defense against COVID-19 with utmost confidence and achieve a final victory. The U.S. media and politicians that are always defaming China, sowing discord, mongering panic and singing the blues are destined to be disappointed again. (Zhong Sheng is a pen name often used by People's Daily to express its views on foreign policy and international affairs.) (Web editor: Hongyu, Liang Jun) Visiting Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishnakar on Tuesday offered assistance to a Sri Lankan government hospital which had to halt all surgeries due to lack of medicines. Disturbed over the news that the Peradeniya Teaching Hospital in Kandy has halted all surgeries, Jaishnakar directed the Indian High Commissioner to Sri Lanka, Gopal Baglay to find out how New Delhi could assist in resolving the issue. Subsequently Indian envoy contacted senior medical officials attached to the hospital and had inquired about the required medicines that are needed to continue regular surgeries. At a meeting by hospital authorities on Monday, a decision had been taken to suspend all surgeries due to the severe shortage of drugs including anesthesia drug, Neostigmine used to reverse the effects of anesthesia medication used during surgery. The severe dollar crisis has led Sri Lanka to curtail purchase major imports including essential medicines leading shortage of essential medicines both in state hospitals and private pharmacies. Since January, India has offered Sri Lanka nearly $2.5 billion financial assistance, including $1 billion credit line on March 17, to buy medicine, food and other essentials. A man has been arrested in relation with a maquinitas raid that occurred in mid-January, according to Laredo police. On Thursday, Juan Alfredo Cervantes-Andrade, 22, was served with an arrest warrant charging him with gambling promotion. Furthermore, authorities seized 53 slot machines and $17,867. In January, police received information regarding illegal payouts to customers taking place at Fuego Amusement on 815 Park Street. The Laredo Police Department Narcotics and Vice unit launched an investigation. Authorities recorded an illegal payout on Jan. 6 during an undercover operation. The undercover officer entered Fuego Amusement and played a machine called Ultimate Fire Link. Police said the undercover cop inserted $5 and won $10. A second illegal payout occurred on Jan. 10. The undercover officer inserted $5 in a Life of Luxury Machine and won $25. Authorities said employees did not offer to pay the undercover officer with any other type of merchandise other than an illegal cash payout. Police also noticed that throughout the business, there were multiple signs of No Cash Payout along with signs reading Match Play, a term used at an eight-liner establishment that doubles the face value inserted by a customer into a slot machine. There were 53 gaming machines inside the establishment. On Jan. 13, the narcotics and vice unit along with the patrol division, the Crime Against Property division and the Webb County District Attorneys Office executed multiple search warrants throughout the city. At Fuego Amusement, authorities encountered Cervantes-Andrade, who appeared to be a floor attendant. In an interview with police, Cervantes-Andrade stated his title at Fuego Amusement was a floor manager. He would provide change to customers and handle the match play. He added he was paid $9.50 per hour and that he would pay himself weekly from the business earnings. Cervantes-Andrade stated the highest he has paid a customer was $650. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate 3 1 of 3 Courtesy /Texas DPS Show More Show Less 2 of 3 Courtesy /Texas DPS Show More Show Less 3 of 3 State police are releasing more information regarding the human smuggling attempt that ended in a rollover crash that killed two people north of Encinal over the weekend. The crash was reported at about 2:07 p.m. March 26 on Interstate 35, about half a mile north of Encinal. A preliminary investigation revealed that a black 2002 GMC sport utility vehicle was evading law enforcement, traveling south on the northbound access road of I-35. Courtesy /U.S. Border Patrol A veteran truck driver arrested at a U.S. Border Patrol checkpoint said he did not know he was transporting 49 migrants, according to an arrest affidavit. A white tractor towing a white trailer arrived at the Interstate 35 checkpoint at about 6:44 a.m. March 24. An agent noticed the company logo decals appeared to be falling off and looked recently placed. The driver was identified as Julian Aguirre, of Houston. Pakistan Interior Minister Sheikh Rasheed announced on Tuesday that voting on the no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Imran Khan will take place on April 3, Geo News reported. Addressing a press conference in Islamabad, he revealed the much-awaited date, adding that debate on the motion, tabled by Leader of the Opposition in National Assembly Shahbaz Sharif on Monday, will begin on Tuesday. Rasheed said that the final decision would be taken at the last hour, adding that PM Imran Khan will "play"till the last ball. Reiterating his support for the PTI-led government, he stated: "I stand with Imran Khan" and hoped that voting will be held peacefully on April 3. He also said that the official notification will be issued after the PM accepts the resignation of Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar. "In politics, some people win even after losing," he said. Following the power shows of the government and the Opposition, he said that all containers have been removed in Islamabad and all roads are clear. The Minister said that as he mentioned earlier Chaudhry brothers are with PTI. He, however, hoped that the MQM-P will soon announce their decision in favour of the government. "Their decision will be a decisive one," he added. "All those who have planned international conspiracies to remove PM Imran Khan will fail miserably," he said, adding that all eyes are on the Supreme Court's decision, Geo News reported. If you do not have a current print subscription to the Lodi News-Sentinel, but want to view unlimited articles for the month, please choose this option. Teenage entrepreneurs from Cnoc Mhuire, Granard and Moyne Community School will represent Local Enterprise Office Longford at this years Student Enterprise Programme National Finals. Preliminary judging will take place on May 3 from which five mini businesses from each category will go forward to a live final on Wednesday, May 18 in The Helix in Dublin. The students all took part in the County Longford Student Enterprise Programme Final on Tuesday, March 15, which was held virtually. An estimated two hundred students from seven schools took part in the programme locally. In the Senior Category, Longford will be represented at national level by Elaine Tully and Aibhe Brady from CMG Skinny Bottoms & Halfzips at Cnoc Mhuire, Granard. In the Intermediate Category, Moyne CS student Saoirse OToole from Saoirses Bakes & Cakes will be going forward to the national preliminaries. In the Most Creative Business Idea section open to senior students, Aoibhe Beatty, Cnoc Mhuire, Granard emerged on top. Her idea Naddy Bot, a wearable device which monitors blood sugar levels, goes forward. Special guests at the Longford virtual final included local athlete, European U20 Champion and former Student Enterprise Programme participant, Cian McPhillips and Cllr Peggy Nolan, Cathaoirleach, Longford County Council. Longford has a successful track record in the student enterprise competition. Recent awards won by local secondary schools have included Best Commercial Potential in 2021 for Handy Hooks from Ballymahon Vocational School, Best Commercial Potential award 2018 for Reel Easy from Moyne Community School and 2nd place in the Senior Category in 2017 for J & S Kitchen Aid from Mercy Secondary School in Ballymahon. Michael Nevin, Head of Enterprise of the Local Enterprise Office Longford congratulated the students, saying, We have a very successful student enterprise programme here in Longford, with approximately 200 students from seven local schools taking part this year. Our national finalists are excellent ambassadors for the programme and we wish them the very best of luck going forward. In what has been a particularly challenging couple of years for students the programme has offered them an outlet outside of the usual school demands. What our students are learning from the programme is that with the right support and encouragement, they can take an idea from the classroom and develop it into a real-life business. The skills they learn along the way, such as business planning, market research, selling and team-work, will help them become more entrepreneurial throughout their future careers. Further information around the Student Enterprise Programme is available from www.studententerprise.ie and by searching #studententerprise on social media. The Longford winners Senior Category Overall Winner: CMG Skinny Bottoms & Halfzips (Elaine Tully & Aibhe Brady), Cnoc Mhuire, Granard Runner Up: Allora Artwork (Naida Daugelaite), Mean Scoil Mhuire, Longford Intermediate Category Overall Winner: Saoirses Bakes & Cakes (Saoirse OToole), Moyne Community School Special Awards - Seniors Special Merit Team Development: Bait Box (Ashleigh Cullen, Cian Monaghan & Chloe Hopkins), Ballymahon Vocational School Special Merit Marketing: Beam Engraving (Maria Farrell, Breyana McCormack, Eabha Nevin & Anna Hutchinson), Mean Scoil Mhuire, Longford Special Merit Innovation: Our Book (Larah Mulligan, Leah Farrell Malone & Jessica Flynn), Ardscoil Phadraig, Granard Special Merit Environmental: Air Bee+Bee (Aoife O'Hara), Moyne Community School Most Creative Video Competition: Naddy bot (Aoibhe Beatty), Cnoc Mhuire, Granard A midlands man, who as a teenager, abused two boys in foster care in his family home has been given a four year prison sentence with the final two and a half years suspended. The 42-year-old man was convicted after a trial at the Central Criminal Court of four counts of oral rape on various dates between May 1995 and December 1998. Pensioner in 'serious' condition in hospital after being knocked down by car in Longford town A pensioner is in a serious condition in hospital tonight after he was struck by a car earlier this evening in Longford town. The accused, who was aged between 15 and 18 at the time, was also convicted of eight counts of sexual assault of the victim, who was then aged between 11 and 14. He was further convicted of four sexual assaults of the victim's older brother on dates in 1995 and 1996. The child in that case was aged from 12 and 13 at the time. The offending took place in the accused mans family home in a town in Co Offaly. The court heard the man now accepts the verdicts of the jury and said he is sorry. Ms Justice Deirdre Murphy noted the court must sentence the man not as an adult but as the 15 to 17 year old who committed the offences. She said the fact of him being a juvenile at the time and the fact of his intellectual functioning being in the low range reduced culpability. The judge said the acknowledgment of guilt even post conviction had some mitigating weight as there could be no whispering that the jury got it wrong or some mistake had been made. She noted he had also led a productive and useful life for the last 22 years since the offending and had indicated a willingness to engage with the Probation Service and rehabilitation. The judge said the court considered there to be a further mitigating factor in the failure of the authorities to deal with the matter when a complaint was first made to the HSE by one of the victims in 2001. She said it would have spared the victim distress which led to him feeling unable to go to gardai until 2014. The judge said this failure by the authorities to address the matter in 2001 not only caused distress to the victim but has also caused prejudice to the accused. Justice delayed is justice denied, she remarked. She said as a consequence the man was now facing the court as a 42 year old man with family responsibilities when it should have been dealt with in 2001. Ms Justice Murphy imposed a sentence of four years on each of the rape counts and 18 months on the sexual assault offences. In light of the mitigation she suspended the final two and a half years on strict conditions. Russia has agreed to meet Kiev half-way and will allow a meeting of its leaders to be held on the same day that the final version of a peace treaty is pre-approved by the two nation's foreign ministers, Moscow's top negotiator said on Tuesday, after a new round of talks in Istanbul. Previously, Moscow had insisted that a meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky could only be set after the deal would be finalized, RT reported. Vladimir Medinsky described the talks in Turkey as "constructive" and said his delegation had received a clearly outlined position on what Kiev sought to achieve. The written proposal, which includes Ukraine's pledge to remain a neutral nation and that it will not try to obtain any weapons of mass destruction, including nuclear weapons, will be relayed to Putin, he said. Coinciding with Medinsky's statement to the press, the Russian defense ministry announced it was drastically reducing its military operations in some parts of Ukraine, including near the capital, Kiev. The ministry cited "the talks moving into the practical dimension," as the reason for the change, RT reported. David Arakhamia, Medinsky's opposite number in the Ukrainian delegation, said Kiev had sought a security guarantee from a number of nations that would work not unlike NATO's mutual self-defense commitment. He named the UK, China, the US, Turkey, France, Canada, Italy, Poland and Israel as possible guarantors, and claimed some of them have given their preliminary agreement to serve in that capacity. The proposed security pledge will not apply to the parts of Ukraine whose status remains in dispute, Arakhamia said. These include Crimea, which Russia considers its territory, and the breakaway Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics, which Russia recognized as sovereign states and whose forces are taking part in ongoing hostilities. Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu remarked that he hoped that the outcome of the negotiation would soon lead to a ceasefire and a sustainable political resolution of the crisis Local News By Chris Boyle Published: March 29 2022 As someone who lives in this great Suffolk County community, I can attest that the Forge River Sewer Project is critical to our quality of life," Zeldin said. Congressman Lee Zeldin (R, NY-1) applauded the beginning of construction of the Forge River Sewer Project. In January, Congressman Zeldin joined Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone, state and local officials, labor leaders, environmental stakeholders and residents at the Mastic Fire Department Substation to mark the groundbreaking of this long awaited infrastructure improvement. As someone who grew up and still lives in this great Suffolk County community, I can personally attest to the fact that the Forge River Sewer Project is critical to our quality of life. Dating back to my time in the New York State Senate, its been a long and hard-fought journey to reach this latest milestone, said Congressman Zeldin. I was honored to do my part to save this project with legislation I got passed by Congress and signed into law in December 2020. This project is a product of all levels of government working together across party lines to get this done. The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic put Forge River, along with two other local sewer projects, in serious danger of not meeting their original deadlines for all the Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) funds to be spent. Working closely with the White House and congressional leadership, Congressman Zeldin had language included in December 2020 government funding legislation to extend the deadline for the use of these CDBG-DR funds. The project could not be completed without this necessary federal action. Kavango Resources PLC - mining company focused in Botswana - Identifies 12 geophysical structures at the Ditau Camp project in Botswana, which the company believes could host carbonatites. Nine of these structure are particularly well defined, and Kavango is now starting a diamond drill campaign to test three of the targets, by drilling up to 2 holes in each targets. The primary target at rare earth elements mineralisation in possible carbonatites, or secondary REE deposits derived from the primary source. "Drill testing the ring structure targets should be relatively straightforward. While the geophysical signatures are complex and varied, confirming the presence of carbonatite/mafic bodies would be the first step towards defining the potential for REE and base/precious metal mineralisation. We will release more results from this in the coming weeks, as we progress through the drill campaign," says Chief Executive Officer Ben Turney. Current stock price: 3.00 pence 12-month change: up 1.7% By Dayo Laniyan; dayolaniyan@alliancenews.com Copyright 2022 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved. (Sharecast News) - London stocks rose in early trade on Tuesday amid hopes of progress in Russia-Ukraine peace talks. At 0910 BST, the FTSE 100 was up 0.7% at 7,526.55. Russ Mould, investment director at AJ Bell, said: "Having tripped over on Monday afternoon amid concern about China lockdowns and the conflict in Ukraine the FTSE 100 sprang back to its feet on Tuesday on hopes the latest round of peace talks between Moscow and Kyiv might yield tangible progress. "Suggestions the Russian side are softening some of their previous demands raised spirits, but the market is unlikely to take anything for granted when it comes to the machinations of Vladimir Putin. "The resilience of global stocks given the cocktail of risks facing the global economy is truly impressive but this stoicism is likely to face continuing tests as the impact of mounting prices and the actions of central banks continue to feed through, not to mention the ongoing geopolitical concerns. "The FTSE 100 has proved to be better placed than most thanks to relatively cheap valuations, strong income credentials and exposure to surging commodity markets, however it is not immune to the current pressures." In equity markets, Admiral was up after Barclays upgraded the stock to 'overweight' from 'equalweight' and said it was turning more optimistic following its share price underperformance. Russia-focused miner Polymetal International surged after saying it was considering changes to its corporate structure including "distinct ownership in various jurisdictions" where the company operates. Polymetal said deliberations were at an early stage. Currys rallied after markets blog Betaville suggested potential takeover interest in the electricals retailer. On the downside, Barclays shares slumped after a share placing. According to terms seen by Bloomberg, 575m shares in the bank were placed via Goldman Sachs, at a range of between 147.50p and 150.75p a share. A trader said it was "unconfirmed whether it was Qatar Investment Authority" who sold the shares. Royal Mail was dented by a downgrade to 'sell' from 'hold' at Deutsche, which also slashed its price target to 275p from 680p. Bellway was on the back foot even as the housebuilder announced a big increase in its dividend and a reduction in dividend cover as it reported an 8.9% jump in underlying first-half profit. Market Movers FTSE 100 (UKX) 7,526.55 0.71% FTSE 250 (MCX) 21,206.08 0.65% techMARK (TASX) 4,348.18 0.61% FTSE 100 - Risers Airtel Africa (AAF) 143.80p 3.08% Prudential (PRU) 1,108.50p 3.07% Fresnillo (FRES) 747.00p 3.01% Scottish Mortgage Inv Trust (SMT) 1,036.00p 2.73% Ocado Group (OCDO) 1,118.50p 2.66% Coca-Cola HBC AG (CDI) (CCH) 1,630.50p 2.58% Rightmove (RMV) 657.40p 2.27% Croda International (CRDA) 7,688.00p 2.18% International Consolidated Airlines Group SA (CDI) (IAG) 142.88p 2.12% Admiral Group (ADM) 2,583.00p 1.85% FTSE 100 - Fallers Barclays (BARC) 153.06p -4.62% Royal Mail (RMG) 344.20p -2.96% British American Tobacco (BATS) 3,243.50p -1.68% BAE Systems (BA.) 722.40p -1.26% Avast (AVST) 569.20p -0.80% B&M European Value Retail S.A. (DI) (BME) 555.60p -0.61% Imperial Brands (IMB) 1,651.00p -0.54% Hargreaves Lansdown (HL.) 1,029.00p -0.44% Severn Trent (SVT) 2,967.00p -0.34% London Stock Exchange Group (LSEG) 7,838.00p -0.33% FTSE 250 - Risers Polymetal International (POLY) 335.80p 38.19% Currys (CURY) 102.10p 9.96% Bridgepoint Group (Reg S) (BPT) 332.00p 4.90% Vesuvius (VSVS) 348.80p 4.56% IWG (IWG) 269.30p 3.82% Wood Group (John) (WG.) 172.40p 3.79% Liontrust Asset Management (LIO) 1,278.00p 3.73% Tullow Oil (TLW) 53.00p 3.60% Euromoney Institutional Investor (ERM) 956.00p 3.35% Aston Martin Lagonda Global Holdings (AML) 959.40p 3.14% FTSE 250 - Fallers Babcock International Group (BAB) 332.50p -3.62% HGCapital Trust (HGT) 424.00p -1.85% Bellway (BWY) 2,555.00p -1.73% Chemring Group (CHG) 322.00p -1.23% Investec (INVP) 490.90p -0.85% VinaCapital Vietnam Opportunity Fund Ltd. (VOF) 502.00p -0.79% Ashmore Group (ASHM) 233.40p -0.77% International Public Partnerships Ltd. (INPP) 170.60p -0.70% Clarkson (CKN) 3,865.00p -0.64% Vistry Group (VTY) 943.40p -0.57% March 29 (Reuters) - Russian hydroelectric power generation firm RusHydro said on Tuesday its Eurobond coupon payment was blocked by a bank. RusHydro requested permission from the UK sanctions office, the Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation (OFSI), to proceed with the payment, it said in a statement. Last week, RusHydro transferred a coupon payment of 812.5 million roubles ($9.3 million) on its rouble-denominated Eurobond to an agent. The payment on the 2022 Eurobond was planned for March 28. ($1 = 87.4000 roubles) (Reporting by Reuters; Editing by Chris Reese) LONDON, March 29 (Reuters) - Britain said on Tuesday that healthcare workers, social care staff and the most vulnerable will still get COVID-19 tests without any charge when it ends free testing for the general public next month. When he announced all coronavirus restrictions would be scrapped in February, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said free tests would end on April 1, saying the country could not afford their cost. Health minister Sajid Javid said people at risk of serious illness from COVID-19 would continue to get free tests if they developed symptoms, along with National Health Service staff, those working in social care and those in other high-risk jobs. COVID cases and hospitalisations have risen in recent weeks, but the government said more than 55% who tested positive in hospital for the virus had been admitted for other ailments. Meanwhile, booster vaccine shots are being rolled out for older and immunosuppressed people. Under the guidance from April 1, people who develop symptoms such as a high temperature or other respiratory infections will be advised to stay at home and avoid contact with other people until they feel better and no longer have a fever. Those who test positive for COVID will be advised to stay at home for five days and avoid any contact with other people for five days. "We have made enormous progress but will keep the ability to respond to future threats including potential variants," Javid said. (Reporting by Michael Holden Editing by Bill Berkrot) Scientists from Monash University and elsewhere have sequenced and assembled the nuclear and mitochondrial genomes of the helmeted honeyeater (Lichenostomus melanops cassidix), an emblem of the Australian state of Victoria. The helmeted honeyeater is a small woodland bird in the superfamily Meliphagoidea. Distinguished by its characteristic helmet of crown feathers, it is one of four subspecies of the yellow-tufted honeyeater (Lichenostomus melanops). Endemic to the state of Victoria, Australia, the helmeted honeyeater was declared Victorias bird emblem in 1971. It has been classified as Critically Endangered, and its sole population consists of just 250 individuals inhabiting the Yellingbo Nature Conservation Reserve. The helmeted honeyeater has been subject to intensive conservation management, including captive breeding. Despite this, the species population exhibits a small effective size, low genetic variation, and strong inbreeding depression. To increase the genetic health of the helmeted honeyeater, Monash University researcher Alexandra Pavlova and her colleagues are working together to create a genetic rescue program by introducing genes from a subspecies outside the small gene pool of the endangered population. Because the helmeted honeyeater is the last of its kind, genetic augmentation must come from a different subspecies, Dr. Pavlova said. However, this kind of genetic mixing is not common: conservation managers generally avoid crossing subspecies for fear of losing local adaptation and distinctiveness. These issues can now potentially be avoided given the availability of the birds first chromosome-length genome sequence that is, the quality of the data is so high that the assembled sequences of the genetic letters cover entire chromosomes rather than the more commonly available genome sequences that are less complete and continuous. In addition, the researchers also produced a high-density genetic map, which includes more than 50,000 marker positions. A genetic map with this many markers allows the scientists to follow exactly which part of every chromosome in an individual was inherited from each parent. The genome sequence and the genetic map will be used to get the right balance between rescuing the helmeted honeyeater from extinction through inbreeding, while retaining unique features that make it a helmeted honeyeater, said Dr. Diana Robledo-Ruiz, a researcher at Monash University. Having such exceptional genomic resources now available begins a new chapter for rescuing the helmeted honeyeater. However, without the passion, commitment, and work of hundreds of people and many organizations, the helmeted honeyeater would already be extinct. The results appear in the journal GigaScience. _____ Diana A. Robledo-Ruiz et al. 2022. Chromosome-length genome assembly and linkage map of a critically endangered Australian bird: the helmeted honeyeater. GigaScience 11: giac025; doi: 10.1093/gigascience/giac025 Press Release 16 March 2022 Genflow Biosciences Plc ("Genflow" or "the Company") Genflow Receives Non-Dilutive Grant Research Award from the Wallonia Region Genflow (LSE: GENF) is pleased to announce that its subsidiary, Genflow Biosciences SRL ("Genflow BE"), has received a non-dilutive research grant award of up to 3.375m from the regional government of Wallonia in southern Belgium SPW ("Service Public de Wallonie"). Genflow is a UK-based biotechnology company focused on longevity and the development of therapies to counteract the effects of aging and diseases associated with advanced age. Genflow will use the grant to expedite its planned research and development activity. The substantial grant funding is non-dilutive to Genflow shareholders and is a significant benefit to the Company alongside the relatively low operating costs that Genflow BE benefits from. The grant will cover two years of costs of the pre-clinical research and development program 'AAV/SIRT6 Gene Therapy for the Treatment of Progeria' conducted by Genflow BE within the European Community. The total financed program is for up to 3,375,770 covering 70% of the Group's EU research and development. These funds are in addition to the placing monies the Company received from its oversubscribed placing at Admission. Genflow BE will receive its first half yearly tranche of 767,252.61 immediately which will put the Company ahead of its planned research and development schedule and will accelerate Genflow's development of novel gene therapies for improving healthy aging. Subsequent tranches will be released every 6 months and a review will take place with SPW every 6 months to update on Genflow BE's research progress. Dr Eric Leire, Founder and CEO of Genflow Biosciences, said: "We are incredibly delighted and honoured to receive this grant which will expedite the research and development programme Genflow conducts in the EU. I congratulate the team at Genflow for securing this supportive funding which validates the belief in our company and our long-term vision. This grant will enable Genflow to further expand its research which is designed to allow people to live longer, healthier lives. "Access to non-dilutive public funding is highly prized and much sought-after, the support from SPW is a significant advantage to Genflow and will support our R&D efforts while helping us to maintain relatively low operating costs." For further information please contact: Genflow Biosciences Dr Eric Leire Chief Executive via Tancredi +44 203 434 2330 Clear Capital Markets Ltd Corporate Broker Jonathan Critchley Keith Swann +44 203 869 6086 +44 203 897 0981 Tancredi Intelligent Communication Media Relations Salamander Davoudi Helen Humphrey Benedetta Negri da Oleggio +44 7957 549 906 +44 7449 226 720 +44 7838 029 970 genflowbio@tancredigroup.com About Genflow Genflow is a UK-based biotechnology company established in 2020. The Company is developing gene therapies designed to target the aging process and to reduce and delay the incidence of age-related diseases. This will be done through novel therapeutics targeting aging in humans by using adeno-associated virus ("AAV") vectors to deliver copies of the Sirtuin-6 ("SIRT6") gene variant that is found in centenarians into cells. Its mission is to increase understanding of the factors that control and impact lifespan. Genflow researches, develops, and commercialises therapeutic solutions to lengthen health span, the amount of time we live in good health, creating biological interventions that enable longer and healthier lives. Genflow is dedicated to the development and commercialisation of novel therapeutics targeting aging in dogs and humans. By treating aging, Genflow Biosciences can contribute to a decrease in healthcare costs and lessen the emotional and societal burden that comes with an aging population. To learn more visit https://genflowbio.com/ For consumers in Spain, a headline measure announced by Prime Minister Sanchez on Monday and due for cabinet approval on Tuesday is a twenty cent per litre cut in the price of fuel. Initially, this reduction was only for the transport sector, but it is to be extended to all consumers and will be in effect until at least June 30, once the official announcement is made. It is expected to come into force from the first of April. Responding to the Spanish government statement on Monday, Balearic government spokesperson Iago Negueruela said that the regional administration would be studying the measures in order to see ways in which these can be complemented. In the Balearic parliament on Tuesday, President Armengol is expected to announce additional measures to support sectors most affected by rising prices. The Balearic government, employers associations and unions have all welcomed the Sanchez announcement, but it is felt that measures are insufficient for the Balearics. Negueruela noted on Monday that the Spanish government has included "urgent and necessary" measures proposed by the Balearic government, such as limiting increases in rents and extending tax cuts for electricity bills. Joan Laporta has declared that he fully believes Barcelona can secure this season's LaLiga Santander title, should they maintain their current run of form. The Barcelona president discussed his side's current form and a range of other topics in a radio interview on Monday night and he reflected on the title race, with his side currently 12 points behind but with a game in hand. "I am not ready to accept just winning the Europa League and finishing second in LaLiga Santander," he said in that interview with RAC1. "I want to win LaLiga Santander. I truly believe in it, we have the team to win it and we have reached the final stretch playing well. "The team is working well and they believe even more than I do that we can win LaLiga Santander. "If we keep it up, we will be champions." Laporta also stated that there are no plans in place for a return to the Camp Nou for Lionel Messi. "I haven't received any messages from Leo [Messi] or from his close circle to return to Barcelona," he said. "We are not considering it. We are building a new team, with new people, together with experts in the field. There is symbiosis. "But Leo is Leo. The best player in the world, the Ballon d'Or winner. "It is not a step back. We are not considering it, but he deserves respect." The Barcelona president commented on Ousmane Dembele's contract situation, and stated that it is no closer to being resolved. "I like [Dembele] a lot," he said. "He is a fantastic player. However, his situation is similar to that of Sergi Roberto. "Although we like him and how he plays, there are wage limits. "With his agent, no one knows. He is a box of surprises." Laporta also stated that the European Super League project is far from over. "The relationship with Florentino [Perez] is cordial and civil," he said. "We are in contact about the Super League, and the project continues. "I believe that there will be a constructive dialogue with UEFA." It was a moment where you had to ask those sitting beside you whether it actually just happened as your eyes perceived it to, yet in the aftermath of Will Smith's slap on Chris Rock, there are serious questions over whether the former's Oscar should be taken away. Smith won the Best Actor award at Sunday's ceremony, however before he was even presented with the trophy he made his way onto the stage. Will Smith: I want to apologize to the Academy" A joke made by Rock towards the haircut of Jada Pinkett-Smith angered the Men in Black star, with it later emerging that his wife is battling a hair-loss condition called alopecia. "The Academy does not condone violence in any form," an organisation statement read shortly after. "Tonight we are delighted to celebrate the winners of the 94th Academy Awards, who deserve this moment of recognition from their peers and film lovers around the world." Celebrity reaction to Smith slap Many have taken to Twitter following the incident and Judd Apatow was highly critical of Smith's behaviour. "Knocked Up" Apatow said in a now-deleted tweet. "He could have killed him. That's pure out of control rage and violence. They've heard a million jokes about them in the last three decades. They are not freshman in the world of Hollywood and comedy. He lost his mind." Stars react on social media to Will Smith hitting Chris Rock at Sunday's Oscar ceremony Meanwhile comedian Fortune Feimster tweeted: "Someone in the audience charged the stage Friday night during my opener's set and attempted to throw the speaker, started taking swings at the people trying to stop her and pushed down a security guard. It's scary times. So, no, I don't find someone getting hit on stage amusing." How could the Academy act? Whilst most have laughed the incident off, or even suggested Smith's actions were valid, there are calls for the Academy Awards to uphold their own code of conduct and take back the award given to Smith. Will Smith arrives at the Vanity Fair party after slapping Chris Rock during the Oscars ceremony AP "There is no place in the Academy for people who abuse their status, power or influence in a way that violates recognised standards of decency, the academy categorically opposes any form of abuse," explained the Academy Awards conduct charter written by CEO, Dawn Hudson. The charter came into being in 2017 after a string of sexual scandals within Hollywood were exposed, although in basic linguistic terms, Smith's act towards Rock was a form of abuse. An obvious pattern emerges here. A brutal and endemic scheme of torture that is used indiscriminately by US imperialism against its detainees guilty or otherwise. by Oliver Brotherton While the US and its allies decry Russias brutality in Ukraine, a recently declassified report has shed light on some of the practices of western imperialism. It has been revealed that the CIA spent three years using a detainee in Afghanistan as a puppet to train interrogators in torture methods. This individual was subject to senseless brutality, despite providing no useful intelligence. Ammar al-Baluchi, a Pakistani national with links to the 9/11 attacks, was held in the so-called Salt Pit: an extralegal detention centre or black site from 2003 to 2006. There, he faced all kinds of physical and psychological torment, before being moved to the infamous Guantanamo Bay, where he has been held without trial ever since. Anmars ordeal has left him with potentially severe brain damage. A school for torture The descriptions of Ammars handling by US agents paint a grim picture. Sleep and food deprivation were standard, often lasting several days at a time. Whilst sleep-deprived, Ammar would be forced to remain standing, sometimes for up to 82 hours, before being taken in for interrogation. Here, the horrors only continued. Enhanced interrogation techniques (a euphemism for torture methods) employed by the CIA included repeatedly slapping his face and chest, forcing his body into uncomfortable stress positions for long periods of time, shackling him naked to the floor while 12 or 13 agents threw buckets of icy water over him, and walling covering his head in a towel before hitting it against a plank of wood. These barbaric methods were, and likely still are, common practice in the secret detention facilities of US imperialism around the world. Most disgusting of all is the fact that Ammar was not just being abused to extract information from him. His torture chamber was a classroom for aspiring CIA interrogators. The report describes the agents present as students doing on-the-job training. One CIA agent interviewed for the report, noted he needed to do substantial learning on the job and felt behind the curve, in part because he needed to practice interrogation techniques. This practice involved lining up to take turns beating and walling Ammar. Sickeningly, when trainee torturers did not get the method quite right, they would have to continue assaulting Ammar until they could be certified by an expert. One trainee had trouble doing the facial slap correctly and was too much into it, with his arm too far extended to do the slap correctly. These merciless beatings were not conducted by a few bad actors. This was all a standard part of the certification process for aspiring interrogators irrespective of the damage it was doing to Ammar. The report also states that CIA agents probably made the decision to use enhanced measures on Ammar before the detainee arrived at [the black site]. This means that the use of torture methods had nothing to do with Ammars willingness to cooperate or the information they wished to gather from him, as is often the justification given by apologists of reactionary governments employing such methods. Rather, he was most likely singled out arbitrarily to be a training dummy for the CIA before he had even begun interrogations. Crimes swept under the carpet Predictably, while the declassified report is critical of some of the more extreme techniques employed by agents, it finds that, for the most part, nothing in Ammars case was out of the ordinary. Walling, for example, was found to be completely legitimate, and Ammars permanent brain damage was merely the result of a few agents [applying] some of the measures exuberantly. The reports convoluted defence of the CIA attempts to minimise the extreme violence perpetrated. One interviewed agent states, Ammar could have thought the facial and belly slaps were beatings, even though they were approved EITs. Similarly, the report states: A session in which several interrogators had to take turns walling the much smaller detainee because they became fatigued suggests that Ammar might reasonably feel that he was beaten. Here, we are supposed to take solace in the fact that while Ammar may have felt like he was beaten, this is merely a factual error on his part, since the methods were simply approved interrogation techniques. This is cynical wordplay worthy of George Orwells 1984: It is not torture until we say it is! But the apologists for torture do not stop there. The experiences of one CIA agent are elaborated in detail: All the detainees who she met at [the black site] told her they were tortured... She said she does not recall Ammar being unique from other detainees in his complaints about torture; she heard those complaints every day. She later described Ammar as a little bit of a hypochondriac [!] These remarks show the callous disregard that US imperialism has for human life. The CIA agent airily dismisses Ammars savage treatment because all extra-legal black site detainees make that complaint, suggesting that Ammars sense of being grievously assaulted is probably just down to a bit of hypochondria! Interrogation without information Ammars guilt or connection to terrorism notwithstanding, the torture he faced was completely useless in terms of yielding information: Agency officers focused more on whether Ammar was compliant than on the quality of the information he was providing Ammar fabricated the information he provided while undergoing [torture]... he was terrified and lied to get Agency officers to stop the measures. This lines up with the findings of other reports into advanced interrogation: prisoners subject to torture will ultimately say anything in order to put a stop to their ordeal, making any intelligence they provide worthless. In addition, the report raises doubts that Ammar ever knew anything in the first place: Ammar lacked knowledge of imminent threats, but Agency interrogators and analysts were convinced he was withholding information based upon their analysis of Ammars connections to Khalid Shaykh Muhammad [a key architect of 9/11] and what they assumed Ammar could have known. Not only did CIA agents make little to no attempt to gather reliable information from Ammar, it is unclear whether he even knew anything at all. The CIA carried out three years of brutal torture on the basis of their assumption. A history of torture Ammars case is only the latest revelation in the litany of US imperialisms crimes in the Middle East. A well-known example is the human rights abuse that took place in Abu Ghraib, the US prison maintained in Iraq during the War on Terror. US soldiers were found to have shackled detainees to corpses, kept them naked and in disgusting conditions for long periods of time, as well as a host of other physical, sexual and psychological abuses. At least one man was killed under torture. In addition to the systemic and widespread use of torture, a Red Cross report at the time found that 70-90 percent of those being held at Abu Ghraib had been mistakenly arrested. Similar reports arose of US soldiers transferring thousands of prisoners to Iraqi security facilities, where torture methods such as beating, lashings and even burnings were known to take place. There are countless other accusations of torture that have been levelled against the US in recent years. An obvious pattern emerges here. A brutal and endemic scheme of torture that is used indiscriminately by US imperialism against its detainees guilty or otherwise. What is clear is that no inquiry and no amount of scandal will put a stop to the cruelty at the heart of US imperialism. Likewise, the hollow reforms suggested by government reports and capitalist politicians will not end the barbarism of the CIA and the capitalist state in general. US imperialism is the most reactionary force on earth, responsible for the most heinous crimes imaginable. There are no depths the capitalists will not plumb to defend their profits and spheres of interest. We must banish this war, torture and savagery to humanitys dim and distant past, by overthrowing the system that gives rise to them. 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